L.A. Law (1986) s01e14 Episode Script

1
Previously on L.A.
Law.
I don't take computer fraud lightly, counselor.
Your client accessed the records of the telephone
company and deleted all his friend's phone bills.
That young man is in love with you.
Go on.
I probably shouldn't say this.
Don't hate me for it.
I think I love you.
Mr. Cromwell, it's tragic that the pilot
and those five passengers died,
and I don't doubt that we all sympathize
with their families.
But the fact remains, this tragedy was not your fault.
I'm very attracted to you.
I should tell you, George, that I'm involved with someone.
Look, I'm trying not to overreact to this
or anything, but I
I'm I'm jealous of this guy.
Your Honor, I have reason to believe that
one of my witnesses has lied on the stand.
You're no virgin, Mr. Kuzak.
Witnesses lie on the stand every day.
I'm unwilling to proceed, Your Honor.
You're in contempt of court.
Bailiff, take Mr. Kuzak.
Take Mr. Kuzak into custody.
Before we get started, who's got a tan Bjork
with California plate number 1-E-O-H-1-O-1?
Um, that's me, Your Honor.
Uh, is there something wrong?
You might say that.
You're parked in my spot.
Well, what are you looking at me for?
You're holding up a courtroom full of people.
Go and move your car.
Stan, put my cover.
It's supposed to be.
Clerk, call the first case.
Kuzak versus Kuzak versus superior court.
Be seated.
I have a feeling I know why you're here, Leland.
You are no doubt going to demonstrate to me the
error of my ways as you've done so many times in the past.
Am I right?
All right, Your Honor.
I have a writ from the Court of Appeals ordering you
to instruct the jailer to release Michael Kuzak forthwith.
Well, now, Mckenzie Brackman certainly
takes care of his people.
Okay.
You've got your Mr. Kuzak back.
He might benefit from your tutelage.
He might benefit from your tutelage on
proper conduct of a criminal trial.
And since I don't recall your ever having
been reticent about imparting your wisdom
to others, I'm sure that's just what he'll receive.
As of right now, I'm unaware of any
misconduct on Mr. Kuzak's part.
Are you saying I exceeded my authority in some way?
Are you implying that I was in error by
punishing Mr. Kuzak for contempt?
I believe the Court of Appeals has spoken
on that issue, Your Honor.
Does this writ say anywhere that I was in error?
I don't know.
I take that to be the import of it.
Leland, you're a wizard of ambiguity, you know that?
You can turn a phrase that creeps on cat
feet up to the edge of being definite,
then turns and disappears without leaving a trace.
Now, I'm going to do something that I dare
say no one has ever done to you before.
I'm going to ask you a question.
And if you give me anything other than a
one-word answer, the two possible choices
being yes and no, I'm going to cite you
for contempt of court, and someone else is
going to have to come down here and get
the both of you out.
Now, my question is, does this writ say
anywhere that I was an error?
No.
Good.
Then what we have is a case of the Court of Appeals
exercising their authority differently than I exercised mine.
This isn't the first time that's happened.
I'm sure it won't be the last.
Release Kuzak.
It's always a pleasure to see you, Leland.
Take the day, pal.
He's all yours.
Will the court officer instruct the gentleman who's
reading his newspaper that this isn't a bus station?
Michael, how do you feel?
You know how when American hostages are
released, they usually take them to a U.S.
Air Force base in West Germany so they can get
checked out, sort of decompressed before going home?
Uh-huh.
Well, what I need right now is for us to
go to a comfortable, professionally run
hotel, take ourselves a room, order up a
bunch of room service so I can get checked
out, and then undergo a concentrated
regimen of physiological rehabilitation.
Okay.
Gracie.
Gracie, were you faithful to me while I was in prison?
I tried, Mickey, but two days is an awful long time.
Hey, where were you?
Just analyzing some data.
You don't want to be late to a sentencing hearing, Andrew.
It sends out the wrong kind of message.
Yeah, but this wasn't just any data.
