The second motion to dismiss (Dkt. This event was titled the "Ninety-First Annual Session, Virginia Council on Deliberation A.A.S.R. Box 16787 3385 Airways Blvd. Refresh your browser window to try again. Signed by Greener, John G. Jones, D.F. The constitution for the Southern Jurisdiction were established in 1887 and revised in 1917 and 1955. The Supreme Council of the United States Western Jurisdiction was established in 1864 by Baron Auguste Hugo Debulow of the; . 1847 from byron amerson on Vimeo. The account, which includes a total sum of approximately $27,446.26, is currently the subject of a judicial proceeding in Louisiana. Id. no. Description. Under the terms of Plaintiffs' Constitution, "all papers, rituals, monies, rules regulations [sic], assets, and other real or personal property must be returned to Plaintiffs" upon the dissolution of any subordinate body. After reviewing the briefing, and for the reasons that follow, the Court hereby GRANTS IN PART and DENIES IN PART Defendants' motions to dismiss. Free shipping for many products! Thus, they do not allege that any of these bank accounts were in their name, but instead assert that, under their Constitution, USC-SJ "shall have custody of the property, real and personal, of a Subordinate Body . Elks, 114 F.2d 46, 47 (4th Cir. Ideally, I think you are right, that would be the correct thing to do. for the fourth circuit . Compl. Under his direction, the organization changed its focus from a predominantly Creole organization, tripling the size of its membership. . Ste 201 Memphis, Tennessee 38186 Memphis, Tennessee 38116 Deary Vaughn, 33 Marvin D. Chambers, 33 Sovereign Grand Commander Grand Secretary General, H.E. See Murphy v. Holiday Inns, Inc., 216 Va. 490, 492 (1975) ("Agency is the fiduciary relation which results from the manifestation of consent by one person to another that the other shall act on his behalf and subject to his control, and consent by the other so to act.") Content refers to content such as text, images, or other information that can be posted, uploaded, linked to or otherwise made available by You, regardless of the form of that content. FOR THE PAST ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-NINE (149) YEARS. Loyal Ladies Supporting Since 1907 The Order of the Golden Circle is the women's auxiliary of the United Supreme Council, 33, Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Prince Hall Affiliation, Southern Jurisdiction, USA, Inc. The United Supreme Council Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Southern and Western Masonic Jurisdiction of the U.S.A. and Canada as organized on April 5, 1869, in the city of Washington, D.C., by many high degree Masons from Washington , D.C. to regulate Scottish Rite Masonry from the fourth to the thirty-third degrees. It reads: Finally, on March 18, 2016, Defendants held a "council of Deliberation annual meeting" in Richmond, Virginia. TX0008-210-759, titled "Constitution & General Regulations of the United Supreme Council, 33 Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, PHA, SJ, USA, Inc." The effective date of registration for Plaintiffs' Constitution is November 16, 2015. "To survive dismissal, the complaint must contain enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face." (USC-NJ) and the United Supreme Council, Southern Jurisdiction (USC-SJ) in 1881, it did not move forward as planned due to a lawsuit introduced by John G. Jones and Edward H. Morris on behalf of Prince Hall Consistory . As far as the Amended Complaint is concerned, these entities are independent organizations with independent bank accounts. at 555. As is relevant for the purposes of this motion, USC-SJ I maintains that it has "exclusive authority within [the Southern Jurisdiction] to form, charter and administer unincorporated 'Subordinate Bodies' including, but [sic] limited to, the exclusive authority to confer the Fourth Degree ('Secret Master') through the Thirty Third and Last Degree" ("Grand Inspector General") of Masonry. The above divisions were made based on a boundary developed by a joint committee in Wilmington, Delaware on April 19, 1907 using the Mason-Dixon Line as an official boundary. In New York City, a Supreme Council of the United States was established in 1864. Auto. In other words, they recite the terms of their own Constitution for the proposition that they were entitled to possession of another entity's property. There are and will be conversations about Masonic philosophy hidden in allegory and symbolism veiled in a beautiful system of morality. Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Prince Hall Affiliation, Prince Hall Affiliation, Southern Jurisdiction. The SlideShare family just got bigger. Also in 1864, a separate Supreme Council was formed in New York, which was made up of members from the National Compact Grand Lodge, from which a Southern Jurisdiction split off with the Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland. Amistad Research Center. Learn more about a Bloomberg Law subscription. Many organizations have split and split with the split for a reason. The General Grand Masonic Congress and the. Dkt. We've encountered a problem, please try again. For example, shortly after the coup, Defendant Parris (who was then Plaintiffs' Deputy of the Orient of Virginia) "defected to and joined Defendants" in their new order. 