Original subtitles

Previously on L .A. Law.

We, the jury, sentence the defendant to death.

Grace, you car, lady! You can't beat me!

You can't beat me!

I'm putting two uniforms on you.

They'll walk you to and from your car and they'll park outside your place at

night. That's not enough. The man's in custody, Michael.

Well, his gang friends aren't. Grace, let me ask you something. You got a gun?

have never even fired a gun.

What is going on? I'm sorry. I found him on the freeway this morning coming in.

For God's sakes, call the pound.

What happened? My dog is gone.

Mr. Brackman took it.

Since you're having a hard time placing him, why don't I take him? Do you want

him? I've always had a way with animals.

I prefer their company to some people in many cases.

I lost my first kid, too.

Oh, and you just love rubbing my nose in it, don't you? Not really.

Then why did you come down here?

To ask you out on a date.

On a date?

Oh, wait a minute.

Don't spend it, because it's a magic lollipop.

That was fantastic.

Thank you. It's my pleasure.

Sell your condo. Stuart, it's my only asset.

Well, and the whole thing doesn't make sense unless you move in with me.

Whoa. Back up.

It's a big step. Can I think about it?

Absolutely.

Okay, I thought about it.

Then? Let's go home.

Gallagher versus Martin.

How do we stand, Victor?

Lousy, we lost.

Appeal and notify the client.

That was the appeal, Douglas, and he is no longer a client.

Michael, Abrams versus Bertrand. Jury was impaneled yesterday.

We start today.

Why haven't we settled this?

Because we haven't been offered anything worth settling for, Douglas.

This case is a loser at trial.

How do you prove sexual assault when she willingly went back to his room?

Well, she wasn't willing to be raped.

Isn't the boy a first -round draft pick? I would think an instant millionaire

should be willing to come up with a few dollars to keep this nastiness out of

the papers.

All right, Douglas, let's move along. Michael has the case in hand.

Miss Kelsey, perhaps you could inform us of this new matter in the list entitled

In Ray Kelsey?

I've got my condo up for sale. Leland said I could open up a file for

administrative convenience.

Fine. Just be aware that these things are never as simple as they appear, and

don't want a lot of office time piled up on this.

Oh, please.

Can we discuss... Item six on the list, Karis versus Brackman. That's a

legitimate lawsuit, and I did not initiate it. No, but you enlisted Abby

defend you, which means that your little barking dog is costing this firm the

time of one associate and one partner for at least one full trial day. For

information, I happen to be a victim here.

I'm being sued by a senseless and vindictive neighbor who's attempting to

Sparky destroyed.

I've enlisted Miss Perkins because, A, she knows the dog, B, sympathy happens

be our strong suit in this matter and she's best able to exploit it, and C,

last time Douglas represented himself, he got pasted by Andrew Taylor. That's

it. I will not sit here and tolerate this abuse.

Douglas! That psychotic is after my dog.

And when I come into this office looking for a little support, I don't need to

be mocked and ridiculed by a group of people completely insensitive to my

feelings. An innocent pet is being maligned and persecuted.

Excuse me.

Then when I called to complain about it, he was rude. He called me an animal

hater, a bad neighbor. He refused to even consider that his dog could be a

nuisance. Cross, Miss Perkins.

Mr. Kerr, since you're representing yourself, you have the right to object

questions you find improper.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Now, your complaint states that the dog has been barking incessantly since last

October. It never stops.

Yep, yep, yep. At Thanksgiving dinner, I could hardly hear Grace.

Are you aware, sir, that the dog did not come to live at the Brackman residence

until early December?

The what?

December 5th, to be exact.

Well, it's been so nonstop that I probably don't ever remember not hearing

Objection! Conclusory, argumentative, and self -serving.

Mr. Brackman, you're not the attorney of record here.

Could I take a moment to confer with my counsel, Your Honor?

Hurry up.

Ask him how he can hear it all day when he's at work.

Ask him why his wife never complains. Ask him about the last time he sued me.

