All language subtitles for Law.and.Order.S01E01.Prescription.for.Death.1990.DVDRip.x264-TVV_track3_[eng]-en

Narrator:
In the criminal justice system,
the people are represented

by two separate yet
equally important groups——

the police
who investigate crime

and the district attorneys
who prosecute the offenders.

These are their stories.

( woman cn/ing, chattering)

(arguing)

H—o—r—t—o—n, that's the guy
you should've brought in here.

Miss, I've been here
40 minutes.

Ijust need to know
where she is.

I told you before, sir,

I have to check
with admitting.
It's ridiculous.

Nurse:
Get a doctor, stat!

Man:
We need some
help in here, please! Now!

She's turning blue.
She can't breathe!

Get the ambu bag.

No pulse.
Call a code!

Come on, let's go,
move!

I need a line in!

Get the defibrillator.

You knew
that wasn't right.

You can't go in there, sir.

Call the guard.
Sir!

No pulse.
Give her Epi IV.

No response.
Get me adrenaline.

Excuse us, please.
Please wait outside.

We 're doing
even/thing we can.
What's going on?

Excuse us——
Please,
that's my daughter.

You can't come in here——
Don't even try.
What's going on?

The last blood gases.

Let's call it.

23:17.

Oh, my God.
What the hell happened?

Your daughter had
cardiac arrest.

Resuscitate her,
defib her!

Please, please!
Your daughter is dead.

Where are you going’?
I don't get this.

She only had a sore throat.
This is insane!
Some help please!

Come on, pal, let's go.
No, guys, she only had
a sore throat!

She didn't even
have a fever!

She only came in
for a prescription.

I don't understand, guys.

( theme music playing )

Where was she murdered?
I told you,
Urban Medical Center.

I'm sorry, Mr. Morton,
I'm a little confused.

Your daughter was killed
at the hospital?

Yeah, in the emergency room.
I want to swear out
a murder complaint

against the resident
in charge of it.

This resident was
treating her’?

No, killing her.

But she was at the hospital
for treatment?

Yeah, a sore throat.
Muscle aches.

She only went in
to get a prescription

for some antibiotics.

Sometimes people are
a lot sicker than they look.

Listen to me.
I was a medic in Vietnam.

I know who's dying
and who isn't.

My daughter
was not that sick.

Somebody in that emergency room
did something that killed her.

Who's he want to bring
charges against?

The resident in charge
of the emergency room.

Oh, come on, Max.

People die
in hospital emergency rooms

every hour of ever day.

That may indeed be tragic,
but it is not criminal.

Unless somebody
was criminally negligent.

Howthe hell would
Mr. Morton know

if that had happened?

He was a medic
in Vietnam.

He says she wasn't
sick enough to die.

He was very convincing.

I'm not saying no.

Ijust had my first day off
in two weeks.

There is
a world out there.

Logan:
You 're the intern
who treated a young gin

named Suzanne Morton?

Yeah, she's the last patient
I admitted before I took off.

Bronchitis.

She dramatized
her symptoms a bit.

So I ordered
a chest x—ray

and put her aside
to wait for a bed. Why?

Right now we're doing
a routine investigation
of her death.

Death?

What, she died?

You sound surprised.

Don't people
croak here every day?

She wasn't that sick.

You don't die
from bronchitis.

Suzanne Morton.

She had pneumonia.

The sputum examination
and blood culture were
indicative.

We discussed it
during rounds.

Pneumonia, huh?

A lot of people
die of that these days?

When it's complicated
by chemical pneumonitis,
sometimes.

Patient was feverish
and fell unconscious.

She must have aspirated
some of the contents
of her stomach.

Stomach acid and lungs
do not mix well.

This can happen fast?

Yes, it can.
Excuse me.

Hmm. Busy woman.

Yeah, so busy she can't
even make eye contact.

Suzanne Morton.

Yes, if you see
Mr. Morton,

please extend
my condolences.

Dr. Raza,
were you on rounds
when they reached her?

