MARINER CHARTERS, INC., APPELLANT,
v.
FOREMOST INSURANCE COMPANY, APPELLEE
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Mariner Charters sought recovery under an insurance policy for a vessel lost during a charter, claiming the charterer intended to steal the vessel. The court affirmed summary judgment for the insurer, holding that the policy's exclusion for losses resulting from infidelity of persons to whom insured property is entrusted barred coverage regardless of the charterer's fraudulent intent.
The court held that the charterer's fraudulent intent does not entitle the insured to coverage because the policy's exclusion for losses resulting from infidelity of persons to whom the insured property is entrusted applies to situations where a charter company is induced by false representations or fraud to charter its vessel to someone with intent to misappropriate it. The insurer is therefore free of liability under this exclusion.
[1] A loss resulting from the infidelity of persons to whom insured property is entrusted is excluded from coverage under an insurance policy, unless the person is a carrier…
[2] The crime of larceny is not committed when property is taken with the full knowledge and consent of the owner or their authorized agent.
Previewing 2 of 5 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“The crime of larceny is not committed where the property is taken with the full knowledge and consent of the owner or his authorized agent.”
Establishes the basic principle that larceny requires absence of consent, but this principle does not apply when property is obtained through fraud or misrepresentation.
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceMariner Charters' vessel was lost while under a valid charter arrangement. The charterer obtained possession of the vessel, and Mariner Charters claim…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
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PEARSON, Judge.
The appellant, as plaintiff in the trial court, suffered a summary final judgment in favor of the defendant insurance company. It appears without controversy that plaintiff’s vessel was lost while under a valid charter. The policy under which plaintiff claimed coverage has two exceptions which are applicable to the loss of the vessel. The first was that the policy excluded coverage of loss resulting from infidelity of persons to whom the insured property was entrusted. The second exception was that the policy had geographic limitations, which were exceeded here by the charterer. The plaintiff urges that the summary judgment was improperly entered due to the fact that its theory that it was entitled to recovery because the charterer intended to steal the vessel was not disproved. Our view of the record convinces us that the trial judge correctly determined that the question of the charterer’s intent at the time he took possession of the vessel is not a governing factor. The crime of larceny is not committed where the property is taken with the full knowledge and consent of the owner or his authorized agent. See Lowe v. State, 1902, 44 Fla. 449, 32 So. 956; Youngker v. State, Fla.App.1968, 215 So. 2d 318.
However, “. . . one who obtains possession of personal property by a trick, device or fraud with intent to appropriate the property to his own use, the owner or custodian intending to part with possession only, commits larceny when he subsequently appropriates it.” Fitch v. State, 1938, 135 Fla. 361, 185 So.
435. Assuming that the charterer made fraudulent misrepresentations in order to gain possession of the vessel, then there may well be an issue as between the appellant, Mariner Charters, Inc., and the charterer in terms of larceny.
However, as between the appellant and the appellee insurer, we find that the provisions of the insurance policy negate any possibility that appellant was protected against this kind of larceny.
We note that the vessel in question here was under a lawful charter at the time it was lost in the charterer’s possession. We also note that under exclusion 8(i), the policy did not insure against loss caused by, or resulting from, “infidelity of persons to whom the insured property is entrusted except carriers for hire, operators of marinas or marine repairers.” Upon the strength of this exclusion, we believe that the insurer is free of liability in those situations where the charter company is induced by false representations, trick, fraud or the like, to charter its vessel to someone who has the previous intent to misappropriate the vessel. See generally Balogh, Inc. v. Pennsylvania Millers Mutual Fire Insurance Co., 307 F. 2d 894 (5th Cir. 1962).
Therefore, we find no reversible error under appellant’s point claiming a genuine issue of material fact.
Appellant’s remaining points, which attacked procedural rulings of the trial court at the time of the hearing on defendant’s motion, have been examined and found not to show reversible error. Affirmed.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Authorities Cited
- Ira Fitch v. State, 135 Fla. 361 (Fla. 1938)
- Youngker v. State, 215 So. 2d 318 (Fla. 4th DCA 1968)
- Lowe v. State, 44 Fla. 449 (Fla. 1902)
- David R. Balogh, Inc. v. Pa. Millers Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 307 F.2d 894 (5th Cir. 1962)