Original subtitles

Previously on L .A. Law.

Hey, congratulations, both of you. Thank you. Thank you. I am the luckiest guy

in the world. You're telling me to prosecute with an unconstitutional

confession. You're telling me to break the law. I'm just hoping to God you

remember you're a public servant.

And you do the thing that serves the public best here. A guilty man was

convicted. It's rewarding to see that the system works and justice was served.

So if we get started, I'm not sure where it's going to lead.

Me neither.

Life in a law firm doesn't really suit me, Leland.

I'm going to open my own office.

Abby, the odds against that, well, they're enormous. This is the only way

will get a chance to be the kind of lawyer that I want to be. The doctor

will take at least six months to get pregnant. Even a year is totally normal.

Stuart, maybe you should get tested.

Me?

Ann, we've only been trying for a few months.

I stopped using birth control over a year ago.

Oh.

Well, it's a simple procedure.

You ejaculate into the container.

We do a few tests to measure your sperm count, see how many live ones you have,

how well they swim.

I gotta tell you, that's a little embarrassing for me.

Which is exactly why we try to create a totally private environment.

We have a very nice room.

You throw a deadbolt, red light goes on.

And believe me, no matter how long it takes, as long as that light is on, no

is going to disturb you.

Yeah, right.

Did you ever try to drink a cup of coffee while the waitress was waiting

table?

No, no, no. We have three rooms.

If you need an hour, take an hour. If you need two hours, take two hours.

I really think time is a problem.

Oh, well, if you're worried about stimulation, we have a...

A variety of magazines in there, from Playboy to Penthouse, Sports

The Bathing Suits.

Just some more hardcore publications, if that's what your tastes run to.

Rosalind? Well, I guess I'll give it the old college try.

It wasn't really my sport, but... We have a shelf full of X -rated

Watch them, enjoy them, and let nature take its course.

Rosalind, show Mr.

Markowitz to a room, please. Follow me.

You come here often?

Never mind.

This is very strange.

I don't think it's strange at all.

Okay, now there's a buzzer inside.

Call me if you need anything. All right?

Mr. Sackheim, is everything all right?

Oy, oy, oy, I can't get the lid off the jar.

Rock!

Rocks, you've got to hear this.

Can we talk about it tonight, Dave? I'm running late. You've heard the

expression, if you have lemons, make lemonade.

textbook case. Please, honey, not now.

Let me just tell you what happened.

Seth Rosencrantz called a couple of weeks ago. I told you about him.

Anyway, to make a long story short, he calls me from Paramus, New Jersey, where

he's got most of his operations, to say that he is stuck with a warehouse full

of audio cassettes. One side is environmental ocean sounds, and the

subliminal self -hypnosis for getting rid of facial twitching. Now, you put it

into a unit with auto -reverse, and you play it, and you sleep. The trouble is,

the whole thing is recorded at the wrong speed.

The hypnosis sounds like Alvin and the Chipmunks, and the ocean sounds like the

Indianapolis 500.

Are we out of milk?

So I take them off his hands for a nickel each.

I pay a recording studio $1 ,100 to degauss and record my latest offering.

P .S. I have a shot at a 3 .5 % response and very possibly a silver Echo Award

as well because, you see, instead of sending out a letter, I'm sending out a

cassette. You have got to hear this.

I really can't concentrate right now.

It'll only take a minute.

All I want to do right now, get ready for work.

Well, just listen to it while you have your coffee. How much am I asking?

Do me a favor.

Don't ask anything.

Just let me clump around and get myself together and don't ask anything.

One listen. One listen.

Whoever you are, please don't waste one more second listening to this tape

unless, like thousands of satisfied customers, you too long... David!

...at a fraction of the prices charged by leading department stores...

Hi. How was the appointment?

It actually went bad.

They have visual aids.

Don't get to like it too much.

First of all, I'd like to express our sadness that today is Miss Perkins' last

day. We're going to miss you, Abs. And also, we'll be here for you for support,

use of the facilities, and maybe a client or two.

Thank you, Newt. So where's the new office?

Why don't I just pass out the new business card?

Business cards already. This girl doesn't waste any time. Having just

new landlord two months' rent, paid my first premium in malpractice insurance,

printed up stationery, turned on the telephones, and bought a second -hand

typewriter, the one thing I am convinced of is that I can't waste time.

