Anderson Lumber Co. v. Miner Township School District
Anderson Lumber Co. v. Miner Township School District
Opinion of the Court
This is an appeal 'by the Western Surety Company, intervener, from a judgment in favor of the Miner Town
In August, 1925, respondent entered into a contract with Dan J. Gruber for the construction of two public school 'buildings within the district at a cost of $6,500. Gruber and appellant executed a bond to respondent in the penal sum of $4,000 to secure the performance of Gruber’s contract to construct the buildings. Plaintiff sold building material amounting to $1,791.80 for use in the buildings for which Gruber did not pay. Plaintiff sued respondent to recover this amount. In its complaint plaintiff set out the contract with Gruber and the bond to secure its performance, but sought to maintain the action against respondent on the theory that the bond was not such as the school district board is required to demand of a contractor before letting such contracts under section 7615, R. C. 1919, thereby rendering the school district liable under section 7617, for the material so "furnished and sold to the contractor. Respondent demanded of appellant that it appear and defend the action, and also answered admitting the contract with Gruber, the 'bond to secure its performance, contended such bond was sufficient under the statute, alleged that it still owed upon the contract the sum of $900, and that plaintiff had filed notice of lien on said sum. Appellant refused to defend the action on behalf of respondent, but filed a complaint in intervention alleging the corporate existence of the plaintiff, the school district, and itself, the demand upon it to defend the action, its refusal, the execution of the contract with Gruber, the bond to secure its performance, the completion of the contract by Gruber and appellant, and full satisfaction of all its obligations under the bond. The complaint in intervention also alleges failure to give proper notice required under the bond, but that is not material here and will not be set forth in detail. Appellant claims the $900 still owing upon the contract by reason of its having completed the contract for Gruber. Respondent answered the complaint in intervention by a reiteration of its answer to plaintiff’s complaint. The court made findings of fact and conclusions of law in favor of plaintiff and rendered judgment against respondent for the amount of plaintiff’s claim. On the issues raised by the complaint in intervention and the answer of
The assignments of error challenge the conclusions of law and may all be considered together. Upon all the facts as found by the court, is appellant liable on its bond to respondent? That is the only question. Appellant’s liability, if any, is founded upon its contract of indemnity with respondent. There can be no liability not found within the terms of that contract. Gruber contracted with respondent, “to make, build and finish in a good, 'substantial and workmanlike manner, two certain one story frame shingle roof public school buildings” for which he agreed to “furnish all necessary labor and materials,” except as thereinafter provided. There are no exceptions material to this inquiry. Appellant contracted to “indemnify and save harmless” “the school district “from any pecuniary loss, resulting from the breach of any of the terms, covenants and conditions of said contract” to build, entered into by Gruber. The indemnity agreement was" subject to certain provisions not material to this inquiry and therefore not set out. Before the buildings were completed, Gruber abandoned the contract and appellant completed the buildings and they were accepted by the school district. By reason of its action in completing the buildings, appellant claims the balance of the - contract price, $900, held by respondent.
Appellant sees an inconsistency between the findings, conclusions, and judgment against respondent in favor of plaintiff, and the findings, conclusions, and judgment in favor of respondents against appellant, because it is contended there could foe no recovery by plaintiff against respondent if respondent exacted a sufficient bond from Gruber as provided by section 7615, R. C. 1919, and the court having found there was no such bond, respondent cannot in the same action recover of appellant upon a bond, differing in language from the statute, but construed to cover a liability that if covered would exempt respondent from suit. Whether there is a real inconsistency we need not decide. The findings of fact to support respondent’s judgment are separate and distinct from
Appellant argues, and cites numerous authorities in support, that a contract to furnish material for a building does not bind the contractor to pay for the material, but he may furnish it on credit. That simply because Gruber did not pay for the material bought of plaintiff did not breach his contract to furnish it, and there could be no liability on the part of appellant under its agreement to insure Gruber’s pérformance of his contract. We think appellant is right in this contention, and that the following authorities cited support its position: Greenfield Dumber & Ice Co. v. Parker et al, 159 Ind. 571, 65 N. E. 747; Hart v. State, 120 Ind.
The statute (section 7615) requires a school board in letting a contract for 'building to exact of the contractor a bond in not less than the contract price, conditioned “for the faithful performance of such contract, * with the additional obligation that such contractor shall promptly pay all persons supplying him with labor or material in the prosecution of the work provided for in such contract:” Thus the statute recognizes a distinction between the obligation to furnish labor or material in performance of a contract to do so and the obligation to pay therefor. As appellant suggests, the contractor may furnish such labor or material on credit as well as by payment. The bond furnished by Gruber and executed by appellant as surety was not such a bond as the statute required the board to exact of Gruber. • Consequently there could be no proceedings by materialmen or the school district as upon a required statutory bond. But nevertheless Gruber gave a bond to the school district with appellant as surety thereon which all parties recognized as valid and binding. Appellant completed the buildings when Gruber failed to do so, and now claims it has fully performed all obligations required of it under the bond. Has it done so?
It did not contract to pay for any of the labor or material furnished. It may be conceded that Gruber or the surety could furnish those on credit, so long as they did not furnish them at the expense of the school district. A contract to furnish is a contract to furnish without expense to the promisee. MacKenzie v. Board of School Trustees, 72 Ind. 189. If that was done, neither the school district nor plaintiff has any cause of action on the bond.
Under section 7617 of our Code, where the proper bond is not exacted of the contractor (and in this case the bond was not sufficient either in the amount of the penalty or the terms of the indemnity) then the school district is made liable for the material or labor furnished and not paid for by the contractor. Under such circumstances the contractor might by proper contract furnish material upon his credit, or he might furnish the material upon the
The case of Stoddard et al v. Hibbler et al, 156 Mich. 335, 120 N. W. 787, 24 L. R. A. (N. S.) 1075, is directly in point involving a bond! to save harmless from a contractor’s default upon a contract to furnish material. The contractor failed to pay, and liens were filed which the owner would have to pay to clear his property. The court sustained his suit to hold the bond for loss thereby sustained. See also Sailling v. Morrell, 97 Neb. 454, 150 N. W. 195. A contract to furnish material most certainly must be construed to mean without expense to the promisee. Otherwise an agreement to furnish the material for a building would be of little or no value to> the owner. The contract as a whole conclusively shows the intent of the parties that the contractor was to furnish the material without expense to the district, for the contractor was to receive a price based upon that assumption.
The liability of the district is not in tort for negligence. It is a statutory liability, the obligation imposed on the district being a substitute for the security allowed laborers and materialmen by liens upon private property.
The judgment appealed from is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- ANDERSON LUMBER COMPANY v. MINER TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT, (WESTERN SURETY COMPANY, Intervenor)
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published