- Previously on Bull...
- Where's my daughter?
- SHERYL: It's hell when someone
- takes your child from you.
- BULL: They nearly took
- everything from us, didn't they?
- [PHONE RINGING]
[ASTRID CRYING]
- Oh, no. Where's Astrid?
- I don't know!
[CRYING]: He took her.
He had a g*n!
- [RINGING STOPS]
- I need a minute.
Bull?
Tess, don't forget to come home
right after school on Wednesday, okay?
That college counselor
will be here at :
- for your follow-up. Tess?
- [ROCK MUSIC PLAYING FAINTLY]
Tess.
Hey, Sophia.
Sophia.
[SOPHIA SIGHS]
We have a problem.
This was plugged in behind the dryer.
I think Tess is vaping.
You want to talk to her or should I?
Actually... [SIGHS]
[SIGHS] It's mine.
Sophia, seriously?
Don't look at me like that.
All that crap with my sister
and that damn bathroom remodel?
- We had a deal.
- I know.
I know.
You're right.
It's going in the trash.
[WHISPERS]: Okay?
- [expl*si*n IN DISTANCE]
- [GLASS BREAKS]
[ALARM BEEPING]
Sophia!
Sophia!
What happened?
[SCREAMS]
Oh, my God. Oh, my God!
Mom. Mom!
DETTMER: When the Smokestack vape pen
that Sophia Echols was smoking
overheated,
it exploded,
sending metal and plastic shards
into her right hand,
neck, mouth and face.
CHUNK: And these injuries...
They caused Sophia's death?
DETTMER: The ejected materials
penetrated the floor
of her mouth and went into her neck,
dissecting both the carotid artery
and internal jugular vein.
She bled to death in minutes.
Dr. Dettmer, were Sophia's injuries
consistent with those suffered
by the other
plaintiff-victims of this class action?
The nature of the injuries
was quite similar.
- They just differed in degree.
- And how is that?
DETTMER: Sophia's injuries
were the most extreme,
hers being the only fatality.
But across the board,
we saw burns, nerve and tissue damage,
lost limbs, lost teeth,
facial disfigurement.
Three victims were blinded.
The ejected shrapnel
was catastrophically destructive.
Ejected shrapnel?
Doctor, it sounds as if
you're describing a b*ttlefield wound.
In a way, I am.
In each of these cases,
the Smokestack vape pens
were closer to a grenade
than a recreational device.
Thank you. No further questions,
Your Honor.
How we doing?
MARISSA: Green prairie
for miles on this end.
I wouldn't get
too comfortable with that.
- Here comes Carole.
- So,
Dr. Dettmer,
if the device was a grenade,
who pulled the pin?
I don't understand the question.
Sophia Echols ignored multiple warnings
and used an unauthorized charger
for the device, in effect, weaponizing
her own vape pen. Isn't that right?
I wouldn't put it that way.
CAROLE: Hmm. I would.
Not a single injury has occurred
when a Smokestack vape pen
is charged as instructed
with an authorized charger.
- Isn't that correct?
- CHUNK: Objection. Your Honor,
counsel is testifying.
This clearly falls outside
of the scope of the witness' expertise.
I withdraw the question, Your Honor.
[EXHALES]
Mm-hmm.
No, don't even think about it.
Your mom needs you.
You are exactly where
you need to be right now.
- Is that Danny?
- Yeah.
Uh, is there anything we can do?
Order in food to the hospital?
Does she need me
to send her more clothes?
Do you need more clothes?
Okay. Well, hang in there.
We're praying for your mom.
Okay.
- How's her mom doing?
- Still in the ICU.
Danny's hoping she'll get transferred
to a rehab facility for
stroke victims soon,
- but who knows how long that'll take.
- [SIGHS]
I think we need to bring in
a temporary investigator.
- I mean, this case is really...
- The last thing we need right now
is another person on the payroll.
I need to talk to you.
Yeah, just give me a second.
Carole Atkins k*lled us today in court
with those warnings
against unauthorized chargers.
- I'm aware.
- We need to find a way
to turn those warnings
against Smokestack.
Show they were wholly insufficient.
Isn't it obvious? They say
if you use the wrong charger,
the vape pen may malfunction.
They don't say
it'll blow your damn face off.
Right. We need to prove Smokestack knew
these devices
could blow your damn face off
before they put them on the market.
