Aetna Iron Works v. Firmenich Manufacturing Co.

57 N.W. 904, 90 Iowa 390
Supreme Court of Iowa·Decided February 6, 1894·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

Kinne, J.

I. Plaintiff claimed twelve thousand, one hundred and thirty-eight dollars and interest as a balance due it on account for work done and materials furnished under certain contracts, and for extra work on the glucose factory of defendant at Marshalltown, Iowa. The answer denied that the material was furnished, or. labor performed, in accordance with the contract, and denied any indebtedness to plaintiff. In a second division a number of affirmative defenses are pleaded, consisting of failure to perform the contract, [391] and damages arising therefrom; that much of the material was never furnished; that smaller and lighter beams were used than were contracted for; that the work was improperly performed; that, by reason of plaintiff’s negligence, two tanks fell, causing loss and damage; that plaintiff so delayed the work as to cause inconvenience and loss to defendant, and, in consequence, defendant, on October 10, 1889, ordered plaintiff to cease work on the building. A counterclaim was also filed by defendant, consisting of numerous items, and amounting in the aggregate, to over thirty-one thousand dollars. To this, plaintiff filed a reply, which denies most of the claims made in the counterclaim, charges that the work was done in accordance with defendant’s consent and approval, and avers that the work would have been fully completed had not defendant prevented. The cause was tried as an equity case to the court, and a judgment rendered for plaintiff for sis thousand, seven hundred and twenty-seven dollars and ninety-eight cents, and a decree entered foreclosing the lien.

II. Many questions are raised and discussed by counsel. It is impossible for us to treat of all of them in detail. We shall only refer to those matters which appear to be of controlling importance in determining the rights of the parties. It is said that defendant has pleaded and proven that another action was pending in Chicago, Illinois, at the time of the trial of this cause below, between the same parties and in relation to the same subject-matter. While counsel' for defendant argue that this action should be abated because of the pendency of the other action, we do not understand that, in its answer, the facts touching said action are pleaded or relied upon as an abatement at all. The division of the answer in which the fhcts now relied upon are pleaded is devoted entirely to setting forth the payments which have been made by defend[392] ant company; and, to show these, certain facts are set out touching the pendency of an action in Chicago, wherein it is alleged that there was a controversy, among other things, as to whether a certain two thousand dollars had been applied by the parties as a payment upon the contract sued upon herein; and it is further averred “that, should the court in said cause determine that the two thousand dollars has been applied in payment, then the whole amount so paid would be the sum of seven thousand, five hundred dollars.’7 As we have said, the thought of the pleader seems to have been, not to plead facts showing another action pending as a ground for abating this action, but rather facts which should be taken into consideration, in determining how much has been paid upon'the contract sued upon. We do not think the pending of that suit is a bar to the prosecution of this one.

III. Counsel for appellant claims that inasmuch as plaintiff sued upon a contract, alleging its performance, and as it appears that the contract was not fully performed, and there is no quantum meruit count, plaintiff can not recover. The trial was had in the district court upon the petition, answer, and counterclaim and reply, and upon the theory that defendant had prevented plaintiff from completing its contract; that plaintiff was entitled to recover the contract price, less what it would have cost to have completed the contract after the work was stopped by the defendant, and less what defendant was entitled to under its counterclaim. Now, the evidence below was introduced, without objection, to sustain these several claims of the parties, and largely touching the question as to the cost of completing the repairs according to the contract after defendant stopped the work, and as to the- amount of defendant’s damages. As we have said, no objection was made below to the introduction of evidence to establish plaintiff’s claim under the [393] issues as they stood. It is now too late to claim that there is a variance between plaintiff’s pleadings and the proofs. Singer v. Given, 61 Iowa, 95, 15 N. W. Rep. 858; Ressler v. Baxley, 81 Iowa, 751, 47 N. W. Rep. 57; Lines v. Lines, 54 Iowa, 602, 7 N. W. Rep. 87; Iselin v. Griffith, 62 Iowa, 668, 18 N. W. 302. Having tried the case below on the theory above stated without objection, it would be manifestly unfair to permit appellant’s objection to prevail in this court, when, if made in the court below, appellee might have cured the defect in its pleadings, if any, by amendment.

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Aetna Iron Works v. Firmenich Manufacturing Co., 57 N.W. 904, 90 Iowa 390 (iowa 1894).

57 N.W. 904 (Aetna Iron Works v. Firmenich Manufacturing Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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