All language subtitles for L.A. Law S03E14 Leave It to Geezer

previously on L .A. Law.

Say, Orrin, this might be a good time to
clear the air, so to speak.

What about?

About this whole kind of tripartite
substratum that exists among the three

us. Rock fans' attraction to you, me and
rocks, you and me.

Maybe another time, Dave. I've got to
get to a meeting.

Let the record show that Miss Kelsey has
brought a newborn infant into this room

to willfully and purposely disrupt this
proceeding. This is the dumbest thing

I've ever heard. This probably isn't
even your baby. You probably rented it

the day just so you could screw up this
deposition. I'll bet this is your idea.

This is just like you. Fine, if that's
what you want to do, you want to bring

in here, I'll subpoena the little
bastard and I'll drag it into court. I

the baby's intrusive crying on the
record. And I also want the record to

a piercing, shrill -like shriek
emanating from said infant. Will you

Bad day, huh?

Bad year.

I feel like the only reprieve I had was
when I was suspended from practicing

altogether.

And that was for going up against a guy
who'd never been to law school, who also

ended up beating me.

Well, it would appear as though you had
a gas attack.

What about the cold sweats and the
pacing heart?

Anxiety symptoms. You thought you were
having a heart attack.

Gas? I don't know whether to be
embarrassed or relieved. My vote is for

Look, go home, get a good night's rest,
and have your internist call me in the

morning. Thank you, Doctor.

Thank you.

Mr.

McKenzie, Miss Kepler's here.

Hi.

I'm in.

Have a seat.

What?

You're always so awkward with me in your
office.

Like you think I'm going to take off all
my clothes or something.

Jennifer... There's no easy way to say
this, except to just say it.

We have to stop seeing each other.

Why?

Because, simply...

I'm not happy. This is all about the
anxiety attack the other night, isn't

That triggered it, yes.

I had a frighteningly clear vision of
myself 10, 15 years from now when my

ailments might not be quite so
psychosomatic.

And if the 35 years between us seems
troublesome now, believe me, 10 years

now, you will hate me for it. Leland.
From the very beginning, I told you how

awkward this relationship was for me.

You didn't warn me about anything. All
you did was hide behind our age

difference.

You never really gave us a chance.

I'm sorry I can't give you the
commitment you want, Jennifer.

At my age... At my age, I've earned the
right to be who I am.

Anything else would be dishonest.

You are old, Leland.

I thought I could prove to you you
weren't.

Instead you've proven to me that you
are.

Thank you.

Moving on.

Hayes versus Skylight Entertainment,
Inc. Arnold?

Yes, Melanie Hayes, be still my heart,
has retained us to pry her out of her TV

series. Why? It made her a star. For the
last two years, she's asked them to

write her out so she could pursue a film
career. Her producers promised they

would. They never did.

Now she's up for a co -starring role
opposite Gene Hackman, and they won't

her out to do it.

Is she single?

To my knowledge, yes.

Can you fix me up? Take a number. All
right.

Dolgen versus the sports fitness clinic,
Leland.

John Dolgen was a somewhat overweight
corporate attorney who wanted to get in

shape. He went to the sports fitness
clinic because they advertised

designed programs by trained fitness
experts.

Midway through his first workout, he
suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, and for

intents and purposes, he was
vegetableized. This is potentially a

dollar case.

I'll buy a lot of Bearnaise sauce.

Indeed. Victor, you'll be handling it.

I'll get you the file.

Excuse me? Why is Victor being given
this case?

It simply makes sense, given Victor's
experience with personal injury cases.

What are you talking about? I've done
twice as many as he has.

Yes, but he's been winning them.

It was felt that the firm's interest
would be better served at this time if

backstopped Arnold's case.

That's a settlement negotiation. It's
not even a court case, and you know it.

We'll discuss this later, Michael. No,
we'll discuss it now.

I said later.

Move along, Douglas.

Jonathan, people versus Wanda Havens.
Trial starts tomorrow.

I am this firm's chief litigator. Not
only am I owed the decency of being

informed, but it is my function to make
this decision.

