MILLER
v.
MOYLAN

Fla. | 1954-05-07
ROBERTS, C. J., and HOBSON and DREW, JJ., concur.
72 So. 2d 380 Florida Supreme Court (1954) Caution
Cited by 6 cases

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Synopsis

A Florida Supreme Court decision determining that a real estate broker earned his commission when he procured a ready, willing, and able purchaser, despite the seller's subsequent refusal to perform and the buyer's conditional offer contingent on FHA loan approval. The Court held that the broker fulfilled his contractual obligation to find a purchaser regardless of whether the sale was ultimately consummated.


Holding

The broker fulfilled his contract obligation by producing a purchaser who entered into an agreement with the seller, and he earned his commission despite the conditional nature of the purchase agreement. The seller's failure to consummate the sale, which was chargeable to the seller's breach, could not defeat the broker's claim to commission for finding a purchaser.


Key Quotes

“We think, as did the circuit judge, that the appellee fulfilled his contract when he produced the purchaser who entered into the agreement with the appellant, despite the condition about loans.”

Establishes the core holding that the broker earned his commission by producing a ready, willing, and able purchaser

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Facts & Procedural History

Appellee, a real estate broker, was hired by appellant under an exclusive listing to sell property at a specified price and terms, with compensation o…

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Opinion of the Court
THOMAS, Justice.

THOMAS, Justice.

This action, by a real estate broker against an owner who employed him to sell certain property, was tried before the judge without a jury and the judge entered a judgment against the owner for the amount of the commission claimed. The owner is now appellant; the broker, appellee.

The commission for appellee’s services was to be paid for securing a purchaser upon the terms specified in the “Exclusive Listing.” The appellee found a purchaser who entered into an agreement with the owner to buy upon the stipulated terms subject to the condition, however, “that this property be approved for FHA Title Two loans * * The purchaser was to secure this approval and in the event he was unsuccessful, both he and the appellant were to be released from the contract. The appellant agreed to furnish an abstract of title and the usual conditions relative to curing defects were incorporated. The document, called a “deposit receipt,” constituting the contract between buyer and seller was signed 28 January 1953. Repeated requests were made for the abstract which appellant was obligated to furnish but no current abstract was forthcoming as late as 26 May 1953, and the appellant has never discharged this obligation. On that day the attorney for the buyer wrote the appellant that inasmuch as demands for an abstract had been ignored he proposed to order one and look to her for payment. He also got in touch with appellant’s attorney, 4 June 1953, with reference to the abstract and was then advised that the appellant had given her counsel the letter of 26 May and had instructed him to advise the buyer that she would not perform the contract because the FHA approval had not been given and because the property had increased in value. The buyer’s attorney wrote the appellant, 11 June 1953, acknowledging this information and saying that his client was willing to accept the property regardless of the FHA approval if the title was marketable.

In brief the appellee secured the purchaser; the condition about the FHA loan was incorporated for the purchaser’s benefit; the appellant failed to deliver a “complete abstract * * * showing * * * title to be good and marketable”; the purchaser agreed to waive the condition relative to FHA approval; the appellant sought to defeat the appellee in his effort to get his fee.

The appellant’s conduct appeals neither to our sense of justice nor to our understanding of the law. As Judge Milledge indicated there were two contracts, one between buyer and seller, one between owner and broker. Only the last is here directly involved, the other is incidental. When the appellant entered into the contract containing the provision relative to the FHA loans she did so voluntarily. In the circumstances of the appellee’s engagement by the appellant the inclusion of that provision, especially in view of the subsequent waiver of it, did not affect the obligation of the appellant to the appellee.

We think, as did the circuit judge, that the appellee fulfilled his contract when he produced the purchaser who entered into the agreement with the appellant, despite the condition about loans. That a contract was actually executed by buyer and seller did not affect the undertaking of the appellee only to procure a purchaser ready, willing and able to buy. Failure to consummate the sale, which we think was chargeable to the appellant, could not defeat the appellee’s claim. See Knowles v. Henderson, 156 Fa. 31, 22 So. 2d 384, 169 A.L.R. 600. In the listing signed by the appellant he was commissioned “to find a purchaser” and was promised compensation for “finding a purchaser.”

