06x03 - Do The Spike Thing

[bunniefuu]

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

I will not consider renting space to Susan Bloom.

Her practice is phenomenal.

She represents half of Hollywood,

and she's willing to pay top dollar.

They call her Jaws, Douglas.

Together, we're Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

She had the sex, he had the class.

If you mean a merger, that's out of the question.

I like to co
-habit before I get married.

We, uh, share space, see what happens.

You're just looking for a conviction

to insulate the department from a civil suit.

That's not gonna happen.

Then we got another problem.

See, the grandmother that was r*ped,

we showed her your picture.

With others, of course.

And while she couldn't conclusively ID you as the r*pist,

she couldn't rule you out, either.


-How's Zoey doing?
-Zoey?

She's the DA. She's also my ex wife.

You can't win this, Tommy. Don't try to be a hero.


-The kid needs a hero.
-Tommy.

Look, Zo, I'm sorry.

I know I got no right puttin' you in the middle.


-Yeah.
-But this thing.

It's just a little hard to walk away from.

ZOEY: I'm coming forward as an officer of the court

to prevent what I believe to be

a gross violation of the judicial process.

Bruce Rogoff abused his power,

Jonathan Rollins is an innocent man.

Sometimes it's hard to believe that

you were such a God awful wife.

'Cause you are still the greatest person

that I ever met.

You are such a bad influence.

I know.


-DOUGLAS: Mm
-mm!
-MAN: I knew you'd appreciate it.

I'd give it an ..

This place must be the best kept secret in town.

Douglas, there's a reason why I wanted to have dinner here.

Aren't we celebrating?

My citation from the Bar?

A well
-deserved honor.

[glasses clink]

But I also needed to discuss something personal.

Fire away. What are friends for?

Douglas, I'm gay.


-What?
-I'm gay.

Bob, please.

It's no secret, not here.

I know it's a shock hearing it like this.

Or maybe not, Marilyn had suspected for years.

You told your ex wife?

I wasn't sure how the kids would handle it.

You told your kids?

I want to tell everyone who's close to me.

Why are you telling me?

You're my oldest friend.

I've always admired you.

Ever since we were roommates our freshman year
-
-

Now, hold on. For me,

our friendship has been strictly heterosexual male bonding.

I'm not interested in being propositioned.

I'm not propositioning you.

I'm not attracted to you.

Oh.

I only wanted you to know because it's who I am.

I hope you can accept it.

Well, certainly. It's your right.

And I hope you'll meet my lover, Bill.

We're planning a spring wedding.

It would mean a lot to me if you'd be my best man again.

That could be the weekend I have the kids.


-They'd be welcome.
-We'll see.


-Sorry.
-You're gonna be, sucker.

Hey, what are you doing?

You keep your f*g face outta here, q*eer.

[grunting]

♪♪ [theme]

♪♪

Well, in addition to the broken nose,

he suffered facial bruising and a cracked rib.


-How much did they get?
-ANN: Oh, my God.

LELAND: Well, robbery was apparently not the motive.

He had $ in his wallet when he was admitted to Cedars.

Where did this happen?

West side, outside a restaurant, Androcles?


-Androcles?
-You know the place.

Uh, yeah, it rings a bell.

So is he gonna miss his own awards luncheon?

LELAND: Well, I hope not.

If his condition remains stable,

they'll let him come home tomorrow.

In his absence, we'll keep this brief.


-Roxanne.
-Okay, first up, we
-
-

Oh, by the way. Word is, the board of supervisors

has completed its investigation of Mr. Rogoff.

As of today, our District Attorney is history.

[cheering]

Rogoff's final appeal was rejected?

He withdrew his appeal and got to keep his pension.

Hey, when did your ties with the DA's office

get better than mine?


-Hey, what a relief for Zoey, huh?
-ROXANNE: Moving along
-
-


-Oh, yeah, you bet.
-Can we get started, Roxanne?

Good idea. Uh, Paul vs. Humboldt Logging.

Oh, yes, that's the sawmill accident.

ANN: I'm down to my last motion.

Ann, they gonna revoke your Sierra Club membership

because you're defending loggers?

This time, the logging company is not at fault.

The tree spiker caused the accident.


-BILLY: Tree spiker?
-An activist that drives nails into trees

to keep them from being cut down.

An activist? He's a t*rror1st.


-He also our co
-defendant.
-Oh, no.


-Can we move on, people?
-Thanks for the encouragement, guys.

Okay, people, listen up!

