All language subtitles for L.A. Law S08E07 Pacific Rimshot

Previously on L .A. Law. The Bentley
Continental R.

You ever seen one?

No, I haven't. Do you see any reason
they shouldn't buy it?

If you're not bothered by the display of
wealth and you enjoy arousing the

feelings of envy in others, I think you
should.

I'm sure people tell you all the time
how you don't look like a private

investigator. Yes, they do. Yeah, I
figured they did.

Is that something you were planning on
saying?

Me? No. A correctional officer was
killed as an indirect but proximate

your client's actions.

What's fair is that he served the next
20 years of his life in prison.

Mr. Rollins, since, as I understand it,
you'll be the one trying this case, I

would like to know if you are willing to
defend my husband in the manner in

which he wants to be defended.

Well, Stuart's absolutely right that
this is a long shot.

As long as you understand that, I'm
willing to see where the evidence leads.

If we can build a credible case that
Horace Washington's life was in danger,

then, yeah, I'm willing to go to court
with that.

You want me to testify, Mr. Rollins?

Yes, I do.

You tell me where and when you want me
to show up.

I'll be there.

Nice day to have the top down.

I'd rather be driving what you're
driving. You can appreciate the view

fully from the inside.

Are you offering me a ride?

Absolutely. Generally, I make it a rule
not to get into cars with strangers.

But there's an exception for every rule,
isn't there? And are you the exception?

Yes, I am. I am the exception.

So what I suggest we do is, if you
follow me back to my office, you park

car in my space, and take a ride right
now. Where's your office?

444, that's Flower.

And you want me to follow you?

Right this minute.

United States versus Ellison. Trial
starts today.

What's your defense?

That the action taken was justified.

Aiding and abetting an escape was
justified?

Right. What about smuggling in a gun?

He didn't do that. Stewart, are you in
accord with this approach?

Jonathan's trying this case. I'll defer
to his judgment.

Tomba versus Tomba. Arnie asked me to
take this one over. We're representing

Gretchen Tomba, who's going for divorce.
Her husband says he wants desperately

to stay married or, in the alternative,
to receive $50 ,000 a month in spousal

support. Morning, Arnold. Where do you
stand?

We're in depositions. And you're
comfortable dealing with California law?

I dealt with it when I was handling
divorces in New York. Plus, I'll be

the California bar exam soon, so I'll be
boning up on it. When is the exam being

given? Is anybody in here at all
interested in what happened to me this

Is anybody interested in why I am late?
In why I am sitting here utterly

distraught?

I got rear -ended sitting at a light.

You're Bentley?

Yes. My Bentley. It'll be in the shop
for six weeks. It'll cost five figures

it costs a diamond. Do you know who hit
me? Or rather, do you know the ethnicity

of who hit me? The ethnicity? I'll give
you a hint.

They are the worst drivers on the face
of the earth. Chinese.

Bingo. Is that really irrelevant?

Is it even accurate?

What do you mean? I know who it was who
hit me. You know that he was Chinese?

You know he wasn't Japanese or Korean or
Thai? He was Oriental, okay?

D -W -O.

Driving while oriental. You know that
oriental is considered a derogatory

Oh, is it? Excuse me, what is the
correct term? Asian. All right, Asians

Asians can't drive. They don't know how.
They make right -hand turns from the

center lane. They stop in the middle of
the street, and they run into cars.

sitting at a dead stop. No doubt there
are Asian people who aren't accustomed

driving a car, who are unfamiliar with
the city. Why wouldn't you attribute it

to that?

I don't know what to attribute it to,
Jane. I don't know whether it's cultural

or physiological or what it is.

All I know is that it's true. They can't
drive.

And because they can't drive, my
Bentley, Continental R, got hit.

I'm going home. I can't stay here right
now. I'm going home.

Move along.

Mr.

Weeks, I'd like for you to tell us where
you were and what you were doing in the

spring of 1968.

I was a correctional officer at the
Eastern Idaho Federal Prison.

Was Horace Washington a prisoner at that
time?

Yes, he was.

Would you describe the events that you
observed on June 19, 1968?

Mr. Washington tried to escape.

