Burden of Truth – Home to Roost

By: Stacy Miller

A large amount of boxes are delivered to Crawford and Associates. Billy (Peter Mooney) explains to Luna (Star Slade) that as the mill’s been compelled to show them their files, they thought they’d bury them in multitudes of paperwork.  “I thought we were prepping Molly today,” Luna says. Billy tells her that they have to do both and find the needle in the haystack, which is board meeting minutes or memos. “Anything to show the parent company knew about the illegal dumping,” Billy explains. Luna finds a paper with pertinent information removed. “Are you kidding me” she says annoyed. “Oh yeah, anything that’s been redacted we have to petition the court to have it unmasked. “Every time?” Luna asks. “Every time. Welcome to the world of discovery,” Billy answers.

Inside chambers, Judge Francine Anders (Marina Stephenson Kerr) tells Joanna (Kristin Kreuk) she’d better have a good explanation for the allegations of conflict of interest. Joanna explains she never handled legal documents for Matheson Steel or the parent company PNL.  Furthermore, David Hanley (Alex Carter) failed to bring this to the court in a timely matter. “Use it or lose it,” Joanna says. Judge Anders asks David if he knew there was a possible conflict of interest disqualifying Counsel Joanna Hanley, he should have brought it to the court’s attention sooner. David says that he only recently became head counsel for the case. Joanna tells Judge Anders that even though Billy Crawford is a skilled attorney, CTS (Carver, Thatcher and Stokes) has enormous resources that still makes it an unfair fight with just the two of them (she and Billy). Especially when Crawford and Associates has to use their limited resources fighting unfounded motions. Judge Anders tells Attorney Crawford he’s wasting opposing counsel’s time and more importantly hers. She requalifies Joanna. After the judge leaves the chambers, David tells Joanna he wants to make things right between them and asks his daughter to have breakfast with him.

At Riverside Grill, David reminds that he and Joanna always bonded over the law. When Joanna tells her father she doesn’t have time to bond because of her girls, David comments “Now you’re starting to sound like Crawford” adding that Billy will always be Molly Ross’ (Sara Thompson) uncle first and is protective of her.  That’s why he’ll lose because he’s letting his emotions run his case. Spotting Gerrilyn (Jessica Matten), David makes a hasty retreat. Joanna asks Gerrilyn whether they can talk about her father (David).

Joanna and Gerrilyn sit in a park and talk. Gerrilyn tells Joanna how when she told David she was pregnant with Luna, he threatened to take her away from her. Joanna says that David was bluffing and had no interest in raising Luna.  But Gerrilyn was young at the time and believed him. Joanna says that David has told so many lies, she just has to find the one that will bury him. Gerrilyn offers to do anything she can to help, but urges Joanna to talk to her mother. Gerrilyn is sure Joanna’s mother has information that will help.

Diane (Nicola Correia-Damude) visits Owen (Meegwun Fairbrother) in the hospital and brings him flowers and a card that her kids made. She asks him how he is feeling. Owen tells her that he feels like something was knocked loose in his head. Diane wonders who could have done such a thing. Then, she goes to see Taylor (Anwen O’Driscoll), who had her first round of chemo. Taylor asks Ms. Evans to take her (Taylor’s) father Ben (David Lawrence Brown) for a walk as he’s been sleeping in the chair by her bed all night and she needs to get some rest.

Alan (Benjamin Ayres) and David go over case strategy. David thinks that Molly’s earlier soccer brain injury and “the gay thing” has exacerbated her symptoms. David wants to argue that the pressures of being a closet lesbian in a small town combined with the soccer injury is the cause of the twitches…injury plus lifestyle choices.  Alan is uncomfortable going after a teenager because of her sexuality. David reminds that Alan being soft and mooning over opposing counsel (Joanna) was the reason Crawford and Associates got certification. David orders Alan to leave and not return until he can come back as a real attorney that will do anything to win.

Billy preps Molly and tells her that she has to be certain in the answers she gives or the other side will tear her testimony apart. Molly leaves the office for a coffee break. Joanna enters and Billy congratulates her on her reinstatement in the case. Joanna tells Billy that if her father is going after Molly, she’s going to go after him. She explains that she is going to Winnipeg to see her mother since her mother was still with her father at the time of the sale to Matheson Steel. Joanna believes her mother could have information that will help them win the case. Billy suggests Joanna take Luna; she hasn’t seen her mother in a long time and may need support.

