Sheehan v. South River Brick Co.

36 S.E. 759, 111 Ga. 444, 1900 Ga. LEXIS 558
Supreme Court of Georgia·Decided July 14, 1900·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

Lumpkin, P. J.

The South River Brick Company brought an action against F. W. Pierce and Mrs. Elizabeth Sheehan, for the purpose of establishing and enforcing a materialman’s lien. Pierce filed no answer, but Mrs. Sheehan made a vigorous defense. The jury found in .favor of the plaintiff, and she brings here for review a judgment overruling her motion for a new trial. The evidence is voluminous and in many particulars conflicting. After a careful examination and study of it, we find that the following presents the most favorable view of the facts from the standpoint of the plaintiff: In the spring of 1.895, Mrs. Sheehan made a contract with Pierce for the erection of a brick building on Piedmont avenue in the city of Atlanta, the same to be completed by the 1st day of July, according to certain plans and specifications prepared for her by R. L. Jones & Co., architects. Pierce made an oral agreement with the South River Brick Company, under the terms of which that company undertook to furnish him what brick he “needed for the erection of that building.” At the time-this contract was entered into, no definite number of brick was-specified, but the parties estimated that the quantity required would be between 250,000 and 300,000. On various dates up to and including the 27th of June, the Brick Company furnished Pierce some 294,'000. It furnished no more until the-[446]*4464th day of November, 1895, when it delivered upon his order 250 brick, which were used by him in raising to a greater height some of the chimneys upon the building which had not previously been carried up to the height called for by the plans and specifications. Some time in = September, R. L. Jones, a member of the firm of architects above mentioned, who was superintending the work for-Mrs. Sheehan, complained to Pierce that some of the chimneys were not of the height specified in his contract with her. To this complaint Pierce at the time paid no attention. On the 19th of October, Jones & Co. addressed to him a letter of which the following is a copy:

“Atlanta, Oct. 19,189.5.

“Mr. F. W. Pierce, City. Dear Sir, — We note, by reference to the plans, that you have not carried the chimneys of the tenements of Mrs. Sheehan as high as they should be; and we therefore notify you to carry same done at your expense after a reasonable time has elapsed in which you fail to do so, and we will not accept the houses as complete until this and other defects are remedied.

Respectfully, R. L. Jones & Co., Archts.”

It does not appear that Mrs. Sheehan had any knowledge of the complaint made by her architects to Pierce with reference to the chimneys, or that she was informed that they had addressed to him the letter above quoted. Indeed, it does not appear that she even knew the chimneys had not been built according to contract. On the 2d day of November there was a meeting in the office of her attorneys, at which she, Pierce, and R. L. Jones were present. Pierce was then endeavoring to obtain a final settlement with Mrs. Sheehan. Nothing was said on that occasion with reference to the chimneys or any other part of the brickwork on the building. She did, however, make complaint that the house had not been completed according to coi}tract, because of the failure of Pierce to put up certain window-blinds. Pierce contended that, under the specifications, he was not required to furnish these blinds, and in this contention was sustained by Jones. Another matter of dispute between Mrs. Sheehan and Pierce was as to how much he had forfeited by reason of his failure to complete the building within the time limited by the contract. This difference [447] and that relating to the window-blinds were adjusted, and Mrs. Sheehan then and there, by Pierce’s direction, paid to Curtis & Craig, to which firm Pierce was indebted for other material, the full amount due him according to the settlement agreed upon. Thus the matter between Mrs. Sheehan and Pierce was finally and definitely closed. On the 4th day of November, two days later, Pierce, who had previously taken no action with regard to the letter of October 19 above set forth, delivered the same to the Brick Company, and gave to it an order for 250 brick, which were on the same day, under Pierce’s order and direction, placed upon the chimneys of Mrs. Sheehan’s building. This additional work was, however, done without her knowledge or consent. On the 18th of November the Brick Company addressed and sent to Mrs. Sheehan a written notice, which she received on the 21st, to the effect that Pierce was indebted to that company a balance of $420.26 for brick furnished for the erection of her building on Piedmont avenue. Subsequently the company recorded its lien based upon its demand against Pierce for material furnished him.

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Sheehan v. South River Brick Co., 36 S.E. 759, 111 Ga. 444, 1900 Ga. LEXIS 558 (Ga. 1900).

36 S.E. 759 (Sheehan v. South River Brick Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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