Whatley v. McMillan
Whatley v. McMillan
Opinion of the Court
The plaintiff sues upon an agreement by which if he procured a purcháser for a certain tract of land he was to have as a commission whatever amount the purchaser might be willing to give for the land in excess of $25 per acre. He secured a purchaser at $30 per acre, and there were 730 acres.
The agreement was made with one of the defendants, C. V. McMillan, who held himself out to have authority for making it from the owners of the land. Mrs. Ada M. McMillan, Henry Kalsched, and Adam Hafer were supposed to be the sole owners, and they were originally the only defendants ih the suit. But, the fact having cropped out on the. trial that C. V. McMillan was a co-owner for one-fourth, he was made a party defendant. Judgment is asked against the defendants in solido.
The record fails to show that these objections were made. On the contrary, McMillan filed an answer, joining issue on said petition.
The following reservation was made in said answer:
“Defendant without in any manner admitting the right of plaintiff to file the amended petition but specially reserving all of his objections thereto, which were overruled by the court, answers as follows.”
We do not see in what way this reservation can be of any avail, in the absence of any record information of what the objections were, and in the absence from the minutes of any notation that any objection was ever made, and in the absence of any ruling upon any objection,- and in the absence of any bill of exception.
The purchaser in question was able and eager to make the purchase, and, moreover, during the delay caused by the defect in the title, real estate increased in value, so that the evidence leaves no room for any doubt but the sale would have been consummated if this rise in the value of real estate had not led the owners to retract. Such being the ease, all the. other defenses are not to the purpose. The evidence leaves no doubt that the sale would most unquestionably have been consummated at $30 per acre, and on such terms of cash or credit as the owners might have desired, if these owners had not decided not to sell.
The judgment appealed from dismissed the suit in toto. We think the suit should have
It is therefore ordered, adjudged, and decreed that the judgment appealed from be affirmed in so far as it dismisses plaintiff’s suit as against the defendants, Mrs. Ada M. McMillan, Henry Kalsched and Adam Hafer, and that it be set aside in so far as it dismisses the suit as against O. V. McMillan: and it is now ordered, adjudged, and decreed that the plaintiff, Hugh W. Whatley, have judgment against O. V. McMillan for the sum Of $810, with 5 per cent, per ^nnum interest thereon from October 5, 1920, date of judicial demand, and for the costs of this suit.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- WHATLEY v. McMILLAN
- Cited By
- 19 cases
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- Syllabus
- (Syllabus by Editorial Staff.) I. Appeal and error 499(2) — Recital In answer of reservation of objections not shown by record of no avail. In the absence of any record information of what objections were made to a supplemental petition bringing in a new defendant, and in the absence from the minutes of any notation that any objection was made, and in the absence of any ruling or bill of exceptions, a recital in the answer of the new defendant that all his objections to the filing of the amended petition are specially reserved is of no avail. 2. Brokers That co-owners of the party employing' a broker to find a purchaser for land, on learning that a purchaser had been found, were willing to sell, and acquiesced in the talcing of steps to remedy a defect in the title, did not make them parties to the agreement with the broker, where they did not then know of the agreement. 3. Appeal and error &wkey;>l73(7) — Contention that defendant bound for going beyond mandate as agent could not be made, when not made below. Where broker, suing on agreement by one of several co-owners, alleged unqualifiedly that he had authority to make the agreement, and the case was tried on that sole theory, the contention that he was liable for the broker’s entire commission under Civ. Code, art. 3010, declaring an agent bound in his individual capacity for whatever he does beyond his mandate, not having been made in the trial court, could not be entertained. 4. Brokers While agreements purporting to transfer, incumber, or otherwise affect real estate must be in writing, an agreement, merely enlisting the personal services of a broker in procuring a purchaser, does not affect the real estate in any way, and need not be in writing. 5. Tenancy in common A co-owner of real estate, employing a broker to procure a purchaser without authority from his co-owners, cannot be held in solido or for the entire amount called for by the agreement, but only in proportion to his interest in the property.