Original subtitles

Previously on L .A. Law. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry about the baby.

I got your note, thank you.

How is Victor?

Victor and I are separated.

You know Steve Graham?

Yeah, legal reporter, Channel 3. Well, he's going on vacation.

And the station needs someone to cover for him for a couple weeks. But I'm a

divorce attorney. So? You went to law school. You know the difference between

crime and a tort.

Don't tell me that under that lawyerly suit you're really a romantic.

Well, if by that you mean I believe every woman has one special light in her

that can only be seen by one special man, then I'm guilty as charged. Lock me

and throw away the key.

No, no, no, no, I'm here. This is terrific. Listen, but what about Stephen

Graham?

Uh -huh.

Well, I suppose I can make the time, but how much money are we talking about?

Roxanne? Roxanne?

Damn it, Roxanne!

I had another blue shirt. It's gone.

I've got to tape a segment this morning.

I cannot find my damn shirt.

You mean the one you spilled wasabi on last night?

Oh, great.

I don't have time to go back to my apartment. I'll have to buy a new shirt.

going to tape it. Are you done with this? No. Thanks.

Honey, why don't you remember to bring...

Maybe for the same reason you use my razor when you're shaving your legs at

place. For poop's sake, Arnie, it's not going to kill you if you use the razor

after me.

That's disgusting.

Oh, yeah?

Like the 300 -year -old tube of crust in your medicine cabinet?

When was the last time you shopped for toiletries? The Bronze Age?

At least I keep my fridge stocked with more than carrot juice and mineral

You don't have a refrigerator.

You have a science project.

Maybe you'd like to do my shopping for me in the future. Maybe I could buy his

and her straight razors so you don't get infected with my girl cooties. What do

you want to do, buy matching hair dryers and move in together?

I've got to finish my hair. I've got to find that shirt.

Next up, Elkins versus the Southern California Housing Authority.

We represent the authority on this? Uh, yeah. They passed the ban on firearms

and a public housing project.

Now a gun owner is suing them to get his weapon back.

Americans for Firearms has filed a friend -of -the -court brief on behalf

plaintiff. No big surprise.

I thought you represented a tenants' organization.

I still do.

I helped the tenants a couple of years ago when they were trying to get the gun

ban passed.

So when this suit came up, they convinced the housing authority to hire

defend it.

Don't say a word. About what? I'm sending Benny out to get me a new shirt.

Just leave it alone.

I think it looks very attractive, Arnie. Gives you that lived -in rumpled look.

I don't do rumpled. Yes, well, moving on.

Grace, do you have a meeting with the executive director of the Los Angeles

Women's Alliance?

Yeah, they want me to take over for Joan Cooper on a writ.

Mother convicted of child abuse two years ago. The trial judge conditioned

probation on accepting a contraceptive implant.

Nice guy. Did she agree to it? She was young. She was scared.

All she heard was that five capsules under her skin would keep her out of

That's blatantly unconstitutional. I don't believe it. Well, it took a

procedure to put the implants in, and she's petitioning for another procedure

take them out. And I haven't decided whether to take it or not.

Finally, Leland McKenzie.

Arbitrator to the stars.

Well, not quite.

A husband and wife team.

Animal trainers.

They're divorcing. And I'm arbitrating the division of property in their

company. Ask him if it's true. Mr. Ed couldn't really speak.

That's it, people. We're adjourned.

The facts are pretty grim.

Two years ago, Sharon Kester was charged with misdemeanor drug possession.

But when social services came to take temporary custody of her kids, they saw

evidence of child abuse as well.

Stemming from her drug use. She'd hit her three -year -old with an extension

cord.

Miss Kester was also pregnant.

Awaiting trial, she had a stillbirth.

Crack baby? They added fetal endangerment to the charges, put her two

foster homes, ordered her into drug rehab and psychotherapy.

Then the judge gave her a choice.

Five years in prison or five years probation.

provided she have the contraceptive implant.

