04x16 - Bound For Glory

[bunniefuu]

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

Effective as this Friday,

I'm resigning as senior partner of this law firm.


-What?
-Leland...

I'll stay on as of counsel

but one of you will have to take over.

I'm holding that this evidence is a matter of law

is insufficient to support

a finding of guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

I hereby dismiss the complaint.

The defendant is to be released from custody.

I'm free?

This matter is adjourned.

Marry me.

Yes.

You will?

Yes. I will.

When you get up on that bench,

you leave all those doubts in chambers.

Up there, you never show the indecision.

You make that room your courtroom.

This is hard.

Yes, it is.

Senior partners don't have it given to them, Douglas.

You want that job, you go out there, you take it.

Now, you've got my vote.

If you can't muster the support of your colleagues,

that's not my problem,

You can take just enough support away from each other

to make that queen bitch the winner.


-Anne...
-Stuart, I can live with Brackman.

Not happily, but I can live.

But if Rosalind Shays gets control of this firm.

It's not gonna happen.

Rosalind Shays.


-What?
-She wins.

Three to two to two. You're the new senior partner.

I'm overwhelmed.

You cast the deciding vote to Rosalind, Douglas.

I didn't think I'd get the votes.

The firm would be better served by Rosalind than Stuart.

[ coughing ]

I was shocked.

They're running a frog
-jumping contest.

It's supposed to be a legitimate thing.

I show up with my frog, and they won't let him jump.

What reason did they give for excluding you, sir?

They said he was too big.

Now, there's nothing about size in the rules,

and suddenly they go "too big."

The fix had to be in.


-Objection.
-Sustained.

I paid $ for this frog, plus travel.

Plus travel?

Had him flown in from Africa.

There's a lot of paperwork to be done in that, I tell ya.

You also put him through

a rigorous training camp, did you not?

We did sprints, jumps, squats.

Big hops, little hops.

And I even put him on his little wheel

for aerobic conditioning.

I tell you, I pushed that frog.

How much did this arbitrary disqualification

cost you ,sir?

The winner gets ,,

which would have been mine.

You get an extra ten grand for setting a record,

which my frog could have done on one leg. Easy.

I have nothing further, sir.

Are you real concerned with fairness, Mr. Breecher?

What's a contest without fairness?

Yeah.

Four years ago, you attempted to enter

a tiny but long
-leaping runt toad, didn't you?

Looked like a frog. I was mistaken.

And two years ago, your winning entry

tested positive for cocaine, did it not?

I don't know how he got the dr*gs.

Frog had a life.

Mr. Breecher, your reptile has been known

to eat small rats.

Objection, Your Honor.

It is not a reptile. It is an amphibian.

Sustained.

How large is your amphibian, sir?


-It's big.
-Exactly how big?

With legs extended, I'd say he was about three feet long.

Three feet?

That's one big mother frog.

♪♪

♪♪

Anne?

Douglas, I think everybody's here.

Why don't you get started?

Okay.

People vs. Lassen.

Joe Lassen's been busted for possession again.

Arraignment's tomorrow.

Why are we in this?

Because he's Abe Lessen's son.

Say no more.

Breecher vs. Wynn.

That's mine.

Our client packages county fairs,

the main event of one of them is a frog jumping contest.

There's prize money involved

and one enterprising entrant

got himself something called an African Goliath frog.

DOUGLAS: An African Goliath frog.

Yeah. It was ruled ineligible, hence the suit.

I understand that there is appeal in things novel and strange.

I also understand that as attorneys,

we need to amuse ourselves.

But quite frankly, what I can't countenance

are the sort of indulgences that hurt us.

How does this hurt us?

It costs us. It makes us look foolish.

What I'm saying, Jonathan,

is I think you're going to have to be more selective

of the kinds of cases you take on.

Actually, he didn't take on the case, Rosalind.

I did.

Moving along.

Jackson vs. Haas.

That's mine. A young black boy was kicked to death

by a skinhead.

We're suing the skinhead's parents.

Why?

Why? Because a kid doesn't become

a r*cist thug in a vacuum.

But suing the parents?

To me, this is utter litigiousness.

It's looking to the courts for a payday.

It's looking to the courts to fight bigotry.

Like... like Brown vs. Board of Education.

Was that utter litigiousness?

What was the age of the defendant's son

at the time of the k*lling, Anne?

He was , Rosalind.

