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20 Mo. 284

Byars v. Doores' Administrator

Supreme Court of Missouri

Decided January 15, 1855

Supreme Court of Missouri · decided 1855-01-15

This was a demand exhibited for allowance in the county court against the estate of Walker Doores, founded upon the following note: “ One day after date, I promise to pay Edmund Byars four hundred and six dollars for Elias Fisher, French Doores and H. H. Southworth, being money advanced by said Byars in a suit for the above named. “ Walker Doores, Attorney for Elias Fisher, French Doores, and Hunter H. Southworth.” At the trial in the Circuit Court, this note was read in…

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Decided 1855-01-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 6 later decisions — most recently November 1928

6 state decisions

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Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

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Scott, Judge,

¶1delivered the opinion of the court.

¶21. It must be confessed that the question involved in this case has received different determinations by the courts in the United States. But the weight of authority is decidedly in favor of the view of the question entertained by the court below. On written contracts made by an agent without authority, if his name does not appear in the contract, and he contracts for his principal only, an action against him on such contract will not lie ; but an action on the case for his wrongful act, in assuming to contract for another without authority, is the only remedy. But if an agent, acting without authority in attempting to bind another, although his name appears as agent for the principal, yet, if he does not employ language which will exclusively bind the principal, or if, rejecting the words which he had no authority to use, enough will remain to create a promise on his part, he will be personally liable on the contract.

¶3This seems to be the rule deduced from the American cases, and they clearly overthrow the case of Ballou v. Talbot, (16 Mass. Rep. 461. American Leading Cases, 457.) In the case under consideration, if we reject the false description — the agent appended to his name, there is a contract on his part te pay the money sued for.

Judge Ryland concurring,

¶4the judgment will be affirmed.

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