I mean, this was, I was completing a crash
course in Judge John Englander.
I don't follow.
Based on a correlation of incidents and
variance analysis, I can expect to be
sentenced to six months summary probation
and 80 hours of community service.
Yeah, well, I hope you're right, but I
think you could be looking at a year.
No way.
I plotted the judge's sentencing record
against a standard deviation curve.
It's an X-Y kind of thing.
Now, the projection is based upon a
defendant who is a white male,
age 17 to 22, from a middle to upper
middle income group, with no prior convictions.
And a felony which entailed no violence.
What about for a non-white?
Well, if you're talking about the Ortega
case, I'd be concerned.
If you want, I can do an analysis for you.
And so, based on a careful examination of
the report and the recommendations
submitted to me, and based on the fact
that this is a first offense, and the
defendant appears to be keeping to the straight and narrow,
I believe no purpose would be served by incarceration.
Instead, I sentence the defendant, Andrew Putnam, to six
months summary probation and 80 hours community service.
Don't disappoint me, young man.
Thanks, Frank.
You want to say four O'clock?
Thank you.
Old boy.
Douglas, what happened?
I broke my ankle playing racquetball.
Well, here, let me help you.
That's quite all right.
I've got to start getting used to these things.
The doctor says I'll be hobbling around
for the next six weeks.
Are you in a lot of pain?
What do you think?
Thanks, Victor.
And how is our jailbird?
Does his absence this morning mean we
failed in securing his release from the pokey?
He's out, and he's taking the day.
Well, as soon as he's recuperated, I
want him to jump this Cromwell situation.
Actually, Douglas, I don't think we're going to need him.
In all deference to your good labors in
this matter, trial date will be upon us
sooner than we think, and we need to bring
our best litigator up to speed.
I'm on top of it, Douglas.
George Cromwell trusts me.
We have an excellent rapport.
And in my opinion, he'd object to having
another litigator brought in this deep in the case.
Don't you think you're being a little proprietary, Ann?
I mean, I think that's something for
George Cromwell to decide, don't you think?
Excuse me?
I just think that if Michael has his decks
cleared, he should jump into the fray.
If Ann feels confident and in control of
her case, I think we should leave her alone.
Thank you, Leland.
People versus Ortega.
Yeah, my client's charged with knocking over a bar.
People versus Ortega.
This is Putnam.
Six months summary probation and community service.
As an aside, my compliments to the young genius.
Our phone system is finally working the
way it's supposed to.
Richard's in a state.
Notice of elections filed.
Morning.
Mr. Heidegger, I hope we didn't drag you out of bed.
Is there a problem?
I didn't have any appointments this morning.
And why is that?
Nobody gave me any.
And that's your understanding of the job description?
Dribbling your time away like a doofus?
Collecting in excess of $1,000 a week?
Waiting for someone to throw busy work your way?
Hey, I'm sorry.
Well, if there's nothing more, we're adjourned.
Hey, Randy, I hear you've got this great penitent
Mr. Brackman, that's me.
I have some papers for you.
My assistant can see you're provided with
the necessary acknowledgement of service.
No good, chief.
This goes to you direct.
It's a summons.
Ann?
I'm sorry.
I was out of line.
Definitely way out of line.
I have no right stepping on your
professional life like that.
I really appreciate your recognizing that, Stuart.
Ann.
Ann.
Ann, um, I know this isn't very,
uh, cool of me to admit or anything,
but I've just become like a basket case
ever since you got involved with this guy.
Stuart, there is no involvement.
And maybe we can talk later, but right now, if
you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to prepare for.
Arnold, just so you know, I didn't start it.
Oh, boy.
Let the chips fall where they may.
I didn't plan it.
I didn't mean for it to happen.
But now that it has, now that Sheila's
taken the first step, so be it.
What brought this on?
She found out I was having an affair.
You?
The truth is, I've been having a little fling with a
low-impact aerobics instructor from Playa del Rey.
We were on our way to her apartment when the
little Vixen said something particularly provocative.