Now, Jonathan's got the McFarland deposition,

CJ's got Jackson vs. Foo, Tommy, you're downtown on the Velascos arraignment.

Okay, an questions? That's it, we're adjourned.

[indistinct chatter]

MAN: Who's representing Miss Johnson?

I just got Hansen to OR my client on a third offense.

If I'm ever up for m*rder, you're my first call.

I got your message.

Oh, yeah, I know we said we'd hang on to the lot,

but the offer is thou,

that's almost, what, double what we paid in '.

I need to sleep on it, Tommy.

Real estate in Mammoth is still going up.

Can't bring yourself to sell our last piece of joint property?

Hey, I'm still trying to profit, somehow, from our marriage.

JUDGE: Mr. Mullaney.

You're a member of the Bar panel, aren't you?


-You know I am, your honor.
-Well, it appears

this young lady is without representation.

The PD's swamped right now.

Sure, I'll take it on.

Anything to get you out of the office.

JUDGE: The court appreciates your assistance.

Miss Johnson is charged with felony possession of narcotics.

Bail is set at $,.

Request a continuance to consult with Ms. Johnson

before entering a plea.

I'm pleadin' guilty, I don't need to consult.

Miss, you need to talk to Mr. Mullaney.

I can't make any bail, and I'm pleadin' guilty.

JUDGE: Much as I'd like to clear my calendar,

we need to do this by the book.

Mr. Mullaney will explain.

Continuance is granted until tomorrow.

Now, I'm gonna read your file,

and then we can talk about your plea.

I told you my plea.


-Guilty.
-WOMAN: Come with me, ma'am.


-Oh, you're early.
-Lambchops.

Ah, look at you, look at you.

And look at this place. I presume you negotiated

your own pact with the Devil.

I thought your flight got in tonight, Dad.

Oh, I cancelled the MGM Grand.

I had a nightmare I was stuck in a perpetual audition

at , feet with a hoard of schoolboys in short pants.

They turned out to be producers.

So I woke up in a cold sweat, and changed my ticket.

New comedy closed out of town?

Uh, mercifully, yes, Lambchops.

Daddy, I have a name.

I also have a hellish day, hm?

So how about drinks later?


-Nope, I've given it up.
-Oh?

How about you join me at the Polo Lounge for breakfast tomorrow?

Your staying at the Beverly Hills?

Well, you know, when in Rome and all that.

I thought you'd sworn off Hollywood?

Well, only the telly.

And even that's coming back to haunt me.

The studio will not cough up my foreign residuals.

Oh, I see, you need legal advice.

I didn't say I needed anything.

You're here. And you must have read in the trades that

Susan Bloom is our new roomie.

Ah! Well, I might have done, might have done.

Daddy, we have been through this before.

You have a habit of burning bridges

which makes it impossible for me to introduce you to
-
-

Hey, Pete! You ready to go?

Your dad has charmed me into lunch.

I hope Tr*mp's is to your liking.

It's one of my haunts.

You'll, um, ring me later, will you, love?

[door closes]

ANN: Your honor, before you bring in the jurors,

I would like to renew my motion for severance.

On what grounds?

On the grounds that the presence of his co
-defendant

will result in a confusion of the issues,

and will materially prejudice

my client's right to a fair trial.

You don't like my smell Etter?

Your honor, we share counsel's concern

that Humboldt Logging's impeccable reputation

for r*pe and pillage of the redwoods

could be sullied by association with a concerned environmentalist.

This is exactly the kind of mudslinging I anticipate, your honor.

Mr. Dillon, why are you on your feet


-in the middle of Ms. Kelsey's motion?
-Because I agree.

My client shouldn't be here now or later.

I renew my motion to dismiss the charges against my client.

There's no evidence to suggest
-
-

Let's hear the evidence, Mr. Dillon.

Motion denied.

As to your motion,

this gentleman claims that your client,

and Mr. Dillon's client,

shared in the acts that led to his injury.

I don't think finger pointing will confuse the jury.

Blame is the issue.

Motion denied.

What did your doctor advise?

I advised him that I'm receiving

a major award from the Bar Association,

and it would take more than a random act of urban v*olence

to prevent me from attending.

Douglas...

I had a talk with Detective Connolly out in the hall.

And?

He explained to me the nature of

the establishment that you had been visiting.

It's not an establishment. It's a restaurant.

Well, that's entirely your business,

and as far as I'm concerned, it'll stay that way.

Are you
-
-

For goodness sakes, Leland,

I was meeting a friend there.

There's no need for you to explain your friendships.

