Original subtitles

Previously on L .A. Law. The Bentley Continental R.

You ever seen one?

No, I haven't. Do you see any reason they shouldn't buy it? If you're not

bothered by the display of wealth and you enjoy arousing the feelings of envy

others, I think you should.

I'm sure people tell you all the time how you don't look like a private

investigator. Yes, they do. Yeah, I figured they did.

Is that something you were planning on saying?

Me? No. A correctional officer was killed as an indirect but proximate

your client's actions.

What's fair is that he served the next 20 years of his life in prison.

Mr. Rollins, since, as I understand it, you'll be the one trying this case, I

would like to know if you are willing to defend my husband in the manner in

which he wants to be defended.

Well, Stewart's absolutely right that this is a long shot.

As long as you understand that, I'm willing to see where the evidence leads.

If we can build a credible case that Horace Washington's life was in danger,

then, yeah, I'm willing to go to court with that.

You want me to testify, Mr. Rollins?

Yes, I do.

You tell me where and when you want me to show up.

I'll be there.

Nice day to have the top down.

I'd rather be driving what you're driving.

You can appreciate the view more fully from the inside.

Are you offering me a ride?

Absolutely.

Generally, I make it a rule not to get into cars with strangers.

But there's an exception for every rule, isn't there? And are you the exception?

Yes, I am. I am the exception.

So what I suggest we do is you follow me back to my office, you park your car in

my space, and we'll take a ride right now.

Where's your office?

444 South Flower.

And you want me to follow you?

Right this minute.

United States versus Ellison.

Trial starts today.

What's your defense?

That the action taken was justified.

Aiding and abetting an escape was justified?

Right. What about smuggling in a gun?

He didn't do that. Stewart, are you in accord with this approach?

Jonathan's trying this case. I'll defer to his judgment.

Tomba versus Tomba. Arnie asked me to take this one over. We're representing

Gretchen Tomba, who's suing for divorce.

Her husband says he wants desperately to stay married or, in the alternative, to

receive $50 ,000 a month in spousal support.

Morning, Arnold. Where do you stand?

We're in depositions. And you're comfortable dealing with California law?

I dealt with it when I was handling divorces in New York. Plus, I'll be

the California bar exam soon, so I'll be boning up on it. When is the exam being

given? Is anybody in here at all interested in what happened to me this

Is anybody interested in why I am late? In why I am sitting here utterly

distraught?

I got rear -ended sitting at a light.

You're Bentley?

Yes. My Bentley. It'll be in the shop for six weeks. It'll cost five figures

it costs a diamond. Do you know who hit me? Or rather, do you know the ethnicity

of who hit me? The ethnicity? I'll give you a hint.

They are the worst drivers on the face of the earth. Chinese.

Bingo. Is that really irrelevant?

Is it even accurate? What do you mean? I know who it was who hit me. You know

that he was Chinese? You know he wasn't Japanese or Korean or Thai? He was

Oriental, okay?

D -W -O.

Driving while oriental. You know that oriental is considered a derogatory

Oh, is it? Excuse me, what is the correct term? Asian. All right, Asians

Asians can't drive. They don't know how. They make right -hand turns from the

center lane. They stop in the middle of the street, and they run into cars

sitting at a dead stop. No doubt there are Asian people who aren't accustomed

driving a car, who are unfamiliar with the city. Why wouldn't you attribute it

to that?

I don't know what to attribute it to.

Jane, I don't know whether it's cultural or physiological or what it is.

All I know is that it's true. They can't drive.

And because they can't drive, my Bentley, Continental R, got hit.

I'm going home. I can't stay here right now. I'm going home.

Move along, Douglas.

Mr.

Weeks, I'd like for you to tell us where you were and what you were doing in the

spring of 1968.

I was a correctional officer at the Eastern Idaho Federal Prison. Was Horace

Washington a prisoner at that time?

Yes, he was. Would you describe the events that you observed on June 19,

Mr. Washington tried to escape.

How did he do that?

By commandeering a laundry truck.

