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The Y&R Update Monday 3/4/19
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Written by Christine
Mariah was cross-examined by Michael. She stuck to the cover story that she received the video of the women loading something into Victoria's car from an anonymous source. She claimed that she never talked with the women about the the video. Michael kept pressing her with questions tailored to point out how odd it was that she didn't tell Victoria that there was a camera in her garage, or tell everyone she received the video. Christine asked that the judge have Michael move on, and the judge agreed with her. Noting that the video was found on Dark Horse servers, Michael asked who had access to the servers. Mariah asked how she would know. Michael stated that she knew Nick and several people who worked there. Mariah insisted that no one at Dark Horse sent her the video. Michael asked how she could know that unless she knew who sent it. “Stop this!,” Sharon quietly said to Brittany. The judge asked Michael what he hoped to accomplish. He said he just wanted to be certain that Mariah was sure of her statements. Mariah stood by everything she said. Michael had no further questions.
Brittany went next. She noted that Mariah used to live on the ranch with Sharon. Brittany asked if the Newmans had lots of security. Mariah said yes. Through questioning, Brittany made the point that it wasn't unusual for the Newmans to have security cameras, so Mariah wouldn't have thought anything of Victoria having one in her garage. Brittany also made the point that Sharon told Mariah that the women were doing a household purge and donating things to charity. So a video of the women moving the rug into a car was consistent with Sharon's story. Mariah was excused, and she took a seat next to Tessa, then they held hands. Christine explained that Phyllis was running late, but she'd arrived at the courthouse. The judge called a recess. Nikki told Victoria that for a second she'd hoped Phyllis had done the decent thing and skipped town.
Nick asked Michael why he'd pressured Mariah only to back off. Michael had been hoping to bring up Tessa and the blackmailing scheme. He wanted the jury to know that Nikki paid her off to keep quiet. He admitted it wouldn't look good, but he was willing to go there if he had to. Right now he wanted to plant a seed in the jury's mind that there was more to the story behind the video than they realized. Nick was pleased that Michael was laying the groundwork.
Sharon asked Brittany about Michael's tactic – did Michael want the story of the blackmail to come out for some reason? She said it would blow up Tessa and Mariah's life. Brittany didn't know Michael's strategy, but she told Sharon that it was every legal team for itself. Brittany had no doubt that Michael would sacrifice Tessa and Mariah to save his clients. Out in the hallway, Tessa told Mariah that she did great. Mariah thought it was obvious that she'd perjured herself, and she was afraid that Christine would call her to the stand again or subpoena Nick's payroll records and find out Tessa had worked for him. If that happened, Mariah would go down for perjury, and Tessa for blackmail. Tessa urged Mariah to think positive and relax for now.
Back in the courtroom, Billy told Jack that Victoria didn't deserve this after what JT put her through. Jack thought they should stay optimistic, but Billy was concerned that the video damaged the case. He blamed Phyllis for giving Christine the video. Jack pointed out that they didn't know if Phyllis was responsible. Kerry thought they should give Phyllis the benefit of the doubt. Billy told Kerry that she didn't have to go home and tell her kids that their mother wasn't coming home from her work trip. Billy walked away. Kerry wondered if Billy and Phyllis would be able to work together after this. Jack had a feeling that Phyllis would find that a lot of people had problems with what she'd done.
Nick ran into Phyllis in the lobby. He told her that he was going to give Victor an update, since he'd been barred from the courtroom. Phyllis promised she'd do everything in her power to put a stop to this. Nick walked away. Summer arrived and sat with Phyllis, who was collecting her thoughts before she testified. Summer wondered if Phyllis was thinking of backing out. Phyllis joked about skipping town, but she said she couldn't do it, because the result would be catastrophic for everyone. Phyllis believed that the truth had to come out – there was no escaping it. She wanted to make the jury see how scary that night was, and she hoped that they'd show the others some mercy. Summer assured Phyllis that she could be very persuasive. Summer mentioned that she'd just come from the hospital. Phyllis heard about the search for a donor. Nick returned, and Summer tried go get him to see things from Phyllis's perspective. Nick griped that Phyllis had helped lock up his family to save herself. Phyllis said she needed a chance to get up there and do everything she could to help get them out of this. She promised she wouldn't let him down.
Jack and Abby talked about Lola. They'd received a text from Kyle saying that quite a few people were getting tested. Abby was shaken up by the video from the trial. She thought it was horrible that things between JT and Victoria had reached that point. She wished her sister had been able to confide in her, while the abuse was happening. Abby understood that Victoria would want to keep it to herself, because she prided herself on her strength, but Abby was heartbroken that Victoria had gone through that alone. Abby wanted to be there for Victoria, no matter what, and she knew that was why Jack was there too. Jack said he was there for Abby too. They hugged.
