08x20 - How Am I Driving?

[bunniefuu]

[knock on door]

Yeah?

-You wanted to see me? -Yeah, I did.

I've just seen an internal memo

that you've got criminal investigators

assigned to tail Arnold Becker.

Mm-hmm. It's in connection with a criminal investigation.

Are you aware that he's a former law partner of mine?

Yeah.

So were you planning on saying something to me at some point?

No, I wasn't. Was I obliged to?

I think you were. I think common courtesy

would have suggested that a word to a colleague

would have been in order.

When I conduct investigations,

there are a few things more important to me

than being courteous.

I wanna know what this is about, Belinda.

It's about the Lambert case.

That one, I believe, you're familiar with?

There's no basis for a criminal investigation

-in the Lambert case. -I think there is.

I think what Becker did was obstruction of justice.

Assume that's true. What he did is done.

There's no ongoing crime being committed.

There's no reason for having Becker under surveillance.

Given that the case is on my desk, Tommy,

I think that's a determination to be made by me.

All right.

[door closes]

Look, Belinda,

I know that you and Arnold Becker

were briefly involved with each other.

Assuming there is a case to be made here,

it is not appropriate that it be on your desk.

It's not appropriate?

You've been sleeping with a sitting judge

for the past six months,

and you're gonna tell me what is and isn't appropriate?

I don't conduct official business

in that judge's courtroom.

As far as I'm concerned, your dalliance

with Carolyn Walker completely compromises

the effectiveness of every prosecutor in this office.

First of all, it's not a dalliance.

Second of all, I have yet to hear

Judge Walker accused of using the power of her office

for some vindictive private purpose of her own.

Is that what you're suggesting I'm doing?

That's right.

[sighs] Well, Tommy, I'll tell you what.

If you so sure that neither Becker or anyone in his office

is guilty of obstruction of justice,

I suggest you make that opinion known.

If you think I'm acting solely out of spite,

I think you should bring me up on charges.

And let me also say,

should your former law partner become cognizant of the fact

that he's under investigation,

I will assume presumptively that he found out about it from you.

Oh, you're making threats, Belinda?

I'm making assurances.

You tell Arnold Becker that he's being investigated,

and I'll see to it that you're fired.

[door closes]

[theme music playing]

[music]

Why don't we just give him another minute?

I think not. Let's get started

Ruland vs.--

Uh, Douglas, here he is.

Sorry. Sorry.

The buses were running late.

You actually take a bus?

-Yes. -Unbelievable, isn't it?

It's really not that unbelievable.

Are you doing it for some kind of

ecological reason, Eli?

I'm doing it because I don't have a driver's license.

Denise is give me lessons, however.

I'm inching up on being ready to take the road test,

and I'm about to buy a car.

You're gonna buy a car before you get your license?

Two old partners just settled a case of mine.

They sent me a very large check.

I thought I'd do something extravagant.

-What are you getting? -I have no idea.

Denise has set me up with a car broker

who presumably will get me through this

as painlessly as possible.

Ultimately, when buying a car,

keep one question uppermost in mind.

How am I going to feel

when I'm standing in front of a restaurant

and the valet brings me my car?

Thank you, Arnold.

-Ruland vs. Wayside Hospital. -Yeah, that's mine.

A -year-old girl found to be incorrigible by her father

is being committed to a psychiatric facility by him.

She's suing to be released from the facility,

and we're representing the father and the facility.

What did she do?

dr*gs, sex, alcohol.

Well, her father feels that she's basically out of control.

There but for the grace of God...

Askoff vs. Askoff.

Yes, we're representing Frank Askoff.

His wife is suing him for divorce.

Also looking to disembowel him financially.

Her leverage is Camilla Greer.

-What, he's in her book? -Yes, he is.

He also runs a publically traded corporation.

He wants very much for this not to get out.

Who's Camilla Greer?

She's a madam.

A rather well placed madam.

I suspect there are a number of people in that book

who very much don't want it to get out.

Well, you frequent prostitutes, you run that risk.

I have never been with a prost*tute.

Aw, gee.

Eli, this is Lenny Mullen

How do you do?

Hi. I'm told you're the man to see about cars.

I am that man.

He's never owned a car before,

and you only have a learner's permit.

If you have any problems with the road test, let me know.

Why?

Well, let's just say I have relationships

at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

You're kidding.

You buy a car from me, I take car of you.

