- Come on, let's go.
- Does this look OK?
- Very pretty.
- So you
-
- you bought all this stuff with your own money, huh?
- It's a basic trial strategy.
You want to look good in court.
You want to feel good.
The clothes the county provides are usually a bit threadbare.
- Well, this isn't exactly my style, you know.
- It's for the jury.
- So is Andy going to be there?
- Don't worry about him.
- Is he going to be there, though?
- Yes, he'll be there to testify.
- He used to say it was me and him till the end of time.
- He lied.
- So what kind of deal did he make?
- They promised him straight probation.
- So he's going to walk.
- The fact that he never got out of the car
means that the victim couldn't ID
him, which means that they have a stronger case against you.
- So if I lose, I get five years, right?
- Possibly.
- Maybe I should have made a deal.
- Christine, if you really want to cop a plea,
I can see if the door is still open,
but you've been saying for months
that you want to go to trial.
And although there are no guarantees,
you do have a lawyer who believes in you.
- Just don't make me talk to him, all right?
[theme music]
- People versus Rowan.
What's this?
- Christine Rowan was an unwilling participant
in an armed robbery.
Her boyfriend forced her to pose as a prost*tute,
lure a john to a compromising position,
then hold him up at gunpoint.
- Sounds like you're pleading duress.
- That we are.
- Is "my boyfriend made me do it" really a valid defense?
- If this woman was threatened with grave bodily
harm, absolutely.
- The threats were psychological, which doesn't
make them any less grave.
This guy kept my client a virtual prisoner
in his apartment, demanded total submission, sexually
and otherwise, to the point where her will became
subsumed by his.
- What kind of woman puts herself in that position?
- In this case, a teenage prost*tute
with a history of abuse.
- Sad story, but a tough sell.
- Very tough.
You couldn't plead this?
- She didn't want to do time, and I
didn't think she deserved to.
- [sighs] Hopewell versus Paine.
- Yeah, at Leland's urging, I'm representing Mason Paine.
His wife is suing him for divorce.
- All I had to hear was that Mason Paine
was looking for an attorney.
- Why, who is he?
- Who is he?
He's one of the great country music singers and songwriters.
That's who he is.
- Country music?
- Oh, god, Leland, you listen to country music?
- I know.
It's hard to imagine, isn't it.
- Get along, little Dougie.
We don't have to discuss this anymore.
- Leland, I'm stunned that you listen to country music.
- Some of the greatest American poetry ever written
is country music.
- You know what happens when you play
a country music song backwards?
- What happens?
- You get back your wife.
You get back your dog.
Your pickup truck's fixed, and your mama's alive.
[laughter]
- You're all very sophisticated, aren't you?
Well, I listen to country music, and I am thrilled
that Mason Paine is our client.
And as far as I'm concerned, y'all don't know nothing.
- Mr. Bowling, would you describe the nature
of the events that took place on the evening of October , ?
- Well, it was close to midnight.
I was driving down Las Palmas, south of Sunset,
looking for a female companion.
- Could you be more specific, Mr. Bowling?
- A prost*tute.
I was looking for a prost*tute.
I saw that young woman over there standing on the sidewalk
near Las Palmas and Selma.
I pulled over.
She asked if I wanted a date.
I said yes.
She got in and away we went.
- And where did you go?
- She told me to pull into an alley just up the street.
For privacy, she said.
So when I
-
- when I parked, a guy came up behind me
and blocked me, so I couldn't back out.
That's when she pulled the g*n.
- And what, if anything, did she say?
- She told me to hand over my wallet,
or she'd blow my head off.
Her voice was real calm and cool, like ice,
like she did this all the time.
- Objection.
Move to strike.
- I'll allow it.
- Your Honor, when the witness claims that my client sounds
like she did this all the time, he's
engaging in speculation, which is both wholly improper
and highly prejudicial.
- The witness is stating his opinion, Counselor.
I think the jury is capable of interpreting it as such.
Proceed, Miss Tripp.
- What happened next, Mr. Bowling?
- Then she told me to hand over my watch, my wedding band,
and a gold chain that I had, a St. Christopher medallion, on,
and she drove off with my car.
- Thank you.
I have nothing further.
- Mr. Bowling, have you any training, psychiatric
or otherwise, that would help you interpret my client's
behavior on that night?
- No.
- For all you know, Ms. Rowan was scared out of her wits.
Isn't that right?
- She didn't look scared to me.
