06x11 - All About Sleaze

[bunniefuu]

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

I had dinner last night with Ken Feldman.

Who's Ken Feldman?

Executive producer of the Sun Up show.

And he asked me to see if you might be interested

in becoming their full
-time legal segment reporter.

Me?

I think with you on our team,

the Sun Up show could kick some serious ass.

Tell me about Brooks Tapman.

Brooks? Huh, what can I tell you about Brooks?

Uh... what you see is what you get.

He's a good anchor, he's got a good mind.

He's a man's man.

What does he feel about me?

First of all, Arnie, Brooks Tapman is not

the boss of the Sun Up show, I am.

Okay, and second of all,

I got to believe that you two guys are going to hit it off. Big time.

So, what do you think of Ken Feldman?

He seems all right.

Basically, he's a network guy.

And the network is trying to cut

our operating costs to the bone.

Who are you?

Who else could it be, dear?

No deadbolt, shame.

I'm shocked you didn't expect me.

I expected you.

You wouldn't dare sh**t if I stay passive.

Wrong.

[g*nshots]

I'm pleased to announce that no charges

will be filed against Tommy Mullaney in the

self defense sh**ting of John Harvey.


-That must be a relief.
-Yeah.

I'm so surprised they even considered it.

Thanks.

Thanks, guys.

Miss Lamb, the United States government is deeply saddened

by what happened to your client's wife.

Is that why you're trying to shut us up?

Why you had us slapped with a gag order

the day we filed?

I thought we were here to talk settlement.

All right, what's your offer?

,.

That's insulting.

No admission of liability, the case stays sealed.

And nobody will ever know what happened to Catherine Phillips.

Forget it.

You're obligated to discuss this with your client.

Oh, I will.

And he'll be as disgusted as I am.

You put Luiz Vedero, a dangerous criminal,

into your witness protection program.

You locate him in a residential neighborhood

where he brutally murders an innocent woman,

and now you offer her husband $, to buy him off?

You people are really something.

Before you reject this, I'd think about a few things.

Such as?

The national interest.

We're fighting a w*r against dr*gs, Miss Lamb.

The Witness Protection program is a vital w*apon.

We'd appreciate your cooperation.

I don't believe I'm hearing this.

We do not appreciate people who work against our interest.

One like you could have immigration problems.

And then there's your unorthodox lifestyle.

Is that a thr*at?

Not at all.

I'm merely pointing out the facts.

The system works best when we all work together.

Let's get something clear:

my client is not going to be bought off.

And I am not going to be scared off.

Catherine Phillips is dead

because of the government's negligence,

and you are going to be held accountable.

♪♪

♪♪

Where is Tommy Mullaney?

He's running late.

According to his assistant.

For the second time this week.

Next up, James Phillips vs. United States of America.

Did I hear rumblings of a settlement?

We turned them down.

Are you out of your mind?

I agree with her, Douglas.

The government didn't supervise Vedero.

This case is worth at least ten times their offer.

But they're claiming immunity.

You know they're going to b*at this.

But if there's gross negligence, you can get around immunity.

Maybe.

Can you get Vedero to testify?

No. He plead guilty to the m*rder.

He's in prison now, and he won't cooperate.

The governments moved to dismiss against us,

but the judge wants a full hearing.

Doesn't matter. The case is a loser.

If we accept the government's offer, Douglas,

we'll be telling them it's okay to conduct business

any damn way they choose,

regardless of the consequences.

I'm admire your principles.

It's your judgment I question.

Well, let's bear in mind

that there's a gag order in place here,

not a word of this is to leave the room.

Underscored, we can't afford the fines.

Moving along...

Excuse me, but you wanted to know when Arnie was on.

It's today?

Oh, yeah, he's going to keep on debuting

until he gets it right.

[laughing]

Arnold, coast to coast. It's a terrifying thought.

I'll say.

...is the place to be!

We'll have a live report in half an hour.

That's it for the news.


-Brooks?
-Thanks, Kelly.

And now we're pleased to welcome

Attorney Arnold Becker,

who'll be demystifying the legal process for us.

Arnie, it's good to have you here.

Good to be here, Brooks.

He's such a natural.

No offense, but I think most of us would rather go to the dentist

than a lawyer, why is that?

