Marcus v. National Council of Knights & Ladies of Security
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Marcus v. National Council of Knights & Ladies of Security
Opinion of the Court
Plaintiffs replied, alleging that the charges preferred were false and were made for the purpose of avoiding defendant’s obligation to deceased and to plaintiffs; that deceased was never permitted to answer said charges nor to be heard thereon, and that the alleged trial was arbitrary, unauthorized, oppressive and void; that defendant waived the provisions of the laws of the order requiring proofs of death or presentation of claim, and took and maintained the position that the contract of deceased was terminated by reason of the pretended expulsion.
The laws of the order do require the prompt monthly payment of assessments. It is admitted deceased paid none between April and the time of her death in November, 1911. They require a member of a dissolved council to take the steps alleged to preserve his member *199 ship. It is admitted that she did not do so. And they require proofs of death and of claimant’s claim upon blanks furnished by defendant. It is admitted no proofs were made. Plaintiffs claim the facts alleged in the answer constitute a waiver of all of these provisions. Defendant contends that they are not pleaded as a waiver of any default, except that arising from failure to make proofs of death. We do not agree with this contention. The allegation of the unauthorized repudiation of the contract is general and may be regarded as responsive to all the defenses alleged in the answer.
Defendant contends the burden is on plaintiffs to show that its refusal to recognize the membership of deceased was wrongful. The law is otherwise. Forfeitures are never presumed and must be proved by the person asserting them. Cornfield v. Order Brith Abraham, 64 Minn. 261, 66 N. W. 970; Kulberg v. National Council of Knights and Ladies of Security, 124 Minn. 437, 145 N. W. 120.
Defendant further contends that inasmuch as the letters notifying deceased of the repudiation of her membership were offered in evidence by plaintiffs, plaintiffs are bound by the statements made in them that deceased was duly expelled from the order and her certificate cancelled. Clearly this is not the law. The expulsion of deceased cannot be proved by defendant’s assertion of it. Where an insurance society repudiates the contract of one of its members and makes a declaration in writing of its repudiation, its own assertion in such writing that its conduct was rightful, furnishes no evidence in its favor to that effect.
The result is, the court is obliged to regard the refusal of defend *200 ant to accept further payments from deceased as wrongful, and as an inexcusable breach of the contract between them.
Defendant’s counsel argues at length that the governing body of the defendant society had no power to waive the payment of assessments by deceased. He predicates his argument on the assumption that the effect of such waiver was to permanently excuse deceased from future payment of assessments, and nevertheless keep her certificate in force. If the effect were as counsel assumes, then his argument would doubtless be well founded. But it is not. The action of the society did not relieve the deceased of her obligation to pay assessments. Even repeated tenders of all assessments as they became due would not affect this result. Tender never discharges an obligation. It simply excuses the person owing it from the consequences of failure to make payment at the time the contract requires. The declaration of a beneficiary society that it will not receive further payments from a member, simply excuses the member from payment at the time and in the manner required by his contract, but if he stands on his contract and seeks to enforce it, he must discharge his obligation of payment as a condition to such enforcement. If the member acquiesces in the repudiation of the contract by the society, then he loses all rights under it, for a repudiation of a contract by one party, acquiesced in by the other, is tantamount to a rescission. See Marcus v. National Council of Knights and Ladies of Security, 123 Minn. 145, 143 N. W. 265. On the other hand, should the society change its attitude and again recognize the contract as a valid and subsisting one, then the member must continue to discharge the obligations it imposes on him if he would have it continue *201 in force. Langnecker v. Trustees of Grand Lodge A. O. U. W. of Wis. 111 Wis. 279, 283, 87 N. W. 293, 55 L.R.A. 185, 87 Am. St. 860. If tbe beneficiaries of tbe member sue on tbe contract after tbe member’s death, they must make good tbe member’s obligations by payment of all dues and assessments, or suffer a deduction of the amount thereof from their recovery. Kulberg v. National Council of Knights and Ladies of Security, 124 Minn. 437, 145 N. W. 120. In this view of tbe nature and effect of tbe conduct of defendant’s officers as a waiver, there can be no more doubt of their power to waive prompt payment in such a case as this than in a case where payment is made one day after it becomes due.
The conduct of defendant in repudiating the membership of deceased likewise excused the default of plaintiffs in failing to submit proofs of death. It is well settled that a disavowal of liability by the insurer, on other grounds, after death of the alleged member, dispenses with the necessity of making proofs of death. 2 Bacon, Ben. Soc. & Life Ins. § 413; Alexander v. Grand Lodge, A. O. U. W. 119 Iowa, 519, 93 N. W. 508. It is likewise the law that, if the insurer during the lifetime of the insured declares a forfeiture of the insurance contract and continues its disavowal of the contract up to the time of death of the deceased, such action on its part amounts to a waiver of the provisions of the contract requiring proofs of death. Equitable Life Assur. Soc. v. Winning, 58 Fed. 541, 7 C. C. A. 359.
Order affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Betty Marcus and Another v. National Council of Knights and Ladies of Security. [Fn1]
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- 15 cases
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- Published