One afternoon in 1821 while waiting in his apartment for a rendezvous with Caroline, he was Irritated by the continuous gossiping of next door neighbor the 45 year old seamstress Frau Marquet with several friends on the landing. Schopenhauer open his door and told her to do her gossiping elsewhere. Marquet was offended by Schopenhauer interruption and refused to move. The very angry Schopenhauer threw her down the stairs.

Frau Marquet filed a charge of assault against Schopenhauer, and the court gave him a small fine of twenty thaler. When she learned that Schopenhauer was a rich man, she file an appeal claiming that the fall paralyzed her rigth side. Schopenhauer contested the case. Six years later he lost the case and was order to paid Frau Marquet fifteen thaler per quarter as long as her injury exist. She claimed the injury persisted until her death twenty years later. After her death Schopenhauer wrote in his journal in Latin "The old woman dies, the burden departs".