- In a statement you made to police,
you said that the man in the car directed the action that night.
Is that description accurate?
- He yelled some things at her, yes.
- Such as?
- Well, he told her to make sure to get my watch and my ring.
I remember that.
- Did she obey his instructions?
- Well, yes, she did, but
-
-
- Thank you.
The question only requires a yes
-or
-no answer.
- But he didn't tell her to hold the g*n at my head.
She did that on her own.
- Non
-responsive.
Move to strike.
- Denied.
- Your Honor, I asked a yes
-or
-no question.
- The witness is entitled to finish his thought.
- That little girl threatened to blow my head off,
and now she's trying to say it wasn't her fault?
- Your Honor, I object.
- I've ruled the witness can continue,
Ms. Paros, and I won't tolerate another interruption.
- She lured me in.
She threatened me.
She robbed me, and she did it like she meant to.
She did it like a pro.
- If the witness is finished, I have no more questions.
[chatter]
- Mason, I'm not denigrating anything you've done.
And the fact of the matter is I've always thought
you were a major talent.
Unfortunately, your marriage isn't working,
and your wife wants to move on.
- That's real show business talk, isn't it?
That's the way they talk out here in LA.
We're going to move on.
We've taken all there is to take.
We're tired of you.
We're bored with you, so now we're going to move on.
- I'm just curious, how much have
you had to drink today, Mason?
- Just enough to get through this, darling.
Not one drop more.
- Folks, we're here to see if we can come to an agreement
as to finances.
I strongly suggest that's what we deal with.
- Good idea.
- Well, what's Mason's position on Amanda's continuing
to perform his songs?
- Mason says she can't.
- Mason, hold on a second.
- Mason can't say she can't.
There's a compulsory license law that entitles her
to perform all published work.
- Let's put it this way.
I'm not signing any divorce agreement
that gives her permission to sing those songs.
- Well, we got a problem, Mr. Becker.
I mean, those songs and all the royalties derived thereof
are his only significant contribution
to the marital estate.
And if he seeks to prevent his wife from using what has become
a substantial portion of her repertoire,
well, he can't expect to share pari
passu in that selfsame estate.
- Amanda, darling, if you understand what he just said,
I'd best abandon all hope of winning you back.
- I think you'd best do that anyway, Mason.
- This matter is not going to be settled, Mr. Becker.
And it's certainly not going to be settled today.
My suggestion is, is that tomorrow we just
start with the depositions.
- Amanda
-
-
- Don't say anything, Mason.
Just please, don't say anything.
- I thought you were going to let me
use the songs to bargain with.
- They're the only thing I've got that she still wants.
If I give them to her, then you'll draw up some papers,
and just like that, it'll be over.
- You realize the only thing you're holding on to
are divorce proceedings.
- I'll hold on to whatever I can.
- Mason?
Mason, I brought some of my albums in to show you.
Look at that.
Hawkshaw Hawkins, The Hawk of the West Virginia Hills.
Cowboy Copas, Bob Wills, Tommy Duncan.
Oh, Lefty Frizzell, why?
And Faron Young.
- Leland.
- And Uncle Dave.
Uncle Dave Macon.
He's doing Rabbit in the Pea Patch
and Keep My Skillet Good and Greasy.
- Leland, this probably isn't a good time for that.
- Oh.
Oh, OK.
Maybe later.
- A presumption has no force or effect
when specific contrary evidence is produced and admitted.
- And how much contrary evidence is necessary to overcome
a presumption?
- It depends on the case.
Sometimes the standard is enough evidence
to support a finding of the nonexistence
of the presumed fact.
In other cases, the standard is just substantial evidence.
- You got it.
- Oh.
You know, you were right about a change of scene.
I couldn't remember any of this until we got outside,
and now it's all coming back.
What are you doing?
- What am I doing?
Making myself extremely vulnerable.
- When this happened before, you said it was an accident.
You said it was a momentary lapse in impulse control.
- It was.
- This wasn't?
- No.
I am very attracted to you.
Are you at all attracted to me?
- I just got out of a relationship,
and I did that because I don't have
the time right now for anything except passing the bar.
- But you also thought that coming out here
would completely blow your concentration,
and what it did was clear your head.
So imagine how focused you would be after a weekend
at the San Ysidro Ranch.
- Tony
-
-
- Please don't say anything.
Just hear me out.
This is an incredible place.
It's so quiet, you'd think you were
in the middle of nowhere instead of a hundred miles from LA.