That means plates, registration, insurance.

Done on the phone, soup to nuts.

Plus you can find him any car that he wants, right?

Tell me what you want.

If it's been made, I'll get it.

Wow.

So, uh, what are you looking to spend?

I'm looking to spend some money, actually.

-Are you single? -Yeah.

There's a white Carrera in Pasadena

that I think we can do very well on.

You could have it this afternoon.

A white Carrera.

-What is that? -It's a Porsche.

How about a Mercedes Benz?

Somehow I've always associated one of those

with living in Los Angeles.

-You want an SL-? -What is that?

Two-seated convertible.

That I can get you by tomorrow.

-How much? -Little over ,.

It has to be in five figures.

-Go with the ? -Ah. How much is that?

-. -That I can live with.

And, uh, what color are you interested in?

-Black. -Black.

You want the car phone, CD player in the trunk,

the basic big-sh*t package, right?

Why not?

All right.

Well, I'll call Denise with the amount,

you have a cashier's check for me

by the end of business today,

you'll have a car by tomorrow.

This, Denise, is the way to buy an automobile.

[laughs]

Linda, I'd like you to describe the events

that took place on the first of April, , please.

My father woke me up at : in the morning.

He was standing next to my bed

with a private detective,

and he told me that he was taking me down

to the center for evaluation.

Did they, in fact, do so?

Yes. They took me by force to Wayside Psychiatric.

And I've been there ever since.

Linda,

have you ever attempted su1c1de?

No.

You ever deliberately try to hurt yourself in any way?

No.

Ever deliberately seek to hurt anyone else?

I've stood up for myself in a fight,

but I never att*cked anybody.

-Do you have a boyfriend? -Yes, I do.

Does your father get along with him?

No, he doesn't get along with him.

In your opinion, why is that?

He doesn't get along with him because he's black.

No matter what he says, the truth is

is that he doesn't like me being with a black guy.

And that's why James wasn't welcome in his house.

And that's why I'm in a mental hospital.

Thank you. I have nothing further.

To the question of have you ever deliberately hurt yourself,

you answered no, isn't that right?

Right.

On February th of this year,

you were taken to the County USC Emergency Room, were you not?

-Yes, I was. -Why was that?

I took some pills I shouldn't have taken.

You combined said pills with a significant amount of alcohol, did you not?

Yes.

Wouldn't you call that a deliberate attempt to hurt yourself?

No, I wouldn't.

I would call it being at a party and-and...

getting a little wild.

I see.

What's a , Miss Ruland?

It's a bottle of malt liquor.

It's a ounce bottle of malt liquor, isn't it?

That's why they call it a .

How many of them do you drink in an average day?

I don't know.

Well, ballpark figure. More than one, less than ?

The witness said she didn't know.

Move on, Mr. Rollins.

Have you ever known your boyfriend to carry a g*n?

I don't know whether he carries a g*n or not.

Did you not, on more than one occasion,

warn your father that your boyfriend

always carries a g*n?

If I said it, I said it to scare him.

Have you been having sexual relations with the boyfriend?

Yes.

What, if any, precautions did you take

against sexually transmitted diseases?

Or the possibility of becoming pregnant?

Either we used a condom or...

we did things you don't need a condom for.

Did you tell your father that more than anything else,

you wanted to get pregnant with James' baby?

If I said that, I said that to scare him.

It worked. I have nothing further.

Frank, I want to propose something.

Your wife is holding you up with a thr*at to make public

your going to prostitutes.

I'd like to take an aggressive position in response.

What do you mean?

Number one, I'd deny it.

I am in the book.

Maybe you are, maybe you're not.

Meantime, we haven't seen the book.

We don't know the book exists.

She had me tailed to Camilla's house, Arnie.

She knows that I went there.

What she knows and what she can prove

are not necessarily one and the same.

Now, assume... assume that she can prove it,

what are the damages?

-The damages are catastrophic. -Are they?

I answer to a board of directors

made up of very conservative, very Midwestern men.

Right. Right. None of whom have ever once in their life paid for it.

I also answer to the shareholders.

Frank, I'm not saying you want it to come out,

I'm saying it's not the end of the world.

[sighs]

How do I...

I have been incapable of functioning sexually

with my wife... for over five years.

We went to therapists.

Separately, together.

Nothing helped.

It became a source of almost indescribable pain to me.

I finally sought out prostitutes.

