Hinson v. Zurich Insurance Co.

196 So. 2d 827, 1967 La. App. LEXIS 5642
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedMarch 21, 1967
DocketNo. 1968
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 196 So. 2d 827 (Hinson v. Zurich Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hinson v. Zurich Insurance Co., 196 So. 2d 827, 1967 La. App. LEXIS 5642 (La. Ct. App. 1967).

Opinions

SAVOY, Judge.

On the morning of October 9, 1963, plaintiff’s vehicle was parked on a highway in the Parish of Lafayette, Louisiana. His car was struck from the rear by a car owned and operated by Willy Foreman. The visibility on that morning was bad because of intense fog.

Subsequent to the accident Willy Foreman filed a suit in the 15th Judicial District Court, Parish of Lafayette, Louisiana, entitled “Willy Foreman, Jr. v. N. F. Hin-son,” bearing civil docket number 30,896. Hinson was duly served, and brought the petition served on him to Leo Thibodeaux, d/b/a Lion Insurance Agency, from whom he had obtained a policy of insurance on the vehicle involved in the accident. The policy was written by Zurich Insurance Company through its agent, Interstate General Insurance Agency, Inc., and was in force when the accident occurred.

Thibodeaux failed to notify Interstate General Insurance Agency, Inc., or Zurich of the pending litigation. On April 16, 1964, Willy Foreman obtained a judgment by default against Hinson for $465.70, together with costs and interest. Thereafter garnishment proceedings were instituted against a general contractor for whom Hin-son was working. The amount of money due Hinson was garnished and paid to Foreman. This sum did not satisfy the judgment, and on September 4, 1964, the State of Louisiana, through its Financial Responsibility Division, had plaintiff’s driver’s license and car license on the car involved in the accident and on some trucks owned by him picked up. Plaintiff, at that time, was in the plumbing business. In September of 1964, counsel for plaintiff made a demand on Zurich for payment of the April 16, 1964, judgment. Zurich turned the matter over to a general adjuster. After an investigation was made, Zurich refused plaintiff’s request.

On December 4, 1964, plaintiff filed the instant suit with several amendments thereto praying for judgment in his favor and against Zurich, Interstate and Thibodeaux for loss of wages, damages because of the garnishment, loss of driver’s license, humiliation, loss of credit standing and harassment; and against Zurich alone for penalties and attorney’s fees for being arbitrary and capricious in not paying the judgment in suit No. 30,896.

Zurich filed an answer and third party demand admitting the issuance of the policy, but denying plaintiff’s demand on the ground that neither it nor its agent Interstate were ever notified of the accident and subsequent suit. It made Interstate and its insurer, St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company, a third party defendant.

Interstate filed an answer and third party demand denying plaintiff’s claim, stating that it had never been notified of the accident by Thibodeaux. It also took the position that Thibodeaux was not its agent, and that if the court should find liability on its part, it should, in turn, have judgment against Thibodeaux because of his neglect in failing to notify it of the accident or suit.

Zurich filed an amended answer and third party petition denying that Thibodeaux was its agent, but on the contrary, that he was plaintiff’s agent. It made Thibodeaux a defendant and asked for judgment against him if it should be cast in judgment.

By supplemental petition plaintiff made Thibodeaux a party defendant.

Thibodeaux defended on the ground that he notified Interstate and also filed a plea of liberative prescription of one year to plaintiff’s demand.

[830]*830After a lengthy trial the court absolved Interstate from any liability; granted plaintiff judgment against Zurich for the amount of the original judgment, namely $465.70, $500.00 for loss of wages, and $750.00 for ■humiliation, etc. The court also granted •plaintiff penalties and attorneys’ fees ■against Zurich; and allowed Zurich to "recover $965.75 from Thibodeaux.

From this judgment Zurich and Thibo-■deaux have appealed. Plaintiff answered the appeal, praying for an increase in the -award.

The pertinent provisions of the policy ■'issued by Zurich to Interstate provide, in part:

"Supplementary Payments.
“ * * * to pay * * * all costs taxed against the insured and all interest on the entire amount of any judgment thereon which accrues after the •entry of the judgment and before the company has paid or tendered or deposited in court that part of the judgment which does not exceed the limit of the company’s liability thereon.”

Under the policy provision designated as ■“Conditions” is found Section 3 — Notice— 'which provides in part:

“In the event of an accident, occurrence or loss, written notice containing particulars sufficient to identify the insured and also reasonably obtainable information with respect to the time, place and •circumstances thereof, and the names and addresses of the injured and of available witnesses, shall be given by or for the insured to the company or any of its authorized agents as soon as practicable. * * * »

The trial court found that Thibo-deaux had not notified either Interstate or Zurich of the accident or suit. After a careful review of the record, we are in full accord with this holding.

The record also reveals that at the time Zurich was notified of the judgment in suit No. 30,896, it had become final.

We are also in agreement with the trial court judgment that Interstate was neither the agent of plaintiff nor Thibodeaux, and affirm that portion of the judgment rejecting all demands against it.

The more troublesome aspect of the case is the liability of Zurich and Thibodeaux.

The trial judge, in his reasons for judgment, found that Thibodeaux was the agent of Zurich by estoppel, and that because of Thibodeaux’s neglect, he was responsible to Zurich in the sum of $965.75 — $465.70 being the amount of the judgment, and $500.00 for loss of wages. These two sums total $965.70, so the sum of $965.75 was a clerical error.

The record reveals that Interstate is a general insurance broker with offices in Shreveport, Louisiana. It is agent for numerous companies, including Zurich. It was authorized by Zurich to write certain types of policies on forms provided by "Zurich. In the instant case one of Interstate’s employees traveled in the State of Louisiana visiting local insurance agencies authorized by the State of Louisiana to engage in the general insurance business. On one of these trips the employee visited Lafayette, Louisiana, and called on Mr. Thibodeaux with a view of having Thibo-deaux place some of his insurance with Interstate. Thibodeaux sent Interstate an application on the plaintiff’s vehicle. Interstate found everything satisfactory and insured the particular vehicle with Zurich, and sent the policy to Thibodeaux and a copy to Zurich.

The evidence reflects that Interstate was authorized by Zurich to write certain types of insurance, the forms for which were sent by Zurich. Interstate decided whether the policy would be written or not. When the policy was written, it was delivered by Interstate to the agent who had requested it, a copy being sent to Zurich. The agent [831]*831then remitted to Interstate the amount of the premium less its commission. Any claim on said policy by an insured was to be sent to Interstate. Interstate and Zurich never had any contact with each other.

There are two types of agency by estop-pel, which are set forth in Couch on Insurance 2d, Sections 26:28 and 26:62.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Economy Auto Salvage, Inc. v. Allstate Ins. Co.
499 So. 2d 963 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1986)
Bye v. American Income Life Ins. Co.
316 So. 2d 164 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1975)
Security Transfer Co. v. Insured Lloyds Co.
225 So. 2d 284 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1969)
Hinson v. Zurich Insurance
199 So. 2d 917 (Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1967)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
196 So. 2d 827, 1967 La. App. LEXIS 5642, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hinson-v-zurich-insurance-co-lactapp-1967.