Original subtitles

Previously on L .A. Law.

Effective as of this Friday, I am resigning as senior partner of this law

What? I'll stay on as of counsel.

But one of you will have to take over.

I'm holding that this evidence, as a matter of law, is insufficient to

finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

I hereby dismiss the complaint. The defendant is to be released from prison.

Will you marry me?

Yes.

You will?

Yes, I will.

When you get up on that bench, you leave all those doubts in chambers.

Up there, you never show the indecision.

You make that room your courtroom.

This is hard.

Yes, it is.

Senior partners don't have it given to them, Douglas.

You want that job? You go out there. You take it.

Now, you've got my vote.

If you can't muster the support of your colleagues, that's not my problem.

You can take just enough support away from each other to make that queen bitch

the winner.

Ann. Stuart, I can live with Brackman.

Not happily, but I can live. But if Rosalind Shays gets control of it

It's not gonna happen.

Rosalind Shays.

What? She wins.

Three, two, two.

You're the new senior partner.

I'm overwhelmed.

You cast the deciding vote for Rosalind, Douglas.

I didn't think I kept the votes.

The firm would be better served by Rosalind than Stuart.

I was shocked.

They're running a frog jumping contest.

It's supposed to be a legitimate thing. I show up with my frog and they won't

let him jump.

What reason did they give for excluding you, sir?

They said he was too big. Now, there's nothing about size in the rules, and

suddenly they go too big.

The fix had to be in.

Objection. Sustained. I paid $1 ,300 for this frog, plus travel. Plus travel?

Had him flown in from Africa.

There's a lot of paperwork to be done on that, I'll tell you. You also put him

through a...

rigorous training camp, did you not? We did sprints, jumps, squats, big hops,

little hops, and I even put him on his little wheel for aerobic conditioning.

I tell you, I pushed that frog.

How much did this arbitrary disqualification cost you, sir? The

,000, which would have been mine.

You get an extra $10 ,000 for setting a record, which my frog could have done on

one leg.

Easy. I have nothing further, sir.

Are you real concerned with fairness, Mr. Breacher? What's a contest without

fairness? Yeah.

Four years ago, you attempted to enter a tiny but long -leaping runt toad,

didn't you? I looked like a frog. I was mistaken.

And two years ago, your winning entry tested positive for cocaine, did it not?

don't know how he got the drug.

Frog had a life. Mr. Breacher, your reptile has been known to eat small

Objection, Your Honor. It is not a reptile. It is an amphibian. Sustained.

How large is your amphibian, sir? It's big. Exactly how big? Well, with legs

extended, I'd say it was about three feet long.

Three feet?

It's one big mother frog.

Douglas, I think everybody's here. Why don't you get started?

Okay.

People versus Latham.

Joel Latham's been busted for possession again. Arraignments tomorrow.

Why are we in this? Because he's Abe Latham's son.

Say no more.

Breacher versus Wynn.

That's mine. Our client packages county fairs. The main event of one of them is

a frog jumping contest.

There was prize money involved, and one enterprising entrant got himself

something called an African Goliath frog.

An African Goliath frog.

Yeah. It was ruled ineligible, hence the suit. I understand that there's appeal

in things novel and strange. I also understand that as attorneys, we need to

amuse ourselves. But quite frankly, what I can't count on are the sort of

indulgences that hurt us.

How does this hurt us? It causes. It makes us look foolish.

What I'm saying, Jonathan, is that I think you're going to have to be more

selective of the kinds of cases you take on. Actually, he didn't take on the

case, Rosalind.

I did.

Moving along.

Jackson versus Haas. That's mine.

A young black boy was kicked to death by a skinhead. We're suing the skinhead's

parents. Why?

Why? Because a kid doesn't become a racist thug in a vacuum.

But suing the parents, to me, this is utter litigiousness. It's looking to the

courts for a payday. It's looking to the courts to fight bigotry. Like Brown

versus Board of Education.

Was that utter litigiousness?

What was the age of the defendant's son at the time of the killing, Ann? He was

15, Rosalind.

I think that's young enough to infer parental liabilities.

Good luck.

Move along, Douglas.

