Original subtitles

Previously on L .A. Law.

Dominic? There he is. How's it going, Chief?

Dominic, hi.

Put out your hand.

I'll come. Put out your hand. I got something for you.

Ha ha!

I wheeled an exact in the eighth race and a 25 to one shot. Bingo!

He has no idea what I'm talking about. We had a very big day today, Ben.

There's three large right in the palm of your hand.

Benny, we'd like you to tell us a little bit more about this friend of yours.

What do you want to know? For starters, we'd like to know why it was that he

gave you... $3 ,000.

The horse he bet on won.

But why did he give you money?

He always gives me money when the horse wins.

I give him money to bet with, and he gives me money if the horse wins.

Where are you going?

I gave out the mail, and I put extra paper in the copier, and I cleaned up

kitchen. Benny. Tell him where we're going.

We're going to Vegas.

You are taking advantage of someone who is mentally retarded. So far as I'm

concerned, I'm not taking advantage of anyone.

So happens Ben's an adult.

A retarded adult.

An adult, a grown man who doesn't have to answer to you or anyone else about

he spends his money.

Ben, give me another here, would you?

Yeah.

So, tonight's a big night, huh? You ready?

I guess so.

You guess so.

Ben, you guess so is not the right attitude.

You remember what we talked about?

You can't be tentative, all right?

He who hesitates is lost.

You snooze, you lose, you sleep, you weep. You follow me?

If you want this woman, you have to go after her, and you have to go after her

strong.

What if she doesn't like me? She said she'd go out with you, didn't she?

No. What more do you want?

You think she just likes me because she's retarded?

She likes you, Ben, because you're a likable guy.

Uh -huh.

Let me tell you something, Ben.

Women are different from men.

Women know what they want and what they don't want.

And one thing for sure they don't want is weakness.

And they can smell weakness.

The way a shark smells blood.

You deal from strength and they're yours to do with as you will.

How are you today?

Do you mind not smoking in here?

Absolutely not.

Tell me something, you like Italian food?

Ben and I were just discussing our plans for this evening. We thought you might

be interested in a little dinner, some wine, a little veal scallopini.

I don't eat veal.

A little linguine with white clam sauce, a little steak pizza. Or in the

alternative, we can dispense with the restaurant altogether.

I can bring my Jerry Vale records over to your house and we can send out for

Chinese.

Look at that.

I can't get a rise out of this one no matter what I do.

Come on.

I'll see you tonight, Ben.

Last chance.

No?

Okay.

Rana versus Jaya Raman, Pundar, and Chandra. What on earth is this?

It's mine, Douglas.

We represent three men who work at an Indian restaurant who are being sued by

couple who claim to have been beaten by them while dining there. How were we so

fortunate as to have this one fall in our laps? Stuart made the mistake of

telling the owner of the restaurant that we were attorneys.

It's a great restaurant.

Is this one on the cuff, Stuart?

Absolutely not.

Ali Jayaraman is a paying customer.

I happen to like Indian food.

Sheila prevailed on me one night to give it a try. I found it to be rather good.

We'll take you to Ali's place, if you'll let me. Lake versus Severson.

Lucille Lake is the direct descendant of a slave named Dandridge Bright.

Dandridge Bright was a painter.

Twenty of the paintings that he made while he was a slave are now in the

possession of Mr. and Mrs.

Severson, Mr.

Severson being the direct descendant of the slave owner.

and Mrs. Lake would like her paintings returned to her family.

He's suing over this now? How did he get past statute of limitations?

The value of the collection was only made known to her recently.

I also intend to argue that title in the paintings never vested with the

Severson family because Dandridge Bright was their slave. This is a case you're

entertaining some chance of winning?

Yes, it is.

It's also a case that could lead to lots of... of other cases. If we're even

slightly successful, if we come away with anything, this could lead to an

explosion of subsequent litigation.

And we, in all likelihood, would be the first place that these plaintiffs come.

No, I think you're dreaming.

