This ends a headache that began two years ago (to the day, more or less). Shane reserved Greystone Mansion, a wedding venue owned by Beverly Hills. Four months later, they said oops, we rented it to somebody before you. And now you have to find someplace else to get married. And we won't pay the difference in cost, even though this was our fault. And you can't have your deposit back unless you sign a release.
Well, Shane had a problem, and the odds were against her. Fortunately, she saw my ad:
As the best lawyer she could afford, I took the case. The Beverly Hills people said that it was all an innocent mistake, the other couple had priority, and since Shane had found another place to hold the wedding, there was no real harm done. I responded thus:
The suit began. Accusations flew. Papers were filed. Ties were worn. To make a long story tedious, they were forced to produce documents showing that not only did the other couple lack "priority," but they had actually made their Greystone reservation three months AFTER Shane. Plus, the judge said he really wanted to try the case. Suddenly the City's lawyers suggested that perhaps a settlement was possible. I mentioned that I came from a small town called Get Paid and they were making me homesick. They offered $5K, the difference in price between Greystone and Wattles Mansion, where we ended up getting married. I said that's nice, but I want blood. We ended up meeting in the middle.
So Baby Girl McKendelsohn will be the first recipient of the Beverly Hills Can Bite Me Scholarship. Most of the settlement money will go into savings for her, although we are having steak tonight. And if you ever do business with the City of Beverly Hills, demand proof of everything they tell you. Tell them Justice sent you.
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