04x18 - Watts a Matter?

[bunniefuu]

Previously on "L.A. Law..."

Excuse me?

Let me explain.

A sex therapist renders their services

exclusively in the form of dialogue.

Surrogates are partners.

That is rash, and you know it.

Yeah, well, maybe it's time for me to be rash.

I'm a rich boy, Leland.

I had everything. Everything.

It was easy to forget I was black.

And that's exactly what I did.

Two days on the job,

they're already calling you "The Hanging Judge."

Yeah, well...

I had to sentence a
-year
-old kid

to a life term today.

You didn't have to, Grace.

He'll be paroled in , Michael.

If I wanna take a stand against g*ng v*olence,

I have to be tough about it.

Mm
-hmm.

Anxieties are neither normal or abnormal.

But nudity makes my knees wobble.

What the hell is going on?

I'm not quite sure.

But you know there's only one way for us to find out.

Tomorrow, :,

you and I are gonna get naked, Douglas.

[music]

God, that was spectacular.

You should feel very proud. The progress you've made

in less than two weeks is really remarkable.

Well, I'm grateful for the accelerated program.

When's my next session?

Well, maybe we should talk about

whether another session is even necessary.

You seem to be incredibly focused tonight, Douglas.

I can be better.

Sex isn't about performance.

You know, I didn't get at all nauseous,

and I never once thought of Sheila.

This may seem hard to believe, but I think you've done it.

You've overcome your contempt for your ex
-wife.

You amazed yourself tonight, Douglas.

Yes. Yes, I did.

You took me...

you took me and you established your virility.

You held me in your arms,

and you were the personification of passion.

My face feels hot.

Mm. Uninhibited and powerful.

And tingly.

With a fury of testosterone

surging with me.

I'm surging again.

You are so cured.

[theme music]

[music]

Okay.

Final offer.

We got replacement cost, plus medical,

plus $,.

Which comes to what?

Which come to ,.

They can't replace our home for $..

Well, they've had two different contractors

both giving bids, coming in under .

We're talking about patching up a wall.

New door, new toilet. What about our things?

My mother's old letters, our family albums,

things my kids made.

Edward, your private possessions

have a market value of about $,.

Our private things make up who we are, Mr. Rollins.

Those men came in, they b*at us up.

They ruined our home.

I know, and they're claiming it was an honest mistake.

And that's all they have to say?

They can just trample over family and walk away,

saying "Honest mistake."

They're the police.

Listen, we have a decent case.

They have publically admitted they screwed up. That helps.

But you're suing the Los Angels Police Department.

It'll be tough.

Jenny,

Mother, kids, this affects us all,

so it's a family decision.

Anybody wanna settle?

I think we're gonna fight.

Moving forward, we're all set in the Petranco meeting?

Rosalind and I have it covered.

: this afternoon.

Good. Anybody hear from Jonathon?

Trail starts today, unless they settle.

Let's hope they do.

Be advised, people. Beginning today,

no pro bono or contingency cases

will be accepted without prior approval

of the executive committee.

Excuse me?

This is a fiscal safeguard

designed to mitigate against potential dogs.

Safeguard nothing.

You little executive committee is you Rosalind and Leland.

That means pro bono will be voted down
- every time.

I don't think that's fair, Michael.

I take the cases I want to take, Rosalind.

Yes, we obviously all do.

You took the Earl Williams case

at a half million dollar expense to the firm.

Ann sued the skinhead family that cost us another ,.

I doubt if we will ever get paid

for Victor's m*rder defense of the baby
-k*lling parents.

And Jonathon's litigation this week

is a liability as well.

Now, it's one thing to do occasional pro bono work.

I'm all for it.

But we have got to exercise a little common business sense.


-I agree.
-Hear, hear.

What I wanna know is, who made up the executive committee?

I did, within my authority as senior partner.

Let's not overdose on authority, Rosalind.

Move along, Douglas.

Douglas: That's all. We're adjourned.

This is it? Your fancy office?

Shut up.

Now I can see why you left the P.D.'s office.

