Original subtitles

Power lines?

We said 5000 for discovery, and you're up to 9300.

We're just about done. Last depo tomorrow morning, pre-trial in the afternoon.

- We're basically ready to go. - Who's the expert on liability?

You're basically ready to go and you haven't got any expert testimony to make your case?

I'm meetin' a guy who did the major studies. I think he could help.

Jimmy, why are you doin' this?

I think it's a decent case and-- There's no case.

There's people with cancer to feel sorry for, but there's no case.

Hi. Ten dollars on sixteen. Super. Thanks.

[ Beeping, Ringing ]

[ Inaudible ]

[ Inaudible ]

[ Clicks ]

[ Gasps, Breathing Heavily ]

[ Footsteps ]

Oh, God! [ Gasping ]

[ Dialing ]

[ Line Ringing ]

[ Cell Door Opens, Closes ]

[ Sirens Wailing ]

[ Sirens ] [ Woman On Police Radio ] Robbery in progress.

[ Police Radio, Indistinct ] [ Helicopter Blades Whirring ]

[ Chattering ] [ Siren ]

- Would you recognize him if you saw him again? - Excuse me. Excuse me.

Excuse me. You said he was 20 to 25?

Somethin' like that. Yeah. He was a young guy. Okay.

- Bec? You okay? - Yeah, thanks for coming.

If she's okay with it, we'd appreciate her goin' through the book.

You okay with it, Bec? I mean, lookin' at some mug shots?

Yeah. Sure I am.

Is she okay? She's still a little shook.

She was up all night lookin' at mug shots and couldn't make out anybody.

What's up in there? Jimmy's depo.

Eleanor's in with him.

Did any doctor tell you the cancer came from exposure to power lines?

No, sir. Did any...

trained medical professional say that electromagnetic fields...

could have been a factor? No, sir.

Now, in your interrogatories, you said it was a P.T.A. meeting that quote,

"Gave you the idea." Yes.

Yeah. Could you please describe that P.T.A. meeting?

I was talking to Leslie Dawson and she told me she had melanoma.

She was sharing her secret because,

well, she felt some relief in telling people.

When she told me, I gave her my secret. I had brain cancer.

Okay. And then how did you make the leap that it was caused by power lines?

Object to the form. You can answer.

Well, I had read before that power lines, it was thought...

they could be radioactive.

And a power line field practically ran right through our neighborhood.

So I thought, "Who knows?"

I decided,

hell, I'll just walk around the neighborhood and ask people.

I started with my next-door neighbor Jerry.

Jerry answered the door and said, "Hey, Kevin, what's up?"

I said, "I have brain cancer, what's new with you?"

He, uh,

had a tumor in his head that was inoperable.

He didn't want to tell anybody. And when he did, he just broke down.

Okay, and then what happened?

I remember thinking, "Oh my God. There's cancer all through this neighborhood."

All I wanted to do was rush home and get my wife and kids tested.

I didn't care about his tumor. I didn't have time.

All I could think of was my family.

We all went into the hospital that day, and, uh,

did all the tests.

And the results of those tests were negative?

Oh, yeah. They were negative.

My seven-year-old boy had leukemia.

Um--

Uh--

I'm sorry.

Is there-- Is there any reference to this in the pleadings?

- No. - Could you tell me why not?

'Cause when I sat down to tell him that...

he was really sick, he knew he was dying.

He said, "Daddy, please don't tell anybody."

[ Phone Ringing ] You--

You caught him? We think.

You up to a line-up?

You-- Now?

- Well, I suppose we could wait. - Now is good.

- You sure? - Yeah. Let's go.

Okay.

[ Man ] Go all the way to the left, stand at the marks facing right.

- [ Loud Bang ] - Number one, turn and face forward, please.

Number two, face forward.

That-- That's him. Take your time. Are you sure?

That's him. Am I done? Done.

I understand, Your Honor, but on some occasions...

judges have taken judicial notice of scientific studies.

Yes, well this wouldn't be such an occasion.

Unless he can cross-examine the proponents of the study.

They live in Sweden. We have no way of getting them here.

But that's your problem, not his.

I can't let you put in scientific evidence...

without giving the defense opportunity to take their whacks.

