Guaranty County Mutual Insurance Co. v. Williams

732 S.W.2d 57, 1987 Tex. App. LEXIS 7270
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMay 12, 1987
Docket07-86-0148-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 732 S.W.2d 57 (Guaranty County Mutual Insurance Co. v. Williams) 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
Guaranty County Mutual Insurance Co. v. Williams, 732 S.W.2d 57, 1987 Tex. App. LEXIS 7270 (Tex. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

ON MOTION FOR REHEARING

REYNOLDS, Chief Justice.

Guaranty County Mutual Insurance Company brought this appeal from a bench-trial judgment decreeing its liability for a theft loss suffered by Donald Williams, the insured under its policy. We reformed and, as reformed, affirmed the trial court’s judgment. In the light of the insurance company’s motion for rehearing, we withdraw our original 10 March 1987 opinion, set aside our judgment rendered on that date, overrule the motion for rehearing, and issue this substituted opinion expressing the rationale for the reformation and affirmance of the judgment below.

The insurance company issued its policy insuring Williams’ 1977 Cadillac Seville automobile. While the policy was in force on 18 January 1984, four locked wheel covers were stolen from the automobile in Lubbock and never recovered. The insurance policy provided that the company’s liability is, as material to this cause, the lesser of (1) the actual cash value of the ^stolen property, or (2) the amount necessary to replace the property with other of like kind and quality, less a deductible of $90. In this connection, the company had the contractual right to pay for the loss in money or to replace the stolen property.

Williams made a claim for his loss and, as he was requested by the local insurance agent through whom the policy was secured, Williams obtained and furnished two estimates to replace and install the wheel covers. The two estimates, one for $830.58 and the other for $862.23, were dated 18 January 1984. At some unspecified time, Williams, not having heard about his claim, called a number furnished by the local insurance agent, and talked to two people about his claim. Not receiving an answer satisfactory to him, Williams contacted the local insurance agent, who advised him to hire an attorney. On 29 February 1984, Williams’ attorney advised the insurance company of his retention and stated that if Williams’ claim for $862.23 was not paid in ten days, suit would be filed. The claimed amount was not paid and the action underlying this appeal was filed on 22 May 1984.

By a written communication dated 2 February 1984, the claims supervisor notified Williams that replacement of his wheel covers will be handled by National Wheelcover Service, Inc., -which is located in Fort Worth; furnished National’s telephone number; asked that Williams call National to arrange replacement; and advised that Williams will pay his $90 deductible to National, which will bill the company direct for the balance. Without identifying the recipient of the call, Williams called and *59 talked to an unnamed secretary, who told him it was fine to handle the replacement that way and said “they just deduct the $90.00.” Williams believed that he did, but he was not sure that he did, call National. The wheel covers were not replaced.

A week or ten days later, the claims supervisor, perceiving no action on Williams’ claim, authorized the issuance of a draft to Williams in the sum of $341.17. The amount of the draft, after adjustment for the $90 deductible, was, because of the claims supervisor’s error, $17 more than was certified in the affidavit of National Wheelcover Service, Inc.’s president to be National’s discounted price list, a copy of which was attached, for four wire wheel covers, with locks, for a 1977 Cadillac Seville.

The draft, dated 17 February 1984, was mailed to the Lubbock insurance agent for delivery to Williams. On 23 March 1984, the agent mailed the check to Williams at the address where he had lived and had received the 2 February 1984 communication; however, Williams had moved before that date, and later received the check when it was remailed on 26 March 1984 to his current address. By then, Williams had retained a lawyer and did not negotiate the check.

After the insurance company’s motion for summary judgment, contested by Williams, was denied, the trial court took evidence. The evidence was taken from Williams, his attorney, and the claims supervisor.

Williams was allowed to testify upon the overruling of a hearsay objection that, by “checking around” he found the value of the wheel covers in Lubbock County to be “$800.00 and something.” He offered the two estimates he had secured for the purposes of showing their submission in compliance with the policy requirements and as the facts upon which he based his own opinion of the value of the wheel covers. They were admitted into evidence over the objection that they were hearsay. Later in his testimony, Williams was asked and replied as follows:

Q. Did anybody, in fact, ever replace your wheel covers for you?
A. No, sir.
Q. Okay. And what is the actual cash value of those wheel covers, in your opinion?
******
A. They run about eight thirty plus, you know, taxes and stuff.

Thereafter, Williams was not asked the basis of the opinion.

The claims supervisor testified that the stolen property could be replaced with other of like kind or quality for the amount of $413.28, thereby leaving due under the policy, after the $90 deductible, the sum of $323.28, which is less than the draft Williams received. The replacement cost was referenced to National’s price list which, with its accompanying affidavit, were introduced into evidence over the objection that it was hearsay.

The court rendered judgment decreeing that Williams recover from the insurance company the sum of $1,230.58, which included $830.58 as the value of the wheel covers and $400 as attorney’s fees. At the request of the insurance company, the court made and filed findings of fact and conclusions of law.

The insurance company attacks the judgment with thirteen points of error. Initially, we will consider the company’s second-point contention that the court erred in admitting the two estimates Williams secured over its hearsay objection.

The estimates, made out of court by third parties and offered to prove the facts upon which Williams based his opinion of value, were hearsay, Rule 801(d), Texas Rules of Evidence, and were inadmissible for that purpose. Tex.R.Evid. 802. However, the estimates were also offered to show Williams’ compliance with the insurance policy requirements, i.e., to furnish proof of loss. Thus, the estimates had relevancy apart from the truth of the cost of the wheel covers contained therein, and their admission for this purpose was not barred by the hearsay rule. Tex.R.Evid. 801(d); Fire Ass’n of Philadelphia v. *60 McNemey, 54 S.W. 1053, 1053-54 (Tex.Civ.App. — 1900, no writ); 1A R. Ray, Texas Law of Evidence Civil and Criminal § 781 (Texas Practice 3d ed. 1980). Then, the presumption obtains that the court did not accept the estimates as proof of the cash value of the stolen property, but only considered them as evidence that Williams furnished the insurance company with proof of loss. Victory v. State, 138 Tex. 285, 158 S.W.2d 760, 765 (1942). Consequently, the second point of error must be overruled.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
732 S.W.2d 57, 1987 Tex. App. LEXIS 7270, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/guaranty-county-mutual-insurance-co-v-williams-texapp-1987.