I think that's young enough

to infer parental liabilities.

Good luck.

Move along, Douglas.

I said why don't we move along?

Did you see that?

She's taking over. I told you, Stuart, I told you.

She just backed you up on your case, Anne.

That's a good thing.

That wasn't backing me up, Stuart,

that was calculated manipulation.

She bossed me.

Did you hear the way she bossed me?

She wasn't bossing you, Douglas.

Support, support, support.


-Move along.
-That's all she ever gets from you.

She b*at me in the election,

I'm the one who should be sensitive here.

I think we should organize a little private meeting.

See how everyone feels?

Why don't we just take another vote?

Got to be done by executive committee.

Article , Section .

Support, support, support.

No, not support, Anne, a rule.

Excuse me. What's going on?

Um, nothing. We're just talking.

Benny has a little problem, Stuart.

Could you help him out?

Sure.

Let's be grown ups.

Two grams, simple possession.

I could probably plead him out

and get six months, minimum security.

Of course, if we go to trial and lose,

we're talking a year, easy.

State prison?

I doubt it, but it's a third offense.

It's possible.

Take the plea.

Now, just a minute,

don't forget the motion to dismiss.

We have a real sh*t at getting it kicked.

Right.

I which case he just walks?

Exactly.

Take the plea. Let him do the six months.

Excuse me?

My son has a drug problem, Miss Perkins.

Nothing we tried has ever worked.

Programs, clinics.

This is the third time he's been arrested.

Every time he goes free,

every time he goes back to dr*gs.

Maybe jail is just the thing he needs.

That may be, Mr. Lassen, but Joel is the client.

At least technically,

and it would have to be his decision.

If Joel were capable of making tough decisions,

we wouldn't be standing here right now, would we?

Listen, this is my son, my only son.

If something drastic doesn't happen

to shake him out of this, I'm gonna lose him.

You're asking a defense attorney

to deliberately put her client in jail

when there is a chance of getting him off.

That's the way you see it.

The way I see it is I'm asking you

to help me save his life.

Well, the refrigerator
-
-

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down.

Come on in, tell me all about it.

It started because I wanted a new refrigerator

on account of I'm getting married,

and the one I have, it doesn't get cold

on the bottom part.

And the guy who came to fix it

said he can't fix it now.

And he said it'd be cheaper to get a new one.

So that's what I wanna do,

'cause if I'm gonna get married,

I wanna have a good refrigerator.

I agree with that.

But, uh...

I don't have enough money in my emergency savings.

I... used it for Alice's ring.

So I decided to sell

my baseball card collection for money.

So Jerry, he came and looked at my cards

and he said he wanted them.

Who's Jerry?

Oh, he likes my cards.

Only I can't give him all my cards,

because I promised Frank Malzone to Ed.

Who's that?

Third base, Red Sox.

No, that's Frank Malzone. Who's Ed?

He's my friend who likes my cards.

Except he doesn't want all of them,

he just wants some.

Mm
-hmm.

And so I told Jerry that I couldn't

give him Frank Malzone and some of the others,

and he got real mad,

and he sent me this.

It's a summons.

What's that mean?

It means he's suing you, Benny.

Your friend Jerry is going to take you to court.

Oh, God.

No, don't worry, I'll look into it, okay? Don't worry.

I just wanted a new refrigerator 'cause of the bottom part.

Doesn't get cold, I know.

When did you move into the house, Mr. Jackson?

April '.

I was made the branch manager at the bank.

For the first time in our lives,

we were actually able to own our own home.

How did you like the neighborhood?

I liked it a lot.

Living near a park.

My son could walk to school, we loved it.

Would you describe for us

what happened to your there, sir?

One morning I went out and "white power"

was painted on the sidewalk.

I reported it to the police, painted it out.

Got myself ready.

Ready for what?

I grew up in the south.

When people start talking about white power,

it isn't just words.

It wasn't just words here in California, either,


-was it, sir?
-No. It wasn't.

What happened, Mr. Jackson?

One afternoon I got a call

at work from my son's school.

They said Nathan had been involved in an incident.

They said my son was dead.

Your Honor, I offer at this time

the stipulation of the parties

that the death of Nathan Jackson, age ,

was caused by the physical v*olence

intentionally inflicted upon him

by Keith Haas, the year old son

of the defendants Jim and Pauline Haas.

So stipulated.

