Original subtitles

Breecher: I was shocked.

They're running a frog jumping contest.

It's supposed to be a legitimate thing.

I show up with my frog and they won't let him jump.

What reason did they give for excluding you, sir?

Breecher: They said he was too big.

Now, there's nothing about size in the rules,

and suddenly they go "too big."

The fix had to be in.

- Objection. - Sustained.

I paid thirteen hundred bucks for this frog.

- Plus travel. - Plus travel?

I had him flown in from Africa.

There's a lot of paper work to be done on that, I tell you.

You also put him through a

rigorous training camp, did you not?

We did sprints, jumps, squats, big hops, little hops,

and I even put him on his little wheel for aerobic conditioning.

I tell you, I pushed that frog.

How much did this, uh,

arbitrary disqualification cost you, sir?

The winner gets forty thousand, which would have been mine.

You get an extra ten grand for setting a record,

which my frog could have done on one leg, easy.

I have nothing further, sir.

Are you real concerned with fairness, Mr. Breecher?

What's a contest without fairness?

Yeah, four years ago you attempted to enter a tiny,

but long leaping runt toad, didn't you?

Ah, it looked like a frog. I was mistaken.

And two years ago your winning entry tested positive

for cocaine, did it not?

I don't know he got the drugs.

The frog had a life.

Mr. Breecher, your reptile has been known

to-- to eat small rats.

Objection, Your Honor. It is not a reptile.

It is an amphibian. Judge Green: Sustained.

How large is your amphibian, sir?

Breecher: It's big. Rollins: Exactly how big?

Well, with legs extended,

I'd say he was about three feet long.

- Three feet? - Yeah.

That's one big mother frog.

[theme music]

[music continues]

[music continues]

[instrumental music]

[music continues]

Markowitz: Anne.

Douglas, I think everybody's here.

Why don't you get started?

Okay.

People versus Lassen.

Joel Lassen's been busted for possession again.

Abby: Arraignment's tomorrow. - Why are we in this?

Because he's Abe Lassen's son.

Say no more.

Breecher versus Wynn.

That's mine. Our client packages county fairs.

The main event of one of them is a frog jumping contest.

There was prize money involved, and one enterprising entrant

got himself something called an African Goliath frog.

Brackman: An African Goliath frog?

Yeah. It was ruled ineligible hence the suit.

I understand that there is

appeal in things novel and strange.

I also understand that as attorneys

we need to amuse ourselves.

But, quite frankly,

what I can't countenance

are the sort of indulgences that hurt us.

How does this hurt us?

Rosalind: It costs us. It makes us look foolish.

What I'm saying, Jonathan, is that I think you're gonna

have to be more selective of the kinds of cases you take on.

Actually, he didn't take on the case, Rosalind. I did.

Moving along.

Brackman: Jackson versus Haas.

That's mine.

A young black boy was kicked

to death by a skinhead.

We're suing the skinhead's parents.

- Why? Kelsey: Why?

Because a kid doesn't become

a racist thug in a vacuum.

Brackman: But suing the parents?

To me this is utter litigiousness.

It's-- it's looking to the courts for a payday.

It's looking to the courts to fight bigotry.

Like-- like Brown versus Board of Education.

Was that utter litigiousness?

What was the age of the defendant's son

at the time of the killing, Anne?

He was 15, Rosalind.

Well, I think that's young enough

to infer parental liabilities.

Good luck.

Move along, Douglas.

I said, why don't we move along?

Did you see that? She's taking over.

I told you, Stuart. I told you.

Ah, she just backed you up

on your case, Anne. That's a good thing.

That wasn't backing me up, Stuart.

That was calculated manipulation.

She bossed me. Did you hear the way she bossed me?

She wasn't bossing you, Douglas.

Support, support, support.

That's all she ever gets from you.

She beat me in the election.

I'm the one who should be sensitive here.

I think we should organize a little private

meeting and see how everyone feels.

Why don't we just take another vote?

Um, got to be done by executive committee.

Article three, section seven.

[scoffs] Support, support, support.

No, not support, Anne. A rule.

McKenzie: Excuse me.

- What's going on? - Ah, nothing.

We're just talking.

Benny has a little problem, Stuart. Could you help him out?

Sure.

Let's be grown-ups.

[sighs]

Two grams, simple possession.

I could probably plead him out and get six months

minimum security.

Of course, if we go to trial and lose,

we're talking a year, easy.

- State prison? - I doubt it.

