DORA BONACKER HELMS, AS ADMINISTRATRIX OF THE ESTATE OF JOHN HAY BONACKER, DECEASED,
v.
FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF TAMPA, A NATIONAL BANKING CORPORATION

Fla. | 1946-11-29
CHAPMAN, C. J., TERRELL and ADAMS, JJ., concur.
158 Fla. 168 Florida Supreme Court (1946) Caution
Also reported at: 28 So. 2d 262
Cited by 23 cases

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Holding

The court held that the testimony of bank officers and stockholders was admissible, supporting the Chancellor's finding that the insurance policy assignment became absolute.


Facts & Procedural History

An administratrix sued a bank for an accounting of insurance policy proceeds, alleging the bank held the policy as collateral and retained excess fund…

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Opinion of the Court
BUFORD, J.:

BUFORD, J.:

To a bill of complaint filed after the death of the insured by an administratrix as beneficiary under a policy of insurance and in which bill of complaint it was alleged in effect that the defendant Bank had been at the time of the death of the insured the holder of the insurance policy as collateral for the payment of a debt theretofore owed by the insured to the Bank which debt had been satisfied and discharged; that after the death of the insured the Bank collected from the insurance company the face of the policy; that after the Bank reimbursed itself for all sums of money paid to the insurer by the Bank to keep the policy in full force including the repayment to the insurer the amount of a loan by insurer to the insured, together with premiums so paid by the bank to the insurer with interest thereon, there remained in the hands of the *169Bank a large sum of money being the net proceeds of the insurance recovery. The bill prayed an accounting and decree for the amount of the net proceeds of the policy to be paid over to the plaintiff, the bank answered admitting that originally the policy was received by the Bank as collateral security but that thereafter a settlement was consummated between the Bank and the insured in which settlement the Bank acquired all right, title and interest to accrue under the policy and at the time of the death of the insured the assignment to the Bank had become absolute; that the Bank had collected the face of the policy and that after deducting all amounts paid by the Bank to the insurer on account of the policy, with interest thereon, there remained in the hands of the Bank as net proceeds of the policy the sum of $3720.81 to which the Bank claimed title under the agreement of settlement of the indebtedness of the insured to the Bank.

Therefore, the issue presented was whether or not the assignment which had originally been made for collateral security had thereafter by agreement between the parties, partly in writing and partly in parole, become an assignment absolute of all proceeds of the policy.

The Chancellor found and entered his decree in favor of the Bank. From this decree the plaintiff appealed.

The evidence supports the finding of the Chancellor if the testimony of the officers and stockholders of the Bank was admissible under Sec. 90.05 Fla. Statutes 1941 (same F.S.A.).

The prohibition contained in Sec. 90.05, supra, only applied in suits or actions where the claim is against the Executor, or administrator, heir at law, next of kin, assignee, legatee, devisee or survivors of the deceased person and, therefore, only applies to cases where the rights of the deceased at the time of his death are involved.

In the instant case the claim of the plaintiff is not upon any right which vested in the deceased at the time of his death but a right which it is alleged is vested in the Administratrix by having been designated as beneficiary under the policy upon the occurrence of the death of the insured.

It appears to be well settled that the inhibition of the statute does not apply to cases of this sort.

*170In Brawner v. Royal Indemnity Company, 246 Fed. 637 (Circuit Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit) it is said:

“In an action on an accident policy, the beneficiary having introduced a renewal certificate countersigned by one who at the date of the certificate was a duly authorized agent of the company, the company introduced as a witness such agent, who testified that the insured had not paid the premium recited in the renewal certificate, and that he declined to renew the policy. Held, that as the beneficiary’s right under the policy did not accrue until the death of the insured, she could not be deemed his survivor, and the testimony of the agent as to the transactions with the insured was properly received, notwithstanding it was testimony as to a transaction with a deceased person.”

To the same effect is:

“Hamill v. Supreme Counsel of the Royal Arcanum, (Pa. Atl. Reporter, p. 645; Ward v. New York Life Insurance Co., New York Supreme Court of Appeals, 122 N.E. 207; Savage v. Modern Woodmen, 113 Pac. 902; Schuman v. Supreme Lodge, 81 N.W. 717; Crowell v. Northwestern etc., 118 N.W. 412.”

So our conclusion is that the testimony of the officers and stockholders of the Bank was admissible.

No error being made to appear, the decree of the Chancellor is affirmed. -

CHAPMAN, C. J., TERRELL and ADAMS, JJ., concur.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • Ineyll Coleman v. Davis, 106 So. 2d 81 (Fla. 1st DCA 1958)
    …than in either of the capacities recognized by the above quoted categories. The three cases which we will now discuss, neither of which involved the rights of a widow, are cited in support of this contention. Helms v. First National Bank of Tampa, 158 Fla. 168, 28 So. 2d 262, is distinguishable in that it simply holds that the beneficiary of a life insurance policy does not fall within the classifications listed in the statute. Palm Beach Estates v. Croker, 106 Fla. 617, 143 So. 792, simply holds that a t…
  • Leila H. Heath v. Thomas Lumber Co., 140 So. 2d 865 (Fla. 1962)
    …their applicability when proceedings are brought under workmen’s compensation acts, some of the decisions holding the statutory rule of incompetency to apply, and others holding it not to apply, in such situations.” In Helms v. First National Bank, 158 Fla. 168, 28 So. 2d 262 (cited by the deputy commissioner in his order), this Court held that the Dead Man’s Statute, § 90.05, Florida Statutes, did not apply in a suit by an administratrix suing as beneficiary under an insurance policy upon decedent’s life…
  • Howland v. Strahan, 219 So. 2d 472 (Fla. 3d DCA 1969)
    …d not apply to cases in which the representative of an estate is the plaintiff, because to apply § 90.05 in such cases would be to prevent a person charged with exerting undue influence from conducting any defense. Helms v. First Nat. Bank of Tampa, 158 Fla. 168, 28 So. 2d 262 (1947), is relied on as authority for this argument. But in that case the Supreme Court of Florida declared that § 90.05 “applies to cases where the rights of the deceased at the time of his death are involved.” 28 So. 2d at 263. The…

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