Finnell v. Franklin

55 Colo. 156
CourtSupreme Court of Colorado
DecidedApril 15, 1913
DocketNo. 6954
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 55 Colo. 156 (Finnell v. Franklin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Finnell v. Franklin, 55 Colo. 156 (Colo. 1913).

Opinion

Mr. Justice White

delivered the opinion of the court:

This action involves the disposition of a sura of money paid into court by the Locomotive Engineers Mutual Life and Accident Insurance Association, being the proceeds of two policies of insurance issued by it upon the life of one John O. Finnell.

The record discloses that in 1894 the association was incorporated under the laws of the state of Ohio, not for profit, but for the purpose, as stated in its charter, following the language of the statute, “to transact the business of life and accident insurance on the assessment plan, for the purpose of mutual protection and relief of its members, and for the payment of stipulated sums of money to the families, heirs, executors, administrators or assigns of deceased members of said association.”

In 1896 the general assembly of Ohio enacted a statute known as “House Bill No. 370,” entitled, “An Act Regulating Fraternal Beneficiary Societies, Orde'rs and Associations.” By the terms of this statute any corporation, society or voluntary association, without capital stock, formed or organized and carried on for the sole benefit of its members and their beneficiaries, and not for profit, and having a lodge system, with ritualistic form of work, and representative form of government, and which shall make provision for the payment of death [158]*158benefits, is declared to be a fraternal beneficiary association to be governed by that act, and limited in the payment of death benefits “to the families, heirs, blood relatives, affianced husband or affianced wife of, or to persons dependent upon the members.” The act authorized associations of the character of those defined therein to continue their business, provided they complied with the provisions of the act. Thereafter, on September 24,1896, the board of directors of the Locomotive Engineers Mutual Life and Accident Insurance Association passed and adopted a resolution bringing the association under the provisions of the act, and applied for and was granted, by the proper authorities, a license to transact its business thereunder. It has since continued to operate under the provisions of that statute, and of amendatory legislation, and has been treated at all times by the insurance department of the state of Ohio as classified properly and exclusively thereunder, and comes clearly within the description of those corporations and societies which the act classifies as fraternal beneficial associations. The policies upon the life of Finnell were taken out long subsequent to the Act of 1896. The language designating the beneficiary in each policy is as follows: “All payments or benefits that may accrue or become due to the heirs of the person insured by virtue of this policy will be payable to W. S. Finnell, father, or his lawful heirs.” W. S. Finnell predeceased John O. Finnell, leaving the latter as his sole heir at law. John O. Finnell died July 17, 1905, leaving, of the required class of beneficiaries prescribed by the statute, only an uncle and some cousins, who are the plaintiffs in error herein, and who would have been the lawful heirs of W. S. Finnell had he outlived John O. Finnell. At the date the policies were issued article 1 of the by-laws of the association defined its purposes in the language of the original charter, notwithstanding the limitations imposed by the act of 1896, supra, whereby [159]*159executors, administrators and assigns were eliminated from the class of persons that might he named beneficiaries in insurance policies issued by the association. In May, 1904, this by-law was amended so as to conform to the provisions of á later statute substantially the same in that regard, however, as the act of 1896, supra. The sections of the by-laws defining the manner of changing beneficiaries, in force at the date the policies were issued, continued and remained the same until after the death of John O. Finnell. They are as follows:

“Sec. 23. A policy holder of this association having designated his beneficiary or beneficiaries, may change the same at his pleasure, without notice to or consent of the beneficiary or beneficiaries, by returning through the division secretary of the division to which he belongs, former certificate issued, to the Home Office, and informing the President and General Secretary-Treasurer of changes desired; provided, however, that the new beneficiaries shall come > within the class named in article 1, for which a fee of twenty-five (25) cents will be charged. Any person or persons named as beneficiary or beneficiaries, accepting any interest in a policy or certificate issued by this association, do so upon the express terms or conditions contained in this article.”
‘ ‘ Sec. 24. Any member wishing to change beneficiary in his policy or policies can do so by returning through the division secretary of the division to which he belongs, the policy or policies in his possession. Being unable to return old policy or policies, new ones will be granted by members mailing affidavit of the facts on a form supplied by the Home Office, executed before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths, and waiving all benefits in former policy or policies held by him.”

John O. Finnell left a will which was duly probated on August 31, 1905. After making certain specific bequests he therein particularly mentioned the insurance [160]*160policies in question, and directed his executor, Charles W. Franklin, the defendant in error herein, to collect and hold the proceeds, together with the remainder of his estate, in trust, and pay the same to certain persons therein designated, none of whom, however, with one exception, belong to the class that may be made beneficiaries under the terms of the statute of 1896, supra, and the charter of the association as amended thereby. To this person he directed that $500. be paid, but from no particular fund.

While it is conceded that no attempt was made in the manner and form prescribed by the by-laws to change the beneficiary designated in the policies, it is contended that the will constituted a change in that respect. We do not thiiik so. It is true that the purposes and objects of fraternal or mutual insurance associations are vastly different from those of ordinary life insurance companies. Nevertheless, the assured, under the rule in this jurisdiction, has no greater power to change the beneficiaries in one case than in the other, except as reserved to him by the law of the state under which the insurance was written, or by that of the association, or by the terms of the policy or certificate of insurance.—Love v. Clune, 24 Colo., 237, 50 Pac. 34; Pittinger v. Pittinger, 28 Colo., 308, 64 Pac. 195, 89 Am. St. 193; Hill v. Groesbeck, 29 Colo., 161, 67 Pac. 167.

In either case the terms of the contract of insurance govern. The contract, however, is not limited in all cases to the express provisions contained in the insurance certificate or policy. Uusally that entered into between a benefit association and a member thereof embodies, by necessary implication, the application for membership, the certificate of insurance, the charter and by-laws of the association, and the statutes of the state under which it is organized and the insurance is written. All these become a part of the contract to the same effect as if they [161]*161had been expressly embodied therein by written words. Golden Star Fra. v. Martin, 59 N. J. L. 207, 35 Atl. 908; Maryland Mutual Benev. Soc. etc. v. Clendinen, 44 Md.

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Bluebook (online)
55 Colo. 156, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/finnell-v-franklin-colo-1913.