I'm sorry, but I had to act in the best
interest of this firm. This is not a

dictatorship, Leland!

You want to act in the best interest of
the firm, you call a partners meeting,

and you put the damn thing to a vote. A
vote would embarrass you, Michael,

because everybody would vote Victor.

Now, you're a fine attorney, we all know
that, but you've hit a bad patch, and I

will not have this firm victimized by
it.

Your Honor, at this time, I'd like to
show the tape, if I may.

Very good.

Members of the jury, you're about to see
a videotape that was recorded by the

bank security cameras the day of the
robbery.

What? Television?

We're going to watch TV?

Objection. What did he say?

What did he say?

Motion to strike.

Mr. Henderson, what are you moving to
strike?

That would be correct, Your Honor.

Run the tape.

Okay, this is me to the left of the
screen.

The guy, Harold, is holding his gun in
my stomach.

The other guy with the gun, Sam, is
terrorizing the rest of the room. He's

everybody lying face down, spread
-eagled.

This is Walter on the right with the
other guy, Pike, up at the teller.

They've just got the money, and they're
about to make their getaway. It's a very

clear picture.

I think it's a Sony.

Quiet! Run the tape.

They got us completely loaded.

Oh, for God's sakes, let's move.

Oh, Pike, calm down.

Pike, calm down. You idiot.

Come on, get him out.

We have to leave him. I'm going to
shoot.

You can't leave him. He's the driver.

Then get him out.

Oh, God. Come on, Pike.

You can help us out a little. He's a
ton. His colostomy bag must be full.

That's it.

I have nothing further, Your Honor.

Move to run the tape again, Judge.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

Mike, got a couple of minutes?

What for?

I could use some help with my opening
argument.

What's the matter? Isn't Victor
available?

I was hoping you could help me.

Look, Jonathan, don't get into the
middle of it.

In the middle of what?

I'm in the doghouse around here, and
they're sending you in to throw me a

I don't like it.

Everyone tells me I should accept a
little more supervision.

And when I finally come in looking for
it, you bounce me out on my ass.

I'm going into a courtroom tomorrow to
defend my first murder case, a murder I

might add to which the client has
confessed.

I'm fighting for this woman's life, and
you're pouting over a bruised ego?

Jonathan. What?

I'm sorry.

Let's see what you got.

I said I'm sorry.

She had been repeatedly beaten and raped
by her husband, ladies and gentlemen.

He terrorized her children.

This woman could not even go to sleep at
night because she was too afraid he

would come charging through her front
door with an axe.

Okay, okay, hold it.

Don't go into details about how she was
terrorized by him.

Don't go into it. It's my whole defense.

Your defense is to get the jury to feel
shocked and horrified by her story. If

you stand out there and tell it first,
you're just going to soften the impact

her testimony.

I have to set up my case, don't I? All
you have to do in your opening is to

establish your own credibility with the
jury.

Act fair.

Sound reasonable.

Also, concede parts of the prosecution's
case, the parts that don't really hurt

you. You come off believable.

The jury's going to be more inclined to
believe your witness.

They see you accepting Wanda's story.
They might be more apt to accept it,

because they trust your judgment.

Okay. One other thing.

You have a tendency to walk around and
pace a lot while you're questioning

witnesses. Yeah? When she's up there
testifying, stand still.

You want the jury's focus to be
completely on her. Don't distract them

around a lot.

But to the extent that you have to move
at all, go to the witness.

Drawing their eyes and attention to her
if her testimony goes the way it should

nobody should even be aware that you're
in the room What I

Just keep thinking here. I am in a first
-degree murder case There's still so

much. I don't know and this woman's
trusting her entire life to me. You can

this Jonathan You're a good lawyer You
can do this

Thanks. Skylight is taking a very hard
line with you, Melanie, which, quite

frankly, is fine with me.

I love your show.

You think this will end up in court?

Well, with your popularity and both of
our connections with the press, I would

love to have this go to trial.

Play it out in public.

What do you think, Mike?

You know, there's a question I'm always
dying to ask when I hear about

situations like this.

