Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1942 )

OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
B``or~ble 0. P. Lockhart, Chairman
Bomd of Inauranae Commlaalo~era
Awtln, Tour
Dear Slrt
been raoelved and oarefully
requeat aa follova8
it broadcarta any other adverttaement. The broad-
cast doer not purport to be made in behalf of
YOAI . It atatem t&t the article la “brought to
YOU bx the sterling Ineuranos Company” and again
that Sterling’s message to you lr . ..* and again
“nou a meavage from our l poneor,” that 18, thr
4frrllng Company. Ths advertlacment rtatet to
Honorable C. P. Lookhart, page 2
the public that they oan "addretie their card (in
reaponme to the advmrtlaement) to Strrllug, aare
of ArtloP WAX: Tha uhole artiala la one read
8a oomlng from Sterling8 and not Srom YOAI. The
ldvertlaement doea not purport to be a recom-
mendation o r l utateunt or anything of the aort
on the part of UOAI.1
“You will observe that the above 8taLsment
lmplled, An ve belleve the ueu~l facta to be,
that in naponae to tht broadcaut aollcltatlnn
mall la addreared by peraona making inqulrlea, to
the lnauranae oompan7 In cere of the broedcart-
lng atatlon, rhioh lt8tlon IA turn presumably for-
uuda there lnqulrloa by mall, or othervlae, to
the foreign company at it8 home office, or pertape
ouch lull la ploked Up at t.hA broadcaatlt;: rta-
tlon by ptrton8 repre8entlng the inewer.
"You MJ aaaume that the radio rtoriona them-
lelveaAre either incorporated or not incorpor8t-
ed, thnt the ldrertlalng la accompll8hed either
by the owner8 in person or through the obency of
amployooa ; that al.1 of the insurers for whom the
broodaaats are mAea Are incorporated; that the
lnaureru pay a vAluoble conaidcrAt:on to the
radlo rtationz for the broadcast; and that the
aollcltatlona do rcault Ln inquiries rrom Urtan-
era 1~ the State of Taxa*, Which in Cue course
rtech the lnaurtr And result, in m~cy ccae8, in
the ‘Oltlmte ConsummAtion 01' Lnrurance comtra0ta
by the insurer and paytntntfor life, health and
acoldent pollclea, an well aa cA8ualty pollcler
of tU4oua typ88; and it la reAaonable to a8uume
further that the ~11 8ollolted by the radio atat-
lona contame not only lnqulrles, hut In 8ome
caaet lppllcailon blanks and remlttancee for IA-
u UrAAot . Aaaumt further that the redlo statlona
and thtlr employtee are not llocneed ae IMuranoe
agtnta.
"We dtalrt your opinion aa to vhether (a) In
the oeae of ln8urerm holding oertlflcntea of au-
thorlt to oonduct their busine8t In this Ltate,
end (b in cace of inmurtrr who do not hold euch
,. :;
JiOAOrabb 0. P. LOCkhart, pugt 3
oertlflcatem, operatlona of the kind htrtlnabove
doaorlbed oonrtltute a vlolatlon of any of the
term of th6 roiiouing, w any other, Article8
Of th. CiVil end iOMl’St4tUteI Of Our 2tet.e:
.tr. J. Artlolea 5055 and 9%; PeAal Coda
Artialea 568-570 inclualvt, and 5708.
