Original subtitles

[Taylor] Previously on Eli Stone

- An accident. - Jordan was inside

[O'Shea] We got your dad. He's alive.

I know what we have to do now.

Pro bono department you established, you want to turn the firm into it?

Dad's journal. And it all has to do with you. You now. Ten years after he died.

A court order freezing your authority pending a psychological work-up.

- You're wrong. - Why can't we be two experienced

professionals who disagree over a judgment call?

Why is it you're right and I'm wrong?

There's a right and wrong answer, it isn't a judgment call.

- Is everything OK, sir? - No, Eli.

My position as managing partner of my own firm is at stake.

And it appears the attorneys I've chosen to defend me against allegations

I'm suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder can't seem to agree

- on the time of day. - It's 11:19.

- Give or take a few. - I take it from the argument

I've just spent the last ten minutes trying not to pay attention to,

you disagree over whether I should take the stand in my defense.

- It's not even a close call... - It's not a disagreement...

- [Taylor] It's about proof... - Enough!

Both of you. Make your case.

In one sentence or less.

Ladies and daughters first.

[sighing] Go.

Burden of proof is on Posner and Klein.

We don't want to open you up to cross-examination to show they

- haven't met burden. - [Eli] We do if we don't want risk

of appearing we have no other way of demonstrating you have your faculties,

which testifying will do very effectively.

- You used two sentences. - Yours was a run-on.

I'm going to testify.

I respect your point of view on this, sweetheart, but I agree with Eli.

And just for the record, I don't think you're wrong.

I just happen to agree with him.

That's the fourth time he's happened to agree with you.

You wanted a bench trial to protect him from a jury,

an expedited hearing to protect him from the press.

Now you want to keep him off the stand to protect him from cross-examination.

He needs a litigator, Taylor, not an overprotective daughter.

What about an overeager protégée who blames himself

- for the mess his mentor's in? - He has the support of the board.

How long do you think that lasts, the longer this drags out?

Too bad that no outside firm will get in the middle.

Yeah, it's too bad.

- This is me. Good night. - Good night.

[whispering] Oh, God.

Yes, I'm rather anxious myself.

In moments such as these, not that I've been fortunate to have any

on quite this scale, I find it best to focus on the client.

- The client? - Yes, the client, Eli.

The individual, or in this case, individuals who have retained

- our services on their behalf. - Because of the thing with the case.

I'm not getting an overwhelming feeling of confidence here.

It's OK, sir.

I'm ready for trial.

I'm just not sure what that trial is.

Eli, you're about to face nine justices, who are going to, at a minimum,

expect you to appreciate the distinction between them and a state court.

Them, sir?

Could you be more personal with your personal pronouns?

Eli, we're less than an hour from arguing a case

before the highest court in the land.

The phrase "get on the ball" comes to mind.

Matt, I heard that Jordan wants to cut back associate salaries by nearly half.

- Not my business, Tommy. - Sure it is.

You're the one sleeping with the enemy, or at least his daughter.

Is Wethersby gonna bankrupt this place and us along with it?

No, he's not.

He put that Rolex on your wrist and suit on your back.

You don't have any of that without him, so show the man some respect.

- Taylor. - Just out of curiosity,

did I miss any classic Matt Dowd zingers just now,

or did you remain silent the entire time?

- Tommy was venting some anxieties. - "Sleeping with the enemy?"

Whatever I said wouldn't matter. I'm not seen as objective.

- And you've got the same problem. - Excuse me?

In court.

You're his daughter, and any argument you make to a judge

- is going to lose credibility. - You sound like Eli.

If he and I agree, that should tell you something.

This isn't really helpful right now.

Don't need to prove to your dad that you're a great lawyer.

The psychoanalysis isn't helping, either.

- Taylor. - I'm gonna stay at my place.

I've got a lot of work to do.

OK.

Maybe this takes you to the Supreme Court.

What? You got vision fever.

Huh... Must've missed that day at medical school.

You had a vision last week. You read a bit of Dad's journal.