Private cottages, horseback riding.
Not to mention this is the place Jack
Kennedy spent his honeymoon.
- Tony, it sounds really great.
- Please, just think about it.
That's all I ask.
[birds chirping]
- Hello.
- Hi.
Your assistant told me I could wait in here.
- I knew there was a reason I hired her.
- Tony, I
-
-
I thought about your invitation, and I'm
going to have to say no.
It's not that I don't like you.
It's just that I need to keep my life as
simple as possible right now, and
-
- and that means
not confusing relationships.
You're my teacher and my tutor, and I want to keep it at that.
- I couldn't sleep last night because I
kept thinking about you.
- Tony, you're making me really uncomfortable.
- I am more than just interested in you, Gwen.
I'm
-
- I am overwhelmed by you, the way you dress, the way
you move, the way you smell.
It makes it impossible for me to concentrate.
- Look, Tony, I need to get back to studying for the bar.
I am sorry I have this effect on you, but you're an adult.
You'll get past it.
- To pretend that I don't feel this massive attraction for you
is more than I can do, Gwen.
I'm sorry.
- What do you mean?
- I mean that I think I'm going to have to end
our private tutoring sessions.
And you can certainly continue to come to class,
but I would ask that you please sit at the back,
preferably behind someone tall.
Don't ask any questions.
Don't talk to me before or after class.
And if this is not OK with you, I
will gladly refund your money.
- What good's that going to do me?
I can't get into another review class at this point.
- To hear you and see you and know
that I cannot get any closer to you is just too painful for me.
I'm sorry.
You're an adult, Gwen.
You'll get past it.
[door closes]
- Well, Arthur Bryson is a pretty well
-respected judge.
Could you possibly have misread the situation?
- Leland, he invited an opposing witness
to vilify my client at length during my cross
-examination.
- Well, what possible motive could
he have had for doing that?
- I have no idea.
- How old is your client?
- .
- Bryson's got a daughter around that age.
It's pretty well
-known she's had some trouble.
A couple DUIs, a possession bust.
Rumor is the judge went out of his way to make sure
she got six months at Sybil Brand.
- That's it.
Because I'm in there arguing that a woman
the same age isn't responsible for her actions.
- I'd say that's the wrong thing to be
arguing in front of this judge.
- Do you think I have enough to disqualify him?
- You have speculation based on rumor.
Now, to win a recusal, you need evidence of clear
-cut bias.
- So I do nothing?
This girl is headed for prison.
- What you do is proceed with caution.
You've gained some insight into the potential bias
of your judge.
You plan your case accordingly.
And don't forget, you don't need the judge if you got the jury.
- When was the last time you were
in a recording studio, Mason?
- It's been a while.
- As a matter of fact, you haven't released
an album since , have you?
- As a matter of fact, I haven't.
- How about concerts?
You give any concerts lately?
- Tell me something.
How come he's asking me all these questions
he already knows the answer to?
- Because I need a stenographic record of your responses,
that's why.
- Let's just get through it, Mason.
- When's the last time you performed?
- About years ago.
- Last time you were scheduled to perform
was on the Nashville hayride show, wasn't it?
- Oh, I know where this is going.
- Wasn't it?
- Yes, it was.
- Isn't it a fact that you showed up to that engagement
in an inebriated condition and were
not permitted to go on stage?
- The reason I was not permitted to go on stage is because I
wouldn't put on a
-gallon hat and stand
there telling jokes with that grinning
idiot they had for an emcee.
- Listen, how many promoters did you burn, Mr. Paine?
How many engagements did you show up to drunk?
How many engagements did you fail to show up to at all?
- My wife's the one who keeps track of things like that.
- No, I'm not looking for an exact number, sir.
I'd just like to know if there is
anyone out there who's still willing to take
a chance on booking you.
- That's an improper question. Don't answer it.
- It's not an improper question.
It goes to the issue of whether or not he
rendered himself unemployable.
- I say it's an improper question.
I'm instructing him not to answer.
- Fine, I'll get a ruling.
- Get a ruling.
- I will get a ruling.
- Fine.
- My god, this is what hell must be like, sitting in a room
with lawyers picking over your bones.
- Well, what did you think getting a divorce
was going to be like, Mason?
- I don't know.
I didn't want to be getting a divorce.
I wanted to stay married.
- Amanda, you know what? Why don't you take off?
- Can I?
- Absolutely.
- Great.
- You're going to leave?
