Board of Trustees of the Public Employees' Retirement Fund v. King

236 N.E.2d 600, 250 Ind. 389, 1968 Ind. LEXIS 660
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 14, 1968
DocketNo. 1067S101
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 236 N.E.2d 600 (Board of Trustees of the Public Employees' Retirement Fund v. King) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Board of Trustees of the Public Employees' Retirement Fund v. King, 236 N.E.2d 600, 250 Ind. 389, 1968 Ind. LEXIS 660 (Ind. 1968).

Opinion

Lewis, C. J.

This is an appeal from a decision of the Superior Court of Marion County which rendered the following-order :

“Nearing on temporary injunction held, taken under advisement, Restraining Order continued in full force and effect.”

The appellant is the Board of Trustees for a retirement fund plan. The plan is for the benefit of certain public employees and the fund is accumulated by contributions made by the State of Indiana and the member-employees of the plan. Appellant is required by statute to pay up to three (3%) per cent interest on each member’s account annually. These three (3%) per cent interest payments have been made regularly to those entitled to same. However, the money paid into the retirement fund by the employer and employee members has earned more than three (3 %) per cent interest in the last few years, resulting in a “surplus interest” account. The appellant sought to credit this “surplus interest” to the amount owed by the State to the fund under the terms of the plan. It is appellant’s theory that since the appellee may only receive a maximum of three (3%) per cent interest on his contributions by statute, the “surplus interest” might be most equitably distributed by crediting it to the State’s debt. The appellee seeks to enjoin this action on the grounds that it would diminish the overall assets of the fund excusing the State from making payments which it now owes to it.

On August 11, 1967, the appellee filed a complaint praying for a temporary injunction to enjoin the agency from crediting the “surplus interest” to the State’s account payable. The appellee’s complaint below alleged, substantially, the following:

“1. That he is a member of the Public Employees’ Retirement Fund of Indiana and had made all of the contributions required by him to be made to said Fund.
2. That the defendant, Board of Trustees of the Public Employees’ Retirement Fund of Indiana is eligible to be sued pursuant to Burns’ 60-1614 (i).
[391]*3913. That the Acts 1945, Ch. 340, Sec. 18a, as added by Acts 1957, Ch. 232, Sec. 6, p. 507; 1959, Ch. 376, Sec. 3, p. 1014, requires the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees, to credit all interest or exchange of investments to the account of the Fund.
4. That on Wednesday, August 9, 1967, at a meeting of the Board of Trustees, said Board voted to credit interest and gains from the sale of exchanges to the employers’ accounts.
5. That a large percentage of said interest and gains from the exchange of investments was due to the employee contributions made by plaintiif and others similarly situated.
6. That the Board of Trustees used as their authority for crediting the employers’ accounts with such funds the Acts of 1955, Ch. 329, Sec. 14, p. 1022; 1957, Ch. 311, Sec. 6, p. 889; 1959, Ch. 325, Sec. 3, p. 857. That said statute requires any board administering a public employees’ retirement fund to make a fair and equitable distribution of the funds.
7. That by crediting moneys earned through employee contributions to employers’ funds, said Board was not fair and equitable.
8. That said Acts further deal with Old Age and Survivors’ Insurance rather than the Public Employees’ Retirement Fund.
9. That the State of Indiana, one of the employers under the Public Employees’ Retirement Act, is approximately fifty million dollars behind in their contributions to said Fund and that it would be grossly unfair and inequitable to allow interest made from employees’ contributions to be credited to said employer.
10. That the Board of Trustees are earning approximately 4.08% interest on investments in the Public Employees’ Retirement at the present time but are only charging the State of Indiana 2.5% interest on its unfunded liability.
11. That an emergency exists and that unless a temporary injunction is granted without notice and without hearing, said moneys will be transferred to the employers’ accounts.
WHEREFORE, plaintiif prays that a temporary injunction be issued enjoining the defendant Board from crediting the employers’ accounts with two and one-half million dollars presently accumulated in interest and gains from exchange of securities to the employers’ accounts, and that said injunction be made permanent.”

[392]*392The Court then entered the following order:

“Plaintiff having filed his Complaint for Temporary Injunction and for Permanent Injunction, which complaint is in the following words and figures, to-wit: (H.I.)
And the Court being duly advised in the premises, finds that an emergency exists,
IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that the BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES’ RETIREMENT FUND OF INDIANA Be and it is hereby ENJOINED from crediting any moneys to the employers’ accounts until further order of this Court.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the defendant be and appear in the Superior Court of Marion County, Room No. 6 on the 19th day of September, 1967 at 9:00 o’clock A.M. to show cause why said injunction should not be made permanent.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that a copy of this order be served upon the defendant, Board of Trustees of the Public Employees’ Retirement Fund of Indiana, and upon the State of Indiana.
/s/ Clarence R. Mills, Jr., Pro Tem
JUDGE, MARION SUPERIOR COURT
Room No. 6
DATED: August 11, 1967”

It is to be noted that in the Court’s foregoing order, the document is referred to as a “Temporary Injunction.” This, however, is a misnomer and the Court’s order constitutes at most a “Temporary Restraining Order.”

On August 25, 1967, appellee and appellant filed a “Joint Petition to Modify Restraining Order” wherein they modified the “Injunction” previously granted to be a “Temporary Restraining Order” to expire on September 19, 1967. The “Petition to Modify” also narrowed the “Injunction” to only prohibit the appellant from the crediting of proceeds from the employees’ contributions, but not the proceeds from employers’ contributions.

[393]*393A hearing on the “Temporary Injunction” was held on September 19, 1967, with the Trial Court making the entry appealed from, said entry set out herein above, supra,.

It is important to note that at no time was there a bond or surety agreement filed with the Court in conjunction with these proceedings. Burns’ Indiana Statutes, Anno. (1968 Repl.), §3-2107, reads as follows:

“No injunction or restraining order shall be granted until the party asking it shall enter a written undertaking, with surety, to be approved by the court or judge, to the adverse party affected thereby, for the payment of all damages and costs which may accrue by reason of the injunction or restraining order. [Acts 1881 (Spec. Sess.), ch. 38, §183, p. 240.]”

This statute states that no injunction or restraining order may issue without the posting of a bond.

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Related

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241 N.E.2d 62 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1968)

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Bluebook (online)
236 N.E.2d 600, 250 Ind. 389, 1968 Ind. LEXIS 660, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/board-of-trustees-of-the-public-employees-retirement-fund-v-king-ind-1968.