Yes, yes,
that is right.

I came right away.

Why? I didn't think
she was that sick.

We hear bronchitis,
maybe pneumonia.

No, no, no.
She was very sick.

She should've been in
the intensive care unit.

Unfortunately
there were no beds.

In my country,
we accept death.

But here, you're expected
to live forever.

You ever hold
a human heart in your hands?

Only mine.

What year are you in?
Third.

We go hands on.

Did you ever lay your hands
on Suzanne Morton?

The pneumonia, yeah.

I spent 40 minutes trying
to find an orderly

to take her
to intensive care.

On the way back,

I passed a gunshot wound
through the neck

with a six—inch exit.
You ever see one of those?

Yeah, well, they're not
so exciting

when you run into one
in a crack house.

M ax:
Tell me some more.

This guy
in the emergency room,

must've been
his daughter
who was sick.

He was going nuts yelling
why didn't they do this,
why didn't they do that?

Sounded like he knew
his way around.

Around the hospital?

Around sick people.

Those doctors?
Something wasn't right,

the way they looked.

What, worried?
Excited?

Embarrassed.

Embarrassed.

Does this make sense
to you, Max?

Sure. She had bronchitis,
she had pneumonia.

She was fine when she got here,
she was dying when she got here.

God—like pronouncements

sound like normal
medical procedure to me.

So Max,
what's your problem?

Meaning?

Meaning your attitude.

'82.

My partner and I
go into this fleabag SRO.

to pick up some
junkie bank robber.

I'm putting
the cuffs on him,

his girlfriends comes
from out of nowhere,
jumps me.

We're rolling around,
I hit my head against
the radiator.

It hurt like hell,
but it's no big deal.

A week later

I start slurring words.

I go see a neurologist.
Quote, "Top guy in Manhattan."

He looks at me,

he says, "I want you
in the hospital.

I'm going to do
a CAT scan."

Yeah, well, I would
definitely freak.

The next day,
Dr. God comes in,

he says,

"You have an inoperable
brain tumor in your cerebellum."

He said it like he was
telling me

they'd be serving
chicken for dinner.

We decide to get
a second opinion.

I go see another
"top neurologist."

He does another CAT scan,
he comes in

and says,
"You don't have

a brain tumor in
your cerebellum,

you have
a subdural hematoma here."

(chuckling)

A month later,
I was fine.

Hey, at least he caught
the mistake, all right?

(sighs)

Yeah.

And when they don't,
theyjust bury them.

Dr. Austerwill
see you now.

Let's go see
the Chief of Medicine.

I'm sure he'll be
God—like, too.

A diagnostician
is like a detective.

As a matter of fact,
Conan Doyle modeled
Sherlock Holmes

on Dr. Joseph Bell.

You solve every case
you work on?

We can tell a felony
from a traffic ticket.

Look, a patient walks in
with a headache.

She have a subarachnoid
hemorrhage,

a berry aneurysm,

a retro—orbital tumor,

or does she just
have a headache?

Do you give her
an aspirin,

or do you saw open
her skull?

You make this speech
at funerals?

I saw that gin
in the emergency room
on rounds.

She was in the hands
of competent staff.

The girl is dead.

People like to believe
that medicine is pure science.

Medicine is a science,

but doctors know
it's also a lottery.

See what I mean?
The guy's Chief of Medicine,

and all he can
come up with is,

"It's a lottery."

Proceed, Sherlock.

What do you do
when you make a mistake?
Use white—out?

Huh—uh.
You cross it out
and initial it.

This ain't no letter
to Dear Abby.

These charts got
to show everything

or there could be
serious legal repercussions.

Serious legal repercussions,
that's what we have here.

Somebody used white—out
on Suzanne Morton's chart.

Now, on top
of the white—out

it says acetaminophen——

a common,
everyday painkiller.

But underneath
the white—out

it said, "meperidine."

It's a narcotic.

Big difference.
Third—rate cover up.

Whoever did it
probably wasn't expecting
an investigation.

