Chapter 39

• Judge Hawkins leaned back in her chair, her voice softening, attempting to be comforting. “You are clearly a young, brilliant woman who has been through a devastating and humiliating experience. The emotional injury here is real, and I recognize that. You feel violated, you feel powerless, and you feel that Mr. Thorne is using his immense resources to cover up a grievous wrong.”
• Renee listened, a terrible premonition settling over her, a cold certainty that the next words would seal her fate.
• “But this court must deal in facts and law, not feelings,” the Judge continued, her words like slow, heavy stones dropping into a deep well. “And after reviewing all the evidence, I must conclude that you do not have a case that can be proven to the standard required for sexual assault, nor for the punitive damages you are seeking.”