Carter v. Bankston

193 So. 2d 151, 43 Ala. App. 498, 1966 Ala. App. LEXIS 569
CourtAlabama Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 13, 1966
StatusPublished

This text of 193 So. 2d 151 (Carter v. Bankston) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Alabama Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Carter v. Bankston, 193 So. 2d 151, 43 Ala. App. 498, 1966 Ala. App. LEXIS 569 (Ala. Ct. App. 1966).

Opinion

JOHNSON, Judge.

This is a combined appeal from a judgment of the Circuit Court of Mobile County for $620.00 in favor of appellee and was based on two separate cases for work and labor done. One of the cases was for $500.00 as damages and the other, for $120.00 as damages.

Appellee is a painting contractor who claims recovery for work and labor done on several houses between July 1, 1963, through November 1, 1963. The amount claimed for the work on the house number one was $500.00. It was located in Alpine Hills. Appellee testified that the work was done for Mr. Carter and at Mr. Carter’s request, and that his agreement with Mr. Carter was to paint the entire house; and that he completely painted the house. Appellee testified that Mr. Carter did agree after he performed the work to pay appellee for it; that Mr. Carter approved the work on the house; and that a promise to pay was made several times; that the reason stated by Mr. Carter as to why he did not pay appellee was that “he was pressed a little for money and as soon as he could get his papers cleared through the F. H. A. and get some money, he would pay me;” that appellant never stated that some corporation he owned owed that money; that Mr. Carter admitted in appellee’s presence, in open court, under oath, that he owed the money to appellee personally.

Appellee testified that the second claim of $120.00 was for work done on several houses. One house was located on Overlook Road, one on Dog River, and one in Besteda subdivision. Appellee testified that his work on these houses was never finished because the houses were never finished. His testimony as to the reasonable value of his work on the house on Overlook Road was as follows:

“Q. What is a reasonable charge in your opinion, Mr. Bankston, for the work you performed ?
“A. Outside painting for a man who does not belong to a union is about $2.50 per hour.
“A. The outside painting, by the hour, like I do. I have been trying to get $2.50 and my helper $2.00.
“Q. How much did you pay your helper for the work he performed on the house on Overlook Road?
“A. $12.00.
“Q. How many hours of work did you do personally on that particular house ?
“A. About 23 hours altogether.
“Q. Yourself.
“A. Myself and the nigger.
“Q. What in your opinion, would be a fair and reasonable charge for the work you and your helper performed on that house on Overlook Road?
“A. I figured $30.00 for the first coat.”

Appellee did some painting on a house on Dog River. He had an agreement with [500]*500appellant to paint it — “He [appellant] said to go down there and put a price on it and look it over and start painting and if I agreed on a price like the others, there would be no kick.” Appellee testified that a reasonable charge for the work done on the house at Dog River was $40.00, and that appellant owned the house on Dog River.

Some work was done on a house at Besteda Court and appellee was paid at $2.00 per hour for the work on the inside. Appellee didn’t know how many hours he worked on the inside. There was an agreement for payment of $50.00 for the outside and the work was accepted by appellant.

The testimony of appellee relates to the question of whether he was working for appellant or for the Mobile Improvement Company:

“Q. Has Mr. Carter ever paid you anything for any work you have performed for him?
“A. Yes he has paid me.
"Q. Did he pay you by cash or check ?
“A. Check.
“Q. On what account were they drawn ?
“A. Some on Carter & Company and some on Mobile Improvement Company.
“Q. Who owns Carter & Company?
“A. He does.
“Q. Is it a corporation, or. do you know?
“A. Not that I know of.
“Q. How about Mobile Improvement Company, who owns it?
“A. Carter.
“Q. Is it a corporation, or do you know?
“A. They tell me it is, I don’t know.
“Q. Did he tell you that you would be performing this work for him, individually or for the corporation, Mobile Improvement Corporation ?
“A. I was doing the work for him, he did not say Mobile Improvement Corporation.
“Q. Did you have an agreement about—
“A. The only agreement I had with him, I did not want to be worried with too many bosses. He had a young boy out there who was foreman when Carter was not there, but Carter done the bossing and the paying and I said I wanted to do the work and I wanted to work for him and I won’t be having so many bosses.
“Q. What did he say?
“A. As long as I agreed with him and did the work right and at the price you been doing it for, we will get along and you can make money.”

Appellee, on cross-examination, admitted that he had endorsed some six checks. These checks were all signed by appellant. On five of the checks immediately above his signature was printed the words “Home Improvement Corporation.” These five checks were dated August 30, 1963; September 13 and 17, 1963; and October 4 and 11, 1963. One of the checks had the words “Huston Carter” printed immediately above his signature and this check was dated November 15, 1963. This check was plaintiff’s Exhibit No. 1.

Mr. Carter testified that appellee had never done any work for him on his personally owned property in Alpine Hills; that he did not own nor never had owned any property- in Alpine Hills; that Home Improvement Corporation had a contract to construct a house at Alpine Hills on property owned by Mr. David Cecil Goldman; that he [appellant] was an officer of the Home Improvement Corporation; and that the work was not done for him [501]*501personally. He further testified that Home Improvement Corporation did not build a house on Overlook Road but that it had a contract to build a house on Dover Street which runs just off Overlook Road and that appellee had done some work on the house on Dover Street; and that the work was for Home Improvement Corporation. He further testified that appellee never did any work on Dog River, but that it was on Fowl River and it was done for Home Improvement Corporation and not personally for appellant. He further testified that whatever money is owed appellee is owed by Home Improvement Corporation and not by him personally. He further testified that the house in Besteda Court was owned by Home Improvement Corporation and not by him as an individual and that the work on the house was done for Home Improvement Corporation.

Appellant further testified that an employee of Flome Improvement Corporation, Mr. Wheat, was the one who first made ■the agreement for the work with appellee.

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Bluebook (online)
193 So. 2d 151, 43 Ala. App. 498, 1966 Ala. App. LEXIS 569, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carter-v-bankston-alactapp-1966.