Chapter 17: Contempt
Noah entered Kaybri’s office and handed her a packet of papers. He could see Kaybri’s face darken with each page she read. “Who has a lawyer who can file a suit with the courts that fast?” Kaybri couldn’t keep the exasperation out of her voice.
“Teri McGee. She’s a determined lady. She learned her tactics from PETA,” Noah said bitterly.
“Well, she’s a PITA—a pain in the ass.”
“That too,” Noah said with a laugh. “Nevertheless, you need to be in court this afternoon.”
“There’s nothing funny about this. Who brings a case before court on the same day the papers are filed? This is bizarre.”
“Judge Thompson is…well…she runs her court differently than most judges. I think you’re going to learn something today about how Lancaster County operates. This is the fourteenth suit HED has brought to her in the last two years, and she’ll want to get rid of it as quickly as she did the previous thirteen.”
“I don’t even have a lawyer.”
“Sure, you do. Frank called Gerry Wockenfus. He’s been Frank’s lawyer for decades. He’ll be waiting for you when you get to the courthouse.”
“How will I recognize him?”
“Look for an older man who is most likely napping. Snores a little as well. He’s quite the character.”
“Oh, great, an old codger. This is a disaster!” Kaybri screamed.
“Don’t be so negative. He’s a sweetheart. And you might find this experience enlightening.” He looked her up and down. “Hey, my love, your scrubs are beautiful to my eyes, but you can’t go to Judge Thompson’s courtroom dressed like that. She’ll crucify you.”
Kaybri shook her head in disbelief. “I’m nervous as hell. I can’t promise I won’t say something inappropriate.”
“Well, I’d say ‘Just be yourself,’ but that could be exactly the wrong strategy.” He chuckled.
Kaybri walked out in a huff. She left the clinic and headed for the same consignment store where Dorothy had picked up clothes for her. Kaybri picked out a navy-blue business suit, a white blouse, and sensible shoes with a bit of heel. But the fussy clothes and heels made her prickly disposition even worse.
When she arrived at the courtroom, she looked around and saw an old man in a rumpled beige suit sitting up front near the judge. She walked over to him. “Mr. Wockenfus?”
“Oh, yes, dear, that’s my name. Are you Kelly?”
“It’s Kaybri. Nice to meet you. Thanks for representing me today.” The man looked about ninety years old. His suit coat was missing two buttons, and his shoes looked like he had mucked the barn in them before coming to court.
Just then, Teri McGee walked into the courtroom in a hand-painted hemp dress and Birkenstocks. As she sat down next to a man Kaybri assumed was her lawyer, she looked like she was ready to fight.
Wockenfus whispered to Kaybri, “That’s Jared Sandusky, a hotshot attorney from Philadelphia. He charges a lot.”
Kaybri looked him over. His fancy suit and shiny shoes put her own lawyer’s wardrobe to shame.
The proceedings began with Sandusky’s opening statement. After he’d been droning on for twenty minutes, Judge Thompson interrupted him. “Geez. I know you get paid by the hour, but you could have said that in two minutes. You want Dr. Lynn to tell the court which Amish farmers are breeding dogs, which farmers are giving her dogs that can’t breed anymore, and who’s paying for the care of the animals that are given to her.”
“Yes, Your Honor,” he replied.
“That wasn’t so hard.” Judge Thompson perused the documents on her desk. “Let me guess. You’re asserting that there is a criminal conspiracy within the community that is protecting the Amish from being held responsible for their supposed puppy milling operations and that Dr. Lynn is part of this nefarious group.”
“There’s nothing supposed about it,” Teri yelled from her seat.
“Oh, my. Ms. McGee, that outburst will earn you contempt citation number twenty” — Judge Thompson opened a file to check her math — “three. Which means that our bailiff has won today’s betting pool. He predicted that I would cite you twenty-eight minutes into these proceedings. Jim, please come forward and collect your prize.”
The bailiff whistled and skipped to the judge’s bench. She handed him a handful of cash. “Here’s your eighty bucks, Jim.”
“This is outrageous,” Sandusky bellowed. “You need to recuse yourself. Your behavior is unprofessional and prejudicial.”
“You can sit down,” Judge Thompson said, sounding annoyed. She turned to Wockenfus, who by this time was napping next to Kaybri, his head occasionally falling onto her shoulder.
“Gerry,” she said loudly. “I mean, Mr. Wockenfus. Is your client prepared to relinquish the information the plaintiff is requesting?”
Wockenfus suddenly woke up, stood, said, “No, Your Honor, she is not,” and then sat down again.
“Would you mind explaining to the court why she should not comply if I order her to do so?”
He slowly rose again. “No, Your Honor. I don’t mind explaining.” He sat down again.
With each successive question, Judge Thompson fought to keep a straight face because each time he rose, Wockenfus needed to straighten his jacket and tie and tuck in the back of his shirt before answering the question exactly as asked. She seemed to have some affection for the old man.
