is comprised of Five Separate Ancient Free and Accepted Masonic (A.F. 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. Conspiracies require some overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy, but "there can be no conspiracy to do an act which the law allows." According to the complaint, there was no such vote, and "Plaintiffs' Constitution . Indeed, those cases resolved equitable claims for injunctive relief only. In addition, "agents (indicated as account signors) of Defendant USC-SJ II have successfully misappropriated" seven separate accounts belonging to Plaintiffs' subordinate bodies. 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.) At this meeting, Parris, Slaughter and Williams lead a discussion regarding their plan to "takeover Plaintiffs Virginia operations by usurping Plaintiffs' name, Trademarks, Copyrighted Material, financial accounts and other assets . Amistad Research Center. The first motion to dismiss (Dkt. By accepting, you agree to the updated privacy policy. The Defendants are grouped into two categories and have filed two separate motions to dismiss. After a hearing and a full round of briefing, Plaintiffs' original complaint was dismissed without prejudice on December 2, 2016 (Dkt. Your country's customs office can offer more details, or visit eBay's page on. As a result of the conference of the Sovereign Grand Commanders of the two Supreme Councils, Northern and Southern Jurisdictions A.A.S.R., P.H.A., on August 2, 1966, were established at the Cathedral, Fitzwater & Mole St. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Statement of Unity Signing Brightens a September Day. 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. OF illinois. 48) was filed by Defendants Roger Brown and the Grand Lodge ("Grand Lodge Defendants"). The immediate predecessor in interest to USC-SJ Tennessee was the USC of the Sovereign Grand Inspectors General of the Thirty-Third and Last Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States (USC Predecessor), which was incorporated in 1920 under the laws of the District of Columbia. 1940) ("Independent Elks II"). These allegations do not establish a legal ownership interest in the bank accounts. Principally, if Plaintiffs enjoy exclusive authority over the Southern Jurisdiction (as they claim), then they would be well aware that any assertion of overlapping or competing authority was false. Fourth, Plaintiffs allege that Defendants have attempted to take control of "certain financial banking accounts owned and controlled by [Plaintiffs]". Now customize the name of a clipboard to store your clips. 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 Accepted Scottish Rite for the 33 Degree of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, Prince Hall Affiliated (USC-SJ II), Ralph Slaughter, Joseph Williams, the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Virginia, Free and Accepted Masons, Incorporated ("Grand Lodge"), Roger Brown, and Michael Parris. . Southern and Western Masonic Jurisdiction, USA, Dealing with the challenges of today requires problem-solvers who bring different perspectives and are willing to take risks. Antoine Lilly. 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 Auto. THE UNITED SUPREME COUNCIL OF THE ANCIENT ACCEPTED SCOTTISH RITE FOR THE 33 AND LAST DEGREE OF FREE MASONRY FOR THE SOUTHERN AND WESTERN MASONIC JURISDICTION, U. S. A., GRAND ORIENT WASHINGTON, D. C. is a Louisiana Non-Profit Corporation Or Co-Op (Non-) filed on April 30, 1956. A Freemason splinter group that adopted a name similar to the council it left isnt 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 - Southern Jurisdiction. 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. This is an open forum for intellectual dialog, conversation, questions, comments, ideas, and debate. In 1880, there were five Supreme Councils of the Prince Hall Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite Masons in existence. Compl. Reviews (0) The first Scottish Rite organization among African-Americans was the African Grand Council of 1820 in Philadelphia, which was referred to as the Council of Princes of Jerusalem. Scottish Rite (Masonic order). no. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Darrell Brightmon 33rd of Texas, and other Illustrious Texas Delegate Masons. In this regard, bald legal assertions without factual support need not be accepted. French freemasons hold their hand to create a circle as a ritual during a meeting inside a masonic temple in May 2019. These meetings took place during the time period of November 6-20, 2015. Plaintiffs' Amended Complain does state a claim for unfair competition, tortious interference with contract, copyright infringement and trademark infringement. The General Grand Masonic Congress and the. Collection of Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library, Lexington, Massachusetts. 