Original subtitles

Previously on L .A. Law.

Oh, a baby!

Hi. Hi, honey. Oh, she's so beautiful.

Yes, she is.

Can I see her?

Sure.

You missed a spot.

Where?

Roxanne, do you realize that you and Dave are going to make more money off my

videotape than I am? That if you divorced him tomorrow, you'd come out

million bucks cash in community property.

Is that fair?

Rox?

Roxanne?

Thank you, Charlotte.

You're welcome.

Thank you, Wanda.

Thank you, Karen. Looking good.

Thank you, Rock fan.

Thank you.

Well, how'd we do this week, Gretchen?

Sorry,

girls. My aerobics class ran late.

Here's my workbook, Claire.

How was your trip to Cancun?

Fabuloso. I got a tan all the way up to here.

Uh, so you've lost six more pounds. Congratulations, Tammy. Thank you, Les,

I'm still way overweight.

Right here.

Would that we were all as disciplined as Tammy.

Thank you, Les, but I'm sure we're all trying our darndest, aren't we, girls?

Sure we are.

Roxanne, I see you've gained two pounds.

I'm holding water.

According to your Thursday night log, you're holding more than water.

I can't help it.

It's my husband's poker night.

He brings home pizza and ice cream and cake.

If you want my opinion, it sounds as if your husband is subtly encouraging you

to stay obese as a way of suppressing your sexual attractiveness.

What are you, the world's foremost authority on my sex life?

Well, it doesn't take an authority to see that your husband is expressing a

of latent hostility toward you.

Tammy, why don't you mind your own business?

You see, you're doing it too. Doing what?

Dumping all your hostility on me instead of on your husband where it belongs.

Excuse me.

That wasn't hostility.

This is hostility.

All right, getting started.

Meister versus prime location ticket.

Yeah, it's me.

Strain of trade and breach of contract. I'm going to be in depositions all week.

Dillard versus Richmond School District. Anne, you met yesterday.

We slid to Thursday.

Why? A little nanny crisis I spent yesterday home. And so it begins.

What begins?

The domestic emergencies taking precedence over work, we all understand,

sure. Although some of us have assumed you'd be a bit more resistant to the

of maternal gravity.

Don't talk with your mouth full, Douglas.

Ackerman versus Lewis Mortuary.

What's this?

A disaster.

Mrs. Ackerman called me last night.

Yesterday was her husband's funeral.

It all fell apart.

They mishandled the body. It still hasn't been buried.

We're rushing in to get a court order.

They mishandled the body, huh?

You don't want to know.

Yuck.

Davis versus Eastland Hospital.

Trial starts today.

You know, I still can't believe that the hospital is letting it go to a jury.

Their exposure is less than you might think. The woman made how much a year?

The most was 17 .5. They refused to admit a woman because she has no

She dies less than 24 hours later. A jury can always find a way to make them

pay. Lots of love and affection, that's the key. Just out of curiosity, what is

the hospital supposed to do? Fill up its beds with non -paying patients?

If non -paying patients are sick and dying, yeah, they're supposed to fill up

their beds with whoever needs to be in them. And then who's supposed to pick up

the tab?

Me? You ever get sick and not go to a doctor because you couldn't afford it?

ever not get a prescription filled because you couldn't afford it? You ever

watch your sister's baby die because she came home from the hospital before she

should have? Who's gonna pick up the tab?

I got mine, right? I got mine.

I hope you nail these bastards, Mike. You nail them to the wall.

Yeah.

Excuse me, where's Roxanne Myers?

Over there. Thank you.

Roxanne Myers?

Myers, yes.

We have a warrant for your arrest.

What? Could you step away from the desk, ma 'am? What are you talking about?

Is this some kind of joke?

Do you know a Tamara Jacobs?

Tamara? She's filed battery charges against you. Oh, my God.

Would you please step away from the desk, ma 'am?

You have the right to remain silent.

Anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law.

You have the right to have an attorney... Hey, hey, what's going on

Roxanne? Arnie!

Arnie, make him stop!

Would you just cut it out for a second? I am an attorney. Do you have a warrant?

