Court Opinion

ID: 9864399
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-25 12:59:40.240058+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:11:46.973160
License: Public Domain

Smith, J., (Opinion on liehearing). Appellant insists in its motion for. rehearing that it is not liable under its policy here sued on for the statutory penalty and attorney’s fee under Act 71 of the Acts of 1939, which amended § 7670, Pope’s Digest. The effect of the amendatory act was to make the provisions of § 7670, Pope’s Digest, applicable to marine, casualty, fidelity, surety, cyclone and tornado insurance policies, and the insistence is that the policy here involved does not come within any of these classifications. We do not agree. This legislation must be construed in connection with Act 493 of the Acts of 1921 (§<§, 7645 et seq., Pope’s Digest) which was “An Act providing the kinds of insurance that may be written in this state, etc. . . . ” Section 1 of this act provides that: ‘ ‘ Corporations may be formed or enter this state to effect insurance for the following purposes:” and there follow fifteen paragraphs of this section which enumerate the kinds of insurance that may be written. The second paragraph reads as follows: “Marine Insurance — Vessels, freight, goods, moneys, effects and money loaned on bottomry and respondentia, against the perils of the seas and other perils usually insured against by marine insurance, including^ the risks of inland transportation. ’ ’ The fifteenth paragraph reads as follows: ‘‘Other Casualty Insurance — Against loss or damage to property by any other casualty which may lawfully be the subject of insurance and which shall be specified in the articles of organization, and for which no other provision is made by law.” We think liability for the penalty and attorney’s fee in this'case may be predicated upon either of these paragraphs ; under the second as a “ risk of inland transportation and navigation, ’ ’ or under the fifteenth paragraph as a loss or damage to property by casualty. There is here a loss resulting as a risk of inland transportation by water and the damage is a casualty risk. At page 30,11th C. J., it is said: “Casualty Insurance. A term of quite frequent use, yet it cannot be said that its definition has been very accurately settled-by the courts. It is commonly held to include those forms of indemnity providing for payment for loss or damage to property (except from fire or the elements), resulting from accident or some such unanticipated contingency, and for loss through accident, or casualties resulting in bodily injury or death. The term, however, is more properly applied to insurance against the effects of accidents resulting in injuries to property. ’ ’ The policy sued on would cover a loss under either paragraph two or fifteen of the Acts of 1921, and the petition for rehearing is, therefore, denied.