Original subtitles

Previously on L .R. Law.

They are things! They are just property!

No matter how expensive it is! No matter how much you love it!

They will never love you back!

Guys, is that what you guys always fall back on when you're at a dead end? Blame

it all on Mommy.

Fear of intimacy can often be traced to parents' destructive... Whoa, whoa,

whoa. Fear of intimacy?

If anything, I want too much intimacy.

Arnold, intimacy is the last thing you want.

I lost Corrine.

I lost Chloe.

I lost every woman who ever tried to get close to me, and I did it to myself

just like you're doing now.

You can't stop trusting, Benny.

Michael Walker was an angel worthy of any obsession or delusion. I didn't kill

him. You get me in acquittal.

What happened after your husband broke off his relationship with the defendant?

First she started calling, and if I'd answer, she'd say that Michael belonged

her. And if Michael answered, she'd threaten to kill him.

We have to give him another suspect.

Show the jury it could have been somebody else.

Who?

The wife.

Oh. The defense will show this woman murdered Michael Walker. Oh, this is

ridiculous. Not so ridiculous.

Are you telling me that the police did not consider her a suspect?

Objection!

Corey, are you trying to protect your mother?

No!

Okay, son.

Okay.

In the matter of the people versus Suzanne Hamill on the charge of first

murder, we find the defendant not guilty.

He's a good boy.

Has his father's eyes, you know.

He doesn't belong with that woman.

Excuse me? His mother. The connection wasn't there at all.

I bet Michael would prefer he be with me.

Suzanne was talking about Corey in a way.

I think there might be some danger. Mrs. Walker, can we have your reaction?

The victim, Suzanne Hamill, appears to have two bullet wounds.

One in the forehead, one in the abdomen.

Did you know that he called her?

No.

Where did you get the gun?

I bought it from a kid at school.

Should I die?

Yeah, honey, go ahead.

I used it to kill Dad.

Oh, God.

I just got my own client killed.

What are we going to do?

I don't know.

Come on, Hogan.

Come on, Hogan.

Victor. Hi, Mark.

Can I come in for a second?

Well, yeah, sure.

I'm sorry about the mess here. I got a trial starting in the morning. I just

heard all about it.

Look, Mark, I know this is last minute.

You shouldn't be trying this case.

Yeah, why is that, Victor?

Because any lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client. Health

insurance law is complicated. I can't just trust any attorney. Trust me.

Yeah, well, right now I can't afford you. Well, you wouldn't have to worry

that. Hey, I don't need your charity. You're going to put your evidence in

narrative? Come on, Mark, you need a lawyer. I am a lawyer.

I'm still a good lawyer. But you can't be objective here.

You're too close to the subject matter. I can be objective here. No, you can't.

You have AIDS.

You need this drug.

You have a better chance of forcing the insurance company's hand with an

independent lawyer. This is a big case, Victor.

A lot of pressure will be... I can handle it.

And I can win.

I hope so.

You don't.

And I'm a dead man.

All right, next up.

Jack, I see the calendar marked In Ray, Rosalind Shays. Yes, her will's finally

ready for probate. I'm reading it today, 11 o 'clock.

Leland, plan to be there. You're one of the takers.

I am. You, her daughter Susan Rabb, and her maid. Maybe she left you a client.

What is that? That would be the electrician.

They'll be working in the crawl space above our ceilings this week, making

repairs. If they get too loud, let me know. I'll hit the landlord for a

Next up, Ann, what's happening with the Susan Hamill murder?

Apparently nothing.

The police still think Suzanne killed Michael Walker, even though she was

not guilty, and they think Corey's shooting of Suzanne was justified self

-defense. Are we representing this kid? I never said I'd handle the case. I just

agreed to listen.

Nobody's been charged, so there's no representation needed. A boy kills two

people totally premeditated, and nothing's going to happen to him.

privilege. None of us can say boo.

Lastly, with the exodus of partners Cusack and Van Owen, the partners

last night to elect a new partner, which partnership commences immediately upon

contribution of capital.