It is further stipulated that Keith Haas

was tried and convicted of

the m*rder of Nathan Jackson

for which crime he is presently incarcerated.

Again, so stipulated.

Mr. Jackson, would you describe for the court

the anguish caused

to you and your wife by the loss of your son?

Your Honor, the defense will also stipulate that the pain

and suffering caused by this tragedy is both

extraordinary and immeasurable.

I'd like the witness to give his answer.

The stipulation is noted.

The witness can still give his response.

Mr. Jackson.

I'm sorry, I...

I know you said I had to talk about this,

but I'm sorry, I...

That's okay, sir.

I have nothing further, Your Honor.

Have you ever met these people, Mr. Jackson?

Yes, sir.

When did you meet them?

After that happened, and then again at the trial.

Do you have any reason to think

that they wrote white power on the sidewalk?

No, sir.

Did they ever use a racial epithet in your presence?

No, sir.

Do you have any knowledge that they knew that

their son would commit v*olence against Nathan?

Their son grew up in their house.

They knew he was a r*cist.

But they didn't know he was about to commit v*olence, did they?

That boy picked fights with six other black people

in the last months.


-Move to strike.
-They knew.

Overruled.

Where'd he learn that kind of hatred

to stomp a boy to death in a school playground?

Their son did that, sir. How do you blame them?

Because their son did that.

The boy they raised grew up hating blacks!

Move to strike.

The boy they raised m*rder*d my son

because he was black.


-Your Honor.
-Mr. Jackson.

How can I not blame you?

How can I not blame you?

It wasn't that his frog would have won.

I don't know if it would have even budged.

It was very obese.

Why did you disqualify it?

Because it was dangerous.

He's trying to enter this giant African thing with teeth,

and I had to be concerned for the other frogs.


-Come on, Your Honor.
-Mr. Roitman...

It's true. The people spend a lot of money on them.

They're like pampered athletes,

and if one of them gets eaten by his entrant,

we've got a big lawsuit on our hands.

Move to strike, Your Honor.

There's no evidence that my client's frog

eats its competition.

Denied.

I'm sorry, but the committee couldn't

consider this a normal frog within the spirit of the rules,

and we felt that disqualification was warranted.

Thank you, Mrs. Wynn.

Mrs. Wynn... Ms. Wynn.

Are there rules guiding these competitions?

There are.

Do these rules limit the size of the entrants?

Who would've thought they could get so big?

Is it not true, Mrs. Wynn,

that you disqualified my client's frog

because you knew that it would break

the world's record?

You don't want to be on the hook

for an extra ten grand.

Not true.

That frog was fat and languid

and it probably wouldn't have budged.


-You lying cheat.
-Objection!


-It jumps huge!
-Mr. Breecher.

We also suspected steroids.


-Objection, Your Honor.
-Defamation of character, Judge.

That's enough.

All right, I want to see this thing.

Can you bring it in here?

In a truck, maybe.

Mrs. Wynn, I'm going to lose my patience.

Uh, yes, Your Honor,

we could have said frog here in the A.M.

Good. I want to see if it's really a frog

and I want to see if it jumps.

Have it here at : tomorrow morning.

Drug free.

We're adjourned.

Counselor...

You don't deny k*lling Nathan Jackson, do you, Keith?

No, sir, I don't.

Why would you do something like that?

It started off as just a fight.

I guess I lost control.

Can you tell us what part your parents played?

They didn't play any part.

What do you think they might have done

if they knew you were going to do something like this?

Objection, speculative.

Sustained.

Let me try it a different way.

How did they react to this?

They were very unhappy about it.

Now, did you ever indicate to your parents

that you might att*ck somebody?

No. as I said, I didn't know myself it was going to happen.

It just did.

Nothing further.

You look a little different than you used to,

don't you, Keith?

I guess.

Is this a fair and accurate representation

of the way you looked at the time

you kicked Nathan Jackson to death?

Yes.

Ask that this photograph be admitted into evidence

as plaintiff's exhibit number one.

So ordered.

Ask that the court instruct the witness

to roll up his right sleeve.

Mr. Haas?

Let the record reflect that on the witnesses right forearm

is a tattoo of a swastika.

Did you have that at the time of the m*rder?

I believe I did.

Did your parents know about it?

Yeah. They knew.

What did they say when you first came home with it?

I don't remember.

The reason that you att*cked Nathan Jackson

from behind and kicked him to death

is because he had taken a walk with a white girl,

is that right?

