L.A. Law (1986) s01e20 Episode Script

1
Previously on L.A.
Law.
We, the jury, sentence the defendant to death.
Grace, you go, lady!
I'm putting two uniforms on you.
They'll walk you to and from your car,
and they'll park outside your place at night.
That's not enough.
The man's in custody, Michael.
Well, his gang friends aren't.
Grace, let me ask you something.
You got a gun?
I have never even fired a gun.
What is going on?
I'm sorry.
I found him on the freeway this morning coming in.
For God's sakes, call the pound.
What happened?
My dog is gone.
Mr. Brackman took it.
Since you're having a hard time placing
him, why don't I take him?
Do you want it?
I've always had a way with animals.
I prefer their company to some people in many cases.
I lost my first case, too.
Oh, and you just love rubbing my nose in it, don't you?
Not really.
Then why did you come down here?
To ask you out on a date.
A date?
Oh, wait a minute.
Don't spend it.
Because it's a magic dollar bill.
That was fantastic.
Thank you.
It's my pleasure.
Sell your condo.
Stuart, it's my only asset.
Well, Ann, the whole thing doesn't make
sense unless you move in with me.
Whoa.
Back up.
It's a big step.
Can I think about it?
Absolutely.
Okay, I thought about it.
Ann?
Let's go home.
Gallagher versus Martin.
How do we stand, Victor?
Lousy, we lost.
Appeal and notify the client.
That was the appeal, Douglas, and he is no longer a client.
Michael, Abrams versus Bertrand.
Jury was impaneled yesterday.
We start today.
Why haven't we settled this?
Because we haven't been offered anything
worth settling for, Douglas.
This case is a loser at trial.
How do you prove sexual assault when she
willingly went back to his room?
Well, she wasn't willing to be raped.
Isn't the boy a first-round draft pick?
I would think an instant millionaire
should be willing to come up with a few
dollars to keep his nastiness out of the papers.
All right, Douglas, let's move along.
Michael has the case in hand.
Ms. Kelsey, perhaps you could inform us of
this new matter in the list entitled In Ray Kelsey?
I've got my condo up for sale.
Elin said I could open up a file for
administrative convenience.
Fine.
Just be aware that these things are never as simple as they
appear, and I don't want a lot
of office time piled up on this.
Oh, please.
Can we discuss item six on the list, Karras v.
Brackman?
That's a legitimate lawsuit, and I did not initiate it.
No, but you enlisted Abby to defend you,
which means that your little barking dog
is costing this firm the time of one associate
and one partner for at least one full trial day.
For your information, I happen to be a victim here.
I'm being sued by a senseless and vindictive
neighbor who's attempting to get Sparky destroyed.
I've enlisted Miss Perkins because,
A, she knows the dog, B, sympathy happens
to be our strong suit in this matter,
and she's best able to exploit it,
and C, the last time Douglas represented
himself, he got pasted by Andrew Taylor.
That's it.
I will not sit here and tolerate this abuse.
Douglas, that psychotic is after my dog.
And when I come into this office looking
for a little support, I don't need to be
mocked and ridiculed by a group of people
completely insensitive to my feelings.
An innocent pet is being maligned and persecuted.
Excuse me.
Rude, he called me an animal hater, a bad neighbor, he
refused to even consider that his dog could be a nuisance.
Cross, Miss Perkins.
Mr. Kerr, since you're representing yourself, you
have the right to object to questions you find improper.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Now, your complaint states that the dog has
been barking incessantly since last October.
It never stops.
Yep, yep, yep.
At Thanksgiving dinner, why, I could hardly hear Grace.
Are you aware, sir, that the dog did not come to
live at the Brackman residence until early December?
He what?
December 5th, to be exact.
Well, it's been so nonstop that I probably
don't ever remember not hearing him.
Objection.
Conclusory, argumentative, and self-serving.
Mr. Brackman, you're not the attorney of record here.
Could I take a moment to confer with my
counsel, Your Honor?
Hurry up.
Ask him how he can hear it all day when he's at work.
Ask him why his wife never complains.
Ask him about the last time he sued me.
