Commonwealth Bonding & Casualty Ins. Co. v. Weight
Commonwealth Bonding & Casualty Ins. Co. v. Weight
Opinion of the Court
This is an action by Isham Wright to recover from the Commonwealth Bonding & Casualty Insurance Company upon a policy of accident and health insurance. There was a verdict and judgment for the plaintiff, and the defendant appeals.
“I have done all the work for the plaintiff in this case, out of court and in court, looking to collection under the policy sued upon. One hundred dollars would not compensate me for my work and labor done and the trouble I have been put to in a professional capacity trying to collect under the policy. The sum named would be a very reasonable fee for the prosecution of this proceeding'. The plaintiff has agreed to pay my firm the sum named contingent upon our making collection under the policy. This contingent fee contemplated our giving the matter any and all attention necessary in and out of court in the trial court, and through any appellate court, should an appeal be taken by either party.”
“In all suits brought upon insurance contracts or policies hereafter issued or contracted for in this state, no defense based upon misrepresentations made in the applications for, or in obtaining or securing the said contract, shall be valid, unless the defendant shall show on the trial that, within a reasonable time after discovering ' the falsity of the misrepresentations so made, it gave notice to the assured, if living, or, if dead, to the owners or beneficiaries of said contract, that it refused to be bound by the contract or policy: Provided, that 90 days shall be a reasonable time.”
It is undisputed that appellant had notice of the misrepresentations upon which it relies to avoid the policy in this case more than 90 days before it notified appellee that it refused to be bound on the policy. We construe the article of the statute to mean that the notice of refusal to be bound must be given within a reasonable time, not in any event to exceed 90 days. See Nat. Life Ass’n v. Hagelstein, 156 S. W. 353.
There is no error in the judgment, and it is affirmed.
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