Red Cedar Lodge, I.O.O.F. Building Ass'n v. Trustees of Grand Lodge of Independent Order of Odd Fellows
Red Cedar Lodge, I.O.O.F. Building Ass'n v. Trustees of Grand Lodge of Independent Order of Odd Fellows
Opinion of the Court
Sec. 188.01, Stats, (formerly part of ch. 92, R. S. 1898), authorizes the members of any grand lodge or subordinate lodge of a number of fraternal societies, including the Order of Odd Fellows, to elect trustees. By virtue of sec. 188.02, such trustees are to be deemed a corporation. Thus the appellant is a corporation and the trustees of the subordinate Red Cedar Lodge No. 183 constitute a corporation of the same character, authorized by the same provision of the statutes.
The respondent Building Association, however, is a separate corporation, organized under ch. 86, R. S. 1898. It is clear that there is no provision of the articles of incorporation of the Building Association which requires it to obtain the consent of the Grand Lodge before sale of its real estate. No contract or declaration of trust has been made by the Building Association subjecting to the approval of the Grand Lodge its power to sell property. There is no claim that the sale is part of a plan to distribute the assets of the Building Association otherwise than as required by its articles, nor any facts shown which would warrant a court of equity in treating the Building Association as if it were the subordinate lodge and subject to the control of the Grand Lodge. A situation which has some similarities was before this court in Trustees Onalaska Camp v. Onalaska M. W. H. Asso. (1923), 179 Wis. 486, 192 N. W. 33. After analyzing the transaction involved in that case it was said that the court could discover no interest of the subordinate lodge there involved which authorized the subordinate lodge to interfere in any manner with any disposition which the separate building corporation saw fit to make of the property owned by the latter.
It is clear from the pleadings and evidentiary facts set forth in the affidavits filed that there is no issue of fact to be tried and that the circuit court properly awarded judgment in favor of the Building Association.
By the Court. — Judgment affirmed.
Reference
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