L.A. Law (1986) s01e11 Episode Script

1
Previously on L.A.
Law.
I would ask for a new trial on the grounds
of AIDS stress syndrome.
You didn't raise it at trial, so it's waived.
I just learned of the AIDS syndrome defense yesterday.
Ms. Van Owen told me about it.
I must move for a new trial on the grounds that I
was incompetent in my representation of Mr. Appleton.
My client's accused of robbing a John.
This firm's biggest client happens to be my client's alibi.
She was shacked up with Mr. Osborne in his Malibu condo.
Regarding Harold Osborne as a witness
in your trial, I want you to take a look at this.
Nice little trick, Leland.
All the dirt on Harold Osborne,
but since I've learned it from office
files, it's privileged information, and now I can't use it.
Victor Sifuentes does whatever he can to
protect his client.
So do I.
Well, I won't live with it, Leland.
I quit.
You are in contempt, Mr. Hirshberg.
Thank you.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Compared to this job, jail, it's a pleasure.
Dirtbags in, dirt bags out.
I'm going nuts!
Hi, Mike.
Sid.
Sorry I'm late.
Traffic.
No problem.
Sit down.
Good coffee.
Yes, please.
I already ordered.
Uh, just an English muffin and grapefruit juice.
So, let me read your mind.
He looks okay.
He sounds okay.
But is he really okay?
Or is he going to throw his omelet at the
next table and punch out the busboy?
Something like that.
How you doing, Sid?
Great.
Really, Mike, just great.
I know it was embarrassing as hell for
everyone, but coming unglued in court like
that was the best thing that ever happened to me.
I've been disregarding danger signs for a couple of years.
I started drinking too much at night,
then a couple of Valium to get to sleep,
lost my sex drive, my marriage was rocky as hell.
Yours will be up in a second, honey.
Thank you.
Anyway, it was just too much.
Something had to give.
Well, you look great, sir.
Thanks.
I feel great.
A couple of weeks in the laughing academy,
a little psychotherapy.
I'm good as new.
Better.
I'm really happy for you, sir.
Honey, bring me a beer, will you?
Mike?
It's a little early for me, Sid.
Uh, but what have Kanye got?
So, the reason why I called.
I need a big favor, Mike.
I got a case I just can't handle.
I'm jammed up and I gotta be in D.C.
to argue a case in front of the Supreme Court.
Really?
Yeah, and I got this woman.
Really, she's a victim.
Bunch of cops blow into her apartment,
middle of the night, looking for drugs.
She used to see some guy who was dealing,
so they bust in looking for him.
Was he there?
Hell no.
She hasn't seen him in weeks.
But they opened fire, wounded her, and killed her kid.
She shoots back, self-defense, and wounds one of the cops.
They arrest her for attempted murder.
She needs help, Mike.
And this Supreme Court thing has got me crazy.
What do you say?
Uh, gee, Sid, I don't know.
I'm pretty jammed up myself.
No money in it.
That it?
No, that's not it, Sid.
You're asking me to take on this woman's
case I know nothing about.
Here, just look at her file.
Sid.
Mike!
Just look at the damn thing, would you?
Continuance, continuance, continuance.
Sid, what have you been doing?
What do you mean, what have I been doing?
Well, you haven't interviewed witnesses,
you haven't argued bail.
Hold it right there, hotshot.
What good's bail if you're on welfare anyway?
That's a waste of time.
What about the other two kids?
Don't know.
DPSS has them somewhere.
Sid, this woman's been in jail for five months.
She hasn't seen her kids.
All you've done is move for continuances.
What are you trying to do?
Heap more guilt on me?
What the hell was I supposed to do?
You want to tell me that?
I got cases of the yin-Yang.
Most of these people are pure scum anyway.
I'm under extreme pressure.
I got the Supreme Court situation staring me in the face.
Why the hell do you think I came to you in the first place?
Sid, take it easy.
