Roberts v. Ætna Insurance Co.

California Supreme Court
Roberts v. Ætna Insurance Co., 58 Cal. 83 (Cal. 1881)

Roberts v. Ætna Insurance Co.

Opinion of the Court

The Court :

The policy contained a covenant: “Any false representation by the insured, etc., or any omission to make known every fact, etc., or any misrepresentation whatever, shall render the policy void.”

In his “application” the insured, plaintiff, “hereby covenants and agrees that the foregoing (answers to questions) constitute a just, full, and true exposition of all the facts and circumstances in regard to the condition, situation, and value of the property to be insured, so far as the same are known to the applicant, and the same is hereby made a condition of the insurance and a warranty on the part of the insured.” The application contains the question and answer, “10. Is there any incendiary danger apprehended or threatened? Ho.” The demurrer to defendant’s answer (the answer setting forth that the reply to question 10 “ was false and fraudulent at the time of making it, in this, that incendiary danger was then apprehended by the said James M. Coburn, as he then well knew, and he, the said James M. Coburn, did. in the aforesaid answer, falsely and fraudulently represent to the defendant that such danger was not apprehended, and he so represented with intention to deceive and defraud the defendant”), was properly overruled. When the policy refers *86to the. application, and makes it part of the policy, any breach of the conditions or representations which are warranties, avoids it.

Though a circumstance in itself of trifling import, we are not prepared to say that the testimony of the witness Brunn that the premises were partly burned “last summer,” in the absence of the assignor of plaintiff, in no degree tended to show that he had apprehension of incendiarism.

The policy and application were set forth in the complaint and the defendant in his answer alleged a fact which, if true, constituted breach of a warranty. The instruction complained of was not erroneous.

Judgment and order affirmed.

Reference

Full Case Name
W. D. ROBERTS v. THE ÆTNA INSURANCE COMPANY
Cited By
1 case
Status
Published
Syllabus
Insurance—Application—Warranty.—When a policy of insurance refers to the application and makes it a part of the policy, any breach in the conditions or representations which are warranted avoids it. Id.—Id.—Id.—Instructions.—The application contained the question: “Is there any incendiary danger apprehended or threatened?” and the answer, “No;” and the answer alleged that this representation was false and fraudulent in this, that incendiary danger was apprehended by the applicant. A demurrer to the answer was overruled, and the Court instructed the jury in effect that if the fact alleged was proved, they should find for the defendant. Held, no error. Id.—Id.—Id.—Materiality op Evidence.—On the trial, the testimony of a witness, that the premises had been partly burned prior to the application, was admitted over the objection of the plaintiff. Held,, that the Court was not prepared to say that this circumstance—though in itself of trifling import—in no degree tended to show that the applicant had apprehension of incendiarism.