[Saturday Auction] Randy, an auctioneer, held an auction on a Saturday morning. At the beginning of the auction, Randy announced that the auction was being held without reserve. Erin, Maria, and Steve were all in attendance. Erin saw an old cash register with a stuck drawer that she thought would look great in her den. The auctioneer put the cash register up for sale noting that the drawer was stuck but that it could probably be fixed with little effort. Erin bought it for $20. When she got it home, she discovered that it actually contained $5,000 in cash. Unfortunately, Erin had a teenage son who started bragging to his friends about the family's good fortune. Randy heard about what had happened and sued Erin for return of the $5,000. At the same auction, Maria saw a great deal on a used table, and bid $20 on it. No one else bid anything. Randy announced that $20 was clearly insufficient for the table, that it was worth much more than that, and that he was taking it out of the auction. Steve started bidding on a diamond ring for his girlfriend. He bid $2,000. Just as Randy was getting ready to say "Sold," Steve looked over at his girlfriend, decided that he was not sure about marriage, and jumped up yelling "I revoke." Randy, however, immediately after, yelled "Sold." Randy sues Steve attempting to obtain the money for the engagement ring. Randy also sues Erin seeking to recover the $5,000 contained in the stuck drawer. Maria sues Randy attempting to obtain possession of the table.
-What is the likely result in the lawsuit brought by Maria against Randy for the table?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Maria will win because the auction was announced as being without reserve, which means that the auctioneer is obligated to sell to the highest bidder, regardless of the bid amount. Since Maria was the highest bidder for the table, even at $20, Randy is legally bound to sell the table to her at that price.

[Saturday Auction] Randy, an Auctioneer, Held an Auction on a Saturday