All language subtitles for L.A. Law S06E05 Monkey on My Back Lot

Previously on L .A. Law. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry about the baby.

I got your note, thank you.

How is Victor?

Victor and I are separated.

You know Steve Graham?

Yeah, legal reporter, Channel 3. Well,
he's going on vacation.

And the station needs someone to cover
for him for a couple weeks. But I'm a

divorce attorney. So? You went to law
school. You know the difference between

crime and a tort.

Don't tell me that under that lawyerly
suit you're really a romantic.

Well, if by that you mean I believe
every woman has one special light in her

that can only be seen by one special
man, then I'm guilty as charged. Lock me

and throw away the key.

No, no, no, no, I'm here. This is
terrific. Listen, but what about Stephen

Graham?

Uh -huh.

Well, I suppose I can make the time, but
how much money are we talking about?

Roxanne? Roxanne?

Damn it, Roxanne!

I had another blue shirt. It's gone.

I've got to tape a segment this morning.

I cannot find my damn shirt.

You mean the one you spilled wasabi on
last night?

Oh, great.

I don't have time to go back to my
apartment. I'll have to buy a new shirt.

going to tape it. Are you done with
this? No. Thanks.

Honey, why don't you remember to
bring...

Maybe for the same reason you use my
razor when you're shaving your legs at

place. For poop's sake, Arnie, it's not
going to kill you if you use the razor

after me.

That's disgusting.

Oh, yeah?

Like the 300 -year -old tube of crust in
your medicine cabinet?

When was the last time you shopped for
toiletries? The Bronze Age?

At least I keep my fridge stocked with
more than carrot juice and mineral

You don't have a refrigerator.

You have a science project.

Maybe you'd like to do my shopping for
me in the future. Maybe I could buy his

and her straight razors so you don't get
infected with my girl cooties. What do

you want to do, buy matching hair dryers
and move in together?

I've got to finish my hair. I've got to
find that shirt.

Next up, Elkins versus the Southern
California Housing Authority.

We represent the authority on this? Uh,
yeah. They passed the ban on firearms

and a public housing project.

Now a gun owner is suing them to get his
weapon back.

Americans for Firearms has filed a
friend -of -the -court brief on behalf

plaintiff. No big surprise.

I thought you represented a tenants'
organization.

I still do.

I helped the tenants a couple of years
ago when they were trying to get the gun

ban passed.

So when this suit came up, they
convinced the housing authority to hire

defend it.

Don't say a word. About what? I'm
sending Benny out to get me a new shirt.

Just leave it alone.

I think it looks very attractive, Arnie.
Gives you that lived -in rumpled look.

I don't do rumpled. Yes, well, moving
on.

Grace, do you have a meeting with the
executive director of the Los Angeles

Women's Alliance?

Yeah, they want me to take over for Joan
Cooper on a writ.

Mother convicted of child abuse two
years ago. The trial judge conditioned

probation on accepting a contraceptive
implant.

Nice guy. Did she agree to it? She was
young. She was scared.

All she heard was that five capsules
under her skin would keep her out of

That's blatantly unconstitutional. I
don't believe it. Well, it took a

procedure to put the implants in, and
she's petitioning for another procedure

take them out. And I haven't decided
whether to take it or not.

Finally, Leland McKenzie.

Arbitrator to the stars.

Well, not quite.

A husband and wife team.

Animal trainers.

They're divorcing. And I'm arbitrating
the division of property in their

company. Ask him if it's true. Mr. Ed
couldn't really speak.

That's it, people. We're adjourned.

The facts are pretty grim.

Two years ago, Sharon Kester was charged
with misdemeanor drug possession.

But when social services came to take
temporary custody of her kids, they saw

evidence of child abuse as well.

Stemming from her drug use. She'd hit
her three -year -old with an extension

cord.

Miss Kester was also pregnant.

Awaiting trial, she had a stillbirth.

Crack baby? They added fetal
endangerment to the charges, put her two

foster homes, ordered her into drug
rehab and psychotherapy.

Then the judge gave her a choice.

Five years in prison or five years
probation.

provided she have the contraceptive
implant.

