Original subtitles

Previously on L .A. Law.

Belinda Fox?

That's me.

Hi.

I'd like to talk to you about the Tobias case.

Who are you?

Arnold Becker.

I love your car.

Thank you.

What are you doing here?

I had a date tonight. The entire time that I was here with him, I had my eyes

you. I think we're making a mistake not proceeding with the civil suit right

away. Once this goes to a criminal trial, Lambert's career is irreparably

damaged. If we offer him the opportunity to prevent that from happening, we

offer him his greatest incentive to settle. And how is it that we can offer

that? If the girl doesn't testify, Mulaney doesn't have a case.

That sick broad just shook down the guy she was pimping her daughter off on, and

you were right there with it! You want to think it was a shakedown? Fine.

I acted at our client's behest.

In our client's best interest. You did not reach down into the mud and pull out

this deal. You swam along the bottom with your mouth open. You engineered

piece of dirty little work from the first bell. I know it, and you know it.

You should know something else.

This isn't over.

As far as I'm concerned, Patrick Flanagan is a felon. He gave assurances

this girl wouldn't testify that is obstruction of justice.

Do you have any proof of that?

Of course I don't have proof.

Patrick says he tried to notify you of the settlement offer. You were

unavailable. He also maintains that no such assurances were made. He's lying.

Lest you be under any further illusions, this is someone who lies.

He stood in my office. He told me what he wanted to do. I told him in no

uncertain terms, do not do it. He went ahead and did it anyway.

Parenthetically, it should be noted that he did bring in about $9 million.

Douglas, he is dangerous.

Well, I think that might be a little harsh.

All right, Leland, look, you do whatever you want with him. I'm telling you

right now, I will not work with him again.

That's your prerogative.

On this one, Morales was right.

Well, Patrick maintains that no assurances were given.

Patrick maintains a lot of things, Leland.

Yes, he does. At a minimum, he does seem to be someone who gets accused pretty

often.

Well, so far, all the accusations have been groundless.

So far.

We can't get started again.

Sure we can't. I've got a staff meeting at 10.

I've got to be in court at 9 .30.

Doorbell.

Who's here at this hour?

The takeout guy.

You ordered breakfast to be delivered?

I knew I'd need my sustenance.

I would have made breakfast for us.

That's all right. You were busy doing other things.

I was, wasn't I?

Yes, you were.

You plan on getting dressed in your own clothes any time today?

Where do you go?

I got to be out of here in 15 minutes.

So what does that have to do with me getting dressed?

I thought you had to be in court.

When you leave, you want us both to leave, right?

We both have to go to work.

I figured we'd both leave.

What exactly do you think I'll do if I'm alone here?

I don't think you'll do anything.

But you'd rather I wasn't here when you weren't here.

Linda, do you want to let yourself out?

Let yourself out.

Is this a pet?

Yes. Good.

How'd I do?

You passed.

Then let me have my keys so I can get out of here.

Come get them.

Has anyone heard from Arnold?

His secretary said he's having breakfast with a client not to wait. In that

case, Palmer versus Schottles. Mine.

We represent Dr. Joseph Palmer, Beverly Hills dentist who lost half his practice

due to a rumor he was HIV positive.

Is he? No, he's not. Who's he suing?

The rival dentist who started the rumor. You can prove he started the rumor?

We'll see. Sounds tough.

Believe me, I would have preferred to settle.

Stanton versus Fry.

Oh, that belongs to me. We represent Ernest Fry.

He is the defendant in a damage to property suit brought by his neighbor.

been damaged? His neighbor's Afghan.

Rug? Dog.

What happened to the dog?

She was allegedly impregnated by our client's mixed breed.

The Afghan's owner is seeking compensation for loss of her breeding

medical expenses.

What's the defense?

We deny paternity.

Assuming paternity, we deny liability.

Why are you doing this?

Well, I've known Ernest Fry for quite a few years, and I'd like to be of service

to him. Is that an adequate explanation?

