Liberty Plan Co. v. Francis T. Smith Lumber Co.

1961 OK 30, 360 P.2d 500, 1961 Okla. LEXIS 335
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedFebruary 7, 1961
Docket38959
StatusPublished
Cited by39 cases

This text of 1961 OK 30 (Liberty Plan Co. v. Francis T. Smith Lumber Co.) 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
Liberty Plan Co. v. Francis T. Smith Lumber Co., 1961 OK 30, 360 P.2d 500, 1961 Okla. LEXIS 335 (Okla. 1961).

Opinion

HALLEY, Justice.

Francis T. Smith Lumber Company, a corporation, instituted this action to foreclose its materialman’s lien upon certain premises owned by the Liberty Plan Company, an express trust. From a judgment for the plaintiff, the defendant has appealed. The parties will be given their designation below.

Three principal contentions advanced for reversal are: (a) there was a fatal variance between plaintiff’s pleadings and proof; (b) plaintiff failed to prove that notice of filing its lien statement was given to defendant; (c) plaintiff’s lien statement was not filed within 90 days from the date upon which material was last furnished.

According to the recitations in the lien statement, plaintiff, in pursuance of an oral agreement with one Charles Hendrickson, a contractor, supplied certain building materials for use upon the premises owned by Liberty, and asserted a lien claim for the sum of $1,206.08. Attached to the statement was a note to plaintiff for a like amount; dated November 4, 1957, the note was signed by Charles Hendrickson.

Plaintiff’s petition for foreclosure of its materialman’s lien avers in pertinent part: Liberty engaged Hendrickson as a contractor to perform certain alterations, on the premises upon which the lien is. sought to be foreclosed; on November 4,. 1957, Hendrickson entered into “a written, contract” with plaintiff to purchase building material for use on the Liberty job,, and agreed to pay therefor, on completion of the work, the sum of $1,206.08; the-work was completed on December 1, 1957,. and plaintiff furnished material “prior to. said date;” the amount due plaintiff for the material so supplied remains unpaid; both Hendrickson and Liberty were “furnished” a copy of. the lien statement filed. In its verified answer Liberty denied any legal obligation to the plaintiff.

As disclosed by plaintiff’s evidence, the various items of material asserted as lien-able were ordered by Hendrickson and furnished for the job at different times between. June 10, 1957, and September 23, 1957; on November 4, 1957, Hendrickson executed, and delivered his note to the plaintiff which covered the account owed for these supplies ; according to the testimony, notice of the lien statement was, on the date of its filing, imparted to Liberty by registered mail.

At the trial, defendant was unsuccessful' in its repeated attempts to exclude all testimony, which if received, would not have tended to establish the precise facts alleged, in the petition. Pointing out several discrepancies between the averments in plain- ■ tiff’s pleadings and the proof adduced, defendant urges error in the admission of" evidence which was at variance with the allegations in the petition.

From the averments in the petition,. considered alone, it would appear that the material was sold after November 4th (when a “written contract” therefor was allegedly entered into between plaintiff and Hendrickson), and prior to completion of the job on December 1, 1957; whereas, as.. *503 disclosed by the proof, these building- supplies were purchased and furnished between June 10th and September 23, 1957. The facts so developed at the trial were thus, in their material aspect, in substantial conformity with those recited in the lien statement which sets forth September 23rd as the date upon which material was last furnished and reflects that a note was subsequently taken from Hendrickson on November 4, 1957. Since the lien statement formed a part of the petition (to which it was appended) the terms and provisions of this exhibit controlled, in case of discrepancy nr inconsistency, over the allegations in the pleadings. There was no variance in this respect. Schnelle v. McClure, Okl., 330 P.2d 598; Hostutler v. State, Okl., 302 P.2d 983.

Before answer was filed, the court denied defendant’s motion for an order requiring plaintiff to amend its petition by setting forth an itemized statement of materials claimed to have been furnished. At the trial, original invoices describing the items of material sold for the job and showing the date of their delivery were offered by the plaintiff and admitted over defendant’s objection that these exhibits did not tend to prove any issues raised by the pleadings. It is urged on appeal that the invoices were improperly received in evidence because this proof was, by its very nature, at variance with the allegations of the petition and the recitations in the lien statement, under which, contrary to applicable law, plaintiff’s claim as a subcontractor rests only on the note from the prime contractor (Hendrick-son), instead of being predicated upon an itemized statement of account for material furnished, as required by statute, 42 O.S. Supp.1957 § 143.

Under the terms of the cited statute, we have held, one not in privity of contract with the owner, who seeks to perfect a mechanic’s or materialman’s lien as a subcontractor, is required to append to his lien statement, an itemized account of labor performed or material furnished, even though a promissory note evidencing the obligation was taken from the prime contractor. Failure to attach such itemized list will not, however, operate to vitiate the right to a lien, nor render the claim fatally defective'. By an appropriate amendment such itemized statement may be supplied either before or during the trial. Spurrier Lumber Co. v. Montgomery, 165 Okl. 67, 24 P.2d 1005; Doggett v. Pricer, 178 Okl. 130, 61 P.2d 1049.

The variance, asserted here for reversal, was neither urged below on the basis of its prejudicial effect upon the defense to the merits of the cause, nor was it specifically called to the trial court’s attention. Defendant merely objected to the admission of the exhibits as “outside the issues” raised by the petition. No variance between the allegations in a pleading and the proof will be deemed material or fatal unless it appear to the satisfaction of the court that it has actually misled the adverse party to his prejudice. The burden rests on the aggrieved litigant to show in what manner he has been misled. 12 O.S.1951 § 311; Howard v. Stewart, 195 Okl. 491, 159 P.2d 527. When a showing of prejudice has been made, the court is authorized to direct that the pleadings be amended upon such terms as may be just. 12 O.S. 1951 § 311. Variance which does not serve to mislead a party opponent is deemed harmless, and the court may direct an immediate amendment without costs. 12 O.S.1951 § 312. A mere objection to the evidence which tends to elicit facts in discord with those pleaded will not support or save for review a contention of prejudice due to variance. Cook v. Sheffield, 181 Okl. 635, 75 P.2d 1101. Unless variance is specifically called to the trial court’s attention and its prejudicial effect shown, as required by the cited statute, the pleadings will be considered to have been amended so as to conform to the proof, even though no formal amendment was sought by the party and none required by the court. Kelly v. Cann, 192 Okl. 446, 136 P.2d 896; Cook v. Sheffield, supra; and Thompson v. Walton, Okl., 297 P.2d 1084.

*504 No claim was made below, and none is advanced on appeal, that defendant, when confronted by the evidence asserted to be at variance with the pleadings, was in any manner surprised and hence unable to meet the issues and proceed with the trial. Neither did the defendant request a continuance on the ground that it had been misled to its prejudice.

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Bluebook (online)
1961 OK 30, 360 P.2d 500, 1961 Okla. LEXIS 335, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/liberty-plan-co-v-francis-t-smith-lumber-co-okla-1961.