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    First National Bank of Denham Springs v. Independent Fire Insurance Company, 934 F.2d 73, 1st Cir. (1991)

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    This document is a court case summary from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit regarding whether to reform an insurance policy to include a mortgagee as a loss payee. The court declined to reform the policy based on the following key points: 1) Neither the mortgagor nor the mortgagee ever requested that the insurer add the mortgagee as an additional loss payee on the policy before the insured property was destroyed by fire. 2) It could not be assumed that the mortgagor intended to obtain insurance coverage for the mortgagee simply because the mortgage required it, as something more is needed to prove intent. 3) Unlike similar prior cases where reform was allowed, there was

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    First National Bank of Denham Springs v. Independent Fire Insurance Company, 934 F.2d 73, 1st Cir. (1991)

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    This document is a court case summary from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit regarding whether to reform an insurance policy to include a mortgagee as a loss payee. The court declined to reform the policy based on the following key points: 1) Neither the mortgagor nor the mortgagee ever requested that the insurer add the mortgagee as an additional loss payee on the policy before the insured property was destroyed by fire. 2) It could not be assumed that the mortgagor intended to obtain insurance coverage for the mortgagee simply because the mortgage required it, as something more is needed to prove intent. 3) Unlike similar prior cases where reform was allowed, there was

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    Filed: 1991-06-20 Precedential Status: Precedential Citations: 934 F.2d 73 Docket: 90-3574

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    This document is a court case summary from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit regarding whether to reform an insurance policy to include a mortgagee as a loss payee. The court declined to reform the policy based on the following key points: 1) Neither the mortgagor nor the mortgagee ever requested that the insurer add the mortgagee as an additional loss payee on the policy before the insured property was destroyed by fire. 2) It could not be assumed that the mortgagor intended to obtain insurance coverage for the mortgagee simply because the mortgage required it, as something more is needed to prove intent. 3) Unlike similar prior cases where reform was allowed, there was

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    First National Bank of Denham Springs v. Independent Fire Insurance Company, 934 F.2d 73, 1st Cir. (1991)

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    This document is a court case summary from the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit regarding whether to reform an insurance policy to include a mortgagee as a loss payee. The court declined to reform the policy based on the following key points: 1) Neither the mortgagor nor the mortgagee ever requested that the insurer add the mortgagee as an additional loss payee on the policy before the insured property was destroyed by fire. 2) It could not be assumed that the mortgagor intended to obtain insurance coverage for the mortgagee simply because the mortgage required it, as something more is needed to prove intent. 3) Unlike similar prior cases where reform was allowed, there was

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    of 5

    934 F.

    2d 73

    FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF DENHAM SPRINGS, PlaintiffAppellant,


    v.
    INDEPENDENT FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY, DefendantAppellee.
    No. 90-3574.

    United States Court of Appeals,


    Fifth Circuit.
    June 20, 1991.

    A.S. Easterly, III, Easterly & Pittman, Denham Springs, La., for plaintiffappellant.
    A. Clay Pierce, Jr., Durent, Pierce & Malone, Baton Rouge, La., for
    defendant-appellee.
    Appeal from the United States District Court for the Middle District of
    Louisiana.
    Before RUBIN, * POLITZ, and DUHE, Circuit Judges.
    DUHE, Circuit Judge:

    We are asked to reform an insurance policy to include a mortgagee of insured


    property destroyed by fire as a loss-payee. We decline to reform.

    FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS IN THE DISTRICT COURT


    2

    First National Bank of Denham SpringsB filed suit in Louisiana state court
    against Independent Fire Insurance Company (Independent Fire) seeking
    recovery as mortgagee on a policy of fire insurance issued by Independent Fire,
    covering the home of Joyce Cook, the mortgagor. Independent Fire removed
    that suit and a companion suit filed by Cook to federal court, consolidating the
    two actions. On Cook's claim, a jury denied recovery because of arson and/or

    material misrepresentation. On FNB's claim, the district court declined to


    reform the insurance policy to recognize FNB as a loss-payee. This decision
    was based on stipulated facts.
    3

    Cook granted FNB a second mortgage on her home. Capital Union Savings
    (Capital Union) held the first mortgage on the same property. However, Cook
    did not request that Independent Fire show FNB as a second mortgagee on her
    fire insurance policy as required by the FNB.1 Instead she requested that FNB
    be listed as a loss-payee on her automobile policy. Although FNB had a policy
    of requiring borrowers to have it named as loss-payee, and although it never
    received confirmation from Independent Fire or the agent that it had been so
    named, it took no steps to see that this had been accomplished.