Sorry. Well, well. I was in a meeting with a client.

From all appearances, it went pretty well. What is that supposed to mean?

Boop, boop.

Now that Arnold has finally arrived, we're adjourned.

I've been informed that the other side is amending their pleadings.

What does that mean?

It means that in addition to money, they're also asking for a court order

compelling your dog to be neutered.

Leland, that will never happen.

Ernest, I know how you feel.

My dog did what dogs do. They're going to punish him for that? They're going to

neuter him for that? I don't think so. All right, now, don't get yourself all

worked up. The fact that she would even ask for that pretty much tells you all

you need to know about her, doesn't it? Yeah.

Isabella.

Isabella, here.

How long have you had Isabella, Miss Stanton? I got her as a puppy four years

ago. And would you describe for us the kind of dog she is?

Isabella is a purebred champion afghan. Both sire and dam were also champions.

Her grandsire was E. Magnus Rex, one of the top winning afghans in the history

of the breed.

Has Isabella herself, in fact, been judged a champion?

She won her class in puppy, novice, and open.

She's been judged best in breed at enough shows to have earned the

champion many times over.

Now, I know this is very difficult for you, but I need for you to tell us what

happened on November 15th, 1993.

I came home from work at around 5 p .m. and found him on top of the picnic table

in the backyard, mounting Isabella. Ms. Stanton, are you pointing at Mr.

Fry, or are you pointing at Mr.

Fry's dog?

His dog.

I thought so.

Resourceful little fella, isn't he?

When I say resourceful little fella, I am referring, of course, to Mr. Fry's

dog, not to Mr.

Fry.

Now, Miss Stanton, did you attempt to breed Isabella after this unfortunate

incident? Yes, I did. I put Isabella with a triple champion stud.

But she rejected him. All she wanted was the mutt. In the end...

We had to inseminate her artificially. And did Isabella subsequently whelp?

but instead of champion afghans, she gave birth to mongrels.

How much money do you estimate you lost as a result?

Her puppies would have gone for $7 ,500 each.

Speaking conservatively, that comes out to $30 ,000, plus veterinary bills and

food for the puppy she did have.

I have nothing further.

Miss Stanton.

Have you considered that a mixed breed other than Mr. Fry's could have fathered

Isabella's puppies?

I caught Mr.

Fry's dog en flagrant, Mr. McKinley.

Assuming that it was Mr. Fry's dog you saw that dark November night, your dog's

pregnancy could still be attributable to another dog, could it not? Objection.

Speculative. Oh, is there a specific putative sire, Counselor? Yes, Your

Right. Well, then, confine your questions accordingly.

Are you familiar with an unneutered shepherd mix named Bismarck who lives on

your block?

That dog is 11 years old and blind.

According to its owner, it still functions sexually.

He never leaves the driveway.

Is it possible Isabella went to him? Objection.

Speculative. Sustained.

Speculative it is.

Animal control records show that you reported Isabella missing on November

And did not report her found until the following day. The gardener left the

open. So, for almost 24 hours, Isabella was running around loose while in heat,

wasn't she?

Yes. During this 24 -hour spree, couldn't Isabella have had intercourse

countless mongrel suitors? You seem to forget, Mr. McKenzie, that I saw that

mounting my Isabella.

I saw the tunnel he dug to get from his yard to my yard. How do you know

Isabella didn't dig the tunnel? Mr. McKenzie, I can't help but feel as

dog has been defiled by your client's dog, by your client, and now she's being

defiled again by you.

Miss Stanton, how do you know Isabella didn't dig the tunnel?

I know my dog.

I see.

Nothing further.

What did your dental practice generate in income for fiscal 1992, doctor?

About $800 ,000.

How about 1993?

Less than $100 ,000. To what do you attribute the fall -off?

I attribute it to a rumor started by Dr. Frederick Schotel that I was HIV

positive. Would you tell us on what basis you make that allegation?

Yes. I had a patient named Sid Green.