And what happened?

He was ordered to stop, at which point he opened fire, killing Donald Foley, a

fellow officer.

We returned fire, killing Mr. Washington.

That would indicate that Mr. Washington had a gun in his possession. Is that

right? That's right.

Tell us, Mr. Weeks. Have you ever seen the defendant before today?

I saw him at the prison.

What were the circumstances surrounding that visit? He was visiting Horace

Washington. I have no further questions.

What kind of prisoner was Horace Washington, Mr. Weeks?

Objection. Irrelevant. The witness's attitude toward the prisoner is directly

relevant to whether or not the prisoner's life was in danger.

I'll allow it.

Mr. Weeks?

He was a pain in the ass. What else would you like to know?

What made him a pain in the ass?

He was a militant.

He'd stir up the other convicts, and he'd file a different writ every week.

always had to keep transporting him to the court.

He was always having visits from his supporters, like your friend over there.

And he had a big mouth.

I had a foul mouth.

I didn't like him. I didn't like what he stood for. Did you ever strike a

prisoner, Mr. Weeks?

Only when it was necessary.

And what would cause it to be necessary?

They'd act up.

I'd have to show them who was in charge. Was that a need that arose with

particular frequency when the prisoner also happened to be a Black Panther?

I don't know. I didn't keep track.

Oh.

You testified that Horace Washington opened fire.

Did you personally observe him opening fire?

No, I did not.

No, you did not.

What do you base your testimony on? On the fact that a fellow officer was dead

on the ground.

You think that Horace Washington was a great man, don't you? Mr. Weeks. You

think his life was in danger?

My life was in danger. Every hour of every shift of every day that I went to

work in that prison, my life was in danger. Mr. Weeks. As far as I'm

he got what was coming to him, and you got what's coming to you. Mr.

Weeks. I have no further questions.

When did you start Roy Tombaugh Seminars, Mr. Tombaugh? Gee, I guess it

have been around 1988 when I first came up with its concept.

Would you describe for us what that concept was?

Well, essentially it was a series of workshops and weekends during which I

talked to couples interested in improving upon and deepening their

with one another.

Well, did this prove to be a money -making prospect at first?

No, it did not. As a matter of fact, it wasn't until year four that it started

making a profit at all. That is correct.

And you also have rather extensive...

Expense, is that right, sir?

Yes, I do.

Yeah, you rent hotel ballrooms, you travel around the country, you produce

and audio tapes, you buy commercial time on television.

Where does that money come from?

From my wife. From your wife.

And I want to say something.

We're going through a little bit of a tough time right now. She has the urge

sprout her wings.

Okay. But what I feel is it's time for us to roll up our sleeves and work on

marriage. Could we get on with this?

Yes. So it was your wife using money that she inherited from her family who

provided the startup capital. It was your wife who covered your overhead. And

you're in here now asking for a lump sum payment of $4 million.

And spells will support $50 ,000 a month.

Can you tell us how you justify that? Wait, wait, wait. He doesn't have to

justify it. I call this one of the three dividers.

I'm being used. I'm being ignored.

I'm being made fun of.

Gretchen feels as though I'm using her.

What she needs to see is that I value her, that I value the experience of

your husband, one of the four building blocks to respect, to communicate, to

understand.

To value.

You know, Eli, I can't stay here. You don't have to. Gretchen, the nine

are you forgetting?

No, Roy.

I am not forgetting the nine pillars or the four building blocks or the seven

wake -up calls or the five life -affirming gestures.

My problem is one that you don't address in your seminars or your audio tapes.

My problem is that I become physically ill every time I realize that I am still

married to you.

I want to say something, and I want to say it for the record. Whether or not we

manage to get our marriage back on track, that lady is a ten.

Where were you and what were you doing in the spring of 1968, sir? I was a

prisoner at Eastern Idaho Federal Prison.

What had you been sentenced to prison for, sir?

Bank robbery.

Were you affiliated with any particular organization at that time?

