Black Forest Realty & Investment Co. v. Clarke, 12420.

Decision Date25 November 1929
Docket Number12420.
Citation282 P. 878,86 Colo. 454
PartiesBLACK FOREST REALTY & INV. CO. v. CLARKE.
CourtColorado Supreme Court

In Department.

Error to District Court, El Paso County; Arthur Cornforth, Judge.

Action by James C. Clarke against the Black Forest Realty & Investment Company. Judgment for plaintiff, and defendant brings error.

Affirmed.

McGarry & Shoup, of Colorado Springs, for plaintiff in error.

Thomas I. Purcell, of Colorado Springs, for defendant in error.

BUTLER, J.

The Black Forest Realty & Investment Company, being at the time engaged in a selling campaign to dispose of its own property, employed James C. Clarke as its 'general sales manager,' to have 'supervision and control, subject to the board of directors, * * * of all sales of lots owned by' the company, 'and of all salesmen engaged in our 1928 selling campaign.' As compensation for his services, Clarke was to receive a fixed salary of $100 per week plus 5 per cent. of the purchase price on all sales upon which at least 30 per cent. of the purchase price shall have been paid. He sued to recover a balance due him for compensation. He recovered judgment for $379.75, which was the total unpaid compensation; that is to say, the balance due on both the fixed salary and the percentage of the purchase price of lots sold.

The company claims that Clarke had no real estate brokers' license such as chapter 147, Sess. L. of 1925, requires, and that for this reason he is not entitled to recover the percentage on the price of lots sold.

Not until the day of the trial was this issue tendered. At that time it was sought to amend the answer so as to present the issue. The court denied the application for leave to amend, and it is said that this ruling was erroneous. We do not agree with counsel's contention. The statute relied upon has no application to the situation disclosed by the record in this case. Clarke was merely an employee of the company, engaged in the company's business; he was not a broker within the meaning of the statute. The proposed amendment therefore presented no defense. But, if it were otherwise, the delay in applying for leave to amend would justify the court, in the exercise of its discretion, in denying the application.

The judgment is affirmed.

WHITFORD, C.J., and MOORE and BURKE, JJ., concur.

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4 cases
  • Foley v. Hassey
    • United States
    • Wyoming Supreme Court
    • October 30, 1939
    ... ... Treacy, 213 Ky. 8, 280 S.W. 153; ... Clarke v. People's Roller Mills Co., 206 Ky ... 686, ... Black Forest Realty & Investment [55 Wyo. 41] ... ...
  • Palkoski v. Garcia
    • United States
    • New Jersey Superior Court — Appellate Division
    • October 8, 1954
    ...in our judgment the contention would be sound. Weil v. Lambert, 183 Md. 233, 37 A.2d 312 (Ct.App.1944); Black Forest Realty & Inv. Co. v. Clarke, 86 Colo. 454, 282 P. 878 (Sup.Ct.1929); cf. O'Neill v. Colonial Memorial Park, Inc., 121 N.J.L. 617, 3 A.2d 874 (Sup.Ct.1939). It is interesting ......
  • Manufacturer's National Bank of Detroit v. Hartmeister
    • United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals — Tenth Circuit
    • April 21, 1969
    ...engaged in the business of the principals and not a broker within the meaning of the licensing statute.5 Black Forest Realty & Investment Co. v. Clarke, 86 Colo. 454, 282 P. 878 (1929). In any event, we accept the application of Colorado law by the District Court, whose view on State law wi......
  • Newton v. Board of Com'rs of Weld County
    • United States
    • Colorado Supreme Court
    • November 25, 1929

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