Trusts and Estates

The Longest Legal Battle Ever

Do you have any idea how much someone could bill for this kind of case today?

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The star of the real-life Bleak House.

The star of the real-life Bleak House.

Just how long did it take to resolve the longest-running legal claim in the history of the United States court system?

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Answer: 57 years. Myra Clark Gaines, a Louisiana socialite, fought from 1834 to 1891 to secure legal recognition as the sole heir of her deceased father’s estate. The case made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court 17 times before it was all over. Interesting side note: a world where some raise concerns over possible injustices in courtroom translations for poor, non-English speaking defendants, this case offered the opposite case. Wealthy English-speaker Gaines faced an uphill battle because the Louisiana court system at the time operated largely in French.

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