Look at this, a desk and a rug.

So come on, you really brought suit against this liquor company?

It's a good cause of action, Victor.


-year
-old dentist,

moderate to occasional drinker, never to excess,

cirrhosis of the liver, dead.

And you can prove that is was the booze that k*lled him?

I've got two forensic pathologists who can prove it.

And it gets better.

years, the guy drank only one thing,

Noelsted's Blended.

Which means I don't have to argue any market share theory.

I can go after an individual manufacturer.

Jimmy, you know that nobody has ever nailed a liquor company for this.

That's because all the previous cases

involved chronic alcoholics.

My guy was a moderate drinker.

I've got enough character witnesses to fill Dodger Stadium.

No preexisting liver condition, no comparative negligence,

no assumption of a risk.

We've got a widow with two children.

This is a perfect test case.

Prefect. So why do you need me?

Because I'm a bum, remember?

Come on.

And because I'm a solo practitioner

up against a giant law firm.

I need your resources to fight 'em back.

Come on, Victor. You and me, a team again.

Just like the old days. We'll knock 'em dead.

I would have to run this by our executive committee,

but, yeah, yeah, I think I'm in.

Great!

Settlement conference tomorrow.

This is gonna be good, Victor. This is gonna be good.

[door opens and closes]

Tell me, Mrs. Manley, where we you at the time, ma'am?

I was sitting in my easy chair reading the paper.

All of a sudden, I heard someone outside saying,

"Los Angeles Police Department.

You have seconds to open the door."

A split second later, they broke it down.

How many of them were there, ma'am?

At least , every one of them with a g*n.

My son asked what the wanted.

One of them put a g*n to his head

and asked where we kept the dr*gs.

What was your son's response?

He told him that there were no dr*gs.

And what did the officer do?

He threw him down, put one foot on his neck

and called him a liar.

He said one way or another, they'd find those dr*gs.


-Did you try to talk to them?
-Yes.

I told them that they must have come to the wrong address.

Sure.

And how did they respond?

One of them just knocked me to the floor.

What were the other officers doing at this time, ma'am?

They had sledgehammers and these big iron bars.

They broke our sink.

They broke our bathtub.

We had a piano in the living room.

When they got through with it,

all that was left was a pile of sticks.

Did they ever find any dr*gs?

No!

No, but they did arrest you.

Yes, they did.

They said we interfered with them.

My grandchildren were in their pajamas.

My son was in his jockey shorts.

They handcuffed us and marched us outside,

in front of all of our neighbors.

But I said to the children,

"Hold your heads up.

You haven't done anything wrong."

Thank you, Mrs. Manley.

I have nothing further.

Mrs. Manley,

did the police have a warrant?

They waved some piece of paper at us when they came in.

They said it was a warrant.

And they were right.

Tell us, were they any firearms present in your house?

I didn't think it was against the law

to keep a g*n in your house.

Please, just answer yes or no.

My son kept a g*n in the house.

I asked that this be marked for identification

as Defense Exhibit One.

Judge: Fine.

Let the record indicate it to be a Browning a*t*matic

outfitted with a
-sh*t clip.

The parties have stipulated that said w*apon

was recovered fully loaded from the plaintiff's home.

So indicated.

Your daughter
-in
-law assaulted

one of the officers present, didn't she?

The officer who threw me to the floor.

That officer pushed you to the floor

after you failed to comply with his instructions

and appeared to be reaching under a cushion.

I didn't reach under any cushion.

Your son, your daughter
-in
-law, your grandchildren,

they were all screaming obscenities, weren't they?

They were watching our home be destroyed!


-What would you have done?
-That's right!


-What was she supposed to do?
-Quiet!

Maybe if you had been a little more cooperative

that wouldn't have been necessary.

We were five people, scared to death,

watching an army of madmen destroy everything we own.


-[audience murmuring]
-I want order in here!

Man: They have no right to be treated like this.

And, Officer Carlson,

you reasonably believe the suspect

to be carrying dr*gs on his person?

Yes, and that's why we were about to search him.

And what happened?

