All language subtitles for LA Law s07e17 Thats Why the Lady Is a Stamp

This is for white paper.

This is for colored paper. Uh -huh. This
is for this paper.

Right. This is for shiny paper.

Benny, try not to spend the whole day on
this. You know what I mean?

Okay. Where's my buddy?

Hey, Ben.

Dominic?

There he is. How's it going, Chief?

Dominic, hi.

Put out your hand.

Now come. Put out your hand. I got
something for you. Ha -ha.

I wield an exact in the eighth race and
a 25 to one shot. Bingo.

He has no idea what I'm talking about.
We had a very big day today, Ben.

There's three large right in the palm of
your hand.

Oh, thanks.

This isn't my friend Dominic. A little
dribble on your shirt.

How do you do? Fine, thank you. Nice to
make your acquaintance. Very beautiful

offices you have here. Very nice. Very
centrally located.

Where do you know Benny from?

Oh, we sit at the counter at Duke Park
and have supper every night.

Are we still doing that thing? What
thing?

You know the place you said we were
going. If I said we're going, we're

Going where?

It's a secret.

Oh, this guy. Everything's a big game.
It's no big deal, Benny.

Well, it is to me.

Don't get all emotional on me, all
right?

Sorry. Okay. Now, there's a two -year
-old running today that looks very good

me. Okay?

Daryl Vianna's the trainer.

McCarron's up. I intend to show this
horse some support by going out to the

track and betting next month's rent.
Who's coming along?

We have work to do, Dominic. Why, you
sure it's nothing to come wait?

Thanks anyway.

I don't think so. How about you, dearie,
interested in dating a jockey?

Excuse me?

All right, never mind. Listen, Benny,
don't spend it all on comic books, huh?

I'll see you for supper, same time, same
station. Nice meeting you.

Yeah.

All right, folks.

Busy day today. Let's get on with it.

The Craig Estates. I'll handle that
myself, Douglas. I'm available if you

me. Well, thank you. Given the length of
time that I've known the family, I

think Vivian would be more comfortable
if she had to deal only with me.

Moving on, McAllister versus the United
States Postal Service.

Brian McAllister's wife was shot and
killed by a deranged co -worker.

What's the cause of action?

Wrongful death. If the co -worker's
deranged, how do you get liability on

part of the post office? Negligent
supervision together with a particularly

high... Stress work environment?

Excuse me, the post office is high
stress?

The way it's run now, it is. Hey,
delivering the mail is not high stress.

This is high stress.

What we do is high stress.

And I think that at least a few of us
here are probably deranged as a result

it. Melina, wasn't this matter supposed
to be settled? It's not for want of

trying that it isn't, Douglas.
Unfortunately, what that means for us is

you're going to be consumed with a
trial. You're worried about Southern

savings. You're right. What's the
problem? The problem is we've been

by their general counsel to perfect an
appeal, and the clock is ticking. What's

the lawsuit about?

discriminatory lending practices. And
we're representing the bank? Yes, we're

representing the bank, and my hope is
that we represent the bank well enough

that we get to represent other banks.
All right, Douglas, calm down. All I

is you better get some help. I will,
Douglas, I will. I'm available.

Melina, this is a complicated case. Get
some help.

Jonathan, I'm sorry, I don't have it
yet.

What? That law review article you asked
me to bring in.

See, between the trial and the appeal
and all the rest of what's on my desk, I

just didn't have time to look for it.
I'm sorry.

I have to go digging through this whole
bunch of boxes, and I didn't have a

spare moment in which to do it. It's
okay.

I feel badly, Jonathan. I promised I
would help you with your brief, and I

haven't done it. You're busy.

Yes. You need to lighten your load.

How do I do that?

Just do it.

Any way you can.

Benny, we'd like you to tell us a little
bit more about this friend of yours.

What do you want to know?

For starters, we'd like to know why it
was that he gave you $3 ,000.

The horse he bet on won.

But why did he give you money?

He always gives me money when the horse
wins.

I give him money to bet with, and he
gives me money if the horse wins.

And sometimes I think even if the horse
comes in second, he can still win.

You give him money to bet with? Yeah.
How much money do you give him?

Oh, that depends on how much money he
needs to bet with.

Sometimes he doesn't bet anything, and
other times he says, you've got to bring

down the hammer.

That's what he calls it.

And I give him $100, $200.

One time I gave him $500.

