Mutual Life Ins. v. Cameron
Mutual Life Ins. v. Cameron
Opinion of the Court
(after stating the facts as above).
Section 2 of the laws of the state of New York, referred to in the briefs of both counsel, has no application to any but “endowment” policies. The policy in this case is a twenty-year distribution policy, not an endowment policy. The surrender clause of this policy is as follows: “This policy must be surrendered to the company at the end of the said twenty years from the date of issue and the full reserve computed by the American Table of Mortality and four per cent, interest and the surplus as defined, will be paid therefor in cash. If surrendered at the end of any subsequent quinquennial dividend period, the full reserve by the same standard and the surplus as defined will be paid in cash. No cash value will be paid for its surrender at any other time or dates.”
Quinquennial dividend periods referred to in this clause are such as occur after .the end of twenty years, as clearly shown by the use of the word “subsequent” in the clause. We think the appellant is right in its contention that he could not have sued for the reserve until after the end of the twenty years. The dividend paragraph provides that the policy holder shall be credited with the distributive share of surplus apportioned at the end of twenty years from the date of the policy, expressly adding: “Only twenty-year • distribution policies in force at the end of such term . . . shall share in such distribution of the surplus, and no other distribution of such policies shall be made at any previous time.” The clause in reference to the “payment of premiums” expressly provides that, “if this policy shall become void by non-payment of premium, all payments previously made shall be forfeited to the company, except as hereinafter provided.” The only other provision therein-
Pee Curiam. The above opinion is adopted as the opinion of the court, and for the reasons therein indicated the judgment is reversed, and the suit dismissed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Mutual Life Ins. Co. of New York v. B. F. Cameron
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- 1. Insurance. Distribution policies. Endowment policies. Reserve. Rights of policy-holders. Section 2 of the laws of the state of New York 1879, chapter 347, • has no application to any but “endowment” policies and does not apply to twenty-year distribution policies. 2. Insurance. Distribution policies. Rights of policy-holders. The surrender clause of a twenty-year distribution policy in the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York, provided, that the policy must be surrendered at the end of twenty years or at any subsequent quinquennial period, and the reserve might be withdrawn and that no cash value would be paid for surrender at any other time. It was provided in another clause that only policies in force at the end of the twenty-year term should share in the surplus and that no distribution should be made at any previous time. The policy further stated that if the policy should become void for non-payment of' premiums all payments previously made should be forfeited to the company. The policy lapsed for the non-payment of the sixth annual premium and no application was made for a paid up policy ■ within the six months required by the policy. Held, in a suit by the insured after the end of the twenty-year period, that he was not entitled to maintain a suit for a distributive share of the surplus or reserve.