He'd been with me for a number of years.

Actually, I thought we were friends.

One day, my secretary told me that he called and requested that his records be

sent over to another dental office.

How did he respond?

Objection. Hearsay. The witness is being asked to testify to state of mind, not

truth, Your Honor. The objection is overruled. The witness can answer.

He said that he worked with a patient of Dr.

Schotel's.

He said that they had told him that Dr. Schotel said I was HIV positive.

Are you HIV positive?

No, I'm not.

Ask that the witness's stipulated medical report containing his HIV test

be entered as plaintiff's exhibit A. So ordered. Is it fair to say, Doctor, that

you and Dr.

Schotel were in competition with one another?

Well, I never considered us as being in competition.

Apparently, he did.

Objection. Speculation.

Sustained. Was there ever an incidence of Dr.

Schotel's patients becoming your patients?

Yes. A number of his patients came over to me.

Did you ever solicit them to do so? No, I did not.

Some of his patients came over because they had emergency situations and Dr.

Schotel was unavailable. Others came out of various dissatisfactions for the

treatment they'd been receiving.

How, if at all, did Dr.

Schotel react to those losses?

Well, he came into my office and he accused me of stealing his patients by

telling them that he was incompetent.

Well, I denied it, but he refused to believe me.

Doctor, what effect, if any, has this rumor had on you? I can't have a dental

practice in Southern California any longer. And up until last year, I had

I was successful. I was prosperous. I was happy.

Now I am none of those things.

I have nothing further.

Dr. Palmer, you were hospitalized over the past year, is that correct?

Yes, I had pneumonia.

Is it also correct that you lost a considerable amount of weight over the

year? Yes, by design.

You gay, doctor?

Objection irrelevant.

Sustained. Have you ever been married?

Objection. Irrelevant.

Sustained. Your Honor, I'm just trying to establish that this rumor started

wholly independent of my client.

Being gay, Mr. Belknap, does not correspond to being HIV positive.

Well, will the court entertain the notion that such correspondence does

the minds of others?

The court will not.

You never heard Dr.

Schoedl say you were HIV positive, did you, doctor?

He wouldn't say it to my face.

Is that a no, Doctor?

Yes, it is.

I have no further questions.

Thanks for sitting in for me, Denise.

If I don't have to get a filling, I should be back before he needs anything.

Don't rush. Eli's still in court. Good luck.

Can I help you? I'm looking for Arnold Becker.

Do you have an appointment?

I'm a friend of his. Oh, he's in a meeting.

Is he in a meeting, or is that a standard line?

Excuse me? I'm asking if that's what you say whenever one of the attorneys asks

not to be disturbed.

No. No?

All right. Do you know how long he'll be in the meeting?

No, I don't.

Would it be possible to leave him a note?

By all means, no.

Are you sure he's not in there taking a nap?

I was told he's in there with someone.

Hey. What are you doing over here?

I'm filling in for Joanne.

Any messages for me?

Not yet.

You have a bunch of them.

Excuse me.

Wake up, Arnie.

I'm sorry.

I thought you were alone.

Is everything all right?

Yeah, everything's fine.

I was in the neighborhood, thought I'd drop by.

We're in the middle of something here.

Okay.

Okay.

It really isn't necessary to use that tone with me.

Could we talk about this a little later? I don't know what there is to talk

about. I stopped by to say hello, and you bite my head off. I wasn't planning

stay all afternoon.

Would you excuse us?

I won't tolerate being chastised. You walked into the middle of a meeting with

client? I made an honest mistake. That doesn't call for an act of intentional

cruelty. What are you talking about?

You were rude to me. You were rude to me in front of another person. I won't

tolerate that. Look, I don't have time to get into this right now.

Arnie, wait.

What?

I'll apologize if you'll apologize.

Okay, I apologize.

Me too.

Call me.

Have you ever met the gentleman seated on the left? Yes, I have. Dr. Schotel's

my dentist.

