Lindsey v. Metropolitan Life Insurance

10 Tenn. App. 293, 1929 Tenn. App. LEXIS 34
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedMarch 29, 1929
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 10 Tenn. App. 293 (Lindsey v. Metropolitan Life Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lindsey v. Metropolitan Life Insurance, 10 Tenn. App. 293, 1929 Tenn. App. LEXIS 34 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1929).

Opinion

SENTER, J.

This suit is brought to recover on an insurance policy issued by the defendant on the life of Mary L. Woodruff. The policy was for the sum of $5000. The bill alleges that on September 8, 1926-, complainant’s decedent, Mary L. Woodruff, applied to the defendant, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, for a $5000 ordinary whole life policy on her life, and that the application for the insurance on that plan was rejected, after the defendant’s medical examiner had thoroughly examined the applicant; that thereafter, on October 4, 1926, the defendant made complainant’s decedent a new1 offer, proposing to insure her life under its endowment plan, tendering her its endowment policy dated October 2, 1926, and by which it agreed to pay to her estate, on due proof of her death, the sum of $5000; that complainant’s decedent accepted said policy, and paid the premium demanded therefor. The bill further alleges that complainant is informed and believes, and upon such information and belief, charges that defendant rejected the application for whole life insurance because the reports of its. medical examiners and its agents, and other information it had, tended to show that the decedent’s physical condition and state of. *295 health, to be such, as that it was unwilling to take the risk and write the insurance on the whole life policy plan for the premium charged for that policy, and that the policy sued on was at a higher rate of premium than the whole life policy plan applied for. '

The answer of the defendant insurance company admits that on September 8,1926, complainant’s decedent, Mary L. Woodruff, made application. to it for a life insurance policy, and that the policy as applied for was not issued. But defendant denies that it had fully acquainted itself with the physical condition and state of health of Mary L. Woodruff, or that it had made a thorough investigation of the history of the applicant. The defendant admits that on October 4, 1926, it made complainant’s decedent a new offer, by which it proposed to insure her life under its endowment plan, tendering her the endowment policy sued on, dated October 2, 1926, agreeing to pay her estate upon due proof of her death the sum of $5000; but that said policy was issued to Mary Lee Wood-ruff in consideration of the truthfulness of the answers to the questions contained in the application dated September 8, 1926, executed and filed by said Mary Lee Woodruff with said defendant company. The answer denies liability, except for the premium paid, and which amount is tendered intoi court, on the ground that the application contained false answers with reference to the state of health of the deceased, and that the policy was procured by the complainant’s decedent upon false and fraudulent representations; and that complainant’s decedent in procuring said policy, ¡perpetrated a fraud upon the defendant, and knowingly and fraudulently concealed material facts with reference to her state of health.

The complainant called for a jury to try the issues of fact, and certain issues of fact were 'made up under the direction of the Chancellor and submitted to the jury. These issues were found in favor of the defendant.

In accordance with the rules of the court both the complainant and the defendant tendered their respective issues of fact to be submitted to and tried by the jury. The court declined to submit the issues as made up by the respective parties, but formulated and. submitted the following issues, which were answered as set out:

“Í. (a) Was Mary L. Woodruff, the insured, in her application for insurance in the defendant company, asked the following questions ?
“Have you consulted a physician for any ailment or disease not included in the above answers? A. Yes.
“(b) If your answer, Yes, then': Did the said applicant answer said questions as follows: Yes, influenza, 1923, three days, mild, Dr. Kinkaid, good. A. Yes.
*296 “2. Had said applicants consulted a physician within five years prior to application for the disease known as profound or pernicious anemia ¶ A.. Tl.es.
“3. If you answered paragraph (b) of the first issue ‘Yes,’.then say if the answer is true or untrue? A. Untrue.
“4. If you find said answer was untrue, did defendant know said answer was untrue before it issued the policy of insurance? A. No.
“5. Was said applicant asked in her application the following-questions: ‘What physician or physicians, if any, not named above, have you consulted or been treated by, Avithin the last five years, and for what illness or ailment?’ If none, so state? A. Yes.
“(b) If, ‘Yes,’ did said applicant make the following- answer: ‘Dr. J. C. Ayers, Memphis, in 1924, influenza, 3 days.’ A. Yes.
“6. If you answer paragraph (b).of issue No. 5, ‘Yes,’ was said answer true or untrue? A. Untrue.
“7. If you answer ‘Untrue’ to issue No. 6, did defendant know said answer was untrue prior to the issuance of the policy? A. No.
“8. If you answer that the applicant made the answers set forth in issues No. 1 and 5, and find these answers to be untrue, or either of them, their answer if said answers, or either of them, were made for the purpose of deceiving- the defendant in order to obtain the policy of insurance? A. Yes.’’

The complainant seasonably filed a motion to set aside the verdict and to enter a decree in her favor for the amount of the policy and interest. Since this motion becomes material to a further con- • sideration of the questions made on this appeal, it will be set out in full, and is as follows:

“Comes the complainant, Annie L. Lindsey, administratrix of the estate of Mary L. Woodruff, deceased, and moves the court to set aside the verdict rendered hei'ein, and to enter a decree against the defendant, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company for the amount of the policy, $5000, with interest and costs upon the following grounds, to-wit:

I.

“Because the court erred, at the conclusion of all the testimony, in overruling- complainant’s motion to exclude the testimony (deposition) of Dr. Neuton S. Stem, tending to contradict the statement made in the application, or tending to show the answers of Miss Woodruff made to the questions asked her by the defendant’s examining physician, as written into the application were untrue. This was error because:
“(1) The proof shows that the policy, as issued, does not constitute the entire contract between the parties, and therefore, the evidence was incompetent.
*297 “(2) Tlie proof fails to show that a copy of the application for the policy was attached to, or endorsed upon the policy, when issued, and the uncontroverted proof shows that a correct and complete copy of the application was not attached to or endorsed on, the policy when issued, and therefore, the evidence_ impeaching the statements of Miss Woodruff in the application, was not competent and admissible.”

II.

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

Related

American General Life Insurance Co. v. Gilbert
595 S.W.2d 83 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1979)
Adams v. Manhattan Life Ins. Co.
141 S.W.2d 930 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1939)
Bedford County v. Roseborough
95 S.W.2d 61 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1936)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
10 Tenn. App. 293, 1929 Tenn. App. LEXIS 34, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lindsey-v-metropolitan-life-insurance-tennctapp-1929.