50 Pa. Super. 551 | Pa. Super. Ct. | 1912
Opinion by
The McCrum-Howell Company, plaintiff, a subcontractor, filed a mechanic’s lien on June 17, 1908, against the defendants, owners or reputed owners, and the contractor in pursuance of a notice of the intention to file such lien attempted to be given in pursuance of sec. 8, Act of June 4, 1901, P. L. 431. This section was amended by the Act of March 24, 1909, P. L. 65, but it is not contended that this amendment is retroactive and of course the notice must stand or fall under sec. 8 of the act of 1901. It is conceded that the notice was filed in due time and the most important question for decision is the sufficiency of the notice. In other words, does it comply with said section eight?
At the trial the learned court below was requested by defendants’ counsel to give a binding instruction in favor of the defendants. The court refused to so instruct and, on proper motion, the defendants asked for judgment non obstante veredicto upon the whole record, and upon argument and due consideration the learned court, on January 29, 1912, granted judgment for the defendants non obstante veredicto, to which order the plaintiff excepted and hence this appeal.
“mechanic’s lien.
“ NOTICE OF SUB-CONTRACTOR TO OWNER.
“To Ed. Empfield, owner of building or improvement, situated southeast corner Philadelphia and Sixth Streets, Borough of Indiana, Pennsylvania.
“Sir:
“Take notice, that three months have now elapsed since the last materials furnished by us in and about the erection and construction of said building and there is now due me the sum of Sixteen hundred twenty-eight and 91-100 Dollars for materials furnished as aforesaid, with interest from February 24th, 1908. Wherefore we intend to file a lien according to law upon the expiration of one month from the day of the service hereof upon you or your agent agreeable to Section 8, of the Act of Assembly approved June 4th, 1901.
“ The McCrum-Howell Company,
“ L. Preston Gates,
“ Assistant Treas.,
“ Sub-contractor.
“ Dated this 17th day of March, 1908, at Indiana, Pennsylvania.
“ Note. — When Lien is filed for repairs, alterations, &c., above notice must be served within forty-five days after work is completed. See secs. 8 and 10 of Act of 1901, P. L. page 435.
“sworn statement.
State of Pennsylvania County of Indiana ss.
“Before me personally came L. Preston Gates, Assistant Treasurer of The McCrum-Howell Co., who signed the foregoing notice and being by me duly sworn according to law, did depose and say that the contract under which they claim is as follows: Yerbal orders received from The Pennsylvania Supply Company, of Jeanette, Pa., that the*554 amount still due and owing to them under said contract is the sum of Sixteen hundred twenty-eight 91-100 Dollars, with interest from February 24th, 1908, which is made up as follows, to wit (here insert debts and items with credits if any):
17 Enameled iron bath tubs,.......... $189.89
73 Enameled iron lavatories,.......... 433.16
1 Sectional cast iron boiler,.......... 363.01
100 Pounds asbestos cement,.......... 1.50
103 Cast iron radiators,................ 618.67
24 Loose cast iron radiator sections,.... 22.68
$1,628.91.
“That the kind of labor furnished was none. The materials furnished as above and the date when the last materials were furnished was on the 24th day of December, 1907.
“ L. Preston Gates.
“ Sworn to and subscribed before me this 17th day of March, a. d. 1908.
“J. A. Crossman,
(seal) Justice of the Peace.
“ My commission expires on the first Monday in May, 1908. ”
So much of sec. 8 of the act of 1901 as is material to the question we are now considering reads as follows: “Any sub-contractor, intending to file a claim, must give to the owner written notice to that effect, together with a sworn statement setting forth the contract under which he claims, the amount alleged to be still due and how made up, the kind of labor or materials furnished and the date when the last work was done or materials furnished.”
A very important thing in this section is a statement setting forth the contract under which he claims. It will be observed that the notice served in the present case contains, as to the contract, only “verbal orders received
In Hart v. Lehigh Valley R. R. Co., 41 Pa. Superior Ct. 224, we held as stated in the syllabus: “The notice required to be given by a subcontractor to the owner under the mechanic’s lien Act of June 4, 1901, P. L. 431, must set forth the contract and the amount alleged to be still due ‘and how made up.’ This provision is obligatory on him who would claim the benefits of the statute. Compliance with that which is specifically directed is necessary to secure a lien. Substantial conformity will not answer as to that.”
The view we take of the insufficiency of the notice renders the lien bad and therefore it is not necessary to consider the assignments of error separately. We have reached the conclusion that the learned court below was fully warranted in directing judgment for the defendant non obstante veredicto on this ground alone.
The assignments of error are all dismissed and the judgment is affirmed.