Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. v. Valley National Bank

485 P.2d 837, 15 Ariz. App. 13, 1971 Ariz. App. LEXIS 659
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedJune 14, 1971
Docket1 CA-CIV 1336
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 485 P.2d 837 (Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. v. Valley National Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. v. Valley National Bank, 485 P.2d 837, 15 Ariz. App. 13, 1971 Ariz. App. LEXIS 659 (Ark. Ct. App. 1971).

Opinion

JACOBSON, Presiding Judge.

The right of a bank to collect from a depositor’s insurance company for funds belonging to the depositor, and removed by thieves from the bank’s night depository facility, is presented in this appeal.

Plaintiff-appellee, The Valley National Bank of Arizona, a national banking association, as assignee of its depositor, brought an action against defendant-appellant, The Aetna Casualty & Surety Company, a Connecticut corporation seeking to enforce an insurance policy issued by the defendant insurance company to the depositor, Mrs. June Schiebel. On cross-motion for a summary judgment, the trial court granted judgment in favor of the plaintiff bank in the sum of $1,188.37. Defendant has appealed from the judgment and denial ¡of its motion for a new trial.

-' As''-'’indicated by the cross-motions for summary judgment, there are no factual disputes in this case.

Prior to May 18, 1968, the defendant insurance company had issued a policy of indemnity insurance to Mrs. June Schiebel, doing business as McDonald’s Self Service System, which covered any loss by theft suffered by Mrs. Schiebel. Also prior to that date, Mrs. Schiebel had entered into a Night Depository Agreement with the plaintiff bank by which Mrs. Schiebel was given the right to deposit cash and commercial paper in a locked depository facility at the bank after regular banking hours. Her agreement contained the following clause:

“The undersigned [Mrs. Schiebel] agrees that each use of the night depository facilities shall be at the sole risk of undersigned and further agrees that the relation of debtor and creditor between said bank. and the undersigned shall not arise out of any use or attempted use of such facilities * *

On the evening of May 18, 1968, Mrs. Schiebel deposited in the night depository facility of the Indian School-Central Office of the plaintiff bank certain funds consisting of cash and checks in the sum of $1,333.00. Some time during that night a thief, or thieves, broke into the night depository facility at that branch and removed Mrs. Schiebel’s funds. A portion of these funds were recovered, but the sum of $1,188.37 of this stolen money was never recovered.

Some fourteen days following the burglary of the night depository facility, the bank entered into an agreement with Mrs* Schiebel whereby the bank paid Mrs* Schiebel a certain sum of money in return for which Mrs. Schiebel gave the bank a release of all liability arising out of the burglary and assigned her rights under her insurance policy with the defendant to the bank. This assignment was without the approval or consent of the defendant insurance company.

The bank subsequently made demand for payment which the insurance company, after a full investigation, denied. Neither the bank nor Mrs. Schiebel ever filed a formal “proof of loss” with the insurance company. The policy of insurance issued by the defendant contained the following-clauses :

“Assignment of interest under this policy shall not bind the company until its consent is endorsed thereon-

and

“No action shall lie against the company unless, as a condition precedent, thereto, there shall have been full compliance with all the terms of this policy * *

The defendant makes four contentions, on appeal:

(1) The bank was without authority to-maintain the present action because the- *15 defendant had failed to consent to an assignment of any rights under the policy;

(2) The bank and Mrs. Schiebel having failed to file a formal proof of loss as required by the policy are precluded from maintaining this action;

(3) The insured, Mrs. Schiebel, having been reimbursed by the bank has not suffered any “loss” under the terms of the policy and therefore the defendant is not liable;

(4) The release given by Mrs. Schiebel to the bank destroyed the defendant’s subrogation rights, and the defendant is thereby released from liability. These contentions shall be discussed in the order presented.

The defendant, after citing the provisions of the policy against assignments without its consent, maintains that as far as it is concerned, Mrs. Schiebel’s assignment of her rights under the policy was void and plaintiff acquired no rights against the defendant by reason of that assignment.

The general rule appears to be that liability and indemnity insurance policies are regarded as personal contracts and cannot be assigned, especially where an assignment is expressly prohibited by the terms of the policy, unless the insurer consents. Rendelman v. Levitt, 24 S.W.2d 211 (Mo.App., 1930) ; Ocean Accident & Guarantee Corp. v. Southwestern Bell Telephone Co., 100 F.2d 441, 122 A.L.R. 133 (8th Cir. 1939); Annot. 122 A.L.R. 144 (1939).

However, this rule is based upon the right of the insurer to choose its insured so as to know its risks. Therefore, it is not applicable when an assignment is made by an insured after the liability-causing event has occurred. Rodgers v. Pacific Coast Casualty Co., 33 Cal.App. 70, 164 P. 1115 (1917); Maryland Casualty Company of Baltimore, Maryland v. Omaha Electric Light and Power Co., 157 F. 514 (8th Cir., 1907); Pietrantonio v. Travelers Ins. Co., 282 Mich. 111, 275 N.W. 786 (1937); Greco v. Oregon Mutual Fire Ins. Co., 191 Cal.App.2d 674, 12 Cal.Rptr. 802 (1961). In such a case the general rule is that the assignment is not of the policy itself, but of a claim under, or a right of action on, the policy. Ocean Accident & Guarantee Corp. v. Southwestern Bell Telephone Co., supra.

In this case we hold that Mrs. Schiebel could validly assign her rights to the proceeds of her policy with defendant after the event which gave rise to defendant’s liability under the policy had occurred without defendant’s prior consent.

Defendant next contends that the failure of plaintiff or its insured to file a formal proof of loss as required by the policy relieved defendant of liability, relying primarily upon the effect of A.R.S. § 20-1130. This statute provides as follows:

“Without limitation of any right or defense of an insurer otherwise, none of the following acts by or on behalf of an insurer shall be deemed to constitute a waiver of any provision of a policy or of any defense of the insurer thereunder:
* * * * * *
“3. Investigating any loss or claim under any policy or engaging in negotiations looking toward a possible settlement of any such loss or claim.”

Defendant contends that this statute modifies the previous common law rule in this state, as expressed in Overland-Arizona Co. v. California Insurance Co., 35 Ariz. 115, 274 P. 784 (1929), that the furnishing of proof of loss could be waived by the insurer. This same argument' was made and rejected in Truck Insurance Exchange v. Hale’s Towing Service, 95 Ariz. 76, 386 P.2d 846 (1963).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

FHMC v. BLUE CROSS
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2026
Pointe 16 v. Gtis-Hov
Arizona Supreme Court, 2025
Farmers Ins. Exch. v. Udall
424 P.3d 420 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2018)
Millard Gutter Co. v. Farm Bureau Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co.
889 N.W.2d 596 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 2016)
Levitt v. First American Title Insurance
767 P.2d 707 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 1988)
United States v. Lititz Mutual Insurance
694 F. Supp. 159 (M.D. North Carolina, 1988)
Pannell v. Missouri Insurance Guaranty Ass'n
595 S.W.2d 339 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1980)
St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance v. Allstate Insurance
543 P.2d 147 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 1975)
Travelers Indemnity Company v. Hudson
488 P.2d 1008 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 1971)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
485 P.2d 837, 15 Ariz. App. 13, 1971 Ariz. App. LEXIS 659, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/aetna-casualty-surety-co-v-valley-national-bank-arizctapp-1971.