The Injured Worker, the Unpaid Judgment, and the Judge Who Ordered the Books Opened
Sam Henne won $1,500 for injuries suffered while working for J. T. Steeb Shipping Co.; when the company refused to pay, a Tacoma judge ordered its accounts and government contract produced.
Sam Henne obtained a $1,500 judgment against the J. T. Steeb Shipping Company for injuries sustained while in the employ of the company. After the judgment was rendered the company declined to pay. Yesterday Judge Huston issued an order compelling J. T. Steeb to appear in court with the accounts and papers of the J. T. Steeb Shipping Company, showing the business of the company for the past two years. He was also ordered to produce the contract and agreement entered into about October, 1903, with the government to load the United States ship Dix at this port.
“After the judgment was rendered the company declined to pay.”
Workplace injury claims and employer resistance to paying judgments are still familiar. The case shows how a worker's only leverage was the courts—and how a company's books could become evidence when it refused to honor a judgment.
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