Darlington Lumber Co. v. Harris

80 S.W. 688, 107 Mo. App. 148, 1904 Mo. App. LEXIS 241
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 26, 1904
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 80 S.W. 688 (Darlington Lumber Co. v. Harris) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Darlington Lumber Co. v. Harris, 80 S.W. 688, 107 Mo. App. 148, 1904 Mo. App. LEXIS 241 (Mo. Ct. App. 1904).

Opinion

GOODE, J.

Action to enforce a lien for materials. E. P. Taylor agreed as original contractor to build a residence for Berney Harris in the city of Webster Groves. The lumber for the house was purchased by Taylor from the Darlington Lumber Company, but most of it was never paid for; so the lumber company filed a lien against the property, brought this action to enforce it and obtained judgment for $645.56.

One point made against the judgment is that the evidence was insufficient to prove the different articles of lumber listed in the lien were used in the construction of the house. It was shown wagons were loaded at the respondent’s yard with lumber to be taken to Harris’ lot in Webster Groves, a dray ticket for every load was made and was receipted by Taylor, or one of the men who were working on the house when the load was delivered in Webster Groves. Taylor swore he was about the house a great deal, but not constantly, while it was under construction; that he knew most of the [152]*152lumber itemized in the lien account was used in the work and to the best of his knowledge and belief all of it was. It is impossible, in cases of this kind, to prove, as the appellant thinks ought to be done, that someone saw every stick of the lumber put into the house. If such rigid proof was required, few liens could be enforced. As to the return of a little of the lumber, that was shown and that credit was given on appellant’s books for it. The evidence that the lumber went into appellant’s house is definite enough to justify a lien.

We overrule the objection that the lien account described more than an acre of ground. The premises on which the lien is prayed are definitely described and the lot contains slightly more than an acre. This is immaterial. The lien is asked on a platted lot in an incorporated city and not on country property. Fitzgerald v. Thomas, 61 Mo. 499; Davitt v. Smith, 63 Mo. 266; Seibel v. Siemon, 5 Mo. App. 305; Holland v. McCarty, 24 Mo. App. 83; Miller v. Hoffman, 26 Mo. App. 199.

Another contention of the appellant is that the four months within which the lien could be filed for most' of the material had expired prior to the filing of same. The basis of this contention is that all the lumber for the house as originally contracted for, was delivered by the respondent between July 14 and October 25, 1902. The lien was filed April 9, 1903, and more than four months after the date of the last item furnished for building the house according to the contract and specifications. Other material which went into the construction of the building was sold and delivered December 10, 1902, and within four months of the filing of the lien; but appellant contends this material was furnished under a new and distinct contract for extra work. Just what the original contract contained and whether it had any provision for changes in the building and extra work, we are not advised; because if the contract was introduced in evidence, [153]*153it • was left out of the record. It appears Taylor submitted a list of the lumber and material he thought he would need for the house to the respondent before he began work and it was estimated the cost of the lumber to be used in the house would run to $769. It did not reach that sum, but only $753. Taylor testified that when the house was nearly completed Harris wanted certain extra work done, namely; a room finished in the attic, coal bins constructed in the cellar, and some dormer windows built. Taylor made Harris a bid of $45 for those items, which was accepted and the material furnished December 10, went into them. For this reason appellant’s counsel insists the lien was only good for the material sold December 10 for the extra work and that furnishing material on that date did not extend the time for filing the lien for the lumber sold and delivered up to October 25 under the original contract. It is the law that where there are separate contracts between a building contractor and an owner for the performance of different jobs, in order for a lien account filed -by the contractor, to be good for the entire work, it must be filed within the statutory period after the completion of the work under each contract. Livermore v. Wright, 33 Mo. 31; Schulenberg v. Vrooman, 7 Mo. App. 133; Scott v. Cook, 8 Mo. App. 193; Page v. Betts, 17 Mo. App. 366; Pullis v. Hoffman, 28 Mo. App. 666; Kearney v. Wurdeman, 33 Mo. App. 447; Miller v. Herbert, 62 Mo. App. 682; Slate Co. v. Anderson, 76 Mo. App. 281. Most of the cases in which that rule was applied to defeat a lien action, were instituted by original contractors who had done work or furnished materials under separate contracts, but sought to obtain a lien for everything after the time limit for filing on the earlier contract had expired, by claiming the limitation only began to run from the close of the account under the later contract. Two or three of the actions were instituted by subcontractors and when those parties were denied [154]*154liens, it appeared in evidence that the work or material relied on to bring the date of filing within the statutory period, was not originally contemplated in the arrangement between the original and the subcontractor, but was furnished under a distinct contract between those parties subsequent to the termination of their,prior dealings.

