Original subtitles

Previously on L .A. Law.

Excuse me?

Let me explain.

A sex therapist renders their services exclusively in the form of dialogue.

Surrogates are partners.

That is rash, and you know it. Yeah, well, maybe it's time for me to be rash.

I'm a rich boy, Leland.

I had everything.

Everything.

It was easy to forget I was black.

And that's exactly what I did.

Two days on the job, they're already calling you the hanging judge.

Yeah, well, I had to sentence a 16 -year -old kid to a life term today.

You didn't have to, Grace.

He'll be paroled in 15, Michael. If I want to take a stand against gang

violence, I have to be tough about it.

Anxieties are neither normal or abnormal.

But nudity makes my knees wobble.

What the hell is going on?

I'm not quite sure.

But you know, there's only one way for us to find out.

Tomorrow, two o 'clock, you and I are going to get naked, Douglas.

That was spectacular.

You should feel very proud. The progress you've made in less than two weeks is

really remarkable.

Well, I'm grateful for the accelerated program.

When's my next session?

Well, maybe we should talk about whether another session is even necessary.

You seem to be incredibly focused tonight.

I can be better.

That isn't about performance.

You know, I didn't get it all, Norris.

I never...

Once, that of you.

This may seem hard to believe, but I think you've done it.

You've overcome your contempt for your ex -wife.

You unleashed yourself tonight, Douglas.

Yes.

Yes, I did.

You took me.

You took me and you established your virility.

You held me in your arms and you were the personification of passion.

My face feels hot.

Uninhibited and powerful.

Intangible. The fury of testosterone.

Surging with manhood.

I'm surging again.

You are so cured.

Thank you.

Okay.

Final offer.

We got replacement costs, plus medical, plus $10 ,000.

Which comes to what? Which comes to $57 ,000.

They can't replace our home for $57 ,000.

Well, they've had two different contractors both giving bids, coming in

$40 ,000.

Talking about patching up a wall, new door, new toilet. What about our things?

My mother's old letters, our family albums, things my kids made.

Edward, your private possessions have a market value of about $3 ,000.

Our private things make up who we are, Mr. Rollins. Those men came in, they

us up, they ruined our home.

I know, and they're claiming it was an honest mistake.

And that's all they have to say?

They can just trample us.

Listen, we have a decent case.

They have publicly admitted they screwed up. That helps.

But you're suing the Los Angeles Police Department.

It'll be tough.

Jenny, mother of kids, this affects us all, so it's a family decision.

Anybody want to settle?

I think we gonna fight.

Moving forward, we're all set in the Petramco meeting?

Rosalind and I have it covered. Three o 'clock's happening.

Good. Anybody hear from Jonathan?

Trial starts today, unless they settle.

Let's hope they do.

Be advised, people, beginning today, no pro bono or contingency cases will be

accepted without prior approval of the executive committee.

Excuse me? This is a fiscal safeguard designed to mitigate against potential

dogs.

Safeguard nothing.

Your little executive committee is you, Rosalind, and Leland. That means pro

bono will be voted down two to one every time. I don't think that's fair,

Michael. I take the cases I want to take, Rosalind. Yes, we obviously all

You took the Earl Williams case at a half -million -dollar expense to the

and to the Skinhead family, that cost us another $75 ,000. I doubt if we will

ever get paid for Victor's murder defense, the baby -killing parents, and

Jonathan's litigation this week is a liability as well.

Now, it's one thing to do occasional pro bono work. I'm all for it.

But we have got to exercise a little common business sense. I agree.

Here, here. What I want to know is, who made up the executive committee?

I did.

Within my authority as senior partner. Let's not overdose on authority,

Rosalind. Move along, Douglas.

That's all.

We're adjourned.

This is it? Your fancy office?

Now I can see why you left the PD's office. Look at this, a desk and a rug.

So come on, you really brought suit against this liquor company?

It's a good cause of action, Victor.

40 -year -old dentist, moderate to occasional drinker, never to excess.

Cirrhosis of the liver, dead.

And you can prove that it was the booze that killed him? I've got two forensic

pathologists who can prove it. And it gets better.

18 years, the guy drank only one thing.

No studs blended, which means I don't have to argue any market share theory. I

can go after an individual manufacturer.

Jimmy, you know that nobody has ever nailed a liquor company to this.

