Hirsch-Fauth Furniture Co. v. Continental Ins.

24 F.2d 216, 1928 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 969
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedJanuary 31, 1928
DocketNo. 425-M
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 24 F.2d 216 (Hirsch-Fauth Furniture Co. v. Continental Ins.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hirsch-Fauth Furniture Co. v. Continental Ins., 24 F.2d 216, 1928 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 969 (S.D. Fla. 1928).

Opinion

CLAYTON, District Judge.

This action, brought in the circuit court of Dade county, Florida, was removed to this court. Here the plaintiff filed an amended declaration, alleging that during the life of the policy loss was suffered thereunder op account of a cyclone occurring on October 20-21, 1926. Attached to the amended declaration is a copy of the policy sued on, issued by the defendant through its Miami, Fla., agency, on October 5, 1926, insuring plaintiff for the term of one year against all direct loss and damage by windstorm, cyclone, and tornado, to an amount not exceeding $50,000, on a stock of merchandise consisting chiefly of furniture, carpets, glassware, china, crockery, musical instruments, stoves, and such other merchandise, not more hazardous, usual to their trade. The pleadings show that the total insurance on the stock of goods was $125,000, of which $50,000 was covered by the policy sued on. The declaration was in the usual form provided by the statutes of Florida, and among other things contained the following allegations:

“On October 21, or 22, immediately following the damage and injury, plaintiff orally notified the defendant of the loss, and defendant at once sent its representative to the place of business of plaintiff and inspected the damage and injury, thereby leading plaintiff to believe that the loss would soon be settled.”
“Some time during the latter part of November, or the first of December, 1926, plaintiff requested of the defendant an extension of time for the filing of formal written proof of loss, explaining that the proof of loss was intricate and difficult to prepare. Plaintiff at that time requested defendant to send some one to look over and inspect the goods. This the defendant refused to do.
“Plaintiff, with all practicable dispatch after the occurrence of the damage above set forth, prepared written proof of loss, signed and sworn to by the assured; as required and designated by said policy. This proof of loss plaintiff, on December 20, 1926, deposited in the post office at Miami, Fla., under sufficient cover of postage and properly addressed to Stembler Insurance Agency, Inc., defendant’s agent, who wrote the policy, which proof of loss was actually received from the post office by the defendant on December 23,1926.”

The defendant interposed no demurrer, but filed the following eight pleas:

(1) Plaintiff did not produce for the inspection of defendant the books and inventories required to be produced and kept, by that part of the policy sued on headed “Iron-Safe Clause.”
(2) Plaintiff did not, within 10 days after said tornado, give notice in writing to the defendant of the loss and damage.
(3) Plaintiff did not furnish to the defendant a complete inventory of the destroyed, damaged, and undamaged property, stating the quantity and cost of each article and the amount named therein.
(4) Plaintiff did not, within 60 days after said tornado, furnish to the defendant the proof of loss mentioned in the contract sued upon.
(5) Plaintiff did not furnish the proof of loss required by the contract sued on.
(6) Defendant denies that on October 21 or 22, 1926, plaintiff orally notified defendant of the loss.
(7) Defendant denies that at once, following October 21 or 22, 1926, defendant sent its representative to the place of busi-. ness of plaintiff and inspected the damage and injury.
(8) Defendant denies that on October 21 or 22, 1926, plaintiff orally notified the defendant of the loss, and defendant denies that defendant at once sent its representative to the place of business of plaintiff and inspected the damage and injury, and defendant denies that it led plaintiff to believe that the loss would soon be settled.

Plaintiff demurred to each of these pleas, and now, after having considered the many authorities, both state and federal, cited by the counsel for-the parties, the court has come to the conclusion that there are only two propositions necessarily involved in the solution of this controversy on the pleadings, namely:

Is an insured required to produce the boobs and inventories, unless they are desired or demanded by the insurer?

Is a policy of insurance rendered inoperative, under all circumstances and conditions, by failure of the assured to give prompt written notice of the damage, and strictly within the 60 days to make written proof of loss?

If these questions be determined according to the contention of the defendant, then the demurrers should be overruled. If the conclusion be in favor of the plaintiff, the demurrers should be sustained.

1. The policy of insurance sued on contains what is known as the “standard iron-safe clause,” which, among other things, provides that, in the event of failure to produce [218]*218the books and inventories for inspection of the company, the policy shall become null and void. The authorities seem to be in agreement on the proposition that an insured is only required to produce the books and inventories when they are desired or demanded by the insurer. In fact, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for an insured to produce the books and inventories for inspection unless and until the insurer would designate what particular books or inventories it desired, and indicate some one to whom such books and inventories could be produced for such inspection.

In the ease of Kahnweiler v. Phenix Ins. Co., 67 F. 483(3), the Circuit Court of Appeals of the Eighth Circuit held: “When neither party demanded an arbitration, such [arbitration clause] was to be deemed waived by both.” The Supreme Court of the United States, in the ease of Liverpool, London & Globe Ins. Co. v. Kearney, 180 U. S. 132, 21 S. Ct. 326, 45 L. Ed. 460(6), held: “Failure of an insured to produce the books and inventory as required by a policy of fire insurance under penalty of forfeiture means a failure to produce them * * * when called for.” Also, to same effect, see German Alliance Ins. Co. v. Newbern, 25 Okl. 489, 106 P. 826, 28 L. R. A. (N. S.) 337. I think, therefore, that plaintiff’s demurrer to defendant’s first plea should be sustained.

2. Following the fact of the policy sued on, are 179 lines containing various exceptions and provisos; lines 95 to 108, inclusive, being as follows:

“Requirements in Case of Loss. — The insured shall within ten days give notice in writing, to this company, of any loss or damage, protect the property from further damage, forthwith separate the damaged and undamaged personal property, put it in the best possible order, furnish a complete inventory of the destroyed, damaged and undamaged property, stating the quantity and cost of each article and the amount claimed thereon; and, the insured shall, within sixty days after the windstorm, cyclone or tornado, unless such time is extended in writing by this company, render to this company a proof of loss, signed and sworn to by the insured, stating the knowledge and belief of the assured as to the following.”

It will be observed that in these lines (95 to 108) no forfeiture is provided for failure to give .the notice or make the proof of loss as required therein.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
24 F.2d 216, 1928 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 969, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hirsch-fauth-furniture-co-v-continental-ins-flsd-1928.