08x13 - Age Of Insolence

[bunniefuu]

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

After a very brief deliberation,

the partners here would like to express unanimously

their feeling that you would represent a significant asset

to this firm.

We would like to extend to you

an invitation to join our firm.

Should there be any doubt the offer

is an offer of partnership.

It just, it takes so much courage for you

to be this honest in front of a couple of strangers like this.

I'm really not surprised to see how brave you are.

Thank you.

'Cause that's what it took to give your baby up

fro adoption, didn't it?

She loves us, Tammy.

She's just a little baby but we feel her love

and her trust.

She knows who her mommy and daddy--

I'm her mama.

I hereby find the circumstances of Tammy Harris's life

to have significantly changed,

making reasonable the withdrawal of her consent.

I further grant her petition for habeas corpus.

Bailiff, please deliver the baby to Miss Harris.

We can't find a way to avoid this trial?

I don't see how, Your Honor.

Miss Heberton adopted this little girl more than two years ago.

Mr. Connelly's attempt to assert his parental rights

at this late date we view as both self-serving

and wholly inimical to the best interests of this child.

Your Honor, the fact that we're doing this when we are

isn't because of my client.

It took him a year and a half to find his child.

And having done that, we've met with delay after delay

engineered by Miss Heberton and her attorneys.

The delays were not engineered, Mr. Angeletti.

We want to resolve this every bit as much as you do.

Is there any possibility for shared custody?

My client feels that that would only confuse the child.

It's time for the little girl to come home to her father.

That's what we want.

Miss Kelsey...

Your Honor, Emily is my daughter.

I am not willing to share custody of her.

Mr. Connelly, I assume your lawyer's speaking for you

when he says the same thing.

Yes, Your Honor.

I'm not willing to share custody either.

This woman might have named her, but that doesn't mean she has

the right to raise her.

She's my daughter.

I want to raise her.

All right, we'll start at : this afternoon.

I would ask both sides to refrain from making

any inflammatory statements to the press.

I don't want this to be any more public than it

absolutely has to be.

Your Honor.

How much of an issue is going to be made about the respective

characters of Miss Heberton and Mr. Connelly?

We've been specifically admonished by the judge in this case

not to make any statement that inflame the proceedings,

and I'm going to abide by that.

I think my adversary is being overly fastidious.

The truth is, before we get done here.

both these people's pants are going to be down around their ankles.

What do they have to hide?

You yourself adopted a child, didn't you, Miss Kelsey?

A little girl?

Thank you, I don't have anything more to say.

Laura?

I'm just wondering if that experience led you

to taking this case.

I'm not answering any questions from you, Miss Farr.

Why is that?

You're not a journalist, you're here as a member

of the Birth Parents network,

and I'm not getting into a debate.

Well, that was not my intention.

I just wanted to say to you both that

people with the Birth Parents network are

not without compassion for your pain as well.

I'm sure that having a child taken from you

and returned to her birth parents was a devastating moment in your life,

and I just wanted to share that with you.

♪♪

♪♪

I just think we ought to show some fiscal responsibility.

Haven't you heard, Douglas?

Eat, drink, be merry for tomorrow, you die?

Wow, what's this about?

Skirmishing preliminary to the partnership meeting.

Ah.

Yeah, we're voting on how to

split up the profits this quarter.

The renovation took a big chunk out of our first quarter earnings.

The renovations are finished, Douglas.

Why do we work like dogs

if we can't enjoy the fruits of our labor?

We can discuss this later.

Heberton vs. Connelly.

Laura Heberton is a single mother

who adopted a baby girl two and a half years ago,

and now the birth father is suing for custody.

Tough one to win, no?

If the judge's primary concern is

the best interests of the child, I'm okay.

If it's the rights of the father, we're dead.

What inspired the father to be doing this?

Part of it is he wants to have a daughter

and part of it is that he's got

the Birth Parents Network behind him.

What is that?

It's an organization dedicated to asserting

the rights of the birth parents

over the adoptive parents.

They are urging him on, providing legal counsel

and covering whatever other expenses are involved.

So this encompasses more than just the parties of interest.

You might say that, yeah.

Churchill vs. Bowles.

Madeline Churchill works for the main branch

of the L.A. city library.

She's been repeatedly harassed by a fellow librarian.

She's suing.

How does a librarian harass somebody?

Very quietly.

[chuckling]

Yes, this is a rather unusual case.