How did he do that?

By commandeering a laundry truck.

And what happened?

He was ordered to stop.

at which point he opened fire, killing
Donald Foley, a fellow officer.

We returned fire, killing Mr.
Washington.

That would indicate that Mr. Washington
had a gun in his possession. Is that

right? That's right. Tell us, Mr. Weeks,
have you ever seen the defendant before

today?

I saw him at the prison.

What were the circumstances surrounding
that visit? He was visiting Horace

Washington. I have no further questions.

What kind of prisoner was Horace
Washington, Mr. Weeks?

Objection. Irrelevant. The witness's
attitude toward the prisoner is directly

relevant to whether or not the
prisoner's life was in danger. I'll

Mr. Weeks?

He was a pain in the ass. What else
would you like to know?

What made him a pain in the ass?

He was a militant.

He'd stir up the other convicts, and
he'd file a different writ every week.

always had to keep transporting him to
the court.

He was always having visits from his
supporters, like your friend over there.

and he had a big mouth.

I had a foul mouth.

I didn't like him. I didn't like what he
stood for. Did you ever strike a

prisoner, Mr. Weeks?

Only when it was necessary.

And what would cause it to be necessary?

They'd act up.

I'd have to show them who was in charge.
Was that a need that arose with

particular frequency when the prisoner
also happened to be a Black Panther?

I don't know. I didn't keep track.

Oh.

You testified that Horace Washington
opened fire.

Did you personally observe him opening
fire?

No, I did not. No, you did not.

What do you base your testimony on? On
the fact that a fellow officer was dead

on the ground.

You think that Horace Washington was a
great man, don't you? Mr. Weeks. You

think his life was in danger?

My life was in danger. Every hour of
every shift of every day that I went to

work in that prison, my life was in
danger. Mr. Weeks. As far as I'm

he got what was coming to him, and you
got what's coming to you. Mr.

Weeks. I have no further questions.

When did you start Roy Tombaugh
Seminars, Mr. Tombaugh? Gee, I guess it

have been around 1988 when I first came
up with its concept.

Would you describe for us what that
concept was?

Well, essentially, it was a series of
workshops and weekends during which I

talked to couples interested in
improving upon and deepening their

with one another.

Well, did this prove to be a money
-making prospect at first?

No, it did not. As a matter of fact, it
wasn't until year four that it started

making a profit at all. That is correct.

And you also have rather extensive
expenses. Is that right, sir? Yes, I do.

Yeah, you rent hotel ballrooms. You
travel around the country. You produce

and audio tapes. You buy commercial time
on television.

Where does that money come from? From my
wife. From your wife.

And I want to say something.

We're going through a little bit of a...

Tough time right now. She has the urge
to sprout her wings. Okay.

But what I feel is it's time for us to
roll up our sleeves and work on our

marriage. Could we get on with this?

Yes. So it was your wife using money
that she inherited from her family who

provided the startup capital. It was
your wife who covered your overhead.

And you're in here now asking for a lump
sum payment of $4 million.

And spells will support $50 ,000 a
month.

Can you tell us how you justify that? He
doesn't have to justify it. I call this

one of the three dividers. I'm being
used, I'm being ignored, I'm being made

of. Gretchen feels as though I'm using
her.

What she needs to see is that I value
her, that I value the experience of

your husband, one of the four building
blocks to respect, to communicate, to

understand.

To value.

You know, Eli, I can't stay here. You
don't have to stay. Gretchen, the nine

pillars, are you forgetting?

No, Roy. I am not forgetting the nine
pillars or the four building blocks or

seven wake -up calls or the five life
-affirming gestures.

My problem is one that you don't address
in your seminars or your audio tapes.

My problem is that I become physically
ill every time I realize that I am still

married to you.

I want to say something, and I want to
say it for the record. Whether or not we

manage to get our marriage back on
track, that lady is a ten.

Where were you and what were you doing
in the spring of 1968, sir? I was a

prisoner at Easton, Idaho, a federal
prison.

What had you been sentenced to prison
for, sir?

Bank robbery.

Were you affiliated with any particular
organization at that time?

