Burden of Truth – Hang Together

By: Stacy Miller

Luna (Star Slade), Billy (Peter Mooney) and Joanna (Kristin Kreuk) are heading to the farm property lake area. “So why are we here?” Luna asks Joanna.  “We have to find out exactly what’s in the ground that made Steve and Amanda sick without attracting any attention,” Joanna answers. They take their equipment and take soil and water samples. Returning back to Crawford and Associates, Joanna tacks information to their evidence bulletin board.  They have obtained twenty-three samples. And if the samples test positive for benzene, they can get certification. “Before you can have a class action, we have to ask the court to certify,” Joanna explains to Luna, “Certification is leverage which gives us bargaining power when we try to settle.” Luna asks Joanna whether their goal is settling.  Although that doesn’t sound like a win, Joanna tells Luna that if they go to court they run the risk of losing and getting nothing. But they need their whistleblower Nate Dawson (Richard Clarkin) to sign an affidavit before the court proceedings.

Diane (Nicola Correia-Damude) and Owen (Meegwun Fairbrother) wake up in bed together. Owen called out sick and suggests that he and Diane spend the day watching a movie in bed. But Diane reminds she has a job and then asks Owen what’s going on. Owen tells Diane that the cop who suspended him is making his life a living hell by having him just serve coffee. Diane wonders whether the cop could be on the take. Owen comments that he can’t prove that…what is he supposed to do, ask about the new set of golf clubs he saw? Diane encourages Owen to be the bigger man. “I can’t work with someone who chooses who he serves and protect,” Owen tells her.

Alan (Benjamin Ayres) arrives at Crawford and Associates and tells Luna and Billy that he was authorized by Carver, Thatcher and Stokes (CTS) to make a settlement offer: Two million for the named plaintiff.  So, Molly (Sara Thompson) would be the only one of the girls to receive payment on the claim. “It is an exclusive offer. One which I’d like to discuss with her counsel in private,” Alan tells Luna. The girl leaves the room. Billy refuses to cut the other girls out. “My client is willing to give Molly two million dollars and you just have to convince the others to drop the suit. You sister, your niece they will be set for life.  Or, we’ll crush you at trial.”  Billy assures that they have new evidence. But Alan knows that Crawford and Associates’ purse strings are being stretched because he knows Joanna has hired the best doctors and scientists to prove their case. As a bonus, Alan agrees to throw in a hundred grand for Billy to walk away from the case by getting the girls to drop it. Alan thinks that Billy’s refusal is because it’s unethical.  But that didn’t stop Crawford from doing something unethical in the past. Alan tells Billy that they did their homework and know his (Billy) secret. Billy says that he’s not going to let Alan blackmail him into accepting CTS’ offer. Alan reminds that as Molly’s lawyer he (Billy) is obligated to bring all settlement offers to his client.  They’ll let Molly decide.

Taylor (Anwen O’Driscoll) is at home coughing. She wants to go to court to be with the other girls. But her father Ben (David Lawrence Brown) reminds that they talked about this…he can’t have his own daughter suing him.  Taylor tells her father that they aren’t suing him, they are suing the mill. Ben reminds that he is the mill. They talk about his dream for Taylor. Ben wanted her to go off to college and study law, then come back to help the mill. He used to tell her that there was not enough strong women in steel. “Me and this hole in my brain will take the steel world by storm,” Taylor says sarcastically. “I’m your father and you’re going to let me take care of you. Now we have some money set aside and I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

Billy goes to see his niece but finds her with Luna who has already told Molly about the settlement offer. Luna and Molly are talking about buying a house boat and traveling.  But Molly adds that she’d ask one of the girls’ father who is a CPA to show her how to make the money last.  Billy bursts his niece’s bubble when he tells her that the settlement offer is only for her as the named plaintiff. “So I would get rich and the other girls would get nothing?” Molly asks her uncle.

Joanna comes to see Nate Dawson and explains that she wants to dispose him and get his affidavit. But Nate is worried about going on record and run the risk of losing his job and pension. “I already pointed you in the direction of the barrels, that should be enough,” Nate says.  “In cases like this, there’s never enough,” Joanna tells Nate. “I don’t want to be remembered as the guy who killed the mill in a place called Millwood,” Nate says. Joanna tells Nate to the girls he’d be remember as the guy who did the right thing.

