All language subtitles for L.A.Law.S07E17.Thats.Why.the.Lady.Is.a.Stamp.1080p.HULU.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-BurCyg_track3_[eng]

- This is for white paper,
this is for colored paper,

this is for newspaper,
this is for shiny paper.

- Benny, try not to spend
the whole day on this.

You know what I mean?

OK.

Where's my buddy?

Hey, Ben.

Dominic?

There he is.

How's it going, chief?

Dominic, hi.

Put out your hand.

How come?

Put out your hand.

I got something for you.

Ha ha.

I wheeled an exact in the
eighth race at a 25 to 1 shot.

Bingo.

He has no idea what
I'm talking about.

We had a very big
day today, Ben.

There's three large right
in the palm of your hand.

Oh thanks.

This is my friend Dominic.

Don't dribble on your shirt.

- How do you do?
- Fine.

Thank you.
Nice to make your acquaintance.

Very beautiful
offices you have here.

Very nice.

Very centrally located.

Where do you know Benny from?

- Oh, we sit at the counter
at Du-par's and have

supper every night.

Are we still doing the thing?

What thing?

- The place you
said we were going.

- Yeah, if I said we're
going, we're going.

Going where?

It's a secret.

Oh this guy.

Everything's a big game.

It's no big deal, Benny.

Well, it is to me.

- Don't get all emotional
on me, all right?

Sorry.

- OK, now there's a
two-year-old running today

that looks very good to me.

OK, Darryl Vienna's the trainer.

McCarron's up.

I intend to show this
horse some support

by going out to the track and
betting next month's rent.

Who's coming along?

We have work to do, Dominic.

- Well, are you sure it's
nothing that can wait?

Thanks anyway.

I don't think so.

How about you, dear?

You interested in
dating a jockey?

- Excuse me?
- All right.

Never mind.
Listen, Benny.

Don't spend it all
on comic books, huh?

I'll see you for supper
same time, same station?

Nice meeting you's.

Yeah.

[music playing]

All right, folks.

Busy day today.

Let's get on with it.

The Craig estate.

- I'll handle that
myself, Douglas.

I'm available if you need me.

Well, thank you.

- Given the length of time
that I've known the family,

I think Vivian would be
more comfortable if she

had to deal only with me.

Moving on.

McAllister versus the United
States Postal Service.

- Brian McAllister's
wife was shot and killed

by a deranged co-worker.

What's the cause of action?

Wrongful death.

- If the co-worker's deranged,
how do you get liability

on the part of the post office?

- Negligent supervision
together with a particularly

high-stress work environment.

Excuse me.

The post office is high stress?

The way it's run now, it is.

- Hey, delivering the
mail is not high stress.

This is high stress.

What we do is high stress.

- And I think that
at least a few of us

here are probably deranged
as a result of it.

- Melina, wasn't this matter
supposed to be settled?

- It's not for want of trying
that it isn't, Douglas.

- Unfortunately, what that means
for us is that you're going

to be consumed with a trial.

- You're worried about
Southern Pacific Savings.

- You're right.
- What's the problem?

- The problem is
we've been called in

by their general counsel
to perfect an appeal

and the clock is ticking.

What's the lawsuit about?

- Discriminatory
lending practices.

- We're representing the bank?
- Yes.

We're representing the bank.

And my hope is that we represent
the bank well enough that we

get to represent other banks.

- All right, Douglas.
Calm down.

- All I know is you
better get some help.

I will, Douglas.

I will.

I'm available.

- Melina, this is
a complicated case.

Get some help.

Jonathan.

I'm sorry.

I don't have it yet.

What?

- That law review article
you asked me to bring in.

Between the trial,
and the appeal,

and all the rest of
what's on my desk,

I just didn't have
time to look for it.

- I'm sorry.
- Don't worry about it.

- Because I have to go digging
through this whole bunch

of boxes.

And I didn't have a spare
moment in which to do it.

Melina, it's OK.

