Botsford Lumber Co. v. Schriver

206 N.W. 423, 49 S.D. 68, 1925 S.D. LEXIS 132
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 9, 1925
DocketFile No. 5474
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 206 N.W. 423 (Botsford Lumber Co. v. Schriver) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Botsford Lumber Co. v. Schriver, 206 N.W. 423, 49 S.D. 68, 1925 S.D. LEXIS 132 (S.D. 1925).

Opinion

MORIARTY, C.

This action was begun by the appellant, Botsford Lumber Company, to- enforce a materialman’s lien against certain land in Hand county. The record shows the following facts:

In the year 1918 the land in controversy belonged to the respondent M. G. Richardson, and her brother, the respondent C. E. Schriver, was acting as her authorized agent in the handling of the land and the placing of certain improvements thereon.

Shortly prior to November 25, 1918, Schriver had a conversation with Frank J. Weber, who- was the agent of the appellant Lumber Company at Miller, S'. D. In this conversation Schriver told Weber that he was about to make some improvements on the land involved in this action, and that he would need a considerable amount of materials therefor. Schriver testifies that he directed Weber to permit his, Schriver’s, men to- get the material from plaintiff’s yards as they needed it for making the improvements, and to charge it to his account. This was the only arrangement for the furnishing of the materials. There was no bill or estimate submitted, and no- definite statement made as to what improvements were contemplated. Employees of Schriver began to' get building materials from appellant’s yards on November 25, 1918, and continued to do so at frequent intervals from that date until January 13, 1920. These purchases amounted on the aggregate to $3,024.95, and the purchase price was, in every instance, charged to Schriver. On August 10, 1919, Schriver paid $500 in cash, and this payment and $66.65 for materials returned was credited on the account. On January 26, 19-20, the appellant filed a lien statement claiming a lien upon the land in controversy for the balance of the above-mentioned account in the sum of $2,458.30.

During the winter of 1918 and 1919 and the early spring o-f 1919, improvements consisting of sheds, fences, feed shed, hog house, etc., were erected on the land in controversy out of materials furnished by appellant as aforesaid, but the record does not show definitely the date when these structures were completed. It is undisputed that during the spring and summer of 1919 posts, wire, and other materials to- the value of several hundred dollars were furnished by appellant and use I by Schriver in improving lands other than the land involved in this case, and [72]*72that the price of these materials was charged into the Sehriver account without any effort to distinguish between the items soused and those which were used on the land in controversy herein. The charges for these materials -used elsewhere make up a considerable part of the sum- for which the lien is claimed. Some of the materials charged into the account were used for racks, eveners, and other purposes not contributing to any improvements on the land in controversy. About August 7, 1919, the appellant began to furnish materials for erecting a garage on the land involved herein. These materials were taken from appellant’s tyard in the same manner as those which had been furnished previously, and the items were -charged into the same running account. The charges for materials for this garage amounted to $729, and the last of these items was furnished in December, 1919, The land in controversy was incumbered prior to November, 1918, by mortgages held by the defendants Northwestern National Tife Insurance Company, Glen M. Waters, and Thomas H. Dexter. On March 20, 1920, M. G. Richardson mortgaged the land to the respondent H. H. Holmes. On April 10, 1920, she m-ortg'aged it to C. A. Dexter, and this mortgage was thereafter assigmed to respondent Thomas H. D’exter. On May 27, 1921, the said M. G. Richardson made a warranty deed purporting to convey the land to- H. H. Holmes, but die evidence shows that this deed is in fact a mortgage to' secure the same debt secured by the mortgage given! to Holmes in March, 1920.

The case was tried to the court, without a jury, and the trial court made findings in accordance with the facts as above stated, the only parts of the findings requiring special mention -being the following:

In finding No. 2 the court finds that—

The materials sold and delivered to the defendants M. G. Richardson and C. E. Sehriver “were used for the purpose of repairing buildings, erecting separate buildings and improvements on several tracts of land, and for repairing and building of feed bunks, farm -machinery such as hay ráeles, wagon reaches, etc.”

In finding No. 4 the court finds that—

The materials which were sold to defendants Richardson and 'Sehriver and were used in improving the land in controversy, “were sold to said defendants, and at their request at divers times [73]*73for material to be used for the purpose of building various improvements on said premises, such as cattle shed, board corral, feed house, feed rack, brick or tile garage, and fences.”

And in funding No. 5 the court finds:

“The cattle shed, corral and other yard fences used in connection with said shed were commenced in the month of December, 19x8, and fully completed in the early spring and not later than the month of M'ay, 1919” And that the material for the garage was furnished and used between August 1st, 1919, and January 13th, 1920, and was of the value of $729.00.

From these findings the trial court entered its conclusions that the appellant is entitled to judgment against defendants ¡Richardson and Schriver in the sum of $2,458.30, that the sales of materials were made by the plaintiff to said defendants under various orders and requests, and that the materials furnished for the garage were the only materials furnished to said defendants, the last item of which was furnished within 90 days prior to the filing of the lien notice, and that the plaintiff is entitled to a lien for the value of the garage material, such lien being junior to the mortgages held by respondents Northwestern National Life Insurance Company, Glen M. Waters, and Thomas H. Dexter, and superior to- the claims of respondents Holmes and Hatch. Judgment for the foreclosure of the lien in accordance with these conclusions was duly entered. The appellant moved for a .new-trial, and, upon the entry of an order denying this motion, appeals from the judgment and the order denying a new trial.

While appellant’s brief argues several assignments of error, the brief really presents only two contentions requiring- discussion by this court. These contentions are:

First. That all the materials sold by appellant to respondents Richardson and Schriver were sold under a single entire contract, and that, because of that fact, the entire series of deliveries from November, 1918, to January, 1920, should be treated as one transaction, and that the notice filed in January, 1920, was filed in time to make the lien good as to the entire amount.

Second. That because the respondents Holmes and Hatch knew of the erection of improvements and took their mortgages after the filing of the lien statement they were not bona fide purchasers or incumbrancers without notice, and therefore took subject to the lien.

[74]*74As to appellant’s contention that all the materials were furnished under an entire contract, and that the last item delivered under that contract was not delivered until January, 1920, the record does not support this contention.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
206 N.W. 423, 49 S.D. 68, 1925 S.D. LEXIS 132, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/botsford-lumber-co-v-schriver-sd-1925.