"You ~111 obaervt tb6t cowmel for the radio
atatlon lbowe named arguer that theat broadoeata
do Pot o o na tltute l molicitetlon of appllcatlont
for inruranae and that thtlr purpose and tfftct
are not 'in any mnnner to aid ln tranmactl0A or
the bU6iAe88 Of an7 lnaurMoe compuny,~ that th6
8tatiOn or it8 tmplOyee8 are AOt permonr 'who take
or trMII!dtI other th63 for himself' any ay;lica-
tlon ror lnaurance . . . or who advertlate or other-
vlut glres notice that h6 will receive or trana-
nit mea6 . . . or do or perform any otlur act or
thlag ln the making or oonaucumtlrlg of any aontracx
of l~aur8~6e for or vlth any such bturanat mm-
puay other then for hlmaelf . . . uhether eny of
lwh a a taahall be dome at the lnatence or co-
w-t, or by the employment of much lmura,nce
ooapany, or of, or by, Amy broker or other per-
eon . . ..I and that th6y are not prIOA8 vho 'eo-
licit llfo, health or eocldent insurance or act
aa 6 life, heelth or aCCld6At lnrurance agent
for any pereon or lnaur6nce company or aaaoala-
tlcm not authorized to do bU8lne8a in TtX88 . ..I
kceuat, priAOip4lly, tha lo~loitatlona on their
feae purport to be madt odly behalf of tht la-
luror, and not jolted in or reoommended in any
way by the braadoeatlng ltatlon itself. Tht rt-
ply to that poaltlon 8eem8 to u8 plalux thet the
axlatenat of a rollcltatlon Is uot dependent up-
on the quertlon of whtther the 8ollcltor pur-
port8 to act in hla own' name or lnt6remt or in
thoae of hla principal or ldver tlmer nor ,upon
the motive or the compenaatlon or laok of motlve
und oompsnmtlon upon the pert of tht sollcltor;
but that it la lrufflolent ll' there be an lm-
portupity thut the henrtrm make ap llcatlor. or
In &ice to the lnaurer vhich lea 8 8 or 18 oel-
cu? ate-3and tenda to lead to the tranaactlun or
oolloumatlon of lnaurance contracts.
kio3orabl.e 0. P. Lockhart, page 4
*Co~el for the atatlon above named llro
argues that if tha broadeartr arm in violation
o f th lta tutw above aited, they are eqmlly a
violation vhethor the ldvertlremant ir for a ll-
oenr.6 company or an unllcenred ccmpany; uhlch,
of QO-a, ml&at be trw aaide frozethe provl-
miaru of penal Coda Article 570a; ahd they further
argue that if it 18 a violation tor the radio eta-
tiow to ldvertlae lmuranae, It is equally a
violation for norapapora aad magaruar to run ad-
vertiamwntm for lnsuranoe coupanlea without be-
ing llaehaed am agents."
Article 5055 of the havlwad Civil btatutmr, la8a
follour I
'It rhall not be lawful for any pcrmon to
aat uithti thin ;tato, a8 agent or othervlrc,
in rollolting or receirlng appllcatiohe for in-
lur a na eo f a nykind wh a tever o,r in a nyma nner
to lld Ln the tranaactlon of the bualnear of any
l.nmuranw coupauy lnaorporatad in thlm State or
out of it, vlthout flrrt proaurlng a certlflcate
of authority from the Commlsaloner."
Artlola 5as of cald atstutaa ;s In part am fo~lovs:
'Any per-on who rollclta lhnurance on behalf
of any lhaurahco aompahy, whether incorporated
under the lam of thir or shy other Ltoto or ror-
llgn government, or vho takes or trawrnltr other
than for hluelf say application for lnauranc~ or
a ny p o lic y0S lnsur a na eto o r frou lwh c o mp a ny,
or uho ldvsrtlmra or othervlre Clvem notice that
he vi11 recclre or transmit the same. cr vho rhall
recelva or dellv*r a policy of iuurancc of any
ruah company, or vho ahall exaniine or ;nrpact any
rlmk, or receive, or collect, or trarueit any
prstium or inmur~oe, or make or iorvard any dla-
gram of any brrlldihg or bulldlngs, or do or per-
form any other aot or thing in the making or ccn-
eummatlng of any contract of imurence for or vlth
any much lnnuranoa company other than for hlnaclf.
or vho ahall sxomlne into, or &jtaet or ale In ad-
juetloL any locr for or on behalf of any euch ;u-
aurance ccryany, whether any of auci. nets chnll be
fionorable 0. P. Lockhart, page 5
done at the lnatanoe or request, or by th alqloy-
wnt of muah lnsuranae aompany, or of, or by any
broker or other paraon, ah11 be held to be the
agent of the coupany for vhloh the act la dune, or
the rirk 18 taken, as far a8 relater to ull the
llabll~tlrr, dutler, roqulreueatr and penaltlee
ret forth in thla ohapter. . . .'