Vinnie, you have to stop doing that.

Why? Why? Because you work hard for your
money. You don't have that much of it,

and you shouldn't be giving it to some
guy to blow at the track.

But he didn't blow it. He won.

The other night, I gave him $200, and
yesterday he gave me $3 ,000.

That's yesterday.

What's he going to do tomorrow?

I don't know.

The paper that has all the different
horses that are running comes out in the

morning. Benny, the point is that he
shouldn't be doing this with your money.

should be doing it with his money. But
he doesn't have any money. Then he

shouldn't be gambling. He should be
working.

Well, he says that gambling is working.

He says some people go to the office to
work, and other people go to the track.

Benny. This guy is taking advantage of
you. That's okay, guys, really.

I don't mind giving him money. He's my
friend.

The fact that Nathaniel didn't leave a
will means the estate goes to you,

Vivian. Which is as it should be, Mom.
You do with it whatever you see fit.

Well, Leland, tell me this. Are we all
right as far as taxes go?

Yes, we can pay whatever's owed out of
savings.

I'll go on living in the house since we
own that, and I'll keep whatever

investments we've made through the
years.

There are a lot of other things I want
you kids to have, and I'd like you to

decide who gets what. Mom, we want what
you want.

Why don't you let her tell us what they
are?

Leland, you have the list. Why don't you
go through it?

Yes, there are golf clubs.

Frank?

I don't want them.

I guess Dick could use an extra set.

There's a 1975 Cadillac. Mom, why don't
you keep that?

I don't need two cars, Judith.

Frank, you take it.

All right.

There's a stamp collection. I've taken
the precaution of putting it in the

vault. Which, if no one wants it, I'd
really love to have. But I certainly

don't. Do we know what it's worth? I
have no idea. I just have the most

incredibly vivid memories of Dad
shutting himself in his study with the

closed and the blinds drawn, pouring
over his stamp.

I'd like to get some idea what it's
worth, Judith. I can remember him

we couldn't even knock on his door as
long as he was working on those stamps.

It would be nice for the kids.

Well... I hate to stand in the way, but
I'd like to find out what the stamp

collection's worth. What it's worth in
dollars or what it's worth in memories.

Are you saying that you could sell Dad's
stamp collection?

I'm up to my ears in debt, Judith.

Damn right I would sell it. Oh, kids,
this is just what I didn't want to

I don't want to see you fight about it.
May I suggest that the first thing we do

is have the collection appraised. That
way we'll know whether it's worth

and what the tax situation is. I don't
want to sell that stamp collection.

Nice to have money, isn't it, sis?

My husband and I work for a living,
Frank. That's how you get to have money.

right, all right. The fact is that
whether or not you're going to sell the

collection, it has to be appraised for
tax purposes.

It has to be appraised to have it
appraised.

But you are not going to sell my
father's stamp collection.

We were married seven and a half years.

Any children?

Elected for two, Susan just turned four.

Did your wife work, Mr. McAllister?

She worked where I worked, at the
Northfield Postal Facility, Regional

Distribution Center No. 5. And what were
your jobs at the Northfield Postal

Facility? We sorted mail.

Did you know George Whalen?

Yeah, he also sorted mail.

Would you describe for us what it was
like to work at the Northfield Facility?

What it was like?

Well, they have a machine called an
optical character reader.

It spits out 30 ,000 letters an hour.

There's a man with a stopwatch standing
behind you, timing to see how long it

takes you to read an address and punch
in the first three digits of the zip

code. And what, if anything, would a man
with a stopwatch do if you weren't fast

enough?

Write you up.

If you move too slow, they write you up.

If you take too many steps, they write
you up.

If you hold an envelope at the wrong
angle, if you're...

Five minutes late for your lunch break.
If you don't ask permission to go to the

bathroom, anything, everything, they
write you up.

I once saw them write up a 60 -year -old
woman for showing a picture of a

grandchild. You have no idea what it's
like in there.

Would you describe the event that took
place on April 15, 1991?

I was finishing my shift.

George Whalen walked out on the floor
and asked me if I'd seen our postmaster,

Mr. Daggett. I told him I hadn't.

He turned around and walked toward the
door.

Next thing I knew, he had a gun in his
hand.

Did you see him fire that gun?

Yes, I did.

When Mr. Daggett came out of his office,
he fired at him.

And what happened after he fired at him?

He got my wife instead.