Well, most people only think that you go to a dentist

when you're in pain or go to a lawyer when you're in trouble.

Except really, a lawyer can quite often be a preventative to trouble.

But it's not just that, is it?

It's also a question of ethics.

There is a perception that some attorneys

act more in their own best interests than their clients.

Dragging out a case with endless depositions

to increase billable hours.

Star lawyers more interested in promoting themselves


-than their client's case.
-Exactly.

And yet you yourself released a video cassette didn't you?

Arnold Becker's Do It Yourself Divorce.

Uh, yeah. Yes, I did,

uh, precisely because I wanted to

reach out to people who normally don't go to lawyers.

Legal service has increasingly become

a privilege of the rich,

and I wanted to provide a service

to the disenfranchised middle
-class.

Maybe you should just lower your fees instead.

I'll keep that in mind, Brooks.

And we'll be back after a station break.

I haven't seen this kind of Rapport since Sonny and Cher.

Scotch, rocks.

Nice work, Arnie.

What was all that stuff about my video?

That wasn't in the script.

No, I like to keep it spontaneous.

A little conflict gooses the ratings

and we brought you in to be provocative, right?

You didn't think I was serious, did you?

No, no, of course not.

Good, I knew we were gonna have fun together.

It was about : on a Sunday night.

We'd just been out to dinner, and Cathy said
-
-

Your wife.

Yes.

Cathy said that she needed some money for the week,

so we stopped at a drive
-in cash machine

and...

I, I didn't even see the guy at first.

But when I reached for the money, he was there.

He had a g*n, and I could tell that he was...

loaded on something.

I talked to him, I told him not to panic.

That he could have every cent.

And then what happened, Mr. Phillips?

He sh*t me.

In the chest.

And the pain was unbelievable.

I guess I blacked out,

and when I came to...

I heard Cathy screaming.

She was begging for him to stop.

I tried to get out of the car,

but I couldn't move.

He was hurting her, and...

I was totally helpless.

And then what happened?

Then I pulled myself up and...

I fell on the horn.

That was all I could do.

I don't know how long it was before the police got there.

I just remember a paramedic telling me that I was lucky.

I was going to be okay.

And your wife?

She was dead.

He b*at her to death.

He crushed her skull.

Her face was unrecognizable.

And he'd r*ped her.

Yes.

The police apprehended the man that night.

Yes, they...

caught him trying to sell...

a gold bracelet that I had given Cathy for our anniversary.

I... I identified him the next day.

Were you notified of the trial date?

Yeah.

The D.A. told me that they had everything they needed

to send him to the gas chamber.

Objection, hearsay.

I'll allow it.

And then all of a sudden they're telling me

there's not going to be any trial.

Why was that?

Because of the Federal government.

Vedero testified for them in some big drug trials back east.

And they owed him.

Next thing I knew, Vedero was gone.

Thank you.

Mr. Phillips...

let me say how genuinely sorry we all are

for the loss you suffered.

Oh, that's great.

I can understand your anger.

When someone you love has been the victim

of random v*olence, it helps to have someone to blame.

No, you're not getting off the hook that easy.

The man who committed the crime is being punished, isn't he?

He pleaded guilty and he's serving a life sentence

without the possibility of parole.

In a private cell with a stereo

and a VCR.

Mr. Vedero is in solitary confinement for his own protection.

And what about her?

She's the U.S. Attorney for God's sake.

She put Vedero in the program.

She was supposed to make sure they were watching him.

Mr. Phillips, neither Miss Copeland

nor the United States government

is responsible for the death of your wife.

No, she knew what he was.

She did not do her job.

Your Honor...

No, I'm sick of you trying to shut me up.

Mr. Phillips, please.

That animal b*at my wife to death.

He k*lled her with his bare hands.

How can you let that happen?

How can you do that to innocent people?

Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.

It's been two years since my last confession.

And what are your sins, my son?

I, uh...

I sh*t somebody.

And I k*lled him.

How come you're moving so fast?

I got a B&E at :.


-[phone rings]
-Don't answer it.

I got two witnesses I haven't even met yet,

and one arresting officer out sick with a kidney stone.

Would you do my zipper, please?

I'm praying to plead this one.

I do not want to try this case.