It's all cool and exciting. You got the prophet bug.

- Stop making up spiritual ailments. - I have no time for new cases.

My plate's full with Posner and Klein v. Wethersby.

Come with me to see my new patient.

I'll have you out of the clinic in less than an hour.

- Clinic? - I told you I'm volunteering

- at the Park Presidio Free Clinic. - Since when?

Since you saved me from the aneurysm, I figured I should give something back.

So this patient I've been seeing, she's only six years old.

She lives in a low-income housing unit in The Tenderloin.

The paint's been peeling off the walls for 30 years.

- In fact, that's why she needs you. - She's got lead poisoning?

Serious health problems.

It's impossible to prove causation in lead paint cases. Even if you could,

the CPSC made lead paint illegal in 1978

which means the statute of limitations has expired.

- Eli... - Thank you. Keep suggestions coming.

- I got to get back to the office. - Eli...

[horn honking]

"Equal Justice Under Law."

The Equal Protection Clause was written exactly for a case like this one,

people struggling against powerful interests arrayed against them.

This is the pinnacle of my career, Eli. Of any attorney's career.

But for you, I'd be on the other side, representing the likes of the L.P.M.A.

I'd be dishonoring these hallowed halls with a half-hearted argument

defending the constitutional right of paint manufacturers

to poison innocent children.

- This is the lead paint case. - Try not to sound so surprised.

Eli! Eli. Vision?

No.

- Yeah. You could tell? - You had vision face.

- Now who's making up ailments? - What did you see?

Was it about my case? It was about my case, wasn't it? I knew it.

How could you...?

You tell me you haven't been reading Dad's journal.

- I haven't been reading Dad's... - Skimming it, then. You have!

Look, he said that you'd take the lead case.

He wrote down the clients' names. When I saw the Kims' names in here,

I nearly had a stroke. Look, I dog-eared the page.

- Nate... - OK, I'm sure that you associate

- the journal with Grace... - This is not about her!

This is about me not wanting to live my life

according to Dad's Unabomber prophecy manifesto.

- If you knew these people... - But I don't. I don't know them.

I know Jordan and what he's going through.

And I know what happens to him if I don't do everything to help him.

So just...

...go be a doctor.

I didn't read it. I performed a controlled skimming of just one page.

Which confirmed the case in the book is the same one that takes me and Jordan

- to the Supreme Court. - What exactly did the page say?

See for yourself.

OK, look, Kim is the name of my would-be future clients.

But what's this? Nurhachi?

Not what, who.

He's a teacher I studied with in China.

I'm guessing he didn't give you an A.

What he gave me were nightmares. He was a student of zhiguai.

- Yao-what? - Zhiguai.

It means "accounts of anomalies."

Black magic stuff. Werewolves. Transmigration.

Kind of like the Buddhist version of The X-Files.

- What's his name doing in the book? - I studied acupuncture under him.

He taught me a technique.

- He called it "the Dark Truth." - The Dark Truth?

It's old medicine, supposed to bring mental clarity through pain.

- You're making this up. - Only insofar as I'm educated-guessing.

Doesn't make a difference. I'm not doing this on you. It's too dangerous.

I already clearly have the written consent of a parent.

Come on, this is about Jordan. I need to know, Frank.

And now for something completely different.

- Take a deep breath. - [inhaling]

[exhaling]

Do it.

- [screaming] - [elevator dinging]

Someone call security. Who let this man in here?

I'm just kidding, man. Good to see you.

How long's it been? Like six months?

- I saw you this morning. - Uh... yeah...

Did the "Wethersby" fall off?

Is this little trip down memory lane

you coming to grips with getting spanked on Jordan's hearing

- six months ago? - Six months?

OK. I don't suppose you paid extra for the warranty on your brain surgery.

- Sounds like you might need a tune-up. - What happened in the hearing?

About what you'd expect to happen when a lawyer is crazier

than the allegedly crazy guy he's defending. As this little reunion shows.

- It was my fault. - Don't be so hard on yourself.

That's my job.

