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Chapter 139 Strategic Confession
Chapter 139 Strategic Confession (Bonus Chapter for 27000 Monthly Tickets)
The Third District Court, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
A huge brass chandelier hangs under the high dome, its light filtered through frosted lampshades, becoming soft and solemn, and falling on the deep red wainscoting.
The gallery was packed, and even the aisles were filled with reporters with notebooks.
All the media outlets in Pittsburgh came, along with reporters from several major newspapers in Washington and New York.
They keenly sensed the bloodshed; a trial involving a star mayor, capitalist oligarchs, and antitrust laws was enough to dominate the headlines for the next week.
The judge's bench is high above.
The judge sat in that huge high-backed chair, holding a gavel in his hand.
In the center of the courtroom, the two armies faced off.
Sitting in the plaintiff's seat was the legal team from the Pennsylvania Free Trade Promotion Association.
But this is just a smokescreen.
Everyone knew perfectly well that behind these men in gray suits with fierce eyes were people from Washington.
The lead lawyer was Robert Baker, a litigious lawyer with a proven track record in antitrust litigation.
His specialty is stripping his competitors bare, leaving them with nothing but their underwear, and then hanging that underwear on the courthouse flagpole.
Several small mountains of file boxes were piled up in front of Baker.
It contained exclusive clauses regarding the franchise rights, details about the land transfer, and records of private meetings between Rio and Morganfield.
He was staring at the defendant's dock with the look of someone staring at a dead man, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table.
The defendant's seat was divided into two sections.
On the left is the legal team of Morganfield Industries.
This is a true All-Star lineup.
Attorney Bennett sat at the front, with a dozen senior partners and assistants from top Washington law firms behind him.
They looked relaxed, even somewhat nonchalant.
They prepared dozens of objections regarding jurisdiction, discovery procedures, and the plaintiff's standing.
They want to drag this lawsuit into oblivion, until the seas run dry and the rocks crumble, until the plaintiff no longer wants to sue.
The area to the right of the defendant's dock appeared particularly shabby.
There were only two people sitting there.
Leo Wallace, and his chief of staff, Ethan Hawke.
The city hall's legal director was supposed to be sitting there, but he suddenly suffered an "acute gastroenteritis" attack ten minutes before the court session and was hospitalized.
Leo, wearing that dark suit, sat up straight.
His room was empty except for a pen and a notebook.
The first row of the audience.
Douglas Morganfield sat there like an ordinary citizen in the gallery, but all the seats around him were empty.
He was looking at Leo in the dock with a mocking and sarcastic gaze.
He is waiting.
Leo looked at him.
We're waiting for that young man to break down in despair and suffocate under the weight of the law.
If Leo showed even the slightest hint of pleading in his eyes, Morganfield would make Bennett change his defense strategy.
Of course, the price was that Leo would completely relinquish control of Pittsburgh and sign those two supplementary agreements that sold his soul.
"Look at him, Leo."
Roosevelt's voice echoed in my mind.
"That old crocodile is drooling; he thinks you're a piece of meat already on his plate."
Leo didn't turn around; his gaze remained fixed on the judge's bench.
"He must be very hungry by now," Leo thought to himself.
"Bang!"
The judge's gavel fell heavily.
The dull thud instantly silenced the whispers in the courtroom.
"quiet."
The judge's voice echoed throughout the courtroom.
"The hearing is now in session for the Pennsylvania Free Trade Promotion Association v. the City of Pittsburgh and Morganfield Industries, an antitrust case."
The program starts.
The plaintiff's lawyer, Baker, stood up.
He straightened his tie and strode to the center of the courtroom.
"Your Honor, members of the jury."
Baker's voice was loud and clear, full of a sense of justice.
"We stand here today not for an ordinary business dispute, but to defend the most fundamental principle of the American economy: free competition."
He turned around abruptly, pointing his finger directly at Leo.
"The defendant, Pittsburgh Mayor Leo Wallace, blatantly abused his executive power by entering into a dirty backroom deal with Douglas Morganfield, chairman of Morganfield Industries."