hrtiolc 568 of thm Penal Code 18 a8 r0u0v8 t
"Vhocver 8Ollolt8 inrUrMOC On behalf o? My
L``urance oom+rg, uhetir incorporated under the
lau8 or t&l8 or any other Stats, or foreign &or-
0rnuent, or who take8 or truumlts other than for
himself. any l pplicatlan ror ~numncc, or any
policy of &xuurauce, to or from euuh company, or
who advert1888 or otherulre givoe notice that ha
will receive or tranault the same, or ahall receive
or deliver a pollay of inrurance of any auoh aom-
pany, or who #hall examine or inspect any rlmk,
or reoslve or collect or transmit auy preuluu 0r
l.wUrMOe, or m8ke or forurrd MY diagram of any
building or do any other act in the makiw or con-
rummeting or any aontrect or lnauranoe for or with
any rush ineuranae company other than for hlmselr,
or uho da11 ezoIILIne 1nt.o. or adjust or ald in
adjurtlng any 1088 ror or on behalf 0r any ruch
lnauranae company, whether any of such eats ahall
be done at the lrmtanae, or by the employment of
8uoh inauranae oapl or of or by any broker or
ti held to be the agent of the
other peraon, ahal p”p’
ooupany for whloh the lot ir dons or the rlmk 18
taken, a8 far am rolatem to all the requiremanta
Md penaltier herein 8et forth."
Article 570 of raid code la (I8 follou8:
or th$~e~&~one h"=i fg- t";e"y~ya:::,'If $@ $:'
chapter ror any lneuranae company referred to in
eald article vlthout ruoh company heving fLret
oomplled vlth the requirements of the lawn of this
State, ehall be fined not leer, than five hundred
nor more than one thousand dollara."
Honorable 0. P. Lockhart, page 6
“?onalty ia wtlng w, or enplo~ing, life,
health, or aaol&nt iP1uraz``eagent ulthout lloonse
*SM. 6. &y person who shall act am l life,
health or 8aaidont lnmuranoe agent without having
felt obtained l ILa enr e 118horein provided, or
rho *hall rollait life, health or aaolduit inrrp-
aaeo or 8at m l U.S., hulth tW lc a ldo nt
agent
vlthout ha boon l polnted M d deal@IAtod by
mo m0
dulyluth o r lr u3
Plfelnnur a noa eo q a ny,
a a a i-
dent inrururae aoqmny, llre and acaldmt, health
Ed laaldent, or llre, heblth and aocldont iamr-
Moe sow, or a88oalatlon, or orgaaiwtlcu,
loc&l rutwl aid l8aoalatlon, or atatevide autwl
m#CXlatlCUZ to do 80 am herein provided, or Uzy
peram rho lu 8olioit life, health or accident
l.wurana0 ar aat am 613agent for ay person or ln-
8-O 0-r OF WSOCi~tiOLl no tlUthoZ%ti to
do bualnoor la Tex8sj or any officer or repre8Mta-
tlve of any llh lMUrMO0 capoanJ, aaaident in-
SUmMe aoqMy, life and accident, health Md
abeldent, or life, health and accident 1MUrMee
company or w8oelation, Or organlratlon, 10001
UUtWl lld l88OOiati~, 01: StateWide lUUtW1 aNSO-
clatlon mho #ha11 knovlngly contract vlth or ap-
point l8 M QMt W raon who does not hre a
valid ti OUtStu E came, 81 herein provided
Sun be guilty of a rimdemeanor and, upon can*10-
tlon, oh811 k flnod any aua not in exaeaa 0r Plre
Eundrod Donarm (490) and ah11 be barred frau
reaelvlag l llcen8e *a an lmuranae agent ror a
period or at 1ewt tvo (2) years.”
A8 ve undrratrnd the raOt8 Stated by you, vhether
or not the radio rtatlom referred to by you ara violating
the provlrlfana of the statutes above quoted depend8 upon vheth-
lr or no t 8dd StdiOM "801iCit* 1MUl'MCe on behalf Of SOme
lnour8nco ocmpny, a8 Ye would have t0 aSSU!W r8otS not 8hOvn
to exlat ln Order to bra #aid Station8 within any Of the
other provlrlona of raid statute.
