Original subtitles

[instrumental music]

[Marilyn moaning]

Douglas: That was spectacular.

[kisses]

Marilyn: You should feel very proud.

The progress you've made in less than

two weeks time is really remarkable.

Well, I'm grateful for the accelerated program.

[chuckles]

When's my next session?

Well, maybe we should talk about whether

another session is even necessary.

You seemed to be incredibly focused tonight.

[whispers] I can be better.

Sex isn't about performance.

You know, I didn't get at all nauseous.

And I never once thought of Sheila.

This may seem hard to believe, but I think you've done it.

You've overcome your contempt for your ex-wife.

You unleashed yourself tonight, Douglas.

[giggles]

Yes. Yes, I did.

[moans] You took me.

You took me and you established your virility.

[kisses]

You held me in your arms...

and you were the personification of passion.

My face feels hot.

Mm! Uninhibited and powerful.

And tingly.

With a fury of testosterone surging with manhood.

- Mm! - I'm surging again.

[moaning]

You are so cured.

[theme music]

[music continues]

[music continues]

[instrumental music]

Okay... final offer.

We got replacement costs.

Plus medicals, plus $10,000.

Which comes to what?

Which comes to 57,000.

They can't replace our home for $57,000.

Well, they've had two different contractors

both giving bids, coming in under 40.

Edward: You're talking about patching up a wall.

A new door, a new toilet, what about our things?

My mother's old letters, our family albums

things my kids made!

Edward, your private possessions

have a market value of about $3,000.

Our private things make up who we are, Mr. Rollins.

Those men came in, they beat us up, they ruined our home.

I know, and they're claiming it was an honest mistake.

Maxine: And that's all they have to say?

They can just trample a family

and walk away saying "honest mistake?"

They're the police.

Listen, we have a decent case.

They've publicly admitted they screwed up, that helps.

But you're suing the Los Angeles Police Department.

It'll be tough.

Jenny...

Mother, kids, this affects us all, so it's a family decision.

Anybody want to settle?

I think we're gonna fight.

Moving forward, we're all set on the Petramco meeting?

Rosalind and I have it covered 3 o'clock this afternoon.

Douglas: Good. Anybody hear from Jonathan?

Trial starts today, unless they settle.

Douglas: Let's hope they do.

Be advised, people beginning today,

no pro bono or contingency cases will be accepted

without prior approval of the executive committee.

Excuse me?

This is a fiscal safeguard designed

to mitigate against potential dogs.

Michael: Safeguard nothing!

Your little executive committee is you, Rosalind and Leland.

That means pro bono will be

voted down two-to-one every time.

I don't think that's fair, Michael.

I take the cases I wanna take, Rosalind.

Yes, we obviously all do.

You took the Earl Williams case

at a half million dollar expense to the firm.

Ann sued the skinhead family

that cost us another 75,000.

I doubt if we will ever get paid for Victor's murder defense

of the baby killing parents, and Jonathan's litigation

this week is a liability as well.

Now it's one thing to do occasional

pro bono work, I'm all for it.

But we have got to exercise

a little common business sense.

- I agree. - Hear, hear.

What I wanna know is who made up the executive committee?

I did.

Within my authority as senior partner.

Let's not overdose on authority, Rosalind.

Move along, Douglas.

Douglas: That's all. We're adjourned.

- This is it, your fancy office? - Shut up.

Oh, now I can see why you left the P.D.'s office.

Look at this, a desk and a rug.

So, come on, you-- you really brought

suit against this liquor company?

It's a good cause of action, Victor.

Forty-year-old dentist, a moderate-to-occasional drinker,

never too excess, cirrhosis of the liver, dead.

And you can prove that it was the booze that killed him?

I've got two forensic pathologists who can prove it.

And it gets better, 18 years the guy drank only one thing.

Nolsted's Blended.

Which means, I don't have to argue any market share

theory, I can go after an individual manufacturer.

Jimmy, you-- you know that nobody has

ever nailed a liquor company for this.

That's because all the previous cases

involved chronic alcoholics.

My guy was a moderate drinker.

I've got enough character witnesses

to fill Dodger Stadium.