Who? Let me preface this by saying that all of you are worthy candidates.

Boo!

Abigail Perkins.

Yay!

Hold on a second.

Well, Jonathan, she's been here longer. I'd like to say something, please.

It's about time.

Congratulations, Deb.

And on that joyous note, we're adjourned.

What's up?

We just issued a warrant for the arrest of Jeanette Walker.

What?

For what?

For the murder of Suzanne Hamill and for the murder of her husband.

They're picking her up now.

But Corey said that he shot Suzanne. We think she was behind it.

We know that the same gun was used in both shootings. The boy said he wrestled

it away from Suzanne after she came to the house, but there was no sign of a

struggle. So what do you think happened? We think Jeanette set Suzanne up.

The message unit shows that she called her an hour before she came over.

That's not a lot of facts, though. We know it was premeditated. We can prove

that. It was too sophisticated for a 13 -year -old kid.

Jeanette had to have masterminded it.

Prelim is tomorrow. Are you representing her?

I don't know.

Well, I just thought I would apprise you of this in person.

Thanks.

Evidently, she had it sculpted a couple of weeks before she misstepped, about

the same time that she executed the new will.

She left this to me.

Well, it was supposed to be ready for your birthday, but they flared the

nostrils too much, so she sent it back.

Let's just do this, please. Okay.

I'm going to skip through the formal will and testament jargon and just get

right to it. First off, the bust, it goes to Leland.

To Margarita, for your extended kindness and service, I bequeath $25 ,000.

To my daughter, Susan Chase Rabb, I leave $250 ,000 to be used for the

of my grandchildren.

The rest and remainder of my estate, including all real and personal

bequeath to Leland McKenzie.

Well, that can't be right.

No, it's right.

I'm executor. All fees and taxes come from your share.

Well, that's it.

Probate couldn't take long.

Disbursements could start in three to six months.

About how much is her estate worth?

Including the $500 ,000 she'll get from the firm's insurance for the elevator

freefall, $3 .6 million.

Lucky you.

And how long have you had AIDS, Mr. Gilliam?

I tested HIV positive in December 1985.

I became symptomatic about a year ago. Could you briefly describe these

for the court?

I'm dying.

Your doctors have given you no hope?

No, the doctors have given me hope. My insurance company has blocked the

of that hope.

Objection. Sustained. What treatment have your doctors prescribed?

First they put me on AZT, but I became anemic. So then they went for a drug

called DDC.

It's designed to retard the AIDS virus from spreading throughout the blood

cells. The doctors told you that this would work? No.

No, but they said it could.

Human studies show it has been effective.

I would certainly like to try it.

But you can't.

I can't afford to.

My insurance company refuses to cover the hospital costs of the treatment

because they deem DDC to be an experimental drug.

Have you made it clear to them that this drug may be your only chance for

survival? Very clear. Their response is, since it's not FDA approved, they won't

pay the cost associated with taking it. And do you have any other means of

affording this treatment?

I haven't worked regularly for about a year, and I've expended all of my

trying to get well.

This is supposed to be what insurance is for.

Yes. And, sir, without the drug therapy, what's your prognosis?

I've got three months, maybe four.

Thank you.

I have nothing further.

You're a lawyer, aren't you, Mr. Gillian? Yes, I am. So you certainly

the language of your insurance policy, do you not? I understand the basic

of the contract, Mr.

Castroverti. In consideration for my paying annual premiums, they would take

care of me should I become ill. I paid the annual premiums. I show you a copy

your insurance policy and ask that you read the highlighted portion.

You highlighted that portion with a fluorescent pen. They bury it in a

boilerplate closet. Could you read it, please?

No coverage is provided for services which are experimental or

in nature.

DDC treatment is experimental, isn't it, sir? That's an interpretation.

I think that if I were to... The human studies are incomplete.

The FDA is not approved. It's my only hope. But it's experimental.

How dare you hide behind that? Mr.

