“I saw that. If they’re legit, then that’s great. But what do I do if I get contacted by the press?”
“Just send them to me,” Kat said. “I’ll be working with the publicist to tamp down further interviews unless, of course, you decide you want to do them.”
“No, I’m done,” Victoria stated adamantly.
“One more thing,” Robert began. “Yesterday, I got a call from a New York lawyer. Apparently, one of his clients has information he believes will substantially impact our case. They want an in-person meeting and they’re adamant it has to happen by Monday. His only other condition is that Victoria must be present. I’ve checked him out and he’s legit. He refuses to tell me anything further until I tell him if we’re interested.”
“What do you think?” Kat asked.
“I don’t see what we have to lose, although I’m not sure it’s necessary for Victoria to be present,” Robert answered.
“Why wouldn’t I be present?”
“I don’t really have an answer for that, except I don’t like the idea of having you at a meeting when the identity of one of the participants is unknown.”
“It’s a risk we’ll have to take. If he and his client want me at the meeting, I’ll be there. Set it and let’s see what they have to say,” Victoria responded.
“Kat, if you can swing it with your other work, I’d like you at the meeting as well,” Robert suggested.
“There’s no way I’d let that take place without me,” Kat replied.
“Great,” Robert said, glancing at his watch. “It’s late. Why don’t we finish the last of our planning over dinner?”
“Guys, I’m beat.” Victoria stood and shoved the papers she’d been reviewing into her bag. “I’m heading home. Kat, are you ready? We can grab dinner and take it back to my place, just like old times.”
“If you don’t mind, V, I’m kind of wired. I feel like going out for dinner. Is that okay with you?” Kat asked.
Victoria smiled, relieved she could lie on the couch and not talk to anyone.
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JACK KNEW HE was heading into a difficult meeting. Ever since the story aired, the firm had been inundated with calls from clients around the world and reporters had been parked outside the firm’s headquarters as well as the homes of Billy, Trever, and Adam. After a perfunctory knock, Jack entered Billy’s office. Before he’d even taken two steps inside, Adam attacked. “Well, what the hell are you doing to control the situation, Jack, and how the hell did you let this case get so out of control?”
“Calm down, Adam. Blaming one another isn’t going to get us anywhere. Sit down, Jack,” Billy ordered calmly. “The situation is beyond serious. Our largest clients are threatening to pull their work if we don’t get this straightened out by Monday. They can’t afford to be associated with a firm that’s been nationally accused of discriminating against women.”
Trever leaned forward. “The senator called. His instructions were clear. We need to pull out all the stops and fix this immediately. Some of his largest donors are some of the biggest corporations and they are threatening to pull their financial support.”
Jack nodded and kept quiet. One of the most valuable lessons he’d learned from his years litigating, was to stay quiet and let the client vent. He continued to nod and act as if he was empathetic to their turmoil, and he waited. Billy, Trever, and Adam eventually finished and asked for his counsel.
“I’m ready to move with our kill shot once you approve. While I know it doesn’t feel like it at the moment, Victoria’s conduct has actually given us the upper hand. Let me explain. I recommend we file this immediately and release it to the press.” Jack stood and passed out copies of a document. “As you can see, it’s a counterclaim against Victoria. I’ll summarize to save time, but once you have a chance to review the detailed allegations, you’ll see that we are going to hit her particularly hard. We’re alleging defamation and interference in the firm’s contractual relationships with our clients. We are seeking both compensatory and punitive damages. I also recommend we file an ethics complaint with the State Bar Association and seek to have her license to practice pulled. Then, we’ll launch a full court media response, hitting her right where it will hurt most: her reputation. Billy, I’ll need you to attest to her sexually aggressive behavior while she worked for you.”
“I like all but the last bit,” Billy said. “She never came on to me.”
“No one gives a damn,” Adam responded. “You were with her all the time. It’s he said, she said. Who’s going to believe her over you? We need to take her down a peg, and I like the story line that Jack’s created. She’s trying to ruin our reputation and all we did was fire her. A million people get fired every day and go about their business. We get the one pain in the ass who feels it’s worth her while to fight us. This is getting out of hand. It’s time we put it to bed, and the only one in a position to attest to her conduct is you.”
“For once I agree with Adam,” Trever drawled. “It gives us the perfect answer to why she was let go and why she is trying to turn this around on the firm—she’s the aggressor, the one that has the issue. She never received the attention she wanted from her boss and hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. It’s a plotline everyone can relate to.”
“Sorry, boys. There’s no way I’m putting my neck on the line with a flat out lie. What I am willing to do is make a statement that provides just enough innuendo so everyone one who reads it will understand exactly what I’m saying,” Billy responded, warming to the idea. “I’ll need to work with you, Jack, on an air tight statement. Something the press can’t poke holes in no matter how hard they dig.”
“Of course. We’ll get that ready over the next few hours. Gentlemen, if I have your approval, I would like to get the counterclaim on file with the court Monday morning and then provide it, the press release, and our ethics complaint to Victoria’s team by messenger. I’d like to ensure we’re in full offensive mode by Monday morning.”