Whoeverwrote meperidine
also wrote acetaminophen.

look at the E's
in acetaminophen.

See the kind of like
cursive penmanship

and English style
popular in the colonies.

You see the shape
and the angle ofthe loop?

Now it matches notations
that were here,

here, and here.

All of them
initialed "ER."

Emergency room?

Ekballa Raza.

Doctor:
She had a headache
and a low—grade fever.

Nothing more.

I gave her an antibiotic
and an antihistamine.

No doctor would've
done anything more.

Sounds like you're
on solid ground.

Her psychiatrist had her
on phenelzine sulfate.

She was seeing
a shrink?

She'd been depressed
since her mother's death.

When did that happen?

Last year.

She developed peritonitis
after her hysterectomy.

This...
pheneI—— what is it?

Phenelzine——
Nurse:
Doctor”?

Miss Rossi
is ready.

Thank you.
Phenelzine sulfate.

An anti—depressant.

A strong one.

The patient died,
but don't worry,

the doctor is doing
just fine.

Okay, the tox screen
shows acetaminophen.

It shows aspirin,
and it shows an
antihistamine.

So there's no sign
of meperidine?

Huh—uh. We ran
the standard gas
and chromatography.

We knowthe girl
was on something
called phenelzine.

Not a trace.

Meperidine, phenelzine,
recreational drugs.

Do another tox screen.

I think you're
wasting your nickel.

Nobody takes meperidine
and phenelzine...

unless they want
to risk ending up here.

They can be a fatal
combination.

I was exhausted.

I'd just came off
the cancer ward.

I wrote meperidine
without thinking.

But I gave her
acetaminophen.

What about the white—out?

There is paperwork required
when you write a narcotic

and I did not
have time for that.

Dr. Raza,

you just confessed

to falsifying
hospital records.

That's a class E felony.

Look, when they look
at me here,

they see an Indian
or a Paki——

they don't even know
the difference.

We're all supposed
to be bad doctors.

You ask anybody.
I have to be twice as good
as everybody else

just so they will think
I am as good as everybody else.

My children want to stay
in this country, my wife
wants to stay.

And to stay, all I have to do
is to be perfect all the time.

Well, you fell
a little short
of perfection

on Suzanne Morton's chart.

It was a simple mistake.
Really?

If the toxicologist
finds meperidine

in Suzanne Morton's body,

you'll be lucky
if you're only deported.

P.A.:
Dr. Fleming, please report
to admitting

in the Comprehensive
Cancer Care Center.

Have fun.

Thanks.

Max, dig this.

Now here's a guy...

swallowed his false teeth

and they bit through
his intestines.

( laughs )

What did Dr. Raza
prescribe,

a good flossing?

Oh, here we go.

Mistake, crossed out,
initialed.

Same here.

Look at this,
we could be holding
in our hands

the evidence
to a mass murder,

and we wouldn't
even know it.

Yeah, all these have

evening rounds
at 6:00 to 6:30,

and the night that
Suzanne Morton died

rounds were after 9:00.

If you hear hoofbeats,
it's probably a horse,

not a zebra.

Old medical school saying——

"Students tend
to find exotic diseases
in ordinary symptoms."

They need to be reminded
that most things are

what they appear to be.

You gentlemen
are on a zebra hunt.

Either a zebra
or a horse using white—out.

(chuckling)

Or maybe Dr. Raza
made a mistake in the chart.

Maybe he made a mistake
in the emergency room.

No.

You trust Dr. Raza,
don't you?

I offered him ajob.

Wrote a letter
to Immigration this morning.

Strange time
to be hiring the guy.

A good doctor...

is a good doctor.

Max:
What time were rounds
that night?

Sometime after 6:00.

They stand around gabbing
and we're trying to keep

some poorjerk
from bleeding to death.

So what happened that night?
Why were rounds so late?

We waited
for the Chief of Medicine.

Dr. Auster.

God on high descending.

Well, he descended late.

He said he'd been delayed
at some...

retirement party
for one of the service chiefs.

