ROY B. GRAVES, JR., PETITIONER,
v.
IOWA MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY, A CORPORATION AND CLAUDE L. CLAYPOOL, RESPONDENTS
AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.
Roy Graves purchased a fidelity bond covering his bookkeeper Claude Claypool. The insurance company sent a cancellation notice by certified mail, but Claypool himself signed the receipt. When Claypool embezzled funds months later, the insurer refused to pay. The Florida Supreme Court held that the cancellation notice was ineffective because it was received by the very employee whose insurability was being cancelled, and violated the 30-day notice requirement.
The cancellation notice was ineffective and the policy remained in force at the time of the employee's embezzlement. The notice failed to comply with the policy's requirements because it was not received by the actual insured (Graves), but only by the employee whose insurability was being cancelled, and it violated the 30-day advance notice provision by providing only 26 days between receipt and the stated effective date.
“The purpose of the notice of cancellation by the company is to enable the insured to obtain insurance elsewhere before he is subjected to risk without protection.”
Establishes the fundamental purpose of cancellation notice requirements in insurance law.
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceGraves obtained a fidelity bond insuring against loss caused by his new bookkeeper and office manager, Claude Claypool. The insurance company sent a c…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.
Explore caselaw by topic → Browse Sufficiency Of Notice cases and more on FLexlaw
This cause comes here for review on a writ of certiorari granted because of a conflict between the decision of the District Court of Appeal, Second District, reported as Graves v. Iowa Mutual Insurance Co., 123 So.2d 351, 352, and the decision of this court in Silvernail v. American Fire and Casualty Company, 80 So.2d 707, 708. The facts are outlined in the opinion of the District Court, supra. Conflict arises over the construction of the cancellation clause in petitioner’s general overall policy which' reads as follows:
“This policy as an entirety (including all Insuring Agreements) or any Insuring Agreement may be cancelled * * * (c) by the Company serving upon the Named Insured at the address shown in this Policy written notice, or *394sending such notice by registered mail, stating therein the date when such cancellation shall be effective, but such date, if the notice be served, shall be not less than 30 days after such service, or if sent by registered mail, not less than 35 days after the date borne by the sender’s registry receipt. The mailing of notice as aforesaid shall be sufficient proof of its delivery to the Insured * * * ”
and the cancellation provision in the insured’s fidelity bond extension:
“* * * (a) * * * on notice to the Insured, not less than 30 days after service, or if sent by registered mail, not less than 30 days after the receipt; * * * Cancellation of this bond in its entirety shall be deemed effective if notice be given as provided in (a) * * * ”
and in the construction that this court placed on the cancellation clause in the Silver-nail case, supra:
“ * * * The notice stated that if the premiums were not paid the company would cancel the policy at noon on November 26, 1950. In computing the time the first day should be excluded and the last day included. [Citing authority] A simple calculation shows that from November 21, 1950'to noon, November 26, 1950 is not five full days, therefore, if the notice in form is sufficient, it was not sufficient in time to comply with the terms of the policy.”
In the instant case the District Court arrived at the conclusion that, although the notice violated the 30-day provisions, the cancellation was effective, not as stated in the notice but on a later date, in accordance with the policy provisions, but in the Silvernail case, supra, this court held that the notice was not sufficient in time, was therefore ineffectual to cancel and that the insurance company was obligated to pay the policy holder within the limits of the policy. The two holdings are in direct conflict on the same point of law, and we therefore have jurisdiction.
Petitioner was issued a fidelity bond on Claude L. Claypool, his new bookkeeper and office manager, insuring him against loss of money or property. About two months later, a notice of cancellation was sent by certified mail stating that coverage on Clay-pool was cancelled, effective July 20, 1958. Claypool himself signed the return receipt on June 24, 1958, and without giving petitioner notice of the cancellation and also without giving notice of the unearned premium credit on the company books, continued to work. It was discovered in February of 1959 that Claypool had embezzled $1,780, but upon notice the insurance company refused liability. Suit was brought by petitioner which resulted in a summary judgment for respondent insurance company and an affirmance of that judgment by the District Court.
Petitioner contends that he had never received actual notice of the cancellation since the mail receipt had been signed by the defecting employee himself; and further that the notice violated the 30-day provision of the policy and was ineffectual to cancel the liability.
Respondent contends that petitioner had notice when his agent signed the mail slip and entered the refund of premium on the company books; and further that the notice was final and effective after lapse of the full time stipulated in the policy.
