We walked through some back hallways until we had to go out into the main part of the courthouse to get into the courtroom. Mom and Dad were right behind me. Our lawyer, Mr. Kravitz, was right beside me. He was speaking encouragingly to me. I held my head up. I wasn't going to give Mark any power over me. He was going to know that he doesn't scare me anymore.
"You're doing great, Samantha," Mr. Kravitz said quietly to me. It gave the illusion of speaking strategy but really, it was encouragement. We'd already discussed strategy.
The court staff opened the courtroom doors for us and we went into the courtroom and made our way over to the plaintiff side. There were already people sitting in the row behind the table. I frowned. Who'd be here already?
Then they stood up and turned around and I stopped in shock.
"Carol?!" I said. She smiled and came out of her seat to give me a hug.
"Hello, Samantha. You look fantastic. California is agreeing with you, I take it?"
I smiled at her and then looked behind her at Emma and Benji, who were also both smiling. I hugged both of my cousins and said hello.
"It is. It's been great so far. What are you guys doing here? I'm not complaining, this is a great surprise. But, what are you doing here?"
"We're here to support you. And I might be one of the witnesses," Carol said.
"Thank you," I said, hugging my aunt again. She may be an aunt by marriage but she's already a better aunt than her husband has been an uncle. Sorry, ex-husband.
We caught up for a few minutes while Mr. Kravitz and Mom and Dad and Mr. Kravitz's assistant got things ready at the table. I had some schoolwork with me that I was going to try to do. This time we were really the ones with the power. Mark wasn't going to be able to hold sway over me anymore. Mr. Kravitz had my statement, and I'd have to testify at some point. Plus, I guess, Carol. And Mom and Dad. I don't know who Mark would get to defend or testify for him and what he did. I was actually looking forward to seeing how he tried to spin this one. Now that I was more aware about how these things work and I know everything he says is likely to be a lie, and how to talk to my lawyer without getting in trouble from the judge.
A minute later, a door opened and Mark was brought in and sat at the defence table. He looked over at me. I glared at him in defiance. Then looked away. Dad squeezed my hand.
"All rise. The Honorable Bill Jameson presiding," the bailiff announced. I stood on my crutches. My stump was so itchy.
"Be seated," the judge said as he came into the courtroom and took his seat. "Good morning."
The lawyers both stayed standing and said good morning. The Bailiff read out the case number and the lawyers sat down after affirming that was why we were all there. The lawyer had explained to me that a bench trial, what we were having, was a trial without a jury. It's why we were able to have this so quick. Plus, Mark was considered a flight risk. He'd been in jail waiting for this hearing. All the pre trial stuff had been taken care of when I'd gone to California.
After some preamble, the judge basically telling us all the rules we were expected to follow and instructing the media and all that stuff, Mr. Kravitz stood up. He'd said he'd present our side first. I pulled out my World History homework.
"Thank you, your Honor. On June 17 of this year, it is our contention that the defendant, Mark Solman, did willfully, consciously and intentionally assault my client, Samantha Joseph, a minor at the time. He physically attacked her, causing her to fall unconscious and then forced her into a small equipment crate which he locked and then removed from the Vue Event Center. He accessed the venue under false pretences, disguising himself as a member of the sound crew.
Mr. Solman then held Samantha captive for six weeks as he traversed the country, crossing state lines with a minor who was not under his guardianship, whose parents did not give permission to him to take her, and who did not go willingly.
Ms. Joseph, as the court may know, is the adopted daughter of Tyler and Jenna Joseph. They adopted Samantha as a young teen after her birth father had his parental rights removed due to years of physical and psychological abuse. It has taken my client years to overcome just a small portion of the abuse she grew up with, but with her adoptive parents, has thrived. Some in the courtroom may not know that Ms. Joseph's father is a celebrity, and is well known as the frontman for the alternative band Twentyone Pilots. This is significant as this means much of what Samantha and her family do is frequently reported in the media.
Samantha's abduction by her birth father, a traffic accident in Cleveland, and a court case in which Mr. Solman unsuccessfully attempted to tear my client, who was born and raised here in Columbus, from her family and friends, to make her return with him to his family in London, England are simply a small portion of the events of Samantha's life that have now been publicized.
Mr. Solman was not aware Samantha even existed until four years ago when he returned to the country briefly. To his credit, he attempted to forge a relationship with his niece, which resulted in Samantha making two visits to England. One with her family and one on her own where she visited for a month.
At the conclusion of that visit, Samantha's passport and boarding pass were stolen from her which we found in discovery was done at the behest of Mr. Solman by his son, who was merely seven at the time."
