63 So. 454 | Miss. | 1913
delivered the opinion of the court.
In changing the grade of certain streets in the city of Vicksburg, appellant undertook to raise the church building of the King David Baptist Church, a colored organization, to the new grade, and employed a contractor to do the necessary work. The bill of complaint alleges that “on account of the insufficient number and size of the pillars put under the said building, and the poor material used therein, and the negligent and imperfect workmanship, the said church was not safe- for the purposes for which it was intended; that, in addition to the above, the said pillars were set upon the surface of the ground, so
Appellant does not challenge the jurisdiction of the court to try this cause. We will consider only one of the grounds of the demurrer, viz.: “(2) That under the facts stated and alleged in said bill, complainants are not entitled to the relief sought for, or any relief.” “The general rule is that, after the contractor has turned the work over, and it has been accepted by the proprietor, the contractor incurs no further liability to third parties by reason of the condition of the work; but the responsibility, if any, for maintaining or using it in its defective condition, is shifted to the proprietor.” 32 L. R. A. (N. S.) 969.
Before the city can be held liable to complainants, it must be shown that there was some element of deceit, or concealment of the dangerous instrumentality. It is not sufficient to allege negligent construction. It must also be alleged that there was a concealment of this dangerous condition when the building was turned over to its own ers and accepted by them. We think the bill of complaint may reasonably be construed to mean that the neg
The demurrer should have been sustained.
Reversed and remanded.