Question him about... I'll get to it. You've got to be more aggressive. I just

thought... I understand. Let's go, Miss Perkins.

Mr. Karras, isn't it true that you sued my client two years ago, also for

nuisance, claiming that he failed to keep the lids fastened tightly to his

cans? A good easterly breeze and the reek of his garbage would walk right

through my kitchen.

Objection! Prior bad acts are inadmissible.

Mr. Brackman, your lawyer asked him about it. But his answer was non

to her question, which was merely designed to establish that the witness

personal vendetta and he's been initiating frivolous and baseless

against me. Mr. Brackman, sit down. Could I take a moment to confer with

counsel, Your Honor? No. Now sit down and be quiet.

You want to meet me for lunch later?

Not if my trial gets started.

It's a loser. Settle it.

Until you take the whole day, we could do something fun for a change.

God knows my office won't miss me.

Just stay, Sel, and I'll tell them to get lost. Has the team or the league

offered any sort of settlement on Bertrand's behalf?

I have no comment on that. Does that mean that it's going to trial? I have no

comment.

If I were you, I really would try to drop this case.

You're starting to sound like a broken record.

I'm just trying to get you to look at this realistically.

Michael, if there really was a case, my office would have prosecuted. But this

is civil, not criminal. We're not asking a jury to send this guy to jail.

I think we got one hell of a shot.

Don't bet on it.

What, are you saying there was no assault here? I am saying that date rape

hard to prove in court.

I'll call you.

Good luck.

$50 ,000 conditioned on no disclosure to the press.

I'll take it to my client.

But I have to advise against it.

Come on. You got no case.

Are you kidding?

I like my case just fine.

Your guy signs an MBA contract.

My client, the victim, she has to drop out of school. She's been in therapy.

She's broke. Her family's been humiliated.

I know just what I've got, Counselor.

75 grand.

That's it. That's as high as I'm authorized.

You see, for my client, this case is not just about money.

Well, you bounce.

75 grand on the card. We'll see what it's about.

Well, they're offering 75

,000. That's it?

They also want a stipulation barring you from any disclosure of the terms of the

settlement. You mean they want to buy my silence?

Pretty much.

Forget it. If I take this offer, the truth will never come out.

Lori, this thing will get ugly.

They've got one of your ex -boyfriends to testify against you. They've

subpoenaed one of the therapists who treated you. They're going to do

they have to.

Michael, he raped me.

Nothing those lawyers do to me could be worse than that.

The dog does bark at strangers.

An excellent watchdog.

But other than that, he's a very quiet little fellow. I see.

Mr. Brackman, what are you doing?

Nothing, Your Honor.

Could you tell us what steps you took to solve this problem with Mr. Karras? I'm

not sure I understand your question. I think what you mean to ask is, what does

the whole neighborhood think of him?

They hate him. He's been nothing but a source of disruption and discontent for

the whole block.

Now, that's not true. He's the one. Sit down, Mr. Karras. But, Your Honor... Sit

down.

Continue.

Would you say that there is a good deal of animosity between the two of you? I'm

not sure I follow.

I think what you mean to ask is, how does he behave when I attempt to work

things out?

He verbally assaults me. He's more interested in an argument than he is a

solution. Could you tell us what transpired? I'm sure the court would

know what he said to my wife last week. The court is getting very annoyed.

The court would like the lawyer to ask the questions, not the witness.

And I think the court has heard from both sides by now. Mr. Karras, do you

anything further?

I'll know, Your Honor, but I would like to add, for the record, that Mr.

Brackman is a liar.

Objection.

Now, let me say this to the both of you.

The courtroom is not a place to play out neighborhood squabbles.

Barking dogs are a fact of life, Mr. Karras, and I don't find these

circumstances to be so aggravated as to constitute a deprivation of your quiet

enjoyment of your property.

Accordingly, I find the facts to be insufficient to support your nuisance

And I'm entering judgment for the defendant.

Judges and lawyers, you're all together.