The Swedish study is excluded. What else we got?

The witness list, Your Honor, has not been completed pursuant to your order.

It's completed except for maybe one witness.

There's possibly, maybe, one more we could add.

Other than that, it's-- Are you serious?

The reason for witness lists is so the other side knows what's coming.

I understand, Judge, but so far--

I'll give you till 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. After that the list is frozen, no additions.

- Anything else? - Yes, Your Honor. I'd like to suggest...

that we bifurcate the trial into two phases-- Liability and damages.

This would save us a couple of weeks, maybe a month.

- I'm inclined to agree. - Your Honor, we strenuously object to that.

- It would completely compromise our case. - I think what counsel fears...

is that it would make clear they have no case.

May I confer with my co-counsel for a second?

Make it quick.

[ Whispering ] If the trial gets split, we're dead. The clients won't get to testify.

Why? Because their stories go to damages, not to liability.

And he doesn't want the jury to hear what we just heard in the deposition,

so he's trying to cut them off. I'm not followin'.

Jimmy, think. If we lose on liability,

then the case is over, we don't even proceed to damages.

And we don't really have a case on liability.

Your Honor, we, uh, vigorously object to splitting the trial.

Well, of course they do, Your Honor.

Because they're planning to use emotion to make up for their lack of evidence.

You don't know what we're doing. Do you?

I have to say, Mr. Berluti, I share Mr. West's concern.

If you are planning to parade a lot of sad, sick, cancer victims before a jury...

without evidence of causation, I won't let you.

Moreover, judicial economy is something I take very seriously.

- I'm granting the defense counsel's request. - Thank you, Your Honor.

I move for an interlocutory appeal immediately.

I'll kick you upstairs and you can do it this afternoon. That should be immediate enough.

But you're not buying any more time on witness lists.

That's frozen. Adjourned.

[ Gavel Raps ]

Jimmy. Get away from me.

Jimmy! Eleanor, get out of my face for a minute. I just need a second.

Which you're not gonna get.

- [ Grunts ] - All right, Jimmy, it is time to shut up and listen.

I don't care if this hurts your feelings, but that was some terrible lawyering in there.

First, even trying to get the Swedish study admitted is stupid.

Of course the judge can't allow it if the defense can't cross-examine.

And even by asking you undermined your credibility,

not to mention you make the case seem that much more desperate.

And, second, where the hell were our clients?

They didn't need to be here, not for a pre-trial conference.

Oh, you think it would have been easy for the judge to slap us...

if he had to see their eyes staring back at him?

Judges are human too, and without our people in the room...

you made it a lot easier for him to be impersonal.

All right, this is what we are gonna do.

You are gonna track down that expert witness, and I'm gonna go find Lindsay.

- Lindsay? Why? - Because if we're gonna have any chance at appeals,

we need our presentation to come from somebody who's got a good reputation.

She's got one. You don't. Come on, let's move.

You'll have time to feel sorry for yourself later.

Yeah, yeah. We need the motion scheduled for a Friday...

'cause I know the Judge likes to go to the Cape on Fridays.

Yes, in the winter, and he grants everything ex parte on Friday's.

Trust me. Schedule it for a Friday and we're home free.

Thank you. Ms. Washington?

Yes? Miguel Moreno. Nice to meet you.

I'm here about my brother Luis, he's in some legal trouble.

What kind of trouble?

Well, you just picked him out of a line-up just a few hours ago.

Now the police think that he killed somebody.

Well, he did kill somebody.

Ms. Washington, I'm sure that you're mistaken. I'm sure I'm not.

[ Scoffs ] Forgive me for interrupting your busy day.

But I would do anything to save my little brother. Is that a threat?

Miguel Moreno. And you would be?

Somebody who you don't want to be makin' threats to. [ Laughs ]

Hey, I'm just asking Ms. Washington...

to think hard about who she points her finger at.

'Cause a wrong decision could be...

a tragedy.

Get out of here. You got any brothers?

[ Whispers ] I said, "Get out."

Let's all be careful.

[ Door Slams ]

It wasn't a direct threat word-wise, but the spirit was there.

Let's run probation on him, see what we can find out.

What were his exact words? He loves his brother.

And when's the probable cause hearing? Tomorrow.

