138 Va. 605 | Va. | 1924
after making the foregoing statement, delivered the following opinion of the court.
The ease turns upon a single question, namely:
1. Is this a case which, under the provisions of section 4 of the constitution of the league, the board of directors of the league were required to try?
The question must be answered in the negative.
Upon the facts appearing from the evidence, without any conflict therein, the requirement contained in the resolution, adopted at the Suffolk meeting, that “at the next meeting each club post a forfeit of $2,000.00” was a “lawful requirement” of the league within the meaning of subsection 8 of section 3 of the constitution of the league. The plaintiff and his club, a member of the league, failed and refused to comply with that requirement. As expressly provided in such subsection, such failure or refusal terminated the membership of the plaintiff’s club in the league.
As expressly provided in section 4 of the constitution of the league, when at the Norfolk meeting the plaintiff and his club were charged with the default just mentioned, by the resolution offered by the Wilson, N. C.,
As said in Kalbitzer v. Goodhue, 52 W. Va. 435, 44 S. E. 264: “The constitution and by-laws adopted by. a voluntary association constitutes a contract between the members, which, if not immoral or contrary to public policy, or the law, will be enforced by the courts.”
To the same effect, see Brown v. Stoerkel, 74 Mich. 269, 41 N. W. 921, 3 L. R. A. 430; 5 C. J. 355.
As said in Ostram v. Greene, 161 N. Y. 353, 55 N. E. 919: “There is a marked difference between a volun4 tary association with rules and one without. If lawful rules are made for the government of the members, they must be conformed to until they are regularly changed. So long as they are in force, they are the law of the association and must be obeyed.”
Reversed and final judgment dismissing the action.