You see, with prostitutes, I could function.

Arnie, I don't want people to know anything about that.

It's a source of great embarrassment to me

to even be sitting here and telling you.

It really needn't be.

I would only ask that you do everything possible

so that this does not become public.

Mrs. Askoff, you initiated this divorce, did you not?

Yes.

And before doing so, you emptied out

both the safe-deposit boxes

held in your and your husband's name.

You also emptied out all joint bank accounts, is that right?

Yes, it is.

Were you aware in doing so

that you were leaving your husband

without adequate funds to meet his monthly obligations?

Not her problem.

When we work out the finances,

we'll pay over what we owe.

That's assuming we owe anything.

Now, you're seeking to examine your husband's

corporate records, is that right?

That's right. My husband was concealing

marital assets in corporate accounts.

I want to know just how much of those assets

were being spent on prostitutes.

On what do you base your allegations

that your husband frequented prostitutes?

I base it on reports from private investigators.

You want to deny it?

For the record, we categorically deny it.

However, for the sake of argument,

let's assume that your husband did, in fact,

pay for the services of a prost*tute.

Is it possible that said services

represented a last-ditch therapeutic approach

to a longstanding condition?

What condition would that be, Mr. Becker?

It would be impotence, Ms. Askoff.

Would it be impotence as in a physiological condition

or just impotence when he was with me?

I think that literature shows impotence to be

a fairly complex condition.

I wouldn't presume to ascribe it to one thing or the other.

I don't think it's in the least bit complex.

My husband wasn't physically attracted to me.

He clearly was to prostitutes.

From the number of times he visited them,

one can safely assume that he was not impotent with them.

Again, assuming that's true,

isn't it possible that you bear some of the responsibility?

-No, it is not possible! -That is totally irrelevant--

Was it not you, for the past five years,

suddenly and continuously belittled and berated your husband?

-Oh, come on! -I did not do that!

I supported my husband!

I encouraged him

to get a physical examination.

I encouraged him to get psychological help.

We even went to therapy together,

which, I might tell you,

was not an easy thing for me to do.

But I did it.

I stood by him.

I was faithful to him.

I was desperate, Vivian.

I was desperate, and I didn't know what else to do.

Your desperation doesn't move me anymore, Frank.

May I ask a purely practical question?

What are you hoping to accomplish here?

If you make these claims in your pleading,

if you argue them in court, whether it's true or not,

it's gonna get out that the big executive went to whores.

Your husband's short-term,

possibly his long-term financial picture worsens.

You're on board for lifetime support, I assume.

Why would you want to poison the well?

Because, Arnie, we're not looking for support.

We want the money up front.

What you're asking for is unconscionable.

Mr. Becker,

I was betrayed by this man.

I was lied to. I was frozen out.

I was exposed to a life-threatening disease.

Since all I can get from him now is money,

I want to get all the money I can.

And I suggest that you don't appeal to my conscience.

My conscience is clear.

DENISE: $,? That's a lot of money.

Yes, it is a lot of money.

Why kind of things do you say

to get someone to overcome panic at this point?

I don't say anything.

Crash worthiness, high retail value?

Comparisons with other luxury automobiles?

One buys a car like this

much the way one buys a Steinway piano.

What your paying for is the pleasure

of knowing that you own it.

What's that worth?

You wanna know who else owns this car?

What do you mean?

Would you like to know what celebrities

drive the same automobile as their personal car?

I don't think I wanna know that.

I do. Who?

Johnny Depp. James Caan.

Lenny Mullen. [laughs]

No, I have a different model,

but it's the exact same body style.

What's the difference?

Mine's a .

It's a cylinder car. Very hard to find.

How much?

This one was , to me.

Hmph. Eli, I think it's safe to say you can live with four fewer cylinders.

Six fewer cylinders.

You said this one was six cylinders, right?

It is a . inline six, yes.

In my opinion, altogether a terrific engine.

But yours says on it.

This plate says , yours says .

You're worried about that?

-No. -Sit in it.

Here's the key. Turn it on.

Pull that red button.

[engine starting]

Wow!

-Denise! -That's beautiful!

Wow.

This is gonna be good for me.

Owning this car is gonna be good for me.

Are you familiar with the petitioner, Doctor?

Yes, I'm currently treating her at Wayside Hospital

where I'm both a psychiatrist and an administrator.

What's your evaluation?