I was a member of the Black Panther
Party. Was the treatment received by the

members of the Black Panther Party
different from the treatment received by

general prison population?

You could say that.

In what way was it different?

There were threats.

There were beatings. I saw a guard shoot
a prisoner from a tower in the yard.

It was made clear to us on a regular
basis that to be a member of the Black

Panther Party, you were a target.

for anything that the guards thought
they could get away with. Objection.

Speculation. Sustained. The last part of
the witness response is stricken.

Was Horace Washington a member of the
Black Panther Party?

Yes, sir, he was.

Did you have any reason to believe that
in the spring of 1968, Horace

Washington's life was in danger?
Objection. Leading the witness.

Overruled. The witness may answer.

Horace was about to have his book
published. The guards had sent him more

one occasion.

That they would kill him if that
happened. Objection. Here's safe.

stricken, the jury will disregard. Did
you yourself observe a change in the

behavior of the prison guards toward Mr.
Washington when it became known that

his book was going to be published?

Observed them beat him half to death.

Nothing further.

Were you ever privy to any prison
directives regarding the Black Panther

No official ones.

Well, then how about unofficial ones?

Did you ever witness a warden or
assistant warden giving a guard a direct

to threaten or harass or abuse members
of the Black Panther Party? They don't

give direct orders. That's not the way
it happens. Asked that the witness be

directed to answer the question that
he's been asked?

I was never a witness to a...

A direct order being given. Is it
possible, Mr. Hovey, that what the

correctional offices were doing was
nothing more than maintaining order?

They brutalized us, Mr. Shale. Were not
you yourselves brutal?

Were not you yourselves nothing more
than a group of violent criminals who

treated the way violent criminals are
always perforce treated? Does that mean

murder? Who, Mr. Hovey? Who has been
murdered?

Horace Washington was murdered. Isn't it
a fact, Mr. Hovey, that Mr. Washington

fired the first shot? No, Mr.

Schell, it is not a fact. It's a lie.
They lied about it when it happened, and

you're lying right now. Moved that the
witness's last remarks be stricken from

the record. So stricken. Horace never
fired a gun. Horace didn't have a gun.

What's happened, Douglas?

Someone dented your car, Arnold. It
doesn't require you to reevaluate your

I think it might.

For some time, not everything I touch
turns bad.

And it isn't just the car, Douglas. It
isn't just the car.

What else is it?

Women aren't going to bed with me
anymore.

Has it been more than a week, Arnold?

I guess it has.

I engage them, I talk to them, and they
don't respond.

They look at me like I'm some mildly
amusing throwback to another era. It's

the secret council of women has met and
voted unanimously.

Becker doesn't get any.

Well, you know, it is possible that your
career as a stick man is coming

to a close.

You've had a good run, a longer run than
most, and now maybe it's time for you

to live life like the rest of us, for
whom the world isn't a smorgasbord of

sexually willing and adventurous
females.

Every three or four weeks, you have sex
with your wife, assuming she's speaking

to you, and that's about it. Douglas.

I'm not ready for that.

Buck up, Skipper.

You've got a great car.

Eli?

Jinx, what are you doing here?

You wanted to see me. We have an
appointment.

That's right.

The husband's name is Roy Tamba.

I need to set up some kind of
surveillance on him. Here's the file.

What am I looking for?

Well, you've been rather mercenary in
this divorce.

I'd like anything that would make him go
away.

I'll see what I can find. Thanks.

I thought you were headed back to New
York.

I decided to stay.

Having second thoughts?

Can I confide something in you?

Of course.

I was just lying over there in the midst
of a full -on anxiety attack.

Why?

In the interest of being spontaneous and
groovy, I acted precipitously.

I sublet my apartment, I took a leave of
absence from my firm, and I moved out

here. Yeah?

I think I made a big mistake.

I went from a great apartment in
Manhattan to a hotel room in Los

I don't know how to drive. I don't know
any places to eat.

You don't drive?

I know it's inconceivable to anyone who
lives out here.

How do you get around?

Bus, cab, people give me rides.

The other night to get back to my hotel
from the restaurant, I decided to walk.