Isn't that the reason that you gave for the att*ck, Keith?

Yes.

And you called her a race traitor

for walking with a black boy, didn't you?

She was a race traitor.

Are your parents race traitors, Keith?


-Objection.
-Overruled.

Are your parents race traitors, Keith?

No.

Do they feel the same way you do about blacks and Jews?


-Objection!
-Overruled.

How do they feel about blacks and Jews?

Ask them.

I'm asking you, son.

You refer to black people as "n*gg*r*s".

Did you hear that word at home?

I tell you this much,

they weren't ashamed of being white.

They didn't raise me to be ashamed of it, either.

And you're thankful for that, aren't you?

I'm thankful I was born

with enough intelligence to know

that white Christian people have been

getting pushed around from every direction.

We're tired of it.

We're fighting back.

And when the time comes, this will be our country.

This will be our courtroom.

And we'll be the ones asking the questions.

I have nothing further, Your Honor.

I can't hack six months in jail.

Might be a good way to get dr*gs

out of your system.

What about this motion to dismiss?

You said we could win that.

And then what?

You're back on the street, you're getting high.

You're supposed to be my lawyer here,

not my social worker.

I am your lawyer,

and I'm also trying to think of what's best for you.

This is coming from my father, isn't it?

This is what he wants, right?

Your father is scared, Joel.

He's scared the dr*gs are going to end up k*lling you.

I can't spend six months in jail, Abby.

I can't.

Look, I have always been straight with you, okay?

And I'm being straight with you now when I say

that I think your father is right.

All right, be straight with me on one more thing.

This motion to dismiss,

do you think you can win it?

Yes.

Then that's what I want you to do.

He's the client, not Abe.

If he doesn't want to plead guilty, I can't
-
-

Come on. Abby, he's a drug addict.

He wasn't on dr*gs when he was here, Douglas.

I have no reason to question his capacity to make this decision.

Okay, Abby, technically you're right.

Joel is the client,

you're supposed to do what he says.

But look, if we do get this thing kicked,

that kid goes straight back to dr*gs.

Are you going to feel good about that just because

technically, you were ethically correct?

Let me tell you something else:

if we get the case dismissed,

we'll lose Abe Lassen as a client.

I can't let that be a factor.

Look, Abby,

I'm going to be perfectly honest with you here.

If I lose Abe Lassner as a client,

I lose a big chunk of my clout.

And the balance of power tilts even more heavily

in Rosalind Shays' favor.

She already has the biggest client base.

She's already been made senior partner.

Losing Abe Lassen is going to put her one step closer

to having unfettered control

to do whatever the hell she wants.

Why don't you take me off the case,

cop the plea yourself?

If we did that, Joel would smell a rat,

and get a new lawyer,

and the results for here would be the same.

You know the kid is better off doing the six months, Abby.

You know it.

All we're asking you to do

is steer him in the direction

that would best help him give up dr*gs.

Yes, I'm asking you to do it for Abe, and yes,

I'm asking you to do it for me.

But I'm also asking you to do it for Joel.

It may be his only chance, for God's sake.

Okay, I'll see if I can convince him.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Look, he's willing to sell them to you, Mr. Svetka.

He just wants to hold back a few for Ed.

He's looking to hold back Heiny Manush.

He's looking to hold back Gus Bell.

He's looking to hold back

a ' Warren Spahn in near mint condition.

I never said I'd sell them to you, Jerry.

Whether express or implied,

binding representations were made

which I placed reliance upon thereto.

Are you an attorney?

Freelance paralegal.

Ah
-hah.

What, you think that's going to make it easy for you?

Look, what are you talking about about here,

a couple hundred bucks?

Try $, and it's an appreciating asset.

He's got an important collection, Mr. Markowitz.

I'm not about to just watch it slip away.

You'll see by the affidavits annexed hereto

that all parties have been served.

A TRO has been issued, freezing any subsequent transfer

and depositions have been scheduled.

You've got to be kidding.

I know my way around litigation, Mr. Markowitz.

Maybe even better then your average tax attorney.

Look, you want to go to court, we'll go to court.

Stuart!

Benny, I want those cards placed in escrow.

Excuse me.

Stuart, I don't want to go to court.

You said we wouldn't have to.

It's going to be fine, Benny, don't worry.

It's just going to be fine.

[ knocking ]

How goes life at the top?

