Chapter 236 The Sorrow of the Times
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On the defendant's seat, Wendell chuckled, "Fraud? You, haha, you're really joking. What does this have to do with fraud?"
Hobert asked the audience, "Ladies and gentlemen, isn't it common sense that guests pay after you provide them with services?"
Regardless of whether they understood Hobert's intention, everyone answered together, "Yes!"
Hobert picked up his folder, "I have here a proof of income of the defendant, which is sufficient to show that the defendant has the financial means to pay for the services provided by Ms. Emma.
"But the other party did not pay, which violates the basic common sense and meets the legal definition of fraud!"
Wendell laughed and said, "So what? You still can't change the fact that prostitution is illegal income."
"Don't think you are qualified to play with the law. My team will sue you until you are bankrupt in the next period of time!" Hobert said coldly, "Relevant legal provisions stipulate that there are no requirements for the source of income for economic losses resulting from fraud!"
Some people already understood Hobert's meaning.
Amidst the applause from the audience, Hobert continued to shout loudly, "So, Mr. Wendell, I accuse you of defrauding my client, and you must compensate her for all losses, including my attorney's fees!"
The applause from the audience grew louder and louder, and some people even cheered!
Wendell's face was ashen. He now regretted not hiring a lawyer, because he had no way of judging the truth of Hobert's words.
After finally restoring order in the court, the judge almost immediately pronounced the verdict: "The defendant is guilty of fraud, and shall compensate the plaintiff for all economic losses, lost work expenses, attorney's fees, etc., totaling 12 pounds, and shall be fined 5 pounds! Sentenced to 6 months in prison."
Wendell was stunned: "Also sentenced to prison?"
The judge glanced at him. He previously thought he was proficient in law, but now it seems that he is just a legal ignoramus who has been carefree for so long just by finding a loophole in the law.
He regretted a bit. If he had known that the other party was at this level, he would have given a heavier sentence.
"I want to appeal!" Wendell said quickly.
Hobert immediately said, "Your Honor, I suggest enforcing the other party's economic compensation first!"
The judge immediately said, "Agreed."
Then he said to Wendell, "Defendant, you have the right to appeal, but you must first pay the fine and economic compensation. According to the relevant regulations of the Loen Kingdom, this court has the power to enforce economic penalties against you."
"I, I'll pay now!" Wendell no longer had the arrogance he had just now and immediately went to take out his wallet.
This result once again caused a burst of cheers from the audience.
Hobert got up and waved to everyone, and everyone immediately stopped cheering.
He smiled and said, "Ladies, as long as he consumes at your place within three years and doesn't pay, or if there are similar cases, you can come to my team for entrustment!"
Several people really came over to entrust similar cases, and Hobert asked Jessica to arrange a time to discuss the cases with them. He planned to have Jessica handle all such cases.
The economic compensation and fines were settled in court, and Wendell was temporarily taken into custody.
Emma shook hands with Hobert: "Thank you for helping me get justice. Whenever you visit my place, it's all free!"
Someone shouted from the defendant's seat: "Lawyer Hobert, my place is also free!"
"Mine too!"
Hobert smiled and said, "If it's just to dance and sing, I'll go!"
"We have such services there!"
"Even if we don't have it now, we'll have it in the future!"
On the way out of the courtroom, everyone scrambled to shake hands with Hobert.
Hobert shook hands with everyone as he walked out. Suddenly, he saw the reporters who were writing furiously.
Hobert, who had always been very "media-conscious," realized that he had to say something at this time to sublimate the case.
So he stopped and said to everyone, "Ladies, don't care about the secular views. Your current choices and circumstances are the tragedy of this era! Who doesn't want to support themselves by labor that is not discriminated against? But this era does not give you such opportunities!
"Don't look down on yourselves because of the tragedy of this era. Ladies, raise your noble heads! Your choices are already many times better than those of robbers, thieves, and villains!"
The atmosphere in the courtroom reached a climax. Some people cheered loudly, and some covered their mouths and cried. Before this, no one had ever cared about their interests, no one had ever understood their difficulties, never.
But today is different. They felt respected for the first time, respected like a person.
Although Hobert had left, the ladies on the scene were still immersed in the emotions just now and could not extricate themselves for a long time.
The reporters squeezed out, and Hobert's words were enough to be the headline of tomorrow.
In the carriage back, Jessica's eyes were shining: "Lawyer Hobert, we will definitely become the brightest color of this era!"
She was also deeply infected by Hobert's words.
Hobert smiled and said, "Our journey is still very long."
He originally wanted to talk to Jessica about asking her friend to help him build weapons, but the current atmosphere is really not suitable for talking about this.
...
Saturday morning, 15 Minsk Street.
Klein went out to buy a pie as his breakfast. He ate breakfast and read the newspaper as usual. After the meal, he planned to go to the dockers' union to confirm the information provided by Miss Xio.
"Huh!" Klein saw that the headline of the newspaper was about Hobert's news.
This was the second time he had seen Hobert's news in the newspaper. He read it carefully word by word.
When he saw the description of Emma's case, Klein sighed: "He really dares to take this kind of case!"
Having been in this world for so long, Klein certainly knew the demands of public opinion on gentlemen in this era. Hobert's approach was like a fighter.
He had just offended the nobles of Backlund, and now he was speaking out for the street girls.
Especially when he saw Hobert's last speech, Klein put down the newspaper and stared at the pie in front of him in a daze. He had been in this world for so long, and this was the first time he had seen a speech that fit his values so well.
Recalling his previous conversations with those gentlemen, there were almost no thoughts about understanding and respecting the people at the bottom. They either simply didn't understand the poverty of the people at the bottom, or they were glad that they had not fallen to that point.
Then Klein thought that he also wanted to bring some changes to this world before, but every time he thought of this, he would make excuses for himself: this is an extraordinary world, and ordinary people have no chance to turn over.
But Hobert, as a Loen person, is fighting for the interests of ordinary people in this world. Isn't this changing the world!
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