MULLANEY: Hey, Zoe.

When you get a minute, give me a call, please.

Thanks.

When was the last time you talked to Tommy?

Uh... last week?

He's been a little incommunicado lately.

It's more than that.

Something's wrong with him.

What do you mean?

He's been agitated at work.

Missing court deadlines ever since...

you know.

Damn, I don't see how you can still sleep in this room.

Whoa, whoa, wait, agitated how?

Short temper.

Erratic.

If you ask me, I think he could use a little professional help.

Jim, I'm only in New York for half a week.

I have to have another researcher for this interview.


-I can't just
-
-
-[phone beeps]

Hold on, I got another call.

Hello?

Yeah, Gwen, I'm on
-
- what?

No, no, no, I can't depose then,

I've got a settlement conference.

Okay, okay, hold on. Hold on. Hold... hold on.

Why don't you switch the Markham for Friday at :,

dump Dreiberg to Thursday at :

and see if you can't

juggle the Monday schedule somehow to accommodate Laughton.

Okay, I'll try. I'll call you back.

Great. Okay, thank you.

Jim, yeah.

Listen, I'm going to have to move that wardrobe meeting

to Wednesday, something just came up.

Right. Ah, thank you.

Okay, bye
-bye.

Great.

Which do you like better, the jade or the teal?

I don't care, either one's fine.

You must have some preference.

Rox, I really don't have time for this right now.

Right, like you didn't have time to look

at wallpaper for the den,

so now you make gagging noises every time you go in.

Arnie, we both live here.

We both have to make these decisions.

Rox, in two days I have to do a major interview.

I'm not Phil Donahue, I can't pull this stuff out of thin air.

And I can't afford to screw up.

Look at this.

"Arnold Becker in his debut is so stiff,

someone should be drawing chalk
-lines around his body."

That's one bad review.

One is all it takes.

My God, in this business, they don't even give you a week.

The sharks are circling, there's blood in the water.

If I blow it again, I'm bone meal.

Arnie, this is crazy.

I only see you four days a week,

and then for only an hour or two at most.

You're not a boyfriend, you're a rumor.

You think I like this?

You think I enjoy spending three nights a week in a hotel

eating all that great airline food,

careening down th Avenue with a kamikaze cab driver?

Yes, I do think you like it.

I think the crazier it gets,

the more exciting, the more glamorous you find it.

That is ridiculous.

That is so ridiculous.

I gotta go. I'll see you tonight.

Arnie...

The w*r on dr*gs isn't just some P.R. catch phrase.

It's very real.

If we're going to win it, we need men like Luiz Vedero.

There's no other way?

Sometimes we get lucky:

a wiretap or an informant's tip pays off,

but in most cases, if we want a conviction,

we need the testimony of someone who's been on the inside.

This is an organization shrouded in secrecy.

Until Vedero, our ability to infiltrate was zero.

And with his testimony?

To date, we've secured the convictions of

Raphael Ramirez, Cesar Rivera, and Felix Quintana.

Three individuals responsible for importing and selling

over million dollars worth

of cocaine a month in the United States.

Short of offering him a new identity or relocation,

was there any other means of securing Vedero's cooperation?

In their own country, Columbian drug bosses think nothing of

murdering police, judges, even a presidential candidate.

Anyone who dares to oppose them.

Without protection Vedero would never have agreed to testify.

I can't blame him.

But in the end, Miss Copeland,

you're turning out a hardened criminal on the street.

Every participant in the program knows

that their protection stops if they commit a crime.

But there's still the risk.

It's the lesser of two evils.

dr*gs and organized crime are out of control in this country.

The public wants action.

We're being forced to take calculated risks.

Like Luiz Vedero.

Yes.

Thank you.

Calculated risk.

Robbery, drug possession, aggravated as*ault.

Armed robbery. r*pe.

This is the record of a violent criminal.

Wasn't the Vedero about to be charged with manslaughter

when he cut this deal with you?

Hadn't he beaten a man to death?

A rival drug dealer.

A human being.

You let him out,

and he m*rder*d again in the same way,

only this time, it was an innocent woman, wasn't it?

Luiz Vedero is not some serial k*ller.

He went through hours of psychological testing

before he was admitted into the program

and he passed all of them.