But it's their defense. It's possible.

- Take the plea. Abby: No, just a minute.

Don't forget the motion to dismiss.

We have a real shot at getting it kicked.

Becker: Right.

In which case he just walks?

Abby: Exactly.

Take the plea. Let him do the six months.

Excuse me?

Abe: My son has a drug problem, Ms. Perkins.

Nothing we tried has ever worked. Programs, clinics.

This is the third time he's been arrested.

Every time he goes free.

Every time he goes back to drugs.

Maybe jail is just the thing he needs.

That may be, Mr. Lassen, but Joel is the client.

At least technically. And it would have to be his decision.

If Joel were capable of making tough decisions,

we wouldn't be standing here right now, would we?

Listen, this is my son. My only son.

If something drastic doesn't happen

to shake him out of this, I'm gonna lose him.

You're asking a defense attorney

to deliberately put her client in jail

when there is a chance of getting him off.

That's the way you see it.

The way I see it, is I'm asking

you to help me save his life.

And the refrigerator guy came by and he said--

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down.

Come on in. Tell me all about it.

It started cause I wanted a new refrigerator

on account of I'm getting married.

And the one I have, it doesn't get

cold on the bottom part.

And the guy who came to fix it

said he can't fix it now.

And he said it'd be cheaper to get a new one.

So that's what I wanna do.

'Cause if I'm gonna get married,

I wanna have a good refrigerator.

I agree with that.

But I...

I don't have enough money in my emergency savings.

I used it for Alice's ring.

So I decided to sell my baseball card collection for money.

So Jerry, he came and looked at my cards

and he said he wanted them.

Who's Jerry?

Benny: Oh, he likes my cards.

Only I can't give him all my cards

'cause I promised Frank Malzone to Ed.

- Who's that? - Third base, Red Sox.

No, that's, uh, that's Frank Malzone. Who's Ed?

Oh, he's my friend who likes my cards.

Except he doesn't want all of them.

- He just wants some. - Mm-hmm.

And so I told Jerry that I couldn't give him

Frank Malzone and some of the others,

and he got real mad.

And he sent me this.

It's a summons.

What's that mean?

It means he's suing you, Benny.

Your friend Jerry's gonna take you to court.

- Oh, God! - No, don't worry.

I'll look into it, okay? Don't worry.

I just wanted a new refrigerator 'cause of the bottom part.

It doesn't get cold, I know.

When did you move into the house, Mr. Jackson?

April, '87.

I was made the branch manager at the bank.

For the first time in our lives we were actually

able to own our own home.

How did you like the neighborhood?

I liked it a lot. We were near a park.

My son could walk to school. We loved it.

Would you describe for us what happened to you there, sir?

One morning I went out and "white power"

was painted on the sidewalk.

I reported it to the police, painted it out.

and... got myself ready.

Kelsey: Ready for what? Jackson: I grew up in the South.

When people start talking about "white power"

it isn't just words.

It wasn't just words here in California either, was it, sir?

No. It wasn't.

What happened, Mr. Jackson?

One afternoon I got a call...

at work from my son's school.

They said Nathan had been involved in an incident.

They said my son was dead.

Your Honor, I offer at this time the stipulation

of the parties that the death of Nathan Jackson, age 14,

was caused by the physical violence

intentionally inflicted upon him by Keith Haas,

the 15 year old son of the defendants,

Jim and Pauline Haas.

So stipulated.

It is further stipulated that Keith Haas was tried

and convicted of the murder of Nathan Jackson

for which crime he is presently incarcerated.

Again, so stipulated.

Mr. Jackson,

would you describe for the court

the anguish caused to you and your wife

by the loss of your son?

Your Honor, the defense will also

stipulate that the pain and suffering caused by this tragedy

is both extraordinary and immeasurable.

I'd like the witness to give his answer.

The stipulation is noted.

The witness can still give his response.

Kelsey: Mr. Jackson.

I'm sorry. I...

I know you said I had to talk about this.

But I'm-- I'm sorry. I...

That's okay, sir.

I have nothing further, Your Honor.

Have you ever met these people, Mr. Jackson?

- Yes, sir. - When did you meet them?

After that happened and then...

again at the trial.

Do you have any reason to think that they wrote

"white power" on the sidewalk?

No, sir.

Willis: Did they ever use a racial

epithet in your presence?

Jackson: No, sir.

Do you have any knowledge that

they knew that their son would

commit violence against Nathan?

