Williamson v. Massachusetts Bonding & Insurance

19 Conn. Supp. 59
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas
DecidedApril 26, 1954
DocketFile No. 49604
StatusPublished

This text of 19 Conn. Supp. 59 (Williamson v. Massachusetts Bonding & Insurance) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Williamson v. Massachusetts Bonding & Insurance, 19 Conn. Supp. 59 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1954).

Opinion

Pastore, J.

It appears from the complaint as amended that plaintiff is suing upon an insurance policy to recover payment from the defendant company of a judgment she recovered against her husband in Connecticut for damages covering bodily injuries received by her resulting from an accident in Connecticut while riding as a passenger in an automobile owned and operated at the time by him; that plaintiff and her husband were residents of the state of New York both when the policy was issued on July 12, 1949, and when the accident happened on July 16, 1950, which was within the policy period ; that defendant was a Massachusetts corporation empowered to issue such insurance in New York; that the policy was applied for, delivered and the premiums paid for in New York; that plaintiff and the insured were husband and wife at the time of the accident; that she recovered judgment against [61]*61her husband in Connecticut on June 16, 1952; that it became final because no appeal was taken from it and that it has not been satisfied.

Defendant has demurred on a number of grounds. The essence of these is to the effect that the coverage of the policy does not include any liability of the insured, being plaintiff’s husband, because of injuries to his spouse.

The policy having been applied for, delivered and first premiums paid in New York, the contract of insurance was entered into in the state of New York and its interpretation governed by the laws of that state. Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Johnson, 293 U.S. 335; Pool v. New England Mutual Life Ins. Co., 108 N.Y.S. 431; Vanderbeck v. Protected Home Circle, 163 N.Y.S. 80; Cain v. American Policyholders’ Ins. Co., 120 Conn. 645, 648; New York Life Ins. Co. v. Rigas, 117 Conn. 437, 440; Bank of Buffalo v. Aetna Indemnity Co., 90 Conn. 415, 421. In being empowered to transact business within the state of New York, defendant as a foreign corporation submitted to the laws of the state of New York, agreed to obey the same and to conform to its public policy. M’Clement v. Supreme Court, I.O.F., 152 N.Y.S. 136, 149. The parties here are not in dispute that the construction .of the policy is governed by the laws of New York and no question is raised that the law of the place of performance controls.

At the time of the issuance of the policy, § 167 (3) of the New York Insurance Law provided: “No policy or contract shall be deemed to insure against any liability of an insured because of death of or injuries to his or her spouse or because of injury to, or destruction of property of his or her spouse unless express provision relating specifically thereto is included in the policy.” The policy in the instant case contains no express provision insuring against liability for injuries to the spouse of the insured wrongdoer.

[62]*62Defendant claims that there is no liability under the policy to pay plaintiff’s judgment because of the absence of such a provision specifically insuring against any liability of the insured because of injuries to his spouse as claimed to be required by § 167 (3) of the New York Insurance Law in order that the policy be deemed to insure against such a liability. Plaintiff claims that such express provisions in the policy are required by the statute to provide for coverage of claims of one spouse against the other in connection with accidents occurring only within the state of New York and otherwise not required as to extraterritorial accidents.

Parties are presumed to have bargained with each other on the basis of existing law, including the judicial construction placed on a statute. 12 Am. Jur. 770, n.6. “In construing a foreign statute, we accept the construction of the statute adopted by the highest tribunal of the jurisdiction of the statute.” Cristilly v. Warner, 87 Conn. 461, 463. “The provisions of a statute applicable to the relationship of parties or their contracts not only should be construed to carry out the legislative intent but must, unless the provisions of other statutes, with applicable provisions, are repealed expressly or by necessary implication, be interpreted in harmony therewith. In the construction of an insurance policy the design, purpose, spirit and reason of the entire contract and every part of its clauses must be considered and no words disregarded as inoperative in order to give a rational and reasonable meaning to them consistent with the general design and object of the instrument. Contracts, especially of insurance, which more than most others are regulated by law, must be construed in the light of existing law and the legislative intent and purpose therein expressed.” Standard Accident Ins. Co. v. Newman, 47 N.Y.S.2d 804, 811.