I said, why don't we move along?

Did you see that? She's taking over. I told you, Stuart. I told you. She just

backed you up on your case, Ann. That's a good thing. That wasn't backing me up,

Stuart. That was calculated manipulation.

She bossed me up. Did you hear the way she bossed me? She wasn't bossing you,

Dudley. Support, support, support. That's all she ever gets from you. She

me in the election. I'm the one who should be sensitive here. I think we

organize a little private meeting.

See how everyone feels.

Why don't we just take another vote? It's got to be done by executive

Article 3, Section 7.

Support, support, support. Not support and a rule.

Excuse me.

What's going on?

Nothing. We're just talking.

Benny has a little problem, Stuart. Could you help him out?

Sure.

Let's be grown -ups.

Two grams, simple possession.

I could probably plead him out and get six months minimum security.

Of course, if we go to trial and lose, we're talking a year easy.

State prison?

I doubt it, but third offense is possible.

Take the plea.

No, just a minute.

Don't forget the motion to dismiss. We have a real shot at getting it kicked.

Right.

In which case, he just walks?

Exactly.

Take the plea. Let him do the six months.

Excuse me? My son has a drug problem, Miss Perkins. Nothing we tried has ever

worked. Programs, clinics.

This is the third time he's been arrested. Every time he goes free. Every

he goes back to drugs. Maybe jail is just the thing he needs.

That may be, Mr. Lassen, but Joel is the client, at least technically. And it

would have to be his decision.

If Joel were capable of making tough decisions, we wouldn't be standing here

right now, would we?

This is my son, my only son. If something drastic doesn't happen to

out of this, I'm going to lose him. You are asking a defense attorney to

deliberately put her client in jail when there is a chance of getting him off.

That's the way you see it. The way I see it is I'm asking you to help me save

his life.

Slow down. Come on in. Tell me all about it.

It started because I wanted a new refrigerator on account of I'm getting

married. And the one I have, it doesn't get cold on the bottom part. And the guy

who came to fix it said he can't fix it now. And he said it'd be cheaper to get

a new one.

So that's what I want to do.

Because if I'm going to get married, I want to have a good refrigerator.

I agree with that.

But I don't have enough money in my emergency savings. I used it for Alice's

ring. So I decided to sell my baseball card collection for money.

So Jerry, he came and looked at my cards, and he said he wanted them.

Who's Jerry?

Oh, he likes my cards.

Only I can't give him all my cards because I promised Frank Malzone to Ed.

Who's that?

Third base, Red Sox.

No, that's Frank Malzone. Who's Ed?

Well, he's my friend who likes my cards.

Except he doesn't want all of them. He just wants some.

Mm -hmm.

And so I told Jerry that I couldn't give him Frank Malzone and some of the

others. And he got real mad.

And he sent me this.

It's a summons.

What's that mean?

It means you're suing anybody.

Your friend Jerry's gonna take you to court.

Oh, God.

Oh, don't worry. I'll look into it, okay? Don't worry.

I just wanted a new refrigerator because of the bottom part.

It doesn't get cold, I know.

When did you move into the house, Mr. Jackson?

April 87.

I was made the branch manager at the bank. For the first time in our lives,

were actually able to own our own home.

How did you like the neighborhood?

I liked it a lot.

We were near a park.

My son could walk to school.

We loved it.

Would you describe for us what happened to you there, sir? One morning, I went

out, and white power was painted on the sidewalk.

I reported it to the police, painted it out, and got myself ready.

Ready for what? I grew up in the South when people started talking about white

power. It isn't just words.

It wasn't just words here in California either, was it, sir?

No, it wasn't.

What happened, Mr. Jackson?

One afternoon I got a call at work from my son's school.

They said Nathan had been involved in an incident.

They said my son was dead.

Your Honor, I offer at this time the stipulation of the parties that the

of Nathan Jackson, age 14, was caused by the physical violence intentionally

inflicted upon him by Keith Haas, the 15 -year -old son of the defendants Jim

and Pauline Haas.

So stipulated.

It is further stipulated that Keith Haas was tried and convicted of the murder

of Nathan Jackson, for which crime he is presently incarcerated.

