339.160. Real estate brokers and salespersons may not bring legal action for compensation unless licensed. - Missouri Statutes

Real estate brokers and salespersons may not bring legal action forcompensation unless licensed.

339.160. No person, partnership, corporation, or association engagedwithin this state in the business or acting in the capacity of a realestate broker or real estate salesperson shall bring or maintain an actionin any court in this state for the recovery of compensation for servicesrendered in the buying, selling, exchanging, leasing, renting ornegotiating a loan upon any real estate without alleging and proving thatsuch person, partnership, corporation, or association was a licensed realestate broker or salesperson at the time when the alleged cause of actionarose.

(L. 1941 p. 424 § 16, A.L. 1993 S.B. 18, A.L. 2004 H.B. 985)

(1959) Contract to sell earth to be removed from land did not involve title or interest in land and was therefore not subject to this law. Law v. Taylor (A.), 330 S.W.2d 170.

(1967) Purpose of legislature in closing courts to unlicensed brokers was to establish strong policy so that neither a contract nor lawful efforts could provide pecuniary benefits to such broker. Miller Nationwide Real Estate Corporation v. Sikeston Motel Corporation (Mo.), 418 S.W.2d 173.

(1971) In action by plaintiff's real estate association to recover a commission trial court properly overruled defendant's motion for judgment and sustained its motion for new trial only on issue as to whether plaintiff was licensed since although plaintiff failed to allege and prove plaintiff was licensed real estate broker, there was evidence in the record from which it could be inferred that plaintiff would be able to present essential evidence that it was licensed. Reed Schmidt and Assoc. v. Carafoil Furniture Co. (A.), 469 S.W.2d 876.

(1977) Held that a person who neither advertised nor held himself out as a real estate broker or salesman was entitled to payment under an agreement between himself and a real estate company whereby he was to receive payment for bringing buyer to real estate company. White v. Miriam Realty Co. (A.), 547 S.W.2d 184.