Santa Barbara Courthouse, even though it was almost noon, people were still arriving.
Perhaps sensing the sincerity, the originally hot weather suddenly turned cloudy, and a breeze picked up, bringing a hint of coolness.
"Hot dogs, cold drinks!"
"How about an ice cream, sir, or a baked Apple pie is also good."
"Your clothes are a bit damp, why not try this?"
Many Santa Barbara residents pushed mobile food carts out to do business, and many hawkers sold clothes, hats, and placards with slogans like "Jackson is Innocent."
Sales were good, and a trial actually made some people a small fortune.
Everyone was staring at the courthouse, waiting for the doors to open. Fortunately, no conflicts had erupted so far, and Michael's fans were very well-behaved.
The police were still on high alert, only hoping the trial would end quickly.
Meanwhile, inside the courtroom, Lawyer Mesereau took out a tape recording.
"Judge, we are skeptical of the psychiatric evaluation report provided by Doctor Mathis."
"Whether it's depression or psychological trauma, it's not something that can be easily judged. Even the most authoritative doctors can make mistakes."
Mathis sneered, "Lawyer Mesereau, I remind you to be careful with your words. I am a qualified doctor, and my clinic has a legal certificate issued by the state."
"You are an experienced lawyer; you should know that questioning others requires evidence, not just empty talk."
Lawyer Mesereau smiled slightly, "Of course, I am not the Avizo family. If there's no physical evidence, I certainly wouldn't slander anyone."
He then walked to the front desk with the tape recording, "Judge, this tape recording is our evidence. Please allow it to be played publicly."
The Judge took the tape and looked at the Prosecutor not far away. Of course, it wasn't Tom Schneider; he had already been suspended for investigation.
It was a new Prosecutor transferred from another city, who had no intersection with Tom Schneider in either life or work.
The Judge handed the tape to his assistant. Gadot leaned close to Eric's ear and softly asked, "Did you do it?"
Feeling the tickle in his ear, Eric's heart fluttered.
With the situation looking so good, he was in an excellent mood and subconsciously slipped his hand into Gadot's skirt, "Of course I did it."
Gadot's face flushed.
"Don't do that, what if someone sees us?"
"Everyone's attention is on the videotape; who would notice us?"
"Uh..."
But while others might not notice, Elizabeth Olsen, who was sitting right next to him, was constantly observing Eric.
The young girl immediately noticed something was off, secretly glanced a few times, and instantly discovered the anomaly.
Looking at Gadot's flushed face and red earlobes, how could she not understand what the two next to her were doing?
Elizabeth Olsen suddenly felt a rush of heat to her head, as if she had discovered an incredible secret, and her heart immediately pounded.
Swallowing, her nervousness was no less than that day on the second floor when she discovered Eric and her two older sisters' illicit affair.
"Bastard, what a big bad guy, do you really not care about the occasion?" Elizabeth Olsen thought angrily and shyly.
"Wait, is Eric deliberately doing this for me to see? Is he trying to tempt me?"
She secretly glanced at Eric, only to see a slight smile on his face.
Sensing the young girl's movement, Eric also looked down at her, "Elizabeth, listen carefully, the exciting part is coming."
Elizabeth Olsen nodded dully, thinking that it was already too exciting.
As the tape was inserted into the device, the bailiff pressed play.
"Janet, as long as you listen to me, I promise I can help you get a large sum in compensation."
"You know, ten years ago I helped Evan Chandler get 23 million US dollars, and that was in 1993. This time our goal is 50 million US dollars."
"I know these big stars too well. They care about their reputation and definitely don't want to blow things up further. If I can force Jackson once, I can do it twice."
"Hmm, then I'll leave it to you, Lawyer Larry. No matter what means you use, I must get this money."
"Don't worry, I will train you and your son and tell you what to say. In addition, we also need to take Gavin to Doctor Mathis."
"He is a psychologist and will provide us with a psychiatric evaluation report, which is an important basis for filing a lawsuit and claiming compensation."
"Uh, then, do we need to share some money with him again?"
"Of course, otherwise why would Mathis help you issue a report? Gavin is very healthy, and what we need is a report proving he has problems."
