Hamilton v. Mutual Benefit Life Ins.
Hamilton v. Mutual Benefit Life Ins.
Opinion of the Court
This was an action upon a policy of life-insurance issued by the defendant on October 2, 1891, upon the life of John C. Hamilton, in the sum of $2,000, payable to Caroline Hamilton, the wife of the insured and the plaintiff in the present case. The uncontradicted evidence establishes the following facts: The insured died March 13, 1895. Two annual premiums were paid on the policy, but default was made in the payment of the third premium due September 19, 1893. On this date the “net reserve” to the credit of the insured on the books of the defendant company was $38.04. The company had loaned the insured on his policy $14.22, and this amount, together with the agreed rate of interest thereon, deducted from the net reserve left to his credit the sum of $18.04. The policy provides that when after two full annual premiums shall have been paid it shall become void solely on account of non-payment of any premium, the net amount due the insured at the date of the default shall, upon surrender of the policy and request by the insured, he applied to the purchase of “paid-up” insurance, that is, insurance upon which no further premiums are to be paid, in whatever amount the sum due him will purchase under the terms of his policy. The policy further provides that if no request for paid-up insurance is made, the sum due the insured “shall be applied by the company, asa single premium at the company’s rate published and in force” at the date of the default, “to the purchase of non-participating term insurance for the full amount insured.” The evidence showed that the insured did not surrender his policy and request a paid-up policy in compliance with that provision of the policy first above referred to; and it further shows that, under the company’s published rates, extended or term insurance was granted to the insured for a period of 328 days from September 19,1893.
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- HAMILTON v. MUTUAL BENEFIT LIFE INS. CO.
- Status
- Published