Teague v. Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance Co.

588 S.W.2d 888, 1979 Tenn. App. LEXIS 350
CourtCourt of Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedSeptember 18, 1979
StatusPublished

This text of 588 S.W.2d 888 (Teague v. Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Teague v. Tennessee Farmers Mutual Insurance Co., 588 S.W.2d 888, 1979 Tenn. App. LEXIS 350 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1979).

Opinion

MATHERNE, Judge.

The plaintiffs sue the defendant insurance carrier to recover collision damage to a 19-foot Cobalt inboard-outboard pleasure motorboat owned by the plaintiff corporation and insured in the name of the individual plaintiff, Sam Teague, who owns 100% of the common stock of the plaintiff corporation. The chancellor held for the plaintiffs and entered judgment against the defendant insurer. The insurer appeals insisting that the chancellor erred in: (1) holding that the insurer was estopped to deny liability under the policy; (2) failing to find that the policy was void because Sam Teague represented himself as the owner of the boat whereas in fact the boat was owned by the corporation and used for business purposes; (3) permitting the plaintiff to amend the complaint to show “Sam Teague and/or Sam Teague Ford, Inc.” as plaintiffs; and (4) finding that the amount of damage was $6,561.20 instead of $2,307.95.

[890]*890The boat was kept at Pickwick Lake and it was used by the employees of Sam Teague, Inc., their families and friends. About two months after the boat was purchased, the sales manager of Sam Teague, Inc., his family and friends were using the boat when, during darkness, it was driven into and against a pier. The collision caused considerable damage to the pier, threw all occupants of the boat into the water and damaged the boat. The claims for personal injury sustained by the passengers were settled under the policy provisions as was the damage to the pier. The parties could not agree on the amount necessary to repair the boat and this lawsuit was originally brought by Sam Teague Ford, Inc., seeking judgment for damages to the boat.

The insurer moved to dismiss because it had not issued a policy to Sam Teague Ford, Inc. The plaintiff thereupon amended the complaint to name Sam Teague as the plaintiff. During the trial it developed that the owner of the boat was Sam Teague Ford, Inc. The insurer then moved for permission to amend its answer to deny liability because the fact of ownership had been misrepresented to it and the fact that the boat was owned by the corporate plaintiff and used in its business increased the risk of loss. The plaintiffs then amended the complaint to name as plaintiffs “Sam Teague and/or Sam Teague, Inc.” The chancellor held that the lawsuit was brought by “Sam Teague and Sam Teague Ford, Inc.,” and he gave judgment for the “plaintiffs.”

It is established in Tennessee that the owner of 100% of the common stock of a corporation has an insurable interest in specific items of property owned by the corporation. American Indemnity Co. v. Southern Missionary College (1953) 195 Tenn. 513, 260 S.W.2d 269. See also 4 Appleman, Insurance Law and Practice, § 2456 (1969); 43 Am.Jur.2d Insurance § 496 (1969). We therefore hold that when the original complaint was amended to name Sam Teague, the named insured, as the plaintiff, the lawsuit was properly before the chancellor. The naming of “Sam Teague and/or Sam Teague Ford, Inc.,” as plaintiff was sur-plusage but not fatal to the cause of action. Any judgment rendered would be in favor of Sam Teague.

An issue to be determined in this lawsuit is whether Sam Teague misrepresented the true ownership of the boat and the purpose for which it would be used. We can readily understand that the risk of loss assumed on a boat owned by a corporation for the purpose of use by its employees and their families and friends could be much greater than the risk of loss assumed on a boat owned by an individual and used by the owner and those to whom he gives permission. It is notable that the defendant insurer does not insure corporate property.

Sam Teague testified that he advised the insurer’s agent that the boat was owned by Sam Teague Ford, Inc., and that it would be used for the purposes of that corporation. He stated that he was unaware until after the accident that the policy named Sam Teague as the named insured. We must hold that this evidence is countermanded by the statements in the application for the policy signed by Sam Teague. The application shows Sam Teague as the named insured. On the other hand the application does not require an answer as to who owns the property insured. If the insurer does not insure corporate property, it would appear that the application for insurance should be so designed as to require a statement of ownership. The face of the application shows Sam Teague as the named insured which, under the authorities cited, is permissible because he owned 100% of the corporation which owned the boat.

The insurer’s agent testified that Sam Teague did not tell him that the boat was owned by the corporation. It must be here noted that the agent did not testify that Sam Teague gave a false statement as to the ownership of the boat, and as heretofore noted the application did not ask that question. The agent’s secretary testified that after the collision Sam Teague called her by telephone and asked that the named insured be changed from Sam Teague to Sam Teague Ford, Inc. Sam Teague denied [891]*891that statement. The premium on the policy was paid by a check drawn on Sam Teague Ford, Inc.

The chancellor found that the insurer was estopped to deny coverage. Looking to the cases cited by the chancellor in his memorandum opinion, we conclude that the chancellor found that the agent was negligent in taking the application and that the plaintiff was misled to his detriment by the issuance of the policy. We do not think the controversy is controlled by the doctrine of estoppel. It appears to this Court that the evidence preponderates in favor of the plaintiff on the issue of whether the plaintiff misrepresented the true ownership of the boat. Under the record, Sam Teague made no representation that he owned the boat; he was not asked the question. The plaintiff had an insurable interest in the boat, and if corporate ownership would bar the issuance of the policy, the onus was on the insurer to inquire about the ownership of the boat. We, therefore, hold Sam Teague, the named insured, is entitled to recover under the policy.

The issue of damages was hotly contested in an argumentative sort of way. On the amount of damages recoverable the policy provides that:

In the event of damage to plastic, glass fiber, plywood or other laminated portions of the insured boat, arising as a result of perils insured against, this Company shall not be liable for more than the cost of making repairs in accordance with customary or generally accepted shipyard repair practices on damaged plastic, glass fiber, plywood or other laminated construction, or at the option of this Company, liability shall be limited to an amount not exceeding the cost of making repairs in accordance with any specific or recommended repair specifications of the manufacturers of the insured boat.

The boat was manufactured by Fiberglass Engineering, better known as Cobalt Boats of Neodesha, Kansas. It is of fiberglass construction and is powered by a 185 horsepower inboard-outboard engine. Teague purchased the boat new for about $9,000. The boat was under a two year warranty which by its terms did not cover a boat which had been involved in an accident. The policy allowed $10,000 coverage on the boat.

Alex Barry, customer service manager for the manufacturer, testified by deposition which was read into the record.

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Related

American Indemnity Co. v. Southern Missionary College
260 S.W.2d 269 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1953)
Anderson v. Innman
3 Tenn. App. 195 (Court of Appeals of Tennessee, 1926)
Perkins v. Brown
132 Tenn. 294 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1915)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
588 S.W.2d 888, 1979 Tenn. App. LEXIS 350, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/teague-v-tennessee-farmers-mutual-insurance-co-tennctapp-1979.