Again, so stipulated.

Mr. Jackson, would you describe for the court the anguish caused to you and your

wife by the loss of your son?

Your Honor, the defense will also stipulate that the pain and suffering

by this tragedy is both extraordinary and immeasurable. I'd like the witness

give his answer. The stipulation is noted.

The witness can still give his response.

Mr. Jackson.

I'm sorry. I know you said I had to talk about this.

I'm sorry.

That's okay, sir.

I have nothing further, Your Honor.

Have you ever met these people, Mr. Jackson?

Yes, sir.

When did you meet them?

After that happened and then again at the trial.

Do you have any reason to think that they wrote white power on the sidewalk?

No, sir.

Did they ever use a racial epithet in your presence?

No, sir. Do you have any knowledge that they knew that their son would commit

violence against Nathan?

Their son grew up in their house. They knew he was a racist.

But they didn't know he was about to commit violence, did they? That boy

fights with six other black people in the last eight.

15 months they knew.

Overruled. Where'd he learn that kind of hatred to stop a boy to death at a

school playground?

Their son did that, sir. How do you blame them? Because their son did that,

boy they raised grew up hating blacks.

Move to strike. The boy they raised murdered my son because he was black.

Your Honor. Mr. Jackson. How can I not blame you?

How can I not blame you?

It wasn't that his frog would have won. I don't know if it would have even

budged. It was very obese.

Why did you disqualify it? Because it was dangerous.

He's trying to enter this giant African thing with teeth, and I had to be

concerned for the other frogs.

Come on, your honor. Mr.

Reutemann. It's true.

The people spend a lot of money on them. They're like pampered athletes.

And if one of them gets eaten by his entrance, we've got a big lawsuit on our

hands. Oh, for strife, Your Honor, there's no evidence that my client's

eats at competition. Denied. I'm sorry, but the committee couldn't consider this

a normal frog within the spirit of the rules, and we felt that disqualification

was warranted. Thank you, Mrs. Wynn.

Mrs. Wynn, uh, Ms. Wynn.

Are there, uh, rules guiding these competitions?

There are.

Do these rules limit the size of the entrance?

Who would have thought they could get so big?

Is it not true, Mrs. Wynn, that you disqualified my client's frog because

knew that it would break the world's record?

You don't want to be on the hook for an extra 10 grand.

Not true.

That frog was fat and languid, and it probably wouldn't have budged. You're

lying, Chief.

Objection. It jumps huge.

Hey, Mr. Breacher. We also suspected steroids.

Objection, Your Honor. Defamation of character, Judge. That's enough.

All right, I want to see this thing. Can you bring it in here? In a truck,

maybe. This is when I'm going to lose my patience.

Yes, Your Honor, we could have said frog here in the a .m. Good. I want to see

if it's really a frog, and I want to see if it jumps.

Have it here at 10 o 'clock tomorrow morning.

Drug -free.

We're adjourned.

Counselor? You don't deny killing Nathan Jackson, do you, Keith?

No, sir, I don't.

Why would you do something like that?

It started off as just a fight. I guess I lost control.

Can you tell us what part your parents played?

They didn't play any part.

What do you think they might have done if they had known you were going to do

something like this?

Objection. Speculative.

Sustained. We tried a different way.

How did they react to this?

They were very unhappy about it. Now, did you ever indicate to your parents

you might attack somebody?

No.

As I said, I didn't know myself it was going to happen. It just did.

Nothing further.

You look a little different now than you used to, don't you, Keith?

I guess.

Is this a fair and accurate representation of the way you looked at

that you kicked Nathan Jackson to death?

Yes.

Ask that this photograph be admitted into evidence as plaintiff's exhibit

one. So ordered.

Ask that the court instruct the witness to roll up his right sleeve.

Mr. Haas.

Let the record reflected on the witnesses right forearm is a tattoo of a

swastika Did you have that at the time of the murder?

I? Believe I did did your parents know about it. Yeah, you know what did they

say when you first came home with it?

I don't remember The reason that you attack Nathan Jackson from behind and

kicked him to death is because he had taken a walk with a white girl Is that

right?