- This is your deposition, not mine.
- Now, this would be off the record.
All right, now, your wife won't say this to you, but I will.
You're old, and you're in the way.
Amanda Hopewell has a fantastic career ahead of her
as a solo artist.
I'm not going to stand by and let them sandbag that.
Now, his songs may be an asset, but he himself
is nothing but a liability.
You know it.
I know it, and he knows it best of all.
- Frank, I already gave your guy time served.
Next thing you'll be wanting is wall
-to
-wall carpeting.
[knocking on door]
Come in.
The deal is she pleads to involuntary manslaughter,
or we go to court.
[knocking on door]
Come in.
Right.
I gotta go.
[knocking on door]
I said come in.
Oh, Rosalie.
- I couldn't understand what you were saying.
- Yeah.
Well, sometimes I don't talk so clearly.
Come on in.
- How
-
- how are you?
- I'm fine.
How are you?
- Fine.
- Is Benny with you?
- No.
Is it all right if I come here alone?
- Of course it's all right.
Is something wrong?
- I'm not sure.
- Is this about Clark Sims?
You've seen him?
- Once yesterday.
Twice last week.
He
-
- he's on the corner of my street when I get off the bus.
- Did he say anything to you?
- He wanted to know why I hadn't been to the swimming pool,
and he told me that I looked pretty in my bathing suit.
- And did he say anything else?
- He said we had to do sex again.
- You don't have to do anything with him, Rosalie.
You understand that?
You don't even have to talk to him again.
Now, we will get a restraining order
so that he stays away from you.
Have you told your mother about this?
- She got so mad the last time.
- Well, she wasn't mad at you, Rosalie.
She was worried about you.
- Do we have to tell her?
- No, but if we press charges against Clark Sims,
she's probably going to find out.
And if we go to court, I think you're going to need her.
- Mr. Varney, how would you describe your relationship
with the defendant?
- Well, about three years ago, I rescued Christine
from hooking off the streets.
I looked after her.
I protected her, and she was my girl.
- And would you tell the court, please, how the two of you
supported yourselves.
- We stole.
- Would you describe for us what, if anything,
took place on the evening of October , ?
- The two of us robbed a guy.
- How exactly did you do that?
- Well, Christine pretended to be a hooker.
The guy stopped, and she got in the car.
I pulled up behind him.
She robbed him, threw him out of the car.
- Mr. Varney, did you force her to do this?
- Absolutely not.
We were really living the life at the time,
doing a lot of drinking, a lot of cocaine.
Right, Christine?
She was the one who came up with the plan.
I never forced her to do anything.
- Thank you.
I have nothing further.
- Mr. Varney, in return for your testimony against Christine
Rowan, the district attorney agreed to recommend probation,
which is, in fact, what you expect to receive, is it not?
- Hey, look, I was willing to own up to my mistakes,
and I think it's too bad that Christine won't do the same.
- Mr. Varney, are you currently living with someone
named Yvonne Mallory?
- Yeah.
- How old is she?
- Like, .
- I have a certified copy of Ms. Mallory's driver's license.
Would you please read aloud her date of birth?
- OK.
She's .
So what?
- Isn't it a fact that Ms. Mallory
was working as a prost*tute when you met her?
- Objection.
This line of questioning is irrelevant.
- Your Honor, Mr. Varney's pattern
of exploiting vulnerable young women is entirely relevant.
- The only one on trial here is your client, Miss Paros.
The objection's sustained.
- Isn't it a fact that four years ago,
you and a
-year
-old woman were convicted of robbing two men
in the exact same manner that Christine
stands accused of today?
- Yeah, and when I told Christine about it she said,
hey, why don't we give it a try?
- Mr. Varney, wasn't it your idea
to rob these men in this way?
- No, it wasn't.
- Didn't you, in fact, thr*aten to cut
Christine off and throw her out in the street
if she didn't comply?
- Look, she is nothing but a coke slut, man,
and she got off on doing it.
- You lying son of a bitch.
- Miss Paros, if your client can't
keep her filthy mouth shut, I'll order
the bailiff to tape it shut.
- Your Honor, I ask that counsel be heard in chambers.
- All right, Miss Paros, you brought us all in here.
What is it?
- Your Honor, I move for a mistrial on the grounds
that your derogatory remark against my client
in front of the jury has irreparably prejudiced my case.
- Motion denied.
Is that it?
- Your Honor, this remark is not an isolated incident.