Question him about Douglas, I'll get to it.
You've got to be more aggressive.
I just started.
I understand.
Let's go, Miss Perkins.
Mr. Karras, isn't it true that you sued my
client two years ago, also for nuisance,
claiming that he failed to keep the lids
fastened tightly to his trash cans?
A good easterly breeze and the reek of his
garbage would waft right through my kitchen.
Objection!
Prior bad acts are inadmissible.
Mr. Brackman, your lawyer asked him about it.
But his answer was non responsive.
To her question, which was merely designed
to establish that the witness is on a
personal vendetta and he's been initiating
frivolous and baseless lawsuits against me.
Mr. Brackman, sit down.
Could I take a moment to confer with counsel, your honor?
No.
Now sit down and be quiet.
You want to meet me for lunch later?
Not if my trial gets started.
It's a loser.
Settle it.
We could take the whole day.
We could do something fun for a change.
God knows my office won't miss me.
Just say so, and I'll tell them to get lost.
Mr. Kuzak, has the team or the league offered
any sort of settlement on Bertrand's behalf?
I have no comment on that.
Does that mean that it's going to trial?
I have no comment.
If I were you, I really would try to drop this case.
You're starting to sound like a broken record.
I'm just trying to get you to look at this realistically.
Michael, if there really was a case,
my office would have prosecuted.
But this is civil, not criminal.
We're not asking a jury to send this guy to jail.
I think we got one hell of a shot.
Don't bet on it.
What?
Are you saying there was no assault here?
I am saying that date rape is hard to prove in court.
I'll call you.
Good luck.
$50,000 conditioned on no disclosure to the press.
I'll take it to my client.
But I have to advise against it.
Come on.
You got no case.
Are you kidding?
I like my case just fine.
Your guy signs an MBA contract.
My client.
The victim.
She has to drop out of school.
She's been in therapy.
She's broke.
Her family's been humiliated.
I know just what I've got, counselor.
$75,000.
That's it.
That's as high as I'm authorized.
You see, for my client, this case is not just about money.
Well, you bounce $75,000 off of her.
We'll see what it's about.
Well, they're offering $75,000.
That's it?
They also want a stipulation barring you from
any disclosure of the terms of the settlement.
You mean they want to buy my silence?
Pretty much.
Forget it.
If I take this offer, the truth will never come out.
Lori, this thing will get ugly.
They've got one of your ex-boyfriends to
testify against you.
They subpoenaed one of the therapists who treated you.
They're going to do whatever they have to.
Michael, he raped me.
Nothing those lawyers do to me could be worse than that.
The dog does bark at strangers.
An excellent watchdog.
But other than that, he's a very quiet little fellow.
I see.
Mr. Brackman, what are you doing?
Nothing, your honor.
Could you tell us what steps you took to
solve this problem with Mr. Karras?
I'm not sure I understand your question.
I think what you mean to ask is, what
does the whole neighborhood think of him?
They hate him.
He's been nothing but a source of
disruption and discontent for the whole block.
Now, that's not true.
He's the one.
Sit down, Mr. Karras.
But, your honor Sit down.
Continue.
Would you say, then, that there is a good
deal of animosity between the two of you?
I'm not sure I follow.
I think what you mean to ask is, how does
he behave when I attempt to work things out?
He verbally assaults me.
He's more interested in an argument than he is a solution.
Could you tell us what transpired?
I'm sure the court would like to know what
he said to my wife last week.
The court is getting very annoyed.
The court would like the lawyer to ask the
questions, not the witness.
And I think the court has heard from both sides by now.
Mr. Karras, do you have anything further?
Oh, no, Your Honor, but I would
like to add, for the record, that Mr.
Brackman is a liar.
Objection.
Now, let me say this to the both of you.
The courtroom is not a place to play out
neighborhood squabbles.
Barking dogs are a fact of life,
Mr. Karras, and I don't find these
circumstances to be so aggravated as to constitute a
deprivation of your quiet enjoyment of your private life.
Accordingly, I find the facts to be
insufficient to support your nuisance
claim, and I'm entering judgment for the defendant.
