Sunley v. Metro. Life Ins. Co.
Decision Date | 25 October 1906 |
Citation | 109 N.W. 463,132 Iowa 123 |
Parties | SUNLEY v. METROPOLITAN LIFE INS. CO. |
Court | Iowa Supreme Court |
OPINION TEXT STARTS HERE
Appeal from District Court, Wapello County; M. A. Roberts, Judge.
The opinion states the facts. Affirmed.
E. H. McVey and Gilmore & Moon, for appellant.
Work & Work, for appellee.
The plaintiff seeks to recover damages for an alleged libel. The petition avers that plaintiff was employed by defendant as a solicitor and collector, and, for the faithful performance of his duties in that capacity, gave the defendant a bond with the National Surety Company as surety. He further avers that, after the giving of said bond, the defendant wrongfully and maliciously wrote a letter, and sent the same to said surety company, falsely charging the plaintiff with being a defaulter, and with having embezzled certain moneys collected by him on said defendant's account. By way of special damages, he also alleges that, after leaving the defendant's service, he obtained other employment with a certain school at Scranton, Pa., which employment he says was lost by him by reason of the publication of the false charge by the defendant aforesaid. The defendant denies all wrong and malice on its part and claims that its communication to the surety company was of a privileged character, and made in good faith. Upon these issues, there was a verdict and judgment for plaintiff in the sum of $400 and defendant appeals.
The evidence tends to show that one Murdock, an assistant superintendent of the defendant at Ottumwa, had some sort of accounting with the plaintiff, and reported to the home office that plaintiff was short in the collections made to the amount of $14.31. Thereafter the defendant wrote to the surety company, stating that plaintiff was short in his accounts to the amount of $21.81. Meanwhile plaintiff had obtained, or was promised, employment, with the correspondence school at Scranton, and applied to the National Surety Company to become surety on his bond in that service. The surety company declined the risk because of the information it had received from the defendant, and also wrote to the correspondence school, giving the reasons for its action, and, thereupon, the latter declined to take or retain plaintiff in its employment. A few days later the defendant wrote to the surety company, referring to the claim it had made upon the plaintiff's bond, and saying: About the same time the defendant wrote to the plaintiff as follows:
The plaintiff testifies that, on making settlement with Murdock for the company, there was found to be in his hands after all proper credits were allowed the sum of $8.20, which sum he paid over to Murdock. Mr. Murdock was not examined as a witness, and there is no evidence whatever that there was any shortage in plaintiff's accounts, at the date charged by the defendant, except as that conclusion may be argued by counsel from plaintiff's own testimony. The statements made in the correspondence between defendant and the surety company to which plaintiff was in no manner a party are not competent evidence against him upon this proposition. Under the record as made, the jury was justified in...
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Briggs v. Brown
... ... relations of life, wrong and injury are presumed or implied, ... and such publication is ... right of action. See Sunley v. Met. Life Ins. Co., ... 132 Iowa, 123, 109 N.W. 463, 12 L. R. A. (N ... ...
- Sunley v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co.