Florence v. Metropolitan Life Insurance

171 Misc. 878, 13 N.Y.S.2d 22, 1939 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1984
CourtCity of New York Municipal Court
DecidedFebruary 9, 1939
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 171 Misc. 878 (Florence v. Metropolitan Life Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering City of New York Municipal Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Florence v. Metropolitan Life Insurance, 171 Misc. 878, 13 N.Y.S.2d 22, 1939 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1984 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1939).

Opinion

Goldstein, J.

The facts here are not in dispute. On January 1, 1931, the defendant issued its insurance policy in the amount of $2,000 to Ernest J. Wells, in which policy the plaintiff, Florence S. Wells, his wife, was designated as beneficiary. The premiums were paid regularly by the policyholder until July 1, 1936, when the policy was in default because of non-payment of premium. By the terms of the policy he was from that date on entitled to extended term insurance,” which was to be paid for by the cash value or net equity of the policy as of that date. If that cash value or net equity was $24.73, it would have continued the policy up to the date of the death of the insured, December 16, 1937. If the net equity for cash value was only $19.12, the extended term insurance would not have continued the policy to that date. Consequently, the determination of the actual cash value or net equity in the policy is of controlling significance.

After 1931 the policyholder received so-called “ dividends ” on his policy as follows: For the year 1932 the sum of $9.88; for the years 1933 and 1934, $9.88 in each year. For the year 1935, a dividend in the sum of $9.88 was set aside and allocated but never paid over to him. The defendant concedes that, if this dividend had been credited to the insured’s account, the equity with the defendant would have been more than sufficient to purchase extended term insurance down to the date of his death. It is also admitted that all other policyholders whose policies were in force during the year 1935 received their proportionate share of the dividend ” for that year. The deceased, however, was deprived of them by the defendant and the reasons offered for such action by the defendant are these:

Dividends for the year 1932 were not paid until January, 1934. Dividends for the year 1933 were not paid until January, 1935. Dividends for the year 1934 were not paid until January, 1936. The dividend for 1935 was retained by the defendant because it claims that the dividend was not payable until the next anniversary of the policy following the next succeeding thirtieth day of April, and [880]*880since the policy lapsed in July, 1936, the alleged dividend for 1935 was not payable until January, 1937. By that time the deceased had already died. The argument is based upon paragraph “ 12 ” of the policy, which reads as follows: “ This policy is a participating contract except when continued as non-participating paid-up Term Insurance, and the Company will annually, as of the thirty-first day of December of each year, ascertain and apportion any divisible surplus accruing hereon. Such Divisible surplus except as stated in the next succeeding paragraph, will be payable on the next anniversary of this policy following the next succeeding thirtieth day of April and May, at the option of the Insured, or of the Assignee of record, if any, be either (a) paid in cash; or, (b) applied within the grace period towards the payment of any premium or premiums; or (c) applied to the purchase of a participating paid up addition to the sum insured; or, (d) left to accumulate to the credit of this policy.”

The defendant’s argument then proceeds thus: If a dividend were ascertained and apportioned as of December 31, 1935, it would not be payable according to the terms of the policy before quoted until January 1, 1937, which is the anniversary date of the policy next succeeding April 30, 1936. As mentioned hereinabove, on January 1, 1937, the policy was operating upon a non-participating extended term basis and the insured was, therefore, not entitled to receive the dividend payable on that date. The policy provides specifically that participating in divisible surplus is ava lable only to participating ” policies, that is to say, those policies under which premiums have been currently paid. The court observes, therefore, that strictly according to the terms of the policy this alleged dividend which the plaintiff now claims should be credited to the policy was not payable. If not, then the term of the extended insurance had expired prior to the death of the insured and at that time the policy was wholly out of benefit and had no value whatever.

The defendant then urges that this policy is governed by the provisions of section 83 of the Insurance Law, subdivision 2 thereof, which refers to term and industrial policies. Finally, says the defendant, a resolution of the board of directors made the payment of the 1935 dividend contingent upon payment of future premiums.

Before commencing this action, the widow’s attorney wrote to the State Department of Insurance requiring its opinion. He was advised that although the Department agreed with his interpretation of the policy, the Department could only recommend favorable action on the part of the defendant. It could not compel favorable consideration of the claim. This was followed by a letter to the president of the defendant. That resulted, apparently in an offer to repay the $9.88, but not the amount of the policy.

[881]*881None of the arguments advanced by the defendant appeals to the court, either in logic or in law. The second argument is disposed of by the defendant itself in its opposing affidavit where it distinctly and unequivocally declares that the policy in suit is an “ Ordinary ” policy and not a term or industrial policy. It is difficult to understand the defendant’s attempt at confusing the policy in suit with term ” or “ industrial ” policies. Furthermore, this policy is plainly governed by subdivision 1 of section 83 of the Insurance Law, as well as by sections 88, 89 and 101, subdivision 5. These sections of the Insurance Law require that the proportion of surplus accruing upon such a policy “ shall be ascertained and distributed annually and not otherwise.” (§ 83.) Furthermore, “ such apportionment in the case of any policy shall not after the first policy year be made contingent upon the payment of the whole or any part of the premium for the subsequent policy year.” (Id.)

It is further provided in that same section that the share of the surplus so apportioned shall “ be applicable to the payment of any premium or premiums upon said policy or to the purchase of a paid-up addition thereto.” Section 101, subdivision 5, plainly requires that each ordinary life policy contain a provision “ that the policy shall participate in the surplus of the company annually.” Section 89 prohibits discrimination between individuals of the same class, in the amount or payment or return of premiums or rates charged for the policies of insurance or in the dividends or other benefits payable thereon. Section 88 clearly indicates that the defendant’s interpretation concerning participation ” is inaccurate.

After the so-called equity of the policy is applied to purchase extended term insurance, that extended term insurance is without participation. But that does not mean that a policyholder is thereby deprived of a right to participate which had already accrued prior to the lapse of the policy. In other words, at the end of the year 1935, the plaintiff was entitled to participate in the surplus for the year 1935 to the same extent as any other policyholder in good standing at the end of that year. Of that dividend he could not be deprived by any subsequent act of the insurance company. A forfeiture of the policy in 1936 in no wise affected his right to that dividend for l'JSB,

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Kimberly-Clark Corp. v. Factory Mutual Insurance
566 F.3d 541 (Fifth Circuit, 2009)
Kern v. John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance
8 A.D.2d 256 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1959)
In re the Accounting of Hanover Bank
205 Misc. 869 (New York Surrogate's Court, 1954)
Menin v. New York Life Insurance
188 Misc. 870 (New York Supreme Court, 1941)
Wells v. Metropolitan Life Insurance
258 A.D. 986 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1940)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
171 Misc. 878, 13 N.Y.S.2d 22, 1939 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1984, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/florence-v-metropolitan-life-insurance-nynyccityct-1939.