[gasping, yelling]

[gasping, panting]

Eli, take it easy. You're back. What did you see? Eli?

[Jordan] Can you repeat that?

- I have to withdraw. - Excuse me?

- I know this comes as a surprise... - I recall an impassioned argument

about how this hearing was the most important moment in my professional life

and there was no one better suited to steer me through it than you.

I know, sir, but I think I was wrong.

You should go with Taylor and just Taylor on this one.

I would just drag you down, believe me.

You're absolutely right, Eli.

If you were planning on exhibiting this capricious judgment on my behalf,

I wouldn't be well served by you representing me.

- Taylor... - Do what you need to do.

We're fine. I'm fine.

I can do this. Don't worry.

- Something I did? - More like something you didn't do.

I can't believe you, of all people, bailing on Jordan.

- It's like you chose a side. - I didn't choose anything.

- I got one of my 911 calls from God. - Then star-69 Him and say

you'll take care of it after you take care of Jordan.

It doesn't work that way. Trust me, you want me off the Jordan case.

You really do.

- What's this? - Lead paint product liability.

David versus Goliath stuff. Your favorite. Just read it.

I don't have to read it.

Nothing in this file could make me want to abandon our mentor.

[scoffing] Firstly, he's not your mentor.

Secondly, I didn't abandon him. Taylor's handling it and believe me,

she's happier that I no longer am. Thirdly, I'm doing this

with or without your help.

We both know you're incapable of turning down

- a poor sick kid case like this one. - I hate you.

A lot of discovery for a breach of contract case.

I know. I'm an artist.

- Can you give us a minute, buddy? - Absolutely.

- I'm here for Keith, actually. - Me?

I need to replace Eli on Posner and Klein vs. Wethersby.

I'm kind of busy helping Matt draft discovery requests in Koehler

Matt won't mind.

Especially considering how important my father's case is to him.

One-hundred percent.

Jordan needs a capable and objective lawyer on his team.

Leesie started having seizures when she was three.

We hug her till she stops shaking. It's the only thing we can do.

And when she started school this year,

her teacher told us she was slower than the other kids.

We're not spiteful people, Mr. Stone. We've never sued anyone.

But Leesie's doctors' bills are more than I make in a year,

and I'm already working two jobs.

Did you ever actually see Leesie ingest paint chips?

No, but when she was a toddler,

everything she could get her little hands on went into her mouth.

- I saw her picking at the paint. - If we could afford a better place,

maybe Leesie would be OK.

[speaking in Mandarin]

Do you know when your apartment was built?

- The 1950s, I think. - No one has ever won

a lead paint liability case before. That's part of the reason why.

- I don't understand. - If your apartment was constructed

in the 1950s, that means it's got at least two decades worth of lead paint.

It's unlikely that paint is from a single manufacturer.

So even if we stood a chance of bringing a successful lawsuit,

we wouldn't know which one to sue.

- So, what do we do? - We sue them all.

If you don't mind, I'd like it to be just me and Leesie

- at the plaintiff's table. - Demoting me to the gallery?

- Very mature. - It's not like that.

Gibbons is gonna have an army. I want as few people as possible at our table.

- Sympathy is our best and only play. - OK.

[exhaling heavily]

Frankly, I'd always been in awe of Jordan Wethersby.

The man was single-minded.

It was rare, finding a man whose tenacity exceeded my own.

You can imagine my surprise when I get a phone call out of the literal blue

telling me he could no longer in good conscience represent my company.

- Did he explain why? - He registered some moral indignation

regarding the wages we pay at our Sri Lanka factory.

It was like I didn't even know the man anymore.

- Objection. - Sustained.

Nothing further, Your Honor.

So for over 30 years, Jordan Wethersby was an amoral gun-for-hire,

and his sudden conscience makes him unrecognizable.

- Objection. - Withdrawn.

- What's the Mills Foundation? - A public interest non-profit

I started with the proceeds from my company's IPO.

- Whose idea was it? - It was your father's. Jordan's.