Nor can we approve appellant’s position that inasmuch as part of the commission was to be paid upon ‘consumma tion’ of the deal and portions of the balance upon payments of the first two installments of the purchase price, the appellant could recover nothing because no sale had been ‘consummated’. And we do not think there was any fundamental change in the original agreement by the subsequent letter signed by the seller amplifying it. The appellant claims that this letter converted the undertaking of the appellee from one to procure a purchaser to one to secure a binding contract of sale, simply because, after referring in some detail to the original document, it was stipulated that appel-lee was to be paid a commission “for making the sale * * We find in the language used in the papers no occasion to hold that such a transformation occurred.

The listing provided that the price should be a certain amount per acre upon the terms: “29% or less in cash; balance on or before one-two-three-four and five years in equal payments * * To this was added: “Commission 4% when deal is closed — 3% on payment of 2nd payment & 3% on payment of third payment.”

Appellant resorts to the rule announced in Seminole Fruit & Land Co. v. Rosborough-Weiner, Inc., Fla., 43 So. 2d 864, to support his position that the appellee be paid nothing. Both in this decision and the one on which it was based, Langford v. King Lumber & Mfg. Co., 123 Fla. 855, 167 So. 817, were facts dissimilar to the ones here. In each instance a deed and mortgage had been exchanged and the property had been reconveyed to the seller, so that subsequent payments on the purchase price on which installments of the commission depended were never met. Flere no sale has been completed because, as we have said, the seller prevented it, Flart v. Pierce, 98 Fla. 1087, 125 So. 243. In view of appellant’s default no sale was ever made so the rule announced in Seminole Fruit & Land Co. v. Rosborough-Weiner, Inc., and Langford v. King Lumber & M'fg. Co., cannot assist her in her effort to escape her obligation to the appellee. The exception recognized in the former decision applies to this controversy.

Our examination convinces us that the judgment should be

Affirmed.

ROBERTS, C. J., and HOBSON and DREW, JJ., concur.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Sugarland Real Est., Inc. v. V.R. Beardsley, 502 So. 2d 44 (Fla. 2d DCA 1987)
    …nces of the case the existence of an agency even where the alleged principal and agent both deny the existence thereof. McCabe. The question here is not whether the prospective purchaser could enforce the sale of the property. See Miller v. Moylan, 72 So. 2d 380 (Fla.1954). Even in the absence of a sales contract, where a broker in good faith procures a purchaser ready, willing and able to buy the property on the terms fixed by the seller, he is entitled to his commission if the seller refuses to go through…
  • Hanover Realty Corp. v. Codomo, 95 So. 2d 420 (Fla. 1957)
    …ssion in the amount of some $25,000, the defendant has appealed. In support of the trial judge’s conclusion that plaintiff was not bound by his written agreement because it was without consideration, plaintiff relies on Miller v. Moylan, Fla. 1954, 72 So. 2d 380, 381. In the Miller case, the broker was given a written listing by the owner “to find a purchaser” for the owner’s property and was promised compensation “for finding a purchaser.” The listing provided for the payment of a portion of the commission…
  • Hurt v. Kitroser, 50 So. 3d 62 (Fla. 4th DCA 2010)
    …decisions must be based practically on the same state of facts and announce antagonistic conclusions”); City of Miami Beach v. Prevatt, 97 So. 2d 473 [*68] (Fla.1957) (decision of supreme court necessarily based on existing facts): Miller v. Moylan, 72 So. 2d 380 (Fla.1954) (rejecting cited authority because based on "dissimilar facts”); Henderson v. Boose, 142 Fla. 804, 196 So. 671 (1940) (trial court decision must be based on same facts to be within case authority cited).…

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