Well, as soon as she realized

that we were bout to frisk him,

he just took off.

And we went in pursuit on foot.


-Eventually catching him.
-Yes.

He, uh, ran down a dead
-end ally,

and we cornered him.

The next thing I remember is

I saw the g*n.

He produced a g*n.

"He" being the minor?

Yes, ma'am.

What then, Officer?

He pointed it...

and he sh*t Walt.

Um...

Walt went down.

Then the suspect pointed his w*apon at me.

And?

I discharged my firearm,

wounding the suspect in the leg.

Even though he just fatally sh*t your partner,

you aimed at his leg?

Well, he's a little kid.

Your Honor, the officer's aim isn't really relevant here.

Sustained. What happened next, Mr. Carlson?

I ran back to my unit,

I radioed "Officer down, in need of assistance."

Then I came back and I, uh...

and I held Walt.

He was just looking up at me like...

he didn't even know what happened.

And...

Then I held him in my arms,

and I told him to hang on.

But he didn't.

He d*ed.

Right in my arms.

What was the defendant doing?

I believe he was crying.

I have nothing further.

I have no questions.

You'll never make this stick, and you know it.

He drank, he assumed the risk,

you've got comparative negligence.

Nobody assumes that kind of risk.

You're not the first ones to sue us.

We swat these away like flies.

You brought a motion to dismiss. Ding, you lose.

Motion for summary judgement. Ding, you lose.

Motion in limine, ding, you lose.

You win, we just appeal.

Forgive me, sir, but the longer this goes on,

the longer it stays in the news.

Which just bring more exposure to the fact

that alcohol isn't such a healthy thing.

That's bad for business.

Bad precedent is worse for business.

Ding, ding, ding.

Sounds a little like a cash register, don't it?

Are you having fun?

Look, we can make proximate cause here.

We do have a case.

Now, I understand you do want to avoid

a dangerous precedent,

but the squashing price will be . million, unstructured.

That's ridiculous.

Then we'll see you in court.

Deposition notices for your CEO, your comptroller,

and your director of manufacturing operations.

In answer to your question? Yes, I'm having fun.

[door closes]

From all appearances, you and your men

just might have used a little excess force in this situation.

Wouldn't you agree?

No, ma'am, I would not.

Did you really think these people were dangerous?

When I enter a house on a drug bust,

I assume everyone's dangerous.

A grandmother?

Yep.


-Children?
-Yes, ma'am, children.

Couldn't you stop and assess the situation

without using the methods that you did?

Police officers are most at risk

when they stop and assess the situation.

What were you afraid of, Detective?

Same thing I'm always afraid of, ma'am:

Of being k*lled in the line of duty.

Oh, come on! You gotta be kidding!

Quiet down!

Why did you think that could happen here?

We didn't pick this house at random, okay?

A reliable informant advised us

that rock cocaine was being sold there,

and we assumed that to be the case.

Why did that put in fear of your life?

Well, where's there's rock cocaine,

there's generally people who've been smoking rock cocaine.

There's a*t*matic weapons, att*ck dogs.

We never know what's waiting for us behind those doors.

Given all that, I believe that the conduct

of my fellow officers and myself was entirely correct.

Thank you, Detective. I have no further questions.

Well...

it sounds like this was pretty standard procedure, Detective.

That's right.

Sure, police officers felt threatened,

and they acted accordingly.

Detective: Yes.

Is it fair to say, Detective, that you're more likely

to feel threatened going into a house in Watts

than in a house in Brentwood?

If there was a cr*ck house in Brentwood,

I would approach it exactly the same way.

Woman: Oh, sure! We believe that! Why are you lying?

Now that in enough! I will have order here!

Why do I have this feeling

you'd be more careful in Brentwood, Detective?

Objection!

Why do I think you wouldn't have to trash a house

in order to search it in that part of town?

Listen, counselor,

when we go into a house looking for dr*gs,

we move fast, and we make a lot of noise.

It is policy to scare the hell out of whoever's in there.

It is policy to paralyze them with fear,

to keep them from running away,

to keep them from sh**ting at us.