On the theory that the fewer children
she has, the fewer children she can

I have to tell you, part of me agrees
with that.

I feel really uncomfortable with making
this a test case. We all are. And you've

done more than your share of work for
the Women's Alliance, but this one's

critical, Grace.

The state cannot be allowed to control a
woman's body and her reproductive

choices. We have to get this sentence
overturned. I'll tell you what.

Before I make up my mind...

I'd like to meet with Sharon Kester.

I'll set it up.

And I won't sugarcoat this.

You're probably not going to like her.

The kid's a natural.

He got that in one take. Can you believe
it? Oh, I can see. He's a very talented

simian. Jerry's better than his trashy
action -adventure vehicle.

Oh, here it comes. The RT. It's always
the monkey that's different.

It was his best work yet. He was playing
strictly results.

His best work is Widow's Walk.

There was depth. There was nuance in
that performance.

Nuance, my ass. He phoned it in. He
learned it from you, just like you

our sex life. Meryl Streep would have
phoned in our sex life. All right.

All right, now settle down. Settle down.

A divorce is traumatic, but that doesn't
mean that it can't be civilized.

Your lawyers thought this might be
better resolved among the three of us.

it on a human level?

So let's try.

I take it you two differ on career
direction for Jerry.

Action films are lucrative, but they're
short term.

In the long run, I think he'd be better
off doing family films or maybe a

series. She wants him to do television.

My God, he'll never have a life.

And no other animal of yours brings in
as much income as Jerry.

That's right. He grosses $150 ,000 a
year. And no combination of other assets

acceptable as an exchange to either of
you. No, no.

Well, traditionally, under the law, an
animal is regarded as property, but this

may be a case of custody as well.

So I have to take into account not only
who will be the best manager of Jerry's

economic potential, but which of you
makes the better parent.

So to that end, I think I'd like to meet
Jerry.

We'll adjourn until tomorrow morning, 10
o 'clock.

Hmm?

Sorry. The crisis at the office.

Yeah, the crisis here, if you hadn't
noticed. Nice to see you too, Mrs.

Just like I've been telling you, he'd
make us wait 30 minutes, just like you

made us wait a year before you banned
the guns. You and the other tenants

us to rush this process. Now we're right
where I said we would be, in the middle

of a lot. Come on, we're on the same
side here. You would prefer to see a few

more 10 -year -olds shot on the
playground? The housing authority would

that better. That's not what I mean, and
you know it. You wouldn't even fight me

had to talk you into it. You and your
people pressured us into this.

My people and your people used to be the
same. Have you forgotten what it's like

to live there? Okay, enough.

Now let's pull back the artillery.

Now, Maggie, you and I go back a long
ways, but you're not being sued here.

the housing authority. I don't want to
see any of this when we put you on the

stand. You got that?

And you, cut her a little slack, okay?
You know what she's got invested in

Believe me, Mrs. Wallace, we want to win
this case as much as you do.

Okay. Well, good.

Well, let's do it.

Mr.

Elkin, in the five years that you've
lived in Avalon Court, what has the

racial makeup of the building been?

Objection relevant.

We're going to show that this firearm
ban intentionally discriminates against

minorities, Your Honor. Oh, please.

No, I want to hear this.

Go on, Mr. Elkin.

Project may be 80 % black, 50 %
Hispanic, the rest white and Asian.

there, do you feel discriminated
against?

Show me somebody that doesn't.

We've got more crime and less police in
white areas.

Ambulances don't even want to come into
a black neighborhood.

Objection speculative and irrelevant.

Sustained. Answer stricken.

Mr. Elkin, what kind of criminal
activity have you personally witnessed

project? Drug deals, gangs.

Four years ago, I got caught in a
crossfire. I was lucky.

They only hit me in the shoulder.

That's when I went out and bought a gun.

And did you have occasion to use that
gun? About a year later. A burglar broke

into my place in the middle of the
night.

I didn't want to shoot.

But he came on me so fast, I didn't have
a choice.

You killed him?

Yes. I'm not proud of it.

But I'd rather it was him than me.

Where is your gun now, Mr. Elkin?

