Original subtitles

[chatter]

- Boy, this food is great.

What'd you say the name of this restaurant is?

- The Talpa.

- Mm, The Talpa.

Yeah, I want to remember that.

- Are you planning on coming here with someone else?

[chuckles]

- Would you rather I didn't?

- I'd rather that every time you came

here, you came here with me.

OK?

- Enjoying your dinner, Judge?

- Do I know you?

- You know my cousin, Walter Stovic.

You gave him three to five, and you gave it to him for nothing.

- Hey, this really isn't the time or place for this, is it?

- It's OK, Tommy.

First of all, I don't give three to five for nothing.

Second of all, you're out of line.

Now, I suggest you go back and finish your meal,

and we'll finish ours.

- Should I tell you what my cousin's

kids are going through?

- I'm going to ask you one more time

to move away from this table.

- Why?

Is there a law against interrupting a judge's dinner?

- There's a law against harassment.

There's also a law against threatening

an officer of the court.

And if you insist upon making the further mistake

of becoming physically violent, you'll

be arrested and prosecuted.

And in the end, you'll be in prison long

after your cousin comes home.

Now, that being the case, I suggest

you go back to your table.

[theme music]

[music playing]

- I'm not going to do it, Douglas.

- Not going to do what?

- I'm not going to use an appointment book and a calendar

from a bail bondsman just because we get him for nothing.

- It's a new calendar year.

And I thought rather than buying expensive new ones,

we could make use of the ones we're given.

- I want an expensive new one.

That's one of the few benefits of the passage of time.

- A memorandum no less.

He sent us all a beautiful memorandum about it.

- Tressman versus Freeling.

- That's mine, in depositions.

We're representing Ed Freeling whose girlfriend

is suing him for sexual fraud.

- Meaning what?

- She claims that he represented that he was a cop.

And with that understanding, she entered

into an intimate relationship.

When he turned out not to be a cop, she felt defrauded.

- What?

- Sounds like precedent-setting stuff.

- I'll say.

If you lose, every man who ever lied to a woman

to get her in bed will be facing a court date.

- Why is everyone looking at me?

- Why indeed, Arnold?

- Are you suggesting that I'm guilty of sexual fraud?

- I didn't hear anyone suggest anything.

- I know what you're thinking.

It's written all over your faces.

- I think you're jumping to an altogether

wrong conclusion, Arnie.

Of course, there are those of us who

remember your claiming to be a direct descendant

of Tsar Nicholas.

- That was an honest mistake.

I have Russian ancestry.

I thought that somewhere there was a Romanov in my family.

- Was it an honest mistake when you

claimed that Simone de Beauvoir was

going to be your houseguest?

- That was a joke.

- And I know you were completely sincere

about your Bible studies.

- I was sincere.

I was utterly sincere.

- I wouldn't worry about it, Arnie,

whether Ann loses or not.

- I wouldn't give it another second's thought.

- I think we best make sure that Ann gets

all the help that she needs

- Yeah.

- So, Mr. Escala, I understand we're here

to discuss a criminal matter.

- Yes.

Our son Luis was involved in a robbery,

but he wants to turn himself in.

- I work with a woman, Mrs. Calderon.

She said when her son Manuel was arrested for drugs,

you were his lawyer.

- Manny Calderon, yeah.

- Yes.

And she said that you made it so he didn't have to go to prison.

- We were hoping you could make a similar arrangement for Luis.

- Mm-hmm.

- There are mitigating circumstances

that would point to probation as the likeliest sentence.

Luis has no prior conviction, the gun he used

was a starter pistol, he was drunk,

and he was induced to steal by loan sharks

to whom he owed money.

- Something tells me I'm not the only lawyer in the room.

- Ramon is in his second year of law school, Stanford.

- Good school.

And I suspect you're probably right about the mitigating

circumstances, but I need to hear the details of the robbery

from Luis.

And I'm sure you understand why that conversation

should be private.

- To protect the attorney-client privilege.

We should go outside.

- Mr. Morales, I think I should mention my wife

and I don't have a great deal of money.

- Let's not worry about that now.

- Thank you.

- You bet.

What happened?

- I-- I held up a convenience store.

- When?

