Locomotive Engineers' Mutual Life & Accident Ass'n v. Higgs

135 N.E. 353, 79 Ind. App. 427, 1922 Ind. App. LEXIS 236
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 19, 1922
DocketNo. 10,902
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 135 N.E. 353 (Locomotive Engineers' Mutual Life & Accident Ass'n v. Higgs) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Locomotive Engineers' Mutual Life & Accident Ass'n v. Higgs, 135 N.E. 353, 79 Ind. App. 427, 1922 Ind. App. LEXIS 236 (Ind. Ct. App. 1922).

Opinion

McMahan, J.

Appellant is a' voluntary fraternal association incorporated under the laws of Ohio having a lodge system and representative form of government. It issues membership certificates which make provision for the payment of benefits upon the death or injury of its members.- Appellee William H. Higgs became a member in appellant association in 1871, and was given a certificate of membership providing for a benefit of fifteen hundred dollars payable to said Higgs or certain beneficiaries named in the certificate. He was also at the same time given another like certificate calling for an additional fifteen hundred dollar benefit.

• Appellees William H. Higgs and the other beneficiaries named in said certificates filed their complaint herein alleging that appellant had wrongfully suspended Mr. Higgs and wrongfully annulled his insurance and demanded judgment because of such alleged wrongful conduct. At the same time that the complaint of Higgs and others was filed, appellee Alexander E. Martin filed a complaint against appellant for damages [430]*430alleging that he had been admitted to membership in appellant association and that his' certificates of membership and insurance had been wrongfully annulled and asking damages because of such annullment. Eight other like complaints were on the same day filed by eight separate sets of plaintiffs, the complaints in each case being identical with the complaints filed by Higgs and Martin except that the names of the plaintiffs and beneficiaries and the amounts of the benefits were different.

The Higgs complaint alleges that appellant was originally organized as an unincorporated fraternal beneficiary association in 1867, and continued as such until 1894, when it was incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio; that since May, 1915, it had a by-law to the effect that no one could retain his membership therein unless he was a member in good standing in the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, and in the event of a member being expelled from said Brotherhood he might retain his membership in appellant association for one year if he paid all assessments that might accrue against him during, that year. A like by-law had been in force during all the time since the certificate of membership had been issued. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers was an unincorporated society and for many years had maintained its principal office and place of business at Cleveland, Ohio, at which place Warren S. Stone, who was then and for many years had been the Grand Chief Engineer of said brotherhood, maintained his office; that appellant also maintained its principal office and place of business in said city; that Higgs became a member of said brotherhood in 1871, and was a member in good standing up to the time of the commencement of this action and belonged to Division 492 thereof, which was a local union subordinate to the brotherhood, the place of meeting of said local union being in the city of Indianapolis where most of its mem[431]*431bers resided; that Higgs had never been expelled or suspended from said society, and at all times had complied with all the laws and regulations thereof. The beneficiary and membership certificates are made a part of the complaint. The complaint also alleges in detail the method of collecting and paying dues and assessments by the members; that on January 1, 1917, an assessment of $2.50 due and payable on or before January 21, 1917, was levied on each certificate held by Higgs, who on January 9, 1917, tendered the amount of said assessment to the secretary of Division 492, who, under the instructions of the officers of appellant residing at Cleveland, refused to accept said tender; that prior to January, 1917, one William Rother, a member of Division 492, was notified by his employer, the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, to report in Washington, D. C., on a certain day; that Rother reported as directed, and on reaching Washington was called as a witness before the Interstate Commerce Commission, which was then investigating the question as to whether the commission would require various railroads to install electric headlights on their engines; that as such witness he testified to a certain disadvantage resulting from the use of such lights; that Warren S. Stone was present, heard this testimony, and became very much enraged at the testimony so given by Rother, and claimed that no member of the brotherhood had a right to testify to what he believed to be the truth, although required to do so by law, contrary to the wishes and desires of the brotherhood and its executive officers; that thereafter Stone caused charges to be preferred against Rother because he had so testified and not because he had testified falsely; said charges being preferred in Division 492 of which he was and is a member; that Rother was tried on said charges and acquitted, and that Higgs was present at such trial.

[432]*432Soon after said trial Stone attempted to suspend Division 492; that Stone acting in collusion with the other Grand officers of said brotherhood was determined to drive Higgs and other members of Division 492 out of the brotherhood and to cause their membership to be forfeited, in violation of the constitution and by-laws of appellant association; that appellant had refused to accept the assessment due from Higgs upon the ground that he was no longer a member of appellant and had forfeited his benefit certificate and policies of insurance and had repudiated its contractual obligations to Higgs and demanding damages for the equitable and just value of the two certificates.

A demurrer having been overruled, appellant filed an answer in seven paragraphs and also a counterclaim, each of which being held bad on demurrer, appellant filed additional eighth and ninth paragraphs of answer, to which demurrers were also sustained and thereafter filed additional answers, being paragraphs 10, 11, 12 and 13, to each of which demurrers were filed and sustained, leaving no answer in the record except the first paragraph which was a general denial. The complaints, answers, and demurrers in each of the other cases, and the rulings on the several demurrers are the same in substance as in the Higgs case. After the issues in each ease were closed, the plaintiffs in each case filed a motion asking that the several causes be consolidated for the purpose of the trial. This motion was sustained, to which appellant excepted. The cause was tried by jury, a separate verdict being returned against appellant on the issues presented by each of the ten complaints. The jury also answered and returned with their several verdicts certain interrogatories. The interrogatories and the answers thereto in each case were identical except as to names and amounts. Ssuarate judgments, were [433]*433rendered in favor of the respective plaintiffs, and a separate motion for a new trial was filed by appellant in each of the ten cases.

Appellant in this court assigns errors in all ten cases by one assignment of errors with ninety-five separate specifications and contends that the court erred in overruling the demurrers to the several complaints, in sustaining the several demurrers to each paragraph of the several answers other than the first which was a general denial, in consolidating the causes, and in overruling each of the ten separate motions for a new trial.

Appellees have filed a motion to dismiss the appeal on the ground that the assignment of errors filed by appellant presents no question for our consideration.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

In the Matter of Estate of Baird
408 N.E.2d 1323 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1980)
State Ex Rel. v. Board of Comrs. of Adams County
53 N.E.2d 347 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1944)
American Lead Corp. v. Davis
38 N.E.2d 281 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1941)
Colt v. Hicks
179 N.E. 335 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1932)
Abdon v. Wallace
165 N.E. 68 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1929)
State Ex Rel. Schroeder v. Morris
155 N.E. 198 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1927)
Standard Life Insurance v. Grigsby
140 N.E. 457 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1923)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
135 N.E. 353, 79 Ind. App. 427, 1922 Ind. App. LEXIS 236, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/locomotive-engineers-mutual-life-accident-assn-v-higgs-indctapp-1922.