On the theory that the fewer children she has, the fewer children she can

I have to tell you, part of me agrees with that.

I feel really uncomfortable with making this a test case. We all are. And you've

done more than your share of work for the Women's Alliance, but this one's

critical, Grace.

The state cannot be allowed to control a woman's body and her reproductive

choices. We have to get this sentence overturned. I'll tell you what.

Before I make up my mind...

I'd like to meet with Sharon Kester.

I'll set it up.

And I won't sugarcoat this.

You're probably not going to like her.

The kid's a natural.

He got that in one take. Can you believe it? Oh, I can see. He's a very talented

simian. Jerry's better than his trashy action -adventure vehicle.

Oh, here it comes. The RT. It's always the monkey that's different.

It was his best work yet. He was playing strictly results.

His best work is Widow's Walk.

There was depth. There was nuance in that performance.

Nuance, my ass. He phoned it in. He learned it from you, just like you

our sex life. Meryl Streep would have phoned in our sex life. All right.

All right, now settle down. Settle down.

A divorce is traumatic, but that doesn't mean that it can't be civilized.

Your lawyers thought this might be better resolved among the three of us.

it on a human level?

So let's try.

I take it you two differ on career direction for Jerry.

Action films are lucrative, but they're short term.

In the long run, I think he'd be better off doing family films or maybe a

series. She wants him to do television.

My God, he'll never have a life.

And no other animal of yours brings in as much income as Jerry.

That's right. He grosses $150 ,000 a year. And no combination of other assets

acceptable as an exchange to either of you. No, no.

Well, traditionally, under the law, an animal is regarded as property, but this

may be a case of custody as well.

So I have to take into account not only who will be the best manager of Jerry's

economic potential, but which of you makes the better parent.

So to that end, I think I'd like to meet Jerry.

We'll adjourn until tomorrow morning, 10 o 'clock.

Hmm?

Sorry. The crisis at the office.

Yeah, the crisis here, if you hadn't noticed. Nice to see you too, Mrs.

Just like I've been telling you, he'd make us wait 30 minutes, just like you

made us wait a year before you banned the guns. You and the other tenants

us to rush this process. Now we're right where I said we would be, in the middle

of a lot. Come on, we're on the same side here. You would prefer to see a few

more 10 -year -olds shot on the playground? The housing authority would

that better. That's not what I mean, and you know it. You wouldn't even fight me

had to talk you into it. You and your people pressured us into this.

My people and your people used to be the same. Have you forgotten what it's like

to live there? Okay, enough.

Now let's pull back the artillery.

Now, Maggie, you and I go back a long ways, but you're not being sued here.

the housing authority. I don't want to see any of this when we put you on the

stand. You got that?

And you, cut her a little slack, okay? You know what she's got invested in

Believe me, Mrs. Wallace, we want to win this case as much as you do.

Okay. Well, good.

Well, let's do it.

Mr.

Elkin, in the five years that you've lived in Avalon Court, what has the

racial makeup of the building been?

Objection relevant.

We're going to show that this firearm ban intentionally discriminates against

minorities, Your Honor. Oh, please.

No, I want to hear this.

Go on, Mr. Elkin.

Project may be 80 % black, 50 % Hispanic, the rest white and Asian.

there, do you feel discriminated against?

Show me somebody that doesn't.

We've got more crime and less police in white areas.

Ambulances don't even want to come into a black neighborhood.

Objection speculative and irrelevant.

Sustained. Answer stricken.

Mr. Elkin, what kind of criminal activity have you personally witnessed

project? Drug deals, gangs.

Four years ago, I got caught in a crossfire. I was lucky.

They only hit me in the shoulder.

That's when I went out and bought a gun.

And did you have occasion to use that gun? About a year later. A burglar broke

into my place in the middle of the night.

I didn't want to shoot.

But he came on me so fast, I didn't have a choice.

You killed him?

Yes. I'm not proud of it.

But I'd rather it was him than me.

Where is your gun now, Mr. Elkin?

Confiscated by the housing authority.

