Secured Fire & Marine Insurance v. Lamakis

108 N.E.2d 640, 123 Ind. App. 92, 1952 Ind. App. LEXIS 217
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 21, 1952
DocketNo. 18,282
StatusPublished

This text of 108 N.E.2d 640 (Secured Fire & Marine Insurance v. Lamakis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Secured Fire & Marine Insurance v. Lamakis, 108 N.E.2d 640, 123 Ind. App. 92, 1952 Ind. App. LEXIS 217 (Ind. Ct. App. 1952).

Opinion

Achor, C. J.

— This action was brought by the appellee against the appellant to recover on a policy of [94]*94liability insurance, which policy, the appellee alleges, had been executed by mistake to one Joseph Matuga as the named assured instead of Anthony Matuga, the owner of the car. The appellee had previously recovered judgment against said Anthony Matuga for personal injuries sustained by him as a result of a collision in which said Anthony Matuga was driving his said automobile. The judgment not having been paid by Anthony Matuga, this action is brought against appellant as his insurer.

Appellee’s complaint was filed in one paragraph, alleging liability on the contract of insurance as though in fact issued to Anthony Matuga. It also requested a reformation of the contract to conform to the facts alleged. Judgment was for $5,000.00 and interest, that being the amount fixed by the policy.

The specific allegation in the complaint regarding the alleged “mistake” is as follows: That in the years of 1943, up to and including part of the year 1946, the said Anthony M. Matuga was in the service of the Armed Forces of the United States of America. That while he was in said service, he left his said automobile with Joseph Matuga, his brother and agent, and on the 26th day of June, 1945, the said Anthony M. Matuga, by and through his brother and agent Joseph Matuga, “applied for a renewal of his said original insurance policy and paid the premium therefor on said automobile to the said insurance company through Carl M. Susorney, the duly authorized agent of said defendant insurance company.” That said agent had power to contract insurance of property, collect premiums and issue policies, which said insurance policy was issued on the 26th day of June, 1945, with the expiration date of the 26th day of June, 1946. That said renewed insurance policy was issued by the said defendant com[95]*95pany through its said insurance agent, as above mentioned, in the name of Joseph Matuga, who was not the owner of said automobile, where it should have been issued to Anthony M. Matuga, the owner of said automobile. That all of the above pleaded facts were known by the said defendant insurance company, its said agent and the parties hereto. That by the mutual mistake of the parties hereto (or oversight, or through the fault of the said insurance company), the said insurance company and its agent issued the said insurance policy to Joseph Matuga.

Special findings of facts and conclusions of law were requested and made by the court. Judgment was for the appellee in the sum of $5,980.00 and costs.

Appellant, among other things, assigned as cause for new trial and as error in this appeal that the findings of fact by the court are not sustained by sufficient evidence.

It is noticeable that the court did not find, as a fact, that the policy of insurance in controversy was issued to Joseph Matuga instead of to Anthony Matuga by any “mistake,” “oversight,” or “fault,” as alleged. Appellee contends, however, that the primary facts found by the court necessitate the inference of such ultimate fact, and that therefore such ultimate fact must be treated as found by the trial court on appeal. The following cases are cited in support of this proposition: Harris v. Riggs (1916), 63 Ind. App. 201, 208, 112 N. E. 36; DePauw Plate Glass Co. v. City of Alexandria (1899), 152 Ind. 443, 452, 52 N. E. 608.

Without expressing an opinion as to the sufficiency of the primary facts to support the ultimate fact necessary of proof in this cause, we examine the findings of fact and the evidence to determine whether or [96]*96not the findings of primary fact are sustained by the evidence. The findings of fact material to these issues are as follows:

“No. 3. That on the 18th day of June, 1945, while the said Anthony Matuga was in the army, one Carl M. Susorney- executed and delivered to Mr. Joseph Matuga as the named insured therein automobile policy number A1019, insuring the said Joseph Matuga for any bodily injury liability in the amount of $5000.00 for each person injured as a result of an accident in the use of said 1937 Ford V-8 automobile, and for property damages . '. .
“No. 7. The court further finds that immediately prior to the execution of said policy number A1019 the said Joseph Matuga, who was the named insured in said policy, had informed the said Carl M. Susorney, the authorized agent of the said insurance company, that said Ford automobile was the property of Anthony Matuga, and said defendant insurance company knew that Joseph Matuga, the named insured, was not the owner of said automobile but that Anthony Matuga was the owner thereof at the time of the delivery of said policy of insurance to Joseph Matuga, and that the said Joseph Matuga, the named insured, paid to Carl Susorney, the agent of said defendant insurance company, the premium on- said policy of insurance as specified therein.
“No. 10., The court further finds that said defendant insurance company had issued to the said Anthony Matuga a policy of insurance insuring him against liability for bodily injury and property damage in the use of said automobile, and that said policy of insurance was executed by said defendant company for one year and would expire on the 26th day of June, 1945.' And that Carl Susorney as the agent for said defendant company solicited said Joseph Matuga to have said policy of insurance renewed, and that Joseph Matuga informed the said Carl Susorney that Anthony Matuga was the owner of said automobile and directed said Carl Susorney to renew said policy of insurance. And that the said Carl Susorney caused [97]*97the name of Joseph .Matuga to be inserted in said policy number A1019 as the named insured and as the owner of said Ford automobile without the knowledge or consent of Joseph Matuga, knowing • at said time that Joseph Matuga was not the sole owner thereof and that Anthony Matuga.was the owner.”

It is not disputed that the policy of insurance erroneously designated Joseph Matuga, the named assured, as the sole owner of the automobile, and that this was- by mutual mistake. He did, however, have a limited but exclusive right to the possession and use of said automobile, subject only to the superior right of his brother, which made- him eligible to liability insurance related to its use.

The policy did not provide for recoupment because of damage to the car, nor is such recovery an issue in this case. Therefore, the mistake in the policy as to the ownership of the car is material only as a circumstance to be considered with other evidence which relates directly to the primary issue as to whether or not there was a “mutual mistake” or a “fault” on the part of appellant as to the identity of the “named assured” in the policy.

As heretofore stated, the court made no positive finding of fact that Joseph Matuga was erroneously, by “mutual mistake” or “fault” on the part of appellant, designated as the “named assured” in the policy. The findings of fact do state (1) that Anthony Matuga, owner of the car, had a policy of public liability insurance with appellant insurance company, which policy expired June 26, 1945; (2) that prior to expiration of that policy appellant’s agent “solicited Joseph Matuga .to have said policy of insurance reneived” and (3) that “Joseph .Matuga . . . directed said Carl Susorney (agent) to renew said policy.”

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

Related

Parker v. State
149 N.E. 59 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1925)
DePauw Plate Glass Co. v. City of Alexandria
52 N.E. 608 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1899)
Adams v. State
59 N.E. 24 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1901)
Harris v. Riggs
112 N.E. 36 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1916)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
108 N.E.2d 640, 123 Ind. App. 92, 1952 Ind. App. LEXIS 217, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/secured-fire-marine-insurance-v-lamakis-indctapp-1952.