958
Brilliant Plevaco
The man says everything was consensual. The last word is for Plevaco.
“Mr. Jury,” he said. If you fine my client, I ask you to deduct the cost of washing the sheets that the plaintiff soiled with her shoes.
The girl jumps up and shouts, "Not true!" I took my shoes off!!! ?
There's laughter in the room. The defendant is acquitted.
The lawyer F.N. Plevako is well-known for defending the owner of a small shop, a semi-literate woman who violated the rules on trading hours and closed the trade 20 minutes later than it should be, on the eve of some religious holiday. The court hearing in her case was scheduled for 10 hours. The court was 10 minutes late. Everyone was there except for the defender. The president of the court ordered to find Plevako. After 10 minutes, Plevako slowly entered the hall, calmly sat down at the place of defense and opened his briefcase. The president of the court made him a comment for being late. Then Plevaco pulled out his watch, looked at it, and declared that his watch had only five minutes of the eleventh. The chairman pointed out to him that the clock was already 20 minutes eleven. Plevako asked the chairman, “How much is your watch, Excellency?” The chairman looked and replied:
- On my fifteen minutes of eleven. Plevako addressed the prosecutor:
What about your watch, Mr. Prosecutor?
The prosecutor, clearly wishing to cause the defence counsel trouble, replied with a sly smile:
My watch is already twenty-five minutes eleven.
He could not know what trap Plevaco had set for him or how much he, the prosecutor, had helped the defense.
The trial ended very quickly. Witnesses confirmed that the defendant closed the shop 20 minutes late. The prosecutor asked for the defendant to be found guilty. The floor was given to Plevaco. The speech lasted two minutes. He said:
The defendant was 20 minutes late. But, gentlemen of the jury, she is an old, illiterate woman, who does not understand watches well. You and I are intelligent, intelligent people. What about your watch? When the wall clock is 20 minutes, the chairman has 15 minutes, and the prosecutor’s clock has 25 minutes. Of course, the most accurate watch is at the prosecutor's office. So my watch was 20 minutes late, so I was 20 minutes late. And I always thought my watch was very accurate, because I have gold, Moserov.
So if the president, by the prosecutor's hour, opened the hearing 15 minutes late, and the defense counsel came 20 minutes late, how can we demand that a lesser-educated tradeswoman have better hours and better time verses than the prosecutor and I?
The jury conferred one minute and acquitted the defendant.
Once Plevako got a case about the murder of one man of his woman. Plevako came to the court as usual, calm and confident in success, and without any papers and cheat sheets. And so when the turn came to the defense, Plevako stood up and said:
- Gentlemen of the jury!
The noise began to subside in the hall. Plevaco again:
- Gentlemen of the jury!
There was a dead silence in the hall. Lawyer again:
- Gentlemen of the jury!
There was a small rustle in the room, but the speech did not begin. Again:
- Gentlemen of the jury!
Here in the hall rolled the dissatisfied hum of the long-awaited spectacle of the people. And Plevaco again:
- Gentlemen of the jury!
Here already the hall exploded indignation, perceiving everything as a mockery of the respectable public. And from the podium again:
- Gentlemen of the jury!
Something unimaginable started. The room roared with the judge, prosecutor and assessors. Finally, Plevako raised his hand, urging the people to calm down.
Well, gentlemen, you couldn't stand 15 minutes of my experiment. And what was it like for this unfortunate man to listen to 15 years of unjust despite and irritated itching of his grumpy woman for every little thing?!
The hall numbed, then burst into admiring applause.
The man was acquitted.
“Mr. Jury,” he said. If you fine my client, I ask you to deduct the cost of washing the sheets that the plaintiff soiled with her shoes.
The girl jumps up and shouts, "Not true!" I took my shoes off!!! ?
There's laughter in the room. The defendant is acquitted.
The lawyer F.N. Plevako is well-known for defending the owner of a small shop, a semi-literate woman who violated the rules on trading hours and closed the trade 20 minutes later than it should be, on the eve of some religious holiday. The court hearing in her case was scheduled for 10 hours. The court was 10 minutes late. Everyone was there except for the defender. The president of the court ordered to find Plevako. After 10 minutes, Plevako slowly entered the hall, calmly sat down at the place of defense and opened his briefcase. The president of the court made him a comment for being late. Then Plevaco pulled out his watch, looked at it, and declared that his watch had only five minutes of the eleventh. The chairman pointed out to him that the clock was already 20 minutes eleven. Plevako asked the chairman, “How much is your watch, Excellency?” The chairman looked and replied:
- On my fifteen minutes of eleven. Plevako addressed the prosecutor:
What about your watch, Mr. Prosecutor?
The prosecutor, clearly wishing to cause the defence counsel trouble, replied with a sly smile:
My watch is already twenty-five minutes eleven.
He could not know what trap Plevaco had set for him or how much he, the prosecutor, had helped the defense.
The trial ended very quickly. Witnesses confirmed that the defendant closed the shop 20 minutes late. The prosecutor asked for the defendant to be found guilty. The floor was given to Plevaco. The speech lasted two minutes. He said:
The defendant was 20 minutes late. But, gentlemen of the jury, she is an old, illiterate woman, who does not understand watches well. You and I are intelligent, intelligent people. What about your watch? When the wall clock is 20 minutes, the chairman has 15 minutes, and the prosecutor’s clock has 25 minutes. Of course, the most accurate watch is at the prosecutor's office. So my watch was 20 minutes late, so I was 20 minutes late. And I always thought my watch was very accurate, because I have gold, Moserov.
So if the president, by the prosecutor's hour, opened the hearing 15 minutes late, and the defense counsel came 20 minutes late, how can we demand that a lesser-educated tradeswoman have better hours and better time verses than the prosecutor and I?
The jury conferred one minute and acquitted the defendant.
Once Plevako got a case about the murder of one man of his woman. Plevako came to the court as usual, calm and confident in success, and without any papers and cheat sheets. And so when the turn came to the defense, Plevako stood up and said:
- Gentlemen of the jury!
The noise began to subside in the hall. Plevaco again:
- Gentlemen of the jury!
There was a dead silence in the hall. Lawyer again:
- Gentlemen of the jury!
There was a small rustle in the room, but the speech did not begin. Again:
- Gentlemen of the jury!
Here in the hall rolled the dissatisfied hum of the long-awaited spectacle of the people. And Plevaco again:
- Gentlemen of the jury!
Here already the hall exploded indignation, perceiving everything as a mockery of the respectable public. And from the podium again:
- Gentlemen of the jury!
Something unimaginable started. The room roared with the judge, prosecutor and assessors. Finally, Plevako raised his hand, urging the people to calm down.
Well, gentlemen, you couldn't stand 15 minutes of my experiment. And what was it like for this unfortunate man to listen to 15 years of unjust despite and irritated itching of his grumpy woman for every little thing?!
The hall numbed, then burst into admiring applause.
The man was acquitted.