I mean, I've never meddled in

the private affairs of colleagues.

It was not a private affair.

Douglas, you're a damn fine lawyer.

That's all that matters to me.


-Leland
-
-
-[door opens]

Excuse me, gentlemen. You feelin' better, Mr. Brackman?


-No.
-There's something here

that'll make us both feel better.

I've been after this SOB for months.


-What are you doing?
-It's a photo gallery.

Suspect we picked up today, we'd like you to ID.

I got three others like you to talk to.

Like me?

Other victims of this, uh, gay bashing nut.

I resent the implication.

You did get a good look at him, am I right?


-I want no part of this.
-Douglas
-
-

Get those photos out of here. I am not pressing charges.

[door opens, closes]

[indistinct dialog]

MAN: Look at you here.

Makes me want to break these damn things apart.

Don't lie to me.

Lie to them if that's what you think you need to do.

Look, be chill.

Sorry to interrupt.

You Tasha's lawyer?

Mm
-hm. Who are you?

You gonna cut her a deal?

TOMMY: That's what she and I need to talk about.

Excuse me.

You know, there's chill, and there's chill.

Taking a fall for someone else is not too chill.

I read your file.

Firs time up, I'll do six months tops.

Who told you that?

Boyfriend thinks he's pretty smart. Is he?

As smart as your girlfriend.

She's smart enough to be my ex.

Whose eighth of Peruvian flake was that in your freezer?

What do you care? Huh?

I just don't like to see someone get taken for a ride.

The coke was mine.

Oh, you knew it was there

and you let in two cops without a search warrant.

You seem too smart for that.

You be smart and get me a deal.

Next thing I know, I'm on the deck.

The metal had stopped flying,

and the rig operator was kneeling on my arm

trying to stop the bleeding.

Was it customary for you to be so close to the blade?

Yes, sir, as off
-bearer in the sawmills,

it's my job to reach in with the pipe to guide the slab.

Is that how you got at the logs,

the way you were gesturing?

No. I used my left arm.

Thank you. Nothing further.

Mr. Paul, is it unusual for a band saw

to strike foreign objects embedded in logs?

Blades don't break everyday.

But in your experience, you've had blades strike

nails from old homesteads, for example?


-Yes, ma'am.
-Ceramic insulators from telephone lines?

PAUL: Yes.

And, uh, hunter's b*ll*ts and stones and horse shoes,

and even cable from your own mill pond?

This time, it hit a spike.

Mr. Paul, didn't you initially turn down the job

as off
-bearer at South Creek?

Yeah, I was head rig operator at Yukai,

and off
-bearer was a step down.

What made it a step down?

Less money, harder work.

ANN: More dangerous?

Come on, anyone in a mill knows that


-off
-bearer is the highest risk
-
-
-Objection.


-Calls for speculation.
-Sustained.

Isn't it true that you were cited once for marijuana use?


-That was years ago.
-Objection, immaterial!

ANN: Plaintiff's comparative negligence


-is relevant, your honor.
-Keep at it, Etter,

he still has two legs.

Mr. Dillon, control your client.

or I'll hold him in contempt.

Your honor, this is typical of the industry's

callous disregard for its own workers.

I ask for the record to show the co
-defense does not share

in this irrelevant accusation.

Sit down, Mr. Dillon. The objection is sustained.


-Miss Kelsey.
-Mr. Paul, were you drinking at the Blue Ox Tavern

until a.m. on the morning of the accident?

That blade didn't break because I drank a sixer.

It broke because that ass drove a six inch spike into the meat of the tree,


-and Etter didn't do jack!
-ANN: Move to strike.

The jury will disregard that outburst.

Did you close the Blue Ox Tavern

only four hours before your shift began

the day of the accident?

Yeah.

ANN: Thank you. Nothing further.

Your honor,

we have no questions for Mr. Paul.

Then we'll adjourn until a.m. tomorrow.


-Nice stunt, counselor.
-Stunt?

Your shock over my mention of the marijuana.

You know if I hadn't brought it up, you would have.

Maybe. You saved me the trouble.

I won't have to roll up my sleeves

'til we get to the good part.

Hey, CJ, your dad ruined my afternoon yesterday.

Yes, well, I'm not entirely surprised.

We had such a blast at lunch

that I couldn't stand to come back here and face my desk.


-Oh?
-I, uh, sent him off to meet a few clients of mine.

One guy's producing the new Kenneth Browning feature.

Oh, that's very sweet of you.

Hey, no sweat.

They had a hell of a time casting the role.

