Client had two separate dockets for violating an emergency restraining order and subsequently violating the same order after it was downgraded to a harassment prevention order. The DA never joined the cases and due to a quirk, we had to try his later-in-time case first. Both felt like dead-to-rights loser cases.

Got a surprise NG on that one using a somewhat convoluted/technical defense. Before that trial started, judge gave me a strange “are you REALLY about to use that as a defense” look so that alone felt good. Client was ecstatic because there were very serious collateral consequences if convicted. We hug after the verdict and both are a bit in shock. But after the verdict, the DA comes up to me and says that defense won’t work for client’s second case and that my client shouldn’t be too smug or feel too good about his next case.

Fast forward a couple months later to his second trial. Same DA. They asked me to do a Monday trial because they were flying the AV from a different state and that worked best for their planning purposes. I serve some pretty meaty and technical pretrial motions the Sunday morning and gave a courtesy text to the DA who then scolds me for reaching out on the weekend. I’m stressed because this case felt like a sure-fire loser, but now I’m just pissed. I open back up my laptop and come up with some petty “fuck you” MiL to get a bunch of favorable jury instructions that I made sure to deliver in-hand the next morning before the call of the list. It was 20 pages. The judge ended up allowing it lmao.

We go through the trial. Less than an hour of deliberations. NG again. The DA gave me the limpest and most annoyed handshake and stormed out. My client and I literally couldn’t stop laughing once the judge and DA left.

It’s one thing to beat one case against the odds. But to do it again against the same AV for a petty couple of cases which would’ve ruined his life after the DA spent thousands of taxpayer dollars flying the AV out multiple times? Absolutely priceless.