Santa Ana, California, June 17, 1997: “We the jury in the above-entitled action hereby find the defendant not liable for plaintiff’s claim of negligence.” My heart skipped a beat. How could this be? I was a young lawyer who had been called in by a friend from law school to help try a mold case against a homeowners association.
Three weeks earlier, my friend had called me and explained his “great mold case” with much excitement. He wanted to bring me on board for the trial and invited me to a meeting with the client in his office. He thought the case was a surefire winner. But when I met the client, I was concerned. She was a highly emotional and inflexible entrepreneur. Despite the fact that her condominium had experienced major flooding and mold contamination, apparently due to no fault of hers, I was concerned that her harsh personality would be a major detriment in the presentation and appearance of the case.