- Last night.

- Anybody get hurt?

- No.

- Good.

Where's the starter pistol?

- I stashed it in the bushes outside the store.

- Any chance your fingerprints are on it?

- No, I had on gloves.

- What about witnesses?

- I had a bandanna over my face, but when I drove off,

I saw the cashier had written down my license.

- The car is registered to you?

- To my father.

- Why did you do it, Luis?

- I was with some guys who I owed money to.

I was drunk.

- You could sit tight, you know.

You could just sit tight and see what happened.

- No.

I don't want the cops coming to my parents' house.

My parents are honest people and I don't

want them to lie because of me.

It's my responsibility.

- OK, you're sure this is what you want to do?

- Yeah.

You just give me the best deal you can, huh?

- You live in Beverly Hills, Ms. Tressman?

- Yes, I do.

- You met Mr. Freeling at Peachy's Bar and Grill.

That's in Silver Lake, isn't it?

- That's correct.

- That is a long way to go for a drink.

Is the food particularly good there?

- That's not really relevant, is it?

- Well, it was my friend's idea.

She thought it would be fun.

- I take it they have entertainment.

- It's a cop bar, OK?

I know that.

You know that.

And he knew that.

- I never said I was a cop.

- So it was just and your girlfriend

out for a little excitement, an adventure?

- You want me to say I went there to meet a policeman?

Yes, I did.

I went there to meet a cop.

What I got was him.

- You subsequently initiated a relationship with Mr. Freeling,

did you not?

- I don't know who initiated what.

- Whoever initiated it, the two of you

went out for a period of over three months, did you not?

- Yes.

- He took you to the fights, to hockey games, to the racetrack.

Had you ever been to places like that before?

- No, I hadn't.

I also hadn't been on a stakeout before either.

And for two weeks, every night, we

would tail some guy all over the city

that Mr. Freeling said he was sitting on.

- You would have sexual relations with Mr. Freeling

in the front seat of his car while you were on

these stakeouts, would you not?

- Yes, I would.

- Would you do so willingly?

- Does the concept of false pretenses count for anything?

He willingly took advantage of the fact

that at heart, I am a very trusting person.

- You went out looking for an adventure and you found one.

Ultimately, the only thing you were missing was a uniform.

- The only thing I was missing was the man.

Yes, I was stupid.

Yes, I was gullible.

I willingly made a fool of myself.

I willingly accommodated him sexually.

All I asked for in return was that he

be the man he said he was.

I would have settled for half.

- Look, the mid-term for robbery is three years.

I'll recommend two, OK?

- I assume you mean probation.

- Christmas is over, Morales.

I'm not handing out presents.

- Tish, my client came in voluntarily.

He has no priors.

He's willing to make restitution.

The cops had his plate number.

He was going to get nailed and he knew it.

Two years in.

- We both know the judge will give him probation.

Why waste everybody's time with a sentencing hearing?

We're just going through the motions.

- Look, we've been getting all sorts of heat

for cutting deals that are too soft.

It might just be a matter of going through the motions,

but I've got to do it.

I've got to go through the motions.

- People versus Escala.

- Danny Morales representing Mr. Escala, Your Honor.

- Your client is charged with robbery under the California

Penal Code Section 211.

How does he plead?

- Guilty, Your Honor.

- Ms. Nida, is there an agreed-upon recommendation?

- No, Your Honor.

- I assume you'll want a sentencing hearing?

- Yes, Your Honor.

- Sentencing to take place in Superior Court Department 35.

See the probation department about preparing a report.

- Application for bail, Your Honor.

- I'm listening.

- Mr. Escala has no priors, has ties to the community,

has shown his willingness to cooperate

by surrendering voluntarily.

That being the case, we ask he be

released OR pending sentencing.

- Ms. Nida?

- No objection.

- Mr. Escala is to be released on his own recognizance

until such time as he's sentencing.

Call the next case.

- People versus DePaul.

- So no deal?

- No deal.

- Does this mean a hearing? - You sign right there.

Yeah, we'll go before a judge and present

our reasons why Luis should be treated with leniency.

OK.

- You know, being a judge might not be so bad.

Nothing else, you get an office close to court.

[chuckles]

- Do you want the job?

