W. T. Hardison & Co. v. Harding Court Co.

251 S.W.2d 829, 36 Tenn. App. 98, 1952 Tenn. App. LEXIS 97
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedJune 27, 1952
StatusPublished

This text of 251 S.W.2d 829 (W. T. Hardison & Co. v. Harding Court Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
W. T. Hardison & Co. v. Harding Court Co., 251 S.W.2d 829, 36 Tenn. App. 98, 1952 Tenn. App. LEXIS 97 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1952).

Opinion

HICKERSON, J.

W. T. Hardison & Company, Inc., filed the bill against Harding Court Company, Inc., and Paul L. Dunlap, doing business as Dunlap Construction Company, to enforce an alleged lien for materials furnished by complainant and used in the construction of a building on land owned by Harding Court Company, Inc.

Complainant alleged:

“That the defendant Dunlap Construction Company is engaged in the building trade, and was so engaged during the year of 1949. That during the summer of 1949, the said Dunlap Construction Com[100]*100pany undertook to make certain repairs belonging to the defendant Harding Court Company, Inc., on the tract of land herein above described.
“Your complainant furnished to the said Dunlap Construction Company, agent for the Harding Court Company, Inc., building material for the use of repair and building said home and that there remains a balance due and owing to said complainant in the sum of Two Hundred Fifty-Nine Dollars and seventy-seven cents ($259.77).
“The said defendants have failed to pay the remainder of this bill and a mechanic’s lien was claimed and filed against this property on or about November 30,1949, under Sections 7913 to 7959 of the Code of Tennessee, 1932 Edition. Said lien is duly recorded in the Register’s Office for Davidson County at Nashville, Tennessee. A certified copy of the lien will be filed at the proper time in this cause.
“Your complainant would respectfully show to' the Court that this account is for materials sold and delivered and used as above described.”

Since complainant alleged its contract was with “Dunlap Construction Company, agent for Harding Court Company, Inc.,” it follows that complainant’s suit is based upon a factual situation whereby complainant sold its materials to the owner of the land, Harding Court Company, Inc., by and through Dunlap Construction Company, as agent of Harding Court Company, Inc.

Code Section 7914 applies to a suit to enforce a lien for materials furnished under this factual situation which was alleged in the bill.

Complainant dismissed its bill against Dunlap Construction Company.

[101]*101Harding Court Company, Inc., filed an answer to the bill in which it alleged:

“This defendant does not know whether the complainant fnrnished to the Dunlap Construction Company building materials; and this defendant does not know whether any building materials furnished by complainant were ever used on property owned by this defendant. Therefore, this defendant denies the allegations that complainant furnished building, materials for the repair or building of any structure on defendant’s land.
“This defendant further denies that Dunlap Construction Company was the agent of this defendant.
“This defendant will show that it made a contract with Paul Dunlap to do certain work on a portion of defendant’s property and by the terms of said contract the said Paul Dunlap was an independent contractor, and not the agent of this defendant. The said Paul Dunlap contracted to do all of the work specified; to furnish his own labor and to furnish the materials, and also to protect this defendant against any liens or claims of the laborers or material men.
“This defendant will further show that he has paid to said Paul Dunlap the full contract price for said work, and the said money so paid, as this defendant believes, was used to pay for materials and labor used in the construction of said building.
“This defendant, therefore, denies that the complainant is entitled to any lien upon defendant’s property, and denies further that the complainant has any claim against this defendant in any way.”

After a full hearing, upon depositions, the Chancellor held:

[102]*102“From all of which the Court is of the opinion that the complainant has fully made out the aver-ments in its original petition; that it sold and delivered to Dunlap Construction Company, as Agent for the Harding Court Company, Inc., material that went into and was used in the building on the land set out and described in the petition,
■Y? * * # * *
“That said material amounted to the sum of $259.77, and that under the Statute the said complainant is entitled to a lien as prayed for in its original bill.
“It is, therefore, ordered, adjudged and decreed that said lien and attachment be and the same is hereby sustained as prayed for in the original bill and that said property, or enough thereof, be sold to satisfy the lien of $259.77.”

To review that decree, Harding Court Company, Inc., has perfected its appeal to this Court.

Appellant’s assignments No. 1 and No. 2 are:

“Assignment No. 1. The Chancery Court erred in decreeing that the complainant is entitled to a lien upon'defendant’s property and. that the property be sold to satisfy the lien of $259.77.
“Assignment No. 2. The Chancery Court erred in holding that the complainant sold material to Dunlap Construction Company, as agent for Harding Court Company.
í í ipRere is no evidence to this effect. Mr. Hardison testified that the material was sold to Dunlap Construction Company. The invoices or delivery slips are made out to Dunlap Construction Company. The Statement of Account is made out to Dunlap Construction Company. And the written contract shows [103]*103that Dunlap was an independent contractor and not an agent.”

Hibson’s Suits in Chancery, Fourth Edition, Section 142, provides:

“Every fact essential to the complainant’s title to maintain the hill, and obtain the relief, must be stated in the bill, otherwise the defect will be fatal. For no facts are properly in issue unless charged in the bill; and of course no proofs can generally be offered of facts not in the bill; nor can relief be granted for matters not charged, although they may be apparent from evidence; for the Court pronounces its decrees secundum allegata et probata. The reason of this is, that the defendant may be apprised by the bill what the charges and allegations are against which he is to prepare his defense. If the rule were otherwise, the defendant would not only not know what charges he would be required to meet, but the complainant, by thus failing to inform the defendant, would be taking advantage of his own wrong. Besides, the Court has no jurisdiction of any matter not contained in the pleadings; and if the Chancellor should assume to make an adjudication not justified by the pleadings, his decree would be coram non judice, and void on the face of the proceedings; and this would be so, even though the facts proved would have abundantly supported the decree had there been pleadings justifying the proof.”

Wherefore, complainant is bound to make out its case under the allegations of its pleadings. Having alleged that it sold the materials for which it sues to “Harding Court Company, Inc.,” its case is controlled by Code Section 7914, which provides:

[104]

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Bluebook (online)
251 S.W.2d 829, 36 Tenn. App. 98, 1952 Tenn. App. LEXIS 97, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/w-t-hardison-co-v-harding-court-co-tennctapp-1952.