Lee v. Jenkins Bros.

When Jenkins Brothers (defendant) acquired the Crane Company, its president Yardley personally negotiated with Crane's business manager Lee (plaintiff) to join Jenkins, orally promising Lee a pension of up to $1,500 annually starting at age 60 regardless of whether he still worked there. Lee joined and worked for Jenkins 25 years before being discharged at age 55; when he later sought the promised pension, Jenkins argued Yardley lacked authority to bind the company to it, and the trial court found as a matter of law that the pension agreement was extraordinary and beyond Yardley's authority.