That's enough, sir.

And Mr. Brackman, though this thing has not risen to the level of nuisance yet,

I remind you that it still could. And there is nothing to stop Mr. Kerrison

instituting an action at that time.

I suggest you try keeping the dog quiet.

Yes, Your Honor.

The court's adjourned.

Very good, Miss Perkins.

I never had a moment's doubt.

Thank you.

You think you're going to get away with this, Brackman?

Well, I'll get justice in my own way. You wait.

Just you wait.

Laurie, I want you to tell us everything that happened between you and the

defendant before leaving the party.

We were just talking.

There wasn't even any dancing going on at this party. It was just a lot of

drinking and celebrating.

Do you remember what it was you were talking about?

Lots of things.

In fact, I remember being really impressed that he wasn't totally

the game.

The basketball game?

Yeah. They had just won the championship, and everybody was intent

this thing play by play.

And here he was, this big star, and we talked about a lot of things.

I'd met him a few times before, but this was the first time I'd really gotten a

chance to know him.

And he seemed really personable and unassuming.

You were attracted to him. I thought he was great.

So, what time did the two of you leave the party?

It was about midnight.

It was getting really noisy and rowdy, so we couldn't even hear each other

and his dorm was right across the way, and we thought we'd go over there.

Just the two of you? I know how it looks, but we just wanted to go

quiet where we could talk.

And what happened when you got there?

We sat on the couch in the living room, and we talked some more, and we had some

wine.

And we kissed.

Voluntarily? Yes.

And what happened next?

Well, we kissed for about a minute. I don't think it was any longer than that.

And then suddenly, he started to climb on top of me.

And I said, what are you doing? And then he turned to me and pushed me into the

cushions on the couch.

And I yelled at him to stop.

And then I felt his knees digging into my thighs.

I tried to get free.

And the next thing I knew...

He was reaching up under my skirt and ripped down my panties from the back.

And then he started to force my legs apart with his knees.

And before I could even register what was going on, he was ramming

himself into me.

And I couldn't get up.

You said that you were trying to get free during this time.

Yeah.

He had my arms pinned down with his elbows.

And his legs were on top of my legs.

And he was too strong. I couldn't fight him.

And I took a deep breath.

And I screamed as loud and hard as I could.

And I must have surprised him because he jumped off of me.

And I left.

How long, approximately, did this attack take?

I can't remember.

It would happen so fast.

But it was like in slow motion. It was like it wasn't happening.

to me it was like it was somebody else but it was me he was inside of me

and he and he wouldn't stop mr kudak since it's now

four o 'clock and it seems like an appropriate time for a recess i'm

adjourn till tomorrow morning that would be fine your honor

It's only me, okay?

Going to work now.

And, uh, be a good boy.

Okay?

Be a good boy.

I just...

get the sense that George wants a lot from me right now, and I don't really

if I'm in the position to give it to him.

In other words, he's asked you to go to bed with him.

The subject has come up, and I just don't know.

I mean, we both come with so much baggage, and it's also complicated.

Sometimes I just think, let's forget the whole thing.

I mean, what is so terrible about celibacy, anyway?

On the other hand, what's so great?

I am serious, Anne. Having sex with someone is a big deal to me. And I am

not comfortable with one -night stands.

You've been out with him at least a dozen times.

And maybe I shouldn't be tying myself down right away.

I mean, right after a divorce, jumping into another commitment?

Is that what George wants?

That's what he says.

But who knows? Maybe he's just talking.

I mean, what if I go to bed with him and he never calls me again?

He doesn't sound to me like that kind of guy.

Besides, I'd like to live long enough to dance at my son's wedding.

What? Aid!

You have heard of it.

Before you go to bed with him, you're certainly entitled to ask about his

history. Or you could buy him some condoms.

Well, that's very romantic.

Besides, where are we supposed to do it, anyway? We each have a young child at

home, and there is no way that I'm going to some tacky motel.

Look, Abby, if you don't want to go to bed with him, don't go to bed with him.

