Judge Elizabeth Manion sternly faced in her chambers the three defendants: Dr. Albert Macon, his sister Dr. Alicia Macon, and his associate Dr. Ronald Merewether. All were co-owners of the Superior Fertility Clinic, and thus were being sued by three dissatisfied customers: Raquel, Suzanne and Yolanda.

"As I understand it, you verbally assured these women that your exclusive fertility treatment would enable them to have the children they so strongly wanted; that it was nearly 100% effective," the judge told the defendants. "And when the first treatment didn't result in pregnancy, you talked these women into additional treatments at extra cost, none of which took, resulting in each plaintiff giving your clinic more than $70,000. But testimony reveals that your so-called fertility treatment is bogus; fraudulent; never worked! It was all a scam! Yet, in reading your contracts with the women, I find a clause that absolves you from legal responsibility if pregnancy doesn't result from the treatment; despite your assurances," Judge Manion added.

"Because of this clause, which these desperate women obviously didn't read before signing the contracts, I cannot convict under current statutes. But what you did was far from moral. You promised what you knew you could never deliver. But I intend to hold you to your promise to provide these women with the babies they so wanted to conceive," Judge Manion glowered, as she flipped over the lapel on her robe, revealing a button identifying her as a follower of Madame Zelda, a noted 19th Century sorceress.

An hour later, Judge Manion called the three plaintiffs into her chamber. A half hour later, each left happily, finally with the babies they long wanted; Raquel with Dr. Albert Macon, Suzanne with Dr. Alicia Macon, and Yolanda with Dr. Ronald Merewether. "And all we had to do was promise is that we'd raise them into more honest citizens the second time around," Raquel told her husband.


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