The trial resumed, and Christine asked how Phyllis and the others reacted when Victoria told them about the abuse. Phyllis said they were shocked and disturbed. The JT Victoria described was nothing at all like the man the women had come to know. Christine asked how it affected Nikki. Phyllis said that Nikki was devastated and deeply concerned. Christine asked if Nikki was angry. Phyllis said yes, as any mother would be. Phyllis explained that they heard the sounds of a altercation, and Nikki and Sharon ran upstairs, followed by Phyllis. They all saw JT attacking Victoria. She said he had Victoria pinned against the dresser, and she was yelling at him to stop. Christine asked if JT was hitting her. Phyllis said no. Christine asked if he was hurting her. Phyllis said of course he was. She added that JT knocked Victoria down before they got upstairs. Christine asked when Phyllis learned about that. Phyllis admitted it wasn't until later. Phyllis said that JT was pounding his fist on the dresser, next to Victoria's head, sending the message that she could be next. Christine asked what JT actually said. Phyllis revealed that he'd played the victim and asked why Victoria was doing this to him.
Christine asked if it was true that earlier in the evening, Victoria confessed that she hit JT. Michael looked at Victoria in surprise. Phyllis said she didn't recall. Christine reminded Phyllis that she was under oath. Phyllis said that even if Victoria hit JT, it was nothing compared to what he did to her. Phyllis was adamant that Victoria could never be a threat to JT, who was bigger and stronger than her. Christine questioned this, since Phyllis was now testifying that Victoria aided and abetted in JT's murder. “Objection, your honor!,” Michael bellowed. “It wasn't murder, it was self defense! We had no choice!,” Phyllis yelled. Nick yelled that of course it was self defense. The judge demanded order and chided Phyllis for her outburst. Christine asked what happened when they entered the room. Phyllis wasn't proud to say that she froze. She said that while she and Sharon stood there, Nikki's motherly instinct kicked in. Christine clarified that she wanted the facts, not what Phyllis imagined someone felt. Phyllis admitted Nikki picked up the fireplace poker. Christine held the poker up and asked how long it took for Nikki to grab it. Phyllis said seconds. Christine noted that it was Nikki's first instinct.
Christine made Phyllis come down from the stand and act out what happened that night, with a bailiff standing in as JT. Phyllis stood face to face with the bailiff, and she reluctantly admitted that JT was facing the other way. Christine pounced on this, and wanted Phyllis to explicitly say JT had his back to Nikki. Wiping a tear, Phyllis said that JT was terrorizing Victoria, so of course, he was faced the other way. Christine had the bailiff turn around, then she told Phyllis to continue. Phyllis placed the poker on the man's head. “So she sneaked up and hit him in the back of the head. Is that your testimony?” Christine asked. Phyllis tried to explain, but Christine cut her off and told her to go back to the stand. Phyllis noted that when an intruder was in your home, you didn't have to warn them before taking action. Christine countered that JT lived there. Phyllis stated that they broke up. Christine said that because Victoria didn't have a restraining order and because JT had belongings in the house, he had every right to be there, even if he didn't come in through the front door.
Christine proposed that JT had entered the house through the window because he knew Nikki was there and he wanted to avoid a confrontation with his former mother in law. She added that, given what happened, it would've been a prudent decision. “You are twisting this around. JT was dangerous. He would've killed Victoria if we hadn't have gone upstairs. This was self defense!,” Phyllis argued. The judge warned Phyllis that she'd be held in contempt if she had another outburst. Christine said the fact was that Nikki didn't give JT any warning. “The man literally never knew what hit him. That is about as far from self defense as it gets!,” Christine yelled. Christine noted that after JT died, none of them thought anyone would believe it was self defense. Phyllis revealed that she talked everyone out of calling the police. “JT touching Victoria sent Nikki over the edge and she was determined to make him pay. That is not self defense. That's vengeance. That's murder,” Christine contended. Michael objected, and the judge warned Christine.
Michael questioned Phyllis and noted that she was a witness, not a defendant, because she cut a deal to avoid prosecution for her role in the events surrounding JT's disappearance. He added that it was yet to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that JT was deceased. Christine objected because forensics proved JT's body was buried in the park. Michael planned to call his own experts to refute this. Michael said that Phyllis wanted the jury to believe she and the others buried the body in the park. He asked why the body hadn't been found. Phyllis didn't know. He asked if she expected the jury to believe her absurd story on faith. Phyllis said an unknown person moved the body. Michael contended that Phyllis had an ugly history with the Newmans and scores to settle with them. Phyllis said not with Nikki or Victoria. Michael brought up the situation with Marco, in which Victor had showed wanton disregard for Phyllis's safety. Jack winced. Phyllis admitted that she despised Victor, but she said she separated that from her interactions with the family. Michael asked if she was able to separate her feelings for Billy from her relationship with his ex wife. Phyllis said that Billy had nothing to do with her decision to testify. Michael noted that Phyllis had warned Victoria to stay away from Billy. Phyllis said it wasn't a threat, but friendly advice. Michael said that when Victoria ignored that advice, Phyllis interfered and caused problems for Victoria and Billy. He suggested that she wanted Victoria to go to prison to keep her away from Billy. Phyllis said she was there to help all of the defendants. Michael asked how long it took Phyllis to strike the deal – nanoseconds? He called her a hypocrite. He said that instead of seeking out legal advice, she made a deal. He felt it was laughable to say she did it to save the others, when she really did it to save herself.