Yeah, it's for real, all right.

Do you understand? Each of these rices... Look, look. Is it really

cuff her for a misdemeanor? I'm sorry, Counselor.

Everything's going to be all right, okay?

Jonathan will be right behind you.

He'll be back at your desk before lunch. Do you understand? Each of these

rices... Jonathan, stick with it.

Do you wish to wave your right to your name sign?

Do you wish to give up your right to an attorney during a blessing?

No.

Aside from reviewing the Adams file one more time, I think we're covered. Okay,

we'll get it to you this afternoon.

Yeah.

Hi.

Guess what?

What?

Turns out you didn't have to come down here at all today.

There's a few last -minute things we didn't get to this morning, and the

decided to start the trial tomorrow.

I'm glad I didn't take the whole day off. Well, as long as you're here, you

to go over the lineup?

Sure.

Dr. Brian McKenna, testifying as an expert as to cause of death.

followed by Hector Corvallis, former resident at Eastland, followed by Kate

Adams, former ER nurse, followed by Cornell Geisler, our insurance expert,

followed by you.

Sounds good.

I also have another offer to tell you about. Yeah?

$100 ,000 payable over two years.

No, thank you. Believe me, I'm not recommending it.

But you are still open to considering offers, aren't you? To tell you the

not real open.

Well, the point may come when you should be.

What are you telling me, Mike?

Just that we should be smart about what we're doing here.

This may not be a particularly good offer, but one may come in that is.

The fact that your wife didn't earn very much will in all likelihood be

considered by the jury.

The fact that she didn't earn very much is the reason why she's dead.

Now, I want to go to court.

Well, you don't have to fight us. We're going to go to court.

Just understand that Dorothy and I wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't

you aware of all the risks.

I have to be able to say what they did, Mike.

You don't send a dog out to die the way they did Jackie.

They want to give me some money?

Tell me, what am I going to buy with it?

This is only the second funeral I ever taped. Usually I stick to weddings and

bar mitzvahs. Well, I figured this would be the ultimate tribute to Izzy.

Objection. Just tell us some relevant facts, Mr. Greenberg. Okay.

All right, here.

They're lifting the coffin.

All right? And keep your eye on the big guy turning the corner. Fat Morty. We

call him that affectionately. He loves it. All right, I'm going to freeze frame

here. All right? You can already see on his face, Morty's in trouble here.

Double hernia last year.

Why he's up there, can anybody tell me?

That's Milton behind him. He's not really lifting.

All right, now I'm going to run this in slow motion.

Okay, there. Morty's starting to drop. The coffin's starting to flip.

Whoop! Here's Izzy, right out of the box. They're falling like duckpins.

Listen, listen, everybody's screaming.

I tried to zoom in on him, but I lost focus here, okay? But a little better,

huh? All right, now. Okay, okay, I get it. Stop the tape. But we didn't get to

the best part when we see that the body isn't Izzy. What do you mean it isn't

Izzy? They stuck the wrong guy in the box. Look at this, okay? Another close

of the guy.

Look at this. Isn't this great?

Some of my best work. Hold it, hold it, hold it. Turn that thing off.

Who was that in the box?

I don't know, but it wasn't Izzy. They chopped him into bits.

Sylvia. Objection. They sent his body to a research lab and they diced him. Mrs.

Ackerman. They diced my Izzy. Everyone quiet.

It was an honest mistake. You were supposed to bury him. You sent him to a

butcher's because he's chopped up like celery.

Everyone stop talking now.

Am I to understand that the bodies were switched and the real Izzy was

dismembered? To bits.

Yes, and we would like this court to order the defendant to retrieve every

piece of my client's late husband, as well as issue restraining orders to the

various hospitals who have him so he's not dissected.

These hospitals are out of state. I don't know if I can do anything.

I'll take this all under advisement and try and give you a ruling as fast as I

can in the meantime. Mr Bronstein I would suggest that your clients start

immediate steps to collect the deceased Unbelievable

You

didn't negotiate Dave out of coming along

hey would have been welcome speak for yourself Criminal complaint number 8847,

People v.

Roxanne Meyer.