Seemed like Dr. Auster
had a good time.

What do you mean?

It smelled like
he had been drinking.

The hospital wanted
to lay out cheese in a can

and white wine
from Bulgaria.

So I had
the party catered.

Duck liver pate,

Beluga malossal caviar.

Oh, yes.

Anesthesiology has been
very good to me.

Did Dr. Auster
have a good time?

Oh, I hope so.

The caviar cost
400 bucks a pound.

Did Dr. Auster
have a drink?

Oh, yes.
That's why I had bar.

Happy Hour catering.
25 bucks a head.

Max:
You guys just supply
bartenders?

We supply bartenders,
barmaids if you want 'em,

ice, glasses,
napkins, mixers.

Booze?
You supply, you save.

You work the hospital job?

I was there.
Two waitresses and Rory,
another bartender.

Remember this guy?

Yeah, Jim.

No, Ed.
Edward Auster.

No, no.
Jim. Green.

The bourbon?
That's what he drank.

On the rocks.
One every five minutes.

I can smell it.

Somebody gave her
the wrong drugs.

I don't know if it was
Gunga Din or Auster,

but one of them
screwed the pooch.

Mike, you look like
you got a problem.

All I know about hospitals
is that my father

is still walking today

because he had
a heart transplant in one
seven years ago.

(sighs)

I'm not saying
all doctors are bad.

99% ofthem
are solid pros.

It's the rotten 1%,
to quote our friend Auster,

that make it a lottery.
You bet your life.

Come on, Max,
you ain't exactly a fan
ofthe profession.

Ijust want them held
to the same standards

that cops are
when somebody gets shot

or pilots when
there's a crash.

Yeah, and that's
what bothers me.

Listen.
Say I'm outwith Maggie,

we're having dinner,
I have a few pops, okay?

Mm—hmm, go on.
I look out the window,

I see someone
getting mugged.

I run out,
pull my service revolver
out of my sock,

I yell, "Halt."

Now one ofthe muggers
reaches into his pocket,

takes something out,
turns around.

Pop, I blow him away.

Yeah, but the something
ain't a weapon.

It's the victim's wallet.

That is still
a totally righteous shoot.

You know that,
I know that.

Internal affairs
smells liquor on my breath,

they crucify me.

I got to tell you this,

that's how
this feels to me.

There's a difference
between a few pops

and a bourbon
every five minutes.

Come on,
the kid's exaggerating.

Maybe he wasn't.

No one said Auster locked
or acted drunk.

They smelled it
on his breath.

You know looking
and acting drunk
don't mean squat.

What are you guys
talking about?

Back when Max and I
were partners,

I had a little bit
of a drinking problem.

Well finally he told me
he wouldn't partnerwith me

unless I went to AA.

And?

And I told him
to mind his own
freaking business.

I was under control,
I knewwhat I was doing.

I was just
a social drinker.

He made me so damn mad,

Iwent out and I
had a few social drinks.

A couple hours later,

I was standing in the middle
of Lexington Avenue,

not looking
or acting drunk,

but I had my gun
pointed at a taxi driver

because I didn't like
the way he was honking his horn.

That night I went
to my first meeting...

and I've been sober
ever since.

Get back to the hospital,

and twist
a few people, huh?

I'm begging you,
don't make me torpedo
my career.

We need a second witness.

Hmm?

Look,

Auster forgets
more even! week
than I know

I came to New York
because of him.

Do you know what it means
to be able to say I studied

under Dr. Edward Auster?

He could destroy
the rest of my career.

What career?

He was drunk.

The girl had muscle pains.

The doctor ordered
meperidine

and the resident said
something about phenelzine.

I-I-I don't think
he even heard.

He took the meperidine,
he injected it himself.

What, no one
tried to stop him?

What are we going to do,
wrestle Dr. Edward Auster
to the floor?

I—I didn't even know
he was wrong.

You know now.

Now we have to get approval
from an Executive Assistant DA.

Stone's the boss.
What do you want me to do?

