Trinity Universal Ins. Co. v. Woitaske

148 S.W.2d 235
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 6, 1941
DocketNo. 2264.
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 148 S.W.2d 235 (Trinity Universal Ins. Co. v. Woitaske) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Trinity Universal Ins. Co. v. Woitaske, 148 S.W.2d 235 (Tex. Ct. App. 1941).

Opinion

RICE, Chief Justice.

William R. Lynch entered into a contract with Hamilton County, Texas, obligating himself to erect a jail for the use of said county, and to furnish the labor and material therefor.' As a part of the contract, he executed and delivered a penal bond with the Trinity Universal Insurance Company as surety, conditioned as required by Art. 5160, Vernon’s Annotated Civil Statutes. Thereafter, A. J. Woitaske furnished the labor and material to erect and plaster certain partition wails in said building in consideration of the sum of $709, to be paid by Lynch when Woitaske completed his contract. Higginbotham Bros. & Company, a corporation, delivered to Lynch lumber and building material used in said construction to the value of $776.41. Lynch failed to pay either of said accounts. A. J. Woitaske brought this suit against Lynch and Trinity Universal Insurance Company for the sum due him by Lynch under said contract. Higginbotham Bros. & Company intervened, praying for judgment against said defendants for the amount of its account. On a trial to the court, judgment was rendered in favor of A. J. Woitaske and against the defendants Lynch and Trinity Universal Insurance Company, jointly, in the sum of $709; and in favor of Higginbotham Bros. & Company, intervener, against the same defendants, jointly, in the sum of $776.41. From this judgment Trinity Universal Insurance Company alone appeals.

The verified claim filed by appellee Woit-aske, and on which his cause of action is predicated, is itemized as follows:

“For labor performed and material furnished in the construction of the County Jail at Hamilton, Hamilton County, Texas, from starting July 11th, 1938, and completed August 5th, 1938, itemized as follows :
Material furnished for lathing by affiant . $199.00
Labor on lathing. 95.00
Material for plastering. 175.00
Labor on plastering. 240.00
Insurance. 11.40
Social Security. 3.00
Total balance due on account as per contract. $723.40,”

Appellant contends that this claim is not itemized as required by the provisions of Article 5160, Vernon’s Annotated Civil Statutes, and that a compliance with said article in this respect is a condition precedent to a recovery against a surety on the bond of a public contractor.

Article 5160 requires that claims “shall be itemized and sworn to as required by Statutes as to mechanic’s lien claims.” See Articles 5453 and 5456.

The Supreme Court, in the case of Ball v. Davis, 118 Tex. 534, 18 S.W.2d 1063, 1064, passed upon the validity of two claims similar, in respect to itemization, to the claim of appellee Woitaske. The court held that the claims were not sufficiently itemized, and were too indefinite to comply with the statute. In coming to this conclusion the court sáid: “The statute (article 5453) requires the account to be itemized. The term used means that the account must be set out by items.” The following cases support the foregoing proposition: Union Indemnity Co. v. Rockwell, Tex.Com.App., 57 S.W.2d 90; McClellan v. Haley, Tex.Com.App., 250 S.W. 413; Hardin v. McCarthy, Tex.Civ.App., 55 S.W.2d 1099; National Surety Co. v. United Brick & Tile Co., Tex.Civ.App., 71 S.W.2d 937; Austin Bridge Co. v. Drake, Tex.Civ.App. 79 S.W.2d 677.

Applying to the facts of this case the rule laid down by the cases cited above, we are of the opinion that the claim of *237 Woitaske was not sufficiently itemized to meet the requirements of Article 5160. It was not itemized either as to the dates on which the material was delivered, or on which the labor was performed; nor was it itemized as to the various items or quantities of material actually delivered.

Appellant takes the position that Higgin-botham Bros. & Company, having admittedly filed its claim in the office of the County Clerk of Hamilton County on September 19, 1938, said intervener can recover only for the value of those materials shown by said claim to have been delivered within the period of ninety days prior to September 19, 1938. Although appellant contends that this period would only include materials delivered subsequent to June 21, 1938, it admits liability in the sum of $54.45, being the value of items furnished on and after June 20, 1938.

It is stipulated that intervener filed its itemized account with the County Clerk of Hamilton County on the 19th day of September, 1938; and that a correct statement of the account was attached to intervener’s petition. The account shows delivery of materials on dates beginning April 18th and ending August 25th; and that no materials were delivered on June 19, 1938. Inter-vener’s 'local manager testified that the items in the account were delivered on the dates they were charged.

The judgment rendered in favor of in-tervener and against appellant was for the value of all materials delivered to Lynch after deducting credits.

Error is assigned by appellant to the action of the trial court in rendering judgment for the value of materials delivered prior to June 20, 1938.

Appellant contends that the judgment is excessive by the sum of $721.96, being the value of materials delivered prior to June 20, 1938, after deducting credits; and that the trial court should have rendered judgment against it for $54.45, said sum being the value of materials delivered on and subsequent to June 20, 1938.

It being admitted that the claim of intervener Higginbotham Bros. & Company was filed on September 19, 1938, this assignment is sustained. Article 5160, Vernon’s Annotated Civil Statutes, provides, in part: “Such claims shall be filed with the County Clerk of the County, in which said work is being prosecuted, within ninety days from the date of the delivery of said material and the performance of said work.”

In the case of National Surety Co. v. United Brick & Tile Co., Tex.Civ.App., 71 S.W.2d 937, it is held that the above quoted requirement of Article 5160 is mandatory and conclusive. This opinion is quoted from and cited with approval in the case of Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. v. Hawn Lbr. Co., 128 Tex. 296, 97 S.W.2d 460.

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Bluebook (online)
148 S.W.2d 235, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/trinity-universal-ins-co-v-woitaske-texapp-1941.