American Insurance v. Taylor

367 S.W.2d 300, 51 Tenn. App. 325, 1962 Tenn. App. LEXIS 111
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedOctober 26, 1962
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 367 S.W.2d 300 (American Insurance v. Taylor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Insurance v. Taylor, 367 S.W.2d 300, 51 Tenn. App. 325, 1962 Tenn. App. LEXIS 111 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1962).

Opinion

SHRIVER, J.

This is a suit to recover under a policy of Fire Insurance for the loss of a dwelling and its contents.

The complainants, Homer Taylor, Ruby Taylor and Citizens Bank of Albany, Kentucky filed their original bill in the Chancery Court at Byrdstown on January 13, 1962 alleging that the defendant Insurance Company had issued its policy to the complainant Homer Taylor insuring certain residental property belonging' to him and his wife for $7,500.00 of which $5,500.00 was on the dwelling house and $2,000.00 on its contents.

The Citizens Bank of Albany, Kentucky had made a loan to the Taylors and it was alleged that it had relied on this insurance policy in making the loan and was therefore a proper party.

It is further alleged that on or about November 10, 1961, the house insured under said policy was accidently destroyed by fire along with all its contents. A proof of loss was duly executed. and tendered, .however, the adjuster for the defendant company declined to accept same.

■ The defendant Insurance Company answered denying liability under the policy on the grounds that Homer [327]*327Taylor did not have an insurable interest in the property at the time of the loss and that the policy had been can-celled at his request more than a month before the loss.

A jury was demanded in the pleadings but the demand wás withdrawn and, by agreement, the cause was heard before the Chancellor on oral and documentary evidence without the intervention of a jury.

After the hearing the record was taken under advisement and briefs filed by counsel for the respective parties. Thereafter, the Chancellor delivered his opinion and finding of facts on May 22, 1962 granting a recovery to the complainants for the defendant’s proportionate share of the liability after taking into consideration other insurance on the property. However, he also awarded the full statutory penalty.

From the action of the Chancellor an appeal was prayed, granted and perfected to this Court and assignments filed.

—Assignments, of Error—

There are only two assignments which are as follows:

“1. The Court erred in failing to find that the policy sued upon had been cancelled by Homer Taylor, the named insured, prior to the fire.
‘ ‘ 2. The Court erred in finding that the facts justified an award of the full penalties provided by 56 T.C.A. sec. 1105 for failure to pay the loss.”

—Motion to Dismiss—

The Appellees have moved this Court to dismiss the appeal, strike the assignments of error and affirm the decree of the Chancellor on the ground that the record in the cause contains no motion for a new trial.

[328]*328We have considered this motion and the briefs filed in support and in opposition to it and are of opinion that Section 27-303 T.C.A. is controlling, and requires that the motion be denied.

This- section of the Code was taken in, its present-form from the 1950 Code Supplement, and is a modification of Chapter 94 Public Acts of 1929. In'its original form this Statute did not contain the provision which was added when the 1950 Code Supplement was adopted, the added w;ords being; “ [A]nd no motion for a new trial shall be necessary”

This added provision when read in its context provides clearly that, in all cases tried in a Court of Record without the intervention of a jury, whether in a Court of Equity or a Court of Law, and whether tried according to the forms of Chancery or the forms of Law, are reviewable on a simple appeal, and no motion for a. new trial is necessary.

—THE FACTS AND THE LAW—

As is set forth in the opinion of the Chancellor, the policy in question was issued through the Roy Koger Insurance Agency of Byxdstown, Tennessee, to Homer Taylor and is dated January 9’, 1960, it being a renewal of-a policy issued some years previously..

At the time -of the issuance of the policy Homer Taylor and Ruby Taylor were man and wife and owned the lands as tenants by the entirety, however, the Taylors were divorced in September 1960 and in the property settlement which was approved by the Court, Homer Taylor executed a warranty deed to Ruby Taylor covering the real estate in question.

[329]*329The fire' loss occurred November 10, 1961, and,' as Was held by the Chancellor, the weight of the proof shows that the value of the house at .the time of the loss< was about $10,000.Q0.

■ The adjusters for the defendant Insurance Company and the National Surety Corporation which had issued’an additional policy on this property, agreed that the loss from destruction of the house and its contents- was $11,641.00.

The Chancellor found that the Citizen’s Bank of Albany, Kentucky was a proper party by reason of a trust deed in its favor to secure a $3,500.00 note which-was the joint indebtedness of the Taylors. . .

It was held by the Chancellor that since Homer Taylor, at the time of the loss, was living in the residence in question- and had -his personal- effects and articles - of household goods there and, since he was in actual possession of the- premises, responsible for its upkeep and maintenance, he had an insurable interest in the property, particularly since, there is - no sole and unconditional ownership clause in the policy.

It is to be noted also that there is no assignment of error directed to this holding of the Chancellor.

There was a prayer for a reformation of the policy but the Chancellor found that reformation was not necessary in order to grant relief under- the bill, and entered a judgment as above noted.

He found, however, that- the recovery should'be proportioned between the insurors as required by the terms of defendant’s policy, noting that the National Surety [330]*330Company has recognized its liability and stands ready to pay its proportionate share of the loss.

The decree provides that the complainant have and recover of the defendant American Insurance Company the sum of $5,617.36, this being the amount agreed upon between the complainants and the claims adjusters representing the two companies involved, and being the proportionate part owed by the defendant herein.

The decree also recites;

“It is further ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED by the Court that the complainants have and recover of the defendant 25% penalty as provided by statute, in addition to the above amount, the same being $1404.34. ’ ’

Counsel for the defendant insurance company have filed a very exhaustive and well reasoned brief in support of the proposition that Homer Taylor had told Glenn Poore, an office employee of Koger Insurance Agency, to cancel the policy of insurance. It is asserted that this occurred about a month before the loss and that this oral statement of Taylor to said employee of Koger Insurance Agency operated as an immediate cancellation of the policy then and there without further action on the part of the Insurance Company or the insured.

We have reviewed the evidence with regard to this alleged cancellation and concur in the Chancellor’s conclusions of fact and law in regard thereto.

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Related

Isidore Tyber v. Great Central Insurance Company
572 F.2d 562 (Sixth Circuit, 1978)
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540 S.W.2d 267 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1976)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
367 S.W.2d 300, 51 Tenn. App. 325, 1962 Tenn. App. LEXIS 111, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-insurance-v-taylor-tennctapp-1962.