She just punched in and was walking out
to the floor.

She caught a bullet right in the head.

She died in my arms.

Mr. McAllister, you hold that the Postal
Service is responsible for your wife's

death. I'd like you to explain to us
why.

Because George Whalen never would have
done what he did if the Postal Service

hadn't driven him to do it.

Thank you. Nothing further.

Mr. McAllister, I'm very sorry about
your wife.

But there are a few questions I have to
ask you.

Did you observe anything...

unusual about George Whelan prior to the
day of the shooting?

Did I?

No, I didn't. I didn't know the man that
well. You work together.

Why didn't you know him that well? There
are 600 people working there. That's

right, Mr. McAllister. There are 600
people working there. Yet you maintain,

you not, that it was incumbent on the
supervisory personnel at the facility to

not only know this man, but to know him
well enough to predict what he would do.

They knew the pressure he was under.

They knew the pressure we were all
under. But all of you didn't do what

did. All of you didn't take a gun and
start shooting. No, but George Whelan's

not the only postal worker who has,
though, is he? There are more than 700

employees in the United States Postal
Service.

What percentage of them do you suppose
have behaved as Mr. Whelan has? I have

idea. Objection. The witness isn't
qualified to answer.

An objection is sustained. My wife
wasn't supposed to get shot.

My kids weren't supposed to lose their
mother.

That's absolutely true, Mr. Callister.
The question is, who's to blame? Right.

And according to you, no one's to blame.

George Whelan's insane, so you can't
blame him. The post office is too big

too busy, so you can't blame them.

According to you, it just happened,
right, Mr. Spitzer?

According to you, it's one of life's
little oddball tragedies, and it just

happened. Mr. McAllister. You're wrong,
Mr. Spitzer, wrong.

It didn't just happen.

George Whelan didn't just one day go
insane.

Mr. McAllister. Sons of pitchers like
the man at that table drove him insane.

He's the one to blame.

Mr. McAllister, that's enough. He didn't
pull the trigger, but he's the one who

killed her.

These are the transcripts from the trial
and the briefs that were submitted.

Read them, digest them, and we'll talk
about them tomorrow.

Okay. Go ahead and use my office. Start
culling through the cases that were

cited. And if anything jumps out at you
that you need an answer for, call the

general counsel's office at the bank.

I can call them? By all means.

Because I am going to be buried under
this trial for at least a week. No one

here knows anything about the case. So
if you need to know something, call the

bank's lawyers.

I have to say I kind of hate the idea of
working on the side of the bank in this

case. Why is that?

Because I think they do discriminate in
their lending policy.

Read the papers.

I will. I think you'll find that the
bank was using very reasonable criteria

evaluating the credit risk.

Maybe it's just a matter of general
principle.

That's usually not a good way to decide
the merits of a specific case.

No, you're right. I appreciate you doing
this, Gwen.

I'm really underwater right now.

Tell us, Dr. Gerhardt, what is your
field of expertise?

The psychological effects of stress in
the workplace.

And have you spent much time in the
Northfield Postal Facility? Yes, I have.

Have you examined George Whelan? Yes.

And what observations are you prepared
to make?

That there was a direct link between
conditions at the postal facility and

Whelan's actions on the day he shot and
killed Tina McAllister.

In your opinion, what was responsible
for that link?

Workers are governed by machines at the
Postal Service. Whether we're talking

about optical readers or stopwatches,
management has made it abundantly clear

that the pace of work has nothing to do
with human behavior and everything to do

with mechanized efficiency.

Add to this draconian regulations and
few meaningful outlets for worker

frustrations, and you have the
conditions that result in tragedies like

one. In your opinion, could this tragedy
have been prevented?

Yes. This wasn't the first episode of
violent behavior on the part of a postal

worker. Far from it. The fact is that
there have been clusters of such

ranging from homicides to suicides to
fistfights at postal facilities all over

the country.

Now, had management been willing to view
these indications as a fundamental

problem and taken steps to remedy that,
this tragedy could have been prevented.

Did the management, in your opinion,
have any basis to conclude that George

Whelan was a person who was likely to
become violent?

Again, the answer is yes.

See, contrary to popular myth, people
don't just suddenly snap.

In 17 years, George Whelan had never
filed a single grievance.

Now, suddenly he was disciplined for a
petty infraction, and in the span of two

weeks he filed six.

