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Strange emphasis on 'now'. From wiki, "Mechanic's liens in their modern form were first conceived by Thomas Jefferson, to encourage construction in the new capi
by jboy55 5y ago
Strange emphasis on 'now'. From wiki, "Mechanic's liens in their modern form were first conceived by Thomas Jefferson, to encourage construction in the new capital city of Washington. They were established by the Maryland General Assembly, of which the city of Washington was then a part.[1] However, it is not likely that Jefferson single-handedly dreamed up the idea.
At the time Jefferson promoted the law, a lien-like privilege already existed in civil law countries like France, the Dutch Republic and Spain, with some laws even tracing their roots to the Roman Empire. And since control of Louisiana had passed between the French and Spaniards, and had largely adopted the French Napoleonic Code, there was a similar privilege concept in that territory."
- jessriedel 5y agoIt's not strange at all because "now" does not assert "in the past few years" or something. It's just in contrast to when the technique was first developed. Like, do you think there was a long-standing issue with people not paying their bills because the liens weren't enshrined in law, and a bunch of clever legislators got the brilliant idea to introduce it? No! It's been happening since before laws were written down, and the formal laws were crafted to fit this existing custom.
- jboy55 5y agoMaybe you are mistaking what a lien is. A lien isn't when someone takes possession until they are paid, but a legal debt attached to the object in which the person attaching the lien claims partial ownership of that property until the debt has been paid. It does not require possession of the object. A mechanic can place a lien on your house for no payment. It 100% exists in law and requires the debt to be written down.