Nooney Krombach Co. v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Missouri

929 S.W.2d 888, 1996 Mo. App. LEXIS 1368, 1996 WL 438923
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 6, 1996
DocketNo. 68390
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 929 S.W.2d 888 (Nooney Krombach Co. v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Missouri) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nooney Krombach Co. v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Missouri, 929 S.W.2d 888, 1996 Mo. App. LEXIS 1368, 1996 WL 438923 (Mo. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

CHARLES B. BLACKMAR, Senior Judge.

The plaintiff is a licensed real estate broker specializing in business property. The defendant is a major provider of health care services. The plaintiff filed suit, seeking in Count I a commission on the sale by the defendant of its headquarters building in St. Louis and in Count II a commission on the purchase by the defendant of a new headquarters facility.1 The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff on both counts for the total amount sought. The trial judge entered final judgment for the plaintiff on Count I but entered judgment for the defendant notwithstanding the verdict on Count II. Both parties appeal. We conclude that the plaintiff made a submissible case on both counts and that there is no demonstration of trial error such as to require reversal. We therefore affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for entry of judgment on the original verdict. We state the facts the jury could have found in support of its verdict and explicate the inferences it might have drawn from those facts, without discussion of contrary evidence and other possible inferences. To the extent that there are disputed factual issues, the jury has already resolved them. Factual issues not submitted to the jury through instructions are taken to have been found in a manner consistent with the verdict.

In the fall of 1990 the defendant received an inquiry from Washington University about whether the defendant’s headquarters building at 4444 Forest Park Boulevard in the City of St. Louis, which adjoins the vast Washington University medical complex, might be for sale. The plaintiff had nothing to do with this approach. The university was advised that the defendant was not sure that it wanted to relocate.

In December of 1990 an organization known as Forsythe Group suggested that it owned a building across from Union Station Plaza in St. Louis which might fulfill the defendant’s needs for the foreseeable future. The plaintiff likewise had nothing to do with this proposal and, so far as the record shows, knew nothing about it until several meetings between representatives of the defendant and of Forsythe had been held.

In late December of 1990 or early January of 1991 Gail Sphar, the defendant’s Senior Vice President of Administration and Corporate Affairs, sought the advice of the plaintiff about the possible relocation of its headquarters, which would also involve selling the Forest Park building. The plaintiff was primarily represented by Glenn B. Guenther, who had worked with Sphar on a previous transaction in which the defendant rented downtown office space. The defendant did not at this time suggest that the plaintiff [891]*891perform the normal function of a broker in seeking offers for the purchase of its building, because it was not sure that it wanted to sell the building and relocate. It rather sought advice on possible facilities that might be available for relocation and the terms on which they might be acquired. Unless it could find a new location it would not be in a position to sell the Forest Park Property. Guenther showed great interest in possible commissions on consummation of the transactions. In late January and early February of 1991 he proposed three separate, but necessarily related, contracts.

He proposed, initially, that defendant pay plaintiff $90,000.00 in she installments of $15,-000.00 each, unconditionally. If there were no sale and purchase, the plaintiff would receive only this amount for its services. All sums so paid would be credited on any commission received by the plaintiff on account of the defendant’s purchase of a building. This proposal was made in a series of letters but apparently was not formalized in a document signed by both parties. The installments, however, were paid each month between February and August of 1991, and this agreement is not drawn into the present litigation.

The second agreement had to do with the sale of the Forest Park property. It was initially set out in a letter from plaintiff to defendant dated January 31,1991, in which it was proposed that

In consideration for our role as Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Missouri’s representative in the sale or lease of its headquarters facility located at 4444 Forest Park Boulevard, we are accepting of a fee equating to two percent of the total sale price in the event of a sale.... Additionally, we would expect to split these fees 50%/50%, should there be a procuring broker involved who produces a ready, willing, and able purchaser or tenant for the building.

The third proposal was for an “Exclusive Representation Agreement” for an initial duration of six months. Significant terms of the proposed agreement read as follows:

Principal [the defendant] hereby appoints Nooney Krombach Company as Exclusive Agents to locate the described real estate and to aid Principal in negotiating terms and conditions of the transaction.
Nooney Krombach Company agrees to use its full market resources to locate a property acceptable to Principal, and to further represent the best interest of Principal in negotiating terms and conditions of the transaction.
During the term of this Agreement, Principal agrees to fulfill the requirements described below solely through Nooney Krombach Company, and to inform all other brokers, salesmen, or owners who contact the Principal of this appointment, and to refer them to Nooney Krombach Company.
Principal and Nooney Krombach Company agree that Nooney Krombach’s compensation for this exclusive representation will be paid to Nooney Krombach Company by the Seller if the transaction is a sale, or by the Lessor if the transaction is a lease except as otherwise agreed by the parties. (Emphasis supplied).
The exclusive right to represent Principal shall commence on this date and continue for a period of six (6) months; however, Principal shall have the right upon thirty (30) days notice to agent, by certified mail, to terminate this agreement with no obligation to compensate Nooney Krombach Company in any manner,

The two written proposals were included with a letter of transmittal dated February 1, 1991. They were not acted upon immediately by Sphar and on February 15, 1991 Guenther wrote a letter in which he inquired about the delay and expounded further thoughts about his proposals, making it clear that the plaintiff proposed to credit all payments on the $90,000.00 fee on any commission subsequently received under the exclusive representation agreement. The proposals were then reviewed by the defendant’s in-house real estate attorney. He suggested an addendum to the exclusive representation agreement to make it clear that payments on the $90,000.00 fee were to be deducted from any amount otherwise due under that agreement, as plaintiff had previously proposed. Following this review [892]*892Sphar signed the two agreements as tendered, along with the addendum to the Exclusive Representation Agreement, dating the latter February 21, 1991.

The defendant argues that, inasmuch as the plaintiff drafted the two agreements, they should be construed strongly against it. This proposition, often applied in insurance contracts, has little application to the present case. The parties were both substantial organizations. The plaintiffs proposals were reviewed by the defendant’s real estate counsel, who recommended an addition to one of the contracts.

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Bluebook (online)
929 S.W.2d 888, 1996 Mo. App. LEXIS 1368, 1996 WL 438923, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nooney-krombach-co-v-blue-cross-blue-shield-of-missouri-moctapp-1996.