I tried to take a shortcut to her front door
and I didn't break my ankle playing racquetball.
I broke it hurtling a hedge.
She took me to the hospital.
And some idiot in the billing department
called to confirm my insurance coverage.
Sheila came racing down to the emergency
room and found Shannon holding my hand.
How committed is she to the idea of divorce?
Who cares?
I just as soon hold her to it.
That's now, Douglas.
But when you've had a chance to think
about it a little, I'm sure you'll agree,
divorce is a pretty drastic solution to
any problems you and Sheila are having.
And I think a drastic solution?
Maybe just what the doctor ordered.
17 years of trudging home to Sheila night after night?
By 9 O'clock we've eaten, the small talk's
over, she's in bed, I've had a stiff belt
of Maalox and I'm drowsing on the living
room couch, still bloated from dinner.
I'm looking to cut loose a little.
Fatten up the old address book?
I want to see 20 girls naked in the coming year.
I guess I want to live the life of Becker.
I guess I have had my share.
You've had mine as well.
Trust me, it's not always the thrill you think it is.
I'd like to be the judge of that.
Look, Douglas, you can do whatever you want.
But I've got to tell you, a divorce will not be painless.
Besides the emotional anguish which you're
going to go through, and believe me,
you will go through it, Sheila is in a
position to wreak absolute havoc with this firm.
You think she'd go after the partnership?
Count on it.
You can also count on the probability of a
claim on all future earnings if she can.
Oh, my God.
That's horrible.
It's not a pretty picture.
So you think we're being a little precipitous?
After 17 years, I don't think one little deep knee
bend with an aerobics instructor is reason for divorce.
No.
It's easy for you to say.
Look, let me arrange a conference with Sheila and her
attorney with the idea of maybe reconciling your differences.
And if we need to, we'll play hardball later on.
I leave it up to you to guide me on that.
Thank you, Mr. Arnold.
How's the decompression coming?
Decompression largely complete.
Serenity's sitting in.
Michael, just what happened to you in jail this weekend?
A lot.
I don't want to make it sound like I'm
back from 18 years in Siberia,
but it was a hell of an experience.
Lying there on a cot, guys yelling, bars clanging.
I got to see the world through Ashberg's eyes.
I actually began to feel the despair that
he felt, how he had to kill himself to get
out of his own prison, how I had to go to prison
to find out and understand how really free I am.
So we're done with Sid now?
Sid's history?
We can get on with our lives?
Yeah.
Good.
Because all this stuff about seeing the world
through Sid's eyes scares the poo out of me.
If Sid's eyes saw what mine do now, they
would never have seen the world the way they did.
You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Gracie.
And I guess I can thank him for showing me
how lucky I am to have you.
Then here's to Sid.
To Sid.
Mckenzie Brackman.
I'm sorry.
I will not be available.
Can you hold him up?
Yes.
May I help you?
Leland.
I'll let me transfer you.
Morris.
Got a few minutes for an old classmate?
Oh, yeah.
What brings you here?
Well, for starters, I'd like to apologize for
my behavior, which I know was a bit rash.
Incarcerating an attorney without granting
a stay is more than a bit rash.
Perhaps.
But if my judgment was clouded, Leland, is this that
my job has rendered me a little short of temper lately?
I'm getting out.
What?
After some 25 years on the bench?
There's no satisfaction anymore.
What few rewards there are don't seem to
be particularly sustaining.
When you walked into my courtroom this
morning, I suddenly saw all the things
that have passed me by, including the money I must admit.
Well, I'm sure you'll have no trouble.
The firm's in town and we'll start a
feeding frenzy over a superior court judge.
Actually, Leland, I'm here to give you first bite.
You want to work here?
I think you know that I wouldn't be approaching you
if I wasn't damn certain that I had a contribution to make.
Well, I have no doubt about that,
but we are a very small firm.
And I can help you grow.
I've made a lot of connections in my years, Leland.
I can be very valuable.
Oh.
Well, naturally, this is something I'd
have to take up with the other partners.
Oh, I understand completely.
