Cascade Construction Co. v. Snohomish County

178 P. 470, 105 Wash. 484, 1919 Wash. LEXIS 991
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 7, 1919
DocketNo. 14974
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 178 P. 470 (Cascade Construction Co. v. Snohomish County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cascade Construction Co. v. Snohomish County, 178 P. 470, 105 Wash. 484, 1919 Wash. LEXIS 991 (Wash. 1919).

Opinion

Mount, J.

This appeal is from a judgment of the lower court denying the appellants the right to have their claims satisfied from a fund in possession of Snohomish county. The facts are as follows: In April of 1917, Snohomish county was about to construct a paved highway between Stanwood and Florence in that county, the work being known as project No. 15. After calling for bids, a number of bids were received by the county. The Ryan Construction Company was the lowest bidder. The Cascade Construction Company was the next lowest bidder. The contract was awarded to the Ryan Construction Company. That company was unable to furnish a bond, as required by statute, and consented that the contract be made to the Cascade Construction Company. A contract was thereupon entered into between Snohomish county and the Cascade Construction Company for the work. This contract provided, among other things, as follows :

“The contractor shall not let, assign or transfer this contract or any interest therein, or sublet the work herein provided to be done, or any part thereof, without the consent of the board. The contractor shall file with the board a duplicate of all subcontracts made by him as aforesaid.”

Thereafter, the Cascade Construction Company entered into a contract with the Ryan Construction Company by which the Ryan Construction Company was to perform the contract. At the time the board of county commissioners entered into the contract with the Cascade Construction Company, that company, as [486]*486principal, and the United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company, as surety, gave a bond to the county for the faithful performance of the contract. This bond provided for the faithful performance of the contract by the Cascade Construction Company and all of the provisions of said contract and the payment of labor, material and provisions used in said work. The subcontract entered into between the Ryan Construction Company and the Cascade Construction Company, the original contractor, was reduced to writing but was never filed. The agent for the Cascade Construction Company testified that two of the board of county commissioners consented to the subcontract. -Two of the board of county commissioners testified that no such consent was given. It is not claimed that the subcontract was filed as provided in the original contract.

During the progress of the work, these appellants and others furnished material which was used in the construction of the road. After the completion of the work, and within thirty days after the acceptance of the work by the board of county commissioners, these appellants filed claims against the bond and the fund to be paid by the county to the original contractor. The county withheld from the funds some $4,883.47, payable under the contract to the Cascade Construction Company, and refused to pay the same until the rights of the claimants were determined. Thereupon the Cascade Construction Company and the United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company brought this action in the superior court for Snohomish county, praying that the county be required to pay the money which was due- upon the contract into court and that all claimants who had filed claims against the bond be required to present their claims; [487]*487that such claims as were valid be paid and others rejected; and that, after payment of the valid claims, any surplus of the fund should be paid to the Cascade Construction Company. The appellants and the other creditors appeared in the action and pleaded by way of cross-complaint that they had furnished materials which had been used in the work; that they had each given notice to the county, within thirty days after completion of the work, that they had furnished the materials; and prayed that their respective claims be paid out of the fund,, and that for any deficiency they have judgment against the Cascade Construction Company. Upon issues joined, the case was tried to the court. Some of the claims were allowed and others were rejected. This appeal followed.

The respondents have moved to dismiss the appeal for several reasons. We find no merit in any of the reasons except one, to the effect that the claims of a number of these appellants are less than $200. In the case of National Surety Co. v. Bratnober Lumber Co., 67 Wash. 601, 122 Pac. 337, we had occasion to consider the question here presented, and there held that this court had no jurisdiction where the amount of claims of the character here in question was less than $200. Upon the strength of that case, the motion must be sustained as to the appellant Gfustaf Nicklason, whose claim is for $89.60; Tuttle & Nicklason, whose claim amounts to $185.41; Nordeen Foundry Company, whose claim is $147.75; and Peoples Union, whose claim is $47.15. This leaves for consideration the claims of the Agnew Hardware Company and the Nicklason Auto Company, whose claims amount to more than $200.

As we understand the record of the case, the lower court denied a recovery because the work upon the road [488]*488was done by a subcontractor and because tbe claimants had not given ten days’ notice, as required by Rem. Code, § 1159-1, to the original contractor after the first delivery of materials, supplies or provisions furnished to the subcontractor. It is conceded that this notice was not given; that the only notice given was the notice given after the completion of the work and within thirty days after the acceptance thereof by the board of county commissioners; so that the main question in the case is whether the Ryan Construction Company, which did the work, was a subcontractor, and whether the persons furnishing supplies, material or provisions were bound to give notice to the original contractor within ten days after furnishing such supplies. The respondent relies upon the case of Crane Co. v. Maryland Casualty Co., 102 Wash. 59, 172 Pac. 866. In that case the Beers Building Company, as contractor, had entered into a contract with the state for the construction of a building. The Maryland Casualty Company became surety upon that contract. The contract there provided:

“The contractor shall not assign this contract nor sublet any portion thereof without the written consent of the board of control and the bonding company.”

A subcontract was entered into between the Beers Building Company and Musgrave and Blake. Mus-grave and Blake bought materials from the Crane Company and neglected to pay therefor. The Crane Company thereupon brought an action against the surety company and Musgrave and Blake and a recovery was permitted. The board of control had not consented to a subletting of that contract. We there said:

“There was no effectual assignment or subletting of the original contract in this sense, because the subcontract was not consented to by either the state or [489]*489the casualty company, and besides, it seems quite apparent to us that there was no intention on the part of Beers Building Company and Musgrave and Blake that there should be any assignment or subcontract in this sense. This seems plain from a casual reading of the subcontract entered into between them. The state, as contemplated by the terms of this contract, was to pay Beers Building Company, and that company was to pay its subcontractors, Musgrave and Blake, just as it would pay laborers or materialmen. It is equally plain that the state never regarded this contract in any other light.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Austin v. C. v. Wilder & Co.
397 P.2d 1019 (Washington Supreme Court, 1965)
McDowell v. Farwest Garments, Inc.
249 P.2d 372 (Washington Supreme Court, 1952)
Union Oil Co. v. Turner
207 P.2d 733 (Washington Supreme Court, 1949)
Smaby v. Shrauger
115 P.2d 967 (Washington Supreme Court, 1941)
Maryland Casualty Co. v. City of Tacoma
92 P.2d 203 (Washington Supreme Court, 1939)
H. Earl Clack Co. v. Staunton
72 P.2d 1022 (Montana Supreme Court, 1937)
Niemi v. Brewster
281 P. 488 (Washington Supreme Court, 1929)
Maeder Steel Products Co. v. Brewster
281 P. 14 (Washington Supreme Court, 1929)
Rachow v. Philbrick & Nicholson
268 P. 876 (Washington Supreme Court, 1928)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
178 P. 470, 105 Wash. 484, 1919 Wash. LEXIS 991, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cascade-construction-co-v-snohomish-county-wash-1919.