That's because all the previous cases involved chronic alcoholics. My guy was

moderate drinker. I've got enough character witnesses to fill Dodger

No pre -existing liver condition.

No comparative negligence. No assumption of the risk. We've got a widow with two

children. This is a perfect test case.

Perfect?

So why do you need me? Because I'm a bum, remember?

Come on.

And because I'm a solo practitioner up against a giant law firm.

I need your resources to fight him back.

Come on, Victor.

You and me at him again, just like the old days. We'll knock him dead.

I would have to run this by our executive committee, but...

Yeah. Yeah, I think I'm in.

Great. Settlement conference tomorrow.

This is going to be good, Victor. This is going to be good.

Tell me, Mrs. Manley, where were you at the time, ma 'am? I was sitting in my

easy chair reading the paper.

All of a sudden I heard someone outside say, Los Angeles Police Department.

You have ten seconds to open the door.

A split second later.

They broke it down.

How many of them were there, ma 'am? At least ten.

Every one of them with a gun.

My son asked what they wanted.

One of them put a gun to his head and asked where we kept the drugs.

What was your son's response?

He told him that there were no drugs.

And what did the officer do?

He threw him down, put one foot on his neck, and called him a liar.

He said one way or another they'd find those drugs.

Did you try to talk to them?

Yes. I told them that they must have come to the wrong address.

Sure.

And how did they respond?

One of them just knocked me to the floor.

What were the other officers doing at the time, ma 'am? They had sledgehammers

in these big iron bars.

They broke our sink.

They broke our bathtub.

We had a piano in the living room.

When they got through with it, all that was left was a pile of sticks.

Did they ever find any drugs?

No. No, but they did arrest you. Yes, they did.

They said we interfered with them.

My grandchildren were in their pajamas.

My son was in his jockey shorts.

They handcuffed us and marched us outside in front of all of our

But I said to the children, hold your heads up.

You haven't done anything wrong. Nothing wrong.

Thank you, Mrs. Manley.

I have nothing further.

Mrs. Manley, did the police have a warrant? They weighed some piece of

us when they came in.

They said it was a warrant.

And they were right.

Tell us.

Were there any firearms present in your house?

I didn't think it was against the law to keep a gun in your house.

Please, just answer yes or no.

My son kept a gun in the house.

I ask that it be marked for identification as Defense Exhibit 1.

Fine. That the record indicated to be a Browning .380 automatic outfitted with a

13 -shot clip.

The parties have stipulated that said weapon was recovered fully loaded from

plaintiff's home. So indicated. Your daughter -in -law assaulted one of the

officers present, didn't she?

The officer who threw me to the floor. That officer pushed you to the floor

after you failed to comply with his instructions and appeared to be reaching

under a cushion.

I didn't reach under any cushion.

Your son, your daughter -in -law, your grandchildren, they were all screaming

obscenities, weren't they? They were watching our home be destroyed.

What would you have done? That's right, what was I supposed to do? Quiet!

Maybe if you had been a little more cooperative, that wouldn't have been

necessary. We were five people, scared to death.

Watching an army of madmen destroy everything we own.

I want order in here.

And

Officer

Carlson, you reasonably believed the suspect to be carrying drugs on his

Yes, and that's why we're about to search him. And what happened?

Well, as soon as he realized that we were about to frisk him, he just took

And we went in pursuit on foot.

Eventually catching him? Yeah. He ran down a dead -end alley and we cornered

him.

The next thing I remember is I saw the gun.

He produced the gun.

He being the miner?

Yes, ma 'am.

What then, officer?

He pointed it and he shot Walt.

What went down?

Then the suspect pointed his weapon at me.

And? I discharged my firearm, wounding the suspect in the leg.

Even though he just fatally shot your partner, you aimed at his leg?

When he was a little kid. Your Honor, the officer's aim isn't really relevant

here. Sustained.

What happened next, Mr. Carlson?

I ran back to my unit. I radioed officer down in need of assistance.

Then I came back and I, uh...

And I held Walt.

He was just looking up at me like he didn't even know what happened.

And I held him in my arms and I told him to hang on.

But he didn't.

He died.

Right in my arms.

What was the defendant doing?

I believe he was crying.

I have nothing further.

I have no questions.

You'll never make this stick, and you know it. He drank.

