American Steam Laundry Co. v. Hamburg Bremen Fire Insurance

121 Tenn. 13
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 15, 1908
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 121 Tenn. 13 (American Steam Laundry Co. v. Hamburg Bremen Fire Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Steam Laundry Co. v. Hamburg Bremen Fire Insurance, 121 Tenn. 13 (Tenn. 1908).

Opinion

MR. Justice Neil

delivered the'opinion of the Court.

On the 24th of August, 1906, the defendant insurance company issued a policy of $1,200 for one .year, payable to the “American Steam Laundry Company,” insuring certain laundry machines and other machines contained in a building described in the policy. The American Steam Laundry Company was not a corporation, but the term designated a laundry business carried on by one Coram Acuff; the name being used by him simply as a trade name. Subsequently he sold a half interest to one Wiley, and the latter sold his interest to S. P. Armstrong. After this Coram Acuff sold his remaining interest to O. E. Fox, and these two formed a new copart-nership, but still used the name the “American Steam Laundry Company.” The policy was not transferred, nor was the consent of the insurance company obtained. The property was simply transferred. However, when the transfer of the latter was made, it was mentioned that the property was 'under insurance, and the purchasers say they regarded this insurance as an asset of the firm.

The policy contained this provision upon the subject of transfer of interest:

“This entire policy, unless otherwise provided by agreement endorsed hereon, or added hereto, shall be void if . . . any change other than by the death of the insurer take place in the interest, title or possession of the subject of insurance,” etc.

The insurance was -effected through one Toms, who [16]*16was an employee of Doll, Mynderse & Brownlee. These latter were not the agents of the insurance company that effected the insurance, hut were agents of other companies. The risk was tendered to them, but they did not have any company that was willing to take laundry property, so it was carried to J. E. Lutz & Co., who were agents for the defendant insurance company, and that company took the risk; Doll, Mynderse & Brownlee acting only as brokers in the transaction, and J. E. Lutz & Co. dividing the commission with them.

The negotiation of this insurance took place between Mr. Toms, the employee of Doll, Mynderse & Brownlee, on the one hand, and Coram Acuff on the other. J. E. Lutz & Co. did not at any time know that Acuff had sold his interest in the property, or that Pox’and Armstrong had acquired his interest. It is true that a few days before the fire Mr. Toms applied to J. E. Lutz & Co. for a renewal of the policy; the policy which is in suit in the present case having nearly reached its expiration. Lutz & Co. issued the renewal policy, but some days thereafter recalled it. They did not at that time know that Armstrong & Fox had any interest in the property. They were informed that there had been some changes, so they say, but they did not know what changes they were, whether physical changes merely or some other kind. The renewal policy is not in question here. It was taken up. It appears that Lutz & Co. understood themselves as directing Mr. Toms to take up the whole insurance, but he did not so understand them, and only took up the renewal policy.

[17]*17The question arises only on the original policy and is this: Are Fox & Armstrong entitled to recover under the facts stated?

They insist that they are entitled to recover because not only was the insurance issued in the name of the “American Steam Laundry Company,” but the new firm continued to operate the business under the same name. Moreover, it is insisted that the insurance company paid no attention to the personnel of the man or men running the business, but simply insured under the trade name, and therefore no real change of risk resulted by the change of the personnel of the men operating under the name.

We think this is a mistaken view. The original transaction was with Ooram Acuff, and must be treated as a transaction with him, although he used merely a trade-’ name instead of his own name. The property having passed to other persons without obtaining the consent of the insurance company, and the transfer of the policy, the property was no longer protected. A fire insurance policy is a contract of personal indemnity made with the individual protected, and do'es not go with the property as an incident thereto to any person who may buy that property. If it goes at all, it goes as a matter of contract for the transfer of the policy. Quarles v. Clayton, 87 Tenn., 308, 10 S. W., 505, 3 L. R. A., 170; Bennett v. Featherstone, 110 Tenn., 27, 71 S. W., 589.

In the first of these cases the court said:

“By all the authorities a contract of fire insurance is [18]*18a personal contract, and assures the interest alone of the assured in the property in the absence of some agreement or trust to the contrary; these provisions having been upheld by the courts as reasonable conditions limiting and restricting the liability of the insurer. That they are reasonable is obvious when we consider that the contract is one for the personal indemnity of the assured against a loss affecting the interest in the property covered by the policy. The insurer contracts with reference to the character of the assured for integrity and prudence. He might be very willing to agree to make good the loss of one for the destruction of property owned by him, while he would be unwilling to insure the same property if owned by another.
“Again the contract undertakes to make good any loss which that assured may sustain, and from this it follows that, if the assured has parted with his interest before the loss, he cannot ask to be indemnified because he has sustained no loss.”

The opinion continues on page 314 of 87 Tenn., page 507 of 10 S. W. (3 L. R. A., 170):

“The contract is not therefore one which attaches to or follows the property, being one for the personal indemnity of the assured, and, when the insurer does not assent to the assignment of the policy to the grantee of the property, neither the assured nor his assignees of the property can recover upon the policy.”

To the same effect, see Insurance Co. v. Manning (C. C. A.), 160 Fed., 385; also the following text-book authorities :

[19]*191 Cooley’s Briefs on the Law of Insurance, p. 211 et seq,:

“In view of the principle heretofore discussed that the insured must have an insurable interest at the time the loss occurs, it may readily be inferred that the termination of the insurable interest of the person insured in the subject of the insurance terminates the policy. This is true irrespective of any provision of the policy providing for forfeiture in case of alienation or other change of interest” — citing cases from the federal courts and the courts of Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Louisiana. It is further said upon page 203 of the same volume: “An absolute transfer of the title of the insured in the subject of the insurance divests him of his entire insurable interest and terminates the policy” — citing cases from the federal courts and the courts of Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. In volume 2, 'of the same author, at page 1732, it is said that a sale of a part interest in property by an insured to a third person will not terminate a contract of insurance in the absence of a condition against alienation.

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Bluebook (online)
121 Tenn. 13, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-steam-laundry-co-v-hamburg-bremen-fire-insurance-tenn-1908.