They passed a new rule.

No guns in the project.

If I didn't like it, I could leave.

Later, I find out that they didn't even get it okay by the Department of Housing

and Urban Development like they were supposed to by law.

They just railroaded it through.

And why did you file this lawsuit to get your gun back, sir? I grew up black,

Ms. Hagan.

Most of my life, I got told what to do and when to do it.

I live on a housing project because I can't afford to live anyplace else. But

matter who I am or where I live, I got rights. And one of them is the right to

defend myself.

And at Avalon Court, that takes a gun.

Thank you, Mr. Elkin. Nothing further.

You haven't been burglarized since the gun ban went into effect, have you, Mr.

Elkin? No. And before that one, you still had your weapon. How many break

were there?

Just the one.

But on at least one other occasion, you thought somebody was breaking in, so you

fired your gun, putting a bullet through the wall into a neighbor's apartment.

The window was open. I thought somebody was in the room.

But it was only a stray cat, wasn't it?

Yes. Your building is patrolled by private security officers now, right?

They search the visitors in the lobby to keep out knives and guns.

Security ain't foolproof.

I feel safer with my own gun. You'd feel safer?

Well, how safe do you think your neighbor felt when you shot at a burglar

wasn't there?

Objection. No foundation.

Sustained. Listen, if I didn't have my gun, I'd be dead now. You understand?

I got a right to defend myself.

Listen, I am tired of hearing about you and your rights, Tom Elkins. What about

our right to defend... And our children against them bullets you keep shooting

around your bedroom. Order!

You say you can't afford to move from the project, Mr. Elkin. That's right.

Then how is it you're able to afford this very expensive civil suit you

I couldn't.

But Mr. Jameson said he'd help me out with that. Ah, Mr.

Jameson is a representative of Americans for Firearms. That's right. I called

him. Wanted to know what my rights were. And, Mr. Elkin, it was your idea to sue

the Housing Authority?

I don't remember who mentioned it first.

You're a member of the organization?

No. Is anyone in your building a member, to your knowledge?

Not that I know of. So they are willing to pick up your legal bills despite the

fact that no one in your building has any connection with them whatsoever.

I never realized the AFF was a philanthropic organization.

Objection!

You're not a party to this suit, Mr. Jamison. Sit down.

I understand you're doing well in drug rehab.

Yeah, I guess.

I've been clean two years. That's longer than ever before.

And how about your psychotherapy? Is that going okay?

Yeah, sure.

Well, good.

I hear you have a new boyfriend, too.

Yeah, he's a good guy.

And he's not into drugs.

That's a first for me.

Look, Ms. Van Owen, I know what you must think about me, but I'd

never hurt my kids if I wasn't using.

And I want to get them back someday.

I know I've got to prove that I'm going to do right by them.

Well, it's not just hitting your kids, Sharon. It's also your drug use and your

baby, the one you lost.

That was an accident.

It wasn't my fault.

It was your fault, Sharon.

The baby was stillborn because of the crack cocaine you used during your

pregnancy. That's what they said, but not true.

Then what caused it, Sharon?

I think it was because I was so upset on account of being arrested.

It was, you know, stress.

Sharon, I... I want this thing taken out of me, Ms. Van Owen.

I never should have agreed to it.

I want to get married.

Have more kids.

I want to show that judge. I want to show everyone.

I want to prove that I am a good mother.

I must like you, Mr.

McKenzie. He doesn't take to everybody like this right off.

Isn't that right?

Oogie poogie.

Yes, well, I like him too. Well, just try to loosen up a little bit. Treat him

like a baby.

Do you have many grandchildren, Mr. McKenzie? Uh, no.

No, I, uh... My wife and I never had any children.

Mr. Markell, uh... Your wife claims that your training methods are

unnecessarily harsh.

Firm, maybe, but not harsh. And never unnecessary.

It's a question of approach.

She coddles the animals, she coos in his ears, she feeds him treats all day.

Yeah, he yells at him. He withholds food until he learns a trick.

