158 So. 757 | Ala. | 1935
The question of moment presented by the appeal is the overruling of demurrer to plaintiff's — appellee's — replication No. 4.
The defendant, by pleas 3 and 4, set up the provision of the policy sued upon, "17. If the insured shall carry with another company, corporation, association or society other insurance covering the same loss without giving written notice to the Company, then in that case the Company shall be liable only for such portion of the indemnity promised as the said indemnity bears to the total amount of like indemnity in all policies covering such loss and for the return of such part of the premium paid as shall exceed the pro rata for the indemnity thus determined"; and averred that plaintiff carried with other insurance companies policies covering the same loss for which suit was brought without having given written notice to the defendant of such other insurance. In reply to such defense, plaintiff sought to invoke estoppel.
It is established that where a person is silent, when in good conscience common honesty requires him to speak and declare that the material fact was to the contrary, and allows the adverse party to be injuriously affected, it amounts to an estoppel in pais that arises to hold harmless or make whole the person in whose favor it arises. Lindsay v. Cooper,
It is further declared that the law of waiver and estoppel with respect to insurers cannot be abolished by contract (Newriter v. Life Casualty Ins. Co. of Tenn. [Ex parte Life Casualty Ins. Co. of Tenn.] [Ala. Sup.]
The replication asserted that subsequent to the issuance of the policy sued on, the assurer-appellant, by its agent representing it in the line and scope of his authority, asserted and assented that insured might take concurrent or additional insurance, though conditioned against in the policy sued upon. *556 And it is held that no other consideration than that on which the original contract rests is needed to support the subsequent agreement or assent to and for additional insurance. American Fire Insurance Co. v. King Lumber Manufacturing Co.; American Equitable Assur. Co. v. Powderly Coal Lumber Co.; Newriter v. Life Casualty Ins. Co. of Tenn. (Ex parte Life Casualty Ins. Co. of Tenn.), supra.
There was no reversible error committed in overruling appellant's demurrer to replication No. 4. The evidence offered respectively on the issues of fact raised under the pleas, and the replication thereto, presented a conflict and the question of fact was for the jury.
There was no error in refusing general affirmative instructions requested by defendant on this phase of the evidence. McMillan v. Aiken,
Upon the failure to produce, after a proper predicate had been laid, and motion to produce given for the production of the letter from assured to assurer — as to the policy in question and notice as to insurance — there was no error in offering secondary evidence of the contents (Sherrill v. Merchants' Mechanics' T. S. Bank,
Appellant's counsel caused appellee to testify, on cross-examination, that at one time he had a ticket policy in the Travelers which he never read or regarded as a policy, and there was no error in allowing appellee's counsel, on redirect examination, to ask the witness if it were for a term of years, or months, "or just what kind of policy it was."
Charge No. 11, refused to defendant, was without error, for that it pretermits the presence, silence, and act of assent by its vice president, Webb, who had executive authority, when assured was informed that he might or should take other insurance.
There was no error in denying the motion for a new trial on the evidence within the rule of Cobb v. Malone Collins,
The judgment of the circuit court is affirmed.
Affirmed.
ANDERSON, C. J., and BROWN and KNIGHT, JJ., concur.