After the recording finished playing, the explosive content left the entire room silent. Even Gadot didn't react, no longer feeling the tickle from Nezuko.
After a moment, to give everyone some time to digest, Lawyer Mesereau finally spoke, "Judge, we guarantee that the content of this recording is 100% authentic."
"Professional agencies can be invited to conduct an appraisal; there is absolutely no possibility of artificial synthesis."
"Based on the facts, we have reason to believe that this is a conspiracy, a hunt targeting Michael Jackson."
"It is a conspiracy jointly constructed by the Avizo family, Larry Feldman, and Mathis, using the public's dissatisfaction and hatred towards wealthy celebrities, with the aim of extorting money from my client."
"Such despicable, vulgar, shameless, dirty, and sordid conduct not only violates the law but also challenges the bottom line of public morality."
After Lawyer Mesereau finished speaking, both the jury and the audience erupted in intense reactions.
Among them were emotional Michael fans, one black man in his thirties already standing up and cursing loudly at the opposite side.
He led the way, and several other fans did the same, with all sorts of vulgarities instantly insulting the female ancestors of the group for eighteen generations, much more forcefully than what Lawyer Mesereau had said.
"Silence!"
The Judge pointed at the emotional fans, "Expel them!"
The bailiffs, understanding the fans' anger, did not use any force, simply gestured for them to leave, and the fans also wisely exited.
"I love you, Michael!" a female fan shouted.
"Thank you everyone, I love you too." Michael waved in acknowledgment.
The commotion stopped, and the Judge looked at Janet Avizo, "Regarding this recording, does the plaintiff have any explanation?"
Janet Avizo looked at Lawyer Larry Feldman, breathing heavily. What did she know besides cursing?
Psychologist Mathis also nervously looked at Feldman. At this moment, he was filled with regret, wishing he could slap himself several times.
Why did he get involved in this? To sacrifice his career for a sum of money, and even more terrifying, he would face prosecution.
Larry Feldman's face was also pale, and his mind replayed like a movie, trying to find the reason for his wiretapping.
Seeing the group silent, the Judge asked again, "Regarding this recording, is the plaintiff not going to explain?"
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Larry Feldman stammered, "Judge, I... I don't know the source of this recording, and I can't remember if I said similar things."
"But even if I did, it was just a private joke. I was just motivating Janet, giving her confidence in this lawsuit."
"Everyone knows that Michael Jackson is a celebrity with amazing wealth and connections. What do my clients have? They are just ordinary citizens."
"They naturally worried that they couldn't win the lawsuit, so I might have said such things to encourage them, but saying it doesn't mean doing it."
"Does everything said have to be done? Can a joke be taken seriously?"
In front of the tape recording, Larry Feldman's defense seemed pale and weak, already bordering on sophistry. Everyone could clearly distinguish whether the content of the recording was a joke.
After he finished stammering, most of the jury had their arms crossed, giving him cold stares.
With the proceedings at this point, the Judge even felt it was unnecessary to continue. He looked at Michael, "Does the defendant have anything else to say?"
Lawyer Mesereau answered loudly, "Yes, we have an important human witness."
Eric moved suddenly, "You little rascal, I'm going to finish you off!"
Gadot's eyes widened, and she gripped his arm tightly, her face full of discomfort.
Then Jordi Chandler walked into the courtroom. His appearance had changed quite a bit compared to ten years ago.
Larry Feldman and Mathis didn't recognize him at first, but after a careful look, their expressions changed drastically, becoming even more nervous than when they heard the recording.
Stepping onto the witness stand, Jordi Chandler addressed the jury and the audience, saying, "My name is Jordi Chandler. Perhaps some people don't know, and some have forgotten, but I am the party involved in the 1993 case."
"In 1993, my father, Evan Chandler, accused Michael Jackson of sexually assaulting me. With the help of Lawyer Larry Feldman and Doctor Mathis, we reached a settlement with Jackson's team and ultimately received compensation."
"These are the facts reported by the media, but the truth is not so. Today I am here to expose the hidden darkness."