He wrote three letters to supervisors
and requested an appointment to speak to

Mr. Daggett, something he had never done
before.

He made numerous references in his
letters to acts of violence committed at

other postal facilities.

These were signals.

These were calls for help.

And anyone who was listening would have
heard them.

I have nothing further.

You referred to the clusters of violent
behavior among postal workers. Tell me

something, Doctor. How does the Postal
Service compare with other industries in

that regard?

Not having done a statistical analysis
on other industries, I really couldn't

say. In that I have done a little
statistical analysis, let me run the

figures by you.

The number of homicides and or suicides
among postal workers is 2 .3 for every

500 ,000 workers.

Among hotel clerks, the rate's 10 for
every 500 ,000 workers.

Should we look into on -the -job stress
in the hotel industry, doctor?

I'm sure you know, Counselor, that those
kind of statistics are hardly what I

base my conclusions on. Doctor, I don't
think you base your conclusions on any

kind of statistics.

Objection. Sustained. Is there
scientific proof of any kind that on

stress was responsible for acts of
violence in postal workers?

Well, if you mean hard and fast
verifiable data, the answer's no.

In other words, it's impossible to
prove, impossible to disprove. It's a

isn't it, Doctor?

Yes. It's a theory that, if accepted as
fact, will allow the plaintiff in this

case to collect a great deal of money
because the Postal Service is, after

a deep, deep pocket.

Did you have that in mind by any chance
when you were formulating this theory?

No, I didn't.

All right, Doctor.

I have no further questions.

Oh, my.

How does it look?

This is quite a collection.

Not necessarily in terms of its monetary
value, although that's not

inconsiderable, but primarily in terms
of its intellectual organization, its

understanding of historical
significance.

A superb series of 1923 imperforates.

Never hinged plate block of a 1924
Huguenot Walloon.

Some fine examples of graph zeppelins.

This was a real collector.

Well, that doesn't surprise me.

Nat was very methodical about everything
he did. He was a very thoughtful,

rather scholarly man.

It shows.

Do you have any idea yet as to how much
it's worth?

Well, from what I've seen thus far, I
would say we were into the mid -five

-figure range.

And there are a couple of boxes that I
haven't been through with him yet.

Let's see what we have over here.

All right.

Speaking strictly as a fellow
philatelist, I can tell you there's much

here. There are themes and confluences
running throughout what this man has

done.

What is this?

What? There's a false bottom in this
box.

It appears that there's pornography in
here, Mr. McKenzie.

What?

It appears that it didn't get in here by
mistake, either.

Well, I have no idea where it would have
come from.

It's quite an array, isn't there?

Look at this degradation.

Did you know George Wayland, Mr.
Daggett?

Not personally, no.

Were you aware of the fact that he had
requested an appointment with you?

I wasn't aware of it for the simple
reason that all employee communications

handled further down the chain of
command.

It was dealt with. It just wasn't dealt
with by me.

Was there any mechanism in place to deal
with worker stress?

Yes. There's a referral service for
psychological counseling.

There's the grievance procedure if an
employee feels he or she has been

And then, of course, there's all of us.

By which I mean employees and
supervisors both.

Our number one resource at the U .S.
Postal Service is our people. We should

never lose sight of that.

In your opinion, was there any way that
you could have prevented this tragedy

from happening?

I wish there had been. The truth is, I
don't know what I would have done

differently.

I don't know what I could have done.

I'm trained to move the mail, not
diagnose mental illnesses.

But what I want to say to Mr.

McAllister is this.

that while I did not lose anyone dear to
me, I too was devastated by what

happened.

I think I can safely say that all of us
whose lives were touched by this event

will never be the same.

I have nothing further.

Since you say that your life will never
be the same, I'd like to start by asking

exactly how it's different.

I'm not sure I know what you mean. Do
you have the same work rules in place

that you had in place before?

Those work rules exist for a reason. Is
that a yes?

Yes. Do you still write people up for
taking too many steps?

We've conducted studies, Miss Paros. You
write them up for holding an envelope

at the wrong angle to read it? Those
studies have shown us the optimally

efficient method to perform each task.

And if someone deviates from that which
is optimally efficient, you bust them.

I correct them.

That's my job. Isn't it also your job to
provide a work environment that's safe?

What happened that day could have
happened anywhere. It could have

the street. It could have happened on a
bus.