Jonathan Rollins for the defendant, Your Honor. William Raleigh for the city

attorney's office.

Ms. Meyer is charged with assault after attacking a fellow student in her diet

class. I'd be looking to continue, O .R., Judge.

Ms. Meyer has no criminal record, and this was an isolated outburst provoked

the victim's derogatory slurs regarding my client's physicality. I told her she

looked good, for God's sake, and she punched me!

And this would be the victim, I take it? Civilian complaint, Your Honor. Mm

-hmm.

By any chance, would the victim's attorney be at all accessible at this

moment? I'm right here, Your Honor.

Roland Burnett.

Surprise, surprise.

Step up, Mr. Burnett.

You wouldn't be urging criminal prosecution to bolster your civil cause

action, would you?

Oh, no, Your Honor.

Oh, no.

Tell you what, I'm continuing this matter for one week, during which time I

think the attorney should get together and work things out.

If you do, I'll dismiss.

Is that okay with you, Mr. Riley?

Fine. What?

You're just going to put her back on the street?

Call me crazy.

Settle this, counsel. It'll make me very happy.

If you can't, well, I'll still be your judge.

That's all.

Next case.

Come on.

It's going to be a tough week for lunch.

Let's give ourselves a running start for a change. How about dinner and evening

and night?

A night.

A night.

Eric's got a birthday party to go to on Thursday.

I bet I could arrange a sleepover for him.

One for him and one for me. Thursday night's out. I'm on duty.

I just don't want to bend Eric's routine, Ashley.

Sure, sure.

How about lunch tomorrow?

Can't. Friday.

It's going to be in Van Nuys.

God, can you imagine how impossible scheduling a menage a trois would be?

about today?

Now, are you busy?

Oh, I've got to be in Whittier at 2 .30.

And I should leave.

I can't, really.

Let's go.

Dr. McKenna, you examined Eastland Hospital's records of Jackie Davis's

right? I have. Can you tell us what they say?

They say that on June 14th, 1984, she went to the emergency room complaining

nausea and fatigue.

She also had a severe rash. And...

What was done for her? Objection. Dr. McKenna wasn't present and isn't in a

position to testify what was or wasn't done. He is a trained forensic

pathologist who studied the records and the body. If Mr. Spitzer wants to refute

his testimony, he can try.

Objection overruled. The witness can answer. They took a pregnancy test. They

took her blood pressure. They took her temperature.

Then they sent her on her way. And in your best medical opinion, what should

have been done for her?

At a minimum...

They should have checked for protein after they took the pregnancy test. That

right there would have told them something was wrong.

There are simple blood tests for creatinine and urea.

They cost about $10 each.

They didn't do either one.

Had they done them, could Jackie Davis' life have been saved?

Objection. I don't think Dr. McKenna is trained as God, is he? He's being asked

his medical opinion, Mrs. Spitzer. Sit down, please.

Any one of the procedures I've suggested would have shown Jackie Davis to be

suffering from acute renal failure brought on by undiagnosed lupus

In other words, her kidneys stopped working.

She could have been dialyzed and put on medication.

In my opinion, she stood an excellent chance of full recovery.

Thank you, Doctor. I have no further questions.

Tell us, Doctor, what does the expression, when you hear hoofbeats,

horses, not zebras, mean?

It means that in diagnosing a patient...

You start by attributing symptoms to more common rather than less common

So when Jackie Davis came in complaining of nausea and fatigue, would you be

more likely to attribute it to a stomach virus or acute renal failure brought on

by undiagnosed lupus nephritis?

A stomach virus, initially. Which is exactly what the physician on duty at

Eastland Hospital did.

The problem lies in what he didn't do.

Thank you, doctor. Isn't it a fact that hospitals transfer and release patients

who are unable to pay all the time? Not patients who are dying. But Jackie Davis

didn't appear to be dying. She appeared to be stable.

And a simple battery of basic diagnostic procedures would have shown that she

wasn't. Which at the time didn't appear to be necessary.

You ever misdiagnose a patient, doctor? Not because they weren't insured.