Doesn't eat, Joey. You yell at the animal, Mr. Markell? I don't yell. I do

believe in discipline as a legitimate method of behavioral conditioning. If

want the animal to exhibit aggressive behavior on camera, you have to be

aggressive with him. But I don't abuse him. I love him as much as she does.

Well, since I'm not qualified to evaluate which approach is best, I'm

in an independent expert to determine which trainer has the best rapport with

Jerry. But wait a minute.

If he continues to have custody of Jerry, he could coach the animal to

him. I wouldn't, but you would. You certainly would. In a minute. You would.

right, all right.

We'll keep Jerry in a third person's custody.

Neutralize his conditioning for a few days before the testing. Will that work?

I'm not going to leave him with a total stranger.

He's a very valuable property.

Yeah. What about you?

Excuse me?

Well, you're neutral party.

You're a responsible person, and Jerry seems to like you. I can live with that.

No, that's out of the question. Well, there must be some other animal trainer

who could take him. Oh, sure. Loan him to the competition.

What about a kennel? Good luck finding one that handles exotic animals on such

short notice.

Well, all right.

What about his personal hygiene?

No worries. He's toilet trained.

All right.

Two days, but no more.

We'll reconvene on Thursday.

Then you be a good little boy for Uncle Leland, okay?

So, what is there about the idea of moving in together that frightens you?

Aside from the fact that I've managed to torpedo every serious relationship I've

ever had?

Right. We'll take that as a given.

Well, obviously, we're not going to live in my crummy little apartment. I'd have

to move into Roxanne's house, the one she bought after her settlement with

Meyer. It's like he's still a presence there somehow.

Correct, sir.

Sometimes when we're making love, I have the feeling that he's in bed with us.

And he's angry at the two of you being together. No, he's telling me how direct

mail advertising could broaden my client base. Believe me, Doc, this is a ghost

no one can live with. Except for that house in Malibu you rented.

And Corinne's house.

You've always lived in apartments.

You ever bought a place of your own?

Is this leading somewhere, or do you have a realty license on the side?

You live in a furnished apartment full of half -open boxes.

You know what you got, Ernie?

Fear of furniture.

What? I'm being serious.

Fear of permanence.

Of being too deeply rooted.

Not being able to cut and run.

Regardless of whether you and Roxanne move in together, have you ever thought

about getting your own place?

Why should I?

What is the big deal about owning property, for God's sake?

The big deal for me when I bought my first place.

Scary, too.

I wasn't depending on somebody else to make a home for me. I was making a home

for myself.

I'm not scared.

A house is a house. It is not like committing to a relationship.

It's only committing to a... To a what, Arnie?

A life.

Your Honor, I renew my objection to this witness. Her testimony is completely

irrelevant. Ms. Hagen claims the gun ban is discriminatory. Judge Mrs. Wallace

is a tenant. She's black. I want to see how she feels.

Well, we don't have a jury here, Ms. Hagen. I'll allow it. Thank you, Your

Honor.

Mrs. Wallace, how long have you lived in Avalon Courts? 25 years.

I raised two daughters there.

And one of your daughters stayed in Avalon Courts even after she had a child

her own, didn't she? Yes.

Lynette moved into a one -bedroom on the fifth floor. I used to babysit her

little boy, Henry, when Lynette had to work.

What happened to Lynette, Mrs. Wallace?

One day she was making dinner in the kitchen and a bullet came from outside

window and hit her in the throat.

She died on her way to the hospital.

I'm sorry.

You have custody of her son, Henry, don't you?

Yes. What was life like for a child in Avalon Courts before the guns were taken

away?

The first thing you learn is if you hear a gunshot drop to the floor, stay away

from the windows. Some people sleep on the floor all the time. They don't use

the beds at all. After Lynette was killed, ma 'am, what'd you do?

helped form a tenant's league, put pressure on the housing authority, and

them adopt a no -gun provision like they have in Chicago.

And is life any safer at the projects?

Well, it's not perfect, Mr.

