LOGAN MOORE LUMBER COMPANY, A CORPORATION, APPELLANT,
v.
JOSEPH A. LEGATO, ET AL. APPELLEES
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Logan Moore Lumber Company sought to enforce a lien against property owned by husband and wife as tenants by the entireties for materials furnished during construction. The Florida Supreme Court affirmed the dismissal of the bill, holding that liens on estates by entireties are purely statutory and the plaintiff failed to comply with the statutory requirements.
The right to enforce a lien for materials furnished against an estate by entireties is purely statutory, and the plaintiff must comply with the statutory requirements set forth in Chapter 9296 of the Laws of 1923. An estate by entireties is not separate property of a married woman and cannot be subjected to a lien through an equitable bill that fails to follow the statutory remedy.
“It is well settled in this jurisdiction that the right to enforce a lien for labor performed, or materials furnished, against an estate by entireties is purely statutory.”
Establishes the foundational legal principle that liens on estates by entireties are statutory creations, not equitable remedies
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceLogan Moore Lumber Company furnished materials to Joseph A. Legato and Angelina Legato from June 22, 1926 to September 3, 1926 for use in improvements…
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In this case the appellant exhibited its bill to subject certain property described in the bill to the *1453payment for materials furnished by the appellant to Joseph A. Legato and Angelina Legato to be used in improvements constructed on the lands which were sought to be subjected to the payment of the obligation.
It was alleged in the bill that Legato and wife were the owners of the property by entireties. It was alleged that the materials were furnished from the 22nd day of. June, 1926, to the 3rd day of September, 1926. The suit was filed January 14, 1928.
Demurrer was filed to the bill and was sustained. The bill was dismissed, from which order appeal was taken.
The theory of the complainant in the Court below appears to have .been that the interest of the wife in the estate by the entireties of the lands constituted her separate statutory property and that, therefore, a bill in equity might be maintained against the interest of the wife in the property and that the like interest of the husband might also be subjected in the same suit to the payment for materials used in improving the property.
It is well settled in this jurisdiction that the right to enforce a lien for labor performed, or materials furnished, against an estate by entireties is purely statutory.
In Allardice and Allardice, Incorporated, v. Weatherlow, 98 Fla. 475, 124 So. R. 38, this Court, speaking through Mr. Justice Brown, say:
“The right to enforce a lien for labor performed or material furnished against an estate by entireties is purely statutory, and a bill to enforce such a lien is demurrable, when it fails to allege that the labor was performed or the materials were furnished with the knowledge or assent of 'husband and wife, or under a written contract with them, as required by the statute governing the subject. Chapter 9296, Laws of 1923 (Sections 5360-5362, Comp. Gen. Laws); Ferdon v.
*1454Hendry Lbr. Co. (Fla.) 120 So. R. 335; Parker v. Gamble, 96 Fla. 343, 118 So. R. 21.”
In Anderson v. Trueman, et al, opinion filed September 4, 1930, reported in 130 So. R. 12, this Court, speaking through Mr. Chief Justice Terrell, say:
“It is also contended by appellees that the lands described in the mortgage being held by them the entireties was in like legal status as any other separate property of a married woman, and since as to them it was a mere surety for the debt of the husbands it is now released by reason of the rule announced herein as to discharge of sureties.
“We do not think this contention can- be sustained. An estate by the entireties is of common law origin and is not a part of the ‘separate property’ of a married woman as referred to in Article XI of the Constitution and the married women’s property acts of this State (Comp. Gen. Laws 1927. Nos. 5865-5872). Allardice v. Weatherlow, 98 Fla. 475, 124 So. R. 38; 13 R. C. L. 1101. An estate by the entireties is vested in husband, and wife as one person, both take an undivided share, neither spouse can sell, forfeit or encumber any part of the estate without the consent of the other. On the death of either spouse the entire estate goes to the survivor, it can not ordinarily be partitionéd during their joint lives, it cannot be severed by the act of either, but it may be sold or mortgaged by properly executed instrument joined in by both husband and wife; the wife’s contract alone to pledge it being utterly worthless. English v. English, 66 Fla. 427, 63 So. R. 822;. 13 R. C. L. 1131.”
*1455Chapter 9296, Acts of 1923, Sections 5360 to 5362, inclusive, Comp. Gen. Laws., provided for the creation and enforcement of liens on estates by entireties in favor of those performing labor or furnishing materials used, or to be used, upon property owned by husband and wife as an estate by entireties and laborers and materialmen are limited to the statutory remedy therein provided in subjecting an estate by entireties for the construction of improvements or betterments on real estate so held.
The plaintiff in this case did not avail itself of the provisions of the statutes in this regard.
For the reasons stated, the order appealed from should be affirmed and it is so ordered.
Affirmed.
Ellis, Strum and Brown, J. J., concur.
Whitfield, J., concurs in the affirmance..
Terrell, C. J., dissents.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
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Goldsmith v. Orange Belt Sec. Co., 115 Fla. 683 (Fla. 1934)…were not enforceable against property held as an estate by the entireties. We have heretofore held that [*688] the right to enforce a lien for labor performed or matériáls furnished is purely statutory. Logan-Moore Lbr. Co. v. Lagato, 100 Fla. 1451, 131 Sou. 381; Allardice v. Wetherlow, 98 Fla. 475, 124 Sou. 388. In Logan-Moore Lbr. Co. v. Legato, et al., supra, we said: “Chapter 9296, Acts of 1923, Sections 5360 to 5362, inclusive, Comp. Gen. Laws, provided for the creation and enforcement of liens on es…
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Anderson v. Lucile Carter, 100 So. 2d 831 (Fla. 2d DCA 1958)…the entirety, the payment taking its place. Merrill v. Adkins, 1938, 131 Fla. 478, 180 So. 41. But without an agreement, neither alone can do anything to alter the tenancy of property held by the en-tireties. Logan Moore Lumber Co. v. Legato, 1930, 100 Fla. 1451, 131 So. 381. In Burkhardt v. Harris, Tex.Civ.App. 1947, 200 S.W. 2d 445, it was held, where a wife secured a loan which the husband knowingly received and put in his business, that the husband’s acts authorized an inference that wife’s act in borr…
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Stanley v. Powers, 123 Fla. 359 (Fla. 1936)…v. Randall, 97 Fla. 858, 122 Sou. 217; Ferris-Lee v. Fulghum, 98 Fla. 171, 123 Sou. 697; Allardice and Allardice v. Weatherlow, 98 Fla. 457, 124 Sou. 38; Anderson v. Trueman, 100 Fla. 727, 130 Sou. 12; Logan Moore Lbr. Co. v. Legato, 100 Fla. 1451, 131 Sou. 381; Menendez v. Rodriquez, 106 Fla. 214, 143 Sou. 223; Palm Beach Estates v. Croker, 106 Fla. 617, 143 Sou. 792; Lindsley v. Phare, 115 Fla. 454, 155 Sou. 812; Whetstone v. Coslick, 117 Fla. 203, 157 Sou. 666; Newman v. Equitable Life Assurance Society…
Previewing 3 of 9 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- English v. English, 66 Fla. 427 (Fla. 1913)
- Allardice & Allardice, Inc. v. Weatherlow, 98 Fla. 475 (Fla. 1929)
- Ervin F. Parker v. Gamble, 96 Fla. 343 (Fla. 1928)