Kyser v. Doan

122 So. 2d 764, 271 Ala. 229, 1960 Ala. LEXIS 444
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedAugust 18, 1960
Docket1 Div. 882, 881, 880, 879
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 122 So. 2d 764 (Kyser v. Doan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kyser v. Doan, 122 So. 2d 764, 271 Ala. 229, 1960 Ala. LEXIS 444 (Ala. 1960).

Opinion

MERRILL, Justice.

These four cases arose out of certain remodeling work done by appellants, James K. Kyser and wife, Thelma Kyser, on property which they purchased at 15 Wilcraft Road in Prichard, Alabama, from one Lewis E. Moore.

The deed from Moore to the Kysers was delivered on December 21, 1957, but negotiations had been going on for some two months, and appellants had started the remodeling work early in November.

Appellants had contacted appellee E. L. Doan, a builder, and had agreed on certain sketches and certain remodeling to be done. The work was begun and sometime before December 20th, a written contract was signed by appellants and Doan and deposited with First Federal Savings & Loan Association, which had agreed to furnish part of the money required to satisfy a mortgage of Lewis E. Moore and part of the money for the remodeling.

The work progressed with the bulk of the materials being supplied by appellee, A. J. Rodgers Building Supply Company, until February, 1958, when appellants moved into the remodeled house and Doan left the job.

On May 2, 1958, A. J. Rodgers Building Supply Company filed a bill in equity against appellants to enforce a material-man’s lien in the amount of $2,687.85. On June 24, 1958, Doan filed a suit at law claiming a balance due him under the contract, for extra work done, and also claiming a lien on the premises.

By consent of all the parties, Doan’s suit was transferred to the equity side of the court and the causes were consolidated.

The trial consumed six days and at its conclusion, the trial court entered a decree in favor of Rodgers for $2,687.85, and fixed a lien against the interest of each in prop[231]*231erty described in the' decree as Lot 7, Block 3 of the Goodloe Homesteads.

The court also found in favor of Doan for $700, and fixed a’lien on the property for that amount. All liens were made subject to the lien of First Federal Savings & Loan Association.

Appellants filed separate appeals from each part of the decree.

Appellants’ assignments of error in the Doan case are identical, and some are common to those in the Rodgers case.

The main question presented in the Doan case is the effect of the written contract which appellants and Doan signed after he had begun directing and overseeing part of the remodeling work.

We quote Items 1, 5 and 6 of the contract :

“1: The contractor agrees and binds himself to furnish all of the material and perform all of the work for the completion of the building and/or other improvements as described in the accompanying drawing or plan, initialed by the respective parties and the First Federal Savings & Loan Association of Mobile, Alabama, in strict accordance with said plans and specifications herein set out, and with the agreements contained herein, on the real property in the City and County of Mobile, Alabama, described as follows, to-wit:
15 Wilcraft Rd Prichard
all for the total sum of $7,250.00.
“5: This contract supersedes any other contract or agreement which may have been entered into pertaining to the property hereinabove described or any improvements thereon, and will be rescinded or modified only with the written consent of the First Federal Savings & Loan Association of Mobile, Alabama.
“6: This contract contains the entire contract entered into by and between the parties, and no changes, extras or alterations in the work hereunder shall be made except on the written order of the owner, approved in writing by the First Federal Savings & Loan Association.”

Doan did not pay for the materials and did not attempt to supervise some of the work, such as the plumbing. Appellants contend that Doan was the prime contractor and secured the sub-contractors. Doan and the sub-contractors assert that they were hired by appellants, looked to appellants for their pay and that Doan had nothing to do with their contracts with appellants.

Doan contends that he was not the prime contractor, that he was in charge of part of the remodeling job, and all he was to receive was pay for his work and that of the workers he hired, and that appellants were to furnish and pay for the materials. The proof showed that in many instances appellants did pay for materials ordered by Doan.

Doan contended that the contract was signed in order for appellants to borrow money from First Federal and that it was never intended to take the place of the oral agreement between him and appellants. This contention is fortified by undisputed evidence of many changes, extras and alterations in the work, none of which were approved or even brought to the attention of First Federal as required by Item 6.

It is apparent that neither appellants nor Doan complied with provisions of the signed contract, and the great weight of the evidence supports the idea that the parties did not consider themselves bound by it.

The testimony was hopelessly in conflict. Practically every material contention of one party was denied by the other. Appellants claimed that the work was poorly done and a maze of figures entered the testimony as to the cost of doing the work properly.

[232]*232The trial court held that “the cross-complainants, James K. Kyser and Thelma Kyser are not entitled to judgment against the said E. L. Doan, in that the said James K. Kyser and Thelma Kyser accepted the work done by E. L. Doan by moving into the said completed addition;” and awarded Doan a judgment for $700.

Where testimony is given ore tenus, the judgment of the trial court has the effect of a jury verdict and will not be disturbed upon appeal unless plainly and palpably wrong, and the reviewing court will not substitute its own judgment for that of the trier of facts, even though this court might have reached a different conclusion. White-side v. Brown, 266 Ala. 27, 93 So.2d 747; Elder v. Stewart, 269 Ala. 482, 114 So.2d 263; 2A Ala.Dig., Appeal & Error, ^1OOS (1). This proposition of law is dispositive of the questions of fact raised on these appeals by the assignments of error which are based upon findings of fact.

Appellants contend that their demurrer to Doan’s bill was improperly overruled. They concede that the court’s ruling “amounted only to an overruling of our demurrer to the bill of complaint as a whole.” Considering only those grounds of demurrer going to the bill as a whole, the court correctly overruled the demurrer.

In the Rodgers’ case, the trial court found that “the complainant, A. J. Rodgers Building Supply Company, Inc. furnished materials which were used in the construction of or remodeling of a dwelling house on the property hereinafter described, and due notice of same was given to James K. Kyser and Thelma Kyser and therefore A. J. Rodgers Building Supply Company, Inc., a corporation, is entitled to a lien on the property hereinafter more specifically described in the sum of Two Thousand Six Hundred and Eighty-seven and 85/ioo ($2,-687.85) Dollars,.”

The question of notice was contested and testimony was given to support the giving of notice and there was evidence to the contrary. Again, the trial court was required to reach a decision and we cannot say that he was plainly wrong, and we again apply the rule for which we have already cited Whiteside v. Brown, 266 Ala.

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Bluebook (online)
122 So. 2d 764, 271 Ala. 229, 1960 Ala. LEXIS 444, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kyser-v-doan-ala-1960.