I was a member of the Black Panther Party. Was the treatment received by the

members of the Black Panther Party different from the treatment received by

general prison population?

You could say that.

In what way was it different?

There were threats.

There were beatings. I saw a guard shoot a prisoner from a tower in the yard.

It was made clear to us on a regular basis that to be a member of the Black

Panther Party, you were a target.

for anything that the guards thought they could get away with. Objection.

Speculation. Sustained. The last part of the witness response is stricken. Was

Horace Washington a member of the Black Panther Party?

Yes, sir, he was.

Did you have any reason to believe that in the spring of 1968, Horace

Washington's life was in danger? Objection. Leading the witness.

Overruled. The witness may answer.

Horace was about to have his book published. The guards had said on more

one occasion.

That they would kill him if that happened. Objection. Here's safe.

Sustained and stricken, the jury will disregard. Did you yourself observe a

change in the behavior of the prison guards toward Mr. Washington when it

known that his book was going to be published?

Observe them beat him half to death.

Nothing further.

Were you ever privy to any prison directives regarding the Black Panther

Not official ones.

Well, then how about unofficial ones?

Did you ever witness a warden or assistant warden giving a guard a direct

to threaten or harass or abuse members of the Black Panther Party? They don't

give direct orders. That's not the way it happens. Asked that the witness be

directed to answer the question that he's been asked?

I was never a witness to...

A direct order being given. Is it possible, Mr. Hovey, that what the

correctional offices were doing was nothing more than maintaining order?

They brutalized us, Mr. Shale. Were not you yourselves brutal?

Were not you yourselves nothing more than a group of violent criminals who

treated the way...

Violent criminals are always perforce treated. Does that mean murder? Who, Mr.

Hovey? Who has been murdered? Horace Washington was murdered. Isn't it a

Mr. Hovey, that Mr. Washington fired the first shot? No, Mr.

Schell, it is not a fact. It's a lie. They lied about it when it happened, and

you're lying right now. Move that the witness's last remarks be stricken from

the record. So stricken. Horace never fired a gun.

Horace didn't have a gun.

happened douglas someone dented your car arnold it doesn't require you to

reevaluate your life i think it might for some time now everything i touch

bad and it isn't just the car douglas it isn't just the car what else is it

women aren't going to bed with me anymore has it been more than a week

guess it has i engage them i talk to them and they don't respond

They look at me like I'm some mildly amusing throwback to another era. It's

the secret council of women has met and voted unanimously.

Becker doesn't get any.

Well, you know, it is possible that your career as a stick man is coming

to a close.

You've had a good run, a longer run than most.

And now, maybe it's time for you to live life like the rest of us, for whom the

world isn't a smorgasbord of sexually willing and adventurous females.

Every three or four weeks, you have sex with your wife, assuming she's speaking

to you, and that's about it.

Douglas, I'm not ready for that.

Buck up, Skipper.

You've got a great car.

Eli?

Jinx, what are you doing here?

You wanted to see me. We have an appointment.

That's right.

The husband's name is Roy Tamba. I need to set up some kind of surveillance on

him. Here's the file.

What am I looking for?

He's been rather mercenary in this divorce.

I'd like anything that would make him go away.

I'll see what I can find.

Thanks. I thought you were headed back to New York.

I decided to stay.

Having second thoughts?

I can find something in you.

Of course.

I was just lying over there in the midst of a full -on anxiety attack.

Why?

In the interest of being spontaneous and groovy, I acted precipitously.

I sublet my apartment, I took a leave of absence from my firm, and I moved out

here. Yeah?

I think I made a big mistake.

I went from a great apartment in Manhattan to a hotel room in Los

don't know how to drive. I don't know any places to eat.

You don't drive?

I know it's inconceivable to anyone who lives out here. How do you get around?

Bus, cab, people give me rides.

The other night, to get back to my hotel from the restaurant, I decided to walk.

Halfway back, I started to panic and hyperventilate and feel a sense of total

disorientation. I said to myself, great, this is all I need. Now I'm coming down

with agoraphobia, too.