Madeline faints anytime she hears vulgarity

or sexual innuendo.

Most of the other employees have been quite considerate

in accommodating her situation

but the defendant has chosen to make sport of her.

She faints?

She faints.

So this is a mental condition?

I wouldn't call it a mental condition.

I prefer to think of it as a heightened sensitivity.

How heightened is it?

What do you mean?

Well, how vulgar a vulgarity?

How sexual a sexual innuendo does it take?

I don't know, Arnold.

Hey, if anybody could make her faint, you could.

However eccentric Madeline may seem,

the fact remains that someone has made her workplace intolerable,

I think the basis for the lawsuit it legitimate

and I expect to win.

Yeah, okay, I'll see you later.

Conference room's all booked up.

Where are we gonna go?

To the safe room.

-Is it set up? -All set up.

What is the safe room?

It's the place we're supposed to go when we're under att*ck.

They got a phone in here

and they put some lights and...

[knocking]

Come.

Can I talk to you?

Sure. What's up?

It's about the partners meeting.

Ah.

The first time you passed me over for partnership,

you said it was because of finances.

Mm-hmm.

It was.

You asked me to be patient.

And I was.

Since then, you've taken on two new partners ahead of me.

Well, they both had been partners at other firms.

I've been here seven years, Leland.

I've made more than my share of rain,

I've handled more than my share of high-stakes cases,

and I don't think I've been found wanting.

You're right. Far from it.

I think I'm due.

Well, I can't make you any promises.

But I will bring the matter up.

Thanks.

So, Miss Halliday,

since when does McKenzie Brackman get involved

with nonsense like this?

Harassment isn't nonsense.

Did I ever lay a hand on you?

You repeatedly and deliberately

made her workplace intolerable, Mr. Bowles.

Miss Churchill is completely within her rights to seek damages.

Let me be a pragmatist for half a minute.

Let's say that you're right.

Let's say that this poor woman was harassed.

What do you think you're going to come away with?

My client has $ in the bank.

You're aware of our demands.

If he finds another job, we'll drop the suit.

Forget it, these are fascist mind games

and I'm not giving into them.

Ever since you came to work at the library,

your every intention has been to debase me.

Untrue.

And poison the atmosphere I'd come to love.

Look, profanity's part of lingua franca, you know what I mean?

At this point in history, that is the way people talk.

It isn't the way I talk, Mr. Bowles.

Well, that may be because you are something of a tight-ass.

Oh, dear.

Mr. Peters, due to the fact that my client

has somewhat of a delicate nature,

I would ask that your client control his language.

She has a delicate nature?

She wants to rule the world,

and if we're not careful in the st century,

she and women like her will.

Carver, please, let's try to return to the business at hand.

We are not androids, Madeline, nor are we pure thought.

We are all of us raging, devouring sexual carnivores.

Mr. Peters, once again I would ask that

you put a muzzle on your client.

Put a muzzle on me?

She's suing me and you want to put a muzzle on me?

[bleep] you, [bleep] the both of you.

Oh!

Look at her.

Great.

Mr. Connelly, would you please tell the court

who Maureen Booker is?

She's the mother of my little girl.

Objection.

Miss Booker has waived her parental rights.

Let the record reflect that the witnesses' response

is taken to mean biological mother only.

Had you and Miss Booker made arrangements

regarding the custody of this child?

After she got pregnant, we agreed to get married.

Then she changed her mind.

So we agreed to split up

and share custody when the baby was born.

And then what happened?

Well, just before the baby was due, Maureen disappeared.

I tried to find her, but nobody knew where she was.

Then six months later,

she showed up and told me that the baby had d*ed.

-Did you believe her? -Yeah, I believed her.

I couldn't imagine that anyone would lie

about something like that.

What if anything happened to change your belief?

One night one of her friends called me up

and told me that the baby didn't die.

That Maureen had put it up for adoption.

What did you do?

I hired a private investigator.

He looked for her for about six months,

but when I ran out of money, he stopped looking.

Then I read about Birth Parents Network.

I made a phone call, went to a meeting.

Suddenly, I had this whole organization that was willing to help me.

I mean, they paid for good private investigators.

They paid for you, Mr. Angeletti.

They're the reason that I found my daughter.

What steps, if any, have you taken

in anticipation of being awarded the custody

of your daughter?

Well, I enrolled myself in a substance abuse program

and got myself straight. That's the first thing.

