Court Opinion

ID: 9862442
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-25 01:10:38.103417+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:25:33.966240
License: Public Domain

Dissenting Opinion
Givan, C.J.
I respectfully dissent from the majority opinion in this case. There is no question that the law stated *48by the majority is correct in that the equal protection clauses of the Constitutions of the United States and of Indiana and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 all require that persons receive equal treatment. However I do not agree with the majority that when this law is applied to the facts in the case at bar the result is an invalidation of the adoption of the separate actuarial table for men and women retired teachers for the purpose of the computation of their benefits to be paid from the Teachers’ Retirement Fund.
Prior to the adoption of that method of determining benefits, men teachers and women teachers were charged equal premiums for their participation, and upon retirement, were given equal monthly benefits. Because of the fact, which is recognized by the majority, that women have a greater life expectancy than men, the result was an unequal treatment based upon sex. This unequal treatment favored women retirees, in that as a group they received the same monthly benefits, but received them for a longer period of time due to their longevity.
It is obvious from the facts of the case that the Board determined that such unequal treatment should not prevail and the sexes should be treated equally. There were two avenues to pursue which would have resulted in equal treatment. One was to charge the men a smaller premium during their period of actual service, and upon retirement give equal payment to men and women. The other was to charge an equal premium regardless of sex, but upon retirement to pay a smaller monthly amount to the women retirees. The Board obviously chose the latter.
The majority opinion points out that some women live no longer than some men and, in fact, some live a shorter time than some men. However the fact remains that given an equal number of men and women commencing retirement at a point in time, when all of the men have died, there will still be living approximately 17% of the women retirees who will continue to receive their monthly payment. Theoretically, *49at the time of the death of the last woman, an equal amount of retirement pay will have been received by the group of men and by the group of women. It therefore appears the action of the Board, rather than depriving persons of equal rights, has in fact equalized the benefits under the program.
I would therefore hold the Board’s action was entirely proper and that it did in fact cure a situation which was unequal so far as the sexes were concerned.
The trial court therefore should have been reversed, and the plan upheld.
Note. — Reported at 360 N.E.2d 171.