Forty-Six

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Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Jack

Morning Ceci! I'll give you a live,  blow-by-blow of this first match up with Nancy Grace/CNN.

I'm the first one here. It's a flashy, modern, glass tower office building in Atlanta. Top floor, law firm, conference room. Tom Metier is one of our partners in this case. One of Tom's lawyer buddies here in Atlanta runs this law firm and he offered to let us use their conference room to depose the CNN's executives. Three days ago, I read an article in the news about Tom's buddy. He won a $20,000,000 jury verdict for a Muslim man hit by a truck.

The conference room

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The conference room.

Nobody is here yet. I should have grabbed some breakfast. Caffeine is going to make me jagged on an empty stomach. I usually lead these things. Meaning I do the interrogation, I ask the questions. But Tom is the best civil trial lawyer in the Rocky Mountain West. He will lead while I watch and learn.

The CNN witness and his lawyer are walking in. The witness is male, middle age, average white guy executive. His lawyer is from the premiere media law firm in America. His name is Robert Griffin. Very smart, nervous, likely well-prepared.

Still waiting on Tom and the video crew to show up. We will video the entire deposition.

Damn, should have grabbed a burrito or something.

Ceci

You'll do great! You know what you're doing!

Jack

Thanks.

5 minutes till start. No Tom.

Everybody is wearing business suits. Tom just rolled in. He's in jeans, flannel shirt, and hiking boots. His hair is snow white and he's started a stubbly white beard. With his twinkling eyes, Tom looks like a cowboy-thin Santa Claus.

Bunch of laptops and electronic devices are coming out on all sides. Court reporter and video crew still late and lost. Tom is unfolding his binders and equipment from a large gray high-tech equipment case on wheels, something like what you might see an astronaut pulling behind him before he climbs aboard for lift off.

I'm watching Tom. He's in a zone. He just apologized to me for something he didn't actually do. I'm getting out of his way. Working on my poem. The CNN entourage is getting so fidgety we cut them loose till the lost video crew arrives.

Will extra cream and sugar in my tea substitute for breakfast?

Ceci

Yes

Easy on sugar

Jack

Thank you.

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