Halfway back, I started to panic and
hyperventilate and feel a sense of total

disorientation. I said to myself, great,
this is all I need. Now I'm coming down

with agoraphobia, too.

What kind of restaurant do you like?

All kinds.

Chinese, Italian, Jewish dairy
restaurants.

The other day what I wanted more than
anything in the world was a hot dog.

You free tonight?

I'm free every night.

I'll pick you up at seven.

Really? Mm -hmm.

Wait for me downstairs so I don't have
to park.

Do you deny taking part in the attempt
to assist Horace Washington's escape

prison? No, I don't.

Would you tell me with some specificity
exactly what part you played? I attended

meetings of the Committee in Solidarity
with the Black Panther Party.

I met with Horace Washington at the
prison.

I obtained false identification and
rented a car that I left for Horace by

side of the road.

Did you smuggle a gun into the prison?

No, I did not. To the best of your
knowledge, was a gun in fact being

in? No, there was no gun.

Would you tell us why you thought fit to
play a role in the plan?

I was convinced that if Horace
Washington remained in prison, he would

killed. What was it that convinced you
of that?

A conversation I had with Horace when I
visited with him at the prison.

What was said?

He told me that he had been beaten two
nights before.

Objection. Hearsay. Goes to the
witness's state of mind, Your Honor. I'm

to allow it. The objection's overruled.
Did Horace Washington show physical

signs that he had been beaten?

Yes, he did. He had both his eyes
blackened.

There were several bandages on his face
and head, and he walked with a

pronounced limp.

What specifically made you believe that
his life was threatened?

He said that the guards had told him
that if his book was published, they'd

him. Objection, Your Honor. This is now
double hearsay. Your Honor, once again,

I maintain it goes to the defendant's
state of mind.

I'll allow it.

What, if anything, made you believe that
this threat was imminent?

Well, Horace's book was going to come
out at the end of the month.

I have nothing further.

Let me ask you something, Mr. Ellison.

If Charles Manson's life were in danger,
would you help him to assume?

Objection. I'm entitled to pursue this
issue, Your Honor. It was the defense

brought it. As it pertains to Horace
Washington, not Charles Manson. I'm

to allow the government to pursue this.
The objection's overruled. Well, Mr.

Ellison, how about it? In my opinion,
Charles Manson is not a political

prisoner.

The last time I looked, Horace
Washington was in prison for bank

murder.

Now, what was it exactly that made him a
political prisoner?

What made Horace Washington a political
prisoner was the fact that his treatment

in the criminal justice system followed
from his political activities, not from

his so -called crimes.

So he was innocent.

I don't know whether he was innocent or
not.

Did you ever think about the public
safety considerations of releasing a

onto the streets?

No. Did you ever think of the people who
might die, who did die as a result of

your adventure?

Look, we were... We were trying to... We
were interested in doing something.

I don't know. Maybe we just wanted to be
outlaws. Maybe we wanted to violate

every middle -class convention possible.
I don't know.

I... Can't say with absolute certainty
that what we did was right or justified.

Your Honor, may I have a moment to
confer with my client?

I have no further questions.

Counsel can confer with his client as
long as he wants.

You may stand down, Mr. Ellison.

I have lived with having played a part
in the death of two men for most of my

adult life.

Now, I will not concede that that was
wrong.

And I... And I won't insist that it was
right.

The truth is that I don't know.

After all this time, the one thing I am
sure of is I

have to tell the truth.

I didn't do it on purpose. I just found
that I could not say what was on my

mind. You might have thought to indulge
yourself in that outside the presence of

the jury.

Oh, you think I was being indulgent?
Yeah, man, I think you're being

indulgent and not real smart.

All right, Jonathan, let's try to be a
little constructive here.

We know Vernon Weeks was lying. Is that
an ideological position or are you

possessed of some information?

Why are you being like this?

Because he's tired, because we're all
tired.

Well, why don't we just call it a day
then?

Is it a lost cause, you guys?

We have to turn the jury against the
government. The government then and the

government now. And how do we do that?
You make the actions of the government

appear sufficiently evil, sufficiently
brutal, so that they refuse to reward

government with a conviction. That's how
you do it.

