Original subtitles

The impact of the crash threw me to the floor of the bus.

The

impact

of the crash threw me to the floor of the bus.

The

impact

of the crash threw me to the floor of the bus, causing permanent and painful

injuries to my neck and my back.

I was unable to work and support my family.

All hope was gone until my wife suggested I talk to a lawyer.

So I did.

Now my future is bright.

Thanks to this man here,

Eugene Dobbs.

Thank you, Clayton.

Friend, are you, like Mr. Sadowski, a victim of someone else's negligence?

Have you suffered bodily harm? Anger?

Lost wages?

Are bill collectors banging at your door?

We at Wheeler and Dobbs know how you feel.

And we are ready to help you get what you deserve.

Like the $2 million we got. Damn it, Eugene, I told you we can't say $2

Cut. Mr. Wheeler. We only got him $200 ,000. He was awarded $2 million, Nolan.

After the city appealed, he only got $200 ,000. You don't like the way I do

commercial. You do it.

I can't.

You know I can't.

Then butt out.

Okay, folks, this will be a pickup.

Ready? Roll them.

And action.

We at Wheeler and Dobbs aren't just attorneys.

We're your friends.

In your time of need, we'll be there.

And we won't let you down.

Now remember, this is a pre -trial settlement conference. It's not a

You just sit there and relax while I answer the judge's questions. In an

I'll be taking you to lunch. So the judge is going to decide whether I'm

to get all this money you're asking for?

I'll tell him your side of the story. Then the DeMont Company lawyer will tell

him their side of the story.

Then the judge will decide how much money you get if you went to trial.

And then DeMont's lawyer is going to rush over to me and offer up a

Believe me.

DeMont does not want to go to trial. You mean this whole thing could be over

soon? John, with any luck, by the end of the day, you are going to be a

millionaire several times over.

Ah, there you are. Dr. McNeely.

How you doing?

Well, I've just re -examined your latest x -rays, and I'm sorry to say that, in

addition to everything else, you've sustained a hairline fracture to your

clavicle. Funny.

Collarbone's the only part of me that doesn't hurt.

You're going to be at the conference too, Doc? No, I can't. But I'll be here

Eugene needs to confer with me.

Good luck.

Thanks a lot.

Well, well, well, Dr. McNeely.

Still chasing ambulances with Eugene, Doc?

Some things never change.

Am I correct in assuming that the guardrail that gave way and caused Mr.

Kramer's fall was inspected at the same time as the ride it surrounded?

Yes, sir, that is correct.

Excuse me, Your Honor.

That guardrail was supposed to be inspected, but I have depositions from

employees that say that it wasn't. My client cannot be blamed for the

of state officials.

Al DeMont spends thousands of dollars every year advertising that his water

is safe, and hardworking families with innocent children believe him.

And they spend millions at your park, don't they, Mr. DeMott? Your Honor. All

right, that's enough, Mr. Dobbs.

Now, I see that your expert medical witness is Dr.

Eldon McNeely.

Dr.

McNeely is the distinguished holder of the Fontmyer Chair in Orthopedics at

Robertson Hospital.

Yes, yes, I know.

And you, Miss Radovich, intend to put Dr.

James Liu on the stand.

Yes, sir. And his opinion of Mr. Kramer's injury is radically different

that of Dr. McNeely.

Mm -hmm.

Now, what's this about lost wages?

My client was a college football coach, Your Honor.

Like the great Vince Lombardi, he was an active physical man. Like Rockne,

Parsegian, Lou Holtz, Eddie Robinson, coaching was his life.

But now, due to constant pain and agony, this shell of a man... I get the idea,

Mr. Dobbs.

But since when does the coach of a state junior college football team earn six

million dollars?

That's potential, Your Honor. At the time of my client's injury, he was being

pursued by five major universities.

He would have accepted one of them, then gone with the pros and made millions.

You are lying.

Those schools were not pursuing him. He was pursuing those schools. Your Honor.

His client initiated those job interviews because he was afraid he was

be fired.

You can't prove that. The hell I can't. Is this true, Mr. Dobbs?

Is what true?

That your client initiated those interviews and not vice versa?

Mr. Dobbs, answer me.

So Mr. Kramer made the first calls, but they returned them.