He assumes the risk.

You've got comparative negligence. Nobody assumes that kind of risk.

You're not the first ones to sue us. We swat these away like flies.

You brought a motion to dismiss.

Ding. You lose.

Motion for summary judgment.

Ding. You lose.

Motion and limine. Ding. You lose.

You win. We just appeal.

Forgive me, sir, but the longer this goes on, the longer it stays in the

which just brings more exposure to the fact that alcohol isn't such a healthy

thing.

That's bad for business.

Bad precedent is worse for business.

Ding, ding, ding.

Sounds a little like a cash register, don't it? Are you having fun?

Look, if we can make proximate cause here, we do have a case.

Now, I understand you want to avoid a dangerous precedent, but the squashing

price will be 2 .3 million.

Unstructured. That's ridiculous.

Then we'll see you in court.

Deposition notice is for your CEO, your comptroller, and your director of

manufacturing operations.

The answer to your question?

Yes, I'm having fun.

From all appearances, you and your managers might have used a little excess

force in this situation.

Wouldn't you agree?

No, ma 'am, I would not.

Did you really think these people were dangerous?

When I enter a house on a drug bust, I assume everyone's dangerous.

A grandmother?

Yep. Children? Yes, ma 'am, children.

Couldn't you stop and assess the situation without using the methods that

did? Police officers are most at risk when they stop and assess the situation.

What were you afraid of, detective?

Same thing I'm always afraid of, ma 'am. Of being killed in the line of duty.

Oh, come on. You gotta be kidding me. Quiet down.

Why did you think that could happen here?

We didn't pick this house at random, okay? A reliable informant advised us...

that rock cocaine was being sold there, and we assumed that to be the case. Why

did that put you in fear of your life?

Well, whether it's rock cocaine or it's generally people who've been smoking

rock cocaine.

There's automatic weapons, attack dogs. We never know what's waiting for us

behind those doors.

Given all that, I believe that the conduct of my fellow officers and myself

entirely correct.

Thank you, Detective.

I have no further questions.

Well, it sounds like this was pretty standard procedure, Detective.

That's right.

Sure, police officers felt threatened, and they acted accordingly.

Yes. Is it fair to say, Detective, that you're more likely to feel threatened

going into a house in Watts than in a house in Brentwood?

If there was a crack house in Brentwood, I would approach it exactly the same

way. Oh, sure, we believe that.

Why are you lying?

Now, that is enough. I will have order here.

Why do I have this feeling you'd be more careful in Brentwood, Detective?

Objection. Why do I think you wouldn't have to trash a house in order to search

it in that part of town?

Listen, Counselor, when we go into a house looking for drugs, we move fast

we make a lot of noise.

It is policy to scare the hell out of whoever's in there. It is policy to

paralyze them with fear, to keep them from running away, to keep them from

shooting at us. Is it policy to beat the crap out of them when they're not

running away and when they're not shooting at you?

Objection. Sustained. Tell us.

Did you think these people hid drugs in a sealed porcelain bathtub?

I didn't know. Didn't know, but you destroyed it on the chance that they

Did you think they hid drugs inside of a piano?

Or did you think they hid drugs inside of their children's toy?

I didn't know. No, but you destroyed them just in case. We had a job to do

we did it. Your job, detective, is not to brutalize innocent people. No,

counselor, my job is to go out and to bring in guilty people, okay? Now,

what I thought we were doing.

Did that give you permission to attack this family? Are you willing to go in

ahead of me? Hey, I'll ask the questions here, detective.

Did you think you had permission?

I don't need permission.

As long as I'm going in first.

I don't need permission.

That's because you're a traitor.

Order.

How long had you been delivering drugs, Felix?

About a year.

Can you tell me why you decided to do this?

I don't know.

Everybody does.

And I got money for it.

Did you know it's against the law?

Yes, ma 'am.

I don't do it anymore.

Who was the person that you delivered the drugs for?

I'm not supposed to tell.

Well, who told you not to tell?

Your Honor, he hasn't told us either.

We know it's an older boy, and we know that this boy's threatened to kill Felix

if he ever reveals his identity.

Is that true, Felix? Did he say that he would kill you if you told us his name?

Yes, ma 'am.

Where did you get the gun?

He gave it to me. The same boy?

Yes.

