Duke v. Peoples Protective Life Insurance

392 S.W.2d 830, 54 Tenn. App. 500, 1964 Tenn. App. LEXIS 163
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedDecember 4, 1964
StatusPublished

This text of 392 S.W.2d 830 (Duke v. Peoples Protective Life Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Duke v. Peoples Protective Life Insurance, 392 S.W.2d 830, 54 Tenn. App. 500, 1964 Tenn. App. LEXIS 163 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1964).

Opinion

SHEIVEE, J.

Plaintiff below, appellant here, Euby Duke, brought these two- cases which were consolidated for the purpose of trial, to recover benefits under two insurance policies issued by defendant below, appellee here, Peoples Protective Life Insurance Company, upon the life of Ollie Duke, deceased, who was a son of Euby Duke.

The cases were tried before Honorable Byrd Douglas, Judge of the Second Circuit Court of Davidson County, and a jury, and, at the conclusion of all the evidence he directed a verdict in favor of the defendant in both cases.

Prom this verdict and judgment the plaintiff appealed and has assigned the action of the trial Judge in directing a verdict in favor of defendant as error, insisting that there was material evidence to support a verdict for the plaintiff.

It was stipulated that the policies on which these two suits were- based were in full force and effect at the time of the death of Ollie Duke and that claims were- properly filed. It was further stipulated that certain sworn statements given in the office of the District Attorney General relative to the shooting and the death of Ollie Duke, might be read to the Court and jury and treated as evidence in the cause.

It is shown that one of the policies provides that no indemnity for death by accidental means shall be payable [502]*502if death results “(c) from injuries intentionally inflicted upon the insured by himself, or by any other person other than burglars and robbers.?’

The other policy provides in Section (1) thereof, that the Company will pay to the beneficiary a “death benefit” of the face value of the policy ($1,000.00) upon due proof of the death of the'insured. Section (2) provides for an “accidental death benefit” in an amount equal to the aforesaid “death benefit”, provided that the “accidental death benefit” shall not be payable and does not cover “death resulting from intentional injuries inflicted by another.”

The defendant insurance company denied Mrs. Duke’s claim for benefits under the terms of the first policy, (Exhibit 1) on the ground that the death of the insured was intentionally inflicted by another person who was not a burglar or robber.

Under the terms of the second policy (Exhibit 2) the company paid Mrs. Duke $1,000.00 but declined payment of the additional amount under Section (2) on the ground that the death of the insured resulted from intentional injuries inflicted by another.

The record shows that on November 13, 1960 at approximately eight o’clock P.M. the insured, Ollie Duke, who was a boy about seventeen years old, and a negro woman, Dorothy Jones, engaged in an argument outside Lovell’s Pharmacy at 46th and Charlotte Avenues in Nashville. During the course of the argument Dorothy Jones attempted to strike the insured, first with her pocket book and then with her shoe, and, after an exchange of obscene language the Jones woman got in her automobile and drove away from the scene. As.she was [503]*503leaving she stated, “You could he dead by tomorrow, I will be back iu about ten minutes”, or words to that effect.

After Dorothy Jones drove away Ollie Duke, along with two other young men, went inside the drug store and sat or stood at the soda fountain and, while standing there, after some eight or ten minutes, the Jones woman was seen returning.

She parked her car on the opposite side of the street and came in the drug store. As we consider the statements of Dorothy Jones and of the .two or three eye witnesses, we find some discrepancy in the testimony as to just what was said by her when she returned and as to exactly what occurred.

In any event it appears that, after exchanging some words with Ollie Duke, she pulled a pistol from her pocket book and pointed it at him, whereupon, he ran behind a magazine counter and pulled out a knife. Dorothy Jones said that he threatened her with a knife and one of the other witnesses said that he had a knife which, after she had fired the pistol at him and missed, he threw at her but did not hit her. He pushed the magazine counter over against her and then ran out the door, and, as he did so, he threw his coat into her face, whereupon, she fired again and this time the bullet took effect striking Ollie Duke in the head resulting in his death.

The question with which we are concerned here is whether or not there is any material evidence from which a jury might, with reason, find that the death of Ollie Duke was not intentionally inflicted. It was the conclusion of the trial Judge that there was no material evidence upon which a jury could reach such conclusion and, therefore, he directed a verdict for the defendant.

[504]*504Examining tlie statements of Dorothy Jones and some other witnesses which were put in evidence by stipulation of the parties we find the following which we deem to be material:

Dorothy Jones stated, among other things, that about seven or eight o’clock on the evening of November 13, 1960 she went to Lovell’s drug store at 46th and Charlotte Avenues to make a purchase and when she came out of the store several white boys were standing in front of the building and one of them, Ollie Duke, made an obscene remark to her. She replied using similar obscene language which we do not think it necessary to repeat. She stated that the boy then started running around her car and kept hitting on it and pulling on the door and, when she tried to get in her car he pushed the door against her. She took off her shoe and undertook to strike him with it but failed and, after she had started the car, she said to' him, “You could be dead by tomorrow”. She stated that he kept hitting on the car and she said to him “O.K. I will be back in about ten minutes,” whereupon, she drove away.

She further stated as follows: “I got part of the way home — to about 40th and Indiana, and I thought about the baby oil so I turned around and went back to the drug store to get it. I parked the car on the opposite side of the street from the drug store facing* South. Then, when I started in the drug store, a girl came to the door of the drug store and then turned around and went back and when I came in this white boy who had make the remark to me before, jumped down off the stool and walked across the floor and behind some racks with some books on it and he had a knife in his hand and I started around and I said ‘why don’t you meddle with me like [505]*505you did a while ago’ and he said ‘what yon want me to say, I will say it’ and I said ‘say what you said a while ago’. Then he walked by the rack and I walked by the rack and he came to the side and was holding the knife up and by that time he was standing behind the magazine rack and I said ‘well if you are bad go ahead and say it’. Then he pushed the rack on me and I came from behind it and he had had the knife up and he threw it at me and I ducked and that is when I shot at him. I got the pistol out of my pocket book as I came around the rack.

Then he was at the door and I was not intending to shoot him, but thought I would scare him. He went on out the door and when I came out the door he threw his coat at me and that is when I shot him I guess. I don’t really know how many times I shot — "Well, I do remember I shot two times.”

Question by Mr. John Cole;—

Q. "When did you put the gun in your purse?
A. It had been in there a pretty good while
Q.

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Bluebook (online)
392 S.W.2d 830, 54 Tenn. App. 500, 1964 Tenn. App. LEXIS 163, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/duke-v-peoples-protective-life-insurance-tennctapp-1964.