Feagin v. Royal Ins. Co.
Feagin v. Royal Ins. Co.
Opinion of the Court
The opinion of 'the Court was delivered by
Action upon a policy of fire insurance, issued March 18, 1918, insuring the dwelling house of the plaintiff for three years in the sum of $600. The house was destroyed by fire on February 24, 1921; and, the defendant having refused payment, this action was instituted for $600, with interest from April 24, 1921. .
*534 The defense of the defendant was based upon the alleged fact that on August 8, 1920, the plaintiff, in violation of the provisions of the policy, procured other and additional insurance upon the property, in the sum of $1,500 (plus. $2,000, as the evidence shows), with the Abbeville-Greenwood Mutual Insurance Company.
The case was tried before Hon. J. W. DeVore and a jury, at a term not stated in the record, and at the.close of all of the evidence the Circuit Judge, upon motion of the defendant, directed a verdict in its favor, upon the ground that the forfeiture of the policy, by reason of the additional insurance, was established by the undisputed testimony, and that there was no evidence in the case tending to show a waiver of the condition of forfeiture on the part of the defendant. From the judgment for the defendant upon the directed verdict, the plaintiff has appealed to this Court upon exceptions that fairly raise the point in the case, the error assigned in directing the verdict.
The plaintiff does not attack the validity of the condition in the policy:
“This insurance policy, unless otherwise by agreement entered hereon or added hereto, shall be void if the insured now has or shall hereafter make or procure, any other contract of insurance, whether valid or not, on the property covered in whole or in part by this policy.”
Nor does he deny the fact alleged by the defendant, that, after this policy was issued in March, 1918, in August, 1920, he procured additional insurance' to the extent of $2,000 in the Abbeville-Greenwood Company.
Flis contention is that, before the first policy was issued, he notified the agent of the defendant company that he intended to take out additional insurance on account of certain improvements he intended to make upon the house; and that after he had done so he showed the policy for the additional insurance to the defendant’s agent. He therefore claims that the defendant has waived the forfeiture *535 based upon the alleged breach of the condition relied upon.
The vital question in the case is whether the evidence tended to show that one G. A. Briggs, who inspected the property and received the notice above referred to, was in fact the agent of the insurance company. This necessitates a review of the evidence bearing upon this issue.
The judgment of this Court is that the judgment of the Circuit Court be affirmed.
Reference
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- 1. Insurance — Loan Broker Held Not Insurer’s Agent, as Respects Waiver op Provision Against Additional Insurance. — Where loan broker, who was assisting plaintiff to get a loan on his house, went with plaintiff to secure insurance, the fact that the insurance company in writing the insurance acted upon such broker’s estimate of the value of the house, did not make the broker the agent of the insurance company, and hence notice to him of additional insurance would not affect the question whether the policy provision against additional insurance was waived. 2. Insurance — Statute as to Person Inspecting Risk Being Company’s Agent Limited. — Civ. Code 1912, § 2712, declaring agent of a/ foreign insurance company a person who inspects a risk, has no application, except when the person making the inspection was then acting for the company. 3. Insurance — No Relief Against Forfeiture for Additional Insurance Because of Statement of Intention to Insurer’s Agent.'— That before a policy was taken out insured told insurer’s agent that he “intended” to take out additional insurance, would not relieve from forfeiture for taking out unauthorized additional insurance.