Opinion ID: 2525532
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Extension Void under Brokerage Disclosure Statute

Text: [¶ 55] Grommet claims that the listing agreement and any extension thereof was void under Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 33-28-306 (LexisNexis 2007) (amended 2009) because his broker's disclosure had not been acknowledged by all sellers (Grommet, his wife and sister). Newman and Grommet had many years of dealing with each other, with Newman acting as a real estate broker and Grommet acting as a buyer, seller or swapper of real property. We agree with the district court that the extension of the listing agreement was valid because the agreement that was extended was valid. Under the circumstances of this case we also take note of what we had to say in Roney v. B.B.C. Corporation, 2004 WY 113, ¶ 27, 98 P.3d 196, 204 (Wyo.2004): We have expressed on many occasions that public policy does not favor the forfeiture of contract rights. In Wyoming Realty Co. v. Cook, 872 P.2d 551, 554 (Wyo. 1994) (quoting Battlefield, Inc. v. Neely, 656 P.2d 1154, 1157 (Wyo.1983)), we reiterated: Courts do not like to aid litigants in avoiding their contractual obligations by joining in their games of hide-and-seek behind statutory technicalities-especially is this so where the other party has performed and the party looking to avoid the contract has reaped all the benefits of the performance. We will not aid and abet such efforts if we can possibly avoid it. See also Gray v. Stratton Real Estate, 2001 WY 125, ¶¶ 9-10, 36 P.3d 1127 (Wyo. 2001). As in the above-cited cases, we decline to allow Roney to avoid her contractual obligations. The extended contract between Newman and Grommet was enforceable.