Hobson v. Hunt

FINCH, P. J.

August 6, 1919', the defendants gave D. W. Hobson Company the exclusive right, for two months, and thereafter until ten days’ notice in writing of the cancellation thereof, to sell their stock ranch at Browns Valley, together with certain personal property, at the price of $40 an acre, $10,000 of the purchase price to be paid on delivery of deed. The agreement contained the following: “If the above described property be sold or exchanged during the life of this agreement, or if the agent during the life of this agreement, shall find a purchaser ready, willing and able to buy the said property at the above price, the owner agrees to pay the agent as a commission, five dollars per acre of said price, and in event of the said property being sold or exchanged by the owner, after the termination of this right to sell, to or by any party introduced or whose name in writing has been given the owner, as a prospective purchaser, by the agent, the owner agrees to pay the agent, as a commission, the above'mentioned rate of commission on whatever price is accepted for the said property.”

J. H. Ware called at the office of the company, the date of the call not appearing from the evidence, and he was shown a ranch near Folsom, but was not interested in it. Ware testified that nothing was said to him about the Hunt ranch on that occasion. Thereafter, on Saturday, the twenty-seventh day of September, as indicated by the letter of October 1st, hereinafter referred to, one of the company’s salesmen called on Ware and informed him that the company had a ranch of 710 acres at Browns Valley for sale, on which a cash payment of $15,000 would be required. October 1st, the salesman wrote Ware, stating that it was possible that the owner of the Brown Valley ranch, mentioned in the conversation with Ware on Saturday, would accept $10,000 or $11,000 as a first payment, but Ware made no reply to the letter. September 23d, the company wrote the defendants, stating the efforts being made to effect a sale and giving the names of eleven prospective pur

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chasers, including that of Ware. The evidence does not show that Ware’s attention had been called to the defendants’ ranch prior to September 27th, when the salesman called on him. About October 20th, the defendants gave written notice of cancellation of the authorization t.o sell. November 26th Ware came to an agreement directly with defendants to purchase the ranch for $24,000, of which sum $2,000 was to be paid in cash, and the land was conveyed to him January 2, 1920. The evidence does not show when or by what means Ware was brought in touch with the defendants. Ware testified that at the interview of September 27th, the salesman said he would like to take Ware “to see a ranch in Browns Valley, he didn’t tell me it was the Hunt ranch, but mentioned a ranch up there that he said was forty or forty-five thousand dollars, $15,000 cash to handle it. I told him: ‘It doesn’t interest me, no use taking up my time or your time to go look. I haven’t the $15,000. I wouldn’t be interested.’ . . . That is as far as his efforts were concerned. It was dropped. ... It didn’t interest me at the figure or at the cash that was required to handle it. . . . I don’t remember the letter at all, but had I received it, it wouldn’t have interested me because I didn’t have that amount of money.” Ware further testified that the name Hunt Brothers or the Hunts was never mentioned in connection with the place. D. W. Hobson died prior to the time of the trial. It may be that the plaintiffs experienced difficulty in proving their case by reason of Hobson’s death and the trial court doubtless gave that fact due consideration in weighing the evidence. There being a substantial conflict, the findings of the court are conclusive.