Do you treat patients for free? I sure as hell don't kick them out the door

because they're poor.

I didn't become a doctor so I could stand behind a turnstile and watch

die on the other side.

I'm ruling that injunctive relief is warranted here, and I'm ordering the

defendant to retrieve the body parts of Isidore Ackerman.

But we've already got a lot back, Your Honor.

Mr. Ackerman's torso is doing from Cleveland, even as we speak, and this

we located his pancreas in Detroit.

There is still the issue of the head, Your Honor.

What issue? It went to a teaching university in Miami.

They refused to give it back. And why is that? They purchased it from UCAL

Medical, and they claim that it's a valid contract for goods under the

Commercial Code.

Now, if you nullify it on the grounds of public policy, we can take that order

and try to get the contract voided under some reciprocity, maybe. You want me to

render an opinion on the Uniform Commercial Code as it applies to the

of a human head?

I know, it sounds crazy, but we're getting desperate.

The police don't regard it as foul play, so they won't get involved.

My client's only chance of getting her husband back is through a court order.

Well, I'll give you the order, Mr. McKenzie, but I don't know what good

going to do in a Florida court.

Oh, I'll never see Izzy again.

Oh, my God.

My sweetheart is gone forever.

I'm sorry, Mrs. Ackerman, but I'm afraid the only real remedy here is money

damages. I don't want money.

I want my Izzy.

How can I bury him without his head?

I'm sorry, ma 'am.

We can try, but I just don't know.

Happy birthday, Mrs. Meyer. Our reservation is at 8. I thought you were

meet me at home. I was in the area. I thought we'd drive home together.

Let me just go to the ladies' room.

Dave Meyer.

Nice to see you, Douglas.

Dave Meyer.

Have you got a minute for me?

Yeah, sure.

I want you to know how much I admire your work, Dave.

Considering your success with Arnold, I was hoping you would indulge me for a

minute while I propose another videotape.

Well, I'm always looking for new titles.

Have a seat.

What's it about?

I'm calling it Office Management to Win.

As a matter of fact, I've been working on a script.

May I?

Yeah, sure.

It's rough, but I think it's in the ballpark.

They've called me Bean Counter.

They've called me...

Pencil pusher.

I don't get insulted.

I don't get defensive.

When the dust settles, they call me manager.

Very punchy. Staff people can stare into space when there's a lull in the work,

or they can oil chair casters so plexiglass rug protectors don't get

They can comb moribund files for paper fasteners and dividers.

I'm not altogether sure what the market is here, Doug.

I think it's vast.

Mm -hmm. Well, it might very well be.

Could we discuss this some other time?

Any time.

I'll be in touch.

Is it okay?

Expectamundo. Oh, you people have my sympathy.

Why's that, Dave?

I just had to listen to an endless Douglas Brackman spiel. I think I'd

have root canal.

This guy is insufferable.

Mike, I gotta tell you, whatever you paid McKenna to testify was money well

spent. That's why you're here, Russell.

That's why we're here.

Now, having made the necessary concessions, how about we talk some

Talk. We're willing to sweeten the original offer to the tune of $300 ,000.

Payable immediately.

For the death of an unemployed speech therapist, it ain't a bad day's work.

I don't know.

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Mike, the guy's a day laborer. He hasn't seen this

much money in his whole life.

Right.

And if you could have, you would have sent him home with a handshake and a

bill.

Well, you can't do that with me.

So what'll it take to buy you off?

I think the discussion's over, gentlemen.

Why not be honest about it? This is just greed.

You've got a deep pocket to pick and you want to come away with all you can.

You throw a dying woman out of the hospital because she doesn't have enough

money and you talk to me about greed?

Get this guy out of my sight, Russell.

How'd it go?

Well, they upped the offer.

Yeah? How much?

$300 ,000, payable up front.

Oh.

Now, it's possible that we could do better, but as I told you before, there

no guarantees.

I still feel like we're letting them off the hook, though. Look, in the end,

they are going to pay you some money, and they will be off the hook.

What we have to decide is whether this is enough.

You're the lawyer. What do you say? Well, this offer isn't going to go away.