You don't have to explain it to me. I know.

But I'm so attracted to him.

So go to bed with him.

Would you like the keys to my place?

I'm never there. It's just sitting empty.

So that if you do decide to make love with George, you wouldn't have to worry

about logistics.

I've been looking all over for you.

In my office, right away.

What's wrong? That lunatic has just slashed my tires. We're going to sue him

blind.

I want one count for property damage, one count for trespassing. I want

negligent infliction of emotional distress and intentional infliction of

emotional distress.

Municipal court? No, superior court. Jury trial. He's going to have to hire a

lawyer this time and it's going to cost him big.

Let's hit him with interrogatories and a request for admissions. Then we'll

depose the filthy roach.

Ask for damages in the amount of $500 ,000.

Half a million for four steel -belted radials.

We're talking emotional distress and punitive damages.

When I get through with him, he's going to have to sell his house.

I want a draft copy of the complaint on my desk by 5 o 'clock. I want to be

ready to file it tomorrow.

This sounds kind of big. Are you sure you don't want Michael to handle it?

be silly.

You're my lawyer.

You beat him once, you can whip him again.

Ann? Ann.

Hey, what happened with the open house?

Nothing much.

No offers?

Some airline pilot and his wife.

Airline pilot? That's great.

Not really. It's a lot less than I'm asking. Thanks.

How much less?

$20 ,000.

I'm telling you, Ann, it's not so far out of line.

Plus, they only wanted to put 10 % down, and they wanted me to carry a second.

I told the realtor I didn't think it was going to work out.

Wait a minute. You didn't come back with a counteroffer?

What for? We're miles apart.

Kay, Ann, it's a negotiation. They come up a little, you go down a little.

Forget it. I don't have the time or energy to hassle over this thing like

rug merchant.

You want me to get into it? No, that's all right.

No problem. I'll call your broker. I'll set up a meeting.

Hey, all they can do is say no.

So, I'll expect you Thursday at 11.

May I validate your parking ticket, Mrs. Havens? Thank you much.

Hi.

Hi.

Um, oh, thank you much.

Ciao, Arnie.

Bye.

Meow.

Beautiful.

Cosmopolitan. Going through a rough divorce.

Doubting her own attractiveness?

I can tell.

Some guy could be the beneficiary of all that smoldering passion, Victor.

Pass. After my last two disasters, I've taken a vow of celibacy.

Thank you.

Great.

Who sent flowers?

They're for me.

Oh.

From Leon.

Not much of an arrangement.

Why do you keep putting him down?

Fox, I'm not putting him down. I think Leon's a perfectly nice guy.

I just don't think he's good enough for you.

Leon happens to be a wonderful person.

He's kind, understanding.

Cheap?

Take a look at this. He couldn't even spring the extra 20 bucks for roses.

I think they're beautiful.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to eat them in water.

Miss Abrams, you testified yesterday that while at this party, you became

attracted to my client.

Yes. Physically attracted.

Part of the attraction was physical, yes.

And it's likely that Mr. Bertrand sensed this, isn't it?

I guess so.

Is it conceivable that my client thought you wanted to go to bed with him?

No. Really? A young woman who is physically attracted to him leaves a

goes back to his room with him after midnight?

Both people are a little tipsy from alcohol.

Is it your testimony before this jury that it's inconceivable for a young man

under these circumstances to think that the woman might be interested in having

sex?

It's conceivable that he could have thought that at first, maybe.

But when he started to climb on top of me, he knew damn well I didn't want it.

Because you resisted him. Yes, I did.

And have you ever had sex with a man after initially resisting him?

What?

No.

Mr. Nesson, would you please rise?

Have you ever had sex with this man, Miss Abrams?

I renew my objection to Your Honor's previous ruling on this entire line of

questioning, and I object to her method here.

It goes to state of mind and credibility, Your Honor, and as for my

can do it this way, or I can call Mr. Nesson to the stand and then recall Miss

Abrams when I conclude with him.

