Attempt to collect on Civil War-era loan pushes the limit

By: dmc-admin//April 21, 2008//

Listen to this article

How long is too long to file a lawsuit?

If you wait 147 years to file a lawsuit, you have blown any reasonable statute of limitations out of the water. Haven’t you?

A 77-year-old Tampa woman is trying to collect on a loan one of her ancestors provided to the city during the Civil War. With compounded interest, the $300 loan has grown to more than $22.7 million.

The Tampa Tribune ran a story on Joan Kennedy Biddle’s suit against Tampa earlier this month. In it’s filing, the city characterized Kennedy Biddle’s attempt to collect on the 147-year-old loan as “completely unreasonable, inexcusable and unprecedented.”

Although she has documentation supporting her claim, the city attorney has argued that there is no way to tell whether the municipality has already made good on the promissory note.

This morning, National Public Radio’s Morning Edition featured a segment on Kennedy Biddle’s lawsuit against Tampa.

Select Region or Brand

Upcoming Event