Southern Sash of Huntsville, Inc. v. Jean

235 So. 2d 842, 285 Ala. 705, 1970 Ala. LEXIS 1103
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedApril 2, 1970
Docket8 Div. 330
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 235 So. 2d 842 (Southern Sash of Huntsville, Inc. v. Jean) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Southern Sash of Huntsville, Inc. v. Jean, 235 So. 2d 842, 285 Ala. 705, 1970 Ala. LEXIS 1103 (Ala. 1970).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

This appeal is from a final decree of the Circuit Court of Madison County, in Equity, wherein the trial court, on March 4, 1968, denied appellant’s prayer for a materialman’s lien on certain property described in the original bill of complaint. There is no appeal from or assignment of error with respect to judgment for money against the alleged owner or proprietor of the premises for the purchase price of the material so furnished. The review here pertains to the refusal of the court to impress and enforce a lien on the premises— the lot and building or residence thereon.

We wish to note that the final decree here under consideration made no findings of fact whatsoever, but was a general denial of relief. Appellees contend that there was no demand in writing for a finding of fact as authorized by § 262, Title 7, Recompiled Code 1958. This section applies to civil cases at law and not to equity complaints. § 260, Title 7, Recompiled Code 1958.

We further note that the record is replete with numerous rulings on objections, which indicate that the trial court did not invoke § 372(1), Title 7, Recompiled Code 1958. This section dispenses with the necessity of making objections to evidence in the trial of an equity case and permits the court to consider only legal evidence. However, the section provides that if specific objection be made in an equity case and rulings made thereon by the trial court, the statute shall not apply to such evidence. The several rulings of the trial court on the admission or rejection of evidence, listed under assignments of error, are not here argued.

Appellant prefers to rest this appeal on Assignments of Error 7, 8 and 10, which are related. Assignment 7 is as follows:

“The trial court erred in its decree rendered on the 4th day of March, 1968, since the decree is contrary to the great weight of the evidence and the facts in the case clearly show that a material-man’s lien was established on the following described property: Lot 5, Block 4, [708]*708Pine Grove Subdivision, Huntsville, Alabama.”

The original bill of complaint alleges that appellant entered into a verbal agreement with respondent, Lawson Jean, whereby appellant agreed to furnish and sell said Lawson Jean building materials to be used by him in and about the construction of a dwelling house on Lot 5, Block 4, in Pine Grove Subdivision, according to the plat of said subdivision as the same appears of record in the Probate Office of Madison County; that it sold and delivered building materials to said respondent, Lawson Jean, at his request, “during the month of January 11, 1964, through January 12, 1965,” for the construction of a dwelling on the above-described property, the price of which, after all credits and setoffs, was $10,369.49; that the said respondent, Lawson Jean, was to pay for the materials after the completion of the building; that the account became due on to-wit February 10, 1965, and is past due and unpaid, together with interest from February 10, 1965.

We think that by the original bill of complaint and the original and amended answers there were issues before the trial court as follows:

(1) That at the time respondent Lawson Jean entered into the contract with appellant to furnish certain building materials he was not the owner or proprietor of said real property, Lot 5, Block 4, supra, and that no notice was given to appellees (respondents) Taylor as the owners or proprietors of said property of the furnishing of said building materials.

(2) That said materials were actually furnished by others than appellant, but billed to appellant pursuant to an agreement with Lawson Jean to pay for the materials other than those sold specifically by complainant.

(3) That verified statement of lien was not filed within four months after the last item of material was furnished.

(4) That verified statement of lien was not filed within six months after the last item of material was furnished by complainant under the contract with Lawson Jean.

(5) That said suit was not commenced within six months after maturity of the entire indebtedness.

Inasmuch as the trial court did not predicate its decree specifically on any of the issues raised by the pleadings, we will advert in this opinion to the aforementioned issues.

We cannot agree with appellees Taylor in their contention that Lawson Jean, one of the respondents and the builder, was not the owner or proprietor of the lot in question, as those words are used in § 37, Title 33, Recompiled Code 1958.

We think that the evidence shows, and we are convinced therefrom, that Lawson Jean entered into an oral agreement with appellees, James K. Taylor and Joyce R. Taylor, in December, 1963, or early January, 1964, for the purchase of the lot on which the house was built and was put in possession of said lot; that this oral agreement was followed by a written agreement between the parties, dated February 20, 1964, for the sale of Lot 5, Block 4, Pine Grove Subdivision, 2nd Addition, as recorded in the Probate Record of Madison County, Alabama, at and for $3,500, of which $200 was to be paid as earnest money, balance at the closing of the loan. Possession of the lot was to be on or before February 20, 1964.

Mr. Jean's evidence tends to show that prior to said February 20, 1964, he had in his possession a written agreement, which the Taylors prepared, with reference to the sale of said lot and the payment of the earnest money. This instrument was not produced at the trial, but appears to have been misplaced or lost. It was never signed. However, we think the negotiations for sale of the lot were under consideration in December, 1963, and that Mr. Jean was put in [709]*709possession and that preparations for the erection of the dwelling house on the lot were begun the latter part of December, 1963. Mr. Taylor testified on cross-examination that the dwelling house on Lot 5, Block 4, was started by Mr. Ricketts (Mr. Jean’s foreman) in December, 1963. Mr. Taylor also testified that Mr. Jean paid $200 on Lot 5, Block 4, Pine Grove Subdivision, 2nd Addition, but that said sum was not paid, according to his best recollection, until February, 1964. Certainly, it would be a strange anomaly for Mr. Taylor to stand quietly by and permit construction of a residence to begin on his lot concerning which there was no agreement to sell and no delivery of possession.

We think that the transaction between Mr. Jean and Mr. Taylor, whereby the latter sold the lot in question to the former and delivered possession, made Mr. Jean the owner and proprietor within the purview and meaning of § 37, Title 33, Recompiled Code 1958. This section reads in part as follows:

“Every * * * person, firm, or corporation who shall * * * furnish any material * * * for any building or improvement on land, * * * under or by virtue of any contract with the owner or proprietor thereof, * * * shali have a lien therefor on such building or improvements and on the land on which the same is situated, * *

We observed with approval in Creson v. Main, 260 Ala. 318, 70 So.2d 417, our'pronouncement in Staley v. Woodruff, 257 Ala. 571, 60 So.2d 384, 386. We quoted in the Creson case, at 60 So.2d, p. 419, an excerpt from the Staley case as follows:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Massey Asphalt Paving, Inc. v. Lee Land Development, Inc.
203 So. 3d 1271 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 2016)
Saunders v. Lawson
982 So. 2d 1091 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 2006)
Queensboro Steel Corp. v. East Coast MacHine & Iron Works, Inc.
346 S.E.2d 248 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 1986)
John Lee Paint Co. v. Parktowne, Ltd.
367 So. 2d 472 (Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama, 1978)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
235 So. 2d 842, 285 Ala. 705, 1970 Ala. LEXIS 1103, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/southern-sash-of-huntsville-inc-v-jean-ala-1970.