Wnorable 0. P. ]ackhrrt, p08S 7
Vebater'e Dlctlonery give8 the fcllo~l~ deflnltlone
of the word “eoliclt”:
'Tomake petition to; to entreat; ierportuJla;
-9 to loliolt the King Sor relief; nov, often,
to qproaah vlth a rsqueet Or plea, am in eell-
hg, begging, eta.; am, to eollclt me’8 neigh-
bon for contributione.
“To endmror to obtain by e8U.q or pleading;
to plead for1 am, to eolicft an oifios, a favor,
ah; aleo, to meek eagerly cu? actively; to
oourt. ’
In the came of Carter v. dtate, $3 3. U. 704, the
Supreme Court of Xrkaneae WC dealing uith e cneu vhercln W.E.
Carter vae convictad of eolioiting orders for the male of
liquor in territory vCere the male thereof wae prohibited
by lav. &J had lneerted in the liaehville Neve the folloving:
“J.&l. Strmga, Ln Texarkirna, vi11 be glad
to hors your order8 for Joel B. Frazier Yhiekey.
l l l Pleame mend your order .to J. A. Ullson,
of Texarkana, for Bonny Rye. *
Thle peper vae plnted wlthic ten ml108 cf .e college,
vlthin vhlah llalte the sale or ~lvlng eway of Intoxicating
llquore vu prohibited. The law alleged to have been viclat-
ed by luvipg luah nevepaper item Eubllehed ie am iollove:
“It lhall be unlavful for eny pereon, rlrm,
pemtnerehlp or corporation engaged in the male of
alcohol or an eplrituoue, ardent, vinoue, malt
or fermented I lquore vhere the mame may be lavful,
to eollclt ordera, either by agent or othervlee,
fsr the sale of alcohol or aw splr:tucue, erdert,
vlJloue , melt or fermented liquors in any plaCe
or placee In this L;tatc where the same A~ problbft-
od by lav.”
In reverring the judgment of oonvlctlon in meld came,
meld court made the follovlng toldiw:
“The many uees of’ the term ‘advertlee,’ I&
lta varioue formr, nayte found in the Century
Eonarable 0. P. Laokhert, page 8
mot1 from vhIoh thIe definition, the OM
7’
mo8t neor y naohlng to the fiata here, lo taken:
'Tba rot or prutloe of hrlngln8 wything, em
one*8 mata or ane*m budama, into public no-
tioo, 08 by paid umoweemnt in perlodloal8,
or by M bills, plaoodm, eta., aa to aeoum
o u r tmr ba yldv~tI8Ixl&' ‘To lollolt' la thw
6efInodr 'to irportuno, entreat, lore, eek,
lttarpt, try to obWn.1 Anbrmon'm "& v Dlotlon-
-Y- boo, oleo, oontu?y DIO. '8olIoIt.' lauo
of tb worn oi this tom embroao a6rortl~lng,
althou@ odtutlelng lr a uthod, In a broad
eense, 0r rolloltlng the ublio to purohaee the
Va r .8
ldrertlaed. But mdE o1tS.q la a vell-
knovn and doilnod aatlon, and adrertlelng la
8n wuallr voll-knovu and defined aotlon, and
they uo not IdentIo81. It 18 true that they
uo Intended to reaoh the memo reeult, the
male of varee, but dlfterent router are travel-
od In roouhing t&t on& One la leglrlnted
ag8inrt, ad tha other 18 not. If the Logls-
laturo intended to m&e 0rImInal the advertlee-
mnt in prchlhited dlmtriot of liquor, it VouId
&re maid so, an4 not left euoh an Important
matter to be implied from the uee of a general
term. It vould be a atreined and uunatural
ume OS the term ~eollolt~to Include in It ad-
rortIomtr in nowpepora.'
