Opinion ID: 1123492
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Recovery of Expenses Incurred

Text: Coones contends that he is entitled to impose an agister's lien on his own property. He states that nothing in the language of W.S. 29-7-101 would deny an owner of property the right to file a lien against his own property. Section 29-7-101(a) provides: (a) Any person is entitled to a lien on any goods, chattels or animals for his reasonable charges for work or services performed or feed provided when he: (i) Makes, alters, repairs, bestows work upon, transports, stores or keeps the same; or (ii) Feeds, herds, pastures or cares for any domestic or wild animal lawfully held in captivity. This lien shall be prior to all other liens, encumbrances and security interests if the property claimed is in possession of the lien claimant. WYO.STAT. § 29-7-106(a) (1981). Determining the lawmakers' intent is our primary focus when we interpret statutes. State Department of Revenue and Taxation v. Pacificorp, 872 P.2d 1163, 1166 (Wyo.1994). Initially, we make `an inquiry respecting the ordinary and obvious meaning of the words employed according to their arrangement and connection.' Parker Land and Cattle Company v. Wyoming Game and Fish Commission, 845 P.2d 1040, 1042 (Wyo.1993) (quoting Rasmussen v. Baker, 7 Wyo. 117, 133, 50 P. 819, 823 (1897)). We construe the statute as a whole, giving effect to each word, clause, and sentence, and we construe together all parts of the statute in pari materia. 845 P.2d at 1042. We note that [l]ien statutes create remedies in derogation of common law and must be strictly construed. Burg v. Ruby Drilling Co., Inc., 783 P.2d 144, 152 (Wyo. 1989) (citing Cities Service Oil Company v. Pubco Petroleum Corporation, 497 P.2d 1368, 1371-72 (Wyo.1972)). We will not extend the scope of statutory lien laws. American Buildings Company v. Wheelers Stores, 585 P.2d 845, 847 (Wyo.1978). The lien described in § 29-7-101(a) is referred to as an agister's lien. Coones, 848 P.2d at 804-05. An agister is defined as being a person engaged in the business of pasturing of cattle as a bailee in consideration of an agreed price to be paid by owner of cattle. BLACK'S LAW DICTIONARY 61 (5th ed. 1979). A lien is defined as being a [r]ight to enforce charge upon property of another for payment or satisfaction of debt or claim. Id. at 832. A lien may be created only by statute or contract and the courts may not choose to recognize a lien absent its creation through one of these enumerated ways. Sheridan Commercial Park, Inc. v. Briggs, 848 P.2d 811, 815 (Wyo.1993). A reasonable construction of § 29-7-101(a) rejects Coones's attempt to impose an agister's lien upon his own property. The meanings of lien and agister limit the scope of who may assert a claim against secured property. Under the plain and ordinary language contained in § 29-7-101(a) and § 29-7-106(a), only a third-party creditor, and not the owner, may impose a lien upon the secured property. The contractual language contained in the security agreements also clearly prohibited the imposition of a lien upon the secured property. Coones's security agreement with the First National Bank provided: The Debtor shall keep the collateral free from all liens, claims, charges, encumbrances, taxes and assessments. The security agreement with the Stockmens Bank and Trust Company contained similar language: 1. Borrower is the owner of the Collateral free from any prior lien, security interest or encumbrance, except for the Security Interest granted herein. ... 2. Borrower will not sell or offer to sell or otherwise transfer or encumber the Collateral or any interest therein without the prior written consent of the Lender....