HomeMy WebLinkAbout1702 IN THE DISTRICT COURT JF APPEAL JF THE STATE OF r LORIDA
FOURTH DLSTRIGT 1ANUARY 1'ER~vi 1973
HO~~IER M. VANATER, doing business )
as KIRBY'S SHOE STORE, and KIRBY'S )
S~-i0E CORFORATION OF F LORIDA, )
INC. , a Florida corporation, )
)
Appellants, )
) CASE NO. 72-164. •
v. )
)
ALLSTATE INSURANCE COiviPANY, )
an Illinois corporation, )
. )
Appellee . )
Opinion f iled ]une 6, 1973.
Appeal from the Circuit Court for St.
Lucie Gounty; L. C. Smith, Judge.
George J. Baya, ~iiami, for appella~rts.
Edna L. Caruso of Howell Kirby ~
viontgomery D'Aiuto Dean & Hallowes, ;
West Palm Beach, for appellee. ;
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PER CURIA?vi. 3
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~ Appellant-plaintiff, Homer ~Vi. Van ater, appeals a final judgment
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~ denying reformation of a fire insurance policy in an action for reformation
~ of the insurance _policy and seekic~ payment under the policy as reformed.
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V,~e reverse.
The sole point on appeal which we consider is that the trial court
erred when it instructed the jury that appellac~t must prove beyond a reason-
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able doubt that a mutual mistake had been made in the issuance of the i
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~ insurance policy.
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~ The general rule is that when, because of a mutual mistake, a written ~
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~ instrumer?t dces not express the true agreeme~ut of the par[ies, equity will
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~ reform the written instrumer~t where the mutual mistake has been established
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~ by clear and cornincing evidence. 76 C. J. S. Reformation of Instruments :
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k~. § 26, §~4 (1952); Bell Corporation v. Bahama Bar & Restaurant, Inc. , ,
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