McFarland v. Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen & Enginemen

190 So. 573, 193 La. 337, 1939 La. LEXIS 1191
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedJune 26, 1939
DocketNo. 35247.
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 190 So. 573 (McFarland v. Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen & Enginemen) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McFarland v. Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen & Enginemen, 190 So. 573, 193 La. 337, 1939 La. LEXIS 1191 (La. 1939).

Opinion

PONDER, Justice.

This is an appeal from ,a judgment sustaining an exception to the service, of the citation in this cause and dismissing plaintiff’s suit.

The plaintiff instituted this suit against the defendants seeking to correct the seniority roster so as to show his seniority rights as a fireman to be fixed as of date *339 May 3, 1905, and his seniority rights as a locomotive engineman to be fixed as of date May 3, 1908. Service of the citation addressed to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen was made upon T. J. Harris, President of Royal Lodge No. 522, Shreveport, La., and service of the citation addressed to the Grand International Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers was made upon D. G. Davidson, Division 599, Shreveport, La. The defendants interposed an exception to the suit on the grounds, first, that the court was without jurisdiction ratione personae; second, that service of citation was not properly made; and third, that there was non-joinder of parties defendant. Upon trial, the court overruled the exception to the jurisdiction of the court ratione personae, sustained the exception to the citation and dismissed the plaintiff’s suit. The plaintiff appealed. The defendants answered the appeal and asked that the judgment of the District Court be amended by sustaining the exception to the jurisdiction of the court ratione personae. The case has been submitted for our determination.

Counsel for the plaintiff contends that the service of the citation on the respective heads of the local lodge and the local division is authorized under the provisions of Section 1933 of Dart’s General Statutes, Act No. 179 of 1918, § 1(2). The pertinent part of Section 1933 of Dart’s General Statutes reads:

“1933. Citations and all other legal process, whether issued by the clerk, the sheriff or the constable, shall be served by the sheriffs and constables throughout the state, as follows:
* * * * * H*

Service On Personal Representative

“(2) If addressed to an individual in a representative capacity, whether as executor, administrator, tutor, curator, liquidator, receiver, agent or other representative capacity, same may be served personally; and in all such cases the citation or other legal process or notices or other papers issued by sheriffs or constables, shall be addressed to the party represented, through the representative, stating his capacity * * *

It is admitted that the defendants have not appointed an agent in Louisiana upon whom service of legal process may be made. It is also admitted that the defendants are voluntary associations and labor organizations with their headquarters and principal offices in Cleveland, Ohio.

In support of his contention, counsel for plaintiff cites Section 39, 7 C.J.Secundum, Associations, page 104, which reads:

“Where a foreign association is doing business within the state of the forum, service of process on its agent has been sufficient, and, where a foreign unincorporated association doing business within the state of the forum has failed to comply with local statutory requirements as to the appointment of an agent to receive service of process, the courts will treat it as a quasi-corporation for the purpose of process, and will accept as sufficient, service of process on an agent or representative of the association whose character in *341 relation thereto is such that he could reasonably be expected to give notice of the suit to his association.”

The counsel also cites the cases of Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen v. Agnew, 170 Miss. 604, 155 So. 205; Unkovich v. New York Central Railroad Co., 114 N.J.Eq. 448, 168 A. 867; Fitzpatrick v. Rutter, 160 Ill. 282, 43 N.E. 392; Guilfoil v. Arthur, 158 Ill. 600, 41 N.E. 1009; Grand Lodge K.P., etc., v. Massey, 35 Ga. App. 140, 132 S.E. 270; Slaughter v. American Baptist Publication Society, Tex.Civ.App., 150 S.W. 224; Varnado v. Whitney, 166 Miss. 663, 147 So. 479.

The' case of Brotherhood Railroad Trainmen v. Agnew, supra, is to the effect that service on the agent of the defendant is sufficient. The plaintiff therein brought suit on a pension certificate upon which payment had been refused. Service of citation was made on J. E. Pierce. It appears that J. E. Pierce was the secretary of a local or subordinate lodge but service was not made upon him as such. The service was made upon Pierce as agent of the Grand Lodge. The Grand Lodge was engaged in the insurance business by issuing policies to its members in the State of Mississippi without appointing the Superintendent of Insurance as its true and lawful attorney upon whom process may be served as provided by the laws of that State. It appeared that Pierce had been collecting the dues for the Grand Lodge and acting as its agent in such matters.

As we take it, the defendant, a foreign association, was transacting insurance business within the State without appointing the agent required by law. The court merely held that service on the person who was transacting the business for the Grand Lodge in the State was sufficient service because such person was the agent of the Grand Lodge. In the instant case, the persons upon whom the services were made have never acted in the capacity of agents for the defendants and have never transacted any business for them with reference to the subject matter involved in this suit.

In the case of Varnado v. Whitney, supra, it was merely held to the effect that the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen is suable, but the court stated therein that it would express no opinion on the question of whether the service on the secretary of the local lodge was service on a proper person on whom to serve process for the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen.

In the case of Unkovich v. New York Central Railroad Co., supra, the court held that service upon a business agent was sufficient.

In the case of Fitzpatrick v. Rutter, supra, the service was made on officers of the organization itself who were acting for the other members as well as for themselves.

In Guilfoil v. Arthur, supra, the service was made upon the 'association itself through its secretary.

In Slaughter v. American Baptist Publication Society, supra, the service was made *343 on the duly authorized agent to supervise and direct the affairs of the association.

In the case of Grand Lodge K.P., etc., v. Massey, supra, it was held to the effect that where a local lodge was acting as an agent for the Grand Lodge that service on the local lodge through one of its officers was sufficient.

The cited cases are not applicable to the instant case because in each case the service was made upon an agent or an officer of the principal or parent organization.

In the instant' case, the evidence, both documentary and parol, is to the effect that as regards the subject matter involved herein the local lodge and the local division have absolutely no jurisdiction over such, either as principals or agents. From the evidence herein the subject matter involved is under the sole jurisdiction of a general grievance committee.

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190 So. 573, 193 La. 337, 1939 La. LEXIS 1191, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcfarland-v-brotherhood-of-locomotive-firemen-enginemen-la-1939.