Carpenter v. Providence Washington Insurance

delivered the opinion of the Court.

This is ’a writ of error to the Circuit Court for the district of Rhode Island.. The original action was brought by Carpenter, the plaintiff in error, against the Providence Washington Insurance Company, the defendants in error, upon a policy of insurance underwritten by the insurance company of fifteen thousand dollars, “on the Glenco Cotton Factory in the state of New York,”

The declaration averred that during the continuance of the policy he; Carpenter, was the owner of the property by the policy insured, and was interested in said property to the whole amount so insured by the company; and that on the 9th of April, 1539, the factory was totally destroyed by fire, of which the company had due notice and proof. The cause came on for trial upon the general issue, and a verdict was found for the defendants. The plaintiff took a bill of exceptions to certain instructions refused, and other instructions given by the

The facts which were in proof at the trial were very complicated; but those which are material to the present inquiry will .be, as briefly as -they'may be, here stated. The premises were originally owned in equal moieties by Egbert and Epenetus Reed., In June,, ÍS35, Epenetus Reed conveyed his moiety to- H. M. Wheeler, who gave a bond and mortgage on the premises to secure eight thousand dollars of the purchase-money to Epenetus Reed. On the 17th of October,- 1836, Egbert Reed sold his moiety of the premises to Samuel G. Wheeler, and the latter thereupon gave a bond and mortgage for the sum of ten thousand dollars (the purchase-money) to Epenetus Reed; and on the same day, he, Wheeler, made an-additional agreement under seal with Epenetus Reed, by which he covenanted that he would effect a policy of insurance upon the property in the name of himself, or of himself and Henry M. Wheeler, for the'sum of at least ten .thousand dollars, and assign the same to him, Reed, as collateral security to the said last bond and mortgage, and would annually renew the' policy, or effect a new one, and keep each assigned to Reed as security, in such way and manner as that the said property shall be insured for at least the sum of ten thousand dollars, and the policy held by him as collateral security as aforesaid; and if he neglected so to. insure and assign for the space of ten days, then, that. Reed might- do the same at the expense of Wheeler, and add the premium which he might be compelled to pay with interest thereon, to his said bond and mortgage, and to collect the same therewith, or that Wheeler would pay the -same to him in such other way as he might desire.

Prom the 17th of October, 1836, to the 6th of December, 1837, Henry M'. Wheeler, and Samuel G. Wheeler continued to own the factory in equal moieties, and transacted business. under the firm of Hénry M. Wheeler and Company. On that day Samuel G. Wheeler sold his moiety to Jeremiah Carpenter. On the 18th of April, 1838, Henry M. Wheeler sold and conveyed his moiety to Carpenter, who thus became the sole owner of the entire property. The last conveyance declared the property subject to a

It is proper farther to state, that other policies on the same tactory had been effected and renewed from time to time, from December 12th, 1836, for the benefit of the successive owners thereof, by another insurance company in Providence called the American Insurance Company; and among these was a policy effected by way of renewal, on the 14th of December, 1837,.,in the name of Henry M. Wheeler and Company, for six thousand dollars; for the benefit of Henry M; Wheeler and Carpenter, (who' were then the joint owners thereof) payable in case of loss to Epenetus Reed. The sale by Henry M. Wheeler to Carpenter, on the 18th of April, 1838, of his moiety having been notified, to the American Insurance Company, the latter agreed to the assignment; and the policy thenceforth became a policy for Carpenter, payable in case of loss to Epenetus Reed. And on the 23d of May, 1838, Carpenter transferred all his interest in the policy to Epenetus Reed. The policy thus effected on the 14th of December, 1837, was (as the Washington Insurance'Company assert) not notified to them at the time of effecting the policy made on the 27th of September following, and declared upon in the préseñt suit; nor was the same ever mentioned in, or endorsed upon the same policy; and upon this account, the company insist that, the present policy is, pursuant to the stipulations contained therein, .utterly void..

Subsequently, viz., on the 11th of December, 1888, the American Insurance Company renewed the policy of 14th of December, 1837, for Carpenter; and at his request, for one year. This renewed policy was never notified to the Washington Insurance Company, nor acknowledged by them in ■ writing; nor does it appear ever to have been actually assigned to Epenetus Reed, down to the period of the loss of the factory by fire. On this account also the Washington Insurance Company insist that tbieir

It seems to have been admitted, although not directly proved, that a suit was brought upon the policy of the 14th of December, 1837, at the American Insurance office, after the loss, by Carpenter, as trustee of or for the benefit of Reed, for the amount of the six thousand dollars insured thereby; and that at the November term, 1839, of the Circuit Court, the company sét up as a defence, that there was a material misrepresentation of the cost and value of the property in the factory insured made to them at thé time of the original insurance; and it being intimated by the Court, that if such was the ■ fact it would avoid the policy; the plaintiff acquiesced in that decision, and discontinued or withdrew the action before verdict.

