Commercial Casualty Ins. Co. v. Adkisson

1931 OK 616, 4 P.2d 50, 152 Okla. 216, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 686
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 20, 1931
Docket20482
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 1931 OK 616 (Commercial Casualty Ins. Co. v. Adkisson) 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
Commercial Casualty Ins. Co. v. Adkisson, 1931 OK 616, 4 P.2d 50, 152 Okla. 216, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 686 (Okla. 1931).

Opinion

CLARK, V. C. J.

This action was commenced in the district court of Comanche county by defendant in error, W. T. Adkis-son, as administrator of the estate of Lillie Mae Adkisson, deceased, against plaintiff in error, Commercial Casualty Insurance Company, of Newark, N. J., a corporation, to recover on an accident insurance policy.

The parties will be referred to as they appeared in the trial court.

Plaintiff alleged in his petition, in substance, that deceased departed this life as result of causes hereinafter set out on September 27, 1927; that plaintiff was duly appointed administrator of the estate of deceased ; that defendant is a corporation organized under the laws of New Jersey, and duly licensed to do business in Oklahoma; that during the lifetime of deceased she applied for policy of insurance in defendant’s company, and on or about the 2nd day of September, 1927, same was 'issued to her, and in full force and effect until October 1, 1927. Thereby insured Lillie Mae Adkisson against the effects resulting directly and exclusively of all other causes, from bodily injury sustained during the life of the policy, solely through external, violent and accidental means, in the sum of $600, payable to her estate, in the event of her death; and by part Y of said contract, said defendant company further promised and agreed that:

“The amount otherwise payable under sec. (a) of part II, should be tripled if ‘such injury’ is sustained-(4)_in consequence of the burning of any hotel while the insured is therein and is not acting as a volunteer or paid fireman.”

That deceased, on the 26th day of- September, 1927, registered and became a guest of New Duncan Hotel, at Duncan, Okla., which • was a corporation, owning its own hotel building and, operating the same as a hotel, and she was assigned to a room on the second floor of said hotel building. That while she was a guest of said hotel and 'in the room assigned to her the hotel building and particularly the room occupied by her got on fire, and the woodwork of said room caught fire and the furniture and fixtures, including curtains, window shades, pillows, sheets, mattress, and the rug on the floor were all set on fire, and the clothing of deceased then being by her worn caught fire, as well as other clothing and effects belonging to her situated in said room; ana as a direct and proximate (result thereof she suffered severe burns and 'injuries by fire, resulting in her death, directly and exclusively of all other causes, by virtue of said *217 bodily injuries, by her sustained, solely through the said accidental means and external violence, and as a direct result and as a consequence of the burning of said hotel, while insured was therein; that at said time she was not acting- as volunteer or paid fireman, but solely a guest at said hotel for hire.

That notice and proof of loss was duly made to defendant. That plaintiff has performed all thing's required as condition precedent to suit being brought thereon.

That by reason of said facts defendant is indebted to plaintiff on its said policy of insurance in the sum of $1,800, no part of which has been paid, and which payment defendant neglects and refuses to make.

Prayed for judgment against defendant in the sum of $1,800 and interest thereon at 6 per cent, from September 27, 1927, until paid.

Attached and made a part of the petition the policy, and copy of the application for the policy.

Defendant filed motion to make the petition more definite and certain as follows:

“1. By stating, 'if he knows, whether or not the clothing worn by Lillie Mae Adkisson caught fire from the burning building or from some other external and accidental cause or means.
“2. To state, if he knows, how and from what violent and accidental means on cause the hotel building, and particularly the room occupied by Lillie Mae Adkisson, ‘got on fire.’
“3. To state, if he knows, whether or not the clothing of Lillie Mae Adkisson ‘caflght fire,’ in point of time, before or after the hotel building ‘got on fire.’
“4. To state, if he knows, what violent and accidental means set fire to the building.
“5. To state, if he knows, what violent and accidental means set fire to the clothing of Lillie Mae Adkisson.”

Which motion was overruled and excepted to by defendant.

Thereafter demurrer of defendant:

“That the allegations of the petition are insufficient to constitute a cause of action in favor of plaintiff and against defendant for triple liability”

—was overruled, to which defendant excepted.

Defendant filed answer by way of general denial except as specifically admitted:

Admitted the execution of the policy and that the policy was in force until 12 o’clock noon October 1, 1927, in the sum of $600. Admitted that the death of said insured on. September 27, 1927, was caused solely through external, violent, and accidental means; admitted its liability in the sum of $600; admitted that plaintiff is qualified to ■bring and maintain the action.

Alleged that the death of deceased was caused by burns received while she was a guest at the New Duncan Hotel; that the said burns were inflicted upon her solely as the consequence of the ignition of and explosion of gas within the room she was occupying, which explosion enveloped her in flames and set fire to her clothing, as appears in proof of loss submitted to defendant by plaintiff, copy of which proof of loss was made a part of the answer. That defendant had offered to pay the full amount of defendant’s lawful liability under said policy, as shown by draft in sum of $600 attached and made a part of answer, which was refused by plaintiff solely on grounds that plaintiff was entitled to triple liability, or the sum of $1,800.

Defendant tendered the $600 and consented that the costs accrued be assessed against defendant, and prayed that 'it be dismissed without further costs.

Reply of plaintiff denied each and every material allegation in the answer which were not admissions of the allegations of the petition.

Upon a trial defendant demurred to plaintiff’s evidence, which was overruled. The defendant introduced no proof, and the jury returned a verdict for plaintiff in the sum of $1,800, and answered interrogatories requested by defendant and given by the court, which verdict was approved by the trial court.

Motion for new trial was filed, overruled, and excepted to by defendant, and defendant brings the cause here for review.

The first assignment of error p'resented by plaintiff in error is:

“Overruling the defendant company’s motion to make the petition of plaintiff more definite and certain.”

In the case of Shunkamola v. Potter Delco, 131 Okla. 272, 268 P. 270, in the first paragraph of the syllabus, this court said:

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Bluebook (online)
1931 OK 616, 4 P.2d 50, 152 Okla. 216, 1931 Okla. LEXIS 686, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commercial-casualty-ins-co-v-adkisson-okla-1931.