Pettit v. American Central Insurance
Pettit v. American Central Insurance
Opinion of the Court
On the fourteenth day of September, 1894, the defendant issued its policy of insurance, whereby it insured the plaintiff against loss or damage by fire to the amount of $1,500 on his dwelling house, $1,000 on his household furniture, $350 on the barn, chicken house and storeroom, situated on the premises; and also $150 on the vehicles and robes contained in the last described buildings. On the fifteenth day of January, 1895, the dwelling house and all of the household furniture were burned. At the August term, 1895, of the Wayne county circuit court an action was brought by plaintiff to recover the total amount of insurance on the house and furniture, to wit, $2,500. The action was defended on the ground that the plaintiff had failed to comply with certain conditions in the policy. The case was tried before the court without a jury, and before the judgment was pronounced but after the submission of the cause, the plaintiff voluntarily dismissed the action as to the personal property. The court rendered a judgment for the amount of the insurance on the house, which judgment the defendant subsequently paid. Afterwards, to wit, on the fourth day of September, 1895, the remainder of the property insured was also destroyed by fire. The present actiofi was brought to the February term, 1896, of the same court. The petition contains two counts. In the first the plaintiff seeks to recover for the value of the household goods which were burned by the first fire, and in the second for the value of the property
The principle stated in Phillips v. Berick, 16 John. 140, and upon which the plaintiff relies, applies only to causes of action arising out of separate and distinct agreements, and not to separate breaches of the same agreement. Neither does the case of Trabeau v. Ins. Co., 121 Mo. 75, declare a doctrine different from that of the cases herein cited. In that case the policy covered the dwelling house and its contents, consisting of household goods, etc. The point of decision was that the contract was severable to the extent' of permitting a recovery as to the personalty, although there could be no recovery as to the house by reason of the violation of certain conditions in the policy.
The judgment of the circuit court will be affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Lee M. Pettit v. American Central Insurance Company
- Cited By
- 2 cases
- Status
- Published