2 talking about this. 2014). Nor is there an instance of Defendants stealing a practice or ritual (or a description of any practice or ritual), and it is unlikely that these concepts could be classified as personal property in any case. 154. Enjoy access to millions of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more from Scribd. French freemasons hold their hand to create a circle as a ritual during a meeting inside a masonic temple in May 2019. African American fraternal organizations. Car & Truck Safety & Security Accessories, 1912 ANTIQUE MAP OF SOUTHERN BAVARIA BAYERN MUNICH AUGSBURG ALPS GERMANY, Top-rated Plus. Neither of these claims can survive the motion to dismiss. In considering a motion to dismiss, the court accepts as true all of the factual allegations contained in the complaint, construing them in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. Dunlap v. Cottman Transmission Sys., LLC, 287 Va. 207, 216 (2014). Oberg v. Pa. Higher Educ. USC Predecessor amended its name in 1964, and it remains a corporation in good standing in D.C. USC-SJ Tennessee and USC Predecessor are plaintiffs in this action. In New York City, a Supreme Council of the United States was established in 1864. The organization is subdivided into Orients and Valleys. A more recent docket listing may be available from PACER . Seville, and Charles W. Newton. For additional information, see the Global Shipping Program, 1932 ORIGINAL VINTAGE MAP OF SOUTHERN BAVARIA BAYERN MUNICH / GERMANY. USC-SJ Tennessee or its predecessors in interest have operated as Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry organizations since 1854. It is a monumental building by the famous architect John Russell Pope, whose accomplishments include the National Archives, the Jefferson Memorial, and the Westbuilding . . This amount is subject to change until you make payment. Even assuming this is a material and demonstrably false representation, there is no plausible argument that Plaintiffs relied on this statement. United Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree for Southern and Western Jurisdiction of the United States. The meeting was took place during an "official, ceremonial business meeting of Plaintiffs' subordinate body in Richmond, VA, known as Richmond Consistory No. No. of the World, v. Eureka Lodge No. Indeed, by the terms of the Constitution, "Plaintiffs' members vow to maintain their loyalty to no United Supreme Council other than Plaintiffs within the Southern Jurisdiction." is comprised of Five Separate Ancient Free and Accepted Masonic (A.F. [5] [6] . & A.M.) General Grand Masonic Congresses with their own Jurisdictions. 16, 2016). 943 likes. 20, Cincinnati, Ohio. Put simply, Plaintiffs do not allege at any point that they believed in the legitimacy of USC-SJ II, and therefore they could not have reasonably relied on Defendants' assertions of authority. As an example, Plaintiffs recite that, in Louisiana, one of USC-SJ Tennessee's subsidiary organizations, the Pelican Council on Deliberation (the "PCOD"), is involved in a legal challenge regarding its bank account at First NBC Bank. From 1939 to 1971, Longe served as Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of Louisiana. The final result was amazing, and I highly recommend www.HelpWriting.net to anyone in the same mindset as me. Conspiracies require some overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy, but "there can be no conspiracy to do an act which the law allows." exceeds $100,000.". See terms. Compl. United Supreme Council Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite for the 33rd Degree of Freemasonry Southern Jurisdiction, Prince Hall Affiliated Grand Orient of the District of Columbia Recognizing and Honoring our Scottish Rite History Since 1886 Reorganized 2015 1835 7th Street, NW #153 Washington, DC 20001 Our Mission Ill. Edward M. Thomas petitioned the King David Council, since he was residing in the District of Columbia, for the 33rd degree to be conferred on representative Masons in D.C., and on May 5, 1856, the conferment was made and a council was established. The Organization of the King David Supreme Council grew out of the conferring in Philadelphia (1850) of the 33rd Degree by Count DeSaint Laurent (also, Larine) of the Supreme Council of France and the Grand Commander of the Council of Spain on David Leary, the first Black Inspector-General of the Prince Hall Scottish Rite. Therefore, these claims are hereby DISMISSED with prejudice. 