Chambers v. Great State Council, I. O. R. M.

86 S.E. 467, 76 W. Va. 614, 1915 W. Va. LEXIS 159
CourtWest Virginia Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 21, 1915
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 86 S.E. 467 (Chambers v. Great State Council, I. O. R. M.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chambers v. Great State Council, I. O. R. M., 86 S.E. 467, 76 W. Va. 614, 1915 W. Va. LEXIS 159 (W. Va. 1915).

Opinion

Miller, Judge:

Plaintiff, as assignee of Glover, sued defendant for the amount of the alleged death benefits accrued under a policy or certificate of membership issued to Glover by defendant, a fraternal insurance corporation, on July 6, 1908.

The original policy sued on was partially burned so that the words and letters at. the ends of some of the lines could not be read or deciphered, but enough appears on the paper which, read in connection with the constitution and by-laws, introduced in evidence, and other evidence, substantially proves the contract. It provides in substance and effect, that in consideration of the compliance by Glover with the laws governing the endowment bureau of defendant and his good standing as a member of Standing Rock Tribe, No. 29, at Lanark, defendant agreed to pay, within ninety days after receipt of satisfactory proof of death of said Glover, to the widow of the said Glover, or to his heirs, if living, if not living then to his executors or administrators, as follows: In case of his death during the first year, $50.00; in case of his [616]*616death during the second year, $100.00; and in case of his death during the third year, $150.00. And it is specifically stipulated in this contract that the records in the office of the Chief of Eecords should be prima facie evidence of the good standing of said Glover and of his subordinate tribe'at the time of his death.

The provisions of the constitution and by-laws pertinent to the questions presented are as follows: First, the declaration that by authority of the Great Council of the United States the State Council “hereby creates an Endowment Bureau for the benefit of the families or persons designated by deceased chiefs in good standing in this Order”, upon the conditions among others: (a) That all members admitted to a local tribe, and as soon as raised to the rank of chief, shall be entitled to a policy, and upon the payment of fifty cents to the Great Chief of Eecords, shall receive a policy properly made out and signed by the Great Sachem and Great Chief of Eecords, &c., and that the tribe shall be required to pay for the policies issued to its members fifty cents each; (b) that every chief (member) in the order shall pay to the endowment bureau, through his tribe, twenty cents per month, in addition to his regular monthly dues; (c) that upon satisfactory proof of the death of a chief (member) in good standing, to be furnished on blanks provided by the State Council, the Great Chief of Eecords shall draw an order on the Great Keeper of Wampum, signed by the Great Sachem, within ninety daj^s, for the amount to which the beneficiary of such deceased member is entitled by the terms of the policy and the constitution and' by-laws, the by-law specifically providing that such sums shall be “payable to the widow or the legal heir of the deceased”; (d) that it shall be the duty of each tribe, within fifteen suns after the beginning of each Cold Moon, Plant Moon, Buck Moon, and Traveling Moon to forward the amount of wampum due the endowment bureau to the Great Chief of Eecords, who shall record the same, and forthwith pay over the amount thereof to the Groat Keeper of Wampum, taking his receipt therefor, and that he shall furnish to the finance committee every three moons a statement showing the quarter for which such wampum is paid, the names and members’of the tribe paying the same,. [617]*617and the amount paid by each tribe, and shall also furnish each tribe with a quarterly statement of the endowment fund; (e) that any tribe failing to forward the amount due from it to the endowment bureau within the specified time shall be immediately notified by the-Great Chief of Records, and unless such endowment dues are paid within ten days from the date of mailing such notice the tribe so notified and remaining in default shall be suspended from all benefits under the endowment bureau by the Great Sachem, but may be reinstated by him at any time upon payment of all dues, provided that should a tribe lose by death a member while so suspended, such member shall not be entitled to receive the benefits of the endowment laws; (f) that proof of death shall consist of affidavits of the fact of death, sworn to by attending physician, the undertaker, and one member of the tribe in good standing, of which deceased was a member, and certified by the Sachem and Chief of Records, and further by an officer authorized to administer oaths.

An advisory board' is also provided for, to consist, of not less than seven members, of which a majority shall be located at the home office, to be appointed by the Great Sachem at each Council meeting of the State, and of which the Great Sachem shall be ex-officio chairman and the Great Chief of" Records and the Great Keeper of "Wampum, shall be ex-officio members of said board; and which board, it is provided, shall have jurisdiction in all matters pertaining to the endowment department, with power to change the amount of such endowment, the endowment fee, and to make any levy or assessment necessary to the payment of the face value of the policies held by legal beneficiaries, provided, that the action of said advisory board shall not go into effect until approved by the Great State Council.

Besides the general plea of non-assumpsit, the following breaches of the warranties and conditions of the policy sued on and of the terms and provisions thereof and of the constitution and by-laws, are pleaded and relied on by way of defense to the action, viz: First, that the deceased Glover was not at the time of his death a member in good standing in his tribe, because of his failure to pay through his local tribe, or othei’wise, to the endowment bureau, the sums [618]*618specified for Ms endowment dues, accrued subsequently to the quarter ending April 1, 1912; second, that deceased and his local tribe had failed, neglected and refused to comply with said by-laws by paying the endowment dues of deceased and others to said Chief of Records, accruing subsequent to April 1, 1912, and that after the ten days notice to said tribe, as provided by the by-laws, and before the death of said Clover, it had been suspended, and said Glover had not been transferred to another tribe in good standing, thereby denying to deceased any and all benefits of said endowment bureau; third, that due and sufficient notice and proofs of decedent’s death were not furnished to defendant as required by policy and by-laws of the order; and, fourth, that plaintiff, as assignee, is not a person within the meaning of the contract, and the constitution and by-laws of said order, who is entitled to the benefits of said endowment fund, by assignment of said Glover or otherwise.

To all these special defenses the plaintiff specially replied, denying the facts pleaded in some of them, and as to all alleging that defendant had by its acts and conduct, in the manner specified, waived its right to insist upon the alleged violation of the several provisions of said policy, and of the 'constitution and by-laws, as defenses to said action.

On the trial the plaintiff recovered a verdict and judgment for one hundred and sixty three dollars and fifty cents, the subject of the writ of- error now before us.

Numerous errors are assigned: First, that the alleged assignment of the policy to plaintiff is testamentary in character, and not being proven or provable as a will of deceased, was improperly admitted as evidence of plaintiff’s title and right of action on the policy. There is no merit in this point.

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Bluebook (online)
86 S.E. 467, 76 W. Va. 614, 1915 W. Va. LEXIS 159, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chambers-v-great-state-council-i-o-r-m-wva-1915.