Public-domain · open source
OpenJurist

53 Kan. 610

Kirk v. Goodwin

Supreme Court of Kansas

Decided January 15, 1894

Supreme Court of Kansas · decided 1894-01-15

<p>Mechanic's Lien — Foreclosure—Subsequent Personal Judgment — Bes Judicata. Where a contractor enters into an agreement with the equitable owner of certain lots to furnish material and labor for the improvement of the same, and subsequently files a mechanic’s lien upon the lets, alleging therein that he has furnished the material and' performed the labor in accordance with his contract with the equitable owner, and that the person contracted with is the owner of the lots, and afterwards, in an action brought by the contractor against such equitable owner, to recover a personal judgment against him for the material and labor furnished, and to foreclose his mechanic’s lien upon the lots, the party who has the legal title is also made a defendant in that aotion, and such contractor obtains a personal judgment against the equitable owner for the full amount of his claim for material and labor and a foreclosure of his mechanic’s lien, with a decree barring therein all the title and interest of the defendant holding the legal title, and thereafter collects a part of the judgment from the proceeds of the sale of the lots, and then subsequently brings his action to recover a personal judgment against the party who had the legal title at the date of the former j udgment, upon the ground that suoh party agreed to become responsible and pay the contractor for his work, if he would finish the same, such contractor is not entitled to recover a new or further judgment against the party who held, formerly, the legal title and was one of the defendants in the prior action.</p>

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently May 1909

1 state decisions

Relies on Bice v. Marquette Opera-House Building Co.

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1894-01-15

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

¶1The opinion of the court was delivered by

HortoN, C. J.:

¶2It appears from the record that Thomas A. Kirk and the various parties who have assigned to him their claims for material and labor had the opportunity, if they had any valid claims against John G. Goodwin, to recover personal judgments against him in the action brought by the Missouri Yalley Lumber Company against Lee Settle, John G. Goodwin, and others. They all filed answers and cross petitions in that case and recovered personal judgments against Lee Settle for all their claims, and also obtained a decree of foreclosure of their liens upon the premises purchased by Settle from Goodwin. That decree also barred Goodwin of all his rights in the premises. Under the facts disclosed, in connection with the former judgment, the trial court properly instructed the jury to return a verdict for Goodwin.

¶3On the part of the plaintiff, we are referred by counsel to Bice v. Opera House Co., 96 Mich. 24. But in that case the contract between the contractors and the owner of the building provided that, in case the contractors neglected to supply the material for the opera house, the owner of the building had permission to do so, and deduct the costs of the same from any moneys due or to become due the contractors. In this case, Lee Settle was the equitable owner of the lots when he made his agreements with Kirk and others, and was indebted to Goodwin on his contract of purchase. Goodwin was not indebted to Lee Settle, and had no agreement with him to pay for materials or labor for the improvement of the lots. On the other hand, there was an express contract between Settle and Goodwin that the former would “ furnish to *614Goodwin receipted vouchers for all bills contracted for the material, labor and expenses of every kind incurred in making, the improvements.” In the Bice case, in the prior judgment rendered against the contractors, the opera house company was not a party, and the subsequent proceeding to obtain a lien upon the opera house had not resulted in a judgment against the company. The court therefore held, upon the facts disclosed, that the judgment against the contractors would not release the opera house company, unless there was a satisfaction of the same. Again, after Kirk and his assignors, recovered their personal judgments against Settle, and obtained, a decree of foreclosure of their liens, they collected various amounts upon their judgments. Their contracts with Settle, were single and indivisible. (See Madden v. Smith, 28 Kas. 798.)

¶4The judgment of the district court will be affirmed.

All the Justices concurring.
/53/kan/610 · .json · Public domain