Original subtitles

Last season on L .A. Law.

Grace, we're going to be parents.

We owe it to the child to be living.

You've never even told me you love me. But now you suddenly want to make this

lifetime commitment.

That was a betrayal.

To go to the others behind my back, that was a betrayal, you son of a bitch. I

got two choices here. Either I can walk away from this firm or I can stay here

and fight for it. I chose the latter. You chose to screw me.

These are our respective resignations.

Michael Kuzak has opened up a law office, and the four of us have decided

with him.

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.

Arnold!

I was working with the electricians. Oh, me too. We were helping the

electricians.

Leland, we have to face reality.

When Victor and Michael left, litigation fell off. When Jack Sollers went, it

nosedived. Now Abby's leaving and taking more business with her.

All right. The situation is serious, but it's not critical.

I disagree. The bank is so nervous, they're reviewing our line of credit.

Oh, that's ridiculous.

They're overreacting.

It gets worse.

I got a letter this morning from Perry Littlefield.

Because of the Shays' claim, Ballantyne is doubling our liability premium.

Because of Ann Kelsey's suspension...

Malpractice is going up to half a million. Over my dead body. We'll take

business elsewhere.

I'll make a loan if I have to. You can't keep propping up the firm with

Rosalind's money. We have to consider alternatives.

I will not consider renting space to Susan Bloom.

Her practice is phenomenal.

She represents half of Hollywood, and she's willing to pay top dollar. They

her Jaws, Douglas.

A rumor.

and printed in the same rag that called me a bald boar. Susan Bloom is

everything I hate about entertainment law.

Cheap, phony, utterly devoid of ethics.

You don't even know her.

She's dynamic.

She's cutting edge.

She's a litigator anyone would be proud to share space with. Why are you

whispering, Douglas?

She's in my office.

She's taking the trouble to stop by on her way to a very important screening.

Bloom is here?

Now?

Susan Bloom, Leland McKenzie.

Hiya, Leland. I hear you need someone to save your ass.

Great hair.

Thanks. Before we start, I have an announcement.

For those of you who don't know, Abigail Perkins is no longer with the firm.

What? Is she okay?

She got a huge offer from McCann Jones.

We couldn't match it. She resigned her partnership last night, and frankly, she

couldn't have picked the worst time.

Doug, her father had a stroke. She put him in a nursing home, which is going to

cost God knows how much. She needed some security.

You knew about this?

Uh -huh.

Since there's nothing we can do, I suggest we move on.

I'd like to introduce our new associate, Bill Castoverde. Some of you are

familiar with his talents as a litigator.

He killed me. Thanks. It's weird to be here.

He'll be moving into Victor's old office.

Second, a heartfelt welcome back to Ann Kelsey.

Believe me, you were missed. All right. It's about time.

It's good to be back. Too bad Stuart can't stay the same. He's with Matthew.

Amalia quit two days ago, and we've been going crazy trying to replace her. What

is this crap, Douglas? I come in, I'm running late.

My messages haven't been picked up, my mail hasn't been opened, and there's

bimbo sitting outside my office telling me that Gwen is serving jury duty. I

thought you were going to get her excused. She didn't want me to. You'll

have to survive with a temp. I have special needs, Douglas.

Personnel is Roxanne's department.

Use your influence.

Jonathan has the Lunsford deposition.

C .J. starts People vs.

Mannheim. I meet in the Powell Trust.

Anything else?

Ah, one more note.

We may be renting out our extra office space.

That isn't settled yet.

Then we're adjourned.

Gray. Leland.

Oh, it's good to see you.

You too.

I know I should have made an appointment.

Oh, now, don't be silly.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry about the baby.

I got your note, thank you.

How is Victor?

Victor and I...

Victor and I are separated.

I'm no longer practicing with him and Michael.

Well, I don't know what to say.

I'd rather not talk about it now, Leland.

I'm here because I took the Chandler case with me. We impanel today.

I cannot conduct an effective defense out of my house.

I would like to move in here temporarily and pay you a percentage.

Well, now, Grace, this has all happened, so...

Quickly, you've had a lot to deal with. Maybe you should move for a continuance.

