Law Commons^™

Insurance - Fire Insurance - Jewelry Thrown Into Furnace

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff had a fire insurance policy covering household goods, including jewelry. Plaintiff's servant, not realizing that an envelope contained two rings, threw the envelope into a waste basket, the contents of which were later thrown into the furnace. In a suit upon the policy a judgment was directed against the defendant. On appeal, it was held, two justices dissenting, that the loss was not covered by the policy because the fire was "friendly" rather than "hostile." Harter v. Phoenix Ins. Co., 257 Mich. 163, 241 N. W. 196 (1932).