The Newska Hotel is an ancient twelve-story building. It was once one of the most luxurious five-star hotels in Donghai. Even now, from service to internal facilities, it still retains a top-notch standard. The clock tower-like building has the style of a traditional hotel. Moreover, as a time-honored hotel, it is considered by the old Donghai people to be a superior hotel that only the truly knowledgeable and wealthy people will stay in. Its price is also extremely high.
The two top-level suites on the top floor each occupy half of the floor and are now fully booked by Lu Ming. The business conference room between the two suites that can accommodate dozens of people is naturally also exclusively for him.
At this moment, in the conference room, across the oval conference table, the two negotiating parties were sitting.
On this side were Lu Ming and his three disciples, as well as the affairs officer Bi Xiaoting.
On the other side, there were only two people, one of whom was Morgan, a lawyer from Reed & Smith LLP, who represented Jin Tai Ping Insurance Company.
Jin Taiping Insurance Company is one of the largest insurance companies in Donghai and even in the Empire. All legal affairs are handled by Reed Law Firm.
The other person is Zheng Zhongshi’s personal lawyer, who attended the negotiation on behalf of Zheng Zhongshi. His name is Silva and he is from Johnson, Smith & Stewart Law Firm.
In cases related to commercial insurance, Zheng Zhongshi's interests are naturally not completely consistent with those of the insurance company, so he will not hire lawyers from Reed Smith to handle related matters.
In short, the lawyers appointed by the two largest law firms in Donghai were now sitting opposite Lu Ming.
Silva was explaining his client's position with a smile on his face. "Mr. Lu Qianxing, all compensation matters involving accidents, injuries, etc. involving horses entrusted to my client for foster training by horse owners are handled by Jin Taiping Insurance Company. Therefore, this dispute has nothing to do with my client at all."
Morgan began by explaining the opinion of Jin Tai Ping Insurance Company, which would send an independent investigator to look into the matter and study the contractual terms between the horse owner and the stable. If it was indeed the stable's responsibility and compensation was required according to the contract, he would then coordinate with the owner involved.
Before that, Jin Taiping Insurance Company will not make any commitments.
Listening to the other party's words, Lu Ming's three disciples looked at each other. This case was actually very difficult to handle.
In particular, the late Mr. Renault did not take it too seriously at the time and only signed an ordinary contract. There was no mention of the large amount of additional fees he had to provide. But if he were alive, the stable would certainly not dare to act recklessly.
The ordinary contract of the stable actually contains some unfair terms. According to the contract, it would be difficult for little Jenny to claim compensation for what happened to her.
Even if the master gets rid of the unfair terms, the other party will still have to pay compensation from the insurance company.
It has nothing to do with Zheng Zhongshi.
But Master's usual style is that he definitely wants to teach Zheng Zhongshi a lesson, but in this case, I'm afraid there is really no hope at all.
Silva and Morgan stood up at this time. Morgan said solemnly: "Mr. Lu, we will soon appoint an independent investigator to investigate this case. I hope that the horse owner you represent can provide relevant information truthfully."
Silva smiled and said, "Mr. Lu, next time you negotiate, you won't need me to be present, right?"
Lu Ming smiled without saying anything, stood up, made a gesture, and someone opened the door and escorted them out.
After waiting for the two arrogant lawyers to walk away and looking at the embarrassed expressions of his three apprentices, Lu Ming smiled and said, "Let's go and see a witness."
…
Leading her three apprentices, she came to the small tea room next door. Inside, a young man with a tattoo on his neck was smoking uneasily. The tea room was filled with smoke, so Tong Xiao'e hurried over and turned on the exhaust fan.
Lu Ming pulled a small chair, which made an unpleasant sound of friction with the ground. The young man was startled and looked up suddenly.
Lu Ming sat in front of him and asked with a smile, "What do you think?"
The young man was silent, and finally nodded: "Okay, I, I am willing to testify that it was Zheng Zhongshi who asked us to deceive that, that officer, and drag her up the mountain."