I think no matter what platitudes people mouth regarding slavery, nobody gives

anything back.

We're looking to break new ground, Jonathan.

I think it's a risk worth taking. And also, it's not as though we've got

anything to lose.

What about the client? We're handling this on a contingency basis. She's

got nothing to lose. And that makes it okay for her to go along thinking she's

actually got a chance. I think she has a chance.

If I didn't think so, I wouldn't be representing her.

Let me make this as clear as I can. I've got a medical malpractice and a

wrongful death both scheduled for trial. The last thing I need on my calendar is

a food fight.

The defense agrees, Your Honor. We're ready to settle.

I am prepared to write a check this instant.

And in the spirit of reconciliation, I will also provide to the plaintiff, Mr.

and Mrs., complimentary meals at my restaurant for one month, tax included.

First of all, my clients have no interest in eating at Mr.

Jayaraman's restaurant ever again.

Secondly, he's only offering $1 ,200.

You have a figure in mind?

$250 ,000.

For spilling food?

There was no spilling. The waiter and busboy attacked us. Please, sir, it was

but a tragic misunderstanding.

He hit Warren with the lamb vindaloo while the other one pelted us with

These are vicious lies. The men and women were the aggressors. They are

responsible for the violence. What Rupesh means is we must put blame aside

seek accommodation.

Your Honor.

The Ronners have no medicals. Their losses are nowhere near six figures.

of the associations with that night of terror, an entire subcontinent of

gastronomia has been poisoned for both of us.

For us, it is a loss you cannot put a price on.

Try, Mr. Rauner. I'm sorry you can't enjoy Indian food anymore, but I suggest

you lower your sights and settle, and I suggest you make it well south of $250

,000. Your Honor, I'm not going to allow my clients to turn to settlement

negotiations until I've had a chance to depose the defendants. I am not

extending discovery beyond this week, Counselor.

Either finish by then, or I'll invite a motion to dismiss, with prejudice.

Got it?

By God, I like this woman.

Not as an admission of fraud or guilt, but as a gesture of goodwill, the

Seversons would like to offer you 50 % of the royalties from the book that they

have just written about Dandridge Bright.

They would also like Mrs. Lake to write a forward to the book. What kind of

numbers are we talking about, Mr. Richards?

If this book sells to colleges as a text, your clients could make up to $30

,000. And if it doesn't sell to colleges?

Publisher estimates $10 ,000 to $15 ,000.

No.

No?

That's it?

Mama, I think we should discuss this.

We're not rich people, Mrs. Lake.

We don't plan to sell the paintings. What we want to do is continue lending

to museums, giving everyone a chance to look at this great artist's work.

It still comes down to you deciding what to do with my great -grandfather's

painting. Could I have a moment with my mother, please?

I don't need a moment. The answer is no.

Mrs. Lake, if you win and sell the collection in pieces, or God forbid,

to a foreign buyer, you've lost an invaluable piece of American art and

heritage. Mrs.

Severson, I see the results of the heritage of slavery and oppression every

I open my eyes.

My daughter's little girl is smart enough to be a doctor, but nobody she's

known has ever been that. We don't have enough money to send her to medical

school, so you know what her highest aspirations are.

to have a nice car, and to keep from getting pregnant until he's 18.

My grandson doesn't believe he'll live past 20, so he doesn't even bother to

think about the future.

I want my grandchildren to have at least a chance at the kind of life your

children take for granted.

And if selling a few of my great -grandfather's paintings will help me to

that, I think he'd say, go to it.

We having a great time, huh? Is this place great or what?

And look what else we got here.

Italian good luck cookies.

What are you doing?

What am I doing?

Wait a second.

Huh?

The higher it floats, the better the luck.

Not bad, huh?

So, Rosalie, you having a good time?

Yeah.

They make a good marinara sauce here, you know, not too heavy.

Hey, I gotta hold up the conversational ball myself here.

What's the story?

Usually I can't get him to shut up, but here we've got a beautiful woman sitting

next to him. He's speechless.

