Fidelity & Casualty Co. v. Young Shoe Parlor

104 S.E. 429, 150 Ga. 402, 1920 Ga. LEXIS 185
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
DecidedSeptember 15, 1920
DocketNo. 1543
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 104 S.E. 429 (Fidelity & Casualty Co. v. Young Shoe Parlor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Georgia 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. Young Shoe Parlor, 104 S.E. 429, 150 Ga. 402, 1920 Ga. LEXIS 185 (Ga. 1920).

Opinion

Fish, C. J.

1. The Court of Appeals certified to the Supreme Court the following question:

“This was a suit upon a policy of burglary insurance, under which a stock of goods in the Connally Building in the City of Atlanta was insured, upon conditions stated in the policy. As shown by the petition as amended, the goods, at the date on which the policy became effective, were in rooms 206 and 207 of the building; but at the date of the burglary they were in another .room, actually occupied by the assured, on the basement floor of the same building, and not on the floor on which were rooms 206 and 207. The suit was in two counts. The first count was brought under the theory that the policy protected the property while stored in any portion of the building (halls, stairways, and entrances excepted) actually occupied by the assured at the date of the burglary. A general demurrer to each count of the petition was overruled.
“In the policy of insurance sued upon the insurance company agreed to indemnify the assured for all loss by burglary of property Grom within the premises as hereinafter defined;’ and number 5 of the general provisions of the policy was as follows:
‘ No. 5. Premises within the meaning of this policy is limited as follows: (a) If the assured occupies the entire building designated in the schedule, the term is limited to the interior of the said building, excluding entrances, halls, and stairways. (5) If the assured occupies only a part of the said building, the term is limited to the interior of the store loft, office room or rooms actually occupied by the assured on the floor or floors designated in the schedule.’
“Number 7 of the general provisions of the policy was as follows :
No. 7. This policy shall become null and void if, without the written consent of the company, the conditions or circumstances are so changed as to materially increase the risk, or if the assured defrauds or attempts to defraud the company in connection with the insurance.’
“In reference to the ‘premises,’ the schedule contained -the following statements:
[404]*404£ 1. Tbe name of tbe assured is Young Shoe Parlor.
‘2. The location of the building and the address of the assured is Connally Bldg., 24 Whitehall St., Atlanta, Fulton County, Ga.
(3. The assured occupies Rooms 206 and 207/

Under these facts, did the policy cover the property of the assured while stored in a room actually occupied by the assured in the Connally Building, but on a different floor from rooms 206 and 207?”

This question is answered in the negative. It is clear from the quoted provisions of the policy, as set forth in the question, that, the insurance company agreed to indemnify the assured for all loss by burglary of property “from within the premises as hereinafter defined,” and that such premises consisted of rooms Nos. 206 and 207 in the Connally Building, in which the goods were when the policy was issued. But at the date of the burglary they were in another room, that is, a storeroom on the basement floor of the same building, and not on the floor on which were rooms Nos. 206 and 207, which the assured occupied at the dates of the policy and the burglary. Under these facts the policy did not cover the property of the assured stored in the room in the Connally Building on a different floor from rooms Nos. 206 and 207.

2. The Court of Appeals also propounded to this court the following question:

“If the above question is answered in the negative, then an answer is requested to the following question:
“2. The second count of the petition in the suit referred to in the preceding question alleges that even if the policy sued upon did not cover the property of the assured while stored in the basement of the Connally Building, the defendant is estopped from so asserting, by reason of the following facts:

' (12) About a week after the policy was taken out, .petitioners stored the said property in the said basement. While petitioners believed that the said policy covered the said property when so stored, they desired to relieve all doubt on the subject, and applied to the agent of the defendant who had procured the contract for the defendant and had delivered the policy to the petitioners and had collected the premium from the petitioners, to wit, one Charles Adler, to procure for petitioners a rider to said policy, specifically [405]*405including the basement of said Connally Building, and notified the said Adler that unless this was done, petitioners would cancel said policy and procure other insurance. Thereupon the said Adler agreed to write the home office of the defendant for said rider, and specifically stated to petitioners that until said rider was issued or refused, their property in the said basement would be protected by the said policy, and that it was not necessary for them to cancel the said policy or to procure other insurance.

‘(13). Thereafter the defendant sent an inspector to inspect the said storeroom and to report on the application for the rider, and the said report was favorable, and a rider was issued by the home office and was in process of being forwarded when the loss occurred.

‘ (14) Petitioners allege that they refrained from taking other insurance because of the specific agreement of the defendant through its agent aforesaid, 'and its specific representation through the said agent that it was not necessary for petitioners to cancel said policy and procure other insurance pending action on petitioner’s application for a rider. Petitioners therefore aver that the defendant is estopped from denying that the said policy covered the property stored in the said basement.

‘ (15) Petitioners further allege that the defendant is also estopped from making said contention, for the following reasons: After the loss occurred and after petitioners’ proof of loss had been filed, the defendant sent an adjuster to represent it in dealing with petitioners relative to petitioners’ claim. The said adjuster first insisted that the policy did not cover the basement, and then insisted that there had been no satisfactory proof that the theft of the said property had been by violence of which there were visible signs.

‘ (16) After the said adjuster had made both of said claims and after petitioners had pointed out to him why the claim that the policy did not cover the basement was not well founded, the said adjuster finally stated to your petitioners that if they would get up satisfactory proof to show that the theft had been by violence of which there were visible signs, they would be considered by the company, and if it appeared that the theft had been accomplished in this way the loss would be paid.

‘ (If)' Petitioners thei .upon did submit such proofs, which [406]*406were obtained at considerable expense and with considerable effort, it being necessary for petitioners to hire a detective; but said proofs were obtained and were submitted.

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Related

Buffalo Insurance v. Star Photo Finishing Co.
172 S.E.2d 159 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1969)
Grover v. Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co.
51 S.W.2d 210 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1932)
Fidelity & Casualty Co. v. Young Shoe Parlor
104 S.E. 432 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1920)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
104 S.E. 429, 150 Ga. 402, 1920 Ga. LEXIS 185, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fidelity-casualty-co-v-young-shoe-parlor-ga-1920.