Why is it that you don't think contracts
apply to you?

Mike, well... No, I mean, if your
company decided to dump you four weeks

picking up your option, you would be
crying breach, am I right? Mike, maybe I

didn't properly characterize Melanie's
circumstance.

Maybe it's that you think of it as a
kind of artistic license.

No, Mr. Cusack, I've never been mistaken
for an artist.

But I have worked for the masters of
Montecito for the past six seasons

missing a call.

I've never been stricken with a
convenient case of laryngitis.

And not even last year, when a different
movie offer came up, they agreed to let

me go.

And then reneged.

I have repeatedly demonstrated my good
faith.

They have repeatedly demonstrated bad
faith.

For the record, I don't know why you've
hung in there as long as you have.

I'm going to fight for this, Mr. Cusack.

If that means I have to sit still for
some harsh opinions from a good attorney

who's got more important things to do,
that's a small price to pay.

What happened then, sir?

I had just served the guy another beer
when she came in. It was around 11 .30.

She, you mean the defendant?

Yes. She walked up to the bar right
where he was sitting. Then all of a

she has got a gun in her hand. Then
what?

She says, you're not going to hurt my
babies. You're not going to hurt us

anymore.

Then she raises the gun. And before he
could move or say anything, before any

us could do anything, she pulls the
trigger.

His head just fell to the floor.

There was blood everywhere.

What did you do, sir?

I think I stood there frozen for a
minute or so, like I was in shock or

something.

The next thing I really remember was her
crying.

She just started to cry, real
uncontrollable.

I felt sorry for her.

Then the cops showed up and took her
away.

Thank you, Mr. Gaston.

That's all.

Had you ever heard Mr. Havens make
threats toward my client, sir?

Sometimes. After he'd had a few, he'd
make very serious threats, yes.

Specifically, sir?

Sometimes he'd say he was going to kill
her. In fact, on December 18th, 1988,

you reported one of these threats to the
police, didn't you?

The way he stormed out of the bar, I
thought he was going to hurt her.

What did the police say when you
reported that?

They called it a domestic situation.

Did they indicate as to what they were
going to do?

They indicated that they were going to
do nothing.

Thank you, sir. And were you personally
in fear for your life that night in the

bar? No.

This woman is holding a gun less than
ten feet away from you. She just killed

man, and yet you weren't afraid?

I knew the man.

I figured she was just doing what she
thought she had to do.

I didn't think she was any dangerous
criminal or anything.

Thank you for your honesty, sir. Nothing
further.

Mr. Henderson.

Mr. Henderson?

Oh, Miss Van Holden. Van Owen.

Van Owen?

Any relation to Ezekiel Van Owen?

No, sir, not to my knowledge.

That's just as well.

He was put to death by lethal gas in
1937 for murdering his third wife.

I defended him.

Mr. Henderson, may I speak with you in
private?

Oh, absolutely.

I was hoping that we might be able to
make this

case of ours go away.

Sure. Just withdraw all charges against
my client.

I can't do that, Mr. Henderson.

But I am prepared to offer you a very
favorable deal.

Such as?

Probation, contingent on community
service, and no jail time.

No, thank you.

But they're guilty, Mr. Henderson. There
is no question about it.

Nevertheless, my clients intend to
exercise their...

constitutional rights to a fair trial by
a jury of their peers.

Well, then I'm afraid I'm going to have
to make a motion to have you removed as

attorney of record on the grounds of
incompetence. Miss Van Overland, I have

never been incontinent in my life.

Incompetent, Mr. Henderson.

You... You misstated the facts in your
opening.

You don't have the full command of the
rules of evidence, and on top of that,

you're hard of hearing.

Hmm? Why don't we go into court tomorrow
and get ourselves a continuance? Then

your clients can retain the services of
another attorney, and you can still stay

on as co -counsel. But then I wouldn't
get to give my closing.

Oh, I've already written it.

I think it's pretty good.

Would you like to hear a little of it?

No, Mr. Hendrickson.

I'm sorry.

This is not a nice thing to do to a
fellow member of the legal fraternity.