No preexisting liver condition.

No comparative negligence.

No assumption of the risk.

We-- we've got a widow with two children.

This is a perfect test case.

Perfect. So why do you need me?

- Because I'm a bum, remember? - Come on.

And because I'm a solo practitioner

up against a giant law firm.

I need your resources to fight them back.

Come on, Victor. You and me, a team again.

Just like the old days. We'll knock 'em dead.

I would have to run this by our executive committee.

But, yeah. Yeah, I think I'm in.

Great, settlement conference tomorrow.

[sighs] This is going to be good, Victor.

This is going to be good.

[chuckles]

[door opens]

[door closes]

Tell me, Mrs. Manley, where were you at the time, ma'am?

Maxine: I was sitting in my easy chair reading the paper.

All of a sudden, I heard someone outside say,

"Los Angeles Police Department.

You have ten seconds to open the door."

A split second later they broke it down.

How many of them were there, ma'am?

Maxine: At least ten.

Every one of them with a gun.

My son asked what they wanted.

One of them put a gun to his head

and asked where we kept the drugs.

Jonathan: What was your son's response?

He told him that there were no drugs.

And what did the officer do?

He threw him down, put one foot

on his neck and called him a liar.

He said, one way or another they'd find those drugs.

Jonathan: Did you try to talk to them?

Maxine: Yes.

I told them that they must've come to the wrong address.

Sure. And how did they respond?

One of them just knocked me to the floor.

What were the other officers doing at this time, ma'am?

They had sledgehammers and these big iron bars.

They broke our sink,

they broke our bathtub.

We had a piano in the living room.

When they got through with it, all that was left

was a pile of sticks.

Jonathan: Did they ever find any drugs?

- No! Jonathan: No.

But they did arrest you?

Yes, they did.

They said we interfered with them.

My grandchildren were in their pajamas.

My son was in his jockey shorts.

They handcuffed us and marched us outside

in front of all of our neighbors.

[indistinct chatter]

But I said to the children...

"Hold your heads up, you haven't done anything wrong."

Man 1: Nothin' wrong. - Thank you, Mrs. Manley.

I have nothing further.

Mrs. Manley...

did the police have a warrant?

They waved some piece of paper at us when they came in.

They said it was a warrant.

Susan: And they were right.

Tell us, were there any firearms present in your house?

Maxine: I didn't think it was against the law

to keep a gun in your house.

Please, just answer yes or no.

My son kept a gun in the house.

I ask that this be marked for identification

as defense exhibit one.

Judge Richard: Fine.

Let the record indicate it to be a Browning 380

automatic outfitted with a 13-shot clip.

Parties have stipulated that said weapon was

recovered fully loaded from the plaintiff's home.

So indicated.

Your daughter-in-law assaulted

one of the officers present, didn't she?

The officer who threw me to the floor.

That officer pushed you to the floor

after you failed to comply with his instructions

and appeared to be reaching under a cushion.

I didn't reach under any cushion.

Your son, your daughter-in-law, your grandchildren

they were all screaming obscenities, weren't they?

Maxine: They were watching our home be destroyed.

- What would you have done? - That's right!

What was they supposed to do?

Quiet!

Maybe if you'd been a little more cooperative...

that wouldn't have been necessary.

We were five people.

Scared to death.

Watching an army of mad men destroy everything we owned.

[indistinct chatter]

Judge Richard: I want order in here.

[engine rumbling]

And Officer Carlson, you reasonably believed

the suspect to be carrying drugs on his person?

Carlson: Yes, uh, and that's why we were about to search him.

And what happened?

Uh, well, as soon as he realized that

we were about to frisk him, he just took off.

And we went in pursuit on foot.

Lyne: Eventually catching him. Carlson: Yeah.

He, uh, ran down a dead end alley and we cornered him.

The next thing I remember is,

I saw the gun.

Uh, he produced a gun.

"He" being the minor?

Carlson: Yes, ma'am.

What then, officer?

Carlson: He pointed it.

And he shot Walt.

Um... Walt went down.

Then the suspect pointed his weapon at me.

Lyne: And?

I discharged my firearm wounding the suspect in the leg.