Lu Ming nodded, pointed at the young man, and said to the three disciples: "He is one of the four people who tricked Officer Bi Xiaoting to go up the mountain. His name is Liu Xiaodao, also known as Xiaodao."
Then he asked three disciples, “What do you think constitutes illegal detention?”
"It must comply with four principles..." Tie Xiaojia and Chen Qinghua said hurriedly, and then glared at each other.
Lu Ming smiled and said, "Let's talk one by one. Come on, Xiao'e will speak first."
Tie Xiaojia and Chen Qinghua glared at each other, both feeling that it was because of each other that they lost the opportunity to perform in front of their master.
Tong Xiao'e thought for a moment and said slowly, "The first principle is illegality. Behaviors that restrict the freedom of others should be prohibited by law. For example, if a doctor imprisons a patient in order to treat a disease, it does not constitute illegal detention."
Lu Ming nodded and pointed at Tie Xiaojia. Tie Xiaojia said, "The second one is initiative. Simply put, it is intentional restriction of a person's personal freedom. For example, if I didn't know someone was in the room and locked him in, it would not constitute illegal detention."
Lu Ming looked at Chen Qinghua.
Chen Qinghua quickly continued, "The third is that the freedom of personal movement is violated. This is mainly manifested in two ways: forcing the victim to stay in a place he does not want to stay, or forcing the victim to go to a place he does not want to go."
Lu Ming nodded: "The fourth principle is that there must be behavior that restricts the victim's freedom, such as violence or the threat of violence."
“Master, in this case…” Tie Xiaojia wanted to say something, but then looked at the “witness” again.
Lu Ming smiled and said, "It's okay, just continue."
Tie Xiaojia nodded. "In this case, they tricked Officer Bi Xiaoting into going to Xiaohua Mountain, but they didn't force her to go there. Also, they didn't threaten her with violence on the mountain. They just insulted her and asked her to write a letter of repentance. They didn't say she had to stay there. From a legal perspective, the other lawyers can think that Officer Bi Xiaoting is free to leave, and their clients won't stop her."
Lu Ming smiled and said, "Yes, they didn't say, Bi Xiaoting, if you dare to leave, we will break one of your legs."
Tie Xiaojia carefully looked at his master's face, "Master, I..."
"You're right!" Lu Ming pondered, "But in fact, it's very difficult to leave the halfway point of Xiaohua Mountain on foot. Moreover, the atmosphere of terror created by the other party will make Officer Bi Xiaoting believe that if she dares to leave, she will definitely be beaten by them. This kind of psychological coercion is also a form of violent intimidation. Our fourth principle for the determination of illegal detention should keep pace with the times and be improved. We also need a new case to clarify this point."
"Think about it, you were tricked into going to a mountainside in the middle of nowhere, and four burly men insulted you and forced you to do something, but they said they didn't restrict your personal freedom and that you could leave freely. Is this reasonable?"
"The judge and the jury will probably agree with me."
Tie Xiaojia's eyes lit up. Yes, that's what Master is like. He has never limited himself to the existing legal norms, but has been the improver of several legal norms. For example, the "Child Protection Principle" was clearly proposed by Master, and there is also the "Neighbor Principle" in economic disputes. Master also gave a comprehensive interpretation of it in a case.
This time, the master gave the three of them on-the-spot teaching, telling them not to limit their thinking to the existing legal framework and precedents.
Lu Ming pondered and said, "Also, what criteria must be met to establish the crime of kidnapping?" He smiled and said, "Xiao E, you go first."
Tong Xiao'e said without hesitation: "Illegally abducting another person from his/her place of residence or business, or illegally detaining him/her from his/her place in a place other than a reasonable detention place, or illegally detaining another person in an isolated place for a considerable period of time constitutes the crime of kidnapping."
"Furthermore, if illegal detention is established, and this illegal detention is carried out in secret, it constitutes the crime of kidnapping."