Confiscated by the housing authority.

They passed a new rule.

No guns in the project.

If I didn't like it, I could leave.

Later, I find out that they didn't even
get it okay by the Department of Housing

and Urban Development like they were
supposed to by law.

They just railroaded it through.

And why did you file this lawsuit to get
your gun back, sir? I grew up black,

Ms. Hagan.

Most of my life, I got told what to do
and when to do it.

I live on a housing project because I
can't afford to live anyplace else. But

matter who I am or where I live, I got
rights. And one of them is the right to

defend myself.

And at Avalon Court, that takes a gun.

Thank you, Mr. Elkin. Nothing further.

You haven't been burglarized since the
gun ban went into effect, have you, Mr.

Elkin? No. And before that one, you
still had your weapon. How many break

were there?

Just the one.

But on at least one other occasion, you
thought somebody was breaking in, so you

fired your gun, putting a bullet through
the wall into a neighbor's apartment.

The window was open. I thought somebody
was in the room.

But it was only a stray cat, wasn't it?

Yes. Your building is patrolled by
private security officers now, right?

They search the visitors in the lobby to
keep out knives and guns.

Security ain't foolproof.

I feel safer with my own gun. You'd feel
safer?

Well, how safe do you think your
neighbor felt when you shot at a burglar

wasn't there?

Objection. No foundation.

Sustained. Listen, if I didn't have my
gun, I'd be dead now. You understand?

I got a right to defend myself.

Listen, I am tired of hearing about you
and your rights, Tom Elkins. What about

our right to defend... And our children
against them bullets you keep shooting

around your bedroom. Order!

You say you can't afford to move from
the project, Mr. Elkin. That's right.

Then how is it you're able to afford
this very expensive civil suit you

I couldn't.

But Mr. Jameson said he'd help me out
with that. Ah, Mr.

Jameson is a representative of Americans
for Firearms. That's right. I called

him. Wanted to know what my rights were.
And, Mr. Elkin, it was your idea to sue

the Housing Authority?

I don't remember who mentioned it first.

You're a member of the organization?

No. Is anyone in your building a member,
to your knowledge?

Not that I know of. So they are willing
to pick up your legal bills despite the

fact that no one in your building has
any connection with them whatsoever.

I never realized the AFF was a
philanthropic organization.

Objection!

You're not a party to this suit, Mr.
Jamison. Sit down.

I understand you're doing well in drug
rehab.

Yeah, I guess.

I've been clean two years. That's longer
than ever before.

And how about your psychotherapy? Is
that going okay?

Yeah, sure.

Well, good.

I hear you have a new boyfriend, too.

Yeah, he's a good guy.

And he's not into drugs.

That's a first for me.

Look, Ms. Van Owen, I know what you must
think about me, but I'd

never hurt my kids if I wasn't using.

And I want to get them back someday.

I know I've got to prove that I'm going
to do right by them.

Well, it's not just hitting your kids,
Sharon. It's also your drug use and your

baby, the one you lost.

That was an accident.

It wasn't my fault.

It was your fault, Sharon.

The baby was stillborn because of the
crack cocaine you used during your

pregnancy. That's what they said, but
not true.

Then what caused it, Sharon?

I think it was because I was so upset on
account of being arrested.

It was, you know, stress.

Sharon, I... I want this thing taken out
of me, Ms. Van Owen.

I never should have agreed to it.

I want to get married.

Have more kids.

I want to show that judge. I want to
show everyone.

I want to prove that I am a good mother.

I must like you, Mr.

McKenzie. He doesn't take to everybody
like this right off.

Isn't that right?

Oogie poogie.

Yes, well, I like him too. Well, just
try to loosen up a little bit. Treat him

like a baby.

Do you have many grandchildren, Mr.
McKenzie? Uh, no.

No, I, uh... My wife and I never had any
children.

Mr. Markell, uh... Your wife claims that
your training methods are

unnecessarily harsh.

Firm, maybe, but not harsh. And never
unnecessary.

It's a question of approach.

She coddles the animals, she coos in his
ears, she feeds him treats all day.

