Chapter 14 - Celeste sues me
Celeste filed civil suit.
Defamation.
Invasion of privacy.
Intentional interference with business.
Abuse of process.
Her theory:
I used an insurance dispute to ruin her reputation after the party.
Problems:
I had not spoken publicly.
I had communicated with:
Insurer.
Counsel.
Police.
Andrew.
House staff where necessary.
Mostly privileged or legitimate contexts.
Then handbag photographs.
She claimed I unlawfully copied private materials.
Civil privacy law complicated.
My defense:
The bag was open in plain view at my home.
Photograph of Piper visible.
I briefly examined materials to determine why an adult guest possessed covert images of my child.
Returned originals.
No publication.
Court refused to dismiss every claim immediately because fact issues existed.
Important.
I was not automatically immune.
But the judge denied Celeste’s request for an injunction preventing me from cooperating with Hartwell or investigators.
Obviously.
Then business harm.
Morgan Residential lost two clients after search warrant became public through court records.
I did not cause directly.
Another client stayed.
One suspended.
Her company did not collapse overnight.
Then Celeste sought access to Piper’s therapy records.
Claim:
Piper’s fear and statements were central to damages/credibility.
My lawyer fought.
Court allowed only narrow in-camera review of potentially relevant statements, with strong protection for unrelated therapy content.
No fishing expedition into a child’s grief over her dead mother.
Then Jenna.
Celeste’s lawyer wanted her deposition.
Andrew opposed.
Court permitted a limited child-friendly deposition only if later necessary.
Eventually prosecutors and civil lawyers found enough records to avoid putting Jenna through broad questioning.
Good.
Then Celeste’s family pressure.
Audrey’s mother was dead.
Their brother Simon Morgan called me.
“You’re making Celeste sound like some predator.”
“I have made no public statement.”
“She says you’re calling her a stalker.”
“I said she secretly photographed Piper.”
“She did.”
Silence.
Then:
“She says it was to protect herself.”
“From an eight-year-old?”
Simon sighed.
Families prefer morally ambiguous words when a simple sentence sounds too ugly.
Then:
“What would Audrey want?”
I hated that question.
May you like
“Audrey would want us to stop using her as a lawyer from the grave.”
Simon never asked again.