And if it helps in any way, you could tell Mike
Kuzak I'll be willing to have my name come after his.
You could also tell him I'm sorry.
I'll pass that on.
Hi.
Oh, hi, Andrew.
How'd it go?
Uh, unsupervised probation and some community service.
Oh, great.
So, actually, what I was thinking
Well, what I was hoping is
I'd like you to have dinner with me tomorrow.
Oh, I don't know.
Just to celebrate.
Um, you know, I already made the reservation.
Please?
Well Do you like French food?
You'll love this place.
I'll pick you up at 7.30, okay?
Okay.
Great.
That's that's great.
Some enchanted evening?
Oh, Arnie, stop.
What was I supposed to do?
And the bar was closed at this time.
Well, I didn't think anybody was there till I come
out the kitchen and see the cash register busted open.
And that guy running away with the money.
Let the record reflect that the witnesses
again indicated the defendant,
Francisco Ortega, your witness.
Thank you.
When the police arrived, you told them that
you couldn't identify the suspect, didn't you?
Well, I didn't think I could till I saw him in the lineup.
Did you?
Did you know, sir, that Mr. Ortega was sitting on
a stool in your bar two nights before the robbery?
I didn't know that until a district attorney told me.
Tell me something, Mr. Simpson.
If you were serving a guy for a three-hour period and then
you saw him two nights later,
he'd look familiar, wouldn't he?
Objection.
Hypothetical.
Overruled.
Isn't it possible, sir, that you
recognized my client because he was a
customer in your bar, that when you saw
him in the lineup, the only thing that
triggered in your mind was that you had seen him before?
He's the man I saw with the money.
The kitchen door and the exit.
Or at opposite ends.
If he was running away when you first came
in, you couldn't see his face.
I saw him from the side.
The side?
He was headed in the opposite direction.
You saw his back.
I had an angle from the side.
And you testified that when you first saw
him, he was just at the door.
So at best, we are talking about a two or
three second look from the side.
Something like that.
Mr. Simpson, I have no doubt that you are an honest man.
I want you to tell me if the following
scenario is possible, okay?
Just if it's possible.
You walk into a room and you see a man
running out the door.
You really don't get a good look at his face.
It's all happening so fast.
The police come and you tell them that you
really are not going to be able to identify who did it.
But when they take you down to the station,
they show you a face that you have seen before.
And you say to yourself, that must be him.
It's possible, isn't it, Mr. Simpson?
Anything's possible.
It's possible.
Thank you, sir.
No further questions.
Your Honor, this is outrageous.
I'm asking for judgment only on the second and third causes
of action, Your Honor, which go to design defect only.
Which is a big part of our case.
Counselors.
So big, he didn't come up with a single
fact in support of it.
Miss Kelsey.
So big, they didn't file any affidavits or exhibits
which would indicate anything defective in that plane.
I must agree, Mr. Simpson.
I must agree, Mr. McLeish, that the
evidence in support of the allegations
contained in the second and third causes
of action is rather thin.
Have you got anything else?
Your Honor, I have submitted numerous affidavits
which go to the sophisticated nature of the craft.
Such sophistication rendering it virtually
inoperable by the deceased.
Which goes only to the negligence theory
in the first cause of action, Your Honor,
and has nothing whatever to do with the
question of design defect.
She's got you, sir.
I'm going to sustain you on the first cause of action.
But as to the second and third, there is
simply no genuine issue of material fact.
I disagree.
Judgment in favor of defendant as to the
second and third causes of action.
Counsel for both sides should prepare to
proceed to trial on the first cause of action only.
Thank you both.
Brilliant.
Thank you.
I still can't believe it.
You were just great.
Yes, that'll be fine.
Thank you.
I felt pretty good.
You were better than that.
You were all the champion I could have wanted.
Well, we haven't won yet.
That's all right.
Your argument alone deserves a celebration.
At least it had the desired effect.
Speaking of which, I'd like to tell you the
effect that watching you in action had on me.
