Chapter 12 - The Subpoena
Monday morning brought the first legal counter-strike from the other side.
A local process server—a bored-looking man in a faded windbreaker—tossed a thick manila envelope onto my studio porch around eleven o'clock. When I opened it, I found a stack of emergency civil motions filed by my father’s legal counsel.
They weren't trying to fight the criminal assault charge anymore. Instead, they were attacking on the civil front, claiming that my grandfather’s ten-year-old land trust was legally invalid due to alleged “undue influence and cognitive decline” during his final months.
I skimmed the pages, a cold, analytical smile forming on my lips.
My grandfather had anticipated this exact maneuver. He had foresight that my father’s narcissism made impossible. Before filing the trust, he had recorded a high-definition video deposition with an independent estate attorney, explicitly outlining his reasons for bypassing my father and protecting my independent workspace.
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I picked up my phone and forwarded the PDF of the lawsuit directly to my attorney with a single text: “Attach Exhibit C—Grandpa’s video deposition. Let’s finish them.”
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