Contempt Motion Against Wilmington, N.C. Hospital Filed by Legal Defense Fund

Press Release
March 26, 1965

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Contempt Motion Against Wilmington, N.C. Hospital Filed by Legal Defense Fund preview

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  • Press Releases, Volume 2. Contempt Motion Against Wilmington, N.C. Hospital Filed by Legal Defense Fund, 1965. 0c1c50ce-b592-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/8f868720-ae2d-4842-bb41-f4d134616ffb/contempt-motion-against-wilmington-nc-hospital-filed-by-legal-defense-fund. Accessed November 23, 2025.

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    10 Columbus Circle aie 
New York, N.Y. 10019 f 
JUdson 6-8397 

NAACP 

Legal Defense and Educational Fund 
PRESS RELEASE ugh Y 

Re President 
‘ Dr. Allan Knight Chalmers 

=. Bawa arr! : FOR RELEASE 
#2 g Jack Greenberg Friday 

March 26, 1965 

CONTEMPT MOTION AGAINST WILMINGTON, N.C. 
Beit HOSPITAL FILED BY LEGAL DEFENSE FUND 

WILMINGTON, N.C.-- Attorneys of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund 

today asked the U. S. District Court here to place the Board of 

Managers of James Walker Memorial Hospital in contempt of court. 

Officials of the hospital are charged with ignoring an 

order from the same court, issued last August, which enjoined 

defendants from "denying or limiting" plaintiff-physicians "Gn 

admission to and the use of (the) courtesy medical staff privi- 

leges." 

The Legal Defense Fund motion further argues that Walker 

Memorial officials have continued to “assign Negro patients 

to hospital facilities on basis of race and color.” 

Following the Court's order, Dr. Hubert A, Eaton, chief of 

surgery at all Negro Community Hospital, submitted his applica- 

tion for admission to the staff of Walker Memorial. 

Dr. Robert R. Martin, director of Walker Memorial, re- 

sponded saying: 

"I have been directed by the Board of Managers to 
inform you that your application for membership 
on the courtesy medical staff of James Welker 
Memorial Hospital has been denied." 

Legal Defense Fund attorneys assert that Dr. Eaton was de- 

nied admission "because of his race and color and because he 

was primarily responsible for, and gave his name to, litiga- 

tion which established Walker Memorial was denying Negro pa- 

tients and physicians equal protection of the law." 

The attorneys asked the court to hold Walker Memorial ¥ 

officials “in contempt and take such action, including imposi- 

tion of appropriate pains and penalties...as is necessary to 

insure their compliance with the orders of the court and 

grant such other and further relief as this court may de- 

termtng ‘tombe just and reasonable," 

-30- 

Jesse DeVore, Jr., Director of Public Information—Night Number 212 Riverside 9-8487 Ss

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