Page 99 of Maddy's Justice

“Okay, sure. Anything else I can do for you?” Marc asked with a tiny touch of sarcasm.

The sarcasm was either ignored or went flying over her head because she answered, “No, I can manage, thanks.”

Smiling, Marc stood up, looked at Connie and winked while she tried not to laugh. Melanie Stewart looked clearly affronted by Quinn’s impertinence even though Marc was quite amused.

“Mr. Kadella! You’ve decided to grace us with your presence,” Judge Jacobson loudly said when Marc appeared in the doorway, although he said it with a smile.

“Well, judge, I heard you were yearning to see me so, here I am.”

“Has Ms. Quinn arrived?”

“Yes, and she sent me back to let you know,” Marc replied.

Kendall Jacobson was a judge that wore two hats. In chambers, he was the pleasant, even gregarious, Ken Jacobson. On the bench, he was the no nonsense, “I’m in charge here” Judge Jacobson. He was firm, fair, likeable, and highly respected.

“Well, let’s go have a listen,” Jacobson said as he was slipping into his robe.

“Give me a minute, judge. I should get out there and see if Lori needs me for anything else,” Marc said.

“Okay,” the judge said after finishing the preliminaries for the court reporter. “It’s your motion, Ms. Quinn. Before you get started. I’ve read the pleadings from both of you,” he said looking at Connie and Marc, “So try not to bore me with things. I already know.”

Quinn stood to address the court. Jacobson waved her down and quietly said, “Sit down, Lori.” He then looked at the court reporter and indicated he should not put that comment into the record.

“As I am sure your Honor is aware, the defendants have played the usual game of stall, stall and stall some more…”

“Objection, your Honor,” Marc almost shouted as he stood. “The plaintiffs are asking for everything but the moon. Most of it lacks any relevance to their cause of action or to any claim for damages. The worst of it is employee records of irrelevant people, private records. I should add, now today, we are here because she wants the firm’s financials back for five years. It is an outrageous abuse of the discovery process.”

“If I may…” Quinn started to stand and say but stopped when Jacobson waved her down.

The judge looked at a still standing Marc, pointed a finger at him and said, “Noted,” while nodding his head a couple times.

Marc sat down and Connie leaned over to whisper in his ear. “I didn’t know you’d been paying that much attention. I’m impressed.”

“I’m a quick study,” Marc whispered back at her.

“As I was about to say…” Quinn started up again.

“Let me interrupt,” Jacobson politely said. “As I understand it, you’re here today requesting five-years of firm financials because you believe there may be more potential plaintiffs. Women who were abused and sexually harassed by lawyers in the defendant’s firm. How am I doing?”

“That is correct, your Honor,” Quinn replied.

“And the defendant law firm is objecting to this as a request without merit. That, as Mr. Kadella put it, is beyond the scope of this lawsuit,” Jacobson said looking at Marc and Connie.

“Correct,” Connie answered.

“I’m having a little trouble with this, myself, Ms. Quinn. Do you know of more women, who may be potential plaintiffs?” Jacobson asked.

“Well, no but we do know the names of several women who we have strong reason to believe were abused and harassed and settled with the defendant.”

“Objection,” Marc jumped up again. “Those, women, if they exist…”

“You know they do,” Quinn said.

“…would not be potential plaintiffs if they have accepted a settlement,” Marc finished.

“He has a point, Miss Quinn,” Jacobson said.

“The odds that there are others are…”

---