- Where's Lindsay? - Bankruptcy court, all day.

- Damn it. Can we page her? - What's the matter?

Jimmy fell down at the pre-trial. The judge screwed us by splitting the trial,

and now we have to try the case on liability alone first, which we're appealing in 45 minutes.

- Where's Jimmy now? - Trackin' down a witness. We decided we needed evidence.

Listen, can you page Lindsay, tell her we need her at the Courthouse right now?

Hey, are you okay?

- I'm fine. - Okay.

- I'm fine. - [ Dialing ]

[ Chattering ]

[ Chattering ]

Mr. Helms.

James Berluti. Could I, like, talk a second?

I thought I made it clear on the phone. I can't help you.

You made it clear you wouldn't help me.

Could we, like, maybe go for a beer or somethin'?

I'm a drunk.

Yeah.

So you can see, I wouldn't make a very great expert witness, would I?

Well, whether you would or not, you're all I got.

You're the one who did the studies on those power lines in Fairfield.

The studies were dismissed, as was I.

They had to dismiss those studies.

Otherwise they would have been lookin' at a thousand lawsuits, a zillion dollars in damages.

I wouldn't ask, but-- Mr. Berluti.

I spent four months at McLean after a nervous breakdown.

By 5:30 sharp, I am drinking.

Now why the hell would you want to rely on me?

'Cause I'm desperate.

And I got twelve clients with cancer, more desperate than me.

And you actually think that I can change that?

What's to lose? What's to lose?

I'll tell you.

Even though I'm still drinkin', I'm functional again. I got a day job.

I put on clean underwear every day.

I even got a lady who's either crazy about me or just crazy.

I go up on that stand, we both know the score. They're gonna tear me down.

They're not gonna spare any expense. They're gonna rip me apart.

And it's gonna be in the papers for everybody to see.

My lady will read it, my ex will read it as she fights visitation.

My kid will read it.

Now, I got a pretty good status quo goin' here.

That is what I got to lose.

Now,

tell me my throwin' that away is gonna count for somethin' in the end.

We could send some officers to warn the guy.

But he hasn't said anything we could actually arrest him for.

You see his rap sheet, Helen? Look, I'd love to take this dirtbag off the street.

We lost him two years ago on a homicide because the confession was coerced.

I mean, we knew he shot a policeman, we just couldn't prove it, even though--

Exactly. The guy's a killer.

Now he has made a deadly threat.

I don't care how well he's disguised it, we gotta do something to protect her.

If she wants a police escort, I could arrange it for a few days.

- But beyond that-- - Okay, what if Rebecca doesn't testify at the P.C. hearing?

Not good. They haven't found the weapon yet, he didn't test positive for residue.

Because he had gloves. Which also haven't been found.

The whole case right now is Rebecca.

If she doesn't testify, from what I hear, we may not make probable cause.

Where is she? They're comin' in. The elevator. Yeah, right.

Judicial economy was the main argument. There was no transcript.

It was all about time-- Saving time. [ Bailiff ] All rise.

Yes. And don't forget, there wasn't any notice.

He just sprang it.

All right. Maybe you should do it.

Unfortunately, my reputation isn't too much better than yours with two of these judges.

- We're better off with Lindsay. I'll fill in the gaps. - [ Bailiff ] Be seated.

Okay. The issue, hot off the press, it seems, is the splitting of the trial.

Yes. Your Honors, we feel, as indeed did Judge Walsh,

that an enormous amount of court time would be spent on damages,

considering there are multiple plaintiffs.

So, why not answer the liability question first?

That's a nice premise, but it's all based on the assumption that we lose on liability.

If we win, you'll end up spending more time. You'd ask the jury to deliberate twice,

you'd also probably be duplicating some of the testimony.

That goes against judicial economy.

If and only if you prevail on liability, which given the evidence seems highly unlikely--

The reason they want the trial split is simple.

We had a deposition this morning.

One of our plaintiffs talked about his son having leukemia.

It was emotional. It was powerful.

And when it was over, Mr. West said to himself,

"We cannot let that witness ever take the stand.

We cannot let a jury hear what we just heard."

So how does he accomplish that? By splitting the trial in two.

And I must say it seems to make sense.