I believe you're biased against my client.
- Motion denied.
- With all due respect, Your Honor,
your rulings indicate that you prejudged this case.
- My rulings are my rulings.
They don't indicate any such thing.
- I think they do, Your Honor.
The fact is, I think that when you look at my client,
you see your own daughter.
And I think as a result of this, my client's
not getting a fair trial in there.
- Who the hell do you think you are?
My relationship with my daughter has nothing, nothing,
to do with this case, and it is absolutely
no business of yours.
You have no grounds for a recusal motion.
You have no evidence of error on my part,
and there isn't a judge in this building
who would argue otherwise.
Motion denied, Counselor.
You're stuck with me.
[upbeat music]
When Christine was six years old,
her mother's live
-in boyfriend sexually molested her.
At the age of eight, Christine was abandoned by her mother
and left in the care of her maternal grandparents.
The grandmother d*ed the following year,
and Christine was raised by her grandfather
until his death, when she was .
- And what effect did these childhood
experiences have on Christine?
- They left her with a diminished sense of self
and an abnormally dependent personality.
- Meaning?
- Christine craves the approval of others, men in particular,
and wants desperately to attach herself
to someone who will love her.
Once in a relationship, she'll do
almost anything to maintain it.
Clearly, this leaves her vulnerable to victimization.
- In your opinion, was Christine victimized by her
former boyfriend Andrew Varney?
- Yes.
He isolated her from her friends and kept her
in a state of near captivity.
He assumed control over even the most minor decisions
in her life.
Gradually, Christine entered a state of learned helplessness
in which her own will was subjugated
to the will of Mr. Varney.
- Doctor, in your opinion, was Christine acting
of her own free will when she committed the robberies
of which she stands accused?
- No.
Mr. Varney threatened to throw her out
if she didn't participate.
Christine's greatest fear was that she'd
be abandoned, as she was repeatedly during childhood.
In her dependent state of mind, Mr. Varney's ultimatum
was like a death thr*at.
- Thank you, Doctor.
Nothing further.
- Doctor, didn't Christine choose
to enter a coercive relationship because she wanted someone
else making decisions for her?
- It's possible she made that choice initially,
but prolonged mistreatment by Mr. Varney
eroded her will to the point she felt she had no choice.
- Let's get something straight.
Was Miss Rowan insane at the time of the robbery?
- No.
- Could she tell right from wrong?
- Yes.
- So she knew what she was doing was wrong,
but she went ahead and did it anyway.
- Yes, acting under the thr*at of abandonment, which to
her is the equivalent of death.
- And how do you know Mr. Varney made this thr*at, Doctor?
- Christine told me.
And I believed her.
- Right.
Nothing further.
[door bell chimes]
- Mr. Mullaney.
What are you doing here?
- I didn't tell her you were coming.
- What's going on?
- Can I come in?
- Please.
- I'm sorry for this intrusion, but
something's been going on that I think you should know about.
- You could sit down if you want.
Can I make you some coffee?
- Oh, no, thank you, Rosalie.
I'm fine.
- What is it, Mr. Mullaney?
- Clark Sims has been threatening your daughter,
Mrs. Hendrickson.
- Why didn't you tell me?
- I didn't want you to get mad.
- And when Rosalie came to my office,
I had a detective look into his background.
Two years ago, the guy was under police
investigation on five complaints for sexual harassment and r*pe.
The complaints were filed by the Routeman Rehabilitation Center
on behalf of five young women.
All of them mentally Ret*rded.
- Well, did they go to court?
- There were no witnesses, no evidence of force,
and none of the girls could give credible testimony.
See, I think Rosalie can.
I want to put Clark Sims in jail so he
can't hurt anybody anymore, but I need you to help me do that.
- Ah.
- I want to go to court, Mom.
- How is it that you became a singer?
- My husband played his guitar and sang for me,
and one day I joined in and sang with him.
- What did he say when he heard you sing?
- He said when God handed out voices like mine,
he meant to hear them used.
- So your husband, in fact, encouraged you to sing,
did he not?
- Yes, he did.
He played me Carter Family records,
Hazel Dickens, Kitty Wells, Patsy Cline, all of them.
- Your career has taken off, hasn't it, Ms. Hopewell?
- I guess.
- Well, as a matter of fact, your career has eclipsed that
of your husband's, hasn't it?
- What's your point, Mr. Becker?
- The point is, Mr. Pelton, she doesn't need him anymore.