- No.

Thanks.

[knocking on door]

- Come in.

- I'm sorry to interrupt, Your Honor,

but there's a Mr. Di Stefano here to see you.

He says it's important and it can't wait.

- Tell him I'll see him tomorrow, Kevin.

I'm going to be leaving here as soon as I finish

speaking with Mr. Mullaney.

- Oh, I think you might want to hear

what I have to say, Your Honor, before I file my appeal.

- We can finish this later.

- No, actually, what I have to say

concerns you both, Mr. Mullaney.

With the judge's permission, you might want to stay.

- I have a dinner reservation at 6:00.

I'll give you five minutes.

- Thank you.

I'm here to ask you to grant a mistrial in the Rick

Turner rape case and to disqualify

yourself from any new trial.

- Now, why would I want to do that?

- With all due respect, Your Honor, you and Mr. Mullaney

have been observed conducting an other than strictly

professional association.

Now, it is my contention that the two of you

were carrying on a romantic liaison during the trial

and my client was the victim of judicial bias.

- First of all, that is not true.

And second of all, your client was convicted by a jury.

- The judge made evidentiary rulings that were highly

prejudicial to my client.

- So that's it?

- No.

As a matter of fact, it's not.

I want to know if I get my mistrial, Judge.

- Make a formal motion, Mr. Di Stefano, and I'll rule on it.

- OK, here's what I do first thing tomorrow.

Number one, I file a complaint about you

to the Judicial Qualifications Committee.

Number two, I file a complaint about him

to the District Attorney's Office.

- I said good day.

- You know, the two of you might have had the affair,

Your Honor, but it was my client that got screwed.

I'll see you in court.

[sighs]

- How the hell does he know about us?

- How do people know anything about anybody?

Someone sees something and they make assumptions.

Sometimes they're right and sometimes they're half right.

It doesn't matter.

- What do you mean it doesn't matter?

Carolyn, even if his motion doesn't go anywhere,

you can bet that the press is going to pick up on it.

- Tommy, don't worry about anything.

Nothing's going to happen.

OK?

- Mr. Freeling, I take it you are not a member of the Los

Angeles Police Department?

- Right.

- You ever been a member of any police department anywhere?

- At one time, I thought about taking the test for the Mahwah,

New Jersey, Police Department.

- But you didn't?

- I was young.

I wanted to do a lot of things I didn't do.

- What do you do for a living, Mr. Freeling?

- I run and manage a franchise food service operation.

- To be more specific.

- I run a Dunkin' Donuts.

- Ugh, I can't believe I was that stupid.

- But when you met my client, you represented otherwise.

- I was at a bar.

I had a couple of drinks.

I told her a story.

People do that in bars.

If they gave out polygraphs with every Mai Tai,

dating as we know it would disappear from the known world.

- But this wasn't just a story in a bar.

For the next three months, you actually lived out this lie.

- I thought we were having a good time.

Was I wrong?

- You carried a gun, did you not?

- It was a fake gun, just like the badge was a fake badge.

Both were strictly placebos.

That's the right word, isn't it?

- Close enough.

- OK.

- Did you ever feel the need to warn this woman while you took

her on your make-believe stakeouts

that if anything were to happen, you

couldn't do anything about it?

- I'd never let anything happen to her.

- If you encountered violence, you would have what?

Pulled your placebo?

- Can we save the sarcasm for the courtroom?

- I told her what she wanted to hear.

- So it was under the guise of being

a policeman that you persuaded my client to have

sexual relations with you?

[scoffs]

- Didn't take much persuading.

That came out totally wrong.

This was not an effort on my part to get

her to go to bed with me.

- What exactly was it, Mr. Freeling?

- It was a love affair, Mr. McDermott,

two lonesome souls who found each other,

a beautiful classy broad and a hard-bitten cop

who had long since given up believing

such a thing was possible. - Ed?

- Mr. Freeling, you're not a cop.

You make donuts for a living.

- That's a detail, my friend.

- Do you have any further questions, Mr. McDermott.

- No, I--

I think we're done.

- Mr. Bardach, would you describe the events that took

place on December 28, 1993?

- I was standing behind the counter at the convenience

store where I used to work.