Lu Ming nodded. "Officer Bi Xiaoting was tricked into going to the mountain. In fact, the place on the mountain was not where Officer Bi Xiaoting wanted to go, because she thought she could see the person she wanted to see there. So, this kind of deception is actually no different from violent coercion. From the perspective of kidnapping, it is no different from her being forced to go to that place. Moreover, it was also carried out in secret. Before Bi Xiaoting was released, none of her friends knew about it."
"It lasted for several hours."
"So, I think this case constitutes ordinary kidnapping. Zheng Zhongshi is the mastermind and the principal offender. The four executors are accomplices. Of course, one of them is now our tainted witness."
The three apprentices were all stupid. Ordinary illegal detention was only a misdemeanor, but ordinary kidnapping, or second-degree kidnapping, was a felony, and the judge would basically sentence them to more than five years.
But Master's analysis is indeed very convincing and consistent with the general public's understanding. Therefore, there is hope that it will be recognized by the judge and jury and that the new criteria for kidnapping can be improved with new precedents.
Lu Ming sneered in his heart. This is the future development trend of the Donghai legal system. In the future, in cases like this, as long as the other party’s lawyer is not too outrageous, then the crime of kidnapping is very likely to be established.
What is reflected here is the greatest respect for personal freedom.
In fact, in the society of my previous life, the behavior of some people would be considered malicious or even horrible, but it would not necessarily violate the law. From a certain perspective, this can be considered an imperfection of the law.
The law is to maintain the order of human society and is people-oriented. When some people do things that the general public thinks are terrible and terrifying, but they do not break the law, there must be something wrong here.
"Okay, you three, think about how to write the complaint. Let's file the lawsuit privately."
The three disciples all nodded. They understood what their master meant. After all, there had been no precedent that could define such incidents as kidnapping.
It also involves Master's Fifteenth Tai, so Master naturally would not file a lawsuit in the name of his official office.
Criminal cases, although public prosecution cases, are mostly handled by prosecutors.
But if the prosecutor is unwilling to prosecute, private individuals can now also file a lawsuit.
As long as the grand jury deliberates and believes that the case does not violate any rules and should be referred to the court for trial to determine whether it is established, the case will enter the trial process.
"Okay, let's get busy! Let's first check the testimony with our tainted witness." After saying this, Lu Ming smiled slightly, turned around and left.
Several disciples looked at the trembling "witness" with some helplessness. They thought that their master had made the stakes clear. If he didn't tell the truth and reveal the truth, he would be the one to go to jail.
Moreover, Master’s eloquence would probably scare this guy to death.
"Xiaodao, let's go!" Chen Qinghua said.
"Ah, ah, where are you going?" The young man was startled. The tattoo on his neck was very ferocious. It could be seen that he must be very tough usually, but now, he was like an eggplant hit by frost.
If it was last year, if Chen Qinghua met this kind of thug on the street, he would have been so scared that he would have walked away from him.
But now, he just felt sorry for them. Chen Qinghua said helplessly: "Let's go to a room where we can talk properly."
“Oh, oh, okay…” The young man quickly got up and followed them.
…
Sitting on the sofa in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the setting sun turning into a red ball, Lu Ming picked up the teacup and slowly drank a sip of tea. This hotel is old, but its facilities and services are top-notch. Even the fragrant tea in the cup with a hint of green leaves a lingering fragrance, which is quite interesting.
Moreover, the hotel has a good geographical location, located on a protruding corner of the coast. Although the east side is blocked by various buildings, the west side has a broad view, and you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the sunset into the sea.
The sound of water in the bathroom gradually stopped.
"Ah" a slightly joyful exclamation came out, Jennifer was wiping her wet chocolate-colored hair with a snow-white bath towel. When she saw Lu Ming there, she was immediately very happy.
"I've been with little Jenny for another day!" Lu Ming smiled: "Is she feeling better?"
