Fidelity & Casualty Co. v. Cross

95 So. 631, 131 Miss. 632
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 15, 1923
DocketNo. 23080
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 95 So. 631 (Fidelity & Casualty Co. v. Cross) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court 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. Cross, 95 So. 631, 131 Miss. 632 (Mich. 1923).

Opinion

Cook, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

On October 14,1920, Dr. Cimillos Cross instituted a suit in the circuit court of Clay county against the Fidelity & Casualty Company of New York seeking to recover on a permanent disability policy for certain periods of disabil[639]*639ity then claimed by him. Service of summons was had on T. M. Henry, state insurance commissioner, and, the casualty company having failed to enter its appearance, in due-course, at the January, 1921 term of the coúrt, a default judgment was entered against the company. After the adjournment of the term of court, notice of the default judgment was given to the insurance commissioner, and he then notified the casualty company of the judgment, and it then prosecuted an appeal to this court, seeking thereby to set aside this default judgment on the ground that the casualty company was a foreign corporation, and service of process was not had on it as provided for in section 920 of the Code of 1906. This contention of the casualty company did not prevail, and the judgment of the court below was affirmed, the opinion of this court being reported in 127 Miss. 31, 89 So. 780.

Thereafter the casualty company filed a bill in the chancery court of Clay county, Miss., alleging that its failure to plead to or defend the suit in the circuit court was the result of an accident or mistake, that it had no notice of the suit whatever, and that it had a good defense to the Suit, and prayed for a new trial. In this bill a temporary injunction was sought to prevent execution on the default judgment, and to prevent the insurance commissioner from taking steps to forfeit the casualty company’s right to do business in this state for failure to pay the judgment within the time required by law, and the chancellor granted this temporary injunction.

While this suit was pending in the chancery court, on the 2d day of May, 1921, Dr. Cross filed another suit in the circuit court seeking to recover from the casualty company on the same policy for a period of about six months subsequent to the period covered by the first suit. On November 28, 1921, he filed his third suit against the same defendant on the same policy seeking to recover for alleged disability for another' subsequent period of time. Thereafter the casualty company filed a motion in the cir[640]*640cuit court to transfer these two last cases to the chancery court, and this motion was sustained. When these causes came on for trial in the chancery court, on motion of the casualty company, they were consolidated into one, and, after a trial on the merits, the lower court rendered its decree in favor of Dr. Cross for the sum of eight thousand one hundred thirty-two dollars and fifty-eight cents, representing the total demand in the three suits, and from this decree the casualty company prosecuted this appeal.

The facts as developed by the testimony in this record are substantially as follows: The appellee was a physician of about thirty-five years of age, who was well equipped educationally and by experience in medical and hospital work, and who had attained considerable reputation in public health work. For some years prior to June, 1920, he was engaged in public health work in the state of Mississippi, being the state director of rural sanitation, arid on the staff of the International Health Board, Rockefeller Foundation. In January, 1918, while engaged in the same character of work at Laurel, Miss., he suffered an attack of plefirisy, which was accompanied by effusion, and was confined to his bed for about 12 days. There is testimony to the effect that this attack of pleurisy was mild, and the chancellor so found, but there is also testimony to the effect that it was followed by a slight thickening of the lower left pleura.

After recovering from this attack of pleurisy, appellee continued in the discharge of his duties, and was apparently in good health until February, 1920, when he suffered an attack of influenza. Appellee testified that the International Health Board required all the physicians employed by it to undergo periodical physical examinations, and in October, 1918, acting under the instructions of his superior in New York, he had a thorough physical examination made by Dr. George g. Bel, a specialist of New Orleans, La. Dr. Bel testified that he found no evidences whatever of tuberculosis, and that appellee was then perfectly sound and normal.

[641]*641During the year 1919 appellee located in the city of Tupelo, Miss., and thereafter, desiring to secure a health disability policy, he applied to C. E. Savery, an insurance agent, for a policy in the ¿Etna Insurance Company. This agent did not represent the Aetna at that time, and suggested to appellee that he could protect him by giving him a policy with the United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company until he could secure the agency for the Aetna. At that time, November, 1919, appellee gave this agent, Savery, the information about his health and previous physical condition from which the agent prepared the application for this policy. Appellee testified, and it was not denied by the agent, Savery, that he disclosed fully all the facts in regard to his previous attack of pleurisy with effusion. Upon the application prepared by this agent, a policy was issued by the United States Fidelity & Guaranty Company, but this policy was never delivered, and appellee never saw it. Later, about the middle of January, 1920, the agent, Savery, secured- a policy in the Aetna Insurance Company, and this policy was delivered to appellee.

During January, 1920, appellee was examined for life insurance by Dr. T. F. Elkin, of Tupelo, a witness for appellant, and this witness testified that he found nothing which rendered him unsound as an insurance risk. Shortly thereafter, about the last of January, appellee suffered an attack of influenza which confined him to his room for about eight days. He recovered from this illness, and his attending physician testified that it was a simple case of influenza and no ill effects followed therefrom. After he recovered from this attack of influenza, appellee called on the agent, Savery, to make a claim against the Aetna Insurance Company for loss of time resulting from the influenza. Savery was fully advised in regard to this attack of influenza and endeavored to malee the collection therefor from the Aetna Insurance Company, but, on account of some technical objection, that company declined to pay.. The failure of the Aetna to pay this claim caused appellee [642]*642to become dissatisfied with the policy, and, Savery having in the meantime secured the agency for the appellant, Fidelity & Casualty Company of New York, negotiations were begun to secure a policy with that company.

Appellee testified that he told the agent, Savery, that he did not desire to drop the Aetna policy if his attack of influenza would affect his ability to secure a policy with appellant; that Savery told him he did not think it would malee any difference, but he would consult appellee’s physician about it. The agent, Savery, did consult appellee’s physician about this attack of influenza, and, without further conference with appellee, he undertook to prepare an application for a policy.

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Bluebook (online)
95 So. 631, 131 Miss. 632, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fidelity-casualty-co-v-cross-miss-1923.