Beacon National Insurance Co. v. Young

448 S.W.2d 812, 1969 Tex. App. LEXIS 2089
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 28, 1969
Docket17340
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 448 S.W.2d 812 (Beacon National Insurance Co. v. Young) 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
Beacon National Insurance Co. v. Young, 448 S.W.2d 812, 1969 Tex. App. LEXIS 2089 (Tex. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinion

BATEMAN, Justice.

The appellees Walter Young and Velma Williams, having recovered judgments against Willard G. Davis for injuries received by them in a collision with an automobile owned by Mattie M. Davis, but operated with her permission by her husband Willard G. Davis, brought this suit against appellant Beacon National Insurance Company, alleging that it had insured Mattie M. Davis, and any other person using her automobile with her permission, against such liability. Appellant’s defense was that it had cancelled the policy prior to the collision. The policy provided that it might be cancelled by the company by written notice and that the mailing of such notice to the named insured at the address shown in the policy shall be sufficient proof of notice. The jury answered in the negative Special Issue No. 1 inquiring as to whether they found from a preponderance of the evidence that appellant so mailed the notice of cancellation. (This was the only issue answered by the jury, the other issues having been submitted conditionally upon an affirmative answer to No. 1.) The court rendered judgment upon this finding against appellant for the amounts of appellees’ judgments against Willard G. Davis.

In its first point of error appellant complains of the overruling of its motion for summary judgment because it conclusively appeared from the affidavits in support thereof that the policy had been can-celled prior to the date of the accident. Without considering whether those affidavits were sufficient for that purpose, we overrule this point of error on the ground that the case comes within the general rule, announced in Ackermann v. Vordenbaum, 403 S.W.2d 362, 365, 15 A.L.R.2d 893 (Tex.1966), and Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Ry. Co v. McBride, 159 Tex. 442, 322 S.W.2d 492 (1959), that an interlocutory order overruling a motion for summary judgment is not reviewable on appeal.

Moreover, we find nothing in the transcript to indicate that the motion for summary judgment was ever presented to or acted on by the trial court. For this additional reason we hold that nothing in this respect is presented for review. 3 Tex.Jur.2d, Appeal and Error—Civil, § 159, p. 438; Johanning v. Moore, 331 S.W.2d 74, 76 (Tex.Civ.App., Waco 1959, writ dism’d).

Appellant’s points of error Nos. 2 through 5 complain of the overruling of its motion for directed verdict and its motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict. These are necessarily “no evidence points” and are without merit because there was evidence sufficient to raise a fact issue on the question of whether the policy was cancelled in accordance with its terms prior to the collision.

It appears from the undisputed evidence that Willard G. Davis was using his wife’s automobile with her permission and was therefore an additional insured within the terms of her policy. The amounts of the judgments against Davis were within the policy limits. Appellant proved by its secretary James E. McCracken the system or routine used by appellant for the mailing of notices of cancellation, which was that when a premium becomes overdue ten days or two weeks, and it has been determined by the underwriter that the insured has been given ample opportunity to make pay *814 ment, and he then orders cancellation, a certain clerk prepares the cancellation notice form, and, using the address reflected by the policy, mails it to the insured and also sends a copy of the notice to the agent. A third copy of the notice is certified to by the employee who takes the mail to the post office for mailing. These pieces of mail are listed on a “statement of mailing” form furnished by the post office department. The name of the sender is put at the top of this form, followed by a list of the addressees with their addresses. This form is handed to the post office clerk with the envelopes tied together or with a rubber band around them. The post office clerk checks each envelope against the entries on the statement of mailing, and places at the bottom of the page the number of pieces of mail received, accompanied by his name or initials. The statement of mailing for December 4, 1964 (the day appellant claims the notice in question was mailed) was introduced in evidence, showing the names and addresses of Mattie M. Davis and eighteen other addressees. Also shown thereon is the total number of pieces listed (19) and what purports to be the post office clerk’s initials, together with a postage meter stamp showing the correct amount of postage having been paid for nineteen pieces of mail.

There was no direct testimony by the employees of appellant, or by the post office clerk, who handled this particular mailing, or by any of the eighteen other addressees of appellant’s mail listed on the “statement of mailing.” However, the recording agent testified that she received her copy of the notice, although it is noted that neither she nor her agency is listed on the aforesaid “statement of mailing.” Both Willard G. Davis and Mattie M. Davis testified that they did not receive the notice of cancellation.

Appellant’s points of error 2 through 5 are therefore overruled.

In its sixth point of error appellant complains of the overruling of its motion for new trial because there was no evidence to support the jury’s finding. This point is without merit and is overruled. It is doubtless true that the evidence of mailing offered by appellant, though circumstantial, was sufficient to warrant a finding that the notice was mailed, Smith v. F. W. Heitman Co., 44 Tex.Civ.App. 358, 98 S.W. 1074 (Tex.Civ.App., Galveston 1907, writ ref’d), but this evidence, consisting largely of the testimony of interested witnesses, even if uncontradicted, does no more than raise a fact issue. This is the general rule, Cochran v. Wool Growers Central Storage Co., 140 Tex. 184, 166 S. W.2d 904, 908 (1942), and we find nothing in the record to bring the case within any exception thereto.

Moreover, both Mattie M. Davis and Willard G. Davis testified that the notice of cancellation was not received. If the jury believed this testimony (and apparently they did) they would have been entitled to infer therefrom that the notice had not in fact been mailed. Border State Life Ins. Co. v. Noble, 138 S.W.2d 119, 122 (Tex.Civ.App., El Paso 1940, writ dism’d jdgmt cor.); Texas Mut. Life Ins. Ass’n v. Burns, 92 S.W.2d 469, 472 (Tex.Civ.App., Waco 1936, writ dism’d Agr.); Mutual Life Ins. Ass’n of Texas v. Lillard, 5 S. W.2d 586, 588 (Tex.Civ.App., Amarillo 1928, writ dism’d).

By its point of error No. 7 appellant complains of the overruling of its motion for new trial “when the Jury’s answer to Special Issue No. 1 was so against the overwhelming weight and preponderance of the evidence * * * as to be clearly wrong.” In a case like this, where a motion for new trial is a prerequisite of appeal, * error not complained of in the motion for new trial is waived. Wagner v.

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Bluebook (online)
448 S.W.2d 812, 1969 Tex. App. LEXIS 2089, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/beacon-national-insurance-co-v-young-texapp-1969.