Mr. Dobbs, this is reprehensible.

Once more, you've misrepresented the facts.

I've no doubt that you were injured, Mr. Kramer.

But no matter what your attorney has led you to believe, your settlement will be

modest. There'll be just enough money to cover your medical bills.

We're done here.

Good day.

That's why we call this judge Tightwad Artie.

But he is not a jury.

Thank the Lord above.

Juries listen with their heart.

What's your offer?

Forget it, Dobbs.

Contrary to what you may think, juries are very smart. And I want this one to

see you in action.

Because when they hear how you blow everything out of proportion, and they

that trained seal of an M .D. out there perform on the stand, they are going to

resent the hell out of you.

And your client will be very lucky to walk away with half a cent.

See you in court, gentlemen.

John, wait.

John.

Come on.

John, don't worry.

Everything's going to be okay. Okay?

I heard what the hell she said in there. You put me through all this garbage for

nothing. What's going on? John, she's wrong. Believe me.

You know what I think?

You're a lying, thieving jerk.

You said my family would be set for life. And they will be, John. Just calm

down. Hey, hey, hey, what's going on?

The settlement conference wasn't entirely successful, and John is just a

upset, that's all.

It was in the bag. What went wrong? It was the lost wages thing.

We went over that. Didn't you say what I told you to say? He lied to him, just

like he lied to me.

John. I didn't lie to you. You'll get your money. The thing isn't over, not by

long shot. My body is a wreck. My career's ruined. And because you get

my family's going to wind up with nothing. John, look.

We have a lot of options left.

You come to my office tonight and we'll talk, okay? Seven o 'clock?

John.

Nobody's going to wind up on welfare here. I promise you.

Okay?

Okay. Damn it, you just... Oh, shut up.

Why can't you just do what I tell you to do?

Don't leave. No, don't leave.

you

This year, you had an argument with Eugene Dobbs yesterday afternoon.

He made me think I'd make a fortune.

But I'll be lucky to cover my medical bills.

And police found the murder weapon in your motel room.

I don't know how it got there.

The janitor at the office building said that he saw a man fitting your

description going into Eugene Dobbs' office last night. No, I didn't go to

office. He called the motel and told me to meet him at a sushi place on

Peachtree. But he never showed.

I didn't kill him, Mr. Matlock. I swear.

Well, I guess we know why he never showed.

Who else knew about this meeting?

Everybody who heard us arguing.

Nolan Wheeler, Dr. McNeely, Al DeMont. They were all listening.

No, that's a start.

Is that Kane?

Temporary? No.

This is as good as I'll ever get.

Well, I'll go bail you out.

How am I going to pay you?

Well, a pro bono case every now and then is good for the spirit.

And besides, I can't let you go around thinking all lawyers are like the late,

unlamented Eugene Dahl.

I'll ask. Come on in.

Have some coffee. There's an extra cup.

But don't be offended if I leave.

Oh, you're in a rush?

Yeah. I'm involved in a case dealing with an ambulance -chasing lawyer.

Boy, those guys are all over, aren't they? Yeah.

I'm surprised there wasn't one around the other day when I got sideswiped.

Yeah? Any damage? You get hurt?

No, it's nothing.

Well, that's what these fellows do.

Make something out of nothing, especially a sideswipe case.

Some get their clients thousands of dollars.

They can?

Oh, yeah.

I heard of one case like yours. This lawyer got his client half a million

Half a million?

I wonder if maybe I shouldn't have had my neck

checked after it happened.

Does it hurt?

Well, they say that sometimes whiplash doesn't show up for a few days after.

Well, that's why you have to report these accidents right away. If you wait

long, you don't have a case.

Yeah.

I better go, then.

Don't you want to talk?

No, I'll see you later.

Mr. Dobbs did all right for himself, didn't he?

Ever see any of his TV commercials?

Told himself like cornflakes. Eugene Dobbs, your friend in need. Yeah, I've

him. I've seen him. Dad's up.

Yeah, his widow's in there now picking up a few personal items.

I guess she's pretty upset.

You could say that.

You clumsy moron.

Sorry. Sorry? You plus.

This vase cost $2 ,000.

Oh, Miss Dobbs, hi.