Gilliam... I've paid you premiums for 22 years. I've listened to your jingles on

the radio where you sing out about protection and security in times of

catastrophe. I'm having a medical catastrophe, Mr. Cashman!

I'm not looking for some snake oil therapy.

This is the best medical therapy, the best medical treatment available.

then you won't help me because of some footnote in a standard writer in your

contract. I hope you can live with that, Mr. Cashman.

Because I can't.

I can't.

When you said dinner, I thought you meant pasta at Georgia.

Well, if this isn't okay, we could go someplace else, Mickey Players, Trump's,

wherever you want.

No, this is fine.

Good. I want you to be happy, Rock.

All right, let's cut to it. What do you want?

What? You're spending a fortune here. It must be something pretty important, so

why don't you just tell me what it is and get it out of the way?

It isn't that simple. I can't just blurt it out.

Haven't you learned anything in therapy, Arnie?

You're supposed to face things honestly and not try to weasel around them. Damn

it, Rox, this is tough.

I'm sorry.

I made a major breakthrough with Dr. Birch.

We were talking about all the...

choices I make and why I make them, we started talking about all the women in

life, all the beautiful, sensual women, and why they've abandoned me. And he

asked me if there was ever a woman who didn't, if there was ever one who was

there for me, even at my worst, you know, one who loved me for myself.

I realized there was.

Corinne.

You rocks.

Dr. Birch made me see it.

You're the woman I should be with.

I beg your pardon?

Our time has come.

We can't continue to represent Jeanette Walker. It's insane.

Why?

Come on, Jack. We just stood up in open court and accused her of being the

killer. We're going to stand up in court again and say that she's innocent?

First off, she is innocent.

Second... Wait a second. What is Jeanette saying to the police here? The

thing. That Corey killed Suzanne in self -defense.

Well, then we can't represent her. We know that's a lie.

We can't suborn perjury.

Can I say something?

What? The real truth ever gets out here, this firm could take some heat.

What? It's possible the kid knew he had a surefire self -defense theory when he

decided to whack Suzanne.

How could he know this? Because you and Kelsey told him. Suzanne Hamill was a

dangerous threat. You went on record with the police saying Suzanne Hamill

do harm.

So? So. And Kelsey was revealing attorney -client privileges when she

about threats and pouring the foundation for self -defense in the process.

May I help get our client killed?

That gets out. We are in big trouble. He's right. Oh, come on, Jack.

I'm telling you right now, the best thing we could do to help Jeanette, the

and us is to stop this train right now. What are you suggesting?

That we represent Jeanette at the prelim and that we put up one hell of a fight.

Get this thing kicked on Corey's self -defense. If we shut this thing down

questions don't get asked.

Nobody knows you're screwed up. Hey, she didn't screw up, Tommy. I think Tommy

may be right. We should put this whole thing to bed right now. All right, hold

on.

You think you can win this?

Yeah.

Then do it.

Leland. We don't have many strong options, Ann. So we're going to bury the

truth, not to mention two murders.

Because that's the best way for us to cover our ass?

Do it.

I've been thinking about your proposition last night. It wasn't a

I realize you go through some pretty weird periods in therapy, but you and

Arnie, that's completely off the wall.

In the first place, you're not a well man.

In the second place...

I've been in love with you, and I wouldn't wish that on anybody.

In the third place, not one shred of evidence exists that we're even

to each other. Roxanne. If you have to go through phases in order to be cured,

fine. I can be supportive, but sex is not in this picture, Arnie. And if the

subject ever arouses... arises again, I may have to talk to Douglas about

harassment.

Mr. Cashman.

If he doesn't get that drug, Mark Gilliam will assuredly die. My heart

to him.

But we have a duty not to cover experimental drugs.

We're in the business of protecting everybody's medical needs.

If we start funding experimental treatment of AIDS patients, paying for

blind alley, there'll be no money left.

Not only for AIDS, but for any disease, including the ones that can be cured. So

when this man comes to you and asks for his only chance at a miracle, You tell

him no?

I'm sorry, Mr. Gilliam. We would love to enable all our subscribers to grasp at

any... We can't.