I've had two.

And Elsa Chandler is being tried in the press. The ice queen who killed her

husband. The judge is not going to go for another delay.

Well, certainly a couple of weeks. The D .A. would fight it as well. I'm up

against a wall, Leland.

Yeah.

Yeah, I see.

You know, we sure could use your name on our letterhead just now.

What if you were to come back to the firm?

Of counsel.

After the way I left, this is very generous of you. Oh, not at all. No, no.

benefits us both.

You'd be bringing in something high profile.

We would supply the second chair.

I'm not sure that's necessary.

No, I insist.

It's a capital case. You'll need someone.

It's the least we can do.

Have you read, seen, or heard any of the publicity surrounding this case? I saw

one news report on TV.

Did it cause you to form an opinion about the guilt or innocence of Mr.

No. Jury is acceptable to the people, Your Honor.

How do you feel about sex, Miss Taylor?

Objection. What on earth does that have to do with anything?

Your Honor, some people consider my client a pornographer.

He is one. He admits it, but he's not on trial for it.

Weapons and assault charges have nothing to do with pornography.

I want to know if Mr. Diamond's occupation damns him in the eyes of this

All right, I'll allow it.

But watch yourself, Mr. Kittredge.

I repeat, Miss Taylor, how do you feel about sex?

Say, sex between consenting adults?

I'm for it. What about explicit sex in movies?

I don't go to see it, but I don't think it should be censored. Should they

censor magazines like Mr. Diamond publishes? Ones that show, for

Oral sex?

I've never read one of Mr. Diamond's magazines.

Does that disgust you?

Objection! You're out of line, sir. Put that away.

I was simply trying to get this juror's reaction.

I know exactly what you're doing, and it won't work in my courtroom.

Now go on to something else, and apologize to the young lady. Your Honor,

feelings about pornography are well known.

They're obviously coloring what you see here. If you're accusing me of bias, Mr.

Kittredge, be careful.

Be very careful.

I can bury you in sanctions.

I didn't mean to offend you, ma 'am. You didn't.

I wouldn't buy one of Mr. Diamond's magazines, but I believe in the First

Amendment. He has every right to publish them.

Defense accepts this juror.

Now, if they get in your way, you just stop. We'll do all the talking.

I can handle anything but the cameras.

Yeah. But they have a right to be here.

You look pleasant, don't smile too big, and we'll get you in court as fast as we

can. I'm sorry to be such a pain, Mr. Mulaney.

You've been very kind.

You ready?

No.

But let's go.

How did it feel to shoot your husband?

Elsa

Chandler

is a murderer.

She put a gun in her purse, she took it to her husband's office, and she killed

him with it.

It was not self -defense.

It was not the desperate act of a wife who's been abused.

The evidence will show that it was a well -planned...

Cold -blooded execution.

Carried out so that Elsa Chandler could inherit her husband's multi -million

dollar estate.

It was murder for financial gain.

Murder committed solely for the purpose of making Mrs. Chandler a rich woman.

When you hear the facts, when you weigh the evidence, you will reach the only

possible conclusion that Elsa Chandler is guilty of murder with special

circumstances beyond a reasonable doubt.

Thank you.

Ralph Chandler battered his wife for 12 years.

A number of times, including the morning of his death, he forcibly raped her.

I'm not talking about a wife reluctant to make love and an insistent husband. I

am talking about violent, forced sex.

I am talking about a husband who had to control his wife's every move.

a husband who enjoyed his wife's pain, a husband who was aroused by

humiliating her. This was the man that Elsa Chandler shot in self -defense, a

man who tortured her for 12 years, whose abuse she couldn't survive any longer.

Ralph Chandler swore that he would kill her that night, ladies and gentlemen.

She took the gun with her because she believed him.

I worked my way through Cal, taking care of my advisor's kids. The first day, I

didn't think I was going to make it. They locked me in the bathroom and had a

food fight.

It was beefaroni, wall to wall.

Well, I gotta warn you, Matthew is seriously into beefaroni.

Well, gotta go.

So anyway, my advisor moved to Berkeley, and I got a fellowship in clinical

psych, but it doesn't really pay for much more than my rent.

