I was out of town. Therefore I was late in clipping some more nasties about Cornwell. Here’s one: Patricia Cornwell had an ‘enemies list,’ and rival novelist Kathry Reichs was on it – NY Daily News. (The misspelling of “Kathy” is down to those wonderful Daily News headlines writers, the ones who eat puns for breakfast. And lunch. And dinner.)
So, well, for all of that scandal business and attacks on Cornwell’s character and personality and, um, “life style” (boy, do I dislike that phrase but have to say, if anyone on this earth has a “life style,” not a life, it is Cornwell), look what happened anyway: Novelist Patricia Cornwell wins $51 million judgment against former financial management company – NY Daily News.
This was a jury that listened carefully and wasn’t swayed by the ad hominem tabloid assaults that were amusing us.
That’s a lot of money, isn’t it? Don’t think she’s going to get it all, though. What happens with such huge awards is: all the lawyers sit down and talk about it. The defendants’ lawyers tell Cornwell’s lawyers, gee whiz, congratulations but if you expect your client to get any money fairly soon—and if you want to get your fee fairly soon, because this is a contingency case, isn’t it?—, you’ll certainly want us not to file an appeal, right? So let’s discuss what will you give us for not filing an appeal and just, you know, settling.
That is, the amount will come down, perhaps very far down, before this case is truly over.
I may be wrong, though. If I am, I’ll let you know. I’m that honest.