The instructions prayed and refused,-and also the instructions actually given by the Court, are fully set forth in the record. It does hot seem important to the opinion, which we are to pro-no ¿mee, to recite them at large, in totidem verbis; since the points on which they turn admit of a simple and exact exposition.

The first instruction asked the Court, in effect, to say that the original policy of the American Insurance Company, made in December, 1836, and the several renewals thereof, although made in the name of the- Wheelers, (the mortgagors,) being in fact for the use and benefit of Epenetus Reed, the mortgagee, were for all substantial purposes the policy of Reed, and could never inure to the benefit of the Wheelers, or of Carpenter; and that neither the Wheelers nor Carpenter had any such.interest therein as rendered it incumbent on them to give any notice of .its existence to the Washington Insurance Company; and that it was to all intents and purposes as if Reed had effected the said policy in his own name upon his specific interest as mortgagee.- • This instruction the Court refused to give; and on the contrary, instructed the jury, that as by the memorandum made on that policy oh the 14th of December, 1837, the policy was by the consent of all the parties interested therein, and of Carpenter, to be for the benefit of Carpenter, he, Carpenter, became interested therein legally or equitably; and’that notwithstanding the assignment thereof by the Wheelers to Carpenter, and of Carpenter to Reed, the policy and the renqwals thereof ought to have been notified to the

The question then is here broadly presented, whether the policy of the American Insurance Company is, under all the circumstances, to be treated as a policy exclusively for Reed, the mortgagee, or whether it is to be treated as a policy on the property of, and for the benefit of, the mortgagors. No doubt can exist, that the mortgagor and the mortgagee may each separately insure his own distinct interest in the property. But there is this important distinction between the cases, that where the mortgagee insures solely on his own account, it is but an insurance, of his debt; and if his debt is afterwards paid or extinguished, the policy ceases from that time to have any operation ; and even if the premises insured are subsequently destroyed., by fire, he has no right to recover for the loss, for he sustains no damage thereby ; neither can the mortgagor take advantage of the policy, for he has no interest whatsoever therein. On the other hand, if the premises are destroyed by fire before any payn ent or extinguishment -of the mortgage, the underwriters are' bound to pay the amount of the .debt to the mortgagee, if-it does not exceed the insurance. But, then, upon such payment, the underwriters are entitled to an assignment of the debt from the mortgagee, apd may recover the same amount from the mortgagor, either at law or in equity, according to circumstances; for the payment of the insurance by the underwriters does not, in such a casé, discharge the mortgagor from the debt but only changes the creditor.

Far different is the case where an insurance is made by the mortgagor on the premises on his own account; for, notwithstanding any mortgage or other encumbrance upon the premises, he vvill-be entitled to recover the full amount of ,his loss, not exceeding the insurance; since the whole loss is his own, and he remains personally liable to the mortgagee or other encumbrancer, for the full amount of the debt or encumbrance.

These principles we take to be unquestionable, and the necessary result of the doctrines of law applicable to insurances by the mortgagor and the mortgagee. • If, then, a mortgagor procures

Some of these principles are completely illustrated by the terms of this very policy of the American Insurance Company; and the like' clauses' are to be found in the policies of the Washington Insurance Company, now under consideration. Thus, although .it is expressly provided, “that the assured may assign this policy to Epenetus Reed;” yet it is at the same time provided, that “ the interest of the assured in this policy is not. assignable unléss by the consent of this corporation, manifested its writing; and in case of any transfer or termination of the interest of the insured, either by sale or otherwise, without such consent, this policy shall from thenceforth be. void and of no effect.” ■ Now, the interest herd last spoken of, manifestly, is the interest of the owner in the premises insured, and not merely his interest in the policy.

