Continental Casualty Co. v. Cobb

459 S.W.2d 67, 249 Ark. 289, 1970 Ark. LEXIS 1096
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedOctober 26, 1970
Docket5-5347
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 459 S.W.2d 67 (Continental Casualty Co. v. Cobb) 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
Continental Casualty Co. v. Cobb, 459 S.W.2d 67, 249 Ark. 289, 1970 Ark. LEXIS 1096 (Ark. 1970).

Opinion

J. Fred Jones, Justice.

This is an appeal by Continental Casualty Company, hereinafter referred to as “the company,” from a judgment of the Lonoke County Circuit Court entered on a jury verdict in favor of J. D. Cobb for $9,600 on a health and accident insurance policy. Under the policy the company agreed to pay Mr. Cobb monthly sickness indemnity as follows:

“TOTAL DISABILITY AND CONFINEMENT. When, as the result of sickness and commencing while this policy is in force, the insured is wholly and continuously disabled and prevented from engaging in each and every duty pertaining to his occupation, the Company will pay periodically the Monthly Indemnity stated in the Schedule for the period the Insured is so disabled and necessarily and continuously confined within the house, not to exceed the Maximum Period Confining Sickness Indemnity stated in the Schedule as the result of any one sickness. Confinement shall not be terminated by reason of the transportation of the Insured, at the direction of his doctor, to or from a hospital or a doctor’s office for necessary treatment.
TOTAL DISABILITY AND NON-CONFINEMENT. When, as the result of sickness and commencing while this policy is in force or immediately following a period of disability for which indemnity is payable under Paragraph A of this Part, the Insured is wholly and continuously disabled and prevented from engaging in each and every duty pertaining to his occupation although not confined within the house, the Company will pay periodically the Monthly Indemnity stated in the Schedule for the period of such disability not to exceed the Maximum Period of Non-Confining Sickness Indemnity stated in the Schedule, as result of any one sickness.”

Mr. Cobb suffered a severe heart attack on November 26, 1965, and was hospitalized for several days. He was paid under the confinement clause, II A, of the policy until August 16, 1966. Each time a monthly payment was sent to Mr. Cobb he filled out and returned a form statement as to his then condition. Upon receipt of the August statement from Mr. Cobb advising that he had not been confined to the house since his last report, the company stopped payments under the II A clause of the policy, but continued payments under the “total disability and non-confinement” clause, II B, of the policy. Payments were continued under this clause until January, 1967, the last check being dated January 6, 1967. On February 8, 1967, the company wrote to Mr. Cobb as follows:

“A representative of our company attempted to call on you at your home, January 26, 1967. When he arrived at your home he was advised by your wife that you were at the office. At that time, he briefly discussed your claim with your wife and it appears now that your health has improved now to the point that you can now perform the lighter duties of your occupation.
Since your policy, with our company, provides benefits only during the period of time that you are totally disabled, unable to perform each and every duty of your occupation, it appears at this time, that your claim would not qualify for further benefits.”

No payments were made after January 6, 1967, and on February 8, 1969, Mr. Cobb filed his complaint setting out his insurance contract and alleging that on or about November 26, 1965, he suffered a heart attack and has been totally and permanently disabled and confined within the meaning of his policy since that date, and that the company owes him $9,600 in monthly benefits. He prayed judgment for that amount.

In its answer, the company admitted the issuance of the policy but denied that Mr. Cobb was totally disabled within the terms of the policy. The jury returned a verdict for Mr. Cobb for $9,600 and judgment was entered thereon. On appeal to this court the company relies on the following point for reversal:

“The trial court erred in refusing to direct a verdict in favor of the appellant and against the appellee on the separate issue of whether appellee was necessarily and continuously confined to his house within the meaning of the law, since there was no substantial evidence upon which a jury verdict in favor of appellee on this issue could be supported.”

At the trial Mrs. Cobb testified that prior to his heart attack, Mr. Cobb got up around 4:00 or 5:00 o’clock and went to work; that he would return to the house for breakfast about 7:30 a.m. and then leave and return for lunch and go back to work until 6:00 or 6:30. She testified that now, on a normal day, Mr. Cobb gets up around 7:30, eats breakfast and leaves the house from around 9:00 to 9:30. He returns at noon and rests in bed for two or three hours; he then leaves about 3:00 and returns about 5:00 or 5:30.

We deem it unnecessary to detail all of the testimony relating to Mr. Cobb’s activities. He drives his automobile, attends various corporate board meetings, attends church and attends football games. Mr. Cobb testified that he attended regular monthly board meetings of Commonwealth Federal Savings & Loan Association in Little Rock and doesn’t think he missed any of the regular meetings during 1967. Mr. Cobb visited relatives in Houston, Texas and in Milton, Florida, and took one Carribean cruise driving to New Orleans and back for that purpose. As a matter of fact all the evidence is to the effect that Mr. Cobb is completely unrestricted as to when, how, and where he goes. He is only restricted in what he does and the manner in which he does it. He can walk as far as four miles but walks slowly. He goes to his office regularly but does no work. He visits his farm operations but gives no orders. He avoids heat, strenuous exercise, excitement and worry.

The company does not question Mr. Cobb’s proof of total disability within the provisions of clause II B of the policy, it only questions the sufficiency of the evidence as to house confined disability under II A of the policy. At the close of the testimony, the company moved for a “directed verdict in its favor on the issue of house-confining disability for the reason that there is no evidence in the record from which the jury could reasonably determine that the plaintiff has been house confined within the meaning of the law,” and the motion was denied. The company then requested a jury instruction requiring the jury to find for the company on the issue of house confinement and this requested instruction was refused. The appellee Cobb then requested an instruction as follows:

“Plaintiff J. D. Cobb, has the burden of proving by a preponderance of the evidence, that from the onset of his sickness in December 1965 he has been wholly and continuously disabled and prevented from engaging in each and every duty of his occupation and that he has been necessarily and continuously confined within the house as those provisions have been explained to you. If you find from a preponderance of the evidence that he has met this burden you must award him the amount to which you find he is entitled.”

The court refused this instruction as requested, and gave instead the company’s requested instruction No. 11 A as follows:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
459 S.W.2d 67, 249 Ark. 289, 1970 Ark. LEXIS 1096, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/continental-casualty-co-v-cobb-ark-1970.