The Theater Manager’s Alimony Battle
A prominent Seattle impresario claims an injured hand and slashed salary to avoid court-ordered payments to his ex-wife.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
John W. Considine appeared in Judge Langley's court yesterday to answer for contempt in failing to obey an order to pay $30 monthly alimony to his former wife, Julia Considine. Considine claimed that an injury to his right hand rendered it useless and that his salary as manager of the People's Theater had been reduced to $75 a month, which was already overdrawn. He further alleged that his ex-wife refused to let him see their child, Agnes, and accused the woman with whom his ex-wife lived of possessing a violent temper. Attorneys for the defense countered that Considine was actually a proprietor of the theater and had transferred his property to avoid alimony obligations. The judge, noting the plaintiff's case appeared weak, withheld his decision.
“Considine declared by his affidavits as the reasons for not paying that about five weeks ago he had injured his right hand so severely as to render it useless.”
Considine’s struggle highlights the age-old tactical use of 'poverty' and property transfers during divorce litigation—a legal maneuvering that remains a common feature in modern family court battles over assets and support.
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