191 Ky. 75 | Ky. Ct. App. | 1921
Opinion of the Court by
Affirming.
The appellees, J. T. Hall and W. A. Martin, partners, were engaged in the business of real estate brokerage, and the appellant, W. W. Carter, on a day in the month of August, 1919, listed a farm with them for sale, under a contract, which according to the allegations of the petition as amended, obligated the appellees to exert reasonable diligence on their part to secure a purchaser for the farm between the date of the contract and the first day of January, 1920, and in consideration of same, the appellant covenanted to pay them a commission of three per centum on the price secured for the farm when sold, and
The demurrer admitting the truth of-the averments of the petition as amended, the only question for decision is, whether the petition as amended states facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action in favor of appellees and to support the judgment. The appellant insists that the demurrer should have been sustained for three different reasons, viz:
'1. The contract never having been signed by appellees was not binding upon them, and hence not binding upon the appellant.
2. There was no consideraton for the execution of the contract by appellant, and hence, lacking mutuality, he was at liberty to revoke it at any time, and he did so by selling’ the land.
3. The appellees having received $150.00 as a settlement for the sum due them under the contract, and released the appellant from further obligation, they are es-topped to assert any further claim under the contract.
The appellant, further, contends that the measure of recovery adjudged was erroneous in that the appellees were only entitled to sue and recover upon a quantum meruit. .
(a) The contract sued on was attempted to be reduced to writing and was subscribed by appellant and delivered to and accepted by the appellees. The appellant subscribed his name upon a dotted line at the end of the writing, and beneath his name is another dotted line, and appellant contends that such fact shows upon its face, without any allegation in regard thereto, that it was intended to be subscribed by appellees also, and not having been subscribed by them, it never became obligatory upon them, and he could never have maintained an action thereon against them. His insistence is in effect that no contract was ever made or existed, but his demurrer admits that he signed the writing and delivered it to the appellees, and the other averments of the petition show that it was accepted by them. His contentions are not tenable. The two dotted lines may have been intended for the signatures of contracting parties upon the same side of the
(b) Neither is the contention, that-the contract is unilateral and lacks mutuality, tenable. It is true that the contract as written, did not contain any express covenant upon the part' of the appellee to do anything, but it is not necessary to here consider whether an obligation upon their part to exert themselves with diligence to find a purchaser for the land, within the time fixed in the contract, should be implied, since the appellees allege that such obligation upon their part was one of the conditions of the contract, and that same was left out of the writing
(c) One can not be estopped by something which he has been induced to do to his damage by the fraudulent representations or concealments of the party, who is invoking the estoppel. According to the averments of the petition as amended, and which the demurrer admits to be the truth, at the time the appellant induced appellees
(d) Where an owner lists his land for sale with a broker, under a contract that the broker shall have the exclusive privilege of selling the land during a definite time stated in the contract and violates the contract by selling the land himself before the expiration .of the time limit prescribed and agreed upon, and thus deprives the broker, who is then actively engaged in attempting to carry out the contract and to effect a sale, of the chance of selling the land and to earn the commission agreed upon, the measure of damages for such breach of the contract is the commission stipulated in the contract upon the selling price of the land. Murphy v. Sawyer, etc., supra.
The judgment is therefore affirmed.