"At that time, Michael never actually molested me. It was my father, Evan Chandler, who wanted to extort money from him, so he incited me to do so."
"I initially disagreed because I regarded Michael as an idol, someone worthy of respect."
"But Evan kept inducing me and took me to Larry Feldman. The two of them together brainwashed and incited me."
"But even so, I still didn't want to do it. Finally, they took me to Mathis."
"I was held there for several days. Mathis is a psychologist. He hypnotized and suggested things to me while injecting me with psychoactive drugs. I was often in a dazed state and had no idea what I was doing."
"Under these circumstances, the three of them jointly brainwashed me and made me say those things."
"But later, after the out-of-court settlement, since the goal of getting money was achieved, we withdrew the lawsuit."
"The Prosecutor at the time, Tom Schneider, who recently assaulted Michael, also found us and hoped to continue the prosecution, but my father refused."
"Ten years have passed, and I am filled with immense guilt. But at the time, I was controlled by drugs and couldn't help myself. Later, with the deed done, facing overwhelming public pressure, I was scared and dared not do anything."
"It wasn't until this incident replayed that I knew I couldn't remain silent anymore; the truth had to be exposed."
"Everything is false, everything is a lie. Larry Feldman and Mathis are both criminals; they have long betrayed their professional ethics."
"Only Michael has always carried a bad name, which he shouldn't have to bear. I'm sorry! I'm very sorry!"
After Jordi Chandler finished speaking, the scene erupted in an uproar again. No one expected that the events of ten years ago would be dug up and clarified.
The reason some people believed Michael was a pedophile was ultimately due to the 1993 case.
And if this matter were overturned, the black mark on Michael's reputation would completely disappear.
Similarly, Jordi Chandler's testimony was tantamount to directly sending Larry Feldman and Mathis to the guillotine.
They were completely beyond salvation, and a thorough investigation awaited the two of them.
"Silence!"
The Judge looked at Larry Feldman, "Regarding Jordi Chandler's testimony, do you have anything to explain?"
The latter opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.
Just as the Judge was about to announce an adjournment, Lawyer Mesereau spoke again, "Judge, we also have video evidence."
The video content was naturally about Martin Bashir's hidden camera interview.
"I just want to destroy him. Even if Michael Jackson has never molested children, I can make him such a person through editing and camera work. The public is the easiest to fool."
"Martin, did Sony hire you to do this?"
"Hahaha, you guess. Perhaps this matter will only be declassified after some people pass away."
The final shot froze on Martin Bashir's eerie and playful smile.
Lawyer Mesereau said, "Judge, through this video, we have reason to suspect that the Avizo family and Martin Bashir colluded to frame Jackson."
"Moreover, behind all of this, it is very likely inextricably linked to Sony Music, so we want to request that Martin Bashir and Sony Music be summoned for questioning."
The significance of this video was no longer just about the few people on the other side, but to involve Sony Music and ensure that the storm of public opinion would engulf it.
The Judge's face was solemn. He suddenly realized that this child molestation case was no longer just about sexual harassment; it involved huge economic interests and conspiracies.
This was a very hot potato, and the Santa Barbara court might not be capable of continuing.
Looking around, and confirming that neither side intended to continue, the Judge stood up and announced, "Given the complexity of the case, the Santa Barbara court will hold a detailed discussion with the jury to determine the time of the next hearing. Both parties will be notified then."
After the court adjourned, Eric pulled out his finger, making a crisp popping sound.
Gadot's face was flushed, and she punched him on the back, which earned her a kiss.
Coming before Michael, the two embraced.
"Michael, the trial seems to be going very smoothly. As long as the jury isn't mentally challenged, we've won."
"Eric, thanks to you."
Lawyer Mesereau said, "Given the current situation, Janet Avizo has no chance of winning, not even one percent."
"In my experience, I'm afraid they will choose to voluntarily withdraw the lawsuit."
Eric sneered, "Even if they withdraw the lawsuit, I won't let them off. But those few are just small fry; the key is Sony Music."
"Michael, your popularity has been very high over the past month. Once the news of the trial gets out, it will definitely cause an explosion of public opinion."
"I'm ready; it's time to have a tough fight with Sony."