First Missouri Bank v. Bayly, Martin & Fay Aviation Insurance Services, Inc.

579 F. Supp. 633, 1983 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10308
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedDecember 30, 1983
DocketNo. 82-917C(2)
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 579 F. Supp. 633 (First Missouri Bank v. Bayly, Martin & Fay Aviation Insurance Services, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
First Missouri Bank v. Bayly, Martin & Fay Aviation Insurance Services, Inc., 579 F. Supp. 633, 1983 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10308 (E.D. Mo. 1983).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

FILIPPINE, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court for a decision on the merits after the parties have stipulated as to all facts. Plaintiff brings this action to recover under a policy of insurance issued by defendant Bayly, Martin & Fay Aviation Insurance Services, Inc. (“Bayly, Martin”) as agent for the other named defendants (“underwriters”) in this action. Plaintiff was named as a lienholder loss payee on said policy. After consideration of the stipulation of facts, the evidentiary materials submitted by the parties, the parties’ briefs, and the applicable law, the Court enters the following findings of fact and conclusions of law in accordance with Rule 52 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. Plaintiff is a Missouri corporation with its principal place of business in the State of Missouri.

2. Defendant Bayly, Martin is a California corporation with its principal place of business in the State of California.

3. Defendant underwriters are French corporations and are citizens of the Country of France.

4. On July 15, 1981, defendant Bayly, Martin, as agent for defendant underwriters issued an insurance policy numbered 1/Reinco 863/80 in favor of Ronald T. Farrish (“the Assured”) to insure an airplane owned by Farrish (“covered airplane”) against property damage and bodily injury to the extent of $1,000,000.00. Coverage under said policy was to begin on May 6, 1981, and end on May 6,1982. The covered airplane was insured for $47,000.00. In the “Security Endorsement” of the policy, security on the policy is provided by defendant underwriters in the following percentages:

57.50% — C.A.M.A.T. (Compagnie D’Assurances Maritimes, Aeriennes et Terrestries)
9.50% — La Foncierre
11.00% — Assurances Generales de France
5.00% — Groupe des Assurances Natíonales
15.00% — Compagnie Francaise D’Assurances Europenennes
2.00% — Assurances du Groupe de Paris

5. At the time defendant Bayly, Martin issued said insurance policy, the covered airplane was encumbered by a lien in favor of plaintiff in the amount of $40,267.40.

6. Plaintiff was designated as a lienholder/loss payee on the insurance policy to the extent of $35,000.00.

7. Contained within the body of said insurance policy is the following provision concerning cancellation of the policy as to the assured:

This Certificate [of insurance] may also be cancelled, with or without the return or tender of the unearned premium by Underwriters, or by [Bayly, Martin] in their behalf by delivering to the Assured or by sending to the Assured by mail, registered or unregistered, at the Assured’s address as shown herein, not less than 10 days’ written notice stating when the cancellation shall be effective.

In the “Breach of Warranty Endorsement,” attached to the policy, the following provision governs cancellation as to the lienholder:

The Underwriters reserve right to cancel this policy at any time as provided by its terms but in such case notification shall be given [First Missouri Bank of Creve Coeur] when not less than (30) days thereafter such cancellation shall be effective as to the interest of said Lienholder therein____

8. The Court finds the credible evidence to show that defendant Bayly, Martin mailed to the Assured and plaintiff a notice of cancellation of said insurance policy on August 25, 1981. The notice stated that [635]*635cancellation would be effective September 25, 1981.

9. The Court finds the credible evidence to show that plaintiff could not have received said notice of cancellation prior to August 28, 1981.

10. On September 26, 1981, the covered airplane was damaged in Missouri due to no fault of plaintiff or the Assured.

11. Plaintiff made timely demand on defendants for payment of the insurance proceeds. Defendants have refused to make payment on the ground that the insurance policy was cancelled one day prior to the date the airplane was damaged.

12. Subsequently, plaintiff sold the aircraft to Hawke Airplanes, Inc. for the sum of $5,500.00, which represented the salvage value of the airplane.

13. After subtracting the sum of $5,500.00, the outstanding indebtedness of the assured to plaintiff exceeds $35,000.00.

14. At the time of the effective date of the insurance policy in question, May 6, 1981, Bayly, Martin had not communicated to plaintiff that the underwriters were the insurers of the covered airplane. Plaintiff reasonably believed that Bayly, Martin was the insurer until July, 1981, the date on which a copy of the insurance policy was received by plaintiff.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

The Court has jurisdiction over this matter pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1332.

I. Liability

The parties have stipulated that the primary issue before the Court is “whether the effective date of cancellation of a policy of insurance with respect to a loss payee or lienholder as a result of the nonpayment of the premiums by the insured is measured from the date of mailing by the insurer of the notice of cancellation or from the date of the receipt of the notice of cancellation by the lienholder.”

After careful consideration of the pertinent terms of the insurance policy and the applicable law, the Court finds that the controlling date is the date of receipt.

Although the parties have not cited nor has the Court found any Missouri cases directly on point, the Supreme Court of Tennessee has indirectly considered the primary issue before this Court in a case with similar facts.

In Calvert Fire Insurance Co. v. American National Bank & Trust Co., 222 Tenn. 515, 438 S.W.2d 545 (1969), the sole question presented to the Court was whether mailing of a notice of cancellation to the lienholder or loss payee of an insurance policy constituted sufficient notice to effect a cancellation of the lienholder’s interest in the policy when the lienholder had not in fact received said notice. The provisions of the insurance policy in question, like the insurance policy in the case sub judice, contained separate provisions governing cancellation as to the named insured and the lienholder. As to the named insured, the cancellation provision provided that “[tjhis policy may be cancelled by the company by mailing to the insured ... at the address shown in this policy written notice stating when not less than ten days thereafter such cancellation shall be effective. The mailing of notice as aforesaid shall be sufficient proof of notice.” As to the lien-holder, the applicable provision provided that

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579 F. Supp. 633, 1983 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10308, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/first-missouri-bank-v-bayly-martin-fay-aviation-insurance-services-moed-1983.