American Cancer Society, Inc. v. City of Dayton

160 Ohio St. (N.S.) 114
CourtOhio Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 1, 1953
DocketNo. 33395
StatusPublished

This text of 160 Ohio St. (N.S.) 114 (American Cancer Society, Inc. v. City of Dayton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Cancer Society, Inc. v. City of Dayton, 160 Ohio St. (N.S.) 114 (Ohio 1953).

Opinion

Stewart, J.

The writer of the opinion of the Court of Appeals stated the essential facts in this cause so accurately that we are quoting and adopting his statement as our own. It is as follows:

“The American Cancer Society, Inc., is a membership corporation, not for profit, incorporated under the laws of the state of New York, and the Ohio Division, American Cancer Society, Inc., is a corporation, not for profit, organized under the laws of the state of Ohio. The city of Dayton has a commission-manager form of municipal government. The Ohio division of the society has been functioning in Ohio several years prior to 1950, and it has an organized unit in Montgomery county, operating in the city of Dayton and [116]*116Montgomery county; that through the local units the general program of the state and national organizations is implemented; that the local unit functions as such under the direction of a local executive committee, maintaining a local office under the direction of a salaried executive secretary. The corporate franchise of the Ohio division of the society provides:

“ ‘Collect and disseminate information concerning the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer; to investigate the conditions under which cancer is found and to compile statistics in regard thereto; to co-operate with and promote the work of the American Cancer Society, Inc., to solicit, collect, receive, hold, invest, reinvest, distribute and disburse donations, subscriptions, gifts, bequests and other funds for the purposes of this corporation; to aid, in co-operation with state and local medical societies, departments of health, cancer commissions, and other approved and interested health organizations, in the promotion of cancer programs and projects; to establish, maintain and administer units, branches, committees, field armies, and carry on any other activities, within the state of Ohio, to effect and carry out the purposes of this corporation; and the doing of any and all things necessary or incident thereto.’

‘ ‘ The franchise of the parent organization issued by the state of New York contains similar powers. For several years prior to 1950, the local unit had been conducting in Dayton and Montgomery county, an annual, combined educational membership and funds solicitation campaign in the month of April, simultaneously with like campaigns throughout the nation; that since 1946, such local campaigns have been conducted under a permit issued to the local unit by the city of Dayton under the ordinance in question; that in 1950, the local membership of said society consisted of approximately four thousand members; that the [117]*117funds collected and retained for local use were placed in a local bank; that the accounts have been audited; that at no time during its operation has there been any complaint charging it with fraudulent acts or mishandling of funds; that the funds collected were allocated and distributed according to a definite plan and policy, a certain percentage being retained by the local unit, a portion being distributed to the state organization, and a portion to the national organization; that on February 2, 1950, an application was made by the society for a permit to conduct its annual funds campaign, which was duly prepared, filed and acted upon by the solicitations advisory board, which on February 17,1950, passed a resolution rejecting said application on the ground that the permit granted to it for 1949 was conditioned upon the society becoming a member of the Dayton community chest organization, and that the Dayton community chest had collected $25,000, which was available for use in a campaign against cancer; that from this ruling- an appeal was taken to the city commission, as provided in said ordinance, which passed a resolution as follows:

“ ‘Whereas, the Montgomery county unit of the American Cancer Society, Inc., heretofore appealed, under the city ordinance granting such appeals, from the recommendation of the solicitations advisory board against the issuance of a permit to conduct a public campaign in the city of Dayton between April 15 and April 30, 1950; and

“ ‘Whereas, the commission having heard the various claims made on behalf of the said society in support of its application, finds that there has been allocated from funds publicly solicited in this community and is presently available to the society for the year 1950, the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), and that, prior to the said application, a permit had been issued for a campaign in behalf of [118]*118the Miami Valley Hospital in this city to be conducted within the same period; and

“ ‘Whereas, the commission therefore does not and cannot find that the object of the proposed cancer drive is not already adequately covered or that it will not be an unwarranted burden upon the persons to be solicited, or that it will not hinder the activity of any other organization to whom a permit has already been granted, or that such solicitation would not be incompatible with the public welfare; now, therefore,

“ ‘Be it resolved by the commission of the city of Dayton:

“ ‘Section 1. That, though the commission fully recognizes the constructive nature of the work of the said organization and is in sympathy with it, the application of the said Montgomery county unit of the American Cancer Society, Inc., referred to above, be and the same hereby is denied.’

“The court found that during the year 1950 the solicitations advisory board approved thirty-seven applications for permits for the solicitation of funds in the city of Dayton, by various organizations. The court further found that at the time the application for permit was refused, the*plaintiff-organization was the sole organization in the city of Dayton devoting its time exclusively to combating cancer and maintaining an office and organization for such purpose; that there was at said time no organization in the Dayton community chest or any organization allied with the Dayton community chest engaged in such work. The court further found that the society could not have used the funds indicated as being in the community chest without becoming a member thereof, and that the administration of such funds by the society would have been under the supervision of the community chest. The court found that the program and work of the society was for the public benefit, public welfare [119]*119and health, and that the said program was not injurious to the public in the city of Dayton; and that the solicitation of funds was not attended by fraud or injury to the public of said city.

“We now set forth the several applicable sections of the ordinance which were in full force and effect at the time the application for permit was made and refused. Section 638 provides as follows:

“ ‘No person, organization, society, association or corporation, and no agent, member, or representative thereof, shall solicit money, donations, property, or financial assistance of any kind, sell or offer to sell any article, service, publication, advertisement, ticket or subscription, on the direct or implied plea that such solicitation or sale is for charitable, educational, civic, patriotic, religious, or philanthropic purposes, on the streets, in office or business buildings, by house to house canvass, in any public place, by telephone or by mail, or in any other way in the city of Dayton, unless the organization making the solicitation, sale, or offer shall possess a permit issued under the regulations as in this ordinance set forth.’

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
160 Ohio St. (N.S.) 114, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-cancer-society-inc-v-city-of-dayton-ohio-1953.