Doesn't Dominic have a beautiful voice?

Yeah. Gotta love this girl. She never says no.

Hello, Rosalie.

I hope I'm not too early picking you up, but you did say 8 .30.

This is my mother. This is Dominic. Pleased to meet you.

And this is Benny.

Hello, Benny.

Paul.

So, are you ready to go home?

Ah, what's the rush? Come on.

Sit down, take a load off, have a cup of coffee.

Would you like to stay a little longer?

Dominic just sang a song.

Really? They were playing Santa Lucia. I couldn't resist.

And he knows all sorts of tricks, too.

Sure, the one with your hands.

Not sure which one you mean.

You know, retarded three -card money.

I'm not sure that's really such a good one, Ben. There's other games that are a

lot funnier.

I'd really like to see that one.

Sure. Put your hand on the table.

Like that, yeah.

Now, I put my hands like this.

And then... Which hand is yours?

I don't know.

That's why they call it retarded three -card money.

Okay, so, hey, Fran, can I interest you in a little spumoni? I really don't find

games like that amusing.

Oh, we were just having a little fun, you know.

I think you were just having a little fun, as someone else would expect.

Come on, Fran, let's not ruin a nice evening here.

Bruce Lee, I think it's time for us to go home.

Benny, very nice meeting you.

Dr.

Haverford, as an historian, what is your area of speciality?

African -American life in the antebellum South.

Are you familiar with the work of Dandridge Bright?

Yes, I've done considerable research and published a number of articles on Mr.

Bright and his works.

as well as other African -American slave artisans and artists.

What makes these 20 paintings of Mr. Bright so valuable?

They represent a very rare look at plantation life from the point of view

slave. Beyond that, examples of arts or crafts of this quality, or any quality

for that matter, done by slaves are almost non -existent. What they did was

generally recognized as art, and very little was preserved.

What were your sources in researching Mr. Bright?

The Overseer's Book from the Severson Plantation.

as well as a detailed journal kept by Dr.

Philip Severson.

Who was Dr.

Philip Severson? He was Dandridge Bright's owner and the great -great

-grandfather of the gentleman sitting over there.

What was Dandridge Bright's job as a slave on the Severson plantation?

Initially, he was a stable boy.

As he got older and the Severson children took a fancy to him, he was

the house as a butler and babysitter of sorts.

Is that when he started painting?

To the best of our knowledge, yes.

Dr. Haverford, in your expert opinion, did Dandridge Bright freely give his

paintings to Dr. Severson? No. A slave had no property. He was property, just

like livestock.

It would be impossible for a slave to make a gift of something that his master

already owned.

Thank you, Dr. Haverford.

Dr. Haverford, is there any indication in Philip Severson's journals that he

forcibly took those paintings from Mr. Bright? No. Well, in your opinion, is it

impossible for a slave of his own free will to make the gesture of giving a

to his master? In my opinion, a slave by definition has no free will. Dr.

Haverford, in the interest of serving justice here, I have to ask you this. Do

you think...

as an African American yourself, that it is possible for you to render an

unbiased opinion on this subject?

I was unaware, Mr. Richards, that the condemnation of human slavery was a

I have no further questions for Mrs. Lake's witness.

Mr. Your Honor, in looking over the order slip for the meal that night, I

noticed that there's a dish I couldn't find on the menu.

He means the chicken karahi. It is karahi. If the woman cannot pronounce

Hindi properly, perhaps she should stick to English. Please forgive my cousin's

playful chatting.

Actually, the Mrs. Direct is quite good. Most authentic. We asked the chef to

prepare the karahi because we desired a dish from the Punjab. And how did you

find the karahi? The chicken was overwhelmed with fenugreek. And with no

to stand up to it, the dish was...

So you sent it back? Yes, it was inedible. Sounds like you're a hard man

please. Is that a question?