Well, on that wise and thoughtful note, Lauterbach versus Lauterbach. Arnold, is

this the fatted calf it looks to be? Hard to say.

Her old lawyer got her a miserable settlement. I've brought a motion to set

aside.

But I have got a feeling there may be a better way to go. Let's hope so, with

that much money in the balance.

Descending rapidly from the golden to the grim, people versus shoals.

Trial starts today.

Let me ask you a question, mate.

Do you seek out these lost leaders, or do they seek you out?

Well, well, it's nice to hear someone beside myself asking that question. I'd

like to go on record here as saying that I didn't want this case.

And I feel no particular empathy for the client.

But the public defender's office had a conflict, and they asked us to represent

him. Seeing as how I had passed on the previous four cases they asked me to

take, the seriousness of our commitment to doing pro bono work was called into

question. Now, do we honor that commitment, or don't we? Of course we

You think he's innocent?

Not my call.

Yeah, but you can't ignore the fact he's been convicted of rape before.

Not only can I ignore it, but as far as this jury's concerned, he's never been

convicted of anything before.

But you won't hesitate to drag the woman through the mud, will you? They're not

quite the same thing, Abby.

Then why aren't they?

A defense lawyer's job is to challenge the prosecution.

That means attacking accusing witnesses.

Now, in most rape trials, the purported rape victim is the only accusing

witness. So if you're doing your job, you go after that witness hammer and

tongs. Which is probably why I draw the line at representing rapists.

Accused rapists.

Who I'm convinced are guilty?

Yes. Abby, I thought she wanted to be a litigator. I thought she wanted to

depend on things like evidence and cross -examination to prove guilt or

innocence. I do, but not for creeps like this.

Okay, so, no rapes. What about murder?

Forget it, Mike.

Only if it's in self -defense?

Can we get armed with things here? Armed robbery?

But only if it's for food.

I have no qualms about making moral distinctions about whom I'll represent.

Well, look, I may not like this any more than you do.

But right now, the only way that someone who can't pay for a lawyer can get one

is through an overworked public defender's office or through firms like

are doing our fair share of pro bono cases.

Now, until you can come up with a better idea, do me a favor and spare me the

moral indignation.

I'm late for court.

Sorry I brought it up.

You didn't do too good, did you?

You could pay that.

Well, it was the prenuptial that killed you.

Were you on drugs when you signed that?

Just in love.

Heaviest drug of all.

Look, am I wasting my time trying to appeal?

Appeal from the divorce judgment, yeah. That would be wasting your time.

But I think there may be other ways of going after him. For what?

Like to talk about it.

Did, uh, did he ever hit you?

No. Carry on any homosexual affairs while you were married?

No, not that I know of. Hire a prostitute?

Mr. Becker, what's the point? I thought we had no -fault divorce here.

There was a recent case in Texas that allowed a wife to sue her husband for

emotional distress.

I think the time may be right to test something like that out here.

You were pretty young when you married him, right?

I was 19.

Lauterbach was in his 40s, captain of industry, America's Cup patron, San

Yacht Club. He must have been a pretty powerful figure to you.

You could say that.

What did he do with all that power?

What do you mean?

Well, I was looking at the expenses that your old lawyer put down, and you go to

a shrink four times a week.

What's the problem?

There are some things I really can only talk about with my therapist.

Standing up for yourself, acting effectively against someone who has

you, that's as much a part of getting better as talking to your therapist.

I've always been a good little girl, you know?

Good little girls make the men in their lives happy.

When their husbands ask them to do something, it's very hard for them to

I stopped being a dancer. I stopped going to school because Richard wanted

to.

Another thing Richard wanted was to see me in bed with another man.

How many times?

A lot.

What's the lot, 10, 50, 100?

I don't know. It went on for two or three years. He'd set up situations.

He became obsessed with it.

Venereal diseases.

Oh. AIDS.

I've tested negative.

If you're willing to go for it, Jane, I believe I can make him pay.

I'm not looking to get rich. I just need enough to get my life back together.

And you're finally taking a positive step towards doing just that.

I don't think I can talk about it with people looking at me and asking

questions. Take off the scarlet letter, Jane.

We're gonna nail him.

Chick's gonna crack.