Your dad's perfect for it,

especially with his own experiences in Pakistan.

Susan, uh, I feel obliged to caution you.

My father has a way of... promoting himself.


-He's an actor, honey.
-Yeah, but with my father,

you're always waiting for the second shoe to drop.

He has a few problems.

Comes with the territory.

Sounds like part of the problem may be yours, babe.

[sighs] Well, there's no argument there, love.

Whereupon, my mother asked,

"Why do you want to be a cowboy, Douglas?"

And I announced, "So I can get the bad guys."

Well, this brought on another burst of laughter,

followed by a mysterious remark from my father.

"Looks like we have another attorney in the family.

Another Brackman interested in justice."

And from that moment on,

my dreams of home on the range began to fade.

I don't know if I'd feel as honored today

if I were being recognized

the Downtown Los Angeles Cowboy of the Month,

but I do know our profession has been very rewarding to me,

so this is doubly gratifying.

I only hope my father hears and knows

he shares in this honor.

Thank you.

[applause]


-Congratulations.
-Thank you very much.


-Great.
-Great speech, Douglas.

Thanks.

Sorry I haven't answered your calls.

I feel responsible.

You shouldn't. It was a random event.

But it wasn't.

What happened to you happens to thousands of

gay men and women each year.

[sighs] Well, this particular thug's been apprehended.

Their case is falling apart. No one can make a positive ID.


-That's unfortunate.
-Yeah.

For a minute there, it looked like

we really were gonna get those bad guys.

Nice speech, Douglas.

Hey.

How can you, of all people,

expect me to get involved in this;

you who have kept silent for years

because you've known even the rumor of h*m*

could hurt you professionally?

That's why I'm starting to speak out.

I know how damaging silence can be.

What's on your mind?

I think the longer this goes on,

the bigger the money's gonna get.

Why don't we try to come up with a number,

split it / and offer to settle.

Well, I think you're right, I think we ought to settle.

I think my client's fair share should be zero, not one dime.


-Let's get out of here.
-My client didn't spike that tree.


-The hell he didn't.
-How would you know what goes on in the woods?

You're always in the office counting your money?

I earn mine. Your daddy gave you yours.

And don't you talk to me about the woods,

I hunted and fished those woods my whole damn life.

Where the hell do you think your kids

are gonna take their kids to hunt and fish?

And if we don't help these men find some kind of common ground,

there's gonna be more v*olence, more victims like Mr. Paul.

And that's fine with them as long as no trees get hurt,

just workers losing jobs.

Over harvesting is what's k*lling the industry.

People want wood, right? People want paper!

DILLON: Okay, that's enough.

I think we can forget a settlement.

[door closes]


-Trick or treat!
-[laughing]

Well, it looks like you brought the treats.


-Yep.
-Are we celebrating a real estate transaction?

No, we are celebrating your instincts.

The boyfriend has a record.

First arrest, '.

You know, I thought about the land, Tommy.

We should hang on.

I mean, it's gonna skyrocket. It's lake view.

That is what that blue thing was

between the tall green things.

Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

How I ever thought I could drag you off

for vacations in the mountains,

I don't know.

Hey, I was a terrific hiker.

You did not hike, you paced.

You asked me where the casinos were.

You're still holdin' that sleepin' bag thing against me.

It was our very own land. I wanted to sleep on it.

The van was parked on our very own land,

the van had a mattress in it.

It is not the same thing.

No.

All right, so what do you think of this?


-Guy's been busy.
-Mm
-hm.

Eight months juvie, GTA,

three years served, possession, parole violations.

I think you got the wrong person sittin' in jail.

It gets worse. The cops searched

the girl's apartment in the first place

because they had blown a raid at a free
-base operation.


-Yeah, so?
-The cops were after

her boyfriend's old supplier.


-The one that he did time for.
-Mm
-hm.

So, he might be willing to talk.

Zo, if you go after the boyfriend,

you could catch the big fish.

I don't have anything on the boyfriend.

You wanna get somethin' on him?

I know I can make this creep talk.

What are you gonna do, wear a wire?


-Why not?
-Because it's so dangerous.

You know a better way?

Why would you go out on a limb like that?


-You don't know this girl.
-I know she didn't do it.

You are only her attorney.

Zoey, she's got nobody else to help her.

You're gonna do it, aren't you, whether I help you or not?

All right, I'll see if I can get you a warrant.

Great.

♪♪

And when you received the warning,

how did you respond?

Well, I sent a team out to see if it was true.

