Manchester Iron Works, Inc. v. E. L. Wagner Construction Co.

107 S.W.2d 89, 341 Mo. 389, 1937 Mo. LEXIS 434
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedJune 30, 1937
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 107 S.W.2d 89 (Manchester Iron Works, Inc. v. E. L. Wagner Construction Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Manchester Iron Works, Inc. v. E. L. Wagner Construction Co., 107 S.W.2d 89, 341 Mo. 389, 1937 Mo. LEXIS 434 (Mo. 1937).

Opinion

*393 FRANK, P. J.-

This is an equitable mechanic’s lien action involving three lien claims. The decree below established the liens in favor of respondents. This appeal followed.

In September, 1925, E. L. Wagner Construction Company was the owner of contiguous lots numbered 30-31-32-33-34 and 6.71 feet of lot 35 in De Mun Park, a subdivision of St. Louis County. About the time aforesaid the owner began the construction of five separate apartment buildings, one on each of said lots.

Plaintiff, Manchester Iron Works, Inc., furnished materials which went into the construction of each of the five buildings. After the buildings were completed, and on March 14, 1927, said plaintiff brought five' separate equitable mechanics’ lien actions, one against each of the five separate properties. For brevity we will refer to these suits as suit number one, two, three, four and five respectively. After the filing of these five separate suits, numerous other lien claimants filed separate cross-petitions in plaintiff’s suit number one, some seeking a lien on one or more of the properties, others seeking a general or blanket lien on all of the properties.

On August 16, 1927,- respondent, Modem Tile Company, filed a cross-petition in suit number one in which it sought one general or blanket lien on all five of the properties.

Thereafter, and on the same date, respondent, H. J. Wright, doing business as H. J. Wright Painting Company, filed a cross-petition in suit number one in which it sought a lien on the property described in suit number five.

Thereafter, and on the same date, respondent, C. A. Myers, doing business as C. A. Myers Hardwood Flooring Company, filed a cross-petition in suit number one in which it sought a lien on the property described in suits number three and five.

It should also be stated that each of the respondents filed independent suits to enforce their lien prior to the time they filed cross-actions in plaintiff’s equitable action.

Some months prior to the time respondents filed their cross-petitions in suit number one, two other lien claimants filed cross-petitions in *394 said suit, iu which, they each asked a general or blanket lien on all five of the properties.

All of the lien claims were compromised and settled except the claims of the three respondents herein. The cause was dismissed as to all claimants whose claims were compromised and settled, leaving the claims of respondents to be adjudicated in this proceeding.

By order of court suits number two, three, four and five were consolidated with suit number one, and the consolidated cause was sent to a referee with instructions to hear said cause and report his find-, ings of fact and conclusions of law to the court. The referee heard the cause, found that respondents were each entitled to the judgment lien prayed for in each of their cross-petitions and so reported to the court. Exceptions to the referee’s report were filed and overruled. The report was approved and a decree rendered in accordance therewith.

Appellants contend that the .court erred in ordering the causes consolidated. In support of this contention the following statutes and cases are cited. [Secs. 3180, 3181 and 3183, R. S. 1929; Mansfield Lumber Company v. Johnson, 91 S. W. (2d) 239, 241-2; Richards Brick Company v. Wright, 82 S. W. (2d) 274, 279.]

These statutes provide that any lien claimant may bring an equitable action to enforce his lien. The effect of bringing such equitable action is to stay all suits theretofore brought, prevent the bringing of other separate suits, and require all lien claimants to become parties to such equitable action and assert their lien claim therein, in order that the rights of all lien claimants may be adjudicated, determined and enforced in one action.

The plaintiff, Manchester Iron Works, Inc., brought five separate equitable actions instead of bringing one action. No doubt the plaintiff could liave brought one equitable action and stated his cause in five counts. The necessary and only effect of the order of consolidation was to convert the five separate suits into one equitable action consisting of five counts. The consolidated ease affects all of-the properties. By express provision of Section 3181, supra, all persons claiming a lien against said property, or any of it, were required to become parties to said action and assert their rights therein. A court of equity has inherent power to accomplish such a result. Corpus Juris, Yol. I, page 1128, states the rule as follows:

“In equity the conditions authorizing a consolidation differ from those which will warrant a consolidation of actions at law, the chief inquiry being with regard to the subject matter involved in the different suits, and it being unnecessary that there should be the same identity of parties as is essential to authorize a consolidation at law. A consolidation in equity is therefore ordinarily proper wherever the subject matter involved and relief demanded in the *395 different suits make it expedient for the court; by hearing them together properly to determine all the issues involved and adequately adjudicate the rights of the different parties.”

The same author at page 1123 states the rule thus:

“While there is some authority to the contrary, the great weight of authority, both in this country and England, is to the effect that the power of a court of equity to consolidate suits is inherent or implied from its general power to make reasonable rules for the transaction and regulation of its business.”

Neither the statutes nor the cases cited by appellants support their claim of error in the consolidation of the cases. The statutes provide and the cited eases hold that when an equitable action is brought all lien claimants must intervene as parties to such equitable action. Appellants argue .that the order consolidating cases two, three, four and five with case number one, instead of requiring the parties to such separate actions to intervene as parties in the proper equity action, was contrary to the statutes and the holding in above eases. There is no merit in this argument. The order of consolidation converted the five separate actions into one consolidated equitable action. Respondents who had intervened as parties to suit number one prior to the consolidation, necessarily became parties to the consolidated action, by virtue of the order of consolidation.

Appellants next contend that under the code of civil procedure said causes could not be consolidated because there is no identity of parties and because the actions are not based upon liquidated demands. [Sec. 943, R. S. 1929; Anderson v. Gaines, 156 Mo. 664, 668-9, 57 S. W. 726; Priddy v. Mackenzie, 205 Mo. 181, 200, 103 S. W. 968; Jegglin v. Orr et al., 224 Mo. App. 773, 776-7 are cited in support of this contention.]

Section 943; Revised Statutes 1929, cited above provides as follows :

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Bluebook (online)
107 S.W.2d 89, 341 Mo. 389, 1937 Mo. LEXIS 434, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/manchester-iron-works-inc-v-e-l-wagner-construction-co-mo-1937.