Wasson v. Hartt

244 S.W.2d 258, 1951 Tex. App. LEXIS 1761
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 5, 1951
Docket14396
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 244 S.W.2d 258 (Wasson v. Hartt) 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
Wasson v. Hartt, 244 S.W.2d 258, 1951 Tex. App. LEXIS 1761 (Tex. Ct. App. 1951).

Opinion

CRAMER, Justice.

This is a 'suit filed by Grover Hartt against A. L. Wasson and E. D. Spears, individually and as copartners trading as the Wasson Oil Company, and the Baptist General Convention of Texas for a real estate commission claimed by Hartt on a sale of certain real estate in Mitchell *259 and Scurry Counties by the Baptist General Convention of Texas to Creslenn Oil Company.

• On October 13, 1947 Wasson and Spears, trading as Wasson Oil Company, owned certain producing oil lands in Mitchell and Scurry Counties and on said date listed said properties for sale with Roy Dawson of Abilene, Texas (who had no real estate dealer’s license), the written listing being in words and figures as follows:

“October 13, 1947. Mr. Roy Dawson, Abilene, Texas. Dear Mr. Dawson: This is’ to confirm my statement to you a few days ago. I will take $300,000.00 cash, and pay a $5000.00 commission out of this amount, and further, if you can sell it for $350,000.00, I will split the $50,000.00 with you and your associates. This split of $25,000.00 with the $5000.00 previously spoken of would make a total of $30,000.00 coming to you and your associates.
“Now from this day I will give you an exclusive option, till midnight, October 27, 1947. Very truly yours, A. L. Wasson.”

Appellee Hartt (who had a real estate dealer’s license) was contacted by Dawson and he (Hartt) endeavored to sell the property to Creslenn Oil Company, which company was not in the market at that time for such property, because of the low price of oil and the limited amount of production from the land involved, considering the price asked. This was the situation on October 27, 1947 when the listing by its own terms expired.

On the 26th day of November, 1947 Was-son and Spears and the Wasson Oil Company conveyed the land in question to Baptist General Convention of Texas, Wasson making a gift of his equity in one-half of said properties, subject to a recited debt thereon, and the Baptist General Convention of Texas purchased the other half interest (subject to a lien thereon) from Spears.

Thereafter the price of oil advanced, which, together with other changes, caused Creslenn Oil Company to become interested and thereafter, on January 5, 1948, it purchased the property from the Baptist General Convention of Texas, paying therefor $335,000. On February 24, 1948 the Baptist General Convention of Texas compromised Dawson’s claim under the purported listing above set out, upon Dawson’s executing a release in words and figures as follows:

“Know all Men by these Presents: That I, Roy Dawson, for and in consideration of the sum of Five Thousand and no/100 ($5,000.00) Dollars, to me cash in hand paid, by the Baptist General Convention of Texas, a corporation, have and by these presents do agree that said amount so received shall be and is in full, final and complete settlement of all claims of every kind and character owned or asserted by me, or anyone under me, against A. L. Wasson, of Big Spring, Texas, the Wasson Oil Company, a co-partnership composed of A. L. Wasson and E. D. Spears, and the Baptist General Convention of Texas, rising out of or in any manner connected with the sale by the Baptist General Convention of Texas of certain oil and mineral interests in Surveys 99 and 100, in Scurry County, Texas, and Survey 82, in Mitchell County, Texas, all in Block 97, H&TC Railroad Company Survey, in said Counties, and for the same consideration, I do declare that I will never hereafter at anytime assert any right, title, or claim or interest of any kind or character against said parties, or any of them, for any compensation for services, commissions, or otherwise, arising out of or in any manner connected with said sale.
In Witness Whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this the 24th day of February, 1948. /&/ Roy Dawson.”

Thereafter this suit was filed by Hartt alone against Wasson, Spears, and Wasson Oil Company (Dawson not being made a party to such suit), claiming an agreement with Dawson under which Dawson was to receive $5,000.00 of the commission and that he, Hartt, was to receive $17,500, or the overage of one-half of the amount over $300,000 the property was sold for.

*260 On trial, all requested issues being refused, the court submitted only one issue to the jury as follows:

“Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that the plaintiff, Grover Hartt, was the procuring cause, as that term is herein defined of the sale of the property involved herein?” To which issue the jury answered “Yes.”

After overruling appellants’ motion for judgment n. o. v., the trial court rendered judgment for appellee for $17,500 with interest, costs, etc., against Wasson, Spears, and Wasson Oil Company, and a take nothing judgment against the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Wasson, Spears, and the Wasson Oil Company have perfected this appeal, and 'brief 24 assignments of error. We will consider points 21 to 24, inclusive, first.

Point 21 asserts that the release above quoted was a complete and final release of the claim here asserted, and bound both Dawson and Hartt, Hartt’s claim, if any, being under Dawson.

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Bluebook (online)
244 S.W.2d 258, 1951 Tex. App. LEXIS 1761, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wasson-v-hartt-texapp-1951.