Royal Insurance v. Stewart

129 N.E. 853, 190 Ind. 444, 1921 Ind. LEXIS 115
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 3, 1921
DocketNo. 23,903
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 129 N.E. 853 (Royal Insurance v. Stewart) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Royal Insurance v. Stewart, 129 N.E. 853, 190 Ind. 444, 1921 Ind. LEXIS 115 (Ind. 1921).

Opinion

Ewbank, J.

— This was an action by the appellee on an insurance policy issued by the appellant, seeding to [447]*447recover for a loss by fire. The complaint was in three paragraphs. The trial court found for the appellant on the issues joined on the first paragraph of the complaint, and it need not be further considered except to say that it sought to reform the policy as not stating the real contract. The second paragraph of the complaint alleged that the appellant issued to appellee a fire insurance policy covering certain property owned by the appellee, and exhibited the policy as written, in the New York Standard form with the allegation that the “iron-safe clause” therein, as hereinafter set out, was incorporated in the policy by mistake; that the insured property had been consumed by fire, and that appellee had complied with all the provisions of the policy contract, except certain other provisions which were waived, as was alleged, by reason of facts stated; and asked that the policy be reformed so as to express the contract really entered into, by striking out the “iron-safe clause,” and that appellee be given judgment for the damage caused by the fire. And the third paragraph of complaint alleged the execution of the policy, setting it out as written, that the property insured was destroyed by fire, that appellant did certain acts by which some of the conditions of the policy other than the “iron-safe clause” were waived, and that appellee performed all conditions not so waived, and demanded a judgment at law for the face of the policy. Demurrers to each paragraph of the complaint were overruled, and appellant excepted.

Many paragraphs of answer were filed, of which the first paragraph was a general denial, and the second and sixth pleaded former adjudication, the sixth paragraph setting out the facts relied on more in detail, and alleging that appellee, as sole plaintiff, had previously filed, in the same circuit court in which this action was begun, a complaint setting out the same policy exhibited with [448]*448each paragraph of this complaint, and averring the same facts as to the destruction of the insured property by fire, and as to appellant’s waiver of certain conditions of the policy, and appellee’s performance of all other conditions; that the case was taken by change of venue to the Jennings Circuit Court, by which a demurrer filed by appellant for want of sufficient facts was sustained to said complaint, and upon the refusal of appellee to amend or plead over, a judgment was rendered thereon, against appellee and in favor of appellant, for the costs of the action; that appellee sued and appellant was sued in that action in the same capacity as in this, and they were, respectively, the sole plaintiff and sole defendant therein, and that the subject-matter was the same; that said judgment in the former action had not been reversed, modified, set aside or appealed from, but was in full force and effect; and that appellee was suing in this action for the same identical claim and demand which was so sued for and adjudicated in the former action.

Demurrers were sustained to each of seven paragraphs of the answer, and appellant excepted, but others, including the second and sixth paragraphs, were held sufficient. A reply of general denial was filed. The cause was submitted for trial on the issues joined' on each of the three paragraphs of complaint and numerous paragraphs of answer, including the general denial, and the pleas of former adjudication. The issues joined on the first and second paragraphs of the complaint, which sought a reformation of the policy, were tried by the court, and the issues joined on the third paragraph were submitted to a jury, upon the same evidence.

At the trial the plaintiff testified that: “I never had any other fire in 1912 than the fire mentioned in this complaint. The only property I ever had damaged by fire was the property mentioned in my complaint in [449]*449this action. I filed a complaint against the defendant in the Ripley Circuit Court on September 11th, 1913, * * * some time in September, 1913. I was the plaintiff in that action, and the loss I sued for' in that action is the loss I am suing for in this action, and upon the same policy and against the same defendant.” H. H. Cope and P. E. Bear testified that they were employed by appellee as attorneys in cause No. 6522 in the Ripley Circuit Court, which became No. 6283 in the Jennings Circuit Court, and that appellee gave them a statement of facts on which the complaint in that case was written, and that two conferences with appellee upon the facts were had before the complaint was filed; that the complaint was read to appellee, including all that it said about the'iron-safe clause in the policy; that the facts alleged in that complaint were gotten solely from appellee.

Mr. Cope testified that after the Jennings Circuit Court sustained the demurrer to the complaint he told the court that the complaint stated all the facts as they were, and then prepared the entry of judgment, which was approved by counsel for both sides and was entered of record, and that in sustaining the demurrer to the complaint in the former case in the Jennings Circuit Court the court stated that it was sustained on the ground that the allegations therein relative to the waiver of the “iron-safe clause” were not sufficient to constitute a waiver. Robert E. Creighile testified that he was the judge of the Jennings Circuit Court by whom said demurrer was sustained, and that it was sustained on the ground that the “iron-safe clause” in the policy constituted a promissory warranty, and that the complaint admitted a breach of this warranty, and alleged facts intended to show a waiver of such breach, but that it was the judgment of the court that the facts [450]*450pleaded did not constitute such waiver, and that, having so decided, the demurrer was sustained without much consideration of the other grounds of demurrer assigned ; -that appellee was present on one occasion when the demurrer was argued orally, and that when the ruling was announced appellee’s attorney asked that the matter be passed untiLafternoon, so that he could reach his client by telephone, and in the afternoon he’ refused to plead further. There was other testimony also to the same effect.

The record of the proceedings and judgment in cause No. 6283 in the Jennings Circuit Court were read in evidence, reciting that the appellee, on September 12,1913, by Van Osdol and Cope, his attorneys, filed his complaint against the appellant as cause No. 6522, in the Ripley Circuit Court; that on change of venue the case was taken to the Jennings Circuit Court; that the appellant filed a demurrer to the complaint for the alleged reason that the complaint did not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action, specifying that the admitted breach of the warranties, terms and conditions of the policy sued on were not shown by the facts alleged to have been waived (with other reasons), and that thereupon the court entered the following judgment: “Come the parties in the above entitled cause, the plaintiff (appellee) by Van Osdol & Cope, his attorneys, and the defendant (appellant) by Burke G. Slay-maker, its attorney, and the court now sustains the demurrer of the defendant to the complaint of the plaintiff.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
129 N.E. 853, 190 Ind. 444, 1921 Ind. LEXIS 115, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/royal-insurance-v-stewart-ind-1921.