In a Feb. 2 opinion, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court sided with a real estate broker, who sued for damages against two former clients for allegedly breaking an oral agreement when they used another agent to purchase their new home.
The plaintiff, Biping Huang, a real estate broker, sued her clients, Xinhang Sun and Jing Ma, for breach of contract, alleging that they violated an agreement that she would be the exclusive broker starting in May 2016. Pursuant to the oral agreement, Huang would be the defendants’ exclusive broker for one year to help them locate a property, arrange showings, and such. Additionally, under the agreement, the clients would “‘refer’” to Huang “‘all potentially acceptable real property’” they identified and would “‘notify other real estate agents’” of the arrangement, the state high court’s opinion said.
