Republic National Life Insurance Company v. Sackmann
Decision Date | 19 November 1963 |
Docket Number | No. 15224.,15224. |
Citation | 324 F.2d 756 |
Parties | REPUBLIC NATIONAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, a corporation, Plaintiff, v. Peter C. SACKMANN, an infant, Cicely G. Sackmann, as guardian for said Peter G. Sackmann, an infant as aforesaid, Ruth H. Sackmann, Bernard H. Cantor, as executor of the will of Kenneth C. Sackmann, deceased, Defendants, Stella Tester, Defendant-Appellant, Marge H. Sackmann, Defendant-Appellee. |
Court | U.S. Court of Appeals — Sixth Circuit |
Paul J. Sherwood, and Bernard H. Cantor, Johnson City, Tenn., for appellant.
Thomas E. Mitchell, Johnson City, Tenn., for appellee.
Before CECIL, Chief Judge, O'SULLIVAN, Circuit Judge, and FREEMAN, District Judge.
This appeal involves the determination of the legally designated beneficiary to the proceeds of an insurance policy of Republic National Life Insurance Company, in which Kenneth C. Sackmann, deceased, was the insured.
The Company, as plaintiff, interpleaded and paid $3500, the face amount of the policy, into the registry of the District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Several defendants were named as potential claimants to the fund, only two of whom concern us on this appeal. The District Judge found that Marge Sackmann, the estranged wife of Kenneth C. Sackmann, was the legally designated beneficiary and awarded judgment to her for the fund in question. Stella Tester, the other principal claimant, appealed.
The case was tried to the court. The facts are stated in the opinion of the trial judge which he adopted as the required findings of fact and conclusions of law. (Rule 52(a) F.R.Civ.P.) Mr. Sackmann, the insured, was a member of and an active official, from 1957 until his death, of a local labor union which provided group insurance under a master policy on the lives of its members. This insurance coverage was carried by different insurers at various times. "At times the coverage was transferred from one insurer to another; at other times the insurer changed its corporate name; and at still another time, a merger affected the exact identity of the insurer." (Trial Judge's opinion.) The master policies were issued to the union's trustees and certificates were issued to the individual members. Enrollments were made through the union office.
(Trial Judge's opinion.)
On March 9, 1961, Mr. Sackmann suffered a violent death from a pistol wound in the temple. Subsequent to this, Mary Edmonson, the deceased's secretary, delivered to Stella Tester what purported to be copies of letters written by Mr. Sackmann two days before his death to the Republic National Life Insurance Company and to another insurer. These letters were dictated to the secretary by Mr. Sackmann on March 7, 1961. She typed them on that date and delivered the originals to Mr. Sackmann. She never saw them again. The substance of the Republic letter is as follows:
When a claim was first made to the company for payment of the proceeds of the policy, it was unable to locate either an enrollment card or to determine who was the proper beneficiary. Subsequently an undated enrollment card was discovered designating Marge H. Sackmann as beneficiary. Fifteen days after Mr. Sackmann's death, the company issued certificate number 185878 and mailed it to Mr. Sackmann at the labor union office. This certificate showed Marge H. Sackmann to be the beneficiary.
On May 5, 1961, the president and business manager of the union sent the company proof of death, a reproduction of the policy certificate and a photostatic copy of the letter of March 7th. The company denied that it ever received the letter. "The contract or policy of...
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