Modern Woodmen of America v. Whitaker

293 S.W. 1045, 173 Ark. 921, 1927 Ark. LEXIS 275
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedMay 2, 1927
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 293 S.W. 1045 (Modern Woodmen of America v. Whitaker) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Modern Woodmen of America v. Whitaker, 293 S.W. 1045, 173 Ark. 921, 1927 Ark. LEXIS 275 (Ark. 1927).

Opinion

Mehaffy, J.

Thomas W. Whitaker, on the 2d day of February, 1925,. made application for membership and benefits in the Modern Woodmen of America, a fraternal benefit society, with its local Camp No. 13665, at Harrison, Arkansas, and executed the usual application form. On February 11, 1925, his application was acted on and certificate issued and forwarded to the clerk at Harrison, Arkansas, where it remained until the 6th day of April, 1925, when it was delivered to the insured by Cleve Coffman, clerk of the Modern Woodmen at the local camp at Harrison, Arkansas.

The application signed by the insured stated' that the answers were adopted as his own, and that he warranted that they were full, complete, and literally true, and that he agreed that the exact, literal truth of each should be a condition precedent to any binding contract issued upon the faith of said answers and statements.

We deem it unnecessary to set the application out in full, because there is no controversy about the insured’s condition of health at that time. The benefit certificate issued to him was as follows:

“Benefit Certificate Modern Woodmen of America.

“No. 3201343 Amount, $1000

“Age 20 Rate, 85 Cents.

“A fraternal beneficiary society incorporated, organized and doing business under the laws of the State of Illinois.

“It is hereby certified that neighbor Thomas W. Whitaker, a member of Camp No. 13665 of Modern Woodmen of America, located at Harrison, Arkansas, if lie shall pay benefit fund assessments in accordance with the provisions of the existing by-laws of this society, or as snch by-laws hereafter may be changed, added to, or amended, is, while in good standing, entitled to the privileges of the society, and his beneficiary or beneficiaries hereinafter named shall, in case of his death, while a beneficial member of this society in good standing, be entitled to the privileges of the society, and his beneficiary or beneficiaries hereinafter named shall, in case of his death while a beneficial member of this society in good standing, be entitled to participate in the benefit fund of this society to the amount of one (1) thousand dollars, without interest, to be paid to said beneficiary or beneficiaries, to-wit, Laura D. Whitaker, related to said member as mother; provided, however, that all the conditions and agreements contained in said member’s application for beneficial membership and in this certificate, and in the by-laws of the society, as said by-laws now exist, or hereafter may be added to, modified, amended, or enacted, shall be fully complied with; and provided further that, if any beneficiary named in this certificate shall die at the same time, or in a common disaster, or prior to the death of said member, or in the event of the disqualification of such beneficiary under the provisions of the by-laws of this society, now in force or as hereafter amended or enacted, and if such member shall have failed to have had another beneficiary named in the place and stead of such deceased or disqualified beneficiary, then the amount specified to be paid such deceased or disqualified beneficiary, under this benefit certificate, shall be payable in accordance with the by-laws of this society in force at the time of the death of said member.

“This benefit certificate is issued and accepted only upon the foregoing conditions and the express warranties, conditions and agreements printed on the back of this certificate, there designated as ‘Conditions,’ and numbered from one to twelve inclusive, which said warranties, conditions and agreements are hereby made a part of this benefit certificate to the same effect and extent as if incorporated herein over the signature hereto.

“In "witness whereof the said Modern Woodmen of -America has, by its head consul and head clerk, signed and caused the corporate seal of said corporation to be affixed to this certificate, at the city of Rock Island, in the State of Illinois, this 11th day of February, 1925.

(Signed)- “J. G-. Ray, Head Clerk.

“A. R. Talbot, Head Consul.

“Member adopted 6th day of April, 1925, and certificate delivered this 6th day of April, 1925.

(Signed) “G-. C. Coffman, Clerk.

“D. Brooks, Consul.

“Harrison Camp No. 13665, M. W. of A.”

On the 6th day of April, when the clerk of the camp delivered the policy to the insured, insured signed the following certificate: “I have read and hereby accept the above benefit certificate and agree to all the conditions therein contained and referred to. I hereby warrant I am now in good health. I agree and understand that this certificate is not binding upon the society until signed by me, nor unless I am now in good health. ’ ’

The defendant pleaded all the statements and warranties as a defense, but it is unnecessary to set out the pleadings at length.

The appellant, who was plaintiff below, testified, in substance, that she was the mother of the deceased, Thomas W. Whitaker, who died on May 6, 1925, at her home in Harrison. She testified that he had a policy in the defendant company, which he gave her for safekeeping. She said the company refused to pay the policy upon his death, and she brought suit. He turned the policy over to her exactly a month before his death. He died on the 6th day of May. The benefit certificate copied above was here introduced in evidence. She testified that they solicited her boy to join the fraternity on February 2, and he was in sound health, 19 years old, and lived at home, and was her only boy. She stated he was in good health.' That the signature at the'bottom of the certificate or policy was the signature of- her son. She further testified that the insured was called upon by Dr. Poyner Sunday before the delivery of the policy the following day. That Dr. Poyner was called to see her daughter, and her son complained of feeling bad, but he did not want to go to bed and did not want any medicine. The doctor was called back that evening to see the insured on account of bleeding nose. The boy was up the next day, and was in good health. He worked some the day the policy was delivered, ate his breakfast, and was feeling all right, and nobody could see anything wrong with him; he was all right every way.

Cleve Coffman, clerk of the camp, testified, in substance, that he was the cashier of the First National Bank at Harrison, and clerk of the Modern Woodmen at the local camp there. That he issued receipts for the pay-mout of duos to members and delivered certificates of membership and benefits. That he delivered and signed the certificate on which the suit was based. The insured was reported as a member April 4 and report was sent in to the head clerk in May. The policy was delivered to the insured April 6. The insured made payment of his dues on April 6 in person, and the certificate was delivered to him in person. Here the proofs of death were introduced, and the witness continued, that he notified the head clerk of the death of the insured. Insured was initiated on the 2nd day of February, but did not pay any money until the 6th of April, when his policy was delivered.

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Bluebook (online)
293 S.W. 1045, 173 Ark. 921, 1927 Ark. LEXIS 275, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/modern-woodmen-of-america-v-whitaker-ark-1927.