Buco Buil. Cons. v. Mayer Elec. Supply, 2090573 (ala.civ.app. 12-10-2010)

75 So. 3d 121, 2010 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 377, 2010 WL 5030118
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Alabama
DecidedDecember 10, 2010
Docket2090573
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 75 So. 3d 121 (Buco Buil. Cons. v. Mayer Elec. Supply, 2090573 (ala.civ.app. 12-10-2010)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Buco Buil. Cons. v. Mayer Elec. Supply, 2090573 (ala.civ.app. 12-10-2010), 75 So. 3d 121, 2010 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 377, 2010 WL 5030118 (Ala. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

BRYAN, Judge.

Buco Building Constructors, Inc. (“Buco”), and St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company (“St. Paul”) appeal from summary judgments entered in two consolidated actions in favor of Mayer Electric Supply Company, Inc. (“Mayer”). We reverse and remand.

In Buco Building Constructors, Inc. v. Mayer Electric Supply Co., 960 So.2d 707 (Ala.Civ.App.2006) {“Buco ”), this court dismissed an earlier appeal brought by Buco from a judgment entered in civil action no. CV-04-1092 in the Jefferson Circuit Court, Bessemer Division (“the 2004 action”). In Buco, we summarized the factual background and the procedural history of the 2004 action up to the time of that appeal as follows:

“Mt. Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church (‘the church’) hired Buco to serve as general contractor in the construction of a family life center for the church (‘the project’). Buco contracted with J & J Electric Company, Inc. (‘J & J’), to perform electrical work on the project. J & J used Mayer as a supplier on the project.
“On June 14, 2004, Mayer served Buco and the church with a notice of intent to claim a materialman’s lien. [123]*123Mayer stated in the notice that it was owed $36,217.82 for materials supplied for the project. On August 6, 2004, Mayer filed a ‘Verified Statement of Lien’ against the church’s property in the Jefferson County Probate Court.
“On August 24, 2004, Mayer sued J & J, alleging nonpayment of goods that Mayer had supplied to J & J related to the project. Mayer also named J & J’s president, Jerry Davis, Jr., as a defendant, alleging that he had guaranteed this debt. In addition, Mayer named Buco and the church as defendants. As to J & J and Davis, Mayer sought money damages; as to the church, Mayer sought an order perfecting its lien on the church’s property and ordering the sale of that property for the payment of the lien. On October 8, 2004, Buco filed a motion to dismiss in which it argued that Mayer had failed to state a claim against it. The trial court denied the motion.
“On October 22, 2004, J & J answered the complaint and asserted a cross-claim against Buco for breach of contract, alleging that Buco still owed it $102,009.19 for work performed on the project. J & J later filed a cross-claim against the church, asserting a lien on the church’s property for the unpaid balance it claimed Buco owed it. Buco eventually filed a cross-claim against J & J, in which it asserted that it incurred costs in the amount of $100,828 due to J & J’s breach of contract.
“On November 22, 2004, based on its contract with J & J, Buco moved the trial court to stay the proceedings and to compel arbitration. On December 7, 2004, Mayer filed a response to Buco’s motion to compel arbitration in which Mayer argued that it could not be forced to arbitrate its claims because it did not have a contractual relationship with Buco.
“On December 17, 2004, Buco executed a ‘Release of Lien Bond’ that provided:
“‘KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENT: That we, Buco Building Constructors, Inc. as Principal, and St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company, a corporation organized under the laws of the State of MN, and authorized to transact Surety Business in the State of AL as Surety, are held and firmly bound unto Mayer Electric Supply Company, Inc. as Ob-ligee in the sum of Thirty Six Thousand Two Hundred Seventeen Dollars and 82/100 ($36,217.82) lawful money of the United States of America, for the payment of which, well and truly to be made, we bind ourselves, our heirs, legal representatives, successors and assigns, jointly and severally firmly by these presents.
“ ‘WHEREAS, The Principal entered into a contract with Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church of Fairfield, Alabama
“ WHEREAS, Mayer Electric Supply Company, Inc. has filed a notice of Claim of Lien in Jefferson County, AL, in the Amount of Thirty Six Thousand Two Hundred Seventeen Dollars and 82/100 ($36,217.82) for materials furnished for Mt. Pilgrim Family Life Center, Grasselli Road, Fairfield, AL, Jefferson County, AL
“‘AND WHEREAS, The Principal desired to obtain the release of the aforementioned lien and has requested the Obligee to accept an indemnity bond conditioned as set forth in lieu thereof.
“ ‘NOW, THEREFORE, the condition of this obligation is such, that if the said Buco Building Constructors, Inc. shall pay any judgment that may be rendered against it by any court of [124]*124competent jurisdiction, in regards to said lien, then this obligation to be void, otherwise to remain in full force and effect.’
“Although, as noted, the bond provided that Buco had requested that Mayer accept an indemnity bond in lieu of Mayer’s lien on the church’s property, there is no indication in the record that Mayer did so.
“On December 21, 2004, Buco renewed its motion to dismiss, arguing that ‘Mayer failed to state any cause of action against Buco in its complaint’ and that, because, when it objected to Buco’s motion to compel arbitration, Mayer admitted that there was not a contractual relationship between Buco and Mayer, ‘there remained] no basis for Mayer’s claims against Buco.’
“On December 22, 2004, Mayer filed a motion for a summary judgment against J & J and Davis. On May 22, 2005, after a hearing on the motion, the trial court granted the motion and entered a summary judgment in Mayer’s favor. In the judgment, the trial court: (1) awarded Mayer a money judgment against J & J and Davis in the amount of $36,217.82, plus interest in the amount of $5,661.75, and an attorney’s fee of $1,645.50; (2) ordered that Mayer’s lien against the church’s property be perfected; and (3) ordered the circuit clerk to sell the church’s property for the payment of the lien. The trial court certified its judgment as final pursuant to Rule 54(b), Ala. R. Civ. P.
“On June 8, 2005, Buco filed a motion to alter, amend, or vacate the judgment. Buco argued that the trial court’s judgment improperly awarded more relief to Mayer than Mayer had sought in its motion for a summary judgment. Buco also argued that the sale of the church’s property for the satisfaction of Mayer’s lien before resolution of Buco’s and J & J’s cross-claims against each other would deprive Buco and the church of their due-process rights. The trial court denied Buco’s motion.”

960 So.2d at 708-10.

We dismissed Buco’s appeal in Buco because we concluded that Buco had not been aggrieved by the trial court’s judgment and, therefore, lacked standing to bring the appeal:

“In the present case, Buco contends that its interests are adversely affected by that aspect of the judgment ordering the sale of the church’s property. In its appellate brief, Buco asserts:
“ ‘[The] purported perfection or establishment of a lien on the [church’s] property and the sale of the property clearly will have an effect on the rights of [the church] and Buco, even though no remedy against [the church] or Buco was requested in the motion for summary judgment.... [The church], as owner of the property will have an obvious detriment, and Buco, which executed a release of lien [bond] ...

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75 So. 3d 121, 2010 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 377, 2010 WL 5030118, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/buco-buil-cons-v-mayer-elec-supply-2090573-alacivapp-12-10-2010-alacivapp-2010.