Stucker v. College Life Insurance Co. of America

208 N.E.2d 731, 139 Ind. App. 422, 1965 Ind. App. LEXIS 484
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 7, 1965
Docket19,832
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 208 N.E.2d 731 (Stucker v. College Life Insurance Co. of America) 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
Stucker v. College Life Insurance Co. of America, 208 N.E.2d 731, 139 Ind. App. 422, 1965 Ind. App. LEXIS 484 (Ind. Ct. App. 1965).

Opinions

Faulconer, J.

— The trial court sustained appellee’s demurrer to appellant’s fourth amended, complaint, as amended by interlineation, hereinafter referred to as “amended complaint,” and, upon appellant’s refusal to plead further, entered judgment that appellant take nothing by her action and that appel-lee recover costs.

Appellant moved the court to reconsider its ruling on the demurrer, which motion was overruled by the court.

This appeal is from the aforesaid judgment and the errors assigned are 1) the court erred in sustaining appellee’s demurrer to the amended complaint; and, 2) the court erred in overruling appellant’s motion to reconsider sustaining of appellee’s demurrer to the amended complaint. Appellant treats the two assignment of errors as presenting the same issues and presents one argument pertaining thereto.

The amended complaint was in two paragraphs, referred to as Count I and Count II. The first paragraph thereof alleged, in material substance, that on or about March 15, 1951, ap-pellee, an Indiana corporation with its home office and principal place of business in Indianapolis, Indiana, executed its [425]*425policy of insurance on the life of Lyle D. Stucker in consideration of certain annual premiums; that by the terms of the policy, appellee agreed to pay to the beneficiary thereof the sum of $10,000 upon receipt at its home office of due proof of the death of the insured; that appellant, Marian Ford Stucker, as the wife of the insured, was the beneficiary of said policy; that on the 16th day of October, 1952, the said insured “died in Korea as a result of bullet wounds received in the Country of Korea while in the service of the United Nations”; that appellant furnished appellee with the necessary proofs of death and, although there were no premiums due on the policy and appellant had duly performed all provisions and conditions of the policy, appellee refused to pay the face amount of the policy. Prayer was for $10,000, with interest at six per cent per annum, and all other relief. A copy of the policy was attached to and made a part of the amended complaint.

The second paragraph of the amended complaint alleged that the double indemnity provisions of said policy provided for the payment of $20,000 if the death of the insured resulted directly, and independently of all other causes, from bodily injury effected solely through external, violent and accidental means. It further alleged that on October 16, 1952, while said Lyle D. Stucker was serving in the armed forces of the United Nations in the Country of Korea, he died as a result of bullet wounds; that the insured sustained bodily injuries effected directly to accidental, violent and external means, “while engaged in the Korean Action in the Country of Korea,” from which injuries he died “in Korea”; and that said insured, “while serving in the armed forces of the United Nations, was killed as a result of wounds received in the Korean Action.”

The furnishing to appellee of due proofs of the accidental death of the insured and the refusal of appellee to pay were also alleged. Prayer was for $20,000, with interest at six per cent per annum, and all other relief.

[426]*426The policy contains an “Aviation and War Risk Exclusion Provision” applicable to the ordinary death benefits of the policy as alleged in the first paragraph of appellant’s amended complaint. In pertinent part, said exclusion provision provides:

“If the death of the Insured
“(1) Results from injury received or disease contracted outside the Home Area as a result of war, while the Insured is in war service or within six months after termination of such service; or
“the amount payable to the beneficiary under this policy shall be a single sum equal to the premiums actually paid on this policy less any dividends returned, with compound interest at the rate of three per cent per annum, less any indebtedness on the policy; however, the amount so paid shall not be more than would be payable in the absence of this aviation and war risk provision, nor less than the valuation reserve on the life insurance benefit in this policy and on any dividend additions plus the value of any dividend deposits and less any indebtedness on the policy.
“ ‘Home Area’ means the forty-eight states of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Dominion of Canada, the Territory of Hawaii and the Territory of Alaska. ‘War’ means war, or any act of war, declared or undeclared. ‘War service’ means being in the military, naval or air forces of any country, or international organization, at war, declared or undeclared.
“This provision shall be included in any policy to which this policy may be changed or converted.
“This provision shall not aifect or modify the terms of any Double Indemnity or Disability Benefits which may be included in this policy.”

Pertinent to the double indemnity benefit relied upon in the second paragraph of appellant’s amended complaint, the policy provides that the double indemnity benefit shall be payable if the death of the insured,

“(1) resulted directly, and independently of all other causes, from bodily injury effected solely through external, violent, and accidental means, and
[427]*427“(2) occurred within ninety days after such injury.
“This Double Indemnity Benefit shall not apply if the Insured’s death
“(1) occurs while in the military, naval, or air forces of any Country at war, declared or undeclared; or
“ (2) is caused or contributed to by war.”

Appellee’s demurrer challenged both paragraphs of the amended complaint on the ground that the same do not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action.

The memorandum to appellee’s demurrer to Count I of the amended complaint sets forth the Aviation and War Risk Exclusion Provision and avers that it affirmatively appears from the allegations of the first paragraph of the amended complaint that the insured’s death resulted from “an injury from a bullet wound received in the Country of Korea and outside the ‘Home Area’ as a result of war while in war service,” within the definitions of “Home Area,” “War” and “War Service” as defined in the aforesaid Aviation and War Risk Exclusion Provision.

The memorandum to appellee’s demurrer to Count II of the amended complaint sets forth the aforesaid provisions of the policy applicable to the double indemnity benefits and avers that it affirmatively appears from the allegations of Count II of the amended complaint that the insured’s death occurred in Korea “while [he was] serving in the military, naval or air forces of a country at war” and that his death “was caused or contributed to by war in the Country of Korea.”

The real issue presented here is whether the allegations of Count I and Count II of the amended complaint, admitted by the demurrer, bring the insured within the terms of the exclusion provisions of said policy.

At the outset of argument, appellant urges that the “Law of Colorado” should govern the obligations of appellee with respect to the insurance policy here involved. It appears from [428]

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Stucker v. College Life Insurance Co. of America
208 N.E.2d 731 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1965)

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Bluebook (online)
208 N.E.2d 731, 139 Ind. App. 422, 1965 Ind. App. LEXIS 484, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stucker-v-college-life-insurance-co-of-america-indctapp-1965.