You take it easy?
I mean, what am I supposed to do here to get a
little help from a fellow member of the fraternity, huh?
Stick my omelet on my head, huh?
Throw food?
Ah!
How's that?
Don't shoot me!
So I'm going to have to ask you to lay.
I get my briefcase shut!
I get it!
Why don't you just say it, Bruce?
That's just it, Grace.
I shouldn't have to say it.
I shouldn't have to tell my prosecutors
it's not their job to get murderers off.
That's not what I did.
You had lunch with Appleton's attorney.
You told him about this cockamamie AIDS stress
syndrome, then backed up his motion for a new trial.
I did what I thought was in the interest of justice.
Great.
Well, the official response from this
office is that you screwed up.
Don't do it again.
Don't do it again, Grace.
By the way, you've been reassigned to night court.
You start tonight.
Is that my punishment?
Of course not.
This office does not punish people for
their professional conduct.
This is completely coincidental.
How long?
Till you're reassigned or die, whichever comes first.
I have to work on Christmas Eve.
You should love that.
With this new goodwill toward man attitude
you've developed.
Merry Christmas, Grace.
The man just keeps getting continuouses,
continuouses, continuouses, while I sit here and rot.
And now he takes off.
Do you have any money for bail?
Anything to put up as collateral?
My sister's got about $2,000.
Can you give me back with my kids on that?
I don't know.
I can try.
I can
I can schedule a bail motion.
I almost forget what they look like.
It's been so long.
Nina, now, I know you've been through this
a million times, and I know how painful it
must be, but I need you to tell me exactly
what happened the night of the shooting.
It was the middle of the night, and I
was asleep next to Sarah, my little one.
Billy and Anna were in the back room, and I
hear this pounding on the door, which wakes me up.
Then I heard shouting.
Do you remember what they were shouting?
No.
No, all I was thinking was about Mrs. Flood, three
doors down, a month before she got robbed and raped.
So I reach for my rifle, where I keep it under my bed.
Next thing, the door comes crashing down.
Three men come rushing in, and all I see is guns.
So I lift my rifle, and somebody shoots.
I just see this flash, and I feel this hot pain in my arm.
So I shoot back.
They shot first, Mr. Kuzak.
I just shoot back to protect my babies, my family.
What happened then?
I looked down.
I looked down next to me.
There's my Sarah.
My little one.
They shot Sarah.
They killed my baby.
She was just lying there next to me.
She was so quiet, so still.
They murdered my baby.
And before I could bend down and kiss her
goodbye, they grabbed me away and took me to jail.
I never even got to kiss Sarah goodbye.
Then it's agreed.
Full-time administrative staff members,
which term I might add, does not embrace
paralegals, shall receive Christmas
bonuses in the amount of three-quarters of
one percent of their per annum salaries
multiplied by the number of years of employment.
Isn't this a little complicated?
Not at all.
A secretary earning $20,000, three years
employed, would get three quarters of 1%,
which comes to $150, times three for the
three years worked, for a total of $450.
Simple.
Great.
Now, we're done with this Christmas stuff.
I'd like to address something more serious.
Tonight's basketball game.
What are we going to do without Victor?
Anybody know where he is?
No.
Guys, this is the playoffs, two out of three.
Now, we won the first game by one point with him.
We don't have a prayer without him.
You know, I'm still trying to get the whole story.
I told you why.
I made the decision that Petramco Industries was more important
than his criminal client, and he took exception to it.
End of discussion.
Well, I'm afraid his departure has left this firm with
a more serious problem than just a power forward.
We desperately need another associate.
How are the interviews going?
Lousy.
December is not a good time for hiring,
which is another reason why I don't like
Michael taking on a pro bono criminal case.
Sid Hirshberg is non-compass menace.
And this poor woman's been in jail for five
months without anybody doing anything for her.
That may be, but how can we take on this
case when we're so undermanned as it is?