Judges and lawyers, you're all together.
That's enough, sir.
And Mr. Brackman, though this thing has
not risen to the level of nuisance yet,
I remind you that it still could,
and there is nothing to stop Mr.
Karras from instituting an action at that time.
I suggest you try keeping the dog quiet.
Yes, Your Honor.
This court's adjourned.
Very good, Miss Perkins.
I never had a moment's doubt.
Thank you.
You think you're going to get away with this, Brackman?
Well, I'll get justice in my own way.
You wait.
Just you wait.
Laurie, I want you to tell us everything that happened
between you and the defendant before leaving the party.
We were just talking.
There wasn't even any dancing going on at this party.
It was just a lot of drinking and celebrating.
Do you remember what it was?
You were talking about?
Lots of things.
In fact, I remember being really impressed
that he wasn't totally consumed with the game.
The basketball game?
Yeah.
They had just won the championship, and everybody
was intent on rehashing this thing play by play.
And here he was, this big star,
and we talked about a lot of things.
I'd met him a few times before, but this was the
first time I'd really gotten a chance to know him.
And he seemed really personable and unassuming.
You were attracted to him.
I thought he was great.
So what time did the two of you leave the party?
It was about midnight.
It was getting really noisy and rowdy,
so we couldn't even hear each other talk.
And his dorm was right across the way.
And we thought we'd go over there.
Just the two of you?
I know how it looks.
But we just wanted to go someplace quiet
where we could talk.
And what happened when you got there?
We sat on the couch in the living room.
And we talked some more.
And we had some wine.
And we kissed.
Voluntarily?
Yes.
And what happened next?
Well, we kissed for about a minute.
I don't think it was any longer than that.
And then suddenly, he started to climb on top of me.
And I said, what are you doing?
And then he turned to me and pushed me
into the cushions on the couch.
And I yelled at him to stop.
And then I felt his knees digging into my thighs.
I tried to get free.
And the next thing I knew, he was reaching
up under my skirt.
And rips down my panties from the back.
And then he started to force my legs apart with his knees.
And before I could even register what was
going on, he was ramming himself into me.
And I couldn't, I couldn't get up.
Now, you said that you were trying to get
free during this time.
Yeah.
He had my arms pinned down with his elbows.
And his legs were on top of my legs.
And he was too strong.
I couldn't fight him.
And I took a deep breath.
And I screamed as loud and hard as I could.
And I must have surprised him because he jumped off of me.
And I left.
How long, approximately, did this attack take?
I can't remember.
It would happen so fast.
But it was like in slow motion.
It was like it wasn't happening to me.
It was like it was somebody else.
But it was me.
It was inside of me.
And it wouldn't stop.
Mr. Kuzak, since it's now 4 O'clock,
and this seems like an appropriate time
for a recess, I'm inclined to adjourn till
tomorrow morning.
That would be fine, Your Honor.
It's OK.
Take it easy, Sparky.
It's only me, OK?
Going to work now.
And be a good boy.
OK?
Be a good boy.
I just get the sense that George wants a
lot from me right now.
And I don't really know if I'm in the
position to give it to him.
In other words, he's asked you to go to bed with him.
The subject has come up.
And I just don't know.
I mean, we both come with so much baggage.
And it's also complicated.
Sometimes I just think, let's forget the whole thing.
I mean, what is so terrible about celibacy anyway?
On the other hand, what's so great?
I am serious, Ann.
Having sex with someone is a big deal to me,
and I am just not comfortable with one-night stands.
You've been out with him at least a dozen times.
And maybe I shouldn't be tying myself down right away.
I mean, right after a divorce,
just jumping into another commitment?
Is that what George wants?
That's what he says.
But who knows?
Maybe he's just talking.
I mean, what if I go to bed with him and
he never calls me again?
He doesn't sound to me like that kind of guy.
Besides, I'd like to live long enough to
dance at my son's wedding.
What?
AIDS!
You have heard of it.
Before you go to bed with him, you're
certainly entitled to ask about his sexual history.
Or you could buy him some condoms.
Well, that's very romantic.
Besides, where are we supposed to do it, anyway?
