God’s promises are like the stars; the darker the night the brighter they shine.

~ David Nicholas

I will love the light for it shows me the way,
yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.

~ Og Mandino

Steven Lopez went right into action. From what I recall, he wrote to the parking company’s attorney and I think they ignored him. He filed suit. I remember he told me that they played legal games with him. At one juncture, Steven told me that the opposing attorney was pushing the limits on a deadline for a document that had to be filed. He said that attorney figured he (Steven) wouldn’t be aware of the statute of limitations relating to the matter and the case would drop out of the system. But Steven was very aware – and surprised the opposition by filing all the necessary documents right on time. He was having a lot of fun being a “thorn in their side.” Steven was precise, did everything according to the legal book and showed the parking company that he meant business. When it came time to interview the building parking staff and the parking company’s insurance representative, Steven told me that they all ended up supporting OUR cause!

I had little to do with the proceedings. Steven handled it all. And long story short…the parking company finally agreed to settle, probably just to get rid of Steven :-). I meant it when I said he sunk his teeth in like a pit bull. He wasn’t giving up and I think they finally realized that he would take it all the way to trial if he had to.

Perhaps initially the opposition figured that I wouldn’t spend all the money it would take for an attorney to go that far and thought we would quietly disappear if they didn’t respond aggressively. But you see, Steven didn’t ask me for any money up front. He wanted that case and he was willing to do whatever it took to win. He had agreed to be paid on a contingency basis – a percentage of reward. I sincerely believe that winning or settling that case – making the parking company pay for their negligence and apathy - was more important to him than the money.

They finally settled with us. Steven negotiated a $15,000 settlement. That may not seem like a fortune to you, but it sure did seem like one to us. :-) And it seems like one now, considering the scope of the incident. Remember, my expenses were about $1200 from the incident. Who am I to question the compensation that the Universe saw fit to bestow upon me?

Steven earned his percentage and he was on his way to a wonderful career. He had a dinky little office in the San Fernando Valley when I met him and he reminded me later that after our case was settled, I had told him to lease an office in an executive suite in Century City (the prestigious high rise community where I was) because he was too talented to hide away in that dinky little office in the Valley. Sound familiar?

He did lease an office in one of the high rises, we kept in touch, and one day he told me that he acquired a reputation in Century City as the “Tasmanian Devil.” (You can figure that one out). In reality, he was a sweet young man with an unfortunate addiction to Diet Coke. :-) Perhaps it was all that caffeine?

So…I had my day in court and won and I had my satisfaction – legally and financially.

And I had my close encounters with several stars – a TV star, a movie star and a bright young legal star.

The following 12 years at my office building were peaceful.

To be continued...

Private Reply to Marilyn Jenett (new win)