People ex rel. Leerburger v. Mutual Reserve Fund Life Ass'n

15 Misc. 333, 37 N.Y.S. 617, 73 N.Y. St. Rep. 315
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 15, 1895
StatusPublished

This text of 15 Misc. 333 (People ex rel. Leerburger v. Mutual Reserve Fund Life Ass'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People ex rel. Leerburger v. Mutual Reserve Fund Life Ass'n, 15 Misc. 333, 37 N.Y.S. 617, 73 N.Y. St. Rep. 315 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1895).

Opinion

Beekman, J.

The respondent is a membership corporation, carrying on a business of life insurance upon the co-operative [334]*334or assessment plan, arid the relator was and claims still to be a member of the same. The respective rights and duties of the members .and the corporation are found in the constitution or' by-laws of the association, the application for membership and the certificate, of membership or policy of insurance issued by • the respondent to its members. The constitution or by-laws are adopted by the members, and are subject to change by them at meetings provided for in the constitution. At such meetings they also elect the board of directors. They thus in the. first instance exercise full legislative powers in the direction of the affairs of the coloration. • "

On the 1st day of June, 1883, the relator was duly admitted to membership, and a written certificate of such, membership was duly issued to him. On or about the 22d day of ■ June, 1885, this certificate was surrendered, and another orie . issued in its place, and this was repeated from time to time ' until on or about January 12, 1891, when the last certificate, rind the one under which the relator now asserts his claim, was duly issued to him, By such certificate it was, among other things, provided that the Mutual Reserve Fund Life Assoeia-" tion received Simon Leerburger as a member of the association, and upon the. condition of the -payment by him of the dues for expenses, to be paid on or before the twenty-ninth day of May of every year during the continuance of his mem- : bership, and also upon the further condition of the payment of all mortuary premiums within thirty days from the first week day of the months of February, April, June, August, October and December of each and every year, there should ‘ be payable to Siegmund Harris (creditor), as his interest may appear, one-half, and to Albert Harris (creditor), as his interest-may appear, one-half, if living at the time of the death of said member, otherwise to the legal representatives of said beneficiaries, the sum of $5,000, within ninety days after - acceptance of satisfactory evidence to said association of the death of said member. It was also provided that no persotial liability was .incurred by- the member in respect to any of such payments, and that the continuance of the certificate, or [335]*335. policy of insurance as it is sometimes called, and all payments by the members holding the same are voluntary, at the option of the member, to continue only so long as he may desire to keep .the certificate or policy in force, but that a failure to make such payments will terminate the contract ; and the contract is, in express terms, defined to be a bi-monthly term contract, renewable at the option of the member, before expiration, upon payment of the dues and mortuary premiums at the times and in the manner therein provided. It is "also further specified that the certificate or policy of . insurance is issued and accepted subject to the expi’ess condi tion that if any of the payments stipulated in said contracts shall not be paid on or before the day of the date as therein provided, then the consideration thereof shall he deemed to Time failed, and the certificate or policy shall he null a/nd void, and dll payments made thereon shall he forfeited to the association. The constitution provides, among other things, that if any of the conditions or provisions of the certificate of membership or constitution or by-laws are violated by a member, then and in every such case such membership .shall at once cease and determine, and the certificate shall be null and void and all payments made thereon forfeited to the association.

In the case at bar the amount of the annual dues to be paid by the relator as a condition of the continuance "of his" membership and insurance was fixed at the sum of .ten dollars, and should have been paid by him on or before the 29th day of Hay, 1895. This, however, he failed to do, for reasons which will b.e hereafter stated, and, the respondent refusing to recognize him any longer as a member, he now applies to this . ' court for a peremptory writ of mandamus, in the first instance, to compel the respondent to restore him to his rights of mem- ' bership, upon the claim that there has been a waiver by it of ■ the forfeiture. The attorney for the" respondent read upon the hearing affidavits which, to some extent at least, put in issue some of the facts set forth in the moving papers; and as the relator notwithstanding proceeded to argue his "case in [336]*336support of his application for a peremptory writ, all of the facts which are contained in the answering papers of the respondent must be taken as true. People ex rel. O’Sullivan v. N. Y. Law School, 68 Hun, 118, and cases there cited.

It appears that, in accordance with the custom of the respondent, a printed notice .was' sent by it to the relator on or about the first day of April last, informing him that the annual dues on his policy, amounting to ten dollars, were 'payable on the 29th day of May, 1895, “without grace,” at the office of the association!' The circular also contained these statements: “Prompt remittance is requisite, in order that, your protection may be continued. The dues stated above should not be confounded with the mortuary payments.. The payment of the one is equally as important as the payment of the other. If the same is not paid within the time "stated;, tire ■ policy and all the payments thereon will become forfeited and void, and your membership with the association will expire with all rights thereunder. ‘ The sending of this notice, or acceptance of above dues, shall not be held to waive any forfeiture or expiry caused by nonpayment of any previous sum, when due, under said certificate or policy.” And immediately following the subscription of the circular by the secretary of the association appeal's in heavily printed capitals the following : “ The ‘above amount must be paid on or before May 29th, 1895.” '

It will thus .be seen that the. relator had substantially two months’ previous notice of the maturity of his annual dues, accompanied by statements, from the respondent pointedly calling his attention to the necessity of paying the same on the day specified, in order to avoid a forfeiture of his membership and policy. Ruder the rules and regulations of the association, members were authorized to designate persons to whom all notices or other communications intended for them might be addressed, and for that purpose the relator designated one ■ Siegmund Harris, who was his son-in-law. The circular above referred to was accordingly forwarded to Mr.. Harris and was received by him, and it had been his practice to take charge ■ [337]*337of speh matters, and to pay for the relator the. annual dues and mortuary calls as the same matured. He neglected this, however, in the case of the dues which were payable on the 29th day of May, 1895. The explanation given by him for his default is that he had just moved his business, and was so engrossed in superintending the removal and arrangement of his new stock that the matter slipped his mind until the sixth day of June.

Upon this state of facts it is perfectly plain that the policy was forfeited, and.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
15 Misc. 333, 37 N.Y.S. 617, 73 N.Y. St. Rep. 315, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-ex-rel-leerburger-v-mutual-reserve-fund-life-assn-nysupct-1895.