The Isaac Holland Case

Isaac W. Holland was born June 1, 1852, the son of Lawson Holland and grandson of William Holland, Washington’s founder. Holland had secured a job in Chicago as a conductor for passenger trains and, in May 1881, had been hired to run a brand new excursion called The Pullman Dummy, which serviced workers from the south side of Chicago coming into the city.

Sometime around 1882, Holland was making his run on a foggy day when he collided with a train that wasn’t supposed to be on the track.  According to the media accounts of the time, he was bedridden for the rest of his life due to sustained spinal injuries.

Holland sued the Chicago & Eastern Railroad Company for negligence.  The defense attorneys claimed Holland was faking his injuries.  The Cook County jury did not see it that way in a Chicago Court and awarded Holland $25,000.

The judgment was affirmed on appeal in the Cook County Appellate Court, and then the case was sent to the Illinois Supreme Court.  In March 1888, the Illinois Court sided with Holland and awarded him $30,000 (~$1,000,000 today), making headlines as the most significant judgment for personal injury in the history of Illinois courts.

Isaac Holland died in 1913 and is buried in Chicago, Illinois.