Yeah, he yells at him. He withholds food
until he learns a trick.

Doesn't eat, Joey. You yell at the
animal, Mr. Markell? I don't yell. I do

believe in discipline as a legitimate
method of behavioral conditioning. If

want the animal to exhibit aggressive
behavior on camera, you have to be

aggressive with him. But I don't abuse
him. I love him as much as she does.

Well, since I'm not qualified to
evaluate which approach is best, I'm

in an independent expert to determine
which trainer has the best rapport with

Jerry. But wait a minute.

If he continues to have custody of
Jerry, he could coach the animal to

him. I wouldn't, but you would. You
certainly would. In a minute. You would.

right, all right.

We'll keep Jerry in a third person's
custody.

Neutralize his conditioning for a few
days before the testing. Will that work?

I'm not going to leave him with a total
stranger.

He's a very valuable property.

Yeah. What about you?

Excuse me?

Well, you're neutral party.

You're a responsible person, and Jerry
seems to like you. I can live with that.

No, that's out of the question. Well,
there must be some other animal trainer

who could take him. Oh, sure. Loan him
to the competition.

What about a kennel? Good luck finding
one that handles exotic animals on such

short notice.

Well, all right.

What about his personal hygiene?

No worries. He's toilet trained.

All right.

Two days, but no more.

We'll reconvene on Thursday.

Then you be a good little boy for Uncle
Leland, okay?

So, what is there about the idea of
moving in together that frightens you?

Aside from the fact that I've managed to
torpedo every serious relationship I've

ever had?

Right. We'll take that as a given.

Well, obviously, we're not going to live
in my crummy little apartment. I'd have

to move into Roxanne's house, the one
she bought after her settlement with

Meyer. It's like he's still a presence
there somehow.

Correct, sir.

Sometimes when we're making love, I have
the feeling that he's in bed with us.

And he's angry at the two of you being
together. No, he's telling me how direct

mail advertising could broaden my client
base. Believe me, Doc, this is a ghost

no one can live with. Except for that
house in Malibu you rented.

And Corinne's house.

You've always lived in apartments.

You ever bought a place of your own?

Is this leading somewhere, or do you
have a realty license on the side?

You live in a furnished apartment full
of half -open boxes.

You know what you got, Ernie?

Fear of furniture.

What? I'm being serious.

Fear of permanence.

Of being too deeply rooted.

Not being able to cut and run.

Regardless of whether you and Roxanne
move in together, have you ever thought

about getting your own place?

Why should I?

What is the big deal about owning
property, for God's sake?

The big deal for me when I bought my
first place.

Scary, too.

I wasn't depending on somebody else to
make a home for me. I was making a home

for myself.

I'm not scared.

A house is a house. It is not like
committing to a relationship.

It's only committing to a... To a what,
Arnie?

A life.

Your Honor, I renew my objection to this
witness. Her testimony is completely

irrelevant. Ms. Hagen claims the gun ban
is discriminatory. Judge Mrs. Wallace

is a tenant. She's black. I want to see
how she feels.

Well, we don't have a jury here, Ms.
Hagen. I'll allow it. Thank you, Your

Honor.

Mrs. Wallace, how long have you lived in
Avalon Courts? 25 years.

I raised two daughters there.

And one of your daughters stayed in
Avalon Courts even after she had a child

her own, didn't she? Yes.

Lynette moved into a one -bedroom on the
fifth floor. I used to babysit her

little boy, Henry, when Lynette had to
work.

What happened to Lynette, Mrs. Wallace?

One day she was making dinner in the
kitchen and a bullet came from outside

window and hit her in the throat.

She died on her way to the hospital.

I'm sorry.

You have custody of her son, Henry,
don't you?

Yes. What was life like for a child in
Avalon Courts before the guns were taken

away?

The first thing you learn is if you hear
a gunshot drop to the floor, stay away

from the windows. Some people sleep on
the floor all the time. They don't use

the beds at all. After Lynette was
killed, ma 'am, what'd you do?

helped form a tenant's league, put
pressure on the housing authority, and

them adopt a no -gun provision like they
have in Chicago.

And is life any safer at the projects?

