Dear Editor,
Good morning, good people of St. Maarten. My name is Steve A. Stewart. I am a construction worker. Several years ago I was severely injured on a job. My hand was crushed and I have lost all strength in it. At first, the representative of the company I was working for paid for the emergency medical treatment and also assured me that they would take care of the situation. After that the representative disappeared and I found myself having to retain a lawyer to represent me and seek some kind of compensation for the injury I sustained while working for the company.
After many years of being unemployed and unemployable due to my injury, the company made me an offer that I refused. I had been unemployed for many years due to the injury and the offer could not cover my legal fees and allow me to repay people who have been helping me financially.
Then out of the blue, the court decided that I was the guilty party and ordered me to pay all court fees for the defendant.
The company offered to pay, which to any reasonable person would be an admittance of guilt, yet the court turned around and squarely placed the blame on me. Here I have been unemployed due to their negligence, and I have to pay them.
I ask: Where is the justice for a poor man in this country?
To appeal my case I need another $500. How can a man who has not worked due to an injury caused by them find justice in this case? They can afford to hire high-powered lawyers, but who is there to represent the poor man? Where can I get justice?
Steve A. Stewart