[ chuckles ]

As lonely as it's cracked up to be.

I'm still a little terrified, Leland.

Bah.

You've got nothing to worry about.

I'd be a little more self
-assured

if I'd gotten your vote.

You won the election, Rosalind.

Having done so, you get my full support.

You need anything, you just ask.

Thank you.

There is one thing you could do for me.

Name it.

Start wearing your hearing aids.

Excuse me?

I'm sorry, I know that you wear them to court

and at home in your private life.

I think you should wear them here.

But that's a personal decision, Rosalind.

Leland, if a client's representation is compromised

because you didn't catch something

or you misheard something,

this firm could be subject to a malpractice suit.

But that's never happened, Rosalind.

And it probably never will.

But your hearing disability is known,

and that makes the possibility of a mishap foreseeable,

and that leaves us exposed to potential liability.

Now, just as you had to look after this place

when you were in charge,

so now must I.

Okay, Rosalind.

I'll wear them.

I knew he liked to wear his hair short,

and I knew he joined that group.

But kids go through stuff like this.

I thought he'd grow out of it.

Kids don't usually commit m*rder, sir.

I had no idea he could ever do something like that.

But what if you had, Mr. Haas?

What if you had had any inkling at all that your son

could att*ck somebody the why he went after Nathan Jackson?

I would have tried to stop him.

I don't know whether I would have succeeded or not,

but I sure as hell would have tried.

I have no further questions.

Did you ever tell your son not to join the skinhead group?

He was a mixed up kid, Miss Kelsey.

He never listened to me much.

Did you try?

As best I could.

As best you could?

Well, wouldn't that group sometimes hold

their meetings in your garage?

They weren't meetings.

A few of them would come over and Keith and them

would hang out in the garage, yeah.

And you also let your son hang n*zi posters

in his bedroom in your house.

Isn't it possible, Mr. Haas

that your son was led to believe

that you approved of all of this?

I never told him I approved.

Did you ever say take them down?

Did you ever say I don't want posters in my house

that read "Death to race
-mixing" or "n*gg*r*s get out"?

Hey, lady, I'm a parent just like everybody else,

praying to God every night just to hang on to my kid.

So you condoned his bigotry.

I didn't condone anything.

Maybe we tolerated some of that stuff

more than we should have

because we didn't want him running out one day

and never coming back.

Oh, I get it.

What a relief it must be to know that after

he finishes kicking blacks to death,

he'll be home for supper.


-Miss Kelsey.
-Objection.

If I thought he was going to do what he did,

I would've broken his legs.

Mr. Jackson, Mrs. Jackson you gotta believe me

when I tell you that I'm sorry.

♪♪

Okay, exactly where are we?

We've offered ,, Your Honor.

They've rejected it.

may seem low,

but according to the financial statement submitted,

the defendants are pretty judgment proof.

You could be chasing an empty bag.

They have a house, Your Honor.

Yes, they do.

Valued at $,, carrying a mortgage of $,

leaving them with an equity of ,.

And it could take a long time to execute

the attachment, and the sale.

You really want to go through all that for the extra ?

My son's life was worth more than $,, Judge.

Of course it was, Mr. Jackson,

but I'm sure your lawyer has told you

this lawsuit is going to be very difficult for you to win.

Suing parents for the crimes

of their children is a pretty novel approach, Mr. Jackson.

I know that.

And Miss Kelsey tells me that because of that,

a lot of people will be watching what happens here.

That's what I'm after, Your Honor.

I want people noticing this.

Can you tell me what that accomplishes?

If I win, it says he should've done something.

It says that parents cannot raise up their children

to be racists murderers

and then just unleash them on the world.

I'm just a working stiff, Mr. Jackson.

I'm just a working stiff, too.

That's right.

The truth is, we're probably more alike

than we are different.

No, see, your son is not dead.

Mine is, and I don't want him dying for nothing.

Something's going to come out of this.

Gentlemen, that's enough.

You want to go forward?

Yes, we do.

Summations at :, then.

[ frog croaks ]

As you can see, Your Honor, this is clearly a frog.

JUDGE: It's a very big frog.

What's that on its leg?

It's a little ace bandage, Your Honor.

He pulled a hamstring during a workout yesterday.

Show him the teeth.

All right, all right, I'm sure it is bigger

than any of the contest commissioners ever imagined,

but Mrs. Wynn, that is a frog.