I find her to possess what we call

a borderline personality disorder.

Would you explain what that is?

It manifests itself in a variety of ways.

Unstable relationships, mood shifts, temper tantrums,

coupled with persistent identity disturbances.

Couldn't that description fit a lot of teenagers?

Perhaps it could.

What it comes down to, however, is a matter of degree.

Linda's behavior is extreme.

She acts without reasonable regard for her own safety.

Is it possible to treat Linda on an out-patient basis?

It's only possible if she's willing.

Prior to coming to Wayside,

she refused to attend out-patient therapy.

How important is it that Linda Ruland stay at Wayside, Doctor?

In my opinion, it's a matter of life and death.

Nothing further.

A borderline personality disorder.

This is something of a catch-all diagnosis, isn't it, Dr. Weiss?

It's generally used when no one dysfunctional trait

is more extreme than another.

In your opinion, when Linda Ruland

ingested dr*gs and alcohol on February th, ,

she did so with the intention of k*lling herself?

With a borderline personality,

it's less an intentional act of self-destruction

than an inability to realistically

assess the consequences of her action.

-So it was an accident? -It was an incident...

in a pattern of highly self-destructive behavior.

In the four weeks that Linda's been at Wayside,

has she ever attempted to commit su1c1de or injure herself?

She's constantly monitored at Wayside.

-Is that a no? -Yes.

Is Linda Ruland a drug addict?

No.

Is she violent toward other people?

No.

During your treatment, have you had, uh,

counseling sessions with Linda and her father?

Many of them.

Would you say that Larry Ruland is the sort of man

that needs to be in control, Doctor?

I'd say he's more comfortable when he's in control. Who isn't?

But is it possible that Larry Ruland

committed his daughter

not because her condition warrant it,

but rather that he needed to reinsert that control?

Regardless of Mr. Ruland's motivation, counselor,

I would not have admitted this young woman,

nor would I be sitting here testifying today

if I wasn't convinced that her condition warranted it.

Doctor, would you be testifying today,

if Larry Ruland didn't have the funds to pay for it?

Larry Ruland's financial situation

and Linda Ruland's mental health are two separate issues.

You're not answering the question, Doctor.

Would you be here fighting to keep Linda Ruland in your hospital

if her father couldn't pay the rate?

Unfortunately, no. I probably would not be.

Thank you.

Do you run a house of prostitution, Miss Greer?

I'm instructing my client not to answer that question.

What do you do for a living?

I'm a writer.

What do you write?

Currently I'm writing a book.

-Do you have a publisher? -Not yet.

What kind of book is it?

Just an honest account of my life

and the people I've met.

Have you ever met Frank Askoff?

Yes, I have.

Would you describe for us

the circumstances under which you met him?

I'm instructing my client not to answer that question.

All right, would you estimate for us

the number of times you've had contact with Mr. Askoff?

I really couldn't.

-More than once? -Yes.

More than times?

I saw or spoke on the phone with Mr. Askoff

an average of twice a week for more than three years.

Though I haven't seen him very much at all lately.

Did you ever receive money from Mr. Askoff?

I'm going to recommend that my client not answer that question.

Is it fair to assume, ma'am, that if you had been receiving

payments of money from Mr. Askoff,

you would have kept a written record of that somewhere?

Given that I'm a Virgo, and given that I'm a writer,

I'd say it's fair to assume I keep records of everything.

Thank you for your time, Miss Greer.

Nice to see you, Arnie.

You, too.

[clears throat]

Why did you have your daughter

committed to Wayside Psychiatric Hospital, Mr. Ruland?

Over the past year, Linda's behavior

had been getting progressively more self-destructive.

I felt that without drastic intervention,

she'd end up k*lling herself.

Would you tell us what type of

destructive behavior you're referring to?

She stopped going to school.

She would habitually lie about where she'd been and with whom.

Sometimes she wouldn't come home for days on end.

And when she did,

more often than not, she'd be intoxicated.

Had you tried to address these problems early on?

As best I know how.

What did you do?

Her mother d*ed when she was eight.

From that point on, it was clear

that she required special attention.

I sent her to a child psychiatrist.

The two of us went to family counseling together.

When she'd reject one therapist,

I'd find another one.

When she'd reject one school,

I would enroll her somewhere else.

Have you ever tried disciplining your daughter, Mr. Ruland?

Yes. I'd set rules.

She'd break every one of them.

