The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1911-02-05
COSTS OF DAMAGE SUITS
By ETHEL ARMIES,
Author of "rhe story C In Alabama


tablished and maintained for the sole
purpose of trying damage suits.
Its gotten so It's actually a hard
matter to get a civil case tried said
a leading attorney. an a few years
the amount of money paid out in dam
age suits will actually exceed the en-
tire taxable value of Jefferson county
II this state of affairs continues. The
people to be benefited will be the shy
ster lawyers and their attaches, and
some 100 claimants, viewing it from
the last analysis.
Who Gets Lions Share.
"a very small percentage of the
money will get to the claimant in
the case-mark that! There are now
about 200 shyster lawyers in Birming-
ham, Industrious. enterprising, alert
and eel-like creatures. They will be the
ones to reap the benefit of all this.
Our country will be owned body and
soul by the snake-feeders. Then where
will we be?
IT'S a simple case of figuring. The
only logical conclusion of the rotten
business now permeating our courts
and our people,"
Said railroad man:
1.-THE enormous increases in money
expended on personal injury claims,
running through several years, actu-
ally caused a deficit in the finances OF
the Philadelphia Rapid Transit COM
pany in 1907.
Other Places Hit
1T isn't only in Birmingham, you
know, although I must say Birming-
ham Is getting pretty we'll to the front
in this business. And one thing I've
noticed here Is that sometimes when a
man is sufficiently slick to defraud n
company in an injury or damage case
he gets applauded for it! It's difficult
for a company or corporation to obtain
simple justice in any court"
Said Sydney ]. Bowie: Simple JUS
tice in any case is hard matter to
| get here or elsewhere. The question
| must be looked at on all sides. A conf
pany or a corporation may be just as
, likely to do the slick thing as any
body else, you know. Everything de-
ponds on the merits of the case it
self
Sum and Substance
Everything depends on the merits
of the case itself. That is It, No man in
Birmingham is calling halt to legiti-
mate, important and justihable damage
suits It's the other sort"
The other sort!
Go to the courthouse and note this
other sort. Note the absolute folly of
CtTldlD Ol Tie SUITS cIleItu Tie past
few weeksi
During the month of January, 1911
suits were filed against one local COM
pany! The telephone companies and the
railroads are having a terrific struggle
against faxed injurys claimants right
now and also certain of the fool cases
Cure in Point
Il know a first rate young lawyer
here--brainy as they make EN-, OBJ
served one of the judges of the circuit
court. and he had case to defend
just last week that would bring tears
to the eyes 1t seems that a pretty
young lady had on her Sunday -go-to-
meeting clothes and she was on an
East Lake car Some way or other that
dress got tobacco juice on 1t. The spe-
ci1c charges in the suit, Immediately
filed at the instance of certain well
known attorney, were that he con
ductor expectorated a large quantity of
tobacco juice upon said dress. thereby
injuring the dress to the extent of SIS
and wounding and notifying said
plaintiff and causing her great mental
pain and anguish to the amount OF
$1,000 think 1t was $1,000, or a fig
ure very near it.
What Do You Think Happeneds
We'll the case was called for Mon
day, January 30-then very suddenly
1t was dismissed. At noon 1 saw my
friend, the young lawyer for the de-
PENDANT, moving around the court room
with rather trance-like expression.
And I said. John, what's the matter
with your case?'
Dismissed he said.
az know it's dismissed I said, but
why on earth should sue han import.
ant case as that be allowed to get off
the docketT
"'Well. said the young attorney,
you know the plaintiff-well. the con.
ductor married her on condition sshe'd
withdraw the suit!"
You don't say!' I gasped, the con-
ductor who-who expectora'- I couldn't
finish 1t exactly.
But he didn't! insisted John. And
ttat's all / could get out of him. The
case is an actual fact, however. And the
two are married. That's what you call
romance!
But just suppose that case had come
up before US. Dozens like 1t do, every
weekv'
Local Companies Involved
A complete list of the railroads and
local concerns involved in the courts for
the 1885 damage suits OF 1910 is as follows:
Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic, Ala
bama Great Southern, Birmingham South
ern, Birmingham Belt, Central of Geor-
gia, Ensley Southern, Illinois Central,
Pullman company, Seaboard Air Line,
Louisville and Nashville, Southern, st.
Louis and San Francisco railroad Bir-
mingham Gulf and Navigation company,
Alabama Western railroad, the Big Four,
Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad conf
pany, Republic Iron and Steel company,
5loss-Sheffield Iron and Steel company,
Woodward Iron company, Alabama Fuel
and Iron company, Birmingham Terminal
company. Birmingham Railway, Light
and Power company. Pratt Consolidated
Coal company. Birmingham Coal and Iron
company, Alabama Consolidated Coal and
Iron company, Birmingham Water Works
company, Bell Telephone company. Peo-
Piles Telephone company, Western Union
Telegraph company, Postal Telegraph
company, Southern Express company,
Dimmick Pipe works. Crane company.
Semet-Solvay company, Ensey Land
company, Southern Iron and Steel COM
pany Williamson Furnace company, Ala
bama Stone and Ore company, Alabama