Around 1 o'clock in the morning, this guy

with a mask over his face comes in, points a gun at me,

and tells me to empty out the register.

- What did you do?

- I emptied out the register.

- And what then did he do, sir?

- He took the money, and then he walked back to the refrigerator

case and took out a beer.

He had me open it for him.

He stood there drinking it with the barrel of the gun

pushed up against my ear.

- Would you describe for us, sir, how

this incident has affected you?

- It made it impossible for me to continue

working outside the house.

Now, I-- I stay at home.

I do phone sales from my kitchen.

It wasn't the first time that I was held up it.

It wasn't the first time that I had a gun pointed at me,

but I don't remember ever being as scared.

This guy wasn't doing it for the money.

He was doing it because he wanted to.

- Objection.

- He wanted to see me beg.

- Objection.

- Objection sustained.

- I have no further questions.

- Did Mr. Escala strike you at any time, sir?

- No.

- Did he tie you up or restrain you in any way?

- No.

- Did he threaten you with retribution if you should

go to the police or testify?

- No, he didn't.

- Are you aware of the fact that the gun

he used during the robbery was actually a starter pistol?

- I'm aware of it now.

I wasn't aware of it then.

- Is it likely, sir, that an experienced thief would risk

capture by standing around drinking a beer

in the middle of a robbery?

- Maybe not, but I looked into his eyes.

And let me tell you something, he's dangerous.

There was no doubt in my mind that he would have

killed me just to watch me die.

- How would he have killed you if he

was holding a starter pistol?

That's OK, Mr. Bardach, you don't have to answer.

I have no further questions.

[knocking on door]

- Come.

- I really appreciate you seeing me

on such short notice, Leland.

- You don't need any notice around here, Tom.

What seems to be the problem?

- I'm dating a judge.

- Ah.

- Carolyn Walker.

- A problem.

- So a couple of weeks ago, I tried

a rape case in front of her.

Now, nothing was going on between us at the time.

I got a conviction fair and square.

- And?

- Yesterday, the defense attorney

came to Carolyn's chambers and accuses us of misconduct

during the trial.

He's filing a motion for mistrial,

claiming judicial bias.

- Can he make a case?

- Well, that's what I wanted to know.

You've been around the courthouse

a lot longer than I have.

What kind of problems are we looking at here?

- For her or for you?

- For both of us.

- She's a lot more vulnerable than you are.

Judges have to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

- So what do I do?

- Start by going through the transcripts of that trial.

Brief each and every ruling the judge made.

And keep a low a profile as possible,

romantically speaking.

- If I need representation, can I come to you?

- Absolutely.

- Thanks.

- I assume you know that a prosecutor who

gets involved with a judge is walking through a minefield

as well.

- Oh, I know, Leland.

The problem is that I'm already involved.

[knocking on door]

- Hi.

- A moment?

- Sure.

- It seems to have become a standing joke around here

that Arnold Becker lies whenever and however it

serves his purposes to do so.

I-- I'd like to know if you share in that view.

- I couldn't really say.

I don't know you as well as the others.

- Based on how well you do know me,

tell me if you think it's true.

- Based on how well I do know you,

I think there are probably times when you

are somewhat less than sincere.

- Like when?

- Like when you expressed an interest in the Bible

because you wanted to go to bed with me.

- Are those things mutually exclusive?

- Well, I think in your case, one led me to question

the legitimacy of the other.

- My desire for spiritual guidance was sincere.

My desire for you was sincere.

Yes, I want to feel the presence of God in my life.

Yes, I want to see you naked.

Why can't those concepts exist simultaneously?

- Maybe they can, although I should

say you have a better chance of accomplishing

the former than the latter.

- You're humoring me, Jane.

You don't believe for one split second

that I could be sincere about my religious feelings.

That's OK.

Might I suggest, however, that your cynicism

is blinding you to the true nature of a fellow pilgrim?

- Is it?

- Yes, it is.

Whatever I may be, I am not cynical.

My eyes tell me when to trust a person and when not to.

My eyes look into their eyes.

And based on that, I have an unerring ability to know

when someone is sincere.

With it, your Christian heart allowed you to do the same.

