Beam v. de la Burde

219 S.E.2d 681, 216 Va. 419, 1975 Va. LEXIS 308
CourtSupreme Court of Virginia
DecidedDecember 1, 1975
DocketRecord No. 741024
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 219 S.E.2d 681 (Beam v. de la Burde) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Beam v. de la Burde, 219 S.E.2d 681, 216 Va. 419, 1975 Va. LEXIS 308 (Va. 1975).

Opinions

Harrison, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

Roger de la Burde and Brigette de la Burde (Burde) recovered a judgment below for $10,000 against Robert E. Beam (Beam) for breach of contract. Burde alleged that Beam had failed to procure for him the type of insurance coverage on an art collection that he had requested, and which they had agreed would be furnished. On this appeal by Beam, we need only consider whether Burde carried his burden of proof.

Robert E. Beam is an insurance agent. Burde owned an African art collection located at his farm in Powhatan County, Virginia. In October of 1969 he consulted Beam for the purpose of procuring fire [420]*420insurance on the collection. After some negotiations Lloyds of London indicated it would cover the Burde collection at a tentative rate of 1.2% of its appraised value. Burde had stated that he would like “a total value insurance policy”. Beam testified that Burde decided a rate of 1.2% of the appraised value was too high and inquired about a policy of coinsurance with a deductible clause. Beam thereafter submitted additional rates to Burde.

Burde and Beam differ in their testimony as to the rates submitted and the coverage which Burde instructed Beam to obtain. Burde testified that when he advised Beam of the coverage he desired, “Beam indicated that he would refer this to the insurance company. He gave me a binder over the telephone.” Burde says that this oral binder was for a policy that carried a rate of 90 cents for 80% coinsurance without a deductible clause. Beam, on the other hand, testified that Burde ordered 80% coinsurance with a $5,000 deductible clause and that the rate was 90 cents.

Thereafter Burde received from Beam a “binding certificate” of Atlas Underwriters, Ltd., dated February 6, 1970, which certified that Atlas had effected with Underwriters at Lloyds, London, an all risk fine arts floater on the Burde collection. The limits of liability were stated therein to be “$147,480.00 80% of total of $184,350.00 on fine arts. The remainder 20% uninsured at assured’s own risk”. The certificate indicated that a permanent policy would be forwarded. The certificate made no reference to the rate or to a deductible clause, and Burde argues that this confirms his understanding that he was purchasing 80% coinsurance with no deductible.

Beam testified that he received the binding certificate from Atlas and forwarded it to Burde without reading it. Della Garrison, the commercial underwriter manager of Atlas, testified that the issuance of the binding certificate without a deductible clause was the result of a typographical error in the underwriter’s office.

The actual certificate of insurance, or policy, was issued by Atlas on March 16, 1970, to Roger de la Burde as the named insured. This certificate was an all risk fine arts floater in the amount of $147,480 (80% of the appraised value of $184,350), the 20% remainder uninsured and at insured’s own risk, plus $5,000 deductible for each and every loss. The premium paid by Burde was based on a rate of 90 cents per hundred on $147,480, plus tax and stamping fee of $41.63, for a total of $1,368.63.

[421]*421When Beam received the certificate of insurance he noticed that it had been issued to Dr. Burde alone, and that attached to it was the wrong form of deductible endorsement. On March 19, 1970, Beam advised Atlas that both Dr. Burde and his wife, Brigette, should be named as insureds, and requested that it “please check on that ded. end. [deductible endorsement] It does not fit this policy”. On April 6, 1970, Beam again wrote Atlas, requesting a response to his March 19 th letter.

Without having received a reply from Atlas, Beam concluded to forward to Burde the uncorrected certificate or policy of insurance with a statement of the corrections and additions that would be made to it. He did this by a letter dated April 21, 1970 to Dr. Burde, in which he stated that “Endorsements will be forth coming from Atlas Underwriters adding your wife as a named insured to the enclosed fine arts policy and changing the wording on the deductible endorsement as it is a standard form but certainly does not fit this particular policy.” [Emphasis added]

Burde responded by letter to Beam, dated April 6, 1970 (allegedly misdated), in which he wrote that he had reviewed the forwarded policy on fine arts. He stated that he had observed that “The policy contains a $5,000.00 deductible clause” and that “On rechecking the policy binder once more, I found no indication that my payment was for a policy with that clause.” Beam testified that he then telephoned Burde and reminded the latter that the deductible clause had been attached to the policy at Burde’s specific request; and that when he reminded Burde that the deductible was “his idea”, not Beam’s, Burde replied, “ ‘Oh, that’s right’, or something to that effect: There were just several words, and that was the end of it, and it was never mentioned again.”

A few days after this exchange, Beam received from Atlas the proper deductible endorsement which he mailed to Burde in a letter stating, “Enclosed is the revised endorsement changing the wording to fit your policy. Please give me a call if there are any questions or if I can be of further service.” The endorsement which Beam enclosed in this letter to Burde is dated April 30, 1970, and is designated “Rider to Amend Coverage”. It provided that the $5,000 deductible clause set forth in the rider superseded the $5,000 deductible clause that was attached to the policy. It also changed the name of the insured to include both Dr. and Mrs. de la Burde. The rider indicated that it was to be considered a part of the original policy issued to Dr. Burde and [422]*422should be attached thereto; and that its effective date was January-19, 1970, the inception date of the company’s coverage.

Burde testified on direct examination that he did not receive this endorsement. When reminded on cross-examination that his attorney had supplied Photostat copies of the endorsement pursuant to a request for presentation of documents, he said, “I have no recollection of receiving it.”

There were no further developments until July 31, 1970, when a fire occurred in a cottage on Burde’s property, destroying a portion of the art collection. Burde experienced some difficulty in adjusting his claim with Lloyds of London and ultimately brought suit on the policy in the United States District Court. Lloyds defended on numerous grounds unnecessary to relate here. Burde ultimately accepted $86,000 in settlement of his claim. Thereafter he brought the instant action against Beam, claiming that the settlement effected with Lloyds was $13,494.80 less than his alleged loss, and that $10,000 of the loss was attributable to the deductible clause alleged to have been improperly incorporated into the policy.

In analyzing the evidence in this case, we do so with full appreciation of the numerous decisions by this Court holding that where the evidence is in conflict, the judgment of a trial court thereon has the same weight as the verdict of a jury, and that we are not at liberty to disturb such judgment unless it is plainly wrong or without evidence to support it.

The factual dispute in this case is a simple one. Burde says that Beam agreed to provide a policy without a deductible clause. Beam contends that the policy agreed upon was to have such a clause.

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Related

Dickerson v. Conklin
235 S.E.2d 450 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1977)

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219 S.E.2d 681, 216 Va. 419, 1975 Va. LEXIS 308, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/beam-v-de-la-burde-va-1975.