Parr v. Illinois Life Insurance

165 S.W. 1152, 178 Mo. App. 155, 1914 Mo. App. LEXIS 103
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 16, 1914
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 165 S.W. 1152 (Parr v. Illinois Life Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Parr v. Illinois Life Insurance, 165 S.W. 1152, 178 Mo. App. 155, 1914 Mo. App. LEXIS 103 (Mo. Ct. App. 1914).

Opinion

TEIMBLE, J.

In the second count of her petition plaintiff sued upon a policy of insurance issued by defendant to Elisha Y. Parr for $1000, payable at his [157]*157death, to plaintiff as his widow and beneficiary. The annual premium thereon was $60.43 and was due on the 17th of June of each year. The first premium was paid; the second premium fell due on June 17, 1908. The insured gave his note to defendant for this premium. The next premium would, of course, become due June 17, 1909. A short time before this due date of the next premium, to-wit, about May 17, 1909, defendant sent its agent out to the insured’s place of residence in Johnson county, Kansas, to collect the note and to attend to other business for the company in that community, such as collecting premiums, taking applications for insurance, applications for reinstatement, etc.

It is the contention of plaintiff that this agent came to the insured’s house twice on that trip, once on May 17th when the insured, by check, paid the note given for the second premium, and again on May 19, 1909, when the insured paid him in cash the third premium which would be due June 17, 1909. If Parr paid this third permium to the agent, then his insurance was in force until June 17,1910, and was in force on the date of Parr’s death which occurred June 13, 1910. Defendant contends that, while Parr paid the note given for the second premium, yet he never paid the third premium in cash or in any other manner, and that the policy had lapsed at the time of his death. The whole contest is over the alleged payment of this third permium which would fall due June 17, 1909. The defendant insists that all the testimony introduced -by plaintiff to prove the payment of said premium to said agent was improper and should not have been admitted. If that contention is true, then there is no other testimony in the case proving such payment and plaintiff, in that event, cannot recover.

The court refused to exclude the testimony objected to, and submitted to the jury the issue whether or not the premium was paid to the agent. The jury [158]*158found for plaintiff for the amount due on the policy, and defendant has appealed.

It was clearly shown and is conceded that Cfeorge Withers was defendant’s agent sent for the purpose of collecting premiums, obtaining applications for new insurance, applications for renewals and other business of the company in the community in which the insured Parr lived. There was evidence tending to show that on the 17th of May, 1909, this agent collected of the insured, Parr, the note given for the second premium, and that Parr paid this note by check of that date on the State Bank of Stilwell, Kansas. At that, time, May 17, 1909', the third premium was nearly due, being payable on June 17th. After collecting the note,, the agent went about the neighborhood attending to the business of the company. There was evidence tending to show that on May 19th, two days after collecting the note for the second premium, the agent Withers returned to Parr’s residence. On this occasion a neighbor, James B. Kentch and his niece, Miss Myrtle Kentch were present. Plaintiff offered their testimony to prove that Parr, at this time, paid the third premium in cash. Defendant objected to their testimony and now claims that its admission was error.

James B. Kentch testified that he was at Mr. Parr’s May 19, 1909, fixing the date by the date of a note he gave next day to the agent Withers at Stilwell for the next premium due on his policy. He says that the agent Withers, and the insured, Mr. Parr, were present. After testifying to some remarks made which are not pertinent here, Mr. Kentch says he heard Mr. Parr and the agent Withers talking about insurance premiums; that Mr. Parr said he had paid a premium, and Mr. Withers replied to Mr, P'arr that he had paid his last premium but that another would be due soon; that Mr. Parr said he knew that and remarked, “I have'got the money and I will just pay it;” that thereupon Mr. Parr took a roll of money in bills out of his' [159]*159pocket and paid Withers some amount over $50, "and Mr. Withers wrote something on a receipt — looked like a receipt book, and wrote him out a receipt. I suppose it was, I don’t know whether it was a receipt or not, but I did not see that. But I seen him writing it and hand it to Mr. Parr. And he says, that will carry your insurance now for over a year.” Mr. Kenteh further testified that Withers put the money in his pocket and that no check was asked for or given. This testimony was corroborated by Mr. Kenteh’s niece, Miss Myrtle Kenteh, a young lady 16 years of age, who was present. The transaction occurred about three or four o’clock in the afternoon.

There was also offered the testimony of plaintiff herself, Mrs. Parr, to the effect that on the day Kenteh and his niece were at her husband’s farm, Mr: Parr invited the agent Withers to stay all night; that Withers accepted the invitation and that night after supper, while she was attending to her household duties, Withers and .her husband got out the latter’s insurance policy and spent some time going over and discussing it and other insurance papers in connection with it; that she did not know what feature of it they were discussing but that when Withers had finished explaining something to Mr. Parr about it to the latter’s satisfaction, Mr. Withers remarked to her husband, "This pays your insurance all up and you won’t have to bother with it any more for a long time.”

Plaintiff then offered various neighbors of Mr. Parr who testified that Withers, thereafter and while still in the community on that trip and engaged in collecting premiums and other business of the company, stated to them that Mr. Parr had paid his insurance ■up to the year 1910, which meant, of course, that the premium due June 17, 1909, had been paid.

Plaintiff also offered the testimony of Joseph W. Parr, a brother of the insured, that on June 14, 1910, three days .after his brother’s death, he was in the de[160]*160fendant’s branch, office in Kansas City (its head office being in Chicago), and had a conversation with Guy Withers in charge thereof. Policies of insurance issued by defendant were delivered through this office and it attended to the- business of collecting premiums ■due thereon. Guy Withers was a brother of George Withers, the agent who is alleged to have collected the third premium in cash and both officed at the same place. The conversation, above referred to, between Guy Withers and Joseph W. Parr was to the effect that he, Joseph W. Parr, inquired of Guy Withers if his brother’s policy was in force; that Withers replied he believed it was and turned to the-lady bookkeeper, Miss Bryan, and asked her, if it was. He was not allowed to tell what Miss Bryan’s reply was. But he testified that Withers went to Miss Bryan and talked with her and then returned and said to Joseph W. Parr: “Joe, I am glad your brother’s policy is in force, that is what life insurance companies are for. I am glad of it.” No proof was made showing what authority Guy Withers had nor what particular duties he had to perform, save that he was agent for the company.

■ Defendant objected to the introduction of all the evidence hereinabove outlined, but the objection was overruled. We- agree with defendant that the overruling of some of these objections was error, but we do not agree with the view that all of such evidence was inadmissible and that plaintiff had no competent evidence upon which to go to the jury.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
165 S.W. 1152, 178 Mo. App. 155, 1914 Mo. App. LEXIS 103, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/parr-v-illinois-life-insurance-moctapp-1914.