Chamberlain v. Wagner
Chamberlain v. Wagner
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
The action was one to recover a real-estate agent’s commission, and the question is, When did the plaintiff’s cause of action accrue? •
The defendant listed with the plaintiff a tract of land for sale at the net price of $8000, the plaintiff to have all he could get above that sum as his commission. The defendant further.agreed that the plaintiff might exchange the land if it were so arranged that the plaintiff might receive $8000 net to him, any profit made by the exchange, clear of $8000, to go to the plaintiff as his commission. Through the plaintiff’s efforts R. E. Seward, of Pueblo, Colo., was induced to exchange certain property which he owned for the defendant’s land, and with the consent of the defendant the plaintiff contracted with Seward to make the exchange on the following terms: Seward was to pay
The plaintiff commenced the action on September 21, 1912.
A demurrer to the petition, which stated, the fore-, going facts, was sustained on the ground that the action was barred by the statute of limitations, and the plaintiff appeals.
The plaintiff had no power to execute a written contract with Seward or to convey the defendant’s land, or to compel performance by either landowner. His function was to find a purchaser on the defendant’s terms. When he found a purchaser on terms which the defendant accepted his work was accomplished and his compensation was earned. It appears from the petition that the plaintiff’s contract with Seward was made with the defendant’s consent. This being true, the rights of the parties were then fixed. The date of this contract is not given, but the verbal acceptance of September 17, 1909, related to the contract which the plaintiff had made with Seward, and consequently the rights of the parties were fixed at least as early as September 17, 1909. So far as the petition discloses
The judgment of the district court is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- R. R. Chamberlain v. George Wagner
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- SYLLABUS BY THE COURT. Real-estate Agent — Comnvissions Earned — Action Therefor Barred by Statute of ■ Limitations. Under the facts stated in the opinion it is held that a real-estate agent’s commission, consisting of the profits arising from an exchange of his principal’s land, was earned, and that the agent’s right to demand his earned commission accrued when his principal accepted a purchaser produced by the agent on terms satisfactory to the principal.