Their son grew up in their house.

They knew he was a racist.

But they didn't know he was about

to commit violence, did they?

That boy picked fights with six other

black people in the last 18 months.

Willis: Move to strike. - They knew.

Overruled.

Jackson: Where did he learn that

kind of hatred to stomp a boy

to death in a school playground?

Their son did that, sir. How do you blame them?

Because their son did that!

The boy they raised grew up hating blacks!

Willis: Move to strike.

The boy they raised murdered

my son because he was black.

Willis: Your Honor! Van Owen: Mr. Jackson--

Jackson: How can I not blame you?

How... can I not blame you?!

[Mrs. Haas cries]

Wynn: It wasn't that his frog would have won.

I don't know if it would have even budged.

It was very obese.

Why did you disqualify it?

Because it was dangerous.

He's trying to enter this giant African thing with teeth

and I had to be concerned for the other frogs.

- Come on, Your Honor. - Mr. Roitman.

It's true. The people spend a lot of money on them.

They're like pampered athletes.

And if one of them gets eaten by his entrant,

then we've got a big lawsuit on our hands.

Move to strike, Your Honor.

There's no evidence that my client's frog

eats its competition.

- Denied. Wynn: I'm sorry.

But the committee couldn't consider this

a normal frog within the spirit of the rules,

and we felt that disqualification was warranted.

Rollins: Thank you, Mrs. Wynn.

Mrs. Wynn. Uh, Ms. Wynn.

Are there, uh, rules guiding these competitions?

There are.

Do these rules limit

the size of the entrants?

Who would have thought they could get so big?

Is it not true, Mrs. Wynn,

that you disqualified my client's frog

because you knew that it would break the world's record?

You didn't want to be on the hook for an extra ten grand.

Wynn: Not true.

That frog was fat and languid,

and it probably wouldn't have budged.

- You lying cheat. - Objection.

Breecher: It jumps huge. Judge Green: Hey, Mr. Breecher.

- We also suspected steroids. - Objection, Your Honor.

Defamation of character, Judge.

That's enough. Alright, I want to see this thing.

- Can you bring it in here? - On a truck maybe.

Mrs. Wynn, I'm going to lose my patience.

Ah, yes, Your Honor. We could have said frog here in the a.m.

Good, I want to see if it's really a frog

and I want to see if it jumps.

Have it here at ten o'clock tomorrow morning.

Drug free. We're adjourned.

Van Owen: Counselor.

You don't deny killing Nathan Jackson,

do you, Keith?

No, sir, I don't.

Why would you do something like that?

It started off as just a fight. I guess I lost control.

Can you tell us what part your parents played?

They didn't play any part.

What do you think they might have done if they had known

you were going to do something like this?

- Objection. Speculative. - Sustained.

Let me try it a different way.

How did they react to this?

They were very unhappy about it.

Now, did you ever indicate to your parents

that you might attack somebody?

No.

As I said, I didn't know myself

it was gonna happen.

It just did.

Willis: Nothing further.

You look a little different now than you used to,

don't you, Keith?

I guess.

Is this a fair and accurate

representation of the way you looked

at the time that you kicked

Nathan Jackson to death?

Yes.

Ask that this photograph be admitted into evidence

as plaintiff's exhibit number one.

Van Owen: So ordered.

Ask that the court instruct the witness

to role up his right sleeve.

Mr. Haas.

Kelsey: Let the record reflect that on the witness'

right forearm is a tattoo of a swastika.

Did you have that at the time of the murder?

I believe I did.

Did your parents know about it?

Yeah. They knew.

Kelsey: What did they say when you first came home with it?

Keith: I don't remember.

The reason that you attacked Nathan Jackson

from behind and kicked him to death

is because he had taken a walk with a white girl.

Is that right?

Isn't that the reason that you gave for the attack, Keith?

Yes.

Kelsey: And you called her a race traitor

for walking with a black boy, didn't you?

She was a race traitor.

Are your parents race traitors, Keith?

- Objection. - Overruled.

Are your parents race traitors, Keith?

No.

Do they feel the same way

you do about blacks and Jews?

Willis: Objection! Keith: Overruled.

Kelsey: How do they feel about blacks and Jews?

- Ask them. - I'm asking you, son.

Kelsey: You refer to black people as ***.

Did you hear that word at home?

I'll tell you this much.

They weren't ashamed of being white.

They didn't raise me to be ashamed of it either.

And you're thankful for that, aren't you?