Was there ever an occasion on which, while in the offices of Dr.

Schotel, you overheard him refer to the gentleman seated on the right, Dr.

Joseph Palmer?

Objection, hearsay. This is outside the exception to the hearsay rule, Your

Honor. The objection's overruled. The witness will answer.

Yes. Would you describe the circumstances under which you did so? I

in the chair waiting for a temporary crown to be fitted.

I overheard Dr. Schoto speaking to his nurse just outside the door. In what

context did the name of Dr. Palmer come up?

I heard him ask her if she knew whether or not Dr. Palmer was going back into

the hospital.

I heard him ask her if she had noticed that Dr. Palmer had lost weight.

I heard him ask her if she knew that Dr. Palmer was gay.

I heard him ask her if she knew Dr. Palmer was sick.

What did you understand the word sick to mean?

I took it to mean AIDS.

Did you subsequently tell anyone else what you had heard? I'm sure that I did.

don't know who or how many, but I'm sure that I told plenty of people.

I have nothing further.

These people, what did you tell them?

I told them that I heard about a dentist who had AIDS.

Had you, in fact, heard Dr. Schotel say that?

I heard Dr.

Schotel say words to that effect.

But you never heard him say those words.

No.

Did you ever have a conversation with Dr. Schotel in which you asked him

or not Dr. Palmer had AIDS?

No. In other words, you took it upon yourself to disseminate as fact that

you had neither heard nor verified.

Objection argumentative. Sustained. Did you attribute your actions to Dr.

Schotel? Objection irrelevant.

Objection's overruled. The witness will answer.

No. I have nothing further.

Be seated.

As you can see, I brought my two Boston Terriers with me today. You know, I saw

the two of you here with your dogs, and it made me grow kind of sad, thinking

about my two little fellas at home all alone.

Plus, I thought, well, it's time they saw what Daddy does when he goes to the

office, huh?

Of course, if there's any, would there be?

Any objection to Wally and Sluggo sitting up here beside me?

None here, sir. I have no objection.

Those are good -looking dogs, Judge.

Why, thank you, Mr. Fry.

Where the heck were we?

Please proceed, Mr. McKenzie.

Mr. Fry, during last November, were you aware that Miss Stanton's Afghan was in

heat? No, I wasn't. I don't keep track of her dog's menstrual cycles.

Did you ever see your dog engage in sexual activity with Miss Stanton's dog?

No, I did not. Do you deny that there was a hole under the fence between your

property and Miss Stanton's property?

No, I don't.

What I do deny is that my dog was the only dog doing the digging.

This hole was dug from both directions. This was not a unilateral hole.

Just as much, if not more of it, was dug from the other side.

What does that suggest to you, Mr. Fry?

It suggests to me...

That for all her class and pedigree, Mrs. Isabella knew what she wanted. And

wasn't one of those high -priced, fancy boy studs. She wanted someone a little

more rugged. A little rough around the edges. Someone who was all dog. A dog's

dog. If we get the idea.

Mr. Fry. My point, Your Honor, is that she went after the Duke.

Yes, and your point is taken, and now it is time to go on to the next point. Did

you knowingly or intentionally allow your dog to run loose?

No, I did not. If he was out, he was either on a leash or fenced in in the

backyard. The only time he ever got out of the yard was via the aforementioned

hole. I have nothing further.

Mr. Fry, your dog has a history of digging, hasn't he?

You're talking about the rose bushes, aren't you? It is true, is it not, that

your dog destroyed Miss Stanton's rose bushes?

First of all, that was three years ago when Duke was a puppy.

Second of all, I replaced those bushes.

Tell us, sir. I bought new ones and planted them during the night so that

Stanton would have a nice surprise in the morning. But instead of thanking me,

she had them dug up. Apparently they were the wrong kind.

Mr. Fry, did you ever have a romantic interest in Miss Stanton?

Objection. Irrelevant. Goes to motive for his negligence and failing to

his dog.

I'll allow it.