Where's the file in the prison guard?

You should have one in some place.

My God.

What kind of car is this?

It's a Ferrari.

You're not an overly fast driver by any
chance, are you?

You're completely without fear.

That's not true.

You do drive at an excessive rate of
speed. I hope you realize that. I drive

well as conditions permit. What I was
doing was not.

You're insane.

You're insane.

You live in a state of total fear.

While in the car just now, that was a
reasonable apprehension of death.

That's not living in a state of total
fear.

But you do live in a state of total
fear.

Not really.

I'm afraid of death.

I'm afraid of illness.

I'm afraid of different kinds of
illness, prostate cancer, adult onset

embolisms of all forms.

You think about those things.

You could say they cross my mind every
once in a while.

I never think about those things. I like
to live as good a life as I can. I

don't like to fill it with bad thoughts.

You do know some good places to eat. You
like this place.

I love this place.

I had a feeling you'd like this place.

If I could face the prospect of riding a
car with you.

I'd ask her to give me a tour.

I'll give you a tour.

I'll drive low.

Yeah? Vernon Weeks.

Yeah? My name is Stuart Markowitz.

You're one of the lawyers?

Yes, I am.

May I come in for a minute?

So what can I do for you?

I'd like you to help me understand
something, Mr. Weeks.

The Department of Corrections forced you
into an early retirement because of a

medical problem, right?

And judging from the number of
grievances that you filed, it's obvious

feel you got screwed.

I'm trying to understand why you're
standing up for him.

How am I standing up for him?

You're lying.

You know what happened in the prison
yard that day.

You know there was no gun.

You're about to send a man to jail, and
I'm trying to figure out what you're

doing it for.

You know, I bet you're not even supposed
to be here.

What I don't understand, Mr. Weeks, is
what you think you're getting out of

this.

I don't want to talk to you. Are they
taking care of your medical costs?

none of your business.

Are they going to take care of your
wife, Mr. Weeks? Hey, I don't have to

some smart Jew lawyer come in here and
stick his nose into my affairs.

Mr. Weeks?

I'm going to give you a reason to change
your testimony.

If you get up on the stand and tell the
truth about what happened that day,

you're going to buy yourself the
services of one smart Jew lawyer.

And he's going to make sure that your
pension and your disabilities and your

medical needs are completely taken care
of.

You're trying to bribe me, Mr.
Markowitz.

No, I'm trying to induce you to tell the
truth, Mr. Weeks. And because I'm just

some dumb old...

You figure the way to do that is to
throw me something.

I don't think of it that way. The hell
you don't.

It never occurred to you that if I was
lying, that I would have my reasons, and

I would be thinking about the men that I
worked with, that I would feel some

loyalty to them, some obligation.

You just don't think that that matters.

I think there are things that matter
more.

Like what?

My pension?

My health benefits?

A fistful of $100 bills?

No, how about being able to die a little
bit easier knowing that you didn't send

a man to jail with a lie?

Look, Mr. Weeks, I'm sorry I tried to
buy you off there. That was a stupid

to do.

In the end, this has got nothing to do
with pensions or medical benefits or

whatever else it is a smart Jew lawyer
can give for you.

Gretchen, yesterday we...

We talked about your contribution to
your husband's business. I'd like to

today about your husband's contribution.

To the best of your knowledge, who ran
the company?

My husband ran the company.

Who was on the road three days out of
every five to different cities all

the United States? Your husband was,
wasn't he? Yes, my husband was.

You could say he was being a hunter
-gatherer, couldn't you?

Are you taking his seminars?

Yes, I am. And I find that what they've
done is to increase by a

factor of a thousand the intimacy and
closeness that my wife and I are capable

of. Well, that's great, Seth.

Could we move on with the questions and
answers, please?

All right, now you're...

You're aware, are you not, that Roy
Tomba Seminars is about to take some

dramatic steps toward expansion?

I don't know what Roy Tomba Seminars is
about to do. Well, you know that Roy has

been actively pursuing a number of
celebrity endorsements.