Did you have any reason to suspect the warning wasn't genuine?

Yes, I'd received two earlier warnings on other tracts,

and, uh, we never found any spikes.

But why would why would they warn of spikes

if they hadn't actually spiked the trees?

Well, you just gotta understand these Redwood Warriors.

You see, their whole mission is to put loggers our of business,

so they'll do anything to cost me time and money.


-ANN: Such as?
-Well, such as...

damaging vehicles and equipment,

causing down time by burying themselves in the road,

and chaining themselves in trees.

On this occasion, did your team find any evidence of spiking?

No. No, they didn't find anything.

ANN: Did you take any further action?

Well, yeah. Yeah.

I called Russ Snyder and cussed him out.


-ANN: Why?
-Because he's their ringleader.


-Objection, hearsay.
-Ask anybody in town!

What was Russ Snyder's reaction to your call?

ETTER: He laughed at me.

Did he deny responsibility for the spiking?

[chuckles] No, ma'am.

No, he sure didn't.

ANN: Thank you, Mr. Etter.

Mr. Etter.

What was your team doing as they walked the tract?

Looking for spikes.


-DILLON: They were eyeballing.
-ETTER: That's right.

DILLON: But didn't you know tree spikers

snip the heads off nails so they can't be detected?

That's why they also had metal detectors.

But aren't ceramic spikes sometimes used?

Well, sometimes they drill holes in trees and pour rocks in.

You can't outguess these nuts.

You couldn't outguess these nuts,

but you still took only minor precautions.

I did all I could.

Approximately how many trees

are on an acre of old
-growth forest?

It varies. .

DILLON: So your team ran a metal detector over , trees?

No, no. They used it on a sampling.

On, what, half the trees, ,?


-ETTER: It's hard to say.
-DILLON: More than a hundred?

I'm trying to get a feel for what makes up a sampling.

Well, maybe a few hundred.

A few hundred?

Out of ,.

Mr. Etter, after you logged this site,

did you alert the sawmill of a possible thr*at of spikes?

I didn't think it was necessary.

DILLON: But you were wrong about that, weren't you?


-I did my best.
-DILLON: Were you wrong?


-I did my best!
-Were you wrong?

Yeah.

Nothing further.

Mr. Etter, what method of forestry did you use

to harvest the Salt Fork tract?


-We clear cut it.
-Meaning, you went through,

and leveled every , year old tree on that piece
-
-

And re
-planted. As mandated by the forest services.


-Yeah? How's it doing.
-ETTER: What do you mean?

How's that re
-seeded forest look today?

I don't know, I haven't seen it recently.

So you haven't seen where mudslides washed away your re
-seeding,


-along with three feet of topsoil.
-ANN: Objection!

Is my client responsible for flash floods?

You didn't leave anything to hold the soil.


-JUDGE: You're out of order.
-Your client is responsible

for deciding to cut that timber come hell or high water.

That's enough. Move on.

Why were you in such a rush to harvest this old growth, Mr. Etter?


-ANN: Objection!
-I'll rephrase.

Isn't true you were racing to b*at a court injunction


-to preserve that
-
-
-We're always racing.

We loggers have given and given.

We lose the old growth and then they start hollering about

water quality and spotted owls and habitat.

Now, look, all I do is supply and demand

and put food on my family's table.

Now, how much demand was there for the tree being milled

when Mr. Paul was injured?

How much did that particular tree bring?

$,.

$, for one tree.

That ought to put a few meals on the table, Mr. Etter.


-ANN: Objection!
-Withdrawn, nothing further.

You ought to ask Tasha about that.

When Tasha answers, I hear you talkin'.

So I figured maybe that meant

you were the one with something to say.


-I'm busy here.
-Yeah, word is you're very busy.

Word is Iceman wants his men on the street to really hustle.

You know, I figure if a guy wants to get

mixed up in a bunch of crap, what is that to me?

But if he drags in the girl I'm supposed to be defending
-
-

Nobody drags Tasha no place.

Oh, so she wants to be sittin' in civil grand right now

like a rock house toss up?

You got a car needs work?

'Cause if you don't, you come a long way for nothin'.

No, I come here to tell you you got a problem, man.

I mean, you did okay gettin' the apartment

and making sure that Tasha's name alone was on the lease,

but you screwed up when it came to the location.

She's within , feet of a school, Oz.


-So?
-So no court's gonna bargain that away.

If you were thinkin' she'd do, what, maybe six months?

Uh
-uh. Try years.

Get outta here!

You're gonna have to find a new mama to front for you

if you're gonna stay in the life.