We just can't.

Thank you, Mr. Cashman. That's all I have.

Isn't it true, sir, that many insurance companies, including yours, have paid

for Class C experimental cancer drugs?

You're talking about very specific exceptions.

Which are politically safer to make?

Hey, don't tell me AIDS isn't politically protected, Counselor. This

passed a law saying we can't pre -test applicants for the HIV virus.

We can pre -screen for cancer, diabetes, but we can't give a simple blood test

to check for HIV.

That's political.

Yeah, but you've found ways to dance around that blood test law, haven't you?

You exclude applicants based on demographic data which suggests a gay

We are being asked to assume risks. If you get a single male in certain

professions, like a florist or an interior designer or a hairdresser, you

coverage. Isn't that right? This is totally irrelevant.

It is not irrelevant. This company discriminates against gays. It

against A's. It is discriminating today.

That's a outright lie.

We cover AIDS patients.

Paid for his AZT, we just won't pay for unproven drugs.

I have four clinical studies here which show that DDC might be effective.

And those same clinical studies show that it might not be. But why not give

Gilliam the benefit of the doubt, Mr. Cashman?

Your subscriber is dying here. Why not give him the benefit of the doubt? It's

fiscal responsibility, Counselor. We have to make choices.

Do you flip a coin or do you just decide to eliminate everybody with A's? We

eliminate people we can't save, you understand? It doesn't matter how much

we spend on him, he is still going to die.

Thanks. Thank you for coming.

I just couldn't leave things the way they were after the... It wasn't a

surprise, Mr. McKenzie.

In fact, I expected to be cut out completely.

You and Rosalind, you never made up.

We tried.

But she was never really comfortable around me or my kids.

We were all just going through the motions.

So we stopped.

Well, still, her death must have been a shock.

There was really no need for this meeting, Mr. McKenzie.

I'm not going to contest the well, so you don't have to worry.

That's not it.

Now, when your mother made out that will, she was assuming I had feelings

her, which I didn't have.

I feel as though her money came to me by fraud, and I wanted to talk to you

about the possibility of a more equitable distribution.

I don't want it.

I beg your pardon? The only thing I ever really wanted for my mother was a

little time.

When I was nine years old, I had my first ballet recital.

She had a client, and the client had a party that night that was more

That is my sole memory of my mother, Mr. McKenzie.

It comes in a thousand shapes and sizes, but it's always the same.

She was never there.

She may have wanted to be very much.

Yeah.

Look, I am just as much to blame.

I bailed out on the relationship, too.

Or even.

You made her happy.

That was more than... Well, we couldn't do that for each other.

There was no sign of a forced entry. If they were really afraid of this woman,

why wasn't that front door locked?

Do you think the victim was let in?

Well, it couldn't have happened the way they said.

There was no sign of a struggle.

Victim's clothing wasn't even torn. She was shot from a range of four to six

feet. This is not a gun that went off during a physical encounter.

Anything else, Detective?

Yes, the message units show that Suzanne Hamill received a phone call from that

house an hour before she was murdered, suggesting to us that the victim was set

up. Thank you, Detective French.

A lot of opinions.

Do you have any evidence to trace the gun to Jeanette Walker?

Guns are hard to trace. Any evidence of gunshot residue on Jeanette's hands?

We know the boy fired the gun. We contend that she orchestrated it. Can

offer any facts to back up this conspiracy theory?

We will. You will?

I have nothing further for this witness, Judge.

I'd like to put my own witness on the stand.

Two o 'clock tomorrow.

The whole thing's a joke. They couldn't make a case on Suzanne. Now they're

coming after Jeanette. If they lose here, look out. They could be arresting

of you.

Why did Jeanette come to you? We've got nothing to say right now. No comment,

please.

So what happens now? Do I testify?

Oh, no.

See, we can't put you up there. Why not?

Because you're going to say that your son killed her in self -defense, which

know is a lie. We can't put you up knowing you're going to lie. No, we have

broken enough rules to last us a while.

