In deposition, client admitted she has no age discrimination case. A deposition is where you all sit down with lawyers and a court reporter who makes a record of questions and answers with a little typewriter.... I don't do employment law so much and am filling in.
I tried to tell this old fool what was going on, but old people are sometimes stupid and think they know more than me because I'm, by definition, younger than them.... Nevermind that I'm a lawyer, you've been alive but dumb longer... ok.
So the other lawyer lulls her into a false sense of security, which I try to warn her about during the break. He's getting her to let her guard down and she won't LISTEN to me about it. She thinks things are going swimmingly.... Co worker has waived all objections until trial before I ever got there.... This proceeds casually with client's guard stupidly down until eventually:
Q: "So, did you feel discriminated against at work?"
A: "Well no."
Q: "You didn't? You weren't discriminated against?"
A: "No."
My face is stone, unbreakable in any situation, straight face. She's politely smiling like the idiot she is. I explain to her afterwords and cut the bitch off as she tries to lecture me, the impudent moron. I finally just have enough of her bullshit:
Me: "NO, this is not the part where you talk. That's gotten us in enough trouble. What are you suing about? AGE DISCRIMINATION. What did you just say on the record? THAT YOU DIDN'T FEEL DISCRIMINATED AGAINST AND WEREN'T DISCRIMINATED AGAINST. If you weren't discriminated against, then why are you suing...?"
She still didn't quite get it for a bit, but it sunk in after a bit. [sigh] I've presented her with a low settlement offer from the other side. If she has any brains at all, she'll take it gladly.