CANADA DRY BOTTLING CO. OF FLORIDA, INC., A CORPORATION, AND WESLEY CONSTRUCTION CO., A CORPORATION, APPELLANTS,
v.
MEEKINS, INC., OF DADE COUNTY, A FLORIDA CORPORATION, APPELLEE
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Meekins, a materialman, sued for the value of materials supplied to a subcontractor on Canada Dry's property and obtained a judgment and lien. Canada Dry and the general contractor appealed, challenging whether a materialman can obtain a lien when there is no direct debt between the owner and the subcontractor. The court affirmed, holding that Florida's materialman lien statute permits a lien based on the owner's debt to the general contractor, not requiring a direct debt relationship with the subcontractor.
A materialman can acquire a lien against the owner by serving notice of the subcontractor's indebtedness to the materialman, and the lien exists based on the amount unpaid on the contract between the owner and the general contractor, regardless of whether the owner or general contractor is indebted to the subcontractor. The Mechanics' Lien Law does not supersede the materialman's lien statute, which has remained effective since 1917.
“A lien shall exist from the time of the service of the notice for the amount unpaid on the contract of and by the owner to the contractor or the person for whom the work was done or the material furnished.”
The statutory provision governing the creation of a materialman's lien, establishing that the lien arises from the owner's debt to the contractor, not requiring privity between owner and subcontractor.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceCanada Dry owned property on which a structure was being built; Wesley was the general contractor; Parris was a subcontractor; Meekins supplied materi…
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Canada Dry Bottling Company of Florida, Inc., and Wesley Construction Company, Inc., defendants below, appeal from a final judgment for the plaintiff. The appellee claimed a lien pursuant to §§ 85.03,1 85.26,2 and 86.07,3 Fla.Stat. (1965), F.S.A. Canada Dry is the fee owner of property upon which it was having built a structure for manufacturing its products. Wesley was the general contractor. A third defendant, Parris Construction Co., was a subcontractor. Meekins, Inc., the plaintiff-appellee, furnished Parris with materials which were *440incorporated into the building. Meekins brought suit for the value of material supplied to Parris. Default judgment was entered against Parris, which is not a party to this appeal. A money judgment was entered against the appellants, and a lien upon Canada Dry’s property was declared to exist.
The appellants present three points. In the first they urge that the court erred in entering judgment for the materialman because neither the owner nor the general contractor was indebted to the subcontractor at the time the materialman delivered notice to the owner that the subcontractor was indebted to the materialman. The appellants rely upon the following statute:
“Acquisition of liens by persons not in privity with the owner.—
(1) AS AGAINST THE OWNER.—
A person entitled to acquire a lien, not in privity with the owner, as aforesaid, shall acquire a lien upon such owner’s real or personal property as against him, and persons claiming through his death, and purchasers and creditors with notice, by the delivery to him or his agent, of a written notice that the contractor or other person for whom the labor has been performed, or the materials furnished, is indebted to the person performing the labor or furnishing the materials in the sum stated in the notice; but if a person who is performing or is about to perform, by himself or others, labor, or is furnishing or is about to furnish materials shall so desire, he may deliver to the owner, or his agent a written cautionary notice that he will do certain work, or will furnish certain materials, or both. A lien shall exist from the time of the service of the notice for the amount unpaid on the contract of and by the owner to the contractor or the person for whom the work zms done or the material furnished. Such service shall also create a personal liability against the owner of the property in favor of the lienor giving such notice for the amount due him as aforesaid, but not to a greater extent than the amount of such original contract.” (Emphasis added.) § 85.26, Fla.Stat. (1965) F.S.A.4
The substance of the argument under this point is that in situations like the one before us the emphasized language of the statute means that where there is no money due from the owner or the general contractor to the subcontractor no lien can arise, even though there is money due from the owner to the general contractor.
The following facts pertain to this point. The appellee, Meekins, furnished building material to the subcontractor, Parris. After a partial payment for the materials, Parris abandoned the work. The general contractor, Wesley, completed the subcontract work. Meekins’s notice for the amount unpaid was served upon the owner, Canada Dry, at a time when Canada Dry was indebted to Wesley but when neither Canada Dry nor Wesley was indebted to Parris.
The interpretation of the section contended for by the appellants is strained and would require us to read into the section additional language (which we indicate by means of italics) so that the portion of the section we emphasized above would provide: “A lien shall exist from the time of the service of the notice for the amount unpaid on the contract of and by the owner to the contractor if the lienor contracted with the contractor or the person for whom the work was done or the materials furnished if the lienor contracted with a person other than a contractor. The purpose of § 85.03,5 which bears the heading “Liens for materials furnished”, is to provide a remedy for materialmen. Remedial statutes should be interpreted liberally in order to effect the purpose of their enactment. Howard v. American Service Mutual Insurance Co., Fla.App.1963, 151 So.2d 682, 8 A.L.R.3d 382; Pools By Tropicana, Inc. *441v. Swan, Fla.App.1964, 167 So.2d 775; Grammer v. Roman, Fla.App.1965, 174 So. 2d 443. We therefore cannot interpret § 85.266 in the manner the appellants would have us do for that would defeat the purpose of § 85.03.7 We conclude that no error has been demonstrated under the appellants’ first point.