What did these tests measure?

His ability to cope with loneliness and isolation.

That's it?

These are critical problems facing a new
-
-

Did you measure the likelihood that he'd commit another violent crime?

Not directly.

You really didn't care about his psychological profile.


-Objection.
-Or his record.


-Objection.
-Or his violent nature.

Sustained.

All that mattered to you

was Vedero's testimony in your cases.

You didn't even care about his drug use.

Vedero was clean when he came into the program.

Vedero was in custody when he came into your program.

But six months later a report was made to you

by William Hopson, the U.S. Marshall supervising him.

He caught Vedero using cocaine.

It was a small amount on one occasion.

On one occasion that you knew of,

but it's still a crime, isn't it, Miss Copeland?

According to your own rules Vedero should have been thrown out of the program.

We have discretion there. It's a judgment call.

If we terminated an individual

every time there's a minor infraction,

there'd be no one left in the program.

If you'd terminated him,

Catherine Phillips would still be alive, wouldn't she?

There is no way we could have predicted

he'd k*ll someone.

Really?

Miss Copeland, you took a man with a terrifying history

of dr*gs mixed with v*olence and m*rder,

you gave him his freedom,

you knew he was using dr*gs again,

and you say you couldn't have predicted this?

What do you think was going to happen?

The man self
-destructed.

Your man self
-destructed, Miss Copeland.

He was your man.

Oh, this is a nightmare.

I'm going to be playing catch
-up all night.

All right, let me have the bad news:

Preston vs. Camparzi.

I took care of the filing on Monday.

Well, good.

Good, Spencer vs. Menken?

I made sure the discovery deadlines are being satisfied,

no problem.

Oh, God, Jack Terry is going to be livid.

I haven't checked in with him in weeks.

He's fine. I make a point of it to call him once a week

to give him an update.

Go ahead, let's hear it.

Hear what?

I'm presumptuous, I'm meddling, I'm impertinent.

I'm taking liberties, I'm overstepping my bounds

except somebody has to Arnie, you sure as hell
-
-

Gwen.

Thank you.

Excuse me?

You're right, I've been so frantic lately,

I've been letting things slide.

You've been bailing me out.

Thank you.

Who are you and what have you done with the real Arnie?

You got a minute?

Come in.

I hear you've done some damage.

Not enough.

Do you still have friends at Justice?

There are one or two people who don't have my guts.

Frank, I need your help.

Sit down.

I was hoping you'd come by.

I'd take a long, hard look at what you're doing.

It could have serious consequences.

You're a little late,

I've already been through this with Reisman.

You're pointing out their imperfections.

They don't like that.

Well, they've already threatened to deport me as undesirable.

What more can they do?

They won't do anything.

But you might suddenly develop tax problems.

The state bar might receive complains about your competence

or your morals.

And custody proceedings can be revisited.

Well, I'm surprised you left the Justice department.

You sound like a true believer.

I was.

'Til I got in their way.

It was only a minor cover
-up.

A small operation in Jersey welched on a defense contract.

We had them dead bang for fraud,

but when I began to investigate,

it became apparent that bribes had been paid

to some people rather high up in defense.

Word came down for me to take my time on this one,

then the press found out, somehow,

and I was fired.

I'm not backing off.

But hey, thanks for the warning.

I understand why you can't help.

I didn't say that.

When you worked for them, would you have gone

to all this trouble to get me to settle?

Probably not.

They why are they?

So you're feeding me, huh?

This is big.

You never made dinner when we were married.

How would you know?

You never came home for it.


-Touche.
-Touche.

I gotta tell you, though, this brings it all back.

You sure as hell can't cook.

Mm
-mm.

Okay.

So what's the point?

Word is you've been acting strange.

Word is?

Where did you hear this?

From Jonathan, you know where I heard it from.

You've been... You've been agitated at work, he says.

So do you think you should talk to somebody about this?

Who? Who am I going to go to but you?

Well, then talk to me.

No, no, you don't want to have this conversation.

You don't want to be saying out loud what happened that night.

It was self defense.

Yeah, that's a good answer.

I keep telling myself the same thing.

I can almost believe it.

The man pulled a g*n on you.

I made him pull the g*n, I baited him.

