Case Name: VINCENT VITRANO vs. WESTERN INSURANCE COMPANY
Court: Louisiana Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1913-06-23
Citations: 10 Teiss. 126
Docket Number: No. 5701
Parties: VINCENT VITRANO vs. WESTERN INSURANCE COMPANY.
Judges: Godchaux, J., I concur in the decree.
Reporter: Decisions, Court of Appeal, parish of Orleans (Teissier)
Volume: 10
Pages: 126–131

Head Matter:
No. 5701.
VINCENT VITRANO vs. WESTERN INSURANCE COMPANY.
Syllabus.
1. A plea of prematurity, which would he equally effective at any future time, amounts to a plea in bar, and belongs to • the merits.of the ease; to maintain such a plea in Undue, and without a full inquiry into all the circumstances would • he to deny plaintiff’s right without according him a hearing.
2. Where an Insurance Company, after a loss, has itself acknowledged and fixed its own liability at a definite sum, which it has offered to pay, an alleged breach of the terms of the . policy subsequent tq such admission of liability, may affect the right of the assured to recover more than the amount thus admitted, but cannot affect the liability of the Insurance Company for the amount already fixed and acknowledged.
Appeal from the Civil District Court for the Parish of
Orleans, Division “A,.’’.No. 95,457, Hon. T. ,C. W. Ellis, Judge.
Edw. Eightor, for plaintiff and appellee. •
J: C. Hollingsworth, for defendant and áppellant.

Opinion:
His Honor,
JOHN ST. PAUL,
rendered the opinion and decree of the Court, as follows:
Defendant urges that 'this suit is premature, and stripped of refinements and inessential details the situation is 'just this:
1 Plaintiff suffered a fire loss and submitted proofs. Defendant demanded an appraisement and called upon plaintiff to produce before the appraisers what was left of the damaged furniture. Plaintiff declared it impossible to comply with this request, saying that the debris had been cast away shortly after the fire. Defendant still .insisted, and refused to allow appraisement to proceed 'otherwise.
Thereupon plaintiff brought this suit, and defendant pleads that it is premature because the appraisement is still pending.
As a mere demurrer, or even as a plea in abatement, this plea cannot be allowed. Defendant will not permit the appraisement to proceed unless plaintiff produces the damaged remains of the furniture; on the other hand plaintiff refuses to produce these damaged remains, declaring it impossible to do so; and neither party has shown-the least disposition to recede from the stand thus taken. ,. ' '
' It is, the,ref oré, manifest'that "the appraisement can never terminate, and if the plea of prematurity is good .at this time it will be equally effective for all future time, and thus operate forever as a.¡complete bar to any recovery by plaintiff.
And, therefore, to maintain this exception of prematurity at the threshold'of the suit, and purely Upon the ground that the matter is still in the hands of the' appraisers, withoutinquiry into-.allthe circumstances, would be in ,effect to deny plaintiff's right without according him a hearing. And an inquiry of that nature is one which properly belongs to the merits of the case.