“Go,” Trever said. “Keep us advised at all times.”
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EVERYTHING HAD FALLEN into place. He had left the States for Thailand right after the meeting with Jack. He had been looking forward to this little private party and weekend getaway for the past month, and he saw no reason to change his plans over a blip in that little bitch’s litigation. His businesses were booming, providing him with more money than he’d ever imagined possible, and perhaps more importantly, he was respected by his numerous business partners around the world. Adam picked up his pace as he thought about the celebration he had planned for tonight. It was his reward to himself for a job well done.
As he turned the last corner, he stopped mid-stride. The scene was surreal. At least half the street was cordoned off and all traffic had been diverted. Police and medical personnel swarmed the area. Adam couldn’t see what was happening from his angle, so he crossed the street to join the growing crowd. “What happened?” Adam asked the man next to him.
“Don’t know. You just missed it though. A few minutes ago the police rammed open the door to that house.”
Adam followed the man’s pointed finger and stared in disbelief. Just then, the doors opened wide and someone in the crowd gasped, “Oh my God!” One after the other, scantily clad young women, some of whom appeared to be extremely young, were carried out on stretchers or in the arms of police officers and rushed into waiting ambulances.
“What the hell?” Adam wondered out loud. He watched another few minutes, then turned and walked quickly away.
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“HOLY SHIT! I’M at a loss for words, which, I might add, has never happened before,” Kat confessed as soon as the meeting ended and the last of their quests left the room.
“I need to call Armond. I can’t have his family’s name getting dragged into this,” Victoria said as she stood to step out of the room and make the c
all.
“There are a few other calls we need to make as well to ensure everyone is protected,” Robert added as he walked over and leaned out of his office. “Sandy, can you come in? I need a few things before you leave for the evening.”
Walking into Robert’s office, Sandy announced, “I’ve been with you long enough to know that something significant is happening. I’ve already told my husband I may be late, so I’m good to stay if you need me.”
Robert nodded. “We need you and we will be late.”
“Before you tell me what you need, I think you should see this,” Sandy said as she handed Robert and Kat each a stack of documents. “It was just delivered. I made a copy for each of you. I’ve read through it and I think you’ll want to go through it right away.”
Sandy sat and waited as Robert and Kat tried to speedread through the papers. “There is so much here. Have you gone through it?” Kat asked.
“I’m happy to summarize,” Sandy said.
“Please,” Robert responded.
“They’ve counterclaimed against Victoria, seeking punitive damages alleging she interfered with their clients; they filed an ethics complaint with the State Bar, requesting suspension of her law license; and they intend to issue a press release claiming—get this—that she was the sexual predator and made repeated advances toward Billy.”
“Oh my God. She’s going to lose her mind,” Kat said, standing as she looked toward the doorway to see if Victoria had overheard. “I’ve got to tell her before she hears this from anyone else.”
As Kat began to walk out of the room, Robert stopped her. “Kat, I have an idea. Tell her we have a plan, not to worry, and to come back in so we can discuss it.” Kat nodded and left the room.
“Sandy, here’s a list of contacts. I need the senior-most person you can find in this subject matter area, and I need someone who will take a call on this immediately,” Robert said as he handed her his handwritten notes.
Sandy read over his notes and snapped her head up. “Robert, is everything okay? Are we in some sort of danger?”
“Everything is fine. Trust me. If you have any problems getting through to the right people, interrupt me and I’ll get involved. Your part of this is critical.”
“Got it. I’ll be back as soon as I have the information.”
“Oh, and Sandy, once you’re through with that, will you order dinner for the four of us? It’s going to be a late night.”
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IT WAS CLOSE to midnight as Jack walked into Billy’s office. As a litigator, he was used to these hours. Over the course of his career, he’d probably pulled more than a hundred all-nighters to prepare for trial. Time was of the essence in responding to Victoria’s last maneuver against the firm, and since the three founders had their asses on the line, he thought they would understand the need for a midnight meeting.
Jack gave a cursory knock and walked into Billy’s office. He headed straight to the bar and poured himself a scotch neat. “Billy, Trever, any interest?” Jack asked as he raised his glass.
“I’m in,” Trever answered. “There’s little in this world that can’t be cured with a glass of scotch.”
“None for me.” Billy walked over to sit on his couch just as Adam rushed through the door.
“Okay, I’m here,” Adam said as he shut the door behind him and shook the snow off his coat. “It’s freezing out there. Couldn’t this have waited a few days? I just returned from Asia and I’m beat.”
“Well, sure, but by then we might have lost over half our clients and most of our revenue. How would that have worked for you?” Billy answered acidly.
“My clients don’t give a rat’s ass about this bullshit. They’re not going anywhere,” Adam answered.
