Derbes v. Marshall

183 So. 74, 1938 La. App. LEXIS 357
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJune 30, 1938
DocketNo. 5677.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 183 So. 74 (Derbes v. Marshall) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Derbes v. Marshall, 183 So. 74, 1938 La. App. LEXIS 357 (La. Ct. App. 1938).

Opinion

TALIAFERRO, Judge.

Plaintiff seeks to enforce against defendant, Richard W. Marshall, and his property, an alleged materialmen’s lien, based upon an open account of the sale and delivery of paints and paint ingredients to Carl I. Peterson who was engaged by Marshall to hang some paper in and to paint or repaint a residence and garage apartment at 2610 Emery street in the city of Shreveport. The original contract between Marshall and Peterson consisted of a written proposal by Peterson to perform the work and furnish all labor and material therefor for $293, and its written acceptance by Marshall. The contract was not recorded. No bond was furnished by Peterson to protect Marshall against labor claims or materialmen’s liens. During the progress of the work, the scope of the contract was enlarged by adding thereto other work and painting to be done, but no definite price or price unit was agreed to. Marshall simply authorized Peterson to do the extra work and asked him to hold the expense down as much as possible.

*75 The work required five ■ weeks for performance, during which time Marshall made cash advances to Peterson aggregating $452.05. All labor hills were paid, but the account with plaintiff was not. It amounted to $168.97. The account, with supporting affidavit, was timely inscribed in the mortgage records to preserve and evidence the lien which the law has established in favor oí a furnisher of supplies necessary to construct, improve or repair a building (Act 298 of 1926).

Defendant denies liability for the account sued on and denies that his property is encumbered by a lien to secure its payment. He denies'that he authorized Peterson to incur the account with plaintiff and avers that he has paid Peterson for all labor performed and for material furnished by him needful to the fulfillment of their agreements. He attacks the legality of the lien asserted by plaintiff, prays for its erasure and for judgment for $50, the amount of counsel fee necessarily incurred by him to defend this suit and to have the evidence of the purported lien against his property erased.

Defendant called Peterson in warranty and in his original answer prayed for judgment against him in an amount coextensive to that, if any, as plaintiff shall recover against him.

Peterson excepted to the call in warranty on the ground that it disclosed neither a right nor cause of action against him. The exception was overruled. It is not pressed here. Answering, he avers that due to the oral enlargement of the scope of the written contract with defendant and the performance of extra work and furnishing of extra supplies thereunder, the total amount due by him therefor (labor and material) was $600.34, leaving a balance due him of $210.34, which includes the account herein sued upon. He reconvenes and prays for judgment against defendant for said. $210.34. This demand, on exception, was stricken out. It was formally abandoned during the trial.

Subsequent to the filing of answer by Peterson to the call in warranty, defendant amended and supplemented his answer by averring: That the warrantor had performed services for him in addition to those required and performed under the original written contract, the total value of all services rendered being $293; that the warrantor during the progress of the work was advanced or loaned by defendant the total sum -of $452.05, the difference between which and the $293 due for labor and services, is $159.05. He prays for judgment against Peterson for this last named amount, presumably in addition to the amount of judgment, if any, plaintiff should recover against him, although the prayer does not clearly reveal such intent. On objection, the amended petition was disallowed and passed out of the case.

Upon the issues tendered by the pleadings as above summarized, the case was tried, resulting in a judgment for plaintiff as by him prayed for and the rejection of defendant’s demands against Peterson under the call in warranty. Failing in his efforts to secure a new trial, defendant súspensively appealed.

In his brief here defendant states that he resists plaintiff’s demands on the following grounds:

1. That he has paid Peterson., the contractor, all that was due him;

2. That plaintiff furnished no material used by Peterson in the fulfillment of his contracts with defendant;

3. That he did not authorize Peterson to purchase the material from plaintiff, if used by him; and

4. That the alleged lien is invalid because he was not properly served with a sworn statement of the claim or the account sued on.

It is not made certain by the testimony that defendant has paid Peterson all that is due him for services rendered and material furnished by him in order to comply with the agreements between them. But should it be conceded that defendant’s contention in this respect is correct, plaintiff’s right as a furnisher of the material sued for would not thereby be unfavorably affected or impaired. The law lays down simple methods which, if availed of by the owner who contracts for the improvement of his real estate, provide ample security to him against paying more for such improvements than the contractor has agreed to do them for. If the contract for such improvements is in writing, a bond should be procured by the owner and recorded for his own protection. If he does not require such bond, then for his own protection he should adopt and follow such a course of dealing with the contractor as will guarantee him against the danger of having to pay more than he is obligated for under the contract.

*76 The testimony leaves no doubt that the material involved herein was delivered by plaintiff on Peterson’s orders to the buildings described in the written contract. Each delivery was receipted for by someone on the job. It is equally well established that the said material was consumed in the improvement of said buildings. But if it had been shown that some part of this material had not been consumed on said buildings, defendant’s position would not have been improved thereby. A seller of material to a contractor, acting in good faith, who delivers same to the situs where such material is intended to be and shpuld be used, is not required to follow the transaction to the ultimate end of seeing that such material is actually so used of consumed, as a condition precedent to the efficacy of the lien provided by law. To so require would be unreasonable. It would impose upon materialmen a burdensome duty which alone should be absorbed by the owner. The negative of defendant’s coñtention has been generally held. Schreiber v. Edgar et al., 168 La. 443, 122 So. 285; Haynesville Lumber Company v. Casey, 165 La. 1065, 116 So. 559; Graphic Arts Building Company v. Union Indemnity Company, 163 La. 1, 111 So. 470; Bell v. Mecum, 75 N.J.L. 547, 68 A. 149, 127 Am.St.Rep. 809; 18 Ruling Case Law, 920.

In connection with this issue, plaintiff successfully established that for Peterson to have adequately complied with his agreements with defendant, the quantity of material sold him by plaintiff would not have been excessive, but, on the contrary, conservative.

The defense that Peterson was not authorized by defendant to purchase said material from plaintiff is not tenable. The contract plainly provides that Peterson should “furnish the labor and material according to the following specifications”, etc.

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Bluebook (online)
183 So. 74, 1938 La. App. LEXIS 357, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/derbes-v-marshall-lactapp-1938.