Mr. Rahner, let's turn to the event that immediately precipitated the alleged

assault. How would you describe it? Our waiter, that dangerous -looking one they

call Rupesh, brought out a serving of lamb vindaloo. I took one bite, and I

overwhelmed with nausea. Too hot for you? No. He could not eat it. I could

help myself but laugh.

In my village, small girls can eat vindaloo twice as spicy.

That's why you attacked me. It was you who attacked.

When I told him to take back the vindaloo, he got this strange look in

and started mumbling in Hindu.

The next thing I knew, the plate of vindaloo came crashing down on my head.

And what did you do? Well, I was fighting for my life. And for Lois. So

admit that you hit them back.

He had to. It was self -defense. Oh, not so. Mr. Honor, isn't it possible this

entire melee resulted because you overreacted to having food spilled on

It was an attack.

A brutal, vicious attack.

Hi, Benny.

Hi.

This is where you work.

Yeah.

I'm making copies.

I had fun last night.

I did, too.

Good.

Dominic wasn't mad at my mom, was he?

I don't think so. I hope not, because she said she was glad to meet you.

She said she was especially glad to meet Dominic.

She has to meet everyone now.

Anyone I'm with, she has to meet.

Ever since this thing happened.

What thing?

This thing that happened with this guy.

He goes to rec centers sometimes.

And this thing happened.

What happened, Rosalie?

Well, this guy came into the locker rooms while I was changing into my

suit.

And he did some things to me that... He did some things that

were not very nice.

What kind of things?

Sex?

Uh -huh.

Did you tell the police?

No. Well, Rosalie, you gotta tell somebody about this.

I did. I told my mama. I told you.

You gotta tell somebody that can do something about it.

Somebody like my friend Tommy.

What can he do?

He works in a district attorney's office.

He can make sure that man goes to jail.

I don't want to talk to anybody.

It'll be okay.

I'll go with you.

Mrs. Lake, how much do you know about your family?

We can trace our family history back five generations.

When my great -great -grandfather, Moses Bright, was brought to South Carolina

from the Niger Delta in Africa by slave traders.

Dandridge was born in 1843 and sold to the Seversons away from his own

family in 1855.

Were you close with your great -grandfather, Mrs. Lake?

I didn't get to know him very long.

When his wife died in 1925, he just disappeared, and nobody could find him

he showed up on my aunt's doorstep in Cleveland in 1935.

Apparently, he had been living on the streets.

He didn't like to talk about it much.

And then three years later, he died.

When did you discover that your great -grandfather was a recognized artist?

About six months ago.

How did you make that discovery?

I got this call from an art dealer in Chicago, and he said that he had

seen the Severson collection.

Why was he calling you? He said that he had traced the family tree of Dandridge

Bright. in hopes of finding some descendants who might have paintings

were willing to sell.

What did you do then, Mrs. Lake?

I called the Seversons. How did they respond to you?

Well, at first, they treated me like I was visiting royalty.

They invited me out to their house in Pasadena to look at the paintings.

They even came to Nickerson Gardens and picked me up.

What happened?

They said they were ashamed that their great -great -grandfather had owned

slaves, and they hoped they were making some amends by allowing the paintings to

be seen and appreciated by the public.

What did you say?

I said if they really wanted to make amends, they would give the paintings

to Dandridge Bright's family.

They thought I was joking, till I got a lawyer.

Then they stopped returning my calls.

Thank you, Mrs. Lake.

I have no further questions.

Mrs. Lake, is it your testimony that you did not know that your great

-grandfather was an artist?

I knew he liked to paint, but I didn't know how much his paintings were worth.

So, prior to contacting the Seversons, you never made any attempt to locate any

of his paintings?

That's right.

This is a newspaper account of a family reunion at your aunt's home in 1937.

Would you please look at the accompanying photograph and tell us

that is, in fact, your aunt's house?

Yes. And is the man in the photograph your great -grandfather, Dandridge

Yes. Would you please describe to the court what Mr. Bright is standing next

He's standing next to his paintings.

