Hilt v. Metropolitan Life Insurance

68 N.W. 300, 110 Mich. 517, 1896 Mich. LEXIS 748
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 31, 1896
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 68 N.W. 300 (Hilt v. Metropolitan Life Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hilt v. Metropolitan Life Insurance, 68 N.W. 300, 110 Mich. 517, 1896 Mich. LEXIS 748 (Mich. 1896).

Opinions

Long, C. J.

This is an action upon an insurance policy issued September 10, 1894, by the defendant company, upon the life of plaintiff’s husband, who died July 3, 1895. Plaintiff recovered. The company defended upon the ground that, at the time the policy was issued, the assured was not in sound health, but was ailing from a disease of the spine, which continued, and caused his death, and that the plaintiff was not entitled to recover, because of the proviso in the policy that “no obligation is assumed by this company prior to the date [518]*518hereof, nor unless, on said date, the assured is alive and in sound health.”

The plaintiff was called as a witness, and, on cross-examination, was shown the proofs of loss, which had been signed by her, and which she identified. These proofs were put in evidence by the defendant. In them the plaintiff had stated that her husband died of spinal trouble; that he quit work about six years before; that he complained of ill health about six years before his death, and had consulted Dr. Woodward, a physician, six years before; that the duration of his last illness was six years; and that he was confined to the house, or prevented from attending to business, about one year. Plaintiff, on redirect examination, then testified that the deceased was well at the time the policy was delivered, so far as she knew; that he was around all the time; that the reason he did not work was because he could get no work. She also emphatically denied that she made the statement, as shown by the proofs of loss, that her husband was confined to the house for about a year, and that he had been sick for six years. It appeared that these proofs of loss were prepared by Mr. Velzy, assistant superintendent of the company, who wrote down the answers of Mrs. Hilt; that she was German, and could not read English, and, as she explains, did not “understand high words.” Mr. Velzy admitted that, after he got her signature to the statement, he did not read it over to her, but says, ‘ ‘ She could have read it if she had wanted to,” but claims that he read the questions to her, and put down the answers as she made them.

Plaintiff also introduced the statement of the attending physician at the time of death, Dr. Gordon, by which it was shown that the cause of death was: (1) Chief or primary, spinal disease; (2) contributory or secondary, general debility. Dr. Gordon testified that he had been attending deceased since March of the year he died, that physicians were able to tell how long a disease had lasted only from a post mortem examination, and that he had [519]*519made none in this case. It also appeared that, in the application made for the policy by the deceased to the company, no allusion whatever is made to the condition of the health of the applicant, and the only reference to this subject is found in the provision of the policy before quoted, except a statement accompanying the application by the agent who secured the business for the company, in which he says:

■“ Said life has stated to me that the said life has never been rejected by this or any other company, and has always had, and now has, good health, and has never been attended by a physician for any serious injury or disease or illness, and has never had any pulmonary disease, or chronic bronchitis, or disease of the heart, liver, or kidneys, and that neither parent or any brother or sister of said life has died of any pulmonary disease or bronchitis, or any scrofulous, except as follows: * * * All questions answered satisfactorily, and I recommend to and request of the company the issue of a policy of insurance on said life as applied for.”

The court submitted to the jury the question of the deceased’s state of health at the time the policy was applied for; stating that, if they found that the assured was in sound health at the time the policy was delivered, the plaintiff was entitled to recover, but if, on the contrary, the assured was not in good health at that time, the policy was void. Under the evidence, we think the court was not in error in submitting this question to the jury.

It is also claimed on behalf of the plaintiff that, if the deceased was not in sound health at the time of the application for the policy, the condition was waived by the defendant. The court permitted the plaintiff to testify to the following, under objection of defendant’s counsel:

“Q. Mr. Parker was one of the men that came to see you to get your money ?
“A. Yes, sir. When I had mine insured, and my chil[520]*520dren, they sent a doctor to examine me. With Mr. Hilt, they didn’t.
Q. Did Mr. Parker speak to you about your husband’s health some time before his death ?
“A. Not as I know of.
“Q. I want you to recall. You had a conversation with me concerning the health of your husband. Did he introduce any man to you as the head man of the company ?
“A. Oh, yes; I didn’t know what you meant.
‘ ‘ Q. When was that ?
“A. Oh, about two months or so before the time. I can’t swear to it, — just the time.
“Q. About two months, you think? Did you have a talk with that head man ?
“A. Yes, sir.
“Q. Where was that ?
‘A. In my kitchen.
“Q. What did he say to you?
“A. He said — ■ * * *
“The Court: What did you say this man Parker did?
“A. He was the next agent, when Lucas didn’t come any more.
“The Court: What did he come for?
“A. After money.”
(Here followed an explanation of counsel of the method of conducting the defendant’s business, by which, in collecting the premiums, if one agent was discharged, or quit, his book was transferred to another agent, who went around and did the weekly collecting, — in this case, 15 cents.)
“The Court: You concede this man Parker had authority to do that?
Defendant’s Counsel: I haven’t any reason to doubt it. I presume likely it is so. We do not concede he had any other authority, though.
“The Court: What did you say he said, — this man Parker ?
“Counsel: She said he introduced her to a man that he called the head man of the company.
“A. Yes; he fetched the head man there. He told me he come to see me, and I told him all right, and he come.
The Court: Go on.
“A. He says, ‘Mrs. Hilt, do you think it was right to [521]*521have your husband insured?’ and I told him I didn’t know nothing about it.
“Counsel: Was there anything further said?
“A'. And he said if I thought there was any fraud.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
68 N.W. 300, 110 Mich. 517, 1896 Mich. LEXIS 748, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hilt-v-metropolitan-life-insurance-mich-1896.