Liability should be decided on fact, counsel, not emotion.

[ Lindsay ] And we trust a jury to distinguish between the two.

The whole essence of a jury trial, Your Honor, is-- Oh, dear! Oh, dear!

Now here comes her Constitutional repertoire, you see?

Did you bring your flag today? Since you raise it, what about notice?

He didn't file any motion to split this trial.

He suddenly raised it as a suggestion, and the court granted it.

If we're really interested in saving time, please.

That ruling almost guarantees us an appeal.

Now it's you assuming your own defeat.

Win or lose, my clients should get their day in court. Trial splitting is to prevent that.

They're trying to keep our clients out of the witness chair.

But your clients will get to testify if you satisfy causation, counsel.

The science part of this case is gonna be dry and God-awful boring.

Stodgy excruciating expert testimony.

By splitting the trial into two sections, you're giving the jury the option of getting out early.

All they'll have to do is just say, "No," on liability and they get to go home.

My clients will not get a fair trial by splitting this trial.

Your clients have no case.

All right. We've heard the arguments. We'll let you know end of business.

[ Elevator bell dings ]

Thank you. I don't know, Jimmy.

You were amazing. You were.

So, how'd it go with the witness? I don't know.

Maybe I should get you to talk to him.

Just try to get an offer, Jimmy. Anything.

[ Sighs ]

What I'm about to say is inconsistent with everything I've ever stood for.

Bobby. You're the most inconsistent person I know.

I'm never sure exactly what you stand for.

Oh. Well, in that case, let me continue to expand.

I don't think you should I.D. the guy at the probable cause hearing.

- Are you serious? - I don't think the police can protect you against this guy.

He's got two aggravated assaults,

they know he committed one murder, the case got tossed.

They suspect him on two others they can't prove. He's a psycho.

He might very well carry through on his threat.

What-- What are you suggesting I let this guy win?

I-- I know it sends a terrible message, and there's...

and there's ten reasons for you not to let him win.

But, Bec,

I'm sitting here looking you in the eye and I'm tellin' you...

your life could be at stake.

Listen. I'm, uh-- I'm sorry I sort of lost it with you.

You didn't lose it. I lost it.

Jimmy, you were great at the summary judgment. I think--

Hey, Eleanor, do me a favor? What you said this morning didn't insult me.

Don't insult me now. I know what I am.

I'm 37 years old, I got...

700 bucks to my name.

I was hired here as a charity project,

and this case is a big bone for me to chew on.

I'm a failure. I got it.

Jimmy, you're stayin' up half the night fighting for sick people...

who've got nobody else to fight for them.

You're spendin' some of your own money too. You think you're foolin' us?

I've known bigger failures.

[ Sighs ] You're here early.

Yeah. A lot to do.

Yup.

[ Sighs ] Rebecca, I know Bobby spoke to you.

And I know better than to try to convince you of anything,

and I don't even know what you're plannin' to do, but for my money,

you gotta give this probable cause hearing some serious thought.

Eugene, the guy committed murder, and I'm the only witness.

- I know this. - You want me to pretend I didn't see anything?

The big picture, no. Lookin' only at you--

- Morning. - Morning.

Hey, Jimmy.

Oh, um, Jimmy,

this came for you from the clerk's office at appeals last night.

- What? - I didn't open it.

I-- It was late, so-- Do you want me to open it?

The power lines.

Uh, it may just be a notice of appearance, Jimmy, it's not necessarily their ruling.

It's the ruling. Whether we have to split the trial or not,

the answer's right here.

Well, maybe you should open it.

Here.

"The decision of the trial court is hereby reversed.

Liability and damage phases shall be consolidated." No split.

- Ah. - [ Sighs ]

- Morning. - Morning.

[ Gasps, Laughs ]

Basically, we'll run through the event.

I'll ask you about the line-up, and I'll ask you to I.D. him in the room.

Got it. You ready?

Ready. I know you've been threatened. Thank you for doing this.

- "Thanks?" Is that all? - We could put a squad car in front of her house.

You know these things usually end up being empty threats.

They're usually made by people who never follow through.

- We're not dealing with such a person here. - What do you want me to say?

It's what you're not saying that's talking the loudest.

