Service Life Insurance v. McCullough

13 N.W.2d 440, 234 Iowa 817, 153 A.L.R. 697, 1944 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 414
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMarch 7, 1944
DocketNo. 46400.
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 13 N.W.2d 440 (Service Life Insurance v. McCullough) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Service Life Insurance v. McCullough, 13 N.W.2d 440, 234 Iowa 817, 153 A.L.R. 697, 1944 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 414 (iowa 1944).

Opinion

Bliss, J.

The facts and their chronology are important in the determination of the appeal. On July 1, 1937, Herman F. Me-. Cullough, a farmer, born October 2, 1889, made written application to plaintiff for a contract of insurance. At the same time, on a separate form, lie made a declaration of insurability in lieu of a medical examination. The defendant testified that the insured had a medical examination, which was the privilege of plaintiff, but no report thereof was attached to the contract. There is no denial of defendant’s testimony on this point. The policy or contract was issued on July 19, 1937. It was a convertible ten-year term policy, providing for the payment of *819 $2,000 and all premiums paid, to the wife of insured, the defendant, on proper proof of 1he deaih of insured prior to July 17, 1947. The premium was payable quarterly in the sum of $9.48 on the 19th of July, October, January, and April. The insured failed to make the payment due July 19, .1989, within the grace period. On August 80,1989, the plaintiff, by a form letter, notified insured of the suspension of the policy, and stated therein:

“Complete the reinstatement form on the back of this letter and send it to ns with the amount of your past due premium. ’ ’

On December 1, 18."-9. the insured filled out the blanks on the printed form sent to him, and signed it before a witness, and sent it to the company, with the two payments in default. The material portions of this “application for reinstatement of policy,” and all of the questions and answers — the latter being in the handwriting of insured and 1 lie other parts being printed— are as follows:

"1. What is your present occupation ? Laborer. Exact Height and Weight. 5 ft. 11 in. 170 lbs.
2. Have you had any serious illness since your policy was issued ? No.
If so, explain. A sprained ankle.
3. What relatives have died since policy was issued ? None. Cause of death.
4. Are the members of your household in good health Yes.
5. Have you been refused a policy by any other insurance company or society since policy was issued! No.
6. Are you in good health and free from disease? Yes.
I DECLARE on behalf of myself and of every person who has or shall claim any interest in or under the above numbered policy that I made each and all of the foregoing answers; that I have carefully read them over and find that they are correct. Said answers each and all are, and I warrant them to be, full, complete and true. I have made said answers for the purpose of inducing the said Company to reinstate my said policy and I understand that each is material to the risk and that said Corn- *820 pany will, and I agree that it shall, rely and act solely upon my said answers in passing upon my application for the reinstatement of said policy which lapsed for nonpayment of premium due on the 19 day of August, 1939.”

The answers to questions 2 and 6 are the only ones complained about by plaintiif. These answers the plaintiff pleaded and urged were made warranties by the last paragraph of the application.

The policy was reinstated on December 16, 1939, and a photostat of the application for reinstatement was sent to insured by the company with instructions to attach it to the policy. The premiums were thereafter paid until the death of the insured.

The insured ahd his wife moved from the farm on which he was working into the village of Derby, Iowa (population about three hundred), in the spring of 1938.’ There he conducted a little shop for the repair of windmills, pumps, machinery, etc. This work did not occupy all of his time, and he was engaged in WPA work, and in 1940 and 1941 he was employed in a service station.' On October 12, 1939, while doing some excavating in connection with WPA bridge work, he sprained one of his ankles. The progress was slow in the improvement of the ankle, and on March 19, 1940, he was sent; at the expense of the Federal Government, to the United States Marine Hospital at St. Louis, Missouri, for further treatment of the ankle. The results were favorable and on April 4, 1940, be was discharged from the hospital and returned home. By about the first of May following his ankle was so that he was again at work. There is no warrant for the intimation of the plaintiff that he received any treatment or examination other than for his ankle, although the defendant testified that sometime after his return he told her that a doctor at the hospital said he might have colitis.

In August 1937, while working on the farm, he had quite . a severe attack of diarrhea, which lasted three or four days, although he kept on with his work. He attributed it to the . eating of tomatoes or cucumbers. He went to Dr. Nibloek at Derby to get medicine for the ailment. The doctor testified that it was just ordinary diarrhea and lasted something like a day or two. He also testified that it was the first time he had treated *821 McCullough for diarrhea, although he had been his family doctor for thirty years. In February 1940, the insured had a light attack of flu, accompanied by loose bowels. ' No doctor treated him at that time. About Christmas, 1940, he had a severer attack of flu, accompanied by rather severe diarrhea— eight or ten stools in twenty-four hours. Dr. Nibloek attended him. He testified that then for the first time he suspected that McCullough might have colitis. But he said nothing to McCullough or the defendant about his suspicions. The defendant testified that after the diarrhea in August 1937, her husband had no diarrhea of any kind until the two flu attacks in 1940. In May 1941 he installed a pumphead on a windmill tower. Then, for the first time, was any trace of blood noted in his stools. At the service station he did heavy work handling tires and servicing motor vehicles. Oftentimes he would come to the station voluntarily, after supper, and work. The last work he did at the service station ivas on November 1, 1941. He went home at that time and became severely ill. During the latter days of his illness his stools, containing blood and mucus, were as often as twenty-eight times in a day. Dr. Nibloek attended him. On November 17, 1941, he was taken in an ambulance to the University Hospital at Iowa City. He was in a stupor most of the way and in that condition when he reached the hospital at 4 o’clock p. m. A doctor examined him and took a history of the case from his wife. The patient died at 9 :25 p. m. on November 18, 1941. The report of the post mortem showed a cirrhotic liver, idiopathic ulcerative colitis, and lobular pneumonia. The cause of death was given as toxemia due to the two first-named conditions. The depositions of three doctors from the University Hospital were read by the plaintiff. These doctors were licensed to practice, respectively, in 1940, 1939, and 1938. The first doctor attended the patient while he was living. The second performed the autopsy. The third, who had no personal observation of the patient or the body, answered a hypothetical question. The history as taken by the first doctor ivas a summation in the words of the doctor of what he said the defendant told him.

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Bluebook (online)
13 N.W.2d 440, 234 Iowa 817, 153 A.L.R. 697, 1944 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 414, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/service-life-insurance-v-mccullough-iowa-1944.