Ruparatne v. Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. of Canada – sllr 1982 volume 1 page 065

In the case between the retired Village Headman (Plaintiff-Appellant) and Manufacturers Life Insurance Co. of Canada (Defendant-Respondent), the court addressed whether the plaintiff proved the death of Don Benjamin Appuhamy, the sufficiency of submitted documentary evidence, the existence of an insurable interest under a joint life endowment policy, and the commencement point for the prescription period. It was held that the death had been sufficiently established through documentary evidence, the policy conferred a valid insurable interest based on its terms, and that the prescription period commenced upon the unconditional refusal to pay under the contract, not from the death itself. The principle reaffirmed is that insurance contracts must be interpreted in accordance with the parties’