    Later the home was destroyed by fire. Only after the property's destruction did
    the independent agent authorized to write coverage for Independent Fire issue
    an endorsement naming FNB as an additional loss-payee. This was apparently
    done when an FNB officer called after the fire to inquire if it was shown as
    loss-payee.

    I.
    5

    The district court refused to reform the policy because neither FNB nor Cook
    ever requested that Independent Fire add FNB as an additional loss-payee. FNB
    contends that this ruling is error. It relies on American General Fire & Casualty
    Co. v. Reese, 853 F.2d 370 (5th Cir.1988) for the proposition that equitable
    reformation of insurance policies under these circumstances is the rule in
    Louisiana. In American General, we reformed a policy to name a mortgagee
    who required the mortgage security to be insured for its benefit. Our decision
    was guided by three cases that articulated Louisiana's doctrine of equitable
    reformation of insurance contracts for the benefit of a previously unnamed
    mortgagee to prevent unjust enrichment. Leon A. Minsky, Inc. v. Providence
    Fashions, Inc., 404 So.2d 1275, 1278-79 (La.Ct.App.), writ denied, 407 So.2d
    731 (La.1981); Taylor v. Audubon Ins. Co., 357 So.2d 912, 914-15
    (La.Ct.App.), writ denied, 359 So.2d 1307 (La.1978); Diaz v. Cherokee Ins.
    Co., 275 So.2d 922, 924-25 (La.Ct.App.1973).

    Minsky involved a debt secured by a chattel mortgage that required the debtor
    to obtain fire insurance listing the creditor, Leon A. Minsky, Inc. as a losspayee. Later, additional debt, secured by the same movables, was incurred from
    the Bank of Dixie which required Minsky to subordinate its mortgage to that of
    the bank. The fire insurance policy was obtained, but Minsky was never
    designated as a loss-payee. Instead, Bank of Dixie was so named in an invalid

    endorsement.
    7

    The court held that equity dictated that the policy be reformed to list both Bank
    of Dixie and Minsky as loss-payees, as their interests warranted. The court
    stated that "it must be assumed that the debtor intended to carry out his legally
    contracted obligations." Minsky at 1278. Additionally, the court determined
    that reformation would be fair because Bank of Dixie was aware of the debtor's
    obligation to secure insurance to benefit Minsky. The Minsky court reasoned
    that because no valid loss-payee designation was in effect on the date of the
    loss, the intent of the mortgagor should be determined solely by the obligation
    previously assumed by the debtor in relation to Minsky and Bank of Dixie. The
    court explained that to do otherwise would permit the mortgagor to unilaterally
    grant an unfair preference to one of his secured creditors.

    However, in the case sub judice the first mortgagee, Capital Union, was
    properly designated. Without more, we cannot assume that Cook intended to
    obtain insurance coverage for FNB simply because she was obligated to by the
    mortgage. See Farmers-Merchants Bank & Trust Co. v. Employers National
    Ins. Corp., 553 So.2d 1088, 1091 (La.Ct.App.1989), writ denied, 559 So.2d
    141 (La.1990) (holding that something beyond the mere fact that a mortgagor
    had a legally contracted obligation to list a mortgagee on his insurance policy
    needed to exist to prove the mortgagor intended to name the mortgagee on the
    policy).

    The Minsky court interpreted Diaz and Taylor "to stand for the proposition that
    under the appropriate factual situation, a court has the authority to grant
    reformation of the loss payable clause of an insurance contract to prevent an
    unjust enrichment." Minsky, 404 So.2d at 1278-79.

    10

    Here, we do not encounter the same "appropriate factual situation." Minsky at


    1279. We find several important factual differences relating to the dispositive
    issue of the mortgagor's and mortgagee's intent. In Diaz the mortgagor obtained
    a homeowner's policy with the first mortgagee named as a loss-payee, but failed
    to list the second mortgagee. Both mortgages were executed simultaneously.
    Accordingly, the mortgagor's intent to include both mortgagees on the
    insurance policy at its inception was clear given the fact that both mortgages
    were simultaneously executed, both required insurance coverage, and no
    additional premium would be incurred. In the case before us, as in Diaz, both
    mortgages required insurance coverage, and the parties agree that no additional
    premium would have been incurred. However, unlike Diaz, here the mortgages
    were not executed simultaneously. Independent Fire had issued a policy to
    Cook insuring her home against fire and listing Capital Union as mortgagee

    seven months before the second mortgage in favor of FNB was made. The
    intent Cook manifested to Independent Fire to include Capital Union cannot be
    extended to FNB under these facts.
    11

