"Ring, ring, ring."
The phone on the desk rang. Hardy picked it up and heard Ava's worried voice, "Hardy, are you okay?"
"Of course, why do you ask?" Hardy smiled.
"I read in the newspaper that the Supreme Court has subpoenaed your company, and some newspapers said that you might face jail time," Ava said with concern.
"Haha, those newspapers wrote nonsense to attract attention. It's just a small matter. It has nothing to do with me. Don't worry. How is the promotional campaign going?" Hardy asked.
The movie "Along the Line" is about to be released. Ava recently went out with the crew to promote the movie and is not in Los Angeles.
"The promotional event went very well. I feel relieved now that everything is fine. I was just about to fly back to be with you." Ava said.
"Don't worry, finish the promotion. I'm waiting for the movie to be released and do well at the box office." Hardy said.
Just after hanging up, the phone rang again. This time it was Hedy Lamarr calling, "Hady, I read the newspaper. Is there any problem?"
"no problem."
"So tonight, would you like to come over to my place and have a drink and relax?" Heidi asked.
"Haha, okay."
Hardy then received several more calls, all of which he answered, until he finally got a call from President Johnson.
Johnson was a little angry.
"I can guess who it is. This is a very despicable thing to do. I have asked someone about it. It will not affect you, but it may affect your business."
Dewey's move against Hardy was clearly intended to strike a blow against Johnson's supporters.
"Don't worry, Mr. President. I can handle these. You can continue your speaking tour. I have seen that your recent approval rating is much higher than before." Hardy said.
Johnson was delighted when he heard Hadi mention his approval rating. "The recent increase in approval rating is largely due to your promotion, Hadi. I must thank you very much. It is because of your media promotion that we have achieved this result."
"Now my confidence has increased a lot, and I will never give up until the last moment," said Johnson.
Get things arranged.
Hardy drove to Hady Rama's studio, which was more cozy than before. Hedy Rama was frying steak in the kitchen, Hardy opened a bottle of wine, and the two had a sumptuous dinner.
......
A few days later.
Ava came back from abroad, and "Across the World" was about to be released. HD Pictures held a grand premiere, requiring guests and stars from all parties to attend, making it very grand.
As the boss of the company, Hardy also participated in the event.
During the interview, a reporter did not ask about the movie, but asked Hardy:
"Mr. Hardy, do you have anything to say about the subpoena issued by the Federal Supreme Court against the Hardy Group?"
The scene became unusually quiet.
Hardy knew someone would ask this question, and he even showed up on the show tonight deliberately, with the answer to this question already prepared in his mind.
Hardy smiled and took the microphone.
"First of all, I want to make it clear that it was not the Hadi Group that received the subpoena, but a company under the Hadi Group. The Hadi Group has more than a dozen companies, and the one that actually received the subpoena was the 'Hadi Hotel'."
"I have informed the company and the legal department to actively deal with this matter. As for me, I am determined to uphold federal laws. If any problems occur in my company, I am willing to accept punishment and even appear in court for questioning."
"New York prosecutors sued Hardy's for violating the lottery ban. First of all, we must make it clear that we did not conduct any lottery activities. Gambling is legal in Las Vegas. Some people placed bets in the casino, that's all. As for the 'television lottery', it was just a show. Some out-of-town players asked others to help them place bets. This was not a lottery at all."
"Here, I want to talk about the issue of lottery. Lottery is a form of entertainment that people love. Now that the United States has entered a new era, people need more forms of entertainment. I think it is time to open up the lottery industry, which will play a positive role in promoting the progress of American society."
"So I have instructed the company to propose to the Nevada State Assembly on behalf of the group, hoping to lift the ban on lottery. I believe that this popular way of playing will eventually return to the people. Of course, I also hope that other states will also lift the ban on lottery."
Hadi turned the Supreme Court's subpoena to the company into a speech to promote the lifting of the lottery ban. The Supreme Court summoned the Hadi Group because it violated the lottery ban. If the lottery ban is lifted, will there still be questions about its legality?
Nevada has already allowed gambling. Is it necessary to ban lottery, a form of game that is much less involved than gambling?
Hadi also thinks that other states should be relaxed.
......
The movie "Across the World" officially opens.
During this period, Ava Gardner and Gary Grant were both judges on the "Super Idol" talent show. The two had extremely high exposure and their popularity increased a lot. They were already top stars, and now they are even more popular.
Coupled with the intensive promotion before the release, the movie was sold out after it was released, even the midnight show was packed with audiences.
I have to say,
The filming level of the movie "Along the Way" is also very high, and the plot is extremely attractive, especially the several scenes of stealing treasures and escaping, which made the audience enjoy the movie to the fullest. Film critics also praised the movie and gave it high praise.
Due to various factors, after a week of full theaters, the attendance rate was still 80%. The distributor MGM boss Mayer excitedly called Hardy and said, "Hardy, this movie is very likely to exceed 30 million US dollars. The last movie that was so popular was Gone with the Wind."
Thirty million dollars.
It is definitely an exciting number.