I intend to involve Mckenzie Brackman in the affairs
of Cromwell Aviation more than I originally intended.
See, we're planning an acquisition next
year, and I've been told that there's a
possibility we could be involved in some
antitrust problems.
I'd like it if you would navigate.
Well, there are a couple of people at the
firm with very solid antitrust experience.
Ann, I'd like you to know something.
As far as I'm concerned, Mckenzie Brackman, well, it's you.
You shouldn't take your lawyer out like
this before the case is over.
I'm glad I don't have to be in court in the morning.
I'm sure you do just fine.
You show a lot of faith in me, I've got to say that.
Complete faith.
It's appreciated.
It's well earned.
Thank you for dinner.
Thank you for the company.
Excuse me.
When were you planning on saying something to me?
Around the time the two of you took a long
weekend together in Paris?
Stuart, could we possibly do this later?
Save the continuances for the court, Ann, okay?
Okay, Stuart.
There's obviously a series of burning
questions that you're afraid to ask.
So let me answer them.
Yes, he does have a romantic interest in me.
No, that doesn't bother me particularly.
And no, I haven't slept with him.
Uh, so far.
You gonna sleep with him in the future?
You know, the fact that you feel compelled to ask that
question means that we do have a problem, you and I.
But the problem isn't George Cromwell.
No.
No, George Cromwell is just the guy that
you kissed last night.
What?
I saw you, Ann.
You spied on me?
I started out just waiting.
Waiting for what?
Waiting for you to come home.
You knew I went out to dinner with him.
Ann, does dinner necessarily entail coming home drunk?
Forgive me, Ann.
The last time I saw you, that plowed, you went
to bed with me and you didn't even remember it.
I will not be made to feel like a slut
because I had dinner with my client.
And I will not tolerate your spying on me.
I'm jealous, Ann.
Forgive me.
I'm jealous.
Is that a big sin where you come from?
You're more than jealous.
The problem you have with George Cromwell
is entirely in your mind.
If he didn't exist, you'd think of something else.
Wrong.
Because you could have shut him down.
And you didn't.
You let him wonder.
And you let him hope.
You let a man.
You let him kiss you.
What was I supposed to do, Stuart?
Punch out his lights?
Stop smothering me.
We have gone from friendship to courtship to
total domesticity so fast I feel like I can't breathe.
You are the sweetest man that I've ever met, Stuart.
But you are also the neediest.
Well, maybe you need somebody a little less needy.
Now, I'd like to report, happily,
that as basketball season is over,
Mr. Heidegger has been prevailed upon to
tender his long overdue resignation.
So, if there's nothing more, Arnold and I
are expected across town.
I have one more piece of business.
Judge Morris Hood of Superior Court has
approached me with the news that he's
looking to retire from the bench and he'd
like to join this firm.
Are you kidding?
Wait a minute.
This is the same guy that threw Mike in the slam?
Yeah, Morris and I have known each other since law school.
He is a seasoned jurist and there's no
doubt he can make a contribution here.
Wait a minute.
Are you telling us that you've already invited him?
I told him that I would air it with the
members of the firm.
So I now throw it open to you.
Absolutely not.
Quite apart from the personality conflicts
which will inevitably result.
The fact is, this firm needs more foot soldiers.
The last thing we need is another general.
Yeah, I agree.
I think we ought to reject him simply out
of solidarity to Mike.
Besides which, this is definitely not the time,
earnings-wise, to take on another profit participant.
What are your feelings about it, Leland?
At the present, I would rather not say.
Whatever you do say, Ken
and will be used against you by somebody sometime.
You brought it up.
You've got to have feelings one way or the other.
Knowing him for as long as you have,
you're in the best position to guide us, Leland.
I think that's exactly what he's doing, Douglas.
Oh, Morris, surely you can understand that
I'm under serious constraints here.
What my firm is in need of is associates, not partners.
That's just a hard economic fact.
Why didn't you offer me a position as an
associate in that case?
Oh, come on.
Why not?
Were you afraid I'd accept?
I'm no more about to become your employer
than you are mine.