What kind of restaurant do you like?

All kinds.

Chinese, Italian, Jewish dairy restaurants.

The other day, what I wanted more than anything in the world was a hot dog.

You free tonight?

I'm free every night.

I'll pick you up at seven.

Really? Mm -hmm.

Wait for me downstairs so I don't have to park.

Do you deny taking part in the attempt to assist Horace Washington's escape

prison? No, I don't. Would you tell me with some specificity exactly what part

you played? I attended meetings of the Committee in Solidarity with the Black

Panther Party.

I met with Horace Washington at the prison.

I obtained false identification and rented a car that I left for Horace by

side of the road.

Did you smuggle a gun into the prison?

No, I did not. To the best of your knowledge, was a gun in fact being

in? No, there was no gun.

Would you tell us why you thought fit to play a role in the plan?

I was convinced that if Horace Washington remained in prison, he would

killed. What was it that convinced you of that? A conversation I had with

when I visited with him at the prison.

What was said? He told me that he had been beaten two nights before.

Objection. Hearsay. Goes to the witness's state of mind, Your Honor. I'm

to allow it. The objection's overruled. Did Horace Washington show physical

signs that he had been beaten?

Yes, he did. He had both his eyes blackened, there were several bandages

face and head, and he walked with a pronounced limp. What specifically made

believe that his life was threatened?

He said that the guards had told him that if his book was published...

They would kill him. Objection, Your Honor. This is now double hearsay. Your

Honor, once again, I maintain it goes to the defendant's state of mind.

I'll allow it.

What, if anything, made you believe that this threat was imminent?

Well, Horace's book was going to come out at the end of the month.

I have nothing further.

Let me ask you something, Mr. Ellison.

If Charles Manson's life were in danger...

Would you help him to assume? Objection. I'm entitled to pursue this issue, Your

Honor. It was the defense who brought it. As it pertains to Horace Washington,

not Charles Manson. I'm going to allow the government to pursue this. The

objection's overruled. Well, Mr. Ellison, how about it? In my opinion,

Manson is not a political prisoner.

The last time I looked, Horace Washington was in prison for bank

murder.

Now, what was it exactly that made him a political prisoner?

What made Horace Washington a political prisoner was the fact that his treatment

in the criminal justice system followed from his political activities, not from

his so -called crimes.

So he was innocent.

I don't know whether he was innocent or not. Did you ever think about the public

safety considerations of releasing a killer onto the streets?

No. Did you ever think of the people who might die, who did die as a result of

your adventure?

Look, we were... We were trying to... We were interested in doing something.

I don't know. Maybe we just wanted to be outlaws. Maybe we wanted to violate

every middle -class convention possible.

I don't know.

I can't say with absolute certainty that what we did was right or justified.

Your Honor, may I have a moment to confer with my client?

I have no further questions.

Counsel can confer with his client as long as he wants.

You may stand down, Mr. Ellison.

I have lived with having played a part in the death of two men for most of my

adult life.

Now, I will not concede that that was wrong.

And I... And I won't insist that it was right.

The truth is that I don't... that I don't know.

After all this time, the one thing I am sure of is I have

to tell the truth.

I didn't do it on purpose. I just found that I could not say what was on my

mind. You might have thought to indulge yourself in that outside the presence of

the jury.

Oh, you think I was being indulgent? Yeah, man, I think you're being

indulgent and not real smart.

All right, Jonathan, let's try to be a little constructive here.

We know Vernon Weeks was lying. Is that an ideological position or are you

possessed of some information?

Why are you being like this?

Because he's tired, because we're all tired.

Well, why don't we just call it a day then?

Is it a lost cause, you guys?

We have to turn the jury against the government. The government then and the

government now. And how do we do that? You make the actions of the government

appear sufficiently evil, sufficiently brutal, so that they refuse to reward

government with a conviction. That's how you do it.

Where's the file and the prison guard?

We should have one in some place.

My God, what kind of car is this?

It's a Ferrari.

You're not an overly fast driver by any chance, are you?