I left a note once in her door inviting her to a barbecue.

So what? She never responded, did she, Mr. Fry? No, she didn't. You made a

number of subsequent attempts to contact Miss Stanton, didn't you, Mr. Fry? A

few. And she ignored them all, didn't she? Yes.

And that's why you deliberately left your dog out, isn't it, Mr. Fry?

You knew Duke was a digger, and you knew he'd get into her yard, and that's

exactly what you wanted. Objection! Because you knew the only way you'd ever

have Margo Stanton was vicariously, through the copulation of your dog with

dog. Your Honor! Mr.

Goddard, get a grip on yourself, man.

Yes, sir. Sorry, Your Honor.

Tell us, Mr. Fry, once the attraction between your dog and Miss Stanton's dog

was known... Were you not asked and asked repeatedly by Miss Stanton to have

your dog fixed? Fixed?

You mean fixed as in castrated? That kind of fixed? Yes, Mr. Fry, that kind

fixed. I will not alter my animal's basic nature for the purpose of making

more manageable house pet.

I will not see him transformed into a eunuch.

Boys, boys, there's no use crying after the train has left the station. That was

a pretty thoughtless remark, Mr. Fry.

I'm sorry, Your Honor.

Have you quite finished, Mr.

Studdard? Yes, Your Honor. Good.

Well, I'd like to cut through some of this, and so I would like to see both

parties in my chambers tomorrow, and I would like them to bring the puppies.

Tommy. Arnie.

What brings you here?

I'm doing a little estate planning.

Stuart's helping me out.

What, you think I came with a warrant for your arrest?

Can I talk to you for a minute?

Sure. In private?

So, you want to confess to obstructing justice?

I want to clear the air between us.

And how do you plan to do that?

By telling you if I had a shred of proof that Judy Rudolph and Jack Lambert

struck a bargain for Cindy Rudolph's grand jury testimony, I'd hand it over

you. I don't have that.

No? No, I wasn't there, Tommy. Judy Rudolph cut this deal by herself. I

there when it happened. I didn't know about it till after it happened. And

nothing I said at that point made the least bit of difference.

Did you take the money? Come on, Tommy. Well? Hey, whether or not I agree with

the outcome, I'm entitled to take a fee.

So what do you want from me?

Let me off the hook.

Any truth to the rumor that you're dating Belinda Fox?

Word travels fast.

Do you know her?

Not personally.

She's got a reputation for being pretty gung -ho as a prosecutor, though.

I'm not surprised.

You remember when Judge Frank Gurney got nailed for bribery?

Yeah. Word was that Belinda was sleeping with him at the time.

and she agreed to wear a wire so they could get an indictment.

Dr. Schotel, did you initiate a rumor that Jeffrey Palmer was HIV positive?

No, I did not.

Did you hear of such a rumor?

Many times.

Do you recall when you first heard it?

I honestly can't.

Do you recall whom you heard it from?

I don't recall that either.

I might have been at a party. I might have been at some sort of professional

function.

All I remember was that I heard it and took note of it. Did you repeat it?

I repeated that I heard it, and I asked whether or not anyone else had heard it.

What was your intention when you did so, Doctor?

I don't recall having any intention.

Somebody you know gets sick, you talk about it.

We're all of us afraid of getting sick. We're all of us afraid of dying.

When you hear about it happening to someone you know, you talk about it. We

do. So, was it your intention or your hope...

to drive Dr.

Palmer's patients away and thereby gain some competitive advantage for yourself?

Of course not.

I feel bad for what happened at Dr. Palmer's practice.

I was also very happy to learn that the rumor was false.

I have nothing further.

You don't remember where you heard it, and you don't remember who you heard it

from. I think that's often the case with snippets of gossip.

Did it ever occur to you what effect this particular snippet of gossip would

have on this man's practice?

As I said, I didn't think of that.

As far as I'm concerned, if you're HIV positive, the fate of your dental

practice is of less than paramount significance.

