After discovering the hidden information about the dangers of radium, five of the girls decided to file lawsuits against the U.S. Radium Corporation in New Jersey. They asked for $250,000 each as compensation for their medical expenses and pain. It took Grace Fryer, the first girl to sue, two years to find an attorney to take on the case. Many lawyers were not willing to go against such a big company. Finally, a young attorney named Raymond Berry took on the court case.
Orange, New Jersey
U.S Radium Corporation
Morgan, Kate. “The Radium Girls’ Dark Story Still Glows With Death and Deceit.” HowStuffWorks
Grace Fryer, “The Girls: The Radium Girls.” My Site 2
Quinta Maggia McDonald, “The Girls: The Radium Girls.” My Site 2
Katherine Schraub, “The Girls: The Radium Girls.” My Site 2
Albina Maggia Larice,“The Girls: The Radium Girls.” My Site 2
Edna Hussman “The Girls: The Radium Girls.” My Site 2
Amelia Maggia, “The Girls: The Radium Girls.” My Site 2
The U.S. Radium Corporation tried to delay the trial knowing that Grace Fryer would soon be dead. Later, four other girls, Edna Hussman, Katherine Schaub, and sisters Quinta McDonald and Albina Larice, quickly joined the case. They became known as the Radium Girls in newspapers throughout the country.
Amelia Maggia's grave, “Photos of Amelia Malia ‘Mollie’ Maggia, “Find a Grave
One former radium dial painter from the U.S. Radium Corporation, Ameila Maggia, had an odd death in 1922 that was diagnosed as syphilis. She was treated by a New York dentist named Joseph P. Knef, who had suspicions about the radium affecting her jaw and teeth. After approval, a professional examined her body. He saw that her body was full of radioactive poison, providing important evidence used in the trial.
“Radium, hailed as a boon to mankind in treatment of cancer and other diseases, becomes a subtle death-dealing menace.”
~ Dr. Knef