"They artificially created barriers by using the so-called Strategic Logistics Uniform Management Act to exclude all potential competitors from the Pittsburgh Inland Port project."
"This is blatant corruption and bribery! This is the plunder of the public interest! This is a trampling on the spirit of the Constitution!"
Baker's speech was highly inflammatory.
He cited the exclusivity clauses of the franchise rights and the targeted bidding for land transfers.
A gasp rippled through the audience, and reporters furiously typed on their keyboards.
Morganfield sat there, smiling.
The harsher the insults, the better.
The more critical the situation, the more Leo needs him.
Baker's speech lasted a full forty minutes.
When he sat down, the atmosphere in the entire courtroom was extremely tense.
"Now."
The judge looked toward the defendant's dock.
"Please allow the defendant to make a statement."
All eyes were on the defendant's dock.
Attorney Bennett straightened his cuffs, preparing to stand up.
According to the previous arrangement, this should be his performance time.
He would raise a series of complex procedural objections, challenging the plaintiff's standing to sue, requesting a stay of proceedings, and muddying the waters.
Morganfield leaned forward slightly.
He was waiting for that moment.
However, a hand landed on the table.
Leo stood up.
Bennett froze, staring at Leo in surprise.
This isn't in the script.
Ethan was also stunned. He subconsciously tugged at Leo's sleeve, his eyes filled with terror.
"Leo, don't be impulsive, let the professionals handle this—"
Leo ignored him.
He broke free from Ethan's grasp, straightened the hem of his suit jacket, and walked straight to the podium in the center of the courtroom.
He stood there, all alone.
He faced the judge, the aggressive plaintiff's lawyer, and the entire world that was hostile towards him.
Morganfield's smile vanished.
He frowned, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart.
What is this madman trying to do? Does he want to defend himself? In federal court? Facing antitrust charges of this magnitude?
He'll land himself in jail!
The judge scrutinized the young mayor.
"Mr. Wallace, are you planning to make your statement in person? Where is your legal counsel?"
"Your Honor."
Leo spoke, his voice unusually calm.
"My general counsel is sick, and as for the other lawyers—"
Leo glanced at Bennett and his group.
"They're too expensive; Pittsburgh taxpayers can't afford them."
A low murmur of laughter rippled through the courtroom.
Leo gripped the edge of the podium with both hands.
"I'm standing here not to refute the accusations that Attorney Baker just made."
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
Not rebutting? That's admitting guilt?
Attorney Baker's face lit up with ecstasy; he hadn't expected victory to come so easily.
Leo continued, "Because it makes no sense."
"Your Honor, in order to save the court's valuable time and also to save taxpayers' money."
"I have a statement to make."
Leo pulled a folded document from his inside jacket pocket.
He slowly unfolded the paper.
At that moment, Morganfield, who was sitting in the first row of the audience, suddenly felt his heart skip a beat.
He saw the look in Leo's eyes.
He had seen that look before.
At the Allegheny Hilltop Club, this was the look in Leo's eyes when he refused his blackmail and said, "I'm going to blow this hill flat."
That was a look of mutual destruction in their eyes.
"Stop him!"
Morganfield roared inwardly, wanting to stand up and signal to Bennett to interrupt the proceedings.
But this is a courtroom, and the gavel is in the hands of the judge.
Leo gave no one time to react; his voice echoed throughout every corner of the courtroom.
"As the mayor of Pittsburgh, I stand here not only to address legal charges, but also to be accountable to the 300,000 citizens of this city."
"There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the inland port project over the past period of time."
Leo continued.
"I heard voices from the community, questions from the business community, and professional criticism from the legal profession."
He paused.
"I must admit that I made a serious administrative decision-making error in the process of advancing the inland port project."
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
The reporters' hands were practically smoking from typing on their keyboards.
The lawyers in the plaintiff's seat looked at each other in bewilderment. They had prepared tons of bombs and evidence to expose the mayor's dirty secrets.
As a result, the defendant admitted his mistake as soon as he came forward.
"Out of an eagerness to revitalize Pittsburgh's economy and an urgent need to create jobs, I overemphasized the strength of businesses."
