89 N.J.L. 380 | N.J. | 1916
The opinion of the court was delivered by
The defendants are an unincorporated organization—a trade union. They are not shown to have any property and the plain question is whether the court will interfere by mandamus to compel the other members to receive the relator as a member. The question seems never to have been directly decided in this court. In Zelliff v. Knights of Pythias, 53 N. J. L. 536, the local lodge was unincorporated, and -the case turned upon the necessity of the relator seeking redress in the tribunals of the order before having recourse to the civil courts. The suggestion of the court that after appealing to the highest tribunal within the order, he might-still sue for relief and that the defendants would still be within reach of the mandatory writ, was not meant to be a decision that such writ would issue. The only authority cited was Sibley v. Carteret Club, 40 Id. 295, which was a case of a corporation, not a mere unincorporated association. The distinction between incorporated and unincorporated associations was pointed out by Vice Chancellor Emery in O’Brien v. Musical Mutual P. & B. Union, 64 N. J. Eq. 525 (at p. 532). He cites the English cases, Forbes v. Eden, L. R., 1 H. L.
It would be quite impiacticable for the courts to undertake i.o compel men to receive into their social relationships one who was personally disagreeable whether for a good or a bad reason. Property rights the courts can deal with; rights in an incorporated company are of that character, and the right of membership is ordinarily assignable. Voluntary associaiions, are quite different. The courts can deal with property rights of such associations, if there are any, while they cannot by a mandatory writ intrude one man’s companionship on another. The attempt to do so would he unavailing as it would lead only to the disintegration of the association. We do not mean to deny the present relator’s right to recover damages if his right to labor has been illegally interfered with. Brennan v. United Hatters, 73 N. J. L. 729. AH we now decide is that mandamus is not a proper remedy. The rule is discharged, with costs.