Hartness v. United States

23 F. Supp. 171, 1938 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2127
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Oklahoma
DecidedMay 4, 1938
DocketNo. 6571
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 23 F. Supp. 171 (Hartness v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hartness v. United States, 23 F. Supp. 171, 1938 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2127 (E.D. Okla. 1938).

Opinion

RICE, District Judge.

The defendant United States of America filed herein its motion to dismiss, for the reason that the plaintiff’s action is barred by the statute of limitation and this court is without jurisdiction to hear said cause. Thereafter, the following stipulation was entered into by the attorneys. for plaintiff and defendant:

“It is stipulated and agreed by counsel for respective sides that Clarence Hartness was inducted .into the military service of the United States on April 26, 1918 and was honorably discharged June 20, 1919; that while in the service he applied for and was" granted $10,000 war risk term insurance which lapsed for the nonpayment of premium due July 1, 1919 and with the thirty-one days of grace provided in the policy, finally lapsed August 1», 1919 unless at that time he was totally and permanently disabled.

“It is further stipulated and agreed that a claim for insurance benefits under the policy herein sued upon was received by the Veterans’ Administration on May 7, [172]*1721929; that an additional claim was received by the Veterans’ Administration on May 26, 1931; that a denial was issued by the Veterans’ Administration on May 4, 1936 and that this action was instituted on June 6, 1937.”

Involved in the decision of the government’s motion to dismiss is consideration of the World War Veterans’ Act, as amended July 3, 1930, and Act June 29, 1936. The pertinent part of the July 3, 1930, amendment is as follows: “No suit on yearly renewable term insurance shall be allowed under this section unless the same shall have been brought within six years after the right accrued for which the claim is made or within one year after July 3, 1930, whichever is the later date. * * * Provided further, That this limitation is suspended for the périod elapsing between the filing in the Veterans’ Administration of the claim sued upon and the denial of said claim by the Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs.” 38 U.S.C.A. § 445.

The pertinent part of the June 29, 1936, amendment is as follows: “In addition to the suspension of the limitation for the period elapsing between the filing in the Veterans’ Administration of the claim under a contract of insurance and the denial thereof by the Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs or someone acting in his name, the claimant shall have ninety days from the date of the mailing of notice of such denial within which to file suit.” 38 U.S.C.A. § 445d.

Plaintiff makes two contentions;' first, that under the amendment of July 3, 1930, he had two years, one month, and twenty-six days from the day his claim was denied within which to file his suit; second, that in the event he had but one year from the date of the denial of his claim under the amendment of July 3, 1930, within which to file his suit, by the amendment of June 29, 1936, he was given an additional ninety days, and-that he had at least one year and. ninety days from the date of the disallowance of his claim in which to file a suit.

It is the contention of the United States of America that the plaintiff had only one year from the date of the disallowance of his claim in which to begin his suit.

In support of his first - contention plaintiff relies upon the decisions of the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in the following cases: United States v. Gower, 71 F.2d 366; United States v. Thomson, 71 F.2d 860; Corn v. United States, 74 F.2d 438.

In the body of the opinion in the Thomson Case, the following language is used: .“A suit of this kind must be filed within six years after the right of action accrued or within one year after July’ 3, 1930, whichever is the later date, and the period during which the claim is pending must be excluded in computing that time because its pendency suspends' the operation of the statute.”

The third syllabus of the Gower Case, as reported, is as follows: “Where suit on yearly renewable term war risk policy was not filed within six years after right accrued, additional limitation period of one year after July 3, 1930, provided by statute, held suspended when claim was filed with Veterans’ Bureau, and began to run again immediately on disallowance of claim.” • •

In the body of the opinion of the Gower Case, the following language is used: “Appellee filed his claim with the bureau on June 20,. 1931. Only thirteen days remained between the date the claim was filed and July 3, 1931. During that time and the succeeding time until the claim was disallowed, the running of the statute was suspended, and it began to run again immediately on its disallowance, and the bar took effect according to the terms of the act thirteen days thereafter.”

In the Gower Case, the Thomson Case, and the Corn Case the rule of law as stated therein was based upon a state of facts wherein the claim was filed by the'veteran after the passage of the 1930- amendment and before July 3, 1931. The same is true in all cases construing the effect of the 1930 amendment, wherein language is used that would seem to sustain the first contention of the plaintiff herein.

In Weaver v. United States, 4 Cir., 72 F.2d 20, 21, the following language was used: “The effect of; this proviso is, that the statute of limitations was* suspended for the number of days, prior to and including July 3, 1931, that the claim was pending in the Bureau and the plaintiff was entitled to bring suit within that number of days after- notice . of disallowance of his claim by the Bureau.”

The facts of that case were that the claim was mailed from Raleigh, N. C.,' on July 2, 1931, before midnight, and was [173]*173marked received by the Veterans’ Bureau on July 6, 1931; disallowed September 22, 1932; and suit was filed September 29, 1932.

The same rule of law as stated in the above case was similarly stated in Stallman v. United States, 8 Cir., 67 F.2d 675, based upon a state of facts wherein the claim was filed on June 27, 1931.

The facts in the Thomson Case, supra, were that the claim was filed on or about June 27, 1931; rejected September 19, 1932; and suit was filed on September 28, 1932.

No case has been cited, and careful search has revealed none, sustaining plaintiff’s first contention. By the language of the amendment any veteran whose right of action was barred by the six-year provision of limitation had one year from the date of the passage of the act within which to file his suit, with the proviso that: “This limitation is suspended for the period elapsing between the filing in the Veterans’ Administration of the claim sued upon and the denial of said claim by the Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs.” A proper construction of the language used will not justify saying that the time a claim was pending prior to the passage of the amendment fixing - a one-year period of limitation could suspend the running of the statute of limitations, and thereby extend the time within which suit might be filed beyond one year from the date of the disallowance of the claim. No decision holds that the limitation is suspended by reason of something done prior to the enactment of the law creating the limitation.

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Related

Atkinson v. United States
39 F. Supp. 198 (D. Massachusetts, 1941)
Walden v. United States
106 F.2d 611 (Sixth Circuit, 1939)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
23 F. Supp. 171, 1938 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2127, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hartness-v-united-states-oked-1938.