Appellees sued appellant upon a policy of insurance indemnifying them against loss by burglary, alleging that by the terms of the policy appellant agreed to indemnify appellees, who were engaged in the banking business at Wilmer, Tex., against all direct loss by burglary of money, bullion, bank notes, etc., not in excess of $5,000, if feloniously abstracted from appellees’ safe. It was further alleged that a loss did occur by burglary, and that appellees had complied with all the provisions of the policy, but that appellant refused to pay the loss. Judgment was sought for the amount of the loss, approximating $3,300, together with 12 per cent, on the amount of the loss as damages, and together with $500 attorney’s fees; the right to recover the last two items being based upon the provisions of article 4746, R. S. 1911.
Appellant admitted the issuance of the policy of insurance, denied any knowledge of a character sufficient upon which to base any belief concerning the burglary and consequent loss and damage, but specifically charged as defensive matter that appellees had breached certain warranties in the policy, and made certain false representations concerning the safe kept by appellees in their banking house, which would reduce the amount of appellant’s liability, it being provided by said policy that in case of misstatement in the description of safe, etc., the policy should not be forfeited, but that appellant would in case of loss pay the amount only which the premium actually paid would have purchased at the rate charged by the appellant for the actual hazard. The defenses referred to generally above were pleaded specifically by appellant as follows:
(1) That the plaintiffs warranted that the price paid for safe by present owner was $500, and that the warranty was breached, in that the plaintiffs were not the owners of the safe, and had not paid either $500 or any sum therefor.
(2) That the plaintiffs warranted that “the safe proper is fire and burglar proof”; that “fire and burglar proof,” as so used, was defined in the policy to mean “that class of safe or vault so designated by safe manufacturers to denote construction intended to protect against loss by fire and burglary”; that, in fact, the safe was not of such class, and was known by the plaintiffs not to be so.
(3) That the policy contained a provision authorizing the company to cancel it on five days’ notice on return of unearned premium; that after the policy had been delivered by it to The plaintiffs and accepted by the plaintiffs, to wit, on September 21, 1910, its general agents wrote to the plaintiffs a letter as follows:
“Recently we executed the above policy covering your bank, but the home office has asked us for a little additional description of your safe. Will you please tell us whether the outer door of your safe is reputed of solid steel construction to resist burglary, or if it is simply of iron cases with concrete filling.”
And the plaintiffs replied:
.“Replying to your inquiry of the 21st inst., will state that the outer doors of our bank safe at this place are of solid steel construction four and one-half inches thick.”
That, in fact, the outer doors were iron cases with concrete filling, and that, if the company had known this fact, it would have canceled the policy.
In response to the foregoing pleas appel-lees pleaded certain facts, not necessary to enumerate, but which will be referred to in our discussion of the issues when necessary.
There was trial by jury, to whom the case was submitted on special issues of fact. Upon the findings of the jury judgment was rendered for appellees, the court refusing to allow the damages and attorneys’ fees. Erom the judgment appellant has appealed, and appellees file a cross-assignment challenging the court’s action concerning the damages and attorney’s fees.
The facts necessary to a disposition of the appeal are that appellant did issue to appel-lees, who were bankers in the town of Wilmer, Tex., a policy of insurance by which appellant agreed to indemnify appellees against direct loss by burglary of money, bullion, bank notes, etc., to the extent of $5,000, which might be feloniously abstracted from appellees’ safe and their other office furniture, fixtures, etc. The policy issued to ap-pellees was not based upon a written application made therefor by appellees. One O. R. Rea, of Lancaster, solicited appellees to take the insurance, and after appellees agreed to take the insurance Rea offered the business to the general agency of appellant in Dallas, where it was accepted, and the policy prepared and delivered to Rea, who made all representations of fact upon which the policy was issued, and who in turn delivered it to appellees. The policy was issued August 25, 1910. Thereafter O. H. Verschoyle, appellant’s general agent ^ at Dallas, wrote and forwarded to appellees the following letter:
“Dallas, Texas, September 21, 1910.
“White Banking Company, Wilmer, Texas.
“In re Burglar Policy No. BB340.
“Recently we executed the above policy covering your bank, and the home office has asked us for some little additional description of your safe. Will you please advise us whether the outer door of your safe is reputed of solid steel construction to resist burglars, or is it simply of iron casing with concrete filling. Kindly favor us with an early reply.
“Yours Very truly,
“C. H. Yerschoyle & Co.,
“General Agents.”
*164 To the foregoing the following reply was received:
“Wilmer, Texas, September 22nd, 1910.
“O. H. Versehoyle & Co., Dallas, Texas:
“Replying to your- inquiry of the 21st inst., will state that the outer doors of our bank safe at this place are of solid steel construction, four and one-half inches thick. If we can be of further service to you, kindly command us.
“Yours very truly,
“White & Co.,
“Carl Tygert, Cashier.”
Subsequent to the foregoing appellees did suffer a loss by burglary approximating $3,-300, which appellant refused to pay. In the policy were certain conditions which the parties agreed should be conditions precedent to any recovery by appellees under the policy, among such conditions being the following:
“(b) ‘Eire and burglar proof,’ as used in this policy, shall be deemed to mean that class of safe or vault so designated by safe manufacturers to denote construction intended to protect against loss by fire and burglary.
