Bost v. Masters

361 S.W.2d 272, 235 Ark. 393, 1962 Ark. LEXIS 589
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedSeptember 24, 1962
Docket5-2756
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 361 S.W.2d 272 (Bost v. Masters) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bost v. Masters, 361 S.W.2d 272, 235 Ark. 393, 1962 Ark. LEXIS 589 (Ark. 1962).

Opinions

Carleton Harris, Chief Justice.

Texana D. Masters, beneficiary of H. J. Alexander, instituted suit to collect certain benefits under a program provided by the United Furniture Workers Insurance Fund for members of the United Furniture Workers Union. United Furniture Workers of America, AFL-CIO, is an unincorporated labor organization, and local union No. 270 is located at Fort Smith. H. J. Alexander was a member of this union, and was entitled to benefits under a program provided and administered by the United Furniture Workers Insurance Fund. A death benefit in the amount of $1500 was provided, and an additional $1500 benefit was payable if the covered member sustained loss of life by external, accidental, and violent means. However, this last benefit was subject to the following condition:

“The foregoing benefits shall, however, not be paid where loss of life, limb and/or sight is directly or indirectly, wholly or partly connected with or related to the commission of a crime or an offense by the covered member or by any other person. ’ ’

Alexander died as a result of injuries sustained in an automobile collision on October 31,1959. The $1500 death benefit was paid, but payment of the additional $1500 accidental death benefit was refused, because it was contended that Alexander was operating his vehicle under the influence of intoxicating liquor, and was in the process of violating several traffic laws at the time of the collision. Suit was instituted by appellee against appellants, Elmer Bost, president, Margaret Howard, secretary of local union No. 270, Louis Campbell, Trustee, United Furniture Workers of America, and the United Furniture Workers Insurance Fund, and summons issued. The sheriff’s return reads as follows:

“I have this 30 day of November, A.D., 1960, duly served the within by delivering a copy of the same to each of the within named: Elmer Bost in person. Louis Campbell in person. Margaret Howard by serving a true copy to Louis Campbell, Trustee, United Workers of America, AFL-CIO.”

Appellants appeared specially, filing a motion to quash and dismiss, asserting:

“That the plaintiff has attempted to procure service of process upon the United Furniture Workers Insurance Fund, a Trust, organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the State of New York, with its office and principal place of business located at 700 Broadway, in New York City, N.Y., by serving a purported process upon these named defendants; That the United Furniture Workers Insurance Fund has not and does not at any time herein material, maintain an office or place of business in Fort Smith, or the State of Arkansas; that it has not filed with the Secretary of State or the Insurance Commissioner of the State of Arkansas, application for authority to do business in this State; that the United Furniture Workers Insurance Fund, as a Trustee, has no corporate rights and that the purported service of process herein constitutes no service upon said United Furniture Workers Insurance Fund; that these defendants, as officers of Local Union No. 270 of United Furnituré Workers of America, AFL-CIO, have no control whatever over the United Furniture Workers Insurance Fund and have no authority to administer or regulate the Fund and, as such, are not officers or trustees of the United Furniture- Workers Insurance Fund, and have not been and are not authorized to accept service of process.”

The motion was overruled by the court, and appellants, without waiving their special appearance and specifically reserving their rights thereto, filed an answer, and subsequently,. two amendments thereto, setting up that the Fund was not liable because Alexander met his death as a result of violating the law. In each amendment, appellants reserved their rights under the original motion to quash service. On trial, the jury found that Alexander’s death was not directly or indirectly, wholly or partly, connected with or related to the commission of a crime or an offense. The court held that the defendants constituted an insurance company under the laws of this state, and accordingly entered judgment for $1500 plus the statutory penalty of 12%, and an attorney’s fee of $750, together with interest from date until paid. From the judgment" so entered, appellants bring this appeal. Several points are urged by appellants in seeking a reversal. Point No. 1 is: “The court erred in overruling defendants’ motion to quash the service of summons.” Since we find, as hereinafter set' out, that this point is well taken, other alleged grounds for reversal, relating to the evidence and rulings during the trial, -will not be discussed; i. e., since we are of the opinion that the court did not, under the service obtained, acquire jurisdiction over the United Furniture Workers Benefit Fund, there is no occasion, nor would it be proper, to discuss the actual proceedings, and evidence, at the trial.

It is apparent from the Sheriff’s return that the United Furniture Workers Insurance Fund was never served. It is equally apparent that Margaret Howard was not properly served. However, this last is immaterial. This action was brought as a class or representative action, but we agree with appellants that the service was ineffective, for the reason that the union members, as a class, are in no way responsible to appellee. The individual appellants who were served with summons, and the local union, did not insure anyone, and did not agree to provide death benefits for Alexander. It appears from the exhibits introduced, that in May, 1944, the “United Furniture Workers Insurance Fund” was created. The Agreement and Declaration of Trust creating such fund reflects that the fund is operated by a Board of Trustees, composed of eleven members, with its office at 700 Broadway, New York City. The trust was created and accepted in the state of New York, and the trustees, in their collective capacity, are known as United Furniture Workers Insurance Fund, and are authorized to conduct all business of the trust and execute all instruments in that name. The manner of obtaining the monies to make up the fund is explained in the opening resolution of the Declaration of Trust, as follows:

“WHEREAS, the United Furniture Workers of America (herein called the ‘Union’) has executed through its affiliated locals or will through its affiliated locals from time to time hereafter execute collective bargaining agreements or supplements to collective bargaining agreements with manufacturers of furniture, bedding and kindred products as described in Article III, titled ‘Jurisdiction’ of the Union’s Constitution (said manufacturers herein called the ‘Employers’) which, among other things, provide for the payment by such Employers to the United Furniture Workers Insurance Fund (herein called the ‘Fund’) periodically a sum of money equal to a stated percentage of the wages paid during the preceding month to those of its employees who are covered and entitled t,o; t]ae benefits of the collective bargaining agreement between the Employer and the Union; and
WHEREAS,; the sums payable to the Fund as aforesaid (herein called the ‘employer contributions’) are for the purpose of providing social insurance to the members of the Union employed in the furniture industry:

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Bost v. Masters
361 S.W.2d 272 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1962)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
361 S.W.2d 272, 235 Ark. 393, 1962 Ark. LEXIS 589, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bost-v-masters-ark-1962.