- Arnie
-
-
- I don't need you anymore.
Is that what you think all this is about?
- No, I don't.
- Let me tell you something, Mr. Becker.
The worst day of my life was the day
I decided to file for divorce.
- Amanda, it really isn't necessary for you
to defend yourself here.
- Well, I'm going to say what I have to say.
When it was good between us, it was as good as life gets.
Those years we lived together in Nashville,
there was nothing I wanted that I didn't have then.
- What changed?
- You changed.
You stopped writing songs.
You stopped performing.
All you do now is drink, play cards, and complain.
Maybe you can live like that, but I can't.
I remember what it used to be like,
and it makes me so damn sad.
If it's all the same to you, I would ask to be excused.
You can ask me whatever you have left to ask me another time.
- It's fine.
- Thank you.
- By the way, in case you're interested,
Mason will be performing tomorrow night.
- What?
- Yeah, Teatots Lounge on Lankershim Boulevard.
He'll be singing a whole bunch of new songs.
- New songs?
- You haven't said anything to her?
- Uh, no.
- He's been writing up a storm the last few weeks.
- Really?
- Well, stop by, why don't you?
- Can he be persuaded to let Amanda
record any of these songs?
- It's possible.
- Well, maybe we will stop by.
- What are you doing to me?
- I'm representing you.
- You're representing me?
How are you representing me?
I haven't written any new songs, and I'm not scheduled
to go on stage tomorrow night.
- Look, you got more than hours to write the songs,
and we represent the owner of Teatots.
- How do you know I can write any new songs?
And even if I could, what makes you
think I can put a band together between now and tomorrow night?
- Look, you want to get your wife back?
I don't know if that's a possibility or not.
But before you give up on it, I think you have to take a sh*t.
- This won't get her back.
- Well, maybe it won't, but what it will do
is make her stand up and take notice.
- I used to think that Andy was the best
thing that ever happened to me.
He got me off the streets.
He told me how beautiful I was, how much he loved me.
But I never realized that deep down it was all pretty sick.
- What do you mean by that?
- The drinking and, um, [clears throat]
the
-
- the dr*gs.
The way we live like animals, nothing
-
- nothing clean,
nothing nice.
Andy would say that it was only temporary.
He'd sometimes say how we'd both get
jobs and a nice apartment and a nice dog, and I believed him.
[clears throat] Plus he used to say that nobody else wanted me.
- Why did you stay, Christine?
- Because he cared for me.
He was my family.
- Whose idea was it for you to pose as a prost*tute
to trap and rob men?
- It was his.
He owed the money to some dealers,
and they were going to k*ll him. And I didn't want to do it.
I hate
-
- I hate v*olence.
I hate
-
- I hate g*ns.
- Why'd you go through with it?
- Because he said if I didn't, he'd leave me.
- Do you have any children, Christine?
- Yes, I have a little boy.
- Where is he?
- I don't know.
I gave him up for adoption.
- Did you want to give your baby up for adoption?
- No, I wanted to keep him.
- Why didn't you?
- Andy wouldn't let me.
I was pregnant when
-
- when I met him, you know.
And he said that he really didn't want another guy's kid
around, that it would only remind him that I
had been with somebody else.
And he didn't want to be reminded,
so he told me to give the baby up.
- And you did?
- Yeah.
- No further questions.
- Ms. Rowan, isn't the real reason
you gave your baby up for adoption,
that you didn't want to take care of it?
- No, I wanted to keep him.
- It's kind of hard taking care of an infant
when you're high on coke all the time.
- Objection.
- Sustained.
- Are you responsible for your actions
now that you and Andy are apart?
- Yes.
- But for the entire three years you were with Andrew Varney,
you accept no responsibility for any of your actions?
- All I'm saying is that I would have never robbed anyone if he
hadn't forced me to do it.
- Miss Rowan, you put a g*n to your victim's head.
That suggests a certain amount of conviction on your part,
doesn't it?
- I did what Andy told me to do.
- How do you get to the point where that happened?
- Excuse me?
- How do you get to that point?
How do you get to the point where a man like that
has so much influence over you?
- I
-
- I don't know.
- Surely you must have given it some thought.
I mean, you didn't start out as a prost*tute, did you?
You didn't start out as a drug addict, as a thief.
- No, I didn't.
- Your Honor, I object to this line of questioning.
- Sit down, Miss Paros.
- I'm not proud of myself, Your Honor.
- Was there no one in your life who offered you any guidance?