Felix, I want you to tell me why you shot the police officer.

Because he was going to take the craft.

If anybody tries to take the crack, I'm supposed to shoot them.

I'm sorry.

Okay, I want to meet with the psychiatrist.

I want to see the school records and the probation report. Right here, Your

Honor. I'll meet with counsel 10 a .m. tomorrow in my chambers.

All right, Felix, you can get down now.

Okay. I think we're done.

Okay. Time for more progress.

No, Douglas. Your therapy is completed. There's no need for any additional

treatment.

You mean we're done?

Yes, Douglas.

You're fine.

Okay.

Good.

That's good.

You know, why don't we go out tonight and celebrate?

No, I make it a strict policy of never seeing any of my clients socially.

But I just thought... I mean, we seem to get along so well that I thought that

maybe a break in policy was warranted.

I'm flattered. I really am.

But I explained all of this to you in the beginning.

Our relationship is strictly clinical.

Marilyn. Marilyn.

The other day, we were making passionate love together.

I know this is your job, and it's supposed to mean nothing to you, but did

mean absolutely nothing?

Of course not.

But emotionally, I have to remain detached.

I explained all of this to you.

But the things we talked about, God, we talked about everything.

At $95 an hour.

Douglas, I enjoyed our sessions.

You're a sweet, fascinating man.

We had prolific sex.

Of course you're going to find yourself emotionally bonding a little.

But that will pass.

Really, it will.

Oh, that's my two o 'clock.

This is it, then.

Goodbye.

I wish you the best of luck.

Hi, Marilyn.

Hi, Ed. Come on in. I know I'm early, but I'm anticipating a breakthrough.

Excellent, Ed. Excellent.

What has it been? Eight years? At least. Ever since I left centuries.

And to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?

Rosalind, you've always known me to be blunt, and time hasn't changed me.

I'm now general counsel at no other companies.

You're aware that your firm is in litigation with us.

Yes, I am. Well, at the risk of seeming inappropriate, I'd like to solicit your

participation.

If you're asking me to do something unethical, the answer is no.

No such request, I assure you. I just want you to look at this.

In a nutshell, your co -counsel, Jimmy Hoffs, is a struggling solo

somewhat deluded, looking for a big home run, which he'll never get.

I don't know Jimmy Hoffs, but I do know Victor Cifuentes. He is not at all

deluded. If he says he has a case, I believe him. I know all about Mr.

Cifuentes. He's very good.

I've even thought of turning our business over to this firm.

Of course, I can't right now because of the conflict, but who knows?

If this matter could be settled, it's something to be considered.

That sounds like a bribe.

No bribe.

I'm just asking you to look at this case.

Unofficially, we'd be willing to go as high as 350.

If you'd find that a fair offer, then there's nothing wrong in recommending

settlement to your client, is there?

I'll look into it.

Excellent. It'd be great if this would work out for everybody.

Walker, where do you live in relation to the plaintiff?

Four houses down.

Seems like the police break down doors in your neighborhood quite a bit. They

now. How do you feel about that?

Things being the way they are, my biggest fear is that they'll stop.

What if they've come busting through your door?

Well, I hope that doesn't happen.

And I'm sorry that it happened to the manly. But living where we do, though, I

believe... That it is a price that we have to be willing to pay. Say what they

want to hear. I will have all of you.

A court officer will remove that man.

The next person that insists on making the speech will not only be escorted

he will be escorted to jail.

Consider this your only warning.

Proceed, Counselor.

What makes you willing to pay that price?

I guess I think too many children shot down.

while their mamas watch them play.

So you're willing to tolerate the police harassing people on the street and

breaking down doors?

I begged them to do it.

There were six crack houses on my street.

You couldn't even sit outside.

I know the police make mistakes, but I also know what they have to deal with.

I know that we cannot afford to make their job any harder than what it

is. I have no further questions.

Do you know my clients?

Yes.

Yes, I do.

What kind of people are they?

They're very nice people.

They never shot anybody, did they?

No, sir. They never sold drugs?

No, they didn't.

Then why would you sit up here and justify the police treating them like

criminals? When you are in the middle of a war, things like that happen.

Forgive me, ma 'am, but we're not in the middle of a war.

Martial law hasn't been declared. The Bill of Rights is still in effect.

