Munson v. Standard Marine Ins.

145 F. 957, 1906 U.S. App. LEXIS 4810
CourtU.S. Circuit Court for the District of Massachusetts
DecidedJuly 3, 1906
DocketNo. 66
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 145 F. 957 (Munson v. Standard Marine Ins.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Massachusetts primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Munson v. Standard Marine Ins., 145 F. 957, 1906 U.S. App. LEXIS 4810 (circtdma 1906).

Opinion

TOWETT, Circuit Judge.

This was an action to recover upon an insurance policy, by which the defendant insured the plaintiff “on the steam tug Carbonero'" for a year “against any loss or damage for which the said tug may become legally liable, caused by collision amd/or stranding, as hereinafter stated.” The other material parts of the policy are as follows:

“This policy shall cover only the legal liability of the said tug for loss or damage and charges, as herein provided ; First. When such legal liability of said tug shall have been incurred or caused by injury to any other vessels or crafts, their freights then being earned on cargoes on board of such vessels or crafts at the time of the disaster ana/or cargoes, by stranding ana/or collision while they shall be in tow of the said tug. either alongside or at (he end of si hawser. Second. Wien such legal liability shall have been Incurred or caused by the collision of the said tug with any other vessels or crafts not in tow of the said tug at the time. Third. When such legal liability shall have been incurred or caused by the collision of any vessels or crafts in tow of the said tug with any other vessels or crafts not in tow of the said tug at the time, and the said tug shall be legally liable in either case to pay any sum or sums in consequence of any damage caused by such collision to such vessels or crafts, their freights ana/or cargoes.
“The liability of this company is limited In all cases to the amount hereby insured, and is further limited to the amount of actual repairs to vessels rendered necessary in consequence of any disaster insured against, and to tlie actual loss or damage to cargo, which shall be valued at ilie cash market price thereof on the day of the disaster, and to the actual amount of freight lost in consequence of any disaster insured against; and in no event shall the loss or damage or charges of any or all of them, either as to vessel or vessels, [958]*958cargo or cargoes, freight or freights, or all combined, exceed the amount hereby-insured, and all losses shall be paid in the proportion which the amount insured bears to the value of the said tug, as expressed in this policy.
“This policy shall not cover any liability for loss of life, personal injury, demurrage, loss of use, detention, officers’ or crew’s wages, fuel or provisions, in any case or cases whatsoever.
“This policy shall not cover any injury or damage to the hull, machinery, engines, tackle, or fittings of the sa-id tug, and shall not cover any injury or damage to any other vessel or cargo or freight owned wholly or in part by the insured.
“This company shall not be liable for any loss or damage under this policy, unless the liability of the said tug for such loss or damage shall have been first determined by a suit at law or otherwise, if this company shall so elect; and in case legal counsel shall be employed in defending any proceeding to test the liability of the said tug, the same shall first be approved in writing by this company.
“All claims paid under this policy shall reduce any further liability thereunder to the extent of the sum or sums so paid, unless the amount be made good by additional insurance and additional premium paid therefor.
“The insured must give this company prompt notice of any disaster, causing loss or damage, and a failure to give such notice shall discharge this company from any liability for loss or damage under this policy.
“It shall be lawful and necessary for the insured, his, her, or their agents, factors, servants, and assigns, to sue, labor, travel for, and make all reasonable efforts in and about the defense, safeguard, and recovery of such vessels, crafts, and cargoes, or any part thereof, without prejudice to this insurance, and the acts of the insured or this company or their agents in recovering, saving, and preserving the property in ease of disaster shall not be a waiver or an acceptance of an abandonment, or as affirming or denying any liability under this policy, but such acts shall be considered as done for the benefit for all concerned, and without prejudice to the rights of either party.”
“The insured, as a part consideration for this insurance, agrees and expressly- warrants:
“First. That the said insured shall in no way or maimer do anything or consent to any act or agreement which shall in any way admit any liability in any matter connected with this insurance to the prejudice of this company without its consent in writing, and that any attempt so to do shall render this policy and all claims thereunder absolutely void.”

Two barges in charge of the Carbonero had been anchored by the tug. They were lost under the circumstances described in 106 Fed. 329, 45 C. C. A. 314. The Carbonero was libeled for their loss, but the libel was dismissed. 122 Fed. 753, 58 C. C. A. 553. The srát at bar was brought to recover the legal expenses, including counsel fees, incurred in behalf of the tug in the proceeding in admiralty just mentioned. The defendant denied liability altogether, and the case was tried without a jury upon an agreed statement of facts. Only one defense made to the action need be considered here, viz., that the costs and charges which the plaintiff sued to recover were incurred in a suit wherein the tug was at length exonerated from blame.

The question presented is this: In a policy of insurance against liability like that here in question, is the insurer liable for the cost of a successful defense? I think not. Ambiguous expressions in the policy should be construed against the insurer, but the defendant’s liability must be based upon an interpretation of the contract entered into by the parties, and not upon another contract which the plaintiff might have reasonably desired. The policy in dispute is expressed to indemnify the plaintiff “against any loss or damage for which the said tug may become legally liable, caused by collision ana/or stranding, [959]*959as hereinafter stated.” Evidently the “loss or damage” referred to is not loss or damage to the Carbonero, but loss or damage to some other vessel, for which damage the Carbonero is liable. If the tow is stranded by vis major, so that the tug is not liable for the damage done to the tow, costs incurred in defending the tug against a claim for damage are not caused to the tug by the stranding, but by the misguided energy of a libelant without a case. It can make no difference whether the successful defense made by the tug is a denial of the stranding altogether, or a denial of the tug’s liability for it. Moreover, the insurer’s liability, stated generally, as above, is later defined more particularly. “This policy shall cover only the legal liability of the said tug for loss or damage and charges as herein provided.” The plaintiff contends that lie is entitled to recover by reason of the word “charges.” Even if this word may cover some legal expenses, yet these expenses, to be recoverable here, must be “charges as herein provided,” viz.:

“First. When such legal liability oí said tug shall have been incurred or caused bj injury to any oilier vessels or crafts, tlioir freights then being earned on cargoes on board oi! such vessels or crafts at the time of the disaster and/^, cargoes, by stranding and/or collision while they shall be in tow of the sail! tug. either alongside or at the end of a hawser.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
145 F. 957, 1906 U.S. App. LEXIS 4810, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/munson-v-standard-marine-ins-circtdma-1906.