General Motors Acceptance Corporation v. Kendrick

115 So. 2d 487, 270 Ala. 25, 1959 Ala. LEXIS 588
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedNovember 5, 1959
Docket4 Div. 991
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 115 So. 2d 487 (General Motors Acceptance Corporation v. Kendrick) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
General Motors Acceptance Corporation v. Kendrick, 115 So. 2d 487, 270 Ala. 25, 1959 Ala. LEXIS 588 (Ala. 1959).

Opinion

STAKELY, Justice.

This is an appeal from a decree of the equity court overruling the demurrers filed separately and severally by the respondents General Motors Acceptance Corporation, a corporation, and Motors Insurance Corporation, a corporation, to a bill of complaint instituted by Claude Kendrick, who sues as administrator of the estate of Henry C. Grissett, deceased.

[28]*28The allegations of the bill show in substance the following.

(1) . Claude Kendrick, who sues as the administrator of the estate of Henry C. Grissett, deceased, has been duly appointed administrator of the estate of Henry C. Grissett, deceased, in the Probate Court of Covington County, Alabama, is over the age of twenty-one years and is a resident of Andalusia, Covington County, Alabama. General Motors Acceptance Corporation is a New York corporation duly qualified to do business in the State of Alabama, does business by agent in Covington County, Alabama, and is hereinafter prayed to be made a party respondent in this cause. Motors Insurance Corporation is a New York corporation duly qualified to do business in the State of Alabama, does business by agent in Covington County, Alabama, and is hereinafter prayed to be made a party respondent in this cause.

(2) . On towit July 30, 1955, complainant’s intestate purchased a 1955 Chevrolet automobile from Capitol Chevrolet Inc., a corporation of Montgomery, Alabama, giving an automobile sales contract or security instrument to secure the unpaid balance on the purchase price of the automobile, the balance being the sum of $2,495.58. The conditional sales contract or security instrument was duly transferred and assigned to the respondent, General Motors Acceptance Corporation.

(3) . In the above mentioned conditional sales contract or security instrument complainant’s intestate agreed to purchase insurance insuring the aforesaid automobile against collision and upset and other perils and further agreed that the seller or assignee of the seller could take life insurance on the life of the aforesaid intestate with the Prudential Insurance Company of America, such life insurance to be in an amount sufficient to pay the unpaid balance due on the aforesaid conditional sales contract or security instrument.

(4) . On towit the 27th day of October, 1955, a policy of insurance was issued by the respondent, Motors Insurance Corporation, insuring the aforesaid Chevrolet automobile against loss or damage by collision or upset, this policy of insurance being a single interest policy insuring the interest only of the respondent, General Motors Acceptance Corporation. Henry C. Grissett paid the premium for this insurance policy.

(5) . Subsequent to the date of the execution of the above mentioned conditional sales contract or security instrument and prior to the date of the death of Henry C. Grissett, Henry C. Grissett paid the premium for and the Prudential Insurance Company of America issued a policy of life insurance, insuring the life of Henry C. Grissett in an amount equal to the unpaid balance due on the above mentioned conditional sales contract or security instrument. Complainant’s intestate, Henry C. Grissett, was killed on towit the 10th day of December, 1955, and subsequent to the date of his death the Prudential Insurance Company of America paid to General Motors Acceptance Corporation the entire balance due on the above mentioned conditional sales contract or security instrument, the balance being in the amount of towit $2,158.44.

(6) . At the time of the death of Henry C. Grissett, the automobile covered by the policy of insurance issued by the respondent, Motors Insurance Corporation, was totally destroyed in a collision or upset and the respondent, Motors Insurance Corporation, has paid or should have paid to the respondent, General Motors Acceptance Corporation, the sum of $2,158.44, the amount due under the policy of insurance issued by the respondent, Motors Insurance Corporation, and upon which the complainant’s intestate paid the premium.

It is alleged that if the respondent, Motors Insurance Corporation, has paid the aforesaid amount to the respondent, General Motors Acceptance Corporation, such amount is held by General Motors Acceptance Corporation in trust for the estate of [29]*29the aforesaid Henry C. Grissett, deceased, and should be paid to the complainant.

It is further alleged that if said amount was not paid to the respondent, General Motors Acceptance Corporation, the complainant holds said policy of insurance and the right of action thereon in trust for the estate of Henry C. Grissett, deceased, and should be compelled to enforce this trust by bringing an action on the aforesaid policy of insurance or by transferring the aforesaid policy of insurance to your complainant in order that he may bring action thereon.

Complainant prays that General Motors Acceptance Corporation, a corporation, and Motors Insurance Corporation, a corporation, be made parties to this cause and that process issue from this court directed to them requiring them to plead, answer or demur to the bill of complaint within the time and manner required by law and the rules of this court and failing to do so, the bill of complaint shall be taken as confessed against them. The bill further prays that on a final hearing General Motors Acceptance Corporation be compelled to pay to complainant as administrator of the estate of Henry C. Grissett, deceased, the amount of $2,158.44, which it has received under the policy of insurance written by the respondent Motors Insurance Corporation or if it has received nothing under this policy, that it be compelled either to enforce the policy or transfer the policy to the complainant in order that the complainant be allowed to enforce the policy of insurance and further prays in order to avoid a multiplicity of suits that the policy of insurance issued by the Motors Insurance Corporation be enforced in this action and that the respondent Motors Insurance Corporation be compelled to pay to the complainant as administrator of the estate of Henry C. Grissett, deceased, the amount due under said policy of insurance which is in equity and good conscience due to be paid to the estate of Henry C. Grissett, deceased.

The complainant also prays for such other further, general and special relief as may be proper upon a consideration of the premises.

I. It will be seen from the allegations of the bill that Henry C. Grissett was killed December 10, 1955, and that the Prudential Insurance Company of America has paid the entire balance due on the conditional sales contract or security instrument in the amount of $2,158.44. It also appears from the allegations of the bill that The Chevrolet car bought by Henry C. Grissett and covered by the policy of insurance issued by the respondent Motors Insurance Corporation, was totally destroyed at the time of the death of Henry C. Grissett, deceased, in a collision or upset. We think it is obvious from the allegations of the bill that the life insurance issued on the life of Henry C. Grissett, deceased, was to the extent of the unpaid balance due under the conditional sales contract or security instrument which was $2,158.44 and the amount of the insurance issued by the Motors Insurance Corporation was also in the amount of $2,158.44. As to each of these policies, Henry C. Grissett during his lifetime paid the premiums. The insurable interest of each of these two companies was that of creditor although in one instance there was life insurance and in the other instance collision or upset insurance.

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Related

Newsome v. Prudential Insurance Co. of America
166 S.E.2d 487 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 1969)
General Motors Acceptance Corp. v. Kendrick
150 So. 2d 185 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1962)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
115 So. 2d 487, 270 Ala. 25, 1959 Ala. LEXIS 588, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/general-motors-acceptance-corporation-v-kendrick-ala-1959.