Moore Steel, Inc. v. Snow

85 So. 2d 648, 1956 La. App. LEXIS 607
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 5, 1956
DocketNo. 20656
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 85 So. 2d 648 (Moore Steel, Inc. v. Snow) 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
Moore Steel, Inc. v. Snow, 85 So. 2d 648, 1956 La. App. LEXIS 607 (La. Ct. App. 1956).

Opinion

REGAN, Judge.

Plaintiff, Moore Steel, Incorporated, as a materialman, instituted this suit against the defendants, Charles Snow, as contractor, and the Maryland Casualty Company, as surety, endeavoring to recover the sum of $887.63 for materials sold, delivered, received and used by the contractor in the erection of a residence in 6748 Argonne Street, in the City of New Orleans, with legal interest thereon from judicial demand until paid, together with 10% attorney’s fees.

Defendant, Charles Snow, answered and generally denied the allegations of plaintiff’s petition and requested that it be dismissed.

Defendant, Maryland Casualty Company, pleaded the exceptions of no right of cause of action, with reservation thereof in conformity with the practice .of pleading in the First City Court, .and then answered denying that it was indebted unto plaintiff in any sum whatsoever and likewise requested that the suit be dismissed.

It further asserted that as an inducement to act as surety on the bond of the defendant, Charles Snow, contractor, he agreed to indemnify it against any suit or claim incurred ás a result of the execution of the bond; that Paul D. Snow,' Jr., the owner of the property, joined in the indemnity agreement, whereby he became solidarily liable thereunder with Charles Snow; therefore, it is entitled to call defendant Charles Snow, the contractor, and Paul D. Snow, Jr., the owner, in warranty both to defend this suit and to indemnify it against any costs or loss which may be incurred as an ultimate result hereof.

The exceptions were apparently overruled and judgment was rendered in favor of plaintiff as prayed for ■ against Charles Snow and Maryland Casualty Company, in solido. There was also judgment in favor of Maryland Casualty Company and against “Paul D. Snow, Jr. and Charles Snow, in solido, under its call in warranty for the amount of the judgment against Maryland Casualty Company, in. favor of Moore Steel, Inc., including costs and attorney’s fees.”

This is the master case and it was consolidated with six similar suits emanating from the same contract in order to facilitate and expedite the trial thereof. The suits referred to are entitled: Jahncke Service, Inc., v. Snow, La.App., 85 So.2d 653; Stone Lumber Co. v. Snow, La.App., 85 So.2d 654; Tulane Hardwood Lumber Co., Inc., v. Snow, La.App., 85 So.2d 655; Schwartz Supply Co., Inc., v. Snow, La.App., 85 So.2d 656; Grather v. Snow, La.App., 85 So.2d 657; Southern States Iron Roofing Co. v. Snow, La.App., 85 So.2d 658.

The trial judge thoroughly analyzed both the facts and law applicable to this case in [650]*650her written reasons, for judgment which, in o.ur opinion, encompass the issues so fully that we adopt them as our own; .

“By agreement' of counsel for all parties and with the permission of the Court, the ábove cases were consolidated for trial.
“Each of the suits was filed by a different plaintiff but all of the suits are for materials furnished and used, in the construction of the residence, 6748 Argonne Street. Charles Snow, the contractor, and the Maryland Casualty Company, the surety on the building contract bond, are co-defendants in all of the suits,, and the plaintiffs'ask for judgments against both of .these defendants in solido'.
“In the answer in each case the Maryland Casualty Company asked to have’ the suit dismissed, and in the alternative it prayed that it have judgment under its call in warranty against the contractor, Charles Snow, and Paul D. Snow, the owner of the property.
“It was stipulated between .counsel for Charles Snow and Paul D. Snow and counsel for Maryland Casualty Company that, under the indemnity agreement in the building contract bond, the Maryland Casualty Company is entitled to judgment over against Charles Snow and Paul D. Snow for any amounts in which the Maryland Casualty Company may be cast in these suits.
“By stipulation of counsel for all parties in all of .the suits, the building contract between Paul Snow, as owner, and Charles Snow, as contractor, and Maryland Casualty Company, as surety •on the bond, and the acceptance of the contract by Paul D. Snow, as owner, as well as the timely recordation of these instruments in the mortgage office, were admitted.
“It was also stipulated by all parties that the materials furnished by each of the plaintiffs were delivered to and incorporated in the .improvements on the property 6748 Argonné Street and that the amounts of the claims for said materials are true and correct.
“According to the terms of the building contract, the Maryland Casualty Company took full cognizance of the contract between Paul D. Snow as owner and Charles Snow as contractor and it bound itself as surety in favor of:
“ ‘Said owner and all subcontractors, journeymen, cartmen, truckmen, workmen, laborers, mechanics and furnish-ers of materials^ jointly as their interest may appear, for the true and faithful performance of said contract, and the payment of all subcontractors, journeymen, cartmen, truckmen, workmen, laborers, mechanics and furnish-ers of materials.’
“It was also stipulated in the building contract that the failure of the contractor to furnish labor and materials, or to comply with any part of the contract, gave the owner the right to take over the work and complete it at the expense of the contractor and the surety.
“The bonding company also agreed to be liable for:
“ ‘All costs, charges, expenses and attorney’s fees, incurred in any con-cursus or other legal proceeding, made necessary by the failure of the contractor to faithfully comply with the foregoing contract.’
“The Maryland Casualty Company denies liability for the materials which went into the building at 6748 Argonne Street on the grounds that Charles Snow did not comply with any of the obligations under the contract, but on the contrary, stood by and let his brother, Paul D. Snow, who was the owner of the property, take over the functions of contractor.
“On the trial of the case, Charles Snow testified that he signed the con[651]*651tract to build a house for his brother, Paul D. Snow, and that he worked for his brother as a laborer and visited the job, ‘maybe 10 or 12 visits’ to see how things were going and sometimes to haul away trash. He admitted that he received and signed for some of the materials, that he knew the house was being constructed and that the materials were being used in the construction. He also testified that he made no objection to his brother’s ordering the materials and using them in the construction of the house.
“Paul D. Snow testified that he had signed the contract as owner with his brother Charles as contractor, and that he also signed the acceptance of the contract as owner. He said that his brother Charles worked for him as a laborer, and that ‘he was just used as a figurehead’. He said that he had ordered all of the materials for which the plaintiffs sued, either directly, or through the Reliable Lumber Company, or through the supervisor on the job.

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Related

Tulane Hardwood Lumber Co. v. Snow
85 So. 2d 655 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1956)
Schwartz Supply Co. v. Snow
85 So. 2d 656 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1956)
Grather v. Snow
85 So. 2d 657 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1956)
Southern States Iron Roofing Co. v. Snow
85 So. 2d 658 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1956)
Jahncke Service, Inc. v. Snow
85 So. 2d 653 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1956)
Stone Lumber Co. v. Snow
85 So. 2d 654 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1956)

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Bluebook (online)
85 So. 2d 648, 1956 La. App. LEXIS 607, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/moore-steel-inc-v-snow-lactapp-1956.