Even though he'd just fatally shot

your partner, you aimed at his leg?

Well, he's a little kid.

Your Honor, the officer's aim isn't really relevant here.

Grace: Sustained.

What happened next, Mr. Carlson?

Carlson: I ran back to my unit.

I radioed, "Officer down, in need of assistance."

Then I came back and I...

I held Walt.

He was... just looking up at me like...

he didn't even know what happened.

And... and I held him in my arms

and I told him to hang on.

But he didn't. He died.

Right in my arms.

What was the defendant doing?

I believe he was crying.

Lyne: I have nothing further.

I have no questions.

You'll never make this stick and you know it.

He drank, he assumes the risk.

We've got comparative negligence.

Nobody assumes that kind of risk.

You're not the first ones to sue us.

We swat these away like flies.

You brought a motion to dismiss, ding! You lose.

Motion for summary judgment, ding! You lose.

Motion in limiting, ding! You lose.

You win, we just appeal.

Forgive me, sir, but the longer this goes on

the longer it stays in the news.

Which just brings more exposure to the fact

that alcohol isn't such a healthy thing.

That's bad for business.

Bad precedent is worse for business.

Ding, ding, ding.

Sounds a little like a cash register, don't it?

Are you having fun?

Look, we can make proximate cause here, we do have a case.

Now I understand, you want to avoid a dangerous precedent,

but the squashing price will be 2.3 million.

Victor: Unstructured. - That's ridiculous.

Then we'll see you in court.

Deposition notices for your CEO, your comptroller,

and your director of manufacturing operations.

The answer to your question, yes, I'm having fun.

[door closes]

From all appearances, you and your men just might've used

a little excess force in this situation, wouldn't you agree?

No, ma'am, I would not.

Did you really think these people were dangerous?

When I enter a house on a drug bust,

I assume everyone's dangerous.

- A grandmother? - Yup.

Susan: Children? - Yes, ma'am, children.

Susan: Couldn't you stop and assess the situation

without using the methods that you did?

Police officers are most at risk

when they stop and assess the situation.

What were you afraid of, detective?

The same thing I'm always afraid of, ma'am,

of being killed in the line of duty.

Man 2: Oh, come on, you've got to be kidding.

Quiet down!

Why did you think that could happen here?

We didn't pick this house at random, okay?

A reliable informant advised us

that rock cocaine was being sold there.

And we assumed that to be the case.

Susan: Why did that put you in fear of your life?

Well, where there's rock cocaine, there's generally

people who have been smoking rock cocaine.

There's automatic weapons, attack dogs.

We never know what's waiting for us behind those doors.

Given all that, I believe that the conduct

of my fellow officers and myself was entirely correct.

Thank you, detective.

I have no further questions.

Well... [clears throat]

It sounds like this was pretty standard procedure, detective.

- That's right. Jonathan: Sure.

Police officers felt threatened and they acted accordingly.

Philips: Yes.

Jonathan: Is it fair to say, detective, that you're more

likely to feel threatened going into a house in Watts

than in a house in Brentwood?

[scoffs]

If there was a crack house in Brentwood,

I would approach it exactly the same way.

Oh, sure! We believe that! Why are you lying?

Now that is enough! I will have order here!

Why do I have this feeling you'd be

more careful in Brentwood, detective?

Susan: Objective.

Why do I think you wouldn't have to trash

a house in order to search in that part of town?

Listen, counselor...

when we go into a house looking for drugs,

we move fast and we make a lot of noise.

It is policy to scare the hell out of whoever's in there.

It is policy to paralyze them with fear,

to keep them from running away,

to keep them from shooting at us.

Is it policy to beat the crap out of them when they are

not running away and when they're not shooting at you?

- Objection! Judge Richard: Sustained.

Tell us, did you think that these people

hid drugs in a sealed porcelain bathtub?

- I didn't know. Jonathan: Didn't know.

But you destroyed it on the chance that they did.

Did you think they hid drugs inside of a piano?

Or did you think that they hid drugs

inside of their children's toys?

- I didn't know. Jonathan: No.

But you destroyed them just in case.

