Opinion ID: 1230089
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Ability and willingness to obtain additional insurance

Text: The Bank contends that the evidence was insufficient to establish the decedent's ability and willingness to obtain additional life insurance to cover the Hoovestols' indebtedness to the Bank. Darlene Hoovestol testified that Glenn would not have wanted to leave me in debt and that if the Bank had told them that there was a limitation on the amount of credit life insurance they would have purchased other life insurance sufficient to cover the indebtedness. Darlene's testimony is sufficient to establish the decedent's willingness to obtain additional life insurance to cover the indebtedness to the Bank. Bernard Fix, a life insurance agent since 1958, testified that, in his opinion, [i]n 1987 ... a gentleman, Mr. Hoovestol, who was 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighed 280 pounds, and had a history of a heart murmur would be insurable. He also testified that a person with aortic stenosis would not necessarily be uninsurable. He further testified that one whose application for life insurance was rejected by one insurance company could be insurable by another insurance company. Kevin Olson, an assistant vice-president of the underwriting department of Provident Life Insurance Company, who had been in the underwriting department for approximately seven and one-half years, was called as a witness by the Bank. He testified that in 1987 his company would have declined an insurance application from Glenn Hoovestol until a cardiac evaluation had been performed. He testified that, because Glenn Hoovestol's physician had recommended a cardiac evaluation, we would have found him to be uninsurable at the time until after the evaluation would have been completed. He also testified that just because [his] company might not accept a risk, ... doesn't mean another insurance company would not accept the risk and that his determination whether he may or may not be insurable may be different from another company. Viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict, the testimony of Fix and Olson is sufficient to establish Glenn Hoovestol's ability to obtain additional life insurance to cover the Hoovestols' indebtedness to the Bank, and is sufficient to sustain the verdict.