Falsely Accused by Robert Tanenbaum Page B

at all. But he was not. Instead, as Weller spoke, Karp was adding up columns of figures in his head. His available cash, plus what he could raise from a loan on the loft against monthly living expenses between his last check from B.L. and the time when he could expect to see some money from the Selig case. It worked out pretty close, but it was still feasible, always assuming he’d win Selig. Which he did not doubt.
    â€œSo, you understand what has to be done, go do it!” Weller said, and added, “And for God’s sake, Butch, in future—”
    â€œActually,” said Karp mildly, “I don’t intend to drop the case.”
    Weller gasped. “You don’t? You don’t! Who the fu—sonny, read the goddamn letterhead! Read the goddamn brass fucking sign on the front door! It’s my goddamn law firm, and I say who we sue and who we do not sue! Is that clear?”
    â€œPerfectly,” said Karp. “I’ll resign, effective immediately.” He stood up, and Weller had to lean his judge’s chair back a little to see Karp’s face. “I’ll turn all my Goldsboro stuff over to whoever you think will try the case. Because Steve and Toby think it’s pretty sure to go to trial early next year.” Karp paused significantly. “Who would that be? Trying it, I mean. Yourself?”
    Weller ignored the absurd question. He had not been in front of a jury for years and did not intend to derail his extremely pleasant life to start now. Neither was the possibility of losing Karp seriously to be entertained. There were attorneys at B.L. who knew more about Goldsboro than Karp, but the firm did not have anyone who was his equal in the art of standing in the well of a court and convincing twelve ordinary people that although someone had done a bunch of awful things to the plaintiffs, that someone was not the Goldsboro Pharmaceutical Company, their client.
    After a brief pause Weller said, “That’s absurd. You’re the only trial lawyer we have who’s prepped on Goldsboro. You can’t just drop it.” Then he had a happy thought. “And in any case, you couldn’t run both Goldsboro and this Selig thing. You’d have to drop him eventually.”
    â€œNot necessarily,” said Karp. “I expect Selig to go quite rapidly. We can fast-track the whole thing. The case is straightforward, and there’s little room for maneuver on either side. It’s September now. With the holiday slow-down, preliminary motions and discovery should bring us into next February. Federal jury selection is fast, a couple of days, and we should be in trial by early May, maybe earlier if we draw Craig, who’s new, as you say, and who’ll have a light calendar. Twelve weeks for trial, max. I can’t imagine Goldsboro getting started much before late summer.”
    â€œI don’t like it,” said Weller, a trace of helpless petulance creeping into his tone. “Quite aside from the personal embarrassment and lack of consideration involved in pursuing this, by the distraction of your energies you’re potentially jeopardizing the firm’s most important case. And I don’t understand it at all. Haven’t we been good to you?”
    â€œYes, very good,” admitted Karp. “This is a nice place to work.”
    â€œThen why? Is this Dr. Selig a friend of yours?”
    â€œNot particularly. But something very nasty was done to him for no reason and I said I would fix it, and I intend to.”
    â€œButch, Butch,” said Weller placatingly, “you’re not with the D.A. or some congressional committee now. You can’t go running around town righting wrongs whenever you feel like it.”
    â€œGee, that’s an odd thing to say. I thought that was the damn point. Of the law, of judges, courts, juries—”
    â€œOh, don’t pretend to misunderstand me,” Weller snarled. “And I