Ramsey v. Hawkins

82 So. 823, 78 Fla. 189
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedJuly 30, 1919
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 82 So. 823 (Ramsey v. Hawkins) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ramsey v. Hawkins, 82 So. 823, 78 Fla. 189 (Fla. 1919).

Opinion

Campbell, Circuit Judge.

— The appellant, T. W. Ramsey, who was complainant in the court below, on September 8th, 1916, filed his bill of complaint in the Circuit Court of Hillsborough County, against the appellees herein, together with I. W. Philips Company, a corporation, and one William B. Cogswell, alleging, in substance, that the complainant was at the time named in the bill of complaint, engaged in the business of furnishing lumber and building materials, to be used in the construction of buildings in Hillsborough County, Florida, and elsewhere; that about April 2áth, 1916, W. W. Hawkins, who was then and there a contractor, with the respondent, R. L. Goode, for the erection of a building situated upon [191]*191Lot 2 of Block 4, Belvedere sub-division, according to map or plat of said sub-division, of record in tbe office of tbe Clerk of the Circuit Court of Hillsborough County, Florida, applied to the complainant for certain lumber and building materials to be used in the construction of the said building under the said contract, and that the com. plai'nant did furnish to said W. W. Hawkins, as said contractor, lumber and building materials to the value of $1063.83, which lumber and building material was used by the said W. W. Hawkins, in the construction of the said building; that the lumber and materials were fully furnished, between the 6th day of May, 1916, and the 10th day of June, 1916, and that during the whole of the said time the said building was in actual course of construction, the said work having been begun on the 22nd day of April, 1916.

That on the 24th day of April, 1916, the complainant executed and delivered to R. L. Goode, owner of the premises, a written cautionary notice of lien, the same having been actually served on April 25, 1916, at which time R. L. Goode was indebted to W. W. Hawkins, the contractor, under the aforesaid contract in a sum greatly in excess of the amount due the complainant, as shown in the said-cautionary notice, which is attached to the bill of complaint as Exhibit “A.”

The bill of complaint further alleges that the materials furnished the said contractor after said cautionary notice to the owner amounted to $1060.83, and that after allowing credits for material returned amounting to $126.48 there remained due and unpaid the sum of $934.35, the same having never been paid by either W. W. Hawkins, contractor, or R. L. Goode, the owner of the property, a statement is attached to the bill of complaint [192]*192showing the items of materials used and the amount charged therefor bearing the endorsement of W. W. Hawkins that the same is correct, this statement being marked Exhibit “B.”

It is alleged further that on July 3, 1916, complainant made a notice of his lien in writing, which Avas filed lor record on the same date, copy thereof being attached to the bill of complaint.

The bill alleges further that the Dawson Trading Company, a corporation, sold the lot described in the bill of complaint, and in the cautionary notice of lien to R. L. Goode on the 6th day of March, 1916, and that on the 11th day of March, 1916, and made and executed a mortgage on the premises to the said Dawson Trading Company, a corporation, and that it was withheld from record until the 5th day of June, 1916, and that the complainant at the time of furnishing the materials alleged to have been furnished had no actual knowledge of the existence of such mortgage. It is also alleged in the said bill of complaint, that on June 3rd, 1916, the respondents, R. L. Goode and Inez Goode, his wife, made and executed a mortgage upon the said property in the sum of $1750.00 to the respondent, United States Trust and Savings Bank, a corporation, and that at the time of the giving of the said mortgage and the acceptance thereof by the mortgagee, the said building was in process of construction and that the said United States Trust and Savings Bank, was charged with notice of the claims and rights of the complainant, and that the mortgage is subject to the lien of the complainant.

The complainant claims in his said bill a lien upon the lot and the building in the sum of $93á.35 for the material furnished, and that an accounting be taken of [193]*193the amount justly due complainant, including interest and .attoraneys’ fees, as provided under the laws of Florida; and that the same be declared to be superior to the claims or rights of any of the respondents named in the bill of complaint. And that the respondent, W. W. Hawkins, and R. L. Goode be decreed to pay the complainant the sum found to be due and in default of the payment thereof, that the premises be sold by the decree of the court at public auction and from the proceeds of the sale the amount of the decree be satisfied.

No service of process was had upon the respondent. William B. Cogswell.

On November 6th, 1916, the respondent, I. W. Philips Company, a corporation, filed a disclaimer of anv title, right or interest in connection with the premises in question.

Answers were filed by R. L. Goode and wife, Inez Goode, The United States Trust and Savings Bank and The Dawson Trading Company, a corporation, denying the material allegations of the bill ef complaint in so far as they affected the said respective respondents.

Replication was duly lied and testimony was taken and reported by Special Master, who had been appointed by the court.

On December 10th, 1917, the court rendered its decree and found the following:

1st. That the complainant, -T. W. Ramsey, actually furnished lumber and building material used in said premises to the respondent, R. L. Goode, belonging, and to the amount claimed in the bill of complaint, viz-. $931.35, none of which has been paid.

2nd. The court further finds that the building upon said premises was actually constructed by W. W. Haw[194]*194kins, respondent herein, under contract with the respondent, R. L. Goode. And the court further finds that the respondent, R. L. Goode, has never paid that portion of his contract with the said W. W. Hawkins .amounting to the sum due to the complainant herein either to the said respondent, W. W. Hawkins, or any other parties, but in fact has never paid the same.

3rd. The court further finds that the notice of the complainant to- the said respondent, R. L. Goode, was actually served upon him on the 25th day of April, 1916, at which time he was Indebted to the contractor, W. TT. Hawkins, in a sum more than that claimed in said notice.

4th. The court further finds that the respondent, W. W. Hawkins, is indebted to the complainant for furnishing materials as heretofore set forth in the amount of 1934.35.

5th. The court further finds that at the time of the filing and recording of the mortgages of both of the respondents, The Dawson Trading Company, and the United States Trust and Savings Bank, the complainant was actually furnishing lumber .and materials upon said premises and that the house built thereon was in the actual course of construction.

6th. The court further finds that the notice delivered by the complainant to the respondent, R. L. Goode, was wholly insufficient to comply with the purpose of the statute and that in consequence thereof the complainant acquired no lien upon the premises involved in this suit, viz: Lot 2 of Block 4 of Belvedere Sub-division, according to the map or plat thereof on record in the office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Hillsborough Coun[195]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
82 So. 823, 78 Fla. 189, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ramsey-v-hawkins-fla-1919.