I forced him to draw the g*n

so I could put a b*llet in him

and call it self defense.

You know it, I know it.


-What I saw
-
-
-Don't, Zoe.

Don't.

You lying is only going to make me feel worse.

A: I don't regret it.

The psycho would have come back.

He would've been here to k*ll you.

Same situation all over, I'd do it again.

They why are you b*ating yourself up about this?

'Cause I k*lled somebody!

I hid in there with my g*n,

and I planned.

I wasn't thinking about just wounding him

or just getting him arrested.

Only thing going through my mind

was don't miss.

I can't sleep, Zoe.

I'm like afraid to, um...

be alone with myself.

I'm...

I know I did the best thing, Zoey.

I gotta be able to live with what I did.

Absolutely, absolutely.

Yeah, absolutely.

So why can't I?

♪♪

Hey, Zoe?

You up yet?

Listen, I'ma drop off some stuff, and I'm gonna swing by after
-
-

Jonathan?

Jonathan?

Jonathan! Jonathan!

God!

Oh, God, this is great.

[sighs]

We're back with Arnold Becker,

Legal Affairs correspondent and his guest,

celebrated divorce attorney, John Caplan.

Arnie?

Thank you, Brooks.

And thank you for being with us today, Mr. Kaplan.

My pleasure.

Now, I think it's safe to say that all of us in family law

respect and admire your work in the field.

At the same time, you are a controversial figure.

I should hope so, I've worked at it.

You represented Barbara Geller in her palimony action

against financier Robert McClure.

Some people were dismayed at your tactics.

Particularly your public revelations of, uh,

Mr. McClure's sexual peccadillos.

Well, my tactics may have been

in questionable taste, perhaps.

But there was nothing unethical about them.

If Mr. McClure was so foolish as to be careless about

his sexual indiscretions,

he can't complain when it's used against him.

He deserves what he gets.

Arnie, may I?

Mr. Kaplan, do you regard it as ethical

for an attorney to have a sexual relationship

with his client?

Well, I certainly think it's ill
-advised.

But not unethical?

A woman puts her trust in her attorney,

and he violates the trust for his own pleasure?

What do you think, Arnie?

I can see how it might occur,

but ultimately it does present a conflict of interest, yes.

Of course in certain case, I can see

where it might, um, be a violation of trust,

as you put it.

But didn't you in fact have just such a sexual relationship

with Barbara Gellar?

Not until after the trial.


-I have statements
-
-
-We weren't even involved
-
-

from a desk clerk at a hotel

in Santa Barbara attesting to the fact

that you and Miss Gellar checked in there on May th,

three weeks into the trial.

That was a strategy session.

You stayed overnight in the same room.

What kind of strategy were you discussing?

That is none of anyone's business but mine and Miss Gellar's.

And possible the state bar's?

If a man is foolish enough to

be careless about his indiscretions,

doesn't he deserve what he gets?

You ambushed me!

I ambushed him!

And you helped me.

Well, why didn't you tell me?

It made for better television.

We're a great team.

You lull them into complacency, and I move in for the k*ll.

Except you come off as the great journalist.

I look like an amateur!

If that's what's best for the show, yes.

Don't get me wrong, Arnie, I like you.

But if I decide it's in the best interests of the show

to deliver your lines standing on one foot and whistling Dixie,

you'll do it. Are we clear on this?

[knocking]

I owe you an apology.

You owe me nothing.

Nothing happened, Jonathan.

I was there because I was a mess over the sh**ting,

and I...

I turned to Zoey.

And she was there for you.

It all worked out.

But nothing happened.

I crashed there, I slept there.

Maybe I held onto her like a baby, but nothing physical happened.

And she called to tell you last night,

you weren't picking up.

Well, then it was all just a misunderstanding, then.

'Cause if she had just told me, hey, Jonathan,

I'm sleeping with my ex
-husband tonight,

then everything would be great.

Jonathan
-
-

Don't, man.

I want to be mature about this.

I'm late, I gotta go.

Mr. Hopson, when did you first meet Luiz Vedero?

In ', just after he came into the program.

I was U.S. Marshall assigned to supervise him.

And what did that function entail?

I found him an apartment, I helped him get furniture,

and phone service and I helped him look for a job.