Well, it's not perfect, Mr.

Mulaney, but it's better than what it
was.

So you don't agree with Mr.

Elkin, do you? My daughter could have
owned a gun. But what good would it do

when you can be shot and killed by a
stray bullet while you're asleep?

Thank you, Mrs.

Wallace. Nothing further.

I'm very sorry for your loss, ma 'am.
Not just mine, Ms. Hagen.

Feel sorry for the half -dozen children
killed in our project in the past two

years. Isn't it true, Mrs. Wallace, that
when you enter your building, you go

past armed guards?

That's right.

To keep the felons out or to keep
minorities under control?

Objection. Watch yourself, Ms. Hagen.
I'll rephrase.

Doesn't it bother you that all these
measures are directed primarily at

of Hispanic and African heritage? No.

Do you know what bothers me, young
woman?

That American firearms suddenly acting
like they care so much for blacks when

they never gave a damn about them
before.

You don't know what it's like living
down there, Mr.

Jameson. Where were you when my daughter
was killed?

when a 10 -month -old baby was shot and
killed in its... Your Honor, please. You

want to tell my grandson how much you
like black people? You want to explain

the bastards that shot and killed his
mama shouldn't have to give up their

Well, you do it! You do it!

All right? I mean, Ann, it was bizarre.

She refuses to acknowledge
responsibility for her baby's death.

But she's in therapy, right?

The doctors have to know about this.
They have to be working on it. Yeah, but

they're not the one who has to go into
court and argue that she's a fit mother

when, in plain truth, she's not.

Grace, whether Sharon is or is not a fit
mother is beside the point. You're

arguing against a blatantly
unconstitutional sentence. That's the

that matters. So if I win and the
implant is removed...

She goes back on to crack and maybe has
another stillbirth. You don't know

that's going to happen.

She's in rehab. She's in therapy.

It might not play out that way. But even
if it does, like I said, it's beside

the point.

Beside the point.

So what you're saying is that I am not
being objective.

That maybe four months ago I would have
been.

Maybe.

Or maybe you're being more of a
prosecutor right now than a plaintiff's

attorney. Was Danny Escobedo a great
guy? Or Ernesto Miranda?

An accused rapist and an alleged
murderer. And they walked away free. But

without them, the cops would never have
to read anybody their rights.

Same thing.

What in the name of... Ho, ho, ho. What
are you doing, Jerry?

What are you doing?

Oh, my goodness, you're shaking.

What's the matter?

What's the trouble?

Here, come on. Let's come over here and
sit down. We'll talk it all over. Come

on. We'll go talk it all over. Come on.

There you go.

There.

There. Come on.

You feel better?

That's better, isn't it?

Oh, yes.

That's my wife. Mm -hmm.

That's Ruth.

This was taken on our wedding day, 1955.

We were married in San Diego.

In the garden of the Del Coronado Hotel.

Yeah, that night we walked down to the
waterfront and told each other how

we'd spend the rest of our lives
together.

That's enough of that.

Come on.

Let's go back to bed.

Come on. Back to bed with you. Come now.

Back to bed.

There you go.

All right.

All right. You all right? Oh, kitty.

Sleep. Go to sleep.

Bye -bye.

Bye -bye, Barry.

Mr. Carrera, how long have you been with
the Housing Authority?

About five years, but I also grew up in
one of the projects, Lethem Downs. What

was life like in Avalon Courts before
the weapons were confiscated?

We estimated that one innocent bystander
is shot at every day, one is hit by

gunfire each week, and one is killed
every month. And since the gun ban went

into effect, has there been any marked
difference?

Definitely. Homicides are down 40%,
rapists down 30%. My God, if we take the

guns out of the hands of the gang
members living in the projects, it's

make life safer. So what do you think of
the claim by Mr.

Jameson's organization that this ban
discriminates against minorities?

Insulting.

Americans for firearms is made up
primarily of rural whites, but they have

gall to come in here and argue their
agenda on the pretext that they know

better for inner -city minorities.

They're cynically exploiting...
Objection! Witness has no foundation to

characterize the AFF's membership or
intentions.

Sustained. Strike the answer.

