Sexton v. McInnis
Sexton v. McInnis
070rehearing
On Rehearing.
delivered the opinion of the court.
This is a suit for an accounting, growing out of certain transactions of the parties hereto in attempting to complete a contract for bridge construction and other work, begun by one Samuel Bertelson in 1902 as a subcontractor under Corey Bros. & Alden, who had a contract to build a railroad for the Columbia River & Northern Railroad Company from Lyle to Golden-dale, in Klickitat County, Washington. Plaintiffs, W. E. Walther and F. C. Sexton, were hardware merchants in The Dalles, Wasco County, Oregon, doing business under the firm name of Sexton & Walther; and the defendant, Malcolm Mc-Innis, was a member of the Lyle Trading Company, a partnership composed of Malcolm McInnis and A M. McLeod, doing business at Lyle, Washington. Bertelson was required by Corey Bros. & Alden to furnish a $5,000 bond to insure the faithful performance of his work, and did so with the Aetna
“It is further understood and agreed that in case the party of the second part shall at any time fail to perform his contract with said Corey Bros. & Alden, and thereby shall become liable upon the bond given by the party of the second part and said Aetna Indemnity Company to said Corey Bros. & Alden, then and immediately the parties of the first part may at their option take possession of all said mortgaged personal property and all materials then owned by the party of the second part procured by him to be used in fulfilling said contract with Corey Bros. & Alden, and shall proceed to carry out and fulfill the said contract. * * And in case the parties of the first part shall elect to carry out said contract, and in so doing suffer any loss, they may foreclose said chattel mortgage, and out of the proceeds reimburse themselves for such loss.”
Thereafter, on September 16, 1902, Bertelson failed to carry out his contract with Corey Bros & Alden and surrendered his property to the plaintiffs and defendant, who, under the firm name of Sexton, Walther & McInnis, undertook to fulfill his contract and complete the work begun by him, and in so doing incurred liabilities which finally resulted in this suit for an accounting between them.
At the time Bertelson surrendered his property to the plaintiffs and defendant he was indebted to the firm of Sexton &
“That,, in carrying out the work and furnishing materials necessary to complete the contract of said Bertelson with Corey Bros. & Alden, the plaintiffs, at the request of the defendant, furnished and delivered goods, wares and merchandise, and advanced moneys and rendered services in the aggregate to the amount of $7,322.76 over and above all moneys received by the plaintiffs from and on account of said contract”
which amount includes the account of Bertelson due Sexton & Walther at the time of his failure, after allowing a credit on his account for $4,000 paid to them by the firm of Sexton, Walther & McInnis. It will be noted that this allegation is confined to the goods, wares, and merchandise furnished and delivered and moneys advanced and services rendered by the plaintiffs, at the request of defendant, to complete the nontract of Bertelson. It does not allege that any of such supplies were furnished or moneys advanced or services rendered to Bertelson at the request of defendant, but limits such matters to the completion of the contract after Bertelson had failed, and there is no allegation in the complaint that the firm of Sexton, Walther & McInnis assumed the indebtedness of Bertelson to the firm of Sexton & Walther or to the Lyle Trading Company. The $4,000 paid to the plaintiffs by the firm of Sexton, Walther & McInnis should, therefore, have been applied upon the indebtedness of that firm to Sexton & Walther, and not upon the indebtedness of Bertelson to them, and the decree of the lower court will have to be modified to that extent, and the indebted
Opinion of the Court
On First Hearing.
This is a suit for an accounting and settlement between parties who are sureties on a bond given by one Bertelson to indemnify the surety on his bond as a sub-contractor for a portion of the construction work on the Columbia & Northern Railway in the State of Washington. Bertelson commenced the performance of his contract, but defaulted therein, and the parties to this suit undertook to complete it. In doing so they met with considerable loss, and the object of this suit is to settle and adjust th'eir liabilities as among themselves.
The questions involved are entirely of fact. The evidence is conflicting and irreconcilable, and no useful purpose can be served by a reference thereto in an opinion. It is sufficient to say that, after a careful and thorough examination of the testimony we concur in the conclusions of the trial court, and its decree will be affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- SEXTON v. McINNIS
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