National Surety Corp. v. Standard Concrete Pipe Sales Co.

366 S.W.2d 103, 1963 Tex. App. LEXIS 1965
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 14, 1963
Docket14056
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 366 S.W.2d 103 (National Surety Corp. v. Standard Concrete Pipe Sales Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
National Surety Corp. v. Standard Concrete Pipe Sales Co., 366 S.W.2d 103, 1963 Tex. App. LEXIS 1965 (Tex. Ct. App. 1963).

Opinions

COLEMAN, Justice.

This is an appeal from a summary judgment in favor of a materialman, and against a general contractor and the surety on a payment bond executed in compliance with Art. 5160, R.C.S. Included in the judgment was an .order severing appellee’s claim for attorney’s fee under Art. 2226, R.C.S.

Appellant specifically excepted to the action of the trial court in granting the severance, and on this appeal presents a point that this action of the trial court was error requiring a reversal of the case.

Rule 174, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, authorizing separate trials of claims or issues, and Rule 41 dealing with severance, were considered by the Supreme Court of Texas in Kansas University Endowment Ass’n v. King, Tex., 350 S.W.2d 11, and Justice Walker speaking for the court stated: * * * Severance is proper, however, only where the suit involves two or more separate and distinct causes of action. Each of the causes into which the action is severed must be such that the same might properly be tried and determined if it were the only claim in controVerSy ⅜ ⅜ ⅜

In Huff v. Fidelity Union Life Insurance Company, 158 Tex. 433, 312 S.W.2d 493, the court held :

“While the attorney’s fees are not part of the demand or claim, but are in the nature of a penalty, or punishment for failure to pay a just debt (Davenport v. Harry Payne Motors, Inc., Tex.Civ.App.1953, 256 S.W.2d 245, no writ history), and are not ordinarily recoverable in a tort or contract action (Cleveland State Bank v. Lilley, Tex.Civ.App.1924, 260 S.W. 324 (2), no writ history), they may be recovered by compliance with the statutory provisions of Article 2226. That a suit for the statutory attorney’s fees as a separate action could not be maintained is evident from the wording of the statute. Since the right to recover is dependent upon the recovery of a judgment on a claim, * *

The trial court erred in ordering the claim for attorney’s fees severed from the suit on account since the claimant must prevail in the suit on account before a recovery of attorney’s fees is authorized by Art. 2226, R.C.S. A suit for statutory attorney’s fees as a separate action cannot be maintained. Huff v. Fidelity Union Life [105]*105Insurance Company, 158 Tex. 433, 312 S.W. 2d 493.

The error of the court in granting severance was prejudicial in that it made what otherwise would have been an interlocutory summary judgment final. Appellant filed controverting affidavits raising an issue of fact on the question of the reasonableness of the attorney’s fees demanded. He was entitled to rely on this as being sufficient to defeat the motion for summary judgment. The judgment entered, from which appeal has been prosecuted, did not properly dispose of the issues presented to the trial court.

Appellee has requested leave to file a supplemental transcript containing the motion for dismissal, and order dismissing, the severed claim for attorney’s fees. These instruments do not constitute part of the record of the case under consideration. Ennis Mercantile Co. v. Wathen, 93 Tex. 622, 57 S.W. 946; Paschall v. Renshaw, Tex.Civ.App., 142 S.W.2d 717; Whitmarsh v. Buckley, Tex.Civ.App., 324 S.W.2d 298. Leave to file the supplemental transcript must be denied.

Appellant also contends that the trial court erred in rendering judgment against it as surety on its payment bond because the affidavits filed to support the motion for summary judgment failed to show that the notice given appellant, National Surety Corporation, complied with the requirements of Art. 5160, R.C.S. The cause of action against National Surety Corporation is based on a payment bond executed by the Corporation as surety for a general contractor on public work. This bond is required of general contractors for public work by Art. 5160, supra. This act provides :

“B. Every claimant who has furnished labor or material in the prosecution of the work provided for in such contract in which a Payment Bond is furnished as required hereinabove, and who has not been paid in full therefor, shall have the right, if his claim remains unpaid after the expiration of sixty (60) days after the filing of the claim as herein required, to sue the principal and the surety or sureties on the Payment Bond jointly or severally for the amount due on the balance thereof unpaid at the time of filing the claim or of the institution of tfie suit; provided:
“(a) Notices Required for Unpaid Bills, other than notices solely for Re-tainages as hereinafter described.
“Such claimant shall have given within ninety (90) days after the 10th day of the month next following each month in which the labor was done or performed, in whole or in part, or material was delivered, in whole or in part, for which such claim is made, written notices of the claim by certified or registered mail, addressed to the prime contractor at his last known business address, or at his residence, and to the surety or sureties. Such notices shall be accompanied by a sworn statement of account stating in substance that the amount claimed is just and correct and that all just and lawful offsets, payments, and credits known to the affiant have been allowed. Such statement of account shall include therein the amount of any retainage or retainages applicable to the account that have not become due by virtue of terms of the contract between the claimant and the prime contractor or between the claimant and a subcontractor. When the claim is based on a written agreement, the claimant shall have the option to enclose, with the sworn statement of account, as such notice a true copy of such agreement and advising completion or value of partial completion of same.
“(1) When no written contract or written agreement exists between the [106]*106claimant and the prime contractor or between the claimant and a subcontractor, except as provided in subparagraph B(a) (2) hereof, such notices shall state the name of the party for whom the labor was done or performed or to whom the material was delivered, and the approximate dates of performance and delivery, and describing the labor or materials or both in such a manner so as to reasonably identify the said labor or materials or both and amount due therefor. The claimant shall generally itemize his claim and shall accompany same with true copies of documents, invoices or orders sufficient to reasonably identify the labor performed or material delivered for which claim is being made. Such documents and copies thereof shall have thereon a reasonable identification or description of the job and destination of delivery.

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366 S.W.2d 103, 1963 Tex. App. LEXIS 1965, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-surety-corp-v-standard-concrete-pipe-sales-co-texapp-1963.