Progressive Specialty Insurance v. First Community Bank

827 So. 2d 92, 2000 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 308, 2000 WL 640912
CourtCourt of Civil Appeals of Alabama
DecidedMay 19, 2000
Docket2990070
StatusPublished

This text of 827 So. 2d 92 (Progressive Specialty Insurance v. First Community Bank) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Progressive Specialty Insurance v. First Community Bank, 827 So. 2d 92, 2000 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 308, 2000 WL 640912 (Ala. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

CRAWLEY, Judge.

In August 1996, Progressive Specialty Insurance Company issued David Back a [93]*93business automobile policy covering a logging truck. Back made a down payment on the premium and chose to pay the remainder of the premium in 10 monthly installments. Back had misrepresented his driving record; when Progressive learned of the misrepresentation, it increased his premium. Progressive sent Back a premium notice on August 29 for $788.25, which was due on September 8. On September 3, Progressive mailed Back a notice stating that the policy would be cancelled on September 15 unless payment was made by that date. Back paid the premium on September 12, and the policy continued in effect.

On September 13, Progressive sent Back a premium notice for $756.82, which was due on September 28. On September 30, Progressive mailed Back a notice stating that the policy would be cancelled on October 12 if payment was not received by that date. Back paid this premium on October 6. Progressive mailed another premium notice for $730.77 on October 7; it was due October 22. Back did not pay that premium.

On November 3, Progressive mailed the notice for the November premium, which was due November 12. This notice combined the amount due in October and that due in November, for a total premium of $1,461.54. On November 6, Progressive mailed Back a notice stating that the policy would be cancelled on November 18 if the $1,461.54 premium was not paid by that date.

On November 8, Back paid $730.77, which was half the premium due. Back failed to pay the remainder of the premium due by November 18. The policy was cancelled, and, after following certain accounting procedures, Progressive refunded all of the November 12 payment but the $25 required to extend coverage through the entire day of November 18. The truck that had been insured by the policy was destroyed by fire on November 25. Progressive mailed the refund check on November 27.

Back made a claim under the policy. Progressive filed a declaratory-judgment action, seeking a judgment declaring that it did not owe coverage to Back for the loss. Progressive maintained that the policy was effectively cancelled before the loss, but, in a show of good faith, deposited $27,500 with the circuit clerk. First Community Bank (the “Bank”), as holder of a lien on the truck, moved to intervene; its motion was granted. The Bank also asserted a cross-claim against David Back and his wife, Barbara Back, alleging that it was owed moneys as a result of its lien on the truck. Back counterclaimed against Progressive; however, his counterclaim was dismissed because he failed to appear for his deposition. He did not appear at trial.

After a trial, the trial court held that Progressive did not effectively cancel the insurance contract and ordered that the Bank be paid $29,182.45 or the amount on deposit with the circuit clerk. In its judgment, the trial court found that although “the agent told Back that he had to pay the remainder of the premium by November 18, 1996, .... the agent and Progressive had allowed ... Back[ ] to make late payments in prior months ... [and] it was reasonable for ... Back[ ] to assume [he] could make this payment late as well.” The court further found that the premium notice did not indicate that Progressive would not accept partial payments. The trial court based its judgment on the holdings of Intercontinental Life Ins. Co. v. Lindblom, 571 So.2d 1092 (Ala.1990), vacated on other grounds, 499 U.S. 956, 111 S.Ct. 1575, 113 L.Ed.2d 641 (1991), and State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Anderson, 294 Ala. 451, 318 So.2d 687 [94]*94(1975). Progressive appeals, arguing that the cases relied upon by the trial court are inapposite. It argues that Barnett v. Funding Plus of America, Inc., 740 So.2d 1069 (Ala.1999), controls and that its cancellation of the policy was effective. After a review of the record and the law applied by the trial court, we reverse its judgment.

The facts are largely undisputed. Back paid only half of the premium due on November 18. The question addressed by the trial court was whether Progressive’s acceptance of the partial payment of the amount due under the November premium notice and the refund of that premium after notice of the loss amounted to a waiver of Progressive’s right to cancel the policy for nonpayment of premiums. That question is one of law. Therefore, the trial court’s judgment on that issue carries no presumption of correctness and we review the application of the law to the facts de novo. Allstate Ins. Co. v. Skelton, 675 So.2d 377, 379 (Ala.1996).

Although the Bank urges that Lindblom is controlling, the facts of Lindblom differ markedly from those in this case. Ms. Lindblom made the premium payments on a policy insuring the life of Tommie Rodenberry. Lindblom, 571 So.2d at 1094. The premiums had been paid on a quarterly basis. Id. The contract provided that the premium payments were due on the first day of the payment period, but allowed a 31-day grace period. Id. Intercontinental stated that it also allowed an additional 15-day grace period, but that this additional grace period was not provided for in the contract. Id.

In December 1983, Lindblom decided to pay the premiums on a monthly basis instead of on a quarterly basis. Id. She notified Intercontinental of this change, by letter, including with the letter a premium payment for the month of December. Id. The letter and payment were mailed on January 1, 1984. Id. Lindblom stated in the letter that she would send the next premium payment when notified by Intercontinental. Id. Intercontinental did not respond to Lindblom’s letter, but accepted the premium for December. Id.

On February 2, 1984, Lindblom mailed another premium payment. Id. Intercontinental “back-applied” this payment to cover the January 1984 payment, which was 32 days past due. Id. Lindblom continued to make a premium payment each month from February 1984 to August 1985. Id. Intercontinental accepted each payment, but back-applied each payment to make up for the original missed payment in January 1984. Id. Thus, nearly all of Lindblom’s payments were accepted outside the 31-day grace period provided for in the contract. Id.

On August 5, 1985, Lindblom sent a payment to Intercontinental. Id. at 1095. That payment was applied to the unpaid July premium. Id. When Lindblom mailed what she believed was her September payment on September 15, Intercontinental again treated the check as payment of the previous month’s premium. Id. However, Intercontinental’s computer system designated the policy as terminated. Id. Lind-blom, unaware that Intercontinental had determined that the policy had lapsed, remitted what she believed to be her October payment. Id. On October 11, Intercontinental informed her that the policy had lapsed. Id. On October 23, the insured, Ms. Rodenberry, died. Id. When Lind-blom filed a claim under the policy, Intercontinental denied payment of benefits because, it said, the policy had lapsed. Id.

Intercontinental had consistently accepted payments outside its grace period and had failed to notify the insured of the lapse of the policy, which the supreme court determined had actually occurred in January 1984. Id. at 1096.

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Related

Intercontinental Life Ins. v. Lindblom
571 So. 2d 1092 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1990)
Mutual Savings Life Insurance Company v. Noah
282 So. 2d 271 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1973)
Allstate Ins. Co. v. Skelton
675 So. 2d 377 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1996)
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance v. Anderson
318 So. 2d 687 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1975)
Barnett v. Funding Plus of America, Inc.
740 So. 2d 1069 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1999)
InterContinental Life Insurance v. Lindblom
499 U.S. 956 (Supreme Court, 1991)

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Bluebook (online)
827 So. 2d 92, 2000 Ala. Civ. App. LEXIS 308, 2000 WL 640912, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/progressive-specialty-insurance-v-first-community-bank-alacivapp-2000.