Kearney v. Security Ins.
Kearney v. Security Ins.
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The court below found that the proofs of loss submitted were not in compliance with the terms of the policy, but told the jury that if certain facts were believed they might find a waiver. It appears that the insured prepared a very complete list of the articles injured or destroyed with their value. This was done at the request of the local agent. The list was submitted to the local agent who retained it. Shortly thereafter the adjuster of the company who had full power to act in the premises came with the local agent to plaintiff’s place where the loss had occurred and with the list that plaintiff had fur
The sufficiency of the evidence to support a waiver is for the court. Whether such a waiver is proved, is for the jury: Brumbaugh v. Home Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 20 Pa. Superior Ct. 144; Stewart v. General Acc. Ins. Co., 39 Pa. Superior Ct. 396, and cases therein cited. The complaint is made that the learned trial judge did not submit the question of waiver to the jury. It is stated that at one point of the charge the judge uses language which would seem to definitely declare that there was a waiver. We think the charge as a whole does not bear out this idea. We quote a part of the charge referring to certain acts of the company. “That is a recognition of liability on the part of the company, and the failure of the company, through Mr. Stuart, to demand additional proofs of loss or different proofs of loss, if you believe the facts, constituted a waiver and therefore that question is out of the case, and the only question left then is, how much was Mr. Kearney’s damage in this case? That, I apprehend, is the real question in this case, how much has the plaintiff suffered?” This considered alone might create some confusion but later on in the charge we find the following: “Now, gentlemen, exercise the best judgment that you can, deal fairly on both sides, and if you find that the facts which I first referred to as constituting a waiver, if you find them in favor of the plaintiff, then it will be your duty to return a verdict for this plaintiff for such sum as will compensate him for his actual loss according to the rule and standard that I have laid down to you.” This last instruction cured any ambiguity in the first.
Plaintiff’s statement alleges compliance with the terms of the policy. At the trial he failed to prove that he complied with the policy as to furnishing proofs, but
Objection is made to the fact that the court refused to affirm without qualification a point submitted by the appellant that two of the articles contained in plaintiff’s list of articles that had been destroyed were not destroyed but were afterwards used by plaintiff. The court stated that if plaintiff committed intentional fraud he could not recover. We think this was a correct statement of the law. We will not hold that a claimant against an insurance company who through a misapprehension of the identity of the articles or through some other mistake includes such articles in his proofs cannot recover. In Franklin Fire Ins. Co. v. Updegraff, 43 Pa. 350, it was held that to create a forfeiture under a clause in the policy declaring that false swearing or fraud shall cause a forfeiture of all claims against the insurer, the false swearing must be done wilfully and knowingly with a view to defraud the company. We followed this case in Post v. Amer. Central Ins. Co., 51 Pa. Superior
The defendant complains that the court under a misapprehension of the testimony, stated that defendant was derelict in failing to call certain persons who could testify upon a point in the case which was obscure.' This did not harm the defendant. The court did make the remark complained of but attributed the want of diligence or whatever it may be to both parties to the suit and characterized their action as “weak” in this regard. There was no justification for the remark as far as. we can find from an examination of the testimony but it was harmless.
The court admitted the imperfect proofs of loss and afterwards held that they were not in compliance with the policy but refused to strike them from the record. We find no error in this. Plaintiffs proof was that the adjuster of the company used the list furnished by the plaintiff in checking up the loss. The paper furnished some evidence toward the conclusion that although the formal proofs had not been furnished that the company by means of the- paper and the visit to the premises obtained substantially the same information that it would have had if formal proofs had been furnished. All this bore upon the question of waiver and we think the paper was properly allowed to remain part of the record.
All the assignments of error are overruled and the judgment is affirmed.
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- Insurance — Fire insurance — Proof of loss — Waiver—Pleading. Where an insured under a policy of fire insurance prepares a very complete list of articles injured or destroyed by fire with their value, and the list is submitted to the local agent of the company who had requested it, and the latter retains it, and thereafter the adjuster of the company goes to the insured and objects to the value placed upon the articles and offers a smaller amount in settlement, but makes no objection that the proof furnished was unsatisfactory, the insurance company, in an action against it, will not be heard to defend on the ground that the proofs of loss submitted were not in compliance with the terms of the policy. The sufficiency of the evidence to support a waiver as to proof of loss is for the court. Whether such a waiver is proved is for the jury. In an action upon a fire insurance policy it is not necessary that plaintiff in order to plead a valid contract of insurance should aver in his statement that the defendant had waived the right to demand proof of loss. The plaintiff is not barred from offering evidence of the waiver at the trial although no reference is made to it in his statement. A claimant against an insurance company is not barred from recovery because through a misapprehension of the identity of certain articles, or because of some other mistake he includes such articles in his proofs of loss, although they were not in fact injured or destroyed. Where the court admits imperfect proofs of loss and subsequently refuses to strike them from the record, such action is not reversible error, if it appears that the insured had furnished a list of the articles destroyed, that the adjuster had used the list to cheek up the loss and had visited the plaintiff’s premises with the list in hand. The paper admitted bore upon the question of waiver and was properly allowed to remain as a part of the record. Practice, C. P. — Charge—Harmless error. A judgment will not be reversed because of an erroneous remark made by the trial judge where it appears that such remark, although not justified, was in fact harmless.