The truth is, if they're this worried now, I'd like to see what they put on

table after you testify.

So let me testify.

I'll put you on the stand tomorrow while McKenna's still fresh in their mind.

All right.

You ready for this?

If you tell me to be ready, I'll be ready.

Good man.

Madam? Not for me. I'll have another mineral water.

Seems a shame that on the occasion of your 39th birthday, you can't even enjoy

one small glass of bubbly.

David, it's a very difficult time for me right now.

I feel that if I go off this diet, I won't have the strength to go back on.

Happy birthday.

You're a lusty wench regardless of curb weight.

Thank you.

So... You've been on this diet four weeks now.

Is it worth it?

I think so.

I've lost seven pounds.

Seven less pounds of Roxanne Meyer is not something devoutly to be wished for

my book.

Though dropping from cruiserweight to middleweight didn't take anything away

from your right crotch.

Doesn't make it any easier for me knowing that you're not on my side.

Roxanne, center of my being.

I am on your side.

At the risk of momentarily appearing self -absorbed, I would like to point

that our next life has withered on the vine under the gloom of your perpetual

depression. Every time I feel amorous, you're not in the mood. Every time I

a little snack, I have to drive myself to the all -night deli. Rock fans, isn't

there another way?

What do you think?

That I should quit my diet?

That's an option.

Another option would be to fast one day a week. Another might be just as a

suggestion to join a gym. Instead of eating less, exercise more.

David, I want to feel good about myself.

And I can't feel good about myself when I'm overweight.

All I know is once we were happy, we went out. We frolicked. We made love

abandon. Life was full.

In other words, you can't be happy unless I'm fat.

I can't be happy when you're depressed.

And if you don't mind an observation, you're more depressed now than you were

before the diet.

Sir? Ah, the souffle.

David, what is this?

Your chocolate birthday souffle.

Why did you order this? You know I can't eat it. Why not?

For one moment, give in to your appetites. You're a vibrant female in

bloom of mature womanhood.

Celebrate. I can't.

You can.

No. Yes.

David, please, don't make me do this.

She doesn't mean it. Go ahead, dish it out.

One bite.

One bite. Just to commemorate what is arguably the happiest day in my life,

day of your birth.

Put some whipped cream on there, would you?

Uh -huh.

Huh?

Go ahead.

One more for the road.

You know you'll love it.

Okay, now, given the extent of my client's pain and suffering and the

of the attack... Attack?

All I did was punch her in the nose. I told you she was hostile.

I think you'll find Ms. Jacobs' proposal more than reasonable.

This traumatic confrontation has destroyed my client's appearance.

You can see for yourself her injuries necessitate reconstructive rhinoplasty

be paid by your client.

Nose job. And the additional cosmetic surgery to restore Ms. Jacobs' eyes and

chin to be paid by your client.

I never touched her chin.

Just listen to the proposal, Roxanne.

Plus liposuction limited to the thigh and buttocks area and two weeks recovery

at La Costa, double room occupancy. I broke her nose and gave her a shiner. I

not paying from the neck down, Arnie.

My client was a beautiful woman.

Her body image has suffered greatly.

Two weeks at La Costa hardly begins to heal Ms. Jacobs' battered self -esteem.

Sit down, Rox.

Sit. All herbal wraps, waxing, manicures, and daily fiatsu massage to

your client.

This is outrageous.

Yeah? You're lucky I don't put your jealous fat ass in jail.

You come sashaying into that meeting wearing a skin -tight outfit,

about four pounds. You're lucky I only broke your nose. Ladies, enough.

Is that it? One more small item.

An apology.

In front of our system 21 class.

Delirious. Delivered by you in person. I'd rather be in jail.

Good. No more Mr. Night's Guide. Get a court date, Roland.

I'm out of here.

Settlement is fine. Everything but the apology.

That'll be a deal breaker.

I think I can sell it to my client without the mea culpa.

You'll drop the papers?

Have them on your desk tomorrow morning.

Come on, this is ridiculous.

This is a worthless bluff.

My hospital does not mistag bodies, and you are just trying to... The mortuary

said you did. Well, they're lying.