He made that suggestion during the call last week?

Oh, no, no, that was...

- That was nearly 30 years ago. - When Mr. Wethersby was suffering

from pre-traumatic stress disorder?

- Are we out of witnesses? - Just one more for the plaintiffs.

Ellen Wethersby.

It's a stunt, Your Honor. Actually, I withdraw that.

It'd have to be in service of a legitimate case.

This is a legitimate case. Hundreds have filed lead paint liability suits.

How many of those were filed within the statute of limitations?

We'll be able to prove it here. Through discovery, we'll obtain evidence...

You don't have any evidence, but you're hoping you'll find some, maybe.

Your Honor, at this time, I'd like to supplement our motion to dismiss

with a motion for Rule 11 sanctions.

Your Honor, sanctions...

Wholly appropriate when a plaintiff brings a frivolous case.

Our complaint alleges causation. That should be sufficient at this stage.

Not for me, Mr. Stone. But I'm not heartless.

Nor do I fail to notice the six-year-old at your table.

You've got 24 hours to convince me why she's got a case.

I renew my objection, Your Honor.

Marital communication privilege prevents my client's wife

- from revealing private confidences. - And Ms. Klein has already been warned

against asking her to do so.

Describe your husband's behavior following his accident.

Objection. Mrs. Wethersby is not a psychologist.

I'm not asking her to diagnose his behavior, merely describe it.

Overruled.

He's different, isn't he?

He's different since the bank.

He can't seem to fall asleep.

When he does, he can't stay that way.

He's spending more time at the office, and when he does come home,

- he just works. - Thank you for your candor.

The lack of sleep, the constant work.

Are you describing someone traumatized by an accident or reinvigorated by it?

I don't know.

- You're in therapy, aren't you? - Objection. Relevance?

- Just give me one more question. - Yes, I'm in therapy.

So, obviously, you believe in its benefits.

But you didn't suggest that your husband see someone?

No.

Clearly, you're not that worried about him.

Have you expressed concern for your husband to anyone other than him?

- Yes. I told Taylor I was concerned. - Objection.

Is there a step-daughter privilege I'm unaware of?

Overruled.

When you expressed your concern, what did she say in response?

Taylor said she was worried, too.

She was afraid he'd become self-destructive since the accident.

- I'm sorry. Obviously they... - It's fine, Taylor.

There's no law against a daughter being concerned for her father.

That having been said, your client is very concerned.

I know, but I'll fix it.

By calling me to the witness stand.

I'm returning to the office to prepare my testimony.

Late night?

My defense team's a bit understaffed.

I know I left you in the lurch. But I had a reason.

The lead paint case I'm working on,

it goes to the Supreme Court.

We take it there. We're still working together...

You believe your divine calling.

But it's not particularly helpful to me at the moment, Eli.

It was helpful to you when you were buried under the Credit Dauphine Bank.

- I don't understand. - That's... how I found you.

- I was guided. - Guided?

Just like I was guided away from your case to the one I'm working on now.

- If I stay with you, we lose. - Enough, Eli.

If I could just describe to you what I saw...

I said enough about your damn visions!

I'm losing my firm, everything I've worked for!

I stand accused of not being in my right mind,

which is ironic given you've been my inspiration,

and now I'm beginning to doubt your sanity.

I never told you to go to war with Posner and Klein.

You didn't have a problem with it last year.

- Trying to fire half our clients? - We discussed changing the firm!

Not tearing it apart!

You're the one who wanted to do this, and now you're blaming me!

I'm not blaming you, Eli!

But I am disappointed that you would indulge your personal fantasies

at the moment I'm defending myself against something very real.

I promise...

...I'm doing this for you.

Yes, well...

Those words have never been more comforting.

Eli. Did you know this marble was cut

from a quarry in Alicante, Spain?

I can only hope our competition is equally as daunted by the space.

I don't think that Gibbons and his army of lawyers daunt much.

Gibbons? Eli, the L.P.M.A. swapped him out

after the trouncing you gave him at trial.