I've scoured R & D reports,
internal emails.
So far, zilch.
Well, keep scouring.
We need a smoking g*n.
Or a smoking vape pen.
[CHUCKLES] Get it?
- 'Cause vape...
- I got it. I got it.
I thought it was funny.
- MARISSA: Hello?
- Hi, there. I'm all yours.
Uh, that's what you said
last week. And yesterday.
There's no escaping now.
Uh, we need to talk money.
- What about it?
- We don't have any.
That sounds a tad hyperbolic.
This is the biggest case
we have ever taken on,
and it's bleeding us dry.
We've already spent nearly $ million
for all the medical experts, engineers,
trauma specialists,
not to mention the paralegals we hired
just to get through all the discovery.
And there is no end in sight.
Well, got to go big to win big.
Meanwhile, we are turning away clients
because we don't have
the bandwidth for anything else.
Well, none of that matters when
we get our contingency fee.
Whenever that is.
But I talked to our bank,
and they agreed
to extend our credit line.
Problem solved.
No. Problem not solved.
It's only enough to cover
about half our expenses.
Have you read my proposal yet?
Remember our bandwidth conversation?
It'll bring in money right away.
Best part, no extra work for you.
I'm sorry to interrupt,
but Rebecca Healy is here,
and she's in the conference room.
Not it.
Yes, it. I talked to her the last time.
I talked to her the last three times.
Bull, she's demanding to talk to you.
- [SIGHS] I will talk to her.
- Uh, no, Bull,
I really need to talk to you
about this proposal.
Everything is fine.
I have everything under control.
Hey.
- You said we'd be done by now.
- I know.
Have our money by now.
- I know you're frustrated, Rebecca.
- My son
can't wait any longer
for his reconstructive surgery.
I know. And he shouldn't have to.
This is taking a lot longer
than any of us anticipated.
Smokestack has been
dragging it out, right?
Smokestack already offered to settle.
More than once.
You're the one dragging this out.
Those were not settlement payouts.
Not real ones. They were
nuisance payouts to make us go away.
I am gonna get you,
and the rest of the class so much more.
I want out.
Of the class, I mean.
I want to negotiate
my own settlement. Now.
Right. But we already talked about
this. You can't opt out.
- The deadline has passed.
- No.
- Yes.
- No. There has to be a way.
There isn't. Once we've been certified
a class,
the court sees us as one entity,
and there's no jumping in
or out of one entity.
We just have to have patience
a little while longer.
But I promise you, we are in the right.
I am gonna get your son
everything he deserves.
But I can't do that if I
don't get back to work,
and I've got to prep a witness
right now, okay?
So, I will see you in court tomorrow.
[SCOFFS]
You lied to me!
Rebecca, I never lied to you.
You said that Smokestack Labs
would never go to trial.
You said that you would pick a jury
that would scare the pants off of them.
I told you...
You said that being a part
of this stupid class
was the best thing for my son.
I did. I gave you my word. And...
Your word means nothing.
Everything's under control, hmm?
CHUNK: Should be able to get through
the last of our witnesses today.
That is, unless Taylor
has found a rabbit
- for me to pull out of my hat.
- Not yet.
Oh. Well, you got to hand
it to Carole. Pretty smart,
having Mrs. Clayton here
every day by her husband's side.
'Cause he's not the big, bad CEO
of a evil corporation, but a president
of a nice, friendly, family business.
I might be mistaken, but it seems to me
like you admire Carole.
Well, you don't have to like a hurricane
to appreciate its ferocity.
Well, heads up. Hurricane
Carole looks to be making landfall.
Think she's got another offer for us?
Either that or it's the first chapter
of her memoirs. I don't know
which would be worse.
- [CHUCKLES]
- CAROLE: Gentlemen.
BULL: Good morning, Carole.
I think we're beyond that,
don't you? How about we wrap this up
and take the day off.
I'm looking for a punch
line, but I can't...
Oh, wait, there it is.
$ million. You can't be serious.
CHUNK: We have
seriously injured victims.
One of them is dead.
My clients included seven warning labels
on their devices and packaging.
Well beyond industry standards.
What else could they have done?
I don't know. For starters, maybe
sell a product that doesn't k*ll people?