Just find some help.
Hire somebody on a temporary basis if you
want, but get it done.
Let's get somebody with a jump shot.
I think we're adjourned.
What's the matter with my jump shot?
Arnie, there's an attorney here by the name of
Clarence O'Malley who says he represents Abby's husband.
Where?
I put him in here.
I thought you'd want to talk to him.
All right.
Tell him to wait.
I'll be there in a second.
Abby.
Yeah?
There's a man in my office claiming to
represent your husband.
Where is Eric?
Is he alive?
What are you talking about?
He's been very well cared for.
Thank God.
Where is he?
Hear me out, Mr. Becker.
Mr. Perkins feels very strongly that the
boy should not be denied the regular
contact, guidance, and support of either
one of his parents.
For that reason, he's asked me to express
to you his desire to return to this
jurisdiction in exchange for certain guarantees.
Where is my son?
No guarantees!
Your client is a fugitive, he's facing
federal criminal charges, and if you're
helping to hide him, that makes you an accessory.
Don't you see that it's this very atmosphere
that caused him to leave in the first place?
What does he want?
He's willing to relocate and to look for
work in this area, provided that you drop
all charges against him and you agree to a
schedule of joint custody.
Unacceptable and out of the question.
I'll convey that to my client.
Wait, wait, wait.
If I agree, what'll happen?
What do you mean, what will happen?
Excuse us a minute.
Abby, don't play games with this guy.
He's garbage.
He knows where Eric is.
Abby, you have got to trust me.
Arnie, you have been telling me that for
the past four months.
And nobody has been able to do anything.
I know what I'm doing.
I want my son back.
OK, I'll agree to it.
Naturally, we'll want to execute and sign a stipulation
in advance of the hearing to modify the existing orders.
When can I see my son?
Well, I have to talk to my client and tell
him the good news.
But after that, who knows?
With everybody's good faith and
cooperation, I don't see any reason why,
uh, why I couldn't have him back in time for Christmas.
No,
no, no, he pushed!
Blue ball?
Whoo!
All right.
Give him a technical ref.
You want to play the game and help him referee?
Yes.
Let's go.
Arnie.
What.
Was that?
Baseline.
Baseline!
Yeah!
Yeah!
Stuart, go!
Get up on him.
Stay up on him.
No shot!
No shot!
Miss!
Game came in on a defensive foul.
It's football.
Yeah, which is what you were practically
playing out here tonight.
I saw a loser, Ben.
Yeah, tell me about it, Lady Bing.
That's actionable.
Wait, you're all witnesses.
You saw him.
Assumption of the risk, man.
You just brought yourself a lawsuit, buddy.
Your play was reprehensible.
Write your congressman.
Yeah, Merry Christmas, Murray.
Hey, you think I won't sue?
Huh?
Yeah.
Go ahead and try it once.
You want me to win?
No.
What?
Huh?
You guys are You're unlucky.
That was a monster playoff bet.
We'll see you in court for game number three, pal.
Really?
You guys practice law the way you play basketball?
Only briefs you guys know about is the
ones you wear on your butts.
Hey, careful.
These are borderline psychotic.
Yeah, we'll see you in court for game number three, pal.
We'll be back.
Yeah, lady, come back, and the next time, wear a dress.
What kind of choice, pal?
Tell you what I'm gonna do.
Because you're new here, and because I
like you, and because I'm a swell
individual, my offer to you for one night
only, and despite the dubious nature of
the state of the state, it's evidence,
I'm willing to lighten your caseload
considerably by copying Ballard to one
count misdemeanor possession, $250 fine,
and credit for time served.
What do you think?
Sounds perfectly fair.
Except for the fact that Ballard had a
10-gallon trash bag full of cocaine in his house.
No deal, Kalins.
Take it from me, by midnight you'd be grateful to
get a spitting on the sidewalk out of this wobbler.
Right.
Next.
Okay.
