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Contracts Keyed to Calamari
Troutman v. Southern Railway Co.
Facts
The Plaintiff, Robert B. Troutman (the "Plaintiff"), an attorney in Georgia, brought this action against the Defendant, Southern Railway Co. (the "Defendant"), for legal services rendered in two matters – the Central of Georgia matter and the grain rate matter. In the grain rate matter, the Interstate Commerce Commission ("I.C.C.") ordered the Defendant to raise certain rates on grain shipments that would have cost it a lot of money. An officer of the Defendant retained the Plaintiff due to his friendship with John F. Kennedy. The Defendant's officer wanted the Plaintiff to persuade the head of the Department of Justice (the "DOJ") to support the Defendant's position in a lawsuit the Defendant had filed in federal district court to enjoin the rate increase by the I.C.C. The Plaintiff was successful in convincing the DOJ to take its side in the litigation and as a result the I.C.C. regulation was struck down. As a fee, the Defendant agreed to consider developing certain air rights to property owned by the Plaintiff, adjacent to property owned by the Defendant. The joint development did not take place and the Plaintiff requested a money payment to cover his fee from the Defendant, but the Defendant refused. The Plaintiff then initiated this lawsuit. The Defendant alleged that the Plaintiff's suit violated the statute of limitations, that the Plaintiff's legal services were gratuitously rendered, and public policy forbid compensation for work done by the Plaintiff. The jury rendered a verdict in favor of the Plaintiff.
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