Mr. Palmer,
you're new to the class action game,
but Bull and I have been
around the block
more times than we would like to admit,
and we both know how expensive
it is to try these cases.
My guess is that TAC is starting
to feel the bite.
Put yourself out of your misery.
Take the offer.
You know, I think you and I
went to different charm schools,
'cause that wouldn't have been
my approach.
But I
have an eye for juries,
and I like this one.
All I need is one juror.
One juror on my side,
and I hang the whole damn thing.
And then guess what?
We do this whole thing all over again.
You pay more experts, more court fees,
not to mention more time down the drain.
- No one's hanging my jury.
- Can you afford to find out?
I'm racking up billable hours
no matter what. You...
You are on contingency.
You lose, you get nothing.
Think about it.
- So?
- There's nothing to think about.
PATRICK: We quit smoking
over two years ago.
One day, I came home from work, and...
Sophia was looking
out the back window at Tess.
She was growing up so fast.
And Sophia, she wanted
to be around for all of it.
Tess' marriage.
When she had children.
And that's when we quit.
CHUNK: But she didn't quit, did she?
She started vaping,
using the Smokestack vape pen.
Isn't that right?
PATRICK: She slipped. I-It happens.
I'm sure she'd have preferred
a cigarette.
I-I'm positive she chose to vape
because she thought it was safer.
But it wasn't safer, was it?
No. It wasn't.
It k*lled her.
No further questions, Your Honor.
CAROLE: Mr. Echols,
do you recognize these?
Yeah, they're chargers from our home.
Correct. This
is the authorized
Smokestack Labs charger
that came with your wife's
vape pen, and this
is your daughter's phone charger.
And which of these
was plugged into the vape pen
that malfunctioned
on the day of your wife's death?
The white one.
Let the record reflect
that the plaintiff
indicated the nonauthorized
third-party phone charger.
Can you read the warning label
on the authorized charger, please?
"Warning: Use of third-party charger
may result in device malfunction."
CAROLE: Pretty clear.
But your wife chose to
ignore it, didn't she?
I don't think Sophia
chose to ignore anything.
Are you suggesting that someone else
used an unauthorized charger
- to charge your wife's vape pen?
- PATRICK: No.
- That's not what I'm saying.
- BULL: Come on,
- Patrick. Take control of this.
- CAROLE: The fact is
your wife used an unauthorized charger
despite being warned not to do
that very thing. Isn't that right?
The world is full of warnings.
CAROLE: I am not asking
about the world, Mr. Echols.
Just these chargers.
Every time you get gas,
there are warnings on the pump.
But you still pump gas, don't you?
- Here we go.
- CAROLE: I am asking
- the questions, sir.
- Do you deserve to die for pumping gas?
Your Honor, please, instruct
- the witness...
- PATRICK: No, my wife
didn't deserve to die for ignoring
- one stupid warning.
- Mr. Echols.
Your vape pens have
all sorts of warnings
- about the dangers of nicotine.
- Mr. Echols.
- Mr. Echols.
- But you count on your customers
to ignore those warnings, don't you?!
Mr. Echols, enough.
You will restrict your testimony
to the questions asked.
And now he can.
[GRUNTS SOFTLY]
- Uh-oh.
- What?
Marissa, remind me how pregnant
juror number five is again.
weeks and counting. Why?
[SIGHS] Well, let's just hope
she can keep the rocket
on the launchpad a little while longer.
The alternate juror
is not be our friend.
- Hey, Chunk.
- Hey.
I think I may have found
a new witness for you.
Who?
Follow me.
All right.
This guy. Dennis LaBrie.
Former Smokestack Labs engineer.
Worked in the charger division.
If anybody can tell us
what Smokestack knew
about their chargers,
Dennis is the one.
Why him?
I found an archived copy
of Smokestack's website.
This is their engineering staff chart.
- See Dennis there?
- Sure.
Mm-hmm.
This is the web page they have up now.
- Notice anything?
- Yeah, your engineer's gone.
Wiped clean
from their site just two days
after the class action was filed.
Okay, well, maybe he just
went and got a new job.
- Maybe it's just a coincidence.
- Mm, could be.
But in the thousands of pages
of discovery documents
Smokestack sent over, he's nowhere.
He's not listed in a single R & D report
even though he was on the team
when the charger research was done.
So, looks like Smokestack went
out of their way
to make him disappear.