Then I got a job, I got a decent place to live.

And I made arrangements with my mother

to take care of my daughter while I'm at work.

Mr. Connelly, if two years ago you'd been asked

to waive your parental rights, would you have done so?

No. No, I wouldn't have.

I wouldn't have waived them then, and I don't waive them now.

I have nothing further.

Mr. Connelly,

is it your desire to act in what would be considered

the best interests of your daughter?

Of course it is.

You are of the belief, are you not

that her best interests are served

by being given over to you?

That's correct.

But it's safe to assume that the biological mother

of this child felt otherwise.

Objection, speculation.

Sustained.

Were you drinking while Miss Booker was pregnant, sir?

I was then. I'm not now.

Were you using amphetamines?

I was then. I'm not now.

Did you ever become physically violent with her

while she was pregnant?

It happened once.

She might have even had something to do with it.

In other words, it was justified.

No, it wasn't.

You would agree, would you not,

that placing the child in the sole custody of an individual

who has a drinking problem, who has a drug problem,

who is prone toward physical v*olence,

in all likelihood would not be

in the best interests of that child?

-Objection. -Yes, I would agree.

-Overruled. -But you're not like that anymore?

That's right, I'm not.

I'm also that child's father.

I have no further questions.

I'm her real father.

Mr. Connelly...

And I'm the one who should be raising her.

Mr. Connelly...

I'll have to ask you to step down now.

Yes, Your Honor.

Miss Booker, would you tell us about

your relationship with Brian Connelly?

We were together about six months.

It didn't work out.

Why not?

A lot of reasons.

He's got a temper. He drinks.

When I got pregnant, we were going to get married.

But I thought about what my life would be like.

And what my kid's life would be like.

And I said no way.

Why did you put your baby up for adoption?

I was just out of high school.

I wasn't ready to be a mother.

I met Miss Heberton,

and decided to do what was best for my kid.

Did you know that Mr. Connelly wanted custody?

That's not what he said then.

He wanted me to raise it so

he could come and visit once in a while.

He didn't want the responsibility.

I couldn't even get him to chip in for medical expenses.

Did you consider having an abortion?

I don't really believe in abortion.

On the other hand, if I thought the alternative

was to have Brian raise her,

I probably would have considered it.

Why?

He wasn't any more ready to raise a kid than I was.

Thank you, I have nothing further.

Ms. Booker...

the time of your break-up with Mr. Connelly.

Were you seeing other men?

I was seeing another man.

One man.

Did he have money?

Objection, irrelevant.

Sustained.

Laura Heberton has money, doesn't she?

-Objection. -Sustained.

How much did Laura Heberton pay you, Miss Booker?

She paid for my medical expenses, that's it.

You say that Mr. Connelly

refused to pay for your medical expenses.

That's right.

You disappeared before the baby was due.

And then you didn't get in touch with him again for six months,

and then when you did, you said the baby was dead.

Did you really give him a chance to pay for those medical expenses?

It wouldn't have mattered.

How do you know?

I know Brian.

Isn't what happened was you wanted to hurt Brian?

You wanted to leave yourself unencumbered?

And wait better way to accomplish both those things

then by denying him the child that was his?

I care about that child as much as anyone in this room.

I gave her up because I thought it was best for her.

She could be loved,

she could have someone to take care of her,

and as painful as it was,

I don't regret it for a second.

I did what was right.

Have you visited your child, Miss Booker?

No.

The truth is, you have no idea

what kind of a parent Laura Heberton is, do you?

I think she's a good parent.

I'm sure it's comforting for you to think that, isn't it?

-Objection. -Withdrawn.

I have nothing further.

Before we begin the deposition,

I would like to remind Mr. Bowles that certain words

and phrases are extremely discomforting to my client,

and I don't propose to subject her to them.

In the interest of expediting the matter,

my client has agreed to

refrain from vulgarity.

When did you start working at the library, Mr. Bowles?

Last November.

Would you describe your duties?

I put the books back on the shelf.

I work the checkout desk.

Bounce the homeless people if they got too stinky.

General library duties.

Were you ever told about Mrs. Churchill's

sensitivity to language?

I was told she fainted.

Having been told that she fainted,

did you ever act in such a way as to cause her to faint?

Well, apparently, I did.

Did you do so deliberately?

No, I did not.

Did you ever use profane language when speaking to Miss Churchill?