In Scott v. Cook, 8 Mo. App. 193, the building was to be finished on November first and was accepted as completed on October 29. The subcontractor who had done the painting and glazing of the house and had completed that work, put in and painted some weatherstrips December. 6 by direction of the original contractor. That subcontractor was denied a lien for the work done under the first contract as having been filed out of time, because of the completion of the original contract and the acceptance of the house; as to which matters he was as fully advised as the original contractor himself. Like facts appear in Hayden Slate Co. v. Anderson, 76 Mo. App. 281. That plaintiff had slated the ro,of of a house under a subcontract with Anderson Brothers, the original contractors to build the house, and had accepted an order on the owner in full payment for the job, but the owner refused to honor it. The entire work was finished in October, 1896, but some repairs had to be made on the roof in August, 1897, and those repairs were relied on by the slate company to keep alive their lien for all the work they had done. It was ruled that the jury were justified in finding the work had been completed the preceding October and the building delivered to the owner in January, 1897; which facts the slate company knew. In Miller v. Herbert, 62 Mo. App. 682, the Rohan Boiler Company did work and furnished material in the construction of a building for Herbert, the contractor, and filed a lien for a balance covering some work done more than six months before the final completion and acceptance of the plant. It was conceded this extra work was [155]*155done from time to time under separate orders and separate contracts. It was therefore held that they must he treated as independent transactions and as the lien was not filed within four months after the performance of any of the work except the last item, it could not he enforced for any other. The work the boiler company was actually hired to do under the original contract was to put in boilers, and this had been done and settled for long before they did the other work.

In the present case the Darlington Lumber Company and Taylor agreed to the estimate of the lumber to be used in Harris’ building.

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

Related

Glenstone Block Co. v. Pebworth
264 S.W.3d 703 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2008)
Farmington Building Supply Co. v. L. D. Pyatt Construction Co.
627 S.W.2d 648 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1981)
Kansas City Electrical Supply Co. v. Bomar Electric Co.
581 S.W.2d 411 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1979)
Boyer Lumber, Inc. v. Blair
510 S.W.2d 738 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1974)
Malicki v. Holiday Hills, Inc.
174 N.E.2d 915 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1961)
EC Robinson Lumber Company v. Lowrey
276 S.W.2d 636 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1955)
Ideal Cement Stone Co. v. Dohse
16 N.W.2d 151 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1944)
City of Springfield v. Koch
72 S.W.2d 191 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1934)
Lewin Lumber Co. v. Guttman
27 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 69 (Court of Common Pleas of Ohio, Hamilton County, 1928)
Unit Sash & Sales Co. v. Early
232 P. 232 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1925)
Floreth v. McReynolds
224 S.W. 995 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1920)
Berry v. Rombauer Coal Co.
198 S.W. 1130 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1917)
St. Louis Fire Door & Sheet Metal Works v. Viviano
185 S.W. 218 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1916)
Crane Co. v. Smith
173 S.W. 691 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1915)
Badger Lumber Co. v. W. F. Lyons Ice & Power Co.
160 S.W. 49 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1913)
Joplin Sash & Door Works v. Oklahoma Presbyterian College for Girls
1912 OK 637 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1912)
O'Neil Lumber Co. v. Greffet
133 S.W. 113 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1910)
E. R. Darlington Lumber Co. v. James T. Smith Building Co.
114 S.W. 77 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1908)
Tonopah Lumber Co. v. Nevada Amusement Co.
30 Nev. 445 (Nevada Supreme Court, 1908)
Valley Lumber & Manufacturing Co. v. Driessel
93 P. 765 (Idaho Supreme Court, 1907)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
80 S.W. 688, 107 Mo. App. 148, 1904 Mo. App. LEXIS 241, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/darlington-lumber-co-v-harris-moctapp-1904.