The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-10-06
EEAVYDAMAGESPAIDBYB.R .T.
IcigDENTs COST THE COMPANY
n . Doc LAST YEAR.
n.n, Of the Claims Declared to ne Franz
ulent The, Had To Ne Paid. Though
Methods at Professional Damage
. suit sharJr litigation stirred u.

UnIden In tho mazn 81 figures which
rqie up the lat annual report Of the Brook
t. rand Transit Company wa Az item
,ptch tolls MI amazing story 81 the mulcting
a. tLa, big corporation In one short wear
4, 'lc professional damage suit sharps
their allies, ia. -hvSter lawyers arl
anil lance chazers. Doubtless the ewes
a. f.e Who noticed the report when u was
rllI-N.,l reached the item showing that
H. settlement 81 damage suits and Judg-
ncfts against the company the "uormo'!s
,m Il 500 90 as paid out In one year
T. - u staggering statement In view 81
tnr rl.lv few serious accidents ON the
s.ti ~ TEN ~ SURFACE and elevated rail-
rad, operated 10y this company, and yet
n does not represent the total loss tn the
eurany hy litigation 81 this character
n, almost s3o.OuO The expenses Of ths
rlu department 81 the road, Ia which
a. damage suits are refcrrrd. bring the
taal up to about 81. 10000. This claim
department. has to- keep a large stan Of
rrr who arc experts In the collection Of
evidence and detective work To handle
. great many hundred greedy witnesses
an :, pay tho fees Of the small army 81
law yers making up tho legal department
q tho system. all OF which expenses with
ether t"ins Too numerous "a Heniion mako
W rnis tremendous total
The popular belief that the way % n big
cu,-,rliion il strewn with flowers and that
the huldcrS Of it, stock have but - sit back
IN their leather upholStered chairs. put
huge black cigars and draw their divi-
,cuds. viii receive a rude shock from this
Information about "a single expense Of this
company In twelve short months Pos
,Alr some folks will -ce the matter from
nupther standpoint when they hear about
tle iloth"ds cmployed 10y som" 81 the
Ir,fc~-ionh damage suit people against
tbs big corporation No allegation IL
made that a great many suits brought
against the company for damages are not
legitimate, but these arr declarNd to bs a
VERY small percentage 81 the whul" II j.
even said that % per cent. of the suits ara
drummed up by lawyers who arr clever ~
this one game Against th"s" men and
their methods a corporation like ia" Brook
lyn Rapid Transit Company j. absolutely
helpless. The figures mentioned IN M" la~'
annual report show better than ANYTHING
else the SUCCESS with which thus work has
me, The Rapid Transit people them
selves do No, fgure hat more than slG!U0
Of this amount was paid In absolutely legi-
timatc claims. OF the enormous BALANCE.
they figure they have simply been robhssi.
~ uAN nv ~ rNllNNNNl NHHaA Wv IIhhklNH
Rapid Transit Company u the only cor
poration that has suffered from this evil
~ the last few vear~. Al ftrrot railroads
have this thing Ia contend with and have
had for wears. hmt II l. doubtful N any
oths- corpOmiion has ever been ht ~
Land az tho nruoklyu company was hast
year. This u because In Brooklyn all tho
railroads. with bu, one exception. are in
tho hands 81 one company, and a number ~
hwvers have selected this corporation
a. the medium through which they will
make "a living
Tnev have made n Careful study % tie
work ~ suing The company and thry have
mastered the details at this Kind Of lnign-
tlon. N has even lscu charged that some
Of them have "a regular following ~ men
and women who arr ready to swear 20
Auv thing. And over IN Broukiyn Iuri.-
have been giving large verdict 10 ihe
plaintiffs IN such Ga sI ller l. n vide
snread lelief In Brooklyn that he Golfer. oi
~" Rapid Transit Company arr in"NhRu--
ihl~. and this coupled with q prriudic.