I'm going to allow it.

You may sit down, Mr. Nesson.

Miss Abrams, will you tell the court whether or not you engaged in sex with

Nesson prior to the evening in question?

We have been going out for four months.

Yes, I had sex with him.

And on the first occasion that you engaged in intercourse with him, you

him at first, didn't you?

Answer the question, Miss Abra.

Yes. In fact, you told him no, didn't you? You even pushed him away at first,

right? I didn't think it was a good idea at first.

And then you engaged in intercourse. Was that rape, Ms. Edwards? No. It's not

the same.

So you're telling the court that in some instances when you push away and say

no, it's rape. And in other situations, it's not.

With Mark, it was a matter of judgment. I wanted to have sex with him. I didn't

want to rush into it. So even though you said no, you wanted it.

Objection. Overruled.

I was reluctant with Mark, but I did consent.

With him, it was rape. I said no, and he raped me.

How do we know when to believe a little girl who cries no?

Objection. Sustained.

Miss Abrams, you told your therapist that you felt this whole event was

partially your fault, didn't you?

Objection. Communications between the witness and her doctor are privileged.

Well, she's seeking to recover mental pain and suffering, Your Honor, thereby

putting her mental condition at issue. Any statements she made to her doctor in

regard to that condition are therefore not privileged.

I'm going to overrule the objection.

Tell us, Miss Abrams, did you not in fact tell your therapist that you blamed

yourself for much of what happened?

At first I blamed myself a little.

But then as I thought about it... No further questions.

I realized it wasn't my fault and I shouldn't be blamed.

There are no questions before you, Miss Abrams, that's all.

Redirect, Mr. Cusack.

Do you still blame yourself?

No.

He did it to me.

I didn't do anything wrong.

The only thing that I was guilty of is trusting him.

Thank you.

Look, I love the place. I really do, but I just can't swing 225.

And even if I could, I'd never get the financing.

Well, that's it, I guess.

I feel terrible.

For you, too. I mean, all that work and no commission.

Well, it's a real shame.

You know, there is a way we could salvage this.

How? Well, you know, you... Never mind.

Oh, what?

We could cut the purchase price to 15 and you take a three percent commission

instead of six.

What? That was drastic, I know, but not when you consider the three percent of 2

.15 is a hell of a lot better than six percent of nothing.

But... Yeah, I know.

2 .15 is still a little high for you, but we could give you 100 percent

financing completely relieving you of the burden of a down payment.

What? You take a note for, say, 12 percent interest payable only with a

payment for the principal to 2 .15 at the end of five years.

Sweetness, no? Stuart. I mean, no...

Down payment at all? Works out very nicely. Solves your cash flow problems.

Gorgeous condominium.

Well, Ned?

Sounds good to me.

Stuart, can I talk to you for a minute?

Yeah.

Yeah, what's up? I don't want to wait five years for my money. Ann, Ann, look.

If you get your money right now, you're going to plop it down on a savings

account and get a 6 % return on it, right?

I'm giving you 12%, plus you get to defer your capital gains taxes for five

years. Ann, it's a steal. Believe me. No, it's too convoluted. Are you nuts?

Look, this way you're getting more than your asking price because of the

commission cut and the investment deal of a lifetime.

I can't.

Anne.

I'm sorry. I just can't accept those terms.

Thank you for your interest, and I apologize for the inconvenience.

Give us until the morning, and I'll talk to her.

Brackman. I'll have to call her back. She said it's a crisis.

What?

Sheila, stop shrieking.

Take a moment.

What?

What do you mean he's dead?

Are you sure he's not just sleeping?

Oh, my God.

I'll call you right back.

Hilda, get me the police.

For God's sake.

Sparky.

So, you thought that she wanted this to happen?

Oh, yeah. I mean, I thought she was expecting to have sex, and that I'd be

of a wimp if I didn't, like, take charge.

But her resisting didn't suggest to you that she was less than willing?

Well, a lot of women resist.

