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45 Mo. 377

Forcht v. Short

Supreme Court of Missouri

Decided February 15, 1870

Supreme Court of Missouri · decided 1870-02-15

The plaintiffs in error should have brought their action within ninety days from the first day of August, 1866, and, failing so to do, they lost their lien. (Gen. Stat. 1865, p. 883, § 4; 82 Mo. 334 ; Stocking et al. v. Hunt, 3 Denio, 274.) Statutes of limitation act exclusively upon the remedy. (Jackson v. Lam-phire, 3 Pet. 280 ; Rexford v. Knight, 11 N. Y. 308 ; Walte-mire v. Westman, 14 N. Y. 20; Strong v. Crowninshield, 4 Wheat. 122 ; Hawkins v. Goold, 11 N. Y. 281.)

Relies on State ex rel. McIlhany v. Stewart · Doellner v. Rogers

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1870-02-15

How this case has been cited

Cited by 5 later decisions — most recently December 1928

5 state decisions

30187018801890190019101920decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

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Currier, Judge,

¶1delivered the opinion of the court.

¶2This is a proceeding to enforce a mechanics’ lien. It appears from the record that the account sued on, and which constituted the foundation of the lien/ accrued on and prior to the first day of December, 1865 ; that the lien was filed February 24, 1866 ; and that this suit ivas commenced November 15, 1866, less than nine months after the filing of the lien, and more than ninety days after the General Statutes took effect — that is, more than ninety days after August 1, 1866. By the general law in force prior to August 1, 1866, lienors were allowed nine months after the filing of the lien in which to bring suit; by the General Statutes the time was limited to ninety days'. (Gen. Stat. 1865, p. 767, § 16.)

¶3The case presents the single question whether the prior law or the General Statutes determines the time within which the suit must be brought in order to save the lien. The question is definitely settled by a decision of this court in Hauser v. Hoffman, 32 Mo. 385, where it is decided that the subsequent law must control. In Dollner v. Rogers, 16 Mo. 340, Judge Scott says: “ The lien created in favor of mechanics and its mode of enforcement are both mere creatures of the statute. They have no common-law authority whatever on which to stand.”

¶4The judgment must be affirmed.

The other judges concur.
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