All right, well, we've got your number. We'll be in touch.

Well, thanks for your time. Bye.

Thanks. Bye.

Well, it's okay. I can find my way out.

All right. Good night. Good night. Bye -bye.

I'll tell you, he could be my first choice.

You're not serious.

What? A man can't make a good nanny?

Of course he can, but Marta has more experience.

Which one was Marta?

The Greenblatt's au pair.

You've met her a hundred times.

Maybe twice.

Isn't she a little flaky?

Jennifer says she's a free spirit, but she's very responsible.

If they weren't moving, they'd never give her up. The kids love her. Well,

Matthew thought that was great.

His reference isn't terrific.

I think we should at least see them both again.

Honey, we know the green glass. This is a personal recommendation.

And we've got to hire somebody now.

Yeah, and I guess a male nanny would be a little strange.

Will you stop?

It has nothing to do with that. Marta just happens to be the best person,

all.

Okay. We'll go with the girl.

Hi. Got a minute?

For you?

I've got five.

I just wanted to let you know how happy I am to have you back.

It's mutual.

Grace, I know you and Victor are none of my business, but if there's anything I

can do... I'm fine, Leland.

Really.

When Rosalind...

When I lost her, I thought that I was fine.

Went about my work. I was in control. There was no problem, except there was

joy.

I was just going through the motions.

Leland, I'm sorry, but it's been a long day.

Sure, sure. I'll let you get back to work.

I'm here if you need me.

Good night. Good night.

So Mrs. Chandler called and asked you to come to Ralph Chandler's office.

What did you find when you got there, detective?

Mr. Chandler's body was face down on the floor by the desk. There was a gunshot

wound in his chest.

Mrs. Chandler was sitting in a chair by the body.

She was holding a .38 caliber handgun.

Did she tell you whose it was?

Said it was hers. She brought it from home.

The gun was registered to her husband.

When you first saw her...

Did Mrs. Chandler seem upset?

Was she crying?

No, she was very calm, very quiet.

What did Mrs. Chandler say when you found her beside her husband's body?

Said Ralph Chandler deserved to die and she'd killed him.

No further questions.

Did it appear to you that Mrs.

Chandler was in shock?

Objection. Witness isn't qualified to make that judgment. He's been a police

officer for 25 years. He's seen people react to severe trauma.

Overruled. You have seen shock look like extreme composure, haven't you,

detective? The same composure Mrs. Chandler showed the night of her

death? Yes.

And she had good reason to be in shock, didn't she?

I have no idea.

You took a statement from Mrs.

Chandler.

Didn't she tell you how her marriage was a nightmare?

Didn't she say that her husband had forced her to come to his office that

And didn't she tell you exactly why she killed him? She said he raped her, but

not that night.

But didn't she tell you that he had raped her as recently as that morning

physically abused her for 12 years, that he had burned her with cigarettes, held

her head underwater?

Objection. Overruled.

Didn't she say those things, Detective?

Yes, but I had no way of... And didn't Mrs. Chandler tell you how terrified she

was of her husband? How when he ordered her to the office, she became frantic.

She was afraid that if she went, he would kill her. And if she didn't, he'd

home and do it. That was her story. And didn't she say that if she ran, if she

hid, he would find her? And that was why she found her husband's gun and took it

with her to protect herself.

Because she didn't know what else to do.

Wasn't that part of her statement to you?

Yes.

Thank you, detective.

Did you see any evidence of abuse that night? Was Mrs. Chandler's clothing

Did she have any broken bones or bruises?

Were there any signs of a struggle in her husband's office?

No, nothing like that. Just the body on the floor.

be right. She's been calling insurance companies for two days.

Only one would even consider it. Their quote was for over a million.

You're telling me Ballantyne is a bargain.

Well, not exactly.

Today they dropped the other shoe.

They want to lump some premium up front.

Well, I can't believe that.

I've known Perry Littlefield for 10 years.

Times are hard. The insurance business isn't what it used to be. Neither is the

law business.

Don't worry. We'll find somebody.

Uh, Susan Bloom called today. I don't want to hear it.

