Metropolitan Life Ins. Co. v. Greene

75 S.W.2d 703
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 18, 1934
DocketNo. 3068
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 75 S.W.2d 703 (Metropolitan Life Ins. Co. v. Greene) 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
Metropolitan Life Ins. Co. v. Greene, 75 S.W.2d 703 (Tex. Ct. App. 1934).

Opinion

WADTHALD, Justice.

Appellee, Greene, brought this suit in the Forty-First district court of El Paso county against appellant, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, to recover on a group insurance policy issued by appellant to the Southern Pacific Company for the benefit of its employees. Appellee alleged that he was insured under said policy in the sum of $2,500, and that said policy provided that, in the event he became totally and permanently disabled while insured, benefits in the sum of $S6.25 per month would be paid him for sixty months; alleged that he became totally and permanently disabled by reason of flat feet, and that by reason thereof and the failure of appellant to pay he was entitled to recover under said policy, and attorney’s fees and the statutory penalty. (Vernon’s Ann. Civ. St. art. 4736).

Appellant in answer interposed the general denial; pleaded the provisions of the policy; pleaded that the insurance ceased at the end of June, 1932; specially denied that appel-lee became so disabled while insured; denied appellee’s right to recover áttorney’s fees or the penalty.

Opinion.

7⅜⅛ overrule without comment appellant’s first three propositions which complain of the failure of the trial court to give requested peremptory instruction in its favor and the refusal of the court to render judgment non ob-stante veredicto.

The case was submitted to the jury upon special issues.

The first question submitted is as follows:

“Question No. One: Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that as a result of flat feet plaintiff suffered total and permanent disability at any time between the 7th day of January, 19,31, and the 25th day of June, 1932? Answer yes or no.”

In connection with the charge, the court defined to the jury the term “total and permanent disability” as used in the charge as meaning “such disability as prevents a person from engaging in any business or occupation or performing any work for compensation or profit for the remainder of his life.”

In its fourth point appellant complains of the above charge as being double and duplicitous, in that it submits two issues in one charge; that is, whether appellee, Greene, is totally disabled and whether he is permanently disabled.

In Lumbermen’s Reciprocal Ass’n v. Wilmoth et al. (Tex. Com. App.) 12 S.W.(2d) 972, 973, a workmen’s compensation case, the court submitted the issue as follows: .“Was or was not the injury received by G. T. Wilmoth such as to totally and permanently incapacitate him from following any gainful occupation?”

The objection was that the charge combined two separate and distinct issues capable of being answered differently, and was therefore duplicitous and multifarious. The Commission of Appeals held that the charge was subject to the objection urged, and referred to the following cases as so holding: Western Indemnity Company v. MacKechnie (Tex. Civ. App.) 214 S. W. 456; Texas & N. O. Railway Co. v. Turner (Tex. Civ. App.) 199 S. W. 868; Southwestern Tel. & Teleg. Co. v. Andrews (Tex. Civ. App.) 169 S. W. 218; North v. Atlas Brick Co. (Tex. Civ. App.) 281 S. W. 608.

In Federal Surety Co. v. Smith (Tex. Com. App.) 41 S.W.(2d) 210, 214, the trial court submitted the issue by special charge as follows: “Was or was not the plaintiff solely, from the injury complained of, at once and continuously, after the occurrence of the same, totally disabled for any period of time? Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ ”

Appellant submitted that the charge was multifarious.

The Commission of Appeals reversed the case and referred to the Lumbermen’s Reciprocal Ass’n v. Wilmoth Case as decisive of the question, holding the charge to be multifarious. The Supreme Court expressly approved [705]*705the holdings of the Commission of Appeals on the question. The following cases refer to the Wilmoth Case as controlling on the question of multifariousness: Texas Employers’ Ins. Ass’n v. Comer (Tex. Civ. App.) 42 S.W. (2d) 832; Clements v. Wright et ux. (Tex. Civ. App.) 47 S.W.(2d) 652; Texas Employers’ Ins. Ass’n v. Henson (Tex. Com. App.) 48 S.W.(2d) 970; American Nat. Ins. Co. v. Callahan (Tex. Civ. App.) 51 S.W.(2d) 1083.

We have reviewed many cases discussing the propriety of grouping the facts pertaining to the ultimate issue of fact, and, while the cases both of the Courts of Civil Appeals and the Supreme Court seem to us' not to he in harmony, we have concluded that the rule stated in the Wilmoth Case and the cases referring thereto control the question presented here. The proposition is sustained, and the case is reversed and remanded.

In view of another trial, we think it might be of some service to make some suggestions on some of the matters complained of and which might arise on another trial.

The certificate of insurance provides that:

“Any employee shall he considered as totally and permanently disabled who furnishes due proof that as a result of bodily injuries suffered, or a disease contracted while his insurance was in force and prior to his sixtieth birthday, he is permanently, continuously and wholly prevented thereby from performing any work for compensation or profit.”

The court defined to the jury the term “total and permanent disability” as meaning “such disability as prevents a person from engaging in any business or occupation or performing any work for compensation or profit for the remainder of his life.”

Appellant objected to the above definition because “it does not take into account that if plaintiff could engage in occupations other than that of fireman, he could not recover,” and submitted the following special charge: “In connection with Issue 1, you are charged that by the term ‘total and permanent disability’ is meant such disability as will, throughout the lifetime of a person, prevent him from performing not only the duties of his usual occupation but from performing the duties of, or following any other occupation, or doing any other work for compensation or profit.”

The charge given by the court is not open to the objection made, since it does embrace “performing any business or occupation or performing any work for compensation or profit.”

The policy provides that the proof must show that appellant by reason of the injury or disease was prevented from “performing” any work, etc. We think the charge given might properly omit the expression “engaging in any business or occupation,” since the certificate does not require proof of disability to “engage in” any business, etc., but in its “performance.” One might possibly be engaged in a work or business and be totally disabled from personally performing the work, etc.

The only other question we think to discuss is the allowance of attorney fees and penalty.

The trial court allowed both, to which appellant excepted.

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