You're the one who's testifying. Me?

I'm not going to lie.

Don't have to.

You just say you heard Suzanne make the threat, which is true. You say that you

thought she might do harm to the boy, which is true.

You say the victim was a nutcase who they had every reason to be afraid of,

which is true. And I'd be contributing to a self -defense theory which I know

isn't true. Ann, there's no rule against giving a wrong impression so long as

you tell the truth. Why can't we just go with what really happened? Are you

insanity for Corey? No, they'll lock him up. Jeanette, I've got to get him help

for God's sakes. I can't let him get stuck in a youth authority until he's

enough to go to jail. If we can get him off on self -defense, then that's what I

want to do. What happens if we lose him? this prelim. You'll be on trial for a

murder. I don't care better than I care. If he goes to jail, his life will be

over. You yourself said that we had a better chance with self -defense than

insanity, so that's what I want to go with. I'm not letting him go to jail. I

won't risk it.

Ann, if you're strong up there, we can get this kicked right now. Their case

stinks. If you nail it, we're home free.

All of us.

Okay. No consent to coverage, but we'll pay you $140.

Lumped and sealed.

That'll pay for the DDC treatment.

No. I want the judgment.

Mark. No, Victor. They're just looking to send me away quietly.

I want an admission of policy coverage.

That's not gonna happen. Then I guess the trial goes on. Look.

I'm trying to help you here. No, you're just looking to help yourself.

All you care about is being a martyr. And all you care about is making money,

Mr. Cashman. That isn't true. Yes, it is true. That's what the insurance

industry is about, profit.

Every time there's a public push for a national health care system, the

insurance industry bands together and lobbies Congress against it, arguing

the private sector should bear the full responsibility for the nation's health.

Look, Mr.

Gilliam. No, you look.

Five years ago, I was a healthy, well -paid lawyer, and you were on my

Now I'm ill, Mr. Cashman. I'm broke.

And where the hell are you? We're right here.

Making you an offer. Yeah, your offer's rejected.

Mark.

We have to talk.

We have talked, Arnie.

There's nothing more to say. I was being totally honest with you, and you know

it.

That's what scares you.

What's really going on is you're afraid to face your own feelings.

That's ridiculous.

You've hid them, just like I have.

We've worked side by side all these years and never realized what was

together. We are not together.

What I'm saying is maybe we should be.

Look, I'm just as scared as you are, Rox. I'm terrified.

But this is too important to let that get in the way.

What's too important?

You are.

We are.

Did you mean what you said yesterday about not being attracted to me?

I don't know.

Are you attracted to me?

I don't know.

Maybe we should see.

Did you feel anything?

I'm not sure.

Did you?

I'm sweating.

Let's try another one.

And Suzanne Hamill told you this in the witness room? Just before

the verdict came in. She talked about how Corey should be with her, that it

some kind of destiny.

And what did you take that to mean?

It struck me as an extension of her obsessions.

Did you tell anybody this?

Yes, I told Jeanette Walker and I told the police.

Well, you're revealing that it was a violation of attorney -client privilege.

An attorney is permitted to reveal a client confidence to prevent imminent

physical harm.

And you believe Suzanne Hamill, your own client, was about to commit serious

physical harm against Jeanette Walker or her son?

I felt that there was a danger, yes.

And Ms. Kelsey?

Knowing your client the way you did, and I won't ask you to reveal any

privileged information, but knowing her the way you did, did you consider her

capable of deadly physical violence?

Absolutely. Thank you. Nothing further.

Ms. Kelsey, in addition to being...

An objective witness in today's proceedings. You are also now an

Jeanette and Corey Walker. Isn't that right? There's no conflict since

testimony serves my client. And you would never mislead a court with false

statements, would you? No, I wouldn't. Well, then when you stood up in the

Suzanne Hamill trial and said that Jeanette Walker was the person that

her husband, were you being truthful?

Objection. That has no relevance here. I want to know if that's the truth or if

this witness will say things she doesn't believe to be true.