We each have a young child at home, and
there is no way that I'm going to some tacky motel.
Look, Abby, if you don't want to go to bed
with him, don't go to bed with him.
You don't have to explain it to me.
I know, but I'm so attracted to him.
So go to bed with him.
Would you like the keys to my place?
I'm never there.
It's just sitting empty so that if you do
decide to make love with George,
you wouldn't have to worry about logistics.
I've been looking all over for you in my office right away.
What's wrong?
That lunatic has just slashed my tires.
We're going to sue him blind.
I want one count for property damage,
one count for trespassing.
I want negligent infliction of emotional distress
and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Municipal court?
No.
Superior court.
Jury trial.
He's going to have to hire a lawyer this
time, and it's going to cost him big.
Let's hit him with interrogatories and a request
for admissions, then we'll depose the filthy roach.
Ask for damages in the amount of $500,000.
Half a million for four steel-belted radials?
We're talking emotional distress and punitive damages.
When I get through with him, he's going to
have to sell his house.
I want a draft copy of the complaint on my
desk by 5 O'clock.
I want to be ready to file it tomorrow.
This sounds kind of big.
Are you sure you don't want Michael to handle it?
Don't be silly.
You're my lawyer.
You beat him once, you can whip him again.
Ann?
Ann?
Hey, what happened with the open house?
Nothing much.
No offers?
Some airline pilot and his wife.
Airline pilot?
That's great.
Not really.
It's a lot less than I'm asking.
Thanks.
How much less?
$20,000.
I'll tell you, Ann.
It's not so far along.
Plus, they only wanted to put 10% down,
and they wanted me to carry a second.
I told the realtor I didn't think it was going to work out.
Wait a minute, you didn't come back with a counteroffer?
What for?
We're miles apart.
Ann, it's a negotiation.
They come up a little, you go down a little.
Forget it.
I don't have the time or energy to hassle
over this thing like some rug merchant.
You want me to get into it?
No, it's all right.
No problem.
I'll call your broker, I'll set up a meeting.
Hey, all they can do is say no.
So, I'll expect you Thursday at 11.
May I validate your parking ticket, Mrs. Havens?
Thank you much.
Hi.
Hi.
Oh, thank you much.
Ciao, Arnie.
Bye.
Meow.
Beautiful, Cosmopolitan, going through a
rough divorce, doubting her own attractiveness.
I can tell.
Some guy could be the beneficiary of all
that smoldering passion, Victor.
Pass.
After my last two disasters, I've taken a vow of celibacy.
Here, Ms. Melman.
Thank you.
Great.
Who sent flowers?
They're from me.
Oh.
From Leon.
Not much of an arrangement.
Why do you keep putting him down?
Fox, I'm not putting him down.
I think Leon's a perfectly nice guy.
I just don't think he's good enough for you.
Leon happens to be a wonderful person.
He's kind, understanding.
Cheap.
Take a look at this.
He couldn't even spring the extra 20 bucks for roses.
I think they're beautiful.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to put
them in the water.
Miss Abrams, you testified yesterday that while
at this party, you became attracted to my client.
Yes.
Physically attracted.
Part of the attraction was physical, yes.
And it's likely that Mr. Bertrand sensed this, isn't it?
I guess so.
Is it conceivable that my client thought
you wanted to go to bed with him?
No.
Really?
A young woman who is physically attracted to him leaves
a party and goes back to his room with him after midnight?
Both people are a little tipsy from alcohol.
Is it your testimony before this jury that
it's inconceivable for a young man under
these circumstances to think that the
woman might be interested in having sex?
It's conceivable that he could have
thought that at first, maybe.
But when he started to climb on top of me,
he knew damn well I didn't want it.
Because you resisted him.
Yes, I did.
And have you ever had sex with a man after
initially resisting him?
What?
No.
No.
Mr. Nessen, would you please rise?
Have you ever had sex with this man, Ms. Abrams?
I renew my objection to your honor's
previous ruling on this entire line of
questioning, and I object to her method here.
It goes to state of mind and credibility,
your honor, and as for my method,
I can do it this way, or I can call Mr.