I'd ground her. That didn't phase her.

She'd sneak out, steal the car, steal money.

At a certain point,

I had to acknowledge that I had no control of her.

How did it make you feel, sir,

to put your daughter in a mental hospital?

Horrible.

I keep asking myself, how did this happen?

How could this...

[clears throat] little girl who used to

wait by the window for me to come home from work

turn into someone who tells me to my face that she hates me?

I didn't know what else to do.

I have nothing further.

Are you familiar with James Truby, Mr. Ruland?

Yes.

Mr. Truby has been your daughter's boyfriend

for nearly a year now, isn't that right?

So I'm told.

Shortly after Linda began dating Mr. Truby,

you forbid her from seeing him, didn't you?

First time he picked her up at the house,

he sat in the car and honked the horn.

He didn't even bother to introduce himself to me.

Then when he brought her home at : in the morning,

her eyes were glassy and she stunk from pot.

Mr. Truby is black, is he not?

Objection. Irrelevant.

I'd ask the court for an opportunity

to demonstrate relevance.

Objection overruled. Witness will answer.

Yes, Mr. Truby is black.

Does that have anything to do

with your attitude toward him?

No, it does not.

Did you at one point tell your daughter

that black men consider white girls to be status symbols?

I was talking about one individual.

I wasn't making a sweeping generalization.

Isn't it true that you made sweeping generalizations all the time?

Not true.

You made them in therapy sessions.

You made them raging around the house.

-Objection. -This isn't about race!

He's arguing with the witness here!

Objection sustained. Stop arguing, Mr. Spera.

Sir, did you ever speak of a special agony

seeing your daughter go out with a black man?

Again, I was referring to this black man.

So if it were another black man

then it wouldn't necessarily have the same intent?

You know, my daughter's got bigger problems

than who she goes out with.

Except that those bigger problems

never led you to committing her against her will

to a mental hospital, did they?

And what am I supposed to do. Mr. Spera?

Am I supposed to... shrug my shoulders?

Do nothing?

Wait for the phone call from the cops?

Or the hospital? Or the morgue?

Sir, did you give your daughter an ultimatum

saying that unless she stopped going out with black men,

you would take drastic action against her?

First of all, we're not talking about a black man.

At least let's define our terms.

We're talking about a teenager with a criminal record

who uses dr*gs!

This isn't Sidney Poitier we're talking about!

Is that what it would take, Mr. Ruland?

I'm supposed to say it doesn't matter, right?

I'm supposed to say Race doesn't matter."

Well, it does matter.

My daughter is a pelt to this guy.

She is a gold necklace or a tricked-out Mercedes

or a new pair of sneakers!

That has nothing to do with the fact

that he's black and she's white?

It has everything to do with it!

SPERA: Thank you. I have no further questions.

It's so frustrating not being able

to jump in that car and drive it.

I've only been trying to book you a road test

for, like, two months now.

I know.

You wanna go out in it at lunchtime?

It's not the same, having somebody take me.

You could drive it if you wanted to.

Only with a licensed driver present.

Come on, Eli, you can drive it by yourself.

What do you mean?

I only have a learner's permit.

I thought part of your intention in buying this car

was to live a little dangerously.

You know, to take risks.

To a limited extent, that's true.

Well, consider this a limited risk.

What if the cops stop me?

Eli, the cops are not gonna stop you.

You're a -year-old man driving a Mercedes, come on.

[classical music playing in car]

[siren]

[over PA] The black Mercedes

Pull over, please, sir.

Oh, my God.

You mind turning that off?

Of course. [turns music off]

I didn't turn the key all the way.

I haven't had this car very long.

May I have your license and registration, please?

Right. First, let me get you my registration.

There. Uh, that's the registration.

You got that.

As for the, uh, license...

let me show you what I have.

You know how fast you were going?

No, I don't know. I didn't feel as though

I was going at an excess rate of speed.

-You were doing . -Ah.

-This is a learner's permit. -Yes.

I don't see a licensed driver over the age of present in the car.

There is not one present.

I'm gonna have to give you a citation, Mr. Levinson.

I understand.

I'm also gonna have to impound your vehicle.

Officer,

I just got this car.

Would it be possible for you to follow me back

to my office garage and let me park it there?

I give you my word that I will not take it out

until such time as there is a licensed driver with me.

My partner's running your plates.

Let me check with him.

Place both hands on the steering wheel, sir!

