The Nuisance plot
Joseph Phineas 'Joe' Stevens is a personal injury attorney whose practice has become a nightmare for many defendants. Especially for the local tram company that provides transport in his city. Due to Stevens' style in court and the working methods of his friend and expert witness Dr. Buchanan Prescott have both cost the company tens of thousands of dollars, and the end is not in sight. John Calhoun, the tram company's chief adviser, decides to fight Stevens with his own tactics. He deploys the researcher Dorothy Mason as a so-called injury victim.