Quigley v. St. Paul Title Insurance & Trust Co.
Quigley v. St. Paul Title Insurance & Trust Co.
Opinion of the Court
Most of tbe facts necessary to tbe understanding of tbis case are recited in tbe opinion on tbe former appeal, in wbicb a new trial was granted. See 60 Minn. 275, 62 N. W. 287. Tbe case has since been tried a second time, resulting in a verdict for plaintiff for tbe sum of $2,650, and from an order denying a new trial defendant tabes tbis appeal, wbicb presents some questions not presented by tbe former appeal.
On tbe last trial, two officers of tbe defendant company testified in its bebalf that they notified tbe loan agent, Lee, after tbe me
It is' contended by appellant that Quigley, through his agent, Lee, received notice from defendant that he must take care of this lien and redeem from the foreclosure sale, himself; that he was bound to do so; and that, by failing to do so, he could not increase the liability of defendant, whose contract with him was merely to indemnify and save him harmless, and insure his interest in the premises as mortgagee. It is contended that, under these circumstances, appellant is liable only for the amount of the incumbrance, which, at most, was only the amount necessary to redeem from the foreclosure sale, which was very much less than the value of the property. The court below did not accept these propositions as law applicable to this case, but charged the jury that plaintiff is entitled, in any event, to recover $2,200, the amount of the insurance policy, if the mortgaged premises were worth that much; and if they were not worth that much, he was entitled to recover .the amount of their value. This is assigned as error.
' Let us examine the evidence on which appellant claims that this rule of law should have been laid down. It was admitted on the trial, by defendant, that neither Quigley, nor his heirs or executors, had any knowledge of the mechanic’s lien claim in question, or of the proceedings to foreclose the same, until after the year to redeem had expired, and that Quigley never had any notice of any of
Lee retained in his hands the proceeds of the mortgage loan, out of which he paid a large number of other liens similar to this. The evidence tends strongly to show that he held this money,' not as the agent of Quigley, but as the trustee of the mortgagor, Mrs. Kingsley, and of this defendant, for the purpose of satisfying ,all such liens out of it, and thereby protecting defendant on this in
As we held on the former appeal, when, under the terms of this policy, the insurer undertook to defend the insured, it was bound to protect him through all stages of the proceeding, or else notify him that it would not, in time to enable him to protect himself. It was also bound to furnish him at such time all reasonable information of the status of the adverse claim, so as to enable him to take all proper precautions for his protection. The defendant failed to protect the insured, and has failed to prove that it gave him any such notice in time to enable him to protect himself; therefore, as a question of law, the plaintiff was entitled to recover full compensatory damages. This disposes of all the questions raised worthy of consideration and not disposed of by the former appeal.
The order appealed from is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- LUCIEN G. QUIGLEY and Others, Executors v. ST. PAUL TITLE INSURANCE & TRUST COMPANY
- Status
- Published