Southern Land, Timber & Pulp Corp. v. Eunice

133 S.E.2d 345, 219 Ga. 338, 1963 Ga. LEXIS 453
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
DecidedOctober 15, 1963
Docket22139
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 133 S.E.2d 345 (Southern Land, Timber & Pulp Corp. v. Eunice) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Southern Land, Timber & Pulp Corp. v. Eunice, 133 S.E.2d 345, 219 Ga. 338, 1963 Ga. LEXIS 453 (Ga. 1963).

Opinion

Grice, Justice.

For review here are rulings sustaining the petition of a salesman against a corporation for commissions due from sale of its stock. The defendant, Southern Land, Timber & Pulp Corporation, assigns as error the overruling of demurrers, general and special, and the denial of motions to dismiss and to strike directed to the petition which Clifford Henry Eunice had filed in the Superior Court of Meriwether County.

■ The petition as originally filed was twice amended and was reconstituted into two counts.

We deal first with count 1. Its allegations are substantially the following. The plaintiff was employed on April 20, 1959, by the defendant corporation to sell its stock to Georgia residents under an agreement whereby he would receive a 10% commission on all cash and time sales made by him. On time sales his commissions were protected by the purchasers’ 15% down payment, so he earned the 10% commission at the time such sales were made and accepted by the defendant, regardless of final disposition.

He continued to sell until March 13, 1962. During such employment he sold approximately $200,000 worth of the defendant’s stock to Georgia residents, both for cash and on time, on which he was entitled to receive the 10% commission. He turned [339]*339the original orders and records on these sales over to the defendant and thus does not have information on or copies of all. He has copies on approximately three-fourths of such sales.

He received commission checks on Saturdays for sales made through the preceding Wednesdays, but these were always for less than 'his full commissions earned during that period. He was told that these shortages were being applied to his purchase, pursuant to previous agreement, of 1,000 shares of the defendant’s stock. He has received no stock certificates, although he has made demand.

He has been paid $9,714.20 in commissions, leaving a balance due him of approximately $10,000. He has made numerous requests and demands on the defendant for the balance and for an accounting of money due him, but the defendant refuses.

By amendment of August 17, 1962, the petition made the additional allegations which follow. The defendant is in the process of disposing of and conveying its net assets in a joint venture agreement with a named concern. A new company is to be formed so that the defendant will no longer have corporate existence. It has set a meeting for August 25, 1962, for the purpose of obtaining approval of such agreement and thereby threatens to dispose of its assets and property. The plaintiff will suffer irreparable loss unless the defendant is restrained from proceeding further with such -agreement and disposing of or conveying its assets. This threatened disposition will render it insolvent, and irreparable damage will result to plaintiff unless an injunction is entered -against such disposal. He has no adequate remedy at law.

The prayers- of this count include judgment for the plaintiff, equitable accounting of the books and records of the defendant to determine the amount of commissions due him, appointment of an auditor to make such accounting and judgment for the amount shown, temporary and permanent injunction against the defendant’s negotiating, consummating or proceeding further with the August 25, 1962, meeting, the joint venture agreement, and the disposing of or conveying any of its assets.

The foregoing count 1, as we appraise it, alleges a cause of action. It effectively pleads a contract whereby the defendant [340]*340was to pay the plaintiff 10% commission on all stock sales he made to Georgia residents, his sale of at least $200,000 of its stock to such residents, payment to him of only a portion of the commissions due thereon, the approximate balance due him, his demand for and the defendant’s failure to account for the balance and his need for injunctive relief. The prayers are consistent with and are supported by the allegations of fact.

We now give attention to count 2. Its material allegations may be summarized as follows. The defendant Georgia corporation, on April 20, 1959, employed the plaintiff to sell its stock to residents of this State, under an oral agreement by which he was to receive 10% commission on all such sales made by him.

This agreement provided that the defendant would pay the plaintiff the 10% commission whether the sales were cash or time, and regardless of their final disposition. On cash sales the full 10% commission was to be piaid at the time orders were received and credited by the defendant. On time sales the 10% commission was also to be paid and credited to his account at the time orders were thus received and accepted, 65% of the commissions to be paid outright and 35% to' be credited to him in a reserve account to be held in trust for him by the defendant, for his use and benefit.

In connection with his employment, -the plaintiff was required to purchase 1,000 shares of the defendant’s stock at $5.04 per share, as shown by the attached copy of his stock subscription of May 5, 1959, and ledger sheet. This stock was to be paid for by the commissions retained by the defendant. No coupon book was given the plaintiff with his stock order. It was further agreed that his full commissions on the time sales were earned and protected under the sales cost clause appearing in the time sales subscription forms used. The ledger sheets showing credits to his reserve account are in the control of the defendant. In holding these commissions in reserve the defendant is acting in a fiduciary capacity, such reserve being held in trust for the plaintiff.

The plaintiff continued to sell stock for the defendant on the foregoing terms and conditions until March 13, 1962. All of his original records pertaining to such transactions were turned over to the defendant and are in its possession and control.

[341]*341During his employment the plaintiff sold approximately $200,-000 of defendant’s stock to Georgia residents for cash and on time, on which he was entitled to receive the full 10% commission. He has copies of the records 'on only approximately $150,-000 of such sales. The defendant has paid him about $9,500 on account of his commissions on both cash and time sales, but has not paid him all the commissions due him. In addition the defendant is holding earned commissions in reserve, in trust for his use and benefit. He has demanded an accounting and payment, but to no avail. He believes that the defendant has in trust for his benefit approximately $10,000 due him as earned commissions for which it fails to account.

He made inquiiy from a named agent of the defendant and was informed that the balance of his earned commissions was being placed in reserve for him by the defendant, being held in trust for his use and benefit and being applied toward purchase of the 1,000 shares of stock for which he subscribed. The defendant refuses to account, and plaintiff has no means of ascertaining the exact amount due him since all original records as to his sales and reserve account 'are in the defendant’s possession. He has received no shares of stock.

Plaintiff relied on the defendant to pay and to account to him for the full amount of all commissions earned by him, the greater portion of which were on time sales.

This count also made the following allegations of matters transpiring since the filing of the suit.

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133 S.E.2d 345, 219 Ga. 338, 1963 Ga. LEXIS 453, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/southern-land-timber-pulp-corp-v-eunice-ga-1963.