Tyrnauer v. Travelers Insurance

15 Misc. 2d 18, 181 N.Y.S.2d 320, 1958 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2529
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 15, 1958
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 15 Misc. 2d 18 (Tyrnauer v. Travelers Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tyrnauer v. Travelers Insurance, 15 Misc. 2d 18, 181 N.Y.S.2d 320, 1958 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2529 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1958).

Opinion

Louis L. Friedman, J.

In an action for a declaratory judgment plaintiffs move pursuant to rule 113 of the Rules of Civil Practice, for summary judgment. The defendants cross move for similar relief. The declaration sought by the plaintiffs is that the plaintiffs are insured under a policy of insurance issued by the defendants for an accident which occurred on August 6, 1956.

Plaintiff Ignatz Tyrnauer (hereinafter referred to as Ignatz) was on July 8, 1955 the registered owner of a 1953 Chevrolet station wagon. On said date the defendants issued to him an [19]*19automobile liability policy for a period of one year covering the said automobile. The policy contains, among others, a declaration that the named insured is the sole owner of the automobile. During the term of said policy and on January 19, 1956, Ignatz transferred, allegedly without consideration, the registered ownership of said vehicle to the plaintiff Camp Rovtoc, Inc., which is also know in its Hebrew equivalent as Machan Rovtov, Inc. Ignatz was vice-president thereof, and his brother David its secretary-treasurer. Plaintiffs assert that although registered ownership was passed Ignatz continued to use, operate and maintain the automobile at his own expense and exclusive possession thereof remained with him; and that no one other than he had the power to give anyone permission to use the vehicle. It is further asserted that Ignatz on January 19, 1956, the date of the transfer of record ownership of the vehicle, called the office of his insurance broker and told ‘ ‘ the man who answered the telephone about the change in registration and the man said 1 All right. ’ ’ ’ Indisputably, the defendant insurance companies did not issue any indorsement indicating the change. On July 8, 1956, upon the expiration of the policy, the defendants issued a renewal thereof for an additional year to Ignatz. It does not appear that any request had then been made to change the policy to show that the camp was the owner of the vehicle. On August 6, 1956, while the auto was being driven by plaintiff David Tyrnauer (hereinafter called David) allegedly with his brother Ignatz’ permission, it was involved in an accident.

On the same day Ignatz’ insurance broker was notified of the accident and was paid for the first installment on the policy. It is alleged by the insurance company that on August 8, 1956 the broker for the first time notified one of their underwriters of the change of ownership and also mentioned the accident; and that the underwriter stated that he would cancel the policy for underwriting reasons. On August 10, 1956 the defendants mailed out a notice of cancellation of the policy effective August 22, 1956, and on September 7, 1956 mailed to the broker a request for earned premium which was thereafter paid by him. On November 26, 1956 plaintiffs’ attorney wrote to the broker enclosing a copy of report of accident on MV-104 form, and on the following day the broker reported the accident to the defendant’s claim department. The defendants on December 20, 1956 returned to the broker the accident report and asserted that there was no coverage on the policy because at the time of the accident the car was registered in the name of the camp.

[20]*20Under the terms of the policy, the defendants agreed to pay on behalf of the insured all sums which the insured shall become legally obligated to pay as damages because of bodily injuries sustained by any person caused by accident and arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of the automobile. The policy provides that notice to any agent or knowledge possessed by any agent shall not effect a waiver or a change in any part of the policy or estop the person from asserting any right under the terms of the policy; nor shall the terms of the policy be waived or changed except by indorsement signed by certain specified officers of the company. It also provides that an assignment of interest under the policy shall not bind the company until its consent is indorsed thereon and by acceptance of the policy the named insured agrees that the statements and the declarations are his agreements and representations; and that the policy is issued in reliance upon the truth of such representations.

It has been uniformly held that coverage created or arising out of the ownership, maintenance or use of a described automobile ceases and terminates with the transfer of the ownership of the described automobile unless notice has been given to the insurer and insurer consents to the extension of coverage (Phoenix Ins. Co. v. Guthiel, 2 N Y 2d 584; see, also, Ireland v. Firemen’s Fund Ind. Co., 281 App. Div. 1007, affd. 1 N Y 2d 655; Lavine v. Indemnity Ins. Co., 260 N. Y. 399; Mobilia v. Security Taxpayers Mutual Ins. Co., 90 N. Y. S. 2d 985, affd. 277 App. Div. 985) and that the insurer’s approval of the transfer, required by the policy to be indorsed thereon, could not be inferred from mere silence or inaction (Truglio v. Zurich Gen. Acc. & Liab. Ins. Co., 247 N. Y. 423).

In Abrams v. Maryland Cas. Co. (300 N. Y. 80) however, the above rules of law were not applied by reason of the special circumstances of that case. There one Cohen was a truck driver employed by one Linden Farms Milk & Cream Co. Cohen purchased a truck and registered it in his name. Since Linden advanced the money for the purchase price, the registered ownership was in 1938 transferred to Linden as collateral security for the indebtedness. In December, 1938 Linden, as the registered owner, insured the vehicle for liability insurance. When Cohen shortly thereafter paid off his indebtedness to Linden, the registered ownership' was transferred back to him. The insurance company, however, was not apprised of the action. After the transfer Cohen continued in Linden’s employ, using the truck to deliver Linden’s milk products precisely as [21]*21he had done when Linden was the registered owner. In November, 1939 the truck was involved in an accident. The question then arose whether the policy covered Linden at the time of the accident. The policy, by one of its provisions, did not apply to an accident which occurred after the transfer of the interest of the named insured without the insurance company’s consent. The court said (p. 85): “If Linden’s ‘ interest ’ — i.e., 1 the interest of the * * * insured ’ — was restricted to ownership, then, of course, its transfer of the truck’s registered ownership prior to the accident left it without any insurable interest. But we do not believe that Linden had so limited an interest or that this was the only interest insured. In so many words, the policy provided against liability caused by accidents arising not only out of ‘ ownership ’ of the automobile, but also out of its 1 maintenance or use ’. Quite clearly, the interest insured was more than ownership; quite clearly, the policy covered any accident in which the vehicle was used or operated in such a way as to render the insured responsible. # * * Since, then, Linden continued to have the truck used in its business, it retained an interest that was insured by the policy, and the transfer of ownership did not relieve defendant of its obligation.”

Citing the latter case as their authority, the plaintiffs assert that since Ignatz continued to maintain, use, and possess and control the station wagon after the registered ownership was transferred, Ignatz continued to have an insurable interest in the maintenance and use of the automobile and accordingly such interest was sufficient to keep the policies in force.

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Fili v. Matson Motors, Inc.
183 A.D.2d 324 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1992)
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Holmes v. Nationwide Mutual Insurance
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Tyrnauer v. Travelers Insurance
8 A.D.2d 857 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1959)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
15 Misc. 2d 18, 181 N.Y.S.2d 320, 1958 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2529, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tyrnauer-v-travelers-insurance-nysupct-1958.