We had a job to do and we did it.

Your job, detective, is not to brutalize innocent people.

No, counselor, my job is to go out and bring in guilty people.

Okay, now, that's what I thought we were doing.

Did that give you permission to attack this family?

- You wanna go in ahead of me? - Hey.

I'll ask the questions here, detective.

Did you think you had permission?

I don't need permission. Okay.

As long as I'm going in first... I don't need permission.

Woman 1: That's what we're afraid of!

[indistinct chatter]

Judge Richard: Order.

[indistinct chatter]

How long had you been delivering drugs, Felix?

About a year.

Can you tell me why you decided to do this?

I don't know.

Everybody does.

And I got money for it.

Did you know it's against the law?

Yes, ma'am.

I don't do it anymore.

Grace: Who was the person that you delivered the drugs for?

Felix: I'm not supposed to tell.

Who told you not to tell?

Your Honor, he hasn't told us either.

We know it's an older boy, and we know that this boy has

threatened to kill Felix if he ever reveals his identity.

Grace: Is that true, Felix?

Did he say that he would kill you

if you told us his name?

Yes, ma'am.

Where did you get the gun?

He gave it to me.

Grace: The same boy?

Yes.

Felix, I want you to tell me why you shot the police officer.

Because he was gonna take the crack.

If anybody tries to take the crack,

I'm supposed to shoot them.

I'm sorry.

Okay, I want to meet with the psychiatrist.

I want to see the school records and the probation report.

Right here, Your Honor.

I'll meet with counsel 10:00 a.m. tomorrow,

in my chambers.

Alright, Felix, you can get down now.

[dog barking in distance]

Okay, I think we're done.

Okay.

Time for more progress.

Marilyn: No, Douglas, your therapy is completed.

There's no need for any additional treatments.

You mean we're done?

Yes, Douglas.

You're fine.

[sighs]

Okay, good.

That's good.

You know, why don't we go out tonight to celebrate?

No, I make it a strict policy of never

seeing any of my clients socially.

But I just thought, I mean, we seem to get along so well...

that I thought that maybe a break in policy was warranted.

[giggles] I'm flattered, I really am.

But I explained all of this to you in the beginning.

Our relationship is strictly clinical.

Marilyn. Marilyn!

The other day we were making passionate love together.

I know this is your job and it's supposed to mean nothing to you.

But did it mean absolutely nothing?

Of course not.

But emotionally, I have to remain detached.

I explained all of this to you.

But the things we talked about.

God, we talked about everything.

At $95 an hour.

Douglas, I enjoyed our sessions.

You're a sweet, fascinating man.

We had prolific sex.

Of course you're gonna find yourself

emotionally bonding a little.

But that will pass.

Really, it will.

[doorbell rings]

Ooh, that's my 2 o'clock.

[chuckles]

This is it, then.

Goodbye.

I wish you the best of luck.

[Marilyn sighs]

Mm.

Hi! Hi, Marilyn.

Hi, Ed, come on in.

I know I'm early, but I'm anticipating a breakthrough.

Excellent, Ed, excellent. [chuckles]

[footsteps departing]

What has it been?

- Eight years? - At least.

Ever since I left Century's.

And to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?

Rosalind, you've always known me to be blunt,

and time hasn't changed me.

I'm now general counsel at Nolsted Companies.

You're aware that your firm is in litigation with us.

Yes, I am.

Well, at the risk of seeming inappropriate,

I'd like to solicit your participation.

If you're asking me to do something unethical,

the answer is no.

No such request, I assure you.

I just want you to look at this.

In a nutshell, your co-counsel, Jimmy Hoffs,

is a struggling solo practitioner, somewhat deluded,

looking for a big home run which he'll never get.

I don't know Jimmy Hoffs, but I do know

Victor Sifuentes, he is not at all deluded.

If he says he has a case, I believe him.

I know all about Mr. Sifuentes, he's very good.

I've even thought about turning our business over to this firm.

Of course, I can't right now because of the conflict.

But, who knows?

If this matter could be settled, it's something to be considered.

That sounds like a bribe.

No. Bribe?

I'm just asking you to look at this case.