Try this.
Escobar, you drop the receiving count and
seven counts of burglary.
He'll cop to one count, one year county lid.
Or behind door number three, a weekend in
Las Vegas and a lazy boy lounger.
Ah, well, here we go.
It's gonna be a long night, boys.
The lady does not like to deal.
Lawyers only, sir.
It's okay.
I usually am.
Mickey, what are you doing here?
I missed you.
Me too.
Look, it's Friday night.
I can't believe the judge will keep us late.
There'll be plenty of time to pick up
dinner, decorate our tree.
Is the DA ready to call the calendar yet?
Yes, your honor.
Don't go away.
It won't be that long.
In order to avoid any grousing later on,
I'd like to make it perfectly clear that
we are going to clear this calendar in its
entirety before anybody gets out of here.
So, bah humbug, and call your first case.
Defendant to remain free on bail until that time.
Don't tell me that's a wrap.
Thank God.
Well, it's been a little slice of heaven.
See you sports fans Monday night.
Nikki.
Honey, come on, let's go home.
What time is it?
Time to leave.
Let's go home and decorate the tree.
It's late.
I'll make it worth your while.
You ever decorate a tree in the nude?
Sounds dangerous.
Depends on where you hang your ornaments.
Case number L374005, People vs.
Emmons.
Michael.
Michael Kuzak for the defendant, Your Honor.
Emmons' counsel.
Is this what you want, Ms. Emmons?
Yes, Judge.
No objections, Your Honor.
Thank you, Your Honor.
As counsel for Ms. Emmons, I would move at
this time for bail modification.
Your client is currently being held in
lieu of $100,000 bail.
Is that correct?
Yes, Your Honor, which I would argue is
excessively high, as Ms. Emmons has no
history of prior violent activity and
poses no threat to the public safety.
She's being charged with the attempted
murder of a police officer.
One isolated incident, Your Honor,
where a woman was defending herself and
her children in her own home against three
men she thought were intruders.
She has priors, Your Honor.
Prostitution in 1978 and possession of marijuana in 1979.
No police contact at all since then.
What are you looking for, Mr. Kuzak?
Your Honor, Ms. Emmons has lived in L.A.
all of her life.
She has two small children, roots in the community.
I would submit that she be released on her
own recognizance.
O.R.
Is absurd under the circumstances of aggravated assault.
The lowest I'm willing to go is $50,000.
That would seem reasonable.
She's a mother on welfare, Your Honor.
$50,000 would be the same as no bail at all.
$25,000, that's the best I can give you, Mr. Kuzak.
Next case.
I see you're an associate at Steyer, Rhodes, and Fishbein.
Mm-hmm.
How long have you been with them?
About 18 months.
You know, Don Fishbein and I went to law school together.
Oh, yeah?
Does Don know you have plans to defect?
I don't have a whole lot of dealings with
any of the partners directly.
I see.
Why Mckenzie Brackman?
Good rep.
Good pay.
And also, I just bought this condo in Bunker Hill.
You guys are so close, I could ride my bike here.
Sorry, Douglas.
I was on a conference call.
Quite all right.
You haven't missed much.
Meet Randy Heidelberg.
Heidegger.
Mr. Heidegger was just telling me about
his illustrious career at Steyer Roads.
Steyer Roads is a graveyard.
I'd be much happier here.
Hypothetically speaking.
Tell us about your outside interests, Randy.
Sports?
I ride my bike and I work out.
Play any ball?
Four-year starter at Boston College.
Counselor.
Uh, this one I think is really good.
What do you think of this one?
It's okay.
You like this one better?
Ann, I would really like your opinion on this, you know.
Stuart, fabric is fabric.
How come you get so snappish every time
you get within ten feet of this place?
I am not snappish.
Oh.
Well, uh, correct me if I'm wrong here, but you
said you would do the office in Santa Fe colors, right?
Now I got adobe and I have sand.