-Why? -It's a .

-What is that? -Step out of the vehicle, sir.

Would you mind explaining what's going on?

We're placing you under arrest.

For driving with a learner's permit?

Possession of a stolen vehicle.

Put your hands behind your back.

Oh, my God!

Mr. Askoff, you have in front of you

a copy of the financial statements

your accountant has provided us.

Yes.

I draw your attention to page two, item .

Quote-unquote, "Entertainment Expenses."

Yes, I see it.

That seems to me an unusually large sum of money.

It's no unusual at all.

Frank Askoff runs a big company.

People who do that spend a lot of money on dining and entertainment.

Except it says neither Mr. Askoff nor his company

have thus far furnished us with expense account statements and check registers.

We have no idea what dining and entertainment mean.

We're not gonna allow you to take a fishing expedition

through the books of a Fortune company.

If the company's accountants weren't satisfied

that these were bona fide expenses, they wouldn't have allowed them.

Should I take it to mean you remain unwilling

to comply with our subpoenas?

Yeah, you can take it to mean exactly that.

We'll await a ruling from the court.

Sure, fine.

-Mr. Askoff? -Yes.

In what connection do you know Camilla Greer?

I'm going to instruct my client not to answer that question.

-No, no. -Frank! Frank!

Arnie, I wanna answer it.

I don't wanna play this game anymore, okay?

I know Camilla Greer because she supplied me with prostitutes.

How often did she supply you with prostitutes?

Initially it was quite infrequent.

I went.

I was ashamed of myself.

I didn't go back for six months.

But gradually, I... I found that

I could live being ashamed of myself

easier than I could live without prostitutes.

By the time you had me followed,

I was going to Camilla three or four times a week.

How did you pay for these visits, Mr. Askoff?

I had a private account. I paid for them out of that.

And how was this private account funded?

Frank! I would not give them this.

It was funded out of my earning.

Earnings made during the time you were married?

Yes.

Earning that were there for marital in nature?

There isn't a jury here, Cecily.

Who are you trying to impress?

I'm not trying to impress anyone, Arnold.

I'm trying to conduct a deposition.

How much are you paying Camilla?

I don't know what you're talking about.

-Vivian, don't do this, please. -Talk to her.

As soon as Mrs. Askoff is paid what we're asking for,

we have no interest in exposing you.

FRANK: Yeah.

So, for million, give or take,

the house in Beverly Hills, the apartment in New York,

the condo in Palm Springs,

you'll make like it never happened.

Right.

Here's my response to that.

We'll agree to a - split of all martial assets.

We want Beverly Hills, New York and Palm Springs sold,

with all proceeds split.

I take it that means you're willing to let it come out

that he was spending six figures a year on prostitutes?

I don't think that you can prove

he spent anywhere near that.

-Oh, I'm sure we can. -Then prove it.

Meantime, we're putting the houses on the market.

Tell your client to start ordering boxes.

Jonathan.

I, uh, feel like I need to say something

about what happened on the witness stand.

You don't need to say anything.

I feel like I do.

I had feelings that came out

that don't necessarily reflect the way that I feel.

I understand.

This is my daughter, you know?

We should go in.

You don't have kids.

It's a while different thing when you have kids.

You don't have to say anything about it, Larry.

I need to clear the air here, Jonathan.

I'm sussing that you're miffed about what I said,

and I need for you to understand where it comes from.

Larry, I understand exactly where it comes from.

If it'd had been a younger version of me

going out with your daughter,

you would have thought a little differently about it

-but not that differently. -Jonathan--

I knew that long before I put you on the witness stand.

It seems to me that psychiatric care

should relate to a psychiatric condition.

It should not represent a disciplinary alternative

for a frustrated parent.

I'm definitely not here to defend

my client's drug use, her truancy,

her drinking, and certainly not her sexual behavior.

No doubt she is in need of guidance.

No doubt, she is in need of attention.

What she is not in need of is institutionalization.

I submit to you that the basis for this

is not her condition but her father's.

And is being done to relieve him

of the quote-unquote "special agony"

at the sight of seeing his daughter

going out with somebody black.

Together with a private, for-profit hospital

he's become her jailer.

I submit to you that has violated the civil rights of this young woman.

I submit to you that his actions are wholly unwarranted,

and I appeal to this court for her release.

Mr. Rollins.

