The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-11-21
HITATA.B.QUINTON
Aetna Association Files
Charges Against Attorney.
Claims He FrauduIently Drew
Out His Salary.
DOUBTS HIS EFFICIENCY
Building and Loan Says He
Neglected His Duties.
Sensational Suit Filed Against
Topeka Lawyer.

Charges of inefficiency and fraud
are made against A B. Quinton, for
ner legal adviser for the Aetna Build
ing & Loan association, in cross
petition and answer to Quinton's suit
against his former employers, filed in
the district court. Twenty reasons
why the association should not be
compelled to pay fees asked by Qu1n-
ton, most of them containing counter
claims which aggregate the sum OIL
S6S,326.SS, are contained IN the an
swer. Judgment for the amount men
+ioned is asked against the attorney
August 30. last Quinton filed suit in
the district court alleging that for 10
years he had been legal ADVISER OF tne
association at salary or SS'UOU d Se1L, '.a.
He saws he failed to draw his salary
for % days in March, and demands
that this be paid.
His second petition is that under a
resolution by the board OF olrectorS IaS nf
is entitled to receive 10 per cent OF
the value of foreclosure actions
brought by him during the 1S years ne
was legal adviser, and that since the
passage of the resolution forecloSuleS IsS
in the aggregate of $250,000 had been
turned over to him. He asked $25,OUV
The answer alleges that Quinton was
removed by order OF the Ieoerat co tIot
in March, 1912, but that prior to that
time or about November 1, 1911, ne
was discharged by the board OF olrec-
tors, and that he fraudulently drew ms
salary from that time until early III
March.
SAYS He Was Not Efficient.
Then the answer assails the attor-
news qualifications and efnclency. II
charges that he nevr was competehs
or efficient and that he constantly anu
persistentIy neglected his duties TO
such an extent that his removal was
ordered by the state bank commits.
sioner in July. 1911. one OF the chle5 n9d
causes for the removal OF the oId
hoard of directors, it is charged, was
because they insisted upon retaining
the legal adviser. !.
Then follows long statement OF |
funds alleged t. have been WrongfuIIy
drawn and of losses alleged TO nave |,
resulted through the carelessness and
inefficiency of the attorney salary al
legged to have been wrongfully oraWn
since his discharge a year ago amounts
10 S1115 Rental for his office in the |
association building since his d1s-
charge is alleged to have been reason
ably worth SIS. Money alleged to have
been wrongfuIIy expended in a vain
effort by Quinton and his associates to |
perpetuate themselves in office is
charged in the aggregate OF $3,OOO.
The expense of an action to ouSt gum /
ton and his associates is placed at
$4,000. Payment of s1,500 to three
other attorneys out of the funds OF the
association also is charged in the list I
lxllS
CITY alone, which are set out in a /
table, through the inefhciency and care
less ess of the attorney in making
loans on property where there were
d fective titles, etc, are given as an
aggregate of S11,264.29, for which !
the association claims Qufnton should j
be held liable.
state Fair Money From Treasury.
A subscription by Quinton personal
ly to the Kansas State Fair assoc1a-
tion in the sum of $1O0 is said to have
been paid out of the treasury of the
association, and never returned. These
and many other items make up the
grand total for which judgment is
asked.
The answer then AYERS that Quin-
ton habitually overdrew his salary, but
that a settlement was made with him
every six months, and that he had
knowledge of the settlements and ac-
cepted them, which estops him from
bringing an action to collect further
money. 1t is charged that he was al
lowed an additional $125 a month,
and later $3.50 from the attorneys
fees collected from borrowers, but that
he collected all of such fees paid and
kept them. For the years including
1907 to 1909 he is said to have col
lected a total of $5,525.50 more than
he was entitled to. In addition the
association paid out for attorneys fees
an aggregate Of more than $4,000,
for which it is alleged QuintOn should
have been liable under his contract.
Charges are also made that Quin-
ton spent all of his time last winter
in a vain attempt to perpetuate himself
in office, and that clerks and stenog-
raphers in the employ of the assoc1a-
ton were kept busy sending out hun
dreds of letters to stockholders asking
for proxies and giving reasons why
such proxies should be placed in the
hands of the old board of directors.
The suit is an outgrowth of the ac-
zion brought last winter whereby the
old directors of the association were
ousted from Office.