What became of those paintings, Mrs. Lake? Objection. Standridge Bright's

output is not in dispute here, Your Honor. What is in dispute are the 20

paintings currently held by Chet and Janet Severson. It goes to the question

reasonable discovery.

I'll allow it.

Do you know what happened to those paintings, Mrs. Lake? My aunt did not

big house in Pasadena, Mr. Richard. Please, Mrs. Lake, just answer the

When my grandfather died, the only way my aunt could make ends meet was to rent

his room. She didn't have any place to put his paintings. What became of the

paintings of Dandridge Bright that your family owned?

My aunt threw them away.

Thank you.

I've loved these paintings since I was a kid. Why is that, Mr. Stevenson?

Because I couldn't believe that someone who'd lived as a slave could still view

life in such a luminous and a vibrant way.

When did you discover that the paintings were valuable?

Well, initially, they weren't very valuable. They became valuable when I

taking the collection to art critics and galleries and pushing for exhibitions

and reviews.

And why did you do that?

because we believed we had an incredibly important piece of American artistic

history that belonged to the public domain, not in our living room in

Did you know that Mr. Bright had any living relatives?

Not until Mrs. Lake called us.

Did you ever do anything to conceal the existence of these paintings from them?

The collection had been on exhibit in museums across the country almost

continually for the past ten years.

including four months in Los Angeles. And Mrs. Lake could have as easily

into that exhibit as anyone else. Thank you.

This collection has been appraised at half a million dollars. Is that correct,

Mr. Severson? Yes, but that's really irrelevant since I don't plan to sell

Well, you don't have to sell it to reap the benefits of it, though, do you?

I am not sure what you mean. Your connection to these paintings has helped

get a seat on the board of directors of the American Folk Art Museum, isn't that

so? Well, yes, but my work there is completely voluntary. I've received no

compensation for that.

What about the numerous lectures you've given at museums across the country?

What about the book you're about to publish on the work of Dandridge Bright?

The remuneration from those things does nothing more than offset the cost of my

participation. But it has given you a high profile in the art world, has it

Miss Peros, an artist, especially a folk artist like Dandridge Bright, does not

get to be well -known unless somebody makes it his business to show his works

the world. I am that person.

And I've done so because I believe that Dandridge Bright was an extraordinary

talent whose work could benefit a lot of people.

Do you believe that one man should benefit from the forced labor of another

No. Well, if you don't believe that, Mr. Stevenson, and if your only intention

in all of this is to bring Dandridge Bright's art to the people, why don't

sell these paintings to a museum and give the proceeds to the descendants of

Dandridge Bright? We shouldn't have to sell these paintings. My family

them for five generations. I have tended this collection. I have promoted it.

And I am entitled to keep it. And the fact that it came to you through slavery

has no importance here?

Objection, badgering your honor. I didn't own slaves. Why should I have to

for a crime I didn't commit? Why should you get to benefit from it?

Objection, your honor.

Withdrawn. I have no more questions.

You claim you lost control of the tray.

Yes, it bubbled, and the Vindaloo toppled onto the customers quite

And before I could apologize, the mister grabs me by the throat, begins to

squeeze the breath out of my body. Oh, please. I thought it was a dead man. Had

my cousins not intervened, who knows what he would have done? Exactly.

Ali, let's just get through this. Mr.

Pundar, how long have you been a waiter?

Five years.

Is it your life's ambition to be a waiter?

No. I am an engineer with a PhD from Mumbai Polytechnic. It must be difficult

for an educated man such as yourself to take orders all day. When the customers

are well -mannered and respectful, I am content.

I imagine the Rauners posed quite a challenge given their demanding

Oh, they were most discourteous. Always bossing and yelling.

I attribute this to low breeding.

Is it true they sent back two dishes prior to sending back the vindaloo? Yes.

should have sent back the whole meal. And each time, did the cook then have to

prepare an entirely new dish from scratch?

From scratch, yes. How long did this go on? More than two hours. Two hours?

The rawners didn't even arrive at the restaurant until after 11.

