My father looked at the jury box—which was empty, as this was a bench trial—then at the Judge. He crumpled.
“We needed the money,” he whispered. “We’re going to lose the house.”
“So you decided to frame your daughter for fraud,” I said. “You decided to drag my name through the mud, call me a loser, a drifter, a thief… all to cover your own mistakes.”
I turned to the Judge. “I have no further questions.”
Judge Halloway didn’t hesitate.
“The Plaintiff’s case is entirely without merit,” she ruled. “The testimony provided by Robert and Linda Vance is deemed unreliable and perjurious. The will of Rose Vance stands valid.”
She banged the gavel.
“Furthermore,” Halloway continued, glaring at Sterling. “I am dismissing this case with prejudice. And, Mr. Sterling, I am ordering your clients to pay all legal costs incurred by the estate. And I am referring the transcript of this trial to the District Attorney’s office to investigate charges of perjury and attempted fraud.”
