Willis v. Allstate Insurance Company

392 S.W.2d 799
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJune 18, 1965
Docket16571
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 392 S.W.2d 799 (Willis v. Allstate Insurance Company) 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
Willis v. Allstate Insurance Company, 392 S.W.2d 799 (Tex. Ct. App. 1965).

Opinion

DIXON, Chief Justice.

Appellants Beatrice Gipson Willis and W. L. Davis have appealed from a judgment declaring that an automobile insurance policy issued by appellee Allstate Insurance Company has been duly cancelled.

The record before us does not include the pleadings of any of the parties. A stipulation entered into by the parties recites some though not all of the material facts. A copy of the trial court’s judgment is included in the transcript and it contains recitations as to some of the other facts and the pleadings. And in their briefs the parties are in agreement as to still other matters. By a careful reading of the above named documents we believe enough information has been developed in regard to the pleadings and the undisputed facts to enable us to pass on this appeal.

On June 29, 1962 Robert Lee Willis executed an application for automobile liability insurance. On June 30, 1962 appellee issued its policy pursuant to said application. The annual premium was $59.00, of which Willis paid $25.10, and he was allowed six months from June 29, 1962 in which to pay the balance. This meant that Willis had until December 29, 1962 to complete payment of the first annual premium.

The insured named in Item 2 of the declarations of the policy is Robert Lee Willis, whose address is shown in the policy to be 3911 Works Avenue, Dallas 15, Texas. The insurance coverage also included appellant Beatrice Gipson Willis, wife of the insured.

The policy contains the following provisions :

“11. Beneficiary
Part 3: Coverage C2
Consent of beneficiary is not requisite to cancelation, assignment, change of beneficiary, or any other change in this policy.”
“18. Assignment
Assignment of interest under this policy shall not bind the company until its consent is endorsed hereon; if, however, the insured named in Item 2 of the declarations, or his spouse if a resident of the same household, shall die, this policy shall cover (1) the survivor as named insured, (2) his legal representative as named insured but only while acting within the scope of his duties as such, (3) any person having proper temporary custody of an owned automobile, as an insured, until the appointment and qualification of such legal representative, and (4) under division 1 of Part 2 any person who was a relative at the time of such death.”
“19. Cancelation
* * * This policy may be canceled by the company by mailing to the insured named in Item 2 of the declarations at the address shown in this policy written notice stating when not less than ten days thereafter such cancelation shall be effective. The mailing of notice as aforesaid shall be sufficient proof of notice. The effective date and hour of cancelation stated in the notice shall become the end of the policy period.”

On October 28, 1962 Robert Lee Willis died. Appellant Beatrice Gipson Willis, his surviving widow, says that in looking through her husband’s papers she found a copy of his application for insurance. But she never notified appellee Allstate Insurance Company that her husband had died, and she never requested that the insurance policy in question be changed to *801 her name. No further payments on the premium were paid after the initial payment of $25.10 on June 29, 1962 by Robert Lee Willis or anyone else.

On December 20, 1962 appellee mailed its notice of cancellation addressed to Robert Lee Willis at 3911 Works Avenue, Dallas 15, Texas, the cancellation to become effective January 2, 1963 because of failure to pay premium. There is nothing in the record to indicate that ap-pellee was aware that Robert Lee Willis had died.

On January 9, 1963 appellant Beatrice Gipson Willis was involved in an automobile accident. As a result of this accident a suit was filed against her by W. L. Davis individually and as next friend of Henry Loy Davis.

Thereafter appellee Allstate Insurance Company filed this suit against appellant Beatrice Gipson Willis, and W. L. Davis, individually and as next friend of Henry Loy Davis. As we have said, the transcript before us does not include copies of the pleadings of the parties, but the court’s judgment indicates the nature of appellee’s suit.

On November 18, 1964 judgment was rendered in favor of Allstate Insurance Company in the suit it had filed against Beatrice Gipson Willis and W. L. Davis. We quote from the court’s judgment:

“And it appearing to the Court that the facts and the law are with the Plaintiff, Allstate Insurance Company, and that said Plaintiff should have judgment as prayed for in its Second Amended Original Petition on file herein,
“IT IS accordingly ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that the said policy of insurance in question issued to Robert Lee Willis pursuant to his application therefor dated June 29, 1962, issued on June 30, 1962, and being numbered 16 057 337 06-30, had been duly cancelled by the mailing of a notice of cancellation in accordance with the terms of said policy, said cancellation being effective January 2, 1963, and therefore of no force and effect thereafter, and therefore not being in effect on the date of the automobile accident (namely January 9, 1963) which is the subject of a suit in controversy, bearing number 78, 274-G/B in this same 44th District Court, by and between the said Defendant W. L. Davis, individually and as next friend of Henry Loy Davis (as plaintiffs in the suit brought by them) and the Defendant, Beatrice Gipson Willis (defendant in the suit brought by Davis).”

Appellants Willis and Davis in their brief present seven alleged points of error.

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392 S.W.2d 799, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/willis-v-allstate-insurance-company-texapp-1965.