Bush v. Missouri State Life Ins. Co.

1922 OK 183, 207 P. 317, 86 Okla. 182, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 143
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMay 23, 1922
Docket10704
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 1922 OK 183 (Bush v. Missouri State Life Ins. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bush v. Missouri State Life Ins. Co., 1922 OK 183, 207 P. 317, 86 Okla. 182, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 143 (Okla. 1922).

Opinion

KENNAMER, J.

Victoria Busli and Prank A. Bush, a minor, by Victoria Bush, next friend, plaintiffs in error, prosecute this appeal to reverse a judgment of the district court of Oklahoma county sustaining a general demurrer filed by the Missouri State Life Insurance Company, one of the defendants in error, to the plaintiffs’ petition and a judgment of the court sustaining a motion of the Aetna Building Association of Las Vegas, New Mexico, defendant -in error, quashing the service of summons made upon said defendant in error. The parties appear here, the same as they appeared in the trial court and will be referred to ¡as plaintiffs and defendants.

The action was commenced by the plaintiffs to recover the sum of $1,000 alleged to be due them on a life insurance policy issued by the Missouri State Life Insurance Company on the 18th day of May, 1914, insuring the life of Lewis A. Bush. The material allegations of the plaintiffs’ petition necessary to he considered in determining this cause are as follows; That the defendant Missouri State Life Insurance Company made its contract of insurance in writing insuring the life of Lewis A. Bush in the sum of $1,000 according to the terms of a contract attached and made a part of the plaintiffs’ petition. That Prior to the execution of the life insurance contract, about the 18th day of May, 1904, Victoria Bush and Lewis A. Bush, her deceased husband, negotiated a loan of $800 on some real estate in Oklahoma City with the Aetna Build *183 ing Association of Las Vegas, New Mexico. That as a part of said loan contract the Aetna Building Association required tire plaintiff and lier husband, Lewis A. Bush, to procure and carry a life insurance policy in the sum of $1,000 on the life of Lewis A. Bush; the premiums on said life insurance policy to 'be paid by the plaintiff and ber husband in monthly payments required to liquidate said loan. That such a policy was issued by the Hartford Life Insurance Company of Hartford, Conn., said policy being a ten-year renewable term. That some time prior to the. expiration of the first term of said insurance so issued, the same was taken over and assumed by the defendant, the Missouri State Life Insurance 'Company, and that on the 18th day of May, 1914, the policy sued on herein was issued by said defendant. That said policies as written were payable on the death of Lewis A. Bush to the Aetna Building Association, trustee, or its successors or assigns.

That the plaintiffs have not the possession of said policies, the originals being in the possession and control of one or both of the defendants. That the loan contract between the plaintiff Victoria Bush and Lewis A. Bush, her deceased husband, and the Aetna Building Association was .an ordinary loan contract consisting of a note in the sum of $SOO secured by a real estate mortgage on certain property in Oklahoma City, to be paid off by monthly payments at the rate of $20 per month. The loan contract was entered into in Oklahoma City and the life insurance was applied for in said city.

That a verbal agreement and understanding was entered into with reference to the life insurance, in which it was agreed that out of the monthly payments made to the Aetna Building Association, the premiums on the life insurance policy were to be paid by the Aetna Building Association, named as trustee in the life insurance policy. That the Aetna Building Association was named as trustee in the policy as beneficiaries for the wife and son of the insured, plaintiffs in this action, and that when any valid indebtedness due the Aetna Building Association had been paid, any balance due on the insurance policy, in case of death of insured, would be payable to the plaintiffs, and that this agreement was assented to by the life insurance company.

That on October 13, 1915, a full settlement was made with the defendant Aetna Building Association, and the loan and indebtedness fully paid and settled, but that the said loan company continued to pay the premiums due upon the life insurance policy, including December, 1917. That Lewis A. Bush, the insured, on the 26th day of December, 1917, died and due proof satisfactory to the Missouri State Life In: ur-anci1 Company of his death had been made, and that said defendant life insurance company had signified its willingness to pay the amount due on the policy to the person or persons entitled thereto. That the Aetna Building Association, trustee, was claiming the whole proceeds of said policy and refusing to account to the plaintiffs for the same. That the Aetna Building Association had paid, -premiums since the settlement of (lie loan due It by the plaintiff Victoria Bush and her deceased husband in the sum of $41.86. which amount the plaintiffs tendered to the defendant Aetna Building Association.

The plaintiffs prayed 'the judgment of the court decreeing that the Aetna Building Association had no interest in or to the proceeds of said property other than the amount of premiums paid, in the amount of $41.46, and that said association be decreed trustee for the plaintiffs only, and for judgment against the Missouri State Life Insurance Company for the amount due on the policy with six per cent, interest.

On the filing of -the ■ petition the plaintiffs secured a restraining order from -the court, directed to the Missouri State Life Insurance Company restraining said insurance company from paying the proceeds of the policy to the Aetna Building Association. Constructive service of summons was made on the defendant Aetna Building Association.

A general demurrer filed by the defendant Missouri State Life Insurance Company to the petition of the plaintiffs was sustained by the trial court. The first ques-. tion for our consideration is whether or not the trial court erred in sustaining the demurrer.

'Counsel for the defendant life insurance company contend that under the allegations of the petition the Aetna Building Association was the holder of the legal title of the cause of action and was the party for whose benefit the contract of insurance was taken out and owned the chief beneficial interest in the insurance at the time of the execution of the policy. It may be conceded that on the date of the execution of the policy the building association had the chief beneficial interest in the contract of insurance, for the obvious reason the loan which the plaintiff Victoria .Bush and her husband, Lewis A. Bush, had procured from said building association had not been paid. *184 but under the allegations of the petition, u-liich are admitted to be true by the demurrer, the beneficial interest of said building association on the date of the death of Lewis A. Bush, the insured, had been extinguished by the payment of the loan.

The policy of insurance shows upon its face that the Aetna Building Association, named as beneficiary in the policy, was the beneficiary in a representative capacity as trustee, but it does not disclose by its terms as to whom the beneficiary was trustee for, and to that extent the policy is ambiguous and the term “Aetna Building Association, trustee,” was subject to explanation by oral testimony.

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Bluebook (online)
1922 OK 183, 207 P. 317, 86 Okla. 182, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 143, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bush-v-missouri-state-life-ins-co-okla-1922.