Forrester Vs. Forrester

a case before this court is the matter of Forester versus [Music] forer a cause of action involving an interference with an advantageous contractual relationship the plaintiff Michael Forester previously a member of the rock group government has charged his father Bernard Forester with preventing him from attending a recording session the session resulting in successful record album The plaintive is asking $662,500 in Damages and $42,000 punitive damages is Council for both parties ready we are your honor we are your honor would either of you gentleman care to make an opening statement I would your honor proceed Mr [Music] Barrett your honor let ladies and gentlemen of the jury as you can well imagine it's not an easy thing done to bring his father into court unusual perhaps but not without reason we intend to show what little regard Bernard Forester had for his son the attitudes toward Michael's friends his restrictive environment at home Mr forester's constant badgering to succeed on terms Michael couldn't accept Michael Forester is an individual and is entitled to his own Outlook and goals in life Mr Forester refused to accept this to some of you this may seem just another example of the generation gap well that may be but when Mr Forester denied Michael the right to Pursuit his own chosen career he went far beyond the responsibility of a parent thank you Mr Jones would you care to address the court yes thank you your honor Mr Barrett's last statement troubles me he went far beyond his responsibility as a parent well just what is a parent's responsibility and can he exceed it in Michael Forester we find a bright young man but he's also at a very impressionable age Mr Forester felt it his duty to exercise some control over Michael's social contacts to keep the boy out of trouble Mr Forester tried to communicate with Mike but he repeatedly rejected his advice Michael showed little responsibility at home and he rarely contributed in any way toward the family yet he demanded equal treatment we feel that Michael was unable to make a decision in anything as important as his future thank you plaintiff may call the first witness the plaintiff would like to call Mr Arthur Jackson to the [Music] stand do you swear to tell the truth the whole truth so help you guide I do be [Music] seated we you please state your name and affiliation I'm Arthur Jackson vice president of good Star Records Hollywood California and were you the Discover of the now successful rock group known as together men yes sir at the time you first saw them perform was Michael Forster member of that group yes sir is this the contract you had Mike Forester sign yes your honor I would like to offer this agreement between Michael Forester and good star music into evidence you may enter plain of one into evidence yes your honor now Mr Jackson did all the members of the group profit from their contractual agreements with goodstar all but one and who was that Mike Mike Forester thank you Mr Jackson no more questions you honor your witness councelor Mr Jackson Michael Forester had missed gu obligations before hadn't it sure everybody missed a couple but you didn't drop him from the group no was Mike the best performer in the group well no not really well would the group have been just as successful without Michael Forester your honor Michael Stalin is not the issue before this court objection sustained did your contract allow you to replace a man on short order yes sir the group knew that going in well then it appears that you had contractual right to replace Mike got nothing to do with it man all do I have no such disturbances in my court sit down no further questions your honor Miss dos you're a member ofman aren't you yes that's right up until recently you and Michael were very close weren't you yes Mike confided in you yes he did did he say Mr Forester was hard on I think so such as Mr Forester always made Mike Feel small he didn't understand or or appreciate Mike how did he make his feelings known he always told Michael that if he didn't Shape Up he'd never make it what was Mr forester's idea of making it oh you know the usual Hang-Ups money power possessions and that these coincide with Michael's idea of making it no way Mike wanted Freedom he wanted to do something with his life he he wasn't interested in things did Mike hate his father no actually I think Mike loves his father you just never got anything from him thank you Miss dos you're witness [Music] counselor isn't it true that you and Mike were more than just house what do you mean I think you know what I mean let me put it this way weren't you the cause of Mike staying out till 3: or 4: in the morning objection your honor I don't see the relevance here objection sustained did you have a curfew I mean were you required to be home at any certain hour well sometimes sometimes I see did Mike ever curfew yeah he usually had to be home by 1 well if you were aware of this curfew why did you encourage Mike to break it well I just thought it was time Mike stood up to his old man I mean he isn't a kid anymore do you ever stop to think that Mr Forester might be pacing the floor calling hospitals checking accident reports while waiting for the son to come home no more questions your honor now Mrs Townsen as the Forester family housekeeper for many years you were in a good position to see if a generation gap between Michael and his father existed was there such a gap I would say so how was their communication did they talk to one another not often did Mr Forester Place excessive demands on M he was hard on him sometimes but he used to tell us how he had nothing when he was young and the only way to make it was to be tough on yourself did his father encourage his talent not really it really would hurt me the way the mister would make fun of Mike and ask him how he was going to support a family thank you Mrs Townson no further questions your honor did Mike obey his father's wishes sometimes sometimes now certainly you could be a little more specific than that Michael was young and full of life I saw him when he sneaked out and wasn't supposed to but he just went like