    In Taylor purchasers-mortgagors brought an action against a vendormortgagee's insurer to collect proceeds under a fire policy. The court held that
    even though the mortgagors were unnamed in the mortgagee's policy, the
    mortgagors had a right to equitable reformation and were entitled to recover for
    fire loss. Reformation was allowed because there was no indication the insurer
    would have written the policy in any different way, charged any different
    premium, insured the structure for any different amount, or imposed any
    different requirements for coverage if the mortgagors had been included in the
    policy. Additionally, however, unlike the case before us, the facts in Taylor
    indicated a clear intent on the part of the mortgagors and mortgagee to obtain
    insurance coverage for both parties. This was evidenced by the fact that the
    unnamed loss-payees, the mortgagors, actually paid a major portion of the
    insurance premiums, but did so through the named insured.2

    12

    In Louisiana the concept of "equitable reformation" has given mortgagees,


    omitted from the loss payable clause of a property insurance policy, the right to
    reformation according them recovery. Instead of mutual error, the elements of
    such right of equitable reformation include (1) an obligation of the mortgagorinsured under the act of mortgage to obtain insurance coverage for the
    mortgagee,3 (2) the absence of prejudice to the insurer with respect to either
    acceptance of the risk4 or payment of claims, see Minsky, 404 So.2d 1275;
    Taylor, 357 So.2d 912; Diaz, 275 So.2d 922; 15 W. McKenzie & H. Johnson,
    III, Louisiana Civil Law Treatise, Insurance Law and Practice, Sec. 5, p. 17
    (1986), and (3) an intent on the part of the mortgagor-insured and mortgagee to
    satisfy an obligation under the act of mortgage to obtain insurance coverage for
    the mortgagee, Farmers-Merchants, 553 So.2d 1088.

    13

    Conceivably, under the facts in American General and the Louisiana cases
    upon which it relied, all these elements existed. Such is not the case here. It is
    unclear that Cook ever had any intent to include FNB on the insurance policy.
    The record indicates that she had ample opportunity to manifest such an intent,
    but never did. This omission is fatal because the party seeking reformation
    bears the burden of proving that the policy fails to reflect the intent of the
    parties. See Many v. Hartford Acc. & Indemn. Co., 505 So.2d 929
    (La.Ct.App.1987); Earl Williams Const. Co. v. Thornton & Brooks, Inc., 501
    So.2d 1037 (La.Ct.App.), writ denied, 504 So.2d 881 (La.1987).

    II.

    14

    On its face the district court's judgment does not reveal a specific finding that
    the required intent was missing, but it is clear from the judgment that such a
    finding was inferentially made. The district court took care to note that there
    was:

    15 evidence of any kind that any attempt was made prior to the fire to add the bank
    No
    as an insured on the policy. There is no evidence that the insurer or any of its agents
    or employees were responsible for not including the bank on the policy prior to the
    fire.... [T]he evidence is clear that the insurer and its employees and agents had no
    knowledge whatsoever prior to the fire that the bank was to be added as an insured.
    Furthermore, there was no request made prior to the fire for the insurer or its agent
    to include the bank on the policy.
    16

    This Court may infer that the district court made a finding consistent with its
    general holdings as long as the inferred finding is supported by the evidence.
    Perlman v. Pioneer Ltd. Partnership, 918 F.2d 1244, 1250 (5th Cir.1990);
    Goode v. Herman Miller, Inc., 811 F.2d 866, 871 (5th Cir.1987). Accordingly,
    we conclude the evidence supports the inferred finding regarding intent, and we

    17

    AFFIRM.

    Judge Rubin concurred in this opinion prior to his death on June 11, 1991

    Cook's collateral mortgage securing her note to FNB provided in part, that
    Cook would keep the property insured and would deliver the policy to FNB

    In his concurrence Judge Lemmon stated that it was clear the parties intended
    to insure the unnamed payee, as partial owner, because an owner's policy was
    sought and issued rather than a mortgagee's single interest policy
    In a dissent Judge Schott reasoned that there never was any intention on the
    insurance company's part to contract with the unnamed parties.

    See note 1

    The joint stipulation of fact between FNB and Independent Fire stated that "
    [t]here would be no charge or additional premium for adding an additional losspayee to the homeowners policy."

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