I'm a human being, I speak

in the colloquial vernacular of the age.

Besides, she is a pain in the ass.

In other words, you resented her.

Every day, there was a new rule.

One day, it was no jeans.

The next day, it was no gum.

The next there was a memo

about the proper forms of salutation.

I was seeking a certain minimal level of decorum.

Is that why you told me I couldn't handle any th century editions?

I told you that because your fingernails were ill-kept.

More rules.

Rules of conduct, Mr. Bowles,

are in the end what define us as a civilization.

Let me tell you something:

rules and repression start with the genitalia

and work their way upwards until they imprison the mind.

Could we get back to the deposition, please?

Read Fahrenheit sometime.

Read Philip K. d*ck.

I thought we had agreed on something.

It's a name, that's his name. Philip K. d*ck.

Did you not taunt her on a daily basis, Mr. Bowles?

Did you not do everything in your power

to make conditions at work utterly intolerable for her?

I used words.

At first I used them in the course of ordinary conversation.

Then, when the philosophical ramifications

of her repressive attitude towards language sunk in,

I used them deliberately.

I used words to describe the human excretory function.

I used words to describe human sexual function.

I used words that describe and define human existence.

It was intolerable for her to hear them?

Well, it was intolerable to me to be prohibited from using them.

Oh, yeah, every now and then

I would come up to her,

I'd lean in and I would whisper--

Madeleine?

Well, she b*at me to it that time.

Something has come up we have to discuss

before we can proceed.

What's that?

Jonathan Rollins approached me this afternoon.

He thinks it's time we made him a partner.

Partnership decisions are made in June,

this is February.

I realize that.

Jonathan would like a decision now.

That's a little cheeky, isn't it?

Douglas, we told him two years ago

he was being passed over because the firm was in financial straits.

Clearly, that's not the case anymore.

How do you define financial straits?

Do we have more money than we need? I don't think so.

He's also young, he hasn't been an associate for a terribly long time.

He also took a year off.

Jonathan is one of the best litigators in the city

and everybody in this room knows it.

I don't think anyone's arguing that.

The truth is, that's not an appropriate criteria.

This would have a negative financial impact on everyone in this room.

Well, that's true whenever you take on a new partner, Douglas.

Does that mean we should never do it?

It means we do it as dispassionately as possible.

Let's put it to a vote.

Blind ballot.

Given that I don't feel comfortable being part of this decision,

I'm just going to listen.

I can't thank you enough for all the trouble you've taken, Miss Halliday.

I'm truly sorry to be such a burden.

You're not a burden, Madeline, you're a client.

Just the same, all these scenes, all this fainting.

It's quite embarrassing.

I'm sorry that you're embarrassed.

You needn't be.

Let's see, okay, we have mint, apple, Earl Grey.

Have you any valerian root?

No, I don't see any.

Chamomile?

Chamomile will be fine.

-Sugar? -Please.

Madeline Churchill?

Yes?

Arnold Becker, how do you do?

Very well, thank you.

I've been following you case.

Have you?

Yes, I have. We like to afford our clients the benefit

of various points of view here, notwithstanding

that Jane is as capable as any attorney here.

Yes, Miss Halliday's doing a wonderful job.

And under rather difficult circumstances.

As you may or may not know,

our opponent is something of a cad.

He keeps using those upsetting words, doesn't he?

Yes, he does.

We should probably get back to work.

Just one second.

I find you to be a fascinating woman.

I'm sorry, was that too forward?

No.

The relations between the sexes is my bailiwick, so to speak.

Hence my curiosity.

So I find myself wondering, is it the word

or the implication of the word

that gets you upset?

Arnie, I really need to get Madeline going here.

I'm not sure I know the difference, Mr. Becker.

Some words are exclusively sexual.

They either refer to genitalia or various sexual acts.

Whereas other words acquire their sexual meaning

from the context in which they are used.

Arnie...

A restaurant chain is called Hooters.

Now, if you infer that that name refers to the waitresses' breasts,

rather than to owls, would that cause you to faint?

Contrary to what you may think, Mr. Becker,

I am not a nave.

I know to what the name of these restaurants refers.

And while I choose not to patronize such an establishment,

neither would the name cause me to faint.

If a man told you he was going to go home to polish the bishop--

Okay, Arnie, that's all we have time for.

One more! One more, one more.

A woman walks into a room full of men and asks,

"Which one of you is Erik?"