Was the gun ban intended to discriminate
against minorities, Mr. Carrera? It's

meant to protect them, to protect us.

We're the people being shot at and being
killed. Mr. Jamison knows that. Thank

you, sir. Nothing further.

So, homicides and rape have gone down in
Avalon Court. How about burglaries?

No, but there's... Robberies, muggings,
vehicle theft?

No. In fact, overall, the crime rate is
pretty much the same as before the gun

ban, isn't it? That's a very difficult
question to answer. Isn't it true, Mr.

Carrera, that last March, when a tenant
was stabbed in a parking garage, it took

almost 20 minutes for the security
police to discover it? We don't have the

money to post guards everywhere, Miss
Hagen. In 1989, the Housing Authority

asked for how much funding from the
federal government?

120 million.

And how much did you receive?

18 million.

Think you're likely to get any extra
guards in that parking garage anytime

Objection. Withdrawn. Nothing further.

Douglas, could I ask you advice about
something?

Of course.

I'm thinking about asking Arnie to move
in with me.

Well...

That's very nice.

No, I want to know what you really
think.

Really? Really.

Betty, you should lie down in the middle
of the Ventura Freeway at rush hour.

Quicker and probably less painful.

Gee, thanks.

Roxanne, you asked for my opinion.

Yeah.

I know how you feel about Arnie.

And it's all true.

My God, why am I getting involved with
him much less considering living with

him?

You tell me.

In some ways, he's as selfish and
inconsiderate as ever. In others, I

doesn't even look at another woman when
we go out together.

He's my friend, confidant, lover. He is
so warm and wonderful and patient

and loving, I could rip out his liver.

Interesting dynamic.

This is when he starts to screw it up,
you know, when everything's great, when

he couldn't seem nicer. This is when he
finds a way to self -destruct. I mean, I

watched him do it with Corinne. I
watched him do it with every woman he's

dated. I don't want to watch him do it
with me.

Roxanne, are you... Are you all right?

I didn't want to be in love with him
again.

Maybe Arnie has changed.

Maybe he's not the same person he was 12
years ago.

But you know, neither are you.

My God, I remember your first day here.

I was afraid a strong wind might blow
you over.

It probably could.

Well, not anymore.

Grace Van Owen appearing for the
petitioner Sharon Kester.

It is our position that the probationary
condition placed on Ms. Kester violates

her right of privacy as guaranteed by
the 14th Amendment and that the coercive

nature of the implant... How can it be
coercive, Ms. Van Owen, when the

petitioner agreed to the condition?

Ms. Kester is young and comparatively
uneducated. She did not fully understand

the implications of her assent. What
about her attorney?

Incompetence of counsel. He was
discharged one month later.

As Americans, we look at a country like
China, which places harsh restrictions

on its citizens' reproductive rights,
and we're rightly appalled. But unless

reverse this ruling, our government will
have much the same power. An

individual's right to reproduce is
perhaps the most fundamental of human

and placing limits on it is not a power
any government should have.

Thank you.

Please, the court.

Sidney Lowenstein appearing for the
state.

It's well established, Your Honor, that
the state has a compelling interest in

the safety of children.

Sharon Kester is a convicted drug addict
and child abuser. To allow her to have

more children before she can demonstrate
parental fitness would be

unconscionable, even weighed against any
alleged infringement of her

constitutional rights.

Ms. Kester was not forced against her
will. What about the question of

consent? The trial transcript clearly
shows that the petitioner understood the

conditions. Are you claiming, Counselor,
that Ms. Kester has somehow lost her

privacy rights just because she's been
convicted of a crime?

Not at all, Your Honor. But she is
subject to probationary provisions

imposed on law -abiding citizens, would
be unconstitutional.

Limitations on travel or associations
with known felons, employment

restrictions. all imposable because the
guilty person is subject to sentencing.

This implant was just a different type
of condition, one that is not only fair

but completely reversible should Miss
Kester be able to demonstrate her

as a parent.

Thank you, Counselor. We will take the
matter under advisement.

Now this is the last one.

You understand?

Well, here's one for later.

Stars have to watch their weight.

