Club members Unfounded verbal accusation of theft

[Guest Christina]

 Unfounded verbal accusation of theft by president by club member. I understand that the president should  relinquish the chair however one of the board members is the wife of the member that made the accusation should the wife be included in the board decision which may result in expulsion of the members unsportsmanlike behavior.

[Hieu H. Huynh]

Generally it is not appropriate to make verbal accusations at a meeting. Unless your bylaws say otherwise, the board does not have the power to expel members and expulsion of members would include investigation and trial as part of the disciplinary proceedings described in RONR. 

[Guest Public event]

 This was not at a meeting this was at the end of an event. Allowed accusation in front of members of the public exhibitors vendors and other club members 

[Josh Martin]

5 hours ago, Guest Christina said:

 Unfounded verbal accusation of theft by president by club member. I understand that the president should  relinquish the chair however one of the board members is the wife of the member that made the accusation should the wife be included in the board decision which may result in expulsion of the members unsportsmanlike behavior.

 

1 hour ago, Guest Public event said:

 This was not at a meeting this was at the end of an event. Allowed accusation in front of members of the public exhibitors vendors and other club members 

In any event, the board does not have the authority to discipline members unless your bylaws so provide. If your bylaws are silent, only the membership would have the authority to discipline this person, and it is a lengthy process. See Ch. XX of RONR.

As to the question of whether the member’s wife may vote on any motions concerning discipline against the member, see FAQ #9.

[Guest Christona]

The bylaws to provide, However the bylaws  also state they may choose to not accept jurisdiction. I do not understand how that applies and if jurisdiction is not accepted what the next step would be. 

What would be the criteria to either except or refuse jurisdiction?

[Hieu H. Huynh]

RONR does not address "jurisdiction".

[Atul Kapur]

In other words, this comes from your bylaws so any questions about it (e.g. what criteria to decide jurisdiction? What if refuse jurisdiction) need to be answered in your bylaws as well.

If the Bylaws don't have the answers you're looking for, then it's up yo your organization to interpret them.

BTW, the President may want to consult an attorney if the accusation was made in public, as there may be legal remedies outside of the club. That's just a thought, not legal advice.

Edited February 23, 2019 at 03:43 PM by Atul Kapur

[Guest Christina]

The bylaws to provide, However the bylaws  also state they may choose to not accept jurisdiction. I do not understand how that applies and if jurisdiction is not accepted what the next step would be. 

What would be the criteria to either except or refuse jurisdiction?

Board meeting is tonight I am the president that was the recipient of being unjustly called a thief by a member. Do I  need to give up my position as president temporarily in order to go into executive session and discuss this as a wronged member?

[Josh Martin]

1 hour ago, Guest Christina said:

The bylaws to provide, However the bylaws  also state they may choose to not accept jurisdiction. I do not understand how that applies and if jurisdiction is not accepted what the next step would be. 

What would be the criteria to either except or refuse jurisdiction?

I have no idea. As previously noted, there is nothing in RONR on this subject. It is up to your organization to interpret its own bylaws.

1 hour ago, Guest Christina said:

Board meeting is tonight I am the president that was the recipient of being unjustly called a thief by a member. Do I  need to give up my position as president temporarily in order to go into executive session and discuss this as a wronged member?

I think it would be advisable to do so.