I know.

I shall see you in court, Miss Manolin.

About a month after the divorce, he just
started showing up.

he'd try to force me to have sex, and
when I wouldn't, he'd rape me. Did you

report this to the police, Mrs. Phavens?

No, not at first.

He was the father of my children. I
didn't want to see him locked up in

So you didn't do anything?

I told my lawyer, the one that did the
divorce, and we went down and got a

order that said he had to stay away.

Only he didn't.

A week later, he was back.

And what happened this time?

He tried to drag me out of the
apartment.

He threw me down a flight of stairs and
broke my arm.

My oldest, Jimmy, yelled at his father
to stop.

And Billy knocked him down and started
to kick him.

He was kicking his own five -year -old
son in the head.

And was it after this you decided to go
to the police?

I had to. I was afraid he was going to
end up killing us.

And what did the police do?

They arrested him for assault, and I had
to testify against him, and they

give him 45 days in jail.

And in court, he told me when he gets
out, he's

coming to kill me.

Did you tell this to the police?

They said that there was nothing they
could do till he did.

They said, if you really want to be
safe, buy a gun. The police told you to

buy a gun?

And I did, too.

I bought a pistol, and I kept it right
in my bedroom.

When did you next see your husband, Mrs.
Havens?

Two days after he got out of jail, he
showed up in the day,

and he had this real crazy look.

And he told me that this was the last
day me

and the kids was going to be alive.

And he meant it.

What'd you do?

I called the police.

And they said I could swear out a
complaint or they could bring him in for

questioning, but they didn't think that
they could lock him up. So what did you

do? I, um...

I put the kids in my bedroom for the
night so they'd be safe.

And then about 11 o 'clock, the phone
rang.

It was him.

He said he was coming to get me.

He was coming to kill me.

That's when I knew I had to do it.

What did you have to do, ma 'am?

Had to save myself and my baby.

So I stopped him.

You shot your husband?

I had to.

The police couldn't do nothing and the
court order couldn't do nothing.

I couldn't just sit and wait for him to
kill me.

I couldn't let him kill my children.

Thank you, Mrs. Havens.

Nothing further.

The reason that you claim you killed
your husband was self -defense, right?

Yes. When you walked up to your husband
at that bar, Mrs. Havens, did you think

he was about to kill you at that very
moment?

No, not at the moment, but I... Thank
you.

And was your husband armed with any
weapon at the time you shot him?

Not that I knew about.

Thank you, ma 'am.

Nothing further.

Come in.

Miss Van Oren, can we talk to you?

Actually, we shouldn't speak.

You are represented by counsel.

That's why we're here.

He tells us you want to have him
declared incompetent. That's correct.

We don't want another lawyer.

Laura Henderson's our man.

Did he tell you the deal I offered him?

We don't want a deal.

We want a trial.

Look, Miss Van Orden, we're four old
geezers with nothing to do and no place

go. This trial's the most fun we've had
since old Pike here stole a van last

year. and drove a bunch of us to do pies
in reverse.

But the truth of it is, at least I did
it.

Uh, gentlemen, holding up a bank, using
a criminal trial as a playground

to fight boredom isn't fun.

Neither is walking into a bank and being
told you can't withdraw any of your own

money. You made that deal when you
joined the home.

We signed over our Social Security
checks, and we signed over our pensions.

And then when the food and the care
stinks and we want to supplement the

of our life with a little of our own
money, we can't do it.

We never made that deal.

You broke the law.

And now we want our trial with our own
lawyer.

Okay.

What'd she say?

She said, okay.

Well, let's get out of here before she
changes her mind.

Miss Van Owen? Mr. Haber?

I couldn't help noticing in court.

You have a cute little tuchus there.

Thank you.

Just thought I'd mention it.

Jimmy, it's very important that you tell
the truth.

Do you understand that?

Yes.

Good.

Could you please tell everybody your
name?

Jimmy Havens.

How old are you, Jimmy?

Six.

Can you tell us who that person is
sitting right over there?

That's my mother.

Jimmy, do you know what this trial is
all about?