Nessen to the stand and then recall Ms.
Abrams when I conclude with him.
I'm going to allow it.
You may sit down, Mr. Nessen.
Ms. Abrams, will you tell the court?
Will you tell the court whether or not you engaged in
sex with Mr. Nessen prior to the evening in question?
We had been going out for four months.
Yes, I had sex with him.
And on the first occasion that you engaged in
intercourse with him, you resisted him at first, didn't you?
Answer the question, Ms. Abrams.
Yes.
In fact, you told him no, didn't you?
You even pushed him away at first, right?
I didn't think it was a good idea at first.
And then you engaged in intercourse.
Was that rape, Ms. Ables?
No, it's not the same.
So you're telling the court that in some
instances when you push away and say no,
it's rape, and in other situations it's not.
With Mark, it was a matter of judgment.
I wanted to have sex with him.
I didn't want to rush into it.
So even though you said no, you wanted it.
Objection.
Overruled.
I was reluctant with Mark, but I did consent.
With him, it was rape.
I said no, and he raped me.
How do we know when to believe a little girl who cries no?
Objection.
Sustained.
Ms. Abrams, you told your therapist that you felt
this whole event was partially your fault, didn't you?
Objection.
Communications between the witness and her
doctor are privileged.
Well, she's seeking to recover mental pain and suffering,
Your Honor, thereby putting her mental condition at issue.
Any statements she made to her doctor in
regard to that condition are therefore not privileged.
I'm going to overrule the objection.
Tell us, Ms. Abrams, did you not, in fact, tell your
therapist that you blamed yourself for much of what happened?
At first, I blamed myself a little.
But then as I thought about it No further questions.
I realized it wasn't my fault, and I shouldn't be blamed.
There are no questions before you, Ms. A-Rooms, that's all.
Redirect, Mr. Kuzak.
Lori, do you still blame yourself?
No.
He did this to me.
I didn't do anything wrong.
Thank you.
Look, I love the place.
I really do, but I just can't swing 225.
And even if I could, I'd never get the financing.
Well, that's it, I guess.
I feel terrible.
For you, too.
I mean, all that work and no commission.
Well, it's a real shame.
You know, there is a way we could salvage this.
Oh.
Oh.
Well, you know, you
Never mind.
Oh, what?
We could cut the purchase price to $215,000,
and you'd take a 3% commission instead of 6%.
What?
Sounds drastic, I know, but not when you consider that
3% of $215,000 is a hell of a lot better than 6% of nothing.
But Yeah, I know.
$215,000 is still a little high for you,
but we could give you 100% financing,
completely relieving you of the burden of a down payment.
What?
You take a note for, say, 12%,
interest payable only, with a balloon
payment for the principal to 215 at the end of five years.
Sweetness, no?
Stuart.
I mean, no down payment at all?
It works out very nicely, solves your cash
flow problems, gorgeous condominium.
Well, Ned?
Sounds good to me.
Stuart, can I talk to you for a minute?
Yeah.
Excuse me.
Yeah, what's up?
I don't want to wait five years for my money.
Ann, Ann, look, if you get your money
right now, you're going to plop it down on
a savings account and get a 6% return on it, right?
I'm getting you 12%, plus you get to defer
your capital gains taxes for five years.
Ann, it's a steal, believe me.
No, it's too convoluted.
Are you nuts?
Look, this way, you're getting more than
your asking price because of the
commission cut and the investment deal of a lifetime.
I can't.
Ann.
Uh, I'm sorry.
I just can't accept those terms.
Thank you for your interest, and I
apologize for the inconvenience.
Um.
Uh, uh, give us until the morning,
and, uh, I'll talk to her.
It's Mrs. Brackman.
I'll have to call her back.
She says it's a crisis.
What?
Sheila, stop shrieking.
Take a moment.
What?
What do you mean he's dead?
Are you sure he's not just sleeping?
Oh, my God.
I'll call you right back.
Hilda, get me the police.
For God's sakes.
Sparky.
So, you thought that she wanted this to happen?
Oh, yeah.
