- Issuing body
- Minnesota District Court
- Case number
- 56-CV-20-2928
- Signed and filed
- October 1, 2021
- Document type
- Declaration of Craig Stevenson
- Result or filing position
- Plaintiff states his account under penalty of perjury
- Primary issue
- Consent to adding a name to insurance policies
- Length
- 4 pages
About this document
Craig Stevenson signed and filed this declaration on October 1, 2021. It recounts his recollection of how his name was added to two of Renee Stevenson's insurance policies shortly after their August 1982 marriage. He describes a conversation with his father, an insurance agent, and a separate telephone call with an American Family Insurance agent.
The declaration asserts that Renee gave permission in both instances and that Craig neither added his own name nor had it added without her knowledge or consent. It also states that later inquiries to the insurers did not recover the 1982 policy records. These are the declarant's sworn assertions and recollections, not findings made by the court.
Why this document matters
The document provides the plaintiff's first-person account of a disputed factual allegation. Its description of the conversations and the unavailable historical records helps readers assess what the declaration asserts and what supporting records it says could not be obtained.
Source note: Summary based on PDF pages 1-4. Consult the original document for exact wording, citations, signatures and formatting.
Related Justice-Denied reporting
Read the extracted text transcript
Accessible document transcript
[Page 1] STATE OF MINNESOTA DISTRICT COURT COUNTY OF OTTER TAIL SEVENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT Craig Stevenson and Marie Stevenson, Plaintiffs, Court File No.: 56-CV-20-2928 Case Type: Other Civil v. Sean Christopher Stevenson, Renee Stevenson, and Lisa Stevenson-Allen, Defendants. DECLARATION OF CRAIG STEVENSON STATE OF MINNESOTA ) ) SS. COUNTY OF OTTER TAIL ) Craig Stevenson declares as follows: 1. I am one of the plaintiffs in the above-captioned matter. 2. I am a resident of the County of Otter Tail, State of Minnesota. 3. Renee and I were married on August 7, 1982. 4. My dad, Sheldon C. Stevenson , operated Todd County Agency from his office inside the Citizen’s State Bank building, selling insurance for Milbank Insurance Company among others. 5. Between August 7, 1982 and August 28, 1982, I was inside the Citizen’s State Bank in Eagle Bend. 6. It was a bright, sunny day outside. 7. I was at one of the teller windows near the rear of the lobby area. 56-CV-20-2928 Filed in District Court State of Minnesota 10/1/2021 2:53 PM [Page 2] 2 8. My dad approached me and asked me to stop by his office after I finished. 9. He did not state what he wanted to discuss with me, and I had no idea why he wanted to speak with me. 10. I finished my business at the teller window and entered my dad’s office. 11. My dad said, “Now that you and Renee are married, it would be a good idea to have your name added to her homeowner’s policy.” 12. He explained that in the event of an accident, if Renee were injured or incapacitated, I could not file a claim with her insurance company, without much difficulty, if my name was not on the policy. 13. I told my dad, “Go ahead. I’ll tell Renee when I get home.” 14. My dad chuckled and said, “It doesn’t work that way.” 15. My dad explained that he had to get Renee’s permission before adding my name to her homeowner’s policy. 16. I asked my dad if I needed to bring home a form or some other official document for Renee to sign. 17. My dad said that he simply needed a verbal authorization from Renee and that he could call her on the phone. 18. My dad asked me if Renee was home. 19. I said that she was home, but because of the nice weather, she was probably outside working in the garden. 20. My dad picked up his office phone and dialed Renee’s number. 21. It took many rings (at least 5 or 6) for her to answer the phone. 22. When Renee answered the phone , my d ad identified himself, noted that I was 56-CV-20-2928 Filed in District Court State of Minnesota 10/1/2021 2:53 PM [Page 3] 3 present in his office, and explained to Renee that he thought it would be a good idea for my name to be added to her homeowner’s insurance policy. 23. My dad also explained that adding my name to the homeowner’s policy w ould make the claims process easier. 24. My dad asked for Renee’s permission to add my name to her homeowner’s policy and hung up the phone. 25. My dad stated, “She said that’s fine.” 26. The total length of the phone call was less than 2 minutes. 27. My dad wrote something on a small note pad, tore the note off the pad and attached it to a file folder that was on his desk. 28. Very shortly after this event, Renee suggested that my name should also be added to an insurance policy that she had with American Family Insurance. 29. Prior to this I had no idea that Renee had an insurance policy with American Family Insurance. 30. Renee called her American Family Insurance agent in Alexandria. 31. The phone call was placed from Renee’s living room. 32. The agent’s last name was Marciniak. 33. Renee to ld the agent that she had recently married and that she wanted her husband’s name added to her insurance policy. 34. Renee introduced me to the agent and handed the phone to me. 35. I spoke briefly to the agent and gave him my full name and birthdate or social security number. 36. I handed the phone back to Renee, and she said goodbye. 56-CV-20-2928 Filed in District Court State of Minnesota 10/1/2021 2:53 PM [Page 4] 4 37. I have no recollection about what was covered by this insurance policy. 38. In summary, my name was added to two of Renee’s insurance policies shortly after our wedding on August 7, 1982. 39. It was my dad’s suggestion to have my name added to Renee’s homeowner’s insurance policy. 40. It was Renee’s suggestion to have my name added to her insurance policy from American Family Insurance. 41. Renee gave her express permission to add my name to her insuranc e policies in both cases. 42. I did not add my own name to any of Renee’s insurance policies. 43. I did not have my name added to any of Renee’s insurance polic ies without her knowledge or consent. 44. I contacted State Auto Insurance Companies, who purchased Milbank Insurance Company in the 1990s, but they were unable to access insurance policy records from 1982. 45. I contacted American Family Insurance, but they were unable to access insurance policy records from 1982. I DECLARE UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY THAT EVERYTHING I HAVE STATED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS TRUE AND CORRECT. Dated: October 1, 2021 s/ Craig Stevenson Craig Stevenson 56-CV-20-2928 Filed in District Court State of Minnesota 10/1/2021 2:53 PM
