Alamo Cas. Co. v. Richardson

235 S.W.2d 726, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2444
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedSeptember 14, 1950
Docket4663
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 235 S.W.2d 726 (Alamo Cas. Co. v. Richardson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alamo Cas. Co. v. Richardson, 235 S.W.2d 726, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2444 (Tex. Ct. App. 1950).

Opinions

WALKER, Justice.

Appellee was the Plaintiff, and Appellant, the Defendant, in the trial court.

Plaintiff is a dealer in automobiles, and has his place of business in Beaumont. He purchased 6 automobiles in Ft. Worth for resale in Beaumont, and engaged one Gardener to bring two of these vehicles to Beaumont. This Gardener attempted to do. He fastened one vehicle to the rear of the other and then drove .the front vehicle, towing the one behind, from Ft. Worth over the road toward Beaumont; but at a point on this road, the two Vehicles turned over (.the cause of the upset was not proved) and were badly damaged as a result.

Plaintiff claimed reimbursement under an insurance policy issued to him by Defendant, and on Defendant’s refusal to pay his claim, brought this action upon this policy to recover the damages sustained by the two vehicles. Neither party prayed for equitable relief.

The cause was tried to the court, sitting without a jury, and the trial court rendered judgment in Plaintiff’s behalf against Defendant for the sum of $1510.07. From this judgment Defendant has appealed.

Defendant has assigned 5 Points of Error for Reversal. Under 1, 2 & 3, Defendant says that the policy did not insure Plaintiff against the loss proved; and under the remaining Points, says that the evidence does not show when the loss occurred, and thus fails to show that it occurred during the term of the policy. We sustain the argument under Points 2 and 3, and thus pretermit discussion of the other Points.

The contract of insurance was wholly written upon printed forms which contained blank spaces to be filled when the contract was made. Three endorsements were included in the Policy. Paragraph 4 of one, which we shall style Form 10, contained blank spaces for listing various locations to which the contract of insurance applied, and for stating Defendant’s maximum total liability for any one casualty at these places, and it also contained blank spaces for stating Defendant’s maximum total liability for any one casualty to automobiles “being driven over road to point of destination selected by .the insured as the place of storage of such automobiles.” In the space provided for stating the limit of liability on automobiles being driven over road Defendant’s agent wrote the word “Nil”, and out of this word has come this action. Defendant argues that it refers to the existence of insurance and means that Defendant excluded from the insurance any liability for damage to automobiles moved over road. Plaintiff argues .that it refers only to the Defendant’s limit of liability, and means that no limitation was imposed upon liability for damage to automobiles being moved over road. Which of these two constructions shall be applied is the question to be decided. The following provisions of the policy are relevant to this question.

At the beginning of the policy appear certain declarations which identify plaintiff as .the insured, state his address, state his occupation (“Auto Dealer”), recite that the vehicles insured will be “principally garaged” in the town where plaintiff resides, and fix the term of the policy as the period from 12:01 A. M., September 2, 1947, to 12:01 A. M., September 2, 1948. Item 5 of these Declarations recites that the vehicles insured are to be “Held by Dealer”.

Plaintiff’s judgment is founded upon the endorsement we have styled Form 10.

It is recited at the beginning of Form 10 that it is “applicable only to such of the coverages of Fire, Theft, Collision, Windstorm and Combined Additional Coverage as are defined in the policy and for which insurance is provided "

For the coverages for which insurance is provided, one .turns from Form 10 to Item 3 of the Declarations, where it is identified as follows: “The insurance afforded is only with respect to such and so many of the following coverages as are indicated by specific premium charge or [728]*728charges. The limit of the company’s liability against each such coverage shall be as stated herein, subject to all the terms of this policy having reference thereto.

All of these coverages except False Pretext are defined in the main body of the policy, thus coming within the quoted .terms of Form 10, and False Pretext is defined in one of the endorsements to the .policy so as to show that this risk is an extension of 'Coverage D-l, which is Theft (Broad Form). The coverages other than False Pretext which are listed above, namely, E-l, C and D-l are defined in that part of the policy entitled Insuring Agreements, and of these, E-l and C are defined as follows:

“Alamo Casualty Company (herein called the Company) agrees with the Insured, named in the declarations made a part hereof, in consideration of the payment of the premium and in reliance upon the statements in the declarations and subject to the limits of liability, exclusion, conditions and other terms of this policy: * * *
“Coverage E-l — Collision or Upset.

To pay for loss of or damage to the automobile, hereinafter called loss, caused by collision of the automobile with another object or by upset of the automobile, but only for the amount of each such loss in excess of the deductible amount, if any, stated in the declarations as applicable hereto.—

“Coverage C — Fire, Lightning and Transportation.
“To pay for loss of or damage to the automobile, hereinafter called loss, caused (a) by fire or lightning, (b) by smoke or smudge due to a sudden unusual and faulty operation of any fixed heating equipment serving the premises in which the automobile is located, or (c) by the stranding, sinking, burning, collision or derailment of any conveyance in or upon which the automobile is being transported on land or on water.”

Limitation upon Defendant’s liability under these coverages was fixed not only in Item 3 of the Declarations, copied above but also in conditions 14 and 15 of the policy and in Sections 8 and 9 of Form 10. However, these other limitation provisions need not be quoted.

The automobiles insured under the policy are described in Form 10. Reference to the vehicles insured was also made in Item 4 of the Declarations, entitled “Description of the automobile and facts respecting its purchase by the named Insured” but this only directs the readers attention to Form 10. In Item 4 Defendant’s agent wrote the words: “Forms #155-10-12 attached.” These numerals refer to the endorsements included in the policy and the endorsement we have styled Form 10 is referred to by the numeral 10. Form 10 is entitled AUTOMOBILE DEALERS MONTHLY REPORTING FORM, and it describes .the insured vehicles in its first paragraph which provides in part:

“il. Coverage — This policy covers automobiles owned by the insured and held for sale * * *

[729]*729It is of some significance that the number of automobiles insured was not stated, and that no limitation was placed upon the number of automobiles insured.

Following this identification of the vehicles insured Form 10 provides for certain exclusions from the agreed coverages, but these exclusions 'are not the only limitation upon the insurance coverages. Provision for still further qualification of the various coverages agreed upon was next made in paragraphs 3 and 4 of Form 10 which contained blank spaces in which to list locar-iions

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Alamo Cas. Co. v. Richardson
235 S.W.2d 726 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1950)

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Bluebook (online)
235 S.W.2d 726, 1950 Tex. App. LEXIS 2444, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alamo-cas-co-v-richardson-texapp-1950.