McGee v. Missouri Valley Dredging Co.

182 So. 2d 764
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 15, 1966
Docket6559
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 182 So. 2d 764 (McGee v. Missouri Valley Dredging Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McGee v. Missouri Valley Dredging Co., 182 So. 2d 764 (La. Ct. App. 1966).

Opinion

182 So.2d 764 (1966)

Edward C. McGEE, Jr., Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
MISSOURI VALLEY DREDGING CO. et al., Defendants-Appellees.

No. 6559.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

January 24, 1966.
Rehearing Denied February 28, 1966.
Writ Refused April 15, 1966.

Gerald F. Lofaso, Houma, for appellant.

Leonard Greenburg, Houma, for appellees.

Before ELLIS, LANDRY, REID, BAILES and F. S. ELLIS, JJ.

BAILES, Judge.

Plaintiff, Edward C. McGee, Jr., a registered land surveyor, was hired by one of the defendants, Missouri Valley Dredging Co., a foreign corporation to perform certain surveying services in connection with the construction of a twenty-four (24) inch and a thirty (30) inch natural gas pipe line in fulfillment of its contract for the construction of these pipe lines for Columbia Gulf Transmission Company. Specifically, plaintiff surveyed the pipeline crossings of the Atchafalaya River in Terrebonne and St. Mary Parishes and Wax *765 Lake Outlet and Levees in St. Mary Parish.

These services were performed from August 26, 1964, through October 7, 1964, and the total charges therefor amounted to the alleged sum of $9,374.30. No part of this amount was paid to plaintiff.

Not having received payment for these services, the plaintiff filed on November 6, 1964, in the office of the Clerk of Court of Terrebonne Parish, an affidavit setting forth the performance of the aforementioned services and the non-payment thereof by Missouri Valley Dredging Co. Plaintiff further stated in this affidavit that he was asserting a lien and privilege under the provisions of R.S. 9:4861 et seq., on all of the pipeline crossings of the Atchafalaya River and Wax Lake Outlet and levee crossings in Terrebonne and St. Mary Parishes, "as well as on all oil or gas produced from any well or wells, which oil and gas is or may be transported through the above mentioned pipelines; the proceeds thereof inuring to the working of said well or wells and on the oil and gas wells and the leases whereon same are located and on all drilling rigs, standard rigs, machinery, appurtenances, appliances, equipment, buildings, tanks and other structures thereto attached or located on said property for the amount shown on the itemized statements marked Exhibit A and attached hereto and for the cost of recording this lien, as well as interest allowed by law and an additional ten per cent (10%) attorney's fee as provided by law."

On December 3, 1964, defendant, Missouri Valley Dredging Co. filed in the office of the Clerk of Court of Terrebonne Parish a surety bond for the purpose of bonding the lien filed by plaintiff. The proceeding is provided for in R.S. 9:4841.

The following marginal notation was made on the above described affidavit that was recorded in MOB 236, folio 615:

"By virtue of the bonding of this lien under the provisions of La.R.S. 9:4841 and by virtue of the juresprudence established in State, ex rel Pittman Bros. Construction Company vs. Watson, 1942-99 La., 633 [199 La. 623], 6 So.2d 709, this inscription is erased and cancelled. Said bond having been filed this day in this office and recorded in M.O.B. 236, folio 615, et seq. Entry No. 271033.
December 3, 1964 Betty A. Trahan By Clerk of Court"

On January 29, 1965, this suit was filed by plaintiff against the contractor and the owner of the pipeline, the named defendants herein, alleging, inter alia, that he had filed a lien against the property described hereinabove and that by reason of it being "within the power of the defendants to conceal, part with or depose of the property affected by said liens during the pendency of this action, and that your petitioner is entitled to enforce his privlege granted under R.S. 9:4861 by a writ of sequestration and thereunder the following described property was sequestered, to-wit:

"That portion of a certain 24" and a certain 30" natural gas pipe line crossing the Atchafalaya River at approximate mile 128.8 below the Mead (1950), which is situated in the Parish of Terrebonne, Louisiana, and a 30" natural gas pipe line crossing Wax Lake Outlet and Levees (this line crosses west levee of Wax Lake Outlet at approximate Levee Station 283 plus 11) in St. Mary Parish, whatever portion thereof is in the Parish of Terrebonne, Louisiana."

This matter was terminated in the trial court by a ruling adverse to the plaintiff on a motion filed by the defendants to dissolve the writ of sequestration. In this motion, the defendants contend that as a matter of law no lien or privilege is provided for the type of services rendered to *766 defendants in favor of plaintiff under the provisions of R.S. 9:4861 et seq., that even if a lien and privilege is afforded to him as alleged in his petition the lien was cancelled by the substitution of the bond, and consequently no lien or privilege now exists in his favor; and defendants aver that they are entitled to be awarded damages consisting of attorney fees in the amount of $250 for the wrongful issuance of the writ of sequestration; additionally they should be awarded the cost of the bond for the release of the lien, etc.

Upon completion of the hearing on the motion and rule to dissolve the writ of sequestration, the trial court ruled that the writ should be dissolved, the seizure thereunder and the liens and privileges filed in St. Mary and Terrebonne Parishes are cancelled, and the bond for the release of the lien furnished by defendants was ordered cancelled and erased, and finally damages in the amount of $542.15 for attorneys' fees, cost of premiums for bonds for release of the liens and charges for recording said bonds, plus legal interest thereon from date until paid.

Plaintiff appealed from this judgment.

Whatever security, if any, the plaintiff has for the services he performed, described supra, for the defendants, Missouri Valley Dredging Company must be found in the statutes of this State and specifically in Title 9 of our revised statutes.

While plaintiff contends R.S. 9:4861 et seq. provides the necessary privilege and lien for security for the labors performed by defendant, we must admit that our diligent search of the statutes fails to disclose any other for consideration.

R.S. 9:4861, omitting the portions superfluous to our consideration herein, provides:

"Any person * * * who performs any labor or service in the operation or in connection with the operation of any oil, gas or water well or wells, has a privilege * * * on all drilling rigs, standard rigs, machinery, appurtenances, appliances, equipment, buildings, tanks, and other structures thereto attached * * * for the amount due for labor or service, in principal and interest, and for the cost of preparing and recording the privilege, as well as ten per cent attorney's fees in the event it becomes necessary to employ an attorney to enforce collection * * *"

Repeatedly the courts of this state have held that the statutes creating privileges and liens are in derogation of common rights and must be construed stricti-juris. See: Alfred Hiller Co. v. Hotel Gruenwald Co. (1920) 147 La. 129, 84 So. 520; Cole v. Schexnadire (1927) 163 La. 132, 111 So. 651; Casey v. Allain (1929) 9 La.App. 725, 120 So. 420; Price v. Lee (1929) 11 La.App. 291, 123 So. 458; Lawrence v. Wright (1929) 11 La.App. 703, 124 So. 697; Fowler Commission Co. v. E. J. Deas & Co. (1930) 13 La.App. 141, 127 So. 456; Southern Gas Line v. Dixie Oil Co. (1931) 16 La.App. 26, 133 So. 181; Conservative Homestead Assn. v. Boyle (1931) 172 La. 878, 135 So. 663; Texas Lumber Co. v.

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Bluebook (online)
182 So. 2d 764, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcgee-v-missouri-valley-dredging-co-lactapp-1966.