She was worse than I even imagined.

You spent five minutes with her. Yes, and in that time, she managed to be

vulgar, crass, and insulting.

Leland, she's negotiating with a top litigator, a killer. If he's her

then we'd have access... Smoke and mirrors, Douglas.

Hollywood hype.

I doubt if there's a litigator.

She probably made him up to pressure us, but it won't work.

Look, we've got Grace back.

We'll get insurance or we'll go bare. Other firms have done it. As a last

resort. The exposure's monumental. My father would spin in his grave. Then

find another way.

But I won't be moved on this.

Susan Bloom is not an option.

Benny?

I was thinking about Abby.

Yeah, she told me she called you.

She's worried about her new job.

She's going to do great.

It's always difficult when you're someplace new.

And it hurts when people leave.

You know, nobody likes change.

It's hard.

It's an arse kicker, love.

We both still see Abby, but it's not the same, is it?

I miss knowing I can just pop into her office any time.

I really miss that.

Yeah.

She was a P for Perkins, and Victor was an S, so when they left, it didn't

really change everything, but Castiverdi is a C, so all the mailboxes have to

move down one, and...

I have to remember that Kelsey's where Cusack used to be.

And I have to put Van Ollen back in. Exactly.

It's all a bit off.

We're just going to have to adjust.

But you'll be fine.

Benny, will you help me with the Xerox machine?

I think it hates me.

Sergeant, when you were dispatched to Mr. Diamond's mansion in Bel Air on June

9th, what was the complaint?

Mr. Diamond's neighbor called us, Mr. Seldes. He was scared out of his mind.

complained about party noise.

Mr. Diamond responded by strafing his yard with an assault rifle.

Objection. Hearsay.

Sergeant Miro did not see the shots fired.

Sustained. What happened when you got to the mansion, Sergeant?

Mr. Seldes said the shots came from the backyard.

I got there in time to see Mr. Diamond throw the assault weapon into the pool.

And what else was Mr. Diamond doing?

screaming at Mr. Seldes over the fence.

So you saw Mr. Diamond throw the gun into the pool.

He was verbally abusing Mr. Seldes, and someone sprayed Mr.

Seldes' yard with bullets.

Objection. She's going for pure speculation.

Sergeant Miro did not see the weapon fired.

Sustained. But you did see the weapon in Mr. Diamond's hands.

Yes.

Your witness, counsel.

Mr. Diamond was giving a party.

There were upwards of 40 people around the pool, weren't there? I had some nut

-firing shots.

I wasn't counting heads.

You were at the shallow end of the pool, right?

And the gun was retrieved from the deep end?

Yes. So the entire length of the pool and most of the guests were between you

and the gun.

How could you possibly have seen Mr. Diamond throw the gun in the pool?

I have 20 -20 vision.

Then you must have noticed that most of the party guests were women.

Very attractive women.

A number of whom were topless.

And you still say you clearly saw Mr. Diamond throw the gun in the pool?

Yes. Really, Sergeant?

Through all those breasts?

Objection. Asked and answered. He's being totally argumentative. I'm

legitimately questioning the witness's perception. He claims not to have

30 beautiful women dressed like this.

Mr. Kittredge, what is going on here? I'm proving my point, Your Honor. A

bailiff's been standing by the door for most of Sergeant Miro's testimony.

Without looking, Sergeant, can you tell me if it's a man or a woman? Don't

answer that, Sergeant. Put those coats back on now.

I want those women removed.

Your Honor, this is interference with the defense.

Perception is fair game at any trial, except apparently this one. You're in

contempt, Kittredge. I move for a mistrial. Denied. You're getting a

when this is over, and probably a jail cell. You're a grandstander with no

respect for the law. You have no respect for my client, Your Honor. You

disapprove of sex, and you disapprove of him, because he sells it. If you don't

sit down, I'll have you thrown out of here, too. I continue this trial under

protest. So noted.

Now shut up.

The jury will disregard Mr. Kittredge's outburst and his bad manners.

We're adjourned until 2 p .m.

Marta?

Marta?

Marta?

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God.

Where's my son?

Where's Marta?

Marta?

Oh, it's all right.

