Opinion ID: 1161683
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 14

Heading: conviction for making a false writing

Text: David Gault's conviction for making a false writing was based on David's failure to disclose that he had been involved in several previous accidents when he applied for auto insurance with Shelter Insurance. Making a false writing is making or drawing or causing to be made or drawn any written instrument or entry in a book of account with knowledge that such writing falsely states or represents some material matter or is not what it purports to be, and with intent to defraud or induce official action. K.S.A. 21-3711. David contends that the evidence is insufficient to sustain his conviction because if Shelter Insurance had considered the omission material, it would have canceled his insurance. We note that Shelter stated it canceled the policy because David had failed to report the February 1994 accident in his application. We also note that in addition to the February 1994 accident, David failed to disclose on his application for insurance that he had been involved in car accidents on September 16, 1993, and on May 9, 1994. When Herbert Nease of Shelter Insurance was asked during the trial whether he would have written insurance coverage for David if he had been aware of the undisclosed accidents, Nease replied, no way. This is evidence that the nondisclosure was material information.