Finman General Assurance Corporation v. The Honorable Court of Appeals

Summary

This Supreme Court case involved an insurance claim dispute where Finman General Assurance Corporation denied coverage for the death of Carlie Surposa, who was killed by unidentified assailants while returning home from a festival. The insurance company argued that murder and assault were impliedly excluded from the personal accident policy. The Supreme Court affirmed lower court decisions favoring the beneficiary, ruling that from the victim's perspective, the death was accidental - an unforeseen event without his voluntary participation. Applying the principle 'expresso unius exclusio alterius,' the Court held that since murder and assault were not among the 10 specifically enumerated exclusions in the policy, they could not be considered excluded by implication. The Court emphasized that insurance contracts must be interpreted liberally in favor of the insured and strictly against the insurer, establishing important precedent for insurance policy interpretation in the Philippines.