I'm thankful I was born with

enough intelligence to know

that white Christian people have been getting

pushed around from every direction.

We're tired of it.

We're fighting back.

And when the time comes, this will be our country.

This will be our courtroom.

And we'll be the ones asking the questions.

I have nothing further, Your Honor.

I can't hack six months in jail.

It might be a good way to get drugs out of your system.

What about this motion to dismiss?

- You said we could win that. Abby: And then what?

You're back on the street, you're getting high. I mean--

Hey, you're supposed to be my lawyer here,

not my social worker.

I am your lawyer.

And I'm also trying to think of what's best for you.

This is coming from my father, isn't it?

This is what he wants, right?

Your father is scared, Joel.

He's scared that drugs are gonna end up killing you.

I can't spend six months in jail, Abby. I can't.

Look, I have always been straight with you, okay?

And I am being straight with you now when I say that

I think your father is right.

Alright, be straight with me on one more thing.

This motion to dismiss...

- Do you think you can win it? - Yes.

Then that's what I want you to do.

Abby: He's the client, not Abe.

If he doesn't want to plead guilty, I can't make him.

Come on. Abby, he's a drug addict.

He wasn't on drugs when he was here, Douglas.

I have no reason to question his capacity to make this decision.

Okay, Abby, technically you're right.

Joel is the client. You're...

You're supposed to do what he says.

But look, if we do get this thing kicked,

that kid goes straight back to drugs.

Now, are you gonna feel good about that just

because "technically" you're ethically correct?

Let me tell you something else.

If we get the case dismissed,

we'll lose Abe Lassen as a client.

I can't let that be a factor.

Look, Abby, I'm gonna be perfectly honest with you here.

If I lose Abe Lassen as a client,

I lose a big chunk of my clout,

and the balance of power tilts even more heavily

in Rosalind Shays' favor.

She already has the biggest client base.

She's already been made senior partner.

Losing Abe Lassen's gonna put her one step closer

to having unfettered control to do whatever the hell she wants.

Why don't you take me off the case? Cop the plea yourself.

If we did that, Joel would smell a rat,

and get a new lawyer,

and the results for here would be the same.

You know the kid is better off doing the six months, Abby.

You know it.

All we're asking you to do is steer him in

the direction that would best help him give up drugs.

Yes, I'm asking you to do it for Abe, and yes,

I'm asking you to do it for me.

But I'm also asking you to do it for Joel.

May be his only chance, for God's sake.

Okay, I'll see if I can convince him.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Look, he's willing to sell them to you, Mr. Svetka.

He just wants to hold back a few for Ed.

He's looking to hold back Heinie Manush.

He's looking to hold back Gus Bell.

He's looking to hold back a sixty two

Warren Spahn in near mint condition.

I never said I'd sell them to you, Jerry.

Whether expressed or implied, binding representations

were made which I placed reliance upon thereto.

Are you an attorney?

- Freelance paralegal. - Ah-hah.

What, do you think that's gonna make it easy for you?

Look, what are we talking about here, a couple hundred bucks?

Try thirteen thousand. And it's an appreciating asset.

He's got an important collection, Mr. Markowitz.

I'm not about to just watch slip away.

You'll see by the affidavits annexed hereto,

that all parties have been served.

A TRO has been issued freezing

the subsequent transfers

and depositions have been scheduled.

You've got to be kidding.

I know my way around

litigation, Mr. Markowitz.

Maybe even better than your

average tax attorney.

Look, you wanna go to court, we'll go to court.

Stuart!

Jerry: Benny, I want those cards

placed in escrow. Excuse me.

Stuart, I don't wanna go to court.

You said we wouldn't have to.

It's gonna be fine, Benny. Don't worry.

It's just gonna be fine.

[knock on door]

How goes life at the top?

[chuckles]

As lonely as it's cracked up to be.

I'm still a little terrified, Leland.

Ah, you've got nothing to worry about.

I'd be a little more self assured if I'd gotten your vote.

Well, you won the election, Rosalind.

Having done so, you get my full support.

You need anything, you just ask.

Thank you.

There is one thing you could do for me.

Name it.

Start wearing your hearing aids.

- Excuse me? - I'm sorry.

I know that you wear them to court,

and at home in your private life.

I think you should wear them here.

But that's a personal decision, Rosalind and I--

Leland, if a client's representation

is compromised because you didn't catch something

or you misheard something,

this firm could be subject to a malpractice suit.

