Lien rights cases address mechanic's liens in Texas construction. Courts examine perfection requirements, timing, and the scope of lien claims against property.
The cases below are organized by outcome and significance. Flagship cases represent the most-cited opinions that have shaped how lien rights clauses are interpreted in Texas courts.
A municipality owes no duty to a subcontractor to ensure a general contractor provides valid payment bonds, and a subcontractor cannot recover from the municipality under quantum meruit, unjust enrichment, or negligence theories when the general contractor abandons the project.
Sovereign immunity bars subcontractors from enforcing equitable liens against the United States Government, as the APA's waiver of immunity does not extend to claims for money damages.
A general contractor violated Colorado's construction trust fund statute by failing to hold funds in trust for subcontractors and suppliers, and a lien release bond does not exempt contractors from trust fund obligations or excuse failure to record a lis pendens.
117 opinions sorted by most cited
| CASE | CITATION | OUTCOME | CITES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heldenfels Bros. v. City of Corpus Christi Texas Supreme Court | 832 S.W.2d 39 (1992) | enforced | 494 |
| Department of the Army v. Blue Fox, Inc. Supreme Court of the United States | 142 L. Ed. 2d 718 (1999) | voided | 488 |
| Weize Co. v. Colorado Regional Construction, Inc. Colorado Court of Appeals | 251 P.3d 489 (2010) | affirmed | 386 |
| Rice v. Pinney Texas Court of Appeals, 5th District (Dallas) | 51 S.W.3d 705 (2001) | enforced | 383 |
| Benchmark Bank v. Crowder Texas Supreme Court | 919 S.W.2d 657 (1996) | modified | 284 |
| Brown v. Bank of Galveston, National Ass'n Texas Supreme Court | 963 S.W.2d 511 (1998) | enforced | 275 |
| CVN Group, Inc. v. Delgado Texas Supreme Court | 95 S.W.3d 234 (2002) | enforced | 255 |
| Spradlin v. Jim Walter Homes, Inc. Texas Supreme Court | 34 S.W.3d 578 (2000) | enforced | 252 |
| Lesikar v. Rappeport Texas Court of Appeals, 6th District (Texarkana) | 33 S.W.3d 282 (2000) | enforced | 245 |
| Cutting Underwater Technologies USA, Inc. v. Eni U.S. Operating Co. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | 671 F.3d 512 (2012) | enforced | 238 |
| Roth v. Thompson New Mexico Supreme Court | 825 P.2d 1241 (1992) | enforced | 231 |
| Chilton Insurance Co. v. Pate & Pate Enterprises, Inc. Texas Court of Appeals, 4th District (San Antonio) | 930 S.W.2d 877 (1996) | modified | 175 |
| Shaw Constructors, Cross-Appellee v. Icf Kaiser Engineers, Inc., Pcs Nitrogen Fertilizer, L.P. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | 395 F.3d 533 (2004) | modified | 160 |
| Certified Fire Protection, Inc. v. Precision Construction, Inc. Nevada Supreme Court | 128 Nev. 371 (2012) | enforced | 159 |
| L & A Contracting Company v. Southern Concrete Services, Inc. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | 17 F.3d 106 (1994) | modified | 157 |
| Lange Industries, Inc. v. Hallam Grain Co. Nebraska Supreme Court | 507 N.W.2d 465 (1993) | enforced | 137 |
| Texas Southern University v. State Street Bank & Trust Co. Texas Court of Appeals, 1st District (Houston) | 212 S.W.3d 893 (2007) | remanded | 133 |
| TWB Architects, Inc. v. The Braxton, LLC Tennessee Supreme Court | 578 S.W.3d 879 (2019) | remanded | 126 |
| Blakeslee Arpaia Chapman, Inc. v. EI Constructors, Inc. Supreme Court of Connecticut | 239 Conn. 708 (1997) | enforced | 126 |
| Solar Applications Engineering, Inc. v. T.A. Operating Corp. Texas Supreme Court | 327 S.W.3d 104 (2010) | remanded | 115 |