[63]*63Two main questions are raised determinative of the demurrer: ‘ (1) Do the requirements of § 167 (3) of the New York Insurance Law apply only to domestic accidents, and (2) if so, is recovery by plaintiff otherwise within the terms of the policy?

With reference to the first question, an examination of the legislative history and judicial interpretation of said § 167 (3) compels the court to conclude that its requirements, for the policy to include coverage for the action here involved, pertain only to accidents occurring within the state of New York. If this is true, the absence of such required provisions in the policy would not preclude the plaintiff from fastening liability upon her husband’s insurance carrier, being the defendant herein.

“Prior to 1937, a husband was not liable to his wife for personal injuries resulting from his negligence. ... In that year the law was amended by granting to either spouse a right of action against the other for negligent injury to person or property, so that such suit is no longer against the public policy of New York. ... In order to make it possible for an insurance carrier to relieve itself of liability in situations where the wife was injured while riding in the automobile of her husband, the law provided that unless the policy specifically covered an injury to a spouse, such liability would not be deemed included within the terms of the policy.” Stonborough v. Preferred Accident Ins. Co., 40 N.Y.S.2d 480, 481, distinguishing Fuchs v. London & Lancashire Indemnity Co., 17 N.Y.S.2d 338, and affirmed 292 N.Y. 154. The creation of the right of action between spouses came out of chapter 669 of New York Laws, 1937, which contained four sections. The first amended the Domestic Relations Law to create the right of action between spouses. The second section added subdivision 3a to § 109 of the Insurance Law. The third and [64]*64fourth sections amended the Vehicle and Traffic Law by providing that policies issued to” motor vehicle owners need not insure against injuries to the spouse of the owner. Cf. Fuchs v. London & Lancashire Indemnity Co., 17 N.Y.S.2d 338, 339.

Section 109 (3) (a) by amendments came to its form known as § 167 (3) of the Insurance Law without material change, however, so far as here pertinent. Cf. Standard Accident Ins. Co. v. Newman, 47 N.Y.S.2d 804, 808, 809. It was “merely a by-product of an important amendment to the Domestic Relations Law.” Fuchs case, supra, 340. As to history of the section, see also N.Y. Consol. Laws Serv., Ins. Law, § 167.

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

Related

Mutual Life Ins. Co. of NY v. Johnson
293 U.S. 335 (Supreme Court, 1934)
Norma Roberts Clement v. Atlantic Casualty Ins. Co.
100 A.2d 273 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1953)
Bushnell v. Bushnell
131 A. 432 (Supreme Court of Connecticut, 1925)
Cristilly v. Warner
88 A. 711 (Supreme Court of Connecticut, 1913)
New York Life Insurance v. Rigas
168 A. 22 (Supreme Court of Connecticut, 1933)
Cain v. American Policyholders' Insurance
183 A. 403 (Supreme Court of Connecticut, 1936)
Ginsberg v. Ginsberg
9 A.2d 812 (Supreme Court of Connecticut, 1939)
Bank of Buffalo v. Aetna Indemnity Co.
97 A. 332 (Supreme Court of Connecticut, 1916)
Stonborough v. Preferred Accident Ins. Co. of N.Y.
54 N.E.2d 342 (New York Court of Appeals, 1944)
Coster v. Coster
46 N.E.2d 509 (New York Court of Appeals, 1943)
Pool v. New England Mutual Life Insurance
123 A.D. 885 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1908)
Fuchs v. London & Lancashire Indemnity Co. of America
258 A.D. 603 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1940)
McClement v. Supreme Court
88 Misc. 475 (New York Supreme Court, 1914)
Stonborough v. Preferred Accident Insurance
180 Misc. 339 (New York Supreme Court, 1943)
Standard Accident Insurance v. Newman
2 Misc. 2d 348 (New York Supreme Court, 1944)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
19 Conn. Supp. 59, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/williamson-v-massachusetts-bonding-insurance-pactcompl-1954.