Mark my words.

You just make her tell the jury about them things she wrote down, she's done.

We've been through this before. The diary can only come in to attack her

credibility, not her character.

But if this is your real sharp lawyer, you'll get it in.

My job is to provide you with a competent defense, not beat up on Norma

because you want to watch. You start you on. The bitches are mine.

Take your hands off me, Calvin, right now.

If you ever do that again, you can find someone else to represent you. You

understand?

She wanted it, Mr.

Cusack.

Just the way I gave it to her, that's the way she wanted it.

Well, now, that still leaves the problem of why she called the cops, doesn't it?

Well, maybe she liked it a little too much.

You know, you might do better when we get into court.

You look a little less pleased with yourself.

Miss Eisler, can you tell us how you came to know the defendant?

He was a handyman where I lived.

And where was he working on April 20, 1988?

In my apartment. The tenant upstairs had let his bathtub overflow, and he was

patching my bedroom ceiling.

Would you describe to the court what happened on that day?

Um, about 3 o 'clock in the afternoon, I went in to ask him

if he'd like a cup of tea and some cookies that I'd just baked.

He grabbed me.

and told me that if I screamed, he would kill me.

He made me crawl around on my hands and knees.

He said that I was his slave and put on this earth to service him.

He knocked me down, and then he raped me.

Again and again and again.

Thank you, Norma.

I have no further questions.

Miss Heisler, characterize for us, if you will, your relationship with the

defendant prior to April 20th, 1988.

Friendly, I guess.

Did you ever suggest that he stop by your apartment after work?

Objection. Goes to the issue of consent, Your Honor. It has nothing to do with

consent. These two people knew one another.

Their relationship is directly relevant to this case.

I'll allow it. Miss Heisler?

Well, he came over once or twice to learn how to use a word processor.

And on those occasions, did he rape you?

Of course not.

And on the occasion that you claim that he did rape you, did he have a gun?

No. A knife? No. In fact, he had no weapon at all. He had a fist.

Did he beat you? He would have.

But he didn't.

Now tell me, Miss Heisler.

Is it possible that Mr. Scholz was ever made to believe that you wanted to have

sexual relations with him?

No. Ms. Heisler, do you keep a journal?

Objection. Your Honor, at this time I would like to make a formal motion under

Section 782 of the Evidence Code of the State of California pursuant to my

papers for the witness to produce her journal. Your Honor, the people oppose

such a motion.

Ms. Schindler, as you know, the law requires me to hear argument for defense

counsel's motion outside the presence of the jury.

The court officer will escort the jury out and clear this courtroom.

Once again, Ms. Heisler, do you keep a journal?

Yes, I keep a journal.

Did you ever show it to Mr. Scholes?

Of course not.

And where did you put it on the day that he was working in your bedroom?

In my dresser drawer.

Are you sure that it wasn't on the night table?

Yes, I'm sure.

Object to the inference.

Inference withdrawn. I'll make it a direct question. Didn't you, in fact,

Calvin Scholes to read that journal?

Because you would have liked to have told him your desires, but couldn't?

No. Would it come as much of a shock to you if I told you that he had, in fact,

read it?

No. And why is that, Miss Heisler?

He was reading it when I walked into the bedroom.

Counsel, approach.

As painful as this may be, Miss Schindler, I think I'm going to have to

diary. Your Honor, with all due respect, I believe that would be absolutely

grotesque. The defendant was never given permission to read that diary.

The fact that he invaded her privacy by doing so doesn't give this court license

to follow suit.

Whether he had permission isn't the point.

He read it, and he had reasonable belief that she consented to sexual relations.

Your Honor, may I speak?

Of course.

The things I write in that notebook are the most private things in the world to

me.

I have never shown them to anyone.

But the defendant has read them.

But I tell you, there's nothing in there.

I just jot down little things that occur to me.

My dreams, my poems.

They're my thoughts. They're nothing.

I'm sorry, Miss Eisler.

I have to determine whether they're nothing.

I am ordering you to provide the court with your journal by 9 o 'clock tomorrow

morning.

Mr. Becker, I think you'll agree your case has a few problems.

Which is precisely why I need expedited discovery.

If ever there was a case of intentional infliction of emotional distress, this

is it.

I can document behavior, and I can document damages.