Their new attorneys are somewhat more formidable.

How did we do it? How did we trounce Gibbons?

Excuse me?

I'm sorry, sir. I don't have much time.

Maggie, it's Eli. I found out how we win.

[Judge] Well, do you have something for me?

Your Honor, the plaintiffs would like to withdraw their product liability claim.

That'll immunize you from sanctions?

And amend our complaint to include a claim

- under the public nuisance doctrine. - You're even crazier than I thought.

- I get to yell at him first. - The factories have been compelled

to install scrubbers on smokestacks.

Shouldn't paint manufacturers be accountable for putting poison

- on the wall of every home nationwide? - That's slanderous characterization.

You're gonna love this part: Public nuisance claims do not require

plaintiffs to prove causation. The statute of limitations doesn't apply.

The Rhode Island Supreme Court soundly rejected this nuisance theory...

Do I look like Rhode Island to you, Mr. Gibbons? Color me intrigued, Mr. Stone.

- Your Honor... - Motion to dismiss is under advisement.

- Motion for sanctions denied. - [gavel falls]

I appreciate that, that I've been acting out of character.

In point of fact, I hope I have.

I'm determined to make changes to my life, my practice and my firm.

You proposed firing the most profitable clients.

I proposed culling the firm's most socially irresponsible clients.

But WPK has represented them for upwards of 30 years.

Implicit in your question is the belief that the only explanation

- is that I've lost my mind somehow. - So, what's the other explanation?

That I've had what alcoholics term "a moment of clarity,"

a realization that the way I'd heretofore been living my life

has been detrimental to myself and others.

Thank you.

All our time in a courtroom together,

never thought we'd be on opposite sides of the aisle.

- Ask your questions. - Let's begin with your sudden decision

- to change our firm. - It wasn't sudden.

No, you just walked in, fresh from your accident,

and announced you were going to fire half our clients.

The accident was immaterial. This was the consequence of spending decades

of my life aiding and abetting a host of immoral acts...

Listen to yourself. Aiding and abetting?

Spare me the false concern. It's as transparent as your motion,

nothing more than a naked attempt to unseat me as head of our firm.

You're aware, aren't you, that paranoia is a symptom of PTSD?

So this hearing is a delusion of mine? How comforting.

[crowd chuckles, murmurs]

Your accident had no impact on your decision to restructure our firm?

No, I was on my way to do just that when the accident occurred.

Is it fair to say that you were inspired, in part,

- by one of our associates, Eli Stone? - Yes, that's true.

And interesting, when you consider that Mr. Stone is counsel to the Almighty.

This is the transcript from Eli Stone's testimony of three weeks ago.

- Will you read the highlighted portion? - Objection.

Overruled. I want to hear this.

[sighing] "I can pack this courtroom with people whose lives I've changed

because of the other visions I've had, sent to me by some higher power.

- Perhaps divine." - Before you object,

this goes to the respondent's judgment.

Eli Stone believes that he's following instructions from God.

He's one of your acolytes. Which begs the question, then:

Do you believe that your plan for the firm is the will of God?

- Move for a recess. - A question before the witness.

- We want a recess. - Are you being led by God?

Enough, Mr. Posner. We'll resume tomorrow.

I'm authorized to settle this for $500,000.

[gasping]

You don't win the lottery without paying for a ticket.

Astute.

This settlement would be sealed with no admission of liability

and confidentiality agreement.

And you never file suit against any of the L.P.M.A. companies ever again.

You don't have a harsh word to say to them.

I'll need to talk this over with my clients.

The offer won't get any better.

- It's a bribe. - A $500,000 bribe.

- Which Chris and Joanna won't take. - [Chris] We're not?

We could pay off all our debt and then some.

They're paying to keep you quiet, and to keep us from helping other families.

- I'm sorry, Mr. Stone. - This is too much for us to turn down.

But you do. I mean...

You're not the kind of people to turn your backs on other people.

We'll think about it, but I don't think we'll be changing our minds.

They're gonna turn it down and go to trial. Don't worry.