You know that he's approached Frank
Gifford, Joe Piscopo, Alan Thicke, that

has gone about doing all of this,
confident that you would be there for

Excuse me. And Gretchen, now you're
saying...

You won't be there. Excuse me. This is a
deposition. That means a question and

answer format.

It doesn't mean testimonials for Roy
Thomas seminars.

And it doesn't mean long, self -serving
speeches.

Ask a question, or let's get out of
here. Gretchen.

Have we really reached this point? Have
we gone through the entire

troubleshooting guide to marital repair?

Do you have any idea how annoying you
are? Am I annoying or am I tenacious?

Annoying. Am I annoying or am I
determined to use the principles that

developed, the pillars, the building
blocks, and so forth, to help our

in the same way that I've helped so many
other people's marriages?

Well, not this one, Roy. I can't live
inside of a 24 -hour -a -day

so... Seth, why don't you ask me
whatever you have to ask me, let's get

deposition done, and then let's go to
trial.

Don't let's get ahead of ourselves. I am
not getting ahead of myself. We've made

very generous offers. He has rejected
every single one. So, if a settlement

can't be reached, let's get into a
courtroom and let's go to war.

Gretchen, Eli, why the hostility?

Excuse me.

Yes? Are you Mr.

Arnold Becker?

Yes? I understand that you were involved
in an automobile accident with a member

of a Chinese community.

Yes, I was. Please, come in. Have a
seat.

Hi, I'm Zhu Hua.

Hi. Hi.

I'm here representing the Chinese
American Benevolent Society. We just

make sure that everything is being done
that can be done to remedy this great

wrong. The insurance companies are
taking care of it.

If the insurance companies don't take
care of it, please, Mr. Becker, make

that you feel free to call on us.

If you don't mind my asking, why are you
taking such a special interest in this?

Well, Mr. Becker, ours is a very close
-knit community.

If our driving skills aren't where they
should be, we'd like to make amends for

that. There's nothing wrong with your
driving skills.

Well, many people feel otherwise.

A quirk that we can laugh about becomes
instead fodder for those who foster

racism and violence.

If anything, I would attribute a lack of
skill in driving to someone being a

recent immigrant rather than their
belonging to a specific ethnic group.

Maybe they aren't accustomed to driving
a car. Maybe they're unfamiliar with the

city. What an unusual man you are, Mr.
Becker.

I don't think I'm so unusual. I just try
to understand the forces that make us

the way we are, that divide us, that...

Turn us against one another.

Oh, Mr. Becker, I sense that you're a
man for whom race isn't really a

I love people of all races.

Well,

when I came up here, I wasn't expecting
anyone like you.

Listen, being a white male, being a very
affluent white male, I understand that

I have an incredibly privileged life.

I consume an inordinate amount of
resources.

I have a standard of living that can
only be called grotesque when compared

that of the rest of the world.

I find myself wanting to get to know
you, Mr. Becker.

You ever been over to Kim Joy's on
Broadway?

I don't believe I ever have been.

King of Choo Chow one time.

You want to take me there?

Yes, I do.

Well, Mr. Becker, I wouldn't go to eat
Choo Chow Wonton with you if it meant

never eating Choo Chow Wonton again.

What do you mean?

I mean you're a racist pig.

I'm not here from the Chinese American
Benevolent Society.

I'm here at the request of the McKenzie
Brackman Minority Alliance.

And I believe that whatever you may have
said to me just now was said for one

reason only.

You want to go to bed with me, Mr.

Becker? That's just not going to happen.

Now that you know that, you may drop the
pretense and go back to being who you

really are.

Mackenzie Brackman Minority Alliance.

Boy, have I got some good news for you.

What's that?

Roy Tome, but not exactly your true blue
kind of guy.

No?

Your names, pictures, the works.

Boy, you're good.

Thanks.

I had a pretty good time last night. Me
too.

You think we could do it again sometime?

You're willing to go back in the car
with me?

Yes, I am.

I'm willing to go back in the car with
you.

Mr. Weeks, I'm going to ask you some
questions that you answered the other

I'd like you to answer them again.

When Horace Washington was trying to
escape, did he fire at the guards who

trying to stop him?