I was an advocate in the Suzanne Hamill trial. Are you saying as an advocate you

would make statements you knew to be false?

I'm saying that as a lawyer, my obligation was to do whatever I legally

get my client off. As a witness, my obligation is to the truth.

And here today, as you sit as both a lawyer and a witness, which obligation

you fulfilling?

I'm fulfilling both, Miss Clemens.

I can get him up to 175.

That'll... It's not about the money, Victor, no.

I think you should get off the horse, Mark.

There's a bigger picture at the daycare. Yeah.

I think you see all those people sitting in that courtroom, and you're feeling

a... A responsibility that nobody's expecting you to bear. The drug is a

shot, my friend.

Like they say, there's no real evidence that it'll do anything.

It might prolong your life.

There is evidence to support that.

I'm surprised that you're a counselor. A good lawyer makes judgments about what

his lawsuit can or cannot achieve. In this case, it can accomplish autonomy

AIDS patients.

What it cannot do is cure me.

Good lawyer has to take into account the probable consequences of his cause of

action and make decisions based on probabilities. You know that. Last year,

stood in that courtroom and you said to a dying man, three months is a lifetime.

This drug, it could give you a week, it can give you a month, maybe give it a

year. Come on.

Let me take that offer.

The client does not authorize you to accept it. You're being crazy here. Now,

there's no way... The client does not authorize you to accept it. You want it

be my lawyer. Fine. Be my lawyer.

But you do what I tell you, Victor.

You do what I tell you.

I'm not sure I understand this.

I defected to Michael's firm, and instead of retaliation, you make me a

and now you're offering to waive my capital contribution?

I've thought a lot about what happened with Michael.

I could have cared more for the people here and maybe less for the firm. It's

true with Michael. It's definitely true with you.

It wasn't all your fault.

No, no, no. I have to accept the part that was.

Not letting people know you're here.

And time can go by in here.

What?

Arnold!

What in God's name?

I was working with the electricians. Oh, me too.

I took off my pants because I was crawling around and I didn't want to

them. Me too. What the hell happened?

Nothing. Nothing happened, Douglas. Nothing happened.

We were helping the electricians. Oh, no.

You've broken Ross.

I don't mind telling you, Miss Clemens. I've got serious doubts here about your

ability to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

There's nothing tying the gun to the defendant.

There's nothing to support the alleged conspiracy between the boy and his

mother. I don't much like wasting taxpayers' money on foregone

But I cannot deny that probable cause at least does exist.

I have no choice, therefore, but to order the defendant bound over for

Your Honor, request to be heard in chambers. What's going on? Anne?

I need to be heard in chambers now. Anne?

Please, Your Honor.

What's this about? Corey Walker shot Suzanne. Anne. Not in self -defense. It

premeditated. Anne, stop this. He also shot his father. Anne. For God's sake,

stop this. I can't. Hold on. I went there that night. The boy told me what

happened. This is attorney -client privilege. You can't. Quiet, please.

The boy told you after you agreed to be their lawyer?

Yes. Oh, boy. I don't care anymore, you hear me? I don't care about privilege.

You're about to go on trial for something you didn't do. A 13 -year -old

killed two people. He should be getting psychiatric help, and he's not. Counsel.

No, Your Honor, I've stopped playing by the rules.

If the rules can result in this, then I want out.

Disbar me. Do whatever you have to do. I am not staying quiet any longer. Your

Honor, if I could have a... No, I'm taking over now, Mr.

Mullaney. Let me do the talking.

In the interest of justice, I'm dismissing the claim against Jeanette

Miss Clemens.

You can bring the boy up and charge us if you want, but I'm telling you right

now, Miss Kelsey's inside information is totally excluded by attorney -client

privilege. Given that you have no real evidence, I strongly suggest that you

work something out.

Now, Miss Kelsey, I'm reporting your actions to the state bar. As of now,

their problem, not mine.

You be there, 11 o 'clock tomorrow morning.

Excuse me.

Excuse me.

