Ohio Farmers' Insurance v. Stowman

44 N.E. 558, 16 Ind. App. 205, 1896 Ind. App. LEXIS 354
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 10, 1896
DocketNo. 2,013
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 44 N.E. 558 (Ohio Farmers' Insurance v. Stowman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ohio Farmers' Insurance v. Stowman, 44 N.E. 558, 16 Ind. App. 205, 1896 Ind. App. LEXIS 354 (Ind. Ct. App. 1896).

Opinions

Reinhard, J.

Appellee sued and recovered judgment against appellant in the court below on a fire insurance policy on certain personal property, situated in the city of Hammond, in this State. At the time this policy was written the agent wrote another on a bouse owned by appellee, in said city of Hammond. The personal property destroyed and covered by the policy in suit was not contained in said house, but in a rented dwelling occupied by her, she having leased her own to others. The policies were written June 18, 1892, but not delivered until August 22, 1892, the agent having held them that long, it is claimed, so as to enable the appellee to procure the money with which to pay the premiums. The policy in suit was for one year, from June 18,1892, and the property was burned January 18,1893. The premium on this policy was $9.00, and on the policy covering the house $12.00. At the time of the delivery of the policies, the appellee paid the agent $10.00 on account of the premiums of both policies. Appellant claims and the agent testified that it was agreed that inasmuch as appellee [207]*207was unable to carry both policies, that the one, on the personal goods should be canceled at once, and that appellee agreed to send it to the agent’s office to be officially canceled, but that .she neglected to do so. The remainder of the premium was never paid, but soon after the fire and after said property had been destroyed, the appellee sept the remaining premium due on both policies to the agent, but he would not receive it, having knowledge of the loss.

The appellee’s version as to the matter of unpaid premiums of the two policies is that the agent credited her for the part still remaining due after the payment of the $10.00, saying at the time that she might pay it whenever she could, or whenever it was convenient for her to do so.

The appellee testified that at the time she paid the agent the $10.00 she told him she wanted the amount applied on the policy on the house, and that he told her she could keep both of the policies and pay the balance whenever she had the money. The appellant’s agent, who took the insurance, testified that the appellee did not pay anything on the policy in suit, but owed the full amount thereon, $9.00. There was no other evidence upon the subject.

It is, therefore, the undisputed evidence that no portion of the premium of the policy in suit had been paid when the policy was delivered, and that $10.00 of the premium was then paid on the two policies, leaving a balance of $11.00 still due, $9.00 of which was payable on the policy in suit. The appellee claims that the agent gave her time to pay this balance as long as she wanted; the agent testifies that no time was given her, but that the policy (on the furniture) was to be canceled. This appears to be the point of dispute between the parties, but it does not seem to us that it is [208]*208material whether the appellant or the appellee is right in this contention.

There was no clause in the policy providing for a forfeiture in case the premium remained unpaid for any certain period, or was not paid in cash. The only I>rovision relating to a forfeiture is that where a note is given for the premium and the same is not paid within thirty days after it becomes due, the policy shall be void until the note is paid, etc. As there was no note given in this case, the above provision cannot be made applicable.

We know of no reason for holding that an insurance company may not sell insurance on a credit. If the company, through its agent, accepted the insurance with the agreement that appellee should have a reasonable time in which to pay the remainder of the premium, the,policy did not become forfeited by reason of the nonpayment of such premium. The unpaid premium then simply became a debt due from the appellee to the appellant, to be collected like any- other debt. There being evidence to sustain appellee’s theory of the transaction, we cannot reverse the judgment on account of a failure of proof on the subject of the payment of the premiums.

The appellant argues that this case is governed by the law as declared in Continental Ins. Co. v. Dorman, 125 Ind. 189. But in that case a note was given for the premium, and the policy expressly provided that in case of failure to pay the note at maturity the policy should be void while the note remained unpaid. It was attempted to show that the note was taken in absolute payment of the premium, and it was held that this was no excuse for failure to pay the note, inasmuch as such an agreement would be in plain controvention of the terms of the written contract and hence void. No such case is here presented.

[209]*209The appellant vigorously assails the jury’s answers to the interrogatories propounded to them, and it must be confessed, they, or some of them, at least, are singularly repugnant to the positive and uncontradicted evidence. Thus it is found by the jury that the appellee paid the premium, or part thereof, on the policy in suit, when it is practically admitted by her that the payment of $10.00 made by her was on the other policy. More remarkable still is the finding that neither the appellee nor her brother for her offered to pay the balance of the premium still due on the two policies to the appellant’s agent at Hammond, Indiana, after the goods had been burned, and that said agent did not refuse to accept the same. On this subject the appellee testified without equivocation that either on the day of the fire or afterwards she sent the money by her brother to appellant’s agent, Knotts, to pay the balance due on both the policies, while Knotts stated in his deposition that appellee’s brother, after the fire, tendered him either $9.00 or $11.00 on these policies, which he refused to receive. There was no testimony in contradiction of this statement. Hence it is difficult to understand just where the jury obtained the testimony upon which they based their answer that no such tender had been made after the fire.

Again, the jury found that the premium for the policy in suit was paid to the appellant by Knotts on or before his final settlement with said appellant. Of this there is no evidence. The fact that Knotts testified that he owed the company nothing did not warrant the jury in finding that he had paid over to the company the premium due from appellee, in the absence of some testimony to that effect.

We do not think, however, that the determination of this case depends in any degree upon the truth or [210]*210falsity of these answers to the interrogatories. If the policy in suit was delivered to the appellee under the agreement that the latter should pay the balance of the premium when it was convenient, or within a reasonable time, it was an agreement which the parties had the power to make, and the policy would not be forfeited in the absence of a clause to that effect in the contract. Hence it would be wholly immaterial whether the appellant received the premium or not, or whether any tender of the balance was made after the fire, or before, for that matter. The answers to the interrogatories are therefore not inconsistent with the general verdict.

We have examined the evidence concerning the question of proof of loss, and our conclusion is that if no such proof was made it was waived by the appellant in denying liability upon other grounds.

There was no error in giving instruction one, two and three, requested by appellee.

We find no reversible error in the overruling of the motion for a new trial.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Bittinger v. New York Life Insurance
112 P.2d 621 (California Supreme Court, 1941)
Bolton v. Standard Life Insurance
219 Ill. App. 177 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1920)
Farmers National Life Insurance v. Hale
122 N.E. 19 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1919)
Union Mutual Life Insurance v. Adler
73 N.E. 835 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1905)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
44 N.E. 558, 16 Ind. App. 205, 1896 Ind. App. LEXIS 354, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ohio-farmers-insurance-v-stowman-indctapp-1896.