- Mrs. Escala, in the last few months,

how often have you seen your son, Luis?

- He lives with us.

I see him every day.

- Did you see him the night of the robbery?

- Yes, I heard him crying downstairs

with my husband and Ramon.

He said he committed this crime.

- How did you react?

- I didn't believe it.

- Did Luis say why he did it?

- He said he owed money to some men.

They said they were going to kill him

unless he paid them that night.

He got drunk and he robbed the store.

- Did he say how he came to owe money to these men?

- He said he felt guilty about not being able to contribute

more for the rent and the food.

Luis is a simple boy.

He does what people tell him to do.

These men offered to loan him money and he took it.

They said to rob the store and he did it.

He's never been in trouble before in his life, Judge,

not until now.

- I'll keep that in mind.

- I have nothing further.

- Is it possible, Mrs. Escala, that your son committed

this crime for the same reason that most people commit crimes,

it beats working for a living?

- Luis does work for a living.

It was just the circumstances he was in.

He was afraid he was going to be killed.

- Tell me, have you ever seen the men who your son claims

told him to rob the store?

- No.

- Do you know their names?

- No.

- Mrs. Escala, have you considered that Luis may have

invented these men in an attempt to reduce his responsibility

for the robbery?

- No!

- Mrs. Escala, assuming what you're saying

is true, how can we be assured that the next time

Luis falls into debt, he won't react in the same way?

- We will take care of him, my husband, my son, and me.

If he needs money, we will give it to him.

I promise, Your Honor.

I promise to God this will never happen again.

- Ms. Nida?

- I have nothing further.

[chatter]

- On the evening of September 7 of last year,

I was called to investigate a 602.

- Illegal trespass.

- The two of them were parked in front

of the house of a Mr. Takayoto who

had called in the complaint.

- Would you describe for us what they were doing?

- They were engaged in an activity of a sexual nature.

- Did Ms. Tressman appear to be participating

willingly in these activities?

- He's in no position to testify to that.

- Did Ms. Tressman complain that Mr.

Freeling had forced her to do anything against her will?

- No, she did not.

- You arrested both Mr. Freeling and Ms.

Tressman, is that right? - Right.

- What was the charge?

- Indecent exposure.

- 314.1.

Misdemeanor.

- So Mr. Freeling wasn't arrested

for impersonating an officer?

- No, he was not. - Why?

- While in my presence, he never represented

himself to be a police officer.

- Did you at any time take Mr. Freeling for a police officer?

- Not for a moment.

- And what about the clothes and the car

and the overall demeanor?

- He's a buff.

I run into guys like him all the time.

They learn a few words.

They try to buddy up to you.

Generally, they're harmless.

But no way would I take this guy for a cop.

- I beg to differ.

In most respects, I'm indistinguishable from a cop.

- Ed, will you let me handle this?

- Hey, pal, in no respect are you anything like a cop.

- Can we wrap this up?

- Why do you say that?

- Because you're soft.

- It just so happens I am not soft.

- You wouldn't last 15 minutes on the job.

Your problem is you're living in a fantasy world.

You're not a cop.

You're never going to be a cop.

That's that.

- I have nothing further, detective.

- You're a big boy, Ed.

Get over it.

- Ever since he was nine, Luis has worked

to help support the family.

Because he did that, I didn't have to work.

I could concentrate on school.

- How would you describe your relationship

with your brother growing up?

- Luis was my protector.

And when he couldn't be there, he

made sure there was someone else to look out for me.

- Was it necessary to have a protector?

- When you grow up in La Guadeloma

and you're skinny and asthmatic and good at school, believe me,

it was necessary.

- And what kind of influence, if any,

did your brother have on you?

- When I was 13, I thought about joining a gang.

Luis said he'd beat the crap out of me if I did.

I told him that he had nothing to say about it because he

himself was in a gang at the time.

- How did he respond?

- He got jumped out of the gang.

- Tell us about that.

What does it mean to be jumped out?

- It's like a reverse initiation.

They tie your hands behind your back,

and all the gang members get to take their best shot.

When they brought him back, I thought he was dead.

His eyes were all swollen shut.

He couldn't walk.

Well, I never had anything to do with gangs after that.