In your estimation,

was he making the adjustment?

Had his ups and downs, he couldn't find a job,

but, uh, overall, he was doing pretty well.

What about Miss Lamb's contention that the one drug incident

should have alerted you that something more serious

was going to happen?

Like he was going to go out and commit a m*rder?

No way.

You got to understand the people in this program.

Most of them have had lifestyles you wouldn't believe:

cars, money, women.

Then suddenly they're alone.

Stuck in a suburb, bored out of their minds.

Some guys will take a drink.

Vedero did a little coke.

That's not to say we ignored it.

What action did you take?

We stepped up supervision.

I had a talk with Vedero.

I told him, one more episode like that,

and Miss Copeland will throw him out of the program.

Thank you.

Your witness.

No random testing? No drug counseling?

No.

You really thought a warning and increased supervision

would be sufficient?

Without our protection, Vedero is a dead man,

and he knew it.

It's a strong incentive to stay clean.

Yeah, but it wasn't enough, was it?

He was high the night he m*rder*d Catherine Phillips.

Do you know where he got the dr*gs?

No, not for sure.

Do you know where he got the g*n?

No.

Mr. Hopson, you said you increased supervision.

Just how closely were you watching him?

Look, I've been doing this work for years.

I've supervised , guys. I'm not a rookie.

Mr. Hopson...

what does the name Cindy Black mean to you?

Objection, irrelevant.

I will show relevance, Your Honor.

Your Honor, this is extremely sensitive information.

It threatens the security of the witness protection program.

Overruled.

You've got your gag order, Mr. Reisman.

This courtroom is sealed. The witness will answer.

Cindy Black was a prost*tute.

It's my understanding that Vedero was one of her clients.

And you knew this because an informant told you, correct?

I didn't ask Miss Copeland.

I asked you.

Why did your informant tell you

about Luiz Vedero and Cindy Black?

Because Cindy Black was m*rder*d.

In fact, she was beaten to death, wasn't she?

Your Honor!

The plaintiff would like to recall Lisa Copeland.

Isn't is possible, even probable,

Luiz Vedero m*rder*d Cindy Black?

She was a prost*tute, she knew hundreds of men.

Any one of them could have done it.

Miss Black was beaten to death,

the same way Vedero m*rder*d before.

So?

Prostitutes die that way all the time.

Did Luiz Vedero k*ll all of them?

Did you at least notify local law enforcement

that Vedero might be a possible suspect?

No. We conducted our own thorough investigation,

and concluded Vedero was innocent.

You conducted an investigation?

Without access to the body, the coroner's report,

or any other evidence?

There was absolutely no hard evidence

tying Vedero to this m*rder.

There was plenty of circumstantial evidence.

You knew Black was probably turning tricks with Vedero.

That doesn't mean he k*lled her.

That she was probably selling him dr*gs

and that he had a history of v*olence.

But you kept it all to yourselves.

To protect the credibility of your witness.


-Objection, this is a speech.
-Sustained.

Another m*rder could have tainted his testimony,


-and that could have jeopardized your drug cases.
-Your Honor...

Move on, Miss Lamb.

So, in spite of Cindy Black's m*rder,

you never considered removing Vedero from the program.

As I said...

we'd cleared him of any wrong
-doing.

It was all part of the bargain, wasn't it?

Two weeks after Cindy Black's m*rder,

Vedero kept his end, he testified for you in the Ramirez trial.

Yes.

And two months after that,

he b*at Catherine Phillips to death.

How does it feel, Miss Copeland, knowing

you could have prevented her m*rder?


-Objection!
-Miss Lamb, that's enough.

I have no more questions.

This is how you deal with things?

You just don't return phone calls?

Hey, after what I saw, there's nothing to say.

He was hurting, Jonathan!

And his pain justifies you sleeping with him?

I was not sleeping with him.

You were in the same bed. He spent the night with you.

You know his state of mind, for God's sake!

I don't care how much he hurts, you understand?

I'm not going to be with anybody

whose relationship with somebody else,

whatever the hell it's supposed to be,

has them winding up in bed together.

You selfish son of a bitch!

You got that right, baby.

When it comes to me being involved with somebody,

I'm the most self
-protecting,

self
-centered bastard you'll ever meet.