The contentions of the respondent that the acceptance of the refund was a waiver is untenable in this case. The facts here negate the inference of consent or waiver arising from the acceptance of the refund. See Merchants & Bankers Guaranty Co. v. Downs, 128 Fla. 767, 175 So. 704, at page 711; Reliance Life Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh v. Garth, 192 Ala. 91, 68 So. 871; 152 A.L.R. 105. To be sufficient notice must clearly convey to the insured the fact of cancellation. “The purpose of the notice *395of cancellation by the company is to enable the insured to obtain insurance elsewhere before he is subjected to risk without protection.” See 29 Am.Jur. § 384 and “The rule that notice to an agent is notice to the principal does not apply when the circumstances are such as to raise a clear presumption that the agent will not transmit his knowledge to his principal, as in cases where his interest is antagonistic to that of his principal(Italics supplied.) Innerarity v. Bank, 139 Mass. 332, 1 N.E. 282, 52 Am.Rep. 710. Here the respondent insurance company was in a position from its research as to the character of the employee to realize that petitioner may not receive actual notice when it allowed the uninsurable employee to sign mail slips, including the slip purporting to cancel the policy as to his own insurability. See Andrews v. Minter Coal & Coke Co., 90 Ind.App. 320, 168 N.E. 869 and cases cited, where the court held that a notice to employee of cancellation of his fidelity bond was not notice to his employer.
Furthermore, we cannot read into the policy added meaning, see Bradley v. Associates Discount Corp., Fla., 58 So.2d 857, and as notice provided that the cancellation was effective on July 20, 1958, and was received on June 24, 1958, by simple calculation it violated the 30-day provision of the policy. The notice was not given in accordance with the terms of the policy; the insured never received actual notice of cancellation or of the refund inasmuch as the defaulting employee himself signed the receipt and credited the refund. The record does not reveal any effort by the insurance company to bypass the defecting employee with the notice cancelling the risk on him, although the company had information sufficient to cause them to cancel same. The notice was ineffectual to cancel the risk and the policy was in force at the time of default by the employee.
Accordingly, the judgment of affirmance by the District Court of Appeal, Second District, is quashed with directions to reverse the judgment of the Circuit Court for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion.
It is so ordered.
THOMAS, DREW, THORNAL and O’CONNELL, JJ., concur.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By (13 total)
-
Stuyvesant Ins. Co. v. Alphonso Butler, 314 So. 2d 567 (Fla. 1975)…1 So. 2d 476 (Fla.App.3, 1966); Oren v. General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Corp., 175 So. 2d 581 (Fla.App.3, 1965); Winter Garden Ornamental Nursery, Inc. v. Cappleman, 201 So. 2d 479 (Fla.App.4, 1967); and Graves v. Iowa Mutual Insurance Co., 132 So. 2d 393 (Fla.1961). The opinion of the District Court succinctly sets out the facts of the cause as follows: “Appellants [petitioners-herein] seek reversal of a summary judgment entered in favor of- appellee [respondent-herein] in an action for injuries s…
-
CAT 'N Fiddle, Inc. v. The Century Ins. Co., 213 So. 2d 701 (Fla. 1968)…ird District sustained the directed ver-diet in favor of Respondent but reversed the directed verdict in favor of Hurst. In affirming the judgment in favor of Respondent, the District Court, citing Graves v. Iowa Mutual Insurance Company (Fla.1961), 132 So. 2d 393, 96 A.L.R.2d 282, reasoned that under the circumstances presented the general rule that notice to an agent is notice to the principal controlled. Before disposing of the present controversy on the merits, we feel compelled to comment briefly on thi…
-
CAT 'N Fiddle, Inc. v. The Century Ins. Co., 200 So. 2d 208 (Fla. 3d DCA 1967)…he fire. The trial court was eminently correct in directing a verdict for Century. Applicable in the circumstances presented was the general rule that notice to an agent is notice to the principal. Graves v. Iowa Mutual Insurance Company, Fla.1961, 132 So. 2d 393, 395, 96 A.L.R.2d 282. An insurance agent or broker, who agrees to procure insurance and through his own fault or neglect fails to do so, may become liable for damages resulting therefrom. First National Insurance Agency, Inc. v. Leesburg Transfer…
Previewing 3 of 13 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Bradley v. Assocs. Disc. Corp., 58 So. 2d 857 (Fla. 1952)
- Merchs. & Bankers Guar. Co. v. Mollie Downs, 128 Fla. 767 (Fla. 1937)
- Silvernail v. Am. Fire & Cas. Co., 80 So. 2d 707 (Fla. 1955)
- Graves v. Iowa Mut. Ins. Co., 123 So. 2d 351 (Fla. 2d DCA 1960)