Cascade Lumber & Shingle Co. v. Wright

169 P. 833, 99 Wash. 421, 1918 Wash. LEXIS 634
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 12, 1918
DocketNo. 14177
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 169 P. 833 (Cascade Lumber & Shingle Co. v. Wright) 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 Lumber & Shingle Co. v. Wright, 169 P. 833, 99 Wash. 421, 1918 Wash. LEXIS 634 (Wash. 1918).

Opinion

Fullerton, J.

This is an action to recover the value of certain material sold by the appellant in part to the respondent Wright, and in part to the defendant Snyder. The case is before us upon the pleadings, findings of fact, conclusions of law, and the judgment entered by the trial court, the evidence not being in the record. From the findings it appears that the respondent Wright entered into a contract with Snohomish county for the construction of a drainage improvement, and executed the statutory bond with the respondent National Surety Company, as surety, for the protection of materialmen and laborers contributing to the work. The further facts, stated in the language of the findings, are the following:

“(4) That on the 16th day of August, 1915, said Geo. P. Wright sublet by written contract approved by the county commissioners, a part of said work to defendant J. B. Snyder, and said Snyder entered upon the performance of said subcontract. That shortly prior to said subletting, the plaintiff agreed to sell and deliver, and defendant George P. Wright agreed to receive, certain piling of the value of $168 for use in that part of the work subsequently covered by said subcontract. That said piling was thereafter delivered and was actually used by said Snyder in the performance of his said subcontract and became a part of the work performed thereunder. That at the time said Wright entered into said subcontract with said Snyder, said Snyder agreed to assume said obligation from Wi’ight to the plaintiff and to accept and use said piles and pay therefor.
“(5) That the said defendant Snyder, while performing his said subcontract, purchased of the plaintiff lumber for use in the performance of the same, and the plaintiff com[423]*423menced to deliver to said Snyder said lumber on the 30th day of August, 1915, and almost daily thereafter continued to deliver the same until the 6th day of December, 1915. That the fair and reasonable value of all of the same was and is the sum of $808.15. That of said deliveries there was delivered between August 30, 1915, and prior to September 18, 1915, material amounting to $171.85, in addition to said piles amounting to $168. That the balance of said lumber was delivered to said Snyder subsequent to said date. That the plaintiff carried all of said account for lumber and piling as an account against said J. B. Snyder. That thereafter, to wit, on October 27, 1915, said Snyder paid plaintiff on account of his liability the sum of $168.00, without, however, designating how the payment was to be applied, and that the plaintiff, upon receiving the same, applied it to the first items of lumber charges.
“(6) That, on the 18th day of September, 1915, the plaintiff mailed to defendant, George P. Wright, at his proper post office address with postage prepaid, a notice in writing stating in substance and effect that it had commenced to deliver materials to J. B. Snyder for use upon the work provided for in said contract and subcontract, with the name of the defendant, J. B. Snyder, as the person who ordered and to whom the same was being furnished, and that said George P. Wright and his bond would be held for payment of the same.
“(7) That within thirty (30) days from and after the completion of said contract with an acceptance of the work therein described by said county commissioners, the plaintiff presented to and filed with said board of county commissioners a notice in writing, directed to said county, and reciting that the plaintiff has a claim in the sum of eight hundred, eight and 15-100 dollars' ($808.15) against the bond given by the defendant George P. Wright, as principal, and the defendant National Surety Company, as surety, for materials furnished as aforesaid, and that the said notice was signed by the secretary of the plaintiff, and was presented and filed as aforesaid on January 15, 1916.
“(8) That the sum of fifty dollars ($50) is a reasonable sum to be allowed the plaintiff as attorney’s fee in this action.”

[424]*424As conclusions of law from the foregoing facts, the court found that the appellant was entitled to recover from the respondents, Wright and National Surety Company, the sum of $168 and interest, the value of the piles furnished; from the defendant Snyder, the sum of $64*0.15 with interest, the value of the lumber furnished; and from all of the defendants the costs and disbursements of the action, including the attorney’s fee. This appeal is from the judgment entered in accordance with the findings and conclusions.

The appellant first complains that the trial court refused to permit it to show that the respondent Wright had actual knowledge at all times of the fact that lumber was being furnished to the respondent Snyder and by him used in the performance of the contract work. But, as will hereafter appear, the statute requires written notice, and the rule is uniform that, where such is the requirement of the statute, other forms of notice will not avail. The evidence was, therefore, not competent to prove any material issue presented by the pleadings.

The second assignment is that the court erred in its conclusions of law and judgment, in that they do not follow from the facts as found. To an understanding of this assignment, a short review of the statute is necessary. Section 1159 of the code (Rem.) provides that, whenever any board acting for a county shall contract with any person to do any work for such county, such board shall require the person with whom the contract is made to make, execute and deliver to such board a good and sufficient bond with two or more sureties, or with a surety company as surety, conditioned, among other things, that the contractor shall faithfully perform the conditions of the contract and pay all material-men who shall furnish material and supplies for carrying on the work, giving to such materialmen a right of action upon the bond for all material furnished, whether it be furnished to the contractor himself or to a subcontractor. A subsequent section (Id., § 1161) provides for notice to the board [425]*425letting the contract, and a still further section (§ 1159-1) for a notice to the contractor when the materials have been furnished to a subcontractor. The latter section omitting provisions not material here, reads as follows:

“Every person . . . furnishing materials, . . . to be used in the construction ... of any work for . . . any county, . . . shall, not later than ten days after the date of the first delivery of such materials ... to any subcontractor . . .", deliver or mail to the contractor a notice in writing stating in substance and effect that such person, . . . has commenced to deliver materials, . . . for use thereon, with the name of the subcontractor, . . . and that such contractor and his bond will be held for the payment of the same, and no suit or action shall be maintained in any court against the contractor or his bond to recover for such materials, . . ., or any part thereof unless the provisions of this act have been complied with.”

Under these statutes, therefore, a materialman who furnishes material to a subcontractor to be used in the construction of an improvement of the character therein indicated has a right of action against the original contractor and his bondsmen for the material so furnished, provided he gives the notices as therein required.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
169 P. 833, 99 Wash. 421, 1918 Wash. LEXIS 634, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cascade-lumber-shingle-co-v-wright-wash-1918.