Oh, but that's never happened, Rosalind. And I--

And it probably never will.

But your hearing disability is known.

And that makes the possibility of a mishap foreseeable.

And that leaves us exposed to potential liability.

Just as you had to look after this

place when you were in charge,

so now must I.

Okay, Rosalind.

- I will. - Hm.

[door closes]

Mr. Haas: I knew he liked to wear his hair short

and I knew he joined that group,

but kids go through stuff like this.

I thought he'd grow out of it.

Kids don't usually commit murder, sir.

I had no idea he could ever do something like that.

But what if you had, Mr. Haas?

What if you had had any inkling at all that your son

could attack somebody the way he went after Nathan Jackson?

I would have tried to stop him.

I don't know whether I would have succeeded or not,

but I sure as hell would have tried.

I have no further questions.

Did you ever tell your son not to join the skinhead group?

He was a mixed up kid, Ms. Kelsey.

He never listened to me much.

- Did you try? - As best I could.

As best you could.

Well, wouldn't that group sometimes

hold their meetings in your garage?

Mr. Haas: Well, they weren't meetings.

A few of them would come over

and Keith and them would hang out in the garage, yeah.

Ms. Kelsey: And you also let your son hang

Nazi posters in his bedroom in your house.

Isn't it possible, Mr. Haas, that your son

was led to believe that you approved of all this?

No, I never told him I approved.

Did you ever say, "Take 'em down"?

Did you ever say, "I don't want posters in my house that read

"death to race mixing" or "*** get out""?

Hey, lady, I'm a parent just like everybody else,

praying to God every night just to hang on to my kid.

So you condoned his bigotry.

I didn't condone anything.

Maybe we tolerated some of that stuff more than we should have

because we didn't want him running out

one day and never coming back.

Oh, I get it.

What a relief it must be to know that after he finishes

kicking blacks to death, he'll be home for supper.

Van Owen: Ms. Kelsey. - Objection.

If I thought he was gonna do what he did,

I would have broken his legs.

Mr. Jackson, Mrs. Jackson,

you've got to believe me when I tell you that I'm sorry.

[instrumental music]

Van Owen: Okay, exactly where are we?

We've offered 35,000, Your Honor, and they've rejected it.

Thirty-five may seem low,

but according to the financial statements submitted,

the defendants are pretty judgment proof.

You could be chasing an empty bag.

They have a house, Your Honor.

Yes, they do.

Valued at ninety-two thousand dollars,

carrying a mortgage of forty one thousand,

leaving them with an equity of fifty-one thousand.

And it could take a long time to execute

the attachment and the sale.

You really wanna go through all that for the extra sixteen?

My son's life was worth more than

thirty-five thousand dollars, Judge.

Van Owen: Of course it was, Mr. Jackson.

But I'm sure your lawyer has told you

that this lawsuit is going to be very difficult for you to win.

Suing parents for the crimes of their children

is a pretty novel approach, Mr. Jackson.

I know that.

And Ms. Kelsey tells me that because of that

a lot of people will be watching what happens here.

That's what I'm after, Your Honor.

I want people noticing this.

Can you tell me what that accomplishes?

If I win, it says he should have done something.

It says that parents cannot raise up their children to be

racists, murderers, and then just unleash them on the world.

I'm just a working stiff, Mr. Jackson.

- I'm just a working stiff, too. - That's right.

The truth is, we're probably

more alike than we are different.

No. See...

your son is not dead, mine is.

And I don't want him dying for nothing.

Something's gonna come out of this.

Van Owen: Gentlemen, that's enough.

- You wanna go forward? - Yes, we do.

Summations at two o'clock then.

[frog croaking]

[people murmuring]

As you can see, Your Honor,

this is clearly a frog.

It's a very big frog.

What's that on its leg?

It's a little Ace bandage, Your Honor.

He pulled a ham string during a workout yesterday.

- Show him the teeth. - Alright. Alright.

I'm sure it is bigger than

any of the contest commissioners ever imagined.

But, Mrs. Wynn, that is a frog.

Thank you, Your Honor. May we expect a judgment?

Hold on. I don't see it doing much jumping.

There's no evidence that it would

definitely have won the event.

Oh, I would like to demonstrate

then, Your Honor.

May I remind the court of the

ham string injury.

Just make it jump.

Okay, Richard, inhale and leap.

Come on, boy. Inhale. [inhales]

He just had breakfast, Your Honor, so...

Probably a donut.

