Commissioner of Insurance v. Central West Casualty Co.

3 N.W.2d 830, 301 Mich. 427
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedMay 18, 1942
DocketDocket No. 42, Calendar No. 41,722.
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 3 N.W.2d 830 (Commissioner of Insurance v. Central West Casualty Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commissioner of Insurance v. Central West Casualty Co., 3 N.W.2d 830, 301 Mich. 427 (Mich. 1942).

Opinion

Sharpe, J.

This suit involves an appeal from an order of the circuit court of Wayne county, in chan *429 eery, denying a claim of the city of Detroit against the receiver of the Central West Casualty Company.

The facts are not in dispute and many are stipulated. On May 5, 1931, the common council of the city of Detroit adopted Ordinance No. 125-C, taking effect May 7,1931. This ordinance defines the terms and conditions under which any officer, commission or agent of the city of Detroit should make a deposit of funds in any bank, trust company or other depository. On May 19, 1931, the common council adopted a resolution designating the Union Guardian Trust Company as a depository for the Detroit city sinking fund, the sinking fund reserve, and the general reserves. On July 1, 1931, the city of Detroit and the Union Guardian Trust Company, pursuant to the above resolution, entered into depository contracts covering the above-mentioned moneys. On June 1, 1932, effective as of May 29, 1932, the trust company, as principal, and the Central West Casualty Company, as surety, executed a depository bond to the city of Detroit as obligee in the penal sum of $300,000; and on or about February 13, 1933, other bonds had been issued to the city of Detroit, as obligee, covering designated funds deposited by the city of Detroit in the Union Guardian Trust Company.

On February 14, 1933, the Union Guardian Trust Company failed to reopen and the city of Detroit had on deposit with the trust company moneys in excess of $3,500,000. On February 28, 1933, the city of Detroit attempted to withdraw its funds from the trust company, but payment was refused. On or about March 6, 1933, a claim and demand was made on the Central West Casualty Company and on or about April 26, 1933, a sworn proof of claim and demand was served upon the defendant surety company.

*430 On April 4, 1933, Charles E. Gauss, commissioner of insurance for the State of Michigan, was appointed custodian of the Central West Casualty Company and on October 25,1938, he was appointed permanent receiver to liquidate said company. On or about August 14,1933, the city of Detroit entered into an agreement with the Central West Casualty Company as well as other surety companies, whereby the city entered into a “depositors’ protective agreement” with the Union Guardian Trust Company. The agreement provided among other things: “If any of said surety bonds provide that suit must be brought within a specified time, such time is extended for a period of three years.” The form of the bond provided for in the ordinance contained, among other things, the following provision: “No suit to recover on account of a default hereunder shall be brought before the expiration of 60 days from the furnishing of such proof or after the expiration of 12 months from such default. ’ ’

The city of Detroit started no suit against the surety company nor took any steps to enforce its claim until February 9, 1939, when it filed a petition requesting permission to file a claim to prevent the running of the statute of limitations. On March 10, 1939, an order was entered permitting the filing of the claim to be effective as of February 9, 1939; and on April 4, 1939, the city of Detroit filed its claim with the receiver of the company claiming the full sum of $300,000, being the face amount of the bond. On September 3, 1940, objections to the allowance of the city’s claim were filed in behalf of the receiver for the reason that the claim is barred by the limitation period set forth in the bond and the ordinance prescribing the bond, and by the three-year extension period in the agreement of August 14, 1933.

*431 After hearing, the trial court held that the limitation provision of the bond is legal, valid and effective; and denied claimant, city of Detroit, any relief.

The city of Detroit appeals and urges that the ordinance is a statute and any bond in compliance therewith is a statutory bond; that the limitation provision in the bond is not binding upon the city of Detroit and should be read out of the bond as surplusage for either of two reasons: First, that the limitation provision in the ordinance is invalid because a home-rule city may not by charter or ordinance fix a shorter limitation period than that prescribed by the general statute of limitations and such limitation provision can be read out of the ordinance and the other parts thereof requiring the bond to secure all public funds deposited thereunder permitted to stand. Second, that the bond being a statutory bond, the limitation period provided therein, being at variance with the general laws of the State, particularly as applied to public depository bonds, is inoperative. The city also contends that the limitation condition of the bond in so far as it applied to the deposit of sinking funds conflicts with Act No. 273, § 5, Pub. Acts 1925, as then last amended by Act No. 142, Pub. Acts 1931 (Comp. Laws Supp. 1935, § 2694, Stat. Ann. § 5.3175), and is therefore surplusage; and that the limitation period, if effective, did not run against the city while the instant chancery proceedings were pending.

The receiver contends that there is no State statute requiring depository bonds to cover deposits of home-rule cities and, therefore, the bond is a common-law bond with the limitation provision fully effective.

Detroit is a home-rule city. With the exception of Act No. 273, § 5, Pub. Acts 1925, as then last *432 amended by Act No. 142, Pub. Acts 1931, and relied upon by the city of Detroit, there is no statute in Michigan providing for depository bonds to cover the deposits o'f city treasurers or other city officials of a home-rule city. This brings us to a determination of the kind of a bond involved in this case, i.e., whether a statutory or common-law bond. A statutory bond is one commanded or provided by statute. In such a bond, the existing law becomes a part of the bond, omitted conditions required by law are read into the bond and conditions contrary to the law are read out of it. The doctrine of “what is omitted will be read in and what is in conflict will be read out” applies only to bonds required by statute. In such a bond the general statute of limitations becomes a part of the bond. ’ In a common-law bond the parties may provide for a shorter time for bringing suit than is provided by the statute of limitations and, in general, are bound by their agreement.

One method of determining the effect of the provisions in the bond is to compare the bond to the statute requiring the bond.

In Township of Forest v. American Bonding Co. of Baltimore, 187 Mich. 657, a statute (1 How. Stat. [2d Ed.] § 1408 ) required each township treasurer to give á bond to the township “conditioned for the faithful discharge of the duties of his office, and that he will faithfully and truly account for and pay over according to law all moneys which shall come into his hands as such treasurer.” The statute did not set up the form of the bond nor prescribe any other conditions.

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Bluebook (online)
3 N.W.2d 830, 301 Mich. 427, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commissioner-of-insurance-v-central-west-casualty-co-mich-1942.