Justice

It apparently took several months for a complete chemical analysis of Athena's blood to be completed. The results led the physician to recommend that Athena be prescribed a long-acting, daily dose of methylphenidate, more commonly known on the street as "Ritalin".

The next fifty or so pages contained details on regularly scheduled follow-up visits where Athena would be subjected to a complete physical, blood analysis, more cognitive assessments, and a review of behavioral reports from her teachers and parents. After reviewing the first dozen of these, Hayden recognized that the medication prescribed appeared to have done its job and Athena had led a relatively normal childhood, adolescence, and teenage life.

There were notations beginning around Athena's seventeenth birthday related to concerns about her continuing to take the methylphenidate, since studies had shown that its efficacy in adults was negligible. The unnamed physician had begun weaning Athena off the medication and monitoring her physical, behavioral, and emotional condition during the period between her seventeenth and eighteenth birthdays. Hayden realized that she must have stopped using the medication only a few months before he had met her.

There was a lapse of more than eighteen months between noted visits in the documents. This was explained in a summary sheet that prefaced Athena's return to the unnamed physician which detailed the reason for the renewed doctor/patient relationship. Hayden noted that the new sessions had commenced in the middle of September after the first summer that Athena had spent as an intern at Coastline Multimedia. The summer when he had first met her.

"Thoughts of suicide?" Thought Hayden as he read the summary. "Athena?"

Marking where he was in the stack of documents, Hayden picked up his cell phone and the bottle of water and then headed out the French doors connecting the study to the back patio area of his house. He walked past the pool house and down the ramp to the sand of the beach and turned left to head north along the shore as he recalled the first summer that he had met Athena.

He recalled that she had been reclusive and very guarded that first summer, sticking close to him as her mentor and avoiding interaction with other employees. He had been a sort of intern himself that summer, but the difference was that his mentor had been his father. This exposed Hayden to far more of the various operations within the entire organization and forced him to interact with almost every employee at some point.

While not opening up to him entirely, Athena had been accepting of working alongside Hayden on a presentation for the marketing department staff. Spending long hours together on that project had led to them sharing lunch and eventually a few dinners alone together. By the end of that first summer, Hayden had witnessed a change in Athena's behavior towards him. She was always more outspoken, confident, and possessed a happier general attitude when the two of them were together.

She had become, while not depressed, certainly melancholy in the week before she was due to return home. It was during this time that she had begun seeking out more intimate physical contact between herself and Hayden. From light touches of his arms to friendly hugs and embraces as they greeted or departed from each other. In retrospect, she was apparently trying to establish a bond between them that transcended their work environment, and he had not discouraged her.

For the past ten years, Hayden had been chastising himself for trusting Athena Hart. A trust that had started growing that first summer. He had considered her a friend and confided in her aspects of his life and dreams for the future that he hadn't shared with anyone else to that point. He realized now that Athena hadn't been anywhere near as trusting of him and he hadn't thought anything of it until now.

She had seldom discussed her family life that first summer, only admitting that she had two parents and a younger sister. While she shared her educational objectives, she had never discussed what she intended to do after college. She had offered him no insights into her childhood, her travels, or other life experiences of note. Hayden had been an open book to her by the end of the summer, and Athena had partaken freely of what she saw there. He had been judging her book almost entirely by the "cover" that she showed him. There had been no substance visible to him beyond that.

The contrast between sisters that he had examined briefly last night came back into his mind. When he compared the more than two months that he had known Athena that first summer with the hour and a half that he had spent with Minerva last night, Hayden began to recognize things that his love must have blinded him to. Athena likely had some emotional issues that might have stunted her ability to develop and maintain relationships.

Hayden wanted to examine that contrast again while the memories of Athena were ripe in his consciousness. He pulled out his cell phone and found the last incoming call. That would be easier than searching his contacts for Minerva's number. He hit the dial icon and waited.

