Opinion ID: 371887
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Liability of Ramada Inns

Text: 27 The above conclusions lead to a similar result with regard to plaintiff's claims against Ramada. The jury was charged that it could find that Christo had earned a commission from Ramada Inns either because Christo had presented Ramada with a ready, willing and able seller in the Knights on February 10, 1972, or because Christo was the efficient procuring cause of the sale to Airport, an agent of Ramada. Again, neither of these claims is supportable. 28 Assuming, arguendo, that plaintiff had an express contract 6 of employment with Ramada based upon Mr. Ferrell's promise of February 10, 1972, 7 plaintiff's claims against Ramada fail as a matter of law for reasons similar to those defeating his claims against the Knights. 29 Plaintiff's first theory is that he earned a commission from Ramada by providing Ramada with a ready, willing and able seller in the Knights on February 10, 1972. To establish the second element of this claim, plaintiff must show evidence of an employment contract with Ramada specifying fixed terms for the acquisition of the motel. Plaintiff's evidence of a contract consisted solely of Mr. Ferrell's statement that If they don't pay you, we will. The jury at most could find that a general authority was produced to secure terms for the purchase of the property which would be acceptable to Ramada. Thus, the ready, willing and able standard was inapplicable, and plaintiff would have to prove the existence of a written agreement between Ramada and the Knights to satisfy the second element of this claim. As a written agreement between Ramada and the Knights was never formed, it was error for the district court to charge the jury that they could find that plaintiff had earned a commission from Ramada upon introducing Mr. Dechant to Mr. Ferrell on February 10, 1972, on any theory. 30 Plaintiff's second claim against Ramada is that he was the efficient procuring cause of the sale to Airport. This theory is legally insufficient for the same reasons stated above in the discussion of plaintiff's parallel claim against the Knights. The jury could not find that plaintiff was the efficient, procuring cause of the sale, as there was insufficient evidence that the information plaintiff supplied Mr. Ferrell was conveyed to Mr. Romani or in any way contributed to Airport's decision to purchase the motel. Accordingly, Ramada was entitled to have its motion for a judgment n. o. v. granted. 31 The district court judgment will be reversed and the case remanded to the district court for entry of judgment n. o. v. in favor of both the Knights and Ramada. 32