Wolonter v. United States Casualty Co.

101 S.E. 58, 126 Va. 156, 1919 Va. LEXIS 83
CourtSupreme Court of Virginia
DecidedSeptember 17, 1919
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 101 S.E. 58 (Wolonter v. United States Casualty Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wolonter v. United States Casualty Co., 101 S.E. 58, 126 Va. 156, 1919 Va. LEXIS 83 (Va. 1919).

Opinion

Burks, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court.

This is an action on an accident policy to recover for the accidental death of the insured. After all the evidence was introduced the defendant demurred thereto, and the trial court sustained the demurrer and entered judgment for the defendant. ' To that judgment this writ of error was awarded.

[159]*159The only question in controversy is: “Was the policy in force at the time of the accident resulting in the death of the insured?”

The policy contains the following provision: “The company may cancel this policy at any time by written notice delivered to the insured or mailed to his latest address appearing on the company’s record with its check for the unearned part, if any, of the premium, but such cancellation shall be without prejudice to any claim arising on account of disability commencing prior to the date on which the cancellation takes effect.”

The statute (Acts 1912, p. 137, § 1) provides that accident policies shall, amongst other things, contain the following provision:

“(h) A provision that the policy may be cancelled at any time by the company by written notice delivered to the insured or mailed to him at his last address as shown by the records of the company and the tender of the company’s check for the unearned portion of the premium Sfc # ❖ 99

The case, stated from the standpoint of a demurrer to the evidence, is as follows: C. R. Fishburne was the agent of the insurance company in the city of Roanoke to solicit insurance in the company, and on July 21, 1914, he obtained from John Wolonter applications for two policies which were subsequently issued to him and the premiums thereon duly paid. One of these policies was a sick benefit policy, and the other the accident policy in suit. Two claims under the sick benefit policy were asserted and paid. The application for the accident policy was made upon a printed form with blanks left for information to be furnished by the assured. So much of the form as is necessary for onr purposes, with the information indicated by italics, is here inserted.

[160]*160“(g) My post-office address is City, Roanoke, State, Va.

(h) The firm or corporation with which I am connected as an employee is Virginia Bridge & Iron Company.

“The business conducted is Bridge Building.

“The business address is Care of Virginia Bridge Comrpany, “City, Roanoke, State,...............

“(i) My occupation is Laborer (Hooper).”

At the time the application was made, the insured resided outside of the corporate limits of the city of Roanoke, and had neither city nor rural free delivery. Afterwards he moved to 116 E. Salem avenue, within the city and mail delivery limits. He gave no orders to the post officials for delivery of his mail at any time. The first claim under his sick benefit policy was adjusted and paid by Fishburne. The second claim under the sick benefit policy was adjusted and settled by an adjuster of the company, at Fishburne’s office in the city of Roanoke, Va., about the first of February, 1915. Prior to this time, and after Wolonter had moved into the city, he obtained a certificate from Dr.1 Parker as to the character of his sickness for which the claim was to be asserted, and sent it to Fishbume, the agent of the company, by his wife, who is beneficiary in the accident policy and the plaintiff in this action. She then notified Fishburne of their changed residence, and that her husband wished all communications “from Mr. Fishburne and the company with reference to these policies sent to 116 E. Salem avenue, Roanoke, Virginia.” Fishburne wrote the address on a slip of paper, and subsequently, when the adjuster arrived, she received, by private messenger, a note from Fishburne addressed to her at “116 E. Salem avenue, Roanoke, Va.,” calling her to his office to meet the adjuster and settle the second sick benefit claim. As to what transpired at this meeting, she testifies that,. “After we had agreed upon the amount of [161]*161the settlement and while Mr. Fishburne was filling out some paper, he asked me, among other questions, for John’s address, and I told him, 116 E. Salem avenue, Roanoke, Va.” She does not state what this paper was, but says, “Mr. Fishburne wrote the address on the paper he was tilling out, I saw it there, and my husband signed the paper.”

On February 8, 1915, the insurance company mailed a notice of cancellation of the policy in suit in New York city, addressed to “John Wolonter, Roanoke, Va.” A check for the unearned premium was enclosed with the notice of cancellation. The notice arrived in Roanoke on February 9, 1915, but was not delivered till February 13, 1915, when the plaintiff was informed by Fishburne' that the policies had been cancelled, and directed her to go to the post-office and inquire for the. notices. This information was furnished by Fishburne in response to an inquiry by the plaintiff over the telephone, who had been informed by the hospital authorities that the policy in suit had been cancelled. Wolonter was mortally wounded on February 12, 1915, and died February 14, 1915.

