Commodity Credit Corp. v. American Equitable Assurance Co.

133 S.W.2d 433, 198 Ark. 1160, 1939 Ark. LEXIS 177
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedOctober 30, 1939
Docket4-5694
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 133 S.W.2d 433 (Commodity Credit Corp. v. American Equitable Assurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commodity Credit Corp. v. American Equitable Assurance Co., 133 S.W.2d 433, 198 Ark. 1160, 1939 Ark. LEXIS 177 (Ark. 1939).

Opinion

Baker, J.

Judgment was rendered for appellees, insurance companies, four of which, were sued under the above caption in the circuit court of Poinsett county, and the Commodity Credit Corporation has appealed therefrom.

We will attempt a statement of the facts that appear to be without dispute or controversy.

The Trumann Compress & Warehouse Company was engaged in business at Trumann in Poinsett county, and on November 10th, 1935, policies of insurance were issued to the Trumann Compress & Warehouse Company, Inc., “for the account of Whom It May Concern.” The appellant had stored several thousand bales of cotton in the warehouse at Trumann for which the Trumann Compress & Warehouse had issued receipts, reciting that the cotton represented bv the receipts was insured. The Commodity Credit Corporation had entered into a contract by which it was to pay to the Warehouse Company the sum of five mills per day for each bale of cotton so stored, which payment was to cover insurance and storage charges.

The Warehouse Company at the time these insurance policies were issued paid to the insurance companies $1,750, although the agreement recited it should have paid as down payment $2,000. It later sent checks to the insurance companies to' cover the $2,000, but these checks were dishonored.

Fires occurred on April 1st, 2nd, and 4th, 1936, at the time when insurance premiums .had not been paid thereon that had become due some months before. The policies of insurance required the Warehouse Company to-make monthly reports of the amount of cotton received; and from such reports there would be determined such amounts that might fall due by reason of the increased risks.

At the time of the fire of April 4th, 1936, the insurance companies canceled the policies and there was then due on that date net premiums of $5,283.99. Although the insurance companies might have canceled the policies by reason of failure or delay to pay premiums, they had not done so. There was a loss on account of fires exceeding $12,000, which loss was credited with salvage of burned cotton, leaving a net loss for cotton of $5,455.76. The trial court made some adjustments in amounts and credited the net loss with the net amount of unpaid premiums and gave judgment accordingly to appellant for $476.22. The appellant contends that it is entitled to recover the full amount of the net loss and that it is in no wise liable for the unpaid premiums. The case was decided before the court without the intervention of a jury and the evidence will be -given that consideration most favorable to support the findings of the trial court. So in the statements that follow we state the factual matters as we think the trial court' may have found them in favor of appellees, giving due regard to such matters as may appear undisputed.

The Trumann Compress & Warehouse Company will be referred to hereinafter as the Warehouse Company, and the Commodity Credit Corporation will be referred to as appellant or as Credit Corporation and the insurance companies will be called appellees or merely insurance companies, in our statements and comments hereinafter set forth.

The warehouse was operating at Trumann, Arkansas, where it had located a large compress and warehouse building, in which was stored all of the cotton damaged or destroyed by the fire above mentioned. In fact, as we understand it, there was considerably more cotton located therein than was injured or damaged. The four insurance companies issued the policies in the aggregate amount of $550,000. The credit corporation had entered into a contract with the warehouse company whereby it was to pay one-half cent per day for each bale of cotton stored with the warehouse company and now says its agreement was that this amount was to pay all warehouse charges and for insurance. Insurance for the previous year was about to be canceled at the time the policies sued on were procured to be issued by appellees. The reason for the cancellation of the older policies, or whether they were policies issued by the same companies as appellees, is not certain, and it perhaps makes no difference at this time who the former insurers were.

Pertinent facts to be considered and which seem to be-without substantial dispute are to the effect that the credit corporation might move its cotton unless it could get the protection of the insurance. Mr. M. F. Block of Paragould, who is the agent for the companies writing the insurance sued upon, in an effort to get policies issued made a trip to St. Louis, and upon his return from St. Louis made a trip to Memphis where he met a managing official of the credit corporation and conferred with him in regard to the policies. Before he had done this he had issued what is known in insurance circles as a “binder,” or binding contract and had wired the appellant stating this fact. Mr. Block in his testimony says that certain material matters in these policies were worked out and written by the credit corporation. It did furnish certain provisions that it desired to have incorporated in the policies, and these provisions were made a part thereof, when the policies were issued. The provisions are as follows:

“All or any part of the cotton described in this policy and or certificate having been pledged under the Cotton Loan Plans of the Commodity Credit Corporation, as security for loan granted by said Commodity Credit Corporation or lending agencies, it is a condition of this insurance that in event of loss or damage to any of such cotton so pledged, the basis of adjustment shall be the actual cash value at the time and place of the loss, as set out elsewhere in the printed conditions of this policy or certificate, except that if such actual cash value is less than 12 cents per pound plus accrued interest and accumulated charges, then such actual cash value shall be disregarded and the value of any cotton so pledged shall be deemed to be 12 cents per pound plus interest and accumulated charges.

“Limited liability cotton control ,act.

“Notwithstanding any of the other terms and provisions of the policy to which this indorsement is attached and made a part, it is understood and agreed that on all cotton for which the assured fails to furnish ‘certificates of tagging,’ as provided for in the Cotton Control Act, enacted by Congress' and approved April 21, 1934, 48 Stat. 598, and all regulations issued thereunder, the price or value, in the event of loss or damage, shall be the amount determined by subtracting from the market value Of sucli cotton at the date and place of loss or damage the amount of tax levied under the said Cotton Control Act on the ginning- of such cotton. ’ ’

Although the binders had been executed at this time the policies had not been issued because the form that they should take and the provisions therein had not been agreed upon. At the time the credit corporation submitted the provisions it desired to have in the new policies, it suggested that the insurance should be written to “Trumann Compress & Warehouse Company, Inc., for account of Whom It May Concern.”

There was a contract entered into between the credit corporation and the warehouse company. This contained many provisions, but the only ones relating directly to any matter of insurance was as set forth.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
133 S.W.2d 433, 198 Ark. 1160, 1939 Ark. LEXIS 177, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commodity-credit-corp-v-american-equitable-assurance-co-ark-1939.