Are you telling me they kept you running back and forth to the kitchen till 1 a

.m.? And then they took one bite of the vindaloo and sent it back to us.

They were impossible.

Didn't you just want to kill them? Yes, I wanted to kill them. There's no jury

here. So you took the vindaloo and you smashed it over Mr. Rauner's head. Yes,

no, no. I smashed it over the head. And you took the chutney and you threw it at

Mrs. Rauner, didn't you? Yes, I threw it at her. And your cousin beat them too,

didn't he? Yes, we fought with them. We hated them. We beat them because they

deserved to be beaten. And if they ever sit at my table again, I shall beat them

again. Oh, rupesh, rupesh, rupesh.

Rosalie, this happened six weeks ago.

You said you remembered because it was right after your birthday.

Yeah. Okay.

Now, this man, Clark Sims, you knew him?

He came to the rec center sometimes.

Can you remember what happened after he followed you into the locker room?

He told me he wanted to talk to me.

And was anyone else around?

No. It was late.

Tell me what happened next.

He told me that he liked me.

And then he asked me if I liked him.

And he asked me if I wanted him to be my friend.

And did you answer him?

It's okay to tell, Tommy.

I said yes.

And tell me what happened next.

He touched my hair, and then he pushed me down on the

bench, and he laid down on top of me, and I

tried to get up, but he was too big.

And then he pulled

down my swimsuit bottoms.

Rosalie, did he have any kind of a weapon?

Um, no.

Did he hit you or threaten you with violence?

No. Did you tell him no?

I told him I had to go home.

I told him I wanted to go.

I did.

Rosalie, I'm going to ask you a question.

But I want you to think real hard before you answer it, okay?

Did you tell this man that you didn't want to have sex with him?

Yes.

Okay.

If that's what happened, I think we have a case against him.

But I want to be sure you understand this isn't going to be easy.

You're going to have to talk to a lot of people you don't know. You're going to

have to answer a lot of questions about a lot of different things.

I'll help her.

Okay.

Rosalie, are you sure this is what you want to do?

This is what I want to do.

Okay, then.

The body of our country bears many scars.

from a violent and tragic history.

But if we hold our contemporaries responsible for wounds inflicted by our

ancestors, we risk descending into chaos.

Should we tear up the railroads because the tracks were laid by exploited

Chinese laborers? Should we dismantle our cotton and rice and tobacco

because they were built on the back of black slaves?

Should we turn back our clothing because somewhere in our history a child was

forced to work 12 or 14 hours a day at a sewing machine?

Or should we lay these tragedies to rest and move on?

There is no one in this courtroom who is making an argument in favor of slavery.

You are not here to pass judgment on slavery. What you are here to determine

whether or not to penalize a man for something that his great -great

-grandfather did. Not his father, nor his grandfather, nor even his great

-grandfather, but his father's father's father's

father.

This man has done nothing wrong.

The events of another century do not give us the right to take away that

which is his.

That which is his.

That which he inherited.

That which was in his family.

That which is his.

Though the defense counsel would disagree, I maintain that it is entirely

acceptable for you to ask yourself, how did it get to be his?

Chet Severson has directly and personally benefited from the work of a

He has built a reputation in the art world and increased his net worth by

million dollars based on 20 paintings that his great -great -grandfather

acquired without the consent of the artist.

He stole them. I mean, that's not what it was called at the time, but that's

what it was.

stealing, and to say that Dandridge Bright gave his paintings to the

is to imply that he had a choice about keeping them. He was a slave. He had no

choice. Not about keeping his freedom, and not about keeping his family, and

about keeping his paintings.

I think if Dandridge Bright came before you and asked to have returned to him

that which he lost as a result of his enslavement, the answer would be very

simple. You'd give him what he asked for.

He wasn't allowed to make demands then, and he can't be here now.

But his direct descendant is here.

Tell her what you can no longer tell him.

That was a fine speech, Miss Panels. Oh, thank you. I thought my mother was

crazy bringing this lawsuit.