It could have happened right here in
this courtroom. I try to provide a work

environment that's safe, but sometimes
unforeseen events will occur that render

it otherwise.

And it's your testimony that the work
rules in place at your facility did

nothing to bring about this unforeseen
event.

Look, I have a very clear -cut mandate,
Ms. Peros.

Do it faster. Do it cheaper. Do it
better.

People want their mail delivered. They
want it delivered promptly.

And they don't want the price of a stamp
to go up by as much as one single

penny. I do what I have to do to get the
job done.

Fix your collar.

We're not going on a bus. We're going on
an airplane.

Gotta look a little sharp.

Do I look sharp now?

Like a tech.

I'm so excited. I can't believe we're
doing this. Remember what I told you.

is a business trip.

Okay. We're a couple of businessmen.
We're going on a business trip. If we

should happen to enjoy ourselves along
the way, all well and good. But the

purpose of this trip is business.

Business.

You all packed?

Yeah. Good.

Let's make like a hockey stick and get
the puck out of here.

Let's go.

Huh.

Where are you off to, Benny?

Oh, I asked Douglas if I could leave
early and he said it was okay.

Where are you going?

I gave out the mail and I put extra
paper in the copier and I cleaned up the

kitchen. Benny. Tell him where we're
going.

We're going to Vegas.

I'm going to get rid of it. You can't
get rid of it, Leland.

It's hardcore pornography, Stuart. The
family doesn't know about it. What

possible good would it do them to find
out? Yeah, I guess I wouldn't want to

know that my father collected
pornography.

Your father collected pornography?

No, no, the deceased in this estate
matter collected pornography.

What do you mean by collected?

I mean collected. I mean boxes of
magazines, films, playing cards, a

puzzle. Have you seen it?

No, I haven't seen it. I really think
everyone's interest would be best served

if I just destroyed it. Well, you can't
destroy it, Leland. You have a fiduciary

relationship to the estate.

But it's not as if it's worth any money.

Are you sure?

Are you telling me there's a market in
second -hand pornography?

I don't know whether there is or there
isn't, but before you dispose of this

stuff, I think I ought to call Yale
Tobias to come and take a look.

Oh, that's a great idea.

Yeah, his wife divorced him because of
his collection of pornography.

He's rich. He's obsessed.

I think we ought to get him in here.

Give him a call, Arnold.

One way or another, I want that material
out of my office.

Where do you now reside, Mr. Whalen? I
reside at Atascadero State Hospital,

Atascadero, California.

And how long did you work for the Postal
Service, Mr. Whalen?

Seventeen years.

Would you tell us what your job was?

I sorted mail.

Did you like your job?

One time I did.

Did that change?

Yes, it did.

What happened?

They roped me up.

What'd they write you up for?

For being late.

Were you late?

No, I wasn't. In 17 years of working
there, I was never late.

I'll make something of a point of that.

I figure out how long it's going to take
me to get from point A to point B.

I allow for traffic, I allow for
weather, and as a result of that, I'm

time. Then why were you written up?

Because the pipe broke in one of the
restrooms. As a result of that, they

the entrance I was accustomed to using.

As a result of that, I had to go around
half the circumference of the building

to get in. As a result of that, I was,
in fact, late in punching in,

but I was not late in getting to work.

How late were you in punching in? Ten
minutes late, which I know seems trivial

to many people.

But the rule was you had to be on time.

And I have no quarrel with that rule.

In this instance, however, it wasn't my
fault.

Did you say that? I said it repeatedly.

I put it in writing.

I wanted that lateness notation expunged
from my record.

And were they willing to do that?

No.

They weren't.

And because I was unwilling to let it
go, I was disciplined.

How were you disciplined?

I was told to watch the scale.

They'd bring packages over to weigh
them, and I would see how much they

There were yellow lines painted on the
floor, and I was told to stay inside

those lines my entire shift.

I was permitted out for lunch, for two
ten -minute breaks, and if I had to go

the bathroom and ask permission to go.

Why did you bring a gun to work, Mr.
Whelan?

Because I felt as though I had been
unfairly treated.

And maybe I made too much of that.

I did make too much of it.

I know, Mr.

Daggett, that you had a lot more on your
mind than my excuses.

If I was late, I was late, period.

But now that I have your ear, sir,

There's something else I'd like to say.

If you could find it in your heart to
give me my job back, you'd never have to

worry about my being late again.

That's a promise.

