Haskell v. Beeghley
Haskell v. Beeghley
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
The question of fact involved in this case is whether or not the plaintiffs found a purchaser for the defendant’s farm who was ready, able and willing to buy the place for the price and upon the terms and conditions given by the defendant to her agents. The letters hereinbefore given constitute the contract between the parties. From these it clearly appears that the lowest price for which the defendant agreed to sell the place was $11,800, or $11,200 net to her; $6200 to be cash, balance due in five years at 6 per cent, interest, to be secured by mortgage on the place. This offer did not include the crop or any part of it, and did not include any expense to her for commission, attorney’s fees, abstract or preparation of papers. Nothing was stated concerning insurance. The plaintiffs made a written contract with one J. F. Syster, in which he agreed to pay $500 cash, $7800 March 1, 1906, and
In argument counsel practically concedes that such a purchaser was not produced, but insists that the contract made by the plaintiffs with the .purchaser, although different from the one they were authorized to make, was consented to and ratified by the defendant, and she thereby became liable for a commission. In support of this argument reference is made to her letter of January 16, 1906, in which occur the words: “I congratulate you upon making sale.” This fragment of a sentence is said to be sufficient to show that defendant accepted the unauthorized conditions of the contract inserted by the plaintiffs, and that then and there the contract of sale was closed to her satisfaction. This conclusion ignores the other language used in the same letter; it disregards the letter written by her at the same time to Mr. Southworth, and other material features of the transaction. It will be seen that in the same letter, immediately following the words quoted, it is stated that she has referred the matter to Mr. Southworth, who will représent her in the matter. It further appears that she at the same time transmitted the contract to Southworth, with a lettér directing him not to deliver the contract until certain matters mentioned by her were satisfactorily adjusted. The difference between this contract and the one authorized by her is so material and important that her consent thereto should not be found to exist until established by some tangible evidence.
If a sale had been made on January 8 satisfactory to defendant, why this effort more than a month afterward to have the defendant endeavor to induce her tenant to release his lease? It is quite evident that the plaintiffs did not regard their commission as earned until after the sale had entirely failed. It is equally clear that the defendant did not consent to the contract made with the alleged purchaser. On the contrary the evidence, when considered as a whole, clearly and conclusively shows that she refused to consent thereto. Great latitude is given to juries in the determination of questions of fact, and a verdict will not be disturbed when- there appears to be any evidence upon which it can rest. This rule, however, can not be extended so as to permit important rights to be disposed of upon the assumption that there is some evidence to justify it, where the only proof consists of fragmentary sentences taken from the body of a written instrument and disassociated from the other language of the instrument, when the language so taken is thereby rendered susceptible of a meaning materially different
The judgment of the district court is reversed, with directions to grant a new trial and proceed in accordance with the views herein expressed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Ella N. Haskell v. E. J. Beeghley, as Partners, etc.
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- SYLLABUS BY THE COURT. Agency —Unauthorized Sale — Ratification—Evidence Insufficient. A firm of real-estate agents employed to find a purchaser for a farm entered into a written contract of sale with a prospective buyer which was materially different from, and less advantageous to the seller than, the terms upon which the agents had been authorized to make a sale. This contract was sent to the owner for her assent and ratification. In her letter acknowledging receipt thereof she used these words: “I congratulate you upon making sale.” Other parts of the letter, however, indicate that she was not satisfied and had referred the matter to her general agent for examination and consideration. It further appeared that she at rthe same time sent the contract to her general agent, calling his attention to parts thereof to which she objected, and instructed him not to close the trade until these matters were satisfactorily adjusted. The parties failed to agree, and no sale was made. Held, in an action by the real-estate agents to recover a commission upon the ground that the unauthorized contract had been assented to and ratified by the owner of the land, that the language above quoted,- standing alone, is insufficient to sustain a verdict for the plaintiffs.