People ex rel. Hagerman v. Court of Appeals

75 P. 407, 32 Colo. 147
CourtSupreme Court of Colorado
DecidedJanuary 15, 1904
DocketNo. 4684
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 75 P. 407 (People ex rel. Hagerman v. Court of Appeals) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People ex rel. Hagerman v. Court of Appeals, 75 P. 407, 32 Colo. 147 (Colo. 1904).

Opinion

Per Curiam.

In 1866 the respondent company issuéd its policy of insurance upon the life of David Heller. The policy contained the following, among other provisions: “This policy of insurance witnesseth that the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York, in consideration of the representations made to them in the application for this policy, and of the sum of $22.08, to them duly paid by Mrs. Fannie Heller,■ wife of David Heller, merchant, and of the semi-annual payment of a like amount on or about the 'seventeenth days of May and November in each year during the continuance of this policy, do assure the life of David Heller of NewYork, in the County of New York, State of New York, for the sole use of his said wife, in the amount of two thousand dollars, for the term of his natural life.

“And the said company do hereby promise and [149]*149agree to pay the amount of said insurance at their office in the City of New York, to the assured for her sole use, if living, in conformity with the statute, and if not living, to her children, or their guardian for their use, in sixty days after due notice and proof of the death of the said party whose death is hereby insured, the balance of the year’s premium, if any, being first deducted therefrom.”

In the year 1884 David Heller and Fannie Heller, his wife, executed their promissory note, payable to one Body, for six hundred dollars, and as additional security assigned their interest in the policy. The note-and policy were assigned in 1887 by Body to Metzler, by Metzler in 1890 to Norman Hagerman, and by Hagerman in 1891 to petitioner. The policy was delivered with each assignment to the assignee and the insurance company duly notified. The company, pursuant to the request of the petitioner, converted it into a paid-up policy for $1,903.00. After the policy was indorsed as a paid-up policy it was delivered by mistake to David Heller. It is admitted that the cash surrender value of the policy in July, 1898 was $810.00. After the delivery of the- policy to Heller and in July 1898 the petitioner demanded of the company its return or the payment of $810.00, its surrender value. The company was unable to deliver the policy and refused to pay the sum demanded. Fannie Heller, the beneficiary named in the policy, died in the year 1889, leaving her husband, David Heller, and several children surviving her. In October, 1898, Jennie. R. Hagerman brought action against the insurance company in the district court of Arapahoe county alleging the conversion of the policy and demanding judgment for its value. The trial resulted in a judgment in favor of the plaintiff for the value of the policy and provided that the [150]*150judgment might be satisfied by the delivery of the policy to the plaintiff. The defendant appealed from •the judgment to the court of appeals. That court reversed the judgment of the district court and held that as Jennie E. Hagerman had no substantial interest in the policy in question, she was not damaged by the alleged conversion. Subsequently Mrs. Hagerman filed her petition in this court for a writ of certiorari. The petition, after reciting that petitioner recovered judgment against the insurance company in the district court; that the judgment was reversed by the court of appeals and that the petition for rehearing was overruled, alleges, among other things: (1) “That the court of appeals in arriving at its judgment and decision refused to consider matters pertinent and vital in said controversy.” (2) “That the opinion announced is contrary to the law in reference to said matters therein contained, as heretofore' laid down by the prior decisions of this court, and also in said court of appeals.” (3) “That the court of appeals was without jurisdiction to render the particular judgment announced.” (4) “That the judgment of the court of appeals is based upon wholly immaterial facts”; and (5) “That the opinion and judgment of the court of appeals fails to state certain material facts, and that said court has misapprehended the facts and grievously erred in its statement, so far as it attempts to give the same. ’ ’ •

We shall consider those allegations only which we have numbered 2 and 3, because we have repeatedly held that if the court of appeals has juris-’ diction of the case, this court will not exercise the superintending control granted by the constitution, even though it should appear that the decision of the court of appeals is erroneous, or that the facts upon which the decision was based were insufficient in law [151]*151to sustain the conclusion of the court, or that such facts were immaterial under the issue made by the pleadings. We do not recall a decision of this court in which it is held that we will refuse to grant the writ where it is alleged in the petition and shown by the record that the court of appeals has failed to consider facts which are alleged to be material to the issue, or where it is alleged that the court has misapprehended the facts and grievously erred in its statement of them; but we now decide that such conditions do not warrant this court in the exercise of the power granted by law; for unless the court of appeals is without jurisdiction to render the judgment, or unless in a clear case it ignores the decision of this court, or unless eases, if any, are presented- involving the same principle, certiorari will not be granted,. - — People v. Court of Appeals, 28 Colo. 442; People v. Court of Appeals, 27 Colo. 405; People v. Court of Appeals, 27 Colo. 411.

In holding that Mrs. Hagerman had no interest in the policy of insurance, the court declared that upon the death of Fannie Heller her children became the beneficiaries, and it is urged that the court was-without jurisdiction to render judgment in favor of these children because they were not parties to the suit. The specific objection is as follows: ‘‘ That the said, the Honorable Court of Appeals, had no jurisdiction to consider and determine the questions it has adjudicated in said action, for want of necessary parties. That the entire opinion is based on the supposed rights of the children of Fannie Heller. That in order to have their rights passed upon, the defendant should have made them parties by cross-bill, and caused them to interplead with petitioner. That the matters determined by the court of appeals could only properly be considered upon an inter plea. That said children, not being parties thereto, could in no way [152]*152be bound by tbe judgment of the court of appeals. That as such an adjudication could not be binding, upon them, neither had it, nor can it legally be made to have, any binding force or effect on your petitioner. ’ ’

Counsel’s position is not tenable. The court had jurisdiction of the appeal — jurisdiction to determine Mrs. TIagerman’s right in the subject of litigation, and while the children were not parties to the litigation, and while counsel is correct in stating that they would not be bound by any judgment rendered against them, the court had power, nevertheless, in passing upon the right of Mrs. Hagerman, to declare that upon the death of the wife of the insured her assignee’s rights ceased and that her children became the beneficiaries. We cannot say that the court of appeals has ignored the decisions of this court or has refused to be guided by the law as announced by this court. In People v. Court of Appeals, in 27 Colo. 411, it is held, that ‘ ‘ The supreme court will not, in the exercise of its power of superintending control, review, by certiorari,

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156 P. 800 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1916)
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26 Colo. App. 567 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 1914)
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79 P. 1021 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1905)

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Bluebook (online)
75 P. 407, 32 Colo. 147, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-ex-rel-hagerman-v-court-of-appeals-colo-1904.