And people still are supposed to feel safe in their homes. You are doing very

well for yourself, aren't you, Mr. Holland?

Let's cut the colloquy, folks.

You may be black, but you don't live where I live.

No, ma 'am, but my clients do, and somehow they still think they had the

to be safe in their own homes. Well, the police didn't take away that right.

That right was taken away by the criminals and the dope fiends that live

door. Move to strike non -responsive.

Overruled. You live in a nice, safe neighborhood.

You work in a law firm that is downtown.

I lay down over my babies every night, night after night, praying that a bullet

won't come through the window.

Nobody's suggesting that the police do nothing, Mrs. Walker. The question is

whether they go after criminals or just go after blacks.

I have learned that they can't always tell the difference, Mr. Rollins. And

that's all right with you?

Yes, it's all right.

If it keeps me alive, if it keeps my children alive, oh, yes.

That is all right with me.

Have you got a minute, Victor?

Sure.

What is the status of your case against the liquor company?

Looks like we'll be on the trial.

Well, don't you think it's me tough to sue a liquor manufacturer for an alcohol

-related death?

Yeah, very tough.

But, you know, we can make causation. We've got a pretty good failure to

count.

I think it has legs.

I don't know. There is a huge liquor industry in this country. An industry

will probably band together to try to stop you.

Yeah. What's going on here, Rosalind?

Victor, I have sources at Nolsted.

Unofficially, I think we can settle this case for 350.

And I'd like to... Not a chance.

What we have here is a corporate deep pocket whose product killed somebody.

so, you are looking to set a precedent.

That an old fiddle spent millions of dollars to prevent.

Exactly. And one of their millions should end up in their settlement offer.

All right.

In the long run, we can't make any money on this.

I cleared this through the executive committee, Rosam.

Recommend the settlement to the client, Victor. I don't agree with the

recommendation. Now, this is a litigation matter, Rosam, so I'll thank

defer to my judgment.

Excuse me.

Now, you should have known better, Douglas.

I mean, she was your therapist.

I know, but we just communicated so well. It was so intimate, so unspoken

sometimes.

Who's that?

Me already. What's going on?

Nothing. I think I've fallen in love with my therapist.

Oh, damn.

Douglas, pass me some paper, will you? I have only just enough on my roll.

Oh, hold on, Leland. I got you.

I certainly understand her reservations.

I mean, I was her patient, but a flat -out policy with no exceptions.

Douglas, if you want it, go for it.

Now, don't just sit back and whine. You're a man. She's a woman. Take

Maybe you're right, Arnie.

All right, Leland, coming over the top.

Oh, damn.

I'm going to go talk to her.

Arnie, you got another roll?

Yeah. Oh, thank you, Benny.

Thank you so much.

He's like any other eight -year -old kid. He's guilty of being influenced by

bigger kids on the block.

Except he shot a cop, Dennis.

Because that's the block he lives on. He lives in a neighborhood where kids

carry guns and sell crack.

Look at the psychiatric reports. They all say the same thing. Here's a

fundamentally good kid who's a product of his environment.

So what's left for me to do except change his environment?

Oh, come on, Grace. He's eight years old.

Patty, what are you looking for? I don't have the slightest idea.

But if we don't put this kid away somewhere, what's that going to say to

other kids out there doing what he was doing? So we take an eight -year -old

and just sacrifice him in the name of deterrence.

Feudal deterrence.

Well, we can't just kick him with nothing. He may be a polite kid, a good

student, but he murdered a cop.

Okay.

All right. I've heard enough.

What are you going to do?

I don't know, Dennis.

I'll take it under advisement.

But right now, I don't know what I'm going to do.

Glad I'm not you.

Yeah. Two o 'clock tomorrow.

I'm sorry for the intrusion. I won't take up much of your time.

You can bill me for it if you wish.

Douglas.

I thought I made myself clear.

I agree.

It would be ill -conceived for you to sustain a social relationship with a

client. But it's equally unsound for you to forever exclude the possibility of

such a kinship simply because of a prior professional arrangement.

Somewhere in all of that, I've lost you. My point is, I'm not your patient

anymore. There's nothing prohibitive about us pursuing a friendship.

It is if that friendship is founded on a prior existing therapeutic

relationship.

I'm not under your spell here, Marilyn. If you want to write off the emotional

attraction, fine.

