All language subtitles for L.A.Law.S08E10.He.Aint.Guilty.Hes.My.Brother.1080p.DSNP.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-NTb_track4_[eng]

[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]