I am worried because I don't think they should turn it down.

They're drowning in medical bills. It's malpractice for you to tell them

- to reject the life raft. - I thought you'd pop

- champagne corks in here. - This shouldn't be happening.

This is the best result we could hope for.

What about everyone else, all the other little Leesies?

- We don't represent them. - What the hell was all this about?

- I need the journal. - [Maggie] What journal?

Dad wrote his prophecies down in a journal.

Your dad could see the future too? Can you?

- No. Well, just once. - You know what?

The Kims hired us to practice law, not sorcery.

Forget for a second about the future and live in the now.

You don't need visions or a book or whatever to tell you

what the right thing to do here is. Just do it.

"War does not determine who is right..."

"...only who is left."

- McCullough. - Bertrand Russell, actually.

I meant the Scotch. It's very good.

[chuckles] I was saving it for a courtroom victory.

Sadly, this one seems to be at my expense.

- Well, it's not over yet, sir. - It's Jordan.

After this is over, I suspect no one will be calling me sir.

Maybe, maybe not. But someone will still be calling you Dad.

You might want to consider going a little easier on her.

Taylor didn't want you to take the stand. She was right.

I owe her an apology. My undoing was not her doing.

She did one thing right. Eli jumping ship.

You would have handed them the case with Eli at your table.

Taylor didn't get Eli to...

Yes, that's what Eli said.

I guess we were better off without him.

[Keith] You know something?

It's hard for me to picture the three of you, at my age, just starting out.

It was, in every sense, a lifetime ago.

- Exhibit A. - [chuckles]

How many glasses of McCullough did you have when you wrote this?

Not as many as you would have imagined.

Then maybe it is Exhibit A.

- [Eli] I need help. - I told you, Eli.

I'm not doing that Nurhachi thing.

Don't want you to. I want my father's journal.

- No, Eli. You really don't. - I ditched Jordan's case

so I could take the one going to the Supreme Court,

- and both are circling the drain. - The book can't help. Trust me.

This book got me into this, it gets me out.

Book didn't get you into trouble. You messed with the plan.

There's a plan? Great. Which part are we up to now?

Realize you can't control the uncontrollable.

I can't just sit around and hope that everything works out for the best.

God helps those who help themselves, right?

You don't want to know what's in this book, Eli.

I wish I didn't know.

There was anything that bad, Nate would've told me.

There are things in here Nate couldn't understand. I'm sorry.

When you took up the prophet mantle, you had to know there'd be dark times.

Yeah. For me. I chose to have the aneurysm back.

Jordan didn't. If there's a chance there's something in that book

that could help him, I'm gonna take that chance.

You want to help Jordan? Just be there for him.

You don't need that book.

My religious beliefs aren't relevant in this case.

Eli Stone isn't relevant. The only thing that is relevant

is whether I'm suffering from PTSD. And, if so, whether such condition

makes me unfit to chart the course of a firm

I've spent the past 30 years building.

Have I made a decision to radically alter the way my firm does business?

Is Eli Stone a factor?

Only insofar as he has reminded me of a part of myself

that I'd lost touch with.

That the three of us have lost touch with.

Fortunately, I've kept a reminder. Our mission statement.

"WPK will be a firm that serves the public good

and honors the public trust."

Ironic, isn't it, how evocative that is

to the proposal I'm now accused of being crazy for making.

How did we get here? How does one go from the boldness of a youthful dream

to accusations of insanity?

It starts out small, a justifiable compromise here or there.

Until one day you start believing that life is about compromise.

Thirty years ago, we each put our signatures to this

and promised to use the law to change the world.

But somewhere along the line, the law just became a way

to make a lot of money, and this napkin became... disposable.

I'm trying to honor my true self,

my dumber self.

In a way, it is like post-traumatic stress,

because... I don't ever want to go back to the battle

that nearly stole that person from me.

Congratulations. I heard you won your case.

Settled, actually.

My clients got the proverbial offer they couldn't refuse.

You won, right? I heard the judge ruled that none of your screws are loose.

