Crawford v. McCorkle

153 S.W.2d 334, 1941 Tex. App. LEXIS 676
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 19, 1941
DocketNo. 4104
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 153 S.W.2d 334 (Crawford v. McCorkle) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Crawford v. McCorkle, 153 S.W.2d 334, 1941 Tex. App. LEXIS 676 (Tex. Ct. App. 1941).

Opinion

WALTHALL, Justice.

The following statement of the nature and result of the suit is the agreed statement adopted by appellant and appellee. We find it a correct statement, and adopt it as the statement for this Court.

On November 3, 1937, and until March 17, 1939, Lloyds America was an Insurance Association operating under the Lloyds’ plan of insurance and was licensed by the Insurance Commission of the State of Texas to transact a general casualty insurance business, including the writing of automobile insurance. At the time this suit was filed Robert A. Hicks was attorney-in-fact for all Underwriters at Lloyds America. On March 17,1939, Lloyds America was adjudged insolvent by the 53d Judicial District Court, Travis County, Texas, in cause No. 61546, styled The State of Texas, Plaintiff v. Lloyds America et al., Defendants, and Sam McCorkle was appointed Receiver for Lloyds America, and thereafter qualified and gave bond as required by law and was the duly authorized and acting Receiver for Lloyds America at the time this case was tried. Prior to the trial of this case, an order was entered by the court authorizing Sam McCorkle, as Receiver for Lloyds America, to intervene herein and be substituted as party plaintiff in lieu of Robert A. Hicks, attorney-in-fact for Underwriters at Lloyds America.

The defendant, Russell C. Crawford, is an individual and is a resident of San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, and a citizen of Texas, and operates a business under the trade-name of Crawford Truck Line. The home office of such business is in San Antonio, Texas. The Crawford Truck Line transports property of others for hire in interstate commerce between points in Texas and points in Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. The Crawford Truck Line holds a common carrier certificate from the Interstate Commerce Commission and is likewise licensed by the States named above.

The Interstate Commerce Commission by virtue of the provisions of the Motor Carrier Act, 49 U.S.C.A. § 315, requires all such motor carriers to maintain certain forms of insurance coverage, and the states through which such a carrier operates, including Texas, also have certain requirements with reference to insurance coverage.

Russell C. Crawford had been insured for public liability and property damage with Lloyds America for the year prior to November 3, 1937, and on such date, at the request of the defendant, Russell C. Crawford, Lloyds America issued its policy No. BT-10426, insuring for public liability and property damage certain trucks owned and operated by Russell C. Crawford. This policy of insurance covered what is commonly called “Public Liability and Property Damage” to the limits of $5,000 for injuries to one person, $50,000 for injuries of more than one person in one accident and $5,000 damage to property of others. The policy was originally issued to cover three trucks and semi-trailers and during the time said policy was in effect there were certain changes in the equipment insured by reason of additions and eliminations which necessitated change in total premium on each occasion there was a change in equipment.

Lloyds America and the insured, Russell C. Crawford, agreed on a premium rate of $409 for each truck per year. This premium rate was arrived at by taking an average of the rates applicable in the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Indiana and Ohio, through which it was contemplated by Lloyds America and Russell C. Crawford that the trucks would operate, and this method of arriving at a premium rate was agreed upon between the insurer and the assured. The premium rates applicable in Kansas, Illinois, Pennsylvania and New York were not taken into consideration.

The annual premium rate per truck prescribed by the Insurance Commission of the State of Texas is $218.

Excerpts from the Texas Automobile Manual were admitted in evidence. Such excerpts as were admitted are attached hereto as Exhibit “A”.

This policy of insurance was cancelled pro rata by the insurer on August 9, 1939, and under the premium rate agreed upon between insurer and assured a total premium of $1,744.18 was earned under said policy. The defendant paid $1,339.34 of [336]*336such amount, leaving an unpaid balance of $404.84. Included in the foregoing amount was a charge of $65.35 for service charges in connection with the installment payment of the policy premium. If the premium rate of $218 per truck prescribed by the Insurance Commission of Texas had been used as a basis of computing the earned premium under this policy of insurance, the defendant has paid all premiums due and has made an over-payment of $395.26.

The original of the policy of insurance issued by Lloyds America was filed with the Railroad Commission of Texas and copies or certificates of the original policy were filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission, and with the proper regulatory boards of the other states through which defendant’s trucks operated which required the filing of copies or certificates.

Evidence was submitted and agreed to upon the trial of the above cause before a jury on September 21, 1940, and after both plaintiff and defendant had closed, both plaintiff and defendant moved for an instructed verdict, and the court instructed the jury to return a verdict for the plaintiff and against the defendant for $404.84, the amount sued for. Defendant timely filed his motion for new trial and after hearing same was overruled, to which defendant excepted and gave notice of appeal.- Defendant filed appeal bond on October 8, 1940.

Plaintiff and defendant have now agreed that the above and foregoing is a complete statement of the facts developed in evidence upon the trial of this cause, and have agreed to submit this cause on appeal to the Court of Civil Appeals for the Fourth Supreme Judicial District upon the above and foregoing as an agreed statement of facts, and upon the pleadings on file herein.

Appellant presents a number of assignments of error, but suggests that propositions germane to all assignments may be considered under the following: “All automobile insurance premium rates are prescribed and fixed by the Commissioner of Insurance, pursuant to statutory authority, and are to be applied, without variation to all automobile insurance policies written in the State of Texas; and nowhere in the Statutes or rules, regulations and rates adopted and approved by the Commissioner of Insurance is there any authority to charge any rate but the rate fixed and approved by the Commissioner of Insurance; and there is no authority for an insurance comoanv to use either the- automobile insurance rates in effect in some other state, or to use a quotient rate produced by taking the average rate of several states, but that the only authority any insurance company writing automobile insurance in Texas has is to use and charge the rates prescribed and approved by the Commissioner of Insurance of the State of Texas.”

The facts are stated in the above agreed statement of facts, which we need not repeat here. Plaintiff, Lloyds America, wrote the insurance .policy involved here, and as a consideration for the policy charged the defendant a premium rate of $409 for each truck insured and described in the policy. The Commissioner of Insurance, prior to the execution of the policy, had prescribed a premium rate of $218 per truck, unit of equipment.

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Bluebook (online)
153 S.W.2d 334, 1941 Tex. App. LEXIS 676, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/crawford-v-mccorkle-texapp-1941.