Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 150 - 149: Determining the Winner with Opening Statements, A Strike to Kill

Chapter 150: Chapter 149: Determining the Winner with Opening Statements, A Strike to Kill

Friday, trial day.

Around one in the afternoon.

Zhang Wei and his entourage once again arrived at the city court, the same old place.

Their numbers still didn’t have the advantage.

Those going to court included Zhang Wei, Lin Yumeng, and the plaintiff He Qingnian, plus Li Yueqin and Tie Ruyun to bolster the hearing, making a total of only five people.

On the other side, Mo Mingchuan’s team had more than ten employees from Harper Company, along with assistants from Mingchuan Law Firm, summing up to over thirty people.

"Wow, even more exaggerated than the preliminary hearing a few days ago!"

Feeling the pressure upon seeing the number of their opponents, Zhang Wei’s side did.

Were they planning to wear them down with numbers?

If this were an ancient battle, the opponent’s numerical superiority meant they would have already won.

"I remember Harper Cigar Company has over ten partner law firms; even if we defeat Mo Mingchuan today, Harper Cigar could continue to appeal, so the only solution is..."

Watching the other side enter the defendant’s seats, Zhang Wei’s mind started to plot.

Everyone took their seats, awaiting the start of the trial.

"Xiao Meng, is everything prepared?"

In the prep time, Zhang Wei poked his apprentice’s arm.

"Master, everything is ready!" the latter said, taking out a USB drive with confidence on her face.

"Good, although the law firm doesn’t support us, we also have our own methods. Today, you will use the move I taught you to teach your former mentor a lesson, understand!"

"Understood, Master, watch me today!"

Seeing his apprentice respond earnestly, Zhang Wei also felt relieved.

Although the apprentice sometimes wasn’t very reliable and was a bit slow to catch on.

But Lin Yumeng had many strengths, one of which was her malleability.

She could firmly grasp the knowledge Zhang Wei taught, which was enough.

Yesterday, all day, Zhang Wei had been teaching Lin Yumeng a move: to kill the opponent with an opening statement in court!

This was a true finishing move!

Now, it was time to show the results.

1:30 p.m., time for the trial to begin!

"All rise!"

The judge with the last name Ruan soon arrived and proceeded to the bench.

After scanning the courtroom, his gaze settled on the two foremost positions.

"Since both the plaintiff and defense are present, let’s begin."

With the jurors seated, the trial officially commenced.

On the defendant’s bench, Mo Mingchuan sat with arms crossed, as if ready to watch a play.

"Go, Xiao Meng, show them what you’re capable of!"

"Yes, I’m on it, Master!"

Lin Yumeng nodded solemnly and walked to the center of the courtroom.

Her action also caught the attention of the media in the spectator seats.

"What’s going on, wasn’t it supposed to be Zhang Wei?"

"Why let a rookie plead the case, has this lawyer named Lin Yumeng been in civil court before?"

"I remember seeing her in criminal court before, she’s pretty cute, otherwise I wouldn’t remember, but I can’t recall the specific case."

"If you’ve forgotten, that means it wasn’t a significant case. Doesn’t that suggest the girl is just a newbie?"

"Nonsense, and don’t you say, it seems Zhang Wei is also rather new!"

"Zhang Wei, rookie, quit kidding, brother. If he’s still considered a rookie, then Dongfang Capital doesn’t have any senior lawyers!"

Chatter filled the area behind the hearing seats, while the front row was relatively silent.

Surrounded by employees of Harper Cigar Company and lawyers from Mingchuan Law Firm, Tie Ruyun and Li Yueqin felt the tension rising as they were encircled.

"To let Xiao Lin take the stand, what was this kid Zhang Wei thinking?"

On the defense side, Mo Mingchuan’s demeanor became even more relaxed.

Especially after seeing Lin Yumeng step up to the podium, despite his nonchalant expression, he couldn’t help but laugh inside.

If it had been Zhang Wei taking the stand, he might have been somewhat wary, but Lin Yumeng...

In school, this girl was not exactly a secret weapon. He admitted she was diligent and a promising talent, but that was about it.

