DUVAL INVESTMENT COMPANY, A CORPORATION, PLAINTIFF IN ERROR,
v.
J. N. C. STOCKTON, DEFENDANT IN ERROR
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Duval Investment Company sued J. N. C. Stockton for breach of a real estate sales agreement. The Florida Supreme Court affirmed judgment for the plaintiff, holding that the complaint adequately alleged the defendant's agreement to sell land through its authorized agent and sufficiently stated a claim for breach without alleging tender of the second payment or demand for deeds.
The court held that the complaint sufficiently alleged the agent's authority by alleging the defendant entered into the agreement through an agent "duly authorized," without requiring more specific allegations of the agent's particular powers. The court further held that tender of the second payment and demand for deeds were not necessary given the defendant's refusal to deliver and notice that it could not deliver part of the land.
“The defendant being a corporation acts only by agents and the allegation of the name and particular authority of the agent is not in general essential.”
Establishes the principle that corporations may act through agents without requiring detailed allegations of each agent's specific powers in pleadings.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceDuval Investment Company and Stockton entered into a written agreement on July 6, 1905, whereby Stockton agreed to sell and deliver described real est…
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Whitfield, J.,
(after stating the facts.) — It is contended “that the first count of the declaration does not sufficiently allege the agency of W. S. Jordan, or his right to bind the defendant by any covenant or warranty to deliver.” No specific ground of demurrer is directed to this point. The first count of the declaration alleges that “by an instrument in writing signed by W. S. Jordan, agent, of said defendant, who was thereto' duly authorized, the said defendant entered into an agreement with the plaintiff to sell and deliver to him” certain real estate.
The defendant being a corporation acts only by agents and the allegation of the name and particular authority of the agent is not in general essential. In this case the allegation is that the defendant entered into the agreement. It was not necessary to name the agent, but having-been named it is sufficient to allege that such agent “was thereto duly authorized.” Childress v. Emory, 8 Wheat. (U. S.) 642; Nicholson v. Croft, 2 Burrow’s Rep. 1188; 16 Ency. Pl. &. Pr. 900. See also Bowen, Admr., v. Jacksonville Elec. Co., 51 Fla. 152, 41 South. Rep. 400.
The contention that the first count of the declaration is defective because there is no allegation of the tender, of the $300.00 due upon delivery of deeds and a demand for deeds cannot be sustained. The allegations are that the defendant agreed to sell and deliver to plaintiff certain described land for $100.00 cash down,- $300.00 on delivery of deeds, and $2,500.00 in three years; that the $100.00 was paid; that plaintiff resold the land at a profit; that defendant well knew that plaintiff purchased to resell; that defendant has failed and refused to deliver the land and informed plaintiff’s vendee that it could not deliver a portion of the land, and defendant kept the cash payment made by plaintiff; and that plaintiff lost the definite profitable sale he was to make. These allegations are admitted by the demurrer. The agreement was to deliver the land on payment of $100.00; the $300.00 was to be paid on delivery of deeds. The first payment was received and retained by defendant' who failed and refused to deliver the land, and informed plaintiff’s vendee that it could not deliver a portion of the land. Under these circumstances it was not necessary to allege a tender of the second payment or a demand for deeds. If a tender of the second payment and a demand for deeds were ordinarily essential the notice that defendant could not deliver a portion of the lands as agreed and had failed and refused to deliver them, dispensed with tender and demand, and gave the plaintiff a right to bring his action for damages. See Sullivan v. McMillan, 26 Fla. 543, 8 South. Rep. 450; 4 Ency. Pl. & Pr. 630.
It is urged that it was essential to allege that the time for delivery had arrived and a tender of the second payment. The agreement is alleged to have been entered into July 6, 1905. The declaration was filed August 24th, 1905. Since the agreement was to deliver the land on. payment of the $100.00, and the $100.00 was paid and retained, and defendant failed and refused to deliver the land and informed plaintiff’s vendee that it could not deliver a portion of the land, it is not necessary to allege that the time for a delivery had arrived, or to allege a tender of the $300.00 and a -demand for deeds. The declaration shows by necessary inference that the time for delivery of the land had passed. The failure to deliver the land as agreed is the breach complained of.
The first count of the declaration is good at least as against the specifications of the demurrer as interposed.
As the verdict does not indicate which count the finding is predicated upon, and as the first count is good as against the demurrer it is not necessary to consider the second count.
The judgment is affirmed.
Shackleford, C. J., and Cockrell, J., concur;
Taylor, Hocker and Parkhill, JJ.j concur in the opinion.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
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Key v. Alexander, 91 Fla. 975 (Fla. 1926)…t acquire title, he is liable for the value of the land at the time of the breach with interest from that date. Sanford vs. Cloud, 17 Fla. 533, Hall & Pope vs. Northern and Southern, 55 Fla. 235, 46 So. 178, Duval Investment Company vs. Stockton, 54 Fla. 296, 45 So. 497, Freeman vs. Tucker, 79 Fla. 402, 84 So. 174. The rule laid-down in Southerland on Damages, Fourth Edition by Berryman, Volume 2, page 1988, Section 581, which is supported by a great number of authorities there cited we quote with app…
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Slaughter v. Gordon J. Barnett. (Two Cases.), 114 Fla. 352 (Fla. 1934)…ontract which entitled the vendee immediately to bring an action for damages for its breach. A careful reading of the cases cited in the Behrman case to that point, viz: Thomas v. Walden, 57 Fla. 234, 48 South. Rep. 746; Duval Inv. Co. v. Stockton, 54 Fla. 296, 45 South. Rep. 497,; Sullivan v. McMillan, 26 Fla. 543, 8 South. Rep. 450; Key v. Alexander, 91 Fla. 975, 108 South. [*364] Rep. 883, shows that the rule as expressed in the Behrman case is not announced in those cases. As to the rule that the law…
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Peace River Phosphate Mining Co. v. Green, 102 Fla. 370 (Fla. 1931)…to repay the amount paid to the complainant by the defendant. From the final decree appeal was taken. The allegations of the answer and cross bill are sufficient when measured by the rule as stated in the ease of Duval Investment Co. vs. Stockton, 54 Fla. 296, 45 Sou. 497, in which it was said: “The defendant being a corporation acts only by agents and the allegation of the name and particular authority of the agent is not in general essential. In this [*372] case the allegation is that the defendant en…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Sullivan v. McMillan, 26 Fla. 543 (Fla. 1890)
- Bowden v. The Jacksonville Elec. Co., 51 Fla. 152 (Fla. 1906)