Unofficially, we'd be willing to go as high as 350.

If you'd find that a fair offer,

then there's nothing wrong in recommending

the settlement to your client.

Is there?

- I'll look into it. - Excellent.

It would be great if this would work out for everybody.

[instrumental music]

Mrs. Walker, where do you live in relation to the plaintiffs?

Four houses down.

Seems like the police break down doors

in your neighborhood quite a bit.

They do now.

Susan: How do you feel about that?

Things being the way they are?

My biggest fear is that they'll stop.

What if they'd come busting through your door?

Winona: Well, I hope that doesn't happen.

And I'm sorry that it happened to the Manley's.

But living where we do, though, I believe that it's a price

that we have to be willing to pay.

You're saying what they want to hear.

Man 3: 'Cause I'm sure as hell...

How much are they paying you to say that?

The court officer will remove that man.

You've turned on your own people!

Judge Richard: The next person that insists on making a speech

will not only be escorted out, he will be escorted to jail.

Consider this your only warning.

Proceed, counselor.

What makes you willing to pay that price?

I guess I've seen too many children shot down

while their mamas watch them play.

Susan: So you're willing to tolerate the police harassing

people on the street and breaking down doors?

Winona: I begged them to do it!

There were six crack houses on my street!

You couldn't even sit outside.

I know the police make mistakes, but I also know

what they have to deal with.

I know that we cannot afford to make their job

any harder than what it already is.

Susan: I have no further questions.

Do you know my clients?

Yes, yes, I do.

[clears throat] What kind of people are they?

Oh. They're very nice people.

Jonathan: They never shot anybody, did they?

No, sir.

Jonathan: They never sold drugs. - No, they didn't.

Then why would you sit up here and justify

the police treating them like criminals?

When you're in the middle of a war, things like that happen.

Forgive me, ma'am, but we're not in the middle of a war.

Martial law hasn't been declared.

The Bill of Rights is still in effect. [sighs]

And people still are supposed to feel safe in their homes.

You're doing very well

for yourself aren't you, Mr. Rollins?

Let's cut the colloquy, folks.

You may be black, but you don't live where I live.

No ma'am, but my clients do.

And-- and somehow, they still think they had

the right to be safe in their own home.

Well, the police didn't take away that right.

That right was taken away by the criminals

and the dope fiends who live next door.

Jonathan: Move to strike, non-responsive.

Judge Richard: Overruled.

You live in a nice, safe neighborhood.

You work in a law firm that is downtown.

I lay down over my babies every night, night after night

praying that a bullet don't come through the window.

Jonathan: Nobody's suggesting that the police do nothing,

Mrs. Walker, the question is, whether they go after

criminals or just go after Blacks.

I have learned that they can't always

tell the difference, Mr. Rollins.

And that's alright with you?

Winona: Yes, it's alright.

If it keeps me alive.

If it keeps my children alive.

Oh, yes.

[gasps] That is alright with me.

[indistinct chatter]

Have you got a minute, Victor?

Yeah. Sure.

What is the status of your case against the liquor company?

Looks like we'll be on a trial.

And don't you think it'll be tough to sue

a liquor manufacturer for an alcohol-related death?

Yeah, very tough.

But you know, we can make causation

and we've got a pretty good failure-to-warn count.

I think it has legs.

I don't know, there is a huge liquor industry in this country.

An industry that will probably

band together to try to stop you.

Yeah. What's going on here, Rosalind?

Victor, I have sources at Nolsted.

Unofficially, I think we can settle this case for 350.

- And I'd like to-- - Not a chance.

What we have here is a corporate-deep pocket

whose product killed somebody.

Even so, you are looking to set a precedent that

Nolsted will spend millions of dollars to prevent.

Exactly, and one of their millions

should end up in their settlement offer.

I'm sorry.

In the long run, we can't make any money on this.

Hey, I cleared this through the executive committee, Rosalind.

Recommend the settlement to the client, Victor.

I don't agree with the recommendation.

Now, this is a litigation matter, Rosalind.

So I'll thank you to defer to my judgment.

Excuse me.

[sighs]

Leland: Ah, you should've known better, Douglas.