This case is
politically sensitive.

It gets tougher
all the time, Mike.

The Davids kid
already made the turn once.

He said flat out,
"Auster was drunk."

Stone:
I want to go in with more
than a nervous resident.

The bartender says
Auster drank like a fish
at the party.

If the resident testifies,

there's
a good chance we get

the rest ofthe ER team
to follow suit.

Pick him up.

P.A.:
Dr. Demacus to CCU.

Dr. Demacus to CCU, please.

(laughing)

See we did a procedure
called balloon angioplasty.

Woman:
Oh. But the pain?

No, no, I don't think
it'll come back.

I'm not saying
that you could
take up racquetball,

but you will be able
to walk, climb stairs,

and swim.

Thank you.

Guess we won't
need our guns.

Edward Auster...

We have a warrant
for your arrest.

Practicing medicine drunk.

It's not prosecuted much.
We're going to have——

First in his class
at Harvard Medical School.

Residency and fellowship——
Say hello to Phillip Nevins,

Dr. Ross' attorney.

Author of the classic
textbook in cardiology,

winner of the Lasker award
for medical research,

published 175
journal articles.

Does he walk on water?

The trash that you people
usually prosecute

can't murder fast enough
to kill as many people

as Edward Auster
has saved.

Now I'm just trying to save you
from a mistaken perspective.

Failing to perceive

a substantial
and unjustified risk

that might cause
Suzanne Morton's death——

criminally negligent
homicide.

Consciously disregarding

that substantial
and unjustified risk——

manslaughter two.

See you in court, Stone.

Nevins is going
to flood the witness stand

with famous doctors
swearing that Auster

is a cross between
Albert Schweitzer
and Albert Einstein.

And we've got a father
who was a medic 25 years ago?

Morton took on
heavy odds.

Maybe we can
even them out.

I want you to interview
people who know Auster.

So you're the dipstick

who's prosecuting
Bud Auster.

Is that what you call
Dr. Auster around
the fishing hole?

It's what I've called him
since the second grade.

Some people do things,

and others...

What do you
and Auster do?

We catch trout
in Maine.

Last time was in June.

We sleep in the woods,

tell each otherwe'rejust
as young as we used to be.

And drink.
Somebody pass a law
against drunk fishing?

I first admired America

when I saw
"Judgment at Nuremberg."

Everybody pays
for their crimes.

I never thought
it would be me.

There'll be no prosecution
if you testify against Auster.

And no job.

I got to love America,

and leave it.

Two or three times
each month

he calls,
says he's coming.

He's always late
because he's drunk

You know what they call
those rounds?

Liver rounds.

Everyone knew.

Suzanne Morton
did have pneumonia.

And Dr. Auster
did tell you to lie.

I have flexible hours
in my training.

Do you know how important
that is when you're
raising a child?

That's non—responsive,
Doctor.

Auster didn't act drunk.

He never acted drunk.

But he was drunk,
wasn't he?

He was always drunk
on liver rounds.

Wasn't he?

And he did tell you
to lie, didn't he?

That poor girl.

All she needed
was some aspirin

and an antibiotic.

Am I going
to lose my license?

That's not my decision,
Doctor.

However I will
give you immunity

from prosecution
for conspiracy

if you testify.

You suspect, you know,
but what are you going to do?

Contact the medical society?
Sure.

Intern Stephen Simonson
wishes to file a complaint

against
the leading cardiologist
in the United States?

Look, I admitted
Suzanne Morton.

It looks like
I blewthe diagnosis.

Is that what's
bothering you?

Look,

six months ago

I get this guy,
he's 25 years old,

he's basically
healthy, right?

He walks in with the worst
headache in his life.

His neck is sore,
but that's ambiguous.

And Auster showed up?

He prescribes him peridine
for the headache

without a patient work—up.

It's the worst thing
you can do.

It masks the symptoms
of meningitis,

which is what the guy had.

We saved him—— barely.

