The Prudential Insurance Company of America v. Rose Ellen Schroeder

RIVES, Circuit Judge:

This appeal is from a judgment, entered on a jury’s verdict, allowing recovery for “double indemnity” for accidental death under three life insurance policies.1

The issues presented for our decision are: (1) whether the evidence was sufficient to support the jury’s determination that the insured’s death resulted directly and independently of all other causes from accidental injury, and, if so, (2) whether the district court erred in excluding the certificate of death and certain other evidence offered by the defendant.

The test of sufficiency of the evidence is that…