Benny, you need to tell us what's going
on.

What do you mean?

We understand that your friend Dominic
took you to Las Vegas.

Yeah. Who paid?

I did.

I think we've got to take some action
here.

What do you mean?

What do I mean? How much did you spend
to go to Las Vegas, Benny?

Oh, airplane tickets were $387.

Wait a second. You paid for his ticket
as well as your own? Uh -huh. What else

did you pay for?

Well, I paid for chips. How much?

$500 worth. Can we get protective order?
We can certainly try.

What happened after you bought the
chips?

Dominic played this dice game they have.

If you throw the dice and get a seven,
you win.

Or if you get another number and then
you get it again, you win.

Or if you put a chip down on a square
and somebody else is throwing the dice.

Yes, we know. It's called craps. We know
what the game is.

Dominic let me throw the dice.

And we kept winning.

And the man kept giving us more and more
chips.

Then what happened?

Then we went and played blackjack where
you got to get 21.

And then the man kept giving us more and
more chips.

And then I went over to the slot
machines, and I kept putting quarters in

$50 and quarters came out.

Benny, how much money did you have when
you got there?

$620. How much money did you have when
you left?

$3 .75.

We had to take the bus home from the
airport.

I don't get it, Benno.

You're a thrifty guy. You're smart with
money. Why are you doing this?

It was fun, Arnie.

We saw Siegfried and Roy.

He's got the complete Santa Cruz series.

The Svenborg bestiality plates.

These are very rare editions.

Oh, how long is this going to take,
Arnold?

What I find most remarkable is the
scholarliness and the discipline

this collection.

Most collectors collect along the line
of fetishes.

This gentleman's approach was
historical.

There are pieces from Nazi Germany.

There's a wonderful soft core section
from the 50s with those zebra combs of

women posing with garden hoses and
guitars.

Arnold.

There's the quote -unquote free love
hippie years.

The Chicago school.

The so -called existential nymphomania
period represented like I've never seen

it represented before.

I take it that you're interested.

Oh, my God.

Correct me if I'm wrong, Leland. I think
what we're interested in doing here is

selling the entire collection.

Absolutely. Arnold, you don't break up a
collection like this.

I mean, even if I wanted to, what
wouldn't I take?

The 8mm reels?

How much, yeah.

All right.

I can give you a check right now for...
$50 ,000.

Mr. Tobias.

We know what we've got here.

We know what the Svenborg bestiality
plates alone are worth. Now, out of

consideration to Arnold, I'm showing you
the collection before I show it to

anyone else. But I'm not willing and I'm
not able, as an executor of the estate,

to make any concessions on price.

You think you can do better than $50
,000?

Yes, I do. I've already got a call from
a Japanese collector willing to buy the

entire collection, sight unseen.

Well, I am not letting this fall by the
wayside because I wanted to save a buck.

An opportunity like this comes along
once in a lifetime, and I am not about

let it pass me by.

I want this collection.

How much do you want it?

I want it very much.

Do you want to tell me what it was you
were thinking about when you fobbed off

your responsibility for this appeal on
Gwen?

What do you mean? I mean that Gwen's not
a lawyer, Melina. She's not authorized

by either the state of California or
this firm to practice law.

I asked her to assist me.

She called the general counsel's office.

For what?

He spoke to one of their bank's senior
attorneys.

So what? Did it ever occur to you that
the bank's attorneys, like most

attorneys, don't appreciate having their
time taken up explaining the fine

points of an appellate brief to someone
who is themselves not an attorney?

Were the questions, Gwen, a stupid
question?

I don't think that's the least bit
relevant.

You had no business bringing her into
that case.

Look, I am doing what I have to do to
manage my workload. If she screwed up, I

would take responsibility for that. She
didn't screw up.

She just violated what you and some
other pompous lawyer with a pole up his

regard as an inviolate caste system.

And for that, you're in here wasting
what precious few moments I have left in

which to prepare to go to court. Now,
you listen to me, Melina, and listen

I wouldn't be in here if I hadn't gotten
a call from the bank's attorney, and I

wouldn't have gotten that call if he
hadn't been unhappy.

Now, you may think that's insignificant.

Let me assure you.

You're wrong. This bank represents what
could potentially be a substantial

source of revenue for this firm. As the
managing partner, it's my responsibility

to do everything in my power to make
sure that potential is realized,

with making sure that their attorneys
are not unhappy.