Mulaney, but it's better than what it was.

So you don't agree with Mr.

Elkin, do you? My daughter could have owned a gun. But what good would it do

when you can be shot and killed by a stray bullet while you're asleep?

Thank you, Mrs.

Wallace. Nothing further.

I'm very sorry for your loss, ma 'am. Not just mine, Ms. Hagen.

Feel sorry for the half -dozen children killed in our project in the past two

years. Isn't it true, Mrs. Wallace, that when you enter your building, you go

past armed guards?

That's right.

To keep the felons out or to keep minorities under control?

Objection. Watch yourself, Ms. Hagen. I'll rephrase.

Doesn't it bother you that all these measures are directed primarily at

of Hispanic and African heritage? No.

Do you know what bothers me, young woman?

That American firearms suddenly acting like they care so much for blacks when

they never gave a damn about them before.

You don't know what it's like living down there, Mr.

Jameson. Where were you when my daughter was killed?

when a 10 -month -old baby was shot and killed in its... Your Honor, please. You

want to tell my grandson how much you like black people? You want to explain

the bastards that shot and killed his mama shouldn't have to give up their

Well, you do it! You do it!

All right? I mean, Ann, it was bizarre.

She refuses to acknowledge responsibility for her baby's death.

But she's in therapy, right?

The doctors have to know about this. They have to be working on it. Yeah, but

they're not the one who has to go into court and argue that she's a fit mother

when, in plain truth, she's not.

Grace, whether Sharon is or is not a fit mother is beside the point. You're

arguing against a blatantly unconstitutional sentence. That's the

that matters. So if I win and the implant is removed...

She goes back on to crack and maybe has another stillbirth. You don't know

that's going to happen.

She's in rehab. She's in therapy.

It might not play out that way. But even if it does, like I said, it's beside

the point.

Beside the point.

So what you're saying is that I am not being objective.

That maybe four months ago I would have been.

Maybe.

Or maybe you're being more of a prosecutor right now than a plaintiff's

attorney. Was Danny Escobedo a great guy? Or Ernesto Miranda?

An accused rapist and an alleged murderer. And they walked away free. But

without them, the cops would never have to read anybody their rights.

Same thing.

What in the name of... Ho, ho, ho. What are you doing, Jerry?

What are you doing?

Oh, my goodness, you're shaking.

What's the matter?

What's the trouble?

Here, come on. Let's come over here and sit down. We'll talk it all over. Come

on. We'll go talk it all over. Come on.

There you go.

There.

There. Come on.

You feel better?

That's better, isn't it?

Oh, yes.

That's my wife. Mm -hmm.

That's Ruth.

This was taken on our wedding day, 1955.

We were married in San Diego.

In the garden of the Del Coronado Hotel.

Yeah, that night we walked down to the waterfront and told each other how

we'd spend the rest of our lives together.

That's enough of that.

Come on.

Let's go back to bed.

Come on. Back to bed with you. Come now.

Back to bed.

There you go.

All right.

All right. You all right? Oh, kitty.

Sleep. Go to sleep.

Bye -bye.

Bye -bye, Barry.

Mr. Carrera, how long have you been with the Housing Authority?

About five years, but I also grew up in one of the projects, Lethem Downs. What

was life like in Avalon Courts before the weapons were confiscated?

We estimated that one innocent bystander is shot at every day, one is hit by

gunfire each week, and one is killed every month. And since the gun ban went

into effect, has there been any marked difference?

Definitely. Homicides are down 40%, rapists down 30%. My God, if we take the

guns out of the hands of the gang members living in the projects, it's

make life safer. So what do you think of the claim by Mr.

Jameson's organization that this ban discriminates against minorities?

Insulting.

Americans for firearms is made up primarily of rural whites, but they have

gall to come in here and argue their agenda on the pretext that they know

better for inner -city minorities.

They're cynically exploiting... Objection! Witness has no foundation to

characterize the AFF's membership or intentions.

Sustained. Strike the answer.

