B. & G. Crane Service, Inc. v. Anderson Bros. Corp.

132 So. 2d 681, 1961 La. App. LEXIS 1323
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 30, 1961
DocketNo. 5376
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 132 So. 2d 681 (B. & G. Crane Service, Inc. v. Anderson Bros. Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
B. & G. Crane Service, Inc. v. Anderson Bros. Corp., 132 So. 2d 681, 1961 La. App. LEXIS 1323 (La. Ct. App. 1961).

Opinion

LOTTINGER, Judge.

This is a suit by B. &. G. Crane Service, Inc., against Anderson Bros. Corp., Guy E. Stockstill, National Surety Corp., Employer’s Liability Assurance Corp., Ltd., T. L. James & Company, Inc., and State of Louisiana, Department of Highways, in which the petitioner seeks the sum of $11,357.38, which is allegedly due for the rental of certain heavy equipment with operators to defendant Stockstill 'during the construction of a highway in the Parish of Tangipahoa, Louisiana. The sum allegedly due and claimed by petitioner is reflected by a labor and material lien -filed of record by petitioner in the Parish of Tangipahoa. Petitioner further seeks that similar liens filed by Hoover Construction Co., Inc., B. N. and W. H. Richardson, d/b/a Richardson Hardware and Leon Edwards, d/b/a Edwards Motors be disallowed, as petitioner alleges that such claims are not lienable.

Various exceptions were filed by the various parties defendant to the action, all of which exceptions were rectified by supplemental pleadings, except certain exceptions of no cause or right of action which were referred to the merits. The State of Louisiana, Department of Highways, was dismissed as a party defendant upon stipulation by said defendant and petitioner to the effect that it was not a proper party to the proceeding.

The various defendants, and the capacity in which they appear, are as follows: T. L. James and Company, Inc. was general contractor for the Louisiana Department of Highways for construction work on the Pontchatoula-Manchac Highway. Anderson Bros. Corp. was sub-contractor under T. L. James & Company, Inc. Guy E. Stock-still was a sub-contractor under Anderson Bros. Corp. Employer’s Liability Assurance Corp., Ltd. was the bond company of Guy E. Stockstill. National Surety Corp. was the bonding company of Anderson Bros. Corp., as well as T. L. James & Company, Inc., in the construction work, and further furnished a bond for the removal of all liens recorded, in order to permit acceptance of the contract by the Louisiana Department of Highways. Hoover Construction Co., Inc. is a lien holder against defendant Stockstill in the sum of $950. B. N. and W. H. Richardson, d/b/a Richardson Hardware, is a lien holder against defendant Stockstill in the sum of $91.19, and Leon Edwards, d/b/a Edwards Motors, is likewise a lien holder against defendant Stockstill in the sum of $888.74.

The record discloses that T. L. James & Company, Inc. was awarded a contract by the Louisiana Department of Highways for certain construction work to be performed [683]*683on the Pontchatoula-Manchac Highway. A part of this work was sub-contracted by T. L. James & Company, Inc. to Anderson Bros. Corp. who, in turn, sub-contracted a portion of its work to Stockstill. The work to be performed by Stockstill was classified as clearing, grubbing and common excavation.

Certain equipment belonging to petitioner, B. & G. Crane Service, Inc., was rented to defendant Stockstill and used on his portion of the work done under the said contract. The charges for said equipment rented by the petitioner was in the total amount of approximately $22,000, of which there is still due and owing to the petitioner the sum of $11,357.38. There is no disagreement as to this indebtedness.

It is claimed by Anderson Bros, that Stockstill defaulted on a portion of his contract, and therefore claims a back charge of $6,915, which was incurred by Anderson Bros, in completing the work that was to be performed by Stockstill. There are three liens also filed against the work, as stated above, for which it was necessary that Anderson Bros, purchase a bond which was required by the Highway Department prior to its acceptance of the work, and upon which bond Anderson Bros, was required to pay a premium of $615.93. Without the posting of this bond, the Highway Department would not have accepted the work performed by T. L. James & Company and its various subcontractors, and the payment for said work would have been delayed.

Stockstill contends that his work under the sub-contract with Anderson Bros, was completed, and that therefore the entire sum of $10,475.78 is still due and owing. All sums which are yet due to Stockstill from Anderson Bros, have been assigned by Stockstill to B. & G. Crane Service, the petitioner herein. Stockstill further contends that if any portion of his work was not completed, that he was not placed in default thereof, and that, therefore, Anderson Bros, was without any authority to complete his portion of the contract.

The Lower Court dismissed the claim of Anderson Bros, for back charges and for premium on the bond, and rendered judgment upholding the liens of Hoover Construction Co., Inc., B. N. and W. H. Richardson and Leon Edwards. The Lower Court denied lien status to the claim of petitioner. After first deducting these three claims from the balance due Stock-still by Anderson Bros, in the sum of $10,475.78, there remained a balance of $8,545.56. Deducting that sum from the $11,357.38 which B. & G. Crane Service, Inc. claims of Stockstill, left Stockstill still indebted to B. & G. Crane Service in the sum of $2,811.82. The Lower Court awarded judgment accordingly.

An appeal was taken by Anderson Bros. Corp., which appeal was answered by T. L. James & Company, National Surety Corp. and Employer’s Liability Assurance Corp., Ltd. Anderson Bros, attacks the judgment below because the Lower Court did not recognize the default by Stockstill, and did not allow the back charge and bond premium claimed by Anderson Bros. T. L. James & Company and the two bonding companies answered the appeal praying that the judgment below be amended to deny lien status to the Hoover, Edwards and Richardson claims. The reason for their answer to the appeal was that if the Appellate Court should allow the back charges and the bond premium claimed by Anderson Bros., then there would not be sufficient funds remaining to Stockstill’s credit to pay the three liens, the back charge and the bond premium, and it would be necessary for T. L. James and its bonding companies to supply any deficiency.

The testimony convinces this Court that the work to be performed by Stock-still was not completed in accordance with the terms of its contract. Therefore, the question arises as to what, if any, notice was Anderson Bros, required to give to [684]*684Stockstill, before Anderson Bros, could validly complete the work contracted to Stockstill. The sub-contract between Anderson Bros, and Stockstill, in Article 12 thereof, provides as follows:

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Bluebook (online)
132 So. 2d 681, 1961 La. App. LEXIS 1323, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/b-g-crane-service-inc-v-anderson-bros-corp-lactapp-1961.