Now, I think we actually might win.

So you thought I was crazy, huh?

He admitted to the battery during the deposition, Your Honor. We see no reason

why we should be the ones to back down from our position.

Because your clients don't have a quarter of a million in damages, and my

clients don't have a quarter of a million, period.

And they have no insurance.

The best they can scrape up is $10 ,000. Garnish their wages.

Oh, please, Your Excellency.

Mr. Gaffney, if you and your clients are foolish enough to proceed to trial, I

foresee a strong chance you'll wind up with nothing. On the other hand, the

court would look favorably on an agreement that achieves the following.

The Rauners get $10 ,000 in compensatory damages, broken up over two years.

And punitives?

No punitives.

Mr. Pundar will enter a psychological counseling program to help him control

dangerous temper.

Finally... For the next six months while he undergoes treatment, Mr. Pundar

should be kept away from customers.

In the wrong circumstances, a loaded Vindaloo could be a deadly weapon. I

want to take any chances. I can put Rupesh in the kitchen.

Pete?

Done. And, uh, Mr.

Jayaraman, keep an eye on the little guy, too. I'm not so sure about him.

Oh, I certainly will, Your Excellency. And I want you to know you are cordially

invited to come down to my restaurant free of charge and enjoy a full -course

meal for you and a dining companion.

No, thanks.

I've got a peptic ulcer to take care of.

My sympathy, Your Excellency.

Goodbye, Mr.

Jayaraman. Goodbye, Your Excellency.

Tommy Mullaney?

Yeah. Can I help you?

Fran Hendrickson, Rosalie's mother. Oh, of course.

Please, come on. Thank you.

Your daughter's very brave.

Going through a rape trial under any circumstances is an ordeal. I don't need

tell you how much she's going to need your full support.

That's what I want to talk to you about.

Of course.

Rosalie told me what you discussed, what she's going to have to testify to on

the witness stand.

She's just going to have to tell the truth.

I'm not worried about what she's going to do. I'm worried about what you're

going to do.

What do you mean?

Is the fact that Rosalie is developmentally disabled going to factor

case? Yeah, the fact that Rosalie's retarded goes directly to the issue of

consent. So you're going to say that she wasn't capable of consent?

I'm going to say that in this particular instance, she was not capable of

consent, yes.

You're going to put my daughter in front of a courtroom as, um, Exhibit A, as

the perfect example of how the mentally retarded are not responsible for their

actions. I am going to do my best to see that the creep who raped your daughter

gets convicted. No matter how much you might damage Rosalie's self -esteem in

the process.

Mr. Mullaney, ever since Rosie was a little baby, I devoted myself to

her like any other child.

I encouraged her independence. I insisted that she be treated like a

being. And she has grown into a beautiful, capable woman.

I won't let you put her on the stand and destroy that self -confidence all for

the sake of obtaining a conviction.

Your daughter was raped.

She has the right to see her attacker brought to justice.

Tell me something.

If Rosalie wasn't retarded, would you still be prosecuting this case?

No, I would not. Why wouldn't you? She didn't file a police report. She didn't

seek medical attention. There's no physical evidence and there are no

Besides, it's a month and a half after the fact.

I've agonized over what happened to my daughter that day.

And I want very much for the man who hurt her to suffer.

But presenting my daughter not as a woman who was raped.

But as a helpless, retarded girl who is incapable of making her own decisions, I

believe you will be doing her far more damage, and I won't let you do that.

I want to withdraw the complaint.

That decision has to come from Rosalie.

You'll hear from my daughter by the end of the day.

It's good that we're doing it.

It is good.

I'm ready to open myself up to different kinds of restaurants, different kinds

of ethnic eating experiences.

There are so many different ethnic groups in this city. I think we should

advantage of them all.

Absolutely. Welcome, honored friends.

Hi, Ali. These are friends of ours. This is Douglas and Sheila Brackman. We're

honored to have you here with us.

May I take your order, or would you like a little bit more time?

