Marshall v. Home Mutual Insurance

119 P.2d 529, 154 Kan. 488, 1941 Kan. LEXIS 221
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedDecember 6, 1941
DocketNo. 35,292
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 119 P.2d 529 (Marshall v. Home Mutual Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Marshall v. Home Mutual Insurance, 119 P.2d 529, 154 Kan. 488, 1941 Kan. LEXIS 221 (kan 1941).

Opinion

[489]*489The opinion of the court was delivered by

Harvey, J.:

This was an action for damages for personal injuries sustained December 25, 1939, by plaintiff, who was riding in an automobile which collided with a truck loaded with coal on the highway, which collision was alleged to have resulted from negligence of defendants. The defendants were J. C. Kitch, owner of the truck, his insurance carrier, The Home Mutual Insurance Company, and Frank Smith, who was operating the truck at the time of the casualty.' A summons issued for Frank Smith was returned “not found.” The other defendants answered. A jury trial resulted in a verdict for plaintiff, on which judgment was rendered. The answering defendants have appealed.

On this appeal appellants make no complaint of the finding of the jury, which in effect was that plaintiff’s injuries -resulted from the fact that the truck was negligently stopped without lights or flares on the highway; neither do- they contend that the evidence was insufficient to support the amount of the verdict. They do contend that at the time of the casualty the truck was not being operated “pursuant to the permit” issued by the State Corporation Commission ; that at the time there was no insurance coverage on the truck, and that the court erred in refusing to give requested instructions and in giving certain instructions.

Stipulated facts and exhibits, insofar as they are pertinent to this appeal, may be summarized as follows: About February 10, 1939, J. C. Kitch, a resident of Syracuse, Kan., filed with the state corporation commission his application for a permit to operate as a private carrier for the transportation of property. In his application he stated that he was the owner of a specifically described truck; that he was financially responsible, and had filed a liability insurance policy in the amount and terms as required by law and the orders of the commission and would keep the same in full force and effect during the time he operated as a private carrier; that the principal commodities he would haul were cattle, salt and produce; that he would keep a full and complete record of his mileage and make reports required by the commission, and would submit to all rules and regulations promulgated by the commission and report any violation thereof that might come to his attention.

About the same time he filed with the state corporation commission a policy of insurance issued to him by the appellant insurer. This recited the name of the insured as J. C. Kitch; that his occupa[490]*490tion or business was farmer and truckman; that the policy period was from January 15,1939, to the same date in 1940; that the policy covered bodily injury liability to the amount of $5,000 for each person; it described the truck covered by the policy, which description was identical with that contained in the application for the permit; that the purposes for which it was to be used were commercial, which term was defined “as the transportation or delivery of goods, merchandise or other materials, and uses incidental thereto, in direct connection with the named insured’s business occupation.” The insuring agreement was “to pay on behalf of the insured all sums which the insured shall become obligated to pay by reason of the liability imposed upon him by law for damages, . . . sustained by any person, . . . caused by accident and arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use” of the truck, and the word “insured” as so used “includes not only the named insured, but also any person while using the automobile, . . . provided the declared and actual use of the automobile is ‘pleasure and business’ or ‘commercial’ each as defined herein, and provided further that the actual use is with the permission of the named insured.” The policy specifically excluded any obligation of the company, “while the automobile is used in the business of demonstrating, ... or while rented under contract or leased, unless such use is specifically declared and described in this policy and a premium charged therefor.” There was attached to the policy the public liability and property damage endorsement of the state corporation commission, which in part recites:

“It is understood and agreed that the policy to which this endorsement is attached is written in pursuance of and such policy shall fulfill the insurance requirements of section 66-1,128, General Statutes of Kansas, 1935, or as may be hereinafter amended, and the rules and regulations of the state corporation commission adopted thereunder with respect to liability for injuries to persons. . . . Nothing contained in the policy or any endorsement thereon, nor the violation of any of the provisions thereof by the assured, shall relieve the company from liability thereunder.”

It further recited that the policy should not expire nor cancellation take effect until ten days after notice in writing by the insurer should have first been given to the commission.

There was also a rider attached to the face of the policy headed, “Endorsement for Kansas local truckman.”

The application of J. C. Kitch, above referred to, was duly approved by the state corporation commission and he was given per[491]*491mit No. 100-16, authorizing him to operate as a private carrier for the transportation of property. The truck described in the application and in the insurance policy was duly registered as a vehicle to be operated under the permit. The state corporation commission issued to Kitch K. C. C. tags Nos. 10,725 and 10,726 for use on the truck so registered under the permit.

The rules of the state corporation commission provide that the holders of certificates, permits or licenses shall at all times carry on every vehicle operated under such certificate, permit or license, an identification card issued by the commission showing the certificate, permit or license number and a complete description of the vehicle. Such identification card shall be carried in the driver’s compartment of the vehicle; that the K. C. C. tags shall be carried on all vehicles in a designated manner, and that whenever operations are abandoned under any certificate, permit or license, or upon cancellation thereof by the commission, or when the motor vehicle is removed from service at any time for the remainder of the year, all identification cards and K. C. C. tags issued under such certificate, permit or license shall be immediately forwarded to the commission.

It was stipulated that the K. C. C. tags had not been returned to the commission, nor had notice of abandonment of operations under the permit been given to the commission on or prior to December 25, 1939, and that no notice of expiration or cancellation of the insurance policy had been given to the commission on or prior to that date.

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Related

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363 P.2d 427 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1961)
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258 P.2d 288 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1953)
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204 P.2d 756 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1949)
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122 P.2d 768 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1942)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
119 P.2d 529, 154 Kan. 488, 1941 Kan. LEXIS 221, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/marshall-v-home-mutual-insurance-kan-1941.