Everything is fine. Everything is not fine. Where's Matthew?

He's fine. He's upstairs taking his nap.

Oh, this is Kumar.

Kumar? He teaches me Hindustani. You get dressed and get him out of here.

You're fired.

It was a mistake?

If you're not gone in five minutes, I'm calling the police.

You were the Chandler's accountant.

What happened when you went to their home a week before Mr. Chandler was

Your Honor, I renew my objection to this witness. Once again, Your Honor, she

goes to motive. Behavior of the defendant with regard to her husband's

Overruled. Witness will answer.

We had to work out a tax problem. When I arrived, Elsa and Ralph had been

arguing. Violently? Oh, no, no.

Ralph never raises his voice.

but he was pretty upset.

Elsa had written over $20 ,000 worth of checks on their joint account.

Who were the checks made out to?

Some were to cash, and the rest were made out to wearing antiques.

Ms. Bosberg, did Mrs.

Chandler tell her husband what the money was for?

She said she bought things with it.

Chinese vase and some paintings.

Ralph didn't believe her, though.

Thank you. Nothing further.

This was a joint account, wasn't it? I mean, legally, the money belonged to

of them.

Yes, but Ralph never liked else to write checks without his approval.

In other words, Ralph Chandler wanted to have total control.

Yeah. And when Mrs. Chandler told her husband about the Chinese vase, what did

he do?

He took a hammer, and what did he do, Mrs. Vosburgh?

He destroyed the vase.

Thank you.

Nothing further.

Witness may step down.

Who's next, Mr. Graffia?

Your Honor, the people call Mr. Stephen Waring.

Objection. Witness is not on their list. His testimony also goes to motive, Your

Honor. How? He was her antique dealer.

In the last 24 hours, we've uncovered an intimate relationship between Mr.

Waring and the defendant.

Objection, Your Honor. This is a blatant attempt to blindside defense. I move to

exclude... Take it easy, Ms. Van Owen. If he didn't know about the witness, he

didn't know.

Mr. Graffia will provide you with all his investigative reports.

But to be fair to your client, I'll give you till tomorrow afternoon.

It's not enough.

In my opinion, it is.

Then I move for a stay, Your Honor.

I want time to get a writ on that ruling from the Court of Appeals. You've got

to be kidding. They'd throw you out on your ear. Stay denied.

Your Honor, if you... I've ruled, Miss Van Owen. We're adjourned.

Just take a deep breath, okay?

I met him at a charity auction.

Sometimes Ralph would let me go to those without him.

Anyway, Stephen and I had lunch together and we became friends.

But that wasn't all.

No.

I care for Stephen, but we were never, ever involved.

Then why didn't you tell us about him?

There was nothing to tell.

The DA says that you spent the night with Waring. We have a security video

his garage.

You came in at 1 .04 a .m. and you left at 6 .15, three months before your

husband was killed.

Well, you see, that night, Ralph got drunk.

When he drank, he used to play this game. He called it, How

Should I Kill Elsa?

Should I beat her to death?

Should I cut her throat?

Maybe I should strangle her.

And it would go on for hours until he would finally pass out.

So I needed someone to talk to, and Stephen said that I could call him at

time, so I did. I called him, and he persuaded me to come to his apartment.

Where you slept with him?

No, we just talked, and he tried to get me to leave my husband, but I couldn't.

Because, you see, I still believed that Ralph needed me.

So, after a few hours, I was frightened that he would wake up and find

me gone. So, I went home.

And that was it.

That is the truth.

It's still going to be hard for a jury to swallow.

It's none of their business.

Look, Stephen is the only good thing in my life.

Ralph had me convinced that I couldn't love anybody, and Stephen changed that.

I had started to feel something that I hadn't done for a long time.

And if the jury sees it, you'll probably go to the gas chamber. Grace.

If they see a woman in love, they're going to believe the prosecution.

They're not going to look at you as the abused wife who defended herself against

a vigil rapist. They're going to see you as the cheating bitch who killed her

husband for money. I think you made your point. Not telling us about Waring was

a lie. If you lie to us again, we drop the case.

He's got playgroup at 9 and Gymboree at 1.

