Damon v. Reliable Transfer Co.
Damon v. Reliable Transfer Co.
Opinion of the Court
OPINION OF THE COURT BY
On February 6,1918, the complainants S. M. Damon, A. W. T. Bottomley and James L. Cockburn, copartners doing business under the firm name of Bishop & Company, and E. F. Bishop and A. W. T. Bottomley, guardians of the estate of said S. M. Damon, filed a bill in equity to foreclose a chattel mortgage given by the Reliable Transfer Company, Limited, a corporation, to secure the payment of its promissory note to said Bishop & Company dated April 28, 1916, for $6000 payable in monthly instalments of $500 each with interest at the rate of eight
The bill prayed that the mortgage be foreclosed; that the amount due thereunder, including principal, interest-costs and attorney’s fees, be declared a first lien on the property and superior to any and all claims of the respondents; that a commissioner be appointed to sell the property and apply the proceeds of sale, after payment of expenses, to the mortgage debt; for a deficiency judgment; and for general relief. The Reliable Transfer Company filed no answer and made no contest. The Auto Service & Supply Company, Limited, and the Pacific Automobile and Machine Shop interposed motions to strike portions of the bill of complaint. The motions Avere denied and the respondents filed answers. The answers of Club Stables, Limited, and California Feed
Trial Avas had AAhich concluded May 18, 1918, and the circuit judge on that date rendered an oral decision which has been transcribed into the record, in AAhich he found against the two contentions of the respondents to the effect that the note and mortgage had not been properly executed by authorized officers of the mortgagor corporation and that the indebtedness exceeded the capital of the mortgagor company contrary to law. These points are not urged here and must be considered as abandoned. The circuit judge also found that the mortgage was good and valid as to all the property therein specially mentioned and owned by the mortgagor at the time of its execution but ineffective as to all after-acquired property. As to the claim of Pacific Automobile and Machine Shop that it has a common law lien upon the six ton Doane truck to secure its repair and storage bill the circuit judge found that said lien was valid and superior to the mortgage lien to secure $88.50 of the repair bill claimed and $20 of the storage bill claimed but as to the remainder of said repair and storage bills claimed the mortgage
As to the claim of the Auto Service & Supply Company, Limited, the circuit judge found that it had adjusted upon one of the mortgaged vehicles certain tires of the value of about $157 but found that there was no guaranty or undertaking by the mortgagees, either through the agency of Mr. Macauley or otherwise, to pay for the tires; that Macauley did not give or purport to give such guaranty, either on hehaif of the mortgagees or otherwise, and was not authorized or in any manner held out by the mortgagees as being authorized to. in anywise represent them in the premises, and that the charges of fraud against the mortgagees' were not established by the proof.
Having found against the claims of both respondents, except as to the portion of the claim of the Pacific Automobile and Machine Shop as above set out, a decree was entered foreclosing the mortgage as prayed for except as to' after-acquired property and subject to the claim of Pacific Automobile and Machine Shop found to be superior to the mortgage and also that complainants recover of the respondent Pacific Automobile and Machine Shop $120, the value of the Minominee auto truck mentioned in the mortgage and converted by said respondent to its own use.
The respondents Auto Service & Supply Company, Limited, and Pacific Automobile and Machine Shop have appealed and attack numerous rulings admitting and .ex-
The alleged errors in the admission and exclusion of evidence are so numerous that Ave shall not attempt a discussion of them. We have carefully read the record and the transcript of the evidence which is very lengthy and conclude that the respondents Avere alloAved very Avide scope in their attempt to prove the allegations of their ansAvers. If the trial judge did not at all times maintain that degree of exterior calm expected of him in the face of the exceedingly long and tedious examination and cross-examination of AAdtnesses attempted by counsel for the respondents it should not be charged up to him as indicating bias. They were given every opportunity to prove their allegations and failed.
The Pacific Automobile and Machine Shop complains that it should have been allowed the full five months’ storage claimed. “The common law lien given to ware-housemen does not extend to cases of private storage.” 17 R. C. L. 603. A person not an innkeeper or warehouseman nor in the business of storing goods, who permits the property of another to remain on his premises under an agreement to pay storage, but without any agreement for a lien, has no lien for the storage at common law. Lewis v. Gray, 109 Me. 128. In the case at bar the one claiming the lien had no agreement with the owner of the truck for a lien nor that storage was to be paid and does not come within the class of persons entitled at common law to a lien for storage. The claim for storage in any amount Avas erroneously allowed but as the complainant has not appealed the decree for $20 storage will not be disturbed.
It is further contended that the lien for repairs should
As to the Minominee truck which the respondent purchased from the mortgagor we concur in the finding of
The only claim of the Auto- Service & Supply Company, Limited, AA'liich is not disposed of by what we have already said, is that the complainants guaranteed the payment of the tire account of the mortgagor to it. The respondent’s own evidence does not support this claim. Whether or not Mr. Macauley had or Avas held out as having authority to guarantee the account on behalf of complainants is immaterial because the evidence fails to show that he undertook to so guarantee it. We fail to find merit in any of the contentions of the respondents.
The decree should be affirmed and it is so ordered.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- S. M. DAMON v. RELIABLE TRANSFER COMPANY, LIMITED
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Liens — common law artisan’s lien — effect of voluntary delivery to owner. When one entitled to a lien upon a chattel for its repair voluntarily delivers such chattel to its owner the lien is extinguished. Same — same—resumption of possession does not revest the lien. When the lien has been extinguished by delivery of the chattel the lien does not revest upon possession being restored. Chattel Mortgages — liability of purchaser of mortgaged chattel without consent of mortgagee. One who converts to his own use a chattel subject to a duly recorded chattel mortgage without the consent of the- mortgagee is liable to the mortgagee for its value.