- That's what I've been saying.
- Okay.
Well, it sounds
like you need to go find him.
You need to get him to talk to us,
- and you need to do it fast.
- [CHUCKLES]
That part's
usually more of a Danny thing.
Yeah. But, uh, unless he's in a hospital
in Florida,
it sounds like it's got to be
a Taylor thing.
Okay.
I spoke to Louis,
the marshal in the courtroom.
He said that juror number five
asked him for an antacid.
So, thankfully, no premature labor.
Just good, old-fashioned indigestion.
Thank God. Our alternate juror
- is a real "do not pass go" situation.
- Yeah.
But you... nice work
- today, Counselor.
- [CHUCKLES]
Patrick's testimony was very impactful.
Thank you. Well, I'm not gonna lie.
It was a good day.
Have a few more days like this,
and we may just meet
that contingency threshold after all.
Uh, what threshold?
Bull didn't tell you?
There is a contingency threshold?
Doesn't anyone say hello anymore?
We have to win over
$ million in damages,
or we get nothing.
Not nothing. Five percent.
Uh, that's practically nothing.
Compared to % like a
normal contingency case,
- which I thought we were getting.
- Well, plaintiffs started
to look at other representation.
I had to sweeten the pot.
Sweetening the pot is lowering
our fee to % or %, not five.
Well, the agreements are signed.
- There is nothing we can do now.
- Okay.
Well, given the financial situation,
I really think we need to talk
about my proposal.
This isn't the best time.
We have this great predictive algorithm
to analyze jury behavior.
No one else has anything like it.
We can lease it out to other firms,
and I'll still be running
the analytics from TAC.
You want to rent out the algorithm?
To bring in revenue,
shore up our finances, yes.
Winning the case is gonna
shore up our finances.
I can't do this right now. We got to put
the CEO of Smokestack
on the stand tomorrow.
Chunk and I are preparing his cross.
You bet the farm, Bull.
For all of us.
And it never even crossed
your mind to talk to us about it.
Talk to me.
My mistake. I didn't realize
I had to run all my business decisions
past you. You're still
getting paid, right?
You know that's not the point.
Oh, it is exactly the point.
Everybody's getting paid,
and I'm the only one
with anything to worry about.
Yeah, my mistake. I thought
we were all in this together.
[DOOR CLOSES]
IZZY: It's : in the morning.
That explains the whole
"sun not being up" thing.
[SIGHS] I swear you're becoming
a worse sleeper than Astrid.
And I cry more,
but I'm working on that part.
[CHUCKLES]
Is that TAC's balance sheet?
Unfortunately, yeah.
Well, I've seen enough of those
to know that that much
red is not a good thing.
[BREATHES DEEPLY]
I know.
Marissa warned me.
I've just been so busy.
I didn't want to believe
it was that bad.
Are we talking "pack up the
car and move to Mexico" bad?
No. Although that is not a bad plan B.
I'm just gonna have to take money
out of my personal account,
put it into TAC
until this case resolves.
Uh, okay... [SIGHS]
I'm not gonna touch
our retirement accounts
or Astrid's education. It's just...
Or my money?
[CHUCKLES]: Or your money.
Of course.
You know why you're doing this,
right?
Taking on one of the biggest cases
of your career?
Because it's a game-changing payday
when we win.
No.
It's not about the money
for you. It's about the win.
You know, it's only been
a few months since Astrid was kidnapped,
and that knocked us both for a loop.
I'm past all that.
I know.
It's just that when you're used
to being king of the mountain
and you get knocked down,
sometimes you look
for the biggest, baddest bear to wrestle
just to prove that you're on top.
I do like the idea of me wrestling
a bear on top of a mountain,
but that's not what this is about.
This is about helping people.
Hmm.
I'm gonna go back to bed.
Okay.
You know, just be careful, babe.
Sometimes the bear wins.
You know what a chop block is?
- Some kind of football thing?
- Yeah.
When you hit a guy in the
legs and someone else comes
and hits him up top. Tear
him apart, basically.
- Mm.
- You know what I'm gonna do to
Smokestack's CEO on cross today?
- Chop block him.
- [CHUCKLES]
- And love every minute of it.
- Excuse me.
Well, keep talking like that,
we might win this thing.
Yeah.
HOPKINS: Mr. Palmer,
Dr. Bull, a word.
