Union Indemnity Co. v. Small

153 S.E. 685, 154 Va. 458, 1930 Va. LEXIS 229
CourtSupreme Court of Virginia
DecidedJune 12, 1930
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 153 S.E. 685 (Union Indemnity Co. v. Small) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Union Indemnity Co. v. Small, 153 S.E. 685, 154 Va. 458, 1930 Va. LEXIS 229 (Va. 1930).

Opinion

Campbell, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

On the 5th day of October, 1926, W. A. Small recovered a judgment against Hugh Claud for $2,500.00, for personal injuries suffered by1 Small due to the negligent operation of an automobile by Hugh Claud. Executions issued upon said judgment were returned by the sergeant of the city marked “No effects,” by reason of the insolvency of Hugh Claud. Prior to the accident, to-wit, on January 18, 1926, Union Indemnity Company issued to M. P. Claud an automobile liability policy upon a Ford automobile owned by M. P. Claud and used for business and pleasure. The policy contained, among others, the following provisions:

“Condition E. No action shall lie against the company to recover for any loss under or by reason of this policy unless it shall be brought by and in the name of the assured for loss actually sustained and paid in money by the assured in satisfaction of a judgment after actual trial of the issue or agreement between the parties with the written consent of the company, nor unless such action is brought within two years after such judgment against the assured has been so paid and satisfied. The company does not prejudice by this condition any defense to such action it may be entitled to make under this policy.”

“Condition K. The unqualified word ‘Assured,’ wherever used in this policy, shall be construed to [461]*461include, in addition to the named assured in this policy, any person or persons while riding in or legally operating any automobile insured hereunder and any person, firm or corporation legally responsible for the operation thereof with the permission of the named assured, or if the named assured be an individual, with the permission of an adult member of the assured’s household other than a chauffeur or domestic servant, except that the terms and conditions of the policy shall not be available to a public automobile garage, automobile repair shop, automobile sales agency, automobile service station and the agents and employees thereof.”

On the 9th day of January, 1928, W. A. Small departed this life intestate; a short time thereafter Carrie H. Small qualified as administratrix and on the third Monday in March, 1928, brought the present action which resulted in a judgment against the company for $2,500.00.

It is assigned as error that the court erred in overruling' the motion of the defendant to set aside the verdict of the jury and enter judgment for the defendant on the ground that the policy of insurance provides (Condition E) that no action shall lie against the company except for loss actually sustained and paid in money by the assured in satisfaction of a judgment, and the assured has neither sustained any loss or paid any part of the judgment.

In support of this position the company cites Combs v. Hunt, 140 Va. 627, 125 S. E. 661, 665, 37 A. L. R. 621. In that case it appears that Helen Combs recovered a judgment against Arthur Hunt for injuries sustained by her as the result of a collision between an automobile in which she was riding and Hunt’s automobile, which he was negligently operating at the time of the accident. Upon the judgment against Hunt an [462]*462execution was issued, and, it appearing that Hunt held an indemnity policy issued to him by the Georgia Casualty Company,, a process of garnishment was served on the casualty company as g-arnisb.ee, pursuant to the provisions of section 6509 of the Code. Upon this trial, the casualty company demurred to the evidence, the court sustained garnishee’s demurrer to the evidence, and entered judgment accordingly. The policy involved was plainly one of indemnity against loss incurred by the assured through the actual payment of a judgment obtained against him, and did not cover liability insurance. It was undisputed that Hunt had not satisfied the judgment against him. In affirming the judgment of the trial court, Crump, P., after citing numerous authorities, said:

“According to this great current of authority it has been uniformly held that the only contracting parties are the assured and the indemnity company; that the injured party is in no sense privy to the contract; that the terms of the policy are clear and unambiguous; that the loss for which the company agrees to indemnify the assured is plainly stated;.that payment of the judgment by the assured is a condition precedent to any claim on his part against the insuring company; that the circumstance that the company assumes the defense of the damage suit does not alter the terms of its liability; and that the parties having so contracted with each other the courts cannot change the terms of the contract between them. Such is the law accepted by the text writers. 7 Cooley Briefs on Ins. (Supp. vol.), page 1392; 1 Joyce on Ins. (2nd ed.), section 27-B; 2 Va. Law Review 475.”

At the time the Combs Case was decided the field of construction was open and in no sense was the court limited in its construction of the policy by legisla[463]*463tive enactment. Since that time, however, the legislature has seen fit to legislate upon the subject, and by an act approved March 20, 1924 (Acts 1924, page 504), it is provided: ,

“No policy of insurance against loss or damage resulting from accident to or injury suffered by an employee or other person and for which the person insured is liable, * * * * shall be issued or delivered (to any person) in this State by any corporation or other insurer * * * * unless there shall be contained within such policy a provision that the insolvency or bankruptcy of the person insured shall not release the insurance carrier from the payment of damages for injuries sustained or loss occasioned during the life of such policy, and stating that in case execution against the insured is returned unsatisfied in an action brought by the injured person, or his or her personal representative in case death results from the accident, because of such insolvency or bankruptcy, (that) then an action may be maintained by the injured person, or his or her personal representative, against such corporation under the terms of the poilcy for the amount of the judgment in the said action, not exceeding the amount of the policy.”

The act of 1924 was construed in Indemity Insurance Co. v. Davis, 150 Va. 778, 143 S. E. 328, and it was there held that a similar contention to the one here made by the defendant company was untenable. Our conclusion is that whenever it is made to appear that a judgment has been recovered against a party who clearly comes within the provisions of the policy fixing the status of an assured, then the liability of the insurer is definitely fixed, unless, of course, fraud or collusion is shown in the procurement of the judgment. The action of the court in refusing to set aside the verdict in [464]*464the instant ease on the ground that the judgment against Hugh Claud remains unsatisfied is, therefore, approved.

It is next assigned as error that the court erred in its refusal to admit the following evidence offered by the defendant as set forth in Bill of Exceptions Number 2:

“That about noon on the day of the accident, Hugh Claud asked M. P. Claud, his father, the owner of the automobile, for permission to use the automobile; the said M. P.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Beckner v. Twin City Fire Ins.
58 Va. Cir. 544 (Virginia Circuit Court, 2002)
Liberty Mutual Insurance v. Eades
448 S.E.2d 631 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1994)
Hodge v. LUMBERMENS MUTUAL CASUALTY COMPANY
123 S.E.2d 372 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1962)
Rakestraw v. Allstate Insurance
119 S.E.2d 746 (Supreme Court of South Carolina, 1961)
Export Leaf Tobacco Co. v. American Insurance
148 F. Supp. 303 (W.D. Virginia, 1957)
Flax v. Monticello Realty Co.
39 S.E.2d 308 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1946)
Roseland Cab Co. ex rel. Hibley v. Savings Mutual Casualty Co.
51 N.E.2d 609 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1943)
Hinton v. Indemnity Insurance Co. of North America
8 S.E.2d 279 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1940)
Newton v. Employers Liability Assur. Corporation
107 F.2d 164 (Fourth Circuit, 1939)
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance v. Justis
190 S.E. 163 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1937)
Employers' Liability Assurance Corp. v. Taylor
178 S.E. 772 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1935)
Soukup v. Halmel
192 N.E. 557 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1934)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
153 S.E. 685, 154 Va. 458, 1930 Va. LEXIS 229, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/union-indemnity-co-v-small-va-1930.