You're completely without fear.

That's not true.

You do drive at an excessive rate of speed. I hope you realize that. I drive

both conditions permit. What I was doing was not unsafe.

You're insane.

You're insane. You live in a state of total fear.

While in the car just now, that was a reasonable apprehension of death.

That's not living in a state of total fear.

But you do live in a state of total fear.

Not really.

I'm afraid of death.

I'm afraid of illness.

a fit of different kinds of illness, prostate cancer, adult onset diabetes,

embolisms of all forms.

You think about those things.

You can say they cross my mind every once in a while.

I never think about those things. I like to live as good a life as I can. I

don't like to fill it with bad thoughts.

You do know some good places to eat. You like this place.

I love this place.

I had a feeling you'd like this place.

If I could face the prospect of riding a car with you.

I'd have to give me a tour.

I'll give you a tour.

I'll drive. No.

Yeah? Burning Weeks.

Yeah? My name is Stuart Markowitz.

You're one of the lawyers.

Yes, I am.

May I come in for a minute?

So what can I do for you?

I'd like you to help me understand something, Mr. Weeks.

The Department of Corrections forced you into an early retirement because of a

medical problem, right?

And judging from the number of grievances that you filed, it's obvious

feel you got screwed.

I'm trying to understand why you're standing up for him.

How am I standing up for him?

You're lying.

You know what happened in the prison yard that day.

You know there was no gun.

You're about to send a man to jail, and I'm trying to figure out what you're

doing it for.

You know, I bet you're not even supposed to be here.

What I don't understand, Mr. Weeks, is what you think you're getting out of

this.

I don't want to talk to you. Are they taking care of your medical costs?

none of your business.

Are they going to take care of your wife, Mr. Weeks? Hey, I don't have to

some smart Jew lawyer come in here and stick his nose into my affairs.

Mr. Weeks?

I'm going to give you a reason to change your testimony.

If you get up on the stand and tell the truth about what happened that day,

you're going to buy yourself the services of one smart Jew lawyer.

And he's going to make sure that your pension and your disabilities and your

medical needs are completely taken care of.

You're trying to bribe me, Mr. Markowitz.

No, I'm trying to induce you to tell the truth, Mr. Weeks. And because I'm just

some dumb old redneck, you figure the way to do that is to throw me something.

I don't think of it that way. The hell you don't.

It never occurred to you that if I was lying, that I would have my reasons, and

I would be thinking about the men that I worked with, that I would feel some

loyalty to them, some obligation.

You just don't think that that matters.

I think there are things that matter more.

Like what?

My pension?

My health benefits?

A fistful of $100 bills?

No, how about...

Being able to die a little bit easier knowing that you didn't send a man to

with a lie.

Look, Mr. Weeks, I'm sorry I tried to buy you off there. That was a stupid

to do.

In the end, this has got nothing to do with pensions or medical benefits or

whatever else it is a smart Jew lawyer can give for you.

Gretchen, yesterday we talked about your contribution to your husband's

business. I'd...

I'd like to talk today about your husband's contribution.

To the best of your knowledge, who ran the company?

My husband ran the company.

Who was on the road three days out of every five to different cities all

the United States? Your husband was, wasn't he? Yes, my husband was.

You could say he was being a hunter -gatherer, couldn't you?

Are you taking his seminars?

Yes, I am.

And I find that what they've done is to increase by a factor of a thousand

the intimacy and closeness that my wife and I are capable of. Well, that's

great, Seth.

Could we move on with the questions and answers, please?

All right, now you're...

You're aware, are you not, that Roy Tomba Seminars is about to take some

dramatic steps toward expansion?

I don't know what Roy Tomba Seminars is about to do. Well, you know that Roy has

been actively pursuing a number of celebrity endorsements.

You know that he's approached Frank Gifford, Joe Piscopo, Alan Thicke, that

has gone about doing all of this, confident that you would be there for

Excuse me. And Gretchen, now you're saying...

