Original subtitles

Yeah. You wanted to see me? Yeah, I did.

I've just seen an internal memo that you've got criminal investigators

to tail Arnold Becker.

It's in connection with a criminal investigation.

Are you aware that he's a former law partner of mine?

Yeah. So were you planning on saying something to me at some point? No, I

wasn't. Was I obliged to? I think you were. I think common courtesy would have

suggested that a word to a colleague would have been in order. When I conduct

investigations, there are a few things more important to me than being

courteous. I want to know what this is about, Belinda. It's about the Lambert

case. That one I believe you're familiar with. There's no basis for a criminal

investigation in the Lambert case. I think there is. I think what Becker did

obstruction of justice.

Assume that's true. What he did is done. There's no ongoing crime being

committed. There's no reason for having Becker under surveillance.

Given that the case is on my desk, Tommy, I think that's a determination to

made by me.

All right.

Look, Belinda.

I know that you and Arnold Becker were briefly involved with each other.

Assuming there is a case to be made here, it is not appropriate that it be

your desk. It's not appropriate?

You've been sleeping with a sitting judge for the past six months, and

going to tell me what is and isn't appropriate?

I don't conduct official business in that judge's courtroom.

As far as I'm concerned, your dalliance with Carolyn Walker completely

compromises the effectiveness of every prosecutor in this office.

First of all, it's not a dalliance. Second of all, I have yet to hear Judge

Walker accused of using the power of her office for some vindictive private

purpose of her own. Is that what you're suggesting I'm doing?

That's right.

Well, Tommy, I'll tell you what.

If you're so sure that neither Becker nor anyone in his office is guilty of

obstruction of justice, I suggest you make that opinion known. If you think

acting solely out of spite, I think you should bring me up on charges.

And let me also say, should your former law partner become cognizant of the fact

that he's under investigation, I will assume presumptively that he found out

about it from you.

Are you making threats, Belinda? I'm making assurances.

You tell Arnold Becker that he's being investigated,

And I'll see to it that you're fired.

Why don't we just give him another minute? I think not. Let's get started.

Ruling versus wayside.

Sorry.

Sorry.

The buses were running late.

You actually take a bus?

Yes. Unbelievable, isn't it?

It's really not that unbelievable.

Are you doing it for some kind of ecological reason, Eli? I'm doing it

don't have a driver's license.

Denise is giving me lessons, however. I'm inching up on being ready to take

road test. And I'm about to buy a car.

You're going to buy a car before you get your license? My two old partners just

settled a case of mine. They sent me a very large check.

I thought I'd do something extravagant. What are you getting? I have no idea.

Denise has set me up with a car broker who presumably will get me through this

as painlessly as possible.

Ultimately, when buying a car, keep one question uppermost in mind.

How am I going to feel when I'm standing in front of a restaurant and the valet

brings me my car?

Thank you, Arnold.

Rulon versus Wayside Hospital.

Yeah, that's mine. A 16 -year -old girl found to be incorrigible by her father

is being committed to a psychiatric facility by him. She's suing to be

from the facility, and we're representing the father.

the facility.

What did she do?

Drugs, sex, alcohol.

Well, her father feels that she's basically out of control. Dare but for

grace of God.

Askoff versus Askoff. Yes, we're representing Frank Askoff. His wife is

him for divorce, also looking to disembowel him financially.

Her leverage is Camilla Greer.

What? He's in her book? Yes, he is. He also runs a publicly traded corporation.

He wants very much for this not to get out. Who's Camilla Greer?

She's a madam. A rather well -placed madam.

Yeah, I suspect there are a number of people in that book who very much don't

want it to get out.

Well, you frequent prostitutes. You run that risk.

Yeah, I have never been with a prostitute.

Aw, gee.

Eli, this is Lenny Pollack. How do you do?

Hi, I've told you the manatee about cars. I am that man.

Yeah, he told me he never owned a car before and that you only have a

permit. Oh, you know, if you have any problems with the road test, let me

Why? Well, let's just say I have relationships at the Department of Motor

Vehicles. You're kidding.

Look, you buy a car from me, I take care of you. That means plates,

registration, insurance.

