Source: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/109/121/
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 04:31:20+00:00

Document:
1. A judgment of nonsuit is no bar to a new action, and of no weight as evidence at the trial of that action.
2. Pending an action in a court of the State of New York against a corporation established in that state by a widow, a citizen of New Jersey, upon a policy of insurance on the life of her husband, the plaintiff assigned the policy to a citizen of New York in trust for her benefit, and was afterwards nonsuited by order of the court. Upon a subsequent petition by the trustee to another court of the state to be relieved of his trust, a citizen of New Jersey was at her request appointed trustee in his stead. One object of this appointment was to enable a suit on the policy to be brought in the circuit court of the United States, which was afterwards brought accordingly. Held that the suit should not be dismissed under the act of 3d March, 1875, c. 137, c. 137, §§ 1, 5.
3. A self-killing by an insane person, understanding the physical nature and consequences of his act but not its moral aspect, is not a death by suicide, within the meaning of a condition in a policy of insurance upon his life that the policy shall be void in case he shall die by suicide, or by the hands of justice or in consequence of a duel or of the violation of any law.
The main facts in this case are stated in the opinion of the Court. For the purposes of the reported argument below, it is sufficient to say that the plaintiffs in error insured the life of one Ferguson for $10,000, payable to his wife in ninety days after proof of his death; that the policy was to be void if Ferguson should die by suicide; that Ferguson hanged himself; that suit was brought in the Court of Common Pleas of the City of New York by the widow to recover on the policy, in which, under a ruling of the court, the plaintiff became nonsuited; that the claim, after commencement of suit and before nonsuit, was assigned to a trustee, a citizen of New York, to secure a debt; and that after nonsuit, the trustee was removed by amicable judicial proceedings, and the defendant in error, a citizen of New Jersey, substituted, the object being to have this suit brought.
"in case he shall die by suicide, or by the hands of justice, or in consequence of a duel, or of the violation of any law of these states, or of the United States"
in the City of New York on the 14th of August, 1876, and that presently afterwards his widow and family removed to Redbank, in the State of New Jersey, and had since had their home there. He also introduced a deed dated the 10th of February, 1877, by which Mrs. Ferguson assigned the policy to John G. Nestell, of New York, in trust, to pay a claim for $2,000, and the necessary expenses of collecting the amount of the policy, and to invest the surplus for her benefit, and a record of the supreme court of New York showing that in May, 1879, in a suit brought by Nestell against Mrs. Ferguson to be relieved of his trust, Broughton, the plaintiff, was, upon her request, substituted as trustee in Nestell's stead. There was evidence tending to show that one object in having Broughton appointed was that a suit could be brought in his name in the United States court.
"Motion for nonsuit granted, and complaint dismissed; allowance, one hundred and fifty dollars to defendant, if further litigation be carried on by plaintiff."
The defendant requested the circuit court to direct a verdict for the defendant, because the former judgment was a bar, and afterwards objected to the introduction by the plaintiff of evidence of the condition of Ferguson's mind at the time of his death, because that question had been tried and determined in the former action. The court rightly denied the request and overruled the objection. A judgment of nonsuit does not determine the rights of the parties, and is no bar to a new action.
Homer v. Brown, 16 How. 354. A trial upon which nothing was determined cannot support a plea of res adjudicata or have any weight as evidence at another trial.
The defendant, at the close of the plaintiff's evidence in chief and again at the close of all of the evidence in the case, moved to dismiss the action for want of jurisdiction because Broughton had only a nominal interest, and the real controversy was between citizens of New York, and the at the argument in this Court contended that the action should be dismissed because the evidence showed that the plaintiff was made trustee for the purpose of bringing an action in the United States court after Mrs. Ferguson had failed to recover in the state court, under the rule established by the recent decisions of the Court of Appeals in Van Zandt v. Mutual Benefit Ins. Co., 55 N.Y. 169, and Weed v. Same, 70 N.Y. 561.
plaintiff for the purpose of creating a case cognizable by that court. T he question involved was not a question of local law, but of general jurisprudence, upon which Mrs. Ferguson, and Broughton, as her trustee, had a right to seek the independent judgment of a federal court. Railroad Co. v. Lockwood, 17 Wall. 357, 84 U. S. 368; Michigan Central Railroad v. Myrick, 107 U. S. 102; Burgess v. Seligman, 107 U. S. 20.
Several minor points suggested at the argument hardly present any question of law.
The interrogatories put by the counsel for the plaintiff to the expert called by the defendants were clearly admissible on cross-examination for the purpose of testing the knowledge and accuracy of the witness, and require no special consideration.
The instruction requested, that "the only legal test of insanity is delusion," was in direct contradiction of the testimony of the experts called on each side, and could not properly be given as a rule of law.
The court rightly refused to direct a verdict for the defendant on the ground that there was no sufficient evidence to show that Ferguson was insane or to render the defendant liable upon its contract. Without undertaking to recapitulate the evidence, it is sufficient to say that members of his family and persons well acquainted with him in his business testified that he was naturally of a lively, cheerful, sanguine disposition; that in 1874 he met with heavy losses in business, and his son died suddenly by falling from a window; that from that time forward there was a marked change in his demeanor; "he was always walking with his head bowed down, and a gloomy expression, and the entire vitality and cheerfulness which the man had before was gone;" "he was gloomy, dull, mopish;" "he sat down in the office and moaned and would be gloomy there;" "he always complained of his head; he would say, The trouble is here; it is all in my head, my head;'" that shortly before his death, he had "a vacant expression in his face;" "he had a queer expression about his eyes; it was a sort of wild, unnatural expression;" "that kind of expression which the human face takes on when one is frightened; a far-off, glassy look, as though the mind was dwelling on nothing;"
"he was very much changed, and was very excitable; he looked different, and had a wild expression; he staid a great deal by himself when he came home from business; he would go to his room and lie on his bed with his hat and overcoat on, and not come out to his meals."