You won't be there. Excuse me. This is a deposition. That means a question -and

-answer format. It doesn't mean testimonials for Roy Thomas seminars.

doesn't mean long, self -serving speeches.

Ask a question, or let's get out of here.

Gretchen. Have we really reached this point? Have we gone through the entire

troubleshooting guide to marital repair?

Do you have any idea how annoying you are? Am I annoying or am I tenacious?

Annoying. Am I annoying or am I determined to use the principles that

developed, the pillars, the building blocks, and so forth, to help our

in the same way that I've helped so many other people's marriages?

Well, not this one, Roy.

I can't live inside of a 24 -hour -a -day infomercial. So, Seth, why don't

ask me whatever you have to ask me? Let's get the deposition done, and then

let's go to trial.

Don't let's get ahead of ourselves. I am not getting ahead of myself. We've made

very generous offers. He has rejected every single one.

So, if a settlement can't be reached, let's get into a courtroom, and let's go

to war.

Gretchen, Eli, why the hostility?

Excuse me.

Yes? Are you Mr. Arnold Becker?

Yes. I understand that you're involved in an automobile accident with a member

of a Chinese community.

Yes, I was. Please, come in. Have a seat.

Hi, I'm Zhu Hua.

Hi. Hi.

I'm here representing the Chinese American Benevolent Society.

We just want to make sure that everything is being done that can be

remedy this great wrong.

The insurance companies are taking care of it.

If the insurance companies don't take care of it, please, Mr. Becker, make

that you feel free to call on us.

If you don't mind my asking, why are you taking such a special interest in this?

Well, Mr. Becker...

Ours is a very close -knit community. If our driving skills aren't what they

should be, we'd like to make amends for that. There's nothing wrong with your

driving skills.

Well, many people feel otherwise.

A quirk that we can laugh about becomes instead fodder for those who foster

racism and violence.

If anything, I would attribute a lack of skill in driving to someone being a

recent immigrant rather than their belonging to a specific ethnic group.

Maybe they aren't accustomed to driving a car. Maybe they're unfamiliar with the

city. What an unusual man you are, Mr. Becker. I don't think I'm so unusual. I

just try to understand the forces that make us the way we are, that divide us,

that turn us against one another.

Oh, Mr. Becker, it seems that you're a man for whom race isn't really a

I love people of all races.

Well, when I came up here, I wasn't expecting anyone like you.

Listen, being a white male, being a very affluent white male, I understand that

I have an incredibly privileged life.

I consume an inordinate amount of resources.

I have a standard of living that can only be called grotesque when compared

that of the rest of the world.

I find myself wanting to get to know you, Mr. Becker.

You ever been over to Kim Choi's on Broadway?

I don't believe I ever have been.

King of Choo Chow Wonton.

You want to take me there?

Yes, I do.

Well, Mr. Becker, I wouldn't go to eat Choo Chow Wonton with you if it meant

never eating Choo Chow Wonton again.

What do you mean?

I mean you're a racist pig.

I'm not here from the Chinese American Benevolent Society.

I'm here at the request of the McKenzie Brackman Minority Alliance.

And I believe that whatever you may have said to me just now was said for one

reason only.

You want to go to bed with me?

Mr. Becker, that's just not going to happen.

Now that you know that, you may drop the pretense and go back to being who you

really are.

The McKenzie -Brackman Minority Alliance.

Boy, have I got some good news for you.

What's that?

Don't tell me that's not exactly your true blue kind of guy.

No. Your names, pictures, the work.

Boy, you're good.

Thanks.

I had a pretty good time last night. Me too.

Do you think we could do it again sometime?

You're willing to get back in the car with me?

Yes, I am.

I'm willing to get back in the car with you.

Mr. Weeks, I'm going to ask you some questions that you answered the other

I'd like you to answer them again.

When Horace Washington was trying to escape, did he fire at the guards who

trying to stop him?

No. Was it a bullet from Mr.

Washington's gun that killed Donald Foley?

No. From whose gun was that bullet fired?

From my gun.