Thank you, Your Honor.

May we expect a judgment?

Hold on, I don't see it doing much jumping.

There's no evidence that it would

definitely have won the event.

I'd like to demonstrate then, Your Honor.

May I remind the court of the hamstring injury?

Just make it jump.

Okay, Richard, inhale and leap!

Come on, boy.

Inhale.

He just had breakfast, Your Honor.


-So...
-Probably a donut.

Objection, Your Honor!

May I ask the defendant


-to cease the harassment
-[ croaking ]

...during this demonstration?

What demonstration? It looks dead to me.

He's gathering himself, Your Honor.

He's about ready to jump. Look at his eyes.


-Oh, for God's sake.
-No, no, I can see it!

Hey, he's sticking him with a pin.

Prodders are allowed.

Just get on with it, will ya?

I told you, it doesn't jump.

Ah!

He's attacking the judge!

Look at the teeth! I told you!


-Sit, Richard, sit!
-Vicious.


-Stay. Stay right there.
-It's a vicious frog.

Get this thing now!

I got him. I got him, Your Honor.

Oh, I think he pulled another muscle.

I ask that you recuse yourself, Your Honor.

Forget it.

I'm going to take this stupid thing under advisement.

I want everybody back here at : tomorrow.


-[ frog croaks ]
-For God's sake.

Let's just see what the district attorney offers.

If it's reasonable
-
-

Cut the crap, Dad!

You want me to do time, so let's no pretend
-
-

I want you off dr*gs, Joel.

Look, I don't even know what our options are, yet.

If we can get an offer of six months, Joel
-
-

No!

You're my lawyer, not his. You're supposed
-
-

We're all on the same side.

We are not of the same side! You want me in jail
-
-

Will you listen to me? Will you listen to me?

For God's sake, Joel,

I'm your father, you're my son.

I love you.

But we got a problem here we can't seem to get by.

Well, prison's not going to do it, Dad.

Don't make me do this.

It's the only thing left to try.

Six months is a good deal, probably the best we can do,

ask your lawyer.

Come on, we better get in there.

It's not like you're going to San Quentin, Joel.

Jail is jail, they stick you in a cell.

Listen to your lawyer. You don't plea and you lose,

you could get two years in state prison.

Do you want that?

No, what I want is to be free.

Look, I don't even know what our options are yet, okay?

I've got to talk to the D.A.

When the case is called, step up with me.

People vs. Steve Delaw.

Jim, I got Joel Lassen.

Yeah, that's me.

Are we dealing?

I'm looking for next to nothing.

He got a rookie cop searching the trunk on a moving violation.

There's no way
-
-

Yeah, yeah, what was it, two grams?

No intent.

You want a guilty plea? Let him go with probation.

Yeah, yeah, okay.


-What?
-But we do it today.

You roll the dice with a dismissal motion,

and I'm going for jail time.

Okay.


-Six months?
-Done.

People vs. Joel Lassen.

Jim Aoli for the people.

Straight possession, Your Honor,

I think we can make this thing go away right now.

How delightful.

Defendant agrees to plead guilty,

joint recommendation for six months probation.


-Defense so agrees?
-We do.

You got it.

Guilty, six months probation.

Mr. Lassen, check with the probation officer, please.

Next case.

People vs. Robert Brown.

Probation, that's it? I can go?

Yeah.

Way to go, counselor.

Mr. Lassen, I didn't know the DA
-
-

I don't talk to you anymore.

I talk to your boss.

Come on, Joel.

Now, he only wants seven cards in total.

The collection is meaningless to me without those cards.

Hold on. Now, which seven do you want?

Don't talk to my client.

I'm asking him a simple question.

You told me I could have them, Benny.

There was an offer and an acceptance.

A valid contract.

Now, wait a minute, back up.

Now first of all let me just say

as delicately as possible

that there are certain questions as

to Benny's capacity to enter into an enforceable
-
-

He's trying to squirm out of it.


-I don't appreciate that.
-Don't talk to me client.

Please, Benny, I'll go for punis.

Leave me alone, Larry.

When you needed Elroy Face, I got you Elroy Face.


-Let's try
-
-
-Cause I gave you Willy Mays!

[ overlapping dialogue ]

Hold it, guys.

We're talking about baseball cards.

We're talking about promises my client relied upon

to his detriment.

Now, he could have made other acquisitions.

I don't believe this.