And if Laura next door is taking Chelsea, they love each other, they can

carpool. Am I going too fast?

Playgroup at 9, Gymboree at 1.

Try to get a date with a girl next door. I can do that.

I can do that.

Oh, great. We have to get my car.

Junk food is out, but yogurt's okay if it's low -fat.

And I hate to be a dictator, but I'm really going to have to insist on no

visitors. I hope you understand.

That's no problem.

You ready? Come on.

If he goes into the sun, sometimes he gets a rash. There's cream for it in the

diaper bag. I think we covered that.

Oh, and if you're reading My Little Pony, he goes right to sleep. But he

go in the bathtub without Kermit.

You've got all the emergency numbers by the phone, both ours and the car's. See

you tonight.

Don't pay to call, even if you think it's stupid.

Hey, I've got to walk by now.

Papa.

Okay, I talked to a friend and two guys he works with. Wearing is okay.

He's divorced, but he loves his kids. He doesn't fool around. His child support

is always late. His ex -wife is not a fan.

And his business is in deep trouble. Okay, so it ain't going to be a picnic.

No.

Maybe I should take it, huh? The judge could still be mad at you for... Come

I had to hit back.

Not with a rip. Grace, you lost your temper. I had every right. They were

walking all over us. Chandler wasn't. She made a mistake. You didn't have to

slap her around.

I just told her the truth. You scared the hell out of her. That's just what

husband did, and it made her shut down.

She does that on the stand. We're dead. I don't have time for this, okay? I have

to be ready for wearing in two hours. Grace, this isn't like you.

Give yourself a break. Let me cross wearing like Green have a chance to cool

off, huh? It's my call. I can handle it.

Just be there to back me up.

Please come to order.

The court is now in session.

Come here, Mr. Kittredge.

I'm placing you on notice.

Any breach of decorum, even the slightest, will land you in front of the

bar. Your Honor, it's clear that you hate my guts and my clients. Keep your

voice down.

That's exactly what I'm talking about. You're hamstringing me, Judge. You're

blocking any effective defense.

I've reached my limit with you, Counsel. I will not let you demean my courtroom.

Your Honor, I'd like to say something.

You can't. You're a member of the jury.

I have to talk to you.

Objection. Miss, the jury doesn't address the court.

You have the discretion to let me, Your Honor. People v. Gates upheld on appeal

97 Cal App 3rd 129.

What's your problem? Mr. Diamond isn't getting a fair trial. We're supposed to

concentrate on the facts here, and we can't. All we can hear is you two

at each other. I instructed you to ignore Mr.

Kittredge. And if you have complaints about me, you can take them to the

Judicial Performance Commission after we're finished.

Judge, this juror has obviously formed an opinion.

Wrong. She's trying not to. Put a sock in it, Frank.

She should be excused. Well, then you'll have to excuse the whole jury.

We all feel the same. You've discussed the case among yourselves?

Not testimony, not anything we might deliberate, but when we're watching

War III, you can't just ignore it. Do you know what you're saying? We took an

oath, Your Honor, to give you a verdict based only on the evidence, and I am

telling you that right now, we can't do it.

You are a stubborn old fart.

Well, of all... Get out of here! Don't sputter at me, Leland. This is too

important. We can do each other a lot of good.

I would rather swim in nuclear waste.

Get over it, honey.

This place is in deep financial duty, and everybody knows it. Hold on. Just

listen to my proposal.

If you don't like it, then you throw me out.

You have two minutes.

I only need one.

I'm a cash cow.

I have more money than God.

I will agree to pay anything you want for office space, refer you my

overflow, plus anything my clients need outside the industry, and...

I will even get you a deal with my insurance company.

In return for what? Your downtown connections.

Your sterling reputation.

If you need a shot in the arm, I'm looking to branch out.

Together, we're Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

She had the sex, he had the class.

If you mean a merger, that's out of the question.

I like to cohabit before I get married. We share a space, see what happens.

Trust me, nothing will.

But you like my offer.

We have the right to terminate at any time, on a month's notice.

You pay for office services and the use of the library.

Any joint clients? 50 -50. My name goes on the door.

