Discretion Be Damned! Just Make It Go Away!

One of the ADAs I work with received a letter yesterday, it was from an online corporation that provides a search client, email addresses, home pages, the works. In a case I actually wrote about earlier where a guy created a screen name and sent threatening letters to his girlfriend from his ex, we had subpoenaed the IP information and registration information for the email address (read about it here, Previous Story).

It turns out that this multi-billion internet company was annoyed at having to this for us and has sent us a bill for just over $20 "for services rendered". a copy of the bill was left on my desk this morning with a note that said "We're not paying, make this go away". So I went to go talk to my boss about the bill and see what he had to say about it.

His response was the same. We aren't paying this bill. We're the DA's Office, it was Court ordered, not requested, they didn't have a choice, we aren't forwarding them any money for something they were obligated to do. If they want to send a lawyer out here to appear in front of the Judge who signed it and explain why we owe them twenty bucks, be my guest, but you make this bill go away. I'm kinda new at flexing the government muscle and not negotiating, so I asked him what exactly I should say to the person who I get on the phone who will ultimately not have the authority to erase any sort of bill because they will inevitably be either a secretary or a paralegal in the legal department.

He responded "Say whatever you need to to make the bill disappear".

I joked that he shouldn't give me that kinda flexibility or I might make him regret it. He said I could say anything I wanted as long as I made the bill disappear.

I foresee this being a mildly humorous conversation between me, without censorship and some poor schmuck who is scared to transfer me to his boss (which I will have to keep demanding) but certainly doesn't want to / can't deal with me him/herself. I'll make sure to let you know how it turns out.