- How do you feel about your brother, Ramon?

- I love him.

And I owe him more than I could ever hope to repay.

- No further questions.

[ms. nida clears throat]

- Mr. Escala, do you consider your brother

to be a violent person?

- No, I don't.

- But as a gang member, wouldn't it be fair to assume that Luis

took part in such activities as fights, violent initiations,

perhaps drive-by shootings?

- He joined the gang for his own protection.

The truth is Luis was never much of a fighter.

- Really?

As recently as two years ago, your brother was arrested

and charged with an assault. Are you familiar

with that incident, Mr. Escala?

- They dropped those charges.

- You witnessed that incident, didn't you, Mr. Escala?

- I caused it, Ms. Nida.

I had just gotten a scholarship to Stanford.

My picture was in the paper.

We were at a neighborhood bar celebrating

when this drunk starts in on me, calling me vendido.

So the guy starts getting physical.

Luis takes him down.

- So it wasn't Luis' fault.

- That's right.

- And last week when your brother

terrorized and robbed a store clerk,

that wasn't his fault either?

- My brother is not a criminal.

- Your brother pleaded guilty to a crime.

That makes him a criminal. - Objection.

The prosecutor is making speeches.

- I have nothing further.

[knocking on door]

- Yeah?

Come in.

Ah, here filing your complaint with my boss, Mr. Di Stefano?

[chuckles]

- No, I'm not.

I'm-- I'm here to apologize about yesterday

in Judge Walker's chambers.

My accusations were out of line.

- You seemed pretty sure of yourself at the time.

- I was obviously mistaken.

See, Rick Turner, Stifle Records, they're

big clients for my firm.

No one was very happy I lost the case.

I was upset.

I'm sorry.

- Apology accepted.

- Good.

And as far as I'm concerned, we can act as though none of this

ever happened?

- OK.

- Do you have a minute?

- Sure.

- Maybe your religious impulses and your sexual impulses

can exist side by side.

Maybe the same is true for me.

- What do you mean?

- There are thoughts in my head.

There's desire.

I have sexual desire.

And I'm curious about doing things

that good Christian girls don't do--

things that they shouldn't even think about.

- Like, uh-- what kinds of things?

- Before I could even say those words--

I'd have to let go a little.

Let go a lot.

[chuckles]

I'd need to lose myself.

I'd need to--

I don't know what I would need.

I would need a drink.

- That's not necessarily a bad idea.

Alcohol can be very helpful in allowing us to free ourselves

of that which holds us back.

- What kind of drink should I have?

- Vodka martini.

- Well, then I think that what we should do is go someplace.

And I could have four or five or six vodka martinis.

And then we could see where that takes us.

- Oh, let's go right now.

Let's go right now, Jane.

Let's not think about it.

Let's not discuss it.

Let's put what I see to be a very

brilliant plan into motion, and as you say,

see where it takes us.

- Arnold?

- Yeah?

- You know how you say that your eyes can tell

when a person's being sincere?

- Yes, I remember saying that.

- How your eyes looking into their eyes, and based on that

you can always tell?

- Let's talk about this more at the bar, OK?

Have you ever been to Musso & Frank?

- Well, I think you should have your eyes checked.

They're not as reliable as you think they are.

[sighs]

[knocking on door]

- Yeah?

- Hi.

- Ed.

We're not due in court till tomorrow.

- I don't think I want to go to court.

- You pretty much have to be there.

- I want to settle.

- Wait a minute, we have a better than even

chance of getting this case dismissed

before it ever goes to trial.

- I don't care.

I did what she said I did.

I pretended to be something I'm not.

- Well, that doesn't necessarily make you liable for damages.

- I think it does.

I think it makes me a fraud and a fake.

And I have no right asking you or anyone else

to help keep me from paying for that.

And the only real asset I have is the donut shop.

I want to give it to her.

- Ed, I am not endorsing what you told that woman,

but I don't think it warrants putting

yourself into financial ruin.

[chuckles]

- You know, somewhere along the line,

I probably could have become a cop.

I could have taken the test and gone on the job

and found out what I was made of.

I could have seen how I did when confronted

with physical danger, when I didn't know what was

on the other side of a door, whether I

would have panicked and run away or chambered

around and gone in.

