“The Inventor’s Fortune Up For Grabs”
In 1913, Art Hadley invented the expansion bracelet, now a worldwide standard for jewelry and wristwatches, and amassed considerable wealth. He passed it on to his children, but when they died, Art’s fortune was up for grabs.
Told from two perspectives—that of the attorney [John S. Pfarr], who negotiated a $1.8 million settlement, and one of the heirs he represented [Suzanne G. Beyer] —this true story tells how a group of cousins, some of whom had never met, could unite and journey on a six-year odyssey of setbacks, divisive stubbornness and stunning victories.
Suzanne and eight other descendants of Art Hadley engaged John to represent them in investigating whether they were entitled to any of the Art Hadley fortune. This captivating tale illustrates the significance of faith, commitment, family unity, spiritual guidance, the ups and downs and countless delays of the legal system, and the corruptive effect of greed and self-defeating arrogance.
Our account hinges on a set of facts and circumstances in a case that fell through the legal cracks. There was no clear winner or loser; there is no one who was right and no one who was wrong—simply a group of people fighting for what they believed was fair and in keeping with Great Uncle Art’s wishes. Unfortunately, there was no governing law in Rhode Island that could provide a precedent to help decide this case. We were in uncharted territory.