Case Name: ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY, Appellant, v. William CRAWFORD et al., Appellees
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1978-12-05
Citations: 365 So. 2d 408
Docket Number: No. 77-2234
Parties: ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY, Appellant, v. William CRAWFORD et al., Appellees.
Judges: Before PEARSON, BARKDULL and KEHOE, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 365
Pages: 408–411

Head Matter:
ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY, Appellant, v. William CRAWFORD et al., Appellees.
No. 77-2234.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Third District.
Dec. 5, 1978.
Rehearing Denied Jan. 10, 1979.
Adams & Ward and Robert C. Ward, Miami, for appellant.
Edward P. Swan, Miami, for appellees.
Before PEARSON, BARKDULL and KEHOE, JJ.

Opinion:
KEHOE, Judge.
Appellant, defendant below, brings this appeal from a final declaratory judgment holding that it had no right to cancel an automobile liability policy issued to appel-lees and that the policy was in force and effect on the date on which appellees were involved in an automobile accident. We affirm.
The pivotal question raised by appellees' complaint was whether their automobile liability insurance policy was in force and effect on the date on which the accident occurred. Appellant's position was that the policy had been properly canceled for the nonpayment of the premium prior to the date of the accident. Appellees took the basic position that they had received no notice of any cancellation and that the policy was in force and effect on the date of the accident. The trial court received extensive evidence on the facts relating to these positions, including the chronology of events leading to the alleged cancellation. Thereafter, the trial court entered a final declaratory judgment in which it found, among other things, the following:
"That the policy of automobile insurance issued by the Defendant, Allstate Insurance Company, to the Plaintiff, William E. Crawford, effective beginning April 6, 1974 under policy number 0-41-312050-04/6 was in full force and effect on February 2,1975 the date in which the Plaintiff was involved in an automobile accident while driving a vehicle insured under such policy of insurance.
Further, that the attempt by the Defendant, Allstate Insurance Company to cancel the foregoing policy of insurance for the period of this automobile accident of February 2, 1975 is a nullity and of no force and effect.
That the Defendant Allstate Insurance Company has no right to attempt a cancellation of the foregoing policy as described above and said policy was in full force and effect on the date of the automobile accident of February 2, 1975."
The trial court went on to hold that the policy was in full force and effect on the date of the accident and that appellant was liable for any judgment entered against appellees under the terms of the policy. From this judgment, appellant appealed.
Appellant's basic point on appeal is that there was no competent substantial evidence or legal theory upon which the trial court could have found that appellant's attempt to cancel the policy for nonpayment of the premium was a nullity and that appellant had no right to attempt to cancel the policy for nonpayment of the premium.
Our review of the record, and particularly the final declaratory judgment, reveals that, inherent within the trial court's finding that appellant had no right to cancel the policy, was the finding of fact that appellees received no notice of any cancellation pursuant to the requirements of Section 627.728, Florida Statutes (1975). The record also reveals that the trial court's finding was supported by competent substantial evidence. Therefore, even though we might have reached a different conclusion based on the facts below, the trial court's finding must be affirmed. See, e. g., Biscayne Manufacturing Corp. v. Sandav Corp., 323 So.2d 315 (Fla. 3d DCA 1975). Accordingly, because appellant, under the facts of this case, had no right to cancel the policy in question, the final declaratory judgment entered by the trial court is affirmed.
Affirmed.