Is it policy to b*at the crap out of them

when they're not running away

and when they're not sh**ting at you?


-Objection!
-Sustained.

Tell us, did you think these people had dr*gs

in a sealed porcelain bathtub?


-I didn't know.
-Didn't know,

but you destroyed it on the chance that they did.

Did you think they had dr*gs inside of a piano?

Or did you think they had dr*gs inside of their children's toys?

I didn't know.

No, but you destroyed them just in case.

We had a job to do, and we did it.

Your job, Detective, is not to brutalize innocent people!

No, counselor, my job is to go out

and to bring in guilty people, okay?

Now, that's what I thought we were doing.

Did that give you permission to att*ck this family?

Are you willing to go in ahead of me?

Hey, I'll ask the questions here, Detective.

Did you think you had permission?

I don't need permission.

As long as I'm going in first,

I don't need permission.

[audience murmuring]

Judge: Order.

How long had you'd been delivering dr*gs, Felix?

About a year.

Can you tell me why you decided to do this?

I don't know.

Everybody does.

And I got money for it.

Did you know it's against the law?

Yes, ma'am.

I don't do it anymore.

Who was the person that you delivered the dr*gs for?

I'm not supposed to tell.

Who told you not to tell?

Your Honor, he hasn't told us, either.

We know it's an older boy,

and we know that this boy's threatened to k*ll Felix

if he ever reveals his identity.

Is that true, Felix?

Did he say that he would k*ll you if you told us his name?

Yes, ma'am.

Where did you get the g*n?

He gave it to me.

The same boy?

Yes.

Felix, I want you to tell me

why you sh*t the police officer.

Because he was gonna take the cr*ck.

If anybody tries to take the cr*ck,

I'm supposed to sh**t them.

I'm sorry.

Okay, I want to meet with the psychiatrist.

I want to see the school records and the probation report.

Right here, Your Honor.

I'll meet with counsel : A.M. tomorrow

in my chambers.

All right, Felix, you can get down now.

[dog barking, outside]

Okay, I think we're done.

Okay.

Time for more progress.

No, Douglas. Your therapy is completed.

There's no need for any additional treatments.

You mean we're done?

Yes, Douglas. You're fine.

[sighs]

Okay. Good.

That's good.

You know, why don't we go out tonight to celebrate?

No. I make it a strict policy

of never seeing any of my clients socially.

But I just thought
-
-

I mean, we seem to get along so well

that I thought that maybe a break in policy was warranted.

I'm flattered, I really am.

But I explained all this to you in the beginning.

Our relationship is strictly clinical.

Marilyn, Marilyn...

the other day, we were making passionate love together.

I know this is your job

and it's supposed to mean nothing to you, but...

did it mean absolutely nothing?

Of course not.

But emotionally, I have to remain detached.

I explained all of this to you.

But the things we talked about!

God, we talked about everything.

At $ an hour.

Douglas, I enjoyed our sessions.

You're a sweet, fascinating man.

We had prolific sex.

Of course you're gonna find yourself emotionally bonding a little,

but that will pass. Really, it will.

[doorbell rings]

Oh, that's my :.

This is it, then.

Good
-bye.

I wish you the best of luck.

Oh.

Mm.

Hi. Hi, Marilyn.

Hi, Ed. Come on in.

I know I'm early, but I'm anticipating a breakthrough.

Excellent, Ed. Excellent.

What has it been, eight years?

At least, ever since I left Sentry's.

And to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?

Rosalind, you've always known me to be blunt,

and time hasn't changed me.

I'm now general counsel at Noelsted Companies.

You're aware that your firm is in litigation with us.

Yes, I am.

Well, at the risk of seeming inappropriate,

I'd like to solicit your participation.

If you're asking me to do something unethical,

the answer is no.

No such request, I assure you.

I just want you to look at this.

In a nutshell, your co
-counsel, Jimmy Hoffs,

is a struggling solo practitioner,

somewhat deluded, looking for a big home run

which he'll never get.