Leo slowed his speech; every word he spoke now was carefully chosen.
"I set overly stringent technical requirements in the tender documents. My original intention was to ensure the quality of the project and to ensure that the port could be put into operation as quickly as possible."
He downplayed corruption and collusion, transforming them into urgent and demanding requirements.
This is perfect political rhetoric.
He admitted to the actions but downplayed his motives.
"However, I now realize that this practice does, objectively speaking, undermine the principle of fair competition in the market."
"It alienates other potential investors, it causes widespread public misunderstanding, and it makes citizens worry about the privatization of public assets."
"This is my responsibility."
"As mayor, I have an obligation to correct this mistake."
Roosevelt's voice echoed in Leo's mind.
"Now, Leo."
"Draw your sword."
"Cut it off."
Leo took a deep breath.
His gaze became incredibly sharp.
"Therefore, in order to uphold the dignity of the law, to protect the public interest, and to ensure that the revitalization of Pittsburgh is based on absolute fairness and transparency."
Leo's voice echoed under the dome.
"I hereby formally announce..."
"The city of Pittsburgh will exercise the administrative discretion granted by the city charter."
"We will immediately terminate the Inland Port Concession Agreement signed with Morganfield Industries."
"At the same time, all exclusive technical clauses in the project's tender documents are hereby abolished."
A suppressed gasp erupted in the courtroom.
The judge had no choice but to pick up the gavel and strike it heavily.
"quiet!"
Ignoring the commotion around him, Leo continued speaking.
"We will restart the bidding process for this project."
"This time, it will be open, transparent, and globally accessible."
"Whether it's a company from Philadelphia, New York, or even overseas, we welcome anyone who can bring the best technology and the lowest costs to Pittsburgh."
"We will truly return this port to the market."
After speaking, Leo bowed slightly to the judge and then sat back down in his chair.
The lawyers in the plaintiff's seat were completely dumbfounded.
They accused the defendant of monopoly, but now the defendant has dismantled the monopoly itself.
They accused the defendant of violating the constitution, but now the defendant has removed the unconstitutional clauses himself.
The basis for the lawsuit no longer exists.
It's like a boxer who's gathered all his strength to throw a powerful punch, only to find that his opponent has already jumped off the ring and even dismantled it.
In the first row of the audience, Morganfield's body was as stiff as a stone statue.
The priceless silver-tipped cane in his hand was now under immense pressure.
Morganfield felt an unprecedented anger—the anger of being betrayed, mocked, and publicly humiliated.
He thought Leo was a desperate dog who had come to him for help.
As a result, the dog bit through the chain and then bit off his hand.
The franchise rights are gone.
The exclusivity clause is gone.
The 500 acres of railway land he owned lost their greatest strategic value.
Leo defused the antitrust lawsuit crisis in a near-suicidal manner, but also completely tore up their alliance.
This is like flipping a table.
The judge's gaze swept back and forth between Leo and the plaintiff's lawyer.
"Plaintiff," the judge said emotionlessly, "since the defendant has formally announced the termination of the agreement in question and promised to restart the open bidding process, the core point of contention in this case no longer exists."
"In this case, this court no longer has substantive jurisdiction over the case, because federal courts do not hear disputes that have been resolved, nor do they answer hypothetical questions."
Baker opened his mouth as if someone had suddenly grabbed his neck.
Continue the fight? Fight a contract that no longer exists? That's an abuse of judicial resources.
Not attack? That would mean their meticulously planned fatal blow had hit a brick wall.
"Your Honor—we—" Baker stammered, "we need—we need time to assess the veracity and legal validity of the defendant's statement; perhaps it's just a delaying tactic—"
"This is not delay, this is an executive order."
Leo added from the dock.
"The document has been signed and is effective immediately. If I break my promise, you can sue me again at any time."
The judge nodded, seemingly satisfied with Leo's attitude.
"In that case..."
The judge picked up the gavel again.
"Given that the subject matter of the dispute has been destroyed, this court, based on the principle that the case has no practical benefit, hereby formally rules as follows:"
"The plaintiff's lawsuit is dismissed."
"This case is closed."
"Bang!"