Spartan Aircraft Co. v. Coppick

1949 OK 140, 207 P.2d 790, 201 Okla. 522, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 357
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 21, 1949
DocketNo. 33364
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 1949 OK 140 (Spartan Aircraft Co. v. Coppick) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Spartan Aircraft Co. v. Coppick, 1949 OK 140, 207 P.2d 790, 201 Okla. 522, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 357 (Okla. 1949).

Opinion

GIBSON, J.

This is an action brought by Nina Coppick against Spartan Aircraft Company, a corporation, to recover damages because of the alleged wrongful termination of a life insurance policy insuring the life of Malcolm Leon Barnes who was then an employee of defendant. The policy was issued by the Atlas Life Insurance Company under contract with defendant insuring the life of Malcolm Leon Barnes in the sum of $2,000 under beneficial certificate attached to the policy in which Charlie Burt Barnes was designated as beneficiary. Charlie Burt Barnes thereafter and during the lifetime of said Malcolm Leon Barnes died, and plaintiff alleges that she was thereafter substituted as beneficiary in lieu of and instead of said Barnes. Insured was employed by defendant on February 1, 1943, and the policy here under discussion was issued on the same day. Insured died on the 16th day of May, 1945. Prior to the date of his death defendant, however, had terminated his employment. The policy, among other things, provides:

“The insurance of the Employee hereunder shall terminate immediately upon the termination of his employment with the Employer. For the .purpose of this insurance, employment ends when the Employee ceases to be actively engaged in his or her usual employment. . . .
“In case of termination of employment for any reason whatsoever, the Employee shall be entitled to have issued to him by the Company without evidence of insurability, upon application to the Company made within thirty-one days after such termination and upon the payment of the premium and subject to the restrictions, if any, applicable to the class of risks to which he belongs and to form and the amount of the policy at his then attained age, a policy of life insurance in any one of the forms customarily issued by the Company to the said class of risks, except term insurance, without total and permanent disability or other special benefits, in an amount equal to the amount of his protection under the said Group Policy at the time of the termination of his employment.”

[524]*524Insured Barnes was notified of the termination of his employment and his right to convert his certificate into a policy of life insurance as provided by the policy. On the date insured was employed by defendant a written contract of employment was entered into between the parties wherein it was stipulated and agreed that either party might terminate the employment at any time. On the same day this contract was entered into insured in writing accepted the insurance plan provided by defendant for its employees, applied for benefit certificate under the plan, and agreed that defendant might deduct from his wages the sum of $1.20 per month to apply upon part payment of the premium. Insured prior to the time he had accepted the plan was furnished with a written outline thereof in which he and all other employees of defendant were advised that any insurance obtained under the plan would automatically cease upon the termination of his employment. The certificate of insurance herein mentioned was issued under this application.

While this written contract of employment above mentioned and policy of insurance was still in force and effect defendant entered into another contract with International Association of Machinists for the benefit of all persons employed by it under the terms of which defendant agreed, among other things, that no employee shall be dismissed because of or on account of illness.

In addition to the above undisputed evidence plaintiff offered evidence tending to show that upon the death of the original beneficiary she was designated beneficiary of insured as provided by the terms of the policy authorizing and permitting a change of beneficiary; that insured’s employment was terminated because of illness and in violation of the agreement entered into between the defendant and International Association of Machinists. Defendant offered evidence to the contrary on both such issues. These two issues constitute the only controverted issues of fact in the case. Without entering into analysis or discussion of the evidence relative thereto, we think it sufficient to say that both such issues must be resolved in favor of plaintiff.

Plaintiff’s action is based on the theory the insured’s employment was terminated in violation of the agreement entered into between defendant and machinist association, therefore wrongfully, and that she is entitled to recover damages because of such wrongful termination of employment, measured by the amount she would have been entitled to recover under the policy had it remained in full force and effect upon the death of insured.

The defense is based upon the following theories: (1) There was no contractual relation between plaintiff and defendant and that in no event can she maintain this action; (2) plaintiff had not been properly designated as beneficiary upon the death of the origina, beneficiary; (3) insured’s employment was not terminated because of illness or in violation of agreement with the machinist union but was terminated because of inexcusable absenteeism.

The cause was tried to a jury. Defendant at the close of all the evidence requested the court to direct a verdict in its favor, which request was denied. The trial court in its instructions adopted the theory of plaintiff and over the objection and exception of defendant, among other charges, instructed the jury as follows:

“ . . . and if you further find that the said Malcolm Leon Barnes was discharged because of his illness, then your verdict should be for the plaintiff for the amount of the policy, that is, the sum of $2,000.00”

In accordance with this instruction the jury returned a verdict in favor of plaintiff in the sum of $2,000, the amount mentioned in the certificate of insurance. Judgment was entered on the verdict in favor of plaintiff.

[525]*525Defendant appeals and among other things contends: Assuming that plaintiff, upon the death of the original beneficiary, was properly substituted and designated as beneficiary, and assuming that the evidence is sufficient to establish that insured’s employment was terminated because of illness and in violation of the terms of the agreement relied upon, plaintiff is nevertheless not entitled to recover and the trial court should have sustained its motion for a directed verdict. We think this contention well taken. There was no contractual relationship between plaintiff and defendant. It was under no duty or obligation to plaintiff as beneficiary to keep the policy in force. In 29 Am. Jur. p. 1032, sec. 1380, after a somewhat lengthy discussion of the duties and liabilities as between employer, employee and beneficiary under a group life insurance policy, it is said:

“ . . . Indeed, it has been held that an employer which undertakes to keep alive insurance on the life of an employee by paying premiums out of his wages is not liable to the beneficiary, named in the certificate of the employee, for negligently permitting the policy to lapse without notice. The theory of this rule is that such an undertaking creates, at most, a gratitui-tous agency, in the course of which the employer might become liable to its principal, the employee, but not to the beneficiary to whom it owed no duty.”

In the case of Meyerson v. New Idea Hosiery Co., 217 Ala. 153, 115 So. 94, 55 A. L. R. 1231, it is held in paragraph 10 of the editorial syllabus:

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Bluebook (online)
1949 OK 140, 207 P.2d 790, 201 Okla. 522, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 357, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/spartan-aircraft-co-v-coppick-okla-1949.