Isn't that the reason that you gave for the attack Keith?

Yes, and you called her a race Traitor for walking with a black boy, didn't

She was a race traitor.

Are your parents race traitors, Keith?

Objection. Overruled. Are your parents race traitors, Keith?

No. Do they feel the same way you do about blacks and Jews?

Objection. Overruled. How do they feel about blacks and Jews?

At them.

I'm asking you, son.

You refer to black people as niggers. Did you hear that word at home? I'll

you this much.

They weren't ashamed of being white.

They didn't raise me to be ashamed of it either.

And you're thankful for that, aren't you? I'm thankful.

I was born with enough intelligence to know that white Christian people have

been getting pushed around from every direction.

We're tired of it.

We're fighting back.

And when the time comes, this will be our country.

This will be our courtroom.

And we'll be the ones asking the questions.

I have nothing further, Your Honor.

I can't hack six months in jail. Might be a good way to get drugs out of your

system.

What about this motion to dismiss?

You said we could win that.

And then what?

You're back on the street, you're getting high.

You're supposed to be my lawyer here, not my social worker.

I am your lawyer.

And I'm also trying to think of what's best for you.

This is coming from my father, isn't it?

This is what he wants, right?

Your father is scared, Joel.

He's scared that drugs are going to end up killing you.

I can't spend six months in jail, Abby.

I can't.

Look, I have always been straight with you, okay? And I am being straight with

you now when I say that I think your father is right.

All right, be straight with me on one more thing. This motion to dismiss, do

think you can win it?

Yes. Then that's what I want you to do.

He's the client, not Abe. If he doesn't want to plead guilty, I can't... Come

on, Abby.

He's a drug addict.

He wasn't on drugs when he was here, Douglas. I have no reason to question

capacity to make this decision.

Okay, Abby.

Technically, you're right.

Joel is the client. You're supposed to do what he says.

But look, if we do get this thing kicked, that kid goes straight back to

Are you going to feel good about that just because technically you were

ethically correct?

Let me tell you something else.

If we get the case dismissed, we'll lose Abe Lassen as a client.

I can't let that be a factor.

Look, Abby, I'm going to be perfectly honest with you here.

If I lose Abe Lassen as a client, I lose a big chunk of my clout.

The balance of power tilts even more heavily in Rosalind Shea's favor.

She already has the biggest client base. She's already been made senior partner.

Losing Abe Lassen is going to put her one step closer to having unfettered

control to do whatever the hell she wants.

Why don't you take me off the case? Cop the plea yourself.

If we did that, Joel would smell a rat.

He'd get a new lawyer, and the results for here would be the same.

You know the kid is better off doing the six months, Abby. You know it.

All we're asking you to do is steer him in the direction that would best help

him give up drugs.

Yes, I'm asking you to do it for Abe, and yes, I'm asking you to do it for me.

But I'm also asking you to do it for Joel.

It may be his only chance, for God's sake.

Okay. I'll see if I can convince him.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Look, he's willing to sell them to you, Mr. Svetka. He just wants to hold back a

few for Ed. He's looking to hold back Heine -Manouche. He's looking to hold

Gus Bell.

He's looking to hold back a 62 Warren Spahn in near -mint condition.

I never said I'd sell them to you, Jerry. Whether express or implied,

representations were made, which I placed reliance upon thereto.

Are you an attorney?

Freelance paralegal.

Aha. Well, you think that's going to make it easy for you?

Look, what are we talking about here? A couple hundred bucks? Try 13 ,000, and

it's an appreciating asset.

He's got an important collection, Mr. Markowitz. I'm not about to just watch

slip away.

You'll see by the affidavits annexed here, too, that all parties have been

served, a TRO has been issued, freezing any subsequent transfers, and

depositions have been scheduled.

You've got to be kidding.

I know my way around litigation, Mr. Markowitz.

Maybe even better than your average tax attorney.

Look, you want to go to court, we'll go to court.

Stewart! Benny, I want those cards placed in escrow. Excuse me.

I don't want to go to court. You said we wouldn't have to.

It's going to be fine, Benny. Don't worry. It's just going to be fine.

