Lincoln County v. E. I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co.

32 S.W.2d 292, 224 Mo. App. 1183, 1930 Mo. App. LEXIS 163
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 5, 1930
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 32 S.W.2d 292 (Lincoln County v. E. I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lincoln County v. E. I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co., 32 S.W.2d 292, 224 Mo. App. 1183, 1930 Mo. App. LEXIS 163 (Mo. Ct. App. 1930).

Opinion

BECKER, J.

This is a consolidated case of cross-appeals in an action of interpleader between the National Surety Company of New York, a corporation, and the Bank of Old Monroe, a corporation, for certain funds retained by the county court of Lincoln county, Missouri, out of moneys due one J. F. Murphy on account of the construction of a public road. Upon trial of the case below a decree was entered awarding part of the fund to each of said interpleaders, and each interpleader in clue course appeals.

It appears that on May 4, 1922, one J. F. Murphy entered into a contract with Lincoln county, Missouri, to construct, at his own cost and expense, a certain public road in Lincoln county, Missouri, known and designated as Lincoln 'County Bond Project No. 15-A; that it was provided in said contract that the said Murphy would do all the work required, and furnish and pay for all labor employed and material used in the construction of said public road; that said contract further provided that Lincoln county, Missouri, should retain out of the moneys due the said Murphy, on account of the construction of said public road, the sum of fifteen per cent out of each monthly estimate until the said public road ivas completed, and the said Murphy had furnished the county court with satisfactory evidence that he had paid and settled for all material furnished and labor performed in and about the construction of sa'd public road; that on the 11th day of May, 1922, the said Murphy, as principal, and the defendant (interpleader) National Surety Company of New York, as surety, made, executed and delivered to Lincoln county, Missouri, their bond in the penal sum of five thousand dollars, conditioned, among other things, that “if the said J. P. Murphy should, in all things, well and truly perform all the terms and conditions of the aforesaid contract, and pay all lawful claims for materials furnished or labor performed in the construction of said highway, then this obligation to be void, otherwise to remain in full force and effect,” as provided by section 1040, Revised Statutes 1919; that on the 24th day of June, 1922, the said Murphy did, by his contract in writing, for *1187 moneys advanced and loaned him by the defendant, Bank of Old Monroe, assign, transfer and set over tó the defendant, Bank of Old Monroe, all -warrants representing payments for construction of said highway and authorized the county court of Lincoln county, Missouri, to pay to defendant, Bank of Old Monroe, any and all moneys due the said Murphy on account of the construction of said highway; that the said assignment was delivered to the county court of Lincoln county, Missouri, and by them approved by an entry of record, and that thereafter all payments due the said Murphy were made to the defendant bank, except the fifteen per cent in controversy in this suit; that the said Lincoln county, Mis-: souri, did retain said fifteen per cent out of the moneys due the said Murphy in accordance with the terms of the contract and that said moneys so retained amounted to the sum of $2788.43; that the said Murphy defaulted on said bond and failed to pay for all labor performed and material furnished in the construction of said highway, and the county court of Lincoln county, Missouri, refused to pay the said Murphy the said fifteen per cent of the contract price retained by it and filed its interplea which was allowed, and in accordance with the order of the court allowing said interplea, the defendant, National Surety Company of New York, and the defendant, Bank of Old Monroe, duly filed their interpleas herein.

The defendant, National Surety Company of New York, filed its interplea, setting up its demand and claim to this fund, alleging that Murphy failed to pay and discharge all lawful claims for materials furnished and labor performed in the construction of said public road, and that by reason thereof certain judgments were recovered against it, the said National Surety Company of New York, on said bond; and that it had paid said judgments. It alleges that such judgments were obtained against it by E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Incorporated, for $328.47; James J. Connaughton, et al., for $105.58; Bangert Brothers Drayage Company for $1468.10, and that it paid $78.60 on account of costs incurred in connection with these judgments. It further alleges that in full satisfaction of claims for materials furnished to the said J. F. Murphy and used in the construction of said public road, it paid Sehaeker Mercantile Company $30.78, and $36.56 to H. A. JReehamp. It is then alleged that it thereby became subrogated to the rights of Murphy in the fund, and asks for judgment for $2648.34, the aggregate amount of all these several judgments, claims and costs.

The interpleader, Bank of Old Monroe, by its interplea, makes claim to the fund by reason of the asignment to it made by Murphy.

The National Surety Company filed its answer to the interplea of Bank of Old Monroe; the same being in its nature a general denial.

*1188 The Bank of Old Monroe filed its reply to the interplea of the National Surety Company — a general denial — and then alleging that at the time said Surety Company executed the bond in question it took from Murphy an assignment in writing whereby Murphy assigned to it the sums of money accruing to Murphy by said contract for road construction, and that said Surety Company, by reason thereof, became entitled to a legal remedy for the same claims it now makes in equity, and that by reason of said legal remedy is not entitled to an equitable remedy.

At the trial of the case interpleader, National Surety Company, introduced its evidence first. It made its case by the introduction of the road contract and the bond, and the entire record of the several cases in which judgments pleaded by it in its interplea had been recovered.

The Bank of Old Monroe objected to the introduction of the petition, judgments and payments thereof on the ground that they were hearsay and were declarations and actions to which the Bank of Old Monroe was not a party and therefor were not binding on the Bank of Old Monroe. This testimony was admitted by the court over these objections and exceptions were duly saved.

In the proof submitted by interpleader, Bank of Old Monroe, it was shown that the alleged assignment had been executed to it by Murphy; that Murphy had borrowed money from said bank against this assignment and at the time was indebted to said bank because of such loans in an amount greatly in excess' of the sum paid into court. It was also shown in evidence that at and prior to the time National Surety Company executed the bond in question it had taken from Murphy an assignment' in writing .as follows:

“That in further consideration of the execution of said bond the undersigned hereby assigns, transfers and conveys to the company all the deferred payments and retained percentages, and any and all moneys and properties that may be due and payable to the undersigned at the time of any breach or default in said contract, or that thereafter may become due and payable to the undersigned on account of said contract, or on account of extra work or materials supplied in connection therewith, hereby agreeing that such money and the proceeds of such payments and properties shall be the sole property of the company and to be by it credited upon any loss, cost, damage, charge and expense sustained or incurred by it under said bond.”

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Related

National Surety Corporation v. Fisher
317 S.W.2d 334 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1958)
County of Audrain Ex Rel. First National Bank of Mexico v. Walker
155 S.W.2d 251 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1941)
City of St. Louis Ex Rel. Sears v. Southern Surety Co.
62 S.W.2d 432 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1933)
Granite Bituminous Paving Co. v. Stange
37 S.W.2d 469 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1931)

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Bluebook (online)
32 S.W.2d 292, 224 Mo. App. 1183, 1930 Mo. App. LEXIS 163, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lincoln-county-v-e-i-du-pont-de-nemours-co-moctapp-1930.