It doesn't, however, come as a surprise to you that patients might be

apprehensive upon hearing that their dentist was HIV positive.

No. Given that, do you think it might have been incumbent on you to verify the

accuracy of the rumor before you spread it?

Objection. Sustained. I didn't spread the rumor, Mr. Flanagan. You had

conversations with your hygienist, your nurse, and others in which the import of

what you said was that Dr.

Joseph Palmer was HIV positive. Is that right? Yes.

We've heard five different people testify that they overheard those

conversations. Were you aware that there were patients sitting in the chair at

the time? Given that I have appointments running back to back from 8 .30 in the

morning to 5 .30 in the afternoon...

You get accustomed to talking about a variety of subjects with a patient

in the chair.

Does it occur to you, doctor, that as a doctor, people place a great deal of

credibility on information coming from your mouth? Yes, it does.

Given that, do you feel you had any obligation to pick up the phone and call

Palmer before repeating again and again and again a rumor you knew would result

in his professional death?

Objection. Argumentative. I'd like to answer that.

Maybe I did have a special obligation.

And maybe I did fail to uphold it. But if that's the case, then the same can be

said for every dentist and doctor in this city.

Because every one of them that heard the rumor repeated it.

I'm no more or less guilty than they are.

Dr. Joseph Palmer's professional life has been destroyed by a lie.

What he has spent 20 years building has been reduced to ruin in a matter of a

year.

Is the defendant responsible for that?

I submit to you that he is. I submit to you that he spread this rumor

deliberately and insidiously. He said things within earshot of others that had

the calculated effect of marking Joseph Palmer as a dentist with AIDS.

The defendant knew what would happen. He knew that he spoke with authority,

having doctor before his name.

He knew what makes for a good rumor, and he knew how fast a rumor spreads.

He also knew what this rumor would do to Joseph Palmer's practice.

Frederick Schotel wanted to wipe out a particularly successful competitor.

He did what he set out to do.

We ask that you find for the plaintiff and award him the sum of $1 million in

special damages, $5 million in general damages.

Ladies and gentlemen, nobody here is arguing that what happened to Joseph

is right.

or just or anything but tragic.

But that, by itself, does not entitle him to be compensated.

Now, the defendant did not start this rumor.

In the course of conducting his business, he repeated what he had heard.

commented on what he had seen.

But there was not one single piece of evidence that what he did was malicious.

There was not one single piece of evidence that he set out to harm this

The worst thing that Dr. Frederick Schotel can be accused of is being

of a human nature.

If you make him responsible for the damages under the plaintiff, you will

seen to it that this rumor has destroyed two innocent men rather

than one.

Give daddy kisses.

Give daddy kisses. Who's your daddy?

Who's your daddy?

Now, now, sluggo.

Don't get jealous and exhibitionistic. Come on over here.

Help, help.

Come on, dogs. I've got these.

Help, help.

I was just playing with my dogs.

Yes, Your Honor. Well, we believe an examination of these puppies will prove

dispositive in the issue of paternity. Your Honor, I would categorically object

to the use of visual examination as a means of establishing paternity. Are you

suggesting that the plaintiff spring for DNA tests, Counselor? They chose to

pursue the claim, Your Honor.

I'm suggesting that they offer up appropriate proofs. Hmm.

You're saying I can't tell by looking at him, huh?

Yes, I am.

Well, sir, I am going to go way the heck out on a limb, Mr. McKenzie,

and say that visual examination tends to point almost definitely to Duke's

paternity. Assuming, arguendo, that that's true, it still has nothing to do

the issue of liability.

Judge Zimmering.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah. Hold on to him.

Now, here's what I propose we do.

There aren't any more witnesses, are there? We have no further witnesses.

Nor do we, Your Honor. All right, good.

Here's what I propose we do.

Let's suspend oral arguments and let me decide the case based on testimony and

trial memoranda.

Unless, of course...

Someone insists on giving a summation.

Not I, Your Honor.