"Yeah!" Jennifer nodded happily, walked over and sat on the sofa on the other side of the round table. She was wearing snow-white lace pajamas and pants. Even though she had just taken a shower and had to change clothes to go out for dinner, her little feet were still properly covered with lace socks. This aristocratic little beauty exuded an extremely pure aura from head to toe, so pure and clean that it made people tremble slightly in their hearts.
"Master, are you in a good mood too?" Jennifer asked cautiously. She rarely had the opportunity to chat with her husband and she was afraid of saying something wrong.
Lu Ming smiled and said, "You little girl can see that? It seems that my energy cultivation skills are not good enough."
This case can further enhance his status in the legal community.
In fact, although I have technically won almost all the lawsuits since I came to Donghai, I am too young and have not had time to settle down. People always think I am a little weird, rather than a highly respected legal authority. Other lawyers are afraid of me, but they may not respect me from the bottom of their hearts.
Just like Morgan and Silva, both fourth-level senior lawyers, when they encounter an opportunity that they think they can ridicule, they will not let it go.
If you are a legal authority in their eyes, during the first consultation, they will not have that kind of gloating or mocking attitude towards you, as if you have miscalculated this time.
However, if I win more and more incredible cases and use them to improve the relevant principles of imperial law, then their fear and dread will sooner or later turn into respect and admiration, and then I will feel different.
Becoming an authority in the legal field was my dream in my previous life, and now it has become one of my small goals.
Thinking about it, Lu Ming couldn't help but laugh at himself.
"Master, are you staying here tonight? Will you sleep in this room with me?"
Lu Ming was stunned, and when he looked over, he saw Jennifer's face full of curiosity. However, this shouldn't be the kind of question or reaction that someone with her personality would ask, right
Oh, Lu Ming shook his head. She probably hasn’t received any premarital education yet. Old Renault passed away suddenly, and her brother and sister-in-law are in trouble. No one cares about these things anymore.
Lu Ming coughed and laughed in his heart, but his face remained calm: "All sleeping here? How are we going to sleep?"
Jennifer seemed to be thinking very hard, "Then, then I can't sleep with the doll in my arms. The master has to hold Jennifer in his arms, right?" She spoke the latter part in a very low voice, with shyness on her little face.
Lu Ming was helpless, but looking at this pure and lovely girl, whose body had developed slightly and who was young but very beautiful, gave people the feeling of a pure and clean little angel.
However, it also makes people feel strange.
Lu Ming looked at the scenery outside the French window and smiled, "The sunset is quite beautiful..." The red disk was left with only a trace of afterglow. On the sea, a faint halo was floating, like a beautiful painting.
"Well! If I lie in bed lazily for a whole day, and the master holds me in his arms, it will definitely be good..." Jennifer seemed to realize that something was wrong after she finished speaking, and accidentally let the cat out of the bag. She secretly glanced at Lu Ming, "I used to get up at five o'clock and go to bed at eight o'clock every day. Now, even though the master doesn't care about me, I rarely sleep in..."
Lu Ming found it funny, but looking at this innocent little angel in snow-white lace pajamas and lace socks on her little feet, his heart started pounding. An absurd idea even came to his mind: what if, what if he really held her while she slept
The big soft bed is right in front of the floor-to-ceiling window on the other side. Sleeping here must be a great enjoyment, especially when you look up and see the blue sea and sky, while lying in the soft bed under you is this pure and obedient little angel, your fifteenth wife
Moreover, she listens to me very much. If I ask her to keep it a secret, no one else will know.
Of course, Biju and Pamela would not know.
Then, Bizhu would not know that she had violated the rules and regulations she mentioned.
Pamela won't be jealous either.
Then, Lu Ming slapped his head vigorously. Alas, he was really going to become a walking horse-fork worm. What was he thinking about
There is only half a year left. You must keep Biju's words in mind and not lose the big picture for the small.
He stood up and coughed: "Get ready, I'll take you out for dinner later! Tonight, we'll sleep in separate rooms, you'd better hold the doll..." As he said that, he also found it funny, and without waiting for her answer, he left quickly.