Southern Erectors, Inc. v. Olga Coal Co.

On this appeal, the Court is called upon to examine the rights and responsibilities of a contractor in an action brought by a subcontractor claiming a mechanic’s lien against a property owner for improvements made to the owner’s property under a general or “turn-key” contract between the contractor and the owner.

During the period relevant to this litigation, the Olga Coal Company, a corporate defendant below, owned and operated a coal tipple at Caretta, McDowell County, West Virginia. The tipple was situated on land owned by Youngstown Mines Corporation, Interlake Steel Corporation and…