United States v. Springfield Fire & Marine Ins.

107 F. Supp. 753, 1952 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3879
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Missouri
DecidedOctober 22, 1952
DocketNo. 629
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 107 F. Supp. 753 (United States v. Springfield Fire & Marine Ins.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Springfield Fire & Marine Ins., 107 F. Supp. 753, 1952 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3879 (W.D. Mo. 1952).

Opinion

DUNCAN, District Judge.

This action is brought by the plaintiff against the defendant to recover the sum of $5,658 for the loss by fire, of 4,100 bushels of corn upon which a loan had been made by the Commodity Credit Corporation to William Robbins. At the time of the loss, the corn was under seal in cribs upon the premises of the said William Robbins in Nodaway County, Missouri.

The Government bases its right to recovery upon § 248.216 of the Regulations promulgated by the Commodity Credit Corporation on September 14, 1948 and duly published in the Federal Register, 13 F.R. 5417-5420 which provided that:

“CCC will not require the producer to insure the corn placed under the farm-storage loan; however; if the producer does insure sych .corn such insurance shall inure to the benéfit of CCC to the extent of its interest, after first satisfying the producer’s equity in the' corn involved in the loss.”

The material facts are riot in dispute and are before the court in the form of an Agreed Statement of Facts. However, at the time of the trial there was some evidence introduced in addition to the agreed statement.

The defendant denies liability on the ground that the sealed corn was not covered in the policy, and was therefore, not insured; and contends that the standard mortgage clause attached to the policy, as will be hereinafter described, had been released, and was not in effect at the time of the destruction of the corn; that the regulation- of the Commodity Credit Corporation as quoted above, had not been promulgated at the time of the issuance of the policy, and therefore was not binding upon the insurer, and that at the time of the fire the corn had been surrendered to the Commodity Credit Corporation under the terms of the 'loan agreement.

[754]*754The undisputed facts are that on September 11, 1947 the defendant issued its policy of insurance to William and Virginia Robbins to be effective from October 18, 1947 to October 18, 1950. This policy was in renewal of a like policy dated August 24, 1945. The policy insured William and Virginia Robbins’ real and personal property against loss or damage by fire, and it carried a mortgage clause in favor of the First National Bank of St. Joseph.

The First National Bank had made a loan to William and Virginia Robbins on August 24, 1945 in the sum of $27,000 and the insurance policy aforesaid, from the time of its delivery until after the loss over which this controversy has arisen, was in the possession of the mortgagee, the First National Bank. Although the loan to the bank had been fully satisfied on November 23, 1948 and the conditions under which the mortgage clause was issued no longer prevailed, the bank still retained the •policy. The First National Bank was also the lending agency for the Commodity Credit Corporation in the making of corn loans.

On or about^December 3, 1948 William Robbins made application to the Nodaway County PMA Committee at Maryville, Missouri, for a loan under the 1948 corn loan purchase agreement program on Robbins’ 1948 corn crop stored in a crib located on Section 3, Township 65, Range 35 Nodaway County, being one of the properties owned by Robbins.

After due inspection and compliance in all respects with the rules and regulations of the Commodity Credit Corporation, the loan was granted, and on December 20, 1948 William Robbins made, executed and delivered to the First National Bank of St. Joseph, as payee, his promissory note due on or before September 1, 1949 in the sum of $5,658 with interest at 3% per an-num from December 20, 1948. The promissory note was secured by chattel mortgage covering the 4,100 bushels of corn heretofore described, and was duly recorded.

On August 25, 1949 the First National Bank, in accordance with the loan agreement, transmitted the said promissory note to the Commodity Credit Corporation at Kansas City, Missouri, for purchase by it, and on September 1, 1949 the First National Bank was given credit in its Federal Reserve Bank account of $5,658 plus interest at 1J4% from December 20, 1948 to September 1, 1949.

On September 21, 1949 Robbins executed an application for the extension of the corn loan and for the reseal thereof to December 31, 1950. This application was made under the 1948 reseal loan program, and was duly approved, the necessary inspection made, and the loan extended to July 31, 1950. The loan not having been paid, on July 11, 1950, the Chairman of the Nod-away County Committee addressed a communication to Robbins, in prescribed form, advising Robbins that the loan would be called for delivery as soon as possible. The notice specifically stated:

“1. You may redeem the corn by paying the amount plus accrued interest thereon from the date of disbursement.
“2. If your loan has been repaid, please enter date of repayment on the card. If you prefer to deliver the corn to CCC, so indicate your intention to deliver your com to CCC, we will issue you delivery instructions as soon as possible after the maturity date.”

On July 19, 1950 the producer replied to this communication, advising the committee of his intention “to deliver the grain to CCC.” No further communication was had between the producer and the committee prior to August 11, 1950 when the corn was totally destroyed by fire. On August 14, 1950 the producer advised the committee of the loss. The actual cash value of the corn destroyed was $5,504.29. This is arrived at by computing the amount in storage at the sum of 1.3425^ per bushel.

On August 23, 1950 'Commodity Credit Corporation made claim against the defendant for the amount of the loss, and on August 31 liability was denied. On September 19, 1950 defendant paid to William Robbins and Virginia Robbins and the First National Bank as mortgagee, the sum of $7,102.70 in full settlement of their claimed loss. No proof of loss was made by [755]*755the insured, Robbins, for the corn in controversy here. The check was endorsed by William Robbins and Virginia Robbins and the First National Bank, and deposited to the credit of William and Virginia Robbins. The mortgage of the bank having been satisfied before the loss, it had no interest therein and became a payee in the check only because the mortgage clause in the policy did not show the satisfaction of its claim as mortgagee.

The pertinent provision of the policy of insurance (section 17) with which we are concerned here provides:

• “On Grain, threshed seeds, threshed beans, ground feed, manufactured and compounded stock foods while in buildings; also on grain only while in stacks, shocks, swaths, sacks, wagons or trucks on the premises herein described.”

It was under this provision of the policy that the Insurance Company satisfied the claim made upon it by Robbins.

Robins testified that he owned several thousand acres of land in Nodaway County; that he was a very large feeder of cattle, sometimes feeding as many as 700 or 800 head, and that at all times consumed large amounts of feed. There is no explanation in the record as to why, under those circumstances, he placed the 1948 corn crop under seal, or did not redeem it by paying the amount of the loan at the time it became due, except that the inference is deducible that the amount of the loan was in excess of the value of the corn, and that it was economically advisable to deliver the corn rather than pay the loan.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
107 F. Supp. 753, 1952 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3879, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-springfield-fire-marine-ins-mowd-1952.