Nor I, Your Honor.

Excellent. Well, then I shall see you all in court on the morrow.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor.

What say you? In the case of Dr. Joseph Palmer versus Dr.

Frederick Shuttle, we find for the defendant.

The jury is dismissed with a thanks of the court.

We're adjourned.

So, that's it, right?

Pretty much, yeah.

No appeal?

I can go through the transcript. I can ask the opinion of some of the attorneys

in the office. Do you know what it's like to have people look at you and be

afraid? They don't want to talk to you. They don't want to touch you.

They don't want to go near you.

I might as well have AIDS.

You know, I never expected to get the kind of money we were asking for.

I was hoping we'd get something. I know you were.

But just enough so I could move to another town, you know?

Start from scratch.

Come on.

You're still mad about what happened at the office, aren't you?

No.

I told you I was sorry.

I heard something I wanted to ask you about.

What did you hear?

I heard that you were involved with Frank Gurney when he got busted for

bribes. I heard that you wore a wire so that your office could nail him.

Who told you that?

Is it true?

I want to know who told you.

It was told to me in confidence. I can't say.

Really?

Okay. Yes, I had a relationship with Frank Gurney.

Yes, I wore a wire.

Is there anything else you'd like to know?

Whatever else there is that you'd like to tell me.

I can tell you that it was the hardest thing I ever did. I can tell you that I

felt as though I had no choice.

But the problem with telling you that is that it sounds like I'm asking for

forgiveness.

Sounds like an explanation.

Oh.

Oh, I love this.

You, with your past, should be asking me for an explanation?

When were you going to tell me about the blonde associate in your office?

Who? Jane Halliday, I think, is her name. I heard that she's a devout

and that the two of you are something of an item. Who told you that?

It was told to me in confidence, Arnie. I can't say.

Well, whoever told you was wrong. How could you bring up Frank Gurney to me?

How could you be talking about me behind my back?

It came up in the course of a conversation.

You'll have to concede it's a somewhat disquieting piece of information.

Do you think I did it because I wanted to?

Because I'm wicked?

I mean, are you afraid that I'll do it to you? Are you afraid that I'm doing it

to you?

Let's just check and see.

All clear, Arnie.

Belinda, don't do this.

Belinda! Is there a problem here?

No.

No problem.

Who is that?

I like to get in early, get a jump on the day myself.

What do you want?

I want to talk to you.

About what?

About how we can resolve this case.

I thought it was resolved.

No. What do you want, Mr. Flanagan?

And shouldn't my lawyer be here?

I want $750 ,000, doctor.

Give that to me again?

One payment, non -negotiable.

In case no one mentioned it to you, I won.

The jury came back for me.

According to my lawyer, you got less chance at appeal than you had at trial.

So if you're going to threaten me with that, forget it.

I don't think your lawyer is taking all the facts into account.

Like what facts?

Like things about you that would unfortunately become public should we be

to settle.

Things about me?

What things?

Like what happened to your practice in Philadelphia.

I never had a practice in Philadelphia.

I think you did.

I think you had to pack up and leave Philadelphia just like you had to pack

and leave Framingham, Massachusetts and Exeter, New Hampshire.

I've never even been to those places.

I think you have.

You think I have?

I'm telling you I haven't.

What do you think it would do to your reputation, Doctor, if it came out that

the reason you left those places was because you'd been caught molesting

patients while they were anesthetized?

Who told you that?

I honestly don't recall.

It might have been at a party. It might have been at some sort of professional

function.

All I remember was that I heard it and I took note of it.

End quote.

So you're telling me you're going to start this rumor.

I'm just telling you what I heard.

Consider the dog. In its heart, there's no pretension, no prejudice, no vanity.

It cares nothing for titles or pedigrees or breeds.

As Juliet Capulet once so wisely pointed out, what's in a name?

However, we must recognize that this is a court of humans.

Thus, it is humans that we must consider.

