Wright v. M. W. Turner

1956 OK 102, 301 P.2d 364, 1956 Okla. LEXIS 560
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMarch 20, 1956
DocketNo. 37015
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 1956 OK 102 (Wright v. M. W. Turner) 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
Wright v. M. W. Turner, 1956 OK 102, 301 P.2d 364, 1956 Okla. LEXIS 560 (Okla. 1956).

Opinion

HUNT, Justice.

Morris W. Turner, a real estate broker, doing business as M. W. Turner Company, instituted this action in the District Court of Tulsa County against Ed Wright to recover $2,037.50 under a written contract dated December 6, 1951, as a 2½%. commission on the sale or exchange of the defendant’s real estate. By order of the District Court the case was subsequently transferred to the Court of Common Pleas of Tulsa County. The defendant, Wright, filed an answer and later an amended answer, in which he generally denied plaintiff’s allegations, except that he admitted executing the contract sued on and further alleged that the plaintiff, as part of the sale transaction received from F. E. Simmons, purchaser of defendant’s property, the sum of $500 and a promissory note in the sum of $1,537.50, which cash and note was to apply upon the purchase price of the property sold by defendant and for the use and benefit of the defendant, but without the knowledge or consent of the defendant the plaintiff wrongfully converted and appropriated the same to his own use and benefit, and further alleged the plaintiff to be guilty of a breach of trust, fraud and disloyalty as the agent and broker representing the defendant in that plaintiff, with an evil design, conceived the idea of appropriating and converting the cash and note to his own use and falsely and fraudulently claiming that the amount represented the commission which the purchaser Simmons had agreed to pay on the transaction. Defendant further alleged that by reason of such acts the plaintiff had forfeited all rights to any commission and that defendant was entitled to recover from the plaintiff the sum of $500, the note referred to and the amount collected thereon in the sum of $750, and prayed judgment against the plaintiff accordingly.

The plaintiff filed an amended reply denying the allegations of the amended answer, and further alleged that on December 18, 1951, the defendant, Wright, executed a contract to pay the plaintiff the regular 5% sale commission recommended by the Tulsa Real Estate Board, which commission, in the sum of $4,075 defendant was obligated to pay, but concluded his reply with the following statement:

“ * * * that as a matter of fact the defendant only owes this plaintiff a 2^/2% commission; but since the defendant has charged the plaintiff with improper conduct in connection with the matter, plaintiff now pleads the contract, Exhibit ‘A’ hereto, as a complete estoppel to all the allegations of defendant’s answer, and in the alternative prays for 2½% commission from the defendant Wright, or 5%. commission in the sum of $4,075.00 from the defendant Wright hereby tendering to him all matters and things received from the said Simmons.”

[366]*366The contract of December 18, 1951, referred to in the plaintiff’s reply is entitled “Receipt and Contract of Sale” and recites in part as follows:

“This is to acknowledge receipt from F. E. Simmons, purchaser, * * * of the sum of $500.00 cash and $1537.-50 note due in 90 days for the benefit of Ed Wright, seller, * * * as part payment on the purchase price of the following described real estate * *

The instrument is first signed by the plaintiff, M. W. Turner Co., by Pickering, also signed by F. E. Simmons, purchaser, and by the defendant, Ed Wright. Immediately preceding Wright’s signature is the following :

“Approval of Owner and Seller:
* * * I hereby accept the terms of purchase set out above and acknowledge that the same is a binding contract; and upon closing of the sale I agree to pay forthwith to the above named realtor the regular commission recommended by the Tulsa Real Estate Board, for services rendered and to be rendered in this transaction.”

The defendant filed motion to strike and a demurrer to plaintiff’s reply, which was overruled with exceptions. The record shows that at a pre-trial of the case the court, at whose motion or why is not shown, ordered stricken from the amended answer of the defendant that portion wherein it is alleged that the plaintiff by appropriating and converting the money and property of the defendant forfeited all rights to any commission, to which action the defendant excepted. Thereafter the defendant filed a verified second amended answer wherein he alleges error in the action of the court in striking such portion of his answer and denies all material allegations of plaintiff’s petition, and alleges that plaintiff has been fully paid for all services rendered defendant, and that no sum is due plaintiff.

A jury was impaneled to try the issues and each of the parties introduced their evidence, and at the conclusion thereof the defendant renewed his demurrer to plaintiff’s evidence and the plaintiff moved the court to instruct the jury to return a verdict for the plaintiff for the sum of $2,037.-50, and upon consideration thereof the court instructed the jury to return a verdict for the plaintiff in the sum stated, which was done, and judgment was rendered for the plaintiff. Motion for a new trial by defendant was overruled and defendant perfected an appeal in this court.

Plaintiff in Error presents his assignments of error under five propositions:

Proposition No. 1. The court erred in striking the first amended answer and cross-petition wherein defendant Wright alleged and sought to prove disloyalty, fraud, wrong and misconduct of broker and forfeiture of right to commission.

The amended answer of the defendant charged the plaintiff with wilfully taking and appropriating the $500 and the promissory note, which was paid and given as part of the purchase price of defendant’s property, under a false and fraudulent claim that it belonged to plaintiff and was paid him by the purchaser, Mr. Simmons, as a commission which he, Simmons, owed.. The case of Weleetka Light & Water Co. v. Burleson, 42 Okl. 748, 142 P. 1029,. holds :

“1. An agent owes his principal the duty of diligence, integrity, and skill.
“2. A willful and fraudulent failure to account for moneys or property coming into the hands of an agent disen-titles him to any compensation for his. services; and a lesser degree of the wrong may disentitle him to more than, reasonable compensation for the services performed or justify a deduction from the amount named in the contract of employment.”

See also Johnson v. Powers, 188 Okl. 508,. 111 P.2d 191, and Baird v. Conover, 66-Okl. 288, 168 P. 997.

The allegations stricken from the-defendant’s amended answer constituted ai [367]*367matter of defense, under which the defendant was entitled to submit evidence, and the court erred in ordering the same stricken.

Plaintiff in Error next contends:
Proposition No. 2. The court erred in allowing plaintiff to file amended reply to defendant’s amended answer, thus allowing a departure from the contract upon which plaintiff instituted this suit. Motion to strike reply should have been sustained.

The plaintiff alleged in his petition that on December 6, 1951, he entered into a written contract with defendant to sell defendant’s ranch in Okmulgee County and that by the terms of the contract plaintiff was to be paid a commission of 2½% on the sale price upon completion of a sale, and alleged that defendant owed him for such service $2,037.50, and prayed judgment therefor.

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Bluebook (online)
1956 OK 102, 301 P.2d 364, 1956 Okla. LEXIS 560, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wright-v-m-w-turner-okla-1956.