Outhier v. Parker

207 S.W.2d 237, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 853
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 12, 1947
DocketNo. 14892
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 207 S.W.2d 237 (Outhier v. Parker) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Outhier v. Parker, 207 S.W.2d 237, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 853 (Tex. Ct. App. 1947).

Opinion

HALL, Justice.

Appellant, C. C. Outhier, sued appellee, T. P. Parker, in a District Court of Tar-rant County, Texas, for commissions alleged to be due him for services rendered appellee in securing a written contract of sale of real property made by and between appellee and one McDaniel, wherein there was stipulated a recognition of appellant as the real estate agent who negotiated the sale contract and setting out his commission of five per cent due him on the sale price of $12,500.00.

The defendant in his first amended answer admits that he signed the contract on March 1, 1946, wherein he was to sell to Joseph R. McDaniel a certain place located in Tarrant County for the sum of $12,-500.00 but he denies that McDaniel was a prospective purchaser who was then ready, able and willing to buy. Among appellee’s other defenses set up in his answer was the following which he relied upon during the trial of this case, to-wit: that the contract of hire between him and appellant was oral and that appellant was not to re[238]*238ceive any commission until the purchase price was paid and that the appellant represented to the appellee that the contract of sale, which was reduced to writing, actually contained a provision that he, appel-lee, was willing to pay appellant the sum of five per cent as commissions if, as and when the deal was actually closed, deed passed and the consideration paid. He also plead mutual mistake and that the failure of the appellant to insert said stipulation in the written contract was wilfully, intentionally and fraudulently done on the part of appellant; that the only portion of the contract that relates to the payment of a commission is uncertain and indefinite with respect to the time and conditions under which the appellee shall become obligated to pay and the appellant entitled to receive his commissions and for these reasons he alleges the contract was ambiguous.

The alleged purchaser did not testify.

The deal was never consummated, nor the consideration paid, because the purchaser could not perform due to his inability to raise sufficient funds; the deposit of $1,000.00 placed in escrow with the Bank was paid over to appellee. Appel-lee testified that appellant agreed that the $1,000.00 placed in escrow should be released to appellee.

The contract relied upon by appellant to collect his commission in the sum of $625.00 is as follows:

“That by this agreement T. P. Parker of Arlington, Texas, hereinafter called seller, and J. ,R. McDaniel of Lubbock, Texas, hereinafter called buyer, to-wit:
“All that certain tract and parcel of land, a part of the Larkin Barnes Survey in Tarrant County, Texas, Patent No. 484, Vol. 10 described as the T. P. Parker homestead, lying and being north of the Baird camp road, and the west boundary line being adjoining to the Baird Estate. Containing thirty acres, more or less, together with all improvements.
“The purchase price is Twelve Thousand Five Hundred Dollars, which is to be paid as follows:
“At the signing of this agreement, the buyer shall deposit -the sum of One Thousand Dollars, which will be placed in escrow in The State Bank of Arlington, to be held by said bank under the terms of this agreement. At the completion of this transaction and the passing of deed, the said bank shall turn this deposit over to seller.
“The seller shall furnish the buyer with an abstract showing good and merchantable title to said property as of this date. The buyer shall have ten days to examine title, and complete payment for. said property as follows. In addition to the One Thousand Dollars paid in deposit at the signing of this agreement, the buyer shall pay the seller the sum of Five Thousand Dollars in cash and execute in favor of the seller a vendors lien note or deed of trust, in the sum of Six Thousand Five Hundred Dollars, with interest at the rate of six per cent per annum from date thereof until paid. Said note shall be paid in semi annual instalments of six hundred fifty Dollars each, plus six per cent interest.
“Seller shall deliver possession to the buyer within thirty days after date of passing of deed. The insurance and taxes shall be prorated to date of passing of deed.
“C. C. Outhier is hereby recognized as the agent who negotiated this transaction, and sale, and the seller shall pay him the regular five per cent commission on the total amount of the consideration, and the buyer shall not be held for any part of the payment of said commission.
“In Witness Whereof the parties hereto have set their hands in the execution of this agreement, this 1st day of March 1946.
“T. P. Parker Seller “Joseph- R. McDaniel Buyer “C. C. Outhier - Agent.”

There was one issue submitted to the jury, to-wit: “Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that at the time the contract dated March 1, 1946, was executed by Parker, McDaniel and Outhier, it was understood and agreed between Outhier and Parker that Outhier was not to be entitled to his commission until the deed was delivered by Parker to McDaniel, [239]*239the balance of the consideration paid and the deal closed?”

Upon the jury’s affirmative answer to special issue No. 1 supra, judgment was entered against the appellant and in favor of appellee. Appellant perfects this appeal predicated upon five points of error.

The substance of the contentions made under the first, second and fourth points of error is that the appellant established his right to the commission by virtue of the terms of a written contract, and that the only defense submitted to the jury constituted an effort on appellee’s part to vary the terms of the written contract by parol evidence.

Appellant relies upon the genera] principle of law that when the seller enters into a binding contract with the purchaser, which is acceptable to the seller, that the seller assumes the risk as to whether or not the purchaser will be in a position to perform his part of the contract and when such contract is so entered into by the seller the agent has performed sufficient duties that will entitle him to his commission, and relies principally upon. the cases of Anderson-Berney Building Co. v. Swan et al., Tex.Civ.App., 133 S.W.2d 269, and Kahlich v. Watson, Tex.Civ.App., 96 S.W.2d 820..

Appellee testified that he turned his place over to appellant to sell about two months before the execution of said written contract; that it was their agreement that appellant was not to receive his commission until the deal was finally closed and the consideration paid.

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Bluebook (online)
207 S.W.2d 237, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 853, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/outhier-v-parker-texapp-1947.