page_title: Edna Davis
section_title: Legal "career"
hierarchical_section_title: Edna Davis / Career / Legal "career"
caption_attribution_description: English: Edna Davis and John Isaacs on their wedding day.
context_page_description: Frances Edna "Elsa" Davis was an Australian entertainer and performer, and notorious vexatious litigant.
context_section_description: In 1938 Davis married her first husband John Isaacs, brother of Sir Isaac Isaacs, the former Governor-General and Chief Justice of Australia. John was a solicitor and forty-four years her senior; undoubtedly captivated by her vivacity. However their marriage was a tumultuous one, with Davis' hectic social calendar and frequent outbursts interfering with the quieter life appreciated by the older Isaacs. Their final dispute was over John secretly changing the sole ownership of his house to a joint tenancy with his brother, which meant she wouldn't inherit the house upon his death. She left the house the next day.
  The breakdown of his brother's marriage with Davis led Sir Isaac to use his connections to legally pursue and diminish her up until his death. Davis tried to return to their home but was advised by her husband's solicitors that upon her doing so her maintenance payments from him would be reduced. Due to a lack of funds, she pawned the wedding ring John had given her, which had belonged to his mother Rebecca. This spurred on Sir Isaac to cut all amenities to the home and have the furniture removed. She responded by taking legal action over the loss of the ring, and suing the removalists who took the furniture. Davis' inability to let matters lie and Isaacs' determination to fight for his brother led to a battle of litigation which favoured Sir Isaac and his vast influence and left Davis penniless. After having many days in court he used his influence to have her declared a "vexatious litigant" preventing her from pursuing any further legal action without leave of the Court.
caption: Edna Davis and John Isaacs on their wedding day.
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