"We're sorry. This telephone number has been blocked by the intended recipient..."

~~~

"Hayden," Sierra announced with only her head around the door jam of his office, "Emily says that she needs you in the 4E conference room."

"Did she say what for?" Hayden asked.

"No, but she told me to tell you that it was urgent. I think she is meeting with someone from Butler."

That made Hayden glance up from his computer screen, "Butler and Associates?"

Sierra simply nodded as she watched her boss close his laptop and stand. She said, "Your schedule is clear for the next few hours. Let me know if I need to rearrange anything for this afternoon."

"Will do," he said as he passed her in the doorway.

Taking the stairs down one level was faster than waiting for the elevator and had the added benefit of allowing Hayden to loosen up his body after sitting at his desk for the past three hours. He didn't knock before entering the conference room and no one was surprised by his appearance. He took a chair next to Emily Willis, who was seated across from two men that Hayden didn't recognize.

Emily turned to Hayden and said, "Thanks for joining us so quickly. Let me introduce Aiden Chambers and Tate Hemingway from Butler and Associates."

All three men stood and exchanged handshakes before resuming their seats. Hayden waited for Emily to continue. She slid a stack of papers from in front of her to a spot in front of Hayden.

"I asked these gentlemen to meet with us in reference to the filings that were served on Coastline this morning. We are being sued by two separate employees, one current and the other a former intern..."

Hayden glanced down at the documents, "Sued for what, exactly?"

Aiden Chambers answered, "The first filing specifies that while working at Coastline Multimedia as an intern, one Carlotta Lima was subjected to repeated offensive, and possibly sexually related comments that presented her with a hostile work environment..."

"Do we have a record of any complaints from this Lima woman?" Hayden asked Emily, interrupting Chambers. "Or reports from other employees of a similar nature?"

Emily shook he head, "The answer is 'no' to both."

Hayden addressed Chambers, "I'm sorry, please go on."

Chambers continued, "The absence of complaint or other reports doesn't affect the potential validity of the woman's claims. The filing states that at least some of the incidents were witnessed by other employees who the filing claims can substantiate the allegations. We have to prepare a defense based upon an assumption that the claims are true..."

Hayden interrupted again, "I understand that. Even if we will be defending something that never occurred. I just hate these situations where the inability of someone to control their emotions translates into someone else having to control their words and opinions."

Hemingway spoke, "Unfortunately, that's the world we live in today. However, that's only part of the legal aspect before us. The woman is suing Coastline Multimedia for not enforcing your documented policy related to harassing or offensive acts by one employee towards another. They are also suing the individual they claim personally and purposely created the hostile work environment."

Hayden directed his question to Emily, "Who is she suing? Is it a current employee?"

"You are the named defendant," Hemingway answered. "The woman is seeking five-million dollars from you personally for mental anguish and emotional distress caused by repeated offensive comments directed at her by you."

Chambers added, "On a positive note, she is only asking for five-hundred thousand from the company. We believe that this is merely an attempt for a settlement."

Hayden picked up the documents and studied them more closely. It wasn't until he had perused the third page of the first filing, the one against Coastline when something caught his eye.

"The Hart Law Firm?" He asked no one specifically. "That is the firm representing this woman?"

'Correct," Hemingway said. "Are you familiar with them? They are based out of Greenville."

"That certainly explains why every attempt of his to contact Minerva Hart over the past two weeks had been fruitless," Hayden thought.

"They have a satellite office here in Myrtle Beach," Hayden informed the lawyers. "It's probably not more than a few doors down from your offices."

Chambers nodded and said, "Be that as it may, the primary reason for asking to meet with you today is to explain the representation challenge these two suits present. Our firm could represent either Coastline Multimedia or we could represent you, Mr. Justice, personally. It would not be appropriate for us to do both. You should decide who you want representing the company and yourself."

Hemingway interrupted, "Let me clarify what my associate means. Obviously, in your role as President of Coastline, our firm could represent you in that capacity when we represent the company..."

Hayden interrupted, "I understand, gentlemen. I would like Butler and Associates to represent Coastline in this matter provided that you take it to the mat. This company has a long and proud reputation as an employer that protects everyone who works for us. There will be no settlement, no concessions, and not even a hint of responsibility for these allegations."

