Texas Life Ins. Co. v. Mueller

96 S.W.2d 403, 1936 Tex. App. LEXIS 785
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided May 18, 1936·No. No. 4507.·Published

Opinions

JACKSON, Justice.

Ethel C. Mueller, the appellee, joined by her husband, C. R. Mueller, instituted this suit in the district court of Motley county against the appellant, Texas Life Insurance Company, on an insurance policy issued by it to Jet O. Lewis.

She alleged that on September 10, 1927, she was the wife of Jet O. Lewis, the insured, and the appellant issued to him policy No. 49258, by the terms of which it agreed to pay appellee, the beneficiary therein, the sum of $3,000 on the death of the insured, or the sum of $6,000, if he came to his death by accidental means; that the insured was killed in an automobile accident on November 11, 1932, while the policy was in full force, and the appellant thereby became bound to pay her, under the double indemnity clause, the sum of $6,000, with interest and attorney’s fees.

The appellant answered by general demurrer, admitted the issuance of the policy, and alleged that the policy according to the terms and provisions thereof, which it ple'aded, had lapsed and terminated prior to the death of the insured.

The case was tried before the court without the aid of a jury, and judgment rendered for appellee in the sum of $5,-653.89, the principal amount due under the policy after deducting certain indebtedness and the current annual premium for the sixth policy year beginning September 10, 1932. The total judgment, including principal, interest, and attorney’s fees, amounted to $8,126.68.

Insured lost his life in an automobile accident on November 11, 1932, and it seems to be conceded that if the policy was in force on said date the beneficiary is entitled to recover under the double indemnity clause.

The provisions of the policy essential to a disposition of this appeal are as follows:

“Premiums are payable annual but may be paid in semi-annual or quarterly in-stalments in accordance with the rates in use by the Company at the date hereof, and changed from one to another of such modes of payment upon the insured’s written request' therefor on the Company’s form; if the insured should not survive to complete premium payments for the current policy year the amount necessary for such completion will be deducted from the amount payable at death.
“All premiums are payable in advance at the Home Office of the Company in Waco, Texas, or to an authorized agent of. the Company upon delivery of a receipt signed by the President or Secretary and countersigned by the authorized agent. If any premium is not paid on the date when due this policy shall be null and void except as hereinafter provided. * * * A grace period of one month is allowed for the payment of any premium after the first, but if death occurred during the period of grace the unpaid premium shall be deducted from the amount payable.
“At any time after the second policy year and while this policy is in full force, the insured can borrow from the company on the sole security of this policy, properly assigned to and endorsed by the company, any sum within the loan, value speci-[404]*404Tied in the table below, from which loan value any indebtedness on the policy and any unpaid' premiums for the current policy year will first be deducted. The Company shall furnish the form1 for the assignment required hereunder and upon completion of the loan will return the policy to the insured. Interest, at the rate of six per cent per annum, will be collected out of the amount of the loan to the end of the current policy year and is thereafter payable in advance. Failure to pay any such loan, or to pay interest thereon, shall not avoid this policy unless the total indebtedness thereon to the Company shall equal or exceed its loan value.
“If at any time after the expiration of the second policy year, if all premiums have then been duly paid, any premium or instalment thereof is not paid within the time allowed for its payment to the Company, unless otherwise instructed by the insured in writing, will forthwith advance the amount of such premium, or instalment thereof, with interest thereon at the rate of six per cent per annum, payable in advance out of the loan value then available under the policy, provided the total indebtedness to the Company on account of this policy, if any, at the time and any interest that might be due thereon, together with such advance shall not exceed the total loan value then available. While the policy is thus continued in force the insured shall retain all rights and privileges granted by its terms as if the amounts so advanced were paid by the insured in cash and may resume payment of premiums at any time without compliance with the conditions pertaining to reinstatement. The insured may, at any time, repay such advance or any other indebtedness on the policy, but failure to do so shall not avoid the policy until the total indebtedness thereon shall equal or exceed the loan value, in which case this policy shall automatically cease and determine. * * *

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Texas Life Ins. Co. v. Mueller, 96 S.W.2d 403, 1936 Tex. App. LEXIS 785 (Tex. Ct. App. 1936).

96 S.W.2d 403 (Texas Life Ins. Co. v. Mueller) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.