Turn on the phone, soup the nuts. Plus, you can find him any car that he wants,

right? Tell me what you want.

If it's been made, I'll get it.

Wow.

So, uh, what are you looking to spend?

I'm looking to spend some money, actually.

You single?

Yeah. There's a white Carrera in Pasadena that I think we could do very

You could have it this afternoon.

A white Carrera.

What is that? The Porsche.

How about a Mercedes -Benz?

Somehow I've always associated one of those with living in Los Angeles.

You want an SL500?

What is that?

Two -seater convertible. That I can get you by tomorrow.

How much?

A little over $100 ,000. It has to be in five figures.

Go with the 320.

How much is that?

$85 ,000. That I can live with.

And what color are you interested in?

Black.

Black? You want the car phone, the CD player in the trunk, the basic big -shot

package, right?

Why not?

All right.

Well, I'll call Denise with the amount.

You have a cashier's check for me by the end of business today. You'll have a

car by tomorrow.

This, Denise, is the way to buy an automobile.

Linda, I'd like you to describe the events that took place on the 1st of

1994, please.

My father woke me up at 6 o 'clock in the morning.

He was standing next to my bed with a private detective, and he told me that

was taking me down to the center for evaluation.

Did they, in fact, do so?

Yes. They took me by force to Wayside Psychiatric, and I've been there ever

since. Linda, you ever attempted suicide?

No. You ever deliberately try to hurt yourself in any way?

No. You ever deliberately seek to hurt anyone else?

I've stood up for myself in a fight, but I never attacked anybody.

Do you have a boyfriend?

Yes, I do.

Does your father get along with him?

No, he doesn't get along with him. In your opinion, why is that?

He doesn't get along with him because he's black.

No matter what he says, the truth is that he doesn't like me being with a

guy. And that's why James wasn't welcome in his house. And that's why I'm in a

mental hospital.

Thank you. I have nothing further.

To the question, have you ever deliberately hurt yourself, you answered

Isn't that right?

Right. On February 6th of this year, you were taken to the county USC emergency

room, were you not?

Yes, I was.

Why was that?

I took some pills I shouldn't have taken. You combined said pills with a

significant amount of alcohol, did you not?

Yes. Wouldn't you call that a deliberate attempt to hurt yourself?

No, I wouldn't. I would call it being at a party and getting a little wild. I

see.

What's a 40, Miss Rowland?

It's a bottle of malt liquor.

It's a 40 -ounce bottle of malt liquor, isn't it?

That's why they call it a 40.

How many of them do you drink in an average day?

I don't know. A ballpark figure. More than one, less than ten. I wouldn't have

said she didn't know.

Let's move on, Mr. Rowlands. Have you ever known your boyfriend to carry a

I don't know whether he carries a gun or not. Did you not on more than one

occasion warn your father that your boyfriend always carries a gun?

If I said it, I said it to scare him. Had you been having sexual relations

your boyfriend?

Yes. What, if any, precautions did you take against sexually transmitted

diseases or the possibility of becoming pregnant?

Either we used a condom or we did things you don't need a condom for. Did you

tell your father that more than anything else, you wanted to get pregnant with

James's baby?

If I said that, I said that to scare him. It worked. I have nothing further.

Frank, I want to propose something.

Your wife is holding you up with the threat to make public you're going to

prostitutes. I'd like to take an aggressive position in response.

What do you mean? Number one, I'd deny it.

I am in the book.

Maybe you are, maybe you're not.

Meantime, we haven't seen the book. We don't know the book exists.

Look, she had me tailed to Camilla's house, Arnie. She knows that I went

What she knows and what she can prove are not necessarily one and the same.

Now, assume...

Assume that she can prove it.

What are the damages?

The damages are catastrophic.

Are they? I answered to a board of directors made up of very conservative,

Midwestern men. Right, right. None of whom have ever once in their life paid

it. I also answered to the shareholders.

Frank, I'm not saying you want it to come out. I'm saying it's not the end of

the world.

I don't want it.

I have been incapable of functioning sexually with my wife.

For over five years, we went to therapists, separately, together.

Nothing helped.

It became a source of almost indescribable pain to me.

I finally sought out prostitutes.

