“In Mr. Wilcox’s situation, the sad truth is that he is so highly leveraged that his rental business is not equipped to handle the unexpected expenses that can arise when owning rental property. With his business failing, Mr. Wilcox has come to the City of Kansas City seeking relief.
“Before you see fit to grant Mr. Wilcox’s petition, I want you to consider the ramifications of doing so. As I mentioned, statistically, businesses fail. It’s just a fact of life. If you decide that the city is responsible for the failure of Mr. Wilcox’ business, where does it stop? Imagine the impact if every failed business blamed the city and sued them for damages.”
This was a tactic I hadn’t expected. I wondered if Krantz would try to defend the Tenant Bill of Rights, but no doubt he had seen from the testimony during the trial that the new legislation would be difficult to justify. Instead, he had painted Darrin as a business failure instead of a victim. Very clever indeed.
“As I mentioned in my opening remarks,” Krantz continued, “forty-six percent of Kansas City residents are renters and forty-four percent of those are cost burdened. The City Council, the men and women who you voted to represent you, have made housing issues a priority, and after hours of public debate, voted 12 to 1 to pass the Tenant Bill of Rights, and your mayor, a tenant himself, signed it into law.
“All we are asking is that you have faith in the people you elected. After careful consideration, I’m sure you will agree to indemnify the city and reject the plaintiff’s petition. Thank you.”
I had to admit, Krantz had made a good closing argument.
Judge Parker gave instructions to the jury and sent them off to deliberate.
As I was leaving the building, I ran into Clark Kent on the courthouse steps.
“Well, what do you think?” he asked. “Does Darrin have a chance?”
“No idea,” I replied. “Suzanne made a great case, but Krantz had an excellent closing statement.”
Always the optimist, Clark replied, “If Plan A fails, remember that you have 25 letters left.”
I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, and frankly, I didn’t care.
“I guess we’ll find out when the jury comes back.”
The next day right after lunch, I received a call that the jury had reached a verdict.
I hurried to the courthouse and like the previous days, a restless crowd milled about on the courthouse steps.
One way or another, the jury’s decision would have an enormous impact on the city. If they found in favor of Darrin, there was a good chance the Bill of Rights would be rescinded and other landlords, damaged by the ill-conceived legislation, would sue for damages.
If they found for the city, every landlord in town would be faced with the prospect of having to rent to people with evictions or a criminal record. No doubt, many would not want the hassle and bail.
I squeezed into the courtroom just in time to hear the judge instruct the bailiff to bring in the jury.
After they were seated, Judge Parker said, “Mr. Foreman has the jury reached a verdict?”
The foreman rose from his seat. “Yes, Your Honor, we have.”
“Very well. What say you?”
The foreman took a deep breath. “In the matter of Darrin Wilcox versus the City of Kansas City, we find in favor of -----.”
Author’s Note
Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction!
The Tenant Bill of Rights featured in this book is not a figment of my imagination.
This bill was actually passed by the City Council of Kansas City and was
signed into law by the mayor.
‘Today Kansas City made history’
‘City Council adopts tenants bill of rights’
“An accompanying ordinance requires that landlords give 24 hours’ notice before entering properties and provide tenants with a means to get a utility estimate for the property. Landlords are also required to provide a copy of the bill of rights. The ordinance also bars discrimination against prospective tenants solely because of a prior arrest, conviction or eviction.”
Honestly, folks. You just can’t make this stuff up!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning author, Robert Thornhill, began writing at the age of sixty-six and in ten short years has penned forty novels in the Lady Justice mystery/comedy series, the seven volume Rainbow Road series of chapter books for children, a cookbook and a mini-autobiography.
Lady Justice and the Sting, Lady Justice and Dr. Death, Lady Justice and the Vigilante, Lady Justice and the Candidate, Lady Justice and the Book Club Murders, Lady Justice and the Cruise Ship Murders and Lady Justice and the Vet won the Pinnacle Award for the best new mystery novels of Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Summer 2012, Fall 2012, Spring of 2013 and Summer 2014 from the National Association of Book Entrepreneurs.
Many of Walt’s adventures in the Lady Justice series are anecdotal and based on Robert’s real life.
Although Robert holds a master’s in psychology, he has never taken a course in writing and has never learned to type. All 50 of his published books were typed with one finger and a thumb!
His wit and insight come from his varied occupations, including thirty-three years as a real estate broker. He lives with his wife, Peg, in Independence, Missouri.
Visit him on the Web at: http://BooksByBob.com
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[Lady Justice 40] - Lady Justice and the Landlords' Nightmare Page 11