I mean, I thought she was expecting to have sex, and
that I'd be kind of a wimp if I didn't, like, take charge.
But her resisting didn't suggest to you
that she was less than willing?
Well, a lot of women resist.
Not that I've been with that many, but some
think it's more sexy if they're sort of overpowered.
Why is that?
I don't know.
I think some women are turned on by the macho thing.
And do you think that Miss Abrams was
turned on by it that night?
Yes, I really thought she was until she screamed.
What happened when she screamed?
Well, it was sort of like a blood-curdling yell.
I could tell something was wrong, so I got off of her,
and that's when she got up and ran out of the room.
Nothing further.
Is it your testimony, sir, that women are turned on by
having their panties ripped off and their legs forced apart?
Hey, look, I'm not a rapist, all right?
She wanted to have sex with me.
What about these bruises?
Did she want these, too?
Objection.
Overruled.
Take a look at these, people.
Well, now, here Here is a girl having fun.
Objection.
Sustained.
She was yelling at you to stop.
She was struggling to get away.
Now, tell me, Mr. Bertrand, what exactly does a
woman have to do in order for you to get the message?
I don't know.
Maybe she shouldn't have come to my room.
And why is that?
Do you only rape at home?
Objection.
Sustained.
No further questions.
Yo, Mr. Brack
How you doing, sir?
It's good to see you.
I must have driven by this place five or six times.
You said dark and out of the way.
Listen, everything all right, Mr. B?
If you don't mind my saying so,
you sounded terrible on the phone.
I'm in a nightmare, Vinnie.
Please, I need your assurances that we
never had this meeting.
Oh, let me say this.
I've been a PI 15 years now.
Client swears me to secrecy, goes with me to my grave.
You want some lunch?
They make a nice brisket here.
I'm too upset to eat.
My dog's been killed.
What?
My neighbor poisoned him.
We haven't had an autopsy, but the vet
thinks it was strychnine.
That's terrible.
Sparky, my wife found him in the back corner of the yard.
He must have crawled over there to die.
You call the police?
They say they can't do anything.
I'm a dog lover myself.
I know what you must be going through.
Some spookbowl did this to my little queenie.
I mean, I want to go nuts here.
You know, I think I want to kill somebody.
Exactly.
What about that?
What about what?
Justice.
Justice?
Surely you must know some people out
there, people in the underworld,
who could give me justice.
Justice?
How?
As in hitman.
Hitman?
Shh.
Look, look, look, time out here, Mr. B.
I mean, this is extreme.
If you're talking about murder, you're
going to have to let me out right here.
All right.
Just break his knees.
Look, Mr. B., if you're serious,
and I only pray that you're just very
overwrought and emotional here,
I mean, what you're thinking about doing,
it's just plain wrong.
I can't just let Sparky's death go UN-event.
Could I give you a piece of advice here?
Now, look, whatever your differences are
with this guy, and I'm not trying to make
light of it, I mean, how do you know he
even did this terrible thing?
Go see him.
Talk to him.
Confront him directly.
It's the only way.
You're a very wise man, Vinnie.
Thank you for the good advice.
Anytime, sir.
It's all part of the service.
This isn't about sex, ladies and gentlemen.
Sex is something that's shared.
What we're talking about here is one
person physically overpowering another.
What we're talking about is a man sexually
assaulting a woman.
What we're talking about is a rape.
That's not mitigated by the fact that they
knew each other, or by the fact that she
liked him, or even by the fact that she kissed him.
Now, I don't care how benign the setting was.
The fact remains that he physically forced
himself onto her and he raped her.
I know that this is not your standard guy jumps
out of dark alley with ski mask and a knife scenario.
This is worse.
Worse because after what he did to her,
she's not only afraid of strangers,
she's afraid of friends.
And she was raped by someone she knew.
Someone she had made a judgment about.
And she was betrayed by that judgment.
She no longer can trust friendship.
She no longer can trust her own instincts.
And she no longer has faith in her ability
to tell the good guys from the bad.
Because of what he did to her, every time she meets
a man, she asks herself, could this guy be a rapist?
Believe me, folks, that's one hell of a
scar to walk around with.