In their next point the appellants urge that the Mechanics’ Lien Law (now Part I, Chapter 713, Fla.Stat., F.S.A.) supersedes § 85.038 and that the Mechanics’ Lien Law is now the exclusive remedy for the acquisition and perfection of a lien by a materialman. We conclude that error has not been demonstrated under this point. The statute bearing the heading “Liens for materials furnished” has contained the same provisions since 1917. In § 36, Chapter 67-254 of the Laws of Florida,-the Florida Legislature changed the number of that statute from § 85.03 to § 713.52. In view of the provisions of §§ 11.2421 and 11.2422, Fla.Stat. (1967), F.S.A., it is clear that the Legislature knowingly carried the statute forward and intended it to remain effective. We therefore cannot agree that the Mechanics’ Lien Law supersedes § 85.03, Fla. Stat. (1965), F.S.A.9
The appellants’ third point is inapplicable and without merit.
Affirmed.
(concurring in part and dissenting in part.)
I concur in the judgment affirming the holding that a lien was established against the affected property of the owner and affirming the granting of a money judgment against the oivner, for the value of materials supplied by the plaintiff to the subcontractor, since the statute expressly so authorizes. However, in my opinion the trial court committed error in granting the plaintiff a money judgment against the contractor, because the statute does not make provision for it. The materialman contracted with the sub-contractor. It had no contract with the defendant contractor, Wesley Construction Co. In the absence of privity, the materialman was not entitled to obtain a money judgment against the contractor, unless the statute conferred that right, which it did not. The personal judgment against the general contractor should be reversed.
CHARLES CARROLL, Chief Judge
(concurring in part and dissenting in part.)
I concur in the judgment affirming the holding that a lien was established against the affected property of the owner and affirming the granting of a money judgment against the oivner, for the value of materials supplied by the plaintiff to the subcontractor, since the statute expressly so authorizes. However, in my opinion the trial court committed error in granting the plaintiff a money judgment against the contractor, because the statute does not make provision for it. The materialman contracted with the sub-contractor. It had no contract with the defendant contractor, Wesley Construction Co. In the absence of privity, the materialman was not entitled to obtain a money judgment against the contractor, unless the statute conferred that right, which it did not. The personal judgment against the general contractor should be reversed.
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Causeway Lumber Co., Inc. v. Lewis, 410 So. 2d 511 (Fla. 4th DCA 1981)…ction which will broadly effectuate the remedy created — has been consistently recognized in Florida as being the appropriate rule for remedial statutes. See Becker v. Amos, 105 Fla. 231, 141 So. 136 (1932); Canada Dry Bottling Co. v. Meekins, Inc., 219 So. 2d 439 (Fla. 3d DCA 1969). [END OF QUOTE FROM APPELLANT’S BRIEF] It is therefore my view that, as recommended by the hearing officer, a refund is [*517] available to the appellant for the tax years 1975 and 1976 and that the majority opinion is in confli…
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Logan Constr. Co. v. Warren Bros. Constr. Co., 257 So. 2d 52 (Fla. 1st DCA 1972)…tor was not in privity with it and was not entitled to a money judgment against Logan. I am in complete accord with my brother Carroll of the Third District Court of Appeal in his dissent in Canada Dry Bottling Co. v. Meekins, Inc., of Dade County, 219 So. 2d 439, 441 (Fla.App.3rd, 1969), wherein he stated: “I concur in the judgment affirming the holding that a lien was established against the affected property of the owner and affirming the granting of a money judgment against the owner, for the value of m…1 / 2
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Logan Constr. Co. v. Warren Bros. Constr. Co., 268 So. 2d 369 (Fla. 1972)…nt. The First District affirmed with Rawls, J., dissenting in accord with Third District Judge Charles Carroll’s dissent denying recovery against the general contractor in the earlier case of Canada Dry Bottling Co. v. Meekins, Inc., of Dade County, 219 So. 2d 439, 441 (Fla.App.3d 1969.) Judge Rawls quotes the dissent of Judge Carroll in Canada Dry as follows:…
Previewing 3 of 4 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Grammer v. Roman, 174 So. 2d 443 (Fla. 2d DCA 1965)
- Howard v. Am. Serv. Mut. Ins. Co., 151 So. 2d 682 (Fla. 3d DCA 1963)
- Pools BY Tropicana, Inc. v. Etta J. Swan, 167 So. 2d 775 (Fla. 2d DCA 1964)