Now if you were to hear this as "which one of you is erect",

thereby conjuring up images of orgiastic behavior--

Arnie!

Multiple penetration and so forth,

would that cause you to faint?

[sighs]

My God, it works.

Your Honor, once again I would argue that this witness

is not qualified to testify as an expert.

She's a psychologist, Your Honor.

Board certified.

She's been associated with the American Birth Parents Network

since its inception, Your Honor.

She's here as an advocate for them.

And I'm sure you'll cross-examine her accordingly.

The witness may testify.

Dr. Farr, would you please state for the court

your field of specialization.

I deal with families who have suffered through the trauma

of adoption, either parents who have lost their children

or children who have lost their parents.

Characterize for us, if you will, the effect of such loss.

Objection, counsel is dealing in meaningless generalities.

The issue of adoption per se should be considered here.

The objection is overruled.

Witness can answer.

Most children who have been adopted spend their lives

trying to puzzle out their identity

in a way that other people can't understand.

No matter how much their adoptive parents love them,

these children grow up feeling

like a part of themselves is missing.

Adopted children live with a sense of having been abandoned

by their parents.

It's a tremendous burden to carry.

And how do these children respond?

Objection. Excessively broad.

Excessively vague.

Overruled.

Adopted children can respond in any number of ways.

Some are more affected than other, but

the range of response includes behavior that is

quite destructive,

whether it be eating disorders or drug abuse of criminality.

The healthiest solution for an adopted child

is to seek out his or her birth parent

and establish a relationship with them.

In your opinion, doctor, at what age

is it better to let things be?

At what age is it better for a child

not to be taken from his adoptive parents?

If a birth parent stand ready, willing, and able

to make a home for that child,

I believe that child is better off with their birth parent.

At whatever age.

Thank you, Doctor.

Would you concede, Miss Farr,

that at the present time,

Brian Connelly is in fact a stranger to this child?

First off, Miss Kelsey,

I would ask that you refer to me as doctor,

as I have in fact earned that credential.

And as to your question,

no, I would not concede the Mr. Connelly is

a stranger, he is anything but a stranger.

And yes, I think a two-year-old child would sense that.

And how would she sense that, Dr. Farr?

I have seen pictures of little Emily.

She has her father's eyes.

And her father's chin.

If I can recognize that, so can she.

Have you ever met little Emily, doctor?

No, I haven't.

Have you ever interviewed Laura Heberton?

No, I haven't done that, either.

And yet you're up here as an expert witness,

testifying as to what's in the best interest of this child.

Don't you find that a little odd... doctor?

No, Miss Kelsey, I don't find it in the least bit odd.

You see, I myself was adopted.

I was rejected by my birth parents,

not once, but twice.

The first time when I was born,

the second time years later when I finally located them.

Is it ever harmful to the child

when the birth parents make contact?

I'm years old, Miss Kelsey.

Every year on my birthday I wait for a card

from my birth parents.

Is your expertise based on being a psychologist

or on the fact that you were an adopted child?

It's based on both.

I have no further questions.

[knocks]

Come in.

I'm afraid the vote did not go as I had expected.

I may have made a mistake by insisting that the vote

be taken at this time.

There were some who thought we should wait until June

when partnership decisions are usually made.

Do you think the results would be different in three months?

I think so, yes.

Who voted against me?

It was a secret ballot.

I don't know.

Then how do you know they'll vote differently in June?

♪♪

Hey, Jonathan, how are you doing?

Okay.

Yeah, I spoke to Barry Glassman this morning.

Oh, yeah?

Yeah, he and Faith said to say hi.

You know, we should all get together some time.

Yeah, sure.

-Have dinner. -That'd be great.

Stuart Markowitz...

What?

You voted against him.

Could we not talk about this here?

How could you vote against him?

Because I think occasionally we have to exercise

a little fiscal conservatism around here.

Fiscal conservatism?

Yeah. Partnership decisions are made in June.

There's a reason for that.

We have rules around here for a reason, Ann.

I can't believe I'm hearing this.

Who are you all of a sudden, Douglas MacArthur?

Ann, the fact is it's better for Jonathan this way.

It's better for his tax situation,

it's better for his buy-in situation.

I see, so you're just looking out for his best interests.

Yeah, your sarcasm notwithstanding.

I feel totally justified.

He saved your best friend's life and you feel totally justified.