Stuart, forgive me.
If I happen to think that in the cosmic order
of things, fabric selection is not way up there.
Now, I've got a lot of work to do.
Excuse me.
Don't you admit it, Ann.
You're just mad about losing the office to me.
I am not mad.
Yeah, you are.
You know how mad you are?
You haven't even asked me how my eye is.
How is your eye, Stuart?
It hurts.
And you're not gonna believe this.
I mean, you were there.
You saw it.
The guy deliberately threw an elbow at me, right?
Now he's suing me.
Unbelievable.
Yeah, a process server was waiting outside
my door this morning.
That's just an intimidation tactic, though.
He's trying to neutralize my naturally
aggressive style for the playoffs.
You know what I mean?
What is it?
The rampant Y chromosome?
What do you mean?
Sometimes I truly fail to understand how
your sex can become so totally competitive
about every single thing in the world.
Elizabeth, can we raise Robert Scanlon at
the city attorney's office?
Sure, right away.
Oh, by the way, Michael, Victor just came in.
Where?
He's in his office.
I called you maybe 20 times.
Thanks a whole hell of a lot for returning my calls.
Well, there was nothing really to talk about.
The great white father shafted me.
Fact of life in a law firm, Victor,
sometimes you have to compromise.
You knew that going in.
Not this.
Believe me, you wouldn't have put up with this crap either.
I've withdrawn from plenty of cases when
there was a conflict that would have hurt the firm.
Yeah, and I would have too if I would have had the chance.
Mckenzie dropped the entire Petramco file,
complete with Osborne's tax fraud convictions, on my lap.
I mean, the minute I took a look at it,
I didn't have a choice.
I had to pull out.
That's privileged communication.
I can't believe you'd do a thing like that.
Right.
That man suckered me, Mike.
I'm sorry, I won't work with people like that.
I'm not going to defend him.
I can't.
But you came here to work with me.
And when you open up your own firm free of
the baggage, let me know.
Well, we were just getting started.
I gave you my chair for crying out loud.
Look, nobody said it wasn't good while it lasted, Mike.
What are you going to do?
I got a couple of days worth of paperwork to close out.
Then I'm gone.
There's a hiring freeze over at the PD's office.
That's OK.
Something to turn up.
Victor, I wish you'd think about this.
That's all I've been doing for the past three days, Mike.
I'm not going to change my mind.
At this time, Your Honor, we'd like to
read into the record a stipulation
regarding temporary custody, both legal
and physical, pending further orders.
I must say, I find these developments
surprising, considering the previous
allegations, violence, alcoholism, kidnapping.
Well, there's been a great deal of
mudslinging on both sides, your honor,
but both parties have agreed to set aside their differences
in order to spare the minor child any further anguish.
Where is the respondent husband, Mr. O'Malley?
He and the minor child are in this jurisdiction, your honor,
but upon advice of counsel are not at the present hearing.
Frankly, Mr. Becker, I'm surprised that
you're joining in this motion.
Did you recommend to your client that the
schedule be accepted?
I outlined what I thought were the options
open to my client.
I believe the decision she made was an informed one.
Mrs. Perkins, did you not testify previously under oath
that your husband was violent and you were afraid of him?
Yes, your honor, but that's only when he's drinking, and
his attorney has assured me that that's no longer a problem.
I have affidavits, your honor, as to his current sobriety
and his participation in an alcohol recovery program.
Mrs. Perkins, is it your feeling that you
can work with Mr. Perkins and cooperate
with him effectively on all decisions
insofar as they affect your son?
Yes, your honor.
And do you accept these terms knowingly
and of your own volition, Mrs. Perkins?
I do.
Very well.
So entered.
This court is in recess.
Well, seeing that everything turned out so
well, I have a little surprise for you.
Eric?
Hi, Abs.
Eric?
Go to mommy.
Go on, Eric.
Honey?
Go to your mother's, honey.
