Tri-State Casualty Ins. Co. v. Stekoll

1949 OK 152, 208 P.2d 545, 201 Okla. 548, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 377
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 28, 1949
DocketNo. 33176
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 1949 OK 152 (Tri-State Casualty Ins. Co. v. Stekoll) 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
Tri-State Casualty Ins. Co. v. Stekoll, 1949 OK 152, 208 P.2d 545, 201 Okla. 548, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 377 (Okla. 1949).

Opinion

CORN, J.

Prior to 1942 the plaintiff, operator of oil producing properties in Oklahoma, had secured workmen’s compensation and public liability insurance from defendant, a domestic casualty company, through its agent. Upon acquisition of oil properties in Kansas he made oral application to the agent for compensation and public liability coverage of his Kansas employees, and this application was transmitted to defendant. Pursuant to the request, February 25, 1942, defendant issued what was denominated an “extraterritorial endorsement” of plaintiffs policies, wherein it was stated that plaintiff did not have a sufficient number of employees in Kansas to come under the Workmen’s Compensation Laws of that state. Under the terms of this special endorsement defendant agreed to reimburse plaintiff for any liability upon losses from injuries that might be determined against' him in the State of Kansas.

Plaintiff brought this suit alleging defendant had collected $1,436.45 premiums, of which amount $680.31 was paid for insurance coverage in Kansas, and was unearned because no risk had attached to defendant out of the Kansas operations, or to plaintiff’s employees there, and that no premiums were earned under the policy, based upon the pay roll of Kansas employees, but defendant had wrongfully collected same, in that defendant was not licensed to do business, in that state and was without authority to write workmen’s compensation insurance there.

This amended petition further alleged plaintiff had five or more employees in Kansas during each year in question. Also, that under applicable Kansas statutes the plaintiff’s work came under the Workmen’s Compensation Act, which applied to all employers of more than five persons continuously employed for one month, unless the employer of a lesser number elected to come under the Act; and that employers who did not file an election were presumed to come thereunder; that by providing compensation an employer was required to carry insurance with a company licensed to do business in that state.

Demurrer to the petition was overruled and defendant answered by a general denial, with specific allegations that: (1) the premiums were paid according to the policy provisions and the policies were in force and effect, the coverage being applicable to Kansas; (2) plaintiff was estopped to assert the invalidity of the policies, having accepted and operated under them, and that there had been a report and acceptance of a loss thereunder by defendant; (3) plaintiff could not recover in the absence of a tender back of the amount paid by defendant on the Kansas operations; (4) defendant’s method was the usual and customary manner of handling, was sanctioned by insurance officials in Kansas, and the companies considered themselves bound.

Upon trial the parties stipulated that: the applicable Kansas statutes were as alleged; the policies were in force; the pay rolls were reported and the pre[550]*550miums paid as alleged by plaintiff; that the defendant never was licensed to do business in Kansas.

Plaintiff’s evidence was substantially as follows: The agent who procured the policies testified plaintiff made oral application for compensation and public liability coverage, telling this agent he had one employee in Kansas, and would work one or more at intervals and thus wanted protection. The agent so advised defendant and the “extraterritorial endorsement” was issued and attached to plaintiff’s policy, information having been given defendant that the entire Kansas pay roll would be less than $900 per year.

Plaintiff’s accountant testified plaintiff had five men working in 1942, and eleven in 1943 in Kansas. However, plaintiff’s books were produced at the trial and this witness was unable to testify from those introduced as to the exact number working continuously for more than one month. In June, 1945, defendant’s auditor was examining the books and advised this witness that plaintiff did not have workmen’s compensation coverage in Kansas.

Plaintiff himself testified he had filed no election in Kansas and had no other insurance for his operations there; the policies were kept in effect by payment of premiums based upon the pay rolls for both states which were turned in and he thought he had workmen’s compensation coverage. Only one injury was reported in Kansas, and defendant paid the medical bill of about five dollars. When plaintiff learned in 1945 that he did not have regular compensation coverage the present action was instituted. Defendant’s demurrer to plaintiff’s evidence was overruled.

One West, vice president of the defendant company, testified that plaintiff’s policy was a standard workmen’s Compensation and Employer’s Liability policy, and was written at the request of defendant’s agent upon information the agent furnished. Defendant never was advised of any changes by either the plaintiff or this agent, and so assumed the situation remained the same. Defendant offered to prove by this witness that the “extraterritorial endorsement” was a customary practice for employers whose business was primarily in one state, but who had minor operations in other states which did not expose them to liability for workmen’s compensation. Further, that such procedure was approved by insurance officials in Oklahoma, Kansas, and other states, and that upon execution of such an endorsement it was customary to accept and pay the claims under the policies, and that defendant had paid many such claims. This offered testimony was refused by the court. The witness further testified plaintiff had not tendered back any money or other expenses paid out by defendant under the policy by reason of the endorsement; and that compensation insurance rates in Kansas were cheaper than in Oklahoma, but the rate charged plaintiff’s combined pay roll was the Oklahoma rate.

After hearing the evidence and argument of counsel, the trial court overruled defendant’s demurrer to the evidence, upon which the court had reserved his ruling, overruled defendant’s motion for judgment, and entered judgment for plaintiff in the amount of $675.31.

The assignments of error are presented under two propositions. The first contention is that the endorsement constituted a valid contract of insurance, enforceable against defendant as a contract of indemnity, and as such defendant assumed a risk and thereby earned the premiums.

Plaintiff urges that he applied for, and expected to receive, a workmen’s compensation policy, but the policy issued was not authorized in the State of Kansas, did not cover his operations there, and no risk attached to defendant out of plaintiff’s operations in that state.

Opposed to this argument defendant admits that the “extraterritorial en[551]*551dorsement” is not a true workmen’s compensation policy, but insists it went even further and gave plaintiff an indemnity contract, insofar as the Kansas Compensation Act was concerned, rather than an insurance contract. Upon this basis the defendant agrees the problem is whether it (defendant) assumed any risk as a matter of law by the execution of the policy endorsement, insofar as the plaintiffs Kansas operations were concerned.

Plaintiff points out that the original policy was the usual form of workmen’s compensation policy issued in Oklahoma. And, that our Compensation Law has no extraterritorial application. See Battiest v. State Ind. Comm., 197 Okla. 618, 173 P. 2d 922.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1949 OK 152, 208 P.2d 545, 201 Okla. 548, 1949 Okla. LEXIS 377, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tri-state-casualty-ins-co-v-stekoll-okla-1949.