Maybe in five or ten years, Lin Yumeng would become an outstanding lawyer, but for now, she was undeniably a rookie.

No matter how much a rookie might overperform, their lack of experience already set a limit to their potential.

If Mo Mingchuan’s guess was correct, Lin Yumeng’s opening statement would be standard and might be over in a minute!

They only had one witness—that was Plaintiff He Qingnian. All he needed to do was to take out those records from the testimony, and that would be enough to trouble them.

Just wait until you finish your statements, and I’ll show you some colors!

Just wait for Lin Yumeng to finish speaking...

Just wait...

In the midst of Mo Mingchuan’s "anticipation," Lin Yumeng took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Lin Yumeng, and I am the attorney representing Mr. He Qingnian. My client Mr. He is sitting in the plaintiff’s area, and next to him is my mentor from the firm, Zhang Wei—he’s quite the remarkable lawyer, you know~"

A very ordinary opening, one that seemed typical of a novice.

Mo Mingchuan’s smile persisted, convinced that Lin Yumeng’s opening would be just as he predicted, and of course, he wasn’t wrong.

The entire audience’s attention was still focused on Lin Yumeng, everyone waiting for her to finish her opening statement.

"During the upcoming trial, we will be proving that the products manufactured by Defendant Harper Cigar Company have led to the lung cancer and vascular disease of Mr. He Qingnian’s wife, Fan Xueqin, ultimately resulting in her death two years ago!"

Having said that, Lin Yumeng picked up the water glass she had prepared and gently took a sip.

"Um, my mentor told me not to drink water because he said that later on when facing the jury, who are involved in the entire trial but cannot drink a drop of water, if I drank it might make you all feel slightly upset. So, I originally wasn’t going to drink it, but since this is my first civil litigation case, I’m a bit nervous, so, I’m very sorry~"

Lin Yumeng apologized sheepishly.

In the jury box, one of the six jurors, an old man, revealed a smile.

A few middle-aged jurors couldn’t help nodding their heads.

At the defense’s table, a portion of the smile had vanished from Mo Mingchuan’s face, and his eyes shifted subtly.

The opening statement was not yet over.

"Um, what was I going to say next, oh dear, I tend to forget when I’m nervous, uh... oh, I remember now..."

Lin Yumeng rubbed her forehead and then, as if she had suddenly remembered, blurted out, "As everyone knows, an opening statement is not evidence. My mentor said the opening statement is like a preview for the evidence we’re about to present."

"I’m sure you all know, cases concerning product liability can take a very long time in court. I know nobody likes such cases, these prolonged legal battles, where both sides bring in several or even dozens of expert witnesses, with medical evidence and scientific data presented in abundance. Not to mention the technical data of their company’s products, all stuff that only professionals can understand, while we only have a vague idea."

"Basically, we’re all clueless about what the evidence will show. Does the product cause addiction? Does it cause cancer? Did Harper Cigar’s products really lead to Ms. Fan Xueqin’s cancer? Was cancer really the definitive cause of her death?"

"If we want to confirm all issues conclusively, we’d have to spend weeks, or even a month or two, listening to expert witness testimony. Would you all want that?"

Lin Yumeng looked toward the jury bench, and many instinctively shook their heads.

Enduring such a trial for over a month would indeed be agonizing; no juror would enjoy that.

"Here, I can tell you all that we don’t plan on doing this. My mentor thinks such actions are unnecessary!"

"My client Mr. He will tell you how his wife smoked cigars intermittently for 30 years, produced by the Defendant Harper Cigar Company. He will also share how his family has struggled step by step to afford these relatively expensive products."

"And the doctor who treated Ms. Fan Xueqin before her death will tell you that it was these products that caused her demise..."

As Lin Yumeng spoke, she passed the prepared USB drive to Zhang Wei, who took out a laptop and began to work with it, and the projector screen in the witness area started to serve its purpose.

Images of patients’ lung scans, the likes of which would typically only be found in public health magazines warning about the dangers of smoking, were displayed one by one.

Many of the jurors’ faces changed the moment they saw the pictures.

Even Mo Mingchuan’s gaze began to grow solemn.

He had not expected Lin Yumeng’s opening statement to last so long, and it was apparent that the other party didn’t plan to end it yet.