The experts called for the plaintiff testified that Ferguson was suffering from that kind of unsoundness of mind which they termed melancholia. There was clearly some evidence of insanity for the jury, and the question of its weight was for them, and not for the court. Insurance Co. v. Rodel, 95 U. S. 232.
to take his own life because, in the exercise of his usual reasoning faculties, he preferred death to life, then the company is not liable, because he died by his own hand within the meaning of the policy."
15 Wall. 82 U. S. 582.
"We hold the rule on the question before us to be this: if the assured, being in the possession of his ordinary reasoning faculties, from anger, pride, jealousy, or a desire to escape from the ills of life, intentionally takes his own life, the proviso attaches and there can be no recovery. If the death is caused by the voluntary act of the assured, he knowing and intending that his death shall be the result of his act, but when his reasoning faculties are so far impaired that he is not able to understand the moral character, the general nature, consequences, and effect of the act he is about to commit, or when he is impelled thereto by an insane impulse, which he has not the power to resist, such death is not within the contemplation of the parties to the contract, and the insurer is liable."
Pp. 82 U. S. 590-591.
"This charge is in the very words of the charge sanctioned and approved by this Court in the case of Life Insurance Company v. Terry, 15 Wall. 580, including an explanatory clause of the opinion of the Court in that case. We see no reason to modify the views expressed by us on that occasion."
95 U.S. 95 U. S. 241.
The policies in the cases of Terry and of Rodel used the words "die by his own hand," instead of which the policy before us has the words "die by suicide." But, for the purposes of this contract, as was observed in Terry's Case, 15 Wall. 82 U. S. 591, the two expressions are equivalent.
"that if Israel Ferguson died by suicide, the plaintiff cannot recover unless he has proved to your satisfaction that such act of self-destruction was not Ferguson's voluntary and willful act; that he had not at the time sufficient power of mind and reason to understand the physical nature and consequences of such act, and did not have at the time, a purpose and intention to cause his own death by the act; . . . that unless the evidence established that Israel Ferguson did not commit suicide consciously and voluntarily, the plaintiff cannot recover,"
and "that if he thus committed it, it is immaterial whether he was capable of understanding its moral aspects or of distinguishing between right and wrong."
very fairly urged, afford quite strong evidence that at the time of his death he was in the full possession of his mental faculties. A serious question, gentlemen, which you will ask yourselves in this case, it seems to me, is this: had he, in view of his misfortunes and of the probable future that awaited him, deliberately come to the conclusion that it was better to die them to live, and did he in that view commit suicide, or was he so far mentally unsound that he could not exercise a rational judgment upon the question of life and death? Did he become oblivious to the duties which he owed to his family, to his friends, and to himself? Was he impelled by a morbid impulse which he had not sufficient strength of will to resist, and, acting under the influence of this insane impulse, did he determine to take his own life? Because, if his reasoning faculties were so far impaired that he could not fairly estimate the moral consequences, the moral complexion of the act, even though he could reason sufficiently well to prepare with great deliberation, and to execute his design with success, nevertheless, within the authority which I have read, he was so far insane that the plaintiff is entitled to recover on this policy."
These instructions are in exact accordance with the adjudications in the cases of Terry and Rodel, and upon consideration, we are unanimously of opinion that the rule so established is sounder in principle, as well as simpler in application, than that which makes the effect of the act of self-destruction, upon the interests of those for whose benefit the policy was made, to depend upon the very subtle and difficult question how far any exercise of the will can be attributed to a man who is so unsound of mind that, while he foresees the physical consequences which will directly result from his act, he cannot understand its moral nature and character, or in any just sense be said to know what it is that he is doing.
legally, also (and the policy should be subjected to this test), self-destruction by a fellow being bereft of reason can with no more propriety be ascribed to his own hand than to the deadly instrument that may have been used for the purpose,"
and, whether it was by drowning, or poisoning, or hanging, or in any other manner, "was no more his act, in the sense of the law, than if he had been impelled by irresistible physical power." Breasted v. Farmers' Trust & Loan Co., 4 Hill 73, 75.
* Borradaile v. Hunter, 5 Man. & Gr. 639; S.C. 5 Scott N.R. 418; Dormay v. Borradaile, 10 Beavan 335; Schwabe v. Clift, 2 Car. & K. 134, and C.B. 437; Stormont v. Waterloo Ins. Co., 1 F. & F. 22; Dufaur v. Professional Ins. Co., 25 Beavan 599, 602; Solicitors' Assurance Society v. Lamb, 1 Hem. & Mil. 716, and 2 D.G.J. & S. 251; Breasted v. Farmers' Trust & Loan Co., 4 Hill 73, and 8 N.Y. 299; Dean v. American Ins. Co., 4 Allen 96; Cooper v. Massachusetts Ins. Co., 102 Mass. 227; Eastabrook v. Union Ins. Co., 54 Me. 224; Gove v. Farmers' Ins. Co., 48 N.H. 41; St. Louis Ins. Co. v. Graves, 6 Bush 268; Nimick v. Mutual Life Ins. Co., 10 Amer.Law.Reg. (N.S.) 101; Gay v. Union Ins. Co., 9 Blatchf.C.C. 142; Terry v. Life Ins. Co., 1 Dillon 403.

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