Let me tell you what you did yesterday:

you caused a perfectly innocent rather fragile woman

a tremendous amount of embarrassment.

After your little performance yesterday,

Madeline spent minutes in the ladies room weeping.

That woman is a client of this firm.

That entitles her to your protection

as well as mine.

You're right. I'm sorry.

Whatever sexual games you might play with me, Arnie,

does not give you the right to involve an innocent bystander.

Do it again and I'll gouge your eyes out.

Wow.

Miss Churchill...

How long have you worked at the public library?

Four years at the Wilshire Branch

and years now at the main branch downtown.

Fourteen years.

And in that time have you ever had any trouble

getting along with other employees?

Not at all.

Yeah, right.

Well, there are occasional misunderstandings.

But for the most part my fellow librarians

are diligent and considerate work mates.

Isn't it true, Miss Churchill, that you've had

three other employees fired for nothing more

than offending your sensibilities?

Absolutely not.

Oh, well, I've got a letter here

from Miss Melody Whegal.

A terrible laggard.

She was routinely late for work.

Right. She said it only happened a couple of times.

Punctuality, Mr. Peters, is not an occasional virtue.

What about Mr. Kirk Doefenese?

That man was a drunk.

He'd have a beer at his lunch.

He stank of liquor.

Cathy Twill.

Miss Twill engaged in...

illicit activity in the library stacks.

She was kissing her boyfriend.

They were doing more than kissing, Mr. Bowles.

Isn't it true you cost these people their jobs, Miss Churchill?

And I think you're trying to do the same thin to my client.

Your client is not a gentleman, sir.

Well, that happens not to be a crime, Miss Churchill.

You see, this is not th century England.

It's th century Los Angeles.

And you may not like it, but this is where you live.

I beg to differ with you, Mr. Peters.

Time and culture are not a place

but a state of mind.

In fact, I do not live in the th century.

Nor do I have any intention of ever doing so.

Fine.

Uh...

I have no other questions.

Let's go to trial.

With all do respect, Miss Halliday,

you client's a lunatic.

We'll see you in court.

Why am I a lunatic, Mr. Peters?

Madeline, we're finished now.

You don't have to talk to him anymore.

No, Jane, I'm curious.

I go to work every day.

I perform my duties valiantly and well.

I treat my fellows man with kindness.

My standards of behavior are rigorous, I admit.

But I'm never mean-spirited about the failure

of my employees to meet those standards.

What is it about my behavior which suggests

mental instability?

Well, look at you.

Look at the way you're dressed.

Excuse me, Jane? Uh, Jane...

they need the room.

Tell them that we're running a little bit late.

Okay.

Mr. Bowles, I hardly think we are sufficiently

familiar with one another so as to engage in a conversation

about the way in which I dress.

Miss Churchill, you can't force other people to live like you.

You don't have that right.

Do you have the right to force me to live like you?

In a world where v*olence

is as common as the common cold

and common decency is all but obsolete?

In this world, your world, Mr. Peters,

the sins of the flesh have nearly annihilated the life of the mind.

Even the discussion of spirituality

has become an embarrassment.

People's very souls have shrunk.

Am I the lunatic because I will not embrace this world?

Perhaps the Victorians were fragile creatures

whose mistakes were as grand as their achievements.

But they bowed before beauty.

They yearned for grace.

They struggled for intellectual integrity.

And they had manners.

I beg your pardon if I am reluctant

to exchange their values for yours.

Miss Heberton, could you tell the court how you met Miss Booker?

I had placed advertisements with several adoption agencies.

I paid an attorney who specializes in adoptions.

Maureen contacted me when she was seven months pregnant.

I flew to Ohio to meet with her.

When did you first learn about Mr. Connelly?

About two weeks before Emily's first birthday.

Maureen called me to tell me

that she had heard through friends

that he was actively looking for the baby.

Did you try to contact Mr. Connelly at that time?

-No. -Why didn't you?

I was in a complete panic, that's why.

I couldn't imagine what I would say to him.

As soon as he contacted me, I hired you.

In contesting Mr. Connelly's suit,

do you believe you are doing what's best for your child?

To the core of my being.

I was there when Emmy started to crawl.

I was there when she learned to walk.

I make her breakfast every morning.

I color with her.

I pat her back at night until she goes to sleep.

I am her whole world.

I'm sorry if Brian Connelly feels that his rights

have been violated.

Quite frankly, he is not my concern.