During an opening statement, there was no cross-examination for relief; he could not raise an objection!

"These materials, based on my understanding of Xiao Lin, she wouldn’t possibly say so much at once—it must be that kid!"

He looked at Zhang Wei, only to find that the latter was also looking right back at him.

Zhang Wei made an expression of taking a deep breath and smiled at Mo Mingchuan.

This caused Mo Mingchuan’s face to darken completely as he remembered Zhang Wei’s provocation from a few days ago.

Smart kid, still not forgetting to disgust people at such a time?

In the courtroom.

Lin Yumeng pointed at the photographs and began to explain, "Ms. Fan Xueqin’s doctor will show these pictures to everyone, from which it can be seen that her lungs have been corroded by the nicotine and tar in the cigars."

"You can only trust the doctor’s testimony because he is the only one who has treated Ms. Fan Xueqin."

"As for whether smoking cigars can lead to cancer, we won’t have witnesses come to testify. Instead, we will show you the cigar company’s product packaging boxes, which have warnings on them."

Lin Yumeng looked toward Zhang Wei, and he naturally understood, clicking to the next photo.

The elegant cigar box was printed with rows of small print: "Smoking cigars is harmful to your health," "Inhaling smoke introduces carbon monoxide," "This product may cause lung cancer," and so on.

"I believe you all see these warnings; they are advisories from the health department indicating that using this product could be harmful to your health!"

"We will present proof showing the nicotine content in Harper Cigar Company’s products, and we will also offer a report released by an authoritative institution after two years of investigation and research to prove that nicotine is addictive!"

Hearing this, Zhang Wei on the plaintiff’s seat smiled slightly.

The authoritative institution is, of course, the smoking cessation organization.

The research report was something they had casually scraped from the adversary’s official website, which just needed copying and pasting—a matter of seconds.

"However, the focus of this case does not lie on the addictiveness of nicotine and tobacco products, so we won’t offer related witnesses either!"

Lin Yumeng continued her speech, and Zhang Wei smiled again.

It wasn’t that they wouldn’t provide witnesses; they couldn’t, because they simply did not have such expert testimony available.

"There’s one more thing, whether we have to prove it or not, we will not claim in front of everyone that Ms. Fan Xueqin was a helpless victim, that she had no choice but to smoke cigars, nor will we argue that she was beyond reproach."

"In fact, she might well deserve blame, because Harper Cigar Company did not coerce her into smoking cigars. We won’t even claim that cigars should be banned, for we live in a free society, and once we start claiming such, most people might not like it. People need the right of personal choice, or else human civilization would take a step backward!"

"Therefore, it is Ms. Fan Xueqin herself who desired to use Harper Cigar’s products, and we won’t deny this. She indeed bears some responsibility, both to her family and to herself, without a doubt!"

Upon hearing this, Mo Mingchuan on the defendant’s seat lost all semblance of a smile.

Because these were the very courtroom arguments he had prepared in advance; what he meant to prove was just that—Fan Xueqin had made her own choice, their company did not force her.

And before he even had a chance to speak, Lin Yumeng had already voiced it all.

"Was it that kid? Did he get Xiao Lin to say this?"

Mo Mingchuan looked towards Zhang Wei once more, noticing a smirk lifting the corners of the latter’s mouth.

"Good lord, just who is this kid!"

For the first time, Mo Mingchuan sensed a challenge, as Lin Yumeng’s opening statement was progressively escalating in its destructive power.

And the instigator of it all was none other than the young man seated in the plaintiff’s area!

"But... what I want to say is ’but’!"

Lin Yumeng took another sip of water, then continued, "But what we submit is that the defense also bears responsibility, not all of it, but a part of it."

"Cigars and tobacco products are unlike automobiles or alcohol, which can still be fatal even if used cautiously."

"The products produced by Harper Cigar Company, when used as directed, will cause cancer!"

"Therefore, the plaintiff submits that when Harper Cigar Company’s products indeed cause death, they should assume some of the responsibility!"

Lin Yumeng held up a finger, emphasizing, "Of course, it’s only a part, just a part!"