I was told Attorney Victor Sfuentes came in here. Yeah, he's in the back in

Judge Armand's chambers.

Do you know what for?

No, it seemed a little on the QT. I think he's settling some case or

It's not one of Armand's, though. I know. I'm his clerk.

What the hell's going on here, Victor?

What is going on here?

We're getting married, Mark. What are you doing here? Oh, my.

I'm sorry. I thought... I'm sorry.

God. I just had sudden visions of a gorilla suit.

Forgive me. Forgive me. I'm very sorry. No, no. As long as you're here, we could

use a witness.

Come in, counsel.

Come on. Stand on the bright side.

I hate to be rude, but I've got a pre -trial scheduled in seven minutes. Okay,

go ahead.

You left off with I, Victor, take thee grace.

Oh, yes.

I, Victor, take thee, Grace.

I, Victor, take...

Take thee, Grace.

To be my lawfully wedded wife.

To be my lawfully wedded wife.

I, Grace, take thee, Victor.

I, Grace, take thee, Victor.

To be my lawfully wedded husband.

To be my lawfully wedded husband.

Are you sure?

Very, very sure.

Well, she has this habit of changing her mind about things.

Objection. Move to strike. She's not going to change her mind about this.

Well, even if you do, it's too late.

By the powers vested in me as the judge, I herefore declare you to be husband

and wife.

Life sentence, no parole.

Well, kiss her.

May God bless your lives with happiness and love forever and ever and ever.

Amen.

Insurance companies pay for experimental cancer treatments all the time. Because

cancer, it threatens good people.

But AIDS.

Look who it's killing. Drug users, prostitutes, gay men. That's their

Why should we spend all of our money trying to save them?

Your Honor, by the end of the decade, over 20 million people are going to have

the AIDS virus. And the leading cause of it will probably be sexual transmission

between heterosexuals.

Like it or not, it's our disease.

And it's killing very good people.

Yesterday, Your Honor, I got married.

I'm going to be a father in about seven months. And I have all of these hopes.

And fears.

All of us. We have to be afraid of getting ill.

Because we live in a country that trusts a private industry to care for its

sick. And that industry cares only about making money. When one of its

subscribers fall ill, even deathly ill, they don't call doctors, they call

lawyers to search the contracts for exclusions.

Today, Mark Gilliam is dying.

There's a drug out there that could help him. It might not, but all of his

doctors say it's the best chance.

The defendant says, bad business sense to try, to try.

So now he comes here to you.

They all have families.

Sitting out there are brothers, sisters, children, parents.

These are human beings, and we're just letting them die.

Fiscal common sense.

Free enterprise.

Let him die.

We'd save everybody if we could.

But insurance companies, like any business, and yes, it is a business,

limited amount of resources.

And like any business, they have to look for some return on their expenditures.

They can't save, Mr. Gilliam.

No matter how much they spend.

They could try, of course.

They could exhaust all their funds trying to get this person well.

And then they'd have nothing left.

When the patient in need of a transplant asks for a new heart, he won't get it.

The woman with the brain tumor, sorry. All these lives that could be saved

be. Because the insurance company depleted all its assets, trying to

lives of those who can't be cured.

Tough choices, Your Honor.

Insurance companies have to make extremely tough choices.

In order to protect all of us, they have to tell some people no.

That's a little consolation from Mark Gilliam.

I know.

You could have landed in a client's lap, for God's sakes. It was irresponsible.

It was stupid.

Leland, we were temporarily insane.

I realize you've been under a lot of stress, Arnold, but that kind of

in the ceiling was not the way to relieve it.

And as for you, I thought you knew better.

We're sorry.

You're sorry?

You come crashing down on Rosalind's head, crushing it, and you're sorry?

I am so ashamed.

Rox, it was all my fault.

You did it, Arnie.

You played me like a violin. You got exactly what you wanted, and I let you.

What? You think that feeling is all I was after?

Oh, now comes the part where you tell me it was too traumatic.

Or it felt like being with your sister. Or you're just not ready for a

relationship yet. I'm not going to say that. Oh, good.

