Libel Action Arising Out of Debt-collecting Agency Letters to Doctors Wife A libel action arising out of a debt-collecting agency's letters to a doctor's wife was again before Mr. Justice Finlay and a special jury in the King's Bench Division on April 7. The action was, brought by Mrs. Florence Emily Pierce, of Belton Lodge, Longbridge Road, Barking, Essex, against the Witney Blanket Company, Ltd., of Butter Cross Works, Witney, and the Recovery and Adjustment Bureau, Ltd, of Cannon Street, London, EC. states the "Manchester Guardian."
The matter arose out of the purchase of a cloth coat from the Witney Blanket Company in November, 1935, by Mrs. Pierce for £2 15s. on the instalment system. Mrs. Pierce's case was that after she -had settled her account in October, 1936, she received communications from the bureau describing her as a "stubborn defaulter," demanding immediate payment, and indicating that an Inspector Matthews would be calling upon her to deal with the matter. It was stated that Inspector Matthews and others named in the communications were fictitious persons, and Mr. B. B. Gillis, counsel for Mrs. Pierce, maintained that the documents were intended to frighten and -intimidate her.
In the defence the Witney Blanket Company denied that they caused the letters in question to be published, though they admitted employing the bureau, who had not sent them with their authority. The Recovery and Adjustment Bureau, Ltd., maintained that they were written on behalf of the other defendants. They further stated that the letters were part of a stock series of five employed to address all debtors.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.