Objection, Your Honor.

May I ask the defendant to cease the harassment

during this demonstration?

What demonstration? It looks dead to me.

He's gathering himself, Your Honor.

He's about ready to I jump. Look at his eyes.

- Oh, for God's sake. - No, no. I can see it.

Hey, he's sticking him with a pin.

- Prodders are allowed. - Just get on with it, will you?

I told you, it doesn't jump.

[all gasping]

[yelps]

He's attacking the judge!

Wynn: Look at the teeth.

- I told you. Vicious. - Sit, Richard. Sit.

- Stay. Stay right there. - It's a vicious frog.

Get this thing now!

I got him. I got him, Your Honor.

Oh, I think he pulled another muscle.

Ask that you recuse yourself, Your Honor.

Forget it.

I'm going to take this stupid

thing under advisement.

I want everybody back here at two o'clock tomorrow.

[frog croaking]

For God's sake!

[people laughing]

[door closes]

Abe: Let's just see what

the District Attorney offers.

- If it's reasonable-- - Let's cut the crap, dad!

You want me to do time, so let's not pretend you're--

I want you off drugs, Joel.

Look, I don't even know what our options are yet.

If we can get an offer of six

months, Joel, we should probably--

No! You're my lawyer, not his.

- You're supposed to be look-- - We're all on the same side.

We are not on the same side! You want me in jail!

- Will you listen to me?! - Get your hands off me!

Will you listen to me?!

For God's sake, Joel, I'm your father,

you're my son. I love you.

But we got a problem here we can't seem to get by.

Well, prison's not gonna do it, dad.

Don't make me do this.

It's the only thing left to try.

Six months is a good deal.

Probably the best we can do. Ask your lawyer.

Come on.

We better get in there.

[indistinct chatter]

It's not like you're going to San Quentin, Joel.

Jail is jail. They stick you in a cell.

Listen to your lawyer, you don't plea and you lose,

you could get two years in state prison.

- You want that? - No. All I want is to be free.

Look, I don't even know what our options are yet.

Okay? I got to talk to the DA.

When the case is called, step up with me.

- People verses Steve Delah. - Disturbing the peace, sir.

He tried to use the ladies room...

Jim. I got Joel Lassen.

Yeah, that's me. Want to deal it?

I'm looking for next to nothing.

He got a rookie cop searching the trunk

on a moving violation. There's no way--

Yeah, yeah. What was it, two grams?

No intent.

You want a guilty plea, let him go with probation.

- Yeah, yeah. Okay. - What?

But we do it today.

You roll the dice with a dismissal motion

and I'm going for jail time.

- Okay. - Six months?

- Done. - People versus Joel Lassen.

Jim: Jim Aoli for the People.

Straight possession, Your Honor.

I think we can make this thing go away right now.

How delightful.

Jim: Defendant agrees to plead guilty.

Joint recommendation for six months probation.

Judge: Defense will agree? - We do.

You got it. Guilty. Six months probation.

Mr. Lassen, check with the probation officer, please.

Next case.

Bailiff: People versus Robert...

Probation? That's it, I can go?

- Yeah. - Way to go, counselor.

Look, Mr. Lassen, I didn't know the D.A. was gonna--

I don't talk to you anymore.

I talk to your boss. Come on, Joel.

Now, he only wants seven cards in total. So that--

The collection is meaningless to me without those cards.

Now hold on. Now which seven do you want?

Don't talk to my client. He's represented.

I'm asking him a simple question.

You told me I could have 'em Benny!

There was an offer and an acceptance.

- A valid contract. - Wait, wait. Back up.

Now, first of all let me just say

it as delicately as possible that

there are certain questions as to Benny's

capacity to enter into an enforceable agreement?

- He's trying to squirm out! - I don't appreciate that.

- Hey, don't talk to my client. - Buddy, I'll go for punies.

What about moral obligations?

When you needed Elroy Face, I got you Elroy Face.

- Let's try to be constructive. - 'Cause I gave you Willy Mays!

[all arguing]

Hold it, guys!

[chuckling] We're talking about baseball cards.

We're talking about promises my client

relied upon to his detriment.

Now, he could have made other acquisitions--

The trouble with your lawyer, Benny,

is that he doesn't grasp nuance.

I never said I'd sell them to you, Jerry.

You ever hold a fifty-one Mickey Mantle

with four sharp corners and original gloss?

You're nuts!

These things come five to a

pack with a stick of gum.