Pretty soon the only role you'll be fit
for is son of Kong.

Leland, Douglas is waiting to go over
the monthly reports with you. Oh, all

right. I'll be right there. Thank you.

I don't want to come back and find that
you have opened that bag.

You understand?

You can be a very good boy when you want
to be.

Now,

I'm going to trust you to stay out of
trouble.

Jerry! Jerry!

Jerry! Now you stop that at once.

You're bad, Jim. You're bad.

You all right, Benny?

He jumped on me. Well, he gets a little
carried away sometimes, don't you, boy?

No man goes for dinner for you, young
man.

Let's go.

All right, now you be good. You be very,
very good.

Historically, gun control has been less
about controlling guns than about

controlling black.

In 1968, the Gun Control Act was passed
in the wake of violent race riots and a

shaken Congress pushed through
legislation banning so -called Saturday

specials. They knew very well who owned
these guns and who their legislation

would affect.

Ironically, a hundred years earlier,
after the Civil War, Congress passed

legislation ensuring that recently freed
blacks could own guns to protect

themselves from their former masters,
who says time brings progress.

Your Honor, the Housing Authority has a
well -chosen Latino representative.

He's minority, but he works for white
people. White people who are scared to

death of empowering blacks and
Hispanics.

So they've found a clever way to
disempower them. Your Honor, don't let

away with it.

It wasn't too long ago that a child
living in Avalon Courts couldn't go

in the summer to play for fear of being
shot.

Even if he could go outside, he was
told, if you see a stranger, to cross

street and stay outside handgun range.

And sometimes at night, his parents had
him sleep in the bathtub because it was

the only room in the house that had no
windows.

Now... Mr. Elkin said his right to own a
gun is more important than a child's

right to live in safety.

But studies have shown that a gun in the
home is 40 times more likely to be used

against someone living in that home. And
it is six times more likely that a gun

in a home will result in an accidental
shooting than in the shooting of an

intruder. So given this...

The Housing Authority had a rational
basis for implementing a gun ban that

protects all its tenants' safety and
health.

As for Ms.

Hagen's accusation that this rule is
intentionally racist, not only has she

given absolutely no proof to support
this, but the majority of tenants at

Court completely disagree with her. What
does seem to appear to be racist.

is the gun lobby insisting that they
know what is better for minorities

than the minorities themselves.

Don't listen to them, Judge.

Listen to the people whose lives are
really on the line.

What is your evaluation of Jerry, Dr.
Dryden? I'd say he was...

Conflicted. Conflicted? Yes, you see,
Mr. and Mrs. Markell have distinctly

different training methods. Mr. Markell
takes an aggressive, confrontational

approach, while Mrs. Markell prefers a
more lenient, reward -oriented method.

Well, if both work, what's wrong with
that? Well, imagine a human child in the

same situation.

His father disciplines him to get him to
do things, clean his room, get good

grades, while his mother showers
affection on him, gives him rewards to

same. He grows up with...

Conflicting impulses. Jerry's never had
any difficulty with that. Doctor, what

would be the results of those
conflicting impulses?

Erratic behavior.

Manic. Almost violent. One moment.

Docile. And loving. The next.

A manic depressive chimp?

Essentially, yes. And I believe Mr.
McKenzie, Mr. Solwich, had a small taste

his problem. So Jerry would be better
off with only one trainer. Yes. And

be able to determine which trainer has
the better rapport with him. Yes.

I believe so.

Let's get on with it.

Patrice, would you bring Jerry in,
please?

Now, I want the both of you to verbally
invite him to come to you.

Okay, just let him go, and we'll see
which one he goes to first.

Jerry, come here, Jerry.

Jerry, come here. Come here, right now.
Come here. Come here. Come here, damn

it. Jerry, damn it. Come here, Jerry.

Jerry!

Deeply conflicted. Thank you, doctor.

You're welcome.

Jer? I've never seen him like this. He
looks terrified.

We can't keep doing this to him, Jack.

Mr. McKenzie, I don't want to hurt him
anymore.

We can't keep fighting over him like
this.

Jack can have him.

