Chapter 142: Chapter 120 What if they refuse to go to jail?
"Another case even a pig could win!"
"I’m taking this case!"
After hearing Qin Mu’s analysis, Wang Dachui was quite excited. He immediately agreed to represent them.
This lawsuit also involved criminal offenses and, due to its particular nature, was an individual prosecution case! That’s right. According to litigation procedure, the victim was required to initiate the lawsuit personally. Normally, when a criminal case occurred, the public prosecutor—that is, the prosecutor’s office—would file the case in court. The court would then send the case files to the local public security bureau to initiate an investigation. However, private prosecution offenses, bigamy, and other special criminal cases were exceptions. Private prosecution offenses, such as defamation or extortion, are only processed upon complaint. This particular case, which began as a civil dispute, eventually escalated into a criminal offense, thus falling under the category of special criminal cases. Otherwise, the public prosecutor would have prosecuted this type of criminal behavior long ago. Therefore, in this instance, the individual was required to personally file the lawsuit and hire legal counsel.
"Well, the lawyer issue is settled then. I’ll go ask Old Zhang if there are any more details and see if we can find grounds for new charges," Qin Mu said with a nod. He then turned and left the office.
Wang Dachui blinked. Watching Qin Mu’s retreating figure, he couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath. In his view, three charges were already enough for a conviction. But it seemed Qin Mu wasn’t quite satisfied...
「Jin City.」
In an old residential area, Zhang Tao, a man in his fifties, sat on the couch, taking a heavy drag from his cigarette. He sighed deeply.
Over the past few years, he had been severely tormented by that middle-aged couple. Five years ago, he bought an apartment in Lijing Garden in Jin City, paying a fifty percent down payment. After taking possession of the apartment, he had to delay renovations as he hadn’t saved enough money, leaving it vacant for some time. But who could have imagined that when he finally saved enough for the renovations, he would discover his property had been occupied by others? The locks had been changed. The original bare-shell apartment had even been simply renovated by this middle-aged couple. No matter how he tried to persuade them, the couple steadfastly refused to leave.
He even paid out of his own pocket to take them to court, but winning the case was futile. The middle-aged couple stubbornly refused to leave; even the court bailiffs were helpless. The matter was later reported to the police. However, when officers arrived and witnessed the couple’s aggressive behavior, they only mediated briefly, not daring to forcibly pick the lock.
The situation dragged on, and now, a full three years had passed! Throughout these three years, he had faithfully paid the mortgage every month, yet he hadn’t lived in his own apartment for even a single day! Every time he thought about this, he felt a suffocating tightness in his chest. He had nearly suffered a heart attack from anger several times.
I can’t let this drag on any longer, he thought, deciding to sell the apartment. But prospective buyers can’t even get inside to view it, let alone make an offer.
Recalling the call from his father, he sighed heavily and shook his head helplessly. Sue again? What’s the use? That couple completely ignores court rulings. They always threaten to jump off the building to intimidate law enforcement. Even if I win the lawsuit... it’ll just be the same outcome as last time.
RING RING—
Just then, his phone suddenly blared. Zhang Tao checked the caller ID; it was an unfamiliar number. Frowning, he answered the call.
"Hello? Is this Boss Zhang?" a middle-aged man’s voice, full of dissatisfaction, came through as soon as the call connected. "The agent brought another bunch of those people to see the apartment today. Seriously, can’t you just give it a rest? We’re still living here! What right do you have to sell the house? Besides, even though the house is yours, we paid for the renovations. You should at least discuss it with us before selling, right?"
Those few sentences instantly made Zhang Tao explode with anger. "You still have the nerve to call me?" he roared. "This house is mine! You’ve occupied my house without any right, and now I have to discuss selling *my* house with *you*? I paid the down payment! I pay the mortgage! My name is on the property deed! What does this house have to do with you?"
His eyes were bloodshot as he clutched the phone, trembling with agitation.
Over these three years, this middle-aged couple had nearly driven him insane. Reasoning with them was useless. Evicting them was impossible. He had been a law-abiding man his entire life, yet they had pushed him to the brink of murder several times. If not for his responsibilities to his aging parents and young children, he would have acted on those impulses long ago.
"Boss Zhang, haven’t I explained this already?" the middle-aged man on the other end of the line said, sensing Zhang Tao’s agitation. "We didn’t mean to occupy your house. The developer of this complex owes us an apartment and has consistently refused to hand it over. We felt we had no other choice!"
"If the developer owes you an apartment, then sue him! Why are you occupying my house?!" Zhang Tao demanded furiously.
The middle-aged man paused for a few seconds, then continued, "We already sued..."
"Lies!" Zhang Tao cut him off before he could finish, ruthlessly exposing him. "Keep spinning your tales! You think I haven’t checked? There’s no record of any lawsuit filed by you in the court’s civil litigation files! You don’t take the developer to court; instead, you latch onto me! It’s been three years! I have no quarrel with you, yet you’ve occupied my house for three whole years!"