43). Oberg v. Pa. Higher Educ. Welcome Welc ome to the Orient of Maryland, Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, PHA, Southern Jurisdiction. Am. Learn more about a Bloomberg Law subscription. . 45 (citing Plaintiffs' Constitution, Art. Qualifying purchases could enjoy no Interest if paid in full in 6 months on purchases of $99+. A more recent docket listing may be available from PACER . Description. 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. Plaintiffs' fraud claim has no merit. 48 in stock. "Every thing that gliders ant gold" We must be able to see a wolf in sheeps clothing. 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. A more recent docket listing No. Ins. 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. The company's filing status is listed as Terminated - Ftb Admin . G.G.M.C. The organization was founded in 1907 by then Lt. Grand Commander and Ill. Deputy of the District of Columbia Plaintiffs allege that this name "is the same if not substantially and significantly similar, to the name of Plaintiff [USC-SJ I]." did not allow the taking of any such vote regarding the grant of loyalty to a competing United Supreme Council." 7 in Cincinnati in August 1883. Past Grand Sire Archon, Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Inc. For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them. Under his direction, the organization changed its focus from a predominantly Creole organization, tripling the size of its membership. In 1871 a fifth was established in Philadelphia, and was named King Fredrick Supreme Council. Nevertheless, how often does man do what is correct, good, and just? 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. The United Supreme Council, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Prince Hall Affiliation, Southern Jurisdiction, 100th anniversary, Oct 25-28, 1986, Washington, D.C. by Scottish Rite (Masonic order). Category: Scottish Rite Collection. at 555. . 18-2034. 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 nonprofit corporation; united - supreme council 33 (thirtythree) of the ancient and - The United Supreme Council, AASRM, 33rd Degree, Southern and Western. This attempt was unsuccessful, and on October 16, 2015, six days after their coup failed, Slaughter, Williams, and Wilkins incorporated USC-SJ II under the name "United Supreme Council of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite for the 33 Degree of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction, Prince Hall Affiliated." Id. Moreover, even if they did believe these assertions, they have not alleged any action that they took as a result of the false representations. 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. As specific evidence, Plaintiffs allege that they were aware of Defendants' false claims and demanded that they cease the unauthorized use of their intellectual property. Ste 201 Memphis, Tennessee 38186 Memphis, Tennessee 38116 Deary Vaughn, 33 Marvin D. Chambers, 33 Sovereign Grand Commander Grand Secretary General, H.E. Accordingly, in order to state a claim for a civil conspiracy, Plaintiffs must establish that an underlying tort has been committed. est. The organization is subdivided into Orients and Valleys. (Andrew) McClain 33. The excerpt they quote reads: "to adopt the name of the original order or to hold themselves out as a branch of that order . and shall administer and/or dispose of same as it sees fit." Ill. Ollie Spencer Sr. 33rd/98th President of U.G.G.M.C. As far as the Amended Complaint is concerned, these entities are independent organizations with independent bank accounts. 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. Access additional case information on PACER This amount is subject to change until you make payment. The defendants had been members of the United . Indeed, the Court may not rely on mere "labels and conclusions" or the Complaint's "formulaic recitation of the elements of a given cause of action. 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." 22A." Third, Defendants induced members to switch allegiances. In this case, Plaintiffs have failed to state a claim for relief on their underlying fraud claim. 