I'm leaving.

You hurt me.

And I'm not going to get in any deeper with you

and end up being hurt worse.

What happened last night is not going to happen again.

Yes, it will. Zoe, don't you understand?

You two still love each other.

You need each other.


-That's not true!
-It is. It is.

It's true!

And I can't handle it.

I can't be in this anymore. I'm sorry.

Are you saying we're finished?

Yeah, we're finished.

[chattering]

I'll be right with you, honey.

Morning.

BROOKS: What do you want, Ken? Tell me, what do you want?

KEN: Why don't you just come off your high horse?

Uh
-huh?

Oh, look, he is the attorney.

He's a light
-weight!

If I hadn't stepped in, he would've let Kaplan off the hook!

KEN: You haven't given the poor guy a chance!

I gave the lifestyle correspondent a chance.

I gave the media critic a chance,

I gave every one of your club
-footed mutants a chance,

what did they do? Embarrass me!


-Calm down.
-I will not stand by

and watch him flush this show down the toilet.

I put too many years into it for that.

[sighs]

Tough night?

Bad morning.

I think I just lost my innocence.

Oh, leave it to me, honey, you'll be a virgin again in no
-time.

Life in the w*r
-zone, huh?

Is it always this bad around here?

Oh, Tapman and Ken have been gunning for each other all season.

See, Tapman wants Ken out,

so naturally, everybody Ken brings to the show

has to be wrong.

That explains a lot.

Yeah, so don't take it personal.

I guess it happens.

Wrong guy in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Arnie, baby, you are innocent.

Don't you know there are no accidents?

What do you mean?

You were God's gift to Tapman.

Everything he needed to force a face
-off with Ken.

Trust me on this, you did not just drop in his lap.

Somebody planned this.

You watch, if Tapman leaves first, he lost.

Now, if Ken leaves first, he's gone.

But if network leaves, status quo.

They live to fight another day.

And if Ken goes, I go.

At the speed of light.

Everybody around here know about this except me?

Everybody feels for you

because we all know you're a nice guy

and you don't deserve it.

Sorry, honey.

You're toast.

How can the government claim they are not responsible

for the m*rder of Catherine Phillips?

Because they didn't strike the blows that k*lled her?

Because they didn't brutally r*pe her before she d*ed?

No, the government did not commit those horrible crimes.

But they made it possible for Luiz Vedero to commit them.

They took a vicious criminal,

they gave him his freedom,

and they protected him better

than they protected the innocent people around him.

The government had two chances to prevent the death

of Catherine Phillips.

But they chose not to.

They knew Vedero was back on dr*gs.

According to their own rules,

he should have been thrown out of the program then,

but he wasn't.

Even when the U.S. Attorney

knew Vedero might have m*rder*d a woman,

still they did nothing.

They kept Luiz Vedero in the witness protection program

and it cost Catherine Phillips her life.

Why does the government want the circumstances

of her m*rder kept secret?

Because the government was grossly negligent, Your Honor.

It acted with callous disregard for the lives of its citizens.

But for that negligence,

Catherine Phillips would still be alive.

Your Honor, if you have any doubt

what the drug trade is doing to this country,

you've only to look at our inner cities

or any suburb or small town.

It's everywhere. It's a national disaster.

It touches every part of our society.

It drains our criminal justice system.

Fills our prisons, robs families of loved ones,

delivers babies in agony and addicted.

It destroys thousands, maybe millions of people's lives.

Without witnesses like Luiz Vedero,

we have no hope of ever stopping this drug trade.

It's a risk that must be taken.

This is a battle whose sole purpose

is to protect the people of this nation.

People like Catherine Phillips.

The last thing we ever wanted was for this w*r to claim her.

But the sad fact is, in any w*r,

there will be casualties.

[knocks]

I know you don't want to talk about it,

so I will just do all the yapping,

and you could, you know, maybe just listen?

I do love and need Zoey.

More than I admit to her or even myself.

A hell of a lot more than I feel like admitting to you.

Maybe you love her more. I doubt it, but could be.

I know I know her more than you do.

In and out of marriage, I know her pretty good,

and knowing her...

I ain't ever seen her so happy

as since she started hanging around with you.

That's part of the reason why I feel so threatened

is 'cause you and her feel right.