I know how scary this seems, but there's
nothing to be afraid of.

So I want you to be real brave and speak
up for us, okay?

Okay.

Can you tell us why we're in court
today?

Because Mommy killed Daddy.

Jimmy, your mother claims your father
used to beat her up, and that sometimes

used to beat you up, too.

She also said... Objection to form, Your
Honor.

He's six years old. I think it's
appropriate to leave.

The objection's overruled.

Did your father used to hurt you and
your mother?

Yes. Did he make you afraid?

Yes.

Can you tell us some of the things he
did to hurt you or make you afraid?

He told me not to tell.

I'm really not supposed to tell.

Please, Jimmy, your mother needs your
help now.

He knocked us down and kicked us.

Sometimes he cut me with a knife.

One time he poured hot water from the
stove on us.

Okay.

It's going to be okay.

Are they going to put my mother in jail?

Are they going to put her in jail?

I hope not.

I hope not.

I have nothing further.

I have nothing, Your Honor.

When the bank told us we couldn't
withdraw our own money, we were sorted

-help. That's all we did.

So, Mr. Grant, when you discovered that
the senior citizen's home had frozen

your accounts...

Well, answer the question, sir. You
didn't ask me the question. My God,

as bad as Sam.

Objection. Mr. Henderson.

Your Honor, may I approach the witness?

Certainly.

Where do you figure he's headed?

I think he's going to see Walter.

What's the big rush?

Gentlemen.

Stop making whys.

Just tell me how much money you took.

You didn't ask.

I'm going to ask you right now.

Mr. Graff, whose car did you drive to
the bank?

We took $16 ,000.

That was what our four accounts totaled
all pooled together.

We only took what was coming to us.

Ben.

I have nothing for her.

Your witness.

So you decided that since you couldn't
take out your money with a

withdrawal slip, you'd do it with guns?

That's right. And I'm not ashamed of it.

Well, if you're not ashamed of it, then
why were you wearing the masks?

Well, we knew it was illegal,
technically.

We thought we'd get away with it.

And we would have, if Pike hadn't gone
down.

I see.

Was the intent to rob the bank held
mutually between all four of you?

Objection, Your Honor.

It seems that one of my clients has
expired.

What? Pike Johnson's dead.

My God, Pike.

Dead, you say?

Bailiff. No, no, Pike, no.

No, wake up.

Clerk, call an ambulance and see if
there's a doctor around.

Move it.

I need some time, Judge. This affects my
strategy.

It's a contract.

Pure and simple.

We own her.

I'm not a thing to be owned, sir. Every
contract has an implied covenant of good

faith. The studio has not once shown...
The deal is, we give her dialogue, she

reads it, we pay her. The hell with good
faith.

This is the very type of blatant
contempt that caused this mess.

Melanie, hold on.

What caused this mess is the bloated ego
of an actress who's suddenly too

important to service the very vehicle
which made her famous.

That's it.

Meeting is over.

Suit yourself.

Be in court, Counselor.

Hold it. Hold it.

If this thing goes to trial, you both
lose.

The courts don't order specific
performance on personal service

you can never force her to be in your
show.

But they will enjoin you from working
for anyone else. Michael. Which means

there goes your movie deal and your
income.

Michael, please.

So look, instead of winding up here with
nothing but a stack of bills from your

lawyers, why not offer them...

six or seven episodes in exchange for
time off to do your movie. It's not that

simple. It's exactly that simple, only
you can't see it because you're too

intent on teaching her a lesson for the
sake of some studio precedent.

And you can't see it because you're too
blinded by anger over the way they've

tweeted you.

Michael.

Can I speak with you privately for a
moment?

Use this.

If you could do this movie, Melanie,
would you be willing to explore the

possibility of a settlement?

Maybe.

If you could have, say, half a dozen or
so episodes so you could truly map out

the departure of her character, would
you be willing to consider a settlement?

Possibly. So, I got one possibly and one
maybe. That's very nice.

Why don't you put together a proposal,
so will we, and we'll see if we can

hammer something out here.

Okay. Good.

