Moorhead Motor Co. v. H. D. Walker Auto Co.

97 So. 486, 133 Miss. 63, 1923 Miss. LEXIS 114
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 24, 1923
DocketNo. 23296
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 97 So. 486 (Moorhead Motor Co. v. H. D. Walker Auto Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Moorhead Motor Co. v. H. D. Walker Auto Co., 97 So. 486, 133 Miss. 63, 1923 Miss. LEXIS 114 (Mich. 1923).

Opinion

Holden, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

The appellee, Walker Auto Company, filed this suit of replevin to recover possession of a certain automobile which had been sold and delivered to one Seale, under a retention of title contract; the seller, Walker Auto Company, retaining ownership with the right to possession of the car in the event of default in the payment of the balance of the purchase money. Default having been made in the payment of the balance of the purchase money, ap-pellees replevied the car, whereupon the appellant, Moor-head Motor Company, intervened as claimant for certain repairs made on the car, at the instance of the purchaser, Seale, and for which a mechanic’s lien was claimed. Upon the issue between the claimant and the successful plaintiff, the latter relied upon its retained title in the car, and [69]*69the former company relied upon its mechanic’s lien for repairs made upon the car. There was a judgment in favor of the appellee, Walker Anto Company, the owner of the title, and the Moorhead Company appeals to this court.

The sole question in the case is whether the mechanic’s lien for repairs upon the car is superior to the title of the seller in the conditional contract of sale. The undisputed facts being that the seller, with retained title, did not authorize nor consent to the repairs, either expressly or impliedly, nor did it have any knowledge of such repairs. It is also true that the mechanic who made the repairs did not actually know that the title of the car was in the seller appellee, Walker Company.

There is another important point raised in the case, which Ave think, hoAvever, is unnecessary to decide, and that is whether or not the articles or items which are claimed to have been furnished as repairs are in fact repairs upon the car, or whether the articles are not to be considered merely as articles purchased for an automobile. A list of these items will appear herein later on. We shall not decide this question because the case will be settled upon another point, though it bears indirectly on the main question.

It becomes necessary to set out the agreed statement of facts between the parties, because after a perusal of the statement of facts it will not be difficult, we think, to decide the case in the light, of the rule announced in former cases by this court. The agreed statement of facts is as follows:

“It is agreed by and between the parties hereto that the above-styled cause may be tried by presiding judge without intervention of a jury upon the following agreed statement of facts, to-wit:

“On March 20, 1920, the plaintiff, H. D. Walker Auto Company, sold and delivered to the defendant, A. L. Seale, for his use, one Buick áutomobile, described in the writ of replevin herein, for the sum of one thousand, seven hun[70]*70dred and sixty-one dollars, and fifty cents, of which amount the defendant Seale paid in cash eight hundred and eighty dollars and seventy-five cents and on said date executed an delivered to said plaintiff his promissory title retention note for the sum of eight hundred and eighty dollars and seventy-five cents, which note was due seven months after date, and bore interest at the rate of six per cent, per an-num from date until paid, and providing for the payment of a reasonable attorney’s fee, if placed in the hands of an attorney for collection after maturity.
“Plaintiff, H. D. Walker Auto Company, retained the title in said contract of sale until said note was paid in full. Plaintiff did not record the conditional sale contract on the records of Sunflower county, Miss., in which county the defendant, A. L. Seale, resided at the time of said purchase. The plaintiff, H. I). Walker Auto Company, has its place of business in the city of Greenwood, Miss., at which place said sale was made.
“The said A. L. Seale, defendant, made default in the payment of said note, and on November 24, 1920, the plaintiff sued out a writ of replevin in said court against the defendant for said automobile, returnable to the March, 1921, term of said court.
“The claimant, Moorhead Motor Company, in due time filed its claimant’s affidavit, claiming a mechanic’s lien on said car, as shown by itemized statement attached to said claimant’s affidavit, filed in this cause in the amount of two hundred, thirty-nine dollars and thirteen cents.
“The defendant, Seale, made no defense against said action, and judgment was accordingly rendered against him and the sureties on his replevin bond in favor of the plaintiff. As shown by claimant’s itemized statement of bill of particulars, certain parts of said account on which claimant seeks to enforce his mechanic’s lien are for items sold the defendant, A. L. S'eale, and placed on said automobile by claimant without charge for such service, and used by defendant on his automobile, to-wit, the automobile in controversy, and the plaintiff contends that the [71]*71claimant bas no mechanic’s lien whatever for the following items, to-wit:
April 8. Three shots grease. $ .30
6 — 25. Car washed. 1.50
7 — 19. Greasing car... 1.50
7- — 9. Three pounds grease . 1.00
7 — 9. Four shots grease . .60
April 21. One 33x4 Hartford casing (or tire) .. 30.70
April 21. One.33x4 Hartford tube. 4.96
April 22. Car washed . 1.50
April 22. One pair pliers. .50
August 4. Eight quarts Cyl. oil. 2.80
August 4. Two gal. kerosene . .60
August 23. Charging battery . 2:00
August 23. Three tire changes . 3.00
August 25. Two 33x4 Miller casings. 81.76
August 25. Two 33x4 Hartford casings. 77.76
August 31. Three tire changes . 3.00
August 31. One boot. 1.00
September 7. Drain oil and 7 quarts Cyl. oil .. 2.80
September 7. One gal. coal oil. .30
September 9. Changing tire . 1.00
September 13. Grease . 1.50
September 13. Draining oil. .75
October 8. Changing tire . 1.00
October 9. Changing tire. 1.00
October 14. Changing tire . 1.00
October 15. Changing tire ... .:. 1.00
October 15. One tube . 4.50
October 27. Changing tire .•.*.. 1.00
October 26. Changing tire . 1.00
November 6. Changing tire. 1.00
“The claimant contends that he is entitled to a mechanic’s paramount lien for said items hereinabove set out, as well as other items attached to- claimant’s affidavit.
“The plaintiff contends that the claimant is not entitled to any lien whatever, superior and paramount to plaintiff’s lien, for the purchase money as evidenced by

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Bluebook (online)
97 So. 486, 133 Miss. 63, 1923 Miss. LEXIS 114, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/moorhead-motor-co-v-h-d-walker-auto-co-miss-1923.