All the behavior alleged occurred while the parties were married. There's no

statutory preclusion of all tort claims between parties because they happen to

have been married.

What's your authority for that?

There have been recent cases in other jurisdictions which are set forth at

length in my papers.

Your Honor, for all of Mr. Becker's lofty pretensions, this is a shakedown.

His client is unhappy with her divorce settlement and sees this as a way to get

more. We've had no fault divorce in this state since 1970, specifically to

prevent lawsuits like this one.

The no -fault statute was never intended to allow abusive, sadistic people to

ruin the lives of others with impunity. The truth is, I don't think either one

of you has made your case sufficiently.

What I'm going to do is order limited discovery to take place forthwith, and I

want you both back here Thursday, prepared to re -argue.

Your Honor, I'm not sure that my client can be available on such short notice.

Make him available.

Can I talk to you?

I have nothing to say to you.

Is this the way you get on with the rest of your life, by dwelling on what's

past? Hey, she doesn't want to talk to you.

Jane, this isn't you.

Isn't it?

What is?

A mother girl in those videotapes that you trade with your friends like

cards? A tight little blonde whose husband liked to watch French, English,

Greek, into anything and everything, giving and getting.

You know she's out of control.

I just wanted a normal life, Richard.

Why did you want everything so weird and dangerous?

Didn't you see what it was doing to me?

For the Lee Marvin case tip of Marvin Mitchelson, this case is going to do for

me. As I recall, Michelle Triola came away with very little in that case.

not the point. The case broke ground.

When you thought Palamoni, you thought Marvin Mitchelson.

Well, after Lauderback, when you think inexpensive tort claims, you're going to

think Arnold Becker.

Thank you. I'll tell you right now, if this case was before me, I'd throw you

out on your ear with cops.

And by doing that, you'd miss a tremendous opportunity to enhance your

reputation. And that's what it's all about, isn't it?

I mean, what better basis to establish legal precedence than the professional

ambition of lawyers and judges?

You're turning into a cynic. It worries me.

A vulnerable woman places herself in your hands.

You plan a legal strategy designed only to maximize your own publicity, probably

at the expense of what little self -esteem she's got left, and you call me

cynic?

You know, sometimes I think your being a judge crowds out the more appealing

sides of your character.

Which are what, in your opinion?

nurturing, caring, a source of support, even, dare I say it, enthusiasm.

Well, like most people, I have a number of different sides.

It would be nice to think that the man I'm with respected all of them.

Monica, what has gotten into you? For the last couple of months, it's like

had a bad connection or something. I can't seem to get through to you. Here I

am. Let's talk about it.

Monica, I'm looking for an ally, somebody to be there for me. What's to

about?

Okay.

Okay, what?

If you don't want to talk, we won't.

Great.

Hi.

Hi. I was in the area.

I'm pretty busy right now. Look, I know lately I've been getting a little

carried away, but it's just that I get so excited about what I'm doing, I

you to get excited, too.

We'll just have to get our timing in better sync, that's all.

Having you around all the time still makes me giddy, I guess. Mr. and Mrs.

Meyer? Hi, guy.

Arnold, how's your new case coming?

If here people are beating the bushes as we speak, it's the paper tomorrow a .m.

Forgive me for interjecting here, but I'll bet you're overlooking something.

Arnie, Benny's running off copies of the supplemental affidavits.

Lawyers, and I love you guys, have been a little slow to appreciate the basic

axiom, direct mail works.

Excuse me.

We don't advertise.

This particular development would only have significance for people who are

getting divorced.

Okay, that's okay, but you still want to reach as many of them as possible, am I

right? Of course we do. You pick the target, I hit the target. Women over 35

applying for credit cards, men over 40 buying Porsches. Now that'll give you a

start. I use what I call a split run. That's different mailings for different

areas. Say one letter to Encino, Tarzana, Calabasas, Agora, another

Alhambra, El Monte, Azusa, Glendora, then we... track the result.

You know, you might also want to try categories like women who have gotten

real estate licenses, men or women who join health clubs. Abby, let me help you

with that.

There's always Club Med.

Name changes on deeds.

Men who make large purchases in housewares.

New subscriptions to Ms. Magazine.

Can't mess with Ms., huh?

So, did you get the test results?

Yeah. There's nothing wrong with you.