I would argue that when a person

engages in behavior that is demonstrably life-threatening,

that person is in need of intervention by others.

Now, whether you choose to call it a psychiatric condition or not,

that person's life depends on someone doing something.

One could well ask,

is this the appropriate thing to do?

By her own admission, this is a girl who drinks to excess.

She uses dr*gs.

She refuses all attempts at voluntary treatment.

She showed every indication of progressing towards

actions with irreversible consequences,

be they pregnancy or be they crime.

To those, such as my adversary, who claim that

confinement is categorically inappropriate,

I would ask for an alternative.

I would ask, is it appropriate that in the interest

of this person's civil rights, we effectively abandon her?

No.

This is not about race, Your Honor.

This is about trying to reach someone

who needs to be reached.

I believe that this father

has acted out of love for his daughter.

I really do.

I believe he's done the only thing he could do.

Thank you.

I appreciate you getting here as fast as you did.

Calls from the LAPD jail

always assume the highest priority.

Still can't believe I got arrested.

Why didn't you go to a dealer like a normal person?

I know.

What are the prospects of you getting the money back?

Who knows?

$, is a serious hit.

How can we determine it?

It's easy, he's a criminal.

I just don't understand how someone has the audacity

to pass themselves off as legitimate,

take $, for a stolen car

and think they can actually get away with it.

Oh, yeah. Lenny Mullen called.

He wanted to know how you like the car.

[sighs]

I haven't seen you in a while?

Much too long a while.

Camilla's out by the pool.

-Thanks, April. -Sure.

Hello, Arnie.

Hi.

Can I get you something?

No. No, thanks.

I kinda figured you'd be paying me a visit.

I have a very nervous client.

I'll bet you do.

Do you mind if I sit down?

Please.

Let me ask you something.

How much is his wife paying you?

What makes you think she's paying me anything?

You're not in this for your graduate school thesis, doll.

Whatever you do, you do for money.

At present, I have no arrangement of any kind with Mrs. Askoff.

Does that mean you're open for business?

That's exactly what it means.

If Frank wants his name out of that book,

it's going to cost him.

I always thought you were a stand-up broad, Camilla.

What happened?

I adapted.

What's gonna happen to your business

when it gets out that you blackmailed a steady customer?

Look around, Arnie. I don't have any business.

The D.A.'s office is breathing down my neck.

I can't so much as walk into a restaurant

that it doesn't show up in "Variety" the next day.

My clients aren't coming near me.

I'm done in this business.

Frank Askoff and a few others like him will give me...

let's call it a pension.

How much?

-A million five. -Which buys me what?

All records pertaining to Frank Askoff are destroyed.

Either myself or my employees will reveal

that Frank Askoff was ever a client.

I'll let him know.

Also tell him I have a standing offer from his wife.

You're aggravated. You have every right to be aggravated.

Are you on the lam, Lenny?

Because I know the police are looking for you.

Excuse me. The police are not looking for me.

I've already spoken to police.

The matter's been taken care of.

What does that mean?

It means that it was a mishap.

A Bill of lading went awry.

An erroneous report was made.

Miscommunication, pilot error, call it whatever you want.

It wasn't supposed to happen, but it happened.

The cops said they found it stolen off a pier in Brooklyn.

My point is this.

Whether or not it was stolen,

you and I both stand in the position of

good faith third party vendees,

if I remember my law school training.

-What abut the ,? -Yeah.

Let's go after the ,. We'll sue the vendor together.

Lenny, as far as I'm concerned, you're the vendor.

That would be, I think,

a misreading of basic agency law.

Even if it was the case, I have no assets.

I live with my parents.

I can be instrumental in going after the parties who I think are responsible.

And I would like to get to work on putting you in another car.

You want to put me in another car?

Yes!

Thins time I think you should look into a cabriolet.

Do you know what the difference between a cabriolet and a roadster?

No, Lenny. In point of fact, I do not.

But the truth is...

I already know what my next car is.

Tell me.

-My next car is yours. -Again?

That car you were driving the other day?

You're gonna give that to me.

-Wait a minute, whoa. -You're gonna give that to me.

Because if you don't give that to me,

I'm gonna sue you.

And if I remember my law school training,

in all likelihood, I am going to win.

-Don't agree. -In the course of suing you,

I will depose the entire chain of title to that car,

starting with whoever stole it off the pier.

By the end of that, we'll see how much

of a good faith third party vendee you are.