Something tells me this isn't
gonna be a friendly chat.
Ms. Atkins and I
were just having
a fascinating conversation.
One of your plaintiffs, Rebecca Healy,
called Ms. Atkins last night
and attempted to negotiate
her own settlement.
We...
- We apologize, Your Honor.
- Oh, oh, oh,
it gets better.
When Ms. Atkins explained
that as defense counsel,
she was barred from speaking
to a member of the class,
do you know what your client did next?
She ambushed me outside my chambers
as I arrived this morning
asking to be excused from the class
because her concerns are being ignored.
And according to Ms. Healy,
she's not the only one
who feels this way.
Your Honor, we've spoken
with Ms. Healy multiple times
about how class action litigation works.
At the class certification hearing,
you two assured me
the victims were all in the same boat,
unified in what they wanted.
But from what I'm seeing,
no one's rowing in the same direction.
Get your clients under control,
or I will decertify this class.
- Am I understood?
- Absolutely, Your Honor.
BULL: I know you're frustrated.
You want results.
The process is slow, and I get it.
But you cannot talk to the judge.
You can't talk to the defense attorney.
I had to talk to someone.
You won't listen to me.
Do you know what happens if the
judge decertifies this class?
He'll declare a mistrial,
and it all starts over.
Good. I can negotiate my own settlement.
- No.
- It might not be as much money,
but at least I'll get it faster.
Get my son his surgery faster.
That is not true, Rebecca.
A mistrial means
you have to get a new attorney.
You have to go through
discovery again.
They're not just gonna
write you a check.
- It's not how it works.
- I'm just trying
to get my son his surgery.
- I know.
- No, you don't.
Do you know why I had to
ask you to meet me outside?
Ronnie won't let me bring
anyone up to the apartment.
He's too ashamed.
- He doesn't want anyone to see him.
- [EXHALES]
When the vape pen exploded...
The damage it did to his face...
[CLEARS THROAT]
He won't go to school.
He hasn't left the apartment in months.
He's afraid of what people
are gonna say about him.
Do you have any idea
what it's like to watch
your child be hurt like that?
And be helpless to do anything?
It's just the two of you, huh?
You and Ronnie.
That's a lot of pressure.
I want to help you
take some of that pressure off.
You're not alone.
Stick with me on this.
I promise you, we are gonna win.
[SIGHS] We have to win.
TAYLOR: I need help.
- MARISSA: Wh-What's the matter?
- I'm not Danny.
Okay, you're gonna have to be
a little more specific.
Chunk asked me to track down
this former Smokestack Labs engineer,
Dennis LaBrie. I called him.
I texted him. I DM'd him. Radio silence.
I finally found out
he's got a new job as a manager
at a Cable Warriors.
So I came here,
told one of the guys
at the help desk that I bought
a lemon laptop and needed
to speak with the manager,
but it completely backfired.
How?
He offered me a new laptop.
I didn't even buy my laptop here.
So, I made up some weird excuse
and ran away,
and now I have no idea
how to get to Dennis LaBrie.
Well, you need to figure it out today.
If we can't call him
as a rebuttal witness tomorrow,
we'll be heading
into closing arguments,
and then it's too late.
Thank you, Marissa.
I wasn't stressed enough.
Yeah. Got it. I'm sorry.
So, uh, okay, you're not Danny.
You're Taylor. What's Taylor good at?
[SIGHS]
[ALARM BLARING]
Mr. LaBrie.
Thank God. I can't get them to turn off.
For Pete's sake, just...
go back to the help desk.
- Dennis LaBrie?
- Yeah.
Try control, six, underscore, ampersand.
[BLARING STOPS]
How did you...
Do you need a job?
No. My name is Taylor Rentzel. I've been
trying to reach you.
I'm working on behalf
of a class of plaintiffs
who are suing Smokestack.
Wait. You did this?
Sorry. I really needed to talk to you.
You're the lady who's been calling me
about Smokestack Labs.
Well, you know, I hope
that you take those bastards
to the cleaners.
They fired me for telling the truth.
Now I'm stuck having to commute
to Jersey every day.
Any chance that truth
had something to do
with how dangerous the vape pens are?
That's right. I told Clayton himself
that if people used the wrong charger,
they could get hurt.
But no, he was more interested
in saving a buck.