“Let me remind you,” Trever interjected, as he could see Adam was riding Billy’s last nerve and the last thing they needed was more conflict, “that we all share in the firm equally. If the firm is found liable for any wrongdoing, each of our profits takes a nosedive, and that includes you, Adam. May I suggest you sit down and let’s hear what Jack has to say?”
“Well, gentlemen,” Jack jumped in before the tension could get worse, “as much as I hate to break this up, I have good news! I just finished a long call with Victoria’s lawyer. They would like to discuss settlement.”
“Settlement?” Adam exploded. “We’re not paying that bitch. At this point, she should pay us.”
Ignoring Adam, Jack continued. “Actually, he said they’d like to resolve the case in a way that is fair and amicable. He thinks he’s convinced his client to resolve the matter without any payment from us.”
“What’s the catch? Why the sudden change?” Billy asked.
“He told me, off the record, that his client never really had the stomach for the fight, her mother pushed her to take us on from the beginning, and she doesn’t want to take a chance she’ll lose her law license.”
“Well, maybe we don’t want to settle, now,” Adam snapped.
“Will you shut up?” Billy yelled at Adam. Turning back to Jack, he asked, “If they don’t want cash, what do they want?”
“He wouldn’t give me specifics, as he was still in discussions with his client, but he intimated perhaps some sort of a mutually beneficial joint statement and a program that benefits women and minority lawyers. They want a meeting tomorrow at eleven at his office to discuss it.”
“Okay, have the meeting,” Trever said.
“In order to wrap this up as fast as possible, he insisted that all parties be present: the three of you and Victoria. I agree. Otherwise, we’ll spend days shuttling offers back and forth. Based on what you indicated our clients threatened, coupled with the media frenzy, we don’t have that kind of time to waste,” Jack finished.
Billy looked at his partners, each of whom nodded their assent. “Okay, we’ll be there. Eleven tomorrow morning. Jack, I want this done and over and Victoria off our backs by the time we walk out of that room. No exceptions.”
“No worries. It will all be over by the end of the day tomorrow.”
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VICTORIA WOKE AT four in the morning, after only three hours of sleep since they hadn’t finished their meeting until one. Even though they were as ready as they could be, she was nervous. Resolving this lawsuit had been a long time coming. She had hoped to achieve justice for herself and a change for the better for others. She needed to move on with her life. It was time to let it go. While they were hopeful they had a shot at reaching a positive resolution today, it was a crapshoot. Settlement negotiations were sticky wickets. One fly in the ointment; one emotional, illogical, or angry person; or even one lawyer off his or her game could bring negotiations to an abrupt end.
Throwing on her cold-weather workout clothes, she shuffled out to the kitchen to grab coffee and a few bites of something to eat. Waiting for the coffee to brew, she hovered over the fruit bowl, trying to convince herself to have a banana instead of her usual choice. “Screw it.” She pulled a blueberry scone out of her pastry-treat drawer and began to break it into bite-size pieces.
“Are you still pretending you’re trying to break your morning scone addiction?” Kat slurred from sleep deprivation as she crawled onto one of the island stools. “Let me make a prediction. It will never happen. There, all done. You no longer have to suffer through these morning mindfucks you put yourself through. You can thank me by handing me a cup of the blackest coffee in this apartment.”
“Here’s what I think about your prediction,” Victoria shot back as she raised her middle finger.
“Apparently, neither having your own law firm nor international travel experience has improved your level of sophistication. In fact, it seems you may have sunk even further into the gutter,” Kat responded haughtily. Receiving no response, she shrugged. “Hey, V, since you’re right by the cooktop, how about making your like-a-sister best friend some eggs? My preference is scr
ambled, but I’m open to chef’s choice.”
“Um, sure. I’ll get started on that right away. Why don’t you wait right there and let me know if you like what you get?” Victoria said as she sat on the ground to tie her running shoes.
“Don’t tell me you’re going for a run. It is pitch dark and utterly freezing.”
“No. Of course not. I’m busy on those eggs you’re waiting for,” Victoria responded as she stood and pulled her winter windbreaker over her head. “Now, you just sit tight and think about what’s coming to you,” Victoria smirked.
“Hey,” Kat said as Victoria turned the doorknob to head outside. “I know you’re anxious about today, V. I am too. But we’ve all done our best and that’s got to be good enough.”
“Kat, I appreciate, more than I can say, all the work you, Robert, and the rest of the team have put into my case. You’ve all done more than I can ever repay you for and I have no complaints. But the outcome of this case rests on my shoulders, and as far as I’m concerned, good enough is never enough. Now, I’ve got to run to shake this out of my system. While I’m gone, enjoy your eggs, and for God’s sake, get your ass in the shower so you’re ready on time. I’m leaving at seven with or without you.”
“God complex,” Kat mumbled as Victoria slipped outside and firmly shut the door behind her.
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“ROBERT, YOU CALLED the meeting so why don’t you begin,” Jack said as soon as everyone had settled into their chairs, each side on opposite ends of the table.
Private Agendas: A Victoria Rodessa Legal Thriller Page 24