In the 0Ua Of Golden &XOmpUg v. Jbatlco'eCourt
or YOodlmxd T?., To10 County, et al., 140 Pm. Rep. 49, Die
trlot Court oi Appoal8, CeliroraIa, the Court van dealing
Vith 0 petltlon ior,0 wit of pohibltlon to reatraln the
proeeoutlau of the rwpondent under a oomplalnt ch8rging that
he had eollalted the male of certain alochollc llquore tith-
in the l.ImItrof the City of Woodland, a municipal oorpora-
tlon, by havlq mailed aortain letterm, price llete, and an
o r derlhmet lt tha City of Ban Ranoleco, addreseed to a reai-
dent of the City OS Uoodlad, the said clrcuhr letter, prioe
list, and or&u rheot ocnetltutlng en ldvertleement of cm-
taln llooholio llquorr offered for male b7 maid petitioner.
In panning upon vhethor or not maid letter eollolted an order
for vhlmkey, the court mmdo tha follwlng holding, vhloh la
applicable heret
5%)
Bonorable 0. P. Loo-t, page 9
'Oounael, hovvrvr, paroelre no dlfforenoe
batwen um ut of l0110itIng orduo by Buv8 or
lattera av oIrou&m rontthrovghtb Uil to
partioahv Imuvid8ml8 Iano-uwmmotarritor~
MdthosIroulAt:oo,Iaruoh torrIt~ofMvvp8pur,
oaedoinlng~ othu~rel4tl3qto otbr wttora,
8drertIamta utolllng the qu0lIt~ rpd IVing
8ha priooa of oortmixtbrmndm of Uquo+. % at t&r+
la on obvious diatinotion hatvoem the tro popai-
tiolu, ad it lI.a in tbo raot tht. la tha w
use, tba minda of putiaulu pueau or0 dlreotly
ad&eaood vp a nl sing le r ub jut, a a dth a irltea-
tlat thum apeololly oallmd to tba lvbjemt-mtter
ofthmlettmr or oirouUr,vhllm la tb othar no
prrtloular poraon ir appealed to u ouy OM or
tha vulow uttera vhIoh are uvux y nrerrd to
In or gIren publlolty through the &us of tha
adrertlaIngbolumM Of l novapapor Of gvaeral
0lroulat10n. 'solIclt,' looo.Fdlngto wobatu'a
Dlotionuy, Is ‘to apply to for obtunlng laythag;
to lvo k oo r e x o uo to aat:on; to a r o uo 0do a Ir
In,’eta ., a nd it r y a p p lyto Wo o vb uo 01 uoak8
another fo r 0bribe, o r sa k eonotbor to umit
bribary o r la r a eny ma dothu offuuoa. B luk *o
Lav Dlot., p. UO5. It implies rronal potitlon
8nd Imprtuulty 8ddreaeed to a prr =EiI%
o lndivid-
ual to do lQY p a r t:a ulathing,
r and it la tm-
queetion8b~ in thin memo that the tom la wed
In the statute. If our ltmtute against bribery
in term, se In lffeot
it dooa, h o db um b to
say that 4 publio offloer vh o lo lIo I8o d0h r lb e
for th a purorMu00 of mo ms88%vltbin his offIoIal
dutiea.,~and tha offioer should, by kt8er, lollolt
the paymnt to him of a bribe, it Would not fo r l
moment ba queatlonmd that euah lot of tha offloer
vould oonstitute a eoliolt8tlon of a bribe vlthln
th0 ~808pipe 0r th8 18~. So it la mad muat be true
here. A lotter or olroulm, euoh 08 tha on0 in-
volved in thla CUO, addressed to l putlaulu
pereon, a ndaph8aIaIng in a llur ing
ter m th a
lup a r lo q ua
r lity 0r o er ta 0 ln
~81 08, g iving
tb prloee ltvhlohtheyary be pumhaaed,U
vlgorouely imp o r tunf xth
q a lddreeaoo to b and
we the am, oan he no leer a permona so "Ilolta-
tlon, for ordere for euoh ooamoditl lbux vould
be the nolloltatIau of a bribe t&roe& the
modfum of a letter, or, Lndeed, than vovld be
the aaee of like lolIoltatIun proneouted in -non
nonor8ble 0. P. Lookhrrt, pqo 10
JWBtdb
ATTORNEY
GXZ?ERAL.
01 TEXAS