Lee Wholesale Co. v. McCoy
Lee Wholesale Co. v. McCoy
Opinion of the Court
Lee Wholesale Company and other materialmen and a laborer appeal from an adverse decree of the Chancery Court of Prentiss County. This suit involves the priority of liens between 'the appellants and Prentiss County Home Bank against funds due contractor which were paid into the registry of the Chancery Court. Lee Wholesale Company filed its suit in the Circuit Court of Prentiss County to enforce lien for materials furnished in the construction of a dwelling house. C. E. McCoy was the contractor and defendant. The Wholesale Company later amended to include the Prentiss County Home Bank, as the Bank had a deed of trust on the property securing a loan to McCoy. Other materialmen intervened under Section 361, Mississippi Code of 1942, and later upon motion, the cause was transferred to the Chancery Court of Prentiss County.
The record discloses the following facts: On June 10, 1955, one E. 0. Roden obtained an option on an acre of land from Donald Franks and his wife for the purpose of obtaining an FHA insured loan to build a home; that the option was conditioned that on or before the closing of the FHA insured loan, Roden would pay to Franks and his wife the sum of $1500; Roden obtained a committment from the FHA to insure a loan on the property when the residence had been completed and title vested in him. Subsequently, on September 6, 1955, Roden entered into a written contract with one C. E. McCoy to construct the residence for the sum of $14,500, to be paid when
Franks testified in behalf of the appellees that Mr. Bishop, the president of the bank, was familiar with and had complete knowledge of all the facts; that the financial arrangements were made on Mr. Bishop’s insistence; that he explained to the contractor, McCoy, and Mr. Bishop, the president of the bank, that before he could make the deed he would have to have a contract from McCoy to protect Roden and himself from the option he had given; that he was reluctant to do this but Mr. Bishop insisted upon it being done that way.
At the time of the trial, Mr. Bishop was ill and was unable to testify, however, M. W. Smith, vice-president of the bank, testified as to the transactions that took place, and that Mr. Bishop handled the matter with McCoy, the contractor. It was stipulated and agreed that the materialmen and laborer who had filed claims in the cause may be considered as having proven that the ma
The chancellor held that the deed of trust was valid and that the bank was entitled to priority of payment out of the funds paid into court for all money advanced under the deed of trust that went into the purchase of the lot and the construction of the residence; that he deducted the amount of $704.44 and also disallowed the claim of the bank for interest and attorneys’ fees insofar as the payment from the fund was concerned, and held that the bank should be paid the amount of $10,060.35, after costs of the lower court were paid, and that the balance was to be divided among the other claimants on a pro-rata basis. From this decree, the materialmen
The main assignment argued by the appellants is that the court erred in holding that the appellee, Prentiss County Home Bank, was entitled under its deed of trust on the property involved in this action to priority of payment from the funds deposited in the registry of the court in the amount of $10,060.35. Appellants agree that the bank was entitled to priority of payment of $1500, which was paid by McCoy to Franks for the lot in question from the funds advanced by the bank. We are of the opinion that the court erred in giving the bank priority for the full sum of $10,060.35, but that the bank has a prior lien in the amount of $1500 which went to pay for the lot.
Section 373, Mississippi Code. of 1942, reads as follows:
“No contractor or master workman except as hereinafter provided, shall have the right to assign, transfer, or othenvise dispose of in any way, the contract or the proceeds thereof, to the detriment or prejudice of the subcontractors, journeymen, laborers, and materialmen as declared hereinbefore and all such assignments, transfers, or dispositions shall be subordinate to the said rights of the subcontractors, journeymen, laborers and materialmen, as well as the owner. Provided, however, that this section shall not apply to any contract or agreement where the contractor or the master workman shall enter into a solvent bond conditioned as provided for in the following section.” (Emphasis ours)
McCoy did not give the bond required by the statute. We are of the opinion that the deed of trust given by the contractor in this case to the appellee bank violates the provisions of the above quoted section, and was void as to appellants and to Roden who was the
We held in the case of Ladner, et al., v. Hogue Lumber and Supply Co., Inc., 91 So. 2d 545, as follows:
“Under and by virtue of Sec. 373 of the Mississippi Code of 1942, an assignment or transfer of the contract by the contractor or master workman is subordinate to the rights of the sub-contractors, journeymen, laborers, and materialmen, as well as the owner unless performance bond is given as required by Sec. 374, Miss. Code of 1942. In American Oil Company v. Ratliff’s Sheet Metal Works, 155 Miss. 779, 125 So. 249, the contract had been assigned to the First National Bank of Brook-haven by the contractor. Yet, when the contractor failed to carry out the contract, the court held that American Oil Company, the owner, who had completed the building was entitled to credit on the contract price for the amount required to complete the building and the further sum of $639, being the rental value of the property for three months which American Oil Company had lost because of the delay and that the assignment of the contract was void as to the materialmen and laborers under the contract.”
In the instant case the bank did not deal with Roden, the equitable owner of the house, but its dealings were with McCoy, the contractor. Thus it does not come within the rule announced in the case of Chancellor, et al. v. Melvin, et al., 211 Miss. 590, 52 So. 2d 360, but is controlled by the rule announced in Sadler v. Glenn, 190 Miss. 112, 199 So. 305, and City Coal & Lumber Co. v. Gulf Refining Co., 184 Miss. 260, 185 So. 250. Compare Strangi v. Wilson, et al., 223 Miss. 122, 77 So. 2d 697.
On direct appeal, the cause is reversed and judgment entered here for appellants, and remanded for a decree not inconsistent with this opinion; affirmed on cross-appeal.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.