You see, with prostitutes, I could function.

Arnie, I don't want people to know anything about that.

It's a source of great embarrassment to me to even...

be sitting here and telling you it really needn't be.

I would only ask that you do everything possible so that this does not become

public.

Ms. Ascoff, you initiated this divorce, did you not?

Yes. And before doing so, you emptied out both the safe deposit boxes held in

you and your husband's name. You also emptied out all joint bank accounts. Is

that right?

Yes, it is.

Were you aware in doing so that you were leaving your husband without adequate

funds to meet his monthly obligations?

Not her problem.

When we work out the finances, we'll pay over what we owe. That's assuming we

owe anything.

Now, you're seeking to examine your husband's corporate records. Is that

That's right. My husband was concealing marital assets and corporate accounts.

I want to know just how much of those assets were being spent on prostitutes.

And what do you base your allegations that your husband frequented

I based it on reports from private investigators.

Do you want to deny it? For the record, we categorically deny it.

However, for the sake of argument, let's assume that your husband did in fact

pay for the services of a prostitute. Is it possible that said services

represented a last -ditch therapeutic approach to a long -standing condition?

What condition would that be, Mr. Beckett? It would be impotence, Ms.

Would it be impotence as in a physiological condition or just

was with me? I think that literature shows impotence to be a fairly complex

condition. I wouldn't presume to ascribe it to one thing or the other. I don't

think it's in the least bit complex.

My husband wasn't physically attracted to me.

He clearly was to prostitutes. From the number of times he visited them, one can

safely assume that he was not impotent with them. Again, assuming that's true,

isn't it possible that you bear some of the responsibility?

No, it is not possible. That is wholly irrelevant for the purposes of this

presentation. Was it not you who for the past five years subtly and continuously

belittled and berated your husband? I did not do that. I supported my husband.

I encouraged him to get a physical examination.

I encouraged him to get psychological help. We even went to therapy together,

which, I might tell you, was not an easy thing for me to do.

But I did it.

I stood by him.

I was faithful to him. I was desperate, Vivian.

I was desperate and I didn't know what else to do. Your desperation doesn't

me anymore, Frank.

May I ask a purely practical question?

What are you hoping to accomplish here?

If you make these claims in your pleadings, if you argue them in court,

it's true or not, it's going to get out that a big executive went to whores.

Your husband's short -term, possibly his long -term financial picture worsens.

You're on board for lifetime support, I assume.

Why would you want to poison the well? Because, Arnie, we're not looking for

support. We want the money up front.

What you're asking for is unconscionable. Mr. Becker, I was

man.

I was lied to.

I was frozen out.

I was exposed to a life -threatening disease.

Since all I can get from him now is money, I want to get all the money I

And I suggest that you don't appeal to my conscience.

My conscience is clear.

$85 ,000?

That's a lot of money. Yes, it is a lot of money. What kind of things do you say

to get someone to overcome panic at this point? I don't say anything.

Crash worthiness, high retail value, comparisons with other luxury

Eli, one buys a car like this much the way one buys a Steinway piano. What

you're paying for is the pleasure of knowing that you own it.

What's that worth?

You want to know who else owns this car?

What do you mean?

We'd like to know what celebrities drive the same automobile as their personal

car. I don't think I want to know that. I do. Who?

Johnny Depp.

James Caan.

Lenny Pollack.

No, I have a different model, but it's the exact same body style.

What's the difference?

Oh, mine's a 600.

It's a 12 -cylinder car, very hard to find.

How much?

This one was $123 ,000 to me.

Eli, I think it's safe to say you can live with four fewer cylinders.

Six fewer cylinders.

You said this one was six cylinders, right? It is a 3 .2 inline six, yes.

In my opinion, an altogether terrific engine. But yours says 600 on it, where

this one says 320, yours says 600.

You worried about that?

No. Sit in it.

Here's the key. Turn it on. Pull that red button.

Wow.

That's beautiful.

Wow.

This is going to be good for me.

Owning this car is going to be good for me.

Are you familiar with the petitioner, Doctor? Yes, I'm currently treating her

Wayside Hospital, where I'm both a psychiatrist and an administrator.

