Too Bad I Take Things Seriously-Chapter 448 - 195: You Celebrated Too Soon

As classmates for four years, they were very clear about Meng Lei’s character. After receiving the subpoena, Meng Lei had publicly accused Ma Ming in a group chat of disregarding their friendship over this matter. This implied that he truly owed the money. Yet now, in a courtroom confrontation, he flat-out denied it, completely disavowing the loan.

"Good grief! I always felt Meng Lei’s character wasn’t great, but I never thought he could be this shameless."

"Eighteen yuan, and he still denies it in court!"

"I can’t stand it; my blood pressure is about to skyrocket!"

"How can someone be so shameless over just eighteen yuan? He’s been taken to court, and he still won’t admit it!"

The crowd stared intently at Meng Lei at the defendant’s table, whispering amongst themselves. Meng Lei, however, looked calm, showing no signs of guilt whatsoever. He spoke with complete composure, as if he truly never owed the eighteen yuan.

In the courtroom, the Judgment Chief glanced at the defendant’s table and then spoke, "These pieces of evidence are indeed insufficient to prove that the defendant engaged in borrowing activity. Does the plaintiff have any other evidence?"

Legally speaking, all this evidence was auxiliary, and it was perfectly acceptable for Meng Lei to deny it. This phase was precisely the evidence presentation and cross-examination stage in a civil lawsuit.

At the plaintiff’s table, Ma Ming was also infuriated by Meng Lei’s shamelessness. Hearing the Judgment Chief’s query, he quickly looked toward his lawyer.

Seeing this, the lawyer stood up calmly and said solemnly, "Honorable Judgment Chief, judges, and members of the jury, our evidence has been presented in full. To be frank, this was a cash loan, and no promissory notes or IOUs were made, so we lack direct evidence. However, we can present evidence of his past conduct and his reputation among classmates. Meng Lei was known for loving to take small advantages. During university, he often borrowed money from other classmates using various excuses, later feigning ignorance and never repaying them."

He slowly recounted what he knew about Meng Lei’s character and his more egregious misdeeds.

Meanwhile, at the defendant’s table, Meng Lei, who had been very composed, suddenly became visibly upset upon hearing this. He had indeed done all these things, but not many people knew about them. Even his current wife was unaware he had borrowed so much money previously. But now, it was all being aired in front of the courtroom audience. This was tantamount to ruining his reputation. Generally, civil disputes are publicized to society. This eighteen yuan debt dispute was a case subject to public trial, which would cause great damage to his reputation.

"Nonsense!" Meng Lei’s face turned livid. "When have I ever borrowed so much money? You’re a lawyer! You should speak with evidence, not just make baseless accusations!" He glared at the lawyer’s bench, as if he had been wrongly maligned.

The opposing lawyer gave a cold sneer. "Evidence? The people in the gallery today should be familiar to you; they are all your classmates! Why not let them testify in court about your past behavior?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Meng Lei’s expression changed dramatically; he was suddenly speechless. The presence of these classmates was completely unexpected. If they confronted him, he genuinely might not be able to explain himself clearly.

"In this case, our client, due to a lack of direct evidence, would like to petition the court to apply the principle of preponderance of evidence for legal inference."

Then, Ma Ming’s lawyer continued, "Based on Meng Lei’s reputation among his classmates and his usual conduct, it is highly probable that he borrowed money from our client, Ma Ming. Moreover, the money he borrowed has never been repaid..."

At the bench, the Judgment Chief observed the shift in the case and frowned slightly. This lawsuit over eighteen yuan, while seemingly trivial, represented the dignity of the law. Moreover, there was no monetary limit in debt disputes. Not to mention eighteen yuan, even a lawsuit over a single penny had to be treated with caution to avoid procedural and logical errors.

"Since you wish to invoke the principle of preponderance of evidence, this requires a significant disparity in the evidence presented by the plaintiff and the defendant." The Judgment Chief took a deep breath and looked toward Meng Lei. "You claim no loan agreement existed between the two parties. Do you have any evidence to support your assertion?"

During the evidence presentation phase, Ma Ming’s side had already presented numerous pieces of auxiliary evidence. Chat records, group chat logs among classmates, and so on, all served as corroborating evidence.

"Evidence?" Meng Lei was dumbfounded. He hadn’t taken this eighteen yuan lawsuit seriously from the beginning. He hadn’t even consulted a lawyer, as consultation fees would amount to several hundred yuan. If he had consulted one, it would have been better to simply repay the eighteen yuan and avoid the lawsuit altogether.

"When you make an assertion, such as claiming no loan agreement exists, you must present corresponding evidence to support it." The Judgment Chief reiterated, "Do you have any evidence to prove that no loan agreement existed between you two?"

Civil cases differ from criminal cases in many respects. One key difference is that opposing parties must each present evidence to support their respective claims. The party providing more substantial and conclusive evidence is more likely to win the case.