Brittany asked Phyllis about her relationship with Sharon. Phyllis said they'd never been friends. Brittany noted that Sharon's daughter was killed, and her marriage to Nick was in rough shape, then Phyllis started a sexual relationship with Nick. Summer looked uncomfortable. Phyllis stated that this was years ago. Brittany mentioned that Nick was married to Phyllis when he got Sharon pregnant with Faith. Then she brought up Phyllis having an affair with Nick again while he was engaged to Sharon. Phyllis clarified that it wasn't an affair – it was one night together that happened when she and Billy were split up. Brittany noted that Phyllis now lived with Nick. Phyllis said that they didn't. Brittany asked if they split up. Christine objected because it was irrelevant, but the judge wanted to hear where this was going. Phyllis declined to answer, so Brittany said she'd call Nick to the stand. Phyllis admitted that she and Nick split up because of her deal with the prosecution. Brittany assumed that Phyllis was worried that Nick would rekindle his relationship with Sharon. Phyllis said that was wrong. “What a remarkably efficient strategy. Eliminating not one, but two rivals with just one day of false testimony. Congratulations,” Brittany said.
The trial ended for the day. Phyllis swiftly left, and Summer ran after her. Michael and Brittany stepped aside to talk. “Lawyers three, Phyllis zero,” Sharon said to her co-defendants. Victoria said that as bad as the lawyers made Phyllis look, her testimony was incredibly damning. Nikki hoped the jury was swayed by hearing about Phyllis grudges against them. None of them knew that Nick and Phyllis had split, but Nikki wasn't surprised. Victoria remembered the way Phyllis had torn into Sharon for suggesting they confess, only to open her big mouth and screw them all over. Nikki said Phyllis was never an ally, and it was a mistake to trust her.
Mariah, Tessa, Jack, Kerry, Billy, and Abby walked out into the hallway, and Phyllis was met with glares. Phyllis regretfully swore that she didn't know that Christine was going to twist things. “She knew things that I didn't tell her. Someone else must've talked too,” she said. Mariah asked if Phyllis expected sympathy after she threw the others to the wolves. Abby chimed in that Phyllis got played by three of the best lawyers. Billy said it wasn't that Phyllis didn't know what would happen, she just didn't care. Summer told Phyllis that she didn't have to take this, and they left.
Billy privately told Jack that once the media got ahold of Phyllis' testimony, the ugliness would affect Jabot. He felt that they needed to act now. Jack agreed – they couldn't let Phyllis take the company down with her. Jack talked to Kerry and told her he thought it was time for Phyllis to step down. Kerry understood his concern, but she thought it was too soon to be talking that way – they didn't even have a verdict. He appreciated her loyalty, but he told her not to expect the same from Phyllis. He felt that Phyllis was not to be trusted, and he told her to ask any of the women who were on trial. Meanwhile, Billy asked Nick if he believed that Phyllis turned on Sharon and Victoria because of him and Nick. Nick didn't want to believe that. Billy didn't either. Nick thought that Phyllis made the deal because she was terrified and that she regretted it now. Billy said it was a little late for that.
Summer and Phyllis went to Crimson Lights. Phyllis wondered if she was right to do what she did – tell the truth so the others could get a reduced sentence. Phyllis said Christine twisted her words and used her. She said if the others were found guilty, they'd all blame her. Summer promised to support Phyllis no matter what and make sure everyone knew the truth. Summer got a phone call from Nate. The preliminary results showed that she was a match for Lola. Nate wanted her to come in so they could run more tests and see if she was a definitive match. She said she'd have to call him back, then she hung up. Phyllis asked what was going on, and Summer said nothing.
Back inside, Nikki told Michael and Brittany that they handled Phyllis perfectly. Sharon wanted to talk about Michael's approach with Mariah, but he had some questions first. He wanted to know why he'd just now learned the background of the video, and not from any of them. Frustrated, he told them that he was there to protect and defend them, but they made his job so much harder than it needed to be by refusing to trust him. He said he could not construct an effective defense if they wouldn't cooperate. He said he'd been telling them this from the beginning, but it didn't seem to be sinking in.
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