148 Ga. 216 | Ga. | 1918
Under the pleadings and record in this case, the question to be determined is whether the “death claimants” are entitled to priority of payment out of the assets in the hands of the insurance commissioner, as against living, or continuing, policyholders in the stock company—The Empire Life Insurance Company. The decree rendered by the trial judge adjudicated that death claims arising under the mutual and the stock company stood upon the same basis; and no exception was taken to this ruling. It was also held that as between the death claimants and the living policyholders, under both companies, the death claimants are entitled to priority of payment. And this is the question to be considered and decided. Intervenors alleged and insisted that the company had breached its contracts by failing and refusing to. perform its obligations in accordance with the terms of the policies, and prayed that they might recover damages for a breach of the contracts. The case as made does not call for a decision as to the correct measure of damages on the breach of the contract by the failure of the insurance company. But the question is on the clear-cut issue made by the record, whether the death claimants are entitled to priority of payment over the living policyholders, as to the funds in the hands of the comptroller-general, who is also ex-officio insurance commissioner of the State. Under the facts of this case, it seems to us that each class of claimants stands upon the same basis. We see- no good reason why a death claimant is entitled to priority over the living policyholders, whose policies have an accrual or cash-surrender value of a certain amount. Upon what basis of law, justice, or equity is the one class entitled to priority over the other?.
It was insisted by one intervenor that she was entitled to priority in payment out of the assets of the mutual company which were acquired by the stock company under the contract of May 2, 1912, and that the assets were impressed with a trust in the hands of the stock company and should be applied to the claims against the mutual company before any of the assets were to be applied to
In the case of a mutual fire-insurance ' company (Taylor v. Ins. Co., 46 Minn. 198, 48 N. W. 772), it was held that “all the outstanding policies at the date of the sequestration of its assets must be deemed to stand on the same footing, and the policyholders are entitled only to the surrender value of the same.” The holder of an unmatured life policy is a creditor of the insurance company issuing the policy,- and is entitled to share with the other creditors in the assets of the corporation. Any question as to the value of unmatured policies, and how such values may be ascertained, is not involved in the present suit. When a life-insurance company is adjudged insolvent, the claims accruing to its policyholders are in the nature of damages for a breach of contract, which occurs at the date of dissolution of the company; and the damages which
Judgment reversed.