This whole thing is the mortuary's fault, and UCAL Medical.

We thought we were sectioning off Zuckerman.

We didn't know it was Ackerman. The paperwork on Zuckerman said he was 43.

You took your chainsaw to some 72 -year -old sick guy that any first -year

medical student would have recognized.

The paperwork said we had Bert Zuckerman.

We reasonably believe it was Bert Zuckerman we were dismantling. Well, I'm

leaving. My hospital is not getting sucked into this lawsuit. You're both

getting sucked in. Believe me. I'm cross -claiming you, and I'm cross -claiming

you, Cal Medical, as well. Forget it, Demure.

You'll also get about 200 pages of interrogatories in the next few weeks,

you'll both get a lot of negative publicity you can do without. Now,

cooperate with me now or brace yourselves for a nasty public nightmare.

What? What do you want us to do?

I figure a big hospital and a state university have certain connections,

influences even, with other hospitals and universities. Am I right?

Okay.

What's the point?

You want to be completely left out of this lawsuit?

Then bring me the head of Izzy Ackerman. And bring it to me fast.

Our seafood special today is a langoustine in a light cream sauce with

basil fettuccine.

It's excellent.

We also have the medallions of veal. I want the chicken.

We have a piarda, free -range chicken, and a tarragon and mustard sauce.

Broil it. No sauce, no butter, and a small salad. No dressing.

I'll have the lobster.

Just because you're in a lousy mood, don't take it out on the waiter.

I can't help it. I want the lobster.

Then have the lobster.

I'm on a diet.

which so far has put you in a permanently lousy mood and gotten you

assault and battery.

You think I like feeling this way?

Rocks, the only diet that's going to make you feel better is the one where

lose 170 pounds of Dave Meyer.

Thank you, Arnie, for being such an understanding friend.

I was your friend, I have to tell you. The problem isn't your diet.

And you're... And you're going to tell me what my problem is.

Yeah.

It's called displacing your anger.

The last person who said that to me got her nose broken.

Like rocks.

You know that I love you.

And even if I didn't think marrying Dave was a great idea, no one rooted for you

to succeed more than I.

But your marriage is in trouble, kiddo. Now, if you want to take a swing at

this, we're telling you the truth. Go ahead.

Thank you, Dr. Freud.

What are you, my shrink?

Don't knock therapy.

I lose a lot of business by sending clients to a good marriage counselor.

I don't know what's happening to me.

I'm desperate.

I can't sleep at night.

I cry all the time.

Can you imagine me punching somebody? I never punched anybody in my entire life.

I'm going to put you in touch with Jean Rubens.

She's a first -rate therapist.

Fine. Anything.

Will Dave go?

Dave will do anything I tell him to do.

How long had you and Jackie been married at the time that she died? Four years,

three months.

I was in the service station in El Paso when we met.

The day she got her divorce papers.

We got married.

What was it that made you take her to the hospital, Ray? She hadn't been

well for a few weeks.

She couldn't hold down her food. She was tired all the time.

At first, we thought it was just a bug, but then it seemed to be getting worse.

I was always on her to go to a doctor, but she had put it off and put it off.

Finally, she wanted to go. Could you tell us in your own words exactly what

happened when you got there?

First, we filled out some forms. Then we waited. I guess we were there about two

hours when a nurse came over and asked us how we intended to pay.

I said I had $100 with me and I would have to owe them the rest.

She said it didn't work that way.

She said they'd look at her, but they didn't admit anyone who didn't have

insurance.

Did they look at her? For about ten minutes.

Doctor took her behind a curtain and then told us to wait for the results.

About an hour or so later, he came back and said... Go home, honey.

You got the flu.

Tell us what happened then, Ray. We took a bus home, and I put her to bed.

The next morning, she couldn't even lift her head off the pillow.

I sat by her all day. I tried to get her to have a little soup or something, but

she didn't want it.

It was starting to get dark.

When she grabbed my hand and just like that, she was gone.

That was five and a half years ago.

Yeah.

Do you still miss her?

Objection, Your Honor.

Inflammatory. Strictly relevant.