Was the gun ban intended to discriminate against minorities, Mr. Carrera? It's

meant to protect them, to protect us.

We're the people being shot at and being killed. Mr. Jamison knows that. Thank

you, sir. Nothing further.

So, homicides and rape have gone down in Avalon Court. How about burglaries?

No, but there's... Robberies, muggings, vehicle theft?

No. In fact, overall, the crime rate is pretty much the same as before the gun

ban, isn't it? That's a very difficult question to answer. Isn't it true, Mr.

Carrera, that last March, when a tenant was stabbed in a parking garage, it took

almost 20 minutes for the security police to discover it? We don't have the

money to post guards everywhere, Miss Hagen. In 1989, the Housing Authority

asked for how much funding from the federal government?

120 million.

And how much did you receive?

18 million.

Think you're likely to get any extra guards in that parking garage anytime

Objection. Withdrawn. Nothing further.

Douglas, could I ask you advice about something?

Of course.

I'm thinking about asking Arnie to move in with me.

Well...

That's very nice.

No, I want to know what you really think.

Really? Really.

Betty, you should lie down in the middle of the Ventura Freeway at rush hour.

Quicker and probably less painful.

Gee, thanks.

Roxanne, you asked for my opinion.

Yeah.

I know how you feel about Arnie.

And it's all true.

My God, why am I getting involved with him much less considering living with

him?

You tell me.

In some ways, he's as selfish and inconsiderate as ever. In others, I

doesn't even look at another woman when we go out together.

He's my friend, confidant, lover. He is so warm and wonderful and patient

and loving, I could rip out his liver.

Interesting dynamic.

This is when he starts to screw it up, you know, when everything's great, when

he couldn't seem nicer. This is when he finds a way to self -destruct. I mean, I

watched him do it with Corinne. I watched him do it with every woman he's

dated. I don't want to watch him do it with me.

Roxanne, are you... Are you all right?

I didn't want to be in love with him again.

Maybe Arnie has changed.

Maybe he's not the same person he was 12 years ago.

But you know, neither are you.

My God, I remember your first day here.

I was afraid a strong wind might blow you over.

It probably could.

Well, not anymore.

Grace Van Owen appearing for the petitioner Sharon Kester.

It is our position that the probationary condition placed on Ms. Kester violates

her right of privacy as guaranteed by the 14th Amendment and that the coercive

nature of the implant... How can it be coercive, Ms. Van Owen, when the

petitioner agreed to the condition?

Ms. Kester is young and comparatively uneducated. She did not fully understand

the implications of her assent. What about her attorney?

Incompetence of counsel. He was discharged one month later.

As Americans, we look at a country like China, which places harsh restrictions

on its citizens' reproductive rights, and we're rightly appalled. But unless

reverse this ruling, our government will have much the same power. An

individual's right to reproduce is perhaps the most fundamental of human

and placing limits on it is not a power any government should have.

Thank you.

Please, the court.

Sidney Lowenstein appearing for the state.

It's well established, Your Honor, that the state has a compelling interest in

the safety of children.

Sharon Kester is a convicted drug addict and child abuser. To allow her to have

more children before she can demonstrate parental fitness would be

unconscionable, even weighed against any alleged infringement of her

constitutional rights.

Ms. Kester was not forced against her will. What about the question of

consent? The trial transcript clearly shows that the petitioner understood the

conditions. Are you claiming, Counselor, that Ms. Kester has somehow lost her

privacy rights just because she's been convicted of a crime?

Not at all, Your Honor. But she is subject to probationary provisions

imposed on law -abiding citizens, would be unconstitutional.

Limitations on travel or associations with known felons, employment

restrictions. all imposable because the guilty person is subject to sentencing.

This implant was just a different type of condition, one that is not only fair

but completely reversible should Miss Kester be able to demonstrate her

as a parent.

Thank you, Counselor. We will take the matter under advisement.

Now this is the last one.

You understand?

Well, here's one for later.

Stars have to watch their weight.

