County Fire Ins. Co. of Philadelphia v. Harper

1952 OK 211, 249 P.2d 705, 207 Okla. 359, 1952 Okla. LEXIS 778
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMay 20, 1952
Docket34732
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 1952 OK 211 (County Fire Ins. Co. of Philadelphia v. Harper) 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
County Fire Ins. Co. of Philadelphia v. Harper, 1952 OK 211, 249 P.2d 705, 207 Okla. 359, 1952 Okla. LEXIS 778 (Okla. 1952).

Opinion

DAVISON, J.

By this action, Clyde Harper, as plaintiff, seeks to recover from County Fire Insurance Company of Philadelphia, a corporation, as defendant, upon an insurance policy issued by it for loss resulting from the destruction of an automobile by fire. The parties will be referred to as they appeared in the trial court.

On March 13, 1948, plaintiff bought a 1941 Buick 4-door sedan from one David Woods, who had theretofore, on September 30, 1947, insured it with defendant under the terms of the insurance contract which is the foundation of this suit. On the same date as the sale, the defendant, through its local agent, transferred the beneficial interest in said policy to plaintiff. The automobile was destroyed by fire of undetermined origin on August 16, 1948, and this.action was brought to recover the resulting loss. A trial was had to a jury and from a verdict and judgment for plaintiff in the amount of $1,000, the defendant has perfected this appeal.

Defendant first insists that plaintiff’s loss was not covered by the provisions of - the policy sued upon and attached to the petition as an exhibit, in that said contract did not provide for payment for loss suffered by “D, Fire, Lightning and Transportation.” The following is a copy of that part of the insurance policy involved, wherein the portions thereof which were typed in have been underlined, to distinguish them from the printed portions, to wit:

“Item 3. In Consideration of the Payment of the Premium and in reliance upon the statements in the declarations and subject to the limits of liability, exclusions, conditions and other terms of this policy, the company agrees to pay for direct and accidental loss of or damage to the automobile, hereinafter, called loss, sustained during the policy period, with respect to such and so many of the following coverages as are indicated by specific premium charge or charges:

Coverages (as hereinafter defined)
A — Comprehensive—Loss of or Damage to the Automobile, Except by Collision but including Fire, Theft and •Windstorm
B — Collision or Upset
C — Convertible Collision or Upset
D — Fire, Lightning and Transportation
E — Theft (Broad Form)
Net Limits of Liability Rate Premium (Insert Amount or “Actual Cash Value”)
Actual Cash Value less $50.00, which deductible amount shall be applicable to each Collision or Upset $50.00
$ Actual Cash Value Additional Payment $ -€/3-
$ Actual Cash Value $ ■ $
$ Actual Cash Value $ $10.00
*361 F — Windstorm, Earthquake, Explosion, Hail or Water
G — Combined Additional Coverage
H — Towing and Labor Costs
J—
$incl.
$ Actual Cash Value $ 1.30 -ÓO-
$10 for each disablement $ ■€/*
$
Total Premium $61.30”

In determining the intention of the parties, the rule to be followed was recently stated by this court in the case of Combined Mut. Cas. Co. v. Metheny, 203 Okla. 522, 223 P. 2d 533, as follows:

“Contracts of insurance will be liberally construed in favor of the object to be accomplished, and conditions and provisions of every contract of insurance will be construed against the insurer who proposes and prepares the policy. If a policy of insurance and provisions in connection therewith are capable of being construed in two ways, that interpretation should be placed upon them which is most favorable to the insured.”

In the case at bar, the contract provided that the limit of liability of defendant for loss of the property by “Fire, Lightning and Transportation” was fixed at “Actual Cash Value,” which latter clause was typed in by the agent of defendant, who issued the policy. The contract further provided that the defendant agreed to pay only that loss or damage as resulted from the listed, printed coverages “indicated by specific premium charge or charges.” No amount was entered in the “Premium” column for “Fire, Lightning and Transportation” but on the next line for coverage for “Theft (Broad Form)” the “Limit of Liability” column was filled in “Actual Cash Value” and in the “Premium” column was typed “$10.00,” immediately under which was written “incl.” This last abbreviated word “incl.” 'would have no meaning or purpose unless it meant that the $10 premium for theft coverage included the premium for fire, lightning and transportation also, nor would the typed-in words, “Actual Cash Value,” under limit of liability, have any meaning otherwise. The original insurance policy has been substituted in the record in this court for the copy contained in the case-made. The only conclusion that can be reached, as to the intent of the parties when entering into the contract, is that the insurance should cover loss of the property from fire, lightning and transportation. This conclusion is in harmony with the rules, rates and premiums schedule governing insuring of automobiles which the State Insurance Board had adopted under the provisions of sections 131 and 132 of Title 36 O. S. 1941. Those rules provide that “Theft coverage may be granted only in connection with Fire coverage, and for a like amount in both cases,” and the premium fixed thereby for both coverages combined, upon such an automobile as here involved, was $10.

The rules, rates and premiums governing the insuring of automobiles, referred to in the preceding paragraph, were not put in evidence in the trial of the case below but, as was said in the case of State ex rel. Murphy, Commissioner of Labor, v. Coca-Cola Bottling Co, 190 Okla. 590, 126 P. 2d 86:

“* * * It is the general rule that courts will take judicial notice of the rules and regulations of the executive departments of the government. Zevely v. Weimer, 5 Ind. Terr. 646, 82 S.W. 941, affirmed 8 Cir, 138 F. 1006, 70 C.C.A. 683; Allen v. State, 238 Ala. 437, 191 So. 809, 20 Am. Jur. Evidence 44, p. 68, and footnote.”

Another defense relied on by defendant was an alleged breach by plaintiff of warranties, as to amounts of purchase price of and mortgage indebtedness against the automobile, set out in *362 the assignment of the insurance policy. However, the “Assignment of Interest” attached to said policy was signed only by defendant’s agent and not by the assured. Any representation by him would, therefore, have had to be made orally. This, he testified, he did not do. His testimony at the trial was that he did not give the agent the information for the statements contained in the assignment, nor was he requested to do so and that he had no idea of where it was obtained. The agent who signed the assignment of interest was present as a witness at the trial but did not testify with reference to the assignment. The record contains no evidence of misrepresentation by plaintiff at the time of the assignment.

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Bluebook (online)
1952 OK 211, 249 P.2d 705, 207 Okla. 359, 1952 Okla. LEXIS 778, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/county-fire-ins-co-of-philadelphia-v-harper-okla-1952.