But independently of: any special clauses' of this sort, it is clear, both- upon principle a'; authority, that an assignment of a policy by the insured only covers such interest in the premises as he. may have at the time of the insurance, and at the time of the loss. It is the'property of the insured, and his alone that is designed to be covered; and when he parts with.his title to. the

For these reasons it is apparent that Epenetus Reed, as mortgagee, and merely in that character, can have no interest in or right to the policy in the American office, now under consideration. The insurance is not made by him, or in his name, or upon his account. The policy was originally made in December, 1836, for Henry M. Wheeler and Company who were then the owners of the factory; and by its very terms it is an insurance for them against loss or damage by fire. When the policy was renewed in December, 1837, it was so renewed for the benefit of Henry M. Wheeler and Jeremiah Carpenter, who had then become the joint owners thereof. When subsequently, in April, 183S, Carpenter became the sole owner of the premises, the company agreed to the' transfer and assignment of the entirety to Carpenter, so that henceforth it became a policy upon his sole property, for his account and benefit; in the same manner and with the same legal effect as if the policy had been renewed in his own name.

But it is said that there is a clause in the original policy, and it is equally applicable to the renewals, “ that the assured may assign this policy to Epenetus Reed.” And the argument is, that this liberty to assign, when the assignment to Reed was actually executed, transferred the whole interest in the property insured, as well as in the policy, to Reed, and made the policy to all intents and purposes a policy for the sole benefit of Reed as mortgagee, as much as if the insurance had been made in his own name.

To this suggestion several answers may be made, each of which is equally fatal to the construction contended for. In the first place, although an assignment to Reed was authorized by the policy, it was never disclosed to the American Insurance Company for what purposes or objects the assignment was to be made, whether to Reed as trustee, or agent of the insured, or for

In the next place the policy itself upon its very terms -admits of no such interpretation; and indeed requires a different interpretation to give due effect to those terms. The policy, as has been already stated, is in the name of the owners, and for their account, and on their property. If it was designed solely for Reed, why was he not named, and he alone named as the insured ? How can any Court be at liberty, without other explanatory words, to construe a policy made by A. in his own name, on his property, to be not a policy on his own interest, but on the interest of B. who is a stranger to the policy? The languc ge of Lord King, and Lord Hardwicke, and of this Court, in the cases already cited, show conclusively that policies of this sort are not deemed in their nature incidents to the property insured, but that they' are mere special agreements with the persons insuring against such loss or damage as they may sustain, and hot the loss oy :damage that any bther person having an interest, as grantée, or mortgagee, or creditor, or otherwise, may sustain, by reason of'a subsequent destruction thereof by fire. It would seem, then, repugnant to the terms of this policy to construe it to be not. what it purports to be, an insurance for the owner of the property, but an insurance for an undisclosed creditor or mortgagee. It would materially change the .language, the .objects, and the obligations of the parties thereto-

In the next place, it would, in our judgment, be inconsistent with the manifest intention, as well of the insured, as of Reed, to give it such an interpretation. The agreement between Samuel G. Wheeler and Reed, of the 17th of October, 1836, demonstrates, in the clearest manner, that the policy was to be effected by the Wheelers as owners,.and to be assigned after it was effected by them to Reed, as collateral security for his bond and mortgage; and it was only upon their neglect to procure such insurance and assign the policy, that Reed was to be at liberty to do the same at their expense. The language of the instrument is, “I do hereby agree with Epenetus Reed, &c;, that I will effect a policy of insurance upon the said property in the name of myself; or of my

B'esides, in point of fact, the policy must have its effect and operation from the time .of its execution,'and not otherwise. • The language of the policy is, “that the assured may assign this policy to Epenetus Reed;” not that this policy shall now be for Epenetus Reed or on his interest. The owners, then, had an option, whether to assign or not. If they never had. assigned the policy to Reed at- all, and a loss had occurred, would not the loss have been payable to the .owners ? In point of fact, the policy, although

For these reasons we are of opinion that the first instruction asked of the Court was rightly refused; and that the instruction given was entirely correct.