What's your evaluation?

I find her to possess what we call a borderline personality disorder.

Would you explain what that is? It manifests itself in a variety of ways.

Unstable relationships, mood shifts, temper tantrums, coupled with

Identity disturbances.

Couldn't that description fit a lot of teenagers?

Perhaps it could. What it comes down to, however, is a matter of degree.

Linda's behavior is extreme.

She acts without reasonable regard for her own safety.

Is it possible to treat Linda on an outpatient basis?

It's only possible if she's willing. Prior to coming to Wayside, she refused

attend outpatient therapy.

How important is it that Linda Ruland stay at Wayside, Doctor?

In my opinion, it's a matter of life and death.

Nothing further.

A borderline personality disorder.

This is something of a catch -all diagnosis, isn't it, Dr. White? It's

used when no one dysfunctional trait is more extreme than another.

In your opinion, when Linda Rulon ingested drugs and alcohol on February

1994, she did so with the intention of killing herself?

With a borderline personality, it's less an intentional act of self

-destruction.

than an inability to realistically assess the consequences of her actions.

was an accident? It was an incident in a pattern of highly self -destructive

behavior. In the four weeks that Linda has been at Wayside, has she ever

attempted to commit suicide or injure herself?

She's constantly monitored at Wayside.

Is that a no?

Yes. Is Linda Rowland a drug addict?

No. Is she violent toward other people?

No. During your treatment, have you had counseling sessions with Linda and her

father? Many of them. Would you say that Larry Rulon is the sort of man that

needs to be in control, doctor?

I'd say he's more comfortable when he's in control. Who isn't? But is it

possible that Larry Rulon committed his daughter not because her condition

warranted, but rather that he needed to reassert that control?

Regardless of Mr. Rulon's motivation, counselor, I would not have admitted

young woman, nor would I be sitting here.

testifying today if I wasn't convinced that her condition warranted it. Doctor,

would you be testifying today if Larry Rulon didn't have the funds to pay for

it? Larry Rulon's financial situation and Linda Rulon's mental health are two

separate issues.

You're not answering the question, Doctor.

Would you be here fighting to keep Linda Rulon in your hospital if her father

couldn't pay the freight?

Unfortunately, no. I probably would not be.

Thank you.

Do you run a house of prostitution, Miss Greer? I'm instructing my client not to

answer that question.

What do you do for a living?

I'm a writer.

What do you write?

Currently, I'm writing a book. Do you have a publisher?

Not yet.

What kind of book is it? Just an honest account of my life and the people I've

met. Have you ever met Frank Ascoff?

Yes, I have.

Would you describe for us the circumstances under which you met him?

instructing my client not to answer that question.

All right.

Would you estimate for us the number of times you've had contact with Mr.

Ascoff? I really couldn't. More than once?

Yes. More than ten times? I saw or spoke on the phone with Mr. Ascoff an average

of twice a week for more than three years.

Though I haven't seen him very much at all lately.

Did you ever receive money from Mr. Ascoff? I'm going to recommend that my

client not answer that question.

Is it fair to assume, ma 'am, that if you had been receiving payments of money

from Mr.

Ascoff... You would have kept a written record of that somewhere?

Given that I'm a Virgo, and given that I'm a writer, I'd say it's fair to

I keep records of everything.

Thank you for your time, Miss Greer.

Nice to see you, Arnie.

You too.

Why did you have your daughter committed to Wayside Psychiatric Hospital, Mr.

Rowland?

Over the past year, Linda's behavior had been getting progressively more self

-destructive.

I felt that without drastic intervention, she'd end up killing

Would you tell us what type of destructive behavior you're referring

She stopped going to school.

She would habitually lie about where she'd been and with whom.

Sometimes she wouldn't come home for days on end.

And when she did...

More often than not, she'd be intoxicated.

Had you tried to address these problems early on?

As best I know how. What did you do?

My mother died when she was eight.

From that point on, it was clear that she required special attention.

I sent her to child psychiatry.

The two of us went to family counseling together.

When she'd reject one therapist, I'd find another one. When she'd reject one

school, I would enroll her somewhere else.

Have you ever tried disciplining your daughter, Mr. Rulon?

