Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

Hon. Tohn Osorio, Chairnun Opinion No. w-63 Board of Insurance Comlesioners Internatioml Life Building Re: whether the contract of Austin, Texas Union Automobile Club aud others s3nI.ll.mthereto conatitutr contraetr of insurance IO that the ir- ‘. aueace audmlethereof would viol&e the Texas * Dear Sir: ldumnce lawa. You’have requested au opinion an to whether the contracts attached to your opinipn request of Jeuuary 2p, 1957, and similar contracts, constitute contracts of insurance so that the iNuance and sale thereof would violate the Texan insur8nce laws. .‘. You have enclosed with your opinion request numeroue con- tracts and related membership documents iaeued by Metropolitan Auto- mobile Club, Inc. (MAC); Accidental International AutomblL Aaro- ciation of Texas, Inc. (AIAA); Ths Union Automobile Club (Union)) snd Motor Aid Automobile Associ&ion Club (Motor Aid). This opinion J..cbased sol.ely upon the documsnts submitted. We expreslly decline to ml? upon documents Vhlch have not been submitted for exaalmtion. Soins of the benefits provided my be sumnarieed In the following mer: . Motor Aid MACMembership Union Menibership ~ Membership Certificate Certificate ’ Certificate 1. Emergency road eerv- 1. Nmermcy road 5. Towing ice costs paid: . . service upon occur- aervlce . (i) start car ‘if1 mace of any type of stalled; nmchinicil trouble 11. Nmer- (b) Tire change In of emergency nature mncy road ease of-flat;~ which prevents mea- narvice. (c) Nmergen~p&iv- . her’s automobile efy of gaou.ne, oil, from operating. battery or rental batteryi 1 2. Towing3ervlce (d) Towing and where automobile wrecket servicej fails to operke as l ( e ) Key r er vic eto r esu ltof mechanical u nlo c kdo o m a nd lg nltio n; failure or bre&&nm. (f) Rei&ur+mnt 3. Tir e c h a ng e ler v- wh e n a er vic ea r ender edwh e r e ic ewh e r emsmber h a r M AC r er vic ano t available. mm. , .,, Hon. John Osorlo, page 2 (w-63) The questions raised in your opinioh request were disposed of by National Auto Service Corporation v. State, 55 S.W.2d 209 (Tex.Civ.App. lp32), and me discussed at length in Attorney General’s Opinion 0-4620, both of which state the existing law as to whether the documents in question are insurance contradE. The benefits enumerated above are similar to the contract benefits discussed in National Auto Service Corporation V. State, supra, and similar to benefits Nos. 2, 3 4 5 and 6 di6cussed on page 2 of Attorney Sen- eral’s Opinion 0-46pOot The AlAA benefit schedule rovides benefits ;‘for indemnity for personal injury that are obvious ! y insurance. The file does not indicate whether these comp+nier have a valid certificate of authority or have charter powers which in- clude the writing of insurance. Ammmlq that nona of them h&z so qualified, the irsuance of such Paambershipsend the gale there- of would be contrary to Ten6 insurance laws. Baaed upon the facta and coz&tractm Nbmit- ted, the 16ruance and #ale of member8hlpm in Metropolitan Automobile Club of Texas, Inc., ,, Accidental International Automobile Amociition of Texan, Inc., The Union Autombile Club Motor Aid Automobile Anmoclatlon Club, c s: tute the writing of vce gnd are prohfhitod by hv. WILLWIISON \ Attorney General ti%fiiY&e* j .’ Wallace P. Finfrock Amrirtant ap~IoIIcoIuTrm 8. Orady Chandler, Ohaim