No. Was it a bullet from Mr.
Washington's gun that killed Donald

No. From whose gun was that bullet
fired?

From my gun.

When Horace Washington's body was
examined, was he found to have had a

No.

How did the gun he was alleged to have
had get there? The captain of the guard

put it there. Was Horace Washington shot
to prevent him from escaping?

We shot the tires out of the laundry
truck. He was not about to escape.

He had his hands over his head when he
was shot.

Who pulled the trigger?

We all did.

We wanted to kill him, and we killed
him.

I have no further questions.

Tell us, Mr. Weeks, what happened
between the time you first

testified and today?

Nothing happened.

Did either of the defendant's attorneys
communicate with you in any way?

Mr. Markowitz spoke to me. I see. And
what did he say?

He impressed on me the importance of
telling the truth.

He impressed on you the importance of
telling the truth.

How did he do that?

I don't know how he did that.

What did he offer you in return for
changing

your testimony?

Nothing. Sir, you are up here admitting
to murder.

Are you aware of the fact that you can
and will be prosecuted, and if

you will in all likelihood...

Spend the next 10 to 20 years in prison.

That won't happen, Mr. Shale. It won't
happen. On what do you base your belief

that it won't happen? On the fact that I
will be dead inside of six months. I

have cancer.

And even though I have no use for him or
anything that he stands for, I think

before I leave this world, I ought to
own up to what I did.

I think that I will be able to die
easier that way.

I want to talk about accountability.

I want to talk about the absolute
necessity for judging people's actions

consistent, codified standard of
behavior.

The law.

Now, the defense...

doesn't want you to do that. No, they
would rather you not be quite that

rigorous.

They'd rather you apply situational
ethics, which are infinitely malleable,

accommodate historical context or
youthful fervor or anything else that

to excuse what was done.

This man participated in a conspiracy to
enable a convicted killer to escape

from prison.

His defense is that said killer's life
was in danger. And in lieu of proof, we

are offered an array of anecdotes and
conjecture. We are given the revised

testimony of a prison guard who has
suddenly decided to bare his soul.

As to what he may have been offered in
return for this, we can only guess. I

object to the implication that Mr. Weeks
was offered anything.

The objection is sustained. The jury
will disregard.

Ladies and gentlemen.

I don't know what your respective
politics are.

I don't know what you thought or think
of the Black Panther Party.

What I do know is this. A crime was
committed. The man who committed it

a fugitive from justice for some 25
years.

To torture the facts into forgiving his
crime does violence to the system that

we are sworn to uphold and which he was
dedicated to destroy.

Convict him.

Convict him and send him to prison.

My adversary, Mr. Shale, talks about the
law and the need for obedience to the

law. And in general, I would agree with
him.

I would ask you to remember that when
police officers or prison guards

brutalize, beat, and kill those people
in their custody, they are

breaking... The law to try and save a
man's life in such an instance isn't a

crime. The law recognizes that there are
times when people must take decisive,

sometimes violent action in defense of
another person's life.

We believe that the evidence speaks
resoundingly that this is what Jay

did. It isn't conjecture to say that
Horace Washington's life was at risk. We

all saw the sworn testimony of a man
that put it at risk.

we have all seen the sworn testimony of
one of the men who killed him.

I'm not asking you to take a nostalgic
view of these events.

I'm asking you to determine whether the
actions Jay Ellison took were taken in

good faith and whether they were
justified by the conditions that existed

that time.

I believe that in doing so, you'll come
to the conclusion that the only just

verdict is not guilty.

You know what?

I'd like to see if we can't settle this
matter. What do you think about that?

Hey, Eli, we're for that.

Honest engine, we are for that. I think
it's important to stress at this point

that we're pretty much at rock bottom as
to what I would consider fair.

In other words, the $4 million up front
and the $50 ,000 a month, that's pared

down to the nub. It's not Roy who wants
a divorce.

No, it's not Roy who wants a divorce.

It's Roy who wants to get under the hood
of a marriage that is broken down by

the side of the road. It's Roy that
wants to fix things. It's Roy that wants

try.

I think he's entitled to compensation
for his emotional devastation. You know,

I'd have to think, Mr. Tama, that your
image has a great deal to do with your

success. I'm sure that's true.