entertained by some people agnin-t the
'Hmfapy, makes II easier To get q verdict
OCCASIONALLY this real for a plaintiff las
r"-ulied In vrrdicts Tor amounts ~ ndicu-
Ylv nigh that the higher courts have
- 'Nem aside. hut ms a rule tho juri"s
te,p within n sum which they know will not
b disputed
tr'rrs brought for damages against tho
nu,klvn Rapid Transit Company last
Nuar show hat very few of hem wer-
for nJuries of any serious or lasting nature
Mus' - th- plaintiffs were persons who
would uo NOV have though IT -pkiug
'"Inr1tiou for III" slight -nconveuienco
10y suffered from heing shaken up ~
> "nI>, OF tpr insiguifcaut cuts or bruises.
g." result Of slight collisions or of can
ha'HE 3D." racks whik going ~ a high
&c. Z Ies,!. Than they would la We thought
Of .Inpirr n NE Rrupklvu Bridgr. had
r'i'n" idea sen ~u yg"s,ed bv some LAWYER
o. pre- representative Few poplr IN Huv
q e. ~ f.
: mas" money. whether tlcv nre entitled
o. o. or MOI. The result - TINT WHOM a
l"rs'r h informed 10y a lawyer that thcrr
T. money i.r him IN q suit against the rail-
rad oumpsuv, and that u H. not Necessary
'Hr NAN q" iuN,s "A dollar ." get " he IL not
> w .. take advantage Of the situation
ll"s" "I"iui"s ~ ia" iailroad Jeoplo
iay" found a fertile field for the eIerci-s
- fleir iilrut~ ia BROOKLYN. The BROOKLYN
RAPID Transit Company operates some
go miles ~ -trst railroad in that borough.
I"'i- thousands NJ can~ going ~ the same
im", and carries something likr y0!Ocp!VU
f'uli" Annually u Operates all the cars
G. 'h- bridge. with the exception 10 one
.'r AMI almost I'll 81 thos- which 20 20 this
race 'rncks Hrd To- Cprey Island In the sum
no VI" caT~ IN this particular ~-srviCss,
- every ono Nhp has ever lssn on them
Knows. ar" usually crowded To their ut
uIH-' 'als.citN To meet "a. public demand
- quick transit, and Ia prevent hojsl"~S
lt"NaulNg 'hcy have to 10 run at 4 high
w. To HiFfN. Inv lf~Nl y tiluk UNIV alN
rnal many 0uvid"nts. although most of
ttin aur 81 = rival character. The only
''rd"t b. tiiat there arr not mor' serious
,'cNi"r'-, Tor a company which employs
40" men, ~ this ona dne~. cannot H.
~ tat ury arr all level headed. careful
49, oauutu,
''aa ilnrr must L. slny'bing lis" a hun
q .. lawyers b. nrroklyn WIN maxi a s,R-
"l 'o~'s against ~" IrS,klNn Rapid
l'.''t COMPANY Nu,i 81 them have a c~T
w. u.iH.sl col uuiuIUr- m thoIr employ lhs
W = TO- 49, ruu j, u i'uul Instantly
o. e'u Hlf"ps IA accident hn- 'avurrvt
~ 'nTHI. e. 'hr Etvtr li ,uoH " no
."Hg ha1~' Disappeared ti' rum -
". "' N.Hr' u1HN It- a. uu~' amt r.lElf-
y ''. HHHi-- viflrat % Law D. th. are
a.#..i iln 'lIr.rs ta",l" ilrr'r Or tu'
gI' often 90" pppv"rtrtNc- of tWp
Lr''i HH' 'r.' 1f .uf lu, uIf firuf over
r"f tlp ui-. v.Iu v..l O. man
H co.. e. fiHv IUl..r. t.- % .-aHt-
u i liza b. o lg O. l,a. 'r ns Ispr.-
4" .uil"i'H I'D. if.ffs7t urafu- t1H
80 tHt''au 'H..HiaIr %. drnes.s.
9 Nuif- .H -r.tiurs g a pas
ptg.. j. h-'z.r I4a.t.f ma .I..' h..