Mechanic's lien
Definitions from Case Law · United States Supreme Court
Definitions from Case Law
From 55 U.S. 434 - Winder v. Caldwell · 1852Most cited · 74 citing opinions
purpose and scope under Act of 1833
The title to this act shows its policy and intention. It is to secure, to 'mechanics and others, payment for labor done and materials found;' and the persons enumerated in the first section are, plainly, those mechanics and tradesmen whose personal labor or property have been incorporated into the building, and not the agents, supervisors, undertakers, or contractors, who employed them.… Its object is, not to secure contractors, who can take care of themselves, but those who may suffer loss by confiding in them. It is not the merit of the contractor, that gave rise to the system, but the protection of those who might be wronged by him, if the owner were not compelled thus to take care of their interests before he pays away the price stipulated.
How often courts cite the case defining “Mechanic's lien”
Court decisions citing the opinion that defined “Mechanic's lien” — 74 in all, by decade. Counts are citations to the defining case as a whole, not verified uses of the term. The dip in the most recent years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the latest years.