Rogers v. Trader's Insurance

6 Paige Ch. 583
CourtNew York Court of Chancery
DecidedJuly 18, 1837
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 6 Paige Ch. 583 (Rogers v. Trader's Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Court of Chancery primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rogers v. Trader's Insurance, 6 Paige Ch. 583 (N.Y. 1837).

Opinion

The following is the opinion of the vice chancellor delivered in the case of the Howard Insurance Company, and which is applicable to both suits.

J. Vanderpoel, V. C.

The first objection is to the sufficiency of the preliminary proofs. The object of offering such proof is to furnish reasonable information to the insurer, so that he may be able to form some estimate of his rights and duties, before he is obliged to pay. It has always been liberally expounded, and is construed to require only the best evidence of the fact that the party possesses at the time. Was there any such proof offered here ? Stow, as it appeas from the answer, on the 5th day of August, 1826, notified the defendants in writing, that he was entitled to one fourth of the loss, and desired the company to pay the same to him, and forbid them from paying it to Stratton and Winthrop. On the 12th day of September, 1826, he delivered to them his affidavit, stating that at the time of the loss, he was the owner of one fourth part of the boat, by virtue of a certain deed of mortgage executed by Duncan, and being the whole of his interest, which remained in full force ; that the debt for which it was given remained unpaid and unsatisfied. And he also delivered to them a copy of the assignment or mortgage. It is contended, however, that the mortgage itself should have been exhibited, and a satisfactoiy reason given why the note was not produced. If this position is correct, then the next inqury will be, has not the company waived the production of the technical preliminary proofs which they now set up as a bar to a recovery ? The law is now settled that if the underwriters make no objection to the preliminary proofs, but put their refusal to pay upon the ground that they are not liable to the person who exhibits his claim, it is a waiver of preliminary proof of interest. In the case of Francis v. The Ocean Insurance Company, (6 Cowen, 404,) the court [586]*586say that the defendants waived whatever imperfection there may have been in the preliminary proofs of the plaintiff’s interest in the subject insured, by not putting their refusal to pay upon that ground. This case was removed into the court of errors, and the doctrine laid down by the supreme court was approved and fully established. (2 Wend. Rep. 64. See also Voss v. Robison, 9 John. Rep. 192, and 7 id. 315. 8 id. 307.) No objection was made by the company when Stow demanded payment for the loss, and exhibited his proof of interest. If the objection which is now urged had then been taken, the deficiency might have been readily supplied, by producing the assignment and accounting for the non-production of the note if that had been essential to establish his interest. The defendants in their answer admit that they disregarded Stow’s prohibition not to pay Stratton & Winthrop, and sometime thereafter paid to them the amount now in controversy. They did then and still insist, that they were bound to pay Stratton & Winthrop ; thus excluding the idea that Stow had any claim upon them which he could enforce.