Good.

We'll hear first from the defense.

Thank you, Your Honor.

They robbed that bank because they were
not allowed to

withdraw their own money.

The senior citizen's home had it all
tied up.

Well, my clients joined that home,
ladies and gentlemen. They probably did

consent to be treated like old men.

They did not consent to be treated like
children.

We're old, yes.

But dignity is not something that
atrophies when our bones grow brittle.

still have every right to be proud and
to be independent.

And when Walter Graff, Harold Cooley,
Sam Haber, and Dead Pike Johnson walked

into the bank that day, they went in as
messengers.

This is not just another stick -up,
ladies and gentlemen. It was political

activism.

It was freedom of speech.

These men are not criminals. They are
patriots.

Public servants of the greatest nation
on earth, the United States of America.

Oh, my mistake, my mistake.

Not guilty.

Here.

Thank you.

You can do yours now.

Thank you.

They robbed a bank, ladies and
gentlemen.

They went in with loaded guns, stole
money.

And could have ended up hurting people.

They are very sweet men.

But they committed a very serious crime.

Thank you.

Is that it?

Mr. Henderson.

I didn't hear her closing.

Did you hear her closing?

What closing?

What'd she say? Something about a
closing.

My client killed a man.

I certainly don't expect you to ignore
that.

Nor do I expect you to ignore her agony
or the terror which caused her to act

that night.

She was protecting her life against a
man who had raped her, against a man who

had threatened to murder her.

Go to the police. She did that.

They told her to buy a gun.

There's a scared little boy sitting over
there, praying to God you don't take

his mother away from him.

I know in the big picture, we don't want
people arming themselves and having

shootouts in bars like the Wild West.
But before you go back into that jury

room, take a look at the little picture.

She's no murderer, ladies and gentlemen.

What happened that night happened
because, as the police put it, the

her family was in her own hands.

Now it's in yours.

What happened that night was she walked
into a bar and shot an unarmed man in

the head.

A man who, by her own testimony, was not
about to harm her at the moment she

pulled the trigger.

As a matter of law, ladies and
gentlemen, that does not fall within the

definition of self -defense.

You want to feel sorry for her, please
do.

You want to hate the victim and feel
he's a horrible human being, please do.

That does not change the fact that she
stalked him and shot him without any

legal justification.

However much you empathize with her or
agonize for her, she committed first

-degree murder.

That's the only conclusion you could
possibly reach.

Will the defendants rise?

Members of the jury, have you reached
your verdict? We have, Your Honor. What

say you?

In the matter of people versus Samuel
Haber, Walter Graff, Harold Cooley, and

Pike Johnson, we find each and every one
of the defendants guilty as charged.

What'd she say? She said guilty.

I appeal, Your Honor. Go directly to
jail. Jail? I thought you said we were

going to get sympathy.

We have to go to jail?

Gentlemen, please.

Your Honor, I would like to formally
charge the district attorney with

Quiet.

Members of the jury, thank you.

Your service is completed.

Mr. Henderson, have your clients back in
this room next Tuesday.

Ten o 'clock for sentencing. Mistrial.

Appeal. Trickery. We are adjourned.

Mr. Henderson.

Oh, hi.

Look, don't take this personally.

I'm just saying this stuff for the
record.

Off the record, I like you.

I like you, too. And I'm willing to
recommend suspended sentences so your

clients won't have to go to prison.
Prison?

Oh, shut up, Sam.

You really would do that?

I would.

And I'd also like you to know that I
thought your clothing argument was

brilliant.

Honestly. Honestly.

Mr. Henderson, you are a fine attorney.

And I wish you the very best of luck.

Well, thank you very much, Miss Van
Orden.

Michael.

You did a good thing there.

Well, what else could I do? I want to be
able to sleep at nights.

Speaking of which, I'd like to join you
one of these nights.

I know, me too.

It has just been so crazy.

Well, how about this? We've been invited
out to dinner tonight by this client of

mine who I negotiated out of a TV
series. I can't.

Grace. Michael, Heiser and Monzio are
both out with the flu.