Eric!
Eric!
Is this a social call, Mike?
Actually, I'm looking for a favor.
As regards?
Nina Evans.
Police shot and killed her five-year-old daughter.
And both border rights and a grand jury?
The jury found it to be an accidental
death in the line of duty.
That remains to be seen.
And you're here to talk about the
wrongful death action you're gonna file, huh?
Not really.
I'm here to ask your help in getting an O .R.
release.
She's been in jail for five months.
No contact with her kids.
It's Christmas.
I want to get around.
Speaking of which, you hear the latest on Sid Hirshford?
What now?
He was arrested at L.A.X.
Apparently, he was advising passengers
that their constitutional rights were
being violated by having to walk through a metal detector.
Did he hit anyone?
Security guard.
They got him in a psycho ward in county.
Poor guy.
In any event, I wish I could help you out, but,
hey, I got nothing to do with the criminal case.
But that's the whole point.
There shouldn't be a criminal case, and you know it.
He shot a police officer.
In self-defense, and only after he'd
failed to identify himself.
Criminal charges are determined by the
district attorney, Mike, as you well know.
You're lobbying the wrong office.
The city attorney represents the city and the department,
and you will be involved in a wrongful death claim.
Have a heart, Bob.
This woman has been completely victimized, first
by an incompetent attorney and now by your office.
The only reason she's in jail is you know
if you don't charge her with the crime,
you're a sitting duck on the wrongful death case.
Look, counselor, your client shot a cop.
She was charged accordingly.
You got a problem with your criminal case,
take it up with the D.A.
You want to file a civil suit?
Fine.
I'm right here waiting for you.
In the meantime, you're so hot to have her
out for Christmas, you think she's such a victim?
You put up her bail.
Come on, this won't take long.
Stuart, truthfully, I don't have time to
look at any more sofa swatches.
You won't have to, it's finished.
Well?
What do you think?
What do you think I think?
It's beautiful.
I hope you'll be very happy in it.
Only if you are.
It's your office, Ann.
What?
No.
Mm-hmm.
Merry Christmas.
Absolutely no way.
Why not?
Because I would never forgive myself.
I'd always think that I'd guilted you into giving it to me.
Yeah, but what if it makes me happy to give it to you?
Thanks anyway, Stuart, but I can't.
Uh, you guys want to excuse us for a second, please?
Don't be a schnook.
Take it.
Sit.
Now, you wanted this office.
Yeah, I wanted it, too.
So did Arnie Becker.
But I wanted it for a symbolic value, to
prove my equality as a partner in this firm.
And I loved getting this office.
Now I love giving it to you.
And if you don't have the good sense to
accept it graciously, I'll walk down the
hall, I'm sure Arnie Becker will be glad
to take it off my hands.
But, Stuart No.
No buts.
Well, I guess.
If you leave me no other choice.
Thanks, Stuart.
I love it.
Do I look like a mogul?
A beautiful mogul.
I like your style, kid.
Great little tush.
Nice pair of legs.
You wanna mess around?
As far as the associate candidates go,
on the merits, it's not much of a contest.
Smolin is top ten in his class at Stanford.
Order of the coif.
I don't think he'd fit in.
He's a law review editor from Stanford.
Top ten in his class.
A law firm is more than a place of work, Douglas.
It's a collection of people.
We have to have chemistry, Harmony.
Smolin is a dork.
Best of the lot without question is Randy Heidegger.
You've got to be joking.
The man is practically incoherent.
The man is six feet, eight inches tall.
Hey, I move we offer him a two-week trial
run with an option.
Will he go for it?
What have we got to lose by trying?
How can you choose him over a law review
editor from Stanford?
Make him an offer as well.
Okay by me.
Hold on.
Before we start taking on new associates,
I want to talk about Victor Sifuentes.
I don't know what there is to talk about.
He quit.
It's not that simple, and you know it.
