Truth Pants ~ 3 Act Courtroom Drama ~ Cast: 10 (3W, 7M)
Synopsis
Craig Paulson, the psychologically disturbed 17-year-old son of police Chief Joe Paulson attended a Laramie, Wyoming gun show operated by Spencer Morrissey. He purchased an automatic assault rifle from unlicensed gun dealer Larry Michaels who does not have a problem selling his weapons without doing a background check reasoning: “I ain’t no CIA.”
Recently fired from Morgan’s Diner, Craig returns and opens fire on a corner booth before he was killed by diner owner Molly Morgan. Those who were dining in the corner booth: Dr. Carl Anderson’s wife and four children. Dr. Anderson was unable to be with his family grabbing a quick dinner in between their kids’ sporting events as he was in surgery at Casper General Hospital.
The state prosecutor dropped her criminal case against Michaels and Morrissey due to lack of evidence. She did encourage Dr. Anderson to file a civil court case seeking punitive damages for allowing a minor to enter a gun show as well as purchase a gun violating Wyoming’s minimum age act.
Billy Travers, a semi-retired, folksy lawyer represents Dr. Anderson.
Arnie Clark, an arrogant, “take no prisoners” type of lawyer, is appointed by Michaels and Morriseey’s liability insurance company to represent them.
Clark, an expert in the field, argues throughout the case that his clients did nothing wrong. But even if it was found that his clients did do something wrong, they would be shielded from any liability claim for selling or marketing firearms under the 2005 federal gun law.
Travers agrees with Clark that if the case was about arming a criminal or person bent on committing murder (such as Craig Paulson) the law would protect Clark’s clients from liability. However, as Travers argues, the case is about arming a minor which is a felony in Wyoming.
Neither Clark nor Travers can prove or disprove that the deceased Craig Paulson used a fake ID to falsify his age or that he was even asked to produce an ID verifying his age.
The case is nearly dismissed until the US Attorney’s office allows their star witness from a federal investigation they are conducting (Ryan Harrington) to testify. His testimony not only contradicts the testimonies given by Michaels and Morrissey but he has the proof that Morrissey’s gun show will admit children, unaccompanied by an adult, into his show and that Michaels will, in fact, sell guns to minors.
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