Sam Mercer comes to see Owen in the hospital and tells him that although things were heated they last time they were together, he was the one who found him, called the ambulance and have been searching for the scumbags who did this to Owen.

On their way to see Joanna’s mother, Luna asks her sister whether she should go to see David. Luna wants to ask her father how he could have a daughter out there and not want to know anything about her. Joanna says Luna should ask Joanna’s mother that same question. Luna asks Joanna why she never went to see her mother when she knew where she was. Joanna explains that she thought about it a few times but made her peace that her mother didn’t want to be a part of her life.

Gerrilyn finds David at Riverside Grill and tells him what she’s wanted to say for all these years…that she and Luna have been fine without him in their lives.

Alan goes to the bar where Billy is and tells Crawford that he quit CTS three hours ago and wants to help prep Molly for the deposition. Alan explains that David is planning to go after Molly and her sexuality to get to Billy.

Mercer makes a veiled threat against Diane’s daughters when she questions him about his nervous energy as they talked about Owen’s assault.

Luna and Joanna arrive at her (Joanna) mother house. When her mother answers the door, she’s surprised to see Luna and Joanna. Joanna is all business and asks her mother her recollections of David and the Matheson Steel sale. Joanna’s mother tells her she thinks better with tea. She goes to make tea.  When Joanna walks away, Joanna’s mother asks Luna how they (she and Joanna) found each other. Luna explains that Joanna came to Millwood to work on a case. Joanna asks her mother why she left her; she thought she didn’t love her anymore. Joanna’s mother explains that her father was the lawyer who worked on her immigration and threatened to have her deported and turn Joanna against her if she didn’t leave. Joanna says that she thought her mother didn’t love her anymore.

Alan preps Molly for the deposition. Alan tells Molly to treat her answers like money and don’t give the other side anything extra. He brings up an incident after her soccer injury when Molly wrote on her social media page how she was looking for her headphones all day and posted a photo of the missing headphones in the fridge. From the comment she wrote alongside the picture, it seemed as though she was making light of her injury, she didn’t even report it to her doctor. Alan tells the girls that they are on trial and David will use everything he knows about them against them. He urges them to turn every accusatory question into a so what answer. “If you know what’s coming, he can’t ambush you,” Alan says, “Miss Ross, I hear you’re in a lesbian relationship.” “So what,” Molly answers, getting a laugh for Alan.  Molly is a quick learner!

The next day, Alan brings Billy and Molly coffee and wishes them luck in court. Alan decides to come to the deposition because he wants to be the one to tell David that he’s supporting the girls now.

Joanna’s mother tells her daughter after she left, her father kept asking him to send him his things and was especially interested in one box. She gives Joanna a letter from Allison Shephard, who worked for David and is now the Mayor of Millwood. It is a love letter.

Diane tells Ben Matheson her belief that another cop was the person who bashed Owen over the head. She notices his nervous energy.

At the deposition, Molly talks about all the things she’s no longer able to do and how she’d had to put off university indefinitely. David has no questions for Molly and asks for the camera to be turned off.  He says she is a sympathetic witness and with all her crushed dreams, there wouldn’t be a dry eye in the house. David adds that they may have a case against Matheson Steel and if they do, they’ll just file for bankruptcy. But that won’t prove a case against the parent company PNL. “We’re building one,” Billy says. “Let’s see what you have. We’re filing a motion for summary judgment for your claim against PNL. If you don’t have a case against the parent company then we’re done,” David tells Billy.

When she returns to Millwood, Joanna learns that Alan switched sides and helped prep Molly for the deposition. “Motion hearings in a week. We have to win that or we lose the whole case,” Billy tells Joanna.

Diane comes back to Owen’s hospital room and tells him her suspicions that Sam Mercer attacked him on the order of Ben Matheson. Diane tells Owen that her ex-husband Derek was offered a job in Winnipeg with good money and the girls would be closer to their dad. “I’m thinking of moving,” Diane says.

Joanna thanks Alan for what he tried to do for the girls. He asks what she plans to do with that letter from Mayor Shephard. Joanna is unsure whether she can deal with another skeleton from her father’s closet. Alan tells Joanna whatever she decides to do she’ll be brilliant. “Kick his ass,” he says with a kiss.