McCall v. Girard Life Insurance
McCall v. Girard Life Insurance
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
Plaintiff sued to recover the proceeds of two policies of insurance on the life of her deceased husband. Both policies, one for $1,000, the other for $2,000, were dated February 16, 1917, and were identical in form. The insured died January 4, 1918, before the expiration of the first year the policies were in force. The sole defense was the failure of the insured to pay the premiums in full, whereby the policies lapsed before the date of decedent’s death. Plaintiff contended the premiums had, in fact, been paid and the jury returned a verdict in her favor for the amount of her claim. Defendant appealed.
Decedent procured a loan of $3,000 from the Chester Merchants & Mechanics Building & Loan Association and took out the life insurance policies in question to further secure the association. Although premiums under the terms of the policies were payable annually in advance, it was provided they could, if the insured so desired, be paid quarterly, and, by mutual agreement, it was arranged payments should be made monthly to the Chester National Bank in a sum sufficient to cover both the insurance premiums as they became due and also the installments due the building and loan association. The bank, pursuant to this arrangement, received payments from time to time and entered them in two separate accounts, one showing payments on account of the insurance and the other on the building and loan shares. It was undisputed that the amounts necessary to be paid on each before the death of the decedent, to keep the policies in force, was $76.80, and, according to the memorandum kept by the bank, the total payments credited on account of the policies was $66.24. In support of her contention that the remainder had been paid, plaintiff
The fourth and fifth assignments complain of the admission of evidence of payments made to the building association. In view of the mutual arrangement for the payment of both insurance premiums and building and loan association dues to the bank, whose officer would credit such payments to the proper account and in the proper amounts, and, in view of the contention that a mistake had been made in the entries, it was important to show the full amount of payments on both accounts, consequently, this evidence was properly admitted.
The letter referred to in the sixth assignment of error contains defendant’s reason for its contention that the policies lapsed and was competent evidence.
The seventh and ninth assignments of error are sustained and the judgment of the court below is reversed with a new venire.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.