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Perry v. Provident Life Insurance & Investment Co.

Mary A. Perry v. Provident Life Insurance and Investment Company

Perry v. Provident Life Ins. & Inv. Co., 103 Mass. 242 (1869)
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Court
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court · State Highest Courts
Decided
November 15, 1869
Judges
Chapman
Citations
103 Mass. 242
Headnotes
Under a policy of insurance in the sum of $2000 against loss of life from accidental injuries occasioning death within ninety days from the accident, and in the sum cf $10 a week for a period not exceeding twenty-six weeks against personal inj ury u for any single accident by which the assured shall sustain any personal injury which shall not be fatal,” the weekly sum is due for injury by an accident which does not occasion death within ninety days, although it is finally fatal.
Summary
Contract by the executrix of the will of Calvin Perry, on a policy of insurance whereby the defendants insured the plaintiff’s testator “ against loss of life or personal injury; against loss of life in the sum of $2000, to be paid to Mary A. Perry and her legal representatives within ninety days after sufficient proof that the assured, at any time after the date hereof, and before the expiration of this policy, shall have sustained personal injury caused by any accident within the meaning of this policy and the conditions hereto annexed, and such injuries shall occasion death within ninety days from the happening thereof, sufficient proof being furnished this company; against personal injury, in the sum of $10 per week, for a period not exceeding altogether rwenty-six weeks for any single accident within the meaning of this policy, and the conditions hereto annexed, by which the assured shall sustain any personal injury which shall not be fatal but which shall absolutely and totally disable him from the prosecution of his usual employment, satisfactory proof being furnished this company.” The action was brought to recover $130, being $10 a week for each of thirteen weeks during which the testator was absolutely and totally disabled from the prosecution of his usual employment. The plaintiff’s testator bad his arm crushed by an accident on December 11, 1866, and continued to be absolutely and totally disabled from the prosecution of his usual employment till March 12,1867, on which day he died from the results of the accident. The defendants admitted that the plaintiff was entitled to recover unless the fact that the accident was fatal constituted a defence; and the case was submitted to the judgment of the superior court, and, on appeal, of this court, upon agreed facts, of which the material part was as above stated. The plaintiff had previously failed in an action against the defendants to recover $2000 under the policy. See 99 Mass. 162.

Syllabus and headnotes are prepared by the reporter or publisher, not the court, and are not part of the opinion.

Opinion of the Court — Chapman

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Chapman, C. J.

The policy insures the plaintiff’s testator against two classes of injuries, namely, those which occasion loss of life within ninety days, in the sum of $2000 ; and those which shall not be fatal, in thé sum of $10 per week for a period not exceeding altogether twenty-six weeks. The two provisions are to be construed together; and the evident intent is, that, if an injury happens within the meaning of the policy, it is insured against as coming within one class or the other. If it were otherwise construed, an injury which should not prove fatal within ninety days would furnish no ground of action till it should be made to appear that it would never prove fatal. This would render the insurance nugatory in such cases.

Judgment for the plaintiff.

How later courts describe this case

No later court has written an explanatory parenthetical about this case yet.

1934: 11936: 11940: 119342026peak 1934 · 1

Relies on it most ⓘ

  1. Rezendes v. Prudential Insurance Co. of America285 Mass. 505 (1934)
  2. Brown v. Boston Casualty Co.3 N.E.2d 745 (Mass. 1936)
  3. Cummiskey v. Metropolitan Life Insurance5 Mass. App. Div. 67 (1940)

Most recent

  1. Cummiskey v. Metropolitan Life Insurance5 Mass. App. Div. 67 (1940)
  2. Brown v. Boston Casualty Co.3 N.E.2d 745 (Mass. 1936)
  3. Rezendes v. Prudential Insurance Co. of America285 Mass. 505 (1934)

Citing references are not a citator: they show that a later opinion cites this case, not whether it followed, distinguished, or overruled it. Check negative history before relying on this case.

Authorities cited 0

No citations to other opinions in this database were found.

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