Yeah, I'd set rules.

She'd break every one of them. I'd ground her. That didn't faze her. She'd

out, steal the car, steal money.

At a certain point, I had to acknowledge that I had no control of her.

How did it make you feel, sir, to put your daughter in a mental hospital?

Horrible.

I keep asking myself, how did this happen?

How could this...

A little girl who used to wait by the window for me to come home from work,

into someone who tells me to my face that she hates me.

I didn't know what else to do.

I have no problem.

Are you familiar with James Truby, Mr. Rulon?

Yes. Mr. Truby has been your daughter's boyfriend for nearly a year now, isn't

that right?

That's what I'm told.

Shortly after Linda began dating Mr. Truby, you forbid her from seeing him,

didn't you? The first time he picked her up at the house, he sat in the car and

honked the horn. He didn't even bother to introduce himself to me. Then when he

brought her home at 3 o 'clock in the morning, her eyes were glassy and she

stunk from pot.

Mr.

Truby is black, is he not?

Objection. Irrelevant.

I'd ask the court for an opportunity to demonstrate relevance.

Objection overruled. Witness will answer.

Yes. Mr. Truby is black does that have anything to do with your attitude toward

him? No, it does not Did you at one point tell your daughter that black men

consider white girls to be status symbols?

I was talking about one individual

I wasn't making a sweeping generalization.

Sir, isn't it true that you made sweeping generalizations all the time?

true. You made them in therapy sessions. You made them raging around the house.

This isn't about rape, Mr.

Sparrow.

Objection sustained.

Stop arguing, Mr. Sparrow.

Sir, did you ever speak of a special agony at seeing your daughter go out

black man?

Again, I was referring to this.

Black man.

So if it were another black man, then it wouldn't necessarily have the same

effect. You know, my daughter's got bigger problems than who she goes out

Except that those bigger problems never led you to committing her against her

will to a mental hospital, did they? Now what am I supposed to do, Mr. Sparrow?

Am I supposed to shrug my shoulders?

Do nothing?

Wait for the phone call from the cops?

Or the hospital?

Or the morgue? Sir, did you give your daughter an ultimatum saying that unless

she stopped going out with black men, you would take drastic action against

First of all, we're not talking about a black man.

At least let's define our terms. We're talking about a teenager with a criminal

record who uses drugs.

This isn't Sidney Poitier we're talking about.

Is that what it would take, Mr. Rulon? I'm supposed to say it doesn't matter,

right? I'm supposed to say race doesn't matter.

Well, it does matter.

My daughter is a pelt to this guy.

She is a gold necklace or a tricked -out Mercedes or a new pair of sneakers.

That has nothing to do with the fact that he's black and she's white.

It has everything to do with it.

Thank you. I have no further questions.

It's so frustrating not being able to jump in that car and drive it.

I've only been trying to book you a road test for like two months now. Yeah, I

know. You want to go out on it at lunchtime?

It's not the same having somebody take me.

Well, listen, the truth is you could drive it if you wanted to.

Only with a licensed driver present.

Come on, Eli, you can drive it by yourself.

What do you mean?

I only have a learner's permit.

But I thought part of your intention in buying this car was to live a little

dangerously, you know, to take risks.

To a limited extent, that's true.

Well, consider this a limited risk.

What if the cops stop me? Hila, the cops are not going to stop you. You're a 40

-year -old man driving a Mercedes. Come on.

Mind turning that off?

Of course.

I didn't turn the key all the way.

I haven't had this car very long.

Have your license and registration, please. Right.

First, let me get you my registration.

There.

That's the registration.

You've got that.

As for the license, let me show you what I have.

Do you know how fast you were going? No, I don't know. I didn't feel as though I

was going at an excess rate of speed.

You're doing 20.

Ah.

This is a learner's permit.

Yes. There must be a licensed driver over the age of 21 present in the car.

There is not one present.

I'm going to have to give you a citation, Mr.

Levinson. I understand.

I'm also going to have to impound your vehicle.

Officer, I just got this car.

Would it be possible for you to follow me back to my office garage and let me

park it there? I give you my word that I will not take it out until such time as

there is a licensed driver with me.

