Insurance Co. of North America v. Hegewald

66 N.E. 902, 161 Ind. 631, 1903 Ind. LEXIS 214
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedApril 3, 1903
DocketNo. 19,991
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 66 N.E. 902 (Insurance Co. of North America v. Hegewald) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Insurance Co. of North America v. Hegewald, 66 N.E. 902, 161 Ind. 631, 1903 Ind. LEXIS 214 (Ind. 1903).

Opinion

Jordan, J.-

— Action by appellee to recover upon a policy of fire insurance issued to him by appellant, insuring thereby a dwelling-house against loss by fire. The original complaint consisted of a single paragraph, but subsequently an additional paragraph, numbered two, was filed; and upon this latter paragraph it clearly appears that the action was tried and determined in the lower court, and the special finding based thereon. Consequently we dismiss, without consideration, the errors alleged by appellant in regard to the first paragraph, for, if sustained, under the circumstances, they would be harmless. Appellant, having unsuccessfully demurred for insufficiency of facts to the second paragraph, filed an answer in two paragraphs; the first being the general denial, and the second setting up affirmative matter, to which the plaintiff replied. Upon the issues joined, the court, upon request, made a special finding of facts, and stated its conclusions of law thereon favorable to the plaintiff, and over the defendant’s exceptions thereto, and over its motion for a new trial, rendered judgment on the special finding, awarding the plaintiff the sum of $950 as damages, which the court found he had sustained as a result of the fire in dispute.

Counsel for appellant argue for a reversal (1) that the court erred in overruling the demurrer to the second para[633]*633graph of the complaint; (2) in overruling the demurrer to the second paragraph of reply; (3) that the court erred in its several conclusions of law; (4) denying the motion for a new trial.

Under the second paragraph of the complaint the plaintiff sought to recover upon the insurance policy for a loss sustained by him by reason of a fire destroying the insured property, and also sought to set aside a certain appraisement or award of damages made by appraisers selected by the parties under the provisions and conditions of the policy in suit. As preliminary, it may be said that the second paragraph of the complaint is not a model in its character as a pleading, and contains some general and bald averments. We have endeavored, however, to summarize the facts therein alleged, and the following may be said, in the main, to be the principal or material ones disclosed by the paragraph in question: The defendant is shown to be a corporation organized under the laws of the state of Pennsylvania, and is engaged in the business of fire insurance, having an office in the city of New Albany, Eloyd county, Indiana. On June 18, 1900, the plaintiff was the owner’ of a frame dwelling-house situated in said city, on the premises described in the complaint, which property the defendant on said day insured against loss by fire to the amount of $1,500, and duly executed to the plaintiff the fire insurance policy in suit, as the contract in respect to said insurance. This policy is filed with and made a part of the complaint. On Eebruary 23, 1901, while the policy was in full force and effect, the property so insured was partially destroyed by fire, and was thereby injured and damaged to the ¿mount of $1,200. The value of the house at the time of the fire is shown to be $3,500. Immediately after the loss sustained by the fire, the plaintiff notified the defendant of the facts, and all further proof in regard to the loss sustained appears to have been thereupon waived by the defendant. In fact, it is shown [634]*634that the plaintiff duly performed all the conditions upon his part as exacted hy the policy. No part of the damages sustained has been paid, and the whole is shown to be due and unpaid. In regard to plaintiff being the owner of the insured property at the time of its destruction by the fire, the complaint contains the following statement: “The plaintiff says that after the loss and injury to his said property insured by said policy as aforesaid, defendant’s adjuster, in company with the plaintiff, visited the premises,” etc. The policy, among other things, professes to be granted and issued upon and in reference to certain stipulations and conditions therein contained, among which are the following: “In case differences arise as to the amount of loss, the matter shall, at the written request of either party, be submitted to two competent and disinterested appraisers sworn to decide impartially, the assured and the company each selecting one, who shall determine the amount of such loss, and failing to agree they shall select an umpire, to be sworn as aforesaid, to whom they shall submit their differences, and the award in writing of any two shall be binding upon the assured and the company as to the amount of such loss, but shall not determine any legal liability under this policy, and until such appraisal, if requested, shall be had, the loss shall not be payable. One-half of all appraisers’ fees under this policy shall be paid by the parties respectively.”

It appears that immediately after the defendant received notice of the fire it sent its agent to New Albany to inspect and adjust the loss occasioned thereby, ‘ but that he and the plaintiff were unable to agree upon the damages sustained, and thereupon the defendant, by and through its said agent, demanded that, in compliance with the conditions or provisions of the policy herein above set out, the amount of the loss or damages sustained by plaintiff by reason of the fire be submitted to two competent and disinterested appraisers. Thereupon it was agreed between [635]*635the plaintiff and the defendant that the question with respect to the amount of the loss bo submitted to said appraisers, one to be selected by each of the parties. Plaintiff nominated and selected as one of the appraisers one Dora O. Raíius, a resident of Eloyd county, Indiana, a competent and disinterested person in said matter; and the defendant, by and through its said adjusting agent, nominated and selected one Lynn B. Millikan, a resident of Indianapolis, Indiana, at that time an entire stranger to the plaintiff, and a person whose relations and connections with the defendant were wholly unknown to the plaintiff at the time he was so nominated by it. It appears that the defendant fraudulently represented to the plaintiff that said Millikan was a competent and disinterested person in the said matter in issue, but it is shown that these representations were false and untrue, for in fact he was one of the defendant’s employes and in its service at the time he was so nominated and selected as an appraiser. During the arbitration of the matter in dispute it appears that he acted as the disbursing agent of the defendant in paying the expenses of the arbitration, and at all times during said appraisement he acted under the advice and the directions of the defendant, and acted entirely in its interest, with the purpose of procuring the appraisement of the loss in controversy at an amount less than one-lialf of that which the plaintiff had actually sustained on account of the fire. At the time of the selection of the appraisers as aforesaid the defendant insisted that the plaintiff, in advance, should agree with it in respect to a selection of an runpire who was to act in the event the two appraisers selected were unable to agree upon the amount of loss sustained; and in order and for the purpose of inducing the plaintiff to agree to the selection of one Charles S. Keller, nominated by the defendant as such umpire, it represented that said Keller was a competent, impartial, and disinterested person in respect to the matter [636]*636in controversy, and that he was qualified to act therein and decide impartially between the parties in regard to the loss sustained.

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

Related

Atlas Construction Co., Inc. v. Indiana Ins. Co.
309 N.E.2d 810 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1974)
Farmers' Conservative Mutual Insurance v. Neddo
40 N.E.2d 401 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1942)
National Fire Insurance v. Gellman
144 N.E. 154 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1924)
Holt v. Williams
240 S.W. 864 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1922)
Newark Fire Insurance v. Martinsville Harness Co.
128 N.E. 616 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1920)
Jones v. Orient Insurance
171 S.W. 28 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1914)
West Chicago Park Commissioners v. Riddle
151 Ill. App. 487 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1909)
Mason v. Fire Ass'n of Philadelphia
122 N.W. 423 (South Dakota Supreme Court, 1909)
Johnson v. Sherwood
73 N.E. 180 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1905)
Knickerbocker Ice Co. v. Gray
72 N.E. 869 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1904)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
66 N.E. 902, 161 Ind. 631, 1903 Ind. LEXIS 214, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/insurance-co-of-north-america-v-hegewald-ind-1903.