-You don't know my life.
-I've seen your rap sheet,

the deals, the crazy money, the customized baby Benz.

Hell, you were cruisin' around in one of these

before you were old enough to get a license.

Maybe I was, but now I make five frickin' bucks an hour workin' here.

And you moonlight behind the scale.


-Oz, you're a player.
-I'm a damn baby sitter.

Yeah, Iceman leaves his product in my freezer off and on.

Only way I can make my rent.

What do you want me to say, man?

Mr. Snyder, as leader of the Redwood Warriors,

haven't you given numerous speeches

advocating tree spiking?

I never advocated v*olence.

But you understood the danger, I mean,

that was the whole point of using the spikes, right?

No. The point was to act as a deterrent.

That's why I always stressed

marking trees and sending warnings.

ANN: You thought six inch spikes of galvanized steel

could be driven into logs that were headed for saw blades

moving , board feet per minute

without the risk of a worker being injured?

I thought that the presence of spikes

would prevent giant sequoias from being milled.


-ANN: But you were mistaken.
-The only mistake I made

was overestimating the logging company's concern

for the safety of workers.

ANN: A man was injured by one of your spikes.

Objection! Not a shred of evidence has been produced

that links this spike to my client.


-Sustained.
-ANN: Mr. Snyder,

what was the motto which you wrote for the Redwood Warriors?

"Equal rights for Mother Earth."

What does that mean?

The natural world doesn't exist solely for human beings to exploit.

All forms of life have an inherent value.

ANN: But equal value.

So the loss of a tree, for example,

is worth the loss of a man's arm.

That's not a fair comparison.

ANN: I agree. It's not fair.

Nothing further.

Mr. Snyder,

weren't you twice discovered trespassing

on the Salt Fork tract?

I was seen taking a walk in the woods.

And on the first day of harvesting,

were you arrested for chaining yourself to

a crawler tractor at the site?

That's why I couldn't have spiked anything.

I was all tied up.


-Move to strike.
-JUDGE: So moved.

The jury will disregard.

Mr. Snyder, stick to answering the questions asked.

DILLON: At the time of your arrest,

the police confiscate from you a box of nails.

From the toolbox in my truck. I'm a carpenter.

Nothing more. For now.

Mr. Snyder, are you indeed a spokesman for the Redwood Warriors?

And proud of it.


-Were you always an environmental radical?
-ANN: Objection.

The evolution of this man's philosophy is not relevant.

Miss Kelsey is the one who opened the door to intention, your honor.

I'll allow the question.

After years in the environmental movement,

I realized nothing's changed.

We're still devastating old
-growth forests

at the unchecked rate of , acres a year.

At that rate, there'll be no virgin woods left in this state in years.

Well, certainly, we all like trees, Mr. Snyder,

but aren't your tactics extreme?

This isn't just about the beauty of primal forests.

It's about our survival on this planet.

These old
-growth ecosystems clean the air,

protest the water shed.

Our tactics may seem extreme,

but the systematic annihilation of our environment

wasn't phased by any less extreme actions.

Objection, this isn't an answer,


-it's a prepared sermon.
-Sustained.

DILLON: One more question.

Do you believe that any means justify the end

in protecting these ancient forests?

No.

But as citizens, the wilderness is part of our home.

And just like you'd defend your home if somebody broke in,

I want to protect these woods.

But I advocate only non
-violent tactics.

Thank you.

One further question, Mr. Snyder.

Would you describe Mr. Paul's injury as non
-violent?

No, I would not.

Nothing further. We rest, your honor.

In that case, I move for a directed verdict.

The plaintiff and co
-defense have failed to present

a prima facie case against my client.

Your honor, Mr. Dillon's client

admits to the advocating of the spiking of trees.

He was seen on the property.

Sorry, Miss Kelsey, but I agree with Mr. Dillon.

ANN: Your honor, if you dismiss this co
-defendant,

you will be removing the party who maliciously

and criminally began the chain of events

which led to this action.

As much as I would like to have the party who spiked this tree

held liable for his or her actions,

the court hasn't heard any evidence

that could reasonably link this defendant to this spiking.

Accordingly, Mr. Snyder's dismissed from this law suit.


-[knocking]
-[door opens]

Here are the Speidel contracts.

Leave them on my desk.

Maybe you should go home early.

Don't push yourself on your first day back.

Have you ever ridden a horse, Roxanne?

When I was a girl, I loved to ride.

The horses didn't frighten you?

No.

