Things escalate after maintenance, and a pest control individual pays Ava a brief visit at her home. Unbeknownst to maintenance, Ava began a nine-day rearrangement project as Ava was issued another lease violation from Waterloo Gardens Apartments, this time for “poor housekeeping.” Caprice questions Ava about potential illnesses or negligence; Ava tells her that her dying housekeeping warnings are just the property management’s excuse to harass her because she’s semi-disabled and trans. Upon hearing about this and showing up with the newest violation notice, Breeanna vows revenge against the person responsible, like she did two seasons prior.
In a deleted scene at Waterloo Gardens, Breeanna yells a string of curses and punches another individual (which one witness compared to the kickback of a shotgun). We see the same officers from “Terms of Enragement” as they arrest Breeanna for assault and battery for a second time. Ava now fears she’s going to be evicted on top of it all—claims she’s innocent and tells the officers it was discriminatory.
While sitting at the Fort Wayne Police Department, Ava goes on a rant of having been diagnosed with autism in 1986, chronic fatigue syndrome, a heart condition she was born with, degenerative knees and a serious back injury (due to a 2022 move from Black Pine Flats to Golfview Apartments), and Type II diabetes. She is explaining how every time she gets one of these “routine” lease violations it chips away at her livelihood.
Martin Becker, the family lawyer, holds a meeting to discuss their game plan for the upcoming trial. He stresses that they must obtain copies of every prior violation notice Ava received, put a positive spin on why Breeanna assaulted the leasing agent and file for a pretrial injunction to keep Ava from getting evicted. Caprice, Ella, Ava’s adopted daughter Ashli Zinn (a nurse practicioner), George Williamston (head of security), and other family members vow that they will stand by the Zinns no matter what.
In court at the Allen County Courthouse in Fort Wayne, Indiana, the prosecution blasts Breeanna for her assaultive behavior, deeming it criminal vigilantism. Defense attorney Martin reminds the jury that Breeanna just did what was necessary after years of abuse. At a midtrial hearing, the judge prohibits Waterloo Gardens Apartments from moving forward with Ava’s eviction due to her multiple disabilities.
The prosecution calls their first witness, the property manager. She states that Ava did receive lease violation notices for housekeeping. Upon cross examination, she is questioned about the housekeeping violations Ava received. She replies that she never actually seen Ava clean up, nor was she aware Ava spent 9 days cleaning and organizing her apartment. The judge cautions the property manager that she’s guilty of perjury if she’s not telling the truth.
The next several witnesses testify on behalf of the defense. George testifies that Ava has bad knees and backs up about past bullying she received. Dr. Jenna Zinn (Ava’s daughter-in-law) is not only a doctor but also a veterinarian. She testifies that Ava’s fatigue, bad back, and bad knees affect her daily life. Ashli, Tabitha, and Kenny testify that they’ve seen property managers over many years constantly accuse Ava of being lazy instead of recognizing her as disabled. They all say that Breeanna didn’t set out to assault the property manager, but reacted out of concern.
Ava takes the stand in her own defense. She recounts her medical history and how being accused of being a nuisance affects her mentally. Breeanna is then questioned in court without her lawyers there to object. Breeanna states that she was “f***ing pissed” at what Ava was going through and lost her temper. She goes on to say that she never meant to hurt the person to the point of death and accepts responsibility for her actions.
The prosecutor delivers his closing arguments by saying that there are other ways to handle discrimination (i.e., filing a HUD complaint, contacting the media, hiring an attorney), and punching someone is never the answer. Martin follows with his closing arguments by recapping 15 years of lease violations for ableism that Ava endured while living at different apartment complexes (Carey Court in Marion, Black Pine Flats, Golfview, and Preston Pointe). He asks that the jury either find Breeanna not guilty of the felonies and hope the judge gives her a light sentence or guilty on the misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. Before the jury retires to the jury room, the judge sternly tells them that “justice should be tempered with kindness.”
Not too long after, the jury comes back with a verdict. Breeanna was found not guilty of assault as a felony but guilty of misdemeanor disorderly conduct. The jury also recommended no jail time, and the judge accepted their recommendation. The judge also orders Breeanna to pay restitution to the court; Ashli had already previously paid this when she bailed Breeanna out. In his verdict the judge sentences Breeanna to 1 year of probation, 200 hours of community service (50 of those hours must be related to helping tenants know their rights), court-ordered anger management classes, completion of a disability awareness class , and orders Breeanna to pay restitution. The judge sentences Ava’s violation from June 2 to be struck from her file and Waterloo Gardens Apartments to work with Ava to determine what accommodations she needs as soon as possible.
Caprice, Ella, Ashli, Tabitha, Kenny, Lyssa, Sierra, Leeland, Jessica, Martin, Breeanna, and Ava hug it out. Breeanna received probation, but at least she didn’t get convicted of felony assault. The rest of the family cheers because not only did they save Ava from being evicted, but Waterloo Gardens Apartments will also have to make accommodations for her.
Leave a Reply