You never discussed the situation with him.
You know what he's like when he's representing a client.
He goes for the jugular and can't let go.
Nonsense.
He would have withdrawn for the good of the firm.
You never gave him the chance.
I couldn't take the chance.
What would you have me do?
Lose our single biggest client?
Have you any idea what the fallout from
that would have been?
Well, what about the fallout when word
gets out that we betrayed an associate's trust?
At the very least, you could have discussed it with me.
I'm the one who brought him in.
Well, you were tied up with your death
penalty case, and I had to make a decision.
There was no time for a bloody vote.
Well, it was a lousy decision.
You panicked, and you cost us a damn good
lawyer in the process.
Excuse me, but is there something that I'm
not understanding here?
What you are not understanding is that Leland
slipped Victor the Osborne file and told him to review it.
As soon as he saw the Osborne tax fraud
conviction, he had to withdraw in a
conflict of interest, whether he liked it or not.
I did what I felt I had to, and frankly,
I don't think it's that close a call.
With all due respect, if what Michael
says is true, I think it was a totally wrong call.
Stuart, have you got an opinion?
Yes, sir.
Now, I didn't know Victor all that well,
but if somebody did that to me,
I'd have to quit.
Come in.
May I sit?
It may be too little, too late,
Victor, but I'm hoping you'll accept my
sincerest apology for the way I behaved
and reconsider your decision to quit.
I accept the apology.
I don't think I'll change my mind about leaving, though.
Not to excuse what I did.
It was foolish, and it was being all,
and most of all, disrespectful.
But these things can happen wherever you go.
What's to prevent it from happening again?
I hope I'm old enough to learn from my mistakes.
It's quite possible you might occasionally
make mistakes yourself.
And you'd have the right to expect the same
forgiveness and tolerance from me that I'm asking from you.
I have to be able to trust the people that I work with.
Yeah, well, if I didn't trust you,
it's because I didn't know you.
I hope you'll at least stay on long enough
for me to remedy that.
Will you think about it?
Yes.
You're as talented an associate as we've had, Victor.
It'll be the firm's loss and my,
uh, failure, should you leave.
You may want to peruse this division of property schedule.
Are you kidding?
There's nothing here.
What are you offering?
We're requesting alimony in the amount of $250 a week.
What?
Until Mr. Perkins gets back on his feet
financially, at which time, obviously,
he'll want to assume his fair share of child support.
This man cleaned out their joint accounts, both
checking and savings, to the tune of over $3,000.
He borrowed another $1,500 against their
credit cards, and you want us not only to
waive child support, but you're looking
for alimony as well?
Mrs. Perkins' gross income is $875 per
week, plus medical and pension,
which projects out to $45,500 per annum before bonuses.
Mr. Perkins, on the other hand,
has no income at the present time.
Which projects out to zero per annum.
Mr. Perkins fully expects to locate meaningful employment.
He has no desire to indefinitely freeload
off of Mrs. Perkins.
Oh.
How long does Mr. Perkins intend to freeload?
Sorry, that was an unfortunate choice of phrasing.
We're simply availing ourselves of the
current statutes, which make no
distinction between parties based on
gender, but simply on the ability to provide.
How can you have the gall, after what you
did, to come in here and ask me to support you?
It's immoral.
Morality is not the issue here, Mrs. Perkins.
Reality is.
The reality is that Mr. Perkins needs more
time to reestablish his ties to the community.
Excuse me.
The reality is that this bastard stole my son.
He stole my money.
He stole my peace of mind.
Excuse me.
Counselor, this abusive behavior is not
going to solve anything.
Abusive?
Abby, come on.
No.
No, no, no.
I will not come on.
Let me tell you about abusive.
Abusive is not being able to see your
child for months on end, not knowing where
he is, not being able to tell him that you
love him, praying that his father doesn't
get drunk and kill him in a car wreck,
and then finally getting him back and
having him punch you because he thinks
that you abandoned him.
