Henley v. Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance Co.

754 S.W.2d 614, 1988 Tenn. App. LEXIS 134
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedMarch 31, 1988
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 754 S.W.2d 614 (Henley v. Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Henley v. Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance Co., 754 S.W.2d 614, 1988 Tenn. App. LEXIS 134 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinion

OPINION

TODD, Presiding Judge.

The defendant, Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance (insurer) has appealed from a non-jury judgment in favor of the plaintiff, Ed Henley (insured) in the amount of $20,000, the face amount of a fire insurance policy on a dwelling, plus $5,000 bad faith penalty and interest from September 5, 1985.

Defendant presents three issues for review, of which the first is as follows:

[615]*615Whether the Trial Court erred in holding that the fire loss was covered under the insured’s policy.

On October 8, 1984, insurer issued to insured a one year fire insurance policy containing the following:

SCHEDULE OF ITEMS FARM PROPERTY
(Buildings and Structures)
This policy covers the following described property, owned by the Insured and occupied by XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX and (except as herein otherwise provided) situated on and confined to 210 acres in the 10th of Section_Township_ Range_about 10 miles N from Manchester, County of Coffee State of Tennessee on Fountain Grove Road. The coverage under items below shall apply as further described and limited in the Farm Property Form. ITEM LIMIT OF NO. LIABILITY SCHEDULE TYPE 2. $20000,00 on FRAME 26 X 45 I Dwelling No. 3
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The portion of the 210 acre tract on which the insured house was located was a 48 acre tract purchased on June 11, 1977, by Edward Henley and wife, Vivian Henley from Clyde Talley and wife, Carletta Talley.

On June 20, 1977, Edward Henley and wife, Vivian Henley, conveyed to the State of Tennessee a 3.722 acre tract out of the 48 acre tract. The boundary of the 3.722 acre tract ran through the subject house, so that part of the house rested on the tract conveyed to the State and part of the house rested on land retained by Mr. and Mrs. Henley.

On the same date, June 20, 1985, Jesse A. Crooker, R.O.W., Agent of the Tennessee Department of Transportation and Mr. and Mrs. Henley executed a document entitled:

Agreement by the Owner of Improvement^) Located on Property Acquired by the State to Remove Such from the Right of Way.
Said Document recites:
To: Edward Henley and wife Vivian Henley 1222 Hillcrest Drive, Manchester, Tennessee 37355.
Under separate deed ... the net amount of $27,250.00 is being paid to you by the State of Tennessee for acquisition of the tract on the project set forth above. The amount being paid to you is based on the understanding ... that the seller will retain and remove certain improvements from the right of way, at your own expense ... the following ... one story frame dwelling.
Terms and Conditions
1. The amount being paid the seller has been arrived at by considering that the net salvage value of the improvement being retained and removed has been approved at $300.00.
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6. Improvement must be vacated and removed by August 20, 1985.
Acceptance of Terms and Conditions
I (or we) accept the terms and conditions stated above and agree to remove the above described improvements) under said terms and conditions.
Date: _
Seller(s) /s/ Edward Henley
/s/ Vivian Henley

On or about August 2, 1985, a housem-over under contract with Mr. and Mrs. Henley moved the subject house about 50 feet to a position off of the 3.722 acre tract sold to the State and entirely on the remainder of the 48 acre tract which Mr. and Mrs. Henley continued to own. A concrete footing had been poured and a concrete block foundation had been laid at the new location, but the house had not been lowered onto the foundation. All utilities had been disconnected before moving, and none had been reconnected.

On August 4, 1985, the house was destroyed by fire which was duly reported to the insurer with proper proof of loss.

[616]*616At no time prior to the report of the fire was the insurer informed of the plans for removal or the removal of the house from its former location to the new location.

Defendant argues under its first issue that it is not liable because of the provision of its policy that it insures against loss by fire:

to the property herein while located or contained as described in this policy ... and not elsewhere.

Reed v. Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance Co., Tenn.App.1972, 483 S.W.2d 721, involved a policy containing the above quoted language, but the insured property was a mobile home; the insured was the holder of a purchase money lien on the home; and it was moved from Braden, Tennessee to a location in Shelby County, Tennessee where it was destroyed by fire. Upon suit being brought for the loss, the insurer defended on the ground that the insured did not own the home and that the removal of the home from Braden to Shelby County increased the risk of loss. The policy excluded losses occurring:

(a) While the hazard is increased by any means within the control or knowledge of the insured.

This Court held that the holder of the lien for purchase price by retaining title had preserved an insurable interest; that the insurer had the burden of proving an increase in risk; and that there was no evidence of increased risk. In discussing the provision “while located or contained as described in this policy and not elsewhere”, this Court said:

... If we were dealing with the ordinary situation where the building insured is, in law, part of the real estate, perhaps no problem would be presented. However, we are not. The company was aware of the fact it was insuring a mobile home for it is so noted on the face of the policy. In that light, the term “at location of property involved” is not restrictive. It could mean anywhere it is located....

It is seen that this opinion contains dicta to the effect that removal of an ordinary dwelling from the location stated in the policy might void the coverage of the dwelling. In the cited opinion, the removed dwelling was a mobile home which might have been expected to be removed. However, it appears that the removal was to a location other than that listed in the policy.

In the present case, there was a permanent dwelling which would not ordinarily be expected to be moved; but the removal was for a distance of only 50 feet and within the same 48 acre portion of the 210 acre farm described in the policy. Thus, while the present house was moved to a different location, it was not moved to a location not described in the policy. The new location of the house was within the area described in the policy.

In North Carolina Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Inc. v. American Manufacturers Mutual Insurance Company, 1975, 25 N.C.App. 578, 214 S.E.2d 252, the policy insured a house “situated Lot No.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
754 S.W.2d 614, 1988 Tenn. App. LEXIS 134, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/henley-v-tennessee-farmers-mutual-insurance-co-tennctapp-1988.