Leininger v. Ward-Beekman & Brooks, Inc.

1929 OK 494, 282 P. 467, 139 Okla. 292, 1929 Okla. LEXIS 298
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedNovember 19, 1929
Docket19627
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 1929 OK 494 (Leininger v. Ward-Beekman & Brooks, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Leininger v. Ward-Beekman & Brooks, Inc., 1929 OK 494, 282 P. 467, 139 Okla. 292, 1929 Okla. LEXIS 298 (Okla. 1929).

Opinion

ANDREWS, J.

This is an appeal from a judgment and peremptory writ of mandamus in favor of the defendant in error, who was the plaintiff below and who will be hereinafter referred to as plaintiff, against the plaintiffs in error, who were defendants below and who will be hereinafter referred to as defendants, directing and commanding them to pay the plaintiff for the construction of a hard-surfaced road located within Pottawatomie county and known as Federal Aid Project No. 211, section C.

The plaintiff, a contractor, entered into a contract with the State Highway Commission to construct a hard-surfaced road within Pottawatomie county and known as Federal Aid Project No. 211, sections A and B. It is agreed that this contract was in all things legal and regular and that it was let in strict accordance with the law. Thereafter, while the work was in progress, *294 the contract was extended by three separate extension agreements to include the construction of additional mileage, the total of the extensions covered by the three agreements constituting said section 0. The contractor gave the required bonds at the time of the execution of the contract, but it is not shown that any bond was given to cover the extensions.

The case was tried upon an answer which admitted the facts stated in the petition and an agreed statement of facts. The defense was illegality of the extension agreements. It is agreed that the extension agreements were entered into in good faith and without fraud or collusion, and that it has been the practice of the Highway Commission for ten years to make such extension agreements and that in 29 other instances such agreements have been made. There is no dispute as to the facts, and there is nothing for determination by this court except a question of law. That question is stated by the defendants as follows:

“It is our contention that the extension contract is illegal, fraudulent and void in law, and, therefore, under the law of the state of Oklahoma, there can be no recovery.’’

The fraud alleged in this contention is legal rather than actual, and it is agreed that there was no actual fraud otr collusion in the extension agreements.

The agreed statement of facts, with formal parts omitted, was as follows:

“1. All the allegations of fact and each and every of same contained in the petition of plaintiff filed herein are true.
“2. That all work done, material furnished and labor performed, as claimed in plaintiff’s petition, in addition to that specifically provided for in the original contract, a copy of which is attached to said petition, were done, furnished and performed in accordance with supplemental contracts, orders, and directions given and made by said State Highway Commission in regular session to the plaintiff herein.
“That said supplemental contracts, orders and directions were given to the plaintiff herein and said work, material and labor were done, furnished, and performed by the plaintiff herein in good faith and without collusion between the parties hereto and without fraud by either party hereto and in accordance with the rules, regulations, practices and constructions of the laws of the state of Oklahoma by said Highway Commission and its predecessors in office, and that such constructions of the laws of the state of. Oklahoma have been in force and effect in the state of Oklahoma and in Highway Commissions and departments of the said state for many years.
“That attached hereto, marked exhibit ‘A,’ made a part hereof, is a list of projects, like or similar to ■ the one involved in this action, upon which additional work, labor and material have been done, performed and furnished by various contractors under supplemental or additional contracts, orders and directions given to them by said Highway Commission and its predecessors following the same method as employed in this case, which said work, labor and material and construction the said Highway Commission has heretofore acccepted and used and for which they have fully paid the said contractors.”

The facts agreed to and shown by the pleadings are as follows: The original contract set forth the items of bid and the units of price to be paid for the furnishing of work, labor, and material and the construction of the highway. Prior to¡ the completion of the contract the State Highway Commission ordered and directed the plaintiff to furnish the additional work, labor, and material necessary foir the construction of the additional mileage in question under the same terms and conditions as set forth in the original contract, and upon the authority of those orders and directions the plaintiff furnished the work, labor, and material and constructed the highway additional to that specified in the contract as ordered and directed, and the same was completed within the period allowed and provided in the original contract. The work and labor performed, the material furnished, and the construction of the entire highway were accepted and approved by the State Highway Commission and became a part of the highway system of the state of Oklahoma, and since completion and acceptance as aforesaid the same has been used and operated by the state as a part of its highway system.

It has been a custom and practice of the present State Highway Commission and of its predecessors, for the past ten years', to require road construction contractors to Increase the amount of labor and material contracted to he furnished and the mileage of road to be constructed in such manner and to such length as the various State Highway Commissions have, from time to time, required under the same terms and conditions as provided in the original contracts for construction, and the State Auditor has issued warrants in payment thereof.

The various State Highway Commissions, *295 during that time, have uniformly construed the laws of the state of Oklahoma to give toi the various State Highway Commissions the right, power, and authority to require contractors of state 'highways in this state to increase the amount of labor and material to be furnished and the construction work to be done and to require such increase of labor, material, and construction upon the same basis, for the same price, and under the same terms and conditions as have been provided in the various contracts entered into with contractors.

The work, labor, and construction performed and material furnished in this instance are reasonably worth the amount contracted to be paid plaintiff therefor.

The final estimate upon said work under said contract and extension agreements was presented to the State Highway Commission, after the same had been approved by the State Engineer, and said final estimate was examined, approved, and recommended for payment by the State Highway Commission, but the State Auditor has failed and refused and still fails and refuses to pay the amount of the final estimate, though he has heretofore paid the amount of the prior estimates. The full amount due for the work and labor performed under the original contract has been paid.

The statutory authority of the State Highway Commission with reference to the question in issue is that contained in sections 10 and 12 of chapter 48 of S. K. 1923-24, the pertinent provisions of which are as follows:

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Bluebook (online)
1929 OK 494, 282 P. 467, 139 Okla. 292, 1929 Okla. LEXIS 298, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/leininger-v-ward-beekman-brooks-inc-okla-1929.