Now, if you can't assure me of that, let
me know, and I'll give this case to

someone else. Douglas, I have been
working till 10 o 'clock every night for

weeks. I haven't had a day off in over a
month.

Maybe you should give this to somebody
else.

Done.

It's always difficult to understand a
tragedy, to try and make sense out of

senseless.

An innocent woman dies and we all
grieve.

Unfortunately, random violence is part
of society.

A day doesn't go by that we don't read
about another murder, another shooting.

Is the post office a demanding, high
-stress environment in which to work?

Undoubtedly. Is there a connection
between violence and the working

at the post office?

We have no idea.

The only issue here, ladies and
gentlemen, is did the management at the

Northfield Postal Facility cause George
Whelan to do what he did?

All of us, in varying degrees, are under
stress.

Punching a time clock, pleasing your
boss, those are stressful things.

Most of us, however, don't take a gun to
work and start shooting, and none of

us, if we did so, would be entitled to
hold our employers responsible.

While it may be comforting to believe
that a dangerous individual can somehow

singled out, somehow be stopped, the
truth is that no one knows how to do

Does the post office regret that Tina
McAllister was killed?

Absolutely. But are they in any way to
blame for her death?

Absolutely not.

The defense counsel's right.

We all have stress.

If we work for a living, we depend on
our boss's approval.

We need our paychecks, and we want to do
a good job, and so we're vulnerable.

We're vulnerable to our boss's whims, to
their moods, to the pressures that

they're under themselves.

There are some bosses who are reasonable
and fair.

And there are some who are petty and
abusive and cruel, and they get away

being like that because the people who
work for them need their jobs.

I would maintain that the Postal Service
is one such employer and that Richard

Daggett is one such supervisor.

I would maintain that when a worker
becomes violent after having been

hounded and humiliated, it's self
-evident why he's done so.

Grown men and women should not be
treated like children.

should not have to ask permission to go
to the bathroom or be expected to

perform like robots.

Heightened efficiency is no
justification for the systematic

human being.

And that's what was done to George
Whelan.

And that's why Brian McAllister's wife
is dead.

The Postal Service is to blame, and it's
only fitting and proper that they be

made to pay.

I've gotten an appraisal on the stamp
collection.

Please.

And? It's worth close to $80 ,000.

Well, I guess that settles that
question. There's no way I can persuade

to sell Dad's stamp collection. Sure
there is. You can give me $40 ,000.

Now, there may be another solution.

Within your father's collection, I found
some other items that have considerable

value. You mean not stamps?

Right. Not stamps.

What did you find?

Oh, well, I found some men's magazines
and

some film, and I found pornography.

That didn't belong to my father. When
you say pornography, how much

are you talking about?

$110 ,000 worth.

I don't believe that. You actually have
someone willing to pay that much?

Yes, yes, I do.

How many dirty magazines did the old man
have?

Well, there's quite a few.

I think I'm going to be sick.

Well, let me suggest that what it does
allow you to do is keep the stamp

collection and sell the pornography and
split the difference between the value

of the two. I don't want to have
anything from the sale of his

Well, you are entitled to it. I don't
want it.

That's what he was doing in his studies?

It's not like that's all he was doing. I
have to get out of here.

Well, we're supposed to sit down with
your mother today and let her know what

we're going to do. It's fine.

Right now, I just have to be by myself.

Judith, come on.

He spent part of the time on his stamp
collection.

Right?

Yeah, yeah, well, yeah.

The matter of McAllister versus the U
.S. Postal Service.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor. I'll see.

We fine for the plaintiff and award
damages in the amount of $1 million.

Jury is dismissed with the thanks of the
court.

We are adjourned.

We won.

So now they appeal, right?

Either that or offer to settle.

Forget about that.

Well, let's just see what the offer is.
They can keep us in appeals for years.

Let them.

Don't you want the money, Brian?

Not if it means capitulation.

It doesn't mean that. It just means that
you've made a rational decision to get

on with your life. Don't use that
expression with me, all right? The life

is over.

The woman I loved is dead.

There's nothing more important to me
right now than taking on the people who

killed her.

Come here.

Come on. Come sit down.

Now, you can tell me to mind my own
business, but I disagree.

Because you've got two kids to bring up,
and that's a lot more important.

And you can come away from this with
enough money to make a difference and be

done with it.

I don't think I want to be done with
this.