The damage done to my client by this man is irreparable.
Absolutely irreparable.
And for the sake of this scared young
woman, I ask you to make him pay for it.
It's a strange phenomenon sometimes when boy meets girl.
Everything is so unstated.
There are no pronouncements of affection
or declaration of attraction, just the opposite.
We send signals, a little smile,
maybe a squeeze of the hand.
Sometimes signals get mixed.
And the problem with playing this little
guessing game is that people guess wrong.
According to the plaintiff, my client did just that.
But the thing you people have to consider
here is not whether his name was right or
wrong, but whether it was reasonable under
the circumstances.
They meet at a party.
Both have been drinking.
She's attracted to him, he to her.
And they leave after midnight to go back
to his room together.
They sit on the sofa, they embrace, they kiss.
And then it goes further that she now says
she wanted it to go.
And she now claims that he must have known
that she wanted him to stop.
Because she said no, Well, unfortunately,
one of the little signals that young women
are schooled to flash is the sign of resistance.
It's simply not proper to give sex freely.
Now, we can all say, hey, this is the 80s,
but every woman in this courtroom knows
that it is more respectable, more
feminine, and sometimes more alluring to
manifest the sign of resistance, at least initially.
You know something else?
The men know it, too.
The simple fact is that sometimes we say
no when we really mean no.
And sometimes we say no when we really mean no.
And sometimes men can't tell which is which.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the plaintiff is asking
you to punish my client for not being a better mind reader.
But before you do, I want to remind you of
a few indisputable facts.
She admitted that it was conceivable for my
client to think that she wanted to have sex with him.
She admitted that she had said no in the
past when she really didn't mean no.
And she admitted that as soon as she cried
out, he retreated.
And she admitted that she blamed herself
for much of what happened.
Two kids and a lot of suffering already.
There's no rape here.
Did things get out of hand?
Sure.
But rape?
You know better.
May I help?
Sir, wait a minute.
Stand up, you murderer.
What?
Get back.
If you want a piece of me, you know where to find me.
Somebody call the police.
Mr. Karras, are you all right?
All rise.
Come back here.
Be seated.
Mr. Foreman, has the jury reached a verdict?
We have, Your Honor.
In the matter of Abrams v.
Bertrand, we, the jury, find in favor of
the plaintiff, Lori Abrams.
We further find that the defendant,
Richard Bertrand, be held liable to pay
damages to the plaintiff in the amount of $1.
The jury is dismissed.
The court is adjourned.
I don't know that we have grounds for a new trial.
Even if we did, I'm not sure.
I'm not sure it would do any good.
How can you say that?
The man raped me.
Lori, look, you knew this was going to be
a tough case going in.
You were drinking, you did go to his room, and at
least initially you consented to what was going on.
So I deserve what I got?
I didn't say that, but I think the jury
was saying with its verdict that even
though you were assaulted, you have to take
some measure of responsibility for what happened.
The next jury will probably say the same
thing, or even worse, we could flat out lose.
You never really believed in me, did you, Mr. Kuzak?
I mean, you took my case because you thought you could win.
And because you didn't, it isn't worth any
more of your time.
I'm suggesting that it isn't worth any more of your time.
Let it go, Lori.
You had your day in court.
You established that he raped you.
Now, for your own good, just drop it.
Get on with your life.
I'll tell you something, Mr. Kuzak.
The only thing that I'm thinking of dropping is you.
You got a minute?
I think we better discuss the situation.
What's to discuss?
You left those people hanging.
Are you going to take their offer or not?
No.
I shouldn't have to explain this to you, Ann.
Then don't.
Ann, look, these people negotiated in good faith.
If you pass on it, that's it.
You lose the sale.
I'm aware of that, Stuart.
And are you aware of the fact that you
opened yourself up to a lawsuit?
Your broker could sue you for this.
Will you stop browbeating me?
I'm not browbeating you.
I'm explaining.
Yes, you are.
You're selling my home out from under me.
My things, my privacy, my space.
I didn't put your house on the market, Ann, you did.
Well, whose idea was it?
Hey, go kill yourself, will ya?
