Mutual Benefit Life Insurance v. Miller

39 Ind. 475
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 15, 1872
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 39 Ind. 475 (Mutual Benefit Life Insurance v. Miller) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mutual Benefit Life Insurance v. Miller, 39 Ind. 475 (Ind. 1872).

Opinion

Downey, J.

This was an action by the appellee, as administratrix of the estate of Herman A. Miller, deceased, against the appellant, on a policy of insurance upon the life of the deceased. It was provided in the policy, that if the declaration made by or for the assured, of even date with [476]*476the policy, and upon the faith of which the agreement was made, should be found in any respect untrue, then in such case the policy should be null and void. It was stipulated in the declaration, made and signed by the deceased at the time of his application for insurance, that the answers of himself, his physician, and his friend, should be the basis of the contract. In the particulars given of himself, the following questions and answers occurred:

“ io. Has the party had, since childhood, disease of the heart, rupture, fits, dropsy, liver complaint, bilious colic, rheumatism, gout, habitual cough, bronchitis, asthma, spitting of blood, consumption, paralysis, apoplexy, insanity, fistula, ulcers, or disease of the kidneys or bladder, and which ? No.

“ii. Has the party had any sickness within the last ten years? if so, what? Yes, scarlet fever, eight years ago.

“ 12. Has the party now any disease or disorder? if so, what? No.”

The first paragraph of the answer alleges, that the answer to the tenth question was false, in this, that before the time at which said answer was made, the said, Herman A. Miller had had spitting of blood, and had had, and then had, consumption ; and that the answer to question eleven was false, in this, that prior to the time at which said answer was made, said Miller had had sickness other than scarlet fever eight years before, to wit, bleeding of the lungs; and that the answer of said Miller to the question numbered twelve was false and untrue, in this, that at the time when said answer was made, the said Miller had consumption of the lungs.

The second paragraph of the answer alleges, that the execution and delivery of the said policy of insurance was obtained by the fraud and misrepresentation of said Miller, in this, that he pretended and represented to the defendant, at the time when he applied to the defendant to make and deliver to him the said policy of insurance, that he never had, since childhood, had spitting of blood, whereas, in truth [477]*477and in fact, he had had spitting of blood within one year prior to said application; and that he had had no sickness within the past ten years other than scarlet fever, whereas, in truth and in fact, he had had, within the past one year, bronchitis and bleeding of the lungs; and that he then had no disease, whereas, in truth, he then had the disease known as consumption; and that he had not had any medical attendant for the past seven years, when he had been attended by at least two physicians within the past seven years. All of which representations the said Miller well knew to be false.

Issue was formed by a general denial of the paragraphs •of the answer. , There was a trial by a jury, and general verdict for the plaintiff, and also certain special findings.

The defendant moved the court for a new trial, because,

1. The verdict was contrary to law.

2. It was contrary to the evidence.

3. It was not sustained by sufficient evidence.

4. Because error of law occurred at the trial of the cause, which was excepted to at the time by the defendant, in this, that the court, in giving instructions to the jury, gave instructions contrary to law. -

5. Because of error of law occurring at the trial of the said cause, which was excepted to at the time by defendant, in this, that the court refused to give to the jury instructions asked for by the defendant, which said instructions were according to law.

6. Because the defendant and her counsel were surprised at the withdrawal, by the counsel for the plaintiff, of his demand for written instructions, after he had notified the court and defendant’s counsel that he made such a demand; such withdrawal having been made without notice to the defendant or her counsel, and a knowledge of which did not come to defendant or her counsel until too late to make such a demand on their own behalf..

7. Misconduct of the counsel for plaintiff, in withdrawing his demand for written instructions, after public notice [478]*478of such demand, without notifying the defendant or her counsel of such withdrawal.

This motion was' overruled by the court, and final judgment rendered on the verdict of the jury for the plaintiff.

The errors assigned are:

1. That the court erred in giving to the jury the instructions set out in the record.

2. The court erred in refusing, at the request of the defendant, to give the instructions asked for by appellant, and which are set out in the record, and numbered I, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.

3. The court erred in overruling the motion of appellant to set aside the verdict of the jury and grant her a new trial herein.

4. The court erred in rendering the judgment against appellant, which is set out in the record.

For the errors occurring during the trial, we must look to the reasons assigned in the motion for a new trial, and not to the assignment of errors, except so far as it alleges the improper overruling of that motion. The first and second assignments of error must, therefore, be disregarded by us. The fourth alleged error has nothing on which to rest. If the motion for a new trial was properly overruled, the judgment followed as of course. We shall then proceed to examine the reasons which were assigned for a new trial.

Nothing is urged under the first reason for a new trial, that is, that the verdict was contrary to law.

The second and third reasons are, that the evidence was not sufficient to justify the finding of the jury.

The policy was made on the 3d day of September, 1869. It became material to know, among other things, whether the deceased, before that time, had had, or then had, spitting of blood or hemorrhage from the lungs, or not, or whether he then had consumption or not, and whether he had any disease. John Rasch testified that the deceased was employed in his store on the 1st day of July, 1869, and remained there for sixteen or seventeen days, when he left on account [479]*479of bad health; that during that time he had bleeding of the lungs several times very badly;/that he often spit up more than a tumbler full of blood; that at one time while he was there they thought he was going to die, and he went after Dr. Ehrman and brought him to the store to see Miller; that Miller told him, after he left his employment, that he was going to get his life insured, in order to get the money on the policy; that he had been to see Dr. Sheller, and that the doctor had told him that the bleeding came from his lungs.

Dr. H. M.

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Bluebook (online)
39 Ind. 475, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mutual-benefit-life-insurance-v-miller-ind-1872.