The trial ended, and since the judgment was not announced in court, Tang Fangjing didn't mind; he was sure that the homeowners had certainly won.
Old Wang was very excited, and started walking arm in arm with Tang Fangjing as soon as they left the courthouse.
"Ah, it's been so long since I've had such a satisfying case, Old Tang. You need to take it easy since you're not in the best of health. I've already prepared a private office for you at the firm, complete with a massage chair I personally gifted you. You can lie down and rest there whenever..."
The other Old Song rolling his eyes in the background, who was it that said lawyers should look the part?
And to set aside a private office for an intern? I've been around much longer and don't even have my own office...
But no one voiced any objections, as Tengda had made quite an impression this time, gaining widespread fame in the industry.
This was the country's first case of backtracking property management's accounts for sky-high compensation!
It was likely to become a guiding case, one to be studied by peers, providing great material to boast about in the future. For more chapters visit novel(ꜰ)ire.net
In fact, Guangming District Court was pretty efficient too; they issued the judgment a week later, without any discretion, supporting all the claims made by the homeowners' association.
Before long, the media outlets that specialized in following court decisions broadcasted the news.
"Jingzhou's most badass homeowners' association, sues property management and wins nearly thirty million in compensation!"
Naturally, the property management announced their intention to appeal, but it was clear to everyone that a turnaround in this case was unlikely.
Still, some netizens continued to be defiant online.
"Idle Clouds and Wild Cranes": Based on the current situation, it seems that this so-called rights-defense was orchestrated by Tang Fangjing again, right? The nation's first case of exorbitant overtime pay and now the nation's first case of exorbitant property management compensation--I'm puzzled, is he just keen on making people pay a lot of money?
"I'll put it out there, there's definitely something off with this case; how much can property management really make to warrant such a huge compensation? On what basis, huh!"
Idle Clouds and Wild Cranes' words attracted some followers, and soon people started commenting.
"It Takes Two to Tango": I totally agree with Brother Wild Cranes' point of view. Why, you ask? The reason is simple, just think about how many housing complexes there are in our country, too many to count.
"So if a single housing complex's property management can pay out so much in compensation, why don't other complexes sue as well? Is it? How come only you guys are suing and the rest are just playing dumb, leaving the money on the table, huh?"
"Don't talk to me about lawyer's fees. I know the law too, contingency representation, right? There are so many law firms in the country, why isn't anyone taking these cases? So there must be something fishy here, we just don't know where the problem lies!"
These comments received a flurry of likes, and many people thought they made sense. Indeed, why had no one taken such actions for such large compensation before, and it's already 2023.
The doubts grew louder, and many people flooded Tang Fangjing's various platform accounts, asking him to come out and explain; of course, Old Tang's own audience also wanted him to speak up.
Some lawyers at Tengda Law Firm also wanted to explain, but with little influence, their words were instantly met with scathing skepticism that made them second-guess their lives.
At this moment, Tang Fangjing finally prepared his own video, a lengthy one at over forty minutes.
From the initial effort to establish the homeowners' association to the subsequent criminal prosecution, the painstaking evidence collection, and finally securing the compensation, Tang Fangjing turned the whole process into a video.
After thinking about it, he titled the video: Right, it's so simple, why isn't anyone else doing it, don't they want money?
He then uploaded it to various platforms. There wasn't much income from this side, as he didn't take ads, but every penny counts, as Tang Fangjing was really short on cash.
Once the video passed the review, people soon began to watch it.
In Jingzhou, in a residential complex, Ju Haiqing, who had just uploaded a chapter, saw Tang Fangjing's update and quickly clicked on it.
He was the one who had previously contacted Tang Fangjing via a private message online, and was told to visit Tengda for consultation when he had time, but as an online writer, he was too much of a homebody and dreaded the hassle.
Of course, online, Ju Haiqing was a keyboard warrior among keyboard warriors, having already debated with Idle Clouds and Wild Cranes several times before.
Now, after slowly watching the video, he couldn't help but start tapping away at the keyboard.
"@Idle Clouds and Wild Cranes": Come on, were you not asking why others don't do it? Take a look, see how much work the guy has put in to finally succeed in defending rights!
The video's popularity was exploding. Many who watched it were baffled because Old Tang's methods were outrageous!
Though he made it clear he was trying to attract cases, and logically it seemed to make sense, it still felt excessive--the effort seemed too great!
The online debate was relentless, and Idle Clouds and Wild Cranes was mentioned thousands of times in a short span, yet he did not show up.
However, Ju Haiqing gradually calmed down. The previous private message was just a casual inquiry, but now he felt Lawyer Tang seemed genuinely credible!
Though it seemed a bit crazy, he felt if this lawyer were to represent him, it would be utterly reassuring!
After much thought, Ju Haiqing started to pack his things. He was going to Tengda tomorrow, and if Lawyer Tang saw hope, he was ready to go for it!
It wasn't that he had to do something specific; it was just that what the lawyer said was so infuriating that he couldn't believe there wasn't a place to reason it out.