Indemnity Ins. v. Sloan

68 F.2d 222, 1934 U.S. App. LEXIS 4854
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
DecidedJanuary 4, 1934
DocketNo. 3553
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 68 F.2d 222 (Indemnity Ins. v. Sloan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Indemnity Ins. v. Sloan, 68 F.2d 222, 1934 U.S. App. LEXIS 4854 (4th Cir. 1934).

Opinion

SOPER, Circuit Judge.

Dixon C. Sloan, the insured in this case, lost an eye accidentally while polishing glass in a glassworks at Lonaeoning, Md., and brought a suit, later removed to the District Court, against the Indemnity Insurance Company of North America on two policies of accident insurance, claiming the sum of $10,000 under one of said policies, and $10,500' under the other. The insurance company denied any liability, but defended chiefly on the ground that its liability on both policies was limited to the sum of $500 because the accident occurred while the insured was doing an act pertaining to the polishing of glass, a more hazardous occupation than that stated in the applications for the policies. The District Judge did not sustain this interpretation of the policies (see his opinion on motion for new trial, 4 F. Supp. 148), but submitted certain questions of fact to the jury which found a verdict for the plaintiff on the two policies in the aggregate sum of $20,500. Prom the judgment on this verdict, this appeal has been taken.

The policies were issued in 1924 and 1927, respectively, to insure the holder against the effect of bodily injuries sustained through accidental means, as limited by certain provisions, one of which is the subject of this controversy. It is set out with italicizing of the clauses whose meaning is in dispute:

“This policy * * * contains the entire contract of insurance except as it may bo modified by the company’s classification of risks and premium rates in the event that the insured is injured after having changed his occupation to one classified by the company as more hazardous than that staled in the policy, or while he is doing any act or thing pertaining to any occupation so classified, * * * in which event the company will [224]*224pay only such portion of the indemnities provided in the poliey as the premium paid would have purchased at the rate but within the limits so fixed by the company for such more hazardous occupation.”

The insured in his applications for the policies stated that he was “vice president and general manager” of. the Potomac Glass Company at Cumberland, Md., whose business was that of glass manufacturing, with duties described in the application for the first poliey as “office and traveling,” and in the second as “executive duties and traveling.” The evidence showed that, when the policies were taken out, the ■ corporation employed about 350 men in its glassworks, and that the insured was in fact the vice president and general manager of the business. He had the management of every department of the factory in which cutting, etching, blowing, gold coloring, finishing, and packing was done. When he was at home he visited every working department daily, walking through to see that the work was being properly done and to give necessary advice and instructions. There was also a foreman in charge of each department who was responsible therefor. The insured was thoroughly familiar with the business, and was personally able, through long experience, to do any of the work required of the men. A large part of his time was spent in traveling, visiting the larger customers, such as Montgomery-Ward, Sears-Roebuck, and the bigger department stores and syndicates. On April 6, 1929’, the plant was destroyed by fire, and later the corporation was dissolved. In November, 1929, the insured and his brother established a glass manufacturing business at the nearby town of Lona-coning, Md., under the firm name of Sloan Bros. They also formed a corporation, known as the Lonaeoning Cut Glass Company, which operated a plant nearby in the same town. The two businesses were related; certain operations in the course of manufacture being performed at one plant and certain at the other. The number of employees of both plants was about 350. The duties of the insured in connection with these plants were the same as he had performed at the Cumberland Glass Works. After the business was established in Lonaeoning, and therefore after the issuance of the policies, the practice of polishing glass by the use of acids was introduced. The insured himself learned the process and testified that on two or three occasions he did the work of polishing samples of goods which had to be shipped out at night. Evidence was offered on behalf of the defendant tending to show that the work of polishing was done more frequently by the insured, but even this evidence showed that he performed the operations himself only on exceptional occasions in order to instruct the regular polisher; and we must accept as an established fact that glass polishing was only an occasional and not a habitual duty of the insured, since the jury were told that, unless they found such to be the ease, they must bring in a verdict against him.

The accident happened on January 5, 1932, about 7 p. m. when the insured returned to the plant of Sloan Bros, after supper and found two samples of glasswork on his desk which were intended for delivery to Sears-Roebuck Company in Chicago. He had previously visited that city in the course of his activities as a traveling salesman, and had been requested to deliver certain samples not later than January 10, 1932, for inspection and comparison by the buyers. It was important that prompt delivery of the samples be made; but the insured observed that they had not yet been polished, and, desiring to send them to Chicago by mail that evening, he undertook, in the absence of the regular glass polisher, to sub ject them to the polishing process himself. In doing so, some acid accidentally splashed into his eye and destroyed the sight.

The most important question of law in the case, arising on these facts, is whether, within the meaning of the quoted provision of the policies, the insured was injured after having changed his occupation to one; classified as more hazardous than stated in the poliey, or while he was dcing an act pertaining to an occupation so classified. It is contended (1) that the insured was injured after he had changed his occupation, because glass polishing was not practiced by-him until after the issuance of the policies; and (2) that he was injured while doing an act pertaining to the occupation of a glass polisher. Hence it is insisted that the jury should have been instructed that the insured could recover only $500 in all, the total liability of the company to one who loses an eye while engaged in that occupation.

As to the first contention, the District Judge suggested to the jury, in an advisory way, that the testimony was consistent with the idea that the insured did not habitually follow the occupation of glass polishing, and had not changed his occupation from that of general manager, but nevertheless left the question of change of occupation to be decided by the jury as an issue of fact. The defendant has no ground for complaint of this [225]*225instruction, for, if anything, it was too favorable, since it is dear from the evidence that the insured was still performing the duties stated in his applications. Moreover, it cannot be said that the occupation of the insured was changed merely because in the glass factory, where many activities wore carried on, a new process of glass polishing was introduced under his supervision after the policies had been issued.

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Bluebook (online)
68 F.2d 222, 1934 U.S. App. LEXIS 4854, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/indemnity-ins-v-sloan-ca4-1934.