Too Bad I Take Things Seriously-Chapter 584 - 229 The Judgment Chief Scolds All Around!
Opposite them stood Wang Dachui—an insurmountable mountain. They had exhausted every method, wracked their brains, yet hadn’t gained the slightest advantage. Moreover, in this case, natural justice, human sentiment, and public opinion all sided with the opposing party. For them to successfully defend was almost impossible.
What they couldn’t understand was... They had thought Wang Dachui was an easy target, yet who could have guessed he was hiding his capabilities so deeply? It was hard to imagine. With such strength, how could his defense success rate be a mere 30%?
BANG!
「Two hours later.」
The solemn strike of the gavel echoed through the courtroom.
Zhou Quanmin swept his gaze over the crowd below. He spoke in a deep voice, "The debate on the establishment of the crime of abandonment ends here. We will now move into the phase discussing the duty of support in this case."
After two hours of discussion, both sides had finished presenting all their defense arguments concerning whether the crime of abandonment had been established. Everything that needed to be said had been said. The trial would now move on to its next focus: the duty of support.
The defense lawyers for the four Jiang brothers had only raised doubts about the crime of abandonment. As for the duty of support, this was a legally mandated responsibility; there was no room for debate. No matter what happened, they had to take on this duty. What needed to be determined by the court concerned only the allocation of this duty of support.
According to the provisions of the Civil Code, all children, regardless of age, must undertake the duty of support. If there are multiple children, the duty will be divided equally, as every child has an equal responsibility to support their parents. Of course, if a support agreement exists, then the duty must be undertaken according to its contents.
A support agreement is generally drawn up jointly by parents and children, specifying the responsibilities each child bears, the amount of support money to be paid monthly, and so forth. In reality, however, many children and parents do not sign such an agreement unless necessary; it’s mostly shouldered voluntarily and proactively. But inevitably, some children do not get along with their parents, leading to conflicts and an inability to allocate the duty of support. In such cases, there is no choice but to go to court and abide by its ruling.
On the defendant’s bench, Jiang Daping listened to Zhou Quanmin’s words, his eyes widening. He was slow to react.
"How... how... how did we move to discussing the duty of support?" he muttered, turning his head to look puzzledly at his defense lawyer.
They had just spent two hours on the defense! Even though he didn’t understand the law, he could see that his own lawyer was genuinely inept. To think they were being overwhelmed by an opposing lawyer with a defense success rate of less than 30%—and it was their four lawyers being dominated by just one!
"The situation is... not very optimistic. There’s been an unexpected development," his lawyer explained, his face flushed with embarrassment as he lowered his head. "But don’t worry. Now we’re discussing the duty of support, and I’ll do my best to secure the least responsibility for you."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Jiang Daping felt as if struck by lightning. His lawyer hadn’t said it explicitly, but the implication was crystal clear: on the issue of establishing the crime of abandonment, the four of them were utterly defeated! Their defense had collapsed at the first engagement, and his lawyer was already looking for the next battleground, trying to salvage the situation.
Beside him, Jiang Erping, Jiang Sanping, and Jiang Siping also realized what had happened, and their expressions turned grim.
Jiang Daping’s defense lawyer took a deep breath and said firmly, "Our side believes that, as the eldest brother, our client should set an example in supporting his parents. We are willing to take the initiative to assume responsibility and begin discussions with the other three brothers to allocate the duties of support." He was trying to seize the initiative in this matter. As long as they could lead the discussion, they would have more room to maneuver.
However, before he could finish, Jiang Siping’s defense lawyer stepped forward to object. "There is no legal provision stating that the eldest brother should take the lead in handling the duty of support. Elder Feng Cuihua had always favored the youngest son, Jiang Siping, and their relationship was the closest. I believe we should respect the elder’s wishes and let our client take the lead."
Clearly, he too understood the importance of seizing control at this juncture. If they lost the initiative, the subsequent allocation of support duties could be extremely unfavorable to them.
Jiang Erping’s defense lawyer also eagerly stood up and declared, "Judgment Chief, members of the panel, I believe supporting the elderly should depend on financial capacity. Among the four sons, our client, Jiang Erping, is in the best financial situation." He was fighting for his client’s interests; financial situation was always a primary consideration when it came to support.
"Judgment Chief, I believe..." Jiang Sanping’s defense lawyer, not to be outdone, also stood up to make his case.
For a moment, all four parties began to clamor, each actively vying to take responsibility for Feng Cuihua’s support, arguing incessantly. The competition grew increasingly fierce, so intense they almost came to blows.
This scene once again amazed observers like Zhang Qingyuan and Li Weiguo in the gallery, leaving them dumbstruck.
"What’s going on? Weren’t they unwilling to take on the duty of support? Did they all take the wrong medicine or something?"
"Before, none of them paid her any mind. Now they’re all fighting to take the lead?"
"I’m curious to see what kind of stunt they’re trying to pull now." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
"It’s truly a case of ’live long enough and you’ll see everything’! They neglected their own mother in daily life, and now suddenly they’re all filial sons in court?"
Zhang Qingyuan, Li Weiguo, and the others in the gallery looked upon the lawyers’ behavior with utter disdain, sneering contemptuously. They despised them from the bottom of their hearts, knowing full well what kind of men the four Jiang brothers truly were.