I'm Ben Matlock. I'm a lawyer. Good. Through the police department.

These bozos destroyed my property.

Oh.

Mr. Dobbs made a lot of money, didn't he? You could say that.

Wheeler and Dobbs were the hottest team in personal litigation.

Well, they were.

But Eugene was the whole show, if you know what I mean.

Last week he told me he was going to dump Nolan.

Did he say why?

He didn't have to.

With you, it's like everything was about money.

Not that I have anything against money. I can spend it with the best of them.

That's going to cost you, Einstein. That is going to cost you.

Your Honor.

Dude. to the unforeseen termination of the

participation of co -counsel for the plaintiff, Ms. Elaine Davison,

we would ask the court to... You want a continuance because Mr. Dobbs is dead,

right?

That would be correct, Your Honor, yes. Now, this courtroom, 9 o 'clock, Friday

the 28th. The next time, just spit it out, Mr. Wheeler.

That's great.

Mr. Wheeler?

Hello, my name is Michelle Thomas.

I work with Ben Matlock. Could I ask you a few questions? Sure, but outside.

Courtrooms make you nervous?

I break into a twit just driving past the courthouse.

There. My heart finally stopped pounding.

What a handicap for a lawyer.

I'm a damn good one, too.

So long as you don't have to stand up and speak in front of a bunch of

strangers. Uh,

let's walk.

So that's why you teamed up with Eugene Dobbs. He was your friend.

He was a brilliant orator, a star.

He lived for the spotlight.

Unfortunately, he didn't have a brain in his head. Oh?

I was Edgar Bergen. He was Charlie McCarthy.

I'd tell him what to say, he'd say it in court, and juries would applaud.

Together, we were the perfect lawyer, brains and blarney.

Then why was he thinking about leaving the firm?

Uh, who told you that?

His wife.

Some wife. More like a hood ornament.

Eugene got cocky.

Started thinking he didn't need me after all.

Like I said, he was stupid.

His leaving would have ruined your business.

Well, his murder wasn't exactly a shot in the arm. But at least with him dead,

you get to collect on that million -dollar insurance policy you took out on

other, don't you?

Uh, I'm a suspect?

Well, he did know he'd be having a meeting in his office that night with

Kramer.

So what? I was at home.

Alone?

Yes.

My stomach's killing me. I'm due in court.

Where's my pills? Look, I didn't kill him.

Hey, Nolan.

Leave me alone.

Hey, Nolan. Nolan.

Get away from me. Hey, Nolan. I'll get away from you. I don't want to talk to

you. I don't know you.

Look.

Just don't call me again. I'm not going to call you again. I'm your mom.

And now you own it. I wouldn't mind owning something like this.

Yeah, nobody can carry me out. It's all mine.

I hear you've had quite a few personal injury cases brought against you in the

past couple of years.

Oh, yeah. Anytime you have this amount of people in a place like this, you're

bound to have to back them.

That's why they invented insurance.

Yeah.

Twelve. That's a lot. A lot. And all brought by you jeaned off.

Well, they were mostly...

Nuisance cases.

Well, it just cost me a lot of time and not much money. Yeah, I did file a

complaint.

Well, nuisance or not, I bet your insurance went up.

It's getting lower.

Is that why you filed that harassment complaint against him at the State Bar

Association? Well, I can see you're better at doing your homework than I

was. Yes, I did file a complaint against him, and he filed a counter -complaint

against me.

We both got smart.

and called it true.

And we both agreed to back off until the Kramer case was settled. We put it in

writing.

That's Peter the Penguin. He's bucking for a raise.

Listen, I got a meeting, so... One other thing.

The night Mr.

Eugene was killed, you...

You remember where you were?

Oh, yeah. I was in my office. I was trying to catch up on all the work that

didn't get to because of the settlement period.

And no, nobody saw me. My heart was closed.

The pass I gave you is good indefinitely, so come back any time.

Well, thanks. I will.

best hot dog I've ever put in my mouth.

I thought you said to meet you at the white water ride. I got hungry.

I figured. I believe this is one of the best hot dogs I've ever put in my mouth.

Are we going to talk about hot dogs all afternoon?

I think I know how Eugene Dobbs gets so many personal injury cases from here.

