Dean v. Reynolds & Co.
Dean v. Reynolds & Co.
Opinion of the Court
This action was brought by Frank Dean to enforce a lien against the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Company and the other appellees for an amount due him for labor performed in the construction of the road-bed of said railroad in Porter county. The appellees demurred to the complaint, and their demurrer was sustained and judgment was rendered against appellant upon the demurrer. From such judgment he prosecutes this appeal.
It is averred in the complaint that the appellee, the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Company, is a railroad corporation, and owns a line of railroad extending from Joliet, in the State of Illinois; to the station of McCool, in Porter county, Indiana, that said' company extended its said railroad from the station of McCool, in Porter county, to the village of Porter, in said county, a distance of seven miles; that it had procured and owned
The written contract entered into on the 25th day of December, 1892, is set out with the complaint, but the action is upon the quantum meruit, and the contract is not the basis of the right to recover. The theory of the complaint is that appellant performed the work under the contract, which was rescinded by the action of the appellees before its completion, and appellant seeks to recover the value of the labor thus performed.
Counsel for appellees insist the complaint is bad for' the following reasons:
1. That it does not show that the work was done in Porter county.
2. That it does not show that the work was done on the railroad mentioned.
3. That it does not show the work was such that á lien could be held therefor under the statute.
4. That it does not show the work was such as was provided by the contract to be done.
It appears that the railway company was engaged in the construction of a railroad between the points named in Porter county; that the company entered into a contract with its coappellees for the construction of the railroad between said points; that the contractors sublet a portion of said work to appellant; that appellant went to work and continued to work under said contract for nearly sixty days; that he performed work in grading and building the railroad, which work was reasonably worth $2,266, and was and is of the value of that amount to the railway company, and that appellees stopped him from working and refused to permit him to go on with the contract.
In our opinion it sufficiently appears that the work was done in Porter county; that it was done on the railroad
The complaint was sufficient to withstand the demurrer. Section 7265, R. S. 1894; E. S., section 1699; Chapman v. Elgin, etc., R. W. Co., 11 Ind. App. 682.
Whether all the work performed by appellant was such that a lien can be held therefor under the statute, we need not determine. It appears that the work appellant contracted to do was to grub and clear the right of way ' and grade and construct the road bed, and that he performed work in grading and building the railroad. It is not alleged that he did in fact do any work in grubbing and clearing the right of way, but if the grubbing and clearing was essential to the grading and building, and if it was included in the work, the railway company contracted to have done in the construction of the railroad, no reason occurs to us why appellant, if he performed any such work, would not be entitled to hold a lien therefor.
Judgment reversed, with instructions to overrule the demurrer to the complaint.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.