I've got to get continuances on about a
million cases. Plus, I've got to be

ready early tomorrow morning on People
vs.

Alvarez, which I haven't even started.

Dinner's out. Sleep is out. And as far
as sex is concerned, I vaguely recall it

is something very nice that normal
people indulge in.

Which we're not.

Michael, I'm sorry.

I miss you. I love you.

But I'm going to have to make it up to
you.

Hey,

this is a very nice closing yesterday.

Thanks, you too.

Look, I'm prepared to offer a deal.

Now?

Manslaughter two years.

These dens are looking stunned.

I'm not stunned, I'm just thinking about
it. Come on, what's to think about?

Your client walks in premeditated,
blasted, unarmed man. I'm offering

manslaughter? It's a dream.

A dream served up maybe by your
nightmares of an acquittal?

Very true. Look, I admit, I didn't give
you a chance in hell when this case

began. But you've even got me feeling
sorry for her, and Lord knows what the

jury's doing. But she did murder the
guy, and the best I can offer is

manslaughter.

Okay, I need a little time to think
about it.

Think away.

The clock is ticking.

The jury could be out five more hours or
five more minutes.

What to do?

Take the deal. It's two years and you're
out.

The other way could be pretty fatal.

What about my kids?

Are they going to take my kids away?

Yeah.

But there's a chance we can get them
back after you're relieved.

That means there's a chance I could lose
them forever.

If they come back with first degree,
you'll definitely lose them forever.

I can't lose my kids. I can't.

Jerry's coming in, Counselor. What?

Is it too late?

Did we wait too long?

No, but we gotta decide now.

I don't know. All right, let's take the
deal.

I can't let you risk 30 years in jail. I
promise I'll be all over social

services to help you get your kids back.

But, Wanda, we gotta decide.

Okay.

Okay.

The offer's still good?

Yeah. You want it? We want it.

Come on.

Nothing like waiting till the last
minute.

Judge, believe it or not, we have a plea
bargain.

Now? Right before the verdict?

Sorry about the timing, Judge, but we've
reached an agreement which we both

believe serves the interest of justice.

The defendant will plead guilty to the
lesser charge of manslaughter with a

recommended sentence of two years.

Is that acceptable to you, Counselor?

Mr. Rollins.

Excuse me?

Mr. Rollins.

No, Your Honor, it's not acceptable.

What? I'd like a minute to confer with
my client. Go ahead.

What the hell?

I want to call off the deal.

Why? They were looking at you. The jury
members were looking right at you. What

does that mean?

Maybe nothing, but if they're about to
hammer you with a guilty verdict, I

think they'd be so willing to make eye
contact.

Are you sure?

No, it's just a feeling. You can still
take the deal if you want, but my gut

says let's take the chance.

Okay, if that's what you think.

No plea bargain, Your Honor. Now, we had
a deal. Malcolm, I'm sorry. I can't

force the defendant to accept a plea
bargain, Mr. Gold.

Mr. Foreman, has the jury reached a
verdict?

We have, Your Honor.

The defendant will rise.

In the matter of People v.

Wanda Havens, criminal complaint number
89243, we, the jury, find the defendant

not guilty.

Nice

work,

Counselor.

Thanks, Mike.

Thanks for everything.

This may be coming home, Mom.

Baby, I'm coming home.

I hope you won't mind if I say that, um,
I'm glad your significant other

couldn't make it tonight.

Well, not if you don't mind the fact
that I've bored you to death with the

endless recitation of all the cases I've
lost in the last six months.

On the contrary.

It's been fascinating.

Well, you're very kind to say so.

Oh, really?

I mean...

What you do, the stakes are so high.

I know my case was just over a contract,
but the settlement you hammered out is

going to make a profound difference in
the quality of my life.

Well, I hope so.

You may be on a losing streak as far as
Mackenzie Brackman is concerned, but as

far as Melanie Hayes is concerned...

You're a winner this was no big deal
just take

Would you like to come inside?

I better not.

Well, it's been wonderful.

Thank you for a lovely, lovely evening.

Thank you.