We'll be ready to start in about 20 minutes.

Rebecca.

In organized crime, there's a certain code.

With gangs there is no code. They just kill to kill. They don't even think about it.

And this guy, his brother? He is a psycho.

- Who are we kiddin'? - No. I think she heard it that time.

Good morning. My name is Joel Helms,

and I'd like to talk to you about some exciting news...

with respect to long-distance telephone service. [ Man ] Gee, now's a bad time.

Can you give me your home number and I'll be sure to call you back?

Go away. Yesterday you asked me to look at you.

I did. And I thought about you last night.

You reminded me a little of me, esteem-wise.

The difference is, I haven't given up. You have.

Lean in a little closer.

I got all the Tony Robbins tapes. If he couldn't do it, I don't like your odds.

You did all those studies. I'm offerin' you a chance to make good on 'em.

Jingle-jingle, and I suppose you get your wings after.

Next time you visit your kid, Mr. Helms, you can tell him,

"I'm tryin' to stop the government from killing people."

Or you could tell him,

"I got somebody to change their long-distance company today."

Your choice.

[ Prosecutor ] And after the shots, you did what?

I saw the man shooting the gun, I ran behind my car for cover.

[ Prosecutor ] Now, the man doing the shooting,

he was the same man you saw inside the store?

Yes. Did you have opportunity to see this man again?

Yes, at the-- At the police station.

In a line-up? Yes.

Did the man that you identified in this line-up,

was he the same man that you saw inside the store?

- Yes. - The same man who shot the attendant?

[ Clears Throat ] Yes. Ms. Washington,

do you see that man in this room today?

Yes.

Could you identify him for the court?

Ms. Washington, could you please point at the man if you see him in this room.

- Him. - You're sure?

- I'm sure. - Is there any possibility in your mind...

that the defendant sitting here today is not the man who shot and killed the attendant?

No. That's the guy that did it.

[ Prosecutor ] Thank you. That's all.

- Counsel? - Nothing, Judge.

Ms. Ward? That's it, Your Honor.

I'm finding probable cause. Defendant is bound over. Next case.

- [ Gavel Raps ] - [ Chatter ]

[ Chattering ]

[ Man ] Excuse me.

You're one of them honorable women, I guess, huh?

- You're standin' in our way. - Like that Shakespeare character, Brutus.

"Brutus was an honorable man." Isn't that how it went?

- I'm not gonna ask you to move again. - What happened to Brutus, huh?

Hey, hey, come on! Eugene!

- Come on! Eugene! Come on! - Break it up!

Come on! Come on!

- I know where you live too. - Oh, yeah! Go there first, you hear?

- Come on! - Take him to my office, please.

You can't take me into custody, that's custodial.

I know the law, lady, you have to make an arrest. You cannot just take me away.

Arrest him, cuff him, read him his rights, then take him to my office.

[ Grunts ]

[ Officer ] You have the right to remain silent.

Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.

Did he say yes? No, but I'm wearin' him down.

I put him on the witness list, just in case.

I see. And who is this Tufts professor?

Oh, some epidemiologist who kinda supported Helms' study.

- And he'll testify? - Says he won't, but I'll work on him, too.

You can't put these guys on the list if they're not gonna testify.

I don't know for that they won't, but if I don't put them on, I can't use them.

- What did West want? - I don't know, he said he wanted to talk.

Maybe he's gonna offer us something. Hey, lookin' up can help that.

Oh, Your Honor. Hello. My fault.

I'm told you prevailed at appeals. Yeah.

And I just filed our witness list. We're all set.

Don't be trying to make liability with tears, Mr. Berluti.

That's a friendly warning.

Yeah, you've been so friendly my cockles are overheating. Jimmy.

Ready for trial, Judge.

[ Door Opens ]

Your threats are on record, Miguel.

I may not have enough to hold you,

but if Rebecca Washington catches a cold, I'll send the boys.

Look at me now or you go to lock-up.

- For what? - For fun. Mine.

You don't go near her. You don't talk to her.

Even breathe in her direction, and I'll book you on assault.

And if you think I'm kidding, you're every bit as stupid as you look.

- You want my home address now? - [ Laughs ]

Uncuff him and get him out of here.