Don't you dare talk to me like that, Stuart.
Not you, Ann, them.
Look, I've got a lot of work to do, Stuart, okay?
Ann, if you have a problem with me, then deal with me.
If you have a problem with our living
together, then somehow we'll deal with that.
But you're giving me mixed signals.
It's not fair to me, Ann.
It's not fair to you, it's not fair to these people.
Stuart, I'm really busy.
I'm running late.
Can we please talk about this?
I have to call your broker.
What am I supposed to tell her?
Tell her anything you want.
The deal is off.
So I just have to go and clean up your
little mess, is that it?
You are some piece of work, lady.
And you are a manipulative, controlling piece of Ann!
The world according to Garpowitz.
Hey, do you mind?
Close the shutters.
Shutters don't close.
Let me do it.
I hate you.
I can't get any work done in this place.
If I got to work late, I'll be home later.
Not your home.
My home.
Michael, there's a woman here to see you
about the Laurie Abrams trial.
She says it's real important.
Well, tell her to come in.
Mr.
Kuzak?
Fran Winston.
Hi.
What can I do for you?
It's about the Abrams case and the man that raped her.
He raped me, too.
What?
About a year ago.
It was the same kind of thing.
We were on a date.
And on the way home, he pulled over to the
side of this mountain road.
He pulled right to the ledge so that there
was no way out on my side.
It was a sheer drop.
And then he raped me.
Well, did you tell the police?
No.
And I'm not going to, either, or anybody
else, for that matter.
But he raped you.
It doesn't do any good.
The police won't prosecute, and you can
see what happens when you try to sue.
But why didn't you come forward before now?
I could have put you on the stand.
We could have nailed him.
I don't want to tell anybody about this.
I'm married now.
I won't let it destroy my life any more
than it already has.
Then why are you here today?
I want you to tell your client.
I just want her to know that she's not crazy.
That man is a rapist.
Mrs. Winston.
And just so you know, that's not my real name.
Got a minute?
Sure.
I just found out that the guy who raped
Lori Abrams raped somebody else before.
Well, that information would in all
probability be inadmissible.
Nevertheless, I think I was casting the
same presumption as everyone else.
That somehow she brought this on herself.
That she deserved it.
When the fact is, she was every bit as
wronged as she says she was.
Do you think your feelings in this case
compromised your performance?
Yes, damn it.
When I lost, a part of me turned on her.
It was easier for me to blame her than it
was to blame myself.
Excuse me.
Mike, Doug Brackman's on three.
He says it's an emergency.
Douglas?
Where are you?
No, no, I'll be right down.
Douglas has been arrested.
I'm so sorry.
Thank.
God you're here.
You've got to get me out.
I'm going crazy.
Okay, Douglas, take it easy.
You take it easy?
They deliberately put me in a cell with homosexuals.
What?
Homosexual rapists.
They've all been eyeing me.
I've only been safe so far by keeping my back to the wall.
Douglas, what is going on with you?
This business has gotten way out of hand.
Out of hand?
He killed Sparky and they throw me in jail?
He's got a concussion.
You could have killed him.
You could get jail time for this.
He killed my Sparky.
Okay, Douglas.
You loved your dog.
But come on.
That dog was the only creature on this
earth who loved me for me.
And this bastard took him away from me.
Forever.
When he killed Sparky, a part of me died.
You can't just let him get away with it.
All right.
All right.
But there's nothing we can do about
it tonight, so first things first, huh?
Let's get you bailed out.
Okay.
You all right?
Yeah.
I'm good.
Busy?
Yeah, as a matter of fact, I am.
Too busy for an apology?
I'm sorry for all the chaos, Stuart.
I was worried that I would lose all my
autonomy, and I panicked.
Ann, all I ever wanted was for you to do
whatever makes you happy, all right?
I'm trying to.
So what do you want?
Did you call the realtor?
Yeah.
Yeah, I told her the deal was off.
Oh.
Well, you said that's what you wanted, right?
I'll call her in the morning, and we'll make it work, okay?
Thanks.
Hey.
Home?
I love you, Garbowitz.
I love you, too.