If you and I were to have an association, I wouldn't think
of doing it on anything other than a partnership basis.
Oh, the ways that exist for telling someone no.
The ways in which I've heard it.
My hands are tied, Morris.
I wish it had been up to me.
I've got bigger things in mind for you, Morris.
Play ball on this one, Morris.
There's a federal judge in it for you.
If you were coming in at any other time,
I'm sure the others could have been.
If you wanted me, you could have done it now.
But once you decided against me, it was a
dead issue as far as anyone else was concerned.
Let's face it, Leland.
You're afraid of the competition a
presence like mine would generate.
I'm not afraid of competition, Morris.
The truth is, I have no reason to expect
your temperament as attorney to be any
more to my liking than your temperament as a judge.
But I've watched kids out of school two, three years
come before me making more money than I'll ever see.
You're damn right my temperament can get a little nasty.
Oh, damn it.
There's more to this than money.
Well, one time there was.
My ambition ran to politics.
But when the Democrats lost the statehouse
in 66, that ambition became a drawer full
of mementos and a foul cabinet full of failure
that sits next to the water heater in my basement.
They gave me a parking place next to the courthouse.
They let me sit on the diets at dinners.
But they told me superior court is as far as I can go.
Now, I don't care if it doesn't live up to your
lofty ideals, ideals you can so easily afford.
My dreams have been broken.
What I want is the money.
That's mine.
I realize that an expensive lunch is only proper
form for telling someone thanks, but no thanks.
And while I don't want to appear
ungracious or unappreciative of the
hospitality and the largesse, thanks, but no thanks.
This way, gentlemen.
Thank you.
There you go.
Good morning, gentlemen.
Lisa.
Where's Alvin?
I'll be handling the preliminary stages of this case.
I didn't even know that you worked here.
Shall we get started?
I read a copy of your settlement offer, and I
was wondering if I could take a look at your copy.
Why do you want to see our copy?
I think there may be some pages missing for a moment.
Pages missing?
Yes, I didn't see anything in there about the partnership.
I assumed it was a clerical error.
What were you expecting to see about the partnership, Lisa?
Mr. Brackman is a managing partner with
vested interests in all income earned by your firm.
Before we even begin serious discussions,
I need to see financial statements going
back nine years or co-terminus with his being made partner.
Don't you think that might be a little premature?
Particularly in light of the fact that Mr. Brackman
feels extreme remorse about this entire matter.
I would very much like to explore the
possibility of a reconciliation with Mrs.
Brackman.
In spite of the circumstances,
it's nice to see you, Sheila.
I have advised my client to resist any
attempt at reconciliation.
Have you advised your client as well of the fact
that you have a personal axe to grind with me?
Mr. Becker must be referring to an extremely brief
romantic incident in which we were both involved.
You apparently mistake ambition for romance.
But that's not surprising.
Coming from someone whose only passion is
scrambling up on the backs of others.
How would you know what my passion is?
I never displayed any of it to you.
Oh, what was it?
Make-believe?
That or pity.
There's something so desperate about you, Becker.
The way you always fuss over your clothes
and your car and your condo.
Who's more desperate than you, Lisa?
Oh, you're fairly young now, but in a few
years you're going to be clutching at a
box of saltines late at night trying to figure out
how it is that you managed to wind up so all alone.
And where will you be, I wonder?
Probably tucked in bed somewhere with the largest
collection of pornographic videotapes in West L.A.
You'll lull yourself to sleep with the
images of naked strangers on the screen.
Young ones, Arnie, the younger the better And you
watching them, fat, burnt out, and bald Excuse me!
Whose divorce is this?
Sheila, I can't help feeling that this is
getting away from us That's what usually
happens when you start trying to jump over
another woman's bushes I had an affair.
These things happen I have no doubt that
there are consequences to that You better
believe it, mister I'm willing to try to
patch things up Well, maybe I'm not And it
has nothing to do with this affair,
Douglas You've had affairs, I've had
affairs It runs deeper than that You've had affairs?
