O'Neil v. American Assurance Co.
O'Neil v. American Assurance Co.
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The court declined to give binding instructions for the defendant or to enter judgment non obstante veredicto, and the assignments of error complain of this action. The first defense set up was that the plaintiff had failed to furnish proof of the death of her husband as required by the 14th paragraph of the “conditions” of the policy. It was not claimed that such proofs had been furnished, but an excuse for noncompliance with the condition was offered in the fact that the plaintiff sent an agent to the offices of the company in Philadelphia to give notice of the death and to obtain the blanks which were to be furnished by the company on which to make out the necessary proofs, and that this agent showed to a person in the office, apparently in charge of its business, the policy and gave notice of the death of Mr. O’Neil, at the same time asking for papers on which to make out the proof of death; whereupon, he was informed that the matter had been
Was the cancellation of the policy authorized by the terms of the fourth condition above recited? The right of cancellation is expressly denied by that condition during any disability for which the insured may be entitled to indemnity. The undertaking of the company was to insure against three contingencies: accidental disability; disability from sickness; and death of the insured. The evident purpose of the restriction on the power to cancel was to prevent the insurer from taking advantage of the disability of the insured and by paying any amount due to a particular time, avoiding further liability by cancellation and the manifest justice of this restriction is illustrated by the facts in this case. Admitting liability for sickness the insured was paid a lump sum. He was at that time fatally ill and died three or four days thereafter. The agreement to pay the plaintiff in this action the amount named in the policy in case of her husband’s death was part of the contract made by the defendant, and that this sum was understood as “indemnity” by the latter is shown by the provision in the third condition
The only other question in the case was one of fact which was submitted to the jury in a clear and unobjectionable charge by the learned trial judge and which was found in favor of the plaintiff.
The judgment is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- O'Neil v. American Assurance Company
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- 3 cases
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- Syllabus
- Insurance—Life insurance—Proofs of death—Waiver. 1. When an insurance company by denying liability leads a policyholder to believe that the filing of proofs of death would be fruitless, it cannot afterwards, in an action on the policy, defend because of failure to make such proofs, Insurance—Life insurance—Cancellation of policy. 2. Where a policy of life insurance provides that “the company may cancel this policy by mailing notice of cancellation .... with its check for the unearned part, if any, of the premium but not during any disability for which the insured may be entitled to indemnity,” the company cannot arbitrarily cancel the policy by payment of the amount of indemnity due to a particular time, when a disability exists which results in the death of the insured.