We issue a press release and agree to talk closer ties in six months. A year.

And this will all have to be approved by the partners. It isn't final.

Small strokes, baby.

It's paperwork.

We got a done deal.

Once again, Mr. Waring.

Mrs. Chandler visited your apartment regularly.

Three times over eight months.

And at least one of those times she spent the night with you.

Not the way you mean. No. An attractive woman who loves you, comes to your

apartment at 1 a .m., stays till dawn, and you don't sleep with her? Objection.

He's badgering. Witnesses hostile, Your Honor.

Overruled. Are you denying that you had a sexual relationship with Elsa Chandler

before her husband was killed?

Yes.

We were friends.

I was trying to help her. Help her leave her marriage?

Help her funnel Ralph Chandler's money into your failing business?

Objection. Sustained. He was beating her. For God's sake, he was raping her.

According to her.

But the truth was, Elsa Chandler desperately wanted to be rid of her

that she could be with you. Objection. No, no, no. She had to get out. She

wanted out because of you. And you needed cash. Wait a minute. We weren't

criminals here. No further questions.

The way he treated her was psychotic.

What happened to Ralph Chandler was his own fault. That'll do, Mr. Waring.

Not sure about him, yet you gotta build up sympathy fast.

You knew Elsa Chandler was married, didn't you?

Yes, she told me when we met.

But she didn't tell me the kind of monster she was married to.

Objection. Non -responsive. Move to strike.

Jury will disregard the answer.

When did you realize that Elsa Chandler was being abused by her husband?

Objection. No foundation. He didn't see any abuse.

He was with the defendant right after she was brutalized. This man is an

eyewitness. After the fact. I'll allow you some latitude, but don't push it. I

repeat, Mr. Waring.

When did you realize that Elsa Chandler was being abused by her husband?

The night she came to my apartment at 1 a .m.

She was white and shaking.

Under her raincoat, her blouse was torn.

Her cheek was bruised, and there was blood all over everything.

And, uh... And there were

cuts.

Cuts on her neck and on her breasts.

Who did she say inflicted those cuts?

Ralph Chandler.

With a butcher knife.

Did Mrs. Chandler tell you these things easily?

Oh, no.

She couldn't talk for quite some time.

It was hours before she told me what had happened.

When it finally came out, I wanted to kill her myself.

Had she ever said anything about her husband abusing her before this?

She tried so hard not to.

I knew something was wrong, but I could never get her to say what.

After all the thick things he did to her, she was still loyal.

Mr. Waring, from what you witnessed that night, from the physical evidence, do

you have any doubt that Elsa Chandler was severely abused?

She was bleeding. She was terrified.

You can't fake that.

Of course she was abused.

Thank you, sir.

You don't know that Elsa Chandler was abused by her husband?

In fact, Mr. Waring, you don't know that she was abused by anybody.

Objection. I'll rephrase. Couldn't Elsa Chandler have inflicted what were really

minor injuries on herself in order to gain your sympathy?

It's possible that she didn't. The two of you were very close.

Maybe you agreed to back up Mrs. Chandler's story to help her fabricate

excuse for murdering her husband.

Objection. Sustained. You're in love with Elsa Chandler, aren't you, Mr.

I don't see what that has to do with what I'm telling you. Answer the

please. Are you in love with Elsa Chandler, yes or no?

Yes. Would you lie to save her life?

Objection. This is argumentative.

Overruled? According to phone company records, Ralph Chandler called your

from his office on July 10th, 1990.

Did he ask you if his wife was there?

Yes. And Elsa Chandler was there, wasn't she, Mr. Waring?

Yes. Did you tell that to her husband?

He would have gone crazy. Did you tell Will Chandler his wife was there?

No. So you lied to protect Mrs. Chandler.

Yes. No further questions.

I have a confession, Stuart.

Now? You were right about Ned.

He's wonderful with Matthew.

I was being a chauvinist.

I had a knee -jerk reaction to a male nanny.

Well, he got over it. Matthew likes him. Turned out fine.

Except for the Marta fiasco.

That was all my fault. I just rushed into hiring her.

Come on.

What's really going on?