Clayton. Arnold Clayton,
Smokestack's CEO?
Yes, ma'am.
You told him using unauthorized
chargers was dangerous?
I told him people could get k*lled.
And this was
before anyone had been hurt?
Before the product
even shipped. It was obvious.
I-I can't tell you how helpful
you could be to this case.
Will you testify about this in court?
Yeah. No, I can't do that.
TAYLOR: He signed an NDA as part
of his severance agreement,
and Smokestack
- wasn't messing around.
- BULL: How bad is it?
There's a $ , penalty
if he breaches the NDA.
Okay. Tell LaBrie we'll cover
the $ , if Smokestack
- comes after him.
- We will?
- Yeah, we will. Thanks, Taylor.
- Bull.
It's gonna look like we're
buying this guy's testimony.
No. We are allowed to pay
for a witness', uh,
expenses, for instance.
And if he gets sued,
that's just an expense.
The expenses exemption was designed
for things like a hotel room
or a plane ticket.
Now, it may not be
technically unethical,
but we're skirting the line.
Carole's about to rest her case,
and we are losing, so
we have to call Dennis
as a rebuttal witness.
It's our best sh*t.
[INDISTINCT RADIO TRANSMISSION]
- What happened?
- WOMAN: A delivery guy
on one of those electric bikes
came zipping out of nowhere
and hit some poor man.
- No.
- God, I hate those things.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
That's one of our jurors.
Was one.
There's no way he's coming back
today. Or tomorrow.
The alternate is terrible for us.
Carole just got her one juror.
So...
Apparently, couple of you
thought it was a good idea
to go to a party
the night before a game.
[SCOFFS]
So I guess the contract you all signed
doesn't mean a damn thing.
Meet our newest juror,
Coach Randall Hughes.
You think the rules
are just suggestions? Hmm?
Hmm? Playing's a privilege.
You just lost it.
We're forfeiting the game.
[BOYS SIGH]
I said it before, and I'll say it again.
Actions have consequences.
Fan of bluegrass music.
Despiser of victim culture.
For the last years, he's been
head coach at Tatum High School.
CHUNK: Think it's safe to
say he's more Bobby Knight
- than Ted Lasso.
- Yeah.
He's all about following the rules
and paying the price
- when you don't.
- CHUNK: I mean,
he's just one guy.
Maybe the other jurors
can get him to come around.
He doesn't seem
much like a "come around" guy.
BULL: Well, maybe the key is not
to change his thinking but embrace it.
Most coaches don't like cheaters.
No, they don't.
Dennis LaBrie is about to testify
that Smokestack knew
that their customers
could be seriously injured.
He's proof that they were trying
to cheat their way
out of accountability.
I can say it.
Maybe it'll convince Coach Hughes.
Hmm. Where's Marissa?
She should be here for this.
I think she's with some
people in the mock courtroom.
What people?
Our software is a predictive tool
that can help you anticipate how juries
will react to opening and
closing arguments, witnesses,
evidence, even how
they will decide cases.
We have been using and refining
this algorithm
at TAC for over a decade,
and now we will be making
this tool available to you.
Marissa? Excuse me?
Everyone, I think you
know Dr. Jason Bull.
Hey there.
Can I borrow you for just a moment?
I'll be right back.
Excuse me, I need the room.
Thank you.
What are you doing?
Trying to protect TAC.
Trying to protect you.
The Smokestack case is a huge gamble.
We need some insurance.
Right now, this Smokestack case is TAC.
Tomorrow we are putting our most
important witness on the stand.
We have a bum juror in the box.
I need everybody to stay focused.
And what I don't need is
somebody going behind my back.
I didn't go behind your back.
I've been in front of you
the whole time.
You just refuse to see me.
Well, I see you now.
Get your head in my game.
'Cause that's the one we got to win.
♪
You okay?
Sure. Have a good night.
See you tomorrow.
You're not okay.
I'm... having a moment.
It'll pass.
This have anything
to do with the presentation
Bull cut short today?
Oh, yes and no.
I said it was our algorithm.
But it isn't. It's mine.
I created it.
I know. Everyone knows that.
Do they?
I'm not sure Bull does, sometimes.
After Benny left,
I thought he would offer me this office.
But it's been months,
and it just sits here empty.
Bet he never even thought about it.