Now every time I see Auster
walk into the ER,

I want to grab
whoever I'm treating
and hide them in a closet.

( door opens )

Good afternoon,
Dr. Simonson.

Sir.

Stone:
That'll be all, thank you.

So...

are we early?

Stone:
We got what we needed
from Dr. Simonson.

An intern, Mr. Stone.

Are you planning on asking
the cleaning lady
to testify too?

About the time I threw
the tissue

into the wastepaper basket
and missed?

Ed, please——
Every doctor in this country

has to worry
about some shyster lawyer

suing for malpractice.

Now...

we've got a prosecutor
looking over our shoulder.

The next time I write
a prescription

am I supposed to ask
the Supreme Court

to vote on the dosage?

Look, Stone, you haven't
got a chance to convict,

but this trial alone
can stain Dr. Auster's
reputation.

Are you proposing we give him
the Nobel Peace Prize
and call it even?

No.

Adjournment with an eye
toward dismissal.

Because of Dr. Auster
a young woman is dead.

A doctor, Mr. Stone,

is not a magician.

If you drove drunk,
this would be an open
and shut case.

When you practice medicine,
Mr. Stone,

sometimes a patient dies.

And when you're a lawyer,
Dr. Auster,

some of the people
you prosecute

are convicted.

Defendants index, 1983.

Where are computers
when you need them?

Here's a little job for you.
Keyboard every lawsuit

ever filed in New York County
into a computer.

Most malpractice
doesn't result in lawsuits.

You got any better ideas?

Go door to door,
ask if anybody saw Auster
kill the patient?

We're going
to do that next.

Ah. Aye.

There, Ijust saved us
a lot of shoe—leather.

"Stivic versus Auster,

In re: the death
of Angela Stivic,

age 11."

When Dr. Auster's
attorney told us

they'd offer us
a settlement,

my husband said, "Take it.

It'll be over.

We can stop thinking
about Angela all the time."

We bought the apartment

and the furniture.

My husband sat
in the recliner once.

I'm sorry.

When Dr. Auster came
out of Angela's room

to say they couldn't
stop the bleeding...

I smelled liquor
on his breath.

Bourbon.

All I wanted was
for Dr. Auster to say,

"I killed Angela Stivic,

the beautiful daughter
of George and Melanie Stivic."

Excuse me.

You know the difference

between Auster
and a serial killer?

The weapon.

You objected
to the administration
of meperidine?

Raza :
I suggested
acetaminophen,

but Dr. Auster grew angry.

He said if I didn't like
the way the hospital was run,

I should continue
my training elsewhere.

Sto n e :
Thank you, Doctor.

Do you know how long

Dr. Auster has been
practicing medicine,
Dr. Risa?

Raza.

Um, I don't know.
25 years, maybe?

And do you know
where he went to medical school?

Harvard, I believe.
That's correct.

How long have
you been a doctor?

Two years, sir.

I see.

And where did you
go to medical school?

At the University
of Peshawar.

Thank you.

Stone:
Dr. Mills, were you present
on March 15th

when Suzanne Morton
was admitted?

Mills: Yes.

And what was your reaction
when Dr. Auster

prepared to inject
Suzanne Morton with meperidine?

I said her chart showed

she was taking phenelzine.

Meperidine was
contra—indicated.

And where did you
go to medical school?

Harvard.

Thank you.

Stone:
So in your expert opinion

the administration
of meperidine

in conjunction
with phenelzine

killed Suzanne Morton?

That's correct.

No further questions.

But isn't it true
you had to run

a second
toxicological screen

to even find meperidine
and phenelzine

in Suzanne Morton's body?

That's because both drugs

are unusual unto themselves...

Thank you, Doctor.
...and would not be found

unless
specifically requested...

Thank you, Doctor!
...which they were.

Isn't it possible
that pneumonia killed
Suzanne Morton?

It's possible...

that death rays
from Mars killed her...

( audience laughs )
...but I don't think so.

Dr. Auster must've
spoken to you

during the course
of the party.

Every five minutes.
"Fill her up."

