106 Tenn. 529 | Tenn. | 1901
This is a suit upon a policy of fire insurance. The Chancellor and -the Court of Chancery Appeals concurred in adjudging the policy noncollectible upon the ground of double insurance. The complainant has again appealed.
It will be observed from the allegations of the bill, which of course are admitted to be true on demurrer, complainant neglected from October 11, 1899, to November 27, 1899, to take any steps to ascertain from the agent whether he had procured a policy for him as he had directed, but that in the meantime he undertook to insure the property himself.
The position assumed by complainant is that inasmuch as he did not have actual knowledge of the existence of the prior policy when he took out the second, he therefore did so innocently, and did not thereby forfeit the first policy. But we think the complainant failed to exercise any diligence in ascertaining whether his agent had procured the policy. He had directed his agent to insure the property, and without hearing from him or taking any steps to learn, he undertook to insure the property himself. It is shown from the bill that complainant neglected from October 11 to November 27, when the fire occurred, to
The law is well settled that additional insurance in violation of the terms of the contract $ will avoid the policy. Summerfield v. State Ins. Co., 8 Lea, 541; Sugg v. Hartford Ins. Co., 98 N. C., 143; Phoenix Ins. Co. v. Copeland, 86. Ala., 551; 13. Am. & Eng. Enc. Law (2d Ed.), 300; 3 Joyce on Insurance, Secs. 2451, 2458; Couch v. Citiy Fire Ins. Co., 38 Conn., 185; 115 N. Y., 279 (S. C., 12 Am. St. Rep., 101); May on Insurance, Sec. 364; Ostrander on Insurance, Sec. 244.
Complainant has ratified the act of his agent by bringing suit on the policy procured by him, and is of course bound by all the terms of the policy, as though he had taken it out himself. Joyce on Insurance, Sec. 4567.
Affirmed.