Not that I've been with that many, but some think it's...

More sexy if they're sort of overpowered.

Why is that?

I don't know. I think some women are turned on by the macho thing.

And do you think that Miss Abrams was turned on by it that night?

Yes, I really thought she was until she screamed.

What happened when she screamed?

Well, it was sort of like a blood -curdling yell.

I could tell something was wrong, so I got off of her, and that's when she got

up and ran out of the room.

Nothing further.

Is it your testimony, sir, that women are turned on by having their panties

ripped off and their legs forced apart?

Hey, look, I'm not a rapist, all right? She wanted to have sex with me. What

about these bruises?

Did she want these too?

Objection.

Overruled. Take a look at these, people.

Now, here is a girl having fun.

Objection. Sustained.

She was yelling at you to stop.

She was struggling to get away. Now tell me, Mr. Bertrand, what exactly does a

woman have to do in order for you to get the message?

I don't know. Maybe she shouldn't have come to my room.

And why is that?

Do you only rape at home?

Objection! Sustained.

No further questions.

Yo, Mr. Brackman, over here.

How you doing, sir?

It's good to see you.

I must have driven by this place five or six times.

You said dark and out of the way.

Listen, everything all right, Mr. B? If you don't mind my saying so, you sounded

terrible on the phone.

I'm in a nightmare, Vinnie.

Please, I need your assurances that we never had this meeting.

Oh, let me say this.

PI, 15 years now.

Client swears me to secrecy, goes with me to my grave.

You want some lunch? They make a nice brisket here. I'm too upset to eat.

My dog's been killed.

What? My neighbor poisoned him.

We haven't had an autopsy, but the vet thinks it was strychnine.

That's terrible.

Sparky. My wife found him in the back corner of the yard.

He must have crawled over there to die.

You call the police?

They say they can't do anything.

I'm a dog lover myself. I know what you must be going through.

Some schoolboy did this to my little queenie. I mean, I want to go nuts here.

You know, I think I want to kill somebody.

Exactly.

What about that?

What about what?

Justice.

Justice? Surely you must know some people out there.

People in the underworld.

Who could give me justice?

Justice? How?

As in the hitman.

Hitman? Shh.

Look, look, look. Time out here, Mr. B. I mean, this is extreme.

If you're talking about murder, you're going to have to let me out right here.

All right.

Just break his knees.

Look, Mr. B, if you're serious, and I only pray that you're just very

overwrought and emotional here, I mean, what you're thinking about doing, it's

just plain wrong. I can't just let Sparky's death go unavenged. Could I

a piece of advice here?

Now, look, whatever your differences are with this guy, and I'm not trying to

make light of it, I mean, how do you know he even did this terrible thing?

Go see him. Talk to him.

Confront him directly.

It's the only way. You're a very wise man, Vinnie.

Thank you for the good advice.

Anytime, sir.

It's all part of the terms.

This isn't about sex, ladies and gentlemen.

Sex is something that's shared.

What we're talking about here is one person physically overpowering another.

What we're talking about is a man sexually assaulting a woman.

What we're talking about is a rape.

That's not mitigated by the fact that they knew each other or by the fact that

she liked him or even by the fact that she kissed him Now I don't care how

benign the setting was the fact remains that he physically forced himself onto

her and he raped her I Know that this is not your standard guy jumps out of dark

alley with ski mask in a knife scenario. This is worse Worse because after what

he did to her she's not only afraid of strangers.

She's afraid of friends She was raped By someone she knew.

Someone she had made a judgment about.

And she was betrayed by that judgment.

She no longer can trust friendship.

She no longer can trust her own instincts.

And she no longer has faith in her ability to tell the good guys from the

Because of what he did to her, every time she meets a man, she asks herself,

could this guy be a rapist?

Believe me, folks, that's one hell of a scar to walk around with.

The damage done to my client by this man is irreparable.

Absolutely irreparable.

And for the sake of this scared young woman, I ask you

to make him pay for it.