Doing so, this court finds that by leaving a prize -winning animal out

of doors during the full bloom of estrus, the plaintiff...

was contributorily negligent and partially responsible for the act of

that henceforth occurred.

That, however, does not relieve the defendant of responsibility, as I find

evidence that Duke, that is to say the defendant's dog, is the sire of the

litter, is overwhelming, and that the act of sexual congress between the dogs

occurred against the express wishes of the plaintiff.

As such, I award her the sum of $30 ,000.

$30 ,000?

As for the application for a court order to have Duke, that is to say, the

defendant dog neutered, said application, Duke, is denied.

This court is adjourned. Come, boys.

I'm going to have to declare bankruptcy.

Well, we could appeal, but that process could cost you as much as the judgment.

Excuse me.

Have you got a moment?

What is it?

Miss Stanton has generously offered to forego the cash award on the condition

that Mr. Fry neuter his animal.

My concern is protecting my dog. This would seem more than fair.

What do you think of that, Ernest?

What about this? I agree to keep him inside except when I walk him. No.

I don't want to run the risk he'll get out.

All right.

All right. A vasectomy.

A vasectomy? If I can find a veterinary urologist to perform a reversible

vasectomy, I'll have that procedure performed.

Why does it have to be reversible?

At some point, I may want to breed him. He's a mutt. At some point, he may want

to sire another litter. The answer is no, Mr. Fry. I'm not interested in a

reversible vasectomy. Would you excuse us for a moment, please?

Ernest, I think you're letting some kind of emotional attachment get in the way

of common sense. I can't do it, Leland. I can't do that to my dog.

But Duke has had his day.

He's sown his oats. And there's so many dogs looking for homes.

It could be said you were being socially responsible by having it done.

Duke, is this something I should be considering?

You okay?

You okay?

It's my dog.

Leland? Yes.

You wanted to see me.

Yes, I did. Come in. Close the door.

I want to talk to you about the Rudolph case.

I know that...

Arnold feels as though I engineered the whole thing and deliberately went behind

his back.

That's really not the case. You know, Patrick, I've always thought of

Brackman as more of a family than a law firm.

I want the people who work for me to be happy.

I also want them to be honorable.

There are some cases we won't take on.

There are some things we won't do.

I don't believe I've done anything wrong in this case, sir.

I'm going to ask you one question, Patrick, and I want you to look me in

and tell me the truth.

All right.

Did you give assurances that that girl would not testify?

No, I did not.

Okay.

Before you say anything, I just want to tell you that I'm very sorry about what

happened last night.

I would have told you that over the phone, but you didn't return any of my

calls.

Melinda, look.

You're a very attractive, very intriguing woman.

And you're a very attractive, very intriguing man.

This isn't going to work out.

I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I need someone who is more

predictable.

So I'll be more predictable.

It's not that simple.

You're looking for a certain level of commitment that I'm not ready for.

If you want to go a little slower, we can go a little slower.

That's not a problem, and that's not what we're talking about. You brought up

the subject of Frank Gurney, and that's what set me off. But it's over.

It's... It's done with, and now we can go back to exactly the way we were. No,

we can't. Yes, we can.

No, we can't. Yes, we can. Stop!

You're hurting me.

I think we should call it a day, Belinda.

I should have seen it.

What the hell are you talking about? I'm a prosecutor.

I deal with domestic violence every day.

And I can promise you it's not going to happen to me. I will not be a victim.

Now, explain this to me again.

I went to see him and he acknowledged he was wrong.

And he offered compensation.

Why didn't he acknowledge it in court?

Because then his reputation would be ruined.

But he won.

Right.

So why would he pay anything?

I convinced him that we viewed this trial as the beginning rather than the

That there would be appeals and depositions and private investigators

publicity. And that in the end, the best...

and cheapest way to put an end to it was to pay the money.

Was his lawyer there?

Of course he was. I could never have spoken to him otherwise.

I can't believe this.

Well, I only wish it was more.

Oh, it's enough.

Good luck.