Emily is.

Thank you, I have no further questions.

How much did you pay the lawyer

who arranged this adoption, Miss Heberton?

-Objection, irrelevant. -Sustained.

How much did you wind up paying Maureen Booker?

-Objection, irrelevant. -Sustained.

Are you able to have a child of your own?

Objection, irrelevant.

I'll allow it.

I have a child of my own, Mr. Angeletti.

I have a daughter.

Are you able to have children by giving birth to them?

No.

Is it fair to say, ma'am, that this

is a source of great frustration to you?

Yes.

And thanks to your financial resources

you've been able to overcome this frustration, haven't you?

I assure you, sir,

that regardless of my financial resources,

I would have found the money

to try and stop you people

from trying to take Emily away from me.

Does Emily have a nanny?

Yes, she does.

How many hours a week does she spend with her?

I don't keep track week to week.

? ?

I try to keep my work week to hours.

Occasionally, I can't.

Does Emily call the nanny "mommy"?

Not that I know of. No.

Emily's seeing a child psychiatrist right now, isn't she?

Yes.

Why would a two year old need to do that?

This trial has taken a toll on her.

I'm upset and she senses that.

You're upset.

So your child sees a psychiatrist.

Emily was taken to the emergency room

at Cedar Sinai nine weeks ago.

Was she not?

Her arm was b*rned.

She reached up to the stove while I was making dinner,

and spilled hot water on herself.

Do you think you're a good mother, Miss Heberton?

Yes. I do.

Would you acknowledge it if you weren't?

Would you acknowledge that it might not be

in the best interests of this child

to remain with you rather than be returned

to her real parent?

-Objection. -I am her real parent.

I'm real because of what I do.

I'm real because I am the only mother

that Emily has ever known.

That, Mr. Angeletti, is real.

I wonder if Emily will agree with you

when she finds out she's adopted.

-Objection! -Sustained.

You do intend to tell her, don't you?

Yes.

When she's older.

I intend to tell her everything.

I have nothing further.

Laura, I think we should discuss this.

I don't want to discuss it, Ann.

If we discuss it, you're going to talk me out of doing it.

Ah, what is it you want to do, Miss Heberton?

I want to make an offer.

Laura...

Until now, I've been unwilling to agree to

any kind of visitation.

I was concerned that Emily was too young.

That it would be upsetting for her.

I'm still concerned.

Okay, that said, I'm willing to try it.

I'm willing to see how some sort of structured visitation goes.

Is that it?

If it's not upsetting to her,

we can increase it.

Forget it, Miss Heberton. What you're offering is nothing.

Do you think it's nothing, Brian?

Don't talk to my client, Miss Kelsey, talk to me.

I was hoping to get custody.

Do you know what that would do to her, Brian?

You would be taking her away from the only home

that she's ever known.

Yes, we would, Miss Heberton.

I'm sure the transition period would be somewhat difficult,

but we believe that Emily,

assuming Brian decides to keep calling her that,

would get to know a new home.

We think that in time,

she'd come to barely remember either you

or your home.

Let's go, Brian.

[gasps]

-Leland. -Yes?

I want to talk to you about that partnership issue.

You know, of course, if it was up to me,

you would be a partner by now.

What I'd like more than anything

is just to do it by executive fiat

and then be done with it,

but this firm doesn't work that way.

I realize that.

There are limits to what I can do unilaterally.

With all due respect, Leland, I don't care.

I don't care about your limitations.

I don't care about your good intentions any more, Leland.

This is about business now.

I have to take care of business.

I would like to stay here at McKenzie Brackman,

but I won't if you're not going to make me a partner.

You have until : today to make a decision.

Jonathan...

ultimatums are really not appropriate here.

I expect to hear from you one way or another, Leland.

Hey, how are you doing?

Fine, thank you.

I like your hair.

How do you get it to do that, pins?

Yes.

It's a great look, it kind of reminds me of, um...

what's her name? Kathy, from Wuthering Heights.

Kathy Earnshaw.

I think of her often.

You've read Wuthering Heights?

Oh, it's a book?

Yes.

I was surprised to receive you call, Mr. Peters.

I didn't think we had anything more to talk about.

Neither did I.

However, my client seems to have had a change of heart.

I was impressed by what you said yesterday, Miss Churchill.

For the first time, I glimpsed the mind

and the soul that lay behind your visage.