Overruled. Ray?

Miss her?

Um, I still feel like I'm married to her.

Most Sundays, I sit by her grave.

The day she doesn't go by, I don't think of her.

I have no further questions.

Mr. Spitzer, I'm sure you don't mind beginning your cross -examination

morning.

No, Your Honor, I don't mind.

Her clothes are still hanging in the closet.

People said I should get rid of them, but how am I going to just pack them in

some cardboard box?

Yeah. They're here.

Send them in.

Is it true? Can it really be true?

Arrived this morning.

It's packed in dry ice.

I should get it to a mortuary or something.

It's impossible.

Oh, Izzy.

Is it really finally you?

We should probably check this time to be sure. Oh, it's him. Trust me.

We trusted the mortuary.

I want to see him. I don't think you should. I'm going to look.

It's easy, all right.

He looks good.

Why shouldn't he look good? He just came back from Florida.

Okay, close the box.

He's got that little smile he always used to have, you know? Close it, Morty,

please.

Honey, my dear sweet man, you are finally back with us.

Take your uncle.

It was all but his wish that you carry him to his resting place.

And don't drop him.

Okay, let me get this now. Come on, Morty. Okay. All right, go slow, go

Sylvia, come on, move up. Come on.

Very good. Excuse me.

All right. Morty, come on.

Morty, slow down. Milton, come on, Milton. Move it. Okay. Very good. Very

Let's go.

Lowly. Good.

Look out!

Mr. Davis, was your wife an American citizen?

Yes, she was.

And did she live here all her life?

Yeah.

Tell me, sir, can you identify her handwriting?

Sure. Please tell the court if that's her signature.

What is this?

Sir, is that your wife's signature?

It looks like her signature. Your Honor, that hasn't been marked. Your Honor, I

have here a certified copy of Jackie Davis' divorce decree, and I offer it

identification.

What's the point? The point, Mr. Cusack, is that this divorce decree was issued

in Juarez, Mexico, right across the border from El Paso.

The certificate, signed by Jacqueline Davis, then Jacqueline Baker, attesting

Mexican domicile, is fraudulent.

We got married by a justice of the peace in El Paso. Did you know that the

divorce was obtained in Mexico, Mr. Davis? Yeah, I knew. We were in love

each other. Her husband wouldn't give her a divorce.

Everyone said it was the fastest way.

Your Honor, request a recess so I can talk to my client. I'm not granting any

recesses right now, Mr. Cusack.

You should have known your marriage was void, sir.

Void?

Sidebar, Your Honor.

She was my wife, Judge. I don't care what the paper says.

Go ahead, Mr. Spitzer. Make your motion.

I move to dismiss based on the plaintiff's lack of standing to sue.

Based on what?

A photo set, a copy of some divorce papers from Mexico?

Mr. Cusack, these papers may be all he needs.

Mr. Davis, I'm sorry.

Pending the submission of written memoranda, I have no choice but to grant

defense counsel's motion.

The jury is excused.

This court is adjourned.

So we appeal, right? The judge is wrong, right? She's wrong.

I don't think she is. But one thing has nothing to do with the other. If the

hospital is wrong, they were wrong.

There's more to it than that. No, there's not. No, there's not. A hospital

supposed to take care of you if you're sick.

Ray.

You don't have standing, Ray. You weren't legally married, and you knew

the Mexican divorce. That means that no matter what the hospital did to Jackie,

according to the law, you can't sue. I don't care about the law.

I thought all we had to do was tell what happened. That's all it would take. A

jury would say they can't do this to you.

They can't treat you like you're nothing. Like it doesn't make a

whether you live or die.

Damn.

I'm sorry, Ray. I shouldn't have let it happen.

You didn't know about it, Mike.

I can't blame you.

You were the only one who was on my side.

I could have done better.

It isn't fair.

It isn't right.

What

kind

of law firm do you used to work for, Dorothy?

What do you mean?

We just got dismissed in the Davis case.

Why? Jacqueline Davis got a bogus divorce, which voids her marriage to

Ray's now out of court.

I saw the marriage license and I stopped there.

I know you did.

