Grassroots lawyers also have their day

Chapter 82 Being Schemed Against!

Zheng Yi and Deng Tong followed Wang Chuan and quickly approached the clerk.

"Let's go to the court first. The defendant just called to say they're stuck in traffic and will be a little late," the court clerk explained.

Just as they stepped out of the elevator, a young female judge walked towards them. Wang Chuan recognized her, and she also recognized him.

The female judge gave Wang Chuan a barely perceptible smile and walked over.

Wang Chuan walked behind, nodding slightly to the female judge: "Isn't this the female judge who handled my labor dispute case with Hetong Company? Last time I came to pick up the judgment, there was a fight in the courtroom next door..."

Thinking of this, Wang Chuan quickly shook his head and followed Zheng Yi and Deng Tong into the courtroom. About twenty minutes later, the defendant entered the courtroom accompanied by a female lawyer in her fifties.

The wife, with panda eyes, long hair, and a slender figure, is quite attractive, but she doesn't seem to be in good spirits, probably because of the recent divorce proceedings.

After the middle-aged female judge struck her gavel, the trial officially began. Once the preliminary procedures were completed, the judge looked at the plaintiff.

"Plaintiff, state your claims and the facts supporting your lawsuit," the middle-aged female judge said expressionlessly.

Wang Chuan picked up the complaint and read it briefly. The gist was that the couple had a whirlwind marriage and lacked understanding beforehand, leading to inconsistencies in their lifestyles and values, which caused a rift in their relationship and ultimately led to its breakdown. The plaintiff requested a divorce and a division of marital property.

"Defendants, please state your defense." The middle-aged female judge said, looking at the defendants.

"Judge, we do not agree to the divorce. We believe there is no breakdown in the relationship between the defendant and the plaintiff. Their relationship is very good," said the female lawyer in her fifties sitting in the defendant's seat.

"Do either side have any new evidence to submit?" the female judge asked mechanically, her face expressionless.

"Judge, the plaintiff's evidence was submitted when the case was filed," Wang Chuan said.

"Judge, the defendant has evidence to submit." With that, the female lawyer in her fifties submitted two copies of the evidence to the middle-aged female judge.

After Wang Chuan and Zheng Yi obtained the evidence, they found that it consisted of two photos: one showing the plaintiff and defendant sitting together eating, and the other showing the two smiling as they celebrated an elderly woman's birthday.

The photos show that both were taken in the same location, presumably during a family dinner.

"Judge, these two photos were taken at the end of last month. The elderly woman in the photos is the defendant's grandmother, and the plaintiff and defendant attended the defendant's grandmother's birthday party together."

"From the photos, it's clear that the couple has a good relationship, and there's no sign of a breakdown in their relationship..." the female lawyer in her fifties explained slowly.

Zheng Yi turned to look at the panda-eyed man and asked in a low voice, "What happened? Is what they said true?"

"I...I did go to her grandmother's birthday party last month..." the panda-eyed man said helplessly in a low voice, "She told me she didn't want her family to know we were getting a divorce, so she asked me to cooperate. I never expected her to scheme against me; it's really impossible to guard against such a thing!..."

"Plaintiff, are the defendant's representatives correct? Please provide your comments on the evidence," the middle-aged female judge said.

"We acknowledge the authenticity of these two photos, but we do not acknowledge their relevance or legality. The defendant took the photos without the plaintiff's consent, and we do not accept the defendant's purpose in presenting the evidence."

Zheng Yi continued, "Last month, the plaintiff did attend the defendant's grandmother's birthday party, but that wasn't his intention. He was merely cooperating with the defendant to prevent her family from finding out that they were getting a divorce. In essence, it was a transaction; their marital relationship had already broken down."

When the other party produced the photos, Zheng Yi knew he was doomed to lose the case, and that he would lose because of those two photos.

Judges' determination of whether a marital relationship has broken down is a rather subjective process, with virtually no objective standards.

The photos submitted by the other party might give the judge the impression: Oh! This young couple went to a family birthday party together. It seems their relationship is still okay; they probably just had a minor disagreement and acted impulsively, but it shouldn't be as serious as divorce. As the saying goes, "What goes around comes around," isn't that exactly how it is?

After both sides finished their arguments, the judge struck the gavel, and the trial ended.

The panda-eyed man walked out of the courthouse looking dejected. Zheng Yi glanced at him and said, "Alright, even if the other party doesn't submit photos, our chances of winning in this first divorce lawsuit aren't great."

"Yeah, I know. I just can't swallow this. She's lying!" the panda-eyed man said angrily.

"Alright, go back first. Don't overthink it. Use this time to talk to her again and see what she's really thinking. I'll let you know when the court sends any word," Zheng Yi advised. At this point, that was all they could do.

Wang Chuan followed behind the two: "Wow! The legal profession is really profound! They'll use any trick to win a case. No wonder my previous clients said lawyers have a lot of dirty tricks."

However, the defendant's lawyer, a woman in her fifties, taught him a lesson today, so the trial was not in vain.

After the panda-eyed man left, Wang Chuan glanced back at the solemn courthouse building and shook his head: The opposing lawyer was experienced and used litigation techniques skillfully; he was clearly a veteran who frequently handled marriage cases. You can't argue with that!

The next day, Wang Chuan was in his legal services office, arguing with a male client in his fifties with a full head of white hair who looked like he was in his sixties or seventies, when his QQ avatar flashed. There was a new message from Zheng Yi.

Zheng Yi: Here's a labor dispute case for you. I'll send you the materials in a bit.

Wang Chuan replied during a break while providing consultation to a male client: Okay.

"I'm sorry, but with my current abilities, this is all the advice I can offer. Why don't you try asking at other law firms?" Wang Chuan declined politely, not wanting to waste any more time.

"A lawyer, my foot! Can't even answer this simple question, lousy!" The male client in his fifties across from me looked displeased, angrily packed the materials on the table into a plastic tote bag that came with a purchase of clothes, and got up to walk towards the door.

"Senior Brother, what's wrong with that old man?" Pan Jinlian asked in a low voice when she saw that no one else was in the office.

"Don't even mention it. A few years ago, he was involved in a real estate lawsuit. After the first trial, the second trial, and then the retrial, he went through all the procedures but still didn't win the case."

Later, he started petitioning and contacting relevant departments repeatedly, and he still is. To put it bluntly, he's stubborn and inflexible, insisting that the house is his even without any evidence.

"I don't know how many law firms he's visited before, but this time he's come to us. He's a notorious petitioner, I dare not mess with him," Wang Chuan said with a bitter face.

(End of this chapter)