It's not that simple, Tommy.

Oh, yeah, it's definitely that simple.

You love her. She loves you. Simple.

Don't let go of her, Jonathan.

I could never take your place, man.

Oh, you don't want my place.

You want yours.

Tom, don't you see, part of the reason

you're even here right now

is that you still love her.

Yeah, I do.

And part of really loving somebody

is wanting what is best for that person.

I'm here now because I know what's best for Zoey

is you.

I know you're hurt.

But let that woman get away,

then you'll know hurt.

There's no question that the government was negligent here.

Any parent would treat their child's drug use

with more concern

than that shown by those supervising Luiz Vedero.

But, in establishing the Witness Protection program,

Congress failed to issue any guidelines

restricting the Justice department's operation.

From that I must conclude

that they intended to allow full discretion

in both the selection and supervision of these witnesses.

Under the law as it exists,

negligence, even this gross negligence

isn't enough to sustain a claim.

And the plaintiff has not shown that the government intended

to cause Mrs. Phillips death.

Therefore I'm granting the defendant's motion

to dismiss.

As for this gag order,

I see nothing in this record

that jeopardizes the Witness Protection program

or threatens the lives of its participants.

So I'm denying the government's request

for a permanent injunction.

The order is hereby lifted,

and this transcript made part of the public record.

The parties are free to talk to the press.

Your Honor, me move for a stay pending appeal.

Opposed.

Your Honor, we've argued this over and over again.

I have no choice, Miss Lamb.

The stay is granted.

Until a further ruling,

the gag order will remain in place.

This case is adjourned.

Arnie!

Welcome back.

I heard what happened.

I think they were idiots to let you go.

No, more like I was the idiot.

I don't follow you, babe.

I didn't do my homework.

I let you stroke me, pump me full of smoke.

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

but it sounds sexy.

Listen, can we continue this tomorrow
-
-

Brooks Tapman is a client of yours.

I didn't mention that?

You maneuvered Ken Feldman into hiring me

so Tapman could use me against him,

use me as a w*apon to get Ken Feldman fired.

You set me up.

So?

S
-
- so?

You used me!

You manipulated me!

That's right.

I manipulated you into taking a $, a year job.

They'll cash you out at .c on the dollar

for the first option period,

you'll walk with grand for two weeks work.

Where are your damages, Arnie?

I was humiliated on network television.

Damage to the ego heals fast, take it from me.

Damage to your reputation, don't flatter yourself.

Two weeks from now, people won't even remember you were on.

That is not the point.

By the way, KCYB called yesterday,

I told them you might possibly be interested in coming back.

I got them to bump your salary %, plus perks.

Deal memo is in the mail.

Got to fly.

Ciao, babe.

[knocking]

Hi.

I'm sorry.

Don't tell me you're sorry, tell me you're back.

I have conditions.

I know.

No ex
-husbands in the bed.

And I don't want him hiding in the bathroom with a g*n, either.

He is a part of my life.

You have to remember that, Jonathan.

Yeah, and what you need to keep in mind is so am I.

Right?

[chattering, shouting]

Bad news.

We lost the appeal.

The gag order's permanent.

Oh.

They're getting pretty restless.

Give us a minute, please.

I'm not backing down.

I want people to know what those bastards did.

You will be defying a court order, Mr. Phillips.

If you speak to those reporters,

you'll be held in contempt.

I don't care.

Let them put me in jail.

I miss my wife, Mr. McKenzie.

I want her death to mean something.

I'm tired of playing by the rules.

But I understand why you have to.

If you say so, I'll talk to them somewhere else.

I can't answer for the firm.

Douglas and I feel that our risk here

is minimal as long as Miss Lamb doesn't participate.

Well...

Thank you.

Thank you.

There he is. Mr. Phillips?

You've done everything you can.

Within the law.

If he wants to go beyond that, that's up to him.

But you have no choice.

Ladies and gentlemen, I want to tell you how my wife d*ed.

She was r*ped and beaten to death

by a criminal that the United States government

put back on the street.

His name is Luiz Vedero.

You made the right decision.

Then tell me, Leland,

why do I feel like such a coward?

There were aware of his drug abuse, and yet they chose to do nothing.

♪♪ [theme]