The catastrophe became a courtroom scandal as owners Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, who escaped by fleeing to the roof, were indicted in April 1911 on first- and second-degree manslaughter charges. Prosecutors argued that the owners knew or should have known that an exit door was locked during working hours, a common practice intended to prevent theft, unauthorized breaks, and possibly union organizers from entering. At the December 1911 trial, defense attorney Max Steuer repeatedly questioned survivor Kate Alterman until her testimony sounded rehearsed to jurors, successfully attacking her credibility. The owners were acquitted of manslaughter, although a 1913 civil suit found them liable for wrongful deaths and awarded plaintiffs only $75 per deceased worker. Their insurance company paid them $64,925 more than the reported losses, producing the grotesque contrast between the financial recovery of the factory owners and the minimal compensation paid to victims' families.
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AI concept artworkArchive Record · 1910s
The Triangle Owners' Manslaughter Trial and the $75 Price of a Garment Worker's Life
Triangle Waist Company, Max Blanck, and Isaac Harris / 1910s
The catastrophe became a courtroom scandal as owners Max Blanck and Isaac Harris, who escaped by fleeing to the roof, were indicted in April 1911 on first- and second-degree manslaughter charges. Prosecutors argued that the owners knew or should have known that an exit door was locked during working hours, a common practice intended to prevent theft, unauthorized breaks, and possibly union organizers from entering. At the December 1911 trial, defense attorney Max Steuer repeatedly questioned survivor Kate Alterman until her testimony sounded rehearsed to jurors, successfully attacking her credibility. The owners were acquitted of manslaughter, although a 1913 civil suit found them liable for wrongful deaths and awarded plaintiffs only $75 per deceased worker. Their insurance company paid them $64,925 more than the reported losses, producing the grotesque contrast between the financial recovery of the factory owners and the minimal compensation paid to victims' families.
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