Pretty soon the only role you'll be fit for is son of Kong.

Leland, Douglas is waiting to go over the monthly reports with you. Oh, all

right. I'll be right there. Thank you.

I don't want to come back and find that you have opened that bag.

You understand?

You can be a very good boy when you want to be.

Now,

I'm going to trust you to stay out of trouble.

Jerry! Jerry!

Jerry! Now you stop that at once.

You're bad, Jim. You're bad.

You all right, Benny?

He jumped on me. Well, he gets a little carried away sometimes, don't you, boy?

No man goes for dinner for you, young man.

Let's go.

All right, now you be good. You be very, very good.

Historically, gun control has been less about controlling guns than about

controlling black.

In 1968, the Gun Control Act was passed in the wake of violent race riots and a

shaken Congress pushed through legislation banning so -called Saturday

specials. They knew very well who owned these guns and who their legislation

would affect.

Ironically, a hundred years earlier, after the Civil War, Congress passed

legislation ensuring that recently freed blacks could own guns to protect

themselves from their former masters, who says time brings progress.

Your Honor, the Housing Authority has a well -chosen Latino representative.

He's minority, but he works for white people. White people who are scared to

death of empowering blacks and Hispanics.

So they've found a clever way to disempower them. Your Honor, don't let

away with it.

It wasn't too long ago that a child living in Avalon Courts couldn't go

in the summer to play for fear of being shot.

Even if he could go outside, he was told, if you see a stranger, to cross

street and stay outside handgun range.

And sometimes at night, his parents had him sleep in the bathtub because it was

the only room in the house that had no windows.

Now... Mr. Elkin said his right to own a gun is more important than a child's

right to live in safety.

But studies have shown that a gun in the home is 40 times more likely to be used

against someone living in that home. And it is six times more likely that a gun

in a home will result in an accidental shooting than in the shooting of an

intruder. So given this...

The Housing Authority had a rational basis for implementing a gun ban that

protects all its tenants' safety and health.

As for Ms.

Hagen's accusation that this rule is intentionally racist, not only has she

given absolutely no proof to support this, but the majority of tenants at

Court completely disagree with her. What does seem to appear to be racist.

is the gun lobby insisting that they know what is better for minorities

than the minorities themselves.

Don't listen to them, Judge.

Listen to the people whose lives are really on the line.

What is your evaluation of Jerry, Dr. Dryden? I'd say he was...

Conflicted. Conflicted? Yes, you see, Mr. and Mrs. Markell have distinctly

different training methods. Mr. Markell takes an aggressive, confrontational

approach, while Mrs. Markell prefers a more lenient, reward -oriented method.

Well, if both work, what's wrong with that? Well, imagine a human child in the

same situation.

His father disciplines him to get him to do things, clean his room, get good

grades, while his mother showers affection on him, gives him rewards to

same. He grows up with...

Conflicting impulses. Jerry's never had any difficulty with that. Doctor, what

would be the results of those conflicting impulses?

Erratic behavior.

Manic. Almost violent. One moment.

Docile. And loving. The next.

A manic depressive chimp?

Essentially, yes. And I believe Mr. McKenzie, Mr. Solwich, had a small taste

his problem. So Jerry would be better off with only one trainer. Yes. And

be able to determine which trainer has the better rapport with him. Yes.

I believe so.

Let's get on with it.

Patrice, would you bring Jerry in, please?

Now, I want the both of you to verbally invite him to come to you.

Okay, just let him go, and we'll see which one he goes to first.

Jerry, come here, Jerry.

Jerry, come here. Come here, right now. Come here. Come here. Come here, damn

it. Jerry, damn it. Come here, Jerry.

Jerry!

Deeply conflicted. Thank you, doctor.

You're welcome.

Jer? I've never seen him like this. He looks terrified.

We can't keep doing this to him, Jack.

Mr. McKenzie, I don't want to hurt him anymore.

We can't keep fighting over him like this.

Jack can have him.

Are you sure about that, Mrs. Markell?