My partner's running your plates. Let me check with him.

Place both hands on the steering wheel, sir.

Why? It's a 1037.

What is that?

Step out of the vehicle, sir.

Would you mind explaining what's going on? Placing you under arrest.

For driving with a learner's permit?

Possession of a stolen vehicle. Put your hands behind your back.

Oh, my God.

Mr. Ascoff, you have in front of you a copy of the financial statements your

accountant has provided us? Yes.

I draw your attention to page two, item 23, quote -unquote, entertainment

expenses.

Yes, I see it.

That seems to me an unusually large sum of money. Not unusual at all.

Frank Ascoff runs a big company. People who do that spend a lot of money on

dining and entertainment.

Except that since neither Mr. Ascoff nor his company have thus far furnished us

with expense account statements and check registers, we have no idea what

and entertainment mean.

We're not going to allow you to take a fishing expedition through the books of

Fortune 500 company.

The company's accountants weren't satisfied that these were bona fide

They wouldn't have allowed them. Should I take it to mean that you remain

unwilling to comply with our subpoenas?

Yeah, you can take it to mean exactly that.

We'll await a ruling from the court. Sure, fine.

Mr. Azkov?

Yes? In what connection do you know Camilla Greer? I'm going to instruct my

client not to answer that question. No, no, no. Frank, Frank, Frank. Arnie, I

want to answer this. I don't want to play this game anymore, okay?

I know Camilla Greer because she supplied me with prostitutes. How often

supply you with prostitutes?

Initially, it was quite infrequent, but I went.

I was ashamed of myself.

I didn't go back for six months, but gradually I found that I could live

ashamed of myself easier than I could live without prostitutes.

By the time you had me followed, I was going to Camilla three or four times a

week. How did you pay for these visits, Mr. Ascock?

I had a private account.

I paid for them out of that.

How was this private account funded? Frank, I would not give them this.

It was funded out of my earnings.

Earnings made during the time you were married?

Yes. Earnings that were therefore marital in nature? There isn't a jury

Cicely. Who are you trying to impress?

I'm not trying to impress anyone, Arnold. I'm trying to conduct a

How much are you paying Camilla? I don't know what you're talking about. Vivian,

don't do this, please.

Talk to her. As soon as Mrs. Ascoff has paid what we're asking for, we have no

interest in exposing you.

Yeah.

So for $11 million, give or take, the house in Beverly Hills, the apartment in

New York, and the condo in Palm Springs...

You'll make like it never happened.

Right.

Here's my response to that.

We'll agree to a 50 -50 split of all marital assets. We want Beverly Hills,

York, and Palm Springs sold with all proceeds split.

I take it that means you're willing to let it come out that he was spending six

figures a year on prostitutes? I don't think that you can prove he spent

anywhere near that. Oh, I'm sure we can.

Then prove it.

Meantime, we're putting the houses on the market. You can tell your client to

start ordering boxes.

Jonathan.

I feel like I need to say something about what happened on the witness

You don't need to say anything. I feel like I do.

Things came out that don't necessarily reflect the way that I feel.

I understand.

This is my daughter, you know.

We should go in.

You don't have kids.

It's a whole different thing when you have kids.

You don't have to say anything about it, Larry.

I need to clear the air here, Jonathan. I'm sensing that you're miffed about

what I said, and I need for you to understand where it comes from. Larry, I

understand exactly where it comes from.

If it had been a younger version of me going out with your daughter, you would

have felt a little differently about it, but not that differently.

Jonathan. I knew that long before I put you on the witness stand.

Seems to me that psychiatric care should relate to a psychiatric condition

should not represent a disciplinary alternative for a frustrated parent I'm

definitely not here to defend my clients drug use her truancy her drinking and

certainly not her sexual behavior No doubt. She is in need of guidance. No

doubt. She is in need of attention What she is not in need of is

institutionalization I submit to you that the basis for this is not her

condition, but her father's. It is being done to relieve him of the quote

-unquote special agony at the sight of seeing his daughter going out with

somebody black.

Together with a private for -profit hospital, he's become her jailer.

I submit to you that he has violated the civil rights of this young woman.

