Schaffter

Defendant Creative Capital Leasing Group, LLC (CCLG), appeals a judgment in favor of plaintiffs Brett Schaffter and Austin McBride Corporation, doing business as Re/Max Real Estate Consultants (Re/Max), entered after a bench trial. CCLG contends the court erred by finding it defaulted under various agreements with third parties to purchase condominiums, thereby triggering its responsibility under a buyer broker compensation contract (Buyer Broker Contract) with Re/Max to pay it commissions. CCLG asserts that although it refused to close escrow on the units for a reason not allowed by the purchase agreements—because appreciation during the lengthy escrow periods would not make resales sufficiently profitable—there was no default because the developers pursued no damages against CCLG and opted to cancel the agreements.

CCLG also contends the Buyer Broker Contract with Re/Max, and an identical contract with Schaffter’s assignor, broker Pickford Realty, Ltd., doing business as Prudential California Realty (Prudential), are void because they did not contain a date certain for their termination. Further, CCLG asserts Prudential’s assignment of rights to commissions is void…