You should ask him.
I could. I just...
I thought it was obvious.
I guess he didn't.
Maybe with the kidnapping and...
everything that's
been going on, he just...
Maybe.
Like I said, I was just having a moment.
Let's get out of here.
CHUNK: And what was your concern?
DENNIS: I realized that
there was a design flaw.
If you used third-party chargers,
the battery could overheat dramatically.
And what would be the result
of this dramatic overheating?
DENNIS: Well, when the batteries
get too hot, they explode.
So you don't need to be a genius to know
that people were gonna get hurt.
S-Seriously hurt.
So what did you do?
I took it straight to the top.
I told him.
Let the record reflect
the witness just pointed
to Arnold Clayton,
the CEO of Smokestack Labs.
Now, what exactly did you say
to Mr. Clayton?
Well, I explained
the problem to Mr. Clayton
and I offered a simple solution.
We could make a unique charging port
that isn't compatible
to third-party chargers.
Problem solved.
Unique charger port.
W-What's that mean?
Well, the port is essentially the socket
on your device
where you connect your charger.
Smokestack Labs Vape Pens
are all compatible
with the industry-standard
micro USB chargers.
Micro USBs are used
for pretty much everything.
Phone, camera.
That's why it's so easy
for people to use the wrong charger.
And so how did Mr. Clayton react
when you proposed making
this unique charger port?
DENNIS: He sh*t it down.
Said it would be too expensive
and it would turn off our customers.
Did he propose an alternative?
Yeah. A cheaper one.
Adding a battery warning light
to the vape pens, but nobody
pays any attention to warning lights.
I told him people could get hurt.
And what happened next?
They fired me.
CHUNK: No further questions, Your Honor.
What are you seeing on your end?
MARISSA: Dennis' testimony
is definitely landing.
Even with Coach Hughes.
He might just come around after all.
CAROLE: Mr. LaBrie,
at this meeting with Mr. Clayton,
the charger port
was not the only concern
- you brought up, was it?
- I'm not sure.
There was a lot going on.
Let me see if I can refresh your memory.
Do you remember bringing up
the poor quality of the toilet paper
in the third-floor bathroom?
DENNIS: Uh,
I don't remember exactly, but
they were using very cheap products.
It was a health concern.
Hmm. And the rattling vent
over your work station,
which you described
to Mr. Clayton in some detail?
- Was that a health concern, too?
- Well, it made it
very difficult to get anything done.
It was affecting my productivity.
CAROLE: Right.
And the "illegal"
use of the microwave for popcorn?
There were signs everywhere,
and that smell...
It permeated everything.
CAROLE: And after the
meeting with Mr. Clayton,
you followed up with a call to him
and seven other
top Smokestack executives
to alert them to all these
issues, including...
And I believe this was your phrase...
The "nefarious" popcorn situation.
- Do I have that right?
- No.
No, y... You're making me sound silly.
These were important matters.
These were important matters.
And-and-and the entire executive team...
They ignored it. I had to bring it up.
I had to.
I had to.
CAROLE: Nothing further, Your Honor.
CHUNK: It would've been nice to know
that Dennis was a crackpot
before we put him on the stand.
MARISSA: Taylor didn't have
enough time to ferret out
anything other than
what he wanted us to know.
We all knew he was a Hail Mary.
And Hail Marys usually fail.
Unfortunately, Dennis' testimony
isn't our only problem.
Everyone's favorite juror,
Coach Randall Hughes,
is a natural leader.
He may even end up as the jury foreman.
He could spread the red.
Great.
So now Carole
may not just hang the jury,
she may win the whole thing.
We still have one sh*t: Your closing.
I've been working
on a couple different versions.
Well, the mirror jurors
are downstairs waiting.
So if you want to test them out,
they're ready.
Bull?
Send the mirror jurors home.
You both should go home, too.
You don't want to test the closing?
No. We've all been working hard.
I think the most important thing
is to get some rest.
It'll do us all good.
Tommy. Hey, would you do me a favor
and leave the keys to the SUV
with security downstairs.
I'm gonna drive myself home tonight.
Thanks.
[LINE RINGING]
IZZY: There you are.
Astrid and I missed you at bath time.
Yeah, sorry, the...
day got away from me.
Well, the good thing about toddlers
is that they have short memories.
Are you still at work?
