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The Wealthy Man Who Chose 6 Months In Jail Rather Than Pay Lawsuit Damages He Could Easily Afford
In 1903, a well-off Philadelphia man was found financially responsible for accidentally injuring a child, but he refused to pay
Sometimes, those who have money are the stingiest when it comes to parting with it. That does make sense, because the best way to make money is to hold on to it. Taking that to extremes was a Philadelphia man at the turn of last century who elected to go to jail for six months rather than pay the judgement of a lawsuit that he lost and could have easily afforded.
The January 7, 1903 issue of The New York Times had on their front page the story of David Fleming. On July 21, 1902, while vacationing at Lake Placid in Plattsburgh, New York, the reportedly wealthy young man was golfing. Unfortunately, after missing what he believed should be an easy shot, he wildly swung his club and accidentally struck his caddy, 10-year-old George Salem, in the face.
The boy was horribly injured and Fleming arranged for him to be transported to Montreal to receive top notch care. However, it wasn’t enough to prevent him from losing sight in one eye.
