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27 Mo. 162

McClellan v. Parker

Supreme Court of Missouri

Decided March 15, 1858

Supreme Court of Missouri · decided 1858-03-15

Louis Law Commissioner’s Cowrt. This was an action to recover the value of services rendered by plaintiffs, as attorneys at law, in the examination of the title to certain real estate and in the drafting of a deed of trust. The evidence tended to show that defendant applied to one McKnight for a loan of money on real estate; that McKnight referred defendant to plaintiffs for an examination of the title to the said real estate; that plaintiffs made such an examination.

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1858-03-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 6 later decisions — most recently February 1902

6 state decisions

20185818601870188018901900decided

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.

¶2This case did not require the proof of any custom; but evidence of such custom was merely irrelevant. It had no tendency to mislead or prejudice, and therefore the admission of it is no ground for reversal.

¶3The defendant acted as agent for others. It does not appear that he disclosed the names of those for whom he was acting, or that the credit was given to any one but himself. Under such circumstances, though acting for others, he is personally liable. The principals, if they had been known to the plaintiffs before suit was brought, would have been *163subject to an action, but under the circumstances they were not bound to sue them.

¶4As the defendant had the services performed he was liable for them. This was no case for the application of the custom even if it were a lawful one. Had the money lender employed the plaintiffs, and the suit been brought against the borrowers for their services, then the custom, if a valid one, would have applied to the case. The judgment is affirmed,

Judge Napton concurring. Judge Richardson not sitting.
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