Garrett v. International Travelers' Ass'n

14 S.W.2d 944
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 12, 1929
DocketNo. 9247.
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 14 S.W.2d 944 (Garrett v. International Travelers' Ass'n) 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
Garrett v. International Travelers' Ass'n, 14 S.W.2d 944 (Tex. Ct. App. 1929).

Opinion

LANE, J.

On tbe 9th day of February, 1925, International Travelers’ Association, a corporation incorporated under chapter 5, title 71, Revised Civil Statutes of 1911, as a home mutual accident company, for tbe purpose of transacting tbe business of accident insurance upon tbe mutual payment plan, without capital stock and without lodges, hereinafter for convenience referred to as tbe association, issued its accident and health policy by which it insured Holland T. Garrett against loss resulting from bodily injuries effected directly, independently, and exclusively of all other causes through accidental means, subject to-the terms, provisions, and limitations in the policy. Mrs. Mollie E. Garrett, mother of insured, was named as beneficiary in tbe policy.

It is provided by article 1 of sucb policy that in case of death effected directly, independently, and exclusively of all other causes through accidental means, the association would pay the beneficiary the sum of $5,000. Article 6 of the policy is as follows:

“Special Indemnities.
“Blood Poisoning — Septicsemia.
“Blood poisoning or septicaemia resulting directly from bodily injuries shall be deemed *945 to be included in said terms, ‘bodily injuries.’ ”

Section 5 of article IT of tbe policy is as follows:

“The term ‘bodily injuries,’ wherever used in this policy, shall be understood to be bodily injuries effected as described in the insuring clause.”

On the 20th day of January, 1926, while the policy was in force and effect, Holland T. Garrett, the insured, died as a result of blood poisoning. Due notice and proof of such death was given to the association. Thereafter, in due time and manner, the beneficiary named in the policy made demand upon the association for payment of the amount due on the policy; thereupon the association, on or about the 8th day of June, 1926, refused and thereby failed to pay said sum so due.

Thereafter, on the 81st day of March, 1927, the association and the International Travelers’ Assurance Company, hereinafter called the Assurance Company, entered into agreement, by the terms of which the association assigned and set over to the Assurance Company all of its properties and assets, admitted and not admitted, in consideration for which the Assurance Company agreed to re-insure and did reinsure all the policies theretofore issued by the association which were in force April 1, 1927, and to assume any and all liability outstanding against the association on the 1st day of April, 1927, and to assume and carry out the full obligations of the association evidenced by policies issued by it prior to April 1, 1927, and to make no defense against such policies, except such as could have been made by the association itself.

The Assurance Company was and is incorporated under provisions of chapter 3, title 78, of the Revised Civil Statutes of 1925, and is what is known as an old line company. On the 12th day of January, 1928, after the aforesaid agreement had been entered into, and after the Assurance Company had taken over all the properties, assets, etc., of the association, by virtue of 'said agreement, Mrs. Mollie E. Garrett, the beneficiary named in the policy, by and through her attorneys, made demand in writing upon the Assurance Company for payment of the sum due by the terms of the policy, to wit, $5,000, with legal interest thereon. Said Assurance Company refused to make the payment demanded, or any part thereof.

Upon such refusal, Mrs. Garrett brought this suit on the 13th day of January, 1928, against the association and the Assurance Company, jointly, to recover on the policy the sum of $5,000, together with interest thereon, and to recover the statutory penalty and attorney’s fees, as provided by law, which she alleged to be the sum of $2,000.

The plaintiff alleged that the insured died as the result of “bodily injuries effected directly, independently, and exclusively of all other causes through accidental means,” in that he died from an accidental injury to his nose and its coincident inoculation or infec-' tion with germs or bacteria, which infection rapidly spread and caused carbuncular infection of insured’s face and scalp, or, in other •words, septicsemia or blood poisoning; that insured, because of cold with which he was afflicted, or some other reason, rubbed his nose, picked at it, or irritated it with his hands and with his handkerchief, and by such means produced an abrasion of the skin or mucous membrane of the nose, through which injury and by which means, coincidentally with the use of the means and infliction of the injury, there was introduced into the insured’s system the septic matter or germs which resulted in blood poisoning or septi-esemia,

Alternatively, appellant alleged that, if mistaken in her allegation that the means which produced the injury to insured’s nose produced also, coincidentally therewith, the blood poisoning, then the infection was communicated by the use of the means aforesaid applied as an exterior force to inject and introduce the germs, which act of injection and communicating the infection constituted a bodily injury from which blood poisoning occurred as a direct result; that whatever the focus of infection, and whether or not there was a preceding or coincident abrasion of the covering of the nose, the aforesaid act of insured whereby septic matter and germs were injected into his system constituted an accidental bodily injury from which blood poisoning and death directly resultedthat blood poisoning, whether accompanying or following directly and proceeding from a bodily injury, was, under the facts alleged, a contingency expressly insured against by the terms of the policy in suit.

Defendants filed a joint answer, by which they pleaded a general denial, and specially pleaded section 5 of article 11 of the policy, whereby the term “bodily injuries,” as used in the policy, is defined to be such only as is described in the insuring clause of the policy; that is, such “bodily injuries” as were received through violent, external, and accidental means. They alleged that the infection from which the insured died resulted from his previous diseased condition, or that such diseased condition co-operated in causing his death, and that they were not liable to the plaintiff under the terms of the policy for death caused by either of such conditions.

The association pleaded the fact that it was incorporated under chapter 5, title 71, Revised Oivil Statutes of 1911, and was not amenable to penalties and attorney’s fees, as provided by law against old line companies. The Assurance CompEfhy pleaded that it assumed all liabilities of all kinds and character of the association existing on March 31, 1927, but only such as then existed; that the insured died on the 20th day of January, *946 1926, more than a year prior to the assumption of liability by it of the obligations of the association, and, as said association was not liable for statutory penalties and attorney’s fees, the Assurance Company was not liable therefor, as it did not assume any such liability, there being none to assume.

On the trial appellees offered no evidence whatever.

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Bluebook (online)
14 S.W.2d 944, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/garrett-v-international-travelers-assn-texapp-1929.