Kellison v. Godfrey

281 P. 733, 154 Wash. 219, 1929 Wash. LEXIS 721
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 29, 1929
DocketNo. 21496. Department Two.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 281 P. 733 (Kellison v. Godfrey) 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
Kellison v. Godfrey, 281 P. 733, 154 Wash. 219, 1929 Wash. LEXIS 721 (Wash. 1929).

Opinion

Millard, J.

From judgment of foreclosure establishing lien claims of materialmen, the defendant owners have appealed.

In the early part of 1927, P. R. Godfrey commenced the erection of a number of dwelling houses upon lots owned by him in Seattle. He contracted with the Central Lumber & Supply Company for rough lumber and with the Frederick Boyd Company for mill work to be used in such construction. On May 28, 1927, prior to the completion of any of the houses, Godfrey entered into a real estate agreement for the sale of one of the houses — one of brick construction designated as 2911 Eleventh avenue west — to Arthur E. Busse and wife. The Busses received a deed to the property June 23, 1927, having paid the full purchase price of the property to Godfrey upon his representations to them that the property was free and clear from all liens and incumbrances; that all claims and accounts for lumber and supplies furnished in connection with the construction of the house had been paid. The deed was recorded July 13, 1927. On August 1, 1927, the Busses *221 moved into their new home. They testified that at that time the house was fully completed except for exterior stucco work which was performed by F. D. Kellison.

On August 1, 1927, another of Godfrey’s houses, a frame house, was in the course of construction. It was numbered 2907 Eleventh avenue west, and was situated on the lot adjoining that on which the Busses’ house was located. The frame house was never completed. Claiming liens for supplying construction material delivered at 2911 Eleventh avenue west, the two lumber companies filed statutory notice of lien against that property October 20, 1927, in compliance with Rem. Comp. Stat., §1134. The court’s findings of fact recite, substantially, that the two lien claimants made deliveries at 2911 Eleventh avenue west, as alleged, and that the material was, in each instance, delivered on the premises pursuant to Godfrey’s representations that the material was to be used in the construction of the dwelling house No. 2911 Eleventh avenue west.

The liens of the two compames were decreed prior liens against the property. Judgment was entered in favor of the Busses against Godfrey in the aggregate amount of the judgments in favor of the lien claimants, based upon the ground of Godfrey’s obtaining from the Busses by false representations the full purchase price of the property.

No question is raised as to the judgment in favor of Kellison, appellants conceding in this court, as they admitted in the court below, that the lien of respondent Kellison for labor in exterior stucco work was properly established. The appellants assign as error the establishing of the liens of Frederick Boyd Company and Central Lumber & Supply Company and entering judgments thereon.

First considering the claim of respondent Boyd Company, it is noted that the trial court struck cer *222 tain portions of the statement of facts and accepted respondent’s amendments, with the result that the evidence now before us, consisting of the testimony of respondent’s president and truck driver and the ledger sheets, shipping tickets and receipts signed by God-frey’s employees, establishes delivery of the respondent’s material to 2911 Eleventh avenue west. There was no testimony contradicting delivery.

Respondent commenced, May 5, 1927, to supply the construction material, and made its last delivery at 2911 Eleventh avenue west, August 20, 1927. Having filed its notice of lien October 20, 1927, respondent complied with Rem. Comp. Stat., § 1134.

“No lien created by this chapter shall exist, and no action to enforce the same shall be maintained, unless within ninety days from the date of the cessation of the performance of such labor or of the furnishing of such materials, a claim for such lien shall be filed for record as hereinafter provided, ... ”

Respondent agreed to give Godfrey a discount of ten per cent in consideration of receiving a contract for the mill work and finishing material required for the twenty-five houses Godfrey contemplated erecting. Mr. Boyd, respondent’s president, testified that the material (mill work, sash, doors and other finishing material) for which a lien is claimed, was manufactured for the dwelling house at 2911 Eleventh avenue west on the order of Mr. Godfrey, who directed delivery to those premises.

Respondent’s truck driver testified that all of the articles shown on the delivery orders were delivered to house No. 2911. That the materials were so delivered, is evidenced by the signatures of Godfrey’s, employees- on the delivery receipts. The driver noticed, when making a delivery on August 1, that some one *223 was moving into the house, and also remembered that he delivered a second ironing board,

“ ... which was delivered on the premises at 2911 Eleventh avenue west; someone connected with the contractor told me that the ironing board was to be taken to another house. However, I left it at 2911 Eleventh avenue west. I said nothing about what was told to me to any of the officers of the defendant (cross-complainant Boyd Company).”

When, for the first time, it was learned at the trial that the driver had left a second ironing board at house No. 2911, the respondent eliminated that item from the lien claim. The four ledger sheets of respondent disclose that materials were charged to contractor God-frey in a general account for several houses under construction. The only items listed on the ledger sheets are house numbers and the charge against each placed on the same line in the opposite right hand column, the date of delivery of each consignment of material being entered in the column to the left and on the same line as the house number. From this it appears that materials for a number of houses were supplied to Godfrey; in fact, respondent’s president testified that his company had furnished material for about a dozen other houses for Godfrey.

The house contiguous to 2911 was numbered 2907 Eleventh avenue west. It was under construction by Godfrey for a Mrs. George, who testified that, when the appellants moved into their home August 1, the inside of appellants’ house was completed, but that the work of finishing house No. 2907 was still under way. Mrs. George did not testify, neither did anyone else, as to the delivery of any material to house No. 2907. Mrs. George, on cross-examination, testified that her house, No. 2907, was never completed; that she lived a considerable distance from appellants’ house, and, in *224 fact, about all sbe remembered was when “the Busses moved into their house” August 1.

It is respondent’s position, that, having manufactured the materials covered by the lien, under specific orders from the contractor, and delivered it in good faith on the premises, it is not necessary to trace the material into the structure to support the lien.

Appellants insist that the last three deliveries (July 20, August 1, and August 20 of materials sold July 19, July 28 and August 5, respectively) by respondent, if made at all, were of inside finishing materials sold subsequent to the purchase of house No.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
281 P. 733, 154 Wash. 219, 1929 Wash. LEXIS 721, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kellison-v-godfrey-wash-1929.