Nevins:
Was his speech slurred?

Not so I remember.

Did he seem drunk
in any way?

I never saw anyone
hold his liquor better.

Stone:
During your years
of research into alcoholism,

Dr. Walters,

have you ever observed people
who appear to be sober

but are, in fact, drunk?

It happens all the time.

It could happen
to Dr. Auster?

Objection,
it could happen
to my Aunt Minnie,

but it doesn't.

Judge: Sustained.
(audience laughs)

I'll rephrase
the question.

If a 55—year—old man

weighing...

185 pounds,

having consumed
10 shots of bourbon
in two hours,

appears to be
stone cold sober,

does that mean
he is, in fact,

in full possession
of his faculties?

No.

Now if that same
55—year—old man

weighing 185 pounds

has several drinks

and he appears
to be quite sober,

and makes a mistake,

would that mistake
necessarily be caused
by his drinking,

or might he have
made that mistake anyway?

Obviously
that's impossible to say.

You'd have to be
that 55—year—old man to know.

( audience murmurs )

We've got Auster drunk
at Suzanne Morton's bedside,

Why do I feel
like we're on the ropes?

Better go back over
every shred of evidence

and find out
what we missed.

Because Auster's brilliant
doesn't mean he didn't do
something dumb.

And cheer up,
we got all weekend.

Over the past five years,

the state health department
has been notified

of six adverse occurrences

in the Urban Medical Center
emergency room.

Adverse occurrences.
Nice phrase.

There were people
who died for reasons
not immediately clear.

In all six cases

no fault was found.

Five of the cases
happened on nights

Dr. Auster happened
to be in the emergency room.

Interesting,
not evidence.

Suzanne Morton,
Angela Stivic,

a 25—year—old guy
with meningitis,

now statistical
anomalies.

This is beyond
coincidence.

In the case ofthe Morton girl,
you cannot prove

that he crossed the line
between criminal recklessness

and unfortunate mistake.

If he knew he was
an alcoholic,

then drinking
before going to work

was criminally reckless.

The crime did not take place
in the emergency room.

It took place
at the cocktail party.

Excellent.

Okay, okay.

I'm an alcoholic
and I know I'm an alcoholic.

What do I do?
Buy liquor?

We've got charge receipts
for enough bourbon to prove——

It proves he drank,
it doesn't prove he knew
he was a drunk.

Go to AA meetings.

We can't canvas
hundreds of AA meetings
before tomorrow afternoon,

and there are
no AA meetings in his calendar.

Whoa.

What?

Whenever he left town,
he called the office every day.

Collect.

Except on his
last fishing trip.

Stone:
Where did you spend

the week of June 10th,
Mr. Hoffman?

In Maine, fishing.

Was Edward Auster
with you?

Was Edward Auster
with you?

No.

Stone:
Did he ask you to tell people

that he had been
with you on that trip?

Yes.

And why was that,
Mr. Hoffman?

He didn't want anyone
to know where he was.

WV.”

He was embarrassed.

And why was that?

He had checked himself
into a clinic.

Stone:
What clinic?

Hoffman :
The Colson Clinic.

What kind of clinic
is the Colson Clinic?

Mr. Hoffman?

It's a substance
abuse clinic.

(audience murmurs)

Stone:
Thank you.

In his first group sessions
at the clinic,

Dr. Auster told us he had

gone through college
in three years.

And he became
Chief of Medicine

at a major New York hospital
in only 10 years.

Stone:
Anything else?

I believe he also mentioned
that he skipped fifth grade.

(audience chuckles)

Dr. Auster had
very little patience
with our program.

How long does
your treatment program last?

28 days.

How long did
Dr. Auster stay?

Six days.

He left against our advice.

Stone:
Would you say Dr. Auster
knew he was an alcoholic

by the time he left?

He would never have come
in the first place
if he hadn't.

Sto n e :
I have no further
questions.

Are you positive?

