“How so?” Roger asked pleasantly.
“Lao-Tzu teaches, ‘the more the Sage helps others, the more he benefits himself. The more he gives to others, the more he gets himself.’ That is The Way of the Sage.”
Roger didn’t speak for a moment, and Mary was totally confused, since she thought they were talking about the Way of the Tao, not the Way of the Sage, and in any event, she had been raised Catholic, which was My Way Or The Highway.
Judy paused. “So I hope you’ll revisit your decision not to represent us. After all, in the words of Lao-Tzu, ‘The flexible are preserved unbroken.’”
“Excuse me, ladies.” Roger closed his eyes and sat perfectly still for a moment.
Judy said nothing.
Bennie said nothing.
Mary held her breath.
Roger opened his eyes. “I have reached a decision.”
CHAPTER FOUR
“I’ll take the case,” Roger said, and just as Bennie, Mary, and Judy were getting ready to cheer, a black landline phone buzzed on his desk, and Roger raised an index finger, pressed the intercom button, and answered the phone. “Yes?… Will do… Thank you,” he said, hanging up and returning his attention to them. “Ladies, Machiavelli is currently holding a press conference regarding the lawsuit. It’s being streamed live.”
“Damn it!” Bennie smacked the desk. “He beat us to the punch!”
“Oh no,” Judy said, dismayed.
“Bear with me.” Roger turned to his laptop, pressed a few buttons, and turned the laptop face out as a video began to play. Mary felt stricken, just seeing Machiavelli, his dark eyes flashing and his hair slicked back. He had on a tailored Zegna suit and he sat in the middle of an ornate conference table at his office. Next to him sat three young men in suits, and the room was filled with reporters.
Machiavelli was saying, “Thank you for coming, and I hope you have the copy of the Complaint we distributed. This is a very important event, not just an ordinary lawsuit. Before you begin, let me say first that it’s undoubtedly true there is sexismin society and that women are discriminated against in many professions. I don’t deny that, and neither should you. History proves that it’s true, not only in employment. Recent social movements show that it’s also true in general. It seems like every day there’s another hashtag.” The reporters chuckled, and Machiavelli continued. “But of late, it’s also true that there is discrimination that isn’t talked about as much—and that’s reverse discrimination against men.”
Roger watched the video, saying nothing.
Mary felt her blood boil. “Now he’s going to make it sound noble, when really he’s just trying to get me back.”
Bennie growled. “I want to crush this kid.”
Machiavelli continued, “Many women who have attained positions of influence in the profession use their empowerment as a sword, not a shield, and on occasion, they use it against men. Nowhere is this more true than the case that we filed today with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, on behalf of these three young lawyers.”
Machiavelli gestured at the three men, and they smiled as he introduced each one, their appearance confirming to Mary that the lawsuit was manufactured, if not cast, like a movie. Nobody she went to law school with was as handsome as any of these plaintiffs, who looked like three male models in a racially balanced ad campaign. They were all about the same height, which was tall, and the same weight, which was superhunky. Michael Battle, who was Asian, had a dazzling smile and a spray of glossy bangs. Graham Madden was African-American, and he wore glasses but didn’t look as if he needed them. And the whitest of white guys, with blond hair and blue eyes, was Stephen McManus, who sat next to Machiavelli.
“These three men are brilliant young graduates of top local law schools, but they were not hired by Rosato & DiNunzio simply because they are male.” There was murmuring among reporters, and Machiavelli continued, “Rosato & DiNunziowas founded by Bennie Rosato, a proponent of women’s rights, and she intended her firm to be an all-woman’s law firm. She bragged about it whenever she could, in public. For over a decade, Bennie Rosato hired, cultivated, and promoted only female lawyers, specifically, now-partners Mary DiNunzio and Judy Carrier, and associate Anne Murphy. All these women have, at one time or another, described the firm as ‘all-female.’ Imagine what outcry there would be—justifiably so—if any of the defendants had described their law firm as all-white, all-black, or all-Asian. I submit to you that, legally and morally, there is simply no principled difference between that and describing a firm as all-female.”
Bennie kept shaking her head. “This scumbag is lecturing me about morals? About laws?”
Judy sighed. “Arg.”
Mary didn’t know what to say. She had described the law firm that way herself and never thought twice about it. She knew that they hadn’t discriminated against anybody, but she couldn’t deny that Machiavelli was putting them in a terrible light.
“The law firm of Rosato & DiNunzio has only one male lawyer, named John Foxman, who was hired last year. But don’t let that token fool you. Lest you doubt the veracity of our allegations, sitting at my right hand is Stephen McManus, who interviewed with Mr. Foxman when an opening for an associate was advertised. During that interview, John Foxman admitted that he often felt out of place as the sole male lawyer at the firm.”
Roger eyed the screen. “Foxman is the one in the Complaint?”
“Exactly.” Bennie shook her head, fuming. “The gift that keeps on giving.”
Judy looked over, concerned.
Mary kept her own counsel but she was kicking herself, almost as much as the baby was kicking her. She should have known that Machiavelli wouldn’t wait. She, Bennie, and Judy would hold their press conference, but they were already caught off guard, playing catch-up.
Machiavelli frowned. “Clearly, the principals of Rosato & DiNunzio have acted unlawfully and in violation of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, and we have filed this Complaint to vindicate the rights not only of these plaintiffs, but of men everywhere. We seek justice and the American ideal of equal treatment regardless of race, creed, religion, gender, national origin, and sexual preference. We’ll be trying our case in the courts, not the media, so I won’t be taking questions today.” The reporters complained, but Machiavelli waved them into silence. “I urge you to continue to pay special attention to this case. I’m not going to show all the cards in my hand now, and surprises are in store. I’m betting that before we even get to court, you will understand the absolute truth of the allegations in this Complaint—and the reason that Rosato & DiNunzio should be out of business. Thank you.”
