Salt Lake Telegram | 1924-05-18 | Page 1 | Breach of Contract Action May Change Divorce Laws

Breach of Contract Action ; May Change Divorce Laws a . .;. ' v i I ;'! rS "2cs- ' . 9 : (Mrs. Jottypbtna Oartnida Law Scott and her counsel, Judge Ooie Speer. Mrs. SooU has snad her husband for breach of marriage contract. 4 1 Vife Will Scc!c $100,000 Bab FT. WORTH, Tag, May IT. A quarrel between a "big baby boy" and a big beautiful girl may revolutionise revo-lutionise dlvorc proceeding la th United State. Win field Scott Jr., a !i-year-old millionaire, filed suit for dlvorc I agarnat Josephine Gortrud Law Scott. Did she flat a counter suItT She did not! h ued Bcott for breach af contract, asking $100,000 damages. Her attorney a contend marriage fs a civil contract and breaking tha contract makes It Invalid, holding hold-ing the violator of tha eon tract responsible for damaged. FIGHT TO A riNISM. They hold Scott . violated hla contract to love, cherleh and protect. pro-tect. - Therefore, they assert, hla wlfa la entitled to damages just as a contractor may be when a lumberman falls to deliver hla materia la. If the Cnlted States supreme court upholds Mrs. Scott's contention, conten-tion, fand both aides declare tbey will carry It that far), legal authorities au-thorities who have atudted the case declare this Is what may happen: - . S. Divorce suits will be unneces-aary. unneces-aary. Wives will prefer to sue for 'breach of contract because they can collect damages In a lump sum Instead of chancing alimony. t. All present ground a for divorce) di-vorce) wfl! be unnecessary. It only will be necessary to provs the marriage agreement has been broken. ' s. irivorce tnmugn nreacn or contract aulta will be poasihl In every 'stale, aa lha contract law ar basically tha asm. 4. It will ba poealbie to remarry Immediately after a breach of contract aeparatlon. ONLY ONE PRECEDENT. Tha Scott experiment has only on precedent. That case waa filed In- Teaaa. to. . Mra. Kmma Lee Oowln sued Jeeee C. Jowln. She was awarded I loft. An appeal waa taken, but (her th rasa rests. But because of tho much larger amount Involved. In-volved. It la expected the Scott caee will he pushed aa th test case. ' Tha legal background wa pre- pared by Ocle Speer. farmer chief juatice of tha Texas, appellate court. Soott. an only aon of a wealthy Texas cattleman, married after a (Continued an page 7 wife v. r '. : r ' ' fConi in; i f , . . dynamic co . : , , I ; . Th wed.lir t wm i it 11 p. m, and it n a ; Of tb pac pr frrr , mony In lh!r h.- l r. . Th snatch followed c flcott'i ardnt attention tn T Joy em Hopkins. -- t r. -r Miatt Hopkins, but lis a-rt araDta t htr during a. v.-N v.-N York. HI bankar !nrr and brought Scott bom. IN AUTOMOBILI U8 " "My boy la ao m'wiin n hia mothar daclaxaa. "V h . ; . vma a baby w thought ha ! not lira lona;. .Many Unti I r ! ri4 him on a pillow, f . vary braath would ba kit I .. "Naturally, hn ha gw m gava him avary t h i n g ha a U la Juat A happy p In W I Scott Mini Into a rg ' a 16,00-0 iw aa'ata whn h dld. I pon hia matur 'v - . . tarad tha aytnmnblia a -a h i- bacauaa a Jlkcd to riua tn aa obi if a Ha etearrd hia wf wnfi 4f fnc, smoklna; and uimf l i lanmnra. Tha nrra! aha aaid. 1 r a ma a out of h'rn in f'"ir