The reason you can't get pregnant is me. Low sperm count.

Low motility.

Whatever.

Anyway, he gave me a shot in the butt and a prescription, which he's not too

optimistic about, but what the hell, I'll try anything.

So we'll see what happens.

Yep.

I guess I wasn't the guy to marry if you wanted to have kids, but... Stuart,

whatever kids I have or don't have, you are the guy I'm going to have them with.

I just don't think you're ever going to look at me the same way again.

Is that what would have happened if there was something wrong with me? No.

Would you never have looked at me the same way again? No, I... I just never

thought of myself like this, that's all.

Like what? Like someone incapable, that's what.

I always imagined sending forth this dream that held life, not these little

dribblings that don't hold anything.

Why are you doing this to yourself?

Stare me in the face, then. I'm not making it up.

You know, just all my life I thought of myself as this admiral who was sending

forth his legions to swarm the beachhead.

And what I really was all this time was this little chubby guy watching a few

refugees get washed up on the rocks. It's a little adjustment I gotta make.

Why don't you think of it as a platoon of specially trained commandos on a

secret mission?

Definitely a more inspiring image.

Yeah.

And maybe, you know, who knows, come Christmas morning, that junior frogman

might be sitting there under the tree. That's very funny.

Get the prescription filled.

I will. Tell the high command to plan an invasion for 2 ,100 hours tonight.

I gotta tell you, this cassette just might surpass Cy Friedman's 1975 culotte

mailing.

And listen, good. I don't want you ever, ever coming into my office again.

What? Do you think, Dave, you should have asked me before you started making

sales pitch to my boss?

Hey, I think I had him hooked.

Besides, law firm marketing strategy is something you could play a part in.

Try and understand something here. I'm not interested in playing a part.

Junk mail may make up your life, but it has nothing to do with mine.

Junk mail?

That's right.

Junk mail.

What people are disappointed to find in their mailboxes. Listen, this is what I

do. This house, those cars in the garage, all this stuff, we wouldn't have

of it if it weren't for junk mail.

That's right, that's right. Throw it up in my face.

I am not trying to throw it up in your face.

Yes, you are.

The next thing I know, you'll start preening about how well you're providing

me. Let me tell you something.

I was poor when I met you. I can be poor again.

The thing that I can't do is listen to any more of your sales letters, your

brochures, your catalogs, or your incentive offers. I am sick... to death

hearing you drone on about turtleneck dickies or regular stretch jeans or

musical paperweights or decorative doorstops. I don't care about it, Dave.

don't care about any of it.

Miss Perkins?

You're my temp.

That's me. Great. I have to get to court.

What's your name?

Ronnie Page.

Hi, I'm Abigail.

I don't have anything for you to type just yet, so I think you'll probably

be answering the phone.

You know when you'll be back?

No, I'm going to be down there until I get an assignment. That could be all.

If there are standing calls, tell her that I will be taking the kids to school

tomorrow.

How do you want your phone answered?

Good question.

I guess just Abigail Perkins.

Law office.

of Abigail Perkins.

Law offices.

Law offices of Abigail Perkins.

Yeah. Yeah, that's right.

Mr. Lauterbach, your wife was with the American Ballet Theater when you met

was she not?

She was a dancer, yeah.

And isn't it a fact that you urged her to give up being a dancer?

Not if you wanted to have a family.

I told her that'd be tough to do if you were taping all over the world with a

ballet company.

You also discouraged her from finishing college. Why was that?

Well, she wasn't all that motivated in the first place.

Besides, like I said, we were oriented towards having a family.

Uh -huh.

When you photographed your wife in various sexual positions with members of

yacht's crew, was that part of being oriented toward having a family?

She's going to make a whole opera out of this thing, isn't she?

January 14th, 1984, did you take your wife to a bar called the Top Hat in

Oakland, California?

So what if I did? Are you going to stand in judgment of me? No. I want a jury to

do that.

Then it'll cost you.

Ask her what she did. Ask her about the things she suggested. Come on, Richard.

Stay calm.

This afternoon we conduct our discovery, and I'll ask her.

All right?

I watched Cal today through the blinds as he hefted tacks of cement on his

shoulders and thought of what it would be like to be held by him.

To feel those sinewy arms close around me like steel cables.