I mean, she was your therapist.

Douglas: I know.

But we just communicated so well.

It was so intimate, so unspoken sometimes.

Who's that?

Arnie: It's me, Arnie. What's going on?

Douglas: Nothing.

I think I've fallen in love with my therapist.

Leland: Oh! Oh, damn.

Douglas, pass me some paper, will you?

Douglas: I have only just enough on my roll.

Arnie: Now, hold on, Leland. I've got ya.

Douglas: I certainly understand her reservations.

I mean, I was her patient.

But a flat-out policy, with no exceptions?

Arnie: Douglas, if you want it, go for it.

Don't just sit back and whine.

You're a man, she's a woman, take charge.

Douglas: Maybe you're right, Arnie.

Arnie: Alright, Leland, coming over the top.

[thud]

Leland: Oh, damn.

Douglas: I'm gonna go talk to her.

Leland: Arnie, you got another roll?

Arnie: Here. Leland: Huh!

Oh! Thank you, Benny.

Thank you so much.

[soft applause]

He's like any other eight-year-old kid,

he's guilty of being influenced by the bigger kids on the block.

Except he shot a cop, Dennis.

Dennis: Because that's the block he lives on.

He lives in a neighborhood where kids carry guns and sell crack.

Look at the psychiatric reports.

They all say the same thing.

Here's a fundamentally good kid

who's a product of his environment.

So what's left for me to do except change his environment?

Oh, come on, Grace, he's eight years old.

Patty, what are you looking for?

I don't have the slightest idea.

But if we don't put this kid away somewhere,

what's that going to say to all the other kids

out there doing what he was doing?

So we take an eight-year-old boy and just

sacrifice him in the name of deterrence.

Futile deterrence.

Well, we can't just kick him nothing, he may be a polite kid,

a good student, but he murdered a cop.

Okay, alright, I've heard enough.

What are you going to do?

I don't know, Dennis.

I'll take it under advisement.

But right now, I don't know what I'm gonna do.

I'm glad I'm not you.

[sighs] Yeah. 2 o'clock tomorrow.

I'm sorry for the intrusion, I won't take up much of your time.

You can bill me for it if you wish.

Douglas...

I thought I made myself clear.

Douglas: I agree, it would be ill conceived

for you to sustain a social relationship with a client.

But, it's equally unsound for you to forever exclude

the possibility of such a kinship

simply because of a prior professional arrangement.

Somewhere in all that, I've lost you.

My point is, I'm not your patient anymore.

There's nothing prohibitive about us pursuing a friendship.

It is if that friendship is founded on

a prior existing therapeutic relationship.

[sighs]

I'm not under your spell here, Marilyn.

If you want to write off the emotional attraction, fine.

- I'll buy that. - Douglas--

But I'm also attracted to you intellectually and physically

which has nothing to do with therapy.

I'm standing here objectively, with all my faculties

in working order, wanting to get to know you better.

Now if you can't return any of that interest, fine.

I'll walk out of here and you'll never see me again.

But if you're simply rejecting me on policy, then dammit.

I'm digging my heels in until I can

talk you into having dinner with me.

The police invaded their house.

Operation Hammer blew through their doors.

They beat Edward up, kicking him, cracking his ribs.

They knocked his mother to the ground breaking her hip.

They handcuffed the kids.

They destroyed everything they could.

And you know the worse part?

This kind of thing happens all the time.

See, the police department in this city knows that most

of us are so afraid, we'll let them get away with anything.

The result is you can work hard...

pay your taxes,

raise a family,

own your own home even.

But if your skin is black, and you live in Watts,

to the police you're just another criminal,

and you should expect to be treated accordingly.

Now, somehow the-- the liberals don't seem to care.

Somehow, a good many African-Americans don't seem to

care either, what matters is getting rid of the gangs

and getting rid of the drugs, and that's it.

You know, ladies and gentlemen, a lot of people

you wouldn't expect it from fall right into line.

Whatever the cops wants to do, it's okay with them

as long as they do something.

Oh, my God!

I think we need to look at what it is they're doing.

