Woods Construction Co. v. Pool Construction Co.
Woods Construction Co. v. Pool Construction Co.
Opinion of the Court
This is a Miller Act
Upon the original trial, judgment was rendered in favor of the plaintiff and against all of the defendants. On appeal, we vacated the judgment and remanded the case for the making of findings of fact in accordance with Rule 52(a), F.R.Civ.P., and left the case open for the taking of additional evidence, if necessary.
At the outset we are confronted with the question of whether Pool was a fur-nisher or supplier of materials under the Miller Act. The crucial facts pertaining to this question, and as found generally by the trial court, are as follows:
Pool had a lease from the landowner on a rock quarry site, by the terms of which he was permitted to mine and take rock from the quarry. As consideration for the lease, he was required to pay the landowner royalty on the rock removed. Woods was the prime contractor on a government project, within the Miller Act, relocating certain state highways. This project was located in the general area of the rock quarry. Smith Road, a subcontractor on the project under Woods, by an agreement or “arrangement,” as it was called by the trial judge, with Pool, moved a rock crusher to the quarry site, mined, removed and crushed rock for its use in the performance of the subcontract. Smith Road agreed to pay Pool royalty for the rock mined at the rate of thirteen cents per ton measured after crushing.
We are aware of the numerous decisions holding in effect that the Miller Act is remedial in character and entitled to a liberal' construction in order to effectuate the congressional intent.
In denoting those who come within the Act as materialmen, the statute reads, “who has furnished labor or
Under the lease from the landowner, Pool did not have title to the rock in place, but acquired only the exclusive possession of the deposits of rock together with the right to mine and reduce the same to ownership.
Appellant asserted several other defenses in the trial court, all of which were rejected but again urged here. In view of our disposition of the material-man question, we need not give consideration to those additional questions.
That part of the judgment appealed from is reversed.
. 40 U.S.C. § 270a et seq.
. Woods Construction Company v. Pool Construction Company, 314 F.2d 405 (10th Cir., 1963).
. The agreement between Pool and Smith Road was oral but was partially verified by letter from Smith Road to Pool as follows: “Dear Sir: This letter is to verify the conversation between Mr. Wm. R. Smith and Mr. Vernon Pool stating that the amount of $ .13 per ton Royalty would be paid for materials removed from your pit located at Nowata, Oklahoma.”
. E.g. United States for Benefit and on Behalf of Sherman v. Carter, 353 U.S. 210, 77 S.Ct. 793, 1 L.Ed.2d 776 (1957); Fleisher Engineering & Construction Company v. United States, 311 U.S. 15, 61 S.Ct. 81, 85 L.Ed. 12 (1940); McWaters and Bartlett v. United States, 272 F.2d 291 (10th Cir., 1959); United States for Use and Benefit of Hopper Bros. Quarries v. Peerless Casualty Company, 255 F.2d 137 (8th Cir., 1958), cert. denied, 358 U.S. 831, 79 S.Ct. 51, 3 L.Ed.2d 69 (1958).
. Cf. Clifford F. MacEvoy Company v. United States, 322 U.S. 102, 64 S.Ct. 890, 88 L.Ed. 1163 (1944) and United States, for Use and Benefit of Austin v. Western Electric Co., Inc., 337 F.2d 568 (9th Cir., 1964). See also United States, for Use of Bruce Co. v. Fraser Const. Co., Inc., 87 F.Supp. 1. (D.C.W.D.Ark. 1949).
. Lynch v. Alworth-Stephens Co., 267 U. S. 364, 45 S.Ct. 274, 69 L.Ed. 660 (1925).
Reference
- Full Case Name
- WOODS CONSTRUCTION CO., Inc., a corporation, and American Casualty Company, a corporation v. POOL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, a partnership composed of Vernon L. Pool and Jesse T. Pool
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published