I don't know Jimmy Hoffs, but I do know Victor Sifuentes.

He's not at all deluded.

If he says he has a case, I believe him.

I know all about Mr. Sifuentes. He's very good.

I've even thought of turning our business over to this firm.

Of course, I can't right now because of the conflict,

but who knows?

If this matter could be settled,

it's something to be considered.

That sounds like a bribe.

No bribe.

I'm just asking you to look at this case.

Unofficially, we'd be willing to go as high as .

If you'd find that a fair offer,

then there's nothing wrong with recommending

the settlement to your client, is there?

I'll look into it.

Excellent.

It'd be great if this could work out for everybody.

[music]

Mrs. Walker, where do you live in relation to the plaintiffs?

Four houses down.

Seems like the police break down doors

in your neighborhood quite a bit.

They do now.

How do you feel about that?

Things being the way they are,

my biggest fear is that they'll stop.

What if they'd come busting through your door?

Well, I hope that doesn't happen.

And I'm sorry that it happened to the Manleys.

But living where we do, though,

I believe that it is the price

that we have to be willing to pay.

You're just saying what they wanna hear!

Judge: I will have order here!

The court officer will remove that man!

You're turning on your own people!

The next person that insists on making a speech

will not only be escorted out

but will be escorted to jail!

Consider this your only warning!

Proceed, counselor.

What makes you willing to pay that price?

I guess I've seen too many children sh*t down

while their mamas watch them play!

So you're willing to tolerate the police

harassing people on the street and breaking down doors?

I beg them to do it!

There were six cr*ck houses on my street!

You couldn't even sit outside!

I know the police make mistakes,

but I also know what they have to deal with.

I know that we cannot afford to make their job

any harder than what it already is.

I have no further questions.

Do you know my clients?

Yes. Yes, I do.

What kind of people are they?

Oh, they're very nice people.

They never sh*t anybody, did they?

No, sir.


-They never sold dr*gs.
-No, they didn't.

Then why would you sit up here

and justify the police treating them like criminals?

When you are in the middle of a w*r,

things like that happen.

Forgive me, ma'am, but we're not in the middle of a w*r.

Martial law hasn't been declared.

The Bill of Rights is still in effect.

And people are still supposed to feel safe in their home.

You are doing very well for yourself, aren't you, Mr. Rollins?

Let's cut the colloquy, folks.

You may be black,

but you don't live where I live.

No, ma'am, but my clients do,

and
-and somehow they still think they had the right

to be safe in their own home.

The police didn't take away that right!

That right was taken away by the criminals

and the dope fiends that live next door!

Move to strike. Non
-responsive.

Judge: Overruled.

You live in a nice, safe neighborhood.

You work in a law firm that is downtown!

I lay down over my babies every night,

night after night,

praying that a burglar won't come through the window!

Nobody's suggesting that the police do nothing, Mrs. Walker.

The question is whether the go after criminals

or just go after blacks.

I have learned that they can't always tell the difference, Mr. Rollins.

And that's all right with you?

Yes, it's all right.

If it keeps me alive!

If it keeps my children alive!

Oh, yes.

That is all right with me.

[crowd murmuring]

Have you got a minute, Victor?

Yeah, sure.

What is the status of your case against the liquor company?

Looks like we'll be going to trial.

But don't you think it's gonna be tough

to sue a liquor manufacturer for an alcohol
-related death?

Yeah, very tough.

But, you know, we can make causation.

We got a pretty good failure to warn count.

I think it has legs.

I don't know.

There is a huge liquor industry in this country,

an industry that will probably band together to try to stop you.

Yeah.

What's going on here, Rosalind?

Victor, I have sources at Noelsted.

Unofficially, I think we can settle this case for .


-And I'd like to
-
-
-Not a chance.

What we have here is a corporate deep pocket

whose product k*lled somebody.

Even so, you are looking to set a precedent,

that Noelsted will spend millions of dollars to prevent.

Exactly. And one of their millions

should end up in their settlement offer.

I'm sorry. In the long run, we can't make any money on this.

Hey, I cleared this through the executive committee.