I don't have to put up with this crap.
Get out of my life and you don't have to.
You ought to be grateful I brought him back at all.
Instead, I'm hearing the same kind of manipulative
garbage that drove me away in the first place.
You are a coward and a criminal.
Give him whatever he wants.
Write it up, and I'll sign it.
But I am not going to sit here and listen
to any more of this.
No luck?
No answer.
I don't know what could be wrong.
The guy said he'd be here.
What's wrong is your Mr. Heidegger is an idiot.
He reminds me of one of those big dinosaurs
with a little head and a brain the size of a peanut.
Meanwhile, we're going to have to take
these guys on four against five.
No, you won't.
Victor.
Hey.
I thought you were permanently retired.
I had to come back and save your bacon, didn't I?
Seriously, you're coming back to work?
Yeah, we work things out.
All right.
Yeah, it's great.
Really great.
I'm really delighted.
Well, come on, get suited up.
Let's go.
Come on, let's go.
All right.
You're practically a living legend over at criminal court.
Oh, yeah?
But I stood up for you.
I said, no way the guy's that stupid.
He goes bail for his client.
I was right, wasn't I?
I take the fifth.
You are that stupid, aren't you?
I figure she's good for it.
Anyway, that's the real reason I came back.
I mean, somebody's got to look out for you.
Let's go, let's go.
All right, let's go, get good.
Hey, hey, hey, get off the court.
Yo, ref.
Please take a seat in the stand, sir.
We're about to start the game.
Who's Harris Decay?
Right here.
Season's greetings.
What the hell is this?
A summons and a complaint.
For what?
Abuse of process for malicious litigation.
I'm Mr. Markowitz's attorney.
Aw, get out of here!
Hey!
Hey, hey, hey, come on.
Break it up!
Break it up!
Hey, whoa!
You two want to sue each other, do it somewhere else.
We've got a game to play.
Switch off!
Switch off!
Hurry, pick him up!
Wait a minute.
Who's he?
He's our new center.
You can't bring a ringer in the game.
League rules stipulate the roster has to be
announced before the game, and he has to be a lawyer.
Aren't you listening, Murray?
We just hired him.
I want to see a pay stub.
And I demand to see some letterhead with his name on it.
Is he legit?
We brought him on this afternoon.
Yo, ref, I want you to know we're playing
this game under protest.
Every game I ever officiated with you guys
was played under protest.
Take it to the commissioner, Murray.
Where were you?
I had to get my knee braced.
I've got a lot of cartilage damage.
That guy's a gimped.
Get out.
All right, guys, come on.
Sit.
How you doing?
Look at me.
Panned up like some kind of dog at the pound.
It's a hell of a thing.
I'm sorry about all this, Mike.
Don't worry about it.
You worry about getting better.
They have me on some kind of drug.
I'm pretty cool to have.
Oh, I wanted you to know I got Nina Evans out on bail.
We got a really short court date.
I think we're going to have a happy ending.
Great.
That's great.
I can't thank you enough.
Yeah.
Hey, Mike.
I want to explain.
You know, all that stuff about my Supreme
Court case, all that was crap.
I was just so scared I was going to blow it for her.
I didn't trust myself to go into court.
It's all going to work out, Sid.
Don't beat yourself up over it.
I.
Don't know what's happening to me.
I go along feeling okay, and then
suddenly, with no warning, it's like this
wave comes up from my gut, and then it
moves through my chest, and then when it
gets to my eyes, I gotta throw something or hit someone.
I'm not a violent man, Mike.
I'm so ashamed of myself.
Hey, Sid.
Sid, everything's going to be okay.
What if it's not?
What if it's never okay again?
Look at me.
I'm 44 years old, and I'm locked up in a rubber room.
Look at this.
I can't even wipe my own nose.
What's happening to me?
Sid.
Sid.
I can't.
Even wipe my own nose.