Welch v. Union Central Life Insurance

90 N.W. 828, 117 Iowa 394
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMay 31, 1902
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 90 N.W. 828 (Welch v. Union Central Life Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Welch v. Union Central Life Insurance, 90 N.W. 828, 117 Iowa 394 (iowa 1902).

Opinion

Deemer, J. —

1 This is the second time this case has been before us. The first opinion will be found in 108 Iowa, 224. On the second trial a verdict was again returned for plaintiff, on which a judgment was rendered, from which this appeal was taken. The issues were practically the same on the second trial as on the first. Several matters are relied upon for a reversal, some of which were disposed of on the former appeal, and others arose upon the second trial. Defendant pleaded fraud and conspiracy on the part of the plaintiff and the insured in obtaining the policy. This was denied by plaintiff, and this denial formed the real issue in the case. Code, section 1812, reads as follows: “In any case where the medical examiner or physician acting as such, for any insurance company doing business in this state, shall issue a certificate of health, or declare the applicant a fit subject for insurance under the rules and regulation of such company, the [396]*396company shall be thereby estopped from setting np in defense of a suit on such policy that the assured was not in condition of health required by the policy, at the time of the issuing of such policy, except where the same is procured by or through the fraud or deceit of the assured. ’ ’ In referring to this matter when the case was first before us, we said: “Appellee insists that the words ‘the same’ refer to the certificate, and that the defendant must show, not only that the statements of the applicant were false and. fraudulent, but that the examiner was deceived thereby. While the certificate may be competent and valuable as-evidence, it is not a part of the contract, though the policy was issued in reliance thereon and upon the application. If the certificate was fraudulently procured, and the defendant was thereby deceived into issuing the policy, surely the policy as well as the certificate is not conclusive against the defendant as to the condition of the assured’s health, if it, and thereby the policy, were secured by fraud, as alleged in the answer. The defendant is not estopped by this certificate from setting up the defense pleaded, and the certificate of itself affords no reason for ordering a verdict for the plaintiff. * * * While the certificate may be competent and valuable as evidence, it is not a part of the contract, though the policy was issued in reliance thereon and upon the application. If the certificate was fraudulently procured, and the defendant was thereby deceived into issuing the policy, surely the policy as well as the certificate is not conclusive against the defendant as to the condition of the assured’s health, if it and the policy were procured by fraud.” Instructions in harmony with these statements were asked by defendant, but were refused. In lieu thereof, the trial court gave the following: “In the case at bar it is conceded that the assured, Otis S. Hogg, submitted to a medical examination by a physician, and that the policy in suit was issued and delivered, and that a statement or certificate was issued by said medical [397]*397«examiner to the effect that the applicant, Otis S. Hogg, was a fit subject for insurance.- You are instructed that ,this is conclusive upon the defendant company as to the ■condition of the health of the deceased, Otis S. Hogg, at' the time of said examination and issuing of the policy in suit, unless you find from the evidence that said certificate •of health was obtained from the physician by fraud and ■deceit of the said Otis S. Hogg, or that the plaintiff, her Jiusband (Otis S. Hogg), Montgomery Bell, and Dr. J. E. Gilmore, or any one or more of them, and the examining physician entered into a conspiracy whereby the examination by said physici'an was collusively, falsely, and fraudulently issued. If you fail to so find, then your verdict should be for plaintiff; otherwise for the defendant. If you find that the evidence fails to establish the conspiracy as alleged by the defendant, you will next determine whether the examining physician, Dr. J. E. Gilmore, was •deceived or misled by the assured, Otis S. Hogg, at the time of the examination, and by reason thereof made or issued the certificate; and if you find from the evidence that said medical examiner was not deceived or misled by the said Otis S. Hogg, and that the certificate of health was not obtained through the fraud and deceit of the assured Otis S. Hogg, then the certificate of health issued by the examining physician, Dr. J. E. Gilmore, is conclusive •upon the company; but if you find that the certificate of ■health was obtained by or through the fraud and deceit of the said Otis S. Hogg, then said certificate is not conclusive upon the company.” “In determing as to whether said certificate of health was obtained by the assured, Otis •S. Hogg, by fraud and deceit, it is not sufficient that the answers of said Otis S. Hogg to the questions of the medical examiner were untrue, but the defendant must further satisfy you that the said Otis S. Hogg, when he made said answers, knew them to be false, and made them for the purpose and with the intent to mislead and deceive the [398]*398defendant company and the medical examiner, and that said medical examiner was thereby deceived into issuing said certificate of health.” These instructions, while not exactly in harmony with what was said on the former • appeal, clearly announce the law as we have interpreted it in various, cases hitherto decided. See Weimer v. Association, 108 Iowa, 451; Stewart v. Association, 110 Iowa, 528; Nelson v. Insurance Co., 110 Iowa, 600; Peterson v. Association 115 Iowa, 668. What was said on the former appeal must be viewed in the light of these cases, and with the thought in mind that all that was before the court on the former appeal was the correctness of the court’s ruling directing a verdict for plaintiff. The exact points for decision in that -case were accurately stated in the fourth division of the opinion, and the quotations we have made from the opinion were used arguendo to the claims made by the parties as stated in the opinion. The instructions given were in harmony with the cases above cited, and there was no error.

2 II. In stating the issues to the jury, the. court copied the pleadings in full, which cover 11 pages of the printed abstract. The issues were simple, and could easily have been stated in language which, at most, would not have covered to exceed two printed pages. Time and again we have condemned this practice, and it is to be hoped that trial judges will in the future perform this important function of stating the issues with more care, so that a jury will not have to wade through a mass of to them almost unintelligible matter to find the real issues. See Swanson v. Allen, 108 Iowa, 421; De Wulf v. Dix, 110 Iowa, 557; Robinson & Co. v. Berkey, 100 Iowa, 142. However, we do not, as a rule, reverse upon this ground, in the absence of some showing of prejudice. If other parts of the charge state the real issues, so that the jury knows the exact points it has to decide, no prejudice results, and the error will be disregarded. Keatley v. [399]*399Railway Co., 94 Iowa, 690; Dorr v. Simerson, 73 Iowa, 91; Frank v. Davenport, 105 Iowa, 591; Walrod v. Webster 110 Iowa, 353; Meyer v. Button Co., 112 Iowa, 51. In the instant case the court gave the following among other instructions: “Under the foregoing issues the burden is upon the defendant to establish by a preponderance of the evidence the charges of fraud and conspiracy as alleged.

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Bluebook (online)
90 N.W. 828, 117 Iowa 394, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/welch-v-union-central-life-insurance-iowa-1902.