I submit to you that his actions are wholly unwarranted, and I appeal to this

court for her release.

Mr. Owens.

I would argue that when a person engages in behavior that is demonstrably life

-threatening, that person is in need of intervention by others. Now, whether you

choose to call it a psychiatric condition or not, that person's life

someone doing something.

One could well ask, is this the appropriate thing to do?

By our own admission, this is a girl who drinks to excess.

She uses drugs.

She refuses all attempts at voluntary treatment.

She shows every indication of progressing toward actions with

consequences, be they pregnancy or be they crime.

To those such as my adversary who claim that confinement is categorically

inappropriate, I would ask for an alternative. I would ask, is it

that in the interest of this person's civil rights, we effectively abandon

No.

is not about race, Your Honor.

This is about trying to reach someone who needs to be reached.

I believe this father has acted out of love for his daughter.

I really do.

I believe he's done the only thing he could do.

Thank you.

Shit, you're getting there as fast as you did.

Coles from relatives in jail always assume the highest priority.

I still can't believe I got arrested.

Why don't you do a dealer like a normal person? I know.

So what are the prospects of you getting the money back? Who knows?

Eli, $85 ,000 is the theory.

How could he have done this? Well, that's easy. He's a criminal.

I just don't understand how someone has the audacity to pass themselves off as

legitimate, take $85 ,000 for a stolen car, and think they can actually get

with it.

Oh, Eli, Lenny Pollack called. He wanted to know how you like the car.

I haven't seen you for a while.

Much too long a while.

Camilla's out by the pool.

Thanks, April. Sure.

Hello, Arnie.

Hi.

Can I get you something?

No.

No, thanks.

I kind of figured you'd be paying me a visit.

Well, I have a very nervous client.

I'll bet you do.

Do you mind if I sit down?

Please. Let me ask you something.

How much is his wife paying you?

What makes you think she's paying me anything?

You're not in this for your graduate school thesis, doll. Whatever you do,

do for money.

At present, I have no arrangement of any kind with Mrs. Vascoff.

Does that mean you're open for business?

That's exactly what it means.

If Frank wants his name out of that book, it's going to cost him. I always

thought you were a stand -up broad, Camilla.

What happened?

I adapted.

What's going to happen to your business when it gets out that you blackmailed a

steady customer?

Look around, Arnie.

I don't have any business.

The DA's office is breathing down my neck. I can't so much as walk into a

restaurant that it doesn't show up in variety the next day. My clients aren't

coming near me. I'm done in this business.

Frank Ascoff and a few others like him will give me...

Let's call it a pension.

How much?

A million five.

Which buys me what? All records pertaining to Frank Ascoff are

Neither myself nor my employees will reveal that Frank Ascoff was ever a

I'll let him know.

Also tell him I have a standing offer from his wife.

You're aggravated, you have every right to be aggravated. Are you on the lam,

Lenny?

Because I know the police are looking for you.

Excuse me, the police are not looking for me. I've already spoken to police.

The matter's been taken care of. What does that mean?

It means that it was a mishap. A bill of lading went awry. An erroneous report

was made.

Miscommunication, pilot error. Call it whatever you want. It wasn't supposed to

happen, but it happened.

Listen, the cops said they found it stolen off the pier in Brooklyn.

My point is this. Whether or not it was stolen...

You and I both stand in the position of good -faith third -party Vendees, if I

remember my law school training. What about the $85 ,000? Yeah. Well, let's go

after the $85 ,000. We'll sue the vendor together.

Lenny, as far as I'm concerned, you're the vendor.

Now, that would be, I think, a misreading of basic agency law. And even

was the case, I have no assets.

I live with my parents.

I can be instrumental in going after the parties who I think are responsible,

and I would like to get to work putting you in another car.

You want to put me in another car?

Yes.

This time I think you should look into a cabriolet.

You know the difference between a cabriolet and a roadster? No, Lenny, in

of fact, I do not.

But the truth is, I already know what my next car is.

Tell me.

My next car is yours.

Again? That car you were driving the other day.

You're going to give that to me. Wait a minute, Eli.

You're going to give that to me because if you don't give that to me, I'm going

to sue you.