Yes. Unfortunately, in taking my case to trial, I lost the support of the board.

Which I suspect was Martin and Marci's gambit all along.

So they...

They voted me out as managing partner 20 minutes ago.

- Uh... I'm sorry, sir. - It could have been worse.

I could have lost the case entirely, been branded a psychotic,

had my license to practice called into question.

Given how they went at me through you,

I've no doubt all that would have transpired had you been my attorney

during this instead of merely my friend.

Your friend?

What better term for someone I care deeply about and admire even more?

I just thought that after the other night...

Friends fight, Eli.

And the other night, I couldn't indulge

in Supreme Court prophecies.

Today, however, I could use something to look forward to.

I'm sorry, sir.

It doesn't look like we'll be going to the Supreme Court after all.

We all have visions, Eli.

I had a vision for what this firm would become.

Sometimes, we have to readjust our plans.

If we're not meant to go to the Supreme Court with this case,

perhaps another.

This case needs to go to the Supreme Court.

But maybe what it doesn't need is us.

[sighing] What are you gonna do now?

I'd considered golf as an option,

but the accident the other week has left my lower back in spasm.

That leaves me no other option than to continue practicing law.

I intend to create the kind of practice

I'd been expelled for proposing.

Might I entice you to follow your old boss to a new firm?

No.

But I'll follow my friend.

- [Jeffrey] What's the catch? - [Eli] No catch.

You just want to hand over a thought-out, fully developed

- case against the paint industry. - Not the whole case.

- You have to find yourself a client. - My point is this is big,

like Big Tobacco big.

Why me? We're not exactly besties.

Why no one will suspect you got the information from me.

This public nuisance theory could make it to the State Supreme Court.

- Federal, even. - Are you about to be indicted?

Sorry. You're not that lucky, Jeff.

No, I just realized that this has to be someone else's crusade.

[Marci] I'm sorry it had to come to this.

Somehow you'll manage, I imagine.

You can stay on as counsel.

Marci and I have discussed it, and we'd very much like you to.

That's a very magnanimous consolation prize, Martin.

I have specific anatomical suggestions as to what you can do with it.

I trust that when administration sends me my things,

you'll remember many of the paintings are from my personal collection.

- Sorry, am I interrupting? - We were just leaving.

Stay. You'll want to hear this.

Your testimony about the cocktail napkin reminded me of something.

One of my very first assignments when I joined WPK

- was review the firm's real estate. - So?

Fifteen years ago, when you expanded the firm to this location,

Martin was involved in a bitter divorce,

and Marci, you were under investigation for insider trading.

I was exonerated of those false charges.

Yes, happy times.

Because of the clouds hanging over your respective heads,

the three of you decided to put this building solely in my father's name.

The three of you may have signed that napkin,

but only my father's name is on the title to this building.

Well, Marci, Martin,

it appears you're trespassing on my property.

But I can be gracious.

Give the attorneys here time to decide if they want to stay.

- A week sounds fair, doesn't it? - [Taylor] Hmm.

Don't worry. I didn't read it.

Although I was tempted to make sure George Lucas didn't make

- any more Star Wars movies. - What stopped you?

I don't want to live my life according to what I think

some notations in some book might say.

I don't want to try to control the uncontrollable anymore.

That was... bold.

[Eli] Bold would have been reading it.

Or asking you what it said.

You're gonna take long strides on the surface of the Earth.

And with every step, you're gonna change the world.

- That was in the book? - Doesn't matter.

That's what I believe.

[indistinct chatter]

Jeff.

- Eli. - Maggie.

- What are you doing here? - What are you doing here?

[Supreme Court Marshal] Oyez, oyez, oyez.

All persons having business before the Honorable,

Supreme Court of the United States, are to draw near

and give their attention, for the Court is now sitting.

Mr. Chief Justice, and may it please the court,

my name is Maggie Dekker of Posner, Klein & Associates,

appearing on behalf of the petitioner,

the Lead Paint Manufacturers' Alliance.