“Are you going to compel him to answer?” Teri shouted before her attorney could stop her.
Judge Thompson slammed her gavel down on her desk. “I have known Mr. Wockenfus for thirty years. He is not prone to giving information quickly, and I have found from experience that if he is not asked the right question, it is difficult to get him to respond. I will try to ask my questions in a fashion that will bring results.”
“If we live that long,” Teri blurted out.
“I will not warn you again. Should we go for twenty-four contempt citations? Ms. McGee, if you show a little faith in the judicial system, I think you will find that Mr. Wockenfus is known for finding solutions to sticky situations.”
Sandusky started to rise. “Please sit down. This is Lancaster County, not Philadelphia County,” Judge Thompson said sternly to him before turning back to Wockenfus. “Could you please stand and remain standing and answer why your client won’t comply with the information requested by the plaintiff?”
It took Wockenfus a while to compose himself before he was ready to respond. “Because it’s none of their damn business. Dr. Lynn has not committed a crime. All she has done is to ease suffering. Give her a medal, maybe the key to the city, not a sentence. Tammy, do we give keys to the city?”
“That’s not a lawyerly answer,” Sandusky shouted at the judge.
She ignored him.
Wockenfus waddled his way to the bench where he and the judge conferred, much to the consternation of Teri and her lawyer.
“Both parties' counsels come to my chambers, please,” Judge Thompson ordered.
Kaybri sat impatiently while the three of them were gone. Occasionally, she looked up to see Teri glaring at her.
Thirty minutes later, the two lawyers returned to their respective seats in the courtroom. Sandusky leaned over and said something to Teri. Kaybri watched as Teri’s face contorted with anger. “No one will be punished?” she shouted at the judge.
“It’s sure looking that way,” Judge Thompson said with a snarky smile. “Here in Lancaster County, we don’t punish people—even if they deserve it—if the penalties aren’t going to solve the original problem and are only going to compound an already difficult situation.”
“You’re rewarding those farmers?” Teri spat out in the judge’s direction.
“In a way, but we’re going to keep farmers out of jail so they can support their families. We’re going to stop families from buying puppies that are going to die or be sick for most of their lives. We’re going to stop groups like HED from acting on their demented impulses to hurt people in the name of saving dogs. If all goes well and the parties agree to what has been proposed, we won’t have to meet but one more time.”
Sandusky started to rise again.
“Sit down. I am not dismissing this case. I am suspending these proceedings until we can meet at the Stoltzfus Farm in…Gerry, did you say approximately sixteen weeks?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“This is outrageous,” Teri yelled.
“I am not going to hold you in contempt because in our courthouse pool”—Judge Thompson looked at her file again—“I have the winning time, which means I would receive the prize pool. That would be a conflict of interest.”
“Are you just going to sit there?” Teri yelled at her lawyer.
Sandusky spoke quietly to her, and Kaybri was able to overhear most of it. “It’s reasonable. I think you need to give the judge’s plan a chance. I could make all sorts of motions, file petitions with the court, seek dozens of depositions, and appeal. All of that would mean billing you and your organization tens of thousands of dollars. I’d rather see that pile of money go to helping sick dogs recover." He started to put his papers back into his briefcase.
“That’s it. You’re done?” Teri asked angrily.
“Yes,” the lawyer said. He turned to Judge Thompson. “Interesting day. I think justice will be served. If you ever decide to retire from the bench, Your Honor, I’d love to hire you as a mediator.”
“You’re welcome back in my courtroom anytime. I’m starting to like you.”
“But…” Teri interrupted. “I didn’t agree to this.”
“You will. Hopefully sooner than later,” the judge said with finality. “Ms. McGee, I’m not fond of you. I want you to think more about being part of the solution rather than exacerbating the problem. Court is adjourned.”
The judge turned to Kaybri. “Dr. Lynn?”
“Yes.”
“One last thing. Could you please wake Gerry up? He’s coming to my house tonight for dinner as soon as we adjourn. I don’t want him to be late. He once slept in that spot for three hours before the custodians woke him. I’m making chicken parmigiana. It’s his favorite.”
She then turned to Teri’s lawyer. “Mr. Sandusky?”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
“I’ve got another seat at my dining table. Come have a bite before you drive back to the big city.”
“With pleasure.”
“You’re fired,” Teri shouted at her attorney. “I’m not paying you.”
“I had a feeling that was coming,” Sandusky said to no one in particular. He grabbed his briefcase and began walking with Wockenfus, now fully awake and vertical, and the judge toward the door. “At least I’ll make some new friends today and enjoy a home-cooked dinner.”
“You’ve made an excellent choice. I make the sauce with tomatoes I grow in my own garden. Then I can it for the winter. Makes all the difference. Gerry brings me the seeds from the local farmers…”
Kaybri sat stunned as the judge and the lawyers’ voices trailed off. She was suddenly alone with Teri in the courtroom.
“This isn’t over,” Teri hissed.
“I was afraid you’d say that,” Kaybri said under her breath.