Supreme Tent v. Fisher

90 N.E. 1044, 45 Ind. App. 419, 1910 Ind. App. LEXIS 202
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 25, 1910
DocketNo. 6,675
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 90 N.E. 1044 (Supreme Tent v. Fisher) 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
Supreme Tent v. Fisher, 90 N.E. 1044, 45 Ind. App. 419, 1910 Ind. App. LEXIS 202 (Ind. Ct. App. 1910).

Opinion

Comstock, J.

The complaint was in two paragraphs. The first alleged, in substance, that defendant was a mutual and fraternal beneficiary association, doing business under the laws of the State of Indiana; that on December 30, 1895, Lemuel A. Fisher was duly elected and admitted as a beneficiary member of defendant order, and continued as such beneficiary member until his death on December 29, 1905, and was at all times in good standing and entitled to all the benefits and privileges appertaining and incident to such membership; that said Fisher at all times performed all the duties incumbent upon him as such member, and otherwise complied with all the requirements thereof and performed all the conditions on his part to be performed; that, at the time said Fisher was received as a member of said order, defendant executed and delivered to him a certificate, or policy of insurance, marked exhibit A; that said Fisher died in Huntington county, Indiana, on December 29, 1905; that on said date said certificate was in full force and effect, and that said Fisher had at all times theretofore been a member in good standing of said association; that plaintiff performed all the requirements on her part; that defendant denies liability under said certificate and refuses to furnish plaintiff with blanks for the purpose of making and executing proofs of death, and refuses to accept proofs of death of said Fisher; that plaintiff is the widow of Lemuel A. Fisher, and demands payment of said insurance,, but defendant refuses payment.

The second paragraph contains the same allegations as to [421]*421appellant association, and the admission of said Fisher and the issuing of a certificate of membership, as set out in said first paragraph, and further alleges that from the date of his admission to November 1, 1905, Fisher was at all times in good standing; that on said November 1, 1905, and during the months of November and December, 1905, there was in full force and effect a certain by-law of defendant company, as follows:

‘ These monthly rates will be due without notice on the first day of each month, and must be paid by the member to the tent record keeper on or before the last day of the month. ’ ’

That during said months of November and December, 1905, John V. Sees was record keeper of the local tent of defendant; that on November 18, 1905, Fisher offered to pay and tendered to said Sees for said defendant all moneys and assessments due to defendant for the month of November, 1905; that Sees then and there refused to accept such money. Then follow the same allegations as to Fisher’s death and demand of payment as are in the first paragraph. A separate demurrer for want of facts was overruled to each paragraph of complaint, and appellant answered in five paragraphs, to the third and fourth of which demurrers were sustained. Upon the issues formed by the first and second paragraphs of complaint, the first, second and fifth paragraphs of answer, and reply in denial, the case was submitted for trial to a jury, resulting in a verdict and judgment for $3,000 in favor of appellee.

The assignment of errors challenges the correctness of the ruling of the court upon each of said demurrers and upon appellant’s motion for a new trial.

The objection urged against the first paragraph of the. complaint is based upon that part which is in the following language: “That said defendant denied liability under said certificate and policy of insurance, and refused and still refuses to furnish this plaintiff with blanks for the pur[422]*422pose of making and executing proofs of death, and refuses to accept proofs of death of said Lemuel A. Fisher.”

1. It is insisted by appellant that the complaint shows upon its face that appellee has failed to comply with the laws of the order; that the death of Lemuel A. Fisher occurred on December 29, 1905, and this suit was commenced on January 14, 1907, and all proofs of 'death were due before the commencement of this suit and. were not filed; that the averments by which appellee attempts to avoid the effect of this laches are not sufficient; that the averment pleaded is not the averment of a fact, but a mere conclusion. Said paragraph, in addition to the foregoing, alleges “that the insured has at all times performed all the duties incumbent upon him as such member, and has otherwise complied with all the requirements thereof and performed all the conditions on his part to be performed, ’ ’ and that the plaintiff has performed, all the conditions on her part to be performed. These allegations are sufficient. §376 Burns 1908, §370 R. S. 1881; Grand Lodge, etc., v. Barwe (1906), 38 Ind. App. 308, and cases cited; Firemen’s Fund Ins. Co. v. Finkelstein (1905), 164 Ind. 376.

2. The objection to the second paragraph of complaint is that it does not state the amount due at the date of the alleged tender, nor that the amount tendered was in lawful money, and does not show that the amount tendered was brought into court for the use of defendant. The language with reference to the tender is as follows: ‘ ‘Plaintiff further says that on November 18, 1905, Lemuel A. Fisher offered to pay and tendered to said John Y. Sees, as such authorized and acting record keeper of said defendant, all moneys and assessments due this defendant association for the month of November, 1905; that said John Y. Sees, as such authorized and acting record keeper, did then and there refuse to accept such moneys and assessments from said Lemuel A.. Fisher, although being authorized by said [423]*423defendant association as the record keeper for said local tent or lodge, and it being his duty to accept such payment.” Tlio averment may be lacking in definiteness of statement as to the amount and character of money of the alleged tender, but this could have been remedied by a motion to make more specific. We have considered the averments of the third and fourth paragraphs of answer and the objections thereto. In these rulings we find no error, but, in view of the conclusion reached, we do not deem it necessary to discuss or further refer to them in this opinion.

One of the reasons set out in the motion for a new trial is that the evidence is insufficient to sustain the verdict.

It also appears that on June 26, 1904, and while the insured was engaged in a nonhazardous employment, defendant revised its by-laws; that said by-laws provided, among other things, as follows:

‘ ‘ §281. Brakemen on freight-trains shall not be admitted to the association. §282. Any member who engages in a prohibited occupation shall forfeit all rights as life benefit member, and his certificate shall thereby become absolutely null and void. * * * §347. A life benefit member failing to pay his monthly dues and assessments within the month on the first day of which they are due shall stand suspended, without notice, from all rights of life benefit membership. * * §394. No benefit shall be paid on account of the death or disability of a member who is under suspension for any cause at the time of his death or disability.”

It is insisted on behalf of appellee, not that the assessments and dues for the month of November, 1905, were paid, but that the evidence shows an offer to pay and a refusal to accept — in other words, a tender of said assessments and dues — and that the conduct of appellant’s representative excused the insured from making actual tender.

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

Related

Middelkamp v. Hanewich
263 N.E.2d 189 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1970)
Sovereign Camp, W. O. W. v. McClure
168 So. 611 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1936)
St. George's Society v. Sawyer
214 N.W. 877 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1927)
Defeo v. Goodwin
287 S.W. 1075 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1926)
Carter v. Sill
218 P. 81 (California Court of Appeal, 1923)
Aetna Life Insurance v. Doerr
115 N.E. 700 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1917)
Goodman v. Haynes Automobile Co.
205 F. 352 (Seventh Circuit, 1913)
Certain v. Smith
101 N.E. 319 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1913)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
90 N.E. 1044, 45 Ind. App. 419, 1910 Ind. App. LEXIS 202, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/supreme-tent-v-fisher-indctapp-1910.