175 P. 701 | Cal. Ct. App. | 1918
This is an action to recover on an express contract for the payment of money. The lower court ordered judgment in favor of the defendants, the plaintiff appealed therefrom, and has brought up the evidence in a bill of exceptions. The board of works of the city and county of San Francisco awarded to the defendants a contract to build a municipal building; the defendants presented to the plaintiff a written application for two indemnity bonds, one, in the sum of four thousand dollars, for the faithful performance of the contract; and one, in the sum of six thousand seven hundred dollars, running to all persons furnishing materials or performing labor, and which was conditioned for the payment of claims of such persons if the contractors should fail to pay the same. In said written application the defendants agreed, if the plaintiff would execute said bonds, that the defendants would indemnify the plaintiff against all loss, costs, damages, liabilities, etc., which the plaintiff might sustain by reason of its having executed said bonds; the plaintiff executed and delivered said bonds. When the contract was completed, the claims outstanding for materials and labor amounted to $6,728.44; and the money due from the city amounted to $5,354.45; the latter sum was collected from the city and the deficiency, $1,328.33, together with certain costs *154 and expenses, was paid by the plaintiff. The validity of either bond was never questioned prior to said payments, and the defendants stood by and saw the money paid and at no time attempted to stop payment.
The plaintiff has sued on the express promise contained in said written application. The defendants attempt to sustain their position by citing the case of Loop Lumber Co. v. VanLoben Sels,
Let us make the situation still clearer: A and B are conversing; C approaches and asks for a contribution for charity; A asks B to pay C one hundred dollars and states that he will repay B; thereupon B pays one hundred dollars to C as requested by A. No one, we think, would question the liability of A to B.
It follows that the judgment should be reversed, and it is so ordered.
Lennon, P. J., and Beasly, J., pro tem., concurred. *155