[ Handcuffs Rattling ]

[ Sighs ]

She wasn't cross-examined up there, was she?

So what does that mean, "She wasn't cross-examined"?

It means if anything should happen to you between now and the trial,

the D.A. wouldn't be able to use today's testimony as evidence against Moreno.

What are you talking about?

Prior testimony isn't admissible unless it was subject to cross-examination.

You'd have to testify at the trial to put Luis Moreno away.

If you weren't available to testify,

it's not like we could substitute today's testimony.

Because I wasn't cross-examined.

Basically.

Is that why I wasn't cross-examined?

So if I show up dead, my testimony doesn't count?

I can't prove that. But usually,

defense attorneys cross-examine forever at probable cause hearings.

It's free discovery.

Rebecca, I'm going to assign a unit to stay with you, okay? Oh, come on.

They'll park outside your house, your office, and take you back and forth.

[ Door Opens, Closes ]

All right, here we are. On the doorstep.

Now, you have 11 named plaintiffs, including children,

so let's assume the court allows you to add the other two,

that brings the number to 13.

Now, we've run the numbers-- Time, expert testimony, costs--

We put a figure of $496,000 on the trial.

[ Sighs ] Boston Power, obviously, isn't gonna be thrilled with that.

Shave off a hundred, I think I can make 'em bite.

That's three-nine-six. That's $30,000 per plaintiff.

No admission of any liability.

And the settlement is to stay sealed...

with the exception that you put out a release to the effect that,

"Well, we thought it would be best to settle since we couldn't prove causation."

So in other words, you'll give us the money if we acknowledge we had no case.

That's it.

Thirty's low for cancer, especially since two of the plaintiffs are terminal.

Low, but realistic under the circumstances. I don't disagree.

But for cancer and silence-- Silence is much more expensive.

You have a number? I would at least double it.

Add to that our press release that we had no case,

that's a pretty big chip, we all know that.

And that helps send a message to those would-be plaintiffs out there...

"Hey, you'd better forget about it." So, let's just say conservatively,

it prevents three future lawsuits-- and that is conservative--

and let's put a price tag of 400,000 on each one of those trials--

No, no, no. Come on. It wouldn't be that much. The start-up work is done.

I discounted that already. You got a number close to five for the trial alone.

I'm putting four on the whole thing, start-up included, discovery included. Four's low.

It's three trials at four. It's 1.2 million.

Mm-hmm. That would be our number.

Well, I'm telling you, they won't pay that much.

I mean, they have no real fear of losing, so why should they?

They certainly have a fear of being sued. This press release would be gold.

Well, from a major firm, maybe. But from this one, I-- I don't know.

This is the firm that took a tobacco company for one-seven.

You've been underestimating us from the start, Mr. West.

Are you sure you want to keep doing that?

Bec. Could you contact all the clients and see if they can come in?

- We may have an offer. - You're kidding?

Nothin' official yet, but by the time he leaves, we'll have a number.

- Jimmy. - Yeah. I know.

[ Gasps ]

What?

Dead pigeon.

How could he have gotten in here?

Okay. Okay, what?

Go, Bobby. Leave. Helen--

Two cops are on their way to my office. I don't want them thinking this is a favor.

Remember, you're off the Christmas card list.

- They're here. - Oh, great.

Stay here.

[ Door Slams ]

He's killed before. We also suspect him in a police shooting,

the one that paralyzed Officer Camden.

What do you want us to do?

Here's his home address. Follow him. If he jaywalks, bust him.

Now, we're told he carries.

So, you'll have to use your judgment. Am I clear?

Yep. Thanks.

I'll owe you one.

We are very excited. Very.

They've offered us a package of $995,000.

[ Sighs ] That's almost a million dollars.

We consider it fantastic.

We still think we can wiggle it up over a million, but that's pretty much the ballpark.

That comes to roughly $76,000 per person.

It's a structured deal, which means it's not all payable up front,

but it's all payable within six months.

This is unbelievable. Last week they offered nothing.

The cost of an actual trial and with the slightest possibility they could lose--

Kevin, I think your deposition put the fear of God in them.

Zero to a million in a week. Let's string it out another week.

- [ Laughter ] - Okay, now for a few of the conditions.