43). Plaintiffs United Supreme Council, 33 Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Prince Hall Affiliation, Southern Jurisdiction of the United States ("USC-SJ Tennessee" or "USC-SJ I") and its Washington DC-based predecessor (USC-SJ Predecessor) have brought suit against Defendants United Supreme Council of the Ancient . In examining the legal elements of fraud, it is evident that this claim must fail. Originally this organization was comprised of Independent Masons that were once 1 Organization thatwas. est. SEC. Moreover, Plaintiffs have not alleged that any of the Defendants actually took control of these accounts. In 1880, there were five Supreme Councils of the Prince Hall Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Masons in existence. Finally, they own U.S. Should any Active Member of a recognized Supreme Council be suspended, expelled, or if he should withdraw from or allow his regular Blue Lodge James A. Bonds v. Leavitt, 629 F.3d 369, 385 (4th Cir. Ill. Ollie Spencer Sr. 33rd/98th President of U.G.G.M.C. United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Seville, and Charles W. Newton. Assuming Plaintiffs' claims of authority are valid, any contrary assertions would have been immediately identifiable as false. At this meeting, Parris requested fraternal recognition for USC-SJ II. Grand Lodge Improved, B.P.O.E. After a hearing and a full round of briefing, Plaintiffs' original complaint was dismissed without prejudice on December 2, 2016 (Dkt. The excerpt they quote reads: "to adopt the name of the original order or to hold themselves out as a branch of that order . There will be 5 person teams in the tournament. Hechler Chevrolet, Inc. v. Gen. Motors Corp., 230 Va. 396, 402 (1985). This amount includes applicable customs duties, taxes, brokerage and other fees. There is no offer, acceptance, or supporting history of how these subordinate bodies were created. The Order of the Golden Circle is the women's auxiliary of the United Supreme Council, 33, Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Prince Hall Affiliation, Southern Jurisdiction, USA, Inc. Estimated Delivery within 5-31 business days. The General Grand Masonic Congress and the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Masons of the United Supreme Council Southern Western Jurisdiction and Canada were in Little Rock, AK. Members in Missouri may belong to the Valley of Saint Louis, the Valley of Columbia, the Valley of Joplin, the Valley of Kansas City or the Valley of Saint . 86936462, filed on March 10, 2016, and titled "Order of the Golden Circles." A subscription to PACER is required. Economopoulos v. Kolaitis, 259 Va. 806, 814 (2000). . You can read the details below. A presentation on the history of clandestine freemasonry within the african american traditions of freemasonry. Your country's customs office can offer more details, or visit eBay's page on. Its first member was John G. Jones, who was a Lt. Sovereign Grand Commander of the United Supreme Council's Southern and Western Jurisdiction. By meetings like this, Defendants were able to misappropriate Plaintiffs' "funds, revenue, name, numbers, assets, rituals, and other personalty without Plaintiffs' authorization or consent.". The Amended Complaint alleges that the amount of money misappropriated by Defendants' "conspiracy . There was no discussion of the legal claims for damages, and therefore this quotation (as well as the Independent Elks cases) is neither binding nor persuasive for this Court's fraud analysis. . Plaintiff claims that its "current territorial jurisdictions include the following states and territories: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, District of Columbia, England, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Korea, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, West Virginia, Western Europe, Republic of Liberia, Hawaiian Islands, the Philippine Islands, and 'such other areas as USC-SJ Tennessee may ordain." Too often, we are concerned with our personal gain and blinded by the power and fame to let it all go and work for the good of the order. Notable Prince Hall Scottish Rite MasonsUnited Supreme CouncilNorthern Jurisdiction(Continued) * Deceased members are identified with asterisk (*) *Ill. William A. ALL ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THIS VERY SPECIAL WEEKEND IN HOUSTON, TEXAS. Scottish Rite (Masonic order) -- Membership, Museum & Library Acquires Richard Theodore Greener's 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Certificate. When a Council has a state "within its jurisdiction," Plaintiffs allege that the Council "ha[s] the right to establish its Bodies within the extension of that State's jurisdictional limits and have exclusive jurisdiction thereof." Proudly created with Wix.com. 7 in Cincinnati in August 1883. Councils formed the Supreme Council for the "Southern Jurisdiction," which included Virginia. Ins. Additionally, in 1995, the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction celebrated mutual recognition with the United . Past Grand Sire Archon, Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Indeed, those cases resolved equitable claims for injunctive relief only. Get your fedoras, and fascinators out! Welcome to the Orient of Georgia AASR, PHA Southern Jurisdiction Website. On hand to affix their names and seals to the document on September 7, 2022, were Sovereign Grand Commanders of the four mutually recognized Scottish Rite Jurisdictions in the U.S.A. Deputy Of The Orient SGIG Primus T. James 33, Active A Message From The Deputy of the Orient SGIG Primus T. James, 33, Active Subscribe to Justia's Free Newsletters featuring summaries of federal and state court opinions. The Southern Jurisdiction for the United Supreme Council, P.H.A., consists of the states: AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, MO, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV, the territories of AZ, NM, the D.C, and AK. Plaintiffs' first conversion claim focuses on the bank accounts of its subordinate bodies. In this letter, Parris stated that an "overwhelming majority" of Plaintiffs' members voted to join Defendant USC-SJ II. Access the Case Summary and Docket Report to access additional information about this case on the US Court's PACER system. Southern & Western Jurisdiction Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite (A.A.S.R.) Instead, Plaintiffs try to draw the connection by affixing the label of "agent" on the signors on these accounts. Upon conceding this fact, Plaintiffs cannot now turn around to claim that they were fooled by the statements. The motion to dismiss will be DENIED with respect to the remaining claims. There are no examples of Defendants stealing an emblem in the Amended Complaint. The Headquarters of the Supreme Council for the Southern Jurisdiction is the House of the Temple, located at 1733 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC, between R and S Streets. State Farm Mut. The United Supreme Council for the Southern and Western Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States of America was formed on Jan. 27, 1887 Truth: This was the founding date of the Southern Jurisdiction. In 1871 a fifth was established in Philadelphia, and was named King Fredrick Supreme Council. For additional information, see the Global Shipping Program, This amount includes applicable customs duties, taxes, brokerage and other fees. In addition to these acts, Plaintiffs assert ownership of three federally-protected copyrights and trademarks. George Longe papers, 225. Compl. These allegations do not establish a legal ownership interest in the bank accounts. There are no facts to support this assertion. These meetings culminated in Parris formally appearing before the officers of the Grand Lodge in Roanoake on November 21, 2015. Allegedly, Brown "endorsed this concept [and took] the essence of the scheme back to the officers of [the Grand Lodge]." Fifth, as evidence of the conspiracy, Plaintiffs point to a published letter from Roger Brown to Ralph Slaughter on March 3, 2016. Government. Id. Disclaimer: Justia Dockets & Filings provides public litigation records from the federal appellate and district courts. 53) was filed by the other three Defendants: USC-SJ II, Parris, Slaughter, and Williams (USC-SJ II Defendants). Adventism and Catholicism. Alaska shall belong to the Northern also. and their agents or members, known and unknown, knowingly, intelligently and intentionally stole, misappropriated, converted, and usurped Plaintiffs' currency, name, likeness, rituals, emblems, practices, personal property, revenue, Constitution, contributions, assets, benefactor lists, and/or intellectual property for the use and benefit of Defendants." . Copy to clipboard These 5 Councils petitioned for unity in a conference in New York City on January 13, 1881, and was responsible for the Articles of Union and two Supreme Councils of the Northern Jurisdiction (P.H.A.) Sellers declare the item's customs value and must comply with customs declaration laws. . The United Supreme Council, AASRM, 33rd And Last Degree Of Freemasonry, For The Southern and Western Masonic Jurisdiction, USA Its' Dependencies and Territories, Lawfully Established at Washington, District of Columbia, April 5, 1869 Our Mission If you reside in an EU member state besides UK, import VAT on this purchase is not recoverable. United States: Standard Shipping from Canada: Estimated between Mon, Mar 6 and Mon, Mar 13 to 23917 Id. Active Members of the Supreme Council, 33, SJ, USA Ill. James D. Cole, 33 Sovereign Grand Commander & SGIG at-Large Ill. Joe R. Manning, Jr., 33 Lieutenant Grand Commander & SGIG in Oklahoma Ill. Leonard Proden, 33 Grand Prior & SGIG in the District of Columbia Ill. Robert W. Cockerham, 33 Grand Chancellor & SGIG in Missouri Ill. Joseph C. Harrison, Jr., 33 Grand Minister of State . An appropriate order shall issue. . Access additional case information on PACER Free access to premium services like Tuneln, Mubi and more. The constitution for the Southern Jurisdiction were established in 1887 and revised in 1917 and 1955. We are PHA Affiliated Freemasons practicing the Scottish Rite in the state of Georgia. Therefore, the related claim for a conspiracy to commit fraud must necessarily be dismissed as well. The main topic of discussion is Masonry. There are soo many questions that need to be addressed, but I am sooo happy that we have started a dialog that may create some answers to this age-old problem of divide and conquer. These activities continued until around March 4, 2016, and consisted of Defendants Parris and/or Brown meeting with Plaintiffs' Subordinate Bodies and advising them to withdraw from USC-SJ I. The district court granted the motion with respect to the fraud claim, finding that the plaintiffs had failed, Full title:UNITED SUPREME COUNCIL, 33 DEGREE OF THE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH, Court:UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA Alexandria Division. Originally headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina, the Supreme Council was relocated to Washington, D.C. after the Civil War. These demands presume that Plaintiffs knew Defendants' claims were false. 