#21 Oh, How The Tables Have Turned
I called up my client’s disgruntled former employee about a contract dispute that got my client into litigation. After two questions, it was obvious he was a lying son of a witch. I didn’t want to call him as a witness; he was prone to act unpredictably. I took down his story as we talked, which was easily proven false by official documents. I did not tell him how I’d caught him in lies.
Later on, I submitted a list of known witnesses to the opposing counsel, as required by the rules. Witness number one was the liar. Fast forward to the trial—the opposing counsel called the liar as his first witness. He tells the same story on the witness stand that he told me on the phone. I took the emails that he wrote and entered them into evidence, proving him to be a clear liar.
My client didn’t breach the contract, the party suing did. After the witness left the stand, I asked the court for a brief recess, which was granted. I approached the opposing counsel. My client was still willing to sign on to the walk-away settlement where no money changes hands and no fault was admitted. We offered the deal two months before and it was angrily rejected. Now, suddenly, it was accepted. Score.
Credit: very_large_ears
