Jenkins v. Hill

NOURSE, P. J.

Plaintiff sued the administrator of the estate of Richard McAfee, deceased, to recover the proceeds of two life insurance policies which had been paid to the administrator. The cause was tried by the court without a jury, and findings were made favorable to plaintiff upon which she had judgment. The defendant has appealed on the judgment roll alone.

The trial court found that, in a discussion between plaintiff, the deceased, and an agent of the insurance company, the deceased stated that plaintiff had agreed to take care of deceased during his last illness and to pay the burial expenses, and that he desired insurance upon his life so that the proceeds of the policy might be available for those purposes. The agent stated that plaintiff could not be named beneficiary

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because she had no “insurable interest”, but that the proceeds “would be paid to whoever held the policy at the time of the death of decedent or to any person who would pay the premiums on said policy and/or look after the welfare and/or well-being of decedent under the provisions of the facility of payment clause which appeared on the face of the policy”. In accordance with these understandings, the estate was named beneficiary of the policy, and upon its delivery the decedent immediately made a gift of the policy to plaintiff. The first policy was in the principal sum of $450. About four months after it was issued the parties procured a second policy in the principal sum of $621 under the same circumstances and understandings. The trial court further found that the plaintiff fulfilled her terms of the agreement — that she supported the deceased until his death, and paid all the premiums on both policies. Upon these findings of fact the trial court concluded that plaintiff was entitled to the entire proceeds of the policies, that defendant had no interest or estate therein, and that defendant be enjoined from asserting any claims thereto adverse to plaintiff.

The appellant states the question involved in this appeal as follows: “Can an assignee, not having an insurable interest in the life of the deceased, recover the proceeds of life insurance payable to the Estate of the Deceased, which policies were obtained and assigned pursuant to a preconceived plan to evade the law requiring insurable interest.” We do not so understand the controversy because, first, the plaintiff was not without an insurable interest, and, second, there is no issue of fraud or “evasion” because that defense was not raised and not proved and the findings of fact, which we must take as conclusive on this appeal on the judgment roll, completely negative the existence of any evidence tending to support such an issue. This leaves just two debatable questions, and these are determinative of all the issues on this appeal. They are: first, did the respondent have an insurable interest in the life of the deceased; and second, do the findings support the judgment? Both will be answered in the affirmative.