2011) (internal quotation marks omitted). Company (referred to as either "the Company", "We", "Us" or "Our" in this Agreement) refers to United Supreme Council, 2065 Nonconnah Blvd. Following these factual recitations, Plaintiffs' Amended Complaint alleges the following 10 counts against Defendants: (1) Unfair Competition; (2) Conspiracy to Commit Unfair Competition; (3) Fraud; (4) Conspiracy to Commit Fraud; (5) Tortious Interference with Contract; (6) Conspiracy to Commit Tortious Interference with Contract; (7) Conversion -Banking Accounts/Securities Held by Federally Chartered Financial Institution; (8) Conversion -Other Personalty; (9) Copyright Infringement; and (10) Trademark Infringement. The Official Website of The G.G.M.C. with Grand Master Jose Rivera 33rd of New York, Grand Master Mark Williams 33rd of Texas, Past G.M. 1847 from byron amerson on Vimeo. Upon conceding this fact, Plaintiffs cannot now turn around to claim that they were fooled by the statements. 1:16-cv-1103 (E.D. who served as the second Most Puissant Sovereign Grand Commander of the DeBulow Supreme Council from 1879 through 1892. Upon consideration of the parties' briefing, and for good cause shown, the Court finds that Plaintiffs have failed to state a claim for relief with regard to Count III (Fraud), Count IV (Conspiracy to Commit Fraud), and Counts VII and VIII (Conversion of Bank Accounts and Personalty). Click here to review the details. This was the date of the "Union of 1867", when it merged with the competing Cerneau "Supreme Council" in New York. There is no offer, acceptance, or supporting history of how these subordinate bodies were created. Compl. Box 16787 3385 Airways Blvd. Website link will be sent out soon! "Morals and dogma has been described as 'a collection of thirty-two . 2014). June 27, 1847, Boston, MA. Copy to clipboard 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. USC-SJ Tennessee or its predecessors in interest have operated as Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry organizations since 1854. Subscribe to Justia's Free Newsletters featuring summaries of federal and state court opinions. Independent Elks II, 114 F.2d at 47. constitutes a fraud upon the original order and upon the public." Copyright Registration No. There are no facts to support this assertion. ; Org. The names of the real signors on these accounts are all listed in the complaint, and yet none of them are Defendants here. Plaintiffs' knowledge that Defendants' claims of authority were false belies any reliance on those statements and dooms their fraud claims. "To survive dismissal, the complaint must contain enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face." The meeting was took place during an "official, ceremonial business meeting of Plaintiffs' subordinate body in Richmond, VA, known as Richmond Consistory No. 5, Indep. of the World, v. Eureka Lodge No. and the United Supreme Council of the Southern Jurisdiction (P.H.A.). 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. 33. The defendants had been members of the United Supreme Council, 33 Degree of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Prince Hall Affiliation, Southern Jurisdiction of the United States of American, also known as USC-SJ I. Do not sell or share my personal information, 1. 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." Finally, they own U.S. For additional information, see the Global Shipping Program, 1932 ORIGINAL VINTAGE MAP OF SOUTHERN BAVARIA BAYERN MUNICH / GERMANY. 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. Activate your 30 day free trialto continue reading. SOVEREIGN GRAND COMMANDERS OF THE UNITED SUPREME COUNCIL, A.A.S.R.M., 33. Moreover, Plaintiffs have not alleged that any of the Defendants actually took control of these accounts. The Brethren of the Supreme Council for the Southern Jurisdiction, U.S.A., Mother Council of the World, extend our warmest fraternal greetings to our Brethren of the United Supreme. Prepared for the Supreme council of the thirty-third degree, for the Southern jurisdiction of the United States, and published by its authority by Albert Pike ( Book ) 118 editions published between 1871 and 2020 in English and held by 1,016 WorldCat member libraries worldwide. Liam O'Grady United States District Judge. Notable Prince Hall Scottish Rite MasonsUnited Supreme CouncilNorthern Jurisdiction(Continued) * Deceased members are identified with asterisk (*) *Ill. William A. Something went wrong. United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The first three degrees are: "'Entered Apprentice,' or the 'First Degree'; 'Fellow Craft' or 'Second Degree'; and 'Master Mason,' or 'Third Degree' of masonry."