What kind of affairs have you had?
They didn't amount to much The point is
I'm more than just a housewife Or a
co-signer I need attention I just need to get this
straight in my mind Have you had multiple multiple affairs?
Was it once?
Was it someone I know?
It was the pool man, okay?
Angelo?
Tony, the new pool man Oh my god Look You
both had a little extracurricular activity Who else?
The kitchen contractor?
The roofer?
Oh my god What's his name?
The tennis pro Bjorn People, please,
look The important thing here is not what
you've done outside the bonds of your
marriage but what you've built within the
marriage Oh, please A home, a family,
a life I can't stand the thought of you
with another man I thought we were getting
a divorce here There's no one who wants
you more than I Take me back, Sheila
Please Douglas, are you begging me?
Yes.
Mr. Sifuentes, Mr. Oley having considered
your closing arguments and having heard
the testimony adduced at three days of
trial including that of an eyewitness I
guilty of robbery in the first degree
Sentencing set February the 9th, 10 A.
M.
Your honor, at this time I move for a new trial and the
disqualification of your honor from this case On what grounds?
Bigotry, your honor This statistical
analysis demonstrates a clear-cut racist
predisposition based on your honor's
conviction and sentencing record over the years.
It's outrageous.
Your honor's conviction rate in non-jury
trials for non-white defendants when the
prosecution has a white eyewitness is
nearly six times as great as when the
defendant is white or the eyewitness is non-white.
This includes your honor's time on the
municipal as well as the superior courts
and it clearly demonstrates that your honor's
racism has served to deny my client a fair trial.
I don't know what all this is, counsel,
but I tell you you're way out of line.
Your honor, I am not trying to provoke or
offend you but the fact remains that these
statistics don't stand there calling me a
racist and pretend you're not trying to
provoke or offend me I sit here very much
offended Mrs. Sifuentes shall I take this
to be a denial of my motion sir take it as
a personal response to your accusation
I'll respond to my official capacity at a later date in
the meantime this motion is taken under advisement.
May I help you I have a reservation for
two in the name of Putnam Putnam Thank you.
Right this way if you.
Enjoy your dinner.
How much are you supposed to tip those guys?
I've never really known Andrew Maybe five dollars Really?
Gee, I wish I'd known, I just gave him two
It's alright, really, two's fine I hope
you're right You don't think I should just
go over and give him the difference?
No, definitely not It's not a big thing Good
evening Would you care for anything from the bar?
Uh, yes, we'd like a bottle of Dom Perignon, please Chill.
So, this must be a tremendous weight off
your shoulders Oh, it is, I intend to put
that all behind me I'm sorry to bother
you, sir, but I wonder if I might see some
identification that would verify your age My age?
Well, actually, gentlemen, that's quite a
compliment, I appreciate it, just because,
you know, it's just a thing of an ID Why
don't I just order the champagne?
If your companion is underage, we cannot permit him
to drink on the premises I understand, it'll just be for me.
Now bring the young man a soft drink.
Well, don't you look exceptionally
alluring this morning Thank you.
Uh-huh, I knew it What?
Oh, you can always tell with a woman The whites
of her eyes get totally clear That's really dumb, Arnie.
Tell me what happened No How was it?
It's none of your business, Arnie Oh,
come on, Roxanne I don't want to share No,
and don't ask me again.
You wanted to see me?
Yes Come on in.
I've been reading through your motion
papers I must say I'm really stunned I was
just going by the numbers, Your Honor
Numbers are a funny thing, Counselor Do
you want to hear some interesting numbers
about Victor Sifuentes?
When you worked in the public defender's
office you were nine times more likely to
seek a trial when the defendant was of Hispanic
descent than when he was either black or white.
My clients happen to be primarily Hispanic.
Numbers of Hispanics are slightly less
than twice the number of blacks and whites.
The number of hours you logged per case shows a distinct
predisposition towards favoring
clients with Hispanic surnames.
Not unlike your present client, I might add.
With all due respect, you don't know the
first thing about the case is that I handled.
