Court Opinion

ID: 9550106
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 18:29:35.960491+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:12:23.874436
License: Public Domain

McINTYRE, Chief Justice
(dissenting).
We seem to agree the plaintiff in this case cannot claim a waiver with respect to the exclusionary clause relied on by the insurance company in rejecting Cates’ claim for payment. Of course, we must agree there was no waiver because the company expressly refused to waive the exclusionary clause when asked to do so.
If we agree there was no waiver, then there can be no basis for saying there was a modification of the exclusionary clause. That is simply another way of saying there was a waiver. In order to have a modification, you must first have a waiver of the written language followed by substi*1261tuted language to take the place of the written language.
We all know enough about insurance to know, if the parties really thought the exclusionary clause was being modified, they would have had it expressed in writing— either by rewriting the exclusionary clause or by attaching a separate rider. Moreover, the policy provision set out in footnote 3 of Justice Parker’s opinion expressly states the terms of the policy shall not be waived “or changed’’ except by approved endorsement issued to form a part of the policy and signed by an authorized company representative.
What happened is very clear from the circumstances. Cates wanted the insurance. He did not like paragraph 5 of the special provisions endorsement. He had a good college try at getting it waived or changed. The company refused. He had the agent try again with a telephone call and still no change was effected. Rather than be without insurance, he accepted the policy, apparently hoping there would be no accident under circumstances referred to in paragraph 5. This is borne out in the testimony of Dick Lange. According to Justice Parker’s opinion, Lange testified Cates indicated he did not like the clause but, since Lange had written and also called, he (Cates) did not see any problem.
Perhaps it would be a bit anticlimactic to point out that no change in premium was made to compensate for added coverage which Cates claims the company assumed by its supposed modification.
In light of the explicit and clear language contained in paragraph 5 of the special provisions endorsement, I fail to see where plaintiff made out a prima facie case.
I would reverse the judgment.