How goes life at the top?

As lonely as it cracked up to be.

I'm still a little terrified, Leland.

You've got nothing to worry about.

I'd be a little more self -assured if I'd gotten your vote.

Well, you won the election, Rosalind.

Having done so, you get my full support.

You need anything, you just ask.

Thank you.

There is one thing you could do for me.

Name it.

Start wearing your hearing aids.

Excuse me? I'm sorry.

I know that you wear them to court and at home in your private life. I think

should wear them here.

But that's a personal decision, Rosalind. Leland, if a client's

is compromised because you didn't catch something or you misheard something,

this firm could be subject to a malpractice suit.

Oh, but that's never happened, Rosalind. And it probably never will.

But your hearing disability is known.

And that makes the possibility of a mishap foreseeable. And that leaves us

exposed to potential liability.

Just as you had to look after this place when you were in charge, so now must

I.

Okay, well... Well, well.

I knew he liked to wear his hair short, and I knew he joined that group.

But kids go through stuff like this. I thought he'd grow out of it. Kids don't

usually commit murder, sir.

I had no idea he could ever do something like that.

But what if you had, Mr. Haas?

What if you had had any inkling at all that your son could attack somebody the

way he went after Nathan Jackson?

I would have tried to stop him. I don't know whether I would have succeeded or

not, but I sure as hell would have tried.

I have no further questions.

Did you ever tell your son not to join the skinhead group?

He was a mixed -up kid, Miss Kelsey.

He never listened to me much.

Did you try?

As best I could. As best you could?

Well, wouldn't that group sometimes hold their meetings in your garage?

Well, they weren't meetings.

A few of them would come over and Keith and them would hang out in the garage,

yeah. And you also let your son hang Nazi posters in his bedroom in your

Isn't it possible, Mr. Haas, that your son was led to believe that you approved

of all this? No, I never told him I approved.

Did you ever say, take him down?

Did you ever say, I don't want posters in my house that read, death to race

mixing or niggers get out? Hey, lady, I'm a parent just like everybody else,

praying to God every night just to hang on to my kid. So you condoned his

bigotry? I didn't condone anything.

Maybe we tolerated some of that stuff more than we should have because we

want him running out one day and never coming back. Oh, I get it.

What a relief it must be to know that after he finishes kicking blacks to

he'll be home for... Objection! If I thought he was going to do what he did,

would have broken his leg.

Mr. Jackson, Mrs. Jackson, you've got to believe me when I tell you that I'm

sorry.

Okay, exactly where are we?

We've offered $35 ,000, Your Honor, and they've rejected it.

$35 ,000 may seem low, but according to the financial statements submitted, the

defendants are pretty judgment -proof.

You could be chasing an empty bag.

They have a house, Your Honor. Yes, they do.

Valued at $92 ,000, carrying a mortgage of $41 ,000, leaving them with an equity

of $51 ,000.

and it could take a long time to execute the attachment and the sale. You really

want to go through all that for the extra $16 ,000? My son's life was worth

than $35 ,000, Judge.

Of course it was, Mr. Jackson.

But I'm sure your lawyer has told you this lawsuit is going to be very

for you to win.

Suing parents for the crimes of their children is a pretty novel approach, Mr.

Jackson. I know that.

And Ms.

Kelsey tells me that because...

A lot of people will be watching what happens here.

That's what I'm after, Your Honor. I want people noticing this.

Can you tell me what that accomplishes?

If I win, it says you should have done something.

It says that parents cannot raise up their children to be racist, murderous,

then just unleash them on the world.

I'm just working stiff, Mr. Jackson. I'm just working stiff, too. That's right.

The truth is, we're probably more alike than we are different. No, see...

Your son is not dead. Mine is, and I don't want him dying for nothing.

Something's going to come out of this.

Gentlemen, that's enough.

You want to go forward?

Yes, we do.

Summation's at 2 o 'clock, then.

As you can see, Your Honor, this is clearly a frog.

It's a very big frog.

What's that on its leg?

It's a little lace bandage, Your Honor.

He pulled a hamstring during a workout yesterday.

