Fernandez v. Great Western Insurance

3 Rob. 457
CourtThe Superior Court of New York City
DecidedDecember 30, 1865
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 3 Rob. 457 (Fernandez v. Great Western Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering The Superior Court of New York City primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fernandez v. Great Western Insurance, 3 Rob. 457 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1865).

Opinion

By the Gourt, Monell, J.

The principal questions raised by the exceptions in this case, are, first, whether the transfer, of the legal title to the vessel to Kane avoided the policy; and, second, whether the trial trip to Elizabethport was such a deviation from the voyage as amounted to an abandonment' of it and terminated the policy.

Having carefully examined the other exceptions taken by the defendants, I do not deem it necessary, in respect to them, to say any thing farther than that none of them, in my judgment, are well taken; >

By the policy it was agreed that it should cover only the original interest subsisting when negotiated,,, and that any change of interest, in whole or in part, should cancel the policy. It appeared on the trial that the policy was issued to the plaintiffs on the 18th of March, 1863, and that the vessel was destroyed on the 3d of May, of the same year. ' Intermediate the date of the policy and the loss, the plaintiffs, by a bill of sale, conveyed the vessel to one Kane. . Such bill of sale is dated the 4th day of April, 1863, and appears to have been recorded on the same day, at the British consulate. The consulate certificate, however, bears date the 6th day of April", 1863: " The consideration for the sale was #35,000;

On the 6th of April, 1863, Kane executed and" delivered to the1 plaintiffs a mortgage of the vessel, to secure the payment of thirty thousand dollars ; and also on the same day a power of attorney authorizing the plaintiffs to take possession and to have" the entire control of the vessel, with power to bargain, sell and convey the same. There was no evidence in regard to the delivery of these several papers, and it does not appear whether they were simultaneous acts. At most, two ¿ays [473]*473only elapsed between the delivery of the bill of salé and the mortgage.

Independently of the clause in the policy respecting change" of ownership, no change whatever would avoid the policy, provided there was an insurable interest at the time of loss. (Arnould on Ins. 1333. Rhind v. Wilkinson, 2 Taunt. 237. Powles v. Innes, 11 Mees. & Wels. 10.) And the clause in question does not affect the rule, if the change is merely from owner to mortgagee. (Hitchcock v. North Western Ins. Co., 26 N. Y. Rep. 68.) Judge Selden says in that case, (p. 70,) “No transfer of interest will work a forfeiture under that clause, which does not so entirely deprive the assignor of insurable interest as to prevent his recovering on the policy for his own benefit, if that clause was not contained in it. To take away the cause of action in one case, and to render void the policy in the other, equally requires a transfer or termina-" tion of the entire insurable interest. So long as the insured retains such an interest that he may be a sufferer by the loss, the policy remains valid to protect that interest.” In that case there was a sale of the vessel and a mortgage for the purchase money, and the acts were simultaneous, and it was held that the bill of sale and mortgage constituted one transaction, and that the transfer did not terminate the interest of the insured. It is supposed that this case is an authority only when the transfer and the mortgage were executed at the same time. But it will be seen that the principle decided goes much further, and, it seems to me to.cover this case, even assuming that the bill of sale and mortgage were not executed or delivered at the same time. The principle decided is, that the mere transfer of the vessel, without payment by the vendee, and the taking back of a mortgage as a security for the purchase money, is not a change of interest; and the whole transaction was examined with reference to such result. The fact that the security was given at the same instant the transfer was made, is of no importance in giving effect to the transaction; and only important, perhaps, as putting a construction upon it, or as establishing the nature of the change of interest. The only [474]*474question is, did the interest of the assured in the subject insured, terminate by the transfer ? If the change from owner to mortgagee did not work such a result, it is not necessary that the acts should be simultaneous ; and the fact that there was no other or different change, is the only important one to be ascertained.

That the sale in this case was conditional is sufficiently established by the papers themselves. The consideration of the sale was $35,000, for thirty thousand of which sum the mortgage was given, together with a power of attorney, placing the vessel under the entire control of the mortgagees. Until the delivery of the mortgage, the plaintiffs had an equitable lien for the purchase money, which was of itself an insurable interest, and the subsequent execution of the mortgage continued such interest. It was, therefore, as was said in the case before referred to, (Hitchcock v. North Western Ins. Co.,) owing more to the conditional character of the purchase, than to its instantaneous character, that the interest of the assured was continued.

I am unable to distinguish this case from the one cited, and therefore hold that the interest of the plaintiffs was not terminated by the sale of the vessel to Kane.

Second. Was the trip to Elizabethport a deviation from the voyage ?

The evidence was, that on the sixth of April, the plaintiffs having completed repairs, sent the vessel on a trial trip, to test her engines ; to take in coal, and to test her light and also heavy, draught. She went to Elizabethport and returned in safety to New York, and subsequently left on her voyage and was burnt at sea. The trial trip disclosed, that upon taking on board the necessary quantity of coal for her intended voyage, her exhaust pipes were too deeply submerged.

It is not disputed, that if a loss occurs while the vessel is in the slightest degree deviating from her voyage, the underwriters are not liable. In other words, if during the deviation the loss occurs, the insurers are discharged. (2 Pars. on Mar. Law, 278. Coffin v. Newburyport, 9 Mass. Rep. 436, 449.) [475]*475Such was the case in Vos v. Robinson, (9 John. 166,) where the vessel was lost while deviating from her voyage. But it by no means follows that although a temporary deviation exonerates the underwriters for loss during such deviation, they are also relieved for a subsequent loss.

A voluntary and unexcused departure, although slight and unimportant, from the course of the voyage, will discharge the underwriters ; but it is otherwise if the departure is excused' by a justifying cause. (Arn. on Ins. 399.) Thus, making a port to refit; to recruit the crew ; stress of weather ; to avoid capture ; and, to succor ships in distress, are instances of justifiable deviation.

It therefore becomes important to inquire, if going to Elizabethport, under the circumstances and for the purposes disclosed, was a deviation, whether such deviation was justifiable.

If it was necessary to examine the first of these questions, it would, I think, be difficult to satisfy any one that there could be a deviation before a vessel started upon her .voyage from the home port. The elementary writers define a deviation to be, any unnecessary or unexcused departure from the usual course or general mode of carrying on the voyage. .

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Bluebook (online)
3 Rob. 457, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fernandez-v-great-western-insurance-nysuperctnyc-1865.