The trouble with your lawyer, Benny,

is that he doesn't grasp nuance.

I never said I'd sell them to you, Jerry.

You ever hold a ' Mickey Mantle with four sharp corners

and original gloss?

You're nuts.

These things come five to a pack with a stick of gum!

That's one of the seven cards!

That was a ' Wally Moon.

You ripped my card!

He ripped it, not me. You saw it.

I'm adding on a claim against you.

That was gross negligence, I'm amending.

I'll pin your ears back, you little squid.


-I'm leaving.
-The big guy's upset.

This isn't over, Benny.

You said you'd fix things.

Obviously, we can't start chasing parents

every time a kid screws up.

And I'm certainly not suggesting

that the Haas's are criminals.

Or asking that they be put in jail.

They're son did this, not them.

What I'm asking is that they take a little responsibility,

because the hatred that ultimately k*lled Nathan Jackson

was born in their home.

They shrugged their shoulders when their son came home

with a swastika b*rned into his arm.

They let him hang posters

that read "Death to the n*gg*r*s".

They sat back and did nothing

while he repeatedly instigated fights with black children.

The most malignant assumption we can make about

these people is that they encouraged their son's racism.

The most benign is that they ignored it

and allowed it to fester.

Either way, it ended up k*lling Nathan Jackson.

Either way, they have to take some responsibility.

Lawsuits are about allocating burdens,

ladies and gentlemen.

We use lawsuits to place the burden

on the manufacturers to make their products safer.

We use lawsuits to place the burden

on people to act in non
-negligent ways.

Right now, today,

let's put the burden on the parents

that they can't just close their eyes to bigotry

in their own home.

Because if we allow the parents to ignore

the prejudices in their children,

if we allow them to turn away from racism

and just hope that it will go away,

it will never go away.

And more kids like Nathan Jackson

are going to die.

That was a stirring speech.

It really was.

It was so good

it could almost make you forget the law.

Under the law, ladies and gentlemen,

you can't hold parents liable

just because their child is a r*cist.

Under the law,

you can't punish parents for the sins of the children.

You can only hold them liable

if they knew this crime was going to happen

and they did nothing to prevent it.

And there was no evidence whatsoever

that my clients knew their son

was going to att*ck Nathan Jackson.

None.

This is not a case about racism.

It is about a m*rder,

and the evidence is uncontroverted.

My client's only connection to this crime

is that they were the parents of the k*ller.

In Miss Kelsey's world,

that's enough to hold them liable, I guess.

But in this world,

under the laws of this country, it isn't.

It just isn't.

♪♪

What was I supposed to do? The DA went for it.

Because you pushed for it!

Listen, Abe, this was a difficult call.

Where the hell were you?

You were supposed to be taking care of me.

I thought Abby would.

Thanks, Arnie.

I agree with Abe.

Jail time is what Joel needs.

Sorry I'm late.

Who the hell are you?

I'm Rosalind Shays, Mr. Lassen.

I'm the new senior partner here.

Douglas has explained to me what happened.

Good. Explain to me what you're going to do about it.

Well, under the circumstances
-
-

I don't want any circumstance. I want her fired today.

Now, why would I do that?

Why? Because she ignored my instructions, that's why.

Miss Perkins was bound by an attorney's code of ethics

and she behaved appropriately.

This firm stands behind her.

These two don't seem to stand behind her.

As I said,

I'm the senior partner.

I'll have somebody here to pick up my files.

You just lost yourself a client, Senior Partner.

I appreciate that, Rosalind.

That was my client you just encouraged out the door.

How dare you hang an associate out like that?

Both of you!

Abby had no choice but to do what she did.

And for you not to support her here is reprehensible.

Abe Lassen is good for about $, a year.

There was no price tag on our ethics

when Leland was in charge, and there isn't now.

If you find the defendant's knew of their son

Keith Haas's propensity to commit v*olence,

then you must consider whether they had opportunity

to prevent this v*olence,

and if your answer to this question is yes,

you then must consider whether the defendants

failed to take reasonable steps

to prevent the v*olence from occurring.

And if your answer to that question is also yes,

you must then find for the plaintiff

and award damages you find reasonably compensate

the plaintiffs for the loss of their son.

I must caution you, however,

it is not enough that the defendants

knew their son to be r*cist.

It is not enough that they tolerated

or even contributed to his r*cist beliefs.

There is no legal obligation upon parents

to shape the opinions of their children.

