Kahn v. Continental Casualty Co.

63 N.E.2d 468, 391 Ill. 445, 1945 Ill. LEXIS 381
CourtIllinois Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 19, 1945
DocketNo. 28858. Appellate Court reversed; superior court affirmed.
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 63 N.E.2d 468 (Kahn v. Continental Casualty Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Illinois Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kahn v. Continental Casualty Co., 63 N.E.2d 468, 391 Ill. 445, 1945 Ill. LEXIS 381 (Ill. 1945).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Smith

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal granted by the Appellate Court for the First District, in accordance with section 75(2) (a), of the Civil Practice Act. (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1943, chap, no, -par. 199.) The cause, is a suit in equity brought by Nat M. Kahn, as plaintiff, against The Continental Casualty Company, as defendant. In this opinion the parties will be referred to as plaintiff and defendant, respectively.

The purpose of the suit was to obtain a decree compelling the defendant to reinstate a noncancellable health and accident policy of insurance issued by the defendant to the plaintiff. The policy was dated and issued on May 15, 1923, and was effective for one year from that date. It provided for the payment of a premium of $172, for the first year, which was paid. By its terms, the policy could thereafter be renewed for like periods of one year upon the payment of a like premium on or before the anniversary date of the policy, or within thirty-one days thereafter. In the event death resulted from accident within one hundred and twenty days from the occurrence, the policy provided for the payment of $10,000 to the beneficiary named therein. It further provided for accident and health disability payments up to $400 per month, commencing on the date of the disability, and continuing during the life of the insured. By its terms, the policy could not be cancelled by the defendant. It is conceded that similar noncancellable health and accident policies cannot be now obtained. The issuance of such policies was discontinued by all companies several years ago.

The facts are not in dispute. Plaintiff paid the premium on the policy for each year until the year 1941. As provided in the policy, a premium in the amount of $172, for the extension thereof for one year from the anniversary date of the policy, which was May 15, 1941, was due on that date, or within the thirty-one-day grace period thereafter, which expired on June 15, 1941. Plaintiff was notified sometime in April or May of the due date of this premium. However, he overlooked the payment of the premium. June 15, the last day of the grace period, fell on Sunday. On Monday, June 16, he prepared a check payable to the defendant for the amount of the premium, which he had certified by the bank on which it was drawn. At 10 o’clock A. M. on June 17, he tendered this check to the defendant, which it refused to accept, claiming that the policy had'lapsed for the nonpayment of the premium within the grace period.

Negotiations were then carried on between the parties over a period of several days relative to the payment of the premium and the reinstatement of the policy. In these negotiations the parties argued their respective positions. Plaintiff contended that the premium was, in fact, tendered within the thirty-one-day grace period or within ten hours after its expiration, and that the policy had not lapsed for the nonpayment of the premium. His position was that the last day of the grace period falling on Sunday, that period did not expire until the following day. On the other hand, the defendant contended that the policy had lapsed and could only be reinstated in the manner provided in the policy. As a result of these negotiations, the defendant finally delivered to the plaintiff a blank application for the reinstatement of the policy. This blank, after being altered in several immaterial respects by plaintiff, was completed by him and delivered to the defendant. One of the questions in this application for reinstatement was, “What is the maximum indemnity payable to you, ' from all policies, in all companies, life, accident, and accident and health, at present owned or now being applied for?” In answer to this question, plaintiff set out a list of life and accident and health policies theretofore issued to him and then in force. From this answer it appeared that he then had policies, other than the one here involved, providing for monthly total disability payments aggregatting $483.33 which, together with the $400 of monthly disability indemnity provided for in the policy in question, made the aggregate indemnities payable to him, in case of total disability caused by sickness or accidents, $883.33. This application further showed that plaintiff’s earned income for the previous year was $7958.86. The record shows that the average annual earned income of the plaintiff over the period of eighteen years the policy had been in force, was $10,517.92.

After this application for reinstatement was delivered to the defendant, its chief underwriter on June 28, 1941, wrote a letter to plaintiff in which he stated:

“Your application lists approximately $883 of monthly disability indemnities, including our policy. Our company is willing to participate in up to $500 of monthly indemnity, or 50% of an applicant’s net earned income, either or both. The $500 maximum limit must include our policy and all other policies carried, therefore, before going into the question of medical insurability, it will be necéssary that this difference between earnings and indemnities be adjusted. You can handle it in one of two ways, either by reducing or canceling other insurance policies, possibly those having temporary or limited benefits, or reducing our policy. When the question of indemnities is cleared up, we can then go into the physical insurability which, if satisfactory, will permit approving your policy for reinstatement.”

Plaintiff refused to comply with the conditions stated in this letter. It is conceded that the plaintiff’s failure to comply with the requirements set out in this letter is the sole ground upon which the defendant refused to reinstate the policy. It is also conceded that the plaintiff was in good health; that he was not engaged in a hazardous occupation; that he was engaged in the practice of law, which was his profession at the time the policy was issued; that he was a man of good reputation and high standing, and that no health or moral risk or hazard was involved. The record shows that no claim had ever been made for disability payments, by plaintiff, under the policy.

This suit was then filed for the purpose of compelling the defendant to reinstate the policy. Upon a hearing the superior court entered a decree in favor of the plaintiff. By the decree the court directed the defendant to reinstate the policy upon payment by the plaintiff of the amount of the unpaid premiums within ninety days from the date of the decree. From this decree an appeal was perfected by the defendant to the Appellate Court. That court reversed the decree and remanded the cause with directions to dismiss the complaint for want of equity. As already observed, the case is here on an appeal allowed by the Appellate Court on a certificate of importance.

The material provisions of the contract of the parties are found in the. provisions attached to and made a part of the policy. By paragraph 22 of these provisions, it is provided:

“Until the Insured becomes sixty years of age, he shall have the right to renew this policy from year to year by the payment of premium as herein provided.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
63 N.E.2d 468, 391 Ill. 445, 1945 Ill. LEXIS 381, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kahn-v-continental-casualty-co-ill-1945.