Agent's authority
Definitions from Case Law · United States Supreme Court
Definitions from Case Law
From 18 U.S. 326 - Mechanics' Bank of Alexandria v. The Bank of Columbia · 1820Most cited · 103 citing opinions
does not depend on face of instrument
It is by no means true, as was contended in argument, that the acts of agents derive their validity from professing, on the face of them, to have been done in the exercise of their agency. In the more solemn exercise of derivative powers, as applied to the execution of instruments known to the common law, rules of form have been prescribed. But in the diversified exercise of the duties of a general agent, the liability of the principal depends upon the facts, 1. That the act was done in the exercise, and, 2. Within the limits of the powers delegated.
How often courts cite the cases defining “Agent's authority”
Court decisions citing the 2 opinions that defined “Agent's authority” — 120 in all, by decade. Counts are citations to the defining cases as a whole, not verified uses of the term. The dip in the most recent years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the latest years.
All 2 definitions, chronological · 1820–1827
It is a general rule applicable to agencies of every description, that the agent cannot bind his principal, except in matters coming within the scope of his authority
scope