I, uh
-
-

I wanted to be a cowboy until I was six.

And my mother took me to a stable near Griffith Park.

The horses were huge.

They didn't look that big in the movies.

I wouldn't go near them, much less get on one.

And in one crushing instant,

I knew I was too frightened to be a cowboy.

I was a coward.

Fortunately, my father had other career plans for me.

Well, I think you make a much better attorney

than you would have made a cowboy.

But I don't think you're a coward.

Are you still afraid of horses?

I avoid horses.

[door closes]

This is not a city.

A city is a place where one can walk outside

and hail a taxi.

You are five hours late because you couldn't get a taxi?

I apologize for missing dinner,

I'm not, uh
-
- I'm not disturbing anything,


-am I?
-Yes, we're asleep.

Well, I won't wake him.

Her?

Well, don't tell me you've discovered a third option.

Were you this drunk at your audition?

Audition? It's a bloody cattle call

where they let the phones ring through.

Oh, let me guess. After Bloom went out of her way,

you make a scene and offend everyone.

They were semi
-literate snot noses.

And they wanted the character played for laughs.

Oh, look, it's late, huh?

What about a little drop of something?

No, no more to drink.

Oh, you were always so hard,

Lambchops.

Yes, well, someone had to be.

How you could choose law

over an honorable life in the theater.

k*lled your mother.

Daddy, you do this to yourself,

and I am not gonna wallow around in it with you.

Come on, it's late.

I'm too tired and it gets us nowhere.

Come on.

Go and sleep it off.

I come to you utterly, utterly alone,

my career in a shambles,

my very soul in peril,

and you can't give me an inch.

There you go, Dad.

That's all you ever needed.

I thought you wanted them out of the case.

I wanted the case severed,

I didn't want him walking away free.

Now the jury's heard from him.

So those bastards break the law,

and I pay the bill.

We can settle without admitting negligence.

They got to you, didn't they?

Those damn spikers have got you thinkin' that it's my fault.

Mr. Etter, I'm making a professional recommendation


-that we be flexible.
-No, damn it.

The Redwood Warriors don't compromise.

They wage w*r and they walk out of here Scott free.

Well, I'll be damned if I lay down and take the blame.

Okay.

Slow down, Mr. Woo. Listen, I'm sure that Mr. Jackson's offer


-was intended
-
-
-[door opens]

Look, I have to call you back.

Bad idea, Dad.

"The food of thy abused father's wrath.

Would I but live to see thee in my touch."


-Stop it.
-"I'd say I had eyes again.

A light. A light."

You think this is what I want?

Flowers and sonnets?

A sonnet? A sonnet, it's from Lear.

I was trying to tell you I got a job.

'Cause you know how I feel about Shakespeare on film,

but I've always loved Gloucester.

What do you think, Dad?

I'll go to her office, she won't throw me out there.

Well, I
-
- I couldn't leave town without apologizing, could I?

This isn't an apology, it's a bloody grand entrance.

Right, right. [clears throat]

Last night was an unfortunate lapse.

I threw you out, and I meant it.

Do you mean you don't want me in your life?

I don't want you in my office ever.

I don't want you using my friends

or my business relationships,

and I don't want you dropping by

whenever you're on a bender, ever.

I'm an old dog, Cara.

It's hard to learn new tricks.

And these laughable attempts to stay sober

are partly because of you.

It occurred to me that it might be of some help.

Well, we're sh**ting in New York.

I am on my way.

Give me a call when you get there.

Anyway, who's sh**ting another Lear?

Well, it's not actually Lear.

A client of Susan's makes commercials.

A light, a light...

a light beer.

[chuckles]

Hey, have a good trip, Dad.

[door closes]

And in the face of this known risk,

not only did Humboldt Logging conduct a cursory investigation,

they also failed to warn the sawmill

of a possible thr*at.

Why would the act with such callous disregard?

Because it would have cost them...

time and money

Wayne Paul worked on the line in the sawmills for years.

Apart from his service in the army,

it's the only job he'd known.

It was a hard job, but he did it well.

And like his father and his grandfather before him,

Wayne expected it to be a job for life.

Mr. Paul paid dearly

for Humboldt Logging's greed and negligence.

He looks to you for justice.

None of us can imagine the horror of

sustaining an injury as critical as Mr. Paul's.

But we can sympathize with him...

as a victim of an unjust and violent accident.

Humboldt Logging also sympathizes,

especially since it has frequently been the target

of the Redwood Warriors destructive and criminal acts.