Now I am going to ask you
to limit your responses

to my question
to a simple yes or no,

so we can avoid these
subjective flights of fantasy

that your last statement
exemplified.

Do you understand
my request, Dr. Rasmussen?

Yes.

Good, thank you.

Now, did Dr. Auster
say to you,

"I am an alcoholic"?

No.

In fact, didn't Dr. Auster
say to you,

"I am not an alcoholic"?

You must under——
Yes or no,
Dr. Rasmussen, please.

Did he say,
"I am not an alcoholic"?

Yes.

( audience murmurs )

No more questions.

Judge:
You may step down, Doctor.

Stone:
Did Dr. Auster
discuss his drinking with you?

Anything that transpired
between Dr. Auster and myself

is protected
by patient/doctor privilege.

As well as patient and doctor,
you're friends,

We are.

Where did you have
lunch with him on June 7th,

in your office?

No, at The Four Seasons.

Did you conduct
your physical examination
of Dr. Auster there?

Uh, no.

Did you bill him
for your time?

No, it-—
it was a...

A friendly lunch?
Yes.

So privilege is
not an issue here.

Did you say anything
during your friendly lunch
that upset him?

Doctor?

I told him

that, um...

if he didn't stop drinking
he'd be dead in five years.

(audience murmurs)

Thank you.

Judge:
Does the defense
wish to begin,

orwould you prefer to break
for an early lunch, Mr. Nevins?

If it please the court,
the defense can bring

its one witness
before noon.

Proceed.

The defense calls
Dr. Edward Auster.

(audience murmurs)

And so the tragic death
of a six—year—old

led to sight
for one child

and a new heart
for another.

The boy who got the heart
is now the star shortstop

to the little league
baseball team.

Nevins:
Finally, how many doctors

and immediate
family members of doctors

have you treated
in the past 10 years?

( laughs )
I really have no idea.

Well, I do.
I did some research.

Over 300.

So it seems you're
the kind of doctor

whose hands other doctors
put their lives in.

I certainly hope
I've lived up to that trust.

Oh, brother.

Defense rests,
Your Honor.

Judge:
Mr. Stone?

The hour is almost up.

Could you hold
your cross—examination
until after lunch?

Of course, Your Honor.
( gavel bangs )

Good job.
I thank you.

That many?

So then you do think
patients should know
as much as possible

about the doctors
that treat them?

Yes, of course.
Where he was trained,
who trained him.

Personal habits?

I don't see why...

unless it impacts
on his ability as a physician.

Well,
let's talk about that.

Have you had
a drink today?

Objection, Your Honor,
relevancy.

I'II allow it.

Yes.

Stone:
More than one?

Yes.

( audience murmurs )

How many more than one?

I'm not sure.

Do you recall, was it between
two and five drinks?

I don't recall.

Doctor, is it not a fact

that you had
six bourbons on the rocks

at Chance's Pub
not 45 minutes ago?

N evi n s :
Objection, Your Honor.

Judge:
I'll allow it.

Let's move on, Mr. Stone.

Would you step
into the well,
Dr. Auster?

Objection, Your Honor,

there's no need
for Dr. Auster to stand.

Sidebar, please,
Your Honor?

What's going on,
Mr. Stone?

Does Dr. Auster look
drunk to you, Your Honor?

What the hell
is that supposed to mean?

I must be allowed to show
Dr. Auster is in the courtroom
and he's drunk.

Your Honor, I strenuously
object to this.

Overruled.

Proceed, Mr. Stone.

Step into the well, Doctor.

This is a New York City
Police Department manual.

I'm going to administer
a standard test

to determine
whether a person

is operating
a motor vehicle

under the influence.

This is an outrage.

Do as Mr. Stone
instructs you, Doctor.

(sighs)

Raise your arm

to the level
of your shoulder,

close your eyes,

and point to your nose
with your index finger.

Dr. Auster,
did you appeal the verdict?

No, I'm sorry...
Nevins: Could you
please leave?

Congratulations.

How did you knoW?

My father.

Every day at lunch.

( theme music playing )