RECORD LAWSUIT ENDS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 992, 6 December 1910, Page 6

RECORD LAWSUIT ENDS.

DISPUTE THAT HAS COST LITI- ■ GAOTS/£200,000. After liearings. ■extending'" over fiftyseven (lays the costliest .lawsuit ever heard has come to an end Ijy the decision in the House of Lords dismissing the appeal in the.case of Wyler mid..others y. Lewis and. others. The action., was brought by Mr. Isitlor Wyler and the lho and Nynssa Corporation;'the defendants included Messrs. Lewis aiid Marks,.'financiers; and the property in dispute consisted of iniraenre concessions in Portuguese South Africa. , 'It was no fewer ''than twenty years ago. when .the'dispute began, and twenty-lawsuits-were fought, in. England and. Portugal.-before .the ■"■present- case came into the Courts in 1908. A Divisional-Court jury awarded Mr. .AVyler ,£G7,472 damages—a record sum. This ive'rdict was reversed by the Court of Appeal, and the House of Lords" has now also decided against Mr. Wyler. No less a sum than .£200,000. in all has been spent, on- the twenty-one lawsuits, the.cost of the' present one being estimated as follows:—' ■' ■■"''■ -".,••■- ■-~■:. ■■"... ... £ Preparation /.. 30,000 . Divisional Court 37,000 Court of Appeal Io,COO House of lords ......U.. 1 .:.. 5.C00 Total .."...v... , ....;'...".:.-:.. .£87,000 Out of this total the counsel' engaged have been paid about ; ..£IO,OOO. They number thirteen, and included Sir Kufus Isaacs,' K.C., Mr.' Justice" Bankes, Mr. .Tustice Lush. Mr. Holiler, K. 0., Mr. Upjohn, .K.C. and Mr. Dilfce, K.C. The number of wbrds spoken, written, and' printed is, perhaps, most remarkable .of all: : .'.:■- ■ :■■.-. -■■.-' • "Particulars," 11 large printed volumes. Words spoken- in Divisional Court, 2,000,000. • -..--- .Words in.opening speech, 283,000. ; Correspondence. read, 1100 foolscap .pages. ;. .. '--..■ ~ " ~.". Some of the speeches. alsij surpassed all records. The longest were:— Days. Sir E. Carson (Divisional Court) 8 Mr. Upjohn (House of Lords) G Mr.' .Tustice I'hillimore ' (Divisional Court). 3 Even the Judges com plained of the wearisonieness of the case.