Dime Savings Institution v. American Surety Co.
Dime Savings Institution v. American Surety Co.
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of the court was delivered by
The declaration is upon an agreement by the defendant to make good and reimburse the plaintiff for all pecuniary loss sustained by it by reason of the fraud or dishonesty of one Charles R. Westervelt, an employe of the plaintiff.
The declaration sets out specifically the various sums of money lost by the fraud and embezzlement of said Westervelt within the insured period, and annexed thereto is a copy of said agreement, 'which is made part of the declaration.
The first plea of the defendant is non damnificatus, concluding with a verification.
The plaintiff replied to this plea, amplifying somewhat the statement of the breaches of the agreement on the part of Westervelt.
The defendant demurred to this replication to the first plea.
It is obvious that the plea of non damnificatus is no answer to a declaration which particularly specifies the breaches. The declaration clearly shows a breach, and the plaintiff’s injury thereby, and therefore the averment of this plea is, in substance, a declaration that the plaintiff was not injured by having various large sums of money embezzled by Westervelt. The plea is vicious.
The defendant has framed its pleas as if the agreement sued upon was a bond with condition to Save harmless.
On such bonds prior to the statute of 8 & 9 Wm. III., ch. 11, § 8, the plaintiff declared upon the obligation of the bond without setting forth the condition.
Then the defendant craved oyer of the condition of the bond, and if the condition was merely to indemnify and save harmless, he could plead non damnificatus, which is a general denial, and compel the plaintiff, in his replication, to assign breaches specifically.
After the passage of 8 & 9 Wm. III., ch. 11, § 8, it was necessary for plaintiff, in his declaration on such bonds, and on all bonds with a few exceptions, to set out the condition and show breaches.
The defendant, in that ease, could not plead the general denial, non damnificatus, but was required to traverse the breaches assigned, and conclude to the country. 2 Chit. Pl. (ed. 1809) 481; Cutler v. Southern, 1 Saund. 116, note 1; Holmes v. Rhodes, 1 Bos. & P. 638, 640; 5 Went. Pl. 490.
The plea of non damnificatus is bad, and should be stricken out; and as that is the first error in pleading,'judgment must be rendered for plaintiff on this demurrer, with costs.
The fifth plea of the defendant is as follows:
“And the said defendant, by like leave of the court here for this purpose first had and obtained, says that the said plaintiff ought not to have or maintain its aforesaid action thereof against it, the defendant, because it says that the said plaintiff did not, with the said claim made by it upon the defendant for twenty thousand dollars for its alleged liability upon the said bond, or at any other time, furnish to the defendant, or accompany the said dawn with a written statement of such alleged loss, certified by the duly-authorized officer or representative of the said plaintiff, and based upon -the accounts of the plaintiff, as provided in and by the said bond, a copy of which is annexed to the declaration and made part thereof; and this the defendant is ready to verify; wherefore it prays judgment if the said plaintiff ought to have or maintain its aforesaid action thereof against the defendant.”
To this plea the plaintiff replied as follows, and the defendant demurred to this replication:
“And the said plaintiff, for a further replication to the said amended plea of the said defendant by it fifthly above pleaded, by leave of the court here for this purpose first had and obtained, saith that it, the said plaintiff, by reason of
There is no express or implied agreement that the plaintiff shall furnish to defendant a written statement of the alleged loss, certified by the duly-authorized officer, and based upon the accounts of the plaintiff. The agreement states what shall be prima facie evidence, but expressly requires satisfactory proof, which is averred in the declaration.
The fifth plea, therefore, is also bad; but if it was a good plea, the replication to it is sufficient.
The defendant had a right to plead that satisfactory proof was not furnished, and did so in its fourth plea, on which issue is joined.
On this demurrer there must also be judgment for the plaintiff, with costs.
The defendant pleaded a twelfth plea, as follows:
“And a further plea in this behalf, the said defendant, by like leave of the court'here for that purpose first had and obtained, says that the said plaintiff ought not to have or maintain its aforesaid action against the defendant, because it says that the defendant was induced to execute and deliver the said bond in consequence of a certain representation or certificate in writing made and executed by the plaintiff, through its duly-authorized officer, to wit, James D. Orton, its president, and bearing date on the twenty-fourth day of
. To this plea the plaintiff filed two replications, as follows, which are demurred to by the defendant:
“And the said plaintiff, for a further replication to the said amended plea of the said defendant by it twelfthly above pleaded, bjr leave off the court here for this purpose first had and obtained, saith that it, the said plaintiff, by reason of anything by the said defendant in that plea alleged, ought not to be barred from having and maintaining its aforesaid action thereof against the said defendant, because it saith that the accounts of the said Charles B. Westervelt with it, the plaintiff, in the said plea referred to, were, on the said ninth day of May, eighteen hundred and ninety-three, duly
“And the said plaintiff, for a further replication to- the said amended plea of the said defendant by it twelfthly above pleaded, by leave of the court here for this purpose first had and obtained, saith that it, the said plaintiff, by reason of anything by the said defendant in that plea alleged, ought not to be barred from having and maintaining its aforesaid action thereof against the said defendant, because it saith that the accounts of the said Westervelt with it, the plaintiff, were, in fact, examined on the ninth day of May, eighteen hundred and ninety-three, and were found correct in every respect, in so far as could be ascertained upon such examination ; and this it, the said plaintiff, is ready to verify; wherefore it prays judgment and its damages by reason of the nonpayment of the said sum of twenty thousand dollars in said declaration mentioned to- be adjudged to it," &c.
' The statement of the plaintiff' alleged, by the twelfth plea, to have been made to the- defendant is not contained in the written agreement sued on, nor is any reference made to it in said agreement.
It must, therefore, be regarded as a representation, and not a warranty, under the rule adopted by our Court of Last Resort in American Life Insurance Co. v. Day, 10 Vroom 93. It was there held that, “in order to make any statements binding as warranties, they must appear upon the face of the instrument itself by which the contract of insurance is
It is essential, therefore, to good and sufficient pleading, that this twelfth plea shall contain an averment that the statement set forth therein was false to the knowledge of the plaintiff.
We think there is 'an absence of such necessary averment in the twelfth plea; but if it may be regarded otherwise, then the replications demurred to are good.
There must be judgment for plaintiff on this demurrer, with costs.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.