Mr. Kravitz kept talking about all the laws Mark broke, how my recovery had happened and how I'd been in hospital for a while because he'd messed up my diabetes and my mental health so badly. I tried to tune him out for the most part. I lived it. I didn't really need to hear about it again. I read my textbook. But listened with half an ear.
Mr Kravitz spoke for about an hour, I think. He said a lot. A lot went over my head because it was about statutes, laws, definitions of said laws, and so on.
He talked about what our side would present and prove, what our witnesses would attest to, and so on. He talked about how Mark's actions had affected my mental health and relationships with my friends and family.
When he was done, the judge called on Mark's lawyer. It wasn't the one from the time he'd tried to sue Mom and Dad. But then, as bad a lawyer as she was, she wasn't a criminal lawyer.
Mark's lawyer stood up and did up his ill-fitting suit jacket.
"Thank you, Your Honor.
The defence will present that Mark Solman has been traumatized by the death of his beloved sister Janet. He had lost track of her when she married her late husband, Stanley Deitz. He hadn't been in contact with her due to Mr. Deitz alienating her from her family after they wed.
The shocking news came at a time when Mr. Solman was already in a fragile mental state with the imminent breakdown of his marriage to his wife, Carol. Upon learning that his sister had been killed by her husband, and the revelation that she left behind a daughter, his niece, my client vowed to make things right for his family and embrace Samantha as part of her true, blood family.
Mr. Solman desired only to have a relationship with Samantha and when that was rebuffed, he took that very hard and to heart. He had lost his sister without ever knowing what had happened to her, and he did not want to lose his niece as well, now that he was aware of her.
Mr. Solman may have attempted to gain custody of Samantha through some means that may not have been well planned, but his desire was and is only to keep Samantha safe, and to welcome her back to the Solman family.
When his suit failed, Mr. Solman became despondent. He felt that he had lost the only remaining connection to his sister and wanted to establish and maintain a relationship. Samantha's family refused to allow Samantha to speak with her uncle after he returned to England. Coupled with the fact that upon his return, Mark Solman was let go from his job and his wife, Carol, left him and subsequently divorced him.
Feeling he had nothing left to lose, Mr. Solman lost his grasp on reality and used an opportunity to reconnect with his niece."
Reconnect? Sure. He connected something in his hand to my head and knocked me out! I frowned at Mr. Kravitz. He put his hand on mine as if to say "I know, leave it to me."
Mark's lawyer went on about mental health and Mark pleading not criminally responsible due to mental health reasons. I frowned again. Other than making sure he had stuff for my diabetes, he knew exactly what he was doing.
I scratched my thigh again. My stump was so itchy.
After Mark's lawyer finally stopped blathering on a whole ton of bullshit the judge called a recess.
"I understand that Ms. Joseph is a Type One diabetic and at this point should probably have a moment to have a snack or something to ensure her blood sugar stays stable. I am calling a fifteen minute recess. Will that be enough time for you, Ms. Joseph?"
I nodded.
"That will be plenty, thank you, Your Honor," Mr. Kravitz said for me. Apparently, even if a question is asked of me by the judge, my lawyer answers, except if I'm on the witness stand.
"Sam!" Mark called out as we went to leave the courtroom and the guards took him wherever they take prisoners on breaks.
"Don't answer him, don't look at him, don't acknowledge him," Mr. Kravitz said to me, sort of guiding me to turn the other way so my back was to Mark. Dad glanced back at him and frowned.
"He's still looking over here," Dad said as Mr. Kravitz led us out of the courtroom so I could get a snack and check my sugar.
"Just ignore him. His guards will take care of him," Mr. Kravitz said. I smiled. I liked him.
Press out in the hallway pressed in on us as we tried to go to a conference room across the hall. There were barriers up, but they still tried.
"Samantha! How did the first morning go?"
"Samantha! How did it feel to see your uncle again? Did he speak to you? Did you speak to him? What did you say!?"
"Tyler, will you write about this in your next album?"
"Tyler! Will this affect the next album!?"
Mr. Kravitz rushed me into the conference room. Before anyone could say anything, and closed the doors. I sank into a chair nearby.
"Are you okay?" Mr. Kravitz asked me.
"Yeah," I smiled. "Yeah, I am."
Dad smiled at me while Mom unpacked a snack for me. An apple and some cheese. I bolused my insulin and ate my snack. Mom and Dad had coffee and granola bars.
After about almost fifteen minutes, we were escorted back across the hall and into the courtroom.
The rest of the afternoon was some legal stuff that made no sense to me. Because I didn't want to pay attention. Witnesses were going to be called starting tomorrow. Court was done by two o'clock and we headed home.
I hadn't done anything and I was exhausted.
I scratched my stump absently on the way home.