"Regarding these issues, we will only summon 2-3 witnesses unless the defense’s cross-examination of the witnesses continues excessively; otherwise, we expect to conclude our proof by next week!"

"Of course, the defense might summon more than 50 witnesses, because both my master and I have seen their witness list!"

As these words were spoken, the courtroom erupted into commotion.

"Damn, do we really need this many witnesses?"

On the jury bench, the six jurors all changed their expressions, and even the judge was inwardly taken aback.

Only Zhang Wei smiled, because this was one of his plans—to let everyone know that this was going to be a war of attrition.

And when it comes to wars of attrition, to a lengthy and strenuous trial, no one would be pleased.

Sensing the mood in the court, Mo Mingchuan’s face had already begun to darken. He realized Zhang Wei’s intentions, but was powerless to do anything.

Because at this moment, he couldn’t even speak.

Frustration!

Profound frustration!

He, Mo Mingchuan, could only sit in his own seat, watching his former student dismantle the cards he had prepared one by one.

It was too painful...

"I know many people in here are scared upon hearing the number, and honestly, I am too. Over fifty witnesses, am I going to die of exhaustion?"

Lin Yumeng took another sip of water and then apologized, "Sorry, I’ve talked so much, I’m thirsty again."

All six jurors smiled at her because the girl had said a lot, but it was all to their liking.

Conversely, their glances towards Mo Mingchuan turned increasingly unfavourable.

"Where was I? Oh, right, over fifty witnesses! But as my master said, that’s not important; we don’t care about that, because our greatest advantage is all of you here~"

"To the members of the jury and the audience in the court, your common sense, your experience, and wisdom are our most powerful weapon."

"When Harper Cigar Company brings in countless expert witnesses to tell you that tobacco products aren’t addictive and won’t cause cancer, you will make your own judgments, without our input, right?"

As Lin Yumeng spoke, she started walking towards the plaintiff’s bench, but then she stopped halfway.

"Oh right, I almost forgot the last matter, which is about the ruling of this case, how to compensate my client for his loss."

Lin Yumeng walked up to the jury bench again, her face touched with sadness as she said, "I believe everyone understands that his loss is irreplaceable. He lost his wife of thirty years and could only watch her slowly and painfully die."

"As his attorney, I’m supposed to demonstrate his sorrow, his pain, but I know I can’t express even a fraction of it because I’m young, and I haven’t experienced similar suffering. I believe you also can’t understand the pain of losing a loved one unless you’ve truly been through it."

"What my master and I want to express in court is not sorrow, but our client’s rage. His beloved wife died from a product manufactured by the defendant company, yet no one from Harper Company came to apologize or offer condolences. They haven’t even admitted a single word indicating that they also bear some responsibility for her death!"

"Perhaps in the eyes of these colossal companies, there’s no such thing as an apology. They seduce the public with neatly packaged, beautified products, unapologetically making money from your pockets."

"Do you know, Harper Cigar Company earns over twenty billion a day, and more than fifty-four million a year. Fifty-four million, that’s a huge amount of money!"

With this number presented, all six jurors now had a concept in mind.

This industry really is f*cking lucrative!

"Objection, this is irrelevant to the case at hand!"

Mo Mingchuan finally could not sit still any longer, even though he knew it was the case statement phase, he had to object.

Because this was protest!

"Objection overruled, counsel for the defense, please be seated," the judge shook his head and signaled Mo Mingchuan to sit down.

Seeing Mo Mingchuan stand to object, Lin Yumeng immediately seized the chance.

"The defendant’s counsel was attempting to convey that this money is actually unrelated to the case."

"But in the time we’ve been talking, their company made another million! Wow!"

"Just imagine, they earn so much every day, and how many people die each year from tobacco-related products?"

"Let me tell you, every year three million people die from tobacco-related products, averaging one death every ten seconds."

"It’s money on one hand, and death on the other—money and human life, at one point, seem to be equated, which is an extremely ironic situation. I think everyone has heard it clearly, right?"

With this, Lin Yumeng finally heaved a sigh of relief.

Because these were all the contents Zhang Wei had taught her.

"My opening statement concludes here, thank you for your support!"