How? Well, I think somebody who works here for Al DeMont also works for Eugene

Dobbs.

Any idea who?

No. But I saw a sign at the entrance that said, Help Want.

Carol, what's your name?

Elizabeth.

Did you lose your mom and daddy?

No.

Well, Lester, what happened?

Was I right or was I right?

That sign swiping I told you about?

I went to a doctor and he took an x -ray of my neck.

Did he find anything?

No. Whiplash doesn't show up on an x -ray.

But he told me to wear this thing to be on the safe side.

Was there any pain?

Yeah. And you know who's going to feel the pain?

The guy that sideswiped me.

It's a good thing we exchanged license numbers.

Well, if there's no pain, why go through with it?

Why? Why?

What if I have to wear this thing the rest of my life?

Well, it doesn't look...

Too bad. It kind of gives you an aristocratic look.

And think of the money you'll save on ties.

Very funny.

You could be the resident comedian at the orthopedic hospital.

I'm just trying to say, if the doctor didn't find anything and it doesn't

why not forget it? Because I want to teach this guy a lesson.

Sideswiping is a crime, and I'm going to make him pay.

In fact, I'm on my way to look at some sports cars.

That's for after I get paid off.

You can get inside, Swipe. You can start a collection.

Oh, you're a scream.

Regular Bob Hopeless.

So you were working in the hallway outside the offices of Wheeler and Dobbs

night? Yes, sir. I was vacuuming.

What did you see?

I saw that man right there get out of the elevator and head towards their

offices. But the records show that the witness pointed to the defendant.

Do you recall what time it was?

About 7. I vacuum the floors every night between 6 .30 and 7.

You're positive the man you saw was the defendant?

He was walking with a cane and wearing a red Baxter Bulldogs cap.

I'm a Bulldogs fan myself.

Nothing further, Your Honor.

Mr. Matlock?

Yes.

Now, uh... Let's see.

How far would you say you were from the elevator when you saw this person?

About 30, 35 feet.

Uh -huh.

And when he was walking to the offices of Wheeler and Dobbs, was he walking

towards you or away from you? Away from me. Uh -huh. Now, you were vacuuming the

floor. That's right. One of those big electric vacuum cleaners. Does the noise

drive you crazy?

Yeah. Yeah.

So, uh...

So when you saw this person come out of the elevator, it wasn't because you

heard the elevator doors open.

No, no, I saw him out of the corner of my eye. After he stepped out of the

elevator? Yeah. And after he turned his back to you and headed to the law

office? No, I thought it was Faith. What, for a second, two?

Long enough.

Besides the cap, what was he wearing? I don't remember. What color was his

jacket? I don't remember. What color was his cane? I don't know. Because you saw

him only for a split second, right? All I know is I saw his face long enough to

be positive that that's him.

Liar! John. I didn't kill anyone. That's enough.

You couldn't have seen me because I wasn't there.

Mr. Matlock, restrain your glider or I'll have the bailiff remove him.

Sit down, John.

Yeah, but he's lying.

John, sit down. That's enough.

You think somebody paid off the janitor?

No, he thinks he's telling the truth. Human beings make lousy eyewitnesses.

Have you heard from Conrad?

Oh, no. Would you check and see if he's called?

Sure. I'm late.

Doctor's appointment.

Eldon McNeely had a cancellation.

Okay, boys, let's go.

Nice and easy.

Mark, I'll see you over there.

Take him away.

All right, boys, we'll see you over there.

Take care of it, Joe.

Okay, everybody, the show's over.

Everybody be safe. Let's break it up.

Yeah,

Nolan. Yeah.

Ethnic Burnett, look, I got a live one for you.

Yeah, no, I know what you said, but this was a lock.

Hey, yeah, fine.

What, I'm fired?

Well, it's your loss, Mr. Wheeler.

Weasel?

Nolan Wheeler, the attorney?

Yeah, what's it to you, frog breath?

So you're the inside man for Wheeler and Dow?

What are you going to do, get me fired?

Matt, give your answer my question.

What's up?

When I went through DeMond's office, I found an itemized credit card bill from

last month.

He lied about the evening of the murder. He wasn't in his office. He was in that

hotel. If he had an alibi, why'd he lie?

Well, the desk clerk says he's been coming here every week for two years.

