Brown v. Spackman
Brown v. Spackman
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The plaintiff’s declaration recites the insolvency of the insurance company, the appointment of the plaintiff as receiver, the decree of the court of common pleas of Dauphin county directing assessments against policy holders for the purpose of paying losses, and that the amount for which this action was brought was one of the assessments so authorized and was for losses incurred while the defendants were members of the company. Numerous losses are set forth alleged to have occurred while the defendants were admittedly members of the company. The defendants say, however, that on January 24, 1900, they paid to the insurance company $40.00, “ which was in full payment of all assessments, shares or losses and the like for which the Coatesville Opera House Company was liable, either by assessment or otherwise, to January 24,1900, and that said sum covered the entire amount that the Coatesville Opera House Company was indebted to the Quaker City Mutual Fire Insurance Company for all assessments and losses due on policies then in existence, and for which the Coatesville Opera House Company would in anywise be liable under its policy.” This is either an averment that the defendants’ proportionate share of all the losses incurred during the life of their policy was $40.00, or that they believed it so to be, or that by an arrangement between them and the officers of the insurance company the sum named was accepted in satisfaction of their liability for losses under the policy. We are confronted, however, by the decree of the court of common pleas of Dauphin county authorizing an assessment to make good the losses of the company,
The cases cited by the learned counsel for the appellant are not in conflict with the foregoing authorities. In each of them the principle of liability for assessments to cover losses occurring during the life of the policy is clearly recognized. The only matter of defense available to the defendants is that relating to the payment of $40.00 at the time of the surrender of the policy. As to this there is no controversy, and the court in directing judgment to be entered for the plaintiff allowed credit for that amount. No disputed question of fact is, therefore, presented on the record and the judgment should be affirmed.
Reference
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- Status
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- Syllabus
- Insurance — Mutual companies — Assessments—Withdrawals—Receivers. A mutual insurance company does not by permitting a member to withdraw, relieve Mm from Ms obligation to pay Ms proportion of losses incurred during the life of his policy, even where they were not charged against him prior to his withdrawal. He must pay the proportion of all liabilities occurring during the continuance of his policy up to the time of his withdrawal. An order of the court having jurisdiction of the subject directing the receiver of an insolvent mutual insurance company to make assessments on policies to cover losses during the period of the life of the policies, is conclusive both as to the necessity for and the amount of the assessment, and cannot be questioned in either respect in any collateral or ancillary proceeding.