I at least deserve something original.

Okay, how about this?

I know this is a terrible way to start things off between us, but I'm still

willing to try if you are.

Excuse me?

You're a bright, attractive woman who I'd like to go out with if you'd like to

go out with me.

That's completely crazy.

I know.

But I really want this.

Maybe we could just try it for a while and see.

That's all I ask.

You're not going to get a conviction, and you know it. Too premeditated. You

can't prove it. Attorney -client privilege stops you from... I can get

independent evidence.

But you don't got any yet. And even if you scratch something up, we'll just go

with incapacity. The kid saw his father with a woman, not his mother. He

flipped. I can get him committed. I can get him off the street. Hey, come on.

You know me.

Sweetheart, I'm not going to scare you. If you can skip the spousal intimacy, I

won't bite.

Fair enough.

From lawyer to lawyer.

We both know you got an impossible case here. We know this.

So let's just do something to leave the situation a little better off than when

we found it.

I can certainly understand any insurance

company's unwillingness to fund experimental radical treatment,

proven medical options are available.

But when there is only one option and the doctors are recommending that

how can you even consider denying coverage based on the exclusionary

and the fine print of a contract? Your Honor, the option you're talking about

hasn't been approved by the FDA. I don't give a damn about the FDA.

They're not even doctors.

The FDA is a government agency.

People die waiting for government agencies to take action.

He paid you a premium.

You promised to cover him if he got sick, no matter what disease he got sick

with. That's the spirit of this contract.

Mr. Cashman, I am holding you to it.

Judgment for plaintiff. That's all.

Wow.

I never thought it could happen. Me neither.

Congratulations.

You stuck it out and won.

Thank you, Victor.

You really... Thanks.

Fine.

How's it going?

Good, good. I think it went fine. I think we'll get off with just a slap.

back there deciding.

Oh, I just came from Zoe's.

We've let Corey out on two counts of voluntary juvie, so he'll be going to

security camp with psychiatric help. Thank God for that.

All right.

All right, you may be seated.

Miss Kelsey, I'm impressed with your unflinching sense of morality.

The breaching of the privilege with Suzanne Hamill was admittedly arguable.

But with Jeanette Walker, it was inexcusable.

While I'm aware that our legal code of ethics sometimes runs in the face of

human decency, lawyers can never be allowed to run in the face of that code.

Given the severity of your violations, it is my decision that you hereby be

suspended from the practice of law for a period of three months.

Three months? Are you nuts?

Stuart. Who are you?

Stuart Markowitz. I'm her husband, as well as a member of the bar. I'll ask

to take your seat. She did the moral thing, for God's sake. Stuart. You just

suspended her for three months for having a conscience.

You insult our entire profession.

You can keep your wife company for the first week. You're suspended for seven

days. Objection! You didn't suspend me for that. I just did. You self

-righteous, fat -ass, Rotarian windbag.

You hit a month at fat ass.

Windbag brought you to five weeks.

You want to keep going? No, Your Honor. Five weeks is a nice round number. We

will stop there.

Let's all just have a lovely day.

Thank you. Have you decided where you're going on your honeymoon?

Cabo San Luca.

Bermuda. Cabo.

What? He figured it out.

We just don't agree on it.

Luckily, we're in no rush.

Well, there is time.

Yeah.

So what do they say about these things, the doctors?

Oh, some of them are very optimistic.

That's good.

Listen to those.

Some are very optimistic.

You know, I always thought I'd be living right up until I was dead.

But that's not how it is with AIDS. In the end, you're dying.

You, uh... Ah, almost forgot.

A little present for the happy couple.

Oh, Mark, you shouldn't have done that. Are you kidding? After you went to such

lengths to invite me to your wedding?

You know something?

I'm really glad it was you that was there.

Me too.

Yeah.

Well... I gotta get home.

Gotta get on those drugs, you know.

Damned insurance company. They're gonna probably make me fill out a zillion

forms.

I'll keep in touch.

You better.