Recommend a settlement to the client, Victor.

I don't agree with the recommendation.

Now, this is a litigation matter, Rosalind,

so I'll thank you to defer to my judgement.

Excuse me.

Leland: You should have known better, Douglas.

I mean, she was your therapist.

Douglas: I know.

But we just communicated so well.

It was so intimate, so unspoken sometimes.

Who's that?

Arnie: It's me Arnie. What's going on?

Nothing. I think I've fallen in love with my therapist.

Leland: Oh, damn!

Douglas, pass me some paper, will you?

I have only just enough on my roll.

Arnie: Hold on, Leland, I got you.

Douglas: I can certainly understand the reservation.

I mean, I was her patient.

But a flat
-out policy with no exceptions?

Arnie: Douglas, if you want it, go for it.

Don't just sit back and whine.

You're a man, she's a woman. Take charge.

Douglas: Maybe you're right, Arnie.

All right, Leland, coming over the top.

Oh, damn!

Douglas: I'm gonna go talk to her.

Leland: Arnie, can you get another roll?

Here you are.

Oh! Thank you, Benny. Thank you so much.

He's like any other eight
-year
-old kid.

He's guilty of being influenced by the bigger kids on the block.

Except he sh*t a cop, Dennis.

Because that's the block he lives on.

He lives in neighborhood

where kids carry g*ns and sell cr*ck.

Look at the psychiatric reports. They all say the same thing.

Here's a fundamentally good kid

who's a product of his environment.

So what's left for me to do

except change his environment?

Oh, come on, Grace, he's eight years old.

Patty, what are you looking for?

I don't have the slightest idea.

But if we don't put this kid away somewhere,

what's that going to say to all the other kids out there

doling what he was doing?

So we take an eight
-year
-old boy

and just sacrifice him in the name of deterrence.

Feudal deterrence.

Well, we can't just kick him with nothing.

He may be a polite kid, a good student,

but he m*rder*d a cop.

Okay. All right. I've heard enough.

What are you gonna do?

I don't know, Dennis.

I'll take it under advisement,

but right now, I don't know what I'm gonna do.

I'm glad I'm not you.

[chuckles] Yeah.

: tomorrow.

I'm sorry for the intrusion.

I won't take up much of your time.

You can bill me for it if you wish.

Douglas...

I thought I made myself clear.

I agree.

It would be ill
-conceived for you to sustain

a social relationship with a client.

But it's equally unsound for you

to forever exclude the possibility

of such a kinship simply because

of a prior professional arrangement.

Somewhere in all of that I've lost you.

My point is, I'm not your patient anymore.

There's nothing prohibitive about us pursuing a friendship.

It is if that friendship is founded on

a prior, existing therapeutic relationship.

[sighs]

I'm not under your spell here, Marilyn.

If you wanna write off the emotional attraction, fine.


-I'll buy that.
-Douglas
-
-

But I'm also attracted to you,

intellectually and physically,

which has nothing to do with therapy.

I'm standing here objectively

with all my faculties in working order

wanting to get to know you better.

Now if you can't return any of that interest, fine.

I'll walk out of here,

and you'll never see me again.

But if you're simply rejecting me on policy,

then, damn it, I'm digging my heels in

until I can talk you into having dinner with me.

The police invaded their house.

Operation Hammer blew through their door.

They b*at Edward up,

kicking him, cracking his rib.

They knocked his mother to the ground,

breaking her hip.

They handcuffed the kids.

They destroyed everything they could.

And you know the worst part?

This kinda thing happens all the time.

See, the police department in this city

knows that most of us are so afraid,

we'll let them get away with anything.

The result is, you can work hard,

pay your taxes, raise a family,

own your own home even.

But if your skin is black, and you live in Watts,

to the police, you're just another criminal,

and you should expect to be treated accordingly.

Now, somehow, the "liberals" don't seem to care.

Somehow, a good many African Americans

don't seem to care either.

What matters is getting rid of the gangs

and getting rid of the dr*gs, and that's it.