"The problem with that approach," Chambers stated, "Is the fact that the suit against you personally will dictate what position the company will be allowed to take in defense of the charges. If you lose the suit, then the company would be in a poor position for denying any responsibility, especially in light of your role within the corporation. Win your case and the case against Coastline becomes virtually moot."

"Okay," Hayden said. "You had mentioned a second suit. One involving a current employee..."

"Our favorite pest," Emily said. "Ashanti Cox is suing the company for discrimination. She's pulling out all of her favorite allegations, her gender, her race, and whatnot."

Hayden nodded and said, "Well, we know that her claims are groundless and we have the records to substantiate that fact."

He addressed the two lawyers once more and said, "Again, I would like your firm to represent Coastline only if you agree that you will fight for the complete vindication of the company against any and all charges alleged in the filing. Pull out all the stops. Bring in whatever co-counsel you need to bury the suit and anyone associated with it if necessary. Are you agreeable to those terms?"

"Of course," Chambers said with Hemingway nodding in agreement.

Hayden straightened the papers in front of him and asked Emily, "Can I have these copies?"

Emily nodded, but Hemingway held up a hand, "I would advise against that, Mr. Justice."

Hayden focused his gaze on the lawyer and raised a questioning eyebrow.

Hemingway explained, "The filings were served on Coastline Multimedia by the process server delivering them to Ms. Willis as an officer representing the corporation, which makes her authorized to accept the legal serving. She is not, however, a representative of you, Mr. Justice. By serving her with the filing against you, the requirements for the legal serving of the filing were not met. You have not been served notice of the filing so you do not want to take possession of the documents in front of you. As president of the corporation, you are entitled to receive a copy of the filings involving the company, but the longer you avoid receiving a copy of the filing which names you, the more effectively you can delay the proceedings."

Hayden pushed the stack of documents back to Emily and said, "I don't want to delay things, but I see your point. Thank you."

Rising, he said to Emily, "Please make me a copy of the filings against the company when you have a chance. Also, see if you can find the employee badge photo for this Carlotta Lima and e-mail it to me. I would like to see if I even recognize her."

Chapter Nine

"This response looks like a damned 'Who's who' of the South Carolina Bar Association," Lana moaned.

"You're not kidding," TJ agreed. "This Justice guy must be loaded. Maybe we should have asked for more than five mil?"

Minerva sat silently fuming. First, the idiot process server had delivered the paperwork to the wrong person, which had resulted in a delay of more than a week before a new process server could render the legal service, and that had been to an attorney representing Hayden Justice rather than to the man himself.

Her request to question Hayden Justice in a formal deposition was eventually met with an agreement for him to be deposed only through like-kind responses to written questions. His legal team, which her associates had noted was not only large in size but included some of the most preeminent and respected trial attorneys in the state continued to counter her every pre-trial maneuver. From requesting a preemptive dismissal of the case to challenging every subpoena she had submitted for Coastline Multimedia's personnel records, e-mails, and other inter-office communications which might help her prove her case, she had been forced to spend countless billable hours chasing her tail.

This latest response related to Hayden's legal team requesting an earlier trial date than she had established with the court. It would move the trial to a week from next Wednesday instead of a month from now. Minerva wasn't as familiar with the judges in Horry County, but she had a strong suspicion that her opposing attorneys were quite familiar with them. If she wanted to counter this response, she had better come up with just the right justification and words to sell it to the judge.

"On second thought," Minerva mused, "why wait?" Alex's last day of school was May 19^th. With the discrimination trial scheduled to begin on May 23^rd, she could bring him and her parents with her to Myrtle Beach a bit earlier than planned. She could finish the discrimination trial, enjoy the Memorial Day weekend at the beach, and then prepare for the Justice trial the following week.

She broached the idea with TJ and Lana and asked, "TJ, are you okay with holding things down in Greenville for a couple of weeks before joining me in Myrtle Beach?"

"No problem," TJ assured her.

"Great. Lana, go ahead and reply to the response accepting the new trial date. I'll let you know my planned arrival date once I speak to my parents. Let's win these, team."