And if I remember my law school training, in all likelihood, I am going

Don't agree.

In the course of suing you, I will depose the entire chain of title to that

starting with whoever stole it off the pier.

By the end of that, we'll see how much of a good -faith third -party vendee you

are. And you don't want to mess with Eli and Court Lenny. This is a shakedown.

I also think that your entertainment industry clientele is going to fall off

some when it comes out that you deal in hot cars.

You're aware of the fact that your car was a 320 and mine is a 600?

That's a disparity in price of over $40 ,000.

Come on. Consider it the cost of continuing to do business.

Up the key.

I'll send somebody by for the pink slip in the morning.

He can't even drive it.

Until I get my license, she can drive it.

I've reached a decision.

The issues in this case are far from clear, and reaching a decision was far

easy.

Raising children in violent times can be a terrifying ordeal.

Clearly, this young woman did nothing to make it easier.

That in and of itself does not justify her being held against her will.

A teenager is not without civil rights.

and any encroachment on those rights must be made only if that teenager

a danger to herself, and even then, solely as a last resort.

Sadly, I believe this to be the case here.

Based on the evidence shown, I will not second -guess the opinion of the medical

profession or of that of her father.

I choose instead to err on the side I believe to be caution.

I hereby remand Linda Rulon back to Wayside Psychiatric Hospital for further

treatment until such time her doctor or her father feels she's ready to be

released. This court is adjourned. Thank you.

Linda?

Can I bring you anything from home?

I don't have a home.

I live in a hospital, remember?

Linda, why do you insist on making everything so difficult?

If you cooperate, these people just might be able to help.

Don't touch me!

Linda, this is a temporary thing. You're going to get out of the hospital.

You bet I am.

And when I do, you know what?

You will never see me again.

Larry, I think it's time to let her go back now.

Come on, come on, let's go.

The day they let me... I'm gone.

I'll move to another state.

Change my name. And just like that, you don't have a daughter anymore.

Say goodbye to me, Daddy.

This is it.

Let her go.

Larry, what are you doing?

Give her what she wants.

Sign the release papers.

Hey,

Eli. Want a ride? No, thanks, Denise. I'm fine.

All right. See you.

Do you ride this bus often?

All right.

Well, Frank, come on in. I'll be right with you.

Arnie, I need you to go back to Camilla.

Not going to do any good, Frank.

I want you to tell her that I will give her $100 ,000 now. I will consider the

balance alone, which I will repay with interest according to schedule.

She's not interested in a payout.

She wants the money up front.

Uh -huh.

Well, if plan A doesn't work, then we'll go to plan B.

I inherited a house from my father in Montecito. I will sell it, and I will

her out of the proceeds.

Frank, I think you're crazy to be doing this. Arnie.

I can't allow that information to become public.

Forgive me for being presumptuous, but I say that you can.

I say it'll do you infinitely less harm than you think it will. Moreover, paying

off Camilla is no guarantee of anything.

She sells you one book, she'll keep another one for herself.

I'll have to risk that.

See, I think Camilla will honor an agreement.

I think she could be trusted. Frank, be serious. Am I sure of it?

No, I'm not sure of it, but... I still want you to make the offer.

Okay. Okay. Arnie.

I would appreciate it if you could please do it today.

I'd like to talk to you. Yeah, now who are you?

He's my father. So what do you want to talk to him about? I have some business

to talk to her about.

I don't mean to disrespect you or anyone else.

I'm asking if I can talk to him privately.

It's okay.

The father wanted me to give this to you.

They tell you to tell me what I'm not.

supposed to spend it on?

Cash, limit, you can spend it on whatever you want.

Okay. I also want to give you my card.

What's that, in case I get arrested?

It's in case you want to call me. Why would I want to do that?

For a variety of reasons. Maybe you want to communicate with your father without

speaking to him directly. You might need help in going back to school.

You might have medical problems you can't afford treatment for.

Or yeah, in case you get arrested.

You doing this because my father's paying you to do it?

Or are you actually interested?

Both? Yeah, both.

You were the one trying to keep me locked up. You're not exactly the first

person I'd call.

Whether I'm the first or the last, we might as well have a phone number.

Tell my father thanks.