When Horace Washington's body was examined, was he found to have had a

No. How did the gun he was alleged to have had get there? The captain of the

guard put it there.

Was Horace Washington shot to prevent him from escaping?

We shot the tires out of the laundry truck. He was not about to escape.

He had his hands over his head when he was shot.

Who pulled the trigger?

We all did.

We wanted to kill him, and we killed him.

I have no further questions.

Tell us, Mr. Weeks, what happened between the time you first

testified and today?

Nothing happened. Did either of the defendant's attorneys communicate with

in any way?

Mr. Markowitz spoke to me. I see. And what did he say?

He impressed on me the importance of telling the truth.

He impressed on you the importance of telling the truth.

How did he do that?

I don't know how he did that.

What did he offer you in return for changing

your testimony?

Nothing. Sir, you are up here admitting to murder.

Are you aware of the fact that you can and will be prosecuted, and if

you will in all likelihood...

Spend the next 10 to 20 years in prison. That won't happen, Mr. Shale. It won't

happen. On what do you base your belief that it won't happen? On the fact that I

will be dead inside of six months. I have cancer.

And even though I have no use for him or anything that he stands for, I think

before I leave this world, I ought to own up to what I did.

I think that I will be able to die easier that way.

I want to talk about accountability.

I want to talk about the absolute necessity for judging people's actions

consistent codified standard of behavior.

The law.

Now the defense...

doesn't want you to do that. No, they would rather you not be quite that

rigorous.

They'd rather you apply situational ethics, which are infinitely malleable,

accommodate historical context or youthful fervor or anything else that

to excuse what was done.

This man participated in a conspiracy to enable a convicted killer to escape

from prison.

His defense is that said killer's life was in danger. And in lieu of proof, we

are offered an array of anecdotes and conjecture. We are given the revised

testimony of a prison guard who has suddenly decided to bare his soul.

As to what he may have been offered in return for this, we can only guess. I

object to the implication that Mr. Weeks was offered anything.

The objection is sustained. The jury will disregard.

Ladies and gentlemen.

I don't know what your respective politics are.

I don't know what you thought or think of the Black Panther Party.

What I do know is this. A crime was committed. The man who committed it

a fugitive from justice for some 25 years.

To torture the facts into forgiving his crime does violence to the system that

we are sworn to uphold and which he was dedicated to destroy.

Convict him.

Convict him and send him to prison.

My adversary, Mr. Shale, talks about the law and the need for obedience to the

law. And in general, I would agree with him.

I would ask you to remember that when police officers or prison guards

brutalize, beat, and kill those people in their custody, they are

breaking... The law to try and save a man's life in such an instance isn't a

crime. The law recognizes that there are times when people must take decisive,

sometimes violent action in defense of another person's life.

We believe that the evidence speaks resoundingly that this is what Jay

did. It isn't conjecture to say that Horace Washington's life was at risk. We

all saw the sworn testimony of a man that put it at risk.

we have all seen the sworn testimony of one of the men who killed him.

I'm not asking you to take a nostalgic view of these events. I'm asking you to

determine whether the actions Jay Ellison took were taken in good faith

whether they were justified by the conditions that existed at that time.

I believe that in doing so, you'll come to the conclusion that the only just

verdict is not guilty.

You know what?

I'd like to see if we can't settle this matter. What do you think about that?

Hey, Eli, we're for that.

Honest engine, we are for that. I think it's important to stress at this point

that we're pretty much at rock bottom as to what I would consider fair.

In other words, the $4 million up front and the $50 ,000 a month, that's pared

down to the nub. It's not Roy who wants a divorce.

No, it's not Roy who wants a divorce.

It's Roy who wants to get under the hood of a marriage that is broken down by

the side of the road. It's Roy that wants to fix things. It's Roy that wants

try.

I think he's entitled to compensation for his emotional devastation. You know,

I'd have to think, Mr. Tomba, that your image has a great deal to do with your

success. I'm sure that's true.

People whose marriages are foundering come to you so that you can guide them.