With her.

You're good.

I know.

Excuse me.

I'm glad I caught you two before you, you know, knock him in.

Al. It's all right, honey.

So how'd you find out?

How did Eugene Dobbs find out?

Says Eugene knew.

Oh, come on.

You've been carrying on for two years. He's been hauling you into court for two

years. It stands to reason.

But I was so careful, Mr. Matlock. I never wanted to hurt Eugene.

You've been seeing Mr.

DuMont here for more than two years.

Why didn't you just dump Mr.

Dobbs and marry Mr. DuMont?

I would have, but...

Well, Eugene was very dependent on me.

Out in the world, he was a powerful, almost ruthless man. But with me, he was

just an innocent little boy.

Oh,

I guess his money didn't have anything to do with it.

That's ridiculous.

Amanda is a sensitive woman.

Well, I can see that.

Didn't that ever occur to you?

That your husband knew about your affair and that's why he was suing him every

20 minutes?

Not to mention if the police knew about your relationship, it'd make a wonderful

motive for murder.

Oh, hell.

Oh, you were both here that night, Mr. Matlock.

And she can vouch for it.

She's the hotel masseuse, my weekly present to Amanda.

The poor thing was so overwrought with the need to deceive her husband that...

Well, massage is a great tension reliever.

She got a massage the night her husband died?

Yes, we both did.

Excuse me.

Do you keep a record of the massages you give? Of course.

Did you give these two people a massage the night of the second?

Yes, I did.

Two massages, 6 .30 to 8 .30, Mr. DeMont and guest.

Now, if you'll excuse us.

Any more questions?

Dead end?

Not at all, Conrad.

Not at all.

You're not going to believe this, Mr. Matlock. I was at home working out with

weights when it hit me.

Your weights?

No, my alibi. The night Eugene was murdered, I was on the phone with my

A full hour.

I'm not a calm person.

Ask him.

Don't you want to know his name?

No, I don't need.

I am a calm person.

But he's proof I didn't murder Eugene.

Yeah, I know.

Then why'd you ask me to come down here?

I want to take another look around the office.

Could you pull the file on what he had going on Aldemont? Sure.

Oh,

looks like he had just gotten a present.

From one of his clients I remember seeing in his mailbox.

Maybe it was this fancy pen set.

Could be.

Oh, fountain pen.

I haven't used one of these in years.

I hear they're coming back.

Everything comes back.

I saved my neighborhood jacket.

Signature looks like something off the Declaration of Independence.

Look at that.

Well.

Well.

Way we're right on top.

Eugene Dobbs.

Agreed.

Stop. All lawsuits against Albert?

Come on.

I love you, Dagger.

I love you, Dagger.

Eugene Dobbs has brought suit against you and your water park 12 times in the

past two years. Is that correct?

Yes, he has.

And how much money has your insurance company paid out, approximately?

Three million dollars or so.

Boy, I bet your premiums have gone sky high.

Yes.

Any more suits and you'd have been in a lot of trouble, wouldn't you? Which is

why I filed a complaint against him with the State Bar Association, and he

eventually agreed to drop all cases pending.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, and we'll get into that in a minute. Would you tell

the court why he sued you so often?

Well, he liked collecting big contingency fees. He was greedy.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Oh.

You've been having an affair with his wife for the past two years, haven't

Objection. Relevancy.

Relevancy? Come on.

Man has an affair with a man's wife. That man, that husband's liable to get

ticked off.

Mr. Matlock.

Well, Your Honor, it's obvious it's relevant. May I continue?

One day, you're going to get in a lot of trouble.

Go ahead.

So?

Yes, it's true.

So, how many nights did you meet her a week?

Once. Oh, careful.

What night did you meet her?

Wednesdays. Why Wednesdays?

That was the night Eugene played racquetball. Uh -huh.

And were you with her the night he was murdered? Yes. But that was a Tuesday.

Well, earlier in the day, I'd heard Mr. Dobbs tell your client, Mr. Kramer, to

meet him in his office that night, so I called Amanda.

Oh, so you moved your rendezvous up one night.

Correct.

Did you both get massages?

Yes, we did.

So, let's see, the masseuse.

Was in the suite from 6 .30 to 8

.30. Is that right?