The second instruction asked, proceeds upon the ground that although the policy of the American Insurance Company, of the 6th of December, 1836, was good upon its face, yet if, in point of fact, it was procured by a material misrepresentation by the owners of the cost and value of the premises insured, it was to be deemed utterly null and void,'and therefore as a mill and void policy, notice thereof need not have been given to the Washington Insurance Company at the time of underwriting the policy declared on. The Couft refused to give the instruction; and, on-.the contrary, instructed the jury that if the policy of the American Insurance Company was, at the time when that at the Washington Insurance office was made, treated by all the parties thereto as a subsisting

We nre of opinion that the instruction, as asked, was properly refused; and that given was correct. It is not true, that because a policy is procured by misrepresentation of material facts, it is therefore to be treated, in the sense of the law, as utterly void ab initio. It is merely voidable, and may be avoided by the underwriters upon due proof of the facts; but until so avoided, it must be treated for all practical purposes as a subsisting policy. In this very case the policy has never, to this very day, been avoided, or surrendered to the company. It is still held by the assured; and he may, if he pleases, bring an action thereon to-morrow; and unless the undérwriters should at the trial prove the misrepresentation, he will be entitled to recover. But the question is not how the policy may now bé treated by the parties, but how was it treated by them at the time when the policy declared on was made. It was then a subsisting policy, treated by all parties as valid, and supposed by the underwriters to be so. . The misrepresentation does not then seem to have been known to the American Insurance Company. It was an extrinsic fact; and if known to the American Insurance Company, it certainly was not known to the Washington Insurance Company. How were the latter to arrive at any knowledge of the facts of misrepresentation ; and how were they to avail, themselves of the fact, if the American Insurance Company should not choose to insist upon it ? Nor is it immaterial in the present case, as was suggested at the bar, that th'e present plaintiff now seeks to avail himself of his own misrepresentation, or that of those under whom he claims, to protect himself against his own laches in not giving notice of the ■policy to the underwriters. And it may well be doubted'whether a party to a policy can be allowed to set up his own misrepresentations to avoid the obligations deducible from his own contract^ Be this as it may, it is in our judgment free from all reasonable doubt, that notice of a voidable policy must be given to the underwriters ; for such a case falls within the words and the meaning of the stipulations in the policy. It is a prior policy, and it Has a legal existence until avoided.

But be these considerations as they may, wé see no reason why, as these clauses are a known part of the stipulations of the-policy, they ought not to.receive a fair and reasonable interpretation according to their terms and obvious import. The insured has no right, to complain, for he assents to comply with all the stipulations on his side, in order to entitle himself to the benefit of the contract, which upon reason or principle, he has no right to ask the Court to dispense with the performance of his own part of the agreement, and yet to bind the other party to obligations, which, but for those stipulations^ would not have been entered into. We are then of opinion that there is no error in the second instruction. On the contrary, there is strong ground to. contend that the stipulations in- the policy as to notice of any prior and subsequent policies, were designed to apply to all cases, of policies then existing in point of fact; without any inquiry into their original validity and effect, or whether they might be void or voidable.

We have not thought it necessary upon this occasion to go into an examination of the cases cited from the New York and Massachusetts Reports, either upon this last point, or upon the former point. The decisions in those cases are certainly open to some of the grave doubts and difficulties suggested at the bar, as to their true bearing and results. The circumstances, however, attending them, are distinguishable from those of the case now before us, and they certainly cannot be admitted to govern it. The questions under our consideration, are questions of general commercial law, and depend upon the construction of a contract of insurance, which is by no means, local in its character, or regulated by any local ■ policy or customs. Whatever respect, therefore, the decisions of state tribunals may have on such a subject, and they certainly are entitled to great respect, they cannot conclude the judgment of this Court. On the contrary, we áre bound to interpret this instrument according to our own opinion of its true intent and objects, aided by all the lights which can be obtained from all ex

The third instruction prayed the Court to instruct the jury that if the Washington Insurance Company had notice, in fact, of the existence of the policy in the American office, that “ was, in law, a compliance with the terms of the policy.” The' Court refused to give the instruction as prayed; but instructed the jury that,' at law, whatever might be the case in.equity, mere parol notice of such insurance was not, of itself, sufficient to comply with the requirements of the policy declared on; but that it was necessary, in case of any such prior policy, that the same should not only be notified to the company, but should be mentioned in or endorsed upon the policy; otherwise the insurance wa's to be void and of no effect. We think this instruction was perfectly correct. It merely expresses the very language and sense of the stipulation of the policy; and it can never be properly said that the stipulation in the policy is complied with, when there has been no such mention or endorsement as it positively requires; and without which it declares the policy shall henceforth be void and of no effect. .

The fourth and last instruction given by the Court, stands upon the same considerations, as those already mentioned; and it would be a useless task to repeat'-them. If the other instructions given, by the Court were correct, it is admitted that this cannot be deemed erroneous.

Upon the whole, our opinion is, that the judgment of the Circuit Court ought to be affirmed with costs.