And just how much do you know about the cases I handled?
Nothing at all.
But I cannot ignore a computer analysis of
your record on the bench when there
appears to be a good chance that my client
was convicted because he is a Chicano.
Judges don't judge by computer, Mr. Sifuentes.
We judge with our hearts and minds.
And experience.
I don't think of myself as a bigot any
more than you think of yourself as one.
Nevertheless, I'm granting your motion.
These numbers at least entitle your client
to the benefit of the doubt.
Thank you, Ewan.
My reputation is that of a liberal counselor.
I have supported various civil rights
causes over the years because my sense of
decency told me they were worthy of support.
But now you come along with this frankly
chilling bit of news that for all my
professed liberalism I've in fact been sending men to
prison at least in part because of the color of their skin.
That is not something I can ignore.
I will think long and hard on this.
I hope you do the same.
Yes?
Judge Morris Hood, sir.
Tell him I'll call him back.
He's been arrested.
Put him on.
I really hate your guts, Becker.
I don't hate yours, Lisa.
You didn't give a damn about saving that marriage.
You just wanted to humiliate me all over again.
Not true.
I pride myself in knowing what the client
really wants, delivering it.
Humiliating you is just a bonus.
You don't know what I had to do to get
Cronish to let me handle that case.
I have a pretty good idea.
No, see, you don't.
I lost one job that way.
I'm not about to lose another.
Oh, you're really something, Arnie.
You stabbed me in the back, you poisoned
this entire firm against me, and then you
saw to it that I didn't get hired at a
time when I really needed a job.
And all because you decided it would be awkward to
work in the same office with a girl you had an affair with.
Well, it wouldn't have had to be awkward at all.
In fact, I could have easily forgotten
that it ever happened.
That was the whole problem.
I couldn't have.
When I found out that was just another
rung on the ladder for you, Lisa, it hurt me.
Look, will you do me something?
I'm not the hard guy you think I am.
Oh, you lying sack!
Hey, I'm a sucker for pretty girls'
affection, and when I find out that I've
been had, sometimes, yeah, I can get a little ugly.
Trying to get ahead of someone online at
the post office is a little ugly.
What you did to me was despicable.
You seem to forget that as a partner in
this firm, I have an obligation to assist
my colleagues in making informed decisions
about who we hire and who we don't.
And having a first-year associate who has
shown a pronounced willingness to sleep
around as a method of career advancement
is not in the best interest of this firm.
Besides, you seem to have landed on your feet.
Yeah, I did, didn't I?
Kind of makes you curious about what a
second go-round would be like, doesn't it?
No.
Why?
Because I'm a lawyer in my own right?
Because I have a bright future at the firm I'm with?
Because the uncertainty of my getting hired or
not getting hired isn't hanging over us anymore?
I just don't think that this is appropriate right now.
Lisa?
No, I bet you don't.
It isn't nearly sorted enough for Arnold Becker, is it?
No slave trade, no trap doors,
no ice pick through the heart.
Nothing to gain except the pure turn-on of it all.
And that's no turn-on at all for Arnold Becker, is it?
I don't know.
But if you want to try, come on, let's try.
Stop it.
What's the matter, kid?
Not sorted enough for you?
I guess not.
The tragedy of this is, I'm just like you.
Arnold Becker with a pair of jugs.
Judge Hood!
Judge Hood!
Do you feel the crash?
The crash?
Do you feel the crash?
Do you feel the crash?
What comes next, guys?
How are you going to get more involved?
Your Honor, any comments?
I'm going to hang out here.
Excuse me, sir.
I'm Judge Hudson.
Well, you'll have to wait out here until
these two are being processed.
Wait.
Address?
1139 Southcrest, West Los Angeles.
Judge with one count, PC-93.
Receiving a bribe by a judicial officer.
Have you read him his rights?
Yeah.
He's a lawyer.
He's been written.
He understands them all.
All right, judge.
I'm going to fingerprint you now.
So just extend your right hand,
relax your fingers, and I'll do the rest.