Phillips v. Brown

120 P. 454, 21 Idaho 62, 1911 Ida. LEXIS 150
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 23, 1911
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 120 P. 454 (Phillips v. Brown) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Phillips v. Brown, 120 P. 454, 21 Idaho 62, 1911 Ida. LEXIS 150 (Idaho 1911).

Opinion

STEWART, C. J.

This is an action to recover commission for the sale of certain mining property. The complaint alleges that on or about the 12th day of October, 1909, the defendants entered into a contract with the plaintiff wherein and whereby they promised, contracted and agreed that if he would bond, contract for the sale or sell certain mining property, that they would compensate him for his services in making such sale and pay him the sum of ten per cent on all amounts received by the defendants as the purchase price of said property, said ten per cent to be due and payable when each and every amount was paid to the defendants on such purchase price, and as the same was paid; that under said contract the plaintiff employed his time and experience to find a purchaser and did find a purchaser in the person of one R. Alvin Weiss and associates, who entered into a contract and agreement with the defendants whereby they contracted and agreed that they would pay the defendants the purchase price of said property in the sum of $100,000, as follows: $500 on or before March 5, 1910; $5,000 on or before May 5,1910; $5,000 on or before August 20,1910; $45,000 on or before April 20, 1911; $44,500 on or before October 20, 1911; and that possession of the property was delivered to R. Alvin Weiss, and that they are now in possession; that under the contract of purchase Weiss and his associates paid to the defendants the following payments due under said con[65]*65tract of purchase, to wit: $500 on March 5, 1910; $5,000 on or before May 3, 1910.

A supplemental complaint was afterward filed alleging the further payment on the purchase price of $5,000 made on August 20, 1910. To this complaint the defendants filed an answer, and deny that on the 12th day of October, 1909, or at any other time or at all, they entered into a contract or agreement with the plaintiff for the sale of the mining property, or any agreement, except that an agreement was made on December 27, 1909, between the defendants and the plaintiff, whereby it 'was agreed that a commission of ten per cent was to be retained by the First National Bank of Orange-ville where contract and deed were in escrow, to be paid to Phillips out of the payments made on the Center Star Group of mines, and that the agreement held good only during the life of the above-named contract in escrow; denies that the plaintiff in pursuance of the contract alleged in the complaint employed his time or knowledge or experience to find a purchaser, or that he did find a purchaser in the person of R. Alvin Weiss and associates, or that he procured a purchaser for said property at all; and denies that Weiss and his associates purchased said property or entered into a contract and agreement as described in the complaint, and denies that they delivered possession to Weiss and his associates, and denies that they are in possession of said property; and denies that they entered into any contract except a certain agreement on November 11, 1909, for the sale of said property, which was the agreement mentioned in the paper of December 27, 1909; and denies that Weiss and his associates paid to the defendants any money upon the contract described in the complaint or upon any contract or agreement, and denies'that the plaintiff complied with his part of the contract or agreement made for the sale of the property; and alleges that R. Alvin Weiss, mentioned in the agreement between the plaintiff and the defendants, defaulted in his contract for the purchase of said property, in the sum of $10,000 due on February 8, 1910, and that said sum or any part thereof was ever paid by Weiss; and alleges that after Febru[66]*66ary, 1910, and on March 1, 1910, the escrow mentioned in said contract between Weiss and the defendants, as well as said contract between these defendants and the plaintiff, was terminated in accordance with the terms thereof, and denies that anything is due.

A jury was waived and the cause was tried to the court. The findings recite: That on or about October 12, 1909, the defendants were the owners of certain mining property and on said date entered into a contract and agreement with the plaintiff whereby they promised and contracted and agreed that if the plaintiff would sell the said property they would compensate him by paying for his services a commission of ten per cent upon all amounts received by the defendants on the purchase price of the property, and that the said ten per cent would be due and payable whenever each amount was paid to said defendants on the purchase price; that under said contract the plaintiff employed his time and money to find a purchaser and found a purchaser in the person of R. Alvin Weiss and associates, who entered into a contract whereby they agreed to pay $100,000 for said property; $500 on March o, 1910; $5,000 on or before May 5, 1910; $5,000 on or before August 20, 1910; $45,000 on or before April 20, 1911, and $44,500 on or before October 20, 1911. That under the terms'of said contract the purchaser paid $500 on or before March 5, 1910, $5,000 on or before May 3, 1910, and $5,000 on or before October 20,1910, making the total amount paid $10,500. That the defendants and plaintiff executed the paper set out in the answer and designated an “agreement,” but that said writing was in addition to the agreement for the sale of said property which had been already entered into, and was an order on the First National Bank of Orangeville, Idaho, to pay said commission, and was not an agreement for the sale of said property entered into by the. plaintiff and defendants; that the written agreement dated November 11, 1909, for the sale of said property was entered into by the defendants with the said R. Alvin Weiss, and another agreement was made by the defendants with one I. Binnard who was acting as the authorized agent of R. Alvin [67]*67Weiss and his associates, both of which were entered into through the efforts and services of said plaintiff, and were for the sale of said property; that the last-mentioned agreement was an agreement under the terms of which the payments were made as heretofore set out; that no payments were made under the contract dated November 11, 1909, but that said contract dated the 5th day of March, 1910, was entered into in pursuance of the continued negotiations and efforts inaugurated and continued by said plaintiff with the said E.. Alvin Weiss and his associates, and the contract between said plaintiff and the defendants was not terminated though the papers in escrow had been withdrawn under the first contract before the contract dated the 5th day of March, 1910, was. entered into with the said I. M. Binnard for the said R. Alvin Weiss and his associates, the contract with the plaintiff and these defendants then being in full force and effect; that the plaintiff has fully complied with his part of said contract and that there is due the plaintiff the sum of $1,050 with interest. Upon these findings of fact and the court’s conclusion that the plaintiff should have judgment for the amount found due, a judgment was rendered in favor of the plaintiff for the sum of $1,078 with costs. This judgment is dated November 22,1910. A motion for a new trial was made and overruled and this appeal is from the judgment and from the order overruling the motion for a new trial.

Many errors are assigned on this appeal, a number of which arise out of the admission and rejection of evidence, and will be disposed of in considering the question of the sufficiency of the evidence to support the findings and judgment of the court. It is earnestly contended by counsel for the appellant that the evidence in this ease does not support the findings and judgment.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
120 P. 454, 21 Idaho 62, 1911 Ida. LEXIS 150, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/phillips-v-brown-idaho-1911.