No, I think we're ready. I'll have the aloo chat to start and my usual sag

paneer. I always get the same thing.

Madame? I'll let someone else go first.

Yeah, I'll have the tandoori chicken, and I'll have my own thag paneer, since

know my wife won't give me any of hers.

Holly, what is the difference between the thag paneer and the mutter paneer?

Thag paneer is with spinach.

Mutter paneer is with green peas.

Would you excuse me for a moment? I have to take care of some people.

Rupesh will take the rest of your order.

What is the difference between the dal makhani and the dal ghasht?

The dal gosht is with the lamb.

And the dal makhani is with what?

Dal makhani.

Lentils. Only lentils.

The murg musalam. What is that?

Murg musalam.

It's chicken served over minced meat. Oh, so it's chicken and meat? I think

better off with chicken.

Why don't you try the chicken curry?

I'm not too big on curry.

How about chicken korma? What is chicken korma? It's a cream sauce.

You don't want cream.

You're right. How about tandoori chicken?

That sounds good.

That sounds good.

Ooh, what is Began Bartha? Why don't you just order some? Let him ask, Seward.

How else is he going to learn?

What is Began Bartha?

What is Narvatan Korma? And what is the difference between Parantha, Papadum's

culture, and Nam?

Rupesh, no!

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor. What say you? In the matter of Lake versus Severson...

We fine for the plaintiff an award in the sum of $500 ,000.

Your Honor, move for judgment notwithstanding the verdict. Your Honor,

no grounds to overturn this verdict. Sit down, counselors.

I'm prepared to do this on the court's own motion.

What's going on?

I'm not sure yet. Having reviewed all the testimony and considered the

put forth in this courtroom, I find that this case turns on questions of law.

rather than questions of fact.

At the time Dandridge Bright produced the work in question, he belonged to

Philip Severson. As reprehensible as we may find that now, this collection of

paintings came into the Severson family through legal means.

Whether we like it or not, slavery was a perfectly legal institution prior to

the passage of the 13th Amendment.

That amendment abolished slavery, but it said nothing, absolutely nothing.

about transactions between slave and master. Given that, there is no basis

interfering with present -day property rights.

To do so, in my opinion, would be tantamount to a taking and would itself

constitutionally prohibited.

I also find the statute of limitations not to have been told.

Accordingly, plaintiff's action is barred as a matter of law.

Jury verdict is set aside.

Judgment is hereby entered for the defendant.

This case is dismissed. Damn!

How could I be so foolish?

How could I look for justice from a system designed by old white men to

what they've got and keep us begging at the door? Miss Palmer, this is neither

the time nor the place. How could I even consider that you would leave anything

to chance? That you would relinquish control of your safe little world to 12

people who might just maybe shake things up a bit?

Oh, baby, wait. Mama, mama, it's a mockery. Wait, wait, wait.

Wait a minute.

Wait.

All right, we knew it would be a long shot. Well, I managed to forget all

I managed to fool myself into thinking that we were actually being listened to.

If you want me to, I can take it up on appeal.

What would our chances be? Not great.

Miss Bottas, we appreciate all the hard work you put in, and we thank you. I'm

willing to keep going with it. If my daughter wants to pursue it, she's free

do so.

But for me, once is enough.

Rosalie, hi.

I'm not going to do it, Benny.

Do what?

I'm not going to talk to Tommy anymore. I'm not going to court.

My mom says that Tommy's going to say that I can't make up my own mind because

I'm retarded.

And my mom says that that is not true.

What do you say?

I say I'm going to listen to my mom.

Okay.

So...

So you're not mad at me?

No.

I like you, Benny.

You do?

Yeah, I really do.

Well, I like you too. Come here.

Come here.

Want me to?

No. Why?

Because. Because why?

Because it's wrong.

Sex is wrong?

Well, it's wrong if you don't love the person you're doing it with.

I'm sorry.

It's okay.

I guess you want me to go.

No.

I want you to stay.

It's okay.

It's okay.