Who is Cal, Miss Heisler?

Your client, Mr. Kuthe, Calvin Scholes.

March 16th.

Last night I dreamt some great weight was holding me down.

Dogs bayed outside the windows as the sound of grunting grew louder and louder

until it was the only thing I could hear.

It was Cal I was dreaming of.

And of course that is as close as I will ever come to him.

You'll always keep your distance, Norma.

Fearful that if you didn't, he would break you like a dry stick underfoot or

disrupt your perfect quiet little world with his sweating and his grunting and

his final constricted cry to be followed by the sound of him snoring contentedly

by your side.

What would it be like?

Miss Heisler, I'm going to repeat the question I asked you yesterday.

Was Calvin Scholes ever made to believe that you wanted to have sexual relations

with him?

You're grinning, Cal.

Your Honor, I ask that the witness be directed to answer the question.

Miss Heisler... Do you think you know me? Miss Heisler, you are directed to

answer the question and stop addressing the defendant.

No matter what's in that book. Your Honor. Miss Heisler. No matter what I

or thought or wrote, you don't know me. Miss Heisler. And I never, ever gave you

permission to do what you did.

Now then, Mrs. Lauterbach, did your husband ever prevent you from pursuing

your dance career, such as it was?

He made it pretty clear that he didn't want me to. No, that's not what I asked

you. Did he do anything to prevent it?

He didn't break my legs, if that's what you mean.

Did he do anything to prevent you from obtaining a college degree?

He belittled me.

He'd say my only job was to look good for him. I'm not asking you what he

I'm asking you what he did.

Come on, Rona, she's telling you what he did.

He never took me seriously.

He convinced me that I should just shop and look good for him.

Except you didn't need all that much convincing, did you?

I mean, you were always drawn to the Jets that life.

That's why you married Richard Lauterbach in the first place.

That's not true.

No, I loved him.

But I had dreams of my own. It wasn't until after we were married that he

started destroying them and turning me out in the process. Right.

Let's talk about that a little.

You stated in your papers that you and your husband went to this bar in Oakland

on or about January the 14th, 1984.

You were taking Quaaludes that night, weren't you?

I'm sure I was.

Correct me if I'm wrong, ma 'am, but isn't the relaxation of sexual

the main reason a person takes that drug? How did she know why a person

it? Whose idea was it to take them? His.

Always his.

He loved to watch me fall down when I tried to dance.

You were dancing that night in Oakland?

Yeah, I was dancing.

Dancing the only way I still could.

Oh? How was that, Mrs. Lauterbach?

Dancing with other men?

Dancing to make your husband jealous?

Yes. Okay.

Dancing to make him crazy.

I knew exactly what I was doing. It was all me.

Jane. I mean it, Arnie.

Maybe this woman is right.

Nobody held a gun to my head.

We'll be right back.

Memory is a funny thing.

In varying degrees, we all revise our own personal histories to accommodate a

view of ourselves that we are comfortable with.

The only problem with the revision that you have heard here is that this man is

facing 20 years in prison because of it. Now, you've all heard Norma Heisler's

diary, and I think you'll agree that it paints a portrait of a woman who's led a

rather cloistered life.

Ambivalent about her sexuality?

profoundly troubled by her own desires.

Was Calvin Scholes wrong to have read it?

Absolutely.

Was a rape committed?

Well, when you examine this case with an objective, dispassionate eye, when you

consider that no weapon was used, no screams were heard, and no signs of a

physical struggle were detected, then at the very least, you must find that a

reasonable doubt exists.

Does that mean that this woman was lying?

Not really.

She's convinced that what she told you is true.

If she clings to an illusion, it's because the memory of not simply

to sexual relations with the defendant, but inviting them, is so painful that

she now seeks to extricate herself from its grip. The truth is, ladies and

gentlemen, she is not lying.

She's remembering.

The only way she can.

A bright, articulate, 38 -year -old woman calls the police

and says she was raped.

She submits to a physical examination, which shows the presence of semen in her

vagina.

And she names the defendant as the man who raped her.

Now, he never denies his presence in her apartment. He never denies the semen

was his.

And all he offers in his defense is a claim that she wanted him to do what he

did. And all he offers as proof is her diary.

Imagine. This one. This.

