Southwestern Surety Ins. Co. v. Curtis
Southwestern Surety Ins. Co. v. Curtis
Opinion of the Court
Appellee Mary M. Curtis, for herself and for the use and benefit of her two minor sons, Lurean and David Pettyjohn, instituted this suit against the appellant, Southwestern Surety Insurance Company, to recover compensation for the death of Edward H. Pettyjohn, her husband, and the father of the two minors. T. B. Curtis, *1163 husband of Mary M. Curtis, joined his wife in the suit pro forma. Special issues were submitted to a jury, and judgment rendered against appellant for $1,489.40, the amount of the matured installments, together with interest from the date of the judgment, and for $2,386.50, payable in weekly installments of $10.50 each, the first weekly installment to be paid on the 2d day of June, 1917, and one installment each and every week thereafter until the full sum of $2,386.50 shall have been paid.
It is alleged that Edward H. Pettyjohn, on and prior to November 8, 1914, was in the employ of the Russell-Coleman Cotton Oil Company; that he received a salary of $100 a month, paid as follows: $75 a month paid in cash, and the balance paid by the use of a dwelling furnished by the Oil Company, which was of the reasonable value of $25 a month. It is alleged that Pettyjohn, while in the general course of his employment, and working for said Russell-Coleman Cotton Oil Company under its instructions and for its benefit, was injured by stepping on a nail projecting from a board lying on the ground on the premises of said employer company, that the nail penetrated Pettyjohn’s foot, inflicting serious injury; which injury caused blood poison and tetanus, resulting in the death of Pettyjohn on the 16th day of November, 1914. It is further alleged that the Russell-Coleman Cotton Oil Company was a subscriber to the Texas Employers’ Insurance Association at the time of the injury, and that on the day of the injury and prior thereto the appellant insurance company had obligated and bound itself to pay to the employes of the Russell-Coleman Cotton Oil Company, or to the representatives and beneficiaries of such employés, such damages or compensation as should be awarded against it by the Industrial Accident Board of the state of Texas on account of personal injuries or death sustained by the said employes while in the course of employment; that said appellant company received a license and permit from the commissioner of insurance and banking of the state of Texas to issue policies of insurance under said Employers’ Liability Law. It was also alleged that the accident and injury to Pettyjohn was reported by the subscriber, Russell-Oole-man Cotton Oil Company, to the Industrial Accident Board at Austin, Tex., on November 25, 1914, within a reasonable time after the death of Pettyjohn, and that the accident and injury were duly reported to the appellant insurance company. It was further alleged that within six months after the death of Pettyjohn, namely, on December 2, 1914, claim was filed by the widow, Mary M. Curtis with the Industrial Accident Board, for the compensation due from the appellant company; that appellant company was duly notified of the claim; that thereafter, on the 26th day of August, 1915, the Industrial Accident Board entered an order by which it ordered, adjudged, and decreed that the appellant, Southwestern Surety Insurance Company, should pay to appellee Mrs. M. Petty-john, now Mary M. Curtis, the sum of $10.50 a week, payable weekly for 360 weeks from and after November 8, 1914, but that, notwithstanding said order of the Industrial Accident Board, the appellant refused to pay said award.
Appellant answered by general denial, and specially denied that the Russell-Coleman Cotton Oil Company had a liability policy obligating the appellant company to pay compensation to the oil company's employés at the time of the injury to Pettyjohn on November 8, 1914, and denied that Petty-john was injured while in the course of his employment. Appellant denied the authority of the Industrial Accident Board to make the award against it, because the award was made without notice to the appellant, and because its policy insuring the Russell-Cdle-man Cotton Oil Company did not cover the injury to Pettyjohn. Appellant denied that it consented to abide by the decision of the said Industrial Accident Board.
There was evidence to sustain the material facts pleaded by appellee.
The first proposition finds fault with the expression, “in force,” claiming that those words present a question of law. Those words were used in the light of appellant’s pleading and testimony. Appellant admitted in its answer that it had issued a policy of employers’ liability insurance to the Russell-Coleman Cotton Oil Company, and that the policy had not been canceled at the time of the injury to Pettyjohn, but alleged that the policy covered Russell-Colepian Cotton Oil Company only as a general contractor in the construction and erection of said cotton oil mill; that is, in the construction and erection of its machinery and buildings, and that Pettyjohn was not employed in connection with the construction of said cotton oil mill, but was the night superintendent in the operation of the mill.
The tenor of appellant’s testimony (the testimony varies from appellant’s plea) was that the policy had been canceled and released at the time of the injury. No effort was made by appellant to prove that the terms of the contract were as pleaded by it. The issue made by this testimony was: Had the insurance contract been canceled and released on November 8, 1914? The question could have been put in that form; but the issue was framed from appellees’ point of view, that the contract was in force on that date, meaning that the contract had not been released or canceled. We think the *1164 words clearly submitted the question o-f fact to be found by the jury.
“Russell-Coleman Cotton Oil Co., San Antonio, Texas.
“As required by rule 5, this will give you notice that compensation policy has been issued covering operations of the above subscriber as indicated below.
“[Signed] Southwestern Surety Insurance Co.,
“By E. C. S.
“Policy No. 0-25809.
“Date of policy, 9/25/14-9/25/15.
“Date canceled, -.
“Number of employes, 25.
“Business, Cotton seed oil mfrs., etc.”
Without objection, the statement of the chairman of the Industrial Accident Board of the state of Texas was admitted, which proved that the Russell-Coleman Cotton Oil Company had a policy of insurance in the Southwestern Surety Insurance Company, Denison, Tex., on the 8th day of November, 1914. Appellant’s witness testified that the policy at the time of the trial was at the home office of the appellant insurance company. Without objection, and without contradiction by appellant, appellee introduced the report of the injury to Pettyjohn, filed .with the Industrial Accident Board by the Russell-Coleman Cotton Oil Company. The report contained the following:
“1. Are you insured to provide payment to injured employes under the Emjdoyers’ Diability Act? Tes.
“2. If so insured, give name and business address of the insurance association or company. Southwestern Surety Insurance Company, Deni-son, Texas.
“Name of injured employe. E'd Pettyjohn.”
The eighteenth and nineteenth assignments present the same objections as the first, and both are overruled.
The second assignment is also overruled, inasmuch as it is a corollary of the propositions presented by appellant under the first assignment.
The fourth assignment is also overruled, because it presents a proposition that is a corollary to the proposition discussed in the third assignment, and logically falls with it.
*1165 The ninth assignment is overruled, for the reason that no error is presented of which appellant can complain. If there was error, as contended, the error was determined by the court in its decree in favor of appellant.
Reformed and affirmed.
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