Fidelity & Casualty Co. v. Crist

455 S.W.2d 904, 248 Ark. 1010, 1970 Ark. LEXIS 1330
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedJune 15, 1970
Docket5-5292
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 455 S.W.2d 904 (Fidelity & Casualty Co. v. Crist) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fidelity & Casualty Co. v. Crist, 455 S.W.2d 904, 248 Ark. 1010, 1970 Ark. LEXIS 1330 (Ark. 1970).

Opinions

J. Fred Jones, Justice.

This is an appeal by the Fidelity & Casualty Co. of New York from a judgment of the Pulaski County Circuit Court in favor of Marion L. Crist & Associates on an airplane insurance policy. The question for determination is whether coverage under the policy was excluded by a provision in the policy reading as follows:

“The coverage afforded by this policy shall not apply while the aircraft is used for any purpose for which the named insured directly or indirectly makes a charge to others, except: No Exceptions.”

The motions of both parties for directed verdicts were denied by the trial court and the verdict of the jury, in effect, found that the policy coverage was unaffected by the exclusion under the facts revealed by the evidence submitted. Judgment on the verdict was entered for $9,750, which was the face amount of the policy in the amount of $10,000 less $250 deductible. The judgment also awarded $1,170 penalty and $2,520 attorney’s fees. Upon appeal to this court Fidelity & Casualty relies on the following points for reversal:

“Trial court erred in refusing to direct a verdict for the appellant.
It was error for the Trial Court to give appellee’s requested Instruction No. 1, modified.
The Trial Court erred in refusing to give appellant’s requested Instruction No. 1.”

The factual background, as gathered from the testimony of Lawrence S. Woolsey, secretary-treasurer of the appellee corporation, is as follows: Marion L. Crist & Associates, Inc. is a consulting engineering firm consisting of six associates and was established by Marion L. Crist in 1943. In 1954 Mr. Crist purchased and piloted a new Beechcraft Bonanza E35 model airplane which was also used in connection with company business. Mr. Crist and two other members of the firm were pilots, so when Mr. Crist ceased flying in 1966, he sold the aircraft to the appellee corporate firm. The appellee kept the plane insured, with itself as named insured, and around the first of the year, 1968, it decided to sell the plane and listed it for sale with the Central Flying Service of Little Rock from whom Mr. Crist originally purchased it. Central found several prospects who appeared interested in the plane. Mr. Guy Freeling, Jr. was a neighbor and friend of Mr. Woolsey and he also indicated an interest in purchasing the plane. Mr. Freeling was a member of a flying club and holder of a pilot’s license, so he went with Mr. Woolsey to look at the plane and he flew the plane in trying it out. On this one trip Mr. Freeling offered to pay Mr. Bowlin (with flying service where the plane was kept and serviced) directly for the flight fuel used in trying out the plane. This offer was refused by Mr. Woolsey as he preferred to handle the expenses on his credit account with Bowlin, by merely having the plane fully serviced, then signing a ticket and paying later. Mr. Freeling inquired and was told the sale price of the plane, and Woolsey testified that it was understood that Freeling would fly the plane some more in trying it out with the idea of purchasing it. Woolsey testified that Freeling again offered to pay the actual operational expenses of the plane while he was flying it, and Mr. Woolsey says he accepted this offer. He says that the plane was checked over and the oil changed every 25 hours; and that since Mr. Freeling would make flights of very short duration in trying out, and learning to like the plane, it was understood that Mr. Freeling would pay for the expenses of his short trips at the rate of $15 per hour actual flying time as determined by the recording tachometer.

On September 2, 1968, Mr. Freeling had flown the plane, with two of his friends, from Little Rock to Lake Village for the purpose of hunting doves. As the plane took off from the landing strip at Lake Village for the return trip to Little Rock, it crashed. Mr. Freeling as well as his two companions was killed and the plane was a total loss. The appellant was promptly notified of the loss and on the following day sent its insurance adjuster to Little Rock and he obtained a statement of facts from Mr. Woolsey. The adjuster wrote the statement out in longhand and Mr. Woolsey read and signed it. This written statement was placed in the record and apparently appellant based its motion for a directed verdict more on the statement as written, than on Woolsey’s sworn testimony. The written statement recites as follows:

“Mr. Guy Freeling, Executive Vice President of the First American National Bank, North Little Rock, Arkansas became rather remotely interested in buying this aircraft and I worked out a rental agreement with him so that he could rent the aircraft and fly it. On August 21, 1968, he called and wanted to use our aircraft and in accordance with good practice we mutually agreed that he should be checked out in the aircraft before flying it alone. Frankie A. Bowlin, a certified flight instructor employed by Central Flying Service, where the aircraft was based, checked Mr. Freeling out. I went along on the check flight as an observer. I was satisfied in my own mind that Mr. Freeling was very competent in our aircraft. Bowlin commented to me that he was satisfied that Mr. Freeling was very competent to fly the Bonanza. The rental arrangement was that he pay $15.00 per hour for each flying hour per the recording tachometer. We furnished everything — gas, oil, maintenance, storage, etc. This was a sort of promotional price to Mr. Freeling for the purpose of getting him more interested in buying the aircraft from us. We also wanted to use the aircraft more than we had been using it, we had been flying it only about once a month. By renting it to Mr. Freeling we got more use out if it. Mr. Freeling had flown approximately four and one-half hours in our aircraft prior to September 2, 1968. On September 2, 1968, he rented the Bonanza to take two other men to Lake Village, Arkansas. On taking off from an airport at Lake Village he struck a radio tower with the wing of the Bonanza and crashed. All three occupants of the aircraft were killed. I am not personally acquainted with either of the other two men who were killed. I did not know prior to the crash what the purpose of the trip was. I have since heard that they had gone to Lake Village to dove hunt.”

Mr. Woolsey testified that he told the insurance adjuster the facts as he related them to the jury under oath, and that the adjuster wrote down the statement in longhand and he read and signed it. He says that the adjuster employed his own words and phraseology in writing out the statement and that he, Woolsey, did not check the statement for exact words and phraseology. He emphatically denies using the word “remotely” in connection with Mr. Freeling becoming interested in purchasing the aircraft. As to the rental agreement, as set out in his written statement, he testified as follows:

“Q. The statement also is to the effect that, and I am quoting, 1 worked out a rental agreement with him so that he could rent the aircraft and fly it.’ Was that the statement you made to this particular adjuster?
A.

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Bluebook (online)
455 S.W.2d 904, 248 Ark. 1010, 1970 Ark. LEXIS 1330, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fidelity-casualty-co-v-crist-ark-1970.