W. P. Nelson Co. v. Weyl

125 N.E. 466, 71 Ind. App. 674, 1919 Ind. App. LEXIS 257
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 18, 1919
DocketNo. 10,094
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 125 N.E. 466 (W. P. Nelson Co. v. Weyl) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
W. P. Nelson Co. v. Weyl, 125 N.E. 466, 71 Ind. App. 674, 1919 Ind. App. LEXIS 257 (Ind. Ct. App. 1919).

Opinion

McMahan, J.

— The Strand Theater Company of Illinois and Ernest C. Divine were lessees of the Park Theater in the city of Indianapolis. On October 26, 1915, said lessees entered into an agreement with the appellant whereby they employed appellant, and the appellant agreed to furnish material and perform the necessary labor in overhauling and remodeling the theater building.

Appellant began this work in December, 1915, and continued the same in accordance with the specifications, except that by agreement one item was omitted and a credit of $60 was allowed therefor. Some extra work was done as provided in the contract of the value of $1,234. Said Strand Theater Company of [676]*676Illinois and said Divine subleased said theater building to the Strand Theatre Company of Maine in January, .1916, and said lease for the said theater was thereafter assigned to the Strand Theater -Company -of Indiana, which will herein be designated as the Indiana company. As a part of the consideration for the assignment to it, the Indiana company assumed and agreed to pay all contracts, agreements and other obligations entered into, and. all expenses incurred or undertaken in connection with the improvement and equipment of said building, among which were debts and obligations to the appellant on account of its contract with the original lessees.

On June 24, 1916, appellant filed a notice in the office of the recorder of Marion county, Indiana, of its intention to hold a lien upon the real estate upon which said building is located, and upon the leasehold interest of said lessees in said real estate, for the sum of $5,159.20 for the work and labor done and material furnished under said contract. Carl H. Weyl was appointed receiver of all the property and assets of the Indiana company, and as such receiver took possession of said theater building and premises, and the leasehold estate of said company therein, and continued in the possession thereof until August 5, 1916, when, under the orders of the court, he sold and assigned said leasehold to one Shafer Zigler.

Appellant filed its petition in said receivership matter alleging the facts as hereinbefore stated, and asking that its lien oñ the premises be transferred to the funds in possession of the receiver, and that the amount due thereon be decreed to be á preferred debt and claim and a lien upon the funds in the hands of the receiver derived from the sale of said lease and leasehold estate.'

[677]*677The cause was tried by the court, and at the request of the parties the court found the facts specially. The court stated its conclusion of law thereon to the effect that the appellant was entitled to recover as a general creditor in the sum of $5,158.75, and judgment was rendered accordingly, without ány right to a lien or priority on the funds in the hands of the receiver.

Appellant’s exception to the conclusion of law presents the only question for our determination. The only question presented by the record is: Was the notice of the mechanic’s lien filed within the sixty days after the furnishing of the materials and the performance of the labor as required by the statute? The court found the-facts in substance as herein-before stated. The court also found that all the materials and all of the work which was done and performed by appellant were fully completed by appellant during the last week in January, 1916, and before the first day of February; that said work and materials were accepted by the Indiana company through its duly authorized representative at- said time; that thereupon appellant removed all of its apparatus and material from said premises and turned said theater and work over to the Indiana company and rendered its statement for said labor and materials, and that said work at that time was completed in accordance with the contract between the Strand Theater Company of Illinois and appellant, and was done in a proper and complete manner; that during the early part of February, 1916, and when said bill for said work was submitted to the Indiana company, it, through its president, objected and urged that certain portions of the work were not properly done, but waived all objections, except the painting of the can[678]*678opy in front of said theater, and requested appellant to repaint the same. The court finds that said canopy originally, in the latter part of January, 1916, was properly painted and accepted by the said theater company as aforesaid, but that on account of the action of inclement weather, and on account of the public coming in contact with the same it became despoiled; that nothing was done towards the repainting of said canopy by appellant until May 12,1916, at which time, without making any charges or receiving any compensation therefor appellant repaired the painting of said canopy by repainting and retouching parts and portions thereof at an expense of $4.65; that in the interim between February 1, 1916, and May 12, 1916, appellant did no work and furnished no material towards the labor or improvement of said theater, and that after appellant so submitted its bill for said work and materials in the early part of February, 1916, and after it was presented to the president of the Indiana company, said company refused to make any payment on account of said bill until said appellant repainted said canopy. On May 16, 1916, the Indiana company paid appellant $1,000, and on June 7,1916, $500, to apply on account of said contract. The value of all the materials furnished and labor performed by appellant under the contract was found to be $6,345. In addition to the said materials and labor, appellant performed other work and sustained loss on account of certain items which the court found amounted to $313.75, and which was not included in said contract.

Appellee contends that, under the facts found by the court, the contract was completed by appellant in January, 1916, and that the work of repainting said [679]*679canopy did not, under the facts, extend the time within which appellant could file its notice of a mechanic’s lien. Appellant contends that the owner or lessee of the property, having refused to make any payment on the contract, and having demanded that such additional work be performed before any payment would be made, is estopped from claiming that the work was completed according to the contract in January, 1916.

In Scheible v. Schickler (1896), 63 Minn. 471, 65 N. W. 920, furnaces were put in a building and were warranted as to their capacity. The contract was fully performed, and the work accepted, but the furnaces did not fulfill the warranty. Under a subsequent contract, the contractor, in satisfaction of all damages, agreed to substitute certain other furnaces, which he did. The notice of lien was there filed within ninety days after the completion of the last work, but more than ninety days after the completion of the first work, and was held filed in time. In Shaw v. Fjellman (1898), 72 Minn, 465, 75 N. W. 705, the court in discussing a similar question said: “After it was supposed that the work had been completed, and it was accepted or taken possession of by the owner, he or his agent might extend the time for filing a lien by requiring additional work to be done to remedy defects subsequently discovered, and the time for filing the lien would commence to run' from the completion of such additional work.” Citing St. Louis Nat. Stock Yards v. O’Reilly (1877), 85 Ill. 546; Jeffersonville Water Supply Co. v. Riter (1894), 138 Ind. 170, 37 N. E. 652; McIntyre v. Trautner

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Bluebook (online)
125 N.E. 466, 71 Ind. App. 674, 1919 Ind. App. LEXIS 257, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/w-p-nelson-co-v-weyl-indctapp-1919.