Florence Deeks
Toronto Daily Star, June 3 1930
Florence Deeks (1864-1959) initiated her lawsuit against Wells in 1928. After the trial judge and the Appellate Division of the Ontario Supreme Court rejected her suit, she went to the final court of appeal, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, which heard her case in 1932. The committee dismissed her suit, claiming that literary criticism does not count as evidence in a court of law.
Some people claimed that gender bias and Ms. Deeks' lack of connections were factors in the decision. Modern opinion is divided on whether plagiarism actually occurred.
Created September 23, 2025.