McIntyre v. Sovereign Camp W. O. W.

135 So. 365, 172 La. 810, 1931 La. LEXIS 1761
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedMay 25, 1931
DocketNo. 31081.
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 135 So. 365 (McIntyre v. Sovereign Camp W. O. W.) 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
McIntyre v. Sovereign Camp W. O. W., 135 So. 365, 172 La. 810, 1931 La. LEXIS 1761 (La. 1931).

Opinions

BRUNOT, J.

The defendant is a 'fraternal beneficiary society, organized under the laws of the state of Nebraska, and doing business in this state under the provisions of Act No. 256 of 1912, as amended by Act No. .287 of 1914.

The suit is on an insurance policy covering the life of the plaintiff’s deceased husband, who was a member, in good standing at the time of his death, of Magnolia Camp No. 58, a local subordinate camp of the Sovereign Camp Woodmen of the World. Both the Sovereign Camp and the local camp excepted to the citation, the Sovereign Camp upon the ground that it was a foreign corporation and the citation required it to answer the suit or file its defense thereto in less than thirty days; and, Magnolia Camp No. 58, upon the ground that it was a subordinate camp and without authority to accept service of the petition and citation.

The district judge maintained both exceptions and dismissed the suit. The plaintiff acquiesced in the judgment maintaining the exception filed hy Magnolia Camp No. 58, but appealed from the judgment maintaining the exception filed by the Sovereign Camp.

The Court of Appeal, 131 So. 626, held that the concluding proviso of section 17 of Act No. 256 of 1912, upon which the exception filed by the Sovereign Camp was based, was unconstitutional and, for that reason, it reversed the judgment maintaining the exception and remanded the case for trial. On the relation of the Sovereign Camp, a writ of review issued and the matter is now before us for consideration upon relator’s application, the original record and the briefs of counsel.

The proviso of section 17 of Act No. 256 of 1912 is as follows: “Provided, however, that no such service shall be valid or binding against any such society when it is required thereunder to file its answer, pleading or defense in less than thirty days from the date of mailing the copy of such service to such society. When legal process against any such society is served upon said Secretary of State he shall forthwith forward by registered mail one of the duplicate copies prepaid and directed to its secretary or corresponding officer. Legal process shall not be served upon any such society except in the manner provided therein.”

It is contended, and the judgment of the Court of Appeal is based upon the ground, that the quoted proviso of section 17 of Act No. 256 of 1912 is violative of section 16 of article 3 of the Constitution of 1921 in that it purports to change the procedural law of the state without a declaration of such intention in the title of the act.

The plaintiff also contends that the act embraces more than one object. Provisions for service and citation upon fraternal socie *814 ties, and the delay in which they are allowed to plead or answer, are clearly incidental to the object expressed in the title of the act. We therefore pass, without further comment, the contention that the act embraces more than one object.

The title of Act No. 256 of 1912, and sections 21 and 23 of that act were amended by Act No. 287 of 1914. The title as amended now reads as follows: “An Act to amend and reenact the title of Act No. 256 of 1912, entitled ‘An Act to amend and re-enact Act No. 115 of 1906, entitled “An Act to provide for the organization, admission and regulation of associations transacting the business of life, accident, sick benefit or physical disability insurance on the fraternal plan, and to fix penalties for the violation of this Act, and to repeal all laws in conflict with the provisions of this Act” ’; to define fraternal benefit societies and the lodge system thereof; to provide for a representative form of government of fraternal benefit associations, and to define same; to exempt fraternal benefit societies organized under the lodge system from all provisions of the insurance laws of this State; to x>rovide for the payment of death benefits and disability benefits, and to govern the manner of I>roviding for the same; to provide for the xxayment of death benefits to certain beneficiaries, and to qualify and designate said beneficiáries; to provide for the qualifications for membership in fraternal benefit societies; to provide for benefit certificates of said societies, and to specify the amount provided thereby; to provide for the creation, maintenance and disbursement of the funds of fraternal benefit societies; to provide for the form of investment of the funds of fraternal benefit societies ; to provide for the distribution of funds of fraternal benefit societies; to provide for the manner and mode of organization of fraternal benefit societies; to provide for the reorganization and amendment of fraternal benefit societies already transacting business in this State; to provide the mergers and transfers of fraternal benefit societies, and the manner of making the' same; to provide for the annual license of fraternal benefit societies, and for the annual renewal of certificates of authority of said fraternal benefit societies; to provide for the admission of foreign fraternal benefit societies; to provide for the appointment of the Secretary of State as agent and attorney for the service of legal process; to provide for the place of meeting and the location of office of fraternal benefit societies; to provide what limitation the constitution and laws of a fraternal benefit society may place upon its subordinate officers or members; to waive the provisions of the laws and constitution of.the society; to provide that no money or other benefit, charity or relief or aid to be paid, provided or rendered by any fraternal benefit society shall be liable to attachment, garnishment or other legal process, or be seized, taken, appropriated or applied by any legal or equitable process ox-operation of the law and to pay any debt or liability of a member or beneficiary, or any other person who may have a right thereunder, either before or after payment; to provide for the annual reports of .fraternal benefit societies to be filed with the Secretary of State, and to fix the form of said report and the duty of filing the same, and furnishing the information to the Secretax-y of State concerning fraternal benefit societies, and providing for the valuation of the benefit certificates thereof; to provide for a report to the Secretary of State of a valuation of the certificates of fraternal benefit societies; to provide for the examination of domestic societies; to provide for the publication of reports of fraternal benefit societies; to provide for the examination of foreign fraternal *816 benefit societies; to provide for tbe publicity to be given to investigation by tbe Secretary of State; to provide for tbe revocation of license to fraternal benefit societies; to provide for tbe exemption of certain benefit societies from the operation of this Act; to provide for exemption from all and every State, parochial, county, district, municipal and school district, other than real estate and office equipment; to provide for penalty for the violation of the provisions of this Act, and to declare what violations shall be deemed a misdemeanor, and to fix the penalty thereunder ; to declare what constitutes perjury under this Act, and to provide a penalty for soliciting for unauthorized fraternal benefit societies, and to provide for the repeal of all laws or parts of laws in conflict with the provisions of this Act.”

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Bluebook (online)
135 So. 365, 172 La. 810, 1931 La. LEXIS 1761, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcintyre-v-sovereign-camp-w-o-w-la-1931.