I love being back at work, Stuart.

This may not be exactly the kind of law I want to practice, but I wake up every

morning, I can't wait to get to the office.

And it is bad?

Maybe it's not fair to Matthew.

After three months, he's used to having me home.

So I'll get used to Ned.

Honey.

You hated taking him to Gymboree, right?

Oh. Ned loves Gymboree.

And Matthew knows the difference?

Absolutely. I mean, you can discuss it with him.

But I'll bet you the happier you are, the happier he is. And if coming in here

and going to work is what you want, Matthew would say go for it.

If he could talk better.

Me too.

Wilde?

Are you able to render a verdict in this case based solely on the evidence?

No, Your Honor.

Then, Meister?

Are you able to render a verdict in this case based solely on the evidence?

No, Your Honor.

I have never seen anything like this in 20 years on the bench.

Since the jury considers itself incapable of an impartial verdict, I

choice but to declare a mistrial.

Ladies and gentlemen, you're excused. I hope I never have the pleasure again.

Thanks. You're the reason I won.

It was a mistrial.

Which I'll claim resulted from judicial misconduct.

In this state, I can argue double jeopardy.

I win. Mr. Diamond walks.

He should be tried again.

Absolutely.

But he has a very good lawyer.

And he had you.

Roth would eventually have persuaded one of the party girls to testify.

She'd have convicted on assault with an automatic weapon and our friendly judge

would have slapped Mr. Diamond with a six -year max.

We made it all go away. You had no case.

Those fights were deliberate. You used us. I couldn't get the judge to bite.

But you were a dream come true.

You slimy son of a bitch.

I'll go to the judge. I'll tell him exactly what you did.

You already declared the mistrial.

And you have no proof.

You're out of your league, Miss Taylor. This is no place for amateurs.

You were great, but the boyfriend hurt us. Anyway, they rest tomorrow, and we

put Elsa on no later than Thursday. Well, she does worry me. She could get

there and check out. She could protect herself so much, she sounds like the

phone book.

You got another choice?

No. She's the only way we prove abuse.

But we've got to hit hard on the temporary insanity.

She wasn't herself.

He made her do things she never would have done. No, I'm going with self

-defense. And insanity. File both. I'm not using both. I want a clean

Oh, the odds are against us. She took the gun with her. We can't prove

threat. We've got to have insanity to fall back on. Look, hey, it's still not

guilty. There's been too much publicity.

The judge would have to commit her. We'd end up victimizing her again. Grace,

you don't want to go for broke here. I don't want Elsa Chandler in a mental

ward, possibly for the rest of her life. At least she'll have a life. With

straight self -defense, you're taking too much of a gamble. Don't second

me, Tommy. I know what I'm doing. So do I. You're acting out. You've got an

awful lot of anger about the baby, and you're letting it cloud your judgment.

Now, as your friend, I know it's got to be killing you.

And I'm sorry, but on behalf of our client, I think it stinks.

This was a mistake. You're not comfortable with second chair. I'll ask

Great. You dump me, railroad the client, do your very best to screw things up.

You know what?

What's hurting you is still going to be there.

I was accepted at Loyola, but I never went. I've always talked myself out of

going back.

But do you want to be a lawyer?

I must.

I can't seem to get away from them.

And I've covered for enough to think I'd be good, in spite of what happened

today. Then do it.

It's not that easy.

Law school at night and a full -time job?

Well, it'll be hell.

You might not make it.

But if you don't try, you'll never know.

I'll need more flexible hours, but I'll make sure Arnie's covered.

If you want to help convincing him, just let me know. Thanks. You've been really

great.

Oh, watch that. Careful. This painting is worth more than your company. Hey,

Leland, I'm glad we caught you. Wait by the door.

Frank Kittredge, my new associate. I promised the hired gun. I deliver.

The eminent Leland McKenzie. Pleased to meet you.

Oh, damn!

This is Gwen Taylor. We've met. Can you believe it? I am paying these jets a

golden overtime.

I'll see you tomorrow.

Now, these officers are really tacky, but they have huge possibilities.

They're moving in.

Regrettably, yes.

Where are you when I need you?