That's correct. Each massage takes an hour?

Yes. Who went first?

Amanda. Amanda.

So while the masseuse was giving Amanda her massage, you waited in the other

room and then vice versa? Correct.

You know what that means? That means that while...

Amanda was getting her massage between 6 .30 and 7 .30.

You could have left the hotel, driven to Mr. Dobbs' office, shot him, driven

back in plenty of time for your massage, and no one would have analyzed it,

right? I did no such thing. I'm afraid that's exactly what you did.

You set the whole thing up.

You called my client, left a message at his motel, supposedly from Eugene Dobbs,

telling him to meet at a sushi bar instead of his office. I did not.

And then you selected a cane from the room at your park where you keep your

medical supplies and put on a Baxter University red bulldog cap and jacket so

anybody saw you, they'd think you were John Kramer.

And knowing full well that the masseuse and Amanda would give you any alibi you

needed. I signed an agreement to end the lawsuit.

I had no reason to kill him.

None. Your Honor, I object to this line of questioning. Where's the proof? Right

here, right here, right here, right here.

I'd like to submit as defense exhibit A this agreement

that the witness was just referring to that was taken from Mr. Dobbs' office

last night, and this pin set, which was also taken from his office last night,

as defense exhibit B.

Go ahead. Go ahead.

Now, this waiver, in essence, is

an agreement in writing that you and Mr. Dobbs agreed to stop

all lawsuits against each other. And it was signed by you on the 14th of last

month, one week before he was killed. That's what I've been telling you.

He didn't sign it. Why?

Well, he agreed to. That's why I sent it to him. Eugene Dobbs didn't sign it and

never intended to. You are wrong.

Dobbs and I had an agreement to put an end to the bad blood between us.

Now, my lawyer drew up that form. I signed it.

Then we sent it to him for his signature. I agree that you wanted a

agree that your lawyer made up this waiver.

But you never signed it before it was mailed.

Now, here's what I'd like you to do.

I'd like you to write your name on this blank piece of paper, just

like you did on this waiver.

First, with this ballpoint pen.

Go ahead.

Go ahead.

Okay, now with this fountain pen that I bought in the drugstore.

Okay.

Okay, fine. Now, now with the pen the police took

from Mr. Dobbs' office.

Go ahead.

What a difference a pen makes.

You see, the ballpoint leaves a little thin line, yeah?

And the fountain pen leaves a kind of thick, wide mark.

But the pen the police took from Mr. Dobbs' office, look at that.

Looks almost like an artist drew your signature.

That's because it has such a...

A good tip, almost like those that the calligraphers use.

Real distinctive looking. It's so distinctive that it wouldn't take an

recognize that that pen is what you signed that waiver with.

And what's more, Mr. Dobbs' partner, Mr. Wheeler, and his secretary are ready to

testify that he received this pen as a gift that day, just ours.

before he was murdered.

You knew in your heart that he would never sign this waiver.

So you killed him to stop the lawsuits and to get on with your life with his

wife.

You saw this unsigned waiver on his desk after you shot him, didn't you?

So you signed it, dated it, filed it, knowing the police would find it and

you had no reason to kill him.

Then you planted the gun in John Kramer's room, knowing the police would

and think he had done it. What you didn't know was the only two people who

access to this pen that you signed the waiver with was Mr. Dobbs and

the person who killed him.

That's all. Thank you, Your Honor.

Hey, Les, come on in.

Where are you going?

Where have you been? I haven't seen you. I was going for a walk.

Any other questions?

Well, are you all right? I see you're not wearing the neck brace.

What happened with that case?

Nothing. Nothing happened.

You didn't collect anything? I mean, I thought.

Well, you thought wrong.

I didn't collect. He collected.

The guy who sideswiped you?

That's right.

He claimed I pulled into traffic without signaling.

Huh? How do you like that for justice in this land of the free? Well, now

that... The guy who did the sideswiping gets the payoff, and the guy who gets

sideswiped gets it in the rear.

Well, now, did you... The little guy hasn't got a chance, so he shouldn't

try. You can't fight City Hall, not if you're a little guy, because you can't

win. The cards are stacked against you, and you are dead in the water.

You're a loser because you're a little guy.

You might as well quit.

You can't win.