If you hadn't, we might have come away with something. I would have kept them

off the stand.

I would have accepted their offer. I would have done something besides get

torpedoed in open court.

It was my responsibility. I let you down.

You bet you did.

I'm sorry about this, Michael.

I'm sorry, too.

It was both of our responsibilities.

Is there anything we can do?

I don't know. If you think of something, let me know.

He never even told us his wife had been married before.

Douglas, I really don't think we have anything to worry about. No?

Trust me. The legal malpractice sharks are going to be salivating for this one.

You think this was malpractice?

I don't.

But you can be damn sure Ray Davis is going to find himself someone who does.

When I left him, he was a little too devastated to be formulating a battle

Believe me, that won't last. In about five days, this is all going to be your

fault. And he'll come after us like the wrath of God. Well, he ought to go after

somebody.

Hey, Mike, that somebody is us.

Well, maybe it should be us. How else is he going to get any compensation for

this disaster?

Uh -oh. This attitude worries me.

I have a distinct feeling that in an attempt to offer compassion, you served

admissions of negligence. Doesn't compassion enter into this at all for

long as it doesn't cost us money. Ah, the old refrain, the ultimate

consideration, the linchpin upon which all issues turn.

Don't get all high -minded on us, Michael. You're the one who screwed up.

Careful, Douglas.

You better not acknowledge that outside of this office. It might cost us money.

I never saw a head without a body before.

I thought you'd never will again.

I am not reneging. I'm just wondering whether there might be a better way of

addressing our marital woes. There isn't. And could we not talk about this

now? Okay. Just consider this as an alternative.

We cancel the appointment, catch the next flight to St. Louis, and I'll show

the house where I was born.

Dave. How can you take that which belongs in the sanctum sanctorum of our

together and put it in full view of others?

Whatever you do, I'm begging you, just don't tell her about the videos I made

you in Vegas.

She'll pick me apart.

This poor bastard trusts me to get him some pitiful excuse for compensation,

some money.

And I blow it. He gets screwed by the doctors, he gets screwed by the lawyers,

and in the end we all have a million reasons why we're not to blame. Michael,

never mentioned his wife's divorce.

That's not the kind of thing you can be expected to discover.

Well, his bits are discovered.

Well, he played out a lucky hunch. That any good lawyer would have had. You

know, I've always told you what I thought you were to blame.

This is not one of those times.

Your associate was supposed to dig up stuff like this. I was the one asking

the questions. I had two years to ask him the right ones, and I never did.

Can't blame an associate for that.

Anyway, I... I like this guy, you know? I hate

like hell to see him wind up like this.

Come on, Mickey.

Let's go home.

Lieutenant Ringstrom. Miss Van Owen.

You know Michael Cusack? At the Whitey Holland shooting.

Right.

Hi.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Miss Van Owen from the DA's office. Mr. Cusack. This is my wife, Sally.

Well, enjoy your evening. Thank you. Thanks. Nice meeting you.

So, here we are.

Here you are.

Here to explore the marital terrain.

Yes. I hope you have four -wheel drive.

I'm not sure I know what you mean.

Just a little quip. I have to say, in all honesty, that I was a little

to come here.

Were you?

Not to impugn the process, but... self -examination?

introspection, delving into why we do what we do.

This has never been my forte.

What made you decide to come?

Simple recognition that a mid -course correction may be indicated. I'm not

unaware that there may be trouble in paradise.

Nor am I oblivious to the fact that Roxanne is unhappy.

Are you unhappy, Roxanne?

Yes. Do you know why?

Correct me if I'm wrong here, Roxanne, but I think it is mostly a matter of

faulty communications.

An innocent comment is misconstrued. A supportive gesture is misinterpreted.

Suddenly you have this kind of domestic Bermuda Triangle where every attempt at

forging a bond gets lost.

Roxanne?

I have no idea what that means, David.

Lack of communication.

This is our problem in a nutshell.

Excuse me.

The problem in a nutshell is that I don't love

you. I have never loved you.

And I'm afraid that I will never be able to love you.

That is our problem in a nutshell.

I think we have a lot of work.