That's one of the seven cards!

Give me that--

Jerry: That was a fifty-four Wally Moon.

You ripped my card!

He ripped it, not me. You saw it.

I'm adding on a claim against you.

That was gross negligence. I'm amending.

I'll pin your ears back, you little squid.

- I'm leaving. Ed: The big guy's upset.

Jerry: This isn't over, Benny.

You said you'd fix things.

Obviously, we can't start chasing parents

every time a kid screws up.

And I'm certainly not suggesting that the Haas' are criminals

or asking that they be put in jail.

Their son did this, not them.

What I'm asking is that they take a little responsibility

because the hatred that ultimately killed Nathan Jackson

was born in their home.

They shrugged their shoulders

when their son came home with a swastika burned into his arm.

They let him hang posters that read "death to the ***."

They sat back and did nothing while he repeatedly

instigated fights with black children.

The most malignant assumption we can make about these people

is that they encouraged their son's racism.

The most benign

is that they ignored it and allowed it to fester.

Either way,

it ended up killing Nathan Jackson.

Either way, they have to take some responsibility.

Lawsuits are about allocating burdens, ladies and gentlemen.

We use lawsuits to place the burden on the manufacturers

to make their products safer

we use lawsuits to place the burden on people

to act in non-negligent ways.

Right now, today,

let's put the burden on the parents.

That they can't just close their eyes

to bigotry in their own home,

because if we allow the parents to ignore

the prejudices in their children,

if we allow them to turn away from racism

and just hope that it will go away,

it will never go away.

And more kids like Nathan Jackson

are going to die.

That was a stirring speech.

It really was.

It was so good

it could almost make you forget the law.

Under the law, ladies and gentlemen,

you can't hold parents liable

just because their child is a racist.

Under the law,

you can't punish parents for the sins of the children.

You can only hold them liable

if they knew this crime was going to happen

and they did nothing to prevent it.

And there was no evidence whatsoever

that my clients knew their son

was going to attack Nathan Jackson.

None.

This is not a case about racism.

It is about a murder.

And the evidence is uncontroverted.

My clients' only connection to this crime

is that they were the parents of the killer.

In Ms. Kelsey's world,

that's enough to hold them liable, I guess.

But in this world...

under the laws of this country,

it isn't.

It just isn't.

[instrumental music]

What was I supposed to do? The DA went for it.

- I'm supposed to say-- - Because you pushed for it!

Listen, Abe, this was a difficult call ans--

Where the hell were you?

You're supposed to be taking care of me.

- I thought Abby would. - Thanks, Arnie.

I agree with Abe. Jail time is what Joel needs.

Sorry I'm late.

And who the hell are you?

I'm Rosalind Shays, Mr. Lassen.

I'm the new senior partner here.

Douglas has explained to me what's happened.

Good. Explain to me what you're gonna do about it.

Well, under the circumstance I think--

I don't want any circumstances.

I want her fired. Today.

- Now why would I do that? - Why?

Because she ignored my instructions, that's why.

Ms. Perkins was bound by an attorney's code of ethics

and she behaved appropriately.

This firm stands behind her.

These two don't seem to stand behind her.

As I said, I'm the senior partner.

I'll have somebody here to pick up my files.

You just lost yourself a client, senior partner.

I appreciate that, Rosalind.

That was my client you just

encouraged out the door.

How dare you hang an associate out like that!

Both of you!

Abby had no choice but to do what she did.

And for you not to support her here is reprehensible.

Abe Lassen is good for about five hundred thousand a year!

There was no price tag on our ethics when Leland was in charge

and there isn't now.

[door slams]

If you find the defendants knew of their son, Keith Haas'

propensity to commit violence, then you must consider

whether they had opportunity to prevent this violence.

And if your answer to this question is yes,

you then must consider whether the defendants

failed to take reasonable steps

to prevent the violence from occurring.

And if your answer to that question is also yes,

you must then find for the plaintiff,

and award damages which you find to reasonably

compensate the plaintiffs

for the loss of their son.

I must caution you, however...

it is not enough

that the defendants knew their son to be racist.

It is not enough that they tolerated

or even contributed to his racist beliefs.

There is no legal obligation upon parents

to shape the opinions of their children.

You are to focus only

on the propensity for the violence

and the parents' opportunity to prevent this violence.

This concludes my instructions.

This court is hereby adjourned pending your deliberations.

And good luck.

How could you possibly give a charge like that?