I'll buy that.

Douglas? But I'm also attracted to you intellectually and physically, which has

nothing to do with therapy.

I'm standing here objectively with all my faculties in working order wanting to

get to know you better.

Now, if you can't return any of that interest, fine.

I'll walk out of here and you'll never see me again. But if you're simply

rejecting me on policy, then damn it.

I'm digging my heels in until I can talk you into having dinner with me.

The police invaded their house.

Operation Hammer blew through their doors.

They beat Edward up, kicking him, cracking his ribs. They knocked his

the ground, breaking her hip. They handcuffed the kid.

They destroyed everything they could. And you know the worst part?

That kind of thing happens all the time.

See, the police department in this city knows that most of us are so afraid

we'll let them get away with anything.

The result is you can work hard, pay your taxes, raise a family, own your own

home even, but if your skin is black and you live in Watts, to the police you're

just another criminal and you should expect to be treated accordingly.

Now, somehow the liberals don't seem to care.

Somehow, a good many African Americans don't seem to care either. What matters

is getting rid of the gangs and getting rid of the drugs. And that's it.

You know, ladies and gentlemen, a lot of people you wouldn't expect it from fall

right into line.

Whatever the cops want to do, it's okay with them as long as they do something.

Oh, my God. I think we need to look at what it is they're doing.

Seems to me...

What matters most in America is that everybody, the rich, the poor, the

the white, all of us have the same basic right.

The Constitution is the same in Watts or Compton or Englewood as it is in

Beverly Hills. And if you say that it's not, then we have far more to fear from

the police than all the street gangs on earth.

They had a valid warrant.

Everything they did was exactly according to established procedures.

The address on the warrant was wrong.

And what happened to these people should not have happened. And you certainly

should consider that. You should also consider this.

There are 70 ,000 gang members in Los Angeles County alone. 70 ,000. And

armed with assault rifles and machine guns.

That's why they call it the drug war, ladies and gentlemen.

And as of right now, we're on the side that's losing.

If we don't allow the police to treat it like a war, we'll be on the side that's

lost. And if you think it's bad now, just wait.

There'll be more drugs and more addicts and more dealers buying more guns.

My opponent would accuse me of appealing to fear.

The fact is, we are frightened.

And what we're frightened of... is real.

These officers didn't set out to destroy a house any more than they set out to

violate the Constitution.

And yes, the Constitution makes all of us equally free.

The police department's job is to make all of us equally safe. They can't

accomplish that in Watts the way they accomplish it in Beverly Hills.

And what most people in Watts know all too well is that if you're not safe,

you can't be free.

It's just that Jimmy Hoff was my lawyer, and I guess I'm just confused why he

shouldn't be here.

Cynthia, this is very difficult for me.

Normally, co -counsel agree, and that way they can present a unified front to

the client. Sometimes they disagree.

And this is one of those times.

I'm not saying that I'm right and Jimmy is wrong.

It could be that you'll agree with him and ask me to back off, and to be

perfectly truthful, that would make it simple for me.

But I do have an obligation to tell you what I think.

Okay.

First, Jimmy Hoffs is an excellent attorney.

And the fact that he's not perceived as such is a total mystery to me.

What do you mean he's not perceived as such? I have an inside source that knows

it. I've been told that they hold him in very low regard and that as long as he

is chief prosecutor here, that the offer will stay at 125.

Now, personally, I think they're wrong.

I think Jimmy can beat them.

And clip them for three or four hundred thousand.

Four hundred thousand?

Jimmy said that we could get three million.

Yes. That's where we disagree.

Do you think that three million's unrealistic?

It's not impossible, but... Well, no one has even won this cause of action

before, much less... Cynthia, even if you were to get that much, no one's dead

will appeal this forever.

By the time you actually saw the money, a million -dollar judgment would have

the present -day value of $300 ,000.

Jimmy never told me that.

Look, I know Jimmy's a little infatuated with the publicity he could get with

his trial, but he would never mislead a client.

He must have told you.

Um, do you think this case is worth what?

Between three and four.

I also think, because of my connections at Nolsted, that I might be able to get

that now.

Let me think about that.

Absolutely. And decide exactly what you're looking for, Cynthia.

