Wilder v. Walker

1952 OK 394, 250 P.2d 442, 207 Okla. 411, 1952 Okla. LEXIS 826
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedNovember 12, 1952
DocketNo. 34821
StatusPublished

This text of 1952 OK 394 (Wilder v. Walker) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wilder v. Walker, 1952 OK 394, 250 P.2d 442, 207 Okla. 411, 1952 Okla. LEXIS 826 (Okla. 1952).

Opinion

WELCH, J.

R. M. Walker sued George A. Wilder for a certain sum of money, with interest thereon, allegedly due the plaintiff as a result of his performance of a real estate broker’s contract with the defendant.

The plaintiff alleged that he had entered into an oral contract with the defendant whereby the defendant employed the plaintiff as a real estate broker to find a purchaser for certain real estate belonging to the defendant at a price of $22,000, and whereby it was agreed that the defendant would pay the plaintiff, as his compensation for finding him a buyer for said real estate, a commission of 5% of said sale price, or the sum of $1,100; that plaintiff had found and furnished to defendant a purchaser with whom the defendant immediately thereafter closed a sale for the sum of $22,000 and that the defendant has refused to pay the plaintiff for his services rendered as aforesaid. Plaintiff alleged that he had made due compliance with the Intangible Tax Law of the state.

The defendant for answer to the plaintiffs petition denied generally the allegations therein contained, and specifically denied that the plaintiff had at any time acted as agent of the defendant, and alleged that any interest the plaintiff might have had in the matter of a sale of defendant’s realty was abandoned by plaintiff at a time prior to the sale of the said realty.

At the trial of the case the plaintiff adduced testimony to the effect that he was a real estate broker and had been in such real estate, business for a long number of years, when the; defendant listed a certain 200-acre farm with him for sale at a price of $27,000. At the time of the said listing the plaintiff advised the defendant that his charges for selling farms was 5 % of the selling price. Later on, the defendant listed another farm for sale with the plaintiff and fixed the selling price of that farm at $22,000. Thereafter the plaintiff sent one of the employees in his office to show the latter listed farm to a Mr. Judy, a prospect. On their return from the farm Mr. Judy expressed a desire and readiness to purchase the farm at a price of $22,000, the price quoted to him by the plaintiff. The plaintiff communicated the offer to the defendant and was told by the defendant that he would not sell for $22,000 and pay a commission out of such purchase price, whereupon, the plaintiff called Mr. Judy on the telephone and told Mr. Judy that the defendant would not sell for $22,000 and pay a commission on the deal, and that the deal was off. A few days later the defendant and Mr. Judy met in the office of the plaintiff, where Judy offered to purchase the farm for $22,000, and pay one-half of the real estate broker’s commission on the transaction, whereupon the defendant stated that he would not pay anything and left the plaintiff’s premises. In a few days thereafter the plaintiff learned that the defendant had sold the farm to Judy for a consideration of $22,000. The defendant has refused to pay the plaintiff any sum for the plaintiff’s services in connection with the sale transaction.

The only witness called in behalf of the defendant was the defendant. He gave testimony to the effect that he listed two farms for sale with the plaintiff, one at a price of $25,000, and one at a price of $22,000, and at the time told the plaintiff that such were defendant’s net prices, and that if the plaintiff procured a buyer of the farms, or either of them, the plaintiff was to get his commission from the buyer. That in their conversation at the time the plaintiff told the defendant that his commis[413]*413sion for selling farms was 5% of the selling price up to $10,000, and 2% of the selling price as exceeded $10,000. Thereafter an employee of the plaintiff and a Mr. Judy came and looked at the latter priced farm. The following morning the plaintiff called the defendant on the telephone and told the defendant that Judy was going to buy the place. The plaintiff inquired about a commission on the sale, whereupon the defendant told the plaintiff that his price was $22,000, and no commission would be paid by the defendant. Later, the defendant and Judy met at the office of the plaintiff where the defendant told the plaintiff again that he would not sell the farm for any less than $22,000 and could not afford to pay a commission out of that amount. The parties argued about the matter for a while, whereupon the plaintiff stated: “Well, we will have to call the deal off,” and Judy left the office. Thereafter the defendant and Judy met at another place and entered into a transaction whereby the defendant transferred the farm to Judy and for a consideration of $22,000.

The defendant admitted that it was from the plaintiff that he first learned of Mr. Judy as a prospective purchaser of the farm.

Verdict was for the plaintiff and for the sum of $825. Judgment was entered for the plaintiff and against the defendant for that amount.

In appeal the defendant contends the court erred in overruling the defendant’s demurrer to the plaintiffs evidence and in overruling the defendant’s motion for tan instructed verdict, and further that the verdict is contrary to the evidence.

In argument it is asserted by the defendant that the evidence of the plaintiff failed to show any agreement between the plaintiff and the defendant for the sale of the particular farm involved by the plaintiff for a commission of 5% of the sale price; that the evidence shows that prior to the time a sale of the place.was made the plaintiff had abandoned or withdrawn any interest he had in such transaction, and further that the evidence of the plaintiff shows that during the plaintiff’s negotiations for sale of the place the plaintiff was acting as the agent of the prospective purchaser, Mr. Judy.

To support the last mentioned assertion reference is made to the testimony of the plaintiff given on cross-examination wherein the plaintiff was asked if Judy was his prospect and principal, and the plaintiff answered yes. We note in further testimony of, the plaintiff it was fully explained that Judy was at all times but a prospect of the plaintiff for the purchase of farm land. On cross-examination the plaintiff testified that he assisted Judy in securing a loan on the farm after Judy’s purchase of the farm. An objection was sustained to a question put to the plaintiff as to whether or not the plaintiff received a commission on the loan transaction. The objection was properly sustained. We find no evidence to show any connection between the loan transaction and the plaintiff’s efforts to make the sale of the farm.

In these two instances in the testimony of the plaintiff, which the defendant has referred to in his argument, we find no evidence of a contract of agency existing between the plaintiff and Judy at the time of the plaintiff’s efforts to make a sale of the defendant’s property, and on examination of the whole record we find no evidence of such an agency existing as contended by the defendant.

In argument that the evidence shows that the plaintiff abandoned efforts to make a sale of the defendant’s property to Judy, the defendant refers to testimony of the plaintiff to the effect that he called Judy at a particular time and told him that the defendant wouldn’t pay a commission on the deal and that the deal was off. Also, the defendant testified that the plaintiff, in his presence, stated to Judy the deal is [414]*414off, after a reference to the defendant’s refusal to pay the plaintiff a commission.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1952 OK 394, 250 P.2d 442, 207 Okla. 411, 1952 Okla. LEXIS 826, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wilder-v-walker-okla-1952.