{"id":893590,"date":"2018-02-08T09:52:53","date_gmt":"2018-02-08T16:52:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=893590"},"modified":"2018-02-08T09:52:53","modified_gmt":"2018-02-08T16:52:53","slug":"promise-pay-doesnt-extend-lien-deadlines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/promise-pay-doesnt-extend-lien-deadlines\/","title":{"rendered":"A Promise to Pay Doesn\u2019t Extend Lien Deadlines"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stan Martin | Commonsense Construction Law<\/a> | January 24, 2018<\/p>\n

Mechanic\u2019s lien rights arise from the laws of each state; there is no common-law right to unilaterally lien someone else\u2019s property. As such, compliance with statutory requirements and deadlines is paramount. Thus, when an owner promised to pay a sub, and the sub elected not to pursue lien rights based on that promise, the sub lost out on its lien when it missed the statutory deadlines.<\/p>\n

This case is in Massachusetts, but it is likely the same outcome would result in all other states. Equitable theories that might apply in other circumstances (e.g., equitable tolling of statutes of limitation when one forebears based on promises from another) do not apply when the underlying right is based on compliance with lien law standards and deadlines.<\/p>\n

The sub was owed $196,500. It took the first two steps (out of three) under the Massachusetts lien law, to secure a mechanic\u2019s lien. The third step was to file a lawsuit, but the sub didn\u2019t file based on what it claimed were promises of payment. In the meantime, the deadline to file a lawsuit (90 days after the second step) came and went. When no payment was made, the sub tried to resurrect its lien rights by taking steps 1 and 2 again, but by now the deadline for those steps had passed under the lien law.<\/p>\n

The sub argued that the lien law deadlines should be equitably extended, but the trial court, and then the Appeals Court, disagreed. \u201cA mechanic\u2019s lien is not a common-law right but a creature of statute, which \u2018compels strict compliance in order to obtain relief.\u2019\u201d The sub\u2019s lien rights had lapsed when the deadlines passed, regardless of any promises of payment that may have been made.<\/p>\n

The lesson? Ignore lien law deadlines at your peril. The case is\u00a0D5 Iron Works v. Danvers Fish & Game Club<\/em>, 2018 Mass. App. Unpub. LEXIS 60 (Jan. 22, 2018).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stan Martin | Commonsense Construction Law | January 24, 2018 Mechanic\u2019s lien rights arise from the laws of each state; there is no common-law right to unilaterally lien someone else\u2019s property. As such, compliance with statutory requirements and deadlines is paramount. Thus, when an owner promised to pay a sub, and the sub elected not… Continue reading A Promise to Pay Doesn\u2019t Extend Lien Deadlines<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8],"tags":[9895,10359,9836,184],"class_list":["post-893590","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mechanics-lien-rights","tag-advise-consult","tag-lien-deadlines","tag-massachusetts","tag-mechanics-lien-law","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nA Promise to Pay Doesn\u2019t Extend Lien Deadlines - Advise & Consult, Inc.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mechanic\u2019s lien rights arise from the laws of each state; 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