But compared with "Gone with the Wind", it is still far behind.
The box office of Gone with the Wind that year plus the re-release a few years later brought the global box office to 390 million US dollars, a number that made everyone crazy.
Just when the movie was in theaters, Hardy's group received another subpoena from the Federal Supreme Court, which was set to open in three days to formally hear the case, with Hardy among those being questioned.
Three days later.
Hardy brought his legal team and all the Hardy Group employees who were asked to question him to the U.S. Supreme Court on East Capitol Avenue in Washington. It was Hardy's first time here.
The Supreme Court is a milky white building that looks like a Roman temple. On both sides of the entrance steps are two exquisitely crafted stone sculptures. The left one represents the thought of justice, and the right one represents the power of law.
On the triangular lintel of the East Court Gate of the main building of the Supreme Court, there are 16 figures carved, each with its own meaning, with Moses, Confucius and Solon as the centerpieces.
Moses in the middle represents heaven's will or God's will, Confucius on the left represents morality, and Rousseau on the right represents politics.
Hardy stood at the bottom of the steps and glanced at the statue. Is this fair, just, moral, or merciful?
Maybe only God knows.
Anyway, Hardy didn't believe it.
......
In court, the Chief Justice questioned Hardy and related personnel. Hardy's answer was concise and to the point. All operations of the casino were legal, and the casino's lottery activities were open to every customer entering the casino.
As for the live TV broadcast, it is an entertainment program on Las Vegas TV station.
Hardy has cleared himself of all blame. No matter what the final outcome is, this matter will not be linked to Hardy now.
The person in charge of the betting agency company is a manager of the Los Angeles gang and one of Hardy's loyal subordinates. He fully admitted to placing bets on behalf of customers and handed over the operation process. They received betting calls from customers and then went to the casino to place bets. The whole operation had nothing to do with the casino.
The only focus now is whether customers who call from other states and ask betting companies to help them place bets are considered lottery activities and whether they violate the law.
At this time, it was the turn of Hardy's legal team to take the stage. The entire legal team consisted of 16 lawyers in total, and the legal provisions and evidence materials they produced were more than a person tall.
Hardy thought to himself, this case doesn't seem complicated, is it necessary to make so much of it?
But Hardy believed they were professionals and didn't care how they treated him, he just wanted the result.
Faced with such a luxurious team of lawyers from the Hadi Group, the three prosecutors seemed so alone and powerless. Both sides presented evidence and opinions. The prosecutors' view was that the behavior of Hardy Casino was a disguised lottery and a borderline behavior. It should be stopped immediately and punished, and it should not be allowed to engage in such activities again.
Hardy's defense team was more professional than them. Rosback was the first to stand up and say, "Your Excellency, we find the prosecution's indictment very absurd. American law will never convict a person or an act based on groundless 'conjectures' or 'subjective inferences'."
"When a customer calls and asks a gambling agent to help him place a bet, is there anything illegal going on? No, gambling is legal in Las Vegas, that's beyond doubt. Is the process of a gambling agent helping him place a bet illegal? It's definitely not illegal. But why do the prosecutors consider these two things illegal?"
"The information on the table is the laws of 51 states in the United States that prohibit lottery activities. There is no provision in these laws that indicates that the activities of the proxy betting companies are lottery activities..."
Then Rosback talked for more than an hour without even stopping to drink a sip of water. Hardy really admired this guy.
Hardy has seen this scene countless times on TV and in movies, but this is the first time he has experienced it in person, and it feels quite interesting.
Lawyer,
In this kind of situation, you can really turn the tide with your eloquence.
law.
You also need money.
How can you hire a good lawyer without money? Without a good lawyer, you cannot win the case. So the real fairness is that you have to have a lot of money.
afternoon.
The court session is over.
Today is just the beginning, and there will be plenty of time for negotiation in the future. However, Hardy will not have to come in the future. Leave the rest to the lawyers. What the legal team needs to do is to find a way to keep this business.
If the Supreme Court determines that making phone calls to place bets on behalf of others is a lottery activity, then Hardy will lose a large sum of money and a big business. If it is determined that it is not illegal, then Hardy's business will become a legal business from now on.
How will the court decide?
Some say it is out of fairness and justice.
If that's the case.
How could the old godfather have a group of friends in the legal profession?
In fact, the Hardy Casino case is not a big deal, but anyone with a discerning eye knows that this matter involves Hardy, and the cause is President Johnson and New York Governor Dewey, and it is related to the US election, so it has attracted much attention.
Time flies and it is mid-May.
During this time, something that shocked the world happened.
On May 14, 1948, at midnight, the day before the end of the British Mandate, the State of Israel was officially declared.
In the early morning of May 15, 1948, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon simultaneously declared war on Israel and sent troops to attack Israel.
The First Middle East War breaks out.
Giannini received the news at around 3 a.m. when he received a call from his subordinates and was shocked to hear that war had officially broken out in the Middle East.
"If what Hadi said is right, then maybe Hadi made the right bet. If Johnson is re-elected, Hadi's position in the consortium will have to be reconsidered in the future."
......