Mutual Benefit Life Insurance v. Ruse

8 Ga. 534
CourtSupreme Court of Georgia
DecidedJuly 15, 1850
DocketNo. 89
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 8 Ga. 534 (Mutual Benefit Life Insurance v. Ruse) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Georgia 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. Ruse, 8 Ga. 534 (Ga. 1850).

Opinion

By the Court.

Nisbet, J.

delivering the opinion.

[1.] The errors assigned grow out of the refusal of the Court below to award a new trial at the instance of the defendant below. The specifications of error are, the grounds taken in the rule for a new trial. But counsel for the plaintiff in error relied, before this Court, only upon two of those grounds, to-wit:

1st. Because the Court erred in permitting said pamphlet, or any portion thereof, to be read in evidence on the trial of said case.

2d. Because the Court erred in this, that when the attorney for the plaintiff requested him to charge the Jury that the pamphlet in evidence proved that the party was allowed thirty days in which to pay the premium, the Court refused, saying that the language was equivocal, and that he would refer it to the Jury for their construction.

The pamphlet referred to, purports to be the rules and regulations of the plaintiff in error — “ The Mutual Benefit and Life Insurance Company.” It contains numerous statements or rules, which relate to the business and the manner of conducting it, of that company. It does not appear to have been published by the authority and direction of the company; but it was proven that pamphlets of like character with this, were handed out, at different times, by the company, to persons wishing to deal with them, and making enquiry as to the terms, &c. of insurance. In this pamphlet, among other things, is the following article : “ A [537]*537party neglecting to settle his annual premium within thirty days after it is due, or paying assessments within sixty days, as specified in the charter, or refusing to give satisfactory security upon the note, forfeits the interest he has in the policy.”

The plaintiff below read in evidence the policy, by which the premiums are stipulated to be paid annually on the 10th of April, and in which it is further stated, “ in ease the said John C, Ruse (who was the party who had insured the life of a Mr. Bugby) shall not pay the said annual premiums on or before the said! several days hereinbefore mentioned for the payment thereof, then, and in every such case, the said company shall not' be liable to the payment of the sum insured, or any part thereof, and this policy shall cease and determine.”

It was farther in evidence, that Bugby, the person whose life was insured, died on the 14th day of April — four days after the time when, by the policy, the premium was payable, and that after his death, and within the thirty days, the premium was tendered, which was due on the policy on the 10th of April preceding, and refused by the company. Under these circumstances, the pamphlet referred to, and more particularly that portion of it before recited, was admitted in evidence for the plaintiff below.

The manner in which the second ground of error is stated i® the record, is somewhat equivocal. The language of the rule is to the effect that the Court erred in this — that when eounselfor the plainliff.requested him to charge the Jury that the pamphlet in evidence proved that the party was allowed thirty days in which to pay the premium, the Court refused, saying that it was equivocal, and that he would refer it to the Jury for their own construction. Now, it is hardly to he presumed that the plaintiff intended to bring before this Court, as error, the refusal of the Court to charge a proposition at the request of the other side, which he maintains is unsound. The refusal of the Court thus to charge, was negatively in his favor, and; he would not except to a decision in his own favor. Such exceptions and alleged error would reach no point in the first instance, and would be abused in the second. I apprehend that the real ground of error, is the refusal of the Court to put the true legal construction upon this thirty day clause in the pamphlet, hut left that to the Jury, in saying to them, it was equivocal and for their construction. The question made by these assignments is this : what, in the state of this case, [538]*538is the legal effect of this clause in the printed pamphlet ? This is clearly a question for the Court. He ought to have instructed the Jury as to the law which should govern the rights of these parties arising under this policy, and the facts proven, and this article of the pamphlet. He did not do so — but left the construction to the Jury. The defendant had a right to complain of this, for the pamphlet being in evidence, the Jury was bound to believe that it was legally before them. If, in law, the obligation of the defendants to pay the insurance is not affected by this clause in the pamphlet, why then, the admission of it in evidence, and the failure to instruct the Jury as to its legal effect, was a virtual ruling against the rights of the defendants. Upon the hearing of the cause we thought that there was no error in the admission of the pamphlet, it being put out as the terms and conditions of insurance, by the defendants, and, on that account, to be considered by the Jury subject to the control of the Court, in its right and obligation to pronounce upon its effect in law upon the policy. Upon looking into the authorities, I am satisfied that we were in error, and, for myself, I now correct it. I am now convinced that its admissibility depends upon its effect on the contract, and if, as we hold, it does not vary the policy, so as in any way to affect the liabilityof the company thereon, it was not admissible. This question becomes immaterial, as the judgment we pronounce upon the clause in the pamphlet will control the cause, so far as that clause is concerned with it. My correction, therefore, of what to me appears to be an error, does not at all interfere with the judgment of the Court, as pronounced at the hearing. Its discussion, however, is of some importance, for the reasons which exclude the pamphlet as evidence, shed light upon the construction which we give to it.

The position of the plaintiff below, is, that this pamphlet, being promulgated as containing the terms and conditions upon which the company insures, they are bound by it — its declarations entering into, and constituting apart of their contracts of insurance, and that the meaning and legal effect of the thirty day clause or rule, are, that if the premium is paid or tendered at any time within the thirty days, it extends the contract, so as to hold them liable for the insurance, even where, as in this case, the insured dies after the time stipulated in the policy for the payment of the premium, and before the tender or payment. I do not mean to say, [539]*539that in no case, and for no purpose, would this pamphlet be admissible. In this case, it is inadmissible, because it cannot be construed so as to enlarge or extend the terms and obligations of the contract as contained in the policy.

It is to be noted that the policy contains no reference whatever to the pamphlet — of course none to that part of it now being considered.

It is farther to be noted that the policy expressly provides that the premiums shall be paid annually, on or before the 10th day of April, in every year during its continuance.

And it is also to be carefully noted, that the policy explicitly declares, that if the premiums are not paid on or before the 10th day of April, annually, the company shall not be liable to the payment of the sum insured,, or any part thereof, and the policy shall cease and determine.

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Bluebook (online)
8 Ga. 534, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mutual-benefit-life-insurance-v-ruse-ga-1850.