Missouri State Life Insurance v. Salisbury

213 S.W. 786, 279 Mo. 40, 1919 Mo. LEXIS 131
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedJuly 5, 1919
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 213 S.W. 786 (Missouri State Life Insurance v. Salisbury) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Missouri State Life Insurance v. Salisbury, 213 S.W. 786, 279 Mo. 40, 1919 Mo. LEXIS 131 (Mo. 1919).

Opinion

WHITE, C.

The plaintiff brought this suit for the purpose of canceling a policy of insurance written by the defendant upon the life of Alpha O. Salisbury, wife of the defendant. The petition alleged several reasons why the policy should' be canceled, and among them those which are urged here and which we will consider: First, that the policy was never delivered unconditionally to the insured and there was no completed contract upon which the minds of the parties met prior to the death of Alpha O. Salisbury; and, second, that the first premium was not paid during the good health of the insured, as required by the terms of the policy.

The defendant filed an answer and counterclaim. The counterclaim alleged the policy under consideration insured the life of Alpha O. Salisbury, in the sum of ten thousand dollars for the benefit of the defendant, and that Alpha O. Salisbury died on the 10th day of February, 1915, and prayed judgment for ten thousand dollars. The plaintiff replied to the counterclaim denying the execution and delivery of the policy sued on, alleging its invalidity as a contract on account of the same matters set up in the petition, and praying for its cancellation, as prayed in the petition.

On a trial in the Circuit Court of Sullivan County judgment was rendered against the plaintiff on its petition, and for the defendant on his counterclaim for [44]*44ten thousand dollars and interest, less the amount of the first premium. The plaintiff appealed from that judgment.

The defendant Salisbury was a school teacher and at some time early in October, 1914, he and his wife Alpha decided that they would take out insurance, each in favor of the other. They went at the matter cautiously, desiring to secure the best possible contract, and let it be known to various insurance agents what they contemplated in that respect. The result was that they were solicited by various agents and sent in applications to a number of companies with the understanding that they should receive the policies for the purpose of inspection and after a comparison would make their selection. Salisbury testified, in speaking of the agents: '‘I told them I thought of taking out some "insurance; that I thought I was able to carry it; that I had decided on buying it about the same as I would a horse; that is, to examine two or three good policies and decide which one I would take.” It was his intention to take a policy out upon his own life and that of his wife in the same company; the one he should-find to be satisfactory.

Pursuant to his applications several policies upon himself and his wife were issued and delivered to him for the purpose of inspection; among them was a policy of the American Central Life Insurance Company, and a policy of the Central Life Insurance Company of Illinois. The New Tork Life and the Iowa National Insurance Company also submitted policies for inspection. This occurred about the 20th of October, 1914.

Matters were in this posture when C. M. Carson, agent of the plaintiff, Missouri State Life Insurance Company, heard of the contest and desired to enter the competition for his company. Salisbury at first indicated that he had enough policies from which to make his selection, but finally consented to let Carson in on the competition. Applications for Salisbury and for his wife were filled out; his, it appears, was dated on the [45]*4522nd day of October, bnt that of his wife was dated the 28th of October. This is explained by both Salisbury and Carson to be on account of. having to take the application to his wife and have her sign it in person, which was required by Mr. Carson; it caused a delay of a few days. There applications were sent in to the plaintiff. About the 14th of November a policy on the life of Mrs. Salisbury was sent to Carson somewhere in Illinois, and he in turn sent it to Salisbury about November 29th. On the application of Elijah Salisbury no policy was issued, because of an unfavorable result in the analysis of his urine. The matter was held up for further examination. It appears that his application was not definitely declined, but subsequently he Avas urged to submit to further examinations and undergo a special diet for the purpose of making a proper test. This delay and uncertainty in his application figured very materially in the subsequent negotiations between the parties.

On the 22nd of November Salisbury and his wife, having policies of the several insurance companies before them, went over the entire matter for the purpose of deciding the contest, and finally, on the 23rd of November, they decided to accept the policies of the Central Life Insurance Company of Illinois. In the meantime, however, Salisbury had so far committed himself Avith reference to the American Central that that company treated the policy as delivered and the contract as closed. It was said by respondent’s counsel in oral argument before the court that each of these companies had recognized its liability and had paid ten thousand dollars on the life of Mrs. Salisbury.

On the 8th of December, Carson had a telephone conversation with Salisbury, telephoning from Quincy, Illinois. He testified that he then urged' Salisbury to go before certain doctors whom he named for the purpose of further examination, and Salisbury promised to do so. Salisbury testified that he told Carson at that time he had not accepted the policy on his wife and that [46]*46Carson requested Salisbury to give bim another chance and urged him to send another sample of urine for examination, -which he agreed to do. Carson swore he had no conversation with Salisbury after the applications were received except the telephone conversation of December 8th, until January 14, 1915. Salisbury swore that he had two other conversations with Carson — one between November 23rd and December 8th, and the other between December 8 and December 23.

When the policy on the life of Mrs. Salisbury was sent to Salisbury on November 20th, Carson enclosed a receipt for her to sign. This receipt was retained by Salisbury until December 2'3rd, when he mailed it to Carson at St. Louis, with a letter. Several letters between the parties appear in the record.

On the 31st day of December Mrs. Salisbury was shot through the chest. All the evidence in relation to it indicates that the shooting was accidental. She died February 10th, following. There is some evidence tending to show that she improved for a -while after she was wounded, and that her death -was immediately caused by a fall from a window, while walking in her sleep, but while she was still suffering from her wound.

After Mrs. Salisbury was shot the only conversations between the principal witnesses, Carson and Salisbury, relate to an endeavor on the part of the company to recover the policy on her life which was in the possession of Salisbury. Carson was ordered to recover the policy and cancel it, and Salisbury, after putting him off with several excuses, finally refused to give it up. Salisbury and Carson agreed that they had a conference on January 14th, and again on January 21st or 27th, or probably on both of these dates. The letters mentioned and these various conversations will be considered more fully in discussing the question whether the minds of the parties met.

[47]*47 Acceptance

[46]*46I. Appellant claims it was never the intention of Salisbury to accept the policy of his wife unless he [47]

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Bluebook (online)
213 S.W. 786, 279 Mo. 40, 1919 Mo. LEXIS 131, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/missouri-state-life-insurance-v-salisbury-mo-1919.