"Because my federal employment did not determine who owned the property."
"How did the Marshals Service become involved?"
"Mr. Barlo found my credential during a search and called the district office himself."
That answer mattered. It erased the version Marissa had been circulating that Duncan summoned federal officers to win a civil dispute.
On cross-examination, Shaw asked whether Duncan deliberately withheld his position to entrap the association.
"No."
"You could have ended the confrontation by showing your badge immediately, correct?"
Duncan looked at him. "I could have changed their behavior by revealing who I worked for. That is not the same as establishing their conduct was lawful."
"So you allowed the situation to escalate?"
"I told them repeatedly I was the owner, told them not to touch me, told them they did not have consent to search, and told them to call lawful authorities. I did not allow them to do anything. They chose to continue."
The courtroom went quiet.
Shaw moved on.
Renee then played the hidden camera angle showing Marissa's order to reposition the visible camera, followed by the office search. The final clip showed Marissa saying, "Get everything moved before Vale gets back."
Judge Oaks stopped the video herself.
"Counsel," she said to Shaw, "if your client believed she had a present right to possession, why was it necessary to complete the transfer before the owner returned?"
Shaw answered carefully. "She anticipated resistance."
"Then why not seek a court order first?"
"The association believed time was important because of the pending development."
"Development deadlines do not create possessory rights."
"Understood, Your Honor."
"And if the association believed its entry was lawful, why direct a security camera away from the work area?"
Shaw looked toward his notes. "Confidential association records were being moved."
Judge Oaks's eyes narrowed. "Into someone else's warehouse."
No answer improved that sentence.
Calvin testified next. He described seeing the chain cut, asking Marissa whether Duncan had sold the property, and being told the association had acquired it. His phone video showed the severed lock, the locksmith, and the new sign going up.