If your goal in bringing this lawsuit is getting a public verdict and focusing

the blame on Nolte, stay with Jimmy. He's a great noisemaker. He'd be a

attorney for that.

But if you're in this for the money, you might consider making an adjustment.

May I take your order?

I haven't been a judge very long, but I hope I never have another case that

overwhelms me with such a sense of futility as this one does.

No matter what I do here, nothing gets served.

He is eight years old.

I can ship him off to youth authority, which would have a questionable

deterrence factor and which could end up making him much more of a criminal than

he is right now.

Or I could send him back to the same neighborhood where he'll be subject to

same conditions, the same influences.

Psychiatrists laugh at me when I talk about rehabilitation or

retribution. They tell me he is a kid growing up doing the things that kids

do in his neighborhood.

In Brentwood, it is street hockey and wiffle ball.

In Compton, it is drugs and guns.

His parents are good people.

They're law -abiding. They try as hard as they can. They're just poor.

Which leads me back to my previously stated conclusion, that no matter what I

do, nothing is served.

Felix, stand up.

I hope to God, young man, that you realize that because of what you did, a

very good man is dead, and two little boys around your age now have to grow up

without a father. And I also hope you realize that you could be dead, too, if

Officer Carlson had aimed at your head instead of your leg, which, under these

circumstances, he was certainly entitled to do.

You won't be so lucky the next time, Felix.

If you continue delivering drugs or carrying guns, you will end up dead.

I am releasing the defendant to his parents' custody.

He will be under house arrest for two years, except for school. Other than

school, he can only leave the house when accompanied by a parent. An electronic

bracelet will be attached to his ankle, which will monitor his movement.

I am also sentencing the defendant to a drug education program to be determined

at a later date.

That is my ruling.

We're adjourned.

Mr. Foreman, has the jury reached its verdict?

We have, Your Honor. What say you?

On account of wanton destruction of property, we fine for the plaintiff and

award damages in the amount of $43 ,000.

Order!

And on accounts of intentional and negligent infliction of emotional

assault and battery, and civil rights violations, we fine in favor of the

defendant.

Let's get this room. You're right here. Now.

Let me go.

Let me go.

Hey, look.

Come on. Come on. Get that door.

Get out. Get out.

Hey.

Hey.

Get in here.

Everybody okay? Everybody just stay put. Stay right here.

Cynthia Brown just fired Jimmy Hoffs. You know anything about that? Yes.

I advised her to discharge him. I also recommend... Where the hell do you get

off going to her?

Don't you talk to me like that. Jimmy Hoffs built this case. He did all the

legwork on this case. Jimmy Hoffs was giving bad advice.

And as co -counsel, it was my obligation to point that out to the client. Co

-counsel? You blindsided him. You blindsided me. I came to you. You

listen. Oh, it's crap.

Look, I don't know what the hell your game is, lady, but I'm going to tell you

something point blank. Senior partner or not, I don't trust you. I warned you

once. Don't talk to me like that. Well, what the hell are you going to do? Fire

me? Go ahead.

Don't think that I won't.

You have something to say to me.

You come into this office like a civilized human being and we will

But charge in here again shouting at me and I guarantee you I'll fire you.

I had a great time tonight, Douglas.

I really did.

Does this mean you might possibly consider breaking policy again tomorrow

Douglas, are you sure you know what you're doing?

Meaning what?

Meaning, are you sure you want to risk getting involved with someone who does

what I do for a living?

You don't take your work home with you at night, do you?

Listen,

I like you, Marilyn.

I like talking to you. I like being with you.

You know something?

For all of my professional experience, it's been almost two years since I've

been out with a man on a purely social level, and believe it or not, I am

nervous.

You are?

Yeah, I hope I don't become flagellant.

I don't think there was anything therapeutic about that one.

No, there wasn't.

All right.

Can I help you?

Yeah, I was one of the lawyers today in room 246 where the riot was.

Some of my papers are missing. I was told everything's still in there.

Oh, yeah.

Everything's still in there, all right.

Thanks.

Your Honor?

Mr. Rowland?

What are you doing?

I'm sitting here.

Looking at my courtroom.

a little bit of what's out there came inside today.

And I think it would be good for me to recognize that.

I gave a speech last week at the Bar Association.

And I said that the American courtroom is a reflection of society.

And society is a reflection of it.

Pretty funny, huh?