The next objection interposed to the complainant’s recovery is, that Duncan is interested and ought to have been made a party to this suit. On the 4th of January, 1826, he assigned to Stow one fourth of the steam-boat Alabama, to be held as collateral security for the payment of Daggett’s and Roberts’ note, endorsed by Duncan, in favor of Stow. The boat had been insured at the office of the defendants for ten thousand dollars, and Duncan’s interest therefore in the policy was two thousand five hundred dollars. During the continuance of the policy, the boat was entirely destroyed by fire. It is contended by the complainants that the debt for which the note was given is still unpaid, and that the assignment therefore became absolute. It is admitted that the instrument executed by Duncan is a mere mortgage ; and it is urged that as mortgagor he ought to -be made a party. (3 John. Cas. 322. 4 John. Chan. Rep. 149.) There is, however, a manifest difference between a mortgage of real and personal property. The former is merely a security for the debt; the mortgagee has only a [587]*587chattel interest, and the freehold remains in the mortgagor; It cannot he sold by the mortgagee on default of payment j o o r - without a bill of foreclosure and a decree of sale. Not so, however, with a mortgage of personal property ; ittranfers the whole interest, and in fact the mortgagee becomes the owner. (1 Peters, 441, 446.) After the condition is forfeited, the mortgagee of a chattel has an absolute interest in the thing mortgaged, so that the mortgagor cannot, by tendering the debt, entitle himself to an action of trover against the mortgagee. (Brown v. Bement, 8 John. Rep. 96. Ackley v. Finch, 7 Cowen, 290. Jones v. Smith, 2 Ves. jun. 378.) And if the mortgagee sells or disposes of the goods, the title of the purchaser is complete, and he shall hold it discharged from all claim on the part of the original owner. If the complainants are correct in their position that the debt for which the mortgage was given is unsatisfied, and that the mortgage was in full force when that debt became due, then, according to the authorities 1 have cited, the interest of Stow became absolute, and his assignee will at all events hold the property discharged from all claim on the part of Duncan for redemption. And the rights of the latter, if they are not absolutely extinguished, are reduced to a mere equity to call upon Stow, the mortgagee, to account for the value of the property over and above the amount due. Suppose that in this case Duncan had been made a party, what object could it have answered ? In ordinary cases it is necessary to bring in the mortgagor to give him an opportunity to redeem, and thus become reinvested with the title to the property. In this case there was nothing to redeem, the subject matter, if I may be allowed the expression, had been destroyed, and the controversy is now reduced to a contest for the fund of two thousand five hundred dollars to satisfy a claim of five thousand dollars; which claim, if valid, it is admitted on all hands, absorbs the whole and destroys the possibility of redemption. Suppose that instead of the boat, the policy had been mortgaged, what purpose would it have answered to have brought in the mortgagor to redeem ? The fund was money. A sale could not enhance its value, nor swell it beyond [588]*588the amount of the claim for which it was mortgaged. When the mortgage is of money in the' stocks, or the like, no decree of foreclosure is necessary. In Lockwood v. Ewer, (2 Atk. 303,) a bill was brought to redeem two thousand five hundred pounds East India stock transferred to secure the payment of two thousand pounds and interest. The lord chancellor said it was a plain case for the defendants; that on a mortgage of land, a bill of foreclosure ought to be brought, but on a mortgage of stock it was not necessary. There was therefore no necessity to make Duncan a party, nor can his testimony be impeached upon the ground of interest. As between these parties it is completely balanced, inasmuch as a recovery by either would create a liability on his part to the one who is defeated.

The insurance was procured by Stratton & Winthrop, who acted as agents and factors of John Duncan, jr. & Co. and it is contended that this, by operation of law, gave them a lien upon the policy for advances made for the. insured, or for any general balance that might be due to them upon account.

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

Related

American Alliance Ins. Co. of N.Y. v. McCallie
1957 OK 312 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1957)
Kent v. Ætna Insurance
84 A.D. 428 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1903)
Penn v. Hearon
27 S.E. 599 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1897)
United States v. Harris
76 F. 241 (Seventh Circuit, 1896)
Sammis v. Wightman ex rel. Marcher
31 Fla. 45 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1893)
Duncan v. China Mutual Insurance
29 N.E. 76 (New York Court of Appeals, 1891)
Hoagland v. Van Etten
23 Neb. 462 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 1888)
Home Insurance v. Gwathmey
1 S.E. 209 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1887)
Providence Washington Ins. v. The Sydney
27 F. 119 (U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Southern New York, 1886)
Castner v. Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance
8 N.W. 554 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1881)
Girard Life Insurance, Annuity & Trust Co. v. Mutual Life Insurance
97 Pa. 15 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1881)
Hutchinson v. Swartsweller
31 N.J. Eq. 205 (New Jersey Court of Chancery, 1879)
Walker v. Brooks
125 Mass. 241 (Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, 1878)
Johnson v. . Oppenheim
55 N.Y. 280 (New York Court of Appeals, 1873)
McKee v. Murphy
2 Jones & S. 261 (The Superior Court of New York City, 1872)
Stoddard v. Denison
7 Abb. Pr. 309 (The Superior Court of New York City, 1869)
Fountaine v. Urquhart
33 Ga. 184 (Supreme Court of Georgia, 1864)
Forgay v. Atlantic Mutual Insurance
2 Rob. 79 (The Superior Court of New York City, 1864)
Chapman v. Jenkins
31 Barb. 164 (New York Supreme Court, 1857)
Eggleston v. Mundy
4 Mich. 295 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1856)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
6 Paige Ch. 583, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rogers-v-traders-insurance-nychanct-1837.