And you don't want to mess with Eli in court, Lenny.

This is a shakedown.

I also think that you're entertainment industry clientele

is gonna fall off somewhere when it comes up

that you deal in hot cars.

You're aware of the fact that your car was a and mine is a .

That's a disparity in price of over $,! Eli, come on!

Consider it the cost of continuing to do business.

Up the key.

I'll send somebody by for the pink slip in the morning.

You can't even drive it!

Until I get my license,

she can drive it.

I've reached a decision.

The issues in this case are far from clear,

and reaching a decision was far from easy.

Raising children in violent times

can be a terrifying ordeal.

Clearly, this young woman did nothing to make it easier.

That, in and of itself,

does not justify her being held against her will.

A teenager is not without civil rights,

and any encroachment on those rights

must be made only if that teenager

presents a danger to herself,

and even then, solely as a last resort.

Sadly, I believe this to be the case here.

Based on the evidence shown,

I will not second-guess the opinion of the medical profession,

or of that of her father.

I choose, instead, to err on the side,

I believe, to be caution.

I hereby remand Linda Ruland

back to Wayside Psychiatric Hospital

for further treatment

until such time her doctor or her father

feel she's ready to be released.

This court is adjourned. Thank you.

Linda?

[sighs] Uh, can I bring you anything from home?

I don't have a home.

I live in a hospital, remember?

Linda, why do you insist on making everything so difficult?

If you cooperate, these people just might be able to help.

Don't touch me!

Linda, this is a temporary thing.

You're going to get out of the hospital.

You bet I am!

And when I do, you know what?

You will never see me again!

Larry, I think it's time to let her go back now.

Come on. Come on, let's go.

The day they let me out, I'm gone!

I'll move to another state! Change my name!

And just like that, you don't have a daughter anymore!

Say good-bye to me, Daddy!

This is it.

Come on.

-Come on. -Let her go.

Larry, what are you doing?

I'm giving her what she wants.

[sniffles] Let her go.

I'll sign the release papers.

[honks horn]

Hey, Eli! Want a ride?

No, thanks, Denise, I'm fine.

All right, See ya.

Do you ride this bus often?

[knocks on door]

Frank, come on in. I'll be right with you.

Arnie, I need you to go back to Camilla.

It's not gonna do any good, Frank.

I want you to tell her that I will give her $, now.

I will consider the balance a loan,

which I will repay with interest according to schedule.

She's not interested in a payout.

She wants the money up front.

Uh-huh.

Well, if Plan A doesn't work, then we'll go to Plan B.

I inherited a house from my father in Montecito.

I will sell it and pay her out of the proceeds.

Frank, I think you're crazy to be doing this!

Arnie, I can't allow that information to become public.

Forgive me for being presumptuous,

but I say that you can.

I say it'll do you infinitely less harm than you think it will.

Moreover, paying off Camilla is no guarantee of anything.

She sells you one book, she'll keep another one for herself.

I'll have to risk that.

See, I think Camilla will honor an agreement.

I think she can be trusted.

-Frank, be serious. -Am I sure of it?

No, I'm not sure of it, but...

I still want you to make the offer.

Okay. Okay.

Arnie...

I would appreciate it

if you could please do it today.

[sighs]

[loud music playing]

-What do you want? -I'd like to talk to you.

-Who are you? -He's my father's lawyer.

So what do you want to talk to her about?

Hey, listen, I have some business to talk to her about.

I don't mean disrespect to you or anyone else.

I'm asking if I can talk to her in private.

It's okay.

Your father wanted me to give this to you.

Did he tell you to tell me what I'm not supposed to spend it on?

Actually, you can spend it on whatever you want.

Okay.

I also want to give you my card.

What's that? In case I get arrested?

In case you wanna call me.

Why would I wanna do that?

[sighs] For a variety of reasons.

Maybe you want to communicate with your father

without speaking to him directly.

You might need help in going back to school.

You might have medical problems you can't afford treatment for.

Oh, yeah. In case you get arrested.

Are you doing this because my father's paying you to do it,

or are you actually interested?

Both.

[scoffs] Yeah, both.

You were the one trying to keep me locked up.

You're not exactly the first person I'd call.

Whether I'm the first or the last,

you might as well have the phone number.

Tell my father thanks.

Camilla?

Camilla, where are you?

Anybody home? Hello?

Camilla!

[water splashing]

♪♪ [theme]