Sullivan v. John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance

The plaintiffs rely upon a provision of the policy permitting the insurance company, on satisfactory proof of the death of the insured, to make any payment “to any person appearing to the Company to be equitably entitled thereto by reason of having incurred expense in any way on behalf of the Insured for burial or for any other purpose.” They claim the benefit of this provision by vir tue of an alleged representation by one Almon E. Kempton, assistant superintendent of the defendant’s branch office in Manchester, that the policy was good and his assurance that their bill would be paid.

The…