Court Opinion

ID: 9650953
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 15:57:29.635094+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:19:55.200693
License: Public Domain

HUTCHESON, Circuit Judge
(concur-
ring).
In a series of decisions from Florida, this court had occasion to examine the state of the law upon the effect of false answers to questions as to what clinics, hospitals, physicians, healers, or other practitioners applicant had consulted.
In Metropolitan Life Ins. Co. v. Madden, 5 Cir., 117 F.2d 446, on full citation of authorities, we held that an untrue answer to a question of this kind seeking to elicit a fac'tjis ‘to matter material to the risk prevented recovery on the policy, and this without regard to whether the answer was given with a conscious fraudulent intent to deceive. So holding, we reversed the judgment for retrial in accordance with this view.
In Madden v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co., 5 Cir., 138 F.2d 708, 151 A.L.R. 984, a later appeal from an instructed verdict for the defendant, we held, on the authority of Metropolitan Life Ins. Co. v. Poole, 147 Fla. 686, 3 So.2d 386, a case decided since our former opinion, that the law of Florida was different from that we had formerly declared. Stating that Florida in the Poole case had now taken its place with those courts holding: that where a statute or policy provides that all statements made by the insured shall, in the absence of fraud, be deemed representations and not warranties, a representation, though false, does not avoid the. policy unless it was made with conscious intent to defraud; and that whether it was so made is normally for the jury, we held ourselves bound to follow it.
Among the cases cited in support was a case from Louisiana, Cunningham v. Penn. Mutual Life, 152 La. 1023, 95 So. 110. I have re-read that case and other Louisiana decisions on the point in the light of the outstanding feature of Louisiana jurisprudence, the complete absence of clear distinction between fact and law1 there, and Louisiana appellate courts are free to decide issues of fact for themselves.
So re-reading it, while I can find in it clear warrant for the view that the Supreme Court of Louisiana did, on issues similar to those tendered by plaintiff here, hold that the defense of fraud was not made out, and permit recovery on the policy, I can find none for the view that such holding was a ruling upon matter of law which would bind this court,2 as distinguished from a holding on matter of fact which would not. This being so, and being also of the opinion that “there was no fact issue for the jury, for reasonable minds having no interest except to find the truth could not have found that the answers admittedly material were not also false”,3 on the authority of Lee v. New York Life Ins. Co., 144 La. 445, 80 So *188652, Jefferson Standard Life Ins. Co. v. Stevenson, 5 Cir., 70 F.2d 72, and Madden v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co., 5 Cir., 117 F.2d 446, I concur in the opinion of the majority.

 “The civilian, with his code and his trial by judge, looks on these terms, matter of fact and matter of law, as little better than senseless jargon. We, bro'ught up in its spirit and nature, know that matter of fact and matter of law are the very stuff of which the common law is made. Especially do insurance lawyers know that law and fact, judge and jury, are the words to conjure with when, embattled in a trial, the issues joined, the outcome in suspense, plaintiffs and defendants marshal their forces to press for decision.”
“Said Lord Coke: ‘The most usual trial of matters of fact is by twelve such men; for ad questionem faeti non respondent juriees; and matters in law the judges ought to decide and discuss; for ad questionem juris non respondent juratores.’ ” Hutcheson, Law and Fact in Insurance Cases, Texas Law Review, Dec., 1944, Yol. XXIII, No. 1, p. 1.

 Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Johnson, 293 U.S. 335, 55 S.Ct. 154, 79 L.Ed. 398; Arab Corporation & Duneco v. Bruce, 5 Cir., 129 F.2d 94; Id., 5 Cir., 142 F.2d 604.

 Sun Life Assurance Co. of Canada v. Maloney, 5 Cir., 132 F.2d 388, 390.