Phillips v. Branch Mint Min. & Mill Co.

131 N.W. 308, 27 S.D. 350, 1911 S.D. LEXIS 45
CourtSouth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedMay 10, 1911
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 131 N.W. 308 (Phillips v. Branch Mint Min. & Mill Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering South Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Phillips v. Branch Mint Min. & Mill Co., 131 N.W. 308, 27 S.D. 350, 1911 S.D. LEXIS 45 (S.D. 1911).

Opinions

CORSON, J.

On May 12, 1908, the plaintiffs instituted an action to foreclose a mechanic’s lien making James D. Plardin and the Union Trust Company of Philadelphia, among others, defendants in the action. The complaint was in the usual form, and in the complaint it is alleged: “That the defendant Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company, James D. Plardin, and the Union Trust Company of the City of Philadelphia claimed some estate, right, title, and interest in and to the above-described property, the exact nature of which is unknown to plaintiffs, but plaintiffs allege that said claim is inferior and subject to the claim of said plaintiffs.” The plaintiffs then prayed for judgment against the mining company for the amount of their- respective accounts; that all parties having miners’ liens against said above-described property might be brought in and made defendants or plaintiffs herein, as the case may require; that the said claims of the defendants Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company, James D. Hardin, and the Union Trust Company of the city of Philadelphia may be adjudged inferior and subject to the liens and claims of the plaintiffs; and that said plaintiffs -may be adjudged to have a [354]*354miner’s lien, etc., upon the properties described in the complaint. To the complaint defendant Hardin served and filed a separate answer, denying the larger portion of the account of Cordelia O’Donnell, and for further defense, and by way of counterclaim and for. affirmative relief, the defendant alleges: That at the special instance of the Branch Mint Mining & Milling Company he sold and delivered to said defendant during the months of from the 15th da3f of February, 1903, to and including the 15th day of February, 1908, certain material, lumber, machinery, tools, and supplies, and performed for said defendant, at its instance and request, certain work and labor which were of the value and for which said defendant company agreed to pay the sum of $150,-000, no part of which has been paid. He then alleges the filing of a lien for said account on July 28, 1908; that the defendant railroad company and the Union Trust Company claim some right, title, and interest in and to said property which claim defendant alleges is inferior and subject to his lien, and prays for judgment against the mining company for the amount of his account with interest, together with the further relief that his lien be foreclosed and the property sold in the manner provided by law. This answer was verified in July, 1908, was served on the plaintiffs on July 8, 1908, and on the defendant the Branch Mint Mining & Milling Company. Subsequently, by leave of court, defendant Hardin served his separate supplemental answer alleging: “(1) ‘For a further defense to the complaint of the plaintiffs and by way of counterclaim, and for affirmative relief,’ the defendant, after alleging the corporate character of the remaining defendants, alleged that between March x, 1904, and July 24, 1908, he furnished the defendant mining company certain lumber, machinery, materials, tools, and supplies of the value and for which said defendant agreed to pay the aggregate sum of $392,961.61. * * * He then alleged the filing of a lien for said account on July 28, 1908, and that the defendants Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company and the Union Trust Company claim some estate, right, title, and interest in and to said property, which claim defendant alleged was inferior and subject to the lien of said defendant. The prayer was for judgment in his favor against the [355]*355mining company for the amount of his account, with interest, together with the further relief prayed for in his separate answer heretofore made herein.” The supplemental answer was served upon the attorneys for the plaintiffs, and attorneys for the Branch Mint Mining & Milling Company on August io, 1908, and was served upon the Sterns Company, which had intervened, setting up a miner’s lien in its behalf against the Branch Mint Mining & Milling Company on August 20, 1908. The Branch Mint Mining & Milling Company served its answer to this separate 'supplemental answer of the defendant James D. Hardin, making certain admissions and denials, not material in the determination of this case. Certain other parties intervened setting up by way of complaints in intervention the furnishing of materials, supplies, etc., to the defendant mining 'company, the filing of their liens therefor, and prayed for the same relief as prayed for by plaintiffs and defendant Hardin. The following stipulation was entered into: “The defendant Hardin stipulated, under date of August 15, 1908, with the plaintiffs and the interveners, that the amount of any liens adjudged due to them from the defendant mining company should be decreed to be prior and superior liens to that claimed by the defendant Hardin, and that decree of foreclosure might be entered accordingly.” These liens of the plaintiffs and interveners amount to the sum gf $7,149.27. The original complaint in the action was served upon the defendant Union Trust Company, in the city of Philadelphia, state of Pensylvania, but that company did not appear in the action or file or serve any answer or demurrer therein.

On May 1, 1909, the court entered a decree in favor of the plaintiffs and interveners, establishing their liens and decreeing that said liens were concurrent, and further decreeing that the liens of the above-named parties were prior and superior to the lien, if any, of James D. Hardin and the Union Trust Company of the city of Philadelphia; further ordering a decree that the action be continued so far as the claim of James D. Hardin was concerned; further ordering a decree that the property described in the complaint be sold at public auction, and out of the proceeds of such sale the sheriff pay the plaintiffs, interveners, and the railroad company the amount found due them, and that, if there be [356]*356any balance left, the samé shall be paid into- -the hand's of the clerk of the -court to wait the -decree of the court in the matter of -the lien of James D. Hardin and th-e claim of the Union Trust Company, if -any, with the usual provisions customary in foreclosure decrees. On July 9, 1909, the -cause -coming on for trial -on the issue raised -by the supplemental answer and counterclaim of the defendant James D. Hardin, and the answer of the Branch Mint Mining & Milling Company thereto, it was by the court adjudged that the defendant James D. Hardin have and recover o-f the Branch Mint Mining & Milling Company the sum of $392,961.61, with interest thereon from August 1, 1908, and that execution issue therefor. On July 24, 1909, an order to- show cause was served upon John R. Russel, attorney of record for the Branch Mint Mining & Milling Company, -and upon one of the directors of said company, returnable July 27, 1909, why the decision -and judgment herto-fore entered in favor of the said J-am-es D. Hardin should not be vacated and set aside and a judgment entered establishing and sustaining the miner’s lien filed by th-e said Hardin against the defendant mining company. On the return day of this order to show cause, the court ordered that the decision and judgment on or a-bout July 9, 1909, be, and -the same are, vacated and set aside, and it was further ordered that, in lieu thereof, a decision and judgment to- be forthwith entered therein -establishing and sustaining the miner’s lien filed by the defendant Hardin against the Branch Mint .Mining & Milling Company as to all items therein contained, excepting items of interest paid - on mortgage bonds, and awarding execution upon said judgment.

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Related

Wright v. McKenzie
226 N.W. 270 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1929)
McCutchen v. Union Trust Co.
271 F. 586 (Eighth Circuit, 1921)
Hardin v. Graham
159 N.W. 895 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1916)
Hardin v. Rogers
159 N.W. 63 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1916)
Hardin v. Union Trust Co. of Philadelphia
191 F. 152 (Eighth Circuit, 1911)

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Bluebook (online)
131 N.W. 308, 27 S.D. 350, 1911 S.D. LEXIS 45, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/phillips-v-branch-mint-min-mill-co-sd-1911.