I want to apologize for whatever pain I may have caused you

by the grossness of my behavior.

If this is some kind of ploy, Mr. Bowles...

It's not. I realized that what Miss Churchill said was true,

that I have not been a gentleman,

and to my surprise,

this realization was extraordinarily painful to me.

I'm willing to accede to your demands.

Anything you want. I'll quit.

I'll give you money.

You don't have any money, Carl.

Miss Churchill has suffered grave distress

at my hands, I've been a brute.

Are you on some kind of medication?

Miss Churchill, last night I went home

and I read Bleak House.

Mr. Bowles...

I couldn't put it down.

Joe's death destroyed me.

Oh, yes. Yes, of course it did.

I had no idea.

I'll draw up the papers.

I realize that I have given you great pain.

If you could see into your heart and forgive me,

forgive a wretched, foolhardy man like me,

perhaps we could have tea?

This is...

quite sudden, Mr. Bowles.

Are we ready to proceed with summations, counsel?

Ready, Your Honor.

We start from the premise that children are best served

when they're raised by the people who brought them into being.

We have here two people, both claiming right to be awarded custody

of a two year old child.

Her father, and the woman who adopted her.

Your Honor, I'd like to stop this.

Mr. Connelly, your attorney's in the middle of his summation.

Your Honor, I want to withdraw my claim for custody.

Um, Your Honor, I would like a minute to talk to my client.

I want to see both sides in chambers.

Your Honor, before anything gets said here,

I would like an opportunity to consult with my client alone.

Do you want to talk to your attorney, Mr. Connelly?

No, I do not, Your Honor.

He doesn't want to talk to you, Mr. Angeletti.

Are you formally withdrawing your petition

for custody, Mr. Connelly?

No, he is not.

Mr. Connelly?

Yes, Your Honor.

If Miss Heberton is still willing to let me see her once in a while,

I'd appreciate that.

I'm willing, yes.

Brian, how in the name of God can you be doing this?

My daughter is not a cause, Mr. Angeletti,

she's a two year old little girl.

And I think the best thing for her right now

is for her to stay where she is.

I think that.

I know that you and the birth parents network don't,

but I do, and I'm her father.

Do you understand, Mr. Connelly,

that if you withdraw this action,

you will, in all likelihood, be precluded from reinstituting it?

Yes, I do.

Your daughter will never forgive you for this.

Maybe she will, maybe she won't.

Why are we meeting in here?

Space shortage. Business is booming.

Conference room is booked 'til June.

We need to build a second conference room.

We could knock out a wall in one of the old offices.

-No more renovations. -No more renovations.

I also think it's appropriate we divvy up the spoils

in a room that was designed to withstand att*ck

from those outside.

Arnold.

Thank you.

Stuart.

Thank you very much.

And this is for Ann.

She thanks you very much.

We have some business to take care of

before we distribute checks.

What kind of business?

Jonathan Rollins has said that if we don't make him a partner,

he'll leave the firm.

He wants a decision by : today.

Seriously?

If the answer is no,

he'll be gone by tomorrow morning.

He's bluffing.

We must also assume that if he leaves,

a considerable number of his cases will go with him.

Basically, he's blackmailing us.

He's not doing anything of the kind, Douglas.

He's just forcing us to make up our minds.

Yeah, but we did make up our minds.

We said no.

And now he's telling us the consequences

if we don't change our minds.

I can't believe he'd stoop to this.

Why not? You would.

Does he want to stay?

He says he does.

Then it seems to me we have no choice.

Frankly, I don't like the fact that we're being forced into it.

Neither do I. This is not the way to take on a partner.

I would very much have preferred a decision

based on mutual respect and affection among colleagues.

Since that option has passed us by,

I suggest we take this one.

[sighs]

You should know that if the day ever comes

when Brian Connelly decides to seek custody again,

our organization will be there in support of him.

Dr. Farr, neither my client nor I have anything to say to you.

We will be there in support of him if he attempts to make contact

with his child.

We will be there in support of him

if he decides to go back into court.

I don't want to stand here, Ann.

We will be there in support of the birth mother

if she ever attempts to make contact with her child.

Let's take the stairs.

Do you understand that the little girl that you call your daughter

is not your daughter?

That she has a place in this world

with people whose daughter she is?

Dr. Farr, I think you should stop this.

Do you understand that I am this little girl?

No, you're not.

Congratulations.

♪♪ [theme]