Koehler v. Beeber
Koehler v. Beeber
Opinion of the Court
Opinion,
The defendant in the court below when he took his policy and gave his premium note became a member of the company. As such he had a right to attend the meetings of its members and to vote at the elections of directors. If the directors were extravagant, incompetent, or careless of their trust, they were nevertheless his representatives in the management of the affairs of the company and their acts done within the scope of their authority bind him. He should have investigated the situation of the company and the character of the management before giving his note and subjecting himself to contribution toward the payment of salaries that bore no relation to the value of services actually rendered, and to the payment of losses on outstanding risks when the income of the company was rapidly falling off. But having become a member of the company and given his premium note he is entitled to insist that his liability shall not be extended beyond his contract. He is liable to contribute to losses arising after he became a member of the company but not to those which had occurred before : The Peoples Fire Ins. Co. v. Hartshorne & Co., 90 Pa. 465.
The statement filed by the company as the basis of its right to execution against the insured, in this case, purports to give the amount of the premiums received and the manner in which the moneys of the company have been expended, between May 14, 1880, and October 8, 1881; but, whether the money or any part of it was paid upon losses arising before the liability of Koehler began, or was properly devoted to the payment of claims to which he was liable to contribute, does not appear.
The judgment entered in the court below is affirmed but the award of execution thereon is reversed.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.