The Litigators by John Grisham

Author:John Grisham [Grisham, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3, pdf
Publisher: Random House Agency
Published: 2011-10-24T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 25

Reuben Massey’s master plan to deal with his company’s latest drug mess had been upended by the death of Senator Kirk Maxwell, who was now derisively known in the Varrick hallways as Jerk Maxwell. His widow had not filed suit, but her windbag of a lawyer was thoroughly savoring his fifteen minutes in the spotlight. He was readily available for interviews, even got himself on a few of the cable yak fests. He colored his hair, bought some new suits, and was living the dream of so many lawyers.

Varrick’s common stock had dipped to $29.50, its lowest price in six years. Two Wall Street analysts, two men loathed by Massey, had issued sell recommendations. One wrote: “After only six years on the market, Krayoxx accounts for one-quarter of Varrick’s revenue. With it off the market, the company’s near-term forecast is quite uncertain.” The other wrote: “The numbers are frightening. With one million potential Krayoxx plaintiffs, Varrick will be mired in the cesspool of mass tort litigation for the next ten years.”

At least he got the word “cesspool” right, Massey mumbled to himself as he flipped through the morning financials. It was not yet 8:00 a.m. The sky over Montville was cloudy, the mood inside his bunker was somber, but, oddly, he was in good spirits. At least once a week, and more often if possible, Mr. Massey allowed himself the pleasure of eating someone for breakfast. Today’s meal would be especially delightful.

———

As a young man Layton Koane had served four terms in the U.S. House before he was called home by the voters after a messy affair with a female staffer. Disgraced, he was unable to find meaningful work back home in Tennessee, and as a college dropout he possessed no real talents or skills. His résumé was embarrassingly thin. Divorced, unemployed, bankrupt, and only forty years old, he drifted back to the Capitol and decided to venture down the yellow brick road traveled by so many washed-up politicians. He embraced one of Washington’s time-honored traditions. He became a lobbyist.

Unburdened by ethical considerations, Koane quickly became a rising star in the game of pork. He could find it, smell it, dig it out, and deliver it to clients willing to pay his constantly rising fees. He was one of the first lobbyists to understand the intricacies of earmarks, those addictive little dishes of lard so craved by members of Congress and paid for by unwitting factory workers back home. Koane first got noticed in his new trade when he collected a $100,000 fee from a well-known public university in need of a new basketball arena. Uncle Sam pitched in $10 million for the project, an appropriation found in the fine print of a three-thousand-page bill passed at midnight. When a rival school heard about it, a brouhaha ensued. But it was too late.

The controversy put Koane on the map, and other clients came running. One was a real estate developer in Virginia who envisioned the damming of a river, thus creating a lake, thus allowing lakefront lots to be sold at hefty prices.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.