The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-04-26
$4,000 VERDICT
FOR HASSETT
Jury Awards Big Damages ir
Suit Against Priest For
SANDER
EXCESSIVE, SAYS DEFENSE
Motion Made to Set It Aside in the
Case of Father Carroll of
Wallingford.

After being out for an hour in the
&c. 900 Islander suit brought by William
Hassett, a former burgess and school
board member of Wallingford, against
Rev. John H. Carroll, pastor Of the
Church Of the Holy Trinity there, the
jury which heard the case brought in a
verdict late yesterday in the New Ha-
ven superior court for 1000 damages.
The case has attracted much attention
because it is very seldom that a suit
of this character is brought against
a clergyman, and especially against
a Catholic priest.
immediately upon the receipt of the
verdict, Attorney Fitzgerald, counsel
for Father Carroll, made a motion to
set aside the verdict. Three grounds
to law, against the evidence and ex-
cessive. The arguments on this mo-
ton will be made later.
The important amount of the Ver-
dict created some surprise In the court
room. Father Carroll has testified
that his estate is worth $4,000.
The day in court was devoted to
long arguments in the case. e. P.
Arvine opened for the plaintiff, and
made the claim that the pastors talk
In his pulpit was violate and intern
perate, full Of charges and slanderous
character, and he laid stress on the
fact that as the priest had not appear
ed to testify in his own behalf he had
let his case go by default.
Attorney David f. Fitzgerald, for
the defense, devoted his argument to
sett had been damaged in any way
by the statements Of Father Carroll,
and pleaded that the damages render
ed by a jury should be Of a compen-
Satory nature, and not primitive. He
saw no Indication whereby Mr.. Has
sett has suffered any mental or po-
litical distress He went to the
church on the Sunday ON which the
sermon was delivered at the three
masses with the expectation of hav-
ing his feelings hurt and his pres
ence in the church indicated that he
had no fear of submitting to tenn
pOrary mental anguish, if he can claim
to have sustained any.
Attorney Fitzgerald defended Father
Carroll's right to warn his flock
against intustices. He was telling the
truth as he saw it, he claimed, and
one can only consider it from that
standpoint. the light in which Father
Carroll saw his own actions. In con-
clusion Attorney Fitzgerald claimed
that the statements made from the
pulpit We're privileged.
Attorney j. r. GOOQnaFt Closed IOT
the plaintiff He attacked Father
CarrolPs sermon very sharply, and
brought out the fact that he had con-
suited lawyer before he delivered it.
and also that he had tried to secure
It's publication in a newspaper.
Judge Hoicomb's charge to the jury
lasted for more than an hour. 1t
covered over 40 sheets of type writ
ten briefs, pleas and claims which had
been submitted by counsel. In a
specific way he charged the jury as
to the law pertaining to Islander, and
said that a minister had no more right
to attack any one In a, slanderous way
from the pulpit than had any one else.
Then he went on to say. that If the
words alleged to have been uttered by
the plaintiff in the writ constituted
a SANDER they should then decide in
their own minds the amount of dam
ages which the defendant ought to
pay.
If the jury decided that the defend
ant acted in good faith they should
consider this in mitigation of dam
ages. I'm awarding damages the jury
should. consider the character of the
plaintiff. DANA ges for mental distress
should be considered in an entirely I'M
y,1-a il1f1icad manner