Was there no one who loved you?
- My
-
- my grandpa did.
- How do you think your grandpa would
feel if he could see you today?
If he knew that the little girl that he held and played
with and read bedtime stories to and loved
had sunk so far beneath any semblance of human decency?
- Your Honor.
- How would he feel?
- [breathes deeply]
I think he'd feel bad.
- Miss Tripp, do you have any further questions
for this young woman?
- No, Your Honor.
- You may step down, Christine.
You can go back to your seat.
- Christine Rowan asks you to believe
that she is a vulnerable young girl, so
submissive to the wishes of her boyfriend,
Andy Varney, that she has no will of her own.
Well, the fact is this vulnerable young girl
put a g*n to Howard Bowling's head,
terrorized him, threatened to k*ll him,
and then stole his money.
Now, it doesn't take a psychiatrist
to tell you that the type of person who commits
this kind of v*olence is not the type of person who is easily
pushed around by her boyfriend.
Christine Rowan is a dangerous criminal
who should be locked up.
To legally establish coercion, Miss Rowan
must prove to you that she committed
her crime under thr*at of death or grave bodily harm.
We have heard no testimony that Andrew Varney
threatened her with either.
He never threatened to k*ll her.
He never threatened to even hit her.
Ms. Rowan's defense is nothing more than a desperate attempt
to evade responsibility for her crime.
Do not let her do this.
Find her guilty.
Thank you.
- It's almost impossible for any of us
to imagine the psychological effect
of living in a constant state of isolation and submission.
But for three years, Christine Rowan rarely
left her apartment, and when she did,
it was only in the company of Andrew Varney.
She became a woman without an identity,
who gave complete control of her life to somebody else.
She was told what to do, and she did it.
And whether that meant giving up her child
or putting a g*n to a man's head, she obeyed.
Now, there may not have been bars on the window,
but this, ladies and gentlemen, was a prisoner.
What you as a jury are being asked to determine
is Christine's state of mind at the time of the robbery.
What was her intent?
Did she rob Howard Bowling for his money,
or did she rob him in order to survive?
The fact is Christine Rowan committed this act
because Andrew Varney told her that if she
didn't, he would abandon her, and to her
that was a death thr*at.
Now ask yourselves this.
Will justice be served by sending Christine
Rowan to prison and allowing the man
that was her captor to go free?
- Excuse me.
Oh, man.
It's you, Mason.
I was looking for Arnold.
- He's due back in a little while.
Yeah.
His secretary told me it was OK to wait in here.
- Oh, sure, sure.
I understand you're going on the stage tonight.
- Last night, I
-
-
I put a pot of coffee on.
And I stayed up, and I wrote some songs.
And then this morning, I looked at what I wrote.
I don't know, you know.
I
-
- I don't know if it's any good.
I
-
- I don't know if I can still do this.
- There's only one way to find out.
- You don't understand.
The business has changed.
Country music has changed.
The ones selling records now are all young.
They've got big hats and long hair.
I'm not like that.
- No.
You're not like that.
- So what am I doing walking out on the stage?
- You're going back to work.
- I make enough off royalties to get by.
I don't need to go back to work.
- Forgive me if I'm being presumptuous with someone
I don't know all that well, but I think you do.
- Look, I appreciate what Arnie Becker did.
I just don't think it's realistic.
My wife's not about to change her mind.
- It's easy to think you've outlived your time, isn't it?
That all that's left is a rubber donut on an easy chair
and an afternoon nap.
One old man to another, Mason, that's not all there is left.
The world at large won't tell you that.
If you let go, no one's going to reach out and pull you back.
That's why if you've got something to hold on to,
if you're lucky enough to love someone or something,
then hold on to it.
In the end, that's what keeps you alive, whether your wife
changes her mind or not.
[chatter]
- I'll see you tomorrow.
I told you, I cannot talk to you, Gwen.
- I have second thoughts about your proposal.
- What does that mean?
- It means I have something for you.
- Thanks, Leonard.
California law prevents me from giving it to you myself.
- What is this?
- Summons and complaint.
Consider yourself served.
- You're suing me?
- According to my reading of Title VII,
your behavior toward me falls under the heading
of sexual harassment.
- Oh, really?
You'd better hope that's not an essay question on the exam.
Title VII applies solely to
employer
-employee relationships.
- I think it can be interpreted to encompass
teachers and students.
And if it can't, I'll sue you for intentional infliction
of emotional distress.