this uh did Mike have duties around the house mowing a lawn taking at the garbage you know yes well did he fulfill these obligations did he do his share not really objection your honor I don't really see where this line of questioning is going it is Our intention your honor to show that Mike Forester took everything in his life for granted and he was just too unreliable to make councelor feel that because Mike didn't take out the garbage his father if Mike didn't act like a man and accept certain responsibil gentl that's enough for now Mr Jones do you have any further questions for this witness uh no your honor in that case I declare a 15minute [Music] recess well we've got him right where we want him we'll be able to put him away after we cut it out Elmer but it is what you wanted isn't it teach him a lesson I said that's enough I'm sorry Where Do We Go From Here Well Bar will call a couple of more witnesses and then it'll be our turn to uh how much long is this going to take this thing's really getting to me well we have three more witnesses schedule then your father will get his chance the whole thing's so open I mean the questioning of Janet and all any regrets son the defense may call its first witness the defense will only call one witness your honor the defense calls the defendant Bernard [Music] Forester what is your profession Mr Forester I'm a stock broker oh and does this take a great deal of time unfortunately yes why do you say unfortunately I find little time left for the things I enjoy well your boy has implied that you want to work and work is the only thing you really care about well he's wrong well kindly tell the court what else is important to you among other things my family and of course my son Michael you've been accused by several of Michael's friends of coming between their friendship if you did did you do so knowingly perhaps as a parent I had misgivings about some of Mike's friends I told him I thought it would be a good idea oh come on dad you locked him out of the house you wouldn't even let me see him Michael we'll have no more Outburst like that in my courtroom counselor please control your client please continue Mike just doesn't understand what being a parent is like I'm responsible for his safety for his education his morals your honor if Mike gets into trouble who do you hold responsible Mike said that you never took time to listen to him mike always wanted to argue whatever position I took he would always take the opposite it got so that we could never talk without anything that there wasn't an argument as far as Mike was concerned I hadn't anything to offer you've been accused of placing impossible restrictions on Michael if I didn't care about him I wouldn't have placed any restrictions at all that would have been the easiest thing to do today you see so many parents who don't care where the children are or what they're doing well regarding Mike's Music do you feel he showed any Talent yes but not enough to base a life on I wanted Mike to have a good solid perspective on life before he undertook what I felt was a narrow terribly risky career thank you sir no more questions your honor Mr Forester did you ever use material things to control Michael's future how do you mean hold back the use of the car not let Mike watch TV sure I wanted him to be the best darned Michael Forester he could be I didn't want him to settle for seconds if that meant I had to restrict him I did did you make every effort to mold Mike into your own image look every father wants his son to be lik him to some extent I don't feel I'm any more guilty of that than any parent thank you Mr Forester more questions your honor Mike do you think your father understood you no not really I don't think he ever tried what do you mean by that well I never had any time to listen did your father ever praise you at anything or offer you encouragement only in things that he wanted me to do never in anything that I wanted to do did you ever discuss meaningful things like politics you didn't discuss with him you listen to him it's always saying that I was an idealist or that I was naive that I didn't understand the way things really are in your opinion was he correct no got to be blind not to see the way things really are I just want things different I'm not ready to live my life like my dad's you really think your father's quite a materialist don't you don't you well Ali's provided you with a nice home car you can drive television you can watch closet full of nice clothes I didn't ask to be born my father brought me into this world you don't really feel that you owe your father anything do you I don't feel I have a debt to pay if that's what you mean I don't feel that you have a debt to pay in the traditional sense either but do you ever make an effort to make your father's life just a little bit easier how can I when he shuts me out of it well maybe he feels you don't want to be a part of it thank you Michael no more questions your honor are you gentlemen prepared to make your closing arguments we are your honor ladies and gentlemen of the jury we have shown you the contract with Michael Forester and good star music we've also shown proof of loss Bernard Forester made every effort to totally d dominate his son's life he chose his friends doled out privileges enforced curfews and offered Michael little or no privacy but in the end he committed the most serious Act of all he denied Michael the opportunity to pursue his chosen career we contend that Bernard Forester went beyond his obligations as a parent in controlling Michael's life now my client has suffered damages and we ask he be a war these damages in full thank you ladies and gentlemen of the jury we do not contest that a generation gap existed but as a parent Bernard Forester felt that he could guide his son and set an example for him apparently that isn't what Michael wanted I ask you ladies and gentlemen was Bernard Forester guilty of anything other than wanting the very best for his son as he saw it I thank you and now you the jury will go to the Jury Room to elect a foreman and arrive at AER will the court please rise [Music] sure [Music] the [Music]