I didn't do that, Ann.

I never found out.

I chose a comfortable, predictable way of life

selling coffee and donuts and curling up in my bed at night.

Just pay the woman.

Just pay her whatever she wants.

[knocking on door]

- Ramon, what are you doing here?

- I'm worried about Luis.

- Why is that DA so intent on putting him away?

- That's her job.

- Do you think he'll go to prison?

- I don't know.

[sirens wailing]

- They shouldn't be thinking about sending him to prison.

- It was always a possibility.

- Not in my mind.

In my mind, it was never a possibility.

I never would have agreed to let him do this otherwise.

- Agreed to let him do what?

- Luis is innocent.

I robbed the store.

- You?

- I never meant for it to happen like this.

- Wait-- wait a minute.

- You let your brother take the rap for you?

- It wasn't my idea.

- Whose idea was it?

- My parents, who do you think?

A conviction would wipe out my chances

of ever becoming a lawyer.

- Why did you rob a store, Ramon?

- Where do you come from, Morales?

- Mission Hills.

- Mission Hills?

That's a nice neighborhood.

Maybe you going to law school wasn't such a big deal.

Well, for me, it was a big deal.

I had everyone from the city councilman to the abuelitas

in the park watching my every step,

planning my future like I belonged to them, like they

each owned a piece of me.

From grade school on, I was the one who had to get the A's.

I was the one who had to be the class

president, captain of the team, valedictorian, and I was.

I got the scholarships, the pictures in the paper.

Everything they wanted, I did.

I can't do it anymore.

- Why did you rob the store, Ramon?

- Because I had to do something to tell

my parents and my teachers to get the hell off my back!

What the hell am I supposed to do?

[somber music]

- You come clean.

You go to the judge and tell him exactly what happened.

- I want to.

- You have to.

That's the only way you're going to be

able to live with yourself.

- Your Honor, with no disrespect intended toward Mr.

Morales, this smacks of a ploy.

- It's not a ploy.

Ramon is ready to confess.

- When?

- He'll be here in an hour.

- Your Honor, I think that the timing and the circumstances

cast considerable doubt on the reliability

of such a confession.

- Well, that may be, but when an officer of the court

tells me someone's confessed to him personally,

I have to take that seriously.

Meantime, I want a thorough review of all

the evidence in this case.

Now, let's ascertain if anything ties the younger brother

to the crime.

I want the report by the end of the day.

Mr. Morales?

- Yes, Your Honor?

- As soon as the youngest Mr. Escala arrives,

get him in here.

- Thank you.

[knocking on door]

- I just had a very weird visit from Michael Di Stefano.

- What was weird about it?

- He apologized for accusing us of having an affair

during the Turner trial.

- Well, it was a false accusation.

He should have apologized.

- And you didn't have anything to do with his change of heart?

- Of course, I did.

- What did you do?

- Well, I called one of the senior partners

at Mr. Di Stefano's firm.

- That's all it, took one phone call from you?

- Is that an abuse of authority in your opinion?

- No, I didn't say that.

- Because I can assure you that I

am scrupulously honest in my judicial and my personal life.

- Carolyn?

- I regard integrity as being almost above anything else.

- Carolyn, you don't have to defend yourself to me.

I don't have a problem with you being able to pick up the phone

and do what you did.

- You don't?

- No.

As a matter of fact, I like it.

- What gives, Counselor?

- If you have a minute, I think we can settle this thing.

- Always willing to listen to reason.

Where to?

- In here.

You guys wait out here.

- Hi.

[sighs]

How's it going?

- Fine.

- Your collar?

- Just handing him off.

- Where you guys work out of, Rampart?

- Do I know you?

- You might have seen me around.

- Don't light that, sir.

- Sorry.

- I'll take him from here.

All right, let's go.

[grunting]

- All right, come on, hands behind your back.

- Nice move.

- Any time.

Uh!

- Good morning.

- I take it you've apprised everyone of your decision.

- Ramon's only decision is to return to his classes tomorrow.

- What does that mean?

- It means that whatever Ramon might have said to you

yesterday, you misunderstood.

- You're going to let them do this?

What kind of lawyer do you expect to be?

