Bennett Lumber Co. v. Martin

64 S.E. 484, 132 Ga. 491, 1909 Ga. LEXIS 340
Supreme Court of Georgia·Decided April 19, 1909·Published·Cited by 20 cases

Opinion

Holden, J.

The plaintiff alleges that Mrs. Martin contracted with Spencer to make certain improvements on a described lot of land owned by her. Spencer purchased from petitioner certain material to be used in making the improvements, which was so used. The plaintiff fully complied with its contract with Spencer in furnishing materials between the 2d day of October, 1905, and the 11th day of December, 1905; and the plaintiff claims a lien on the property described in the petition, for the purchase-price of such materials. On the 3d of October, 1905, Mrs. Martin conveyed the land to the Dickinson Trust Company by deed to secure a loan of $1,500. The suit was brought against Mrs. Martin, Spencer, and the defendant company, asking that the lien claimed be foreclosed against the property and1 the judgment of foreclosure have priority over the deed of the defendant, and for other relief. Counsel for both parties treat the claim of lien of the plaintiff and the deed of the defendant company as having been duly recorded. The defendant company filed a demurrer to the petition; and to the order of the court sustaining this demurrer, and dismissing the petition as to the defendant company, the plaintiff excepted.

The question involved in this case is whether or not, under the facts as alleged, the claim of lien of the plaintiff has priority over the deed to the defendant company. The plaintiff in its petition alleges: “That said loan of $1,500 was made by said Dickinson Trust Company to said Mrs. Belle Martin for the purpose of erecting a residence- on said described premises, and that said Dickinson Trust Company well knew that at the time said deed was executed said building had not been erected nor had the labor and material therein been paid for. . . That said Dickinson Trust Company did not pay to said Mrs. Belle Martin the sum of $1,500 or any part thereof upon the 3d day of October, 1905, but that said amount was paid to said Mrs. Belle Martin or said Spencer or materialmen as the work thereon progressed, and that petitioner furnished all or part of the material set forth in Exhibit A before said sum of $1,500 had been paid.” A bill of [493] particulars of the material furnished by the plaintiff was attached to the petition, and therein, of date October 2, the day prior to-the execution of the deed, several items of material are charged. If it can be said that any of the material was furnished by the plaintiff before the execution of the deed, there is no allegation that the defendant knew of this fact. It is alleged that the defendant paid to Mrs. Martin, or Spencer, or materialmen, -as the work on the residence progressed, the $1,500 loaned by it to Mrs. Martin; but it is nowhere alleged that the defendant .knew that the plaintiff furnished any material to be used in improving the property. As it was alleged that the money was loaned for the purpose of erecting a residence on the property conveyed to the defendant, and that the defendant paid to Mrs. Martin, or to Spencer, the contractor, or to materialmen, as the work on the residence progressed, the amount loaned, it is to be presumed that the money was used for the purpose for which it was loaned, to wit, the erection of the residence on the property. It is nowhere alleged that the defendant, before paying out the full amount of the loan, had any notice that the plaintiff had furnished, was furnishing, or even would furnish any of the material for the improvement's being made.

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Bennett Lumber Co. v. Martin, 64 S.E. 484, 132 Ga. 491, 1909 Ga. LEXIS 340 (Ga. 1909).

64 S.E. 484 (Bennett Lumber Co. v. Martin) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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