“(c) In case of misstatement in description of safe, vault, or protective appliances, or failure to maintain watchman service as described in the warranties of this policy, the insurance hereunder shall not be forfeited, but the company shall pay the amount of indemnity which the premium would have purchased at the rate charged by the company for the actual hazard.”
Certain information furnished by appellees and made in the form of statements of fact was contained in the policy, which was warranted by appellees to be true, and among which statements were the following: (1) The safe proper is fire and burglar proof (i. e., fireproof with steel lining and exposed bolt work — steel); (2) thickness of outer burglar proof door, exclusive of bolt work, is four inches; (3) safe was purchased secondhand August, 1910; (4) price paid for safe by present owner was $500. The safe was burglarized in the early morning of February 15, 1913. Entry was effected by forcing the safe open or apart by some character of explosive. Versehoyle, appellant’s general agent, was informed of the burglary promptly, and proceeded to Wilmer, arriving there about 8 or 9 o’clock of the morning of the burglary. He inspected the safe and the premises and examined and checked the books, counted the cash, and said everything was -satisfactory, and informed appellees that as soon as he could prepare proof of loss, which would be the following Saturday, and appellees could sign same, the loss would be paid. Ver-schoyle, in effect, admitted the promise to pay, but said that the promise was made upon the assumption that everything was, in fact, satisfactory, and because the conditions of the policy, upon which liability was after-wards denied, did not occur to him, although he examined the safe while adjusting the loss, and saw that it was not as represented in the policy. Returning to Dallas, Ver-sehojde examined his records and prepared and forwarded proofs of loss to appellees for the amount of the adjustment for appellees’ signature. In the meanwhile Versehoyle gathered portions of the safe and some of the silver left by the burglars and placed them in a display window in a building on one of the principal streets of Dallas, accompanied by the following placard:
“Burglars.
“Pieces of Safe of White Banking Company,
“Blown at Wilmer, Texas.
“Burglary February loth, 3 a. m.
“Loss adjusted February 15th, 11:30 a. m.
“iEtna Accident & Liability Company,
“C. H. Versehoyle & Co.”
It was shown at the trial practically without dispute that the safe installed in appel-lees’ bank was that class of safe designated generally by safe manufacturers as a fire and burglar proof safe. The safe, however, while fireproof, did not have steel lining and exposed bolt work, nor was the thickness of the outer door, exclusive of bolt work, four inches. The character of the safe was known to Rea when he solicited the insurance from appellees. Rea claims to have imparted his knowledge to Versehoyle, which Versehoyle denied. Appellant declined to pay the amount demanded by appellees for the reasons set forth in its answer, but did offer to pay the amount it would have been liable for under the amount of premium paid, based on the alleged actual hazard.
Many issues of fact were submitted to the jury, and we have carefully analyzed them with reference to- the issues to which they relate. The findings are supported by the evidence, and will supply any facts omitted by us. These findings, in our own language are: (1) That the safe which was burglarized was that elass of safe designated by manufacturers as “fire and burglar proof,” but it did not have steel lining and exposed steel bolt work; nor did it have an outer door four inches thick, exclusive of bolt work; (2) that the difference in the specifications contained in the policy and those of the safe actually in use was not material to the risk; (3) that they did not know who owned the safe, but that ownership was also immaterial to the risk; (4) that Rea, who solicited the insurance from appellees, knew the exact character of the safe when the policy was issued, but ■ that Versehoyle, appellant’s general agent, did not; (5) that Versehoyle, appellant’s general agent, had he known that Ty-gert misstated the character of the safe when Versehoyle inquired about it, would have canceled the policy; (6) that Tygert did not have the authority to speak for appellees concerning the safe, and did not consult them, and was but giving his opinion in that respect; (7) that Versehoyle, after inspecting the safe after the loss, and ascertaining its character, admitted liability on the policy and promised payment.
It is first asserted as a proposition under several assignments of error that the trial court should have granted appellant a new trial, because the findings of the jury are so *165 conflicting and contradictory that they do not sustain the judgment of the court entered thereon.
“The insurance was effected without a written application. We think that when plaintiff was afterwards asked to make such an application, and he did so, it did not relate back and become a part of the original contract. As we have stated, it might have become the basis of a new contract, for the continuance of the policy, in consideration of the company’s not exercising its right to cancel, but this was not set up or claimed. The policy went into force without any application. The signing of an application afterwards, containing statements of certain facts, cannot be said to have induced the issuance of the policy sued on.”
The editors of L. R. A. state the rule to be that:
“If there is no application, or if the answers are written in the application by the agent on his own knowledge or authority, without questioning the applicant, or if some of the questions are left unanswered in the application, or the answers given are incomplete, the company is generally held estopped to set up a forfeiture on the ground of falsity of such answers as are written by its agent, or on the ground of failure of the insured to answer questions material to the risk.” People’s Fire Ins. Ass’n v. Goyne,79 Ark. 315 ,96 S. W. 365 , 9 Ann. Gas. 373, 16 L. R. A. (N. S.) 1180.
See note, page 1243, collating and annotating cases from numerous jurisdictions. The rule just stated is of peculiar significance in this case when it is recalled that the evidence shows that some one in the office of appellant, with authority to do so, prepared and delivered the policy to C. R. Rea without questioning appellees in reference thereto, or demanding an application from them, but acted in that respect wholly upon its own knowledge and authority, or that of Rea.
Finding no error in the judgment of the court as presented by appellees’ cross-assignment, the judgment in that respect is also affirmed.
Affirmed.
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