Snelling & Snelling of Oklahoma City, Inc. v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co.

233 F. Supp. 771, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7419
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 22, 1964
DocketCiv. No. 64-92
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 233 F. Supp. 771 (Snelling & Snelling of Oklahoma City, Inc. v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Snelling & Snelling of Oklahoma City, Inc. v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co., 233 F. Supp. 771, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7419 (W.D. Okla. 1964).

Opinion

DAUGHERTY, District Judge.

The plaintiff brings suit herein against the defendant on two policies of insurance, both of which were issued by the defendant to the plaintiff. One of the policies is known as a Comprehensive Dishonesty, Disappearance and Destruction Policy under the insuring agreement of which there is $5000.00 coverage for the dishonesty of each identifiable employee. The other policy is known as a Valuable Papers and Records Policy and affords coverage in the amount of $10,000.00. There appears to be no question about the issuance of the policies and that the alleged incidents complained about occurred during a period of time in which the insurance provided by each policy was in effect.

The plaintiff was and is engaged in the general employment agency business in Oklahoma City and asserts that during March of 1963, three of its employees left their employment with the plaintiff and in doing so unlawfully and wrongfully took from the plaintiff’s place of business certain papers and records in the form of an ad book, a cross reference index, a branch managers manual, a placement directors manual, master order cards, master lead cards, male applications and female applications. The plaintiff further alleges that upon the departure of these three employees or shortly thereafter they each became employed by a competitor of the plaintiff. It appears that the three employees, who are named by plaintiff, left plaintiff’s employment during a period of about two weeks.

The defendant answers by denying that the three named employees took any of the records involved, and further asserts that the plaintiff is not entitled to recover, inasmuch as it has failed to meet certain conditions in the valuable papers and recoi'ds policy with reference to the required means of keeping and securing said records and as to both policies for failure to notify the police of the alleged loss as required by each policy inasmuch as the loss of said records was a violation of law.

The dishonesty policy covex's the loss of property which the insured shall sustain through any fraudulent or dishonest act or acts committed by any of its employees acting alone or in collusion with others. The policy also provides that if any such fraud or dishonesty is committed by one or more of the employees of the insured and the insured is unable to designate the specific employee or employees causing such loss, the insured shall nevertheless have the benefit of the aforementioned insuring agreement, provided, that the evidence submitted reasonably proves that the loss was in fact [773]*773due to the fraud or dishonesty of one or more of the said employees. This policy also provides that the insured, upon discovery of any loss, shall give notice thereof to the police if the loss is due to a violation of law.

The valuable papers and records policy provides coverage for direct physical loss of or damage to valuable papers and records in the premises. This policy also provides that each receptacle within which the valuable papers and records are kept when not in use, is described as “Metal Filing Cabinets,” and at all times when the premises are not open for business, the insured will keep the valuable papers and records in the receptables so described except while such valuable papers and records are in actual use. This policy also provides that upon knowledge of loss the insured shall notify the police thereof if the loss is due to a violation of law.

^ The principal owner or manager of the plaintiff, whose name is Edgar Kopp, and his wife, Elaine Kopp, testified about the missing records and how and where they were maintained, used and kept in the office. Mr. Kopp also testified as to their value. In general, Mr. Kopp testified to the existence of these records and that shortly after the last of the three employees in question left the plaintiff’s employment, their loss was discovered. His testimony was conflicting and contradictory in large measure with reference to the manner in which these records were kept, particularly with reference to their location at night. It seems he kept the manuals in his desk when not at his home. The ad book, cross reference index and master cards were kept in the receptionist’s desk. Mrs. Kopp noticed some of the material being gone. One Ron Kennedy, an employee of the plaintiff, testified he knew nothing about the master lead cards or the manuals but said the master ad book could not be found after the employees left. This is a book in which ads run by the plaintiff are pasted. He only recalled one of the plaintiff’s applicants being placed in work by the competitor with which the three employees became associated after their departure. He stated that all applications were kept on the tops of desks day and night. Another present employee of plaintiff, one Evelyn London, said that some female applications were missing when the employees left. Upon further examination she only recalled one such application and that she had a new application made out. This witness also testified that the applications were kept on tops of desks day and night. None of the plaintiff’s witnesses saw any of the em^ ployees remove or take anything from the premises at any time with reference to the missing articles or records. It seems that all master records were duplicated in the various departments of plaintiff’s business.

The three accused employees each testified and denied taking any of the missing records. All testified about their reasons for leaving the plaintiff’s employment, which were personal in nature. Also that their new employer paid better commissions. They denied taking any records to their new employer and the manager of the company with which they went to work also testified and denied that any such records were ever brought to, seen, or used in her business operations. There is no evidence that the records were ever found or seen in the office of the new employer. This witness also testified to the effect that such records would serve no purpose or advantage to her business. Each of the three accused employees testified that no one connected with the plaintiff has ever directly accused them of taking any of these records and the first knowledge they had of any such accusations was from insurance adjusters investigating the claim of plaintiff.

Other former employees of the plaintiff testified generally to the effect that all applications were either left on the tops of desks night and day or were stacked on the floor. With reference to keys to the outer door the testimony generally was to the effect that Mr. and Mrs. Kopp had' a key to the outer door, as did Mrs. Sherri Massie, a secretary-bookkeeper, [774]*774and perhaps the receptionist, one of the three accused employees,' had a key to the front door. One present employee of the plaintiff who has worked for the plaintiff since February, 1962, and who testified in rebuttal, had no knowledge of the existence of the aforementioned master lead cards or master advertising book. He also knew nothing about the existence of a master cross reference index in the office. He saw a placement directors manual in the office after the employees left. He did testify about some master order cards and thought that they were missing after the three employees left. This witness testified that the desk of the receptionist at the time of the alleged loss was a wooden desk and that said master order cards were kept in said wooden desk. It was the testimony of other witnesses that the master ad book and the master cross index reference were also kept in this desk of the receptionist.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
233 F. Supp. 771, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7419, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/snelling-snelling-of-oklahoma-city-inc-v-aetna-casualty-surety-co-okwd-1964.