It's a strange phenomenon sometimes when boy meets girl.

Everything is so unstated. There are no pronouncements of affection or

declaration of attraction, just the opposite. We send signals, a little

maybe a squeeze of the hand.

Sometimes signals get mixed.

And the problem with playing this little guessing game is that people guess

wrong. According to the plaintiff, my client did just that.

But the thing you people have to consider here is not whether his guess

right or wrong, but whether it was reasonable under the circumstances.

They meet at a party.

Both have been drinking.

She's attracted to him, he to her.

And they leave after midnight to go back to his room together. They sit on the

sofa. They embrace.

They kiss.

And then it goes further. Then she now says she wanted it to go.

and she now claims that he must have known that she wanted him to stop.

Because she said no, well, unfortunately, one of the little signals

women are schooled to flash is the sign of resistance.

It's simply not proper to give sex freely.

Now, we can all say, hey, this is the 80s, but every woman in this courtroom

knows that it is more respectable, more feminine, and sometimes more alluring to

manifest the sign of resistance, at least initially.

You know something else?

The men know it too.

The simple fact is that sometimes we say no when we really mean yes.

And sometimes we say no when we really mean no.

And sometimes men can't tell which is which.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the plaintiff is asking you to punish my

client for not being a better mind reader.

But before you do, I want to remind you of a few indisputable facts.

She admitted...

that it was conceivable for my client to think that she wanted to have sex with

him. She admitted that she had said no in the past when she really didn't mean

no, and she admitted that as soon as she cried out, he retreated, and she

admitted that she blamed herself for much of what happened.

Two kids and a lot of suffering already.

There's no rape here.

Did things get out of hand? Sure.

But rape?

You know better.

May I help?

Sir, wait a minute.

Stand up, you murderer.

What?

If you want a piece of me, you know where to find me.

Somebody call the police.

Mr. Carrot, are you all right?

All right.

Be seated.

Mr. Foreman, has the jury reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor.

In the matter of Abrams v. Bertrand, we, the jury, find in favor of the

plaintiff, Laurie Abrams.

We further find that the defendant, Richard Bertrand, be held liable to pay

damages to the plaintiff in the amount of $1.

The jury is dismissed.

The court is adjourned.

What does the verdict mean?

The jury reaffirmed our belief that Mr. Bertrand sexually assaulted my client.

Ms. Abrams, are you disappointed in the monetary amount?

Oh, it's great. After legal fees, I get 60 cents.

Give me change.

This stinks.

I want a new trial.

I don't know that we have grounds for a new trial. And even if we did, I'm not

sure it would do any good.

How can you say that? The man raped me.

Lori, look.

You knew this was going to be a tough case going in. You were drinking, you

go to his room, and at least initially you consented to what was going on. So I

deserve what I got?

I didn't say that. But I think the jury was saying with its verdict that even

though you were assaulted, you have to take some measure of responsibility for

what happened.

The next jury will probably say the same thing, or even worse, we could flat out

lose.

You never really believed in me, did you, Mr. Cusack? I mean, you took my

because you thought you could win, and because you didn't, it isn't worth any

more of your time.

I'm suggesting that it isn't worth any more of your time.

Let it go, Laurie. You had your day in court. You established that he raped

Now, for your own good, just drop it. Get on with your life.

I'll tell you something, Mr. Cusack.

The only thing that I'm thinking of dropping is you.

I think we better discuss the situation.

What's to discuss?

You left those people hanging. Are you going to take their offer or not?

No. I shouldn't have to explain this to you, Ann. Then don't.

Ann.

Look, these people negotiated in good faith. If you pass on it, that's it. You

lose the sale. I'm aware of that, Stuart. And are you aware of the fact

opened yourself up to a lawsuit?

Your broker could sue you for this. Will you stop browbeating me? I'm not

browbeating you. I'm explaining. Yes, you are. You're selling my home out from

under me.

My things, my privacy, my space.

I didn't put your house on the market, Ann. You did.

