Attorney Flees After Attempting to Pocket Client's Settlement
A young Tacoma lawyer disappears, leaving behind creditors after he was forced by the court to return settlement funds he attempted to misappropriate from a widow.
Frank L. Kuhn, a young attorney who settled with the Northern Pacific for the death of Baseball Umpire Ben Young, killed at Eagle Gorge, has left the city and many creditors are looking for him. He retained $1,400 as his fee for settling with the railroad, and Mrs. Young brought action and compelled Kuhn to return the money. It took all of Kuhn's property to make a settlement.
“Mrs. Young brought action and compelled Kuhn to return the money. It took all of Kuhn's property to make a settlement.”
Attorney misconduct remains a serious civic issue, though modern bar associations provide more robust mechanisms for accountability than the 19th-century 'fleeing the city' method of dispute resolution.
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