Temptress had the temerity to actually write down some of her thoughts about

sex. According to Mr. Cusack, what she really should have done was send the

defendant a monogrammed cigarette lighter instead of going to a district

attorney's office and sobbing her eyes out.

According to Mr. Cusack, she should be grateful to that man who terrified her

for six and a half hours.

Who tripped her naked.

Who penetrated her repeatedly.

And left her quivering with fear on the floor of her own home.

She should be grateful.

Oh, no, no, no, no.

Don't listen to Norma Heisler when she tells you she was raped. Because these

two gentlemen know better.

You know what they'll tell you?

That when it comes to sex, poor little Norma doesn't know what she wants.

Well, right here and right now, I want to tell them and I want to tell you that

rape isn't sex.

Rape is violence.

Norma Heisler wasn't a participant.

She was a victim.

Calvin Scholes wasn't her lover. He was her rapist.

And whoever tells you otherwise, they are the ones clinging to the illusion.

And what a brutal...

brutal illusion it is.

Please let me get your signature.

Tell Betsy I'll make myself available for interviews all day Friday.

Ask her if she thinks I ought to have some new headshots taken.

Okay.

Hanging around kind of late, aren't you?

Do you want to talk about it?

I know I'm probably setting myself up for the big I told you so, but the truth

is I've actually been envying people who wake up alone.

There's an upside and a downside to everything, Rox.

Come on, Ernie, don't be such a philosopher. You've been against this

from the start.

Yes, I was, but only because I thought you were getting into it for the wrong

reason.

Well, now that you're in it, I think you ought to give it a fair shot.

What makes you think I haven't?

You're not in love with him, Rox.

I think he knows it. Of course he knows that.

I've been honest with him about that from the start. He said it doesn't

Well, then he's a liar.

Look, you're it for him. He needs to think that he's it for you. And I don't

care what he tells you.

He needs for you to be his biggest fan.

That's going to be pretty hard, Arnie.

The truth is, he embarrasses me. I hate to admit it.

But I see the way people react to David. He starts to talk and their eyes

wander. They get these little forced smiles at the corners of their mouth and

they take the first possible chance to get away. You've done it. Hell, I've

it.

Being boring isn't the worst thing in the world, Rox.

Dave's decent.

He's kind.

You did marry him.

Now either own up to that and start acting like his wife or let me know.

drop some divorce papers.

As far as being embarrassed goes.

The only thing you have to be embarrassed about is the way you've been

him.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor.

I'll find you.

We find the defendant guilty.

The court thanks the jury for their time and their diligence.

The defendant is remanded to custody.

Sentencing is set for December 29th.

This court is now adjourned.

Oh, thank you so much.

Miss Heisler, I want you to know that I hope you're okay.

I'm not altogether uncomfortable believing that the interests of justice

been served here.

Mr. Cusack, as far as I'm concerned, the only difference between you and your

client is that he's the one who got convicted.

I'm a defense lawyer. All I was doing was putting on a defense.

You're much too modest.

You turned me inside out. You destroyed whatever last scraps of dignity and

privacy I had left.

You took what was mine, what belonged to me, and you distorted it so that you

could watch me wither.

Well, I didn't wither, did I?

Miss Heisler, look, I may not have been sure of my client's innocence, but I

can't do my job halfway.

You see, I, on the other hand, have always been dead sure of your client's

guilt. So you will understand if I don't thank you for your good wishes.

I believe the critical question, Your Honor, is did this man's behavior exceed

the reasonable bounds of marital conduct?

If it did, the no -fault statute should not make him immune to the consequences.

Mr. Becker is making this up as he goes along.

My client is a damaged woman. Do you deny that? Where is your client, Mr.

Becker? I'm not sure, Your Honor. I expect her any time now.

Whether she's damaged or not is irrelevant.

There's no standing to sue. There's no cause of action.

Excuse me.

Please be seated, Ms. Lauterbach. No, I'm not staying.

I can't do this.

I'm sorry.

Your Honor. Your Honor, please. I need a short recess to confer with my client,

Jane. Ernie, please. I just can't go through with this.

Ms. Lauterbach, are you stating that you intend to withdraw your complaint?

Right. Whatever you call it, Richard has offered to increase my support payments

until I get back on my feet. That's all I ever wanted to do. Did you know about

this? No.

