Stark v. Moultrie Banking Co.

199 S.E. 777, 58 Ga. App. 668, 1938 Ga. App. LEXIS 94
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedNovember 10, 1938
Docket26934
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 199 S.E. 777 (Stark v. Moultrie Banking Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stark v. Moultrie Banking Co., 199 S.E. 777, 58 Ga. App. 668, 1938 Ga. App. LEXIS 94 (Ga. Ct. App. 1938).

Opinion

Broyles, C. J.

Homer Stark sued the Moultrie Banking Company to recover real-estate commissions. The court granted a nonsuit, and the only exception is to that judgment. The petition as amended substantially alleges that "petitioner is a real-estate broker doing business” in Colquitt County, Georgia; that "defendant is indebted to . . petitioner in the sum of . . $192.50,” with interest thereon at seven per centum per annum from April 15, 1934; that on January 1, 1928, the "defendant . . contracted with and employed petitioner, as a real-estate broker, to obtain offers to purchase, secure purchasers for, and to sell certain property owned by defendant in the City of Moultrie, Georgia, including . . the Mae Nace Doyle home place,” the defendant agreeing '"to pay the plaintiff the usual real-estate commission of five per cent, on the . . purchase-price of all property sold under said contract through his efforts;” that "at various times following such agreement the defendant reaffirmed same and insisted that petitioner continue his efforts to sell this property, together with the other' properties owned and controlled by the defendant in the City of Moultrie;” that the defendant so reaffirmed said agreement on January 4, 1933, November 7, 1933, and January 15, 1934; that said agreement was never rescinded or terminated; that on April 1, 1934, “petitioner made contact with one David B. Cohn, a prospective purchaser, who informed petitioner that he wished to purchase a home in Moultrie, Georgia, on behalf of himself and his wife, Mrs. Alice L. Cohn, and showed said property to him and entered into negotiations with him to sell said property to him and his said wife;” that "petitioner . . informed said David B. Cohn that said property was the property of the defendant, and that the defendant would have to be interviewed before a sale of said property could be closed;” that on April 4, 1934, "and before any trade had been made between said prospective purchasers and the defendant, petitioner put the defendant upon notice that he expected a commission upon any sale of said property made by them to said prospective purchasers, and informed the defendant that he was negotiating with said prospective purchasers for a sale of said property and requested them to quote said prospective purchasers a price that would include his usual real-estate broker’s commission on sale of said property, and the defendant then and there agreed so to do;” [670]*670that on April 10, 1931, the defendant sold said property to said Cohn and his said wife for $3850, '“completely closing the trade between them;” that ‘“petitioner procured for the defendant said prospective purchasers ready, able, and willing to buy said property, and said prospective purchasers entered into a written contract of purchase of said property with the defendant, satisfactory to the defendant;” that “petitioner . . entered into negotiations that resulted in the said sale and his efforts were primary moving factors instrumental in bringing about said sale, and that he was the instrument bringing the parties to said sale together and the procuring cause of said sale;” that “the usual . . commission on like transactions in . . Moultrie . . is five per cent, of the purchase-price of the property sold;” that petitioner’s “services to the defendant in connection with said sale were reasonably of the value of . . $192.50;” and that “said sum is past due and unpaid, and the defendant . . refuses to pay the same, or any part thereof, though often demanded so to do.”

Under the contract pleaded in this case, the defendant agreed to pay the plaintiff five per cent, commission on the “purchase-price of all property sold under said contract through his efforts(Italics ours.) The plaintiff testified: “On any sales made or offer accepted by the bank through my efforts they would pay five per cent, commission.” (Italics ours.) The petition alleges that “petitioner . . entered into negotiations that resulted in the said sale, and his efforts were primary moving factors . . in bringing about said sale, and that he was the instrument bringing the parties to said sale together and the procuring cause of said sale.” The uncontradicted evidence shows that the defendant sold the property in question to the Cohns, and the controlling question in the case is whether, as alleged in the petition, the plaintiff’s efforts were “the procuring cause of the sale.” The Code, § 110-310, declares that “if the plaintiff fails to make out a prima facie case, or if, admitting all the facts proved and all the reasonable deductions from them, the plaintiff ought not to recover, a nonsuit shall be granted.”

The only witnesses who testified in this case were Ilomer Stark, the plaintiff, and David E. Cohn, who with his wife, Mrs. Alice Cohn, purchased the property. We shall undertake to state the substance of the testimony of these two witnesses that is pertinent [671]*671to the issues in this case. On direct examination the plaintiff testified that his '"relation with the Moultrie Banking Company as agent dates back to 1927;” that he made sales for them in 1927 and 1928; that his agreements for "the sale of their properties” were ‘"verbal;” that "from time to time some officer of the bank would call my attention to some real estate . . with request that I try to get some buyer for this property;’ that he started to sell the Doyle properties for the bank in 1931, and sold four of them; that the "Mae Nace Doyle house” was "part of the Doyle properties;” that "on any sales made or offer accepted by the bank through my efforts they would pay five per cent, commission;” that plaintiff’s "original agreement started with Mr. M. L. Lee,” and "other officers” who asked him to "continue” his "efforts” were Mr. E. M. Vereen and Mr. Benenson; that "the last request . . was . . in January of 1934, after Mr. E. M. Vereen became active vice-president of the bank,” when "he called my attention to rmsold property, and asked me to help get buyers for it;” that he "was not given a price on this Mae Nace Doyle house in connection with the sale to Mr. Cohn,” but “prior to that . . when another prospective purchaser was figuring on the house they quoted $4500;” that he never had any notice from the bank to discontinue his efforts to sell the property; that on the other sales of the Doyle properties he had no trouble in collecting his five per cent, commissions; that about April 1, 1934, David B. Cohn, who had previously told plaintiff that '"he was going to be a prospect for a lot or a home,” stopped him and said "he was ready to look at real estate, either wanted to buy a lot or a house;” that plaintiff took Cohn in plaintiff’s automobile and "pointed out to him various . . lots and houses” in different parts of Moultrie, "including the Doyle house, . . and told . . Cohn there was a nice, well-located house” that would make him "a nice home;” that "he asked who owned the property” and plaintiff said "Moultrie Banking Company;” that Cohn then wanted to know the price, and plaintiff told him that "the last price quoted . . was $4500, and in order to get any different price, a new price, I would have to confer with the bank;” that when they "returned back up town to the office” Cohn said that he would show his wife the various properties plaintiff had shown him, and let plaintiff know "in a day or two as to which one of these properties he was most in[672]

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Bluebook (online)
199 S.E. 777, 58 Ga. App. 668, 1938 Ga. App. LEXIS 94, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stark-v-moultrie-banking-co-gactapp-1938.