Well, whose idea was it? Hey, go kill yourself, will you?

Don't you dare talk to me like that, Stuart.

Not you, Ann.

Them.

Look, I've got a lot of work to do, Stuart, okay?

Ann, if you have a problem with me, then deal with me.

If you have a problem with our living together, then somehow we'll deal with

that. But you're giving me mixed signals. It's not fair to me, Ann.

It's not fair to you. It's not fair to these people.

Dude, I'm really busy. I'm running late.

Can we please talk about this later?

I have to call your broker. What am I supposed to tell her? Tell her anything

you want. The deal is off.

So I just have to go and clean up your little mess, is that it? You are some

piece of work, lady.

And you are a manipulative, controlling piece of... Anne!

The world according to Garpowitz.

Hey, do you mind?

Close the shutters.

Shutters don't close.

Let me do it.

work done in this place.

Where are you going?

Home.

I got to work late. I'll be home late.

Not your home. My home.

Michael, there's a woman here to see you about the Laurie Abrams trial.

She says it's real important.

I'll tell her to come in.

Mr.

Cusack? Fran Winston.

Hi.

What can I do for you?

It's about the Abrams case and the man that raped her.

He raped me, too.

What?

About a year ago.

It was the same kind of thing.

We were on a date, and on the way home, he pulled over to the side of this

mountain road. He pulled right to the ledge so that there was no way out on my

side. It was a sheer drop.

And then he raped me.

Well, did you tell the police?

No, and I'm not going to either, or anybody else for that matter.

But he raped you. It doesn't do any good.

The police won't prosecute, and you can see what happens when you try to sue.

Why didn't you come forward before now? I could have put you on the stand. We

could have nailed him.

I don't want to tell anybody about this. I'm married now.

I won't let it destroy my life any more than it already has.

Then why are you here today?

I Want you to tell your client. I just want her to know that she's not crazy.

That man is a rapist Mrs. Winston and just so you know, that's not my real

Got

a minute sure

I just found out that the guy who raped Lori Abrams raped somebody else before.

Well, that information would in all probability be inadmissible.

Nevertheless, I think I was casting the same presumption as everyone else, that

somehow she brought this on herself, that she deserved it, when the fact is

was every bit as wrong as she says she was. Do you think your feelings in this

case compromised your performance?

Yeah, damn it.

When I lost, a part of me turned on her. It was easier for me to blame her than

it was to blame myself.

Excuse me. Mike, Doug Brackman's on three. He says it's an emergency.

Douglas?

Where are you?

No, no. I'll be right down.

Douglas has been arrested.

I'm so sorry.

Thank God you're here.

You've got to get me out. I'm going crazy. Okay, Douglas, take it easy. You

it easy?

They deliberately put me in a cell with homosexuals. What?

Homosexual rapists.

They've all been eyeing me.

I've only been safe so far by keeping my back to the wall. Douglas, what is

going on with you? This business has gotten way out of hand. Out of hand?

He killed Sparky and they throw me in jail? He's got a concussion. You could

have killed him. You could get jail time for this.

He killed my Sparky.

Okay, Douglas.

You loved your dog.

That dog was the only creature on this earth who loved me for me.

And this bastard took him away from me.

Forever.

When he killed Sparky, a part of me died.

You can't just let him get away with it.

All right.

All right.

But there's nothing we can do about it tonight, so... First things first, Alex,

did you bail out?

Okay.

Busy? Yeah, as a matter of fact, I am.

Too busy for an apology?

I'm sorry for all the chaos, Stuart. I was worried that I would lose all my

autonomy, and I panicked. Ann, all I ever wanted was for you to do whatever

makes you happy, all right?

I'm trying to.

So what do you want?

Did you call the realtor?

Yeah. Yeah, I told her the deal was off.

Oh.

Well, you said that's what you wanted, right?

I'll call her in the morning, and we'll make it work, okay?

Thanks.

Hey.

Home?

Home.

I love you, Garbowitz.

I love you, too.