59 Ind. App. 290 | Ind. Ct. App. | 1915
This is an action brought by appellee, as the beneficiary of an insurance certificate issued by appellant, a fraternal insurance organization, on the life of Walter D. Latham, appellee’s husband. The certificate was issued under date of November 9,1903. The insured died April 24, 1905, and a controversy arising respecting the validity of the certificate, a settlement was effected by which appellant paid appellee the sum of $300, in consideration of the surrender and cancellation of the certificate. The suit was prosecuted to recover damages for alleged fraud and deceit in inducing and procuring such settlement. If the certificate was valid and in force, appellant’s liability thereon was in the sum of $1,500. The verdict fixed appellee’s damages at $1,668, for which sum judgment was entered. The questions presented arise under the motion for a new trial.
Appellee by her complaint alleges the issuing of the certificate ; that the insured complied with all the requirements and performed all the conditions of the contract of insurance by him to be performed; admits that the insured made certain false answers in his application; avers that appellant with full knowledge of the facts, not only accepted and retained premiums and stated dues paid, but also induced the payment thereof by means of representations and assurances that notwithstanding such false answers, the certificate was valid and in force. The facts constituting the alleged fraud
Appellant answered in nine paragraphs. The first is a general denial; the- second payment; the fourth that the maximum liability under said certificate was $1,500; the third, sixth, seventh and eighth plead in various forms the existence of a controversy respecting appellant’s liability under said certificate, and a compromise, settlement and accord and satisfaction, in the absence of fraud, by the payment of $300, which appellee retained; the ninth paragraph pleads a section of appellant’s constitution, by the terms of which the consul commander of the local camp was shown not to have authority to waive any of the conditions or requirements of the contract of insurance; the fifth paragraph, that by insured’s written application, alleged to be a part of the contract, he warranted that he had never been afflicted with insanity, chronic catarrh, rheumatism, syphilis, dropsy, or scrofula, and- that at the time of making such application and when the certificate was delivered to him, he was sound in body.and mind, and that he then had no diseases that tended to shorten his life; that said answers and warranties were false in that the insured had had all said diseases, and that at the time of making said application and when said certificate was delivered to him, he was in poor physical health and then had diseases which tended to shorten his life, and that at said times, he was of unsound mind; that appellant accepted said application and delivered said certificate in ignorance of said facts; that by the terms and conditions of said certificate, the fact that said answers and warranties were false rendered the certificate void.
There was no evidence that the insured had been afflicted with dropsy or scrofula. By answers to interrogatories returned with the general verdict, the jury found that the insured, prior to said application, had not had chronic catarrh or rheumatism. The evidence does not show that he was at any time afflicted with chronic catarrh. .There was direct testimony given by nonexpert witnesses that he had had rheumatism prior to said application. However, the testimony of certain expert witnesses on the subject of the causes, nature and symptoms of rheumatism, involves in doubt the question of whether such was in fact the nature of the ailment under investigation. It was, therefore, within the province of the jury to determine whether such affliction was rheumatism. As indicated, the jury found in the negative on that subject. By the answers to interrogatories, the jury also found that the insured had had syphilis prior to October 22,1903, being the date of such application, and that on said date, he was of unsound mind; also that on said date, he was not in good mental and physical health, and that he was insane on November 9, 1903, being the date of said certificate, and that appellant knew prior to the time when it received proofs of the death of msured the facts aforesaid respecting such mental and physical infirmities. The interrogatory in response to which the jury answered that the insured was not in good mental and physical health on October 22, is so worded that if either' his mental or physical health was impaired, the interrogatory is satisfied. The contract here, as well as the interrogatories, treats insanity
“No officer, employe, or agent of the sovereign camp, or of any camp, has the power, right or authority to waive any of the conditions upon which beneficiary certificates are issued, or to change, vary or waive any of the provisions of this constitution or of these laws. ’ ’.
Appellant, ascribing to such provision the force and effect of a by-law, states thereon in its brief, point 13, as follows: “The appellant by its by-laws, limited the power of its officers and agents with reference to the waiving of forfeiture of the policy, and prohibited such waiver, and the appellee is charged with knowledge of this limitation and is bound thereby, so that she may not rely upon the acts of the local clerk, which might otherwise have created an estoppel or amounted to a waiver.”
There was evidence that on November 27, being the day after the insured was taken to the hospital, the insured’s brother, at the request of appellee, called on the camp clerk to inquire about the validity of the contract of insurance. At that time the brother informed the clerk that the insured was insane, and that he had been taken to the insane hospital ; that his mental ailment had been pronounced paresis ; that he had had syphilis early in life, and that his present trouble had resulted from said early disorder. Under such
It is admitted that appellee paid all assessments and dues on account of such certificate during the remaining life of the insured. There was evidence that at the maturity of the first assessment after the insured was declared insane, appellee sought the counsel of the clerk respecting the validity of the certificate under the circumstances, and that she was inri formed by him that the assured was in good standing, his certificate valid, and that if she kept up the payments the company would pay her the amount of the certificate at the death of the insured. Appellee, in reliance on such assurances, made the payment. Such assurances were repeated at the times when several other payments were made. There was, then, evidence that^the clerk not only accepted, but also induced payments month after month from November, 1903, to April, 1905, with full knowledge on November 27, 1903, and thereafter that prior to said application the insured had had syphilis, and that as a result thereof, he was on and after said date of ufisound mind. It follows that the clerk accepted and induced said payments with knowledge that there had been a breach of warranty respecting such physical disease. "We have indicated that there was no evidence that the insured was not in good physical health at the time of making said application, and when said certificate was issued and delivered. In making such statement, we are not treating paresis as a physical infirmity. There was evidence, and the jury found that the insured was insane at each of said times. There was no direct evidence that the clerk had any knowledge that the insured was insane or that he was afflicted with paresis until he received information to that effect on November 27. However, the clerk, in his testimony, stated that he was present at a conversation had by the insured on the
Questions are discussed respecting the court’s rulings in admitting and excluding certain items of evidence and offered evidence. There was no error in such rulings.
We find no error in the record calling for a reversal. Judgment affirmed.
Note. — Reported in 107 N. E. 749. As to the law of mutual benefit associations, see 19 Am. St. 784. See, also, under (2) 29 Cyc. 68; (3) 29 Cyc. 86: (4) 29 Cyc. 89; (5) 29 Cyc. 193, 188, 244; (6) 29 Cyc. 186; (7) 29 Cyc. 188; (8) 29 Cyc. 190, 193, 194, 244; (9) 3 Cyc. 348; (11) 3 C. J. 1412; 2 Cyc. 1014; 3 Cyc. 388; (12) 29 Cyc. 1006; (13) 3 C. J. 873; 2 Cyc. 707.