Court Opinion

ID: 9883393
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-10-06 01:41:40.80604+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:48:23.024684
License: Public Domain

Taylor, Justice
(dissenting).
Section 37-857 of the Code of Laws of South Carolina 1952, “Fraternal Benefit Associations” expressly provides that the general insurance law is inapplicable to fraternal benefit associations and shall not apply unless express provision is made therefor and no express provision appears in the 1952 Code. Section 37-161. On the contrary, the plain and unambiguous words “all life insurance companies, fraternal benefit associations or any other company, corporation or association by whatever name known” were omitted. This omission may have been inadvertent and not have reflected the intention of the legislature; however, the legislature will not be deemed to have done a useless thing. Be that as it may, a statute being omitted from the' Code *356whether through error or inadvertence is lost, State v. Meares, 148 S. C. 118, 145 S. E. 695, and this Court cannot recur to the original statute for the purpose of ascertaining the intendment of the legislative body where the language used is plain and unambiguous. Town of Forest Acres v. Seigler, 224 S. C. 166, 77 S. E. (2d) 900.
If the language used does not expressly state the intention of the legislative body, its correction is not a judicial matter but one of legislative concern. I would, therefore adopt the Order appealed from as the Order of this Court.
Baker, C. J., concurs in result.