Culpepper v. Federal Crop Insurance Corporation

274 So. 2d 815, 1973 La. App. LEXIS 6916
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 12, 1973
Docket4114
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 274 So. 2d 815 (Culpepper v. Federal Crop Insurance Corporation) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Culpepper v. Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, 274 So. 2d 815, 1973 La. App. LEXIS 6916 (La. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

274 So.2d 815 (1973)

Louis L. CULPEPPER, Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
FEDERAL CROP INSURANCE CORPORATION, Defendant-Appellee.

No. 4114.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit.

March 12, 1973.
Rehearing Denied April 2, 1973.

*816 D. G. Brunson, Jonesboro, for plaintiff-appellant.

Robert H. Shemwell, Shreveport, for defendant-appellee.

Before FRUGE, SAVOY, and HOOD, JJ.

FRUGE, Judge.

Plaintiff seeks benefits under a crop insurance policy issued by the defendant. The district judge found plaintiff had not proved the facts required by the policy to establish his claim for loss of the soybean crop. From a judgment rejecting his entire claim and dismissing his suit, plaintiff appealed.

The substantial issues are: (1) Is the policy void due to misrepresentation and fraud of the plaintiff?; (2) can the defendant insurer reject plaintiff's entire claim because of his failure to prove exactly which 41 acres were uninsurable, exactly which 64 acres were harvested, which acres were followed without written consent, and exactly how many soybeans were harvested from which tracts?, and (3) is plaintiff entitled to recover a portion of his claim?

The facts are that in 1970 Mr. Culpepper planted 231 acres in soybeans which were insured under the crop insurance policy in question. Due to severe drought conditions, the crop did not grow. Plaintiff notified defendant of a possible loss. In September of 1970, defendant's adjuster, Mr. Roge, inspected the crop, but due to a recent rain and an improved outlook it was decided to try to carry the crop to harvest.

*817 However, the drought continued and in October of 1970 Mr. Roge returned to the Culpepper farm for another inspection. At that time, plaintiff and Mr. Roge agreed in writing to release 63 acres to be fallowed, since they would not produce sufficient beans to justify harvest. This was the only written release of acreage to be fallowed given to Mr. Culpepper in 1970.

Mr. Culpepper contends that later during the month of October, 1970, Mr. Roge inspected the crop again and instructed plaintiff to harvest only 64 acres of his beans, the understanding being that the remainder of the 231 acres was released from harvest. This alleged release of acreage was not in writing.

At some time during the latter part of October or November of 1970, plaintiff harvested only 64 acres of his soybeans which produced a total of 585 bushels. Plaintiff notified defendant of his desire to file a claim for his loss. On December 9, 1970, Mr. Roge returned to the Culpepper farm. At that time, a claim for loss was signed by plaintiff and the adjuster based on 231 acres planted to soybeans and harvested with a yield of only 585 bushels. This claim was not approved for payment by defendant's regional office.

In March of 1971, another inspector, Mr. Lady, visited the Culpepper farm. Mr. Lady had learned from some source that some of Mr. Culpepper's soybean acreage had been planted to wheat and harvested during the same crop year. Under the County Actuarial Table, which is made a part of the policy by reference, soybean acreage previously planted to wheat in the same year is not insurable. The principal purpose of Mr. Lady's visit was to determine the number of acres previously planted to wheat. Mr. Lady testified that Culpepper told him that only 13 acres of soybeans were planted behind wheat. Culpepper testified he did not give any specific acreage to Lady, but that he simply signed an amended "Claim For Indemnity" which was written by Lady and which showed 13 acres previously planted to wheat. In any event, plaintiff later furnished a corrected statement that 41 acres of soybeans were planted after wheat, and in the present litigation plaintiff concedes that these 41 acres were uninsurable. The amended claim was prepared on the basis of 218 acres of insurable beans (the 231 acres originally covered less the 13 acres deducted in the adjusted claim for indemnity). This claim was likewise rejected and the present litigation followed.

POLICY VOID FOR MISREPRESENTATION AND FRAUD

The first issue is whether the entire policy is void for misrepresentation and fraud by Mr. Culpepper. Section II of the policy provides in part that the defendant may void the policy if "the insured has concealed or misrepresented any material fact or committed any fraud relating to the contract."

The first contention of misrepresentation is that the adjusted claim for indemnity signed by Mr. Culpepper and Mr. Lady in March of 1971 showed that the entire 231 acres had been harvested, whereas only 64 acres actually were harvested. It is also contended that this form showed that only 13 acres had been previously planted to wheat, whereas actually at least 41 acres had been planted to wheat.

We think Mr. Culpepper's testimony as to what happened on the occasion of Mr. Lady's visit shows that he did not commit fraud or misrepresentation. Culpepper testified that he was alarmed and upset at Lady's accusations that plaintiff knowingly made a claim for acreage which was uninsurable because previously planted to wheat. Culpepper says he had no knowledge of the wheat exclusion, which was not in the policy but was in the County Actuarial Table of which he had never been furnished a copy. Under the circumstances, plaintiff says he told Mr. Lady to fill out the adjusted claim for indemnity in any manner Lady saw fit and that plaintiff signed it without reading it. Later, Culpepper *818 determined that actually 41 acres had been previously planted to wheat and he so informed plaintiff of this corrected figure through his attorney. It is true that the adjusted claim for indemnity, as well as the claim which was filed through Mr. Roge in December of 1970, shows that the entire 231 acres of soybeans were harvested, whereas only 64 acres were harvested. However, Mr. Roge actually signed a written release for 63 acres, and Lady testified that he filled out the form and showed the 231 acres as being harvested. This was an obvious error since Roge had already signed a written release of 63 acres. Furthermore, Lady testified that plaintiff was not required to harvest all of the insured acres, but of course the beneftis for unharvested acres would be less.

At the trial of this matter, Mr. Culpepper made no attempt to misrepresent the facts or even to be evasive. He testified clearly and forthrightly that until he had knowledge of the wheat exclusion he thought 231 acres were insured, that when he learned of the wheat exclusion and its significance he gave the correct figure of 41 acres as previously planted to wheat, and that only 64 acres were actually harvested. Under the circumstances, there was no intentional misrepresentation or fraud by Culpepper sufficient to void the policy.

REJECTION OF PLAINTIFF'S ENTIRE CLAIM FOR LACK OF PROOF

Defendant's letter dated April 27, 1971, addressed to Mr. Culpepper rejecting his claims for indemnity (defendant's Exhibit 16) reads as follows:

"Your original claim was based on 231 acres of soybeans; however, the contract provides that soybeans planted on acreage from which a 1970 wheat crop was harvested shall not be insurable. Your corrected claim shows 218 acres of soybeans, leaving a difference of only 13 acres planted to wheat. Our representatives obtained information to the effect that more than 1,200 bushels of wheat were hauled from the farm, indicating that you had considerably more than 13 acres of wheat.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Bohn v. La. Farm Bur. Mut. Ins. Co.
482 So. 2d 843 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1986)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
274 So. 2d 815, 1973 La. App. LEXIS 6916, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/culpepper-v-federal-crop-insurance-corporation-lactapp-1973.