255 is a motion from the following Defendants: United Supreme Council of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite for the 33 Degree of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, Prince Hall Affiliated; Ralph Slaughter; Joseph Williams; and Michael Parris. See First NBC Bank v. Pelican Council of Deliberation, et al., 24th Judicial District Ct. Parish of Jefferson, LA, Case No. The meeting was "conducted under Plaintiffs' Constitution and utilize[ed] Plaintiffs' Trademarks and other assets." Unlike the "oath of fealty" that provides a factual basis for establishing a contract between Plaintiffs and their members, Plaintiffs do not allege a separate contract with the subordinate bodies in their Amended Complaint. Authored by Bro Antoine Lilly, MPS. Specifically, the motions are DENIED with respect to Count I (unfair competition); Count II (conspiracy to commit unfair competition); Count V (tortious interference); Count VI (conspiracy to commit tortious interference); Count IX (copyright infringement); and Count X (trademark infringement). Do not sell or share my personal information, 1. A 33 certificate issued by the United Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree for Southern and Western Jurisdictions of the United States to Richard Theodore Greener, and dated September 8, 1896. Plaintiffs' bare assertions of "authority" and "exclusive jurisdiction" under their Constitution are simply without legal support. No. Antoine Lilly. From the Philadelphia Council, a Southern and Western Jurisdiction defected with Headquarters at Washington, D.C. United States ex rel. For the remaining conspiracy claims, Plaintiffs have pleaded sufficient facts to establish a claim for relief. Donate The General Grand Masonic Congress (G.G.M.C.) In addition, Defendants, through their agents Charles V. Hargrave Jr. and Ernest Hardy, Jr., attempted to "invade and/or usurp three (3) banking accounts or securities owned by Plaintiffs, or their Subordinate Body - Alpha & Omega Consistory #9, and kept by the Wells Fargo Bank, Church and High Street, Portsmouth, VA." As a result, on May 16, 2016, Wells Fargo restricted access to the assets because it had "received conflicting information regarding individuals authorized to transact on the business accounts." --------. United Supreme Council, PHA, Northern Jurisdiction 33 of the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles Mystic Shrine North and South America and its Jurisdictions Incorporated United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) The Home of Freemasonry United Supreme Council of the 33rd Degree for Southern and Western Jurisdiction of the United States., 33 certificate issued by the United Supreme Council to Richard Theodore Greener, 1896 September 8,, https://digitalvgw.omeka.net/items/show/512. They also own federal trademark application No. 1940) ("Independent Elks II"). From the Philadelphia Council, a Southern and Western Jurisdiction defected with Headquarters at Washington, D.C. A Freemason splinter group that adopted a name similar to the council it left isn't liable for holding itself out as an extension of that council because no one was shown to have been defrauded, the Fourth Circuit said Oct. 30 in an unpublished ruling. United Supreme Council, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Masons of the Thirty-third Degree for the Southern and Western Jurisdiction: proceedings, proclamations, membership lists and certificates, and legal records, 1895-1963, Folder 7, Box: 28, Folder: 7. By whitelisting SlideShare on your ad-blocker, you are supporting our community of content creators. An introduction to Clandestine Freemasonry Click here to review the details. Today, Nevada, is in the Southern Jurisdiction and Arizona and New Mexico are States; Europe, England, Korea, Japan and the Middle East are also a part of the Southern Jurisdiction. United Supreme Council, 33 Deg v. United Supreme Council, ROGER C. BROWN, Individually and as Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Virginia Free and Accepted Masons, Incorporated and MOST WORSHIPFUL PRINCE HALL GRAND LODGE OF VIRGINIA FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS, INCORPORATED, RALPH SLAUGHTER, UNITED SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE ANCIENT ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE FOR THE 33 DEGREE OF FREEMASONRY, PRINCE HALL AFFILIATED, a District of Columbia Non-Profit Corporation, MICHAEL A. PARRIS and JOSEPH A. WILLIAMS, UNITED SUPREME COUNCIL, 33 DEGREE OF THE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE OF FREEMASONRY, PRINCE HALL AFFILIATION, SOUTHERN JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, a Tennessee Non-Profit Corporation and UNITED SUPREME COUNCIL 33 (THIRTY-THREE) OF THE ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE OF FREEMASONRY (PRINCE HALL AFFILIATION) SOUTHERN JURISDICTION U.S., GRAND ORIENT AT WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, a District of Columbia Non-Profit Corporation; T.