~~~

"You didn't think it important enough to tell me that one of the executives at Coastline Multimedia was a black woman?" Minerva hissed at her client after losing the summary judgment that effectively ended their discrimination case. This had been a "throw-away" case for Minerva from the start. She only pursued it to aggravate Coastline Multimedia and keep their lawyers somewhat distracted from the primary objective, getting millions of dollars directly out of the pockets of Hayden Justice.

"You got the list of employees at the company and their titles," argued Ashanti Cox.

Minerva bit her tongue before replying, "We subpoenaed the employee list but they lacked demographic details. Companies aren't required to maintain those and most won't since not doing so demonstrates that the company doesn't base any employment decisions on gender, race, or other protected or minority status. We couldn't cite any evidence of discriminatory hiring or promotion of employees, but Coastline was able to show evidence to the contrary regardless. Since we had no evidence to challenge that which they presented, the judge had little choice in granting a summary judgment in favor of Coastline Multimedia."

"That's bullshit," Ashanti said, "When we go to trial I will tell the judge about all the times that I was denied vacation days, promotions, and pay increases because I am a black woman."

The metallic taste of blood in her mouth was increasing the longer that she had to deal with this client. Losing her perfect trial record was bad enough. She shouldn't have to face the additional humiliation of explaining things multiple times to this woman.

"There won't be a trial," Minerva informed Ashanti for the third time since the judge had ruled. "A summary judgment ends the case. We're done. I suggest that you go back to work and learn how to play nice with your coworkers and supervisor."

Ashanti Cox gave a one-finger salute to her attorney and stormed down the courthouse corridor toward the exit. Minerva was closing her bag and preparing to head in the same direction when a middle-aged woman spoke to her. She was standing alongside the black female executive from Coastline Multimedia.

"Will you excuse us, Emily?" The middle-aged woman said to her companion.

Emily Willis smiled and said, "I'll wait for you at your car."

Corrine Justice only waited for Emily to walk away a few paces before she said, "You are as beautiful as your sister was. As much as I despised her for what she did to Hayden, I was sorry to hear of her passing."

Minerva bristled before straightening her shoulders and facing the woman that she now assumed was the CEO of Coastline Multimedia, and Hayden Justice's mother. "I don't want or need your condolences. I also have no sympathy for whatever guilt that your son has to live with over his actions..."

"His actions?" questioned Corrine Justice. "Exactly what actions do you believe Hayden should feel guilty over?"

Tossing the strap for her bag over her shoulder, Minerva huffed, "What's the point? You're his mother and I'm sure you are prepared to defend your son over anything that I told you..."

"Try me," Corrine said as she sat on a bench and patted the seat next to her. "Because, as his mother, it is my responsibility to share any guilt assigned to him. I am the one who raised him, and his shortcomings reflect on me. So, please explain what you mean."

Minerva stood silently appraising Corrine Justice. She was far from frail, but she also wasn't that formidable-looking physically. She reminded Minerva of a school teacher - no, more like a school principal. She had a confident and professional demeanor that silently commanded respect. Or, was it the same reverence that her son commanded by his presence?

Without consciously deciding to do so, Minerva found herself taking a seat on the bench next to Hayden's mother. "What do you want to know?" she asked in a much more civil tone.

"Simply what it is that you believe Hayden should feel guilty about?"

Reminded of the topic being discussed, Minerva bristled once more. Staring Corrine Justice directly in the eyes, she asked, "You don't believe that a man who impregnates a woman and then abandons her and her unborn child should harbor any guilt?"