I think it'd be best for all involved if
this thing just dragged on as long as

possible.

Why?

Because I don't know how much difference
there is between me and George Whelan.

When this case is over, I just might
kill someone too.

How are you feeling?

I'm still in a state of shock.

He was a human being, Judith.

He had flaws.

In my book, this was a little more than
a flaw.

That didn't stop him from being a good
father now, did it?

I don't know.

Yes, you do.

You know the kind of father he was.

This makes me think of him differently,
Frank.

He wasn't this kindly white -haired man
in a cardigan sweater working on his

stamp collection.

He was an obsessive sicko pawing through
dirty pictures.

No, no. I haven't said anything about
this to your mother.

Oh, my God. I would hope not. No, no,
no. She shouldn't know anything about

It would kill her. I mean, however
disconcerting this is to us, we could

deal with it a hell of a lot better than
she could. So we won't say anything?

Nothing. Hello, children.

Hi, Mom. Hi, Mom. Well,

have you kids worked out your
differences?

Yes, Mom.

We have.

Good. I think the last thing your father
wanted was for something like his stamp

collection to have driven the two of you
apart.

By the way, did you ever find his dirty
magazines?

So you know, Mr. Newsy.

We take an interest in Benny Stelowitz's
welfare.

Lester, you're about to tell us that
it's none of our business.

Right, because we maintain it's very
much our business.

In addition to being Benny's employers,
we also administer his trust.

Now, if need be, we can march into court
and get control of all of Benny's

assets, as well as a protective order
against you personally.

And while we'd rather not do that, the
next time we find out you're taking

from him, that's exactly what we'll do.

Are you done?

Yeah. Good. Let me set you straight
about something. I'm not afraid of you,

right? That's for openers.

Ben Stulwitz and I have our own
arrangement. That arrangement doesn't

anything to do with you.

You're taking advantage of someone who
is mentally retarded. So far as I'm

concerned, I'm not taking advantage of
anyone.

So happens Ben's an adult.

A retarded adult.

An adult, a grown man who doesn't have
to answer to you or anyone else about

he spends his money. You're the one
who's got to answer for it, Dominic.

Either of you ever take Ben to Vegas?
That's not really the point. I think it

the point. The fact that we're 45
minutes from the greatest spectacle in

Western world, and before I took him,
he'd never been, that's exactly the

Believe it or not, Benny has never
expressed any interest in Las Vegas.

that's sadder still, because I'll tell
you what. He's real interested in going

back. He saw life. He saw action. He saw
Siegfried and Roy, okay?

He saw white tigers appear and disappear
on command.

Not much compares with that. And we're
supposed to ignore the fact that it's

Benny who pays for everything?

Hey, right now, he's the one who's got,
so he's the one that pays. When I'm the

one that's got, I'm the one that pays.

With me, Benny is Ben.

He's not a retarded messenger boy. He's
a man. We do the things that men do. We

go to the track. We go to Vegas because
we're men. We don't need your

permission, your approval.

You want to take me to court? Be my
guest.

Dominic? Hey, Ben, how you doing?

What's going on?

We're just having a little...

Hey, you guys getting to be friends?

Absolutely. Maybe they could go to the
racetrack sometime.

Yeah, I don't see why not. Hey, listen,
Ben, walk me out, will you? I gotta get

going. Hey.

So, we have a good time in Vegas or
what?

We had a great time.

Hey, next time we go, we go see Ann
-Margaret.

Really? Oh, hey, she's only the most
beautiful woman in the face of the

What, she should be there and we
wouldn't go see her?

So we will go.

That's what I'm saying.

Are you going to bet on any horses
today, Dominic?

I don't know yet.

I went to the bank and I got money.

Here.

Give me.

How many times have I told you not to
keep your money in a wallet?

I forgot.

Farmers keep their money in wallets.

Anyone that's hip keeps their money in
their pants pocket.

Look at this mess.

Look.

All right. I'm going to tell you this
one more time.

Bills. Right side up.

Okay? Larger denominations on the
bottom. Smaller denominations on the

Fold it in the middle. And when you pay
out, you always peel them off towards

you. Not towards the other guy. Towards
you.

Huh? Okay.

Trying to teach you something here. I
know.

Here.

Don't you want any money to bet with?

No. You sure?

Yeah.

I'll see you at DuPars tonight?

Hey, I gotta eat supper, right?