Are you sure about that, Mrs. Markell?

Yes, I am.

Mr. Markell?

Hey, fine by me.

In that case, I assign ownership of
Jerry to Mrs. Markell.

What? As I made clear, I want Jerry not
just to be with the best trainer, but

with the person who cares the most about
him. And by that action, I believe that

Mrs. Markell, despite the fact that she
goes overboard with her affections, to

be that person. Hey, wait a minute, pal.
You can't do this. You're talking about

my meal ticket here. You agreed to
arbitration, Mr. Markell, and it is

I suggest if you want a new meal ticket,
you go to Schwab's. Look for a chimp in

a tight sweater. All right, we're done
here. We're done.

Mr. McKenzie, I don't know what to say.

Well, good luck, Mrs. Markell.

Well, take care of yourself, young man.

You'd have made a good father.

No.

No, I never would have had the patience.

Tell him about it.

Ms. Van Owen.

May I come in?

Yeah.

Have we heard anything?

Yes.

The justice has just delivered their
opinion.

We won.

Oh, man.

That's great.

That means I can get my kids back,
right?

Not necessarily, no.

Why not?

The court said I can have more kids. It
means they think I'd be a good mother

now. The court ruled that your rights
were violated by the implant.

But they didn't say anything about you
being a fit mother.

But I am a fit mother.

Sharon, until you face the fact that
your drug use cost the life of your

you're not. Who in the hell do you think
you are?

I don't care what you did for me. Who in
the hell are you to think... I just

wanted to help you. Get out! Get out of
my house! Stop this! I don't want you

here!

You never gave a damn about me. All you
and Miss Price ever cared about was the

case. That is not true. Get out, Sharon!

Sharon, I know what you're thinking.
That if you stay in rehab, that if you

this shrink, that pretty soon they're
going to give you your kids back. But

not true.

That's not how it works. You have to
show that you have changed.

You have to show that you understand
what you did. Well, I told you it wasn't

fault. It was your fault. Your baby died
of a heart attack. Oh, you've got to

help. You don't even see my kids.

You don't know them.

I raised them just fine.

I'm going to raise another one just
fine. And I don't need nobody's

Now you got what you wanted.

Get the hell out of my house.

My client must be delayed in traffic,
Your Honor. I apologize.

Yes, well, I'm afraid he's not coming,
Counselor.

I just talked with the police.

Mr. Elkin is dead.

When did this happen?

About two hours ago.

Mr. Elkin was in his car, stopped at a
light.

Some gang members began harassing him.

He took out a revolver that he
apparently kept in the glove compartment

car. One of the gang members opened fire
with his own gun, and Mr. Elkin died at

the scene.

I move to dismiss, Your Honor. This case
has been mooted.

I wish I could, Mr. Mullaney, but this
is a matter of public policy. I'm going

to rule.

Now, unfortunately, the housing
authority never got this gun ban

HUD. Therefore, this lease provision
cannot stand.

I have no choice but to render judgment
for the plaintiff, Mr. Elkin.

God rest his soul.

And as for your soul, Mr. Jameson, I
would start praying if I were you.

This court is adjourned.

This is what you wanted me to see?

Yeah, my realtor spotted it yesterday.
Three bedrooms, three baths. It's an

incredible bargain for North Montana.

It's gorgeous, honey.

But I didn't even know you were looking.

Me neither.

I made an offer on it this afternoon.

What? I think... I think it would make a
really nice...

Family home.

Even nicer if you would join me.

Is it warm in here?

You keep your place. If things don't
work out, you can always move back. And

they do, then you can always sell it
later.

Why now, Arnie?

Why push our luck?

Because... Because I love you.

I've said it so many times before and I
never meant it. I wish there was some

other way I could say it, but there
isn't.

I love you, Rox.

Oh, this is... This is crazy.

There is not a bookie in the country
that would give us better than 50 to 1

odds on this.

Long shots pay off, Rox. They pay off
big.

You really want to?

I should.

I should probably be committed.

Maybe this calls for a celebration.

Sure, yeah. We could go over to
Gladstone's. No.

I was thinking of something more like a
christening.

Consider it often.