Chapter 5 - THE LEGAL ARTILLERY
I walked back down the metal stairs, leaving Oliver with strict instructions to lock the deadbolt and not open the door for anyone except me. Once I was inside the rental car, I didn't hesitate. I dialed Marcus Vance, the senior partner at Vance & Associates and the most ruthless family and corporate property litigator in the state. Marcus had handled my divorce from Matt, and he knew every single dirty trick the Sterling-Vance family lineage liked to pull.
He answered on the second ring.
"Andrea? I thought you were settling Oliver into his new beach house this weekend," Marcus’s deep, measured voice came through the speaker.
"Marcus, I need you to drop everything," I said, my voice sharp and uncompromising. "I need an emergency injunction filed in county court by tomorrow morning."
"Slow down," Marcus said, shifting gears. "Injunction for what? Did someone break a lease?"
"Worse. My ex-husband Matt, along with my former in-laws, conspired to fraudulently evict my eighteen-year-old son from the residential property I purchased outright, and replaced him with my sister-in-law Lindsay and her family."
A sharp, professional intake of breath came over the line. "Let me get this straight. You hold the deed to a property purchased with your personal funds, and Matt’s family illegally occupied it, pushing your son out?"
"Yes. And Matt threatened to cut off Oliver’s educational stipends if he didn't comply. They've essentially hijacked a $400,000 asset."
Marcus let out a low, grim whistle. "That isn't just a family dispute, Andrea. That borders on criminal coercion, conspiracy, and trespass. Under the terms of the original purchase trust, since Oliver was the named primary occupant, kicking him out without your explicit written consent constitutes a direct breach of the property covenants. Furthermore, if Matt used his leverage as a parent to force a minor or young adult out of a secured living space, we can drag him into family court for contempt of the custody agreement."
"Can we evict Lindsay and her parents by force?" I asked, my knuckles turning white against the steering wheel.
"Better," Marcus replied, a cold edge entering his voice. "We don't just evict them. We hit them with a multi-million-dollar civil suit for property devaluation and emotional distress, and we subpoena Matt’s bank records to prove financial collusion. Do you have Oliver’s current location?"
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"He's safe. For now."
"Good," Marcus said firmly. "Get yourself some rest, Andrea. Tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM, we walk into Judge Holloway’s courtroom. And I promise you, your family is going to regret the day they ever crossed paths with you."
