|
COPYRIGHT 2007 Dolan Media Newswires
Byline: Michelle Lore
A wealthy philanthropist's broken promise to finance a woman's legal education has led to a court ruling upholding an $87,000 judgment against him.
Walter Fields encouraged his then-friend, Marjorie Conrad, to attend law school. At the time, she had a good job with Qwest, which was helping her pay off some past bill and was reluctant to take on the financial commitment of going to law school. Fields offered to pay for Conrad's legal education, and she agreed, quitting her job and enrolling at Hamline University School of Law. (She later transferred to William Mitchell College of Law, completing her legal education there.)
Five years later, Fields still had not fulfilled his promise. Mired in debt, Conrad brought suit against her would-be benefactor. After a daylong trial in which Fields represented himself, a Hennepin County District Court judge ruled in Conrad's favor, awarding her what she spent on tuition and books based on a promissory-estoppel theory.
Last week, in Conrad v. Fields, the Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld the judgment....
Read the full article for free courtesy of your local library.
|