Seems to me what matters most in America is that

everybody, the rich, the poor, the black, the white

all of us have the same basic rights.

The Constitution is the same in Watts, or Compton, or Englewood

as it is in Beverly Hills, and if you say that it's not...

then we have far more to fear from the police

than all the street gangs on earth.

They had a valid warrant.

Everything they did was exactly

according to established procedures.

The address on the warrant was wrong.

And what happened to these people should not have happened.

And you certainly should consider that.

You should also consider this...

There are 70,000 gang members in Los Angeles County alone.

Seventy thousand.

And they're armed with assault rifles and machine guns.

That's why they call it the drug war, ladies and gentlemen.

And as of right now, we're on the side that's losing.

If we don't allow the police to treat it like

a war, we'll be on the side that's lost.

And if you think it's bad now, just wait.

There'll be more drugs and more addicts

and more dealers buying more guns.

My opponent would accuse me of appealing to fear.

The fact is, we are frightened.

And what we're frightened of is real.

These officers didn't set out to destroy a house

any more than they set out to violate the Constitution.

And yes, the Constitution makes all of us equally free.

The police department's job is to make all of us equally safe.

They can't accomplish that in Watts

the way they accomplish it in Beverly Hills.

And what most people in Watts know all too well...

is that if you're not safe...

you can't be free.

[indistinct whispering]

It's just that Jimmy Hoffs is my lawyer, and I-- I guess

I'm just confused why he shouldn't be here.

Cynthia, this is very difficult for me.

Normally, co-counsel agree, and that way they can present

a unified front to the client, sometimes they disagree.

And this is one of those times.

I'm not saying that I'm right and Jimmy's wrong.

It could be that you'll agree with him and ask me to back off.

And to be perfectly truthful

that would make it simple for me.

But I do have an obligation to tell you what I think.

Okay.

First, Jimmy Hoffs is an excellent attorney.

Now the fact that he is not perceived as such

is a total mystery to me.

What do you mean he's not perceived as such?

I have an inside source at Nolsted.

I have been told that they hold him in very low regard.

And that as long as he is chief prosecutor here,

that the offer will stay at 125.

Now, personally, I think they're wrong.

I think Jimmy can beat them and clip them

for three or four hundred thousand.

Four hundred thousand?

Jimmy said that we could get three million.

Yes, that's where we disagree.

Do you think that three million is unrealistic?

It's not impossible.

But, well, no one has even won

this cause of action before much less.

Cynthia, even if you were to get that much,

Nolsted would appeal this forever.

By the time you actually saw the money, a million dollar

judgment would have the present day value of 300,000.

Jimmy never told me that.

Look, I know Jimmy's a little infatuated

with the publicity he could get with this trial.

But he would never mislead a client.

He must have told you.

Um, you think this case is worth what?

Between three and four.

I also think because of my connections

at Nolsted, that I might be able to get that now.

[indistinct chatter]

- Let me think about this. - Absolutely.

And decide exactly what you're looking for, Cynthia.

If your goal in bringing this lawsuit is getting

a public verdict, and focusing the blame

on Nolsted, stay with Jimmy.

He's a great noise maker.

He'd be a perfect attorney for that.

But if you're in this for the money,

you might consider making an adjustment.

[indistinct chatter]

Man 4: May I take your order?

I haven't been a judge very long.

But I hope I never have another case that...

overwhelms me with such a sense of

futility as this one does.

No matter what I do here nothing gets served.

He is eight years old.

I can ship him off to the youth authority, which would

have a questionable deterrence factor, and which could end up

making him much more of a criminal than he is right now.

Or I could send him back to the same neighborhood

where he'll be subject to the same conditions,

the same influences.

The psychiatrists laugh at me when I talk

about rehabilitation or retribution.

They tell me he is a kid growing up,

doing the things that kids do

in his neighborhood.

In Brentwood, it is street hockey and wiffle ball.

In Compton, it is drugs and guns.

His parents...

are good people.

They're law abiding, they try

as hard as they can, they're just poor.

Which leads me back to my previously-stated conclusion.

That no matter what I do...

nothing is served.

Felix, stand up.

I hope to God, young man, that you realize

that because of what you did...

a very good man is dead.

