Judah v. F. H. Cheyne Electric Co.

101 N.E. 1039, 53 Ind. App. 476, 1913 Ind. App. LEXIS 216
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 29, 1913
DocketNo. 8,006
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 101 N.E. 1039 (Judah v. F. H. Cheyne Electric Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Judah v. F. H. Cheyne Electric Co., 101 N.E. 1039, 53 Ind. App. 476, 1913 Ind. App. LEXIS 216 (Ind. Ct. App. 1913).

Opinion

Hotter, P. J.

1. — This was an action -brought by appellee against appellants and the “unknown heirs, executors, administrators, personal representatives, legatees and devisees of Harriet Judah, deceased,” and other unknown heirs and persons whose names are unknown, to foreclose a mechanic’s lien. The complaint is in one paragraph, a demurrer to which was overruled. This ruling is the first error assigned. It is urged against the complaint that it fails to charge that the labor and materials sued for were “specially furnished” for the particular building against which the lien is asserted. The language of the act here involved, and the authorities construing it, and similar statutes, leave no doubt as to the correctness of appellant’s contention that in actions of this character the plaintiff must show by the averments of his complaint and by his proof that the materials 'and labor for which he seeks a recovery were furnished for the particular building against which the lien is asserted. It is not enough to show merely that they were used in such building. Acts 1909 p. 295, §§1 and 2; City of Crawfordsville v. Brundage (1877), 57 Ind. 262, 265; City of Crawfordsville v. Lee (1877), 58 Ind. 597; City of Crawfordsville v. Straight (1877), 58 Ind. 599; Hill v. Sloan (1877), 59 Ind. 181, 187; Potter Mfg. Co. v. A. B. Meyer & Co. (1909), 171 Ind. 513, 519, 86 N. E. 837, 131 Am. St. 267. The lien in such cases is acquired by compliance with the statute, and is predicated on the assumption that credit is given on account of the building rather than to its owner. This assumption necessarily presupposes that the person who sells or furnishes the labor or material knows, when he furnishes it, that it is going into the particular building on which he is extending the credit and on which he expects to assert a lien. It follows that it is not enough to aver and prove merely that a contractor purchased such [480]*480material or labor for sucb building and used it therein. Such averment indicates no knowledge on the part of the person furnishing such labor or material of the purpose, or the building, for which such material or labor was to be used and hence no intent to sell on the credit of such building.

2. The complaint here involved alleges that “on the 15th day of June, 1909, and more than a year prior thereto, said defendants were the owners of the following described real estate to wit * * * ; that said defendants are indebted to this plaintiff in the sum of three hundred ninety-one and 89-100 ($391.89) dollars for work and labor done and materials furnished, said work, labor and materials being done and furnished by said plaintiff to said defendants, at the special instance and request of the defendants, in the repair and construction of certain electrical work and electric wiring in and upon the brick building .situated on the above described real estate, on the said 15th day of June and thereafter.” These averments are easily distinguishable from those held insufficient in the cases relied on by appellant. They show that the material and labor for which the recovery is here asked was furnished at the instance and request of the owners themselves and not to a contractor or subcontractor as was done in some of the eases relied on by appellant and in this complaint it is averred that such labor and materials were “furnished by said plaintiff to said defendants * * * in the repair and construction of certain electric wiring in and upon the brick buildings situated on the above described real estate,” not that they were purchased for such buildings as was the case in some of the decisions relied on by appellant. The averment that appellee “furnished” such work and labor in the repair of the wiring in and upon the brick building, etc., necessitates the inference that such labor and material was not only used in and upon such building but that it was furnished for such building and in our judgment completely meets the requirements of §§1, 2, Acts 1909 p. 295, supra, and the de[481]*481cisions before cited.

3. It has been held many times by the Supreme Court and this court that where the facts averred in a pleading admit of but one inference, that the court will indulge such inference in aid of the pleading, and under some of the more recent authorities, a more liberal rule with reference to the indulging of inferences in favor of a pleading has been announced. Cleveland, etc., R. Co. v. Perkins (1908), 171 Ind. 307, 313, 86 N. E. 405, and authorities cited; Holliday & Wyon Co. v. O’Donnell (1909), 44 Ind. App. 647, 654, 90 N. E. 24; Antioch Coal Co. v. Rockey (1907), 169 Ind. 247, 254, 255, 82 N. E. 76; Town of Newcastle v. Grubbs (1908), 171 Ind. 482, 86 N. E. 757; Agar v. State (1911), 176 Ind. 234, 94 N. E. 819; Domestic Block Coal Co. v. DeArmey (1913), 179 Ind. 592, 100 N. E. 675, 102 N. E. 99; Holliday & Wyon Co. v. O’Donnell (1913), .. Ind. App. ..., 101 N. E. 642, 644, and authorities cited. The complaint in this ease is sufficient under either rule and under all of the authorities cited.

4. It is also urged against the complaint that it fails to show affirmatively that the labor and materials were furnished for the erection, alteration, repair or removal of the building; that the averment that such labor and material were used in the repair and construction of certain electrical work and electric wiring, should have been supplemented by an averment that the “electrical work and electrical” wiring were a part of such building. This objection is without merit. The equivalent of the averment contended for, is found in the averment that such wiring was “in and upon the brick building,” etc.

At the request of the several defendants the trial court made a special finding of facts and stated its conclusion of law thereon. The correctness of such conclusions is presented by the errors assigned and relied on for reversal. The court by its first finding found that appellee is a corporation [482]*482engaged in the business of electrical contracting and engineering and selling electrical supplies. Findings two, three and four are in substance as follows: (2) On May 23,1884, Harriet Judah was the owner of lot number 7, in square 64, in the city of Indianapolis, except 60 feet off the north end of said lot, and on said date died, leaving a will by which said real estate was left to John M. Judah, Samuel B. Judah and Noble B. Judah, as trustees, with power to rent, lease, manage and sell in fee simple, the same, until partition. Subject to said trust, said real estate was devised in equal parts to said John M. Judah, Samuel B. Judah, Noble B. Judah, Alice Clarke, and one share to the children of testator’s late daughter Katherine Noble, provided, if either of said sons, John M. Judah, Samuel B. Judah, Noble B. Judah or Alice Clarke should have died without living issue before testator’s death, then the share which would otherwise have gone to such decedent or issue, should be equally divided among the survivors; and provided, also, that if either of such devisees should have died leaving issue surviving, at the time of testator’s death, then said issue should take by way of representation.

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Bluebook (online)
101 N.E. 1039, 53 Ind. App. 476, 1913 Ind. App. LEXIS 216, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/judah-v-f-h-cheyne-electric-co-indctapp-1913.