State v. Atcherson

24 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 265

This text of 24 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 265 (State v. Atcherson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Common Pleas of Ohio, Franklin County, Civil Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Atcherson, 24 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 265 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1921).

Opinion

Sowers, J.

The relator, in his petition, alleges that the board of county commissioners, on or about the 16th day of October, 1920, appropriated $128,000 for the purpose of paying the costs and expense of improving West Third Avenue Road in Franklin county, Ohio, and awarded the contract therefor to A. W. Burns & Company for the sum of approximately $92,000.

The relator further says that on the 23d day of July, 1921, he filed with the defendant, board of commissioners, an affidavit and notice containing a sworn and itemized statement of the [266]*266amount and value of certain labor, which he performed and furnished as a sub-contractor under a contract entered into by and between himself and said A. W. Burns & Company, and that there is now d.ue the said relator, on said contract, the sum of $3,228.75 for which amount he claims a lien on the funds due or thereafter to become due, to the said A. W. Bums & Company from the board of • county commissioners of Franklin county, Ohio.

The relator further says that he filed a copy of said affidavit with the recorder of Franklin county, Ohio, and within five days after the receipt of said statement by the county commissioners, they furnished the said Burns & Company with a copv thereof.

The relator further says that no other sub-contractors, material men, laborers, mechanics or other presons furnishing material, fuel or machinery, filed with the board of county commissioners any itemized statement in respect to the improvement of said West Third Avenue before the subsequent payment fell due on or before the 1st day of August, 1921, or at any time since said date.

The relator further alleges that the commissioners have failed and refused to pay the stated part of such subsequent payment on the claim of your relator, and thereupon by mandamus prays that the commissioners deliver his warrant on the treasurer of Franklin county, Ohio, in favor of the plaintiff for the amount claimed by him.

The county commissioners filed in the case, an answer consisting of two defenses. The first defense admitted most of the allegations contained in the petition and those, which were not admitted, were supported by evidence agreed to by counsel. The second defense alleged that on the 12th day of September, 1921, Burns & Company filed in the clerk of the court’s office, a petition against Floyd Houser and the board of- county commissioners, said cause being numbered- 87,317. in which it was claimed that there was a difference between the parties as to amount due Houser as the result of a contract for work and labor, executed by and between Houser and Burns & Company, [267]*267and. by which they also claimed certain monies due them from Houser as a result of his failure to fulfill his part of the contract. In the prayer of that petition an injunction was asked against the commissioners from paying any of said funds to said Houser.

The second defense also recites that on said day the common pleas court entered an order reciting that upon the giving of an undertaking by A. W. Burns & Company in the sum of five hundred ($500) dollars, with surety, to the approval of the clerk, a restraining order and injunction be and the same was thereby allowed to issue enjoining the commissioners from paying any voucher or order to Houser for any sum whatever, and also enjoining Houser from receiving any such order or voucher from the commissioners until further order of the court.

The second defense further recites that on September 12 the county commissioners and Houser were served with copies of the order; and that thereupon on said day the clerk of the court prepared a bond in the penal sum of five hundred ($500) dollars duly conditioned that Burns & Company and its surety would pay all damages which the defendants might sustain by reason of the injunction, which bond was on said day signed by the Royal Indemnity Company, as surety, and on the 16th day of September, 1921, was duly signed by Burns & Company, as principal, and was thereupon on the 16th day of September, 1921, duly approved by the clerk of the court.

By leave of the court in the instant case, A. W. Burns & Company filed an answer and cross petition, admitting the contract set out in plaintiff’s petition, that affidavit of claim was filed by Houser as therein stated, and that thereafter, to-wit: on September 7, 1921, this defendant served a notice in writing on the board of county commissioners, and also on said Floyd Houser, that it intended to and does dispute the amount of said Houser’s claim. The cross-petitioner thereupon questioned the correctness of the amount due the plaintiff, that the same is in dispute, and alleges that an amount specified as $868.95, is due them by way of counter-claim. This cross-petitioner further alleged that [268]*268on the 12th day of September, 1921, it filed its petition in' this court, being case No. 87,317, setting out substantially the same facts as stated in their cross-petition in the instant case. Said cross-petitioner further alleged that it .asked for an injunction against the board of county commissioners restraining it from paying any funds to said Floyd Houser. They also allege that a temporary restraining order was issued against said board of commissioners and Floyd Houser, as prayed for.

The relator filed demurrers to the second defense of the county commissioners and to the answer and cross-petition of A. W. Burns & Co.

It appears from the evidence that a temporary restraining order was approved by another branch of this court on the 12th day of September, 1921, and that the same should issue when a proper bond had been executed, in the sum of $500.

It appears further from the evidence that a bond was signed at or about that time by a surety company, but the bond was not executed and approved by the clerk of this court as contemplated and provided by law until the 16th day of September, 1921.

This case in mandamus was filed on September 15, 1921, being the day prior to the execution and approval of said bond.

The court is of the opinion that this case resolves itself into two propositions,-namely, first: was the injunction, which issued, legal; and secondly, did the parties properly preserve their rights under the statute provided for the protection of sub-eon-tractors under contracts of this character?

Section. 11882, G-. C., provides that:

“Unless otherwise provided by special statute, no injunction shall operate until the party obtaining it gives a bond executed by sufficient surety, to be approved by the clerk of court granting the injunction in an amount to be fixed by the court or judge allowing it,” etc.

The bond in the instant case was fixed at $500 and was not executed or approved in accordance with this statute until September 16, 1921.

It is an essential part of the execution of an injunction bond [269]*269and a prerequisite to its approval by the clerk of the court, that the party securing the order of injunction shall sign the bond and become one of the obligors. Without this contractual obligation there is no liability to the obligee of the bond. In this respect it is different from the liability in the case of an appeal bond. In the case of an appeal, there i§ a common law liability, while in the ease of an injunction there is no liability, except where obtained maliciously or without probable cause.

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Bluebook (online)
24 Ohio N.P. (n.s.) 265, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-atcherson-ohctcomplfrankl-1921.