From where I sit, I'd say that your image is your principal asset.

I'd be inclined to agree with that.

Well, what do you think that'll do to it?

Which of the five life -affirming gestures are being performed in that

series of photographs, Roy? Gretchen, I think that we should take a moment and

think about how we want to deal with this. We've already thought about it.

You aren't contemplating going public with this, are you? Yeah, I've already

written a press release.

Now, Gretchen, that is not being constructive.

That is not a life -affirming gesture.

It would, however, give me an inordinate amount of pleasure.

Okay. What is it you're looking for?

A divorce, that's number one.

Number two, she doesn't have to buy him off.

He can have Roy Thomas Seminars Incorporated in its entirety. No cash up

no spousal support.

Nothing? Nothing. Zero.

Zed. Seth?

Roy, look, I'd be lying if I said there wasn't an exposure here. I mean, if it

were simple adultery, I think we could weather that, but the fact is we're

talking...

threesomes and, oh, well, costumes involved.

It kind of makes me feel as though this could hurt us.

Would it change anything if I said that I know that these sexual exploits

correspond to a deficiency in me and not in you? No, dear, it wouldn't change a

thing.

Go away.

Does that mean me?

What are you doing here?

You said you'd give me a ride. I came to take you up on your offer.

How'd you find my office?

You told me the address of the building and your parking place has your name on

it.

And I know what kind of car you drive.

But the Bentley is in the shop.

I asked the parking attendant the name of the man who drove it. Did the Chinese

people send you?

Excuse me? The Chinese people. The McKenzie Brackman Minority Alliance.

Is another point being made is what I'm asking? Are you here because my attitude

towards women has been found wanting?

Who's standing outside my door now, huh?

Maybe this is a bad time.

Wait a minute.

Why are you here?

I wanted to apologize.

For what?

For driving away.

Instead of sticking around.

Just in case you needed for me to be a witness.

That's okay.

And I'm sorry for laughing.

God, I love hearing a woman apologize.

How's the car?

It'll be all right.

something, Arnold Becker.

I haven't stopped thinking about you since the day we met.

Do you have dinner plans?

No, I don't.

Let's go to dinner.

Let's go.

I've got to tell you, I find car culture and all its ramifications largely

insidious in nature.

Eli, Eli, try not to let the clutch out all at once. It totally atomizes us as a

society. We exist in a world encapsulated in steel. The random

real city like New York doesn't happen out here. Eli, pay attention to what

you're doing.

That's the other thing.

All the contemplative time people have while walking or riding on a bus or

subway is totally transformed. Now I have to concentrate on driving.

My attention for force is given over essentially to avoiding death.

There is no more contemplative place in the world than the inside of a car.

It is hopeless.

Eli, it is not hopeless.

Yes, it is, Jinx. I'm never going to adapt to life out here.

Hey, you think I was born doing what I'm doing now?

It wasn't very long ago I was working at a beauty parlor on Edscombe Avenue in

the Bronx.

How'd you wind up a private investigator?

You really want to know?

Yeah.

I worked as a secretary for a private investigator. I watched. I listened.

And today you're driving a Ferrari.

I have a weakness for fast cars.

I would think most people with cars like this wouldn't want to use them for

driving lessons.

I have more than one weakness.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor. What say you? On the charge of aiding and abetting

we find the defendant not guilty. On the charge of conspiracy, we find the

defendant not guilty.

Thank you, Jonathan.

We did good. Thank you. We're going to go out and celebrate tonight, right?

Absolutely. I'm going to head back to the office. Pick a restaurant, call me,

and I'll meet you there. Okay. Hey, good work. Thanks, Jordan.

You came.

Yeah.

I'm glad you came.

Me too.

All right.

Mr. Ellison. Mr. Ellison. Do you feel vindicated?

I feel fortunate. Which name are you going to go by, Barry or Jay?

Jay. What do you think? Stuart.

What are your plans?

Excuse me. I'll be back in a minute. I'll answer all your questions.

Mr. Ellison. No.

Stuart.