You are to focus only on the propensity

for the v*olence

and the parents' opportunity to prevent this v*olence.

This concludes my instructions.

This court is hereby adjourned pending your deliberations.

Good luck.

How could you possible give a charge like that?

Anne, this is ex parte. You know better than to
-
-

And you know better than to practically guarantee a defense verdict.

I didn't do that.

That's exactly what you did! You said
-
-

What I did, Anne, was to focus them on the issue at hand

instead of the societal problem you asked them to cure.

I cannot send a jury back with the idea that

they have an obligation to wipe out bigotry.

The issue was the v*olence

and the defendant's connection to the v*olence.

And that's it.

The parents helped cultivate the racism
-
-

If that's all they're guilty of,

then the defendants win here.

Your speech was sensational,

but it was way ahead of the law.

And you want to run for office, I'll vote for you,

but in my courtroom, I go by what's in the books.

Those instructions weren't in the books, Grace.

Those instructions were tailor
-made for a defense verdict.

This is ex parte communication.

It is inappropriate and my friendship for you aside,

I will hold you in contempt.

Be seated.

First of all, let me thank all of you

for the entertaining demonstration.

I've decided to muzzle him, Judge.

I don't care.

Be glad I don't have him put to sleep.

First of all, I find that under these

very unusual circumstances,

the creature did pose a safety risk.

Your Honor, how can you be objective? It bit you.

Mr. Roitman, if you make one more objection

or move for a mistrial one more time,

I shall order you to bathe with it.

The exclusion, however, was nevertheless illegal.

The event was an invitational open to all frogs,

and Mr. Breecher did in fact proffer a frog,

albeit a gigantic one.

There's no evidence that the physical size

was drug induced, and so the disqualification

was therefore capricious.

Find for the plaintiff, and order the defendant

to pay damages in the amount of $,.

That's all.

Now, you have doubles of Luis Aparicio.

His rookie of the year card?

Uh
-huh.

Okay, I'll give you that if you give me Johnny Podres

and Gil Hodges.

What's going on?

We're having a meeting.

Benny, I think I should be involved, especially if
-
-

No lawyers, I can fix it myself.

Benny...

We're talking about a considerable sale here.

Here's the check, you can put it in escrow

pending the completion of the transaction.

This is for the full amount.

Hey, you're dealing with card collectors here.

We're an honest group.

BENNY: You have all the Dodger pitchers.

ED: I still need Ralph Branka.

You give him Ralph Branka and you give him Peewee Reese.


-Peewee Reese?
-It's a good trade.

Wait a minute, there's a gum stain on this one.

Well, give him Norm Sherry, too.

What?

You still have his rookie card.

That's better.

I don't know how you can do it, Ben.

How can you give up your cards?

I'm getting married.

Uh...

You need Joe Pignatano, and he needs Chet Caseden.

Thanks a lot.

Listen, I just had to come in and tell you

you're the greatest, and I thank you,

and you won't regret it.

I know the old man's upset, but...

everything's going to work out okay.

Don't you worry, it's all gonna work out great.

Are you on cocaine right now, Joel?

No! I'm just up!

You're lying.

Listen, I'm gonna stop,

but I'm gonna stop my way.

There's only one way to stop,

and you need help to do it.

No, I don't.

I'm young, and I'm smart,

and I'm too loose to break.

What I'm trying to say, Abby,

is that this boy comes out on top.

I'll have those contracts ready for you

by the end of the week.

That'll be great.


-Daniel?
-Leland.

They got you working!

Well, we're under new management here.

Rosalind tells me the prospectus is done.

Oh, it's at the printers.

Great. It's good to see you, old friend.

You, too, Leland.

I never knew he wore a hearing aid.

Oh, he's getting a little up there, you know.

Is that why he stepped down?

He's still a valuable contributor, Daniel.

I know, but...

it's nothing for me to be concerned about, is there?

Of course not, you're in very good hands.

I'm in complete charge here now.


-Good. Talk to you tomorrow.
-Good.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor.

What say you?

In the Matter of Jackson vs. Haas,

we find for the plaintiffs and award the sum of $,.

The jury is discharged with the thanks of the court.

This matter is concluded.

Court is now adjourned.

You can take my house but that's all I got.

I don't want your house, Mr. Haas.

I got what I wanted.

Is there anything I can give you?

No.

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

I know you are.

♪♪