Aetna, a Hartford, Connecticut based insurance firm, refused to pay a $40,000 claim made by a client for meat lost in a warehouse fire. The client sued Aetna for the amount in Louisville. William S. Vernon, one of Aetna's defense attorneys, wrote this letter to E.G. Ripley, secretary at the company's main office, to inform him on the trial's progress. Vernon struck a positive chord, saying that they could free the company from at least $16,000 of the claim. Aetna's lawyers argued that their policy did not cover any of the meat already sold. And the plaintiff's own witness verified that $16,000 of the emat had already been sold. The plaintiffs countered with a broad interpretation of the policy that would, if accepted, nullify the argument of the defense. Vernon, however, did not think that the counter-argument would succeed.
