The Lawsuit
“…The whole thing becomes a legal nightmare when in order to obtain justice five women have to go to court and prove that they are dying while lawyers and experts on the other side [argue in the newspapers]…"
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"…This is a heartless proceeding. It is unmanly, unjust and cruel. This is a case which calls not for fine-spun litigation but for simple, quick, direct justice…"
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~Walter Lippmann in his editorials from the New York World
On May 18, 1927, a law suit was filed against the US Radium Corporation by a young New Jersey attorney, Raymond Berry, on behalf of Grace Fryer. Along with Fryer, Edna Hussman, Katherine Schaub, and sisters Quinta McDonald and Albina Larice joined her in the case, each asking for $250,000 in compensation.
"When you have heard that you are going to die, that there is not hope - and every newspaper you pick up prints what really amounts to your obituary - there is nothing else."
~Raymond Berry, attorney for the Radium Girls
Victims
Before the trial, four radium workers had already died, including Amelia Maggia. While she was still alive, her jaw had become so decayed that it had to be removed. Her "official" cause of death was syphilis, but when the removed jaw bone was exposed to film and developed, it showed radioactivity; her body was exhumed and confirmed to have high levels of radioactivity. Grace Fryer and the other women were also suffering with diseases and medical issues caused from their exposure to radium; Fryer had lost all her teeth and could not sit up without a brace; and the sisters were both bedridden. The women were too sick to even raise their hands to take the oath, and by the second hearing, they were too ill to attend.
The Settlements
Berry and the five girls agreed on an out-of-court settlement just days before the case was about to go to trial. Each girl received $10,000 as well as an additional $600 per year until death. US Radium would also pay all medical and legal expenses in addition to all future medical expenses.
Berry was not satisfied with the outcome of the trial, feeling that the victims did not receive the compensation they deserved. It was later discovered that the judge for the trial was a stock holder in US Radium.
Before the trial, four radium workers had already died, including Amelia Maggia. While she was still alive, her jaw had become so decayed that it had to be removed. Her "official" cause of death was syphilis, but when the removed jaw bone was exposed to film and developed, it showed radioactivity; her body was exhumed and confirmed to have high levels of radioactivity. Grace Fryer and the other women were also suffering with diseases and medical issues caused from their exposure to radium; Fryer had lost all her teeth and could not sit up without a brace; and the sisters were both bedridden. The women were too sick to even raise their hands to take the oath, and by the second hearing, they were too ill to attend.
The Settlements
Berry and the five girls agreed on an out-of-court settlement just days before the case was about to go to trial. Each girl received $10,000 as well as an additional $600 per year until death. US Radium would also pay all medical and legal expenses in addition to all future medical expenses.
Berry was not satisfied with the outcome of the trial, feeling that the victims did not receive the compensation they deserved. It was later discovered that the judge for the trial was a stock holder in US Radium.
"The women are dying. If ever a case called for prompt adjudication, it is the case of five crippled women who are fighting for a few miserable dollars to ease their last days on earth…”
~Walter Lippmann
~Walter Lippmann
Click to continue to "Aftermath"