United States Fire Insurance Co. v. Hutchinson

421 S.W.2d 706, 1967 Tex. App. LEXIS 2665
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 31, 1967
Docket7853
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 421 S.W.2d 706 (United States Fire Insurance Co. v. Hutchinson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States Fire Insurance Co. v. Hutchinson, 421 S.W.2d 706, 1967 Tex. App. LEXIS 2665 (Tex. Ct. App. 1967).

Opinion

FANNING, Justice.

Appellant insurance company has appealed from a total permanent disability judgment rendered in favor of appellee in a workmen’s compensation insurance case tried before a jury.

The primary dispute in this case relates to whether or not appellant was providing workmen’s compensation insurance to ap-pellee’s employer at the time of the injury sued upon. (Plaintiff-appellee initially sued appellant and another insurance company, Commercial Union Insurance Company of New York, jointly. However, Commercial Union was dismissed from the *707 case and issues were submitted to the jury only with respect to appellee’s case against appellant). Appellant issued a written workmen’s compensation insurance policy covering appellee’s employer purporting to be effective on May 6, 1964, which was sixteen days after plaintiff-appellee’s alleged injury. Plaintiff-appellee pled and offered proof that defendant-appellant’s local recording agent, Eldon Glass, at DeKalb, Bowie County, Texas, prior to plaintiff-appellee’s injuries, orally bound defendant-appellant insurance company for workmen’s compensation insurance to cover Don Har-irson Chevrolet Company, plaintiff-appel-lee’s employer at DeKalb, Texas.

The Jury, in response to special issues submitted, found to the effect: (1) Plaintiff sustained total disability following his injury; (2) said injury was a producing cause of said total disability; (3) such total disability began on April 20, .1964, (which was the date of injury); (4) such disability has been or will be permanent; (issues 5 through 10 were not answered) ; (11) the average weekly wage of plaintiff as of the date of his injury was $90.00; (12) that Eldon Glass, within a six months period after April 20, 1964, represented to the plaintiff that he, the plaintiff, should not worry about a thing because he, Eldon Glass, would take care of filing a claim for the plaintiff; (13) that plaintiff relied on such representations; (14) that such a belief prevented plaintiff from filing his claim up to and until the time it was filed ; (IS) that plaintiff’s such reliance constituted “good cause” for not filing his claim sooner than it was actually filed; (16) that a binder for workmen’s compensation insurance coverage binding United States Fire Insurance Company, covering the employees of Don Harrison Chevrolet Company, was made by Eldon Glass prior to April 20, 1964; (17) that there was such a binder in effect on April 20, 1964; (18) that Eldon Glass represented to Don Harrison, or his agent or employee, prior to April 20, 1964, that there was a binder for workmen’s compensation insurance on the employees of Don Harrison Chevrolet Company; (19) that such binder was represented to be with United States Fire Insurance Company; (issues 20, 21 and 22) that Don Harrison or his agents and employees believed such statements and relied on such representations; and such belief prevented Don Harrison from obtaining workmen’s compensation insurance coverage elsewhere.

Appellant by its first and second points contends to the effect that the trial court erred in admitting testimony of the appel-lee to the effect that he was told by Eldon Glass after the occurrence of the alleged injury that workmen’s compensation insurance was furnished by United States Fire Insurance Company so as to cover said alleged injury over the objections that same was hearsay and called for an opinion or conclusion that invaded the province of the jury. Appellant among other points also contends to the effect that there was no evidence of probative force and insufficient evidence to show insurance coverage by it.

Eldon Glass was the lawfully appointed and duly designated local recording agent for United States Fire Insurance Company at DeKalb, Texas. He had the authority generally given to a local recording agent. He had been the local recording agent of appellant since July, 1961. Eldon Glass, as appellant’s local recording agent, had authority to make a contract for workmen’s compensation insurance with Don Harrison Chevrolet Company of DeKalb, Texas, the employer of appellee. These facts were proven by interrogatories to appellant and by answers of appellant to requests for admissions. Eldon Glass was also the local recording agent for Commercial Union Insurance Company and he represented a number of other insurance companies during the period in question from January 1, 1964, through May, 1964, and for some time thereafter until 1965. Don Harrison Chevrolet Company had obtained insurance coverage through Glass’s agency over a period of years. Over several years’ period Glass had placed Harrison’s workmen’s *708 compensation insurance coverage with at least four different carriers. On January. 1, 1964, Harrison’s workmen’s compensation insurance policy with Commercial Union, previously written by Glass in 1963, expired.

Eldon Glass was called to the witness stand by appellee under the adverse party rule, and he testified that he was the local recording agent of appellant from 1957 to 1965. Appellee was injured on April 20, 1964, while working for Don Harrison Chevrolet Company.

Mr. Glass testified to the effect that he had a conversation with Mr. Hodges, the bookkeeper of the employer, sometime between January 1, and May 6, 1964, and told him that he would cover Don Harrison Chevrolet Company with workmen’s compensation insurance. Glass also testified to the effect that he had made a statement that United States Fire Insurance Company would be the only one that you could place responsibility for this coverage.

Appellant insurance company furnished Eldon Glass with drafts bearing their name for him to pay claims. Although these draft forms were designed for paying fire and property losses, Mr. Glass filled out several of these drafts payable to appellee for workmen’s compensation. Mr. Glass’ procedure in this respect was to write out the draft which had appellant’s name printed on it and which was a form furnished Glass by appellant, and Glass made said drafts payable to appellee as workmen’s compensation weekly benefits, and Glass would have appellee endorse the draft and Glass would have appellee return to him the draft and Glass would pay appellee cash therefor. Appellee was thus paid workmen’s compensation for several weeks by Glass in the manner above indicated. The record indicates that Glass kept these drafts in his desk after he cashed them for ap-pellee, and that he did not send them through the bank for collection upon his principal, United States Fire Insurance Company.

Mr. Glass further testified to the effect that the normal procedure for placing insurance is to first place a binder. Mr. Glass related that appellant got 90% of $707.31 as its fee for issuing the insurance, which premium was paid by the employer to Glass as it was billed by Glass. Mr. Glass further testified that there would have been a binder prior to the date of the policy.

Mr. Glass also testified that appellant knew about the loss or injury of April 20, 1964, when the policy was dated as of May 6, 1964.

Don Harrison, the employer, testified that in the latter part of January, 1964, Mr. Glass told him that his company was under binder for workmen’s compensation and that Mr. Glass named a specific company that the binder was with but he did not remember the name of the company.

Mr. Hodges, the employer’s bookkeeper, testified that Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
421 S.W.2d 706, 1967 Tex. App. LEXIS 2665, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-fire-insurance-co-v-hutchinson-texapp-1967.