Wait. Your Honor, please. All I need is a minute. Ten -minute recess.

Jane! Jane, what are you doing to me? Listen, Arnie, I appreciate your trying

help, but I just can't go through with it. Does this guy really have you that

wrapped around his finger?

It's not that.

Well, what is it, then? Is humiliating me serving some therapeutic end for you?

Did your shrink tell you to do it?

Please, Arnie, don't turn on me. I just can't go through with it.

Are you sure you want to be seen with me?

Patriarchal terrorist, brutalizer of women, courtroom bully.

You can think I'm going to jump in and tell you how much I admire you.

Forget it.

Am I about to get beat up again for being a lawyer, Grace?

Not for being a lawyer.

For being single -mindedly devoted to putting a vicious bastard like Calvin

Schultz back on the street.

I have to hear this from you? It occurs to even me that there just might be one

or two things more important than all us officers of the court playing our

assigned role.

Right. And Mussolini made the trains run on time.

That is a tired old speech, Michael.

And I have spent too many years watching dangerous people slither out from

paying the price for what they did, only to do it again. In case you've

forgotten, I lost.

And my client can expect to be behind bars for the next decade or so.

Yeah, well, don't feel too bad. You got your licks in.

You made sure there'd be yet another woman who'd think long and hard before

enduring a trial the next time she's raped.

You gonna take him out and shoot him? Fine.

Let me know, I'll stop knocking myself out and find another country to live in.

But until then, I'll pass on joining the lynch mob.

Thank you very much.

Hello?

Hello? Hello?

Hello?

You know, you really ought to keep the door locked when you're here after

Yeah, you never know who'll come walking in.

Wait, you mean like you guys? You know what I'm talking about.

If I was to tell you the truth right now, I wouldn't be all that picky. Well,

then let us toast to the day that you can be just as picky as you want. No,

got cups. Wait, wait. And from two associates you left behind. What?

Oh, God.

A dictator is born.

You got me a dictator in this team.

You guys are the greatest.

You miss us?

I'm going to tell you something, Abby. You took a lot in there.

Yeah, probably a lot more than brains.

You love it.

Yeah. Well, then let's toast to that.

You know,

I still can't get over that she would do this to me. It's unbelievable.

Call me crazy, but maybe she felt her welfare was a little more important in

this instance than yours.

Yeah, well, you see, there's part of the problem right there.

I hate to say this, but betrayal is something of an occupational hazard with

female clients.

They come in pleading for me to be their knight in shining armor, and I do it.

And then an ex -husband comes in and he makes him some promises, or he throws

him one between the sheets, and I get hung out to dry.

Did it ever occur to you that this woman might have done what was right for her?

What's with you, Monica? Can't you just give it up a little bit?

Can't you just say, hey, Arnie, you got shafted. How about let me make you feel

better? How about, uh, let me run you a bath? Or how about let me fluff up your

pillows? Or how about, uh, let me bring you some cocoa?

I don't think I've ever known a more self -centered man.

Others work at it, but you are truly gifted.

You know something? You're unbelievable.

You and Roxanne have a lot in common.

You both dole out your affection with a medicine dropper while the guy dependent

on it twists slowly in the wind.

That's the thing about women, isn't it? They'll fail you every time.

Well, my mistake was thinking that you might be different.

Oh, no, Arnie.

Your mistake was not knowing that I am.

I sincerely suggest you consider where this relationship is headed.

It's headed out the door, just like me.

Monica, if you go out the door, don't come back.

Oh, I won't come back.

Monica?

No, I already ate.

Tired? A little.

Why don't you sit down, and I'll put on some music.

A little Sinatra, maybe?

No. I'm not in the mood for Sinatra right now.

Can I make you a drink?

Sure.

Whoever you are, please don't waste one more second listening to this tape

unless, like... Thousands of satisfied customers, you too, long for a fresh

-smelling home at a fraction of the prices charged by leading department

and specialty shops.

The miracle of modern polymer technology has made it possible for me to offer

you scent -impregnated shower curtains and matching non -slip tub appliques

for the amazingly low price of $15 .95.

Available in Heather Honey.

wild frangipani and exotic deponotus. But don't stop there.

How would you like to transform stale -smelling trouble spots in kitchen and

nursery with a garbage disposal cover redolent of apples and a...