Court Opinion

ID: 9575830
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 21:17:38.002764+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:50:11.851161
License: Public Domain

Deen, Chief Judge,
concurring specially.
Sadique M. Sharif filed an application for automobile insurance. His son, Mohammed A. Sharif, a student, was listed on the application. There appears to be no limitation of authority of the agent on the application for insurance. The jury returned a verdict for the appellee Sharif. The issue in this case is whether or not misrepresentations were made as to answers provided by the applicant for insurance.
“Absent a clear and unequivocal limitation on the authority of an agent of an insurance company, and absent fraud and collusion between the agent and the prospective insured, the actual knowledge of the agent of facts amounting to innocent misrepresentations in the application for insurance is imputed to the insurer, and the insurer will be estopped to assert that it would not have issued the policy if it had knowledge of the true facts.” Allstate Ins. Co. v. Anderson, 121 Ga. App. 582 (2) (174 SE2d 591) (1970). See also Reserve Life Ins. Co. v. Meeks, 121 Ga. App. 592 (174 SE2d 585) (1970); Chester v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 121 Ga. App. 599 (174 SE2d 582) (1970).
The insurance agent filled out the form application based on information provided by Sharif. Sharif contends that the agent asked only whether his son Mohammed had any violations, to which he responded “no.” Without a limitation of authority of the agent stated in the application the act of the agent became the act of the insurer. The jury could find that the agent who was acting for the insurance company waived any other questions as to violations by any of the *831other family members other than Mohammed.
The jury returned a verdict in favor of the appellee Sharif, and we are bound to construe the evidence in favor of supporting the verdict. Therefore, I would affirm.