Opinion ID: 2074116
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: orris e. heller case.

Text: Orris E. Heller, an employe of the Rock Island railroad, residing at Clatonia, Nebraska, was injured July 30, 1943. Petitioner claims that respondent solicited this case, as evidenced by petitioner's exhibit Z-70, and contends that the important point in this matter is petitioner's exhibit Z-15. Exhibit Z-15 is a form of contract of retainer employing Tautges, Rerat & Welch as attorneys to represent Heller. This contract was signed by Heller and shows an acceptance dated October 6, 1943  Tautges, Rerat & Welch By Eugene A. Rerat By J.E.K. The words, Eugene A. Rerat By J.E.K. are written in longhand. Exhibit Z-70 is an affidavit signed by Heller before John Samson, a notary public and a special assistant attorney general of Nebraska, which we shall refer to later. Heller admitted that he signed the contract of retainer on about October 6, 1943, retaining the above-named firm, and that he received $50 a month from them for about three months thereafter. He said that he settled his case with the Rock Island and that he, not respondent, handled the settlement. He said that he never paid back the $50 a month which he had received, but that it was taken care of by the railroad company when he made his settlement. He testified in his deposition that he had never heard of respondent, but that when Kalar called on him the latter told him of all the good jobs respondent had done for Kalar in some accident settlement he had with the railroad company and that it would be a good idea if Heller tried respondent. On cross-examination, Heller said that John Samson, a former claim agent for the railroad company and at the time a special assistant attorney general for the state of Nebraska, brought him over to the hearing when the deposition was taken; that when he was injured the railroad company offered him $300 in settlement of his claim, which did not satisfy him; that he talked with one Harry Thompson, a barber in his home town, now deceased, about this offer and that the latter told him that he knew a railroad man in Lincoln who had been injured. It appears that the Lincoln person was one Pete Grandmougin, who lived next door to Thompson's daughter. Heller admitted that he thought he told Thompson that he would like to talk to the man. It appeared later that Grandmougin came to see Heller and that respondent had handled a case for Grandmougin. Heller admitted in effect that he asked Grandmougin to have respondent come down, and that a few days later a man from respondent's office (Kalar) came down, and he asked him to handle the case. This was in accordance with the contents of a statement which he gave Eleanor Greene, employed by respondent. In this statement (respondent's exhibit 10), he said in part: Mr. Rerat never solicited my case nor did anyone else from his office. I specifically requested them to call on me   . Pete Grandmougin testified that he had been a railroad man for a number of years and connected with the brotherhood of railway trainmen; that he was injured on December 23, 1942; that he tried to settle with the railroad claim agent, but could not do so; and that he retained respondent, whom he claims he had heard of because of cases which he had handled. He further said that respondent represented him in a satisfactory settlement and that a friendship grew out of this transaction; that Harry Thompson, while visiting at his daughter's home in Lincoln, told Grandmougin about Heller; and that later when Grandmougin visited Thompson in Clatonia the latter introduced him to Heller and talked about his case. Grandmougin claimed that Heller asked him to get in touch with respondent, which he did, and that Kalar came to see him. It further appears that a settlement was effected by Heller direct with the railroad company, and that at the time this settlement was made on or about January 5, 1944, John A. Samson, the assistant attorney general, accompanied the claim agent and obtained an affidavit from Heller, petitioner's exhibit Z-70 above referred to. This affidavit stated in part that about October 1943 a fellow whose name he remembered as John from Minneapolis had called on him, accompanied by Mrs. Pete Grandmougin. He said that she did not come right out and tell Heller that he should retain respondent's firm, but said what respondent had done for her. He further claimed in this affidavit that the party named John stated that he represented Tautges, Rerat & Welch and that it would be a good idea for him to hire them as counsel, and that it was John who prepared the contract of retainer, petitioner's exhibit Z-15. Nowhere in this affidavit is the last name of the party named John shown. It further appears that whatever the contract of retainer was Heller disregarded it and settled his case direct with the railroad company. Respondent testified that Grandmougin called him at Minneapolis and told him that Heller wanted to see him. He said he was busy, but would send Kalar down to investigate the case, as he claimed that Kalar, who did some investigating for him, was one of the best investigators in the country, had worked for a number of lawyers, and that he (Kalar) went down to investigate this case; that Kalar called him from Heller's home, and he talked with Heller too; and that a week later Heller called him to the effect that he was destitute and needed money and asked respondent to loan him some, which he did. He said that Heller settled his case behind my back. The referee concluded, after considering the Heller deposition, the testimony of Grandmougin, and that of respondent, that the employment of respondent by Heller was the result of conversations between Heller, Thompson, and Grandmougin and that the latter communicated with respondent at Heller's request. He found no solicitation on the part of respondent in this case. Here, we have another situation where there is much conflict between the testimony of the witnesses and the affidavits, coupled with the fact that it appears that after all Heller disregarded any purported contract he might have made with John (Kalar), as referred to in his affidavit taken the date of the settlement, petitioner's exhibit Z-70, and made a settlement direct with the company without respondent's knowledge. For these reasons, we feel that the finding of the referee should not be disturbed in the Heller case.