Opinion ID: 2074116
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 15

Heading: joseph j. brennan.

Text: The deposition of Joseph J. Brennan was taken January 21, 1948, at Topeka, Kansas. His title was Superintendent, Special Service, Eastern Lines, Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company, with headquarters in Chicago. His general territory was west from that place to Newton, Kansas, and south via Wellington and Purcell, Oklahoma. His department did general police and investigation work on railroad accidents and claims. Claims came to his office only through the general claim agent and the law department. He said that he had known Lucas (sic) L. Cofield, referred to hereinafter, since December 1946, and that he had employed him. He made no investigation of Cofield before employing him, but said that his reputation was that of a solicitor for law firms. Cofield's employment commenced with the Santa Fe about January 1, 1947, and he was still employed under Brennan's direction on January 21, 1948. Brennan claimed that Cofield showed him income tax returns for the years from 1940 to 1943 showing an income of between $28,000 and $30,000 per year. Brennan told Cofield that he could not meet that figure, but would pay him what it would be worth as the months went along. He said that Cofield's work for the railroad was in connection with solicitation of cases against the railroad company. He said that he paid Cofield $350 in cash in December 1946; $500 in cash on January 20, 1947; $500 in cash on February 14, 1947; a bank draft for $1,500 on February 26, 1947. He said that the bank draft was payable to Cofield; that it was his understanding that Mrs. Cofield secured the draft and cashed it, but that he did not know. He said that he paid Cofield $2,000 in March 1947; $4,000 in cash and a bank draft of $3,000 in April 1947; $300 in June 1947; $400 in July 1947; $150 in cash in August; $200 on September 3, 1947; $500 in cash on October 14, 1947; $600 in December 1947; and $197.51 on January 19, 1948. He said that on October 4, 1947, he had Cofield come to Chicago from Arizona at the railroad company's expense to meet with an attorney for petitioner. He said that Cofield's work was mostly learning how these cases went to different lawyers who solicited the case.    Our trouble was in Arizona and New Mexico and that is where I had him working a good deal of the time. He said that he told Cofield in October 1947 that one of petitioner's attorneys wanted to see him; that Cofield turned over to the witness some papers and letters he had, which were given to the attorney for petitioner, who also met with Cofield on the same day. (Letters found in petitioner's exhibit Z-47, Cofield deposition.)