Hoomana Naauao O Hawaii ex rel. Maia v. Makekau
Hoomana Naauao O Hawaii ex rel. Maia v. Makekau
Opinion of the Court
OPINION OF THE COURT BY
This is an appeal from a decree of the first judge of the circuit court of the first judicial circuit dismissing the
The petitioners-appellants claim that the annual meeting or convention of said corporation was convened July 21, 1919, pursuant to a call duly and regularly issued by the then president of the corporation and that said convention proceeded in accordance with the constitution and by-laws of the corporation to elect officers and members of the board of trustees for the ensuing year and that petitioners are the officers and trustees so elected at said convention.
The claim of the respondents is that the annual convention of said corporation was convened on July 28, 1919, pursuant to a call duly and regularly issued by the board of trustees of the corporation and that said convention proceeded in accordance with the constitution and by-laws of said corporation to elect officers and members of the board of trustees for the ensuing year and that they are the officers and trustees so elected at said convention.
Section 12 of the by-laws of the Hoomana Naauao o Hawaii provides that “The annual sessions of this association shall be called to order at the time specified in the call of the president or of the board of trustees in the month of July of each year.” Section 4 of the constitution provides that the officers shall be elected by ballot from the membership defined in section 8 in July of each year in Honolulu. Both conventions met in Honolulu in July so there is no controversy raised by either party on this score.
The main contention of the parties centers around the calls for the convention, each faction claiming that the call on which it relies was first and therefore the legal
Upon this state of facts the circuit judge decided that the call of the board of trustees was first and applied tin* principle that where two persons or courts exercise concurrent jurisdiction or power the first person or court to exercise that jurisdiction or power in a particular case does so to the exclusion of the other person or court. He therefore decided that the convention called by the board was the duly and legally called convention and the respondents the legally elected officers and trustees. . The parties both accept the principle upon which the decision is based as correct. The principle is undoubtedly sound and the correctness of the conclusion reached therefore depends upon whether the facts justify the holding that
The only communication or notice to the parties entitled to meet of the determination of the board of trustees to call the convention for July 28 is the published notice dated June 23 and published June 27. The president’s call was published June 20. Applying the principles announced by the authorities cited we are impelled to the conclusion that the publication constituted the call of the convention and that the circuit judge was not justified in holding that the call of the board of trustees was first but should have held the call of the president to be first and the convention held pursuant thereto the legal convention unless both conventions Avere illegal for Avant of proper notice.
The question of the sufficiency of notice by publication Avas not raised by either party in the court below and was not discussed by either party until the question was raised by us. After hearing the parties we have concluded that the question is not properly raised and should therefore not he considered by us. Detroit v. Detroit Citizens’ St. Ry. Co., 184 U. S. 368, 381; Kuala v. Kuapahi, 15 Haw. 300.
• The only other question raised beloAV and considered involved the status' of the parties, it being contended by the petitioners that all of the respondents had been expelled from the church and therefore disqualified to hold office. It Avas also contended by respondents that some of the petitioners had been expelled from the church.
The decree is reversed and the canse remanded.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- HOOMANA NAAUAO O HAWAII, A CORPORATION, BY J. E. K. MAIA, A. L. NAKEA, D. K. DIAMOND, A. I. BRIGHT, ROBERT AKANA, J. A. HOOKAMA, RICHARD WEEDON, C. L. KEALOHA, F. A. KAKALIA, M. K. KANEIAKALA AND ISAIA POAI v. W. S. J. O. MAKEKAU, J. ISERAELA, L. R. KEKUEWA, MRS. KAHALEWEHI BAKER, G. NICHOLAS, H. PELE, SAMUEL KEANU, ALEX. GEORGE AND W. E. EDMUNDS
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Corporations — meetings—call. A call of a corporate meeting in the legal sense of the term is a summons or notice to the parties entitled to meet directing them to do so. Same — same—same. The by-laws of the corporation provide that the annual meeting may be called by the president or by the board of trustees. The board met May 11 and decided to call the meeting for July 28. The president on June 20 issued and had published a call of the convention for July 21. The board did not publish or otherwise give notice of its call until June 27. Held, that the publication of the notice constituted the call and the call of the president being published first was therefore the legal call. Same — same—same. Where the power to call a corporate meeting is vested in either of two. officials of a corporation the one first legally exercising the power in a given case does so to the exclusion of the other.