Court Opinion

ID: 9611437
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 03:56:47.198334+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:03:14.324178
License: Public Domain

BISTLINE, Justice,
specially concurring.
I do not disagree with the Court’s conclusion that the description of materials was insufficient. Ross v. Olson, 95 Idaho 915, 523 P.2d 518 (1974), however, concerns the description of the real property upon which lien was claimed — not a description of the materials. Nor does there appear to be an Idaho case addressing the sufficiency of the description of personalty which may be subjected to a materialmen’s lien, especially where the personalty has not been incorporated into the proposed but wholly unconstructed building. There are other cases which deal with the question of sufficiently identifying personal property. The application of Pierce v. Langdon, 3 Idaho 141, 28 P. 401 (1891), (a claim and delivery context) and McConnell v. Langdon, 3 Idaho 157, 28 P. 403 (1891), (a chattel mortgage foreclosure context) would require a holding here that merely describing materials as “materials” or “building materials” is insufficient.
I do not agree with the statement that “there must be a res to which the lien may attach,” because it is my opinion that I.C. § 45-501 as written can and should be read as allowing a materialman, whose materials have been furnished to be used (but which are not used) a lien on those materials:
Every person . . . furnishing materials to be used in the construction . of any . . . building . . . has a lien upon the same for the . materials furnished .
I.C. § 45-501 (emphasis added.) The language of I.C. § 45-507 buttresses a construction that the lien may be claimed and foreclosed against the materials alone, if the materialman files for record
a claim containing a statement of his demand, after deducting all just credits and offsets, with the name of the owner, or reputed owner, if known, and also the name of the person by whom he was employed or to whom he furnished the materials, and also a description of the property to be charged with the lien, sufficient for identification .
It is only where the claimant’s materials have actually gone into the building that the lien can also attach to the real property upon which the building has been constructed. I.C. § 45-505.