The deal has to be sealed. We can't talk about amount. They don't admit liability.

And we have to sign a statement saying that we didn't go to trial...

because of the causation problems in our case.

These are all pretty reasonable concessions in my opinion.

They don't admit they were wrong?

No.

Wasn't that sort of the... point?

May I ask something? Sure.

This contingency agreement, you take one third, right?

Yes. Plus costs.

Nine-ninety-five, uh, minus 330-something,

we basically get 51,000, not 75.

Something like that, yeah. Mm-hmm.

And they don't have to admit they did anything wrong.

And we have to make a statement saying we can't prove our case.

I mean, that's what, like, uh,

sending out a message to everybody else, "Don't sue, you can't win," right?

Well, that's one way of putting it, yes.

And you get $330,000. Would that be another way to put it?

I beg your pardon?

I'll only speak for myself here. I think this deal stinks.

In fact, I think it's offensive.

When we came to you, did we say anything about money, Mr. Berluti?

Every lawsuit is about money, Maureen. Not to me.

And I don't think to the other people in this room.

We're dying, Ms. Frutt.

My daughter has a tumor in her uterus. She's nine.

If, uh, one person rejects the offer, it's revoked for all.

- I reject it. - So do I. - So do I.

[ Sighs ] You two are the only ones who win with this deal.

You make me sick. Hey. Please.

Sit down, Maureen.

Now, I suppose it's politically incorrect to call cancer victims a bunch of whiners.

But let's 'fess up.

No other lawyer would touch this case because it's the case that stinks.

Did those power lines give you cancer? My bet is yes.

Can we prove it in a court of law? My bet there is a resounding, "No."

He took this case, not because he was greedy, but because he felt sorry for you.

And against all odds, he got you an offer like this, it's a miracle.

Close to a million dollars, I am sorry, but that is as good as it's gonna get.

And while you certainly have the right to reject it, if you do,

I'm gonna recommend to Bobby Donnell that we drop you as clients.

We're sympathetic, but we are certainly not gonna bankroll your rage.

We're not asking you to bankroll our rage.

We understand this is a place of business. But to sell out--

My daughter just celebrated her last Christmas.

And for them not to admit they're wrong?

I don't care if I screw it up for everybody.

I don't.

I, uh-- [ Clears Throat ]

I think maybe, uh, you should all meet.

Get Maureen, meet together...

without Eleanor and me.

Figure out what you want to do.

We're all with Maureen on this, Jimmy.

The decision that needs to be made seems to be yours.

Will you continue to be our lawyer or not?

[ Sighs ]

If you choose to go forward, I'll be your lawyer.

I can't speak for Eleanor, but...

I think she'll come along, too.

Come on, Bec. I'll walk you out. I still have stuff to do.

Yeah, well, I got to go to bed, and I'm not leavin' you here. Eugene--

I'm not leaving you here.

Jimmy? Will you lock up for me?

- Sure. - [ Door Rattles ]

- Get down. - I-It could be maintenance.

Get down.

[ Groaning ]

Who are you? Helms.

- Joel Helms. - Mr. Helms!

G-Get him up.

Nice. What can I do for you?

Probably about as much as I can do for you.

- He's sauced. - Hmm? Does that mean drunk? I certainly am.

[ Laughs ]

But I'll be sober in the morning.

Thank you.

If you have any coffee, you might want to start preppin' me now.

I don't know, Lindsay. I mean if he's really serious about trying this case.

You should be the one to do it.

How much more money can we afford to lose?

[ Lindsay ] You really want three lawyers on it?

No, but-- [ Loud Kissing ]

What was that? What?

It sounds like a kiss. Is that you, Helen?

Yes, it's me. Want to come over and join? Funny.

[ Laughs ] [ Ringing ]

11:30. Better be good.

[ Sirens ]

[ Chattering ]

Helen? What happened?

The brother. Officers approached. Evidently, he went for his weapon.

They opened fire.

[ Camera Shutter Clicking ]

- Did he have a gun? - He did.

They said they were following him at your request.

That's right.

Well, it looks justified.

I guess that witness will sleep better now, huh?

Yeah. Okay.

Nothing much for me here.

Nope.

[ Thunderclap ]

[ Woman ] You stinker!