 Ballew sued the government under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) claiming damages for personal injuries, alleging that the negligence of government agents proximately caused his injuries.Ballew's head shot injuries from 1971 were such that he could not be in court for the 1975 trial.Ballew was represented by civilian attorney John T. Bonner while the government was represented by J. Charles Kruse and David B. Waller from the US DoJ, and George Beall and James E. Anderson from the district USAO.