You know, ladies and gentlemen,

a lot of people you wouldn't expect it from

fall right into line.

Whatever the cops wanna do, it's okay with them,

as long as they do something.

Oh, my God.

I think we need to look at what it is they're doing.

Seems to me what matters most in America

is that everybody,

the rich, the poor, the black, the white,

all of us have the same basic rights.

The Constitution's the same in Watts,

or Compton, or Inglewood, as it is in Beverly Hills.

And if you say that it's not,

then we have far more to fear from the police

than all the street gangs on Earth.

They had a valid warrant.

Everything they did was exactly

according to established procedures.

The address on the warrant was wrong.

And what happened to these people

should not have happened,

and you certainly should consider that.

You should also consider this.

There are , g*ng members in Los Angeles County alone.

,.

And they're armed with as*ault r*fles and machine g*ns.

That's why they call it the Drug w*r, ladies and gentlemen.

And as of right now,

we're on the side that's losing.

If we don't allow the police to treat it like a w*r,

we'll be on the side that's lost.

And if you think it's bad now, just wait.

There'll be more dr*gs and more addicts

and more dealers buying more g*ns.

My opponent would accuse me of appealing to fear.

The fact is, we are frightened.

And what we're frightened of is real.

These officers didn't set out to destroy a house

anymore than they set out to violate the Constitution.

And yes, the Constitution makes all of us equally free.

The police department's job is to make all of us equally safe.

They can't accomplish that in Watts

the way they accomplish it in Beverly Hills.

And what most people in Watts know all too well

is that if you're not safe,

you can't be free.

[whispering, indistinct]

It's just that Jimmy Hoffs is my lawyer,

and I guess I'm just confused why he shouldn't be here.

This is very difficult for me.

Normally co
-counsel agree,

and that way they can present a unified front to the client.

Sometimes they disagree.

And this is one of those times?

I'm not saying that I'm right and Jimmy's wrong.

It could be that you'll agree with him

and ask me to back off.

And to be perfectly truthful,

that would make it simple for me.

But I do have an obligation to tell you what I think.

Okay.

First, Jimmy Hoffs is an excellent attorney,

and the fact that he is not perceive as such

is a total mystery to me.

What do you mean, he's not perceived as such?

I have an inside source at Noelsted.

I've been told that they hold him in very low regard

and that as long as he is chief prosecutor here

that the offer will stay at .

Now, personally, I think they're wrong.

I think Jimmy can b*at them

and clip them for
-,.

,?

Jimmy said that we could get million.

Yes. That's where we disagree.

Do you think that million is unrealistic?

It's not impossible, but...

Well, no one has even won this course of action before

much less...

Cynthia, even if you were to get that much,

Noelsted will appeal this forever.

By the time you actually saw the money,

a million
-dollar judgement

would have a present
-day value of ,.

Jimmy never told me that.

Look, I know Jimmy's a little infatuated

with the publicity he could get with this trial,

but he would never mislead a client.

He must have told you.

Um, you think this case is worth what?

Between three and four.

I also think that because of my connections at Noelsted

that I might be able to get that now.

Let me think about this.

Absolutely.

And decide exactly what you're looking for, Cynthia.

If your goal in bringing this lawsuit

is getting a public verdict

and focusing the blame on Noelsted, stay with Jimmy.

He's a great noisemaker.

He's be a perfect attorney for that.

But if you're in this for the money,

you might consider making an adjustment.

May I take your order?

I haven't been a judge very long.,

and I hope I never have another case that

overwhelms me with such a sense of futility

as this one does.

No matter what I do here, nothing gets served.

He is eight years old.

I can ship him off to Youth Authority,

which would have a questionable deterrence factor,

and which could end up making him

much more of a criminal than he is right now.

Or I could send him back to the same neighborhood

where he'll be subject to the same conditions,

the same influences.

The psychiatrists laugh at me

when I talk about rehabilitation

or retribution.

They tell me his is a kid, growing up,

doing the things that kids do...

in his neighborhood.

In Brentwood, it is street hockey and whiffle ball.

