{ "id": 11272534, "name": "THE AMERICAN TRUST COMPANY v. W. S. GOODE et al.", "name_abbreviation": "American Trust Co. v. Goode", "decision_date": "1914-11-25", "docket_number": "", "first_page": "338", "last_page": "340", "citations": [ { "type": "official", "cite": "167 N.C. 338" } ], "court": { "name_abbreviation": "N.C.", "id": 9292, "name": "Supreme Court of North Carolina" }, "jurisdiction": { "id": 5, "name_long": "North Carolina", "name": "N.C." }, "cites_to": [ { "cite": "164 N. C., 19", "category": "reporters:state", "reporter": "N.C.", "case_ids": [ 8656268 ], "opinion_index": -1, "case_paths": [ "/nc/164/0019-01" ] }, { "cite": "164 N. C., 19", "category": "reporters:state", "reporter": "N.C.", "case_ids": [ 8656268 ], "opinion_index": 0, "case_paths": [ "/nc/164/0019-01" ] } ], "analysis": { "cardinality": 272, "char_count": 4527, "ocr_confidence": 0.453, "pagerank": { "raw": 4.03580807328026e-08, "percentile": 0.23914289983701753 }, "sha256": "68c035d9fb97d857c0774ed70a2e67283d996b3ca0b072278549d90678242c1a", "simhash": "1:fdd0a4a25065cef4", "word_count": 786 }, "last_updated": "2023-07-14T20:55:31.572596+00:00", "provenance": { "date_added": "2019-08-29", "source": "Harvard", "batch": "2018" }, "casebody": { "judges": [], "parties": [ "THE AMERICAN TRUST COMPANY v. W. S. GOODE et al." ], "opinions": [ { "text": "Clark, C. J.\nThis case was before the Court, 164 N. C., 19, when the judgment of nonsuit was reversed. The defendants now appeal from a verdict and judgment for $350. The plaintiff conducts a real estate business, acting as agent and broker in buying and selling real estate. The defendants placed their property in plaintiff\u2019s hands for sale and asked Griffith, the plaintiff\u2019s agent, to sell the property to one Lummus, with whom they knew Griffith was negotiating for the sale of such real estate. The male defendant wanted $35,000 for the property. Griffith had several meetings with Lummus in regard to selling the property to him. Before the sale was perfected Lummus saw the male defendant, and he agreed to sell for $31,000 and a second-hand automobile, valued at $1,500. The defendant Goode then informed Griffith, and asked him to draw up the terms of the contract, one of the terms of which was that Goode .would secure a loan for Lummus of $20,000. Griffith, at Goode\u2019s request, procured this loan for Lummus and placed the amount to Goode\u2019s credit in the bank. There was subsequently, a disagreement as to the amount of the commission, Griffith demanding 3 per cent, according to the custom of brokers in Charlotte, and brought this action to recover $975. The jury gave him a verdict of $350, and from the judgment on this verdict the defendants appeal.\nThe defendants insist strongly upon their assignment of error, No. 22, which is because the court charged, \u201cIf you find by the greater weight of the evidence that the plaintiff was negotiating the sale of the property to Lummus, and you further find that Griffith was the plaintiff\u2019s agent, and as such agent acted also as the agent of the defendants in securing the loan for the buyer, and procured the loan to be made, and that the procuring of this loan was the condition upon which the trade was to be consummated \u2014 that is, that the sale was to be effected on condition that the loan was made \u2014 you will find in that event that the plaintiff, nothing else appearing, was the procuring cause of the sale.\u201d\nThe defendants assign error because there is no allegation in the complaint that the sale was conditioned upon the procurement of the loan or that the plaintiff\u2019s agent was acting for the defendants in securing the same, and because there was no evidence to support the charge that the sale was conditioned upon the procurement of the loan.\nThe matter of procuring the loan was only an incidental matter, so to speak, a part of the res gestee. Being merely evidential, it was not necessary that it 'should be pleaded in the complaint. The broker was entitled to give a full narration of the incidents connected with the sale without having pleaded them.\nThe charge of the court on the various phases of the evidence is in entire accord with the principles of law laid down in the former appeal in this case, in which it was held that, \u201cWhile real property remains in the hands of a broker for the purpose of sale, the owner may not consummate the sale with one who had become interested as the proposed purchaser through the efforts of the broker, and escape liability for the payment of a commission.\u201d As pointed out in that case, the defendants received the full benefit of Griffith\u2019s services in selling the property, negotiating the loan, and in preparing and executing the necessary papers. \u2022 Tbe defendants inquired tbe amount of tbe commissions, and on disagreement about tbe amount tbe defendants denied all liability; but tbe plaintiff is entitled to recover reasonable commissions, and tbe jury have determined tbe amount under a very proper charge from tbe court.\nNo error.", "type": "majority", "author": "Clark, C. J." } ], "attorneys": [ "Pharr & Bell and John W. Hutchison for plaintiff.", "Gansler & Gansler for defendants." ], "corrections": "", "head_matter": "THE AMERICAN TRUST COMPANY v. W. S. GOODE et al.\n(Filed 25 November, 1914.)\nPrincipal and Agent \u2014 Commissions\u2014Pleadings\u2014Trials\u2014Proof.\nIn an action to recover commissions for sale of lands it is unnecessary for the plaintiff to allege in his complaint the various stages leading up to the consummation of the transaction; and in this case it is held that it was not necessary for the plaintiff to have alleged that the defendant procured a loan for the purchaser through the agent of the former as a condition for the sale, and that the same agent therein acted for both, in order to show the fact by his evidence. The charge of the court is according, to the decision on a former appeal. 164 N. C., 19.\nAppeal by defendants from Adams, J., at February Term, 1914, of MECKLENBURG.\nPharr & Bell and John W. Hutchison for plaintiff.\nGansler & Gansler for defendants." }, "file_name": "0338-01", "first_page_order": 392, "last_page_order": 394 }