Anne, this is ex parte. You know better than to come in here.

And you know better than to practically

guarantee a defense verdict!

I didn't do that.

That's exactly what you did. You said--

What I did, Anne, was to focus them on the issue at hand

instead of the societal problem you asked them to cure.

I cannot send a jury back with the idea

that they have an obligation to wipe out bigotry.

The issue was the violence and the defendants'

connection to the violence. And that's it.

The parents helped cultivate the racism which--

If that's all they're guilty of, then the defendants win here.

Your speech was sensational,

but it was way ahead of the law.

And you want to run for office, I'll vote for you.

But in my courtroom, I go by what's in the books.

Those instructions weren't in the books, Grace.

Those instructions were tailor made for a defense verdict.

This is ex parte communication. It is inappropriate.

And my friendship for you aside, I will hold you in contempt.

[sighs]

Be seated.

First of all, let me thank all of you

for the entertaining demonstration.

I decided to muzzle him, Judge.

I don't care. Be glad I don't have him put to sleep.

Judge Green: First of all, I find that

under these very unusual circumstances,

the creature did pose a safety risk.

Your Honor, how can you be objective? It bit you.

Mr. Roitman, if you make one more objection

or move for a mistrial one more time,

I shall order you to bathe with it.

[scattered laughing]

The exclusion, however,

was nevertheless illegal.

The event was an invitation open to all frogs,

and Mr. Breecher did in fact proffer a frog,

albeit a gigantic one.

There's no evidence that the physical size

was drug induced, and so the disqualification

was therefore capricious.

Find for the plaintiff and order the defendant

to pay damages in the amount of fifty thousand dollars.

That's all.

Ed: Now, you-- you have doubles of Luis Aparicio.

- His rookie of the year card? - Uh-huh.

Okay, I'll give you that,

you give me Johnny Podres and Gil Hodges.

What's, uh, what's going on?

We're having a meeting.

Benny, I think I should be involved.

Especially if it affects the baseball--

No lawyers. I can fix it myself.

Benny, we're talking about a considerable sale here.

- I don't think-- - Here's the check.

You can put it in escrow pending

the completion of the transaction.

This is for the full amount.

Hey, you're dealing with card collectors here.

We're an honest group.

Benny: You have all the Dodger pitchers.

Ed: I still need Ralph Branka. - Oh.

You give him Ralph Branka

and you give him Pee Wee Reese.

Pee Wee Reese?

It's a good trade.

Jerry: Wait a minute. There's a gum stain on this one.

Benny: Well, give him Norm Sherry, too.

Ed: What?

You still have his rookie card.

That's better.

I don't know how you can do it, Ben.

How can you give up your cards?

I'm getting married.

Uh...

Now, you need Joe Pignatano

and he needs Chuck Essegian.

Thanks a lot.

Listen, I just had to come in and tell you,

you're the greatest, and I thank you, and you won't regret it.

[laughs] I know the old man's upset,

but everything's gonna work out okay.

Don't you worry. It's all gonna work out great.

Are you on cocaine right now, Joel?

[laughs] No. I'm just up.

You're lying.

Listen, I'm gonna stop.

But I'm gonna stop my way.

There's only one way to stop

and you need help to do it.

No, I don't.

I'm young, and I'm smart,

and I'm too loose to break.

What I'm trying to say, Abby,

is that this boy comes out on top.

[door closes]

I'll have those contracts ready for you by the end of the week.

- That'll be great. - Daniel.

Leland. [both laughs]

They got you working!

Well, we're under new management here.

Rosalind tells me the prospectus is done.

Oh. It's at the printers.

Great. It's great to see you, old friend.

You too, Leland.

I never knew he wore a hearing aide.

Well, he's getting a little up there, you know?

Is that why he stepped down?

He's still a valuable contributor, Daniel.

I know, but...

There's nothing for me to be concerned about, is there?

Of course not. You're in very good hands.

I'm in complete charge here now.

Good.

- Talk to you tomorrow. - Good.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

- We have, Your Honor. Van Owen: What say you?

Foreperson: In the matter of Jackson versus Haas,

we find for the plaintiffs

and award the sum of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

Van Owen: The jury is discharged with the thanks of the court.

This matter is concluded.

Court is now adjourned.

[all murmuring]

You can take my house, but that's all I got.

I don't want your house, Mr. Haas.

I got what I wanted.

Is there anything I can give you?

No.

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

I know you are.

[pensive music]

[theme music]