In Compton, it is dr*gs and g*ns

Now, his parents... are good people.

They're law
-abiding, they try as hard as they can,

they're just poor.

Which leads me back to my previously stated conclusion.

That no matter what I do,

nothing is served.

Felix, stand up.

I hope to God, young man,

that you realize that because of what you did

a very good man is dead.

And two little boys around your age

now have to grow up without a father.

And I also hope you realize that you could be dead, too.

If Officer Carlson had aimed at your head instead of your leg,

which, under these circumstances,

he was certainly entitled to do,

you won't be so lucky the next time, Felix.

If you continue delivering dr*gs

or carrying g*ns, you will end up dead.

I'm releasing the defendant to his parents custody.

He will be under house arrest for two years,

except for school.

Other than school, he can only leave the house

when accompanied by a parent.

An electronic bracelet will be attached to his ankle

which will monitor his movements.

I am also sentencing the defendant

to a drug education program

to be determined at a later date.

That is my ruling.

We're adjourned.

Mr. Foreman, has the jury reached its verdict?


-We have, Your Honor.
-What say you?

"On the account of wanton destruction of property,

"we find for the plaintiff

and award damages in the amount of $,."

Man: You've got to be kidding!

Order! Order!

"And on the counts of intentional

"and negligent infliction of emotional distress,

"as*ault and battery, and civil rights violations,

we find in favor of the defendant."


-[crowd yelling]
-Order! Sit down! Order!

[bangs gavel] Order!

Now everybody will settle down!

[yelling]

Bailiff! Get this room cleared, now!

Let me go! Let me go!

Judge: Bailiff!

Come on! Come on!

Shut that door!

Get out! Get out!

Hey!

This way! Get in here!


-Everybody all right?
-Yes.


-Is everybody okay?
-Everybody just stay put!

Stay right here!

[crash]

[music]

Cynthia Brown just fired Jimmy Hoffs.

Do you know anything about that?

Yes. I advised her to discharge him.

I also recommended
-
-

Where the hell do you get off going to her?

Don't you talk to me like that.

Jimmy Hoffs built this case.

He did all the legwork on this case.

Jimmy Hoffs was giving bad advice.

And as co
-counsel, it was my obligation

to point that our to the client.

Co
-counsel?

You blindside him! You blindsided me!

I came to you! You wouldn't listen!

That's crap!

Look, I don't know what the hell your game is, lady,

but I'm gonna tell you something point
-blank.

Senior partner or not, I don't trust you.

I warned you once. Don't talk to me like that.

What the hell are gonna do, fire me? Go ahead!

Don't think that I won't!

You have something to say to me,

you come into this office like a civilized human being

and we will discuss it!

But charge in here again, shouting at me,

and I will guarantee you I'll fire you!

[laughs]

I had a great time tonight, Douglas.

I really did.

Does this mean you might possible consider

breaking policy again tomorrow night?

Douglas, are you sure you know what you're doing?

Meaning what?

Meaning are you sure you wanna risk

getting involved with someone who does

what I do for a living?

You don't take your work home with you at night, do you?

Listen, I like you, Marilyn.

I like talking to you, I like being with you.

You know something?

For all of my professional experience,

it's been almost two years since I've been out

with a man on a purely social level,

and believe it or not,

I am nervous.

You are?

Yeah, I hope I don't become flatulent.

[laughs]

I don't think there was anything therapeutic about that one.

No, there wasn't.

[elevator dings]


-Hi.
-Can I help you?

Yeah, I was one of the lawyers today

in Room where the riot was.

Some of my papers are missing.

I was told everything's still in there?

Oh, yeah. Everything's still in there all right.

Okay. Thanks.

Your Honor?

Mr. Rollins?

What are you doing?

I'm sitting here...

looking at my courtroom.

Why?

Because a little bit of what's out there came inside today,

and I think it would be good for me to recognize that.

I gave a speech last week at the Bar Association,

and I said that the American courtroom

is a reflection of society,

and society is a reflection of it.

Hmph.

Pretty funny, huh??

Yeah.

[theme music ]