Title: Remington v. Wren
Citation: 278 Or. 471, 564 P.2d 1025
Docket Number: N/A
State: Oregon
Issuer: Oregon Supreme Court
Date: May 31, 1977

564 P.2d 1025 (1977)
278 Or. 471
Walter V. REMINGTON, Respondent,
v.
Patrick L. WREN and Joyce A. Wren, husband and Wife, Appellants.

Supreme Court of Oregon, Department 2.
Argued and Submitted January 6, 1977.
Decided May 31, 1977.
Kaye D. Brand of Craig &amp; Brand, McMinnville, argued the cause and filed a brief for appellants.
H.W. Devlin, McMinnville, argued the cause for respondent. With him on the brief was Terrence D. Mahr, McMinnville.
Before DENECKE, C.J., and BRYSON, LINDE and MENGLER, JJ.
DENECKE, Chief Justice.
The plaintiff contracted in writing to build a home for the defendants Wren for a price of $20,953. Payments were to be made during the course of construction with the final payment on completion.
Mrs. Wren called plaintiff and asked for the final bill. Plaintiff's wife told Mrs. Wren it was $29,270.55 and Mrs. Wren said there must be a mistake. Plaintiff sent defendants a bill in that amount showing subcontractors' and suppliers' charges. Plaintiff called defendants several times thereafter and asked for payment. The defendants said the money would be paid when it came from the Veterans Administration where they were getting a loan. Three months after the defendants were first informed of the amount of plaintiff's bill, defendants sent plaintiff a check in an *1026 amount representing the contract price, plus extras of about $1,300, less the instalments previously paid, less a credit. The amounts of the extras, previous payments and credit apparently are not in dispute except for a few dollars.
Plaintiff brought this action and alleged in his complaint that "an account was stated between" the parties in the amount of plaintiff's billing of $29,270.55, less the amount previously paid. The trial court found for the plaintiff in the amount prayed for. The defendants appeal.
The defendants contend that the plaintiff cannot maintain an action based upon an account stated when there was an express contract to pay a specific amount of money. The defendants are correct and the judgment must be reversed.
In Halvorson v. Blue Mt. Prune Growers Co-op., 188 Or. 661, 670, 214 P.2d 986, 990, 217 P.2d 254 (1950), we stated, at least by way of dictum:
In Edwards, Guardian v. Hoevet, 185 Or. 284, 294-295, 200 P.2d 955, 960, 6 A.L.R.2d 104 (1949), we quoted:
We view a liquidated demand contained in a negotiable instrument to be legally similar to an agreed price in a contract.
Williston and Corbin also state this as a principle of law. 15 Williston, Contracts (3d ed.) 576, § 1863, nn. 18-20; 6 Corbin, Contracts 238, § 1304, n. 10.
Account stated is based upon an implied promise to pay arising because of the debtor's tacit assent to pay the amount billed by the creditor. Without other circumstances there is no consideration for a promise to pay an amount greater than the amount agreed upon in a contract and, therefore, such promise is unenforceable.
Corbin states:
In a section entitled, "Liquidated Money Debts and Account Stated," Corbin writes:
*1027 We are of the opinion that any implied promise by the defendants to pay an amount in excess of the contract price which might otherwise support an account stated was without consideration and, therefore, unenforceable.
Plaintiff also asserts that defendants are estopped to deny plaintiff's claim. He bases this on evidence that he did not file a mechanic's lien within the time required because he was misled by defendants' seeming assent to his bill. The trial court found plaintiff had established this defense but did not rely upon it in deciding for plaintiff.
We conclude that the defendants' conduct did not estop defendants from denying they owed plaintiff the amount he is claiming. If plaintiff had filed a lien, he would have had to prove an account stated in the foreclosure suit, just as he has attempted and failed to do in the present litigation. His filing a lien would not have aided plaintiff in attempting to prove an account stated.
Reversed.