Yeah. Uh...
it's just this case.
You sound weird.
Is everything okay?
I may have bet too big.
For the plaintiffs.
For TAC. For us.
I think the bear may be winning.
Come home.
I got a tub of Rocky Road,
and it'll do wonders.
[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
I just have one more thing I got to do.
I'll be home soon. I love you.
I love you, too.
♪
"...the death of Sophia Echols
and catastrophic injuries
"to the other plaintiffs
had nothing to do with them.
That placing a few stickers..."
Ah, I love the smell
of genius in the morning.
[LAUGHS]
I think what you're smelling is
a guy that's been up all night
revising his closing argument.
I sent you a copy.
- How do you feel about it?
- Honestly?
I feel pretty good.
I'd say you hit it out of
the park. I have no notes.
No notes?
- No notes.
- But you always have notes.
What's the matter with you?
I've done everything I can.
It's out of my hands now.
HOPKINS: Has the jury reached a verdict?
HUGHES: We have, Your Honor.
Will the foreman read the verdict?
HUGHES: We the jury in the above
entitled case find the defendant,
Smokestack Labs...
negligent.
The jury awards damages
to the plaintiffs
in the amount of $ million dollars.
BOTH: Oh, my God!
[CHEERING, CLAMORING]
HOPKINS: Jurors,
the Court thanks you for your service.
The jury's dismissed.
What?! [LAUGHS]
[CHEERING, CLAMORING]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Oh, thank you
for hanging in there with me.
It will take a few months
for the settlement to be distributed.
That's okay.
Just knowing there's a light
at the end of the tunnel.
Yeah, well...
in the meantime.
What's this?
An advance on your settlement.
For Ronnie's surgery.
[CHUCKLES]
Oh, my goodness.
Thank you.
You may want to hold off
on spending any more
of that judgement money.
I'm already working up an appeal.
I would expect nothing less.
I'll see you around, Bull.
See you around, Carole.
♪
♪ And I been takin' care
of business every day ♪
♪ Takin' care of business...
Is that caviar?
Yeah. We can afford it.
We just won a $ million judgement.
Man, I do not get tired of saying that.
I heard a rumor
we're all getting bonuses.
It's not a rumor.
All I've been able to think about
since they the verdict is that money.
What are you gonna do with yours?
Mauricio really wants
the Lego Death Star
which costs, like, a month's rent.
- Right, of course.
- So I thought I'd splurge on that.
- And some orthodonture.
- Hmm.
- What about you?
- Well, now I feel selfish
'cause all I'm doing with mine
is buying Giants season tickets.
I think we've both always known
I'm a... superior being.
♪ If you get in with the right
bunch of fellows ♪
[LAUGHS]
♪ People see you having fun
♪ Just a-lying in the sun
♪ Tell them that you like it
this way... ♪
[CLEARS THROAT] Hey.
You are going to the party, right?
Oh, uh... yeah, of course.
Congratulations again.
It's a huge win.
You really pulled it off.
We... really pulled it off.
♪ Takin' care of business...
Marissa, look, I couldn't have do...
CHUNK: Hey, Bull.
I just got a call
from the court clerk's office.
Judge Hopkins wants to see us.
What? When?
Right now.
[KNOCKS]
Judge Hopkins.
Carole.
Hello, everybody.
What's the FBI doing here?
There's been a development
in the Smokestack class action.
What's the development?
The U.S. Attorney's Office received
an anonymous tip that there
had been interference with the jury.
One of the jurors...
Randall Hughes...
Said that he'd been bribed.
Bribed? By who?
- By you.
- [LAUGHS] What?
Yeah, that-that's ridiculous. Wha...
You're just gonna take
the word of this juror?
AGENT: We have corroborating
evidence that
Dr. Bull made direct
contact with this juror.
HOPKINS: To answer your
earlier question, Dr. Bull,
I'm afraid the agents are here
to take you into custody.
AGENT: Dr. Jason Bull,
you're under arrest for the crime
of jury tampering. You have
the right to remain silent.
- Anything you say... I
-'ll just, I-I'll follow you downtown
and we'll handle all
of this at the station.
No. Go to my apartment,
tell Izzy what happened.
Don't call her on the phone.
Tell her in person.
Tell her I said everything's
gonna be okay.
Everything's gonna be fine.
♪