Legal Security Life Insurance Company v. Ward

373 S.W.2d 693, 1963 Tex. App. LEXIS 1883
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedDecember 11, 1963
Docket11128
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 373 S.W.2d 693 (Legal Security Life Insurance Company v. Ward) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Legal Security Life Insurance Company v. Ward, 373 S.W.2d 693, 1963 Tex. App. LEXIS 1883 (Tex. Ct. App. 1963).

Opinions

PHILLIPS, Justice.

Plaintiff, H. Earl Ward, brought suit against the defendant, Legal Security Life Insurance Company, to declare certain hospitalization insurance policies issued by the defendant to the plaintiff to be in full force and effect. The parties will be designated in this opinion as they were in the Trial Court.

Both plaintiff and defendant filed motions for summary judgment. The Trial Court sustained plaintiff’s motion and entered judgment thereon.

We reverse the judgment of the Trial Court and render judgment for the defendant.

The facts of the case are as follows: In September of 1960, plaintiff made application to defendant for a hospitalization policy and a monthly cash hospital indemnity policy. Defendant received plaintiff’s application for the policies on the last day of September, 1960, and on November 5, 1960 issued the plaintiff the policies in question. To each of these policies the defendant had attached a rider excluding arthritis, sciatica, neuritis, lumbago or rheumatism in any form.

After the policies were issued, the plaintiff wrote the defendant the following letter:

“ Melvin, Texas Nov. 7, 1960
Legal Security Life Insurance Co Dear Sir
In regard to your agent Mr Bainey Hines I paid for a Insurance policy. I gave a check for $120.69.
I received a card from the Company honoring my purchase but I was to inspect the policy if it was what I told them I would accept it. I have waited longer enough to receive the policy but have not.
I want my money or the policy if it is what Mr Hines said it was. If the policy has not been written just mail my money for I think I have waited long enough.
I gave the check 9-28-60. You cash it October 14 I am a busy man do not have time to wait any longer
Yours truly
H. Earl Ward”

[695]*695Subsequently the defendant delivered the policies to the plaintiff in the middle of November, 1960 with the riders mentioned above attached thereto.

On November 21, 1960, the plaintiff, through his attorneys, wrote the defendant stating that the riders were not authorized by the plaintiff when he purchased the policies, that he did not accept the policies and demanded the return of his premium. The letter is as follows:

“ _ November 21,1960
Legal Security Life Insurance Co.
4516 McKinney Ave.
Dallas 5, Texas
•Gentlemen:
Re: Policy No. 8-21477, together with rider thereto attached and Policy No. H-21478, together with riders thereto attached. Said policies being dated November 15, 1960, and issued to H. Earl Ward, P. O. Box 845, Melvin, Texas
Mr. H. Earl Ward has consulted us with reference to the above numbered and dated policies, and requested that the same be cancelled, since each of the said policies has an additional rider which Mr. Ward did not authorize when he purchased these policies. The riders not authorized are the riders ■entirely typed and appearing with the application signed by Mr. Ward on •each policy. Mr. Ward has previously written you that he did not desire to keep these policies; and Mr. Ward paid you on September 28, 1960, the sum of $120.62 by check and which check has been cashed by you people. This check having been given on the Brady National Bank of Brady, Texas.
I am returning herewith these policies with unconditional requirement that these policies be accepted by you and that you refund Mr. Ward’s money by return mail.
Mr. Ward applied for these policies in September, and they were not issued until November 15th, which was entifely (sic) too much delay in issuing the same, and further Mr. Ward was supposed to receive a $2000.00 life insurance policy which was not sent; and for these reasons and those further •of the riders thereto attached, as herein explained, which were not authorized, Mr. Ward does additionally return these policies for cancellation and does insist that they be accepted and that his money paid you, which is the sum of $120.62, be refunded in full at once.
Thanking you in this connection, we are,
Very truly yours,
SWAIM & SWAIM
By /s/ R. H. Swaim Attorneys for H. Earl Ward”

The abovementioned letter served as a letter of transmittal whereby the policies in question were returned to the defendant.

On December 5, 1960, the defendant wrote the plaintiff’s attorneys, explaining the reason for the riders and requested that plaintiff reconsider his action. This letter is as follows:

[696]*696“LEGAL SECURITY LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY Home Office, 4615 McKinney,
Dallas, 5, Texas.
December 5, 1960.
Swaim & Swaim, Attorneys Eden, Texas.
RE: H. Earl Ward, Policies H-21477-8 & pending Life Application L-5209' Gentlemen:
We are in receipt of your letter of November 21, 1960 regarding the above-named Insured’s request for refund of premium and cancellation of the above policies. We do not feel that the delay involved in the issuance of the policies H-21477 & 48 was over-long, since Mr. Ward’s applications-showed some adverse health history and it was necessary that we obtain a report from his physician. It was approximately two weeks before we-received the doctor’s report.
The rider excluding arthritis was placed on the policy as a matter of company policy, which we feel is fair, both to the Insured and the Company,, since we cannot, of course, accept liability for any condition suffered by the Insured which pre-dates the effective date of the policies. To the best of our knowledge, this is a standard procedure with all insurance companies-in writing a non-cancellable hospitalization plan.
As for the application for life insurance, upon receipt of your letter, we-placed the pending application in our suspense file until this matter could be settled, and thus this is the reason the life policy has not been issued. We respectfully urge that your client reconsider his decision, since the above hospitalization policies are guaranteed renewable and non-cancellable, and we will await your reply before taking further action on this matter.
yours very truly,
/s/ S. H. WARREN”

On January 16, 1961, the plaintiff’s attorneys, in reply to defendant’s letter of December 5th, again wrote the defendant demanding that it return the premiums tc> the plaintiff. This letter is as follows t

“ January 16,1961
Legal Security Life Insurance Ca 4516 McKninney Dallas 5, Texas
Gentlemen:
Re: H. Earl Ward Policies H-21477 & 78; and pending Life Application H5209

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Legal Security Life Insurance Company v. Ward
373 S.W.2d 693 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1963)

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Bluebook (online)
373 S.W.2d 693, 1963 Tex. App. LEXIS 1883, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/legal-security-life-insurance-company-v-ward-texapp-1963.