Chapter 8 - The Courtroom Bloodbath
Three months later, the civil suit regarding the forged power of attorney finally reached a judge.
Chloe and Derek sat at opposite ends of the defense table, refusing to even look at each other. They had public defenders because they couldn't afford real lawyers.
I sat next to Mary in the gallery, watching Arthur Vance dismantle them.
"Your Honor," Arthur said, pacing the courtroom. "This is a textbook case of elder financial exploitation. The defendants knowingly forged a medical proxy to seize a multi-million-dollar estate, intending to leave Robert and Mary entirely destitute."
Chloe took the stand, weeping hysterically, trying to play the victim. "I just wanted to make sure they were taken care of! My dad was sick! I was stressed!"
Arthur projected a text message onto the courtroom monitor. It was a message Chloe had sent to Derek the day of my surgery.
“Just got him to sign the stack. He didn't even read the deed. The house is ours. Call the realtor.”
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The judge, a stern-faced woman in her sixties, looked at Chloe with absolute disgust.
"I have seen a lot of greed in my courtroom," the judge stated, her gavel striking the block. "But locking your own mother out of her home to fund your vanity is despicable. I am invalidating the deed, issuing a permanent restraining order against both defendants, and referring this case to the district attorney for criminal fraud charges."
