Legal Opinion

Stagg v. Insurance Co.

Supreme Court of the United States

Decided December 15, 1870PublishedCited by 2 opinions

. Error to the Circuit Court for the District of Missouri; the case being this: Stagg became the agent of the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, in October, 1849, by his acceptance of a circular which contained this language: “ The usual compensation of agents, so far as we know, is 10 per cent, commission on the premiums, with one dollar for each policy, and 5 per cent..on the premiums on the renewal of policies.”

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. Error to the Circuit Court for the District of Missouri; the case being this: Stagg became the agent of the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, in October, 1849, by his acceptance of a circular which contained this language: “ The usual compensation of agents, so far as we know, is 10 per cent, commission on the premiums, with one dollar for each policy, and 5 per cent..on the premiums on the renewal of policies.” This circular gave him certain instructions about his agency, and some suggestions as to the modes of inducing persons to insure with the company. In about a year…

1Opinion of the CourtJustice Millee

The right of the insurance company to terminate the agency of the plaintiff, at its discretion, is not denied by his counsel, nor is there any serious effort to support the offer to prove the custom. Indeed, if the court was right in holding that the contract between the parties was expressed by the language of the second circular, it is quite clear there was no room for usage, for it is there expressly stated that *593the commission on the renewal premiums, like 'those on the original premiums, was to be paid only so long as the plaintiff continued to be the agent of the company.

Nor can we doubt…

2Cited by2 opinions

  1. Stagg v. Insurance CompanySupreme Court of the United States · 1871
  2. Trachy v. LaFramboiseSupreme Court of New Hampshire · 2001

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