- Are you nuts?
I give you an innocent kiss.
I ask you out, and suddenly I am harassing you?
- That is not what you did.
What you did was use a position of power
to pressure me into going to bed with you.
- I gotta tell you, Gwen, if this is any indication
of your legal acumen, I don't hold out a lot of hope
for you passing the bar.
- What happens to me in the bar is
no longer any of your concern.
- So does this mean we're not going away for the weekend?
- Has the jury reached its verdict?
- We have, Your Honor.
- What say you?
- In the matter of People versus Rowan,
one count of armed robbery, we find the defendant not guilty.
- The jury is dismissed with the thanks of the court.
[chatter]
- Do you have the number for the Magdalena home?
- Yeah.
- Do you want a ride?
- I
-
- I can get there on my own.
I think I'd like to take a walk.
Thanks.
- You're welcome.
[knocking on door]
Your Honor?
- What is it, Miss Paros?
- Your Honor, I had no right to refer to your personal life
in the context of this case.
I don't know anything about your relationship
with your daughter, and it was inappropriate of me
to bring it up.
I was only trying to understand why you regard my client
and me with such evident contempt.
- Evident, was it?
- Yes, sir.
Well, I didn't mean to disturb you.
- Miss Paros, how old are you?
- .
- ?
You actually believed in your case, didn't you?
- Yes.
- I've always believed a person must
be responsible for what she does,
regardless of her background.
I've seen young women rise above depredations you
would not believe and thrive.
Others start out with every advantage and end up
-
-
I have this terrible fear that I will
never see my daughter again.
And I cannot for the life of me figure
out what I've done wrong.
You'll have to excuse me, Miss Paros.
[sniffles]
- I'd like to thank you all for being here.
Some of you might know me.
Some of you might not.
I've got a new song I'd like to play for y'all.
It's
-
- it's been a while.
- Sing it.
- I knew I should have had a drink before I got up here.
There's a woman who it's been my great
-
-
my greatest pleasure to come home to.
And
-
- and I don't know if she's here or not, but if she is,
I just want her to know that I love her,
whether I'm coming home to her or not.
And I'd like to dedicate this song to her.
- If you're going to dedicate it to me,
why don't you ask me to come up and sing it with you?
- Is that you?
- Yeah, it's me.
Who'd you think it is?
- Come on up here.
- Yeah, get up there.
[whooping]
- Y'all can take the cotton out of your ears now.
We got someone here who can really sing.
Amanda Hopewell, ladies and gentlemen.
[cheers, applause]
- You got the lyric?
- There it is.
I've got the lyric.
I wrote the damn song last night.
[applause]
[romantic country music]
[SINGING] Well, you know that I love you.
Darling, you know that I always will.
Well, I know how bad you hurt me,
but I know how good you make me feel.
There's a part of me that wants to hold you and believe
that you'll never let me go.
But there's a heart of me that knows you,
so I've just gotta know.
Is this gonna hurt again?
Can I trust my heart with you?
I remember all the pain, but then I
recall the good times, too.
Last time forever didn't last that long.
It just led us to goodbye.
I can't bear to hear that word again.
Tell me, is this gonna hurt again?
Tell me, do I have a chance to win?
Or is this gonna hurt again?
[cheers, applause]
[whooping, whistling]
- Good night, Mike.
- Good night, Miss Paros.
- Christine.
Why didn't you come in?
- I didn't want to bother you.
I
-
- I thought I'd bring back your dresses.
- No, I meant for you to keep them.
- Oh.
I wasn't sure.
I
-
- I don't want you to think I stole them or anything.
- Are you OK?
- Yeah, I'm OK.
- You want to tell me?
- I'm scared.
- What are you scared of?
- Um, I'm scared of
-
-
I'm scared of being on my own, and I'm scared of finding
myself back on the streets.
I'm
-
- I'm scared of running into people I know.
I'm scared of everything.
- [sighs]
Have you had dinner?
- Mm
-mm.
- How about you and me getting something to eat?
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
What do you feel like eating?
- Oh, anything.
- Anything?
- Oh, god, anything at all.
[elevator dings]
[poignant music]
[theme music]
[audio logo]
07x21 - Bourbon Cowboy
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High-powered law firm of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak handles both criminal and civil cases, but the office politics and romance often distract them from the courtroom.
High-powered law firm of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak handles both criminal and civil cases, but the office politics and romance often distract them from the courtroom.