All right, all right. I'm sure it is bigger than any of the contest

commissioners ever imagined, but, Mrs. Wynn, that is a frog.

Thank you, Your Honor. May we expect a judgment? Hold on. I don't see it doing

much jumping. There's no evidence that it would definitely have won the event.

Well, I'd like to demonstrate then, Your Honor. May I remind the court of the

hamstring injury?

Just make it jump.

Okay, Richard.

Inhale and leap.

Come on, boy.

Inhale. I just had breakfast, Your Honor, so... Probably a donut.

Objection, Your Honor.

May I ask the defendant to cease the harassment during this demonstration?

What demonstration? It looks dead to me. He's gathering him to help, Your Honor.

About ready to jump. Look at his eye.

Oh, for God's sake. Oh, no, I can see it. Hey, you're sticking him with a pen.

Prodders are allowed. Oh, just get on with it, will you? I told you, it

jump.

He's attacking the judge.

Look at the teeth. I told you. It's vicious.

It's a vicious frog.

Get this thing now.

I got him. I got him, Your Honor.

I think he pulled another muscle.

After you recuse yourself, Your Honor. Forget it.

I'm going to take this stupid thing under advisement.

I want everybody back here at 2 o 'clock tomorrow.

For God's sake.

Let's just see what the district attorney offers.

If it's reasonable... Let's cut the crap, Dad. You want me to do time, so

not pretend we're talking. I want you off drugs, Joel.

Look, I don't even know what our options are yet.

If we can get an offer of six months, Joel, we should probably... No! You're

lawyer, not his. You're supposed to be looking at... We're all on the same

We are not on the same side. You want me in jail. Will you listen to me? Will

you listen to me?

For God's sake, Joel, I'm your father, you're my son. I love you.

But we got a problem here.

We can't seem to get by.

Well, prison's not gonna do it, Dad.

Don't make me do this.

It's the only thing left to try.

Six months is a good deal. Probably the best we can do. Ask your lawyer.

Come on.

You better get in there.

Not like you're going to San Quentin, Joel.

Listen to your lawyer. You don't plea and you lose and you get two years in

state prison.

You want that?

No, what I want is to be free. Look, I don't even know what our options are

okay? I gotta talk to the DA.

When the case is called, step up with me.

Jim, I got Joel Lassen.

Yeah, that's me.

Can we deal?

I'm looking for next to nothing.

You got a rookie cop thrifting the trunk on a moving violation. There's no

way... Yeah, yeah, what was it, two grams?

No intent.

You want a guilty plea, let him go with probation.

Yeah, yeah, okay.

What?

Well, we do it today.

You roll the dice with a dismissal motion, and I'm going for jail time.

Okay.

Six months?

Done.

People versus Joel Latham.

Jim Aoli for the people.

Straight possession, Your Honor. I think we can make this thing go away right

now. How delightful.

Defendant agrees to plead guilty. Joint recommendation for six months probation.

Defendant so agrees?

We do.

You got it.

Guilty. Six months probation.

Mr. Lassen, check with the probation officer, please.

Next case.

Probation? That's it? I can go?

Yeah. Way to go, Counselor. Look, Mr. Lassen, I didn't know the DA was going

to... I don't talk to you anymore.

Talk to your boss.

Come on, Joey.

Now, he only wants seven cards in total. The collection is meaningless to me

without those cards. Hold on.

Now, which seven do you want? Don't talk to my client. I'm asking him a simple

question. You told me I could have them, Benny. There was an offer and an

acceptance. A valid contract. Now, wait a minute. Back up.

Now, first of all, let me just say as delicately as possible that...

There are certain questions as to Benny's capacity to enter into an

agreement. He's trying to squirm out of it. I don't appreciate it. Don't talk to

Benny. I'll go for puny. When you needed Elroy face, I got your Elroy face.

I gave you Willie Mays.

Hold it, guys!

We're talking about baseball cards. We're talking about promises my client

relied upon to his detriment.

Now, he could have made other acquisitions. The trouble with your

is that he doesn't grasp nuance.

I never thought I'd tell him to you, Jerry. You ever hold a 51 Mickey Mantle

with four sharp corners and original gloss?

