Petrie v. Torrent

49 N.W. 1076, 88 Mich. 43, 1891 Mich. LEXIS 498
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 16, 1891
StatusPublished
Cited by38 cases

This text of 49 N.W. 1076 (Petrie v. Torrent) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Petrie v. Torrent, 49 N.W. 1076, 88 Mich. 43, 1891 Mich. LEXIS 498 (Mich. 1891).

Opinion

Long, J.

This bill is filed for an accounting.

[46]*46The complainant has for many years been engaged in the general lumber business in this State. He resides at Muskegon. The defendant also resides at Muskegon, and is a lumberman.

The bill alleges substantially as follows:

That the firm of Hannah, Lay & Co., a copartnership of Traverse City, this State, prior to September 23, 1885, were the owners of large tracts of pine timber lands, situate in the counties of Grand Traverse and Kalkaska, this State, and of saw-mills situate at Traverse City and on Long Lake, in Grand Traverse county, and of a lumbering outfit.
That about the 3d day of December, 1885, complainant, after repeated negotiations with Mr. Hannah, of the firm of Hannah, Lay & Co., for the option to purchase said timber lands, saw-mills, and lumbering outfit, entered into an agreement with said firm by which they agreed to give him the first chance of purchasing said properties, or to find a purchaser therefor, in the following spring, or as soon as Mr. Hannah returned from Europe, at the price of 12 per thousand feet for the timber, with the right to the complainant, or whoever he might interest in the matter, to send men upon the lands to estimate the quantity and ascertain the quality of. the timber thereon, in order to determine whether to make the purchase of the said properties; and that on Mr. Hannah’s return from Europe the following spring the firm would sell to the complainant, or to any person he might find, for the above-stated price, said timber, and also the sawmills and the lumbering outfit.
That, lacking adequate capital to make the purchase of said properties, complainant set about finding a purchaser therefor, and to that end entered into negotiations with the defendant to induce him to become a purchaser, advising him of the negotiations he had had with the firm of Hannah, Lay & Co.; that on March 10, 1886, he had a conversation with the defendant relative to the purchase of said lands and saw-mills and lumbering outfit, in which conversation it was arranged and understood between him and defendant that said defendant should and would furnish the capital necessary to purchase such lands, saw-mills, and lumbering outfit, provided, on further investigation, it should turn out to be a desirable [47]*47investment; and that it was further arranged, understood, and agreed by and- between them that, in order to make said investigation in accordance with the arrangement made with Hannah, Lay & Co., each should select a man to go over and upon said lands to estimate the quantity and ascertain the quality of the timber thereon, to enable the defendant to determine whether he would purchase the same in accordance with complainant's agreement with Hannah, Lay & Co., and, in ease no purchase should be made by the defendant, each of the parties should pay the expense incurred by him in employing said men in estimating the timber, and, on the other hand, in case a purchase should be made under such agreement, defendant should pay to the complainant for his services in looking up said tracts of land, saw-mills, and lumbering outfit, in securing the said first chance to purchase the same, and in giving to defendant the sole opportunity to purchase the same, and for all of complainant's services in connection therewith, one-third of the net profits which should be realized from such purchase; and that the defendant on that date, to wit, March 10, 1886, then and there promised and agreed to and with the complainant, for the consideration aforesaid, to pay to the complainant one-third of the net profits which should be realized from the purchase of said lands, sawmills, and lumbering outfit, on the sale or other disposition of said properties.
That about the 7th of April, 1886, in pursuance of the arrangement, each party employed a man to go upon and over the lands for the purpose of estimating the quantity and ascertaining the quality of the timber thereon; that the men completed their work July 4, 1886, and made their report to the complainant and defendant two days thereafter, and that complainant expended therein about the sum of $1,000.
That while the men were so engaged the parties were informed by Hannah, Lay & Co. that the stumpage price of the timber would be $3 per thousand feet, and that the complainant was laboring under a mistake in supposing the purchase price was $2; that, in pursuance of this communication, complainant had a conversation with defendant, on May 10, 1886, in which it was arranged and agreed that, notwithstanding this modification of the purchase price, the men so employed should complete their work, and that the defendant would make the purchase at the [48]*48increased price, and pay to the complainant one-third of the net profits which should be realized out of the purchase.
That from and after the 23d day of September, 1885, and up to the time of the purchase by the defendant, complainant faithfully devoted his time, skill, and energy in securing to the defendant the said -properties; that he conducted all of the negotiations with Hannah, Lay & Co. relative to the purchase, visited Traverse City frequently to confer with that firm, and when the option, had about expired procured an extension, and when the option so extended had elapsed he procured its restoration for a sufficient length of time to enable the defendant to perfect his arrangements to raise the necessary funds to make the first payment; that on or about the 15th of October, 1886, when defendant was wavering with reference to making said investment, and had virtually abandoned the hope of making said purchase, he suggested to the defendant, and secured from Hannah, Lay & Co., a modification of the terms and conditions of the purchase, and a further extension of the time, by which the defendant was enabled to raise the funds for a cash .payment on said purchase.
That about November 7, 1886, in pursuance of said arrangements, and in performance thereof, the defendant purchased said lands, saw-mills, and lumbering outfit, and received proper deeds of conveyance therefor; that said defendant paid for said lands, saw-mills, and lumbering outfit the sum of $769,000, of which amount $500,000 was paid in cash, and the balance secured by mortgage on part of the property conveyed; that for a long time prior to the purchase complainant had been actively engaged, both independently and in connection with defendant, in looking up purchasers for portions of said lands and parts of said property from defendant, in event of his purchase from Hannah, Lay & Co., in order to enable the defendant to make the purchase; that after the purchase he continued his efforts to make further sales for the defendant until the entire property had been disposed of, except that portion covered by defendant's contract with the Smith Lumber Company, hereinafter referred to.
That prior to July 1, 1887, the defendant, with complainant's advice and .assistance, had sold all of said lands, saw-mills, and lumbering outfit in the county of Grand Traverse, and portions of the lands in the county [49]

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Eyde v. Empire of America Federal Savings Bank
701 F. Supp. 126 (E.D. Michigan, 1988)
Koffman v. Mathews
89 N.W.2d 756 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1958)
Summers v. Hoffman
69 N.W.2d 198 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1955)
Whiteley v. Schoenlein
39 A.2d 692 (Court of Appeals of Maryland, 1944)
Rossman v. Marsh
286 N.W. 83 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1939)
McCrae v. Bradley Oil Co.
84 P.2d 866 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1938)
Polk v. Chandler
268 N.W. 732 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1936)
Wertzberger v. McJunkin
1935 OK 448 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1935)
Lane v. Wood
242 N.W. 909 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1932)
Miskiewicz v. Smolenski
227 N.W. 789 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1929)
Stewart v. Young
226 N.W. 222 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1929)
Champagne v. Passons
272 P. 353 (California Court of Appeal, 1928)
Bresee v. Robinson
211 N.W. 59 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1926)
Butler v. Union Trust Co.
172 P. 601 (California Supreme Court, 1918)
Reece v. Rhoades
165 P. 449 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1917)
Schook v. Zimmerman
155 N.W. 526 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1915)
Reid v. Heater
150 N.W. 842 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1915)
Thompson v. McKee
1914 OK 338 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1914)
Lind v. Webber
36 Nev. 623 (Nevada Supreme Court, 1913)
Ruggles v. Merritt
132 N.W. 112 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1911)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
49 N.W. 1076, 88 Mich. 43, 1891 Mich. LEXIS 498, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/petrie-v-torrent-mich-1891.