What kind of a person are you going to be?

- Mr. Morales!

- How are you going to get through your life doing this?

- Mr. Morales, you want to talk to someone?

Talk to me.

- OK.

- You think my wife and I aren't in agony

over making this decision.

We love our sons equally.

For 35 years, we have struggled to give

them a chance for something.

Ramon is that chance.

- So what?

You just sacrifice Luis?

- Oh, yeah, didn't you hear my father?

I mean, what difference is it going to make?

Having committed a crime is not going to change my life,

but it's going to turn his life upside down.

Nobody's forcing me, Morales.

I want to do this.

And if it doesn't matter to me, why should

it matter to you, huh?

- Because I'm your lawyer and I know you're innocent.

- Judge McGrath is waiting.

- Luis?

- Sí, pa.

- OK.

Let's go then.

- You have to sign the deed and the franchise agreement.

- Now, the red arrows or the blue ones?

- Red.

[knocking on door]

Come in.

- Hi.

- Oh, the papers won't be ready for a few more hours yet.

I told your attorneys that--

- I've changed my mind.

- How so?

- I don't want his donut franchise.

I don't want anything.

- What do you mean?

- Well, when I found out that I had been fooled, that you

weren't who you said you were, I was angry and I wanted revenge.

- And that is no longer the case?

[sighs]

- The way I feel now is if I got fooled,

then I deserved to get fooled.

So I'm sorry for putting you through all this.

Maybe I should start to go to therapy again,

find out why this is so important to me.

- Can I venture an opinion about what it that

was that so important to you?

- Sure.

[sirens wailing]

- This city is a human sewer.

Every day, there are those of us who go out

there prepared to do battle against that element

which would cause us harm.

In addition to being a beautiful woman,

you happen to be a citizen.

The thin blue line is all there is to keep you safe.

- Uh, Ed, I think--

- Oh, Ed.

Ed, you made me feel safe the whole time

I was with you and then again when you stopped

that guy in the courthouse.

You made me feel safe.

Boy, was that a stupid move.

- What do you mean?

- That building was full of real cops.

That guy had no chance of escaping.

No one was in danger.

So why did you put yourself in the middle of all that?

- It's what I do.

- Ms. Tressman, am I right in assuming

that you're interested in dropping this action?

- Yeah.

- In that case, I'll draw up papers to that effect.

- Fine.

- Can I buy you a cup of coffee?

- Sure.

- My unit's downstairs.

[giggles]

[music playing]

- Hey, my mother got this on 47th Street.

She gave it to me.

- It's really pretty. - Thank you.

Sign here.

- Not very nice.

- Excuse me.

- What you did was not--

very-- nice.

- What did you do?

- In the case of People versus Escala,

I have reviewed all relevant materials presented

in this matter and find no evidence of fraud

as charged by the defendant's attorney.

Now, absent a more compelling set of proofs,

I have no choice but to accept Mr. Scala's plea

and pass judgment accordingly.

- Your Honor, as I do not believe in my client's guilt

and as I'm convinced that a fraud is being perpetrated

on this court, I would ask the court's permission

to withdraw as defense counsel.

- Permission granted.

Now, Mr. Escala, do you wish to have time to retain new counsel

or proceed without an attorney?

- To proceed, Your Honor.

- Rise for sentencing.

Mr. Escala, based on the testimony presented,

I find the evidence of mitigating circumstances in

your case to be slight at best.

Now, before I sentence you, do you

have any legal cause to show why judgment should

not be pronounced against you?

- No, Your Honor.

- Very well.

For the charge of robbery, I hereby

sentence you to three years in the State Penitentiary.

[mrs. escala gasps]

Bailiff, take charge of your prisoner.

Court is adjourned.

- Judge, could you please allow us

a moment before you take him.

I'm sorry, mijo.

I didn't know this would ever happen.

- It's OK, Pa.

- Your mother and I will come and visit you every week.

Now, if there's anything you need, we'll bring it to you.

If there's anything we can do for you, we'll do it.

- Don't, Pa.

Please.

Everything's going to be OK.

- I could never be as proud of anyone

as I am of you right now.

I love you, mijo.

- I love you too, Papá.

[theme music]