Nichols v. Commonwealth Casualty Co.

214 P. 1111, 113 Kan. 484, 1923 Kan. LEXIS 136
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedMay 12, 1923
DocketNo. 24,443
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 214 P. 1111 (Nichols v. Commonwealth Casualty Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nichols v. Commonwealth Casualty Co., 214 P. 1111, 113 Kan. 484, 1923 Kan. LEXIS 136 (kan 1923).

Opinions

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Harvey, J.:

This is an action against an accident insurance company to recover for accidental injuries. There was a trial to the court, judgment for plaintiff, and the defendant appealed.

[485]*485Appellant contends that the policy issued to plaintiff was a limited policy, specifically indemnifying against injuries caused by certain specified accidents only, and that plaintiff’s injury was caused by an accident not indemnified against in the policy. The plaintiff concedes this, but he alleged:

“That W. J. Francisco, an agent of the appellant, solicited the appellee for accident insurance in The Commonwealth Casualty Company; that he represented to Nichols that in case of accident he would receive during the time he was totally disabled and prevented from performing any of his usual duties, the sum of $25 per week, and the sum of $12.50 per week if partially disabled and not able to attend to all his duties, and should said accidents occur under certain other conditions, which are not material in this case, he would receive $25 per week; that in consideration of said representation, and relying on the statements of Francisco, appellee made and entered into a contract with the defendant, through and by the agent W. J. Francisco, and paid the premium therefor; that he signed the application and a policy was issued to him by the appellant, that he did not read the policy, but took it home with him and put it away, believing it was as represented by the agent, and relying upon the statements of the agent; that on March 21, 1921, he was injured while attending to his usual duties, and was continuously disabled until April 25, 1921.”

A copy of the policy and of the application were attached to the bill of particulars and made a part of it. Evidence was offered supporting these allegations and the court made the following findings:

“1. . . . W. J. Francisco was during the month of February, 1921, the duly appointed, qualified and acting agent of the said defendant in said city of Lawrence, for the purpose of soliciting business and collecting premium charges.
“2. The plaintiff Nichols applied to the said Francisco for a policy of accident and health insurance, and the said Francisco represented to the said plaintiff that he was the agent of the above-named defendant, and that the said defendant issued a policy which insured against any kind of accident and sickness, and that in case of accident or sickness the said company would pay on said policy the sum of $25 per week during the time that the insured was permanently disabled, and $12.50 per week during the time that the insured was partially disabled, for an annual premium of $10 per year. The plaintiff told the said Francisco that he desired the policy of insurance then described to him. Some time later the said Francisco delivered to the plaintiff the policy of insurance issued by the said defendant, the same being policy No. H-0319397, which said policy is made a part of these findings by reference. The plaintiff paid the said Francisco the sum of $10, the sum demanded as a premium or payment for the benefits of said policy as represented to be for a period of one year. The plaintiff did not read the provisions in said policy at the time it was delivered to him but took it home and deposited it with other papers, and did not again see it until after he was injured.
“The plaintiff relied upon the representations made by said agent, Francisco, [486]*486as true and believed that the provisions as represented would be and were contained in said policy of insurance.
“3. On or about March 21, 1921, the plaintiff, while engaged in his regular occupation, sustained an injury from which he was totally disabled for a period of four weeks, and partially disabled for two weeks,, making six weeks of disability in all. During this period of disability, the plantiff was continuously confined to the house between two and three weeks. He was visited at his house by a licensed physician on one occasion, that being the day or the day after his injury. The plaintiff was, however, either himself or through members of his family, in consultation with the said physician from time to time during his confinement. After his confinement he visited the said physician at the physician’s office from time to time. A proof of loss, accompanied by the physician’s statement was presented to the defendant on blanks supplied by it, and the defendant denied liability under said policy of insurance.”

As conclusions of law the court said:

“1. The representations made by the agent Francisco and relied upon by the plaintiff are binding upon the defendant company.
“2. The plaintiff should have judgment against the defendant for $125.”

As the case was tried without a jury the judgment may be regarded as in effect one reforming the policy and enforcing it as reformed. Although on an appeal from a justice of the peace the district court has ordinarily no larger powers than the justice, which do not include the giving of equitable relief, where on such an appeal, an issue beyond the jurisdiction of the justice is tried, an objection on that ground may be regarded as waived unless made in the district court. (Telegraph Co. v. Moyle, 51 Kan. 203, 32 Pac. 895.) Here the defendant’s objections to the judgment are not based upon a disability of the district court to grant equitable relief because of the case having reached it by appeal, but upon the contention that the policy as written would control in any court.

The legal question presented is the right of plaintiff to recover under the allegations and proof as found by the court, notwithstanding the fact'that the policy issued did not cover the accident which caused plaintiff’s injury. The question of the extent to which an insurance company is bound by representations made by, or acts of, its soliciting agents, has been before this court repeatedly.

In Pfiester v. Insurance Co., 85 Kan. 97, 116 Pac. 245, a suit brought by a beneficiary of a life insurance policy to reform the policy as to the date of premium payment so as to conform to the agreement between the insured and the company’s soliciting agent, and to recover upon the policy as reformed, the earlier cases are col[487]

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
214 P. 1111, 113 Kan. 484, 1923 Kan. LEXIS 136, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nichols-v-commonwealth-casualty-co-kan-1923.