Charles Irving Dawson

United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky district Deceased · served 1925–1935 Appointed by Calvin Coolidge (Republican) 20 signed orders read

Judge Dawson no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.

How Judge Dawson decides

Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

What persuades

Dawson treated practical worthlessness, rather than nominal post-receivership trading, as the decisive fact in fixing the year of a stock loss.

“No sensible person, under the record in this ease, would have done otherwise than to treat his investment in Banco stock as a total loss in December, 1930.”

Dawson applied Kentucky exemption law in bankruptcy and protected homestead and dower interests against unsecured creditors.

“Therefore bankruptcy does not work any forfeiture of the bankrupt’s homestead rights nor of his wife’s dower rights under the state law;.”

Procedural preferences

Dawson required a tax-refund plaintiff to litigate only grounds first presented to the Commissioner, while permitting new supporting evidence in court.

“the taxpayer who brings suit after refund has been denied may rely for recovery only on the grounds presented to the Commissioner”

Dawson declined federal habeas relief when the prisoner had not used available state procedures capable of correcting the asserted constitutional error.

“He has voluntarily waived the rights which the state law gave him, which would have fully protected him against the trial by a judge pecuniarily interested, and I do not think that he can now be heard to complain in this character of proceeding.”

Signed rulings

A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.

Mutual Benefit Health & Accident Ass'n v. Lesler
· 1934-02-23
Motion to strike answer and counterclaim (insurer) Granted

“An order will be entered striking the answer and counterclaim, and unless the defendants plead further, within fifteen days from the date of the entry of such order, a final decree may be prepared in accordance with the prayer of the bill.”

W. P. Brown & Sons Lumber Co. v. Louisville & N. R.
· 1934-06-22
Reparation claim (lumber shippers) Denied

“I do not think the plaintiffs are entitled to the relief sought.”

Wesch v. Helburn
· 1933-08-12
Tax refund claim (taxpayer) Granted

“I am therefore of the opinion that the taxpayer was fully within his rights when he claimed his investment in this stock as a deductible loss, sustained in the year 1930, and judgment may be drawn in harmony with the views herein expressed.”

In re Gish
· 1928-12-07
Petition for review (bankrupt) Granted

“The referee should enter an entirely new order of sale, and direct the 300-acre tract to be sold free of the bank’s mortgage lien, of the husband’s homestead rights, and of his wife’s dower rights.”

Ballenger v. United States
· 1935-01-30
Motions to dismiss (United States) Granted

“An order will therefore be entered, dismissing the original and amended petitions.”

Rose Island Co. v. United States
· 1930-05-14
Takings damages claim (amusement-park owner) Denied

“I think the damage claimed, however, because the increased depth of the stream lessens its attractiveness as a boating stream, is too conjectural and. uncertain to authorize any recovery to the plaintiff on that ground alone.”

Takings damages claim (amusement-park owner) Granted

“this sum of $4,500 is fair compensation to the plaintiff for the destruction of its parking space.”

Takings damages claim (amusement-park owner) Granted

“It seems to me, under all the proof and from what I myself saw, that $2,000 will fully compensate the plaintiff for all other land *804taken, including the destruction of and damage to its landing place.”

United States ex rel. Boyd v. McMurtry
· 1933-08-11
Defendants demurrers (defendants) Granted

“Aside from these defects, however, the demurrers must be sustained.”

Kentucky River Coal Corporation v. Lucas
· 1931-07-09
Tax refund claim (taxpayer) Denied

“I am unable to agree with the plaintiff’s contention that the amount represented by this debenture stock must be treated as borrowed money.”

Larmon v. United States
· 1929-12-27
Request to declare policy in force (policy beneficiaries) Denied

“For this reason I do not feel justified in adjudging the policy still in force, upon the theory on which this case has been prepared”

Request to reopen and amend (policy beneficiaries) Granted

“This can be done by setting aside the order of submission and allowing the plaintiffs to plead, by amendment, that the policy had matured by reason of the fact that the deceased veteran, at the time he was discharged from the Army, and at the time he ceased payment of premiums, was then suffering from a total permanent disability.”

Kentucky Block Coal Co. v. Lucas
· 1933-02-17
Tax adjustment challenge (taxpayer) Granted

“As this took place in.1920, it follows, of course, that its value cannot be treated as income received by the plaintiff in 1919.”

Tax adjustment challenge (taxpayer) Granted

“Therefore title to these rails did not pass to the plaintiff until the termination of the lease in April, 1920, and then only by virtue of the fact that the lessee voluntarily turned them over to the plaintiff with the rest of the leased premises and property.”

Tax adjustment challenge (taxpayer) Denied

“I hold that the sum of $4,648.61, spent by the lessee in this respect, must be treated as income received by the plaintiff in 1919.”

Paul Jones & Co. v. Lucas
· 1929-08-01
Demurrer to answer (taxpayer) Denied

“I feel constrained to follow the rule herein announced, and the demurrer to paragraph 4 of the amended answer will be overruled.”

Ex parte Meeks
· 1927-06-02
Habeas petition (state prisoner) Denied

“For the reasons stated, I decline to issue the writ.”

Caseload & timing

From public federal docket records for this judge.

No assigned electronic docket sample was available for a historical caseload description.

A historical record

Judge Dawson no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.