The two policies hereinbefore referred to were sent from the home office of the company in New York in envelopes addressed to “John Wolonter, Roanoke, Va., care Virginia Virginia Bridge & Iron Company,” and were delivered to Wolonter at the bridge company’s office. All other letters received by John Wolonter or the plaintiff, from either Fishburne or the insurance company, were addressed to “Roanoke, Virginia, care of the Virginia Bridge & Iron Company,” and when Fishburne was notified of the changed address, after he had been requested by the company to get the correct address, “he agreed that he and the company would thereafter address all communications with reference to said policies to us at 116 E. Salem avenue, [162]*162Roanoke, Va.” Wolonter was a foreigner and never re-received any letters from any one except Fishburne or the insurance company. He never received any- addressed simply to “Roanoke, Va.,” from either Fishburne or the company. On December 30, 19J4, the company wrote Wolonter, enclosing blank form for proof of loss under his' sick benefit policy. This letter was addressed “John Wolonter, Roanoke, Va.,” but was returned “Unclaimed” and “Not in City Directory.” Thereupon the company wrote Fishburne, under date of January 11, 1915, notifying him of the return of their letter and requesting him to furnish them with Wolonter’s address. Fishburne replied January 20, 1915, promising to endeavor to get the address.

[1] Some of the above statements of fact are contradicted by witnesses for the defendant, but upon a demurrer to the evidence, the testimony of witnesses for the demurree must be accepted as true unless inherently in-credible, or judicially known to be untrue; and if several inferences may be drawn from the evidence, differing in degrees of probability, those most favorable to the demurree must be adopted unless forced, strained or manifestly repugnant to reason. Horner v. Speed, 2 Pat. & H. 616; Washington & O. D. R. C. v. Jackson, 117 Va. 638, 85 S. E. 496. This is the penalty imposed for withdrawing the case from the consideration of the jury who are the proper triers of questions of fact.

[2, 3]

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

Related

Russell v. Nationwide Life Insurance Co.
401 F. App'x 763 (Fourth Circuit, 2010)
Sjostrom & Sons, Inc. v. D. & E. Mall Restaurant, Inc.
332 N.E.2d 62 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1975)
Farmers Insurance Group v. Merryweather
214 N.W.2d 184 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1974)
Morpul, Inc. v. Crescent Hosiery Mills
265 F. Supp. 279 (E.D. Tennessee, 1967)
Employers Mutual Casualty Co. v. Nosser
164 So. 2d 426 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1964)
Moore v. Palmetto Bank & Textile Insurance
120 S.E.2d 231 (Supreme Court of South Carolina, 1961)
Thorn Construction Co. v. International Hod Carriers
345 P.2d 231 (Nevada Supreme Court, 1959)
Harleysville Mutual Insurance Company v. Dollins
109 S.E.2d 405 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1959)
Ampy v. Insurance Company
200 Va. 396 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1958)
Ampy v. Metropolitan Casualty Insurance Co. of New York
105 S.E.2d 839 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1958)
Selken v. Northland Insurance Company
90 N.W.2d 29 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1958)
Merrimack Mutual Fire Insurance v. Scott
240 S.W.2d 666 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1951)
Trinity Universal Insurance v. Willrich
124 P.2d 950 (Washington Supreme Court, 1942)
Sorensen v. Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance
286 N.W. 494 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1939)
California-Western States Life Ins. Co. v. Williams
120 S.W.2d 844 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 1938)
Saint Paul Fire & Marine Insurance v. C. I. T. Corp.
189 S.E. 390 (Court of Appeals of Georgia, 1936)
Fidelity & Casualty Co. v. Riley
178 A. 250 (Court of Appeals of Maryland, 1935)
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad v. Wheeler
132 S.E. 517 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1926)
Davis v. Ellis
126 S.E. 658 (Court of Appeals of Virginia, 1925)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
101 S.E. 58, 126 Va. 156, 1919 Va. LEXIS 83, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wolonter-v-united-states-casualty-co-va-1919.