Yes, I am.

Mr. Markell?

Hey, fine by me.

In that case, I assign ownership of Jerry to Mrs. Markell.

What? As I made clear, I want Jerry not just to be with the best trainer, but

with the person who cares the most about him. And by that action, I believe that

Mrs. Markell, despite the fact that she goes overboard with her affections, to

be that person. Hey, wait a minute, pal. You can't do this. You're talking about

my meal ticket here. You agreed to arbitration, Mr. Markell, and it is

I suggest if you want a new meal ticket, you go to Schwab's. Look for a chimp in

a tight sweater. All right, we're done here. We're done.

Mr. McKenzie, I don't know what to say.

Well, good luck, Mrs. Markell.

Well, take care of yourself, young man.

You'd have made a good father.

No.

No, I never would have had the patience.

Tell him about it.

Ms. Van Owen.

May I come in?

Yeah.

Have we heard anything?

Yes.

The justice has just delivered their opinion.

We won.

Oh, man.

That's great.

That means I can get my kids back, right?

Not necessarily, no.

Why not?

The court said I can have more kids. It means they think I'd be a good mother

now. The court ruled that your rights were violated by the implant.

But they didn't say anything about you being a fit mother.

But I am a fit mother.

Sharon, until you face the fact that your drug use cost the life of your

you're not. Who in the hell do you think you are?

I don't care what you did for me. Who in the hell are you to think... I just

wanted to help you. Get out! Get out of my house! Stop this! I don't want you

here!

You never gave a damn about me. All you and Miss Price ever cared about was the

case. That is not true. Get out, Sharon!

Sharon, I know what you're thinking. That if you stay in rehab, that if you

this shrink, that pretty soon they're going to give you your kids back. But

not true.

That's not how it works. You have to show that you have changed.

You have to show that you understand what you did. Well, I told you it wasn't

fault. It was your fault. Your baby died of a heart attack. Oh, you've got to

help. You don't even see my kids.

You don't know them.

I raised them just fine.

I'm going to raise another one just fine. And I don't need nobody's

Now you got what you wanted.

Get the hell out of my house.

My client must be delayed in traffic, Your Honor. I apologize.

Yes, well, I'm afraid he's not coming, Counselor.

I just talked with the police.

Mr. Elkin is dead.

When did this happen?

About two hours ago.

Mr. Elkin was in his car, stopped at a light.

Some gang members began harassing him.

He took out a revolver that he apparently kept in the glove compartment

car. One of the gang members opened fire with his own gun, and Mr. Elkin died at

the scene.

I move to dismiss, Your Honor. This case has been mooted.

I wish I could, Mr. Mullaney, but this is a matter of public policy. I'm going

to rule.

Now, unfortunately, the housing authority never got this gun ban

HUD. Therefore, this lease provision cannot stand.

I have no choice but to render judgment for the plaintiff, Mr. Elkin.

God rest his soul.

And as for your soul, Mr. Jameson, I would start praying if I were you.

This court is adjourned.

This is what you wanted me to see?

Yeah, my realtor spotted it yesterday. Three bedrooms, three baths. It's an

incredible bargain for North Montana.

It's gorgeous, honey.

But I didn't even know you were looking.

Me neither.

I made an offer on it this afternoon.

What? I think... I think it would make a really nice...

Family home.

Even nicer if you would join me.

Is it warm in here?

You keep your place. If things don't work out, you can always move back. And

they do, then you can always sell it later.

Why now, Arnie?

Why push our luck?

Because... Because I love you.

I've said it so many times before and I never meant it. I wish there was some

other way I could say it, but there isn't.

I love you, Rox.

Oh, this is... This is crazy.

There is not a bookie in the country that would give us better than 50 to 1

odds on this.

Long shots pay off, Rox. They pay off big.

You really want to?

I should.

I should probably be committed.

Maybe this calls for a celebration.

Sure, yeah. We could go over to Gladstone's. No.

I was thinking of something more like a christening.

Consider it often.