Doctors vs. Lawyers: The Fight Over Expert Witness Fees
Whitman County physicians and attorneys clash in a heated debate over the value of medical testimony in insanity and criminal cases.
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.
The legal fraternity were invited to be present at the regular quarterly meeting of the Whitman County Medical Society, held Monday evening at the offices of Drs. Coffey and Johnston in Colfax. The meeting was called to discuss the law regarding expert witness fees. Physicians have felt aggrieved by the recent actions of the county commissioners in refusing to respect superior court orders, which allowed physicians $5 for examinations in insanity cases, cutting them down to $2.50. There is also dissatisfaction regarding the trimming of bills in smallpox cases. Lawyer E.K. Hanna argued against higher fees, asserting that physicians owe certain duties to the state and already enjoy privileges like exemption from jury duty. Dr. W.W. Watkins of Moscow presented a paper advocating for a medical board of three in each county to settle all expert testimony disputes. During the meeting, $40 was raised to prosecute unlicensed doctors practicing in the county.
“Judge E. K. Hanna, from the lawyer's standpoint, opposed the allowance of expert fees to physicians. He said every man owed certain duties to the state.”
The tension between public compensation and professional expertise remains a staple of civic discourse. While the debate here is over 1899-era court fees, the underlying argument—about who defines 'expert' value when the county holds the purse strings—is a perennial feature of local government.
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