People whose marriages are foundering
come to you so that you can guide them.

From where I sit, I'd say that your
image is your principal asset.

I'd be inclined to agree with that.

Well, what do you think that'll do to
it?

Which of the five life -affirming
gestures are being performed in that

series of photographs, Roy? Gretchen, I
think that we should take a moment and

think about how we want to deal with
this. We've already thought about it.

You aren't contemplating going public
with this, are you? Yeah, I've already

written a press release.

Now, Gretchen, that is not being
constructive.

That is not a life -affirming gesture.

It would, however, give me an inordinate
amount of pleasure.

Okay. What is it you're looking for?

A divorce, that's number one.

Number two, she doesn't have to buy him
off. He can have Roy Thomas Seminars

Incorporated in its entirety.

No cash upfront, no spousal support.

Nothing? Nothing. Zero.

Zed. Seth?

Well, Roy, look, I'd be lying if I said
there wasn't an exposure here. I mean,

if it were simple adultery, I think we
could weather that, but the fact is

talking...

threesomes and, oh, well, costumes
involved.

It kind of makes me feel as though this
could hurt us.

Would it change anything if I said that
I know that these sexual exploits

correspond to a deficiency in me and not
in you?

No, dear, it wouldn't change a thing.

Go away.

Does that mean me?

What are you doing here?

You said you'd give me a ride. I came to
take you up on your offer.

How'd you find my office?

You told me the address of the building
and your parking place has your name on

it.

And I know what kind of car you drive.

But the Bentley is in the shop.

I asked the parking attendant the name
of the man who drove it. Did the Chinese

people send you? Excuse me? The Chinese
people. The McKenzie Brackman Minority

Alliance. Is another point being made is
what I'm asking?

Are you here because my attitude towards
women has been found wanting?

Who's standing outside my door now, huh?

Maybe this is a bad time.

Wait a minute.

Why are you here?

I wanted to apologize.

For what?

For driving away.

Instead of sticking around.

Just in case you needed for me to be a
witness.

That's okay.

And I'm sorry for laughing.

God, I love hearing a woman apologize.

How's the car?

It'll be all right.

I have to tell you something, Arnold
Becker.

I haven't stopped thinking about you
since the day we met.

Do you have dinner plans?

No, I don't.

Let's go to dinner.

I've got to tell you, I find car culture
and all its ramifications largely

insidious in nature.

Eli, Eli, try not to let the clutch out
all at once. It totally atomizes us as a

society. We exist in a world
encapsulated in steel. The random

real city like New York doesn't happen
out here. Eli, pay attention to what

you're doing.

That's the other thing.

All the contemplative time people have
while walking or riding on a bus or

subway is totally transformed. Now I
have to concentrate on driving.

My attention for force is given over
essentially to avoiding death.

There is no more contemplative place in
the world than the inside of a car.

It is hopeless.

Eli, it is not hopeless. Yes, it is,
Jinx. I'm never going to adapt to life

here. Hey, you think I was born doing
what I'm doing now?

It wasn't very long ago I was working at
a beauty parlor on Ed's Cove Avenue in

the Bronx.

How'd you wind up a private
investigator?

You really want to know?

Yeah.

I worked as a secretary for a private
investigator. I watched, I listened.

And today you're driving a Ferrari.

I have a weakness for fast cars.

I would think most people with cars like
this wouldn't want to use them for

driving lessons.

I have more than one weakness.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor. What say you? On
the charge of aiding and abetting

we find the defendant not guilty.

On the charge of conspiracy, we find the
defendant not guilty.

Thank you, Jonathan.

We did good. Thank you. We're going to
go out and celebrate tonight, right?

Absolutely. I'm going to head back to
the office. Pick a restaurant, call me,

and I'll meet you there. Okay. Hey.

Good work. Thanks, Stuart.

You came.

Yeah. I'm glad you came.

Me too.

How do you feel vindicated?

I feel fortunate. Who are you going to
go by, Barry or Jay?

Jay. Stuart!

What are your plans?

I'll answer all your questions.

Thank you.