J. A. Jones Construction Co. v. Lawrence Bros.
J. A. Jones Construction Co. v. Lawrence Bros.
Opinion of the Court
This' suit was instituted in the Circuit Court of Shelby County, Tennessee by Lawrence Brothers against J. A. Jones Construction Company, referred to as “Jones” as principal, and Aetna Casualty and Surety Company as surety for recovery of $6,559.30, allegedly due under the provisions of a surety bond executed by Jones and Aetna in favor of the City of Memphis, pursuant to a construction contract awarded Jones for the. construction of the William P. Bowld Hospital in Memphis. The defendants, in answer to interrogatories and at the trial, conceded that the bond was executed and that the copy of the bond which was- attached as an exhibit to the declaration was a true copy of the bond. The case was tried without a jury, and following the trial, the Court awarded a judgment in favor of the plaintiff for the amount sued for. Subsequently, a motion was made by defendants to reopen the proof to include the entire specifications as an exhibit, and this motion was denied. An appeal was prayed, both from the judgment and the order denying defendants ’ motion, and the appeal was thereafter perfected.
The testimony in this cause was not extensive, and many of the facts are undisputed. A contract was awarded by the City of Memphis for the construction of the hospital. A construction bond was executed on the form regularly used by the City of Memphis on its construction projects. Construction of the hospital was commenced and completed by Jones. In the construction, it was necessary for a large amount of hardware to be furnished and installed. That portion of.the hardware with which this
All of the hardware was delivered to the job site from Conmat’s warehouse in Conmat’s trucks, and none of it was delivered in Lawrence Brothers trucks or direct from Lawrence Brothers to the job site. When it arrived the quantities were checked against the hardware list, this check being made by an employee of Jones and an employee of Conmat. Thereafter, Conmat had no further connection with the hardware or its installation. Conmat merely purchased and delivered the hardware. All of the
In the building trade, one who merely delivers material to a job site with no responsibility for performing in labor on the job in connection with that material is considered a furnisher of material. On the other hand, one who performs or furnishes labor on the job in fulfilling one of the construction requirements is considered to be a subcontractor. To place it in proper context, a person who merely sold and delivered hardware to a job would be considered in the trade to be a furnisher of hardware; whereas, someone who went a step further and undertook the additional responsibility of installing or affixing the hardware, would be classed as a subcontractor. There are separate methods of payment usually employed in the building trade for paying furnishers and subcontractors. Customarily, furnishers are paid in full within 30 days; whereas, subcontractors are paid on the same basis as the contractor, based on the progress of the work with a retainage of ten (10%) percent pending final completion and acceptance. Appellant contends that Conmat was paid as a furnisher. Jones paid Conmat the entire purchase price of the hardware, which was delivered to this job, save only some $2,000 which is being held subject to the order of the Bankruptcy Court. Conmat made some payments to Lawrence Brothers but did fail to pay approximately $6,600, which is the subject of this suit. No demand was ever made by Lawrence Brothers on Jones until long after Jones had made payments to Conmat and, in fact,
The bond executed by Jones and Aetna was on the standard form employed by the City of Memphis in public projects. The construction of this hospital was a joint enterprise between the City and the Federal government, and was broader than was necessarily required. It was both a payment bond and a performance bond, and the obligation was assumed by principal and surety and ran in favor of the City of Memphis. By its terms it required the principal, that is, the contractor, to assure all undertakings under the contract, and to assure and protect all laborers and furnishers of material on said work, both as required by Chapter 182 of the Acts of the General Assembly of Tennessee of 1899 as amended by Section 12-412 Tennessee Code Annotated, and also independently of this statute. Under the terms of the bond the principal agreed with the City of Memphis that the contractor “shall fully pay all of the labor, material and work used by the principal or any immediate or remote subcontractor or furnisher of material under him in the performance of said contract. * * (Exhibit A, plaintiff’s declaration).
Contentions of the Parties: — Lawrence Brothers, the original plaintiff and defendant in error in this appeal, contends that the payment of money owed it by Conmat, Inc. is guaranteed under the terms of the bond and Jones denies this. Lawrence Brothers contends first that Con-mat was a subcontractor within the meaning of the bond. It. contends, therefore, that it is a furnisher of a subcontractor and as such not covered by the bond. Jones denies that Conmat was a subcontractor, but contends that it was a furnisher. It is Jones’ position that whether a party is
This cause comes to us under the provisions of 27-303 T.C.A. as a nonjury case for trial de novo, with a pre
The costs are adjudged against appellant and its surety.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.