The two security officers testified that Margo had ordered Byron's removal without first verifying the guest list.
Her own recorded statements made the nature of her conduct difficult to dispute.
Margo's attorneys argued that the encounter began as confusion over access to a private event. They claimed she had been under pressure and believed she was protecting the conference.
They also tried to argue that Byron's understated clothing contributed to her mistake.
The recordings made that defense difficult.
During trial, the jury watched the videos on a large screen. They saw Margo pour wine over Byron. They heard her explicitly make race-based remarks. They watched her insult him and order security to remove him while nearby guests remained silent.
When Margo testified, her attorney guided her through a carefully prepared explanation. She spoke softly, expressed regret, and described herself as overwhelmed and frightened by a stranger she believed had entered improperly.
Then Elliot Simmons stood for cross-examination.
He replayed the first recording and paused at the moment Margo tipped the wine glass.
"Mrs. Sullivan," he said, "you explicitly referred to Mr. Palmer's race while explaining why you were humiliating him. Was his race part of what you call a misunderstanding?"
Margo opened her mouth.
No answer came.
Her attorney objected.
The judge overruled the objection.
Simmons played the second recording, the one containing another explicitly racist insult.
"Was that also a misunderstanding?"
The courtroom remained silent.
The jury deliberated for four hours.
They returned with a unanimous verdict in Byron's favor on the claims submitted to them.
The award totaled $15 million, including compensatory and punitive damages.
The number dominated the headlines, but Byron's response mattered more to him than the award.
Three days after the verdict, he agreed to one national interview. He wore a plain dark suit and spoke in the same controlled tone he had used in the ballroom.
The interviewer asked why he had pursued the case when the money itself would not materially change his life.
"I didn't file it for the money," Byron said. "Fifteen million dollars does not change my life, but accountability can change someone else's."
He continued.
"The next person who is humiliated because of race may not have a multibillion-dollar company behind them. They may not have lawyers waiting for their call or a senator who knows their name. I wanted a public record that says this kind of treatment has consequences."
The interview was viewed millions of times.
Meanwhile, the Sullivan family's social and professional world continued shrinking.
Margo lost positions on several charitable boards. Invitations stopped arriving. People who had competed for seats at her dinner table avoided being publicly associated with her.
Her name, once connected to Washington fundraising and social events, became tied almost entirely to the lawsuit and the recordings.
Leonard did not recover his old position either.