69 Neb. 372 | Neb. | 1903
One August O. Nitsch became a member of the Knights of the Maccabees of the World, a fraternal beneficiary association organized under the laws of another state, but duly authorized to do business in this state, and as such member received a benefit certificate providing for the payment of certain sums to his wife in case of his death. He became a member and received his certificate in the year 1892. He died in 1902, and this suit is brought by his widow, as beneficiary, to recover upon the certificate. The defendant sets up a violation of a by-law of the association wherein it is provided, that in case a member' shall commit suicide, whether sane or insane, his certificate shall be forfeited. At the time Nitsch became a member, the provision in question ivas not contained in the by-laws of the association. There was a provision, however, that the certificate should be subject to any and all amendments to or alterations of the constitution or by-laws of the society thereafter to be made. From time to time, a number of successive amendments to the by-laws were adopted providing that if the holder of the certificate should commit suicide, whether sane or insane, within a certain
We think the ruling of the trial court was correct. It is urged on behalf of the defendant that said section does not apply to fraternal beneficiary associations organized under the laws of other states, but has reference only to those organized under the laws of this state, pursuant to section 110 of said chapter 43; and that even if such section properly construed does apply to societies organized under the laws of other states, the provision that before any amendment to or alteration in the constitution or by-laws of such an association shall take effect or be in force, a copy of the amendment or alteration, duly certified, must be filed with the auditor of public accounts, is unconstitutional as impairing the obligation of contracts, when applied to a benefit certificate issued prior to the statute and expressly subject to all future changes or amendments. Neither of these contentions is well founded. Said section 112 expressly refers to “every such society.” If we take this to refer to the societies last mentioned in the -act it clearly embraces all organizations of the kind doing business in the state, whether foreign or domestic, because section 111, just preceding, expressly governs “all societies,
We therefore recommend that the judgment be affirmed.
By the Court: For the reasons stated in the foregoing opinion, the judgment of the district court is
Affirmed.