You're nuts.

These things come five to a pack with a stick of gum. That was a 54 Wally

Moon. He ripped my card.

He ripped it, not me. You saw it. I'm adding on a claim against you.

That was gross negligence. I'm amending. Pin your ears back, you little squid.

I'm leaving.

The big guy's up there. This is over, Benny.

You said you'd fix things.

Obviously, we can't start chasing parents every time a kid screws up.

And I'm certainly not suggesting that the Haases are criminals or asking that

they be put in jail.

Their son did this, not them.

What I'm asking is that they take a little responsibility.

Because the hatred that ultimately killed Nathan Jackson was born in their

They shrugged their shoulders when their son came home with a swastika burned

into his arm. They let him hang posters that read, Death to the niggers.

They sat back and did nothing while he repeatedly instigated fights with black

children. The most malignant assumption we can make about these people is that

they encourage their son's racism.

The most benign.

is that they ignored it and allowed it to fester.

Either way, it ended up killing Nathan Jackson.

Either way, they have to take some responsibility.

Lawsuits are about allocating burdens, ladies and gentlemen.

We use lawsuits to place the burden on the manufacturers to make their products

safer. We use lawsuits to place the burden on people to act in non

ways. Right now.

Today.

Let's put the burden on the parents that they can't just close their eyes to

bigotry in their own home.

Because if we allow the parents to ignore the prejudices in their children,

we allow them to turn away from racism and just hope that it will go away, it

will never go away.

And more kids like Nathan Jackson are going to die.

That was a stirring speech.

It really was.

It was so good, it could almost make you forget the law.

Under the law, ladies and gentlemen, you can't hold parents liable just because

their child is a racist.

Under the law, you can't punish parents for the sins of the children.

You can only hold them liable.

If they knew this crime was going to happen and they did nothing to prevent

And there was no evidence whatsoever that my clients knew their son was going

attack Nathan Jackson.

None.

This is not a case about racism.

It is about a murder.

And the evidence is uncontroverted.

My clients' only connection to this crime is that they were the parents of

killer. In Miss Kelsey's world, that's enough to hold them liable, I guess.

But in this world, under the laws of this country, it isn't.

It just isn't.

What was I supposed to do? The DA went for it. I was supposed to say... Because

you pushed for it. Listen, Abe, this was a difficult call. Where the hell were

you? You're supposed to be taking care of me.

I thought Abby would.

Thanks, Arnie.

I agree with Abe.

Jail time is what Joel needs.

Sorry I'm late.

Who the hell are you?

I'm Rosalind Shays, Mr. Latham, the new senior partner here.

Douglas has explained to me what's happened. Good.

Explain to me what you're going to do about it.

Well, under the circumstances... I don't want any circumstances. I want her

fired today.

Now, why would I do that? Why?

Because she ignored my instructions. That's why. Miss Perkins was bound by an

attorney's code of ethics, and she behaved appropriately.

This firm stands behind her.

These two don't seem to stand behind her.

As I said, I'm the senior partner.

I'll have somebody here to pick up my files.

You just lost yourself a client, senior partner.

I appreciate that, Rosalind. That was my client you just encouraged out the

door. How dare you hang an associate out like that?

Both of you.

Abby had no choice but to do what she did. And for you not to support her here

is reprehensible. Abe Lassen is good for about $500 ,000 a year.

There was no price tag on our ethics when Leland was in charge, and there

now.

If you find the defendants knew of their son Keith Haas' propensity to commit

violence, then you must consider whether they had opportunity to prevent this

violence. And if your answer to this question is yes, you then must consider

whether the defendants failed to take reasonable steps to prevent the violence

from occurring.

And if your answer to that question is also yes, you must then find...

for the plaintiff and award damages which you find to reasonably compensate

plaintiff for the loss of their son.

I must caution you, however.

It is not enough that the defendants knew their son to be racist. It is not

enough that they tolerated or even contributed to his racist beliefs.

There is no legal obligation upon parents to shape the opinion of

their children.

You are to focus only on the propensity for the violence and the parents'

opportunity to prevent this violence.