Billy tells Joanna that Alan came to him with a settlement offer but just for Molly. He’s torn on doing the right thing by Molly as both her uncle and her lawyer.  Joanna assures that its good news that if they’re willing to make an offer to Molly, they will for the other girls. Molly enters and tell Billy and Joanna that she thought about it. “It isn’t right. I can’t take the money,” Molly says that either they all get paid or none of them get paid.

Gerrilyn (Jessica Matten) finds Luna at the lake.  She reminds that Luna will soon be going off to college in Montreal and thinks they should spend the time they have left as a family.  Luna is upset that her mother lied to her about David Hanley (Alex Carter) being her father. Gerrilyn explains that she was trying to protect her daughter.  “I wanted you to grow up with the confidence in knowing that your dad leaving had nothing to do with you.” “Does it ever get easier?” Luna asks her mother.  “We have each other. I think we’re pretty great,” Gerrilyn asking her daughter to come home.  Luna agrees.

Alan arrives at Crawford and Associates for settlement negotiation.  He’s surprised to see Joanna, but she reminds that they are her clients too. Joanna asks for five million per girl. But Alan reminds that it is a small town mill and she can’t sue the parent company and can’t prove the parent company knew about the barrels. Joanna tells Alan their new samples tested positive for benzene. Plus they have a witness who can testify to the dumping of the barrels.  Alan goes outside and calls David Hanley. He tells David what Billy and Joanna are asking. David reminds that the settlement offer was supposed to divide and conquer, not make the other side stronger. Alan stands by his play. He adds that Billy and Joanna say they not only have tests to prove the presence of benzene but a witness.  But David doesn’t budge and tells Alan they’ll destroy Billy and Joanna in certification.

Ben questions Nate about being the person who has been talking to the other side.  Even though he’s guilty, Nate denies it. So Ben tells Nate to make sure everyone on the crew knows to keep their mouth shut.

While helping Molly pick out a dress for court, Taylor begins coughing then has a seizure and passes out. She is taken to the hospital where the doctor tells her they’ll have to conduct some tests to rule some things out.

Nate tells Billy and Joanna he can’t provide them with an affidavit because Ben suspects him of being the whistle blower.  After Nate leaves, Billy tells Joanna that he once violated his professional ethics. He explains that when he was at his old law firm Ross McCann he took a gift from the other side in exchange for a lower settlement and was suspended. “You’re lucky you didn’t get disbarred,” Joanna comments. “It was my first year.  I was young and in a big city,” Billy tells Joanna. He explains that he took ten percent off the settlement asking. “What they’d give you?” Joanna asks. “A trip to Vegas.  I’d never been anywhere before,” Billy tells Joanna. “Come on Mr. Vegas, let’s go bluff,” Joanna says.

After agreeing that the town comes first, Owen tells the cop that he can’t stand by and watch a cop getting rich and taking advantage of his job.

Billy and Joanna are granted certification.

Dr. Smith (Alicia Johnston) tells Ben, Taylor and Sharon Matheson (Robin Ruel) that Taylor’s blood work came back and signs are pointing to her having leukemia so she wants to take a bone biopsy. Dr. Smith assures that if it is leukemia, Taylor’s age and the fact it was diagnosed early her chances are good. When Joanna comes to the hospital, Ben realizes that she’s not there to see Taylor but to get her client to rejoin the suit. Joanna gets a call to come back to the court.

At the courthouse, Billy and Joanna find Alan waiting outside and learn that David called the meeting. Inside chambers, Judge Francine Anders (Marina Stephenson Kerr) tells Alan, Billy and Joanna that David Hanley brought to her attention the question of Joanna’s impartiality due to the fact that she worked on cases involving Matheson Steel’s parent company and had privilege to confidential documents. Until a motion hearing takes place to make the determination of Joanna’s impartiality, Joanna is removed from the case. Outside the courthouse, Joanna confronts her father.  David admits that his relationship with Gerrilyn Spence was a mistake.

Molly tells Luna she can’t stop thinking about Taylor and how it could be her. Luna tells Molly she’s deterred going away to college and will be there for Molly every step of the way.

David meets with Alan for a drink and reminds him that CTS have a reputation and can let small town yahoos beat them in a case. Meanwhile, Nate returns and tells Joanna that he changed his mind.

Meanwhile, Owen is jogging and gets knocks over the head by the corrupt cop.