Cooke v. Luscombe

294 P. 849, 132 Kan. 147, 1931 Kan. LEXIS 119
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJanuary 10, 1931
DocketNo. 29,649
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 294 P. 849 (Cooke v. Luscombe) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cooke v. Luscombe, 294 P. 849, 132 Kan. 147, 1931 Kan. LEXIS 119 (kan 1931).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Smith, J.:

This is a case wherein a materialman brought suit against the principal and surety on a bond, together with certain other interested parties, for materials furnished a contractor for [148]*148use in building a church. The surety company and the contractor demurred to the petition of plaintiff, which demurrer was overruled. The appeal is from the order overruling that demurrer.

The facts briefly stated are as follows: The suit is brought by the plaintiffs, partners, against Ed W. Luscombe, the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, John T. Ward, the Continental Casualty Company and the Fraternal Aid Union. The petition is in two causes of action. The first alleges that in February, 1926, the church, through its agent, entered into a contract with the defendant Ed Luscombe. A copy of the contract was attached to the petition, together with a copy of the bond executed by defendants Luscombe and the Continental Casualty Company. The petition then alleges that defendant Luscombe entered upon the performance of the contract and purchased from plaintiff certain materials used in the church worth $777.05, but did not pay for same, and prays judgment against Ed W. Luscombe and the Continental Casualty Company for that amount.

For the second cause of action plaintiffs allege that in order to avafl themselves of the benefits of the mechanics’ lien law they filed in the offlce of the clerk of the district court of Wyandotte county a statement setting forth the amount claimed as a lien upon the church real estate by reason of the plaintiffs having furnished the various materials, the names of the owners of the real estate, the name of the contractor, the names of the claimants and the description of such real estate.

The petition prays for judgment against the defendants, Ed Luscombe and the Continental Casualty Company, for the sum of $777.05, and further prays that the land be sold and the proceeds applied: first, to the payment of costs of the suit and sale; second, upon any delinquent taxes; and third, upon the satisfaction of the judgment.

Defendants, Continental Casualty Company and Ed W. Luscombe, demurred to this petition upon the following grounds:

1. That the bond was merely one of indemnity to the church and no one else.
2. That there is no privity of contract between plaintiffs and the Continental Casualty Company.
3. That the petition fails to allege that plaintiffs’ material entered into, became a part of and remained with the completed work.
4. That no proper lien statement was filed.
5.. That there is a misjoinder of causes and parties.

[149]*149As to the third ground, the petition of plaintiffs states that “the goods, wares and merchandise 'were all purchased by the said Ed W. Luseombe for and were by him used in said church.” We think the above language in the petition is sufficient allegation to meet the rule that the petition must state that the materials for which the lien is claimed, have entered into and become a part of and remain with the completed work.

As to the fourth ground upon which it was urged that the demurrer should be sustained — that is, that there was no proper lien statement filed — the petition states that at the time the lien statement was filed the record title to the real estate in question was in Thomas A. Lillis, who had been bishop of the diocese. That it was later discovered that the title was really in John T. Ward, who had succeeded Bishop Lillis. It further appears that the notice of the filing of this lien was served upon John T. Ward, record title holder, and E. T. Dekat, the pastor of the church in question, and the agent of said church and representative of the owners of said real estate. It will be noted that one of the prayers of the petition was that the lien statement should be amended by inserting the name of John T. Ward in place of Thomas A. Lillis as the owner of the real estate.

With these allegations in the petition we think it was proper under the authority of R. S. 60-1405 and Lumber Company v. Blanch, 107 Kan. 459, 192 Pac. 742, for the court to permit the amendment prayed for in the petition, and that when so amended the statement created a valid lien.

As to the ground that there is a misjoinder of parties and causes, it will be noted that the suit is against the contractor, the surety company, the church which had entered into the contract with Luscombe, the record title holder of the land, and the company to whom the church had given a mortgage on the land, and that the prayer of the petition is for judgment against Luseombe and the surety company in the first cause of action, and to foreclose a material-man’s lien in the second cause of action. It will thus be seen that all the parties in interest are brought before the court and any question that exists between the parties growing out of this transaction may be determined and any final judgment that may be entered will be binding .on all parties. There is no inconsistency in the two causes contained in the petition. As to the misjoinder of parties defendant, that is not a ground for demurrer under R. S. 60-705.

The three grounds for urging the demurrer above referred to are [150]*150the only ones argued in favor of sustaining the demurrer on behalf of defendant Luscombe, and are all untenable and we conclude that the demurrer as to said defendant was properly overruled.

The grounds one and two above are urged on behalf of the surety company and must be decided from the language of the contract and bond. We think that from an examination of these documents in view of the decision of this court it cannot be said that this is merely a contract of indemnity, or that there was want of privity of contract between the materialman and the surety company which would prevent the materialman from bringing suit on the bond.

The bond specifically provides:

“The conditions of this obligation are such that, Whereas, the said E. W. Luscombe has entered into a contract with said Blessed Sacrament Church, which is hereto attached, referred to and made a part hereof.”

The contract recites:

“Witnesseth, that party of the second part, for and in consideration of the performance of the covenants and agreements hereinafter contained by the party of the first part, does hereby covenant and agree to and with the party of the first part that the party of the second part will furnish all labor and materials necessary for the plastering of a church now under construction as shown by the plans.”

Again:

“Article VII. It is hereby further agreed by the parties hereto that the compensation to be paid by the party of the first part to the party of the second part for all the work and materials as shown by the plans and specifications and this contract shall be ten thousand six hundred and four dollars ($10,604) and that sum shall be paid as follows: Ninety (90) per cent of the labor and materials as furnished on the job will be paid on or about the 15th day of each month, and the balance when the work is completed and after the receipts are furnished showing that all labor and material is paid for.”

The bond provides:

“Now, therefore, if the said E. W.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
294 P. 849, 132 Kan. 147, 1931 Kan. LEXIS 119, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cooke-v-luscombe-kan-1931.