This concludes my instructions.

This court is hereby adjourned, pending your deliberations.

And good luck.

How could you possibly give a charge like that?

Anne, this is ex parte. You know better than to come in here. And you know

better than to practically guarantee a defense verdict.

I didn't do that. That's exactly what you did. You said... What I did, Ann,

to focus them on the issue at hand. Instead of the societal problem, you

them to cure.

I cannot send a jury back with the idea that they have an obligation to wipe out

bigotry. The issue was the violence and the defendant's connection to the

violence, and that's it. The parents helped cultivate the racism, which... If

that's all they're guilty of, then the defendants win here.

Your speech was sensational, but it was way ahead of the law.

And you want to run for office, I'll vote for you. But in my courtroom, I go

what's in the books. Those instructions weren't in the books, Grace.

Those instructions were tailor -made for a defense verdict.

This is ex parte communication.

It is inappropriate. And my friendship for you aside, I will hold you in

contempt.

Be seated.

First of all, let me thank all of you for the entertaining demonstration.

I've decided to muzzle him, Judge.

I don't care. Be glad I don't have him put to sleep.

First of all, I find that under these very unusual circumstances, the creature

did pose a safety risk.

Your Honor, how can you be objective?

It bit you.

Mr. Reutemann, if you make one more objection or move for a mistrial one

time, I shall order you to bathe with it.

The exclusion, however, was nevertheless illegal.

The event was an invitational open to all frogs, and Mr. Breacher did in fact

proffer a frog, albeit a gigantic one. There's no evidence that the physical

size was drug -induced, and so the disqualification was therefore

Fine for the plaintiff. Order the defendant to pay damages in the amount

,000.

That's all.

You have doubles of Luis Aparicio, his rookie of the year card? Uh -huh.

Okay. I'll give you that. You give me Johnny Padres and Gil Hodges.

What's, uh, what's going on?

We're having a meeting.

Benny, I think I should be involved, especially it affects the base. No

I can fix it myself.

Benny, we're talking about a considerable sale. Here's the check. You

in escrow pending the completion of the transaction.

This is for the full amount.

Hey, you're dealing with card collectors here. We're an honest group.

You have all the Dodger pitchers.

I still need Ralph Branca.

Oh. You give him Ralph Branca, and you give him Pee -wee Reese.

Pee -wee Reese?

It's a good trade.

Wait a minute. There's a gum stain on this one.

Well, give him Norm Sherry, too. What?

You still have his rookie card. That's better.

I don't know how you can do it, Ben. How can you give up your card?

I'm getting married.

Uh, oh.

Now, you need Joe Pignatano.

And he needs Chuck to feed you.

Thanks a lot.

Listen, I just had to come in and tell you, you're the greatest, and I thank

you, and you won't regret it.

I know the old man's upset, but everything's gonna work out okay.

Don't you worry. It's all gonna work out great.

Are you on cocaine right now, Joel?

No, I'm just up.

You're lying.

Listen, I'm gonna stop, but I'm gonna stop my way.

There's only one way to stop.

And you need help to do it. No, I don't.

I'm young, and I'm smart, and I'm too loose to break.

What I'm trying to say, Abby, is that this boy comes out on top.

I'll have those contracts ready for you by the end of the week. That'll be

great, Daniel.

Leland.

They got you working.

Well, we're under new management here.

Rosalind tells me the prospectus is done.

Oh, it's at the printers. Great.

It's good to see you, old friend.

You too, Leland.

I never knew he wore a hearing aid.

Oh, you're getting a little up there, you know.

Is that why he stepped out?

He's still a valuable contributor, Daniel.

I know, but...

There's nothing for me to be concerned about, is there? Of course not. You're

very good hands. I'm in complete charge here now.

Good.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Good.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor.

What say you?

In the matter of Jackson v. Haas, we find for the plaintiff an award the sum

$150 ,000.

The jury is discharged with the thanks of the court.

This matter is concluded.

Court is now adjourned.

You can

take my house,

but that's all I got.

I don't want your house, Mr. Hollis.

I got what I wanted.

Is there anything I can give you?

I'm so sorry I know you are