Kazanteno v. California-Western States Life Insurance

290 P.2d 332, 137 Cal. App. 2d 361, 1955 Cal. App. LEXIS 1193
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedNovember 30, 1955
DocketCiv. 20897
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 290 P.2d 332 (Kazanteno v. California-Western States Life Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kazanteno v. California-Western States Life Insurance, 290 P.2d 332, 137 Cal. App. 2d 361, 1955 Cal. App. LEXIS 1193 (Cal. Ct. App. 1955).

Opinion

*363 ASHBURN, J. pro tem. *

Plaintiff Stamateo Kazanteno sued herein to establish his right to receive from defendant California-Western States Life Insurance Company, disability payments at the rate of $300 a month under certain accident insurance. He relied upon an oral agreement which the court found to be established, rendering judgment in his favor. Defendant appeals, urging two major propositions: (1) That the agent, William Economidis, who was found to have made the oral agreement, had no actual or ostensible authority so to do and (2) that the evidence is insufficient to support the finding that such agreement was made. As each of these contentions is a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence, this court must accept as established all facts and all inferences favorable to respondent which find substantial support in the evidence. “And where appellant urges the insufficiency of the evidence to sustain the findings . . . the rule is that, ‘Such contention requires defendants to demonstrate that there is no substantial evidence to support the challenged findings. ’ (Nichols v. Mitchell, 32 Cal.2d 598, 600 [197 P.2d 550].) (Emphasis added.) It is said in Crawford v. Southern Pac. Co., 3 Cal.2d 427, 429 [45 P.2d 183], that: ‘It is an elementary, but often overlooked principle of law, that when a verdict is attacked as being unsupported, the power of the appellate court begins and ends with a determination as to whether there is any substantial evidence, contradicted or uncontradicted, which will support the conclusion reached by the jury. When two or more inferences can be reasonably deduced from the facts, the reviewing court is without power to substitute its deduction for those of the trial court.’ ” (Hartzell v. Myall, 115 Cal.App.2d 670, 673 [252 P.2d 676].) The following statement of facts is molded accordingly.

On July 18, 1946, defendant insurance company issued to plaintiff a $10,000 life insurance policy (No. 564765) and two “Good Will Builder” policies, one an accident monthly income policy, and the other a health income policy. Each bore the same number as the life policy, 564765. Counsel refer to them as “rider” policies. The monthly payments were to be $200 under each income policy. In 1949 the company demanded return of the accident policy for the purpose of reducing the agreed payments to $100 a month and reclassifying plaintiff as a C risk, rather than A. These things were done. In August, 1951, plaintiff permitted the life policy *364 to lapse and conversations began shortly looking to reinstatement of the policy and increase of the accident benefits from $100 to $300 per month. The immediate participants were the plaintiff and William Bconomidis, who concededly was a company agent. The conversations also included a proposal for plaintiff to take out a policy upon his son’s life, with himself as beneficiary. Plaintiff refused to reinstate the existing policy or to buy one on his son’s life unless the benefits on the two “Good Will Builder” policies were increased to $300 a month. Of course, the agent was interested. He testified: “I always keep after him.” The home office of the company (which was in Sacramento) had expressed its approval of the increase in August, 1951. The vice president had written the Hawaiian agent (plaintiff was a resident of Honolulu) on August 21, 1951, that: “Subject to evidence of insurability satisfactory to the Company, we will now be prepared to consider increasing the Accident Income for Life and Health Income Benefits to $300.00 each. We will need the enclosed Form 10 and Non-Medical properly completed and returned to the Home Office together with the old Good Will Builder Policies. ...” A copy was sent to Bconomidis, who in turn forwarded a copy to plaintiff, saying, with reference to the proposed increase of payments under the accident and health policies, “I would be more than glad to take care of this matter for you from here when you come back to Los Angeles again. I think I can give you something better.” On September 24th, 1951, the vice president of the company sent a memorandum to the Hawaiian agency referring to the lapse of the life policy and saying: “We will, however, be prepared to consider reinstatement and increasing the Accident Income for Life and Health Income Policies to $300.00 a month each provided we receive a completed reinstatement Form 75 and a payment of $751.54 by October 18, 1951. For your convenience in discussing this case with Mr. Kazanteno, we have prepared the following figures: ...” Copy of this communication was likewise sent to Mr. Bconomidis and its text shows that the .letter was intended for discussion with plaintiff. The matter finally crystallized on June 25, 1952, after plaintiff had returned to Los Angeles from Hawaii. He told Bconomidis that he was ready to effect the $200 increase in the accident and health benefits and the agent said it would be necessary to reinstate the life policy No. 564765 and pass a physical examination. Plaintiff said that unless he got the $200 a month *365 increase he would not buy a policy on his son’s life or reinstate his own life policy No. 564765 but would look elsewhere for his insurance. Eeonomidis assured him that “if you have it in writing you will get it’’and also that “I did have it in writing, he did write to me that he was going to get it for me, the company approved.” Plaintiff understood this language to refer to the letters of August 21 and September 24, 1951 from the home office, and Eeonomidis himself testified to the same effect; also, that he told Kazanteno that the letter was sufficient to be binding when he paid the premiums (amounting to $620.70). The letter of August 21, 1951, said that the company would require “the enclosed Form 10 and Non-Medical properly completed.” Form 10 is a request for change in policy, but Eeonomidis told plaintiff that Form 10 was no good because he had to pass a medical examination, being over 49 years of age; so on June 25, 1952 he had plaintiff sign an application for reinstatement of life policy Number 564765, using for that purpose company’s Form 75. Plaintiff also had in force another life policy, Number 564934, and a policy loan agreement was executed by him in order to effect a loan upon that policy in the sum of $1,281.33 to provide the funds for the pending deal. At the same time he made an application for a policy upon his son’s life, which carried a premium of $372.50. Eeonomidis of his own volition, required the medical examination; it was had, probably on June 24th; it must have been successful or the policy on the son would not have been writtten as it was on July 16, 1952. Eeonomidis said he would have plaintiff sign a Form 10, to keep it in case the company should inquire for it. He told plaintiff he wanted his cheek for $120 to cover additional premium for changing his classification, and that plaintiff should have it in before August 18; also, that he had plenty of reserve and his policy would automatically cover the $200 increase. The signing of Form 10 occurred a day or two after June 25.

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Bluebook (online)
290 P.2d 332, 137 Cal. App. 2d 361, 1955 Cal. App. LEXIS 1193, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kazanteno-v-california-western-states-life-insurance-calctapp-1955.