And two little boys around your age...

now have to grow up without a father.

And I also hope you realize that you could be dead too,

if Officer Carlson had aimed at your head instead of your leg.

Which, under these circumstances,

he was certainly entitled to do.

You won't be so lucky the next time, Felix.

If you continue delivering drugs or carrying guns,

you will end up dead.

I'm releasing the defendant to his parents' custody.

He will be under house arrest

for two years, except for school.

Other than school, he can only leave

the house when accompanied by a parent.

An electronic bracelet will be attached

to his ankle which will monitor his movements.

I am also sentencing the defendant

to a drug education program to be determined at a later date.

That is my ruling, we're adjourned.

[mellow music]

Ah...

[indistinct chatter]

[door shuts]

[paper rustling]

Judge Richard: Mr. Foreman, has the jury reached its verdict?

- We have, Your Honor. Judge Richard: What say you?

On the count of want on destruction of property,

we find, for the plaintiff,

an award damages in the amount of $43,000.

[crowd clamoring]

Judge Richard: Order! Sit down!

Order!

Man 5: And on the counts of intentional

and negligent infliction of emotional distress,

assault and battery, and civil rights violations,

we find in favor of the defendant.

[clamoring]

Judge Richard: Order! Sit down! Order!

[indistinct yelling]

Everybody will settle down.

Let go of my arm, man, let go of my arm!

[woman screams]

Let's get this room cleared!

- Now! - Let me go!

Let me go! [screaming]

[crowd clamoring]

- Come on! Come on! - Get to that door!

Get out!

[man grunting]

Hey!

This way. Get in here!

[man grunting]

- You alright? - Yes.

Judge Richard: Is everybody okay? Everybody just stay put.

Stay right here.

[instrumental music]

Cynthia Brown just fired Jimmy Hoffs.

- You know anything about that? - Yes.

I advised her to discharge him, I also recommended that--

Where the hell do you get off going to her?

Don't you talk to me like that.

Jimmy Hoffs built this case.

He did all the leg work on this case.

Jimmy Hoffs was giving bad advise.

And as co-counsel, it was my

obligation to point that out to the client.

Co-counsel?

You blindsided him, you blindsided me!

I came to you!

You wouldn't listen!

That's crap.

Look, I don't know what the hell your game is, lady,

but I'm gonna tell you something point-blank.

Senior partner or not, I don't trust you.

I warned you once, don't talk to me like that.

Well, what the hell are you gonna do, fire me? Go ahead!

Don't think that I won't!

You have something to say to me, you come into this office

like a civilized human being and we will discuss it.

But charge in here again, shouting at me,

and I guarantee you I'll fire you!

[scoffs]

[laughter]

I had a great time tonight, Douglas.

I really did.

Does this mean you might possibly consider

breaking policy again tomorrow night?

Douglas, are you sure you know what you're doing?

Meaning what?

Meaning... are you sure you want to risk getting

involved with someone who does what I do for a living?

You don't take your work home with you at night, do you?

[chuckles]

Listen, I like you, Marilyn.

I like talking to you, I like being with you.

You know something?

For all of my professional experience, it's been almost

two years since I went out with a man on a purely social level.

And... believe it or not...

I am nervous.

- You are? - Yeah.

I hope I don't become flatulent.

[both laughing]

I don't think there was anything therapeutic about that one.

No, there wasn't.

[elevator beeps]

[keys rattling]

- How are ya? Man 6: Can I help you?

Yeah, I was one of the lawyers today

in room 246 where the riot was.

Some of my papers are missing.

I was told everything's still in there.

Oh, yeah, everything's still in there alright.

Okay. Thanks.

[keys rattling]

[door closes]

Jonathan: Your Honor?

Mr. Rollins.

[rustling]

What are you doing?

I'm sitting here...

looking at my courtroom.

Why?

Because a little bit of what's out there came inside today.

And I think it would be good for me to recognize that.

I gave a speech last week at the bar association.

And I said that the American courtroom

is a reflection of society.

And society is a reflection of it.

[scoffs]

Pretty funny, huh?

Yeah.

[theme music]