American General Ins. Co. v. Fort Worth Transit Co.

201 S.W.2d 869, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 905
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 2, 1947
DocketNo. 14830
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 201 S.W.2d 869 (American General Ins. Co. v. Fort Worth Transit Co.) 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
American General Ins. Co. v. Fort Worth Transit Co., 201 S.W.2d 869, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 905 (Tex. Ct. App. 1947).

Opinion

HALL, Justice.

On March 28, 1947, we handed down an opinion reversing the judgment of the trial court and ordering the cause remanded. We adhere to our opinion that there was reversible error, and that the cause should be remanded, and leave our judgment of that date undisturbed, but have concluded to withdraw our original opinion and to substitute therefor the following as our opinion in the cause:

Appellant American General Insurance Company sued appellee, Fort Worth Transit Company, Tarrant County, Texas, in the County Court at Law Number Two of said County, alleging a cause of action for damages done to the automobile of one O. B. Swanson, resulting from a collision between said automobile and a bus of ap-pellee. Said appellant claiming right of subrogation by reason of an insurance [870]*870policy issued to said Swanson containing a $50 deductible clause; that subsequent to the collision and damage in question, the appellee, with full knowledge of the existence of such insurance policy, its provisions pertaining to the $50 deductible clause and the right of subrogation, settled the claim with O. B. Swanson including the property damage to said automobile; leaving undisposed the amount subrogated by O. B. Swanson to the appellant Insurance Company; and alleged further, that ap-pellee thereby admitted liability and became responsible to appellant for full amount of the automobile damage sustained by Swanson, in excess of the $50, which said appellant was forced to pay said Swanson, in.the sum of $483.90. Appellant alleged, in the alternative, that appellee- was liable upon its negligence, which was the proximate cause -of the collision; and that it became, heir by subrogation.

Appellee answered by general denial and alleged its settlement with O. B; Swanson was in the nature of a compromise of the disputed claim and was not an admission of liability; that it was a settlement for personal injuries. It plead unavoidable accident; new and independent cause; and contributory negligence. Appellee excepted to appellant’s allegations and the following in substance were sustained by the trial court:

First, the trial court struck the allegations from plaintiff’s petition, where it was alleged that the defendant had paid O. B. Swanson $500 in settlement of his claims, exclusive of that part of his claim subro-gated to the plaintiff Insurance Company, but inclusive of $50 of the damage to the automobile insured by the plaintiff, with full knowledge of the insurance contract between O. B. Swanson and the plaintiff.

Second, the trial court struck the allegations in appellant’s petition wherein it was alleged that the defendant admitted liability by settling with Swanson; thereby rendering itself liable to appellant in the sum of $483 as amount of the damage done to Swanson’s automobile, for which said amount appellant had paid Swanson. To the above action of the trial court, appellant cites as error in their Point Number One.

It sets out in its Point Number Two, that the court erred in refusing to admit in evidence before the jury the payment by ap-pellee to O. B. Swanson the sum of $500 in settlement of his claim.

'Fourth Point: The Court erred in striking from plaintiff’s petition the allegation that the automobile of O. B. Swanson, following its damage as result of the collision, was repaired, and that after it was repaired it was depreciated in value .as compared with its- value prior to the time of the collision by the amount of $50.

Fifth Point: The error of the Court in refusal, of admission into evidence of work orders testified to by the witness N. A. Lunday as representing and showing work done and necessary to be done, and parts installed and necessary to be installed to and in repair of the automobile of O. B. Swanson on account of damage done to it in the collision in question.

Sixth Point: The error of the Court in instructing a verdict for the defendant at the close of plaintiff’s testimony.

The case was tried before a jury and at the close of appellant’s testimony the court instructed a verdict for appellee.

We overrule appellant’s contention in Point Number One for the reason that it made a contract with Swanson to pay for damages done to his automobile resulting from collisions and when it paid such damages, it, for the first time, had a right by subrogation to sue appellee, which it did, for the amount of damage done to the car insured by it. Ricketts v. Alliance Life Insurance Co., Tex.Civ.App., 135 S.W.2d 725, writ dismissed; Fidelity & Deposit Co. of Maryland v. Farmers & Merchants National Bank, Tex.Civ.App., 121 S.W.2d 503; Sherman v. El Paso National Bank, Tex.Civ.App., 100 S.W.2d 402, writ dismissed; Ellis v. Arnold, Tex.Civ.App., 258 S.W. 570; Askey v. Stroud, Tex.Civ.App., 240 S.W. 339; American Juris,, Vol. 29, page 1005. We further find that appellee had a right to settle any claim that said Swanson- might have against it for damages; especially for personal injuries which he received; but the mere fact that appellee compromised the claim which Swanson had against it, does not render appellee, per se, [871]*871liable to appellant, because appellee having the right to buy its peace, does not necessarily admit liability by doing so. We do not find the following cases in point which are relied upon by appellant to bind the ap-pellee, as admitting liability, because of ap-pellee’s settling the claim with the assured, to-wit, Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co. v. Week’s Drug Store, Tex.Civ.App., 161 S.W.2d 153; Texas Employers Insurance Association v. Fort Worth & Denver City R. Co., Tex.Civ.App., 181 S.W.2d 828; Traders & General Ins. Co. v. West Texas Utilities Co., 140 Tex. 57, 165 S.W.2d 713, 716, for the reason that these cases deal with altogether a different statute. As stated in the opinion of the Traders & General Ins. Co. v. West Texas Utilities Co., supra, “The right of the association, to reimbursement out of the first money paid is statutory.” We find that before appellant can recover from appellee, it must first allege and prove a cause of action under the law that will justify such finding. In other words, the judgment must be supported by competent evidence that appellee was a tort feasor and its negligent acts was the proximate cause of the accident. Magnolia Pipe Line Co. v. Security Union Ins. Co., Tex.Civ.App., 37 S.W.2d 1062; Hamilton Fire Insurance Co. v. Maurice N. Greger, 246 N.Y. 162, 158 N.E. 60, 55 A.L.R. 921; 24 Texas Juris. 1179, paragraph 337.

We find there is merit in appellant’s Point Number Six wherein it complains of the trial court instructing a verdict for the defendant at the close of its testimony.

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Bluebook (online)
201 S.W.2d 869, 1947 Tex. App. LEXIS 905, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-general-ins-co-v-fort-worth-transit-co-texapp-1947.