Gallegos v. Millers Mutual Fire Insurance Co.

550 S.W.2d 350, 1977 Tex. App. LEXIS 2849
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedApril 6, 1977
Docket6553
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 550 S.W.2d 350 (Gallegos v. Millers Mutual Fire Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gallegos v. Millers Mutual Fire Insurance Co., 550 S.W.2d 350, 1977 Tex. App. LEXIS 2849 (Tex. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinions

OPINION

OSBORN, Justice.

This is a workmen’s compensation case in which the trial Court granted the insurance carrier a summary judgment on the grounds that its insurance policy had been cancelled prior to the date of the claimant’s accident. We have concluded that there is a fact issue as to the cancellation of the policy, and the summary judgment is reversed and the case remanded to the trial Court.

The Millers Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Texas, hereinafter called “Millers,” alleged that it had issued its policy of insurance to the employer, Mauro Hernandez, d/b/a Tigua Dependable Plasterers, covering a period from April 10, 1973, to April 10, 1974, but that the policy was cancelled effective December 31,' 1973, at the request of Mr. Hernandez. The accident of Mr. Gallegos, the employee, occurred on January 7,1974. He contends the policy had not been properly cancelled at that time.

The summary judgment proof includes the affidavits of Gus Pineda, the agent who wrote the policy, and Houston Myers, an underwriter with Millers. Mr. Pineda states that Mr. Hernandez called him on the phone advising that he wished to cancel his policy, and the affidavit states that it was cancelled on December 31, 1973, when Mr. Hernandez surrendered the original policy to him. Mr. Pineda also said he sent the policy to Millers on January 2, 1974, with a notice indicating that the cancellation was effective December 31, 1973. Mr. Myers said Millers received the notice on January 4, 1974, and that the Company advised the Industrial Accident Board of such cancellation on January 28, 1974. His affidavit states that the cancellation was effective at the time the policy was surrendered to the agent in El Paso. Paragraph 15 of the terms of the policy provides:

“15. Cancelation This policy may be canceled by the insured by surrender thereof to the company or any of its authorized agents or by mailing to the company written notice stating when thereafter the cancelation shall be effective. * * *”

After the hearing on the motion, but before judgment was entered, Appellant filed an affidavit of Mauro Hernandez and Appellant took his written deposition, which was filed. In the affidavit, he said:

“On approximately December 29, 1973, I went to see Mr. Gus Pineda about the amount of money I owed to Pineda-Rode-haver Insurance Agency, which was approximately $1,428.30. At that time I paid Mr. Pineda the full amount owing them, $1,428.30, which was for premiums for Miller Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Texas policy number 6508041, my workmen’s compensation insurance policy. I then told Mr. Pineda that I was behind on my job and that I wanted to let the workmen’s compensation insurance lapse, which I understood would happen e"when the policy expired. The premiums were fully paid at that time until April 10, 1974. I did not intend for the insurance to be cancelled on December 31, 1973, or any other time prior to its normal expiration. I received a refund of approximately $500.00 from the insurance [352]*352company several weeks after Mr. Tomas Gallegos’ accident.”

In reply to an interrogatory asking if he had requested that the Millers policy be cancelled prior to January 8,1974, Mr. Hernandez said:

“No. I asked the company not to. I told them that I couldn’t pay any more insurance or wages because I was owing them $1,428.30 and I was $22,000.00 behind on my job so I was deeply in debt, and then I was owing the withholding taxes on the employees. I had to go to Mr. Pineda and tell him that I couldn’t pay any more on the workman’s compensation, and he said then to bring the insurance and he’d cancel it. But I understood that it was going to be canceled when the premium ran out. It’s common knowledge that when you buy insurance you buy it for a year. I did not intend for the policy to be canceled on December 31, 1973, and did not know that it was. My intention was for the policy to terminate at the time the premium expired. I wanted the insurance, but couldn’t pay any more money.”

He also said he surrendered the policy to Mr. Pineda at Mr. Pineda’s request.

In passing on Appellant’s first point of error concerning there being a material issue of fact as to whether the policy was terminated prior to the date of injury, we apply the rule set forth in Great American Reserve Insurance Company v. San Antonio Plumbing Supply Company, 391 S.W.2d 41 (Tex.1965). The general rule with regard to whether physical surrender of the policy constitutes a cancellation of the policy is set forth in 45 C.J.S. Insurance § 458 (1946), as follows:

“The mere physical surrender of a policy of insurance does not of itself terminate the contract, and whether a return or physical surrender of the policy constitutes an exercise of insured’s right to cancel depends on intent as ascertained from surrounding circumstances. No cancellation will be effected by the surrender of the policy for a different pur-

When we disregard all conflicts in the evidence and accept as true the evidence which tends to support the position of the Appellant, and resolve all doubts as to the existence of a genuine issue of a material fact against the Appellee, we conclude that the summary judgment should not have been granted. The policy was delivered to Millers’ agent, at his request. The policyholder did not ask to have the policy cancelled, but only agreed to let it lapse at the end of the policy period. Mr. Hernandez did not pay for coverage to December 31, but for the full policy year. When this evidence is viewed in the light most favorable to the party opposing the motion, there is no conclusive proof that the policyholder returned the policy intending that it be cancelled prior to April 10, 1974. Although the policy itself only requires surrender of the policy to an authorized agent, the law will inquire as to the purpose or intent at the time of surrender in determining whether a cancellation is to be effective. This is not a case of uncommunicated intent as was Seale v. Nichols, 505 S.W.2d 251 (Tex.1974). When Mr. Hernandez paid the premium for a full year, and said “I asked the company not to” cancel, intent was expressed. The Appellee has failed to meet its burden as to this particular issue of the case and is not entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Appellant’s Point of Error No. 1 is sustained.

The Appellant next urges that the trial Court erred in entering summary judgment and in overruling his motion for new trial because the Appellee failed to comply with Rule 93(n)(6) by filing a verified plea that it was not the insurance carrier at the time of the alleged injury. In this connection, the carrier appealed the Board’s award, and in its petition affirmatively alleged that the policy had been cancelled. The claimant filed an answer and cross-action in which he alleged that the Appellee had in full force and effect a policy of workmen’s compensation insurance issued to his employer for the claimant’s benefit. The carrier answered by general denial and [353]*353a plea of cancellation of the policy effective December 31, 1973. Such plea was not under oath as required by Rule 93(n)(6). Ap-pellee urges that this defect in its pleading was waived under Rule 90 when no special exception was filed by the Appellant.

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Gallegos v. Millers Mutual Fire Insurance Co.
550 S.W.2d 350 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1977)

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Bluebook (online)
550 S.W.2d 350, 1977 Tex. App. LEXIS 2849, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gallegos-v-millers-mutual-fire-insurance-co-texapp-1977.