Court Opinion

ID: 9825371
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-01 12:47:28.897764+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:40:45.383390
License: Public Domain

RICE, J.
Appellee (plaintiff in the court below) brought this action against appellants (defendants) to recover an amount claimed to be due to him as his commission for bringing about the sale of a certain tract of timber. His complaint consisted of two counts, numbered 3 and 4, one declaring upon a special contract, and the other in assumpsit, and the appellants are prosecuting this appeal from the judgment rendered against them.
Appellants’ counsel, in their able brief filed on this appeal, erroneously assume and state that demurrers to counts 1 and 2 were overruled, and that a third party, Lucy Steele, was included as a party defendant. Of consequence, their otherwise helpful discussion becomes confusing to the court. We cannot too strongly urge that counsel be careful to be accurate in their statements of fact, both as to evidence and as to pleading.
 Neither counts 3 nor 4, which were the only counts submitted to the jury, were subject to any of the grounds of demurrer interposed, and: the trial court properly overruled said demurrers.
Appellants’ chief contention, if not the only one, insisted upon seriously here, as a reason for the reversal of the judgment against them, is that the trial court erred in refusing to give at their request the general affirmative charge in their favor. Most, or at least a very large part, of the argument they make, is based upon the asserted fact that, whereas the suit is on a contract against three defendants jointly, the evidence fails entirely to connect the third defendant with the transaction. As suggested above, all this argument fails, and only confuses, for the reason the record shows, affirmatively, that only two defendants were included in the case, as it was submitted to the jury. The argument is further made that there was no evidence to support the verdict. To this we cannot agree. Count 3 alleged that plaintiff was employed by defendants to “bring about a sale” of the timber mentioned. The evidence for the plaintiff tended to show that the prospective purchaser was at the time of the making of the agreement, which is the foundation of this suit, known and recognized by both the plaintiff and the defendants. The ease is distinguishable from all that line of authorities having to do with the right of a broker to his commissions for “selling,” or “finding a purchaser for,” lands, etc. It would not be helpful to discuss or detail the evidence in the case. Suffice to say that in our opinion there was ample evidence from which the jury might infer that the efforts or activities of the plaintiff contributed to bring about the sale of the timber in question at a price considerably greater than the minimum named by the defendants to the plaintiff. There was therefore no error in refusing to give the general affirmative charge in favor of defendants, or in overruling their motion to set aside the verdict and grant to them a new trial.
Other errors assigned are not argued and insisted upon here in such a manner as to require their consideration by this court, and are hence waived. It might be said, however, that from a careful examination and consideration of the whole record it does not 'appear that any error of a prejudicial nature to the defendants intervened in the case.
Let the judgment be affirmed.
Affirmed.