Crockford v. Bankers & Shippers Insurance Co. of New York

4 Mass. App. Div. 314

This text of 4 Mass. App. Div. 314 (Crockford v. Bankers & Shippers Insurance Co. of New York) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts District Court, Appellate Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Crockford v. Bankers & Shippers Insurance Co. of New York, 4 Mass. App. Div. 314 (Mass. Ct. App. 1939).

Opinion

Gillen, J.

This is an action of contract under a policy of insurance against damage by theft for alleged damage to the plaintiff’s automobile as a result of a theft on July 6, 1938.

The defendant’s answer to the plaintiff’s declaration is a general denial, and further answering, the defendant especially sets forth the following:

“1. That the damage to the automobile as alleged in the plaintiff’s declaration, was caused directly or indirectly by riot, strike or civil commotion, and that, under the terms of the policy in question, the defendant is not held liable for loss or damage caused directly or indirectly by said riot, strike or civil commotion.
“2. That the policy in question requires that the assured file a Proof of Loss within sixty (60) days after the loss or damage, stating, under oath, among other [315]*315things, the sound value of the automobile alleged to have been damaged, and that the plaintiff has failed to comply with the requirements of said policy in that respect.
“3. That the alleged policy provides that no suit or action on this policy or for the recovery of any claim hereunder shall be sustainable in any court of law or equity, unless the assured shall have fully complied with all the foregoing requirements mentioned in the said policy, and the defendant says that the plaintiff has not fulfilled all the requirements of said policy which would entitle him to recover. And the defendant, therefore, does not owe the plaintiff anything as alleged or otherwise.”

At the trial there was evidence tending to show, according to the testimony of the plaintiff, that the plaintiff bought in 1934 a Chevrolet automobile on time payments from a dealer in New Bedford and received a certificate of insurance against theft, robbery and pilferage, issued under an open policy of insurance of the defendant; that at about 12:30 A. M. on July 6, 1938, while said insurance was in force, the plaintiff was putting his car away in his private garage, three hundred feet back from the street on which he lived, and, as he got out of the ear and was about to close and leave the garage, a man pointed a pistol at him and three (3) other men assaulted and beat him. There was no one else present. Then they threw him into his car, drove him to a neighboring town, and threw him out of the car. Two weeks later he found the car in a garage in still another town in a damaged condition. All four of these men were strangers to him. There was a strike going on at the garage of the Pacific Oil Company of its employees and he was business agent of the union, and shortly before he had left the picket line and had left for home.

Plaintiff offered in evidence a certificate of insurance. The certificate of insurance provided:

[316]*316“This company shall not be liable for loss or damage (b) caused directly or indirectly by invasion, insurrection, riot, civil war or commotion, military, naval or usurped power, or by order of any civil authority.”
“Pboop op Loss. Within sixty (60) days after loss or damage, unless such time is extended in writing by this Company, the Assured shall render a statement to this Company, signed and sworn to by the Assured, stating' the place, time and cause of the loss or damage, the interest of the Assured and of all others in the property, the sound value thereof and the amount of loss or damage thereto, all encumbrances thereon, and all other insurance, whether valid and/or collectible or not, covering said property; . . .”
“Suit Against Company: No suit or action on this policy or for the recovery of any claim hereunder shall be sustainable in any court of law or equity unless the assured shall have fully complied with all the requirements of the policy.”
“Payment op Loss : This company shall not be held to have waived any provision or condition of this policy or any forfeiture thereof by any requirement, act, or proceeding on its part relating to the appraisal, or to any examination herein provided for: and the loss shall in no event become payable until sixty (60) days after the notice, ascertainment, estimate and verified proof of loss herein required have been received by this Company, and if appraisal is demanded, then, not until sixty days after an award has been made by the appraisers.”

The plaintiff further testified that on July 6th he entered the hospital and remained there until the afternoon of July 31th, when he went home; that about the middle or end of July, a representative of the local insurance agency representing the defendant came and saw him; that on September 1st, the plaintiff signed and swore to a written statement which contained everything that the Proof of Loss required, excepting the statement of the sound value of the car, and included a sworn statement that “the cost [317]*317of repairing said damage is $92.00, plus a $10.00 towing charge” and that “the encumbrances on the property are conditional sales notes due, amounting to $350.00.” This written statement was sent to the defendant and received by it on September 3rd. On September 14th the plaintiff signed and swore to a supplementary written statement, containing the assertion that the sound value of the car was $350.00. This supplementary statement was received by the defendant on September 17th.

On August 1st, counsel for the plaintiff wrote to the defendant, making claim on behalf of the plaintiff under the certificate of insurance. On August 19th defendant sent said counsel the following letter:

“August 19th, 1938
B&S File 92186
Roewer and Reel
20 Pemberton Square
Boston, Mass.
Be: B&S #395246 — Oswald F. Crockford and David’s Inc. Theft — July 5th, 1938.
Gentlemen:
Your letter of August 1st in connection with the above-captioned matter has not received earlier attention, owing to the fact of our being without a report from our field representative.
Now that we have received information from that source, it appears from his investigation that the damage to your client’s car was■ the direct result of a strike or riot, and as such is expressly excluded under the terms and conditions of the insurance policy. May we ask that you review these conditions, and we think you will agree that our position is correct under the circumstances.
[318]*318In writing you at this time, we are doing so with a strict reservation of all our lights in the matter.
Yours very truly,
BANKERS & SHIPPERS INS. CO.
W. H. PONSFOKD
Asst. Manager Auto Loss Dept.
WHPrMK
C/C T.W. Adams”

The defendant has not made any payment on said claim. The plaintiff introduced evidence of his damage.

At the close of the trial and before the final argument, the defendant seasonably made the following requests for rulings

“1. There is no evidence to warrant a finding for the defendant.

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Bluebook (online)
4 Mass. App. Div. 314, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/crockford-v-bankers-shippers-insurance-co-of-new-york-massdistctapp-1939.