Chapter 37 - The Deposition
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The legal battle reached a boiling point the following Tuesday. Sarah Jenkins had successfully compelled Arthur Pendelton to attend a formal deposition at her downtown office. We needed his sworn testimony on record before Marcus returned with the final, damning affidavit from Eleanor Vance.
I sat beside Sarah at the long, polished conference table. Arthur sat across from us, flanked by two junior lawyers. He looked incredibly smug, adjusting his expensive silk tie and smiling as the court reporter set up her transcription machine.
"Let’s make this quick, Sarah," Arthur sneered. "I have a golf tee time at three."
"I promise, Mr. Pendelton, this will be highly memorable," Sarah replied coldly. She activated the digital recorder. "For the record, Mr. Pendelton, you filed an injunction claiming that Richard Sterling is the sole legal owner of the National Arts Endowment trust, correct?"
"That is correct," Arthur stated confidently. "The trust was established using his personal capital, and the assets remain under his legal purview."
"Are you aware of any co-signers or partners involved in the initial charter?" Sarah asked, her voice dangerously calm.
Arthur hesitated for a fraction of a second, his eyes darting toward me. "Richard had various investors over the years, but none who maintained a controlling interest in this specific charitable trust."
"So you are stating, under oath, that there are no morality clauses or reversion of ownership agreements attached to the foundation's charter?"
"To my knowledge, no," Arthur lied smoothly. "The documents are quite clear. The trust belongs to the Sterling estate, and it must be liquidated."
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I watched him lie without a single ounce of guilt. He was so incredibly arrogant, so certain that his fabricated reality would hold up in court. He had no idea that he had just committed blatant, documented perjury on the official legal record.
"Thank you, Mr. Pendelton," Sarah said, a terrifying, triumphant smile spreading across her face as she turned off the recorder. "I believe we have absolutely everything we need."
