Talbott v. Metropolitan Life Ins.
Talbott v. Metropolitan Life Ins.
Opinion of the Court
This is an action brought by Camilla B.. Talbott, a citizen of the state of Texas, as the administratrix of William S. Talbott, deceased, against the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, a corporation incorporated under the laws of the state of New York, to recover $10,000, the amount of an insurance policy issued by the company on the life of the plaintiff’s intestate, in favor of his estate. The suit was brought in the district court of Tom Green county, Tex., and was removed to the Circuit Court for the Northern District of Texas. One of the defenses interposed by the defendant company was that the policy was forfeited and made void because the insured failed to pay the premium which became due on the policy on the 24th day of September, 1903. The case was tried, evidence being received on this and other issues, and the court directed the jury to return a verdict for the defendant. The plaintiff excepted to this action of the court, and, verdict and judgment having been entered for the defendant, the plaintiff brought the case here on writ of error.
The policy is dated September 24, 1900. It called for a first premium, and annual premiums thereafter, of $228.50, payable on Sep
The policy contained a provision causing a forfeiture of the same upon the policy holder’s failure to pay the annual premium when due, and also provisions limiting the authority of agents as to the extension of time for the payment of premiums. These provisions being for the benefit of the company, the company could waive them if it chose to do so. Insurance Company v. Norton, 96 U. S. 234, 24 L. Ed. 689. It is contended by the plaintiff in error that the company did waive these provisions, and that its agent, Robertson, had authority to extend the time for paying the premium from September 24th to October 24th in such way as to bind the company to accept the premium when tendered between those dates, and that the agent did so extend the time. The defendant in error denies that the agent had such authority, but claims that, if he had such authority, it is not shown by the evidence that he exercised it. The case presented to us by the record does not necessarily turn on the solution of these questions. We deem it, therefore, unnecessary to state and comment on the documentary or other evidence bearing solely on those two questions.
It is conceded by the company, and the evidence clearly shows, that Robertson, its agent, had authority to accept an overdue premium within 30 days after maturity, provided he had no reason to doubt that the policy holder was still insurable. The learned counsel for the insurance company say:
“(1) Waiver of the forfeiture consequent upon default in the payment of a premium by accepting payment after maturity from a policy holder supposed to be in good health, and (2) alteration of the contract by changing the due date of the premium in advance, so as to make the insurer liable upon the occurrence of death within the period of the extension, or compel it to accept the money, if tendered, and continue the insurance in force regardless of changed conditions, are two very different things; and authority to do the first does by no means include authority to do the second. Mr. Robertson was authorized by the company to do the first of these two things, but not the second.”
If it be conceded, therefore, that he had no right to make a contract binding on the company to extend the time of payment after it was due so as to keep the policy valid, he did, nevertheless, have au
“The annual premium of $228.50 on policy No. 191,065 was due and payable on the 24th day of Sept. Recpt. at San Angelo Nat. Bank yet. Tour 30 days* grace will be gone on Oct. 24th. Better look after it.”
Under these circumstances, we think it cannot be questioned that, if Talbott, before or on October 24, 1903, paid in money to the San Angelo National Bank the amount of the premium on the policy and1 received the premium receipt, the policy was renewed until September 24, 1904. This is true, whether Robertson had authority to extend the policy or not, and whether he made an agreement for 30 days’ extension or not, because he did have authority within the 30 days after the maturity of the policy to receive the premium and deliver the receipt. He could, of course, do this through the bank, or other collection agency.
This brings us to the main question of fact in the case: Did Talbott pay the premium to the bank? Was the evidence such as to make that a question for the jury? Or, to present the question as presented by the record, was the evidence such as to justify the trial court in holding as matter of law that the premium was not paid, and in directing a verdict for the defendant? This question must be considered in the light of all the evidence bearing on it. But the .evidence showing the transaction between Talbott and the bank must be briefly stated.
On October 24, 1903, Talbott called at the San Angelo National Bank and saw A. B. Sherwood, the teller of the bank, who had charge of the bank’s collections. He exhibited the notice from Robertson and asked Sherwood to calculate the interest then due on the premium. When Sherwood did this and stated the amount, Talbott wrote out and gave to Sherwood a draft on the Flato Commission Company at Ft. Worth, Tex., of which concern Talbott was the representative at San Angelo. The draft was for the amount of the premium with the interest then accrued, and was payable at sight to the order of the San Angelo National Bank for the sum of $229.64, and was
In considering this evidence, it should be borne in mind that the bank was acting in a dual capacity. It was the agent of the insurance company to collect the premium. Talbott was a client of the bank, and it was accustomed to discount or cash drafts for him drawn on third
It was not, of course, the intention of the insurance company to collect, and the policy holder to pay, the premium in cash, and the company to issue and deliver the receipt, and yet leave the policy holder without insurance for some indefinite length of time. To attribute such an intention to the parties would be to charge one with an act of injustice and the other with an act of folly. Neither could it have been the intention of the parties that the premium should be collected in cash by an authorized agent of the company and the receipt delivered, and the effect of the payment and delivery of the receipt left to the subsequent decision of the company; it being
The fact that the premium receipt was marked “Paid” and placed with Talbott’s private papers in the bank, the entries on the bank’s books showing the collection, the making out of a draft to be sent to Robertson for the company, and other facts proved, might at least authorize the jury to infer that the bank cashed the draft for Talbott; the bank taking the draft as owner of it and holding the amount of it as the money of the insurance company paid by Talbott. It is-true that other facts were in evidence that might lead to a different conclusion; but it would not be proper to discuss them now, and it is no part of our duty at this time- to weigh the evidence further than to decide whether or not it justified the court in giving the peremptory instruction to find a verdict for the defendant.
But it is urged that the transactions between Talbott and the bank did not constitute payment, because the premium receipt had printed on it the stipulation that it “was not binding on the company * ■ * * until the premium has actually been paid in cash”; and “if a check or draft is given in payment or part payment of this premium, this receipt shall be void and of no effect if said check or draft is not paid1 upon presentation.” To make these provisions of the receipt decisive of the case would be to avoid the question of fact presented, and to-assume that the draft was received by the bank from Talbott as the property of the insurance- company. The plaintiff’s contention is, in effect, that the bank cashed the draft, paid it in money, and placed the money to the credit of the insurance company, or held it as the money of the insurance company, the bank taking the risk of the acceptance and payment of the draft by the drawee or its payment by Talbott. These provisions in the receipt would be applicable where a check or draft, and not money, was received by the company; but we cannot believe them properly applicable if it be true that the bank advanced the cash on the draft and placed it to the company’s credit, or held it for the company, being authorized to collect the money for the company. If such be the facts, the company received the money in payment, not the draft, and the money paid Talbott for the draft was held by the bank for the company. The purpose of these provisions in the receipt is to secure the actual payment of the premium-in money, and when that is effected by the money being paid to the company or to its collecting agent, the fact that-the money was raised on a draft by its sale, or discount, or otherwise, which- draft was not paid, is immaterial. These provisions in the receipt only add to the probability that there was no purpose on the part of the bank as the collecting agent of the company to have the company extend any credit to Talbott on account of the draft. These provisions in the receipt gave the bank notice that it ought not to surrender the receipt until the premium was paid in cash, and make the surrender of the receipt a more significant circumstance tending to show payment.
There was error, we hold, in directing the verdict for the defendant. The judgment of the Circuit Court is reversed, and the cause remanded for a new trial.
Reference
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- TALBOTT v. METROPOLITAN LIFE INS. CO.
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