Radical groups like the Redwood Warriors

admit to being saboteurs,

advocates of hit and run tactics,

and true to form, they have vanished

before we begin to address responsibility.

But Mr. Etter did not build a family business

by hit and run tactics.

My client is the only one who sits before you today,

ladies and gentlemen.

And in the absence of the true wrong doers,

the plaintiff hopes that you will find him

a convenient scapegoat.

The plaintiff suggests that Humboldt Logging

acted out of greed.

This may be an easy caricature for some of us to accept.

Some of us already blame the loggers

for the vanishing forests.

We may have already made them the scapegoats

for our society's undiminished demand for wood and paper.

But in suggesting that Humboldt Logging acted out of greed,

the plaintiff implies that tree spiking injuries

are predictable and commonplace.

The truth is, only one other injury

from the spiking of trees has ever been documented.

Personal injury from the shattering of a blade against a spike

is so uncommon as to be called a freak occurrence.

My client took every reasonable step

to investigate the warnings that he received,

and he found nothing.

He could not have foreseen this accident.

Please, don't compound Mr. Paul's tragedy

by creating a scapegoat.

Well, it means the DA has dropped the charges against you.

You're free to go.

OZ: Man, why don't you just let me walk by myself.


-GUARD: Let's go, move it!
-OZ: I told you I don't need you


-pullin' on my arm.
-What the hell?

Hey, it's not your fight anymore.


-Tasha!
-What did you do?

He had no right to make you take the rap.

Nobody makes me do anything. Oz and I had it figured.

He was working his way clean.

He had an eighth of a kilo of cocaine.

It ain't that easy to get out.

You have no idea.

That's only work anybody's out there beggin' Oz to take.

On the streets, they know how smart he is.

He was gettin' out.

We had ourselves a goal until you came along.


-It wasn't your fight.
-It was our fight.

This is the man I love. Don't you get that?

Now he'll do hard time, get hooked all over again
-
-

They don't want him, they want his connection.

He can make a deal.

You don't know Oz.

And you don't know me.

I'm sorry, Tommy. He's not gonna talk.

JUDGE: Mr. Foreman, has the jury arrived at a verdict?


-We have, your honor.
-JUDGE: What say you?

MAN: In the matter of Paul vs. Humboldt Logging,

we find in favor of the plaintiff,

and we order the defendant to pay compensatory damages

in the amount of $,.

JUDGE: Thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen, we're adjourned.

Thank you.

Stick around to see the blood?

Litigation junkie.

I don't admire your politics but I like your work.

You don't know anything about my politics.

I know you keep your politics out of your work and that's a shame.

Are you being radical or just plain rude?

You and I and your client are all on the same side of the fence,

but you need to reach people with the message.


-Breaking the law
-
-
-Let me guess.

It turns people off, gives us all a bad name?

You said it.

Whereas you're so accommodating,

you wind up arguing for the enemy.

Have we heard statements from all your witnesses?

Yes, your honor.

Uh, no, your honor.

Douglas Brackman. Sorry I was late.

ATTORNEY: I have Mr. Brackman's statement.

JUDGE: All right, take the stand.

Then he, uh
-
- he hit me in the face until I fell to the pavement,

then he kicked me several times in the abdomen before fleeing.

Did the assailant speak to you?

Yes, he called me a f*g and a q*eer.

ATTORNEY: And what was your reaction to that?


-I was shocked.
-ATTORNEY: Because, in fact,

you're not a h*m*, are you, Mr. Brackman?

Because, in fact, my sexual habits were none of his business.

Did you get a look at your assailant?

A very good look.

That is the man.

And you'd be able to identify him

if he were brought to trial?

I certainly would.

Zo?

Hey, Zoey.

Are you here?


-ZOEY: Tommy?
-Yeah.

Now, grab your sleeping bag
-
-

Tommy, what the hell are you doing?

Do you know that if we leave right now
-
-


-This is not a good time.
-We can make it to Mammoth by a.m.


-I don't want to go to Mammoth, Tommy.
-Now, I owe you


-one night under the stars
-
-
-Okay, some other night.


-On your very own land before we sell.
-Some other night.

Come on, come on, where's your sleeping bag?

No, I'm not going with you tonight
-
-


-Where's your sense of adventure?
-Tommy, please come out here.

Tom.

I'm so sorry, Tommy.

We were gonna tell you.


-Listen
-
-
-Hey.

Uh, this
-
- this, uh
-
-

My fault.

Excuse me, guys.

Hey, hey.

You want me to go?

No.

♪♪ [theme]