Sutcliffe v. American Lumbermens Mut. Casualty Co.

115 F.2d 410, 1940 U.S. App. LEXIS 2887
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedNovember 12, 1940
DocketNo. 77
StatusPublished

This text of 115 F.2d 410 (Sutcliffe v. American Lumbermens Mut. Casualty Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sutcliffe v. American Lumbermens Mut. Casualty Co., 115 F.2d 410, 1940 U.S. App. LEXIS 2887 (2d Cir. 1940).

Opinion

CLARK, Circuit Judge.

The question presented in this case is whether defendant’s liability on a policy of public liability automobile insurance is limited to $5,000 for one person and $10,000 for one accident, or extends to $25,000 for one person and $50,000 for one accident. The district court found for the lower limits, in accordance with defendant’s claim, and plaintiffs appeal to secure an increase in the award made them. The decision therefore turns upon the meaning to be attached to a policy of automobile insurance — a form of contract which seems to possess an affinity for ambiguity. Cf. (American) Lumbermens Mut. Cas. Co. v. Timms & Howard, Inc., 2 Cir., 108 F.2d 497, 502.

The plaintiffs sue directly on the policy as judgment claimants against the assured, pursuant to N. Y. Insurance Law, Consol. Laws c. 28, § 109, now incorporated into Insurance Law, §§ 143, 167. Their action, originally instituted in the Supreme Court of New York, was removed to the district court by the defendant because of diversity of citizenship of the parties. The judgment sued upon was rendered by the Supreme Court of New York and was for $6,050.52, $7,500, and $25,000, with interest and costs, against the assured, Maxweld Corporation, and in favor of the three plaintiffs respectively. It was affirmed in Cutter et al. v. Maxweld Corporation, 256 App.Div. 948, 10 N.Y.S.2d 394; Id., 281. N.Y. 467, 24 N.E.2d 129. Recovery was based upon the negligence of the corporation’s president, Earl C. Maxwell, while acting for the company, in injuring two of the plaintiffs and causing the death of the intestate of the other in an automobile collision on a New York highway in 1934. [411]*411Maxwell himself died of injuries sustained in the accident, and under the then New York law his estate could not be held to respond in damages for the accident. Cf. Herzog v. Stern, 264 N.Y. 379, 191 N.E. 23, certiorari denied 293 U.S. 597, 55 S.Ct. 112, 79 L.Ed. 690; and N. Y. Decedent Estate Law, § 118, added by Laws 1935, c. 795, § 1.

The automobile which Maxwell was operating at the time was one covered by the policy in question. Defendant’s claim herein rests upon a statement in a rider attached to the policy in connection with a description of the car, that it “protects the interests of Earl C. Maxwell.” To support its claim, defendant asserts that Maxwell was the owner of the car, and refers to such facts, shown in the trial of the New York action, as that the car was licensed in his name and that he had recently taken title to it under a conditional bill of sale. But the jury in the New York action answered affirmatively two questions : first, that the defendant corporation was the sole owner of the car, and second, that the car was being used in defendant’s business at the time of the accident. The affirmance of the judgment on the verdict by the New York courts would appear to us, however, to settle this issue against defendant (cf. Good Health Dairy Products Corp. v. Emery, 275 N.Y. 14, 9 N.E.2d 758, 112 A.L.R. 401), and this result does not seem impaired by reason of the fact that simultaneously with its affirmance the Court of Appeals reversed a judgment in favor of other plaintiffs upon grounds asserted to be inconsistent with the assured’s ownership of the car. The parties herein are bound only by the adjudications in their own case. In any event, however, the issue of ownership of the car is not claimed and does not appear to be decisive of the question here presented.1 That must be answered from the policy itself.

The policy consisted of a face page of printed “Special Conditions,” containing appropriate blank spaces, filled out as hereinafter described, and two inside printed pages, containing extensive “General Conditions.” There was also attached a rider containing typed descriptions of the cars covered and presenting the substantial problem in the case.

Under the “Special Conditions” it was disclosed that the “Named Assured” was the Maxweld Corporation, of a certain Brooklyn address, “mfrs. of tanks”; that for the place of principal use and of garaging of the automobile the “Schedule Attached” should be seen; and that the policy period was for a year within stated dates. Following a provision showing, among other things, that the passenger cars would be used for both “Business and Pleasure,” there appeared the important Special Condition 8, which read: “The Automobiles' covered by this Policy, the kind of insurance provided by this Policy, the limits of liability assumed by the Company and the premiums to be paid by the Assured, are stated below. No liability is assumed for any coverage unless a specific premium charge is entered therefor in this schedule nor for collision unless the type of coverage and the amount to be deducted from each claim are also indicated in the space provided.”

As a part of this condition the policy contained a block space with appropriate headings so that the cars covered and the kind of insurance provided might be described. Typed across it were the words in capitals, “See Schedule Attached”; but in columns for the entering of premiums for various types of insurance there were entries which defendant and the court below considered important as showing defendant’s liability within the ordinary policy limits. Under the heading “Liability (Limits $5,000 One Person, $10,000 One Accident) Premium” appeared the figures 213.00, v/hile under the heading of Increased Public Liability Limits Premium (which again said, “See Schedule”) were the figures 51.87. There were also the figures 13.00 in the column for Property Damage Premium, and the word “nil” was written in the column for Collision Premium. The Total Deposit Premium was stated to be $277.87.

The court below ruled that these entries alone served to show a contract covering the Named Assured for the 5- and 10,000 limits because a premium charge of $213 [412]*412was entered therefor. But we do not see how this entry can be considered a self-executing one, since the printed condition requires a statement of the cars covered, and forbids liability for any coverage unless a specific premium is-entered therefor —which seems to apply to separate coverage for each car — and the schedule is definitely referred to as a part of the description. It would seem as logical to conclude that these entries also covered increased public liability limits, since a premium was charged for them; but'the rider shows that the intent was not to treat all the cars covered by the'policy alike. The use of a schedule as a rider seems explained by the need for more space than the face of the policy afforded; while the separate entries o’f the premiums seem oc-, casioned by the' column headings, coupled with the fact that the higher premiums are found as án added percentage of the ordinary premiums, depending on the kind of car and its location. (The block space also contained entries with respect to the kind of car and thé • territory involved which would give information 'necessary in determining the appropriate, rates.) ■ We are clear that the coverage on each car cannot be.made clear without incorporating both the description of the car and the definition of-the type of coverage found in the rider.

Of the other Special Conditions, one asserted that the Named Assured was the sole owner of the automobile “except as follows:” but no exception was entered.

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Related

Stroehmann v. Mutual Life Ins. Co. of NY
300 U.S. 435 (Supreme Court, 1937)
Herzog v. Stern
191 N.E. 23 (New York Court of Appeals, 1934)
Good Health Dairy Products Corp. v. Emery
9 N.E.2d 758 (New York Court of Appeals, 1937)
Cutter v. Maxweld Corporation
24 N.E.2d 129 (New York Court of Appeals, 1939)
Cutter v. Maxweld Corp.
256 A.D. 948 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1939)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
115 F.2d 410, 1940 U.S. App. LEXIS 2887, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sutcliffe-v-american-lumbermens-mut-casualty-co-ca2-1940.