I feel badly, Jonathan.

I promised I would help
you with your brief

and I haven't done it.

You're busy.

Yes.

You need to lighten your load.

How do I do that?

Just do it any way you can.

- Benny, we'd like you to
tell us a little bit more

about this friend of yours.

What do you want to know?

- For starters, we'd
like to know why

it was that he gave you $3,000.

The horse he bet on won.

But why did he give you money?

- He always gives me
money when the horse wins.

I give him money to
bet with, and he gives

me money if the horse wins.

And sometimes, I think even
if the horse comes in second,

he can still win.

- You give him
money to bet with.

Yeah.

- How much money
do you give him?

- Oh, that depends on how much
money he needs to bet with.

Sometimes, he
doesn't bet anything.

And other times, he says, you
got to bring down the hammer.

That's what he calls it.

And I give him $100, $200.

One time, I gave him $500.

- Benny, you have
to stop doing that.

- Well, why?
- Why?

Because you work
hard for your money.

You don't have that much of it.

And you shouldn't be
giving it to some guy

to blow at the track.

But he didn't blow it.

He won.

The other night,
I gave him $200.

And yesterday, he
gave me $3,000.

That's yesterday.

What's he going to do tomorrow?

I don't know.

The paper that has all
the different horses

that are running comes
out in the morning.

- Benny, the point
is that he shouldn't

be doing this with your money.

He should be doing
it with his money.

But he doesn't have any money.

Then he shouldn't be gambling.

He should be working.

- Well, he says that
gambling is working.

He says, some people go
to the office to work

and other people
go to the track.

- Benny, this guy is
taking advantage of you.

It's OK, guys.

Really.

I don't mind giving him money.

He's my friend.

- The fact that Nathaniel
didn't leave a will

means the estate
goes to you, Vivian.

Which is as it should be, mom.

You do with it
whatever you see fit.

Well, Leland, tell me this.

Are we all right
as far as taxes go?

Yes.

We can pay whatever is
owed out of savings.

- I'll go on living in the
house since we own that.

And I'll keep
whatever investments

we've made through the years.

There are a lot of other
things I want you kids to have.

And I'd like you to
decide who gets what.

Mom, we want what you want.

- Well, why don't you let
her tell us what they are.

- Well, Leland,
you have the list.

Why don't you go through it?

Yes.

There are golf clubs.

Frank.

Well, I don't want them.

- I guess Dick could
use an extra set.

There's a 1975 Cadillac.

Mom, why don't you keep that?

I don't need two cars, Judith.

Frank, you take it.

All right.

There's a stamp collection.

I've taken the precaution
of putting it in the vault.

- Which, if no one wants
it, I'd really love to have.

Well, I certainly don't.

Do we know what it's worth?

I have no idea.

I just have the most incredibly
vivid memories of dad shutting

himself in his study
with the door closed

and the blinds drawn
pouring over his stamps.

- I'd like to get some idea
of what it's worth, Judith.

- I can remember him
telling us we couldn't

even knock on his
door as long as he

was working on those stamps.

It would be nice for the kids.

- Well, I hate to
stand in the way

but I'd like to find out what
the stamp collection's worth.

- What it's worth in dollars,
or what it's worth in memories?

Dollars.

- Are you saying that you could
sell dad's stamp collection?

- I'm up to my ears
in debt, Judith.

You're damn right
I would sell it.

Oh, kids.

This is just what I
didn't want to happen.

I don't want to see
you fight about it.

- May I suggest that
the first thing we do

is have the
collection appraised?

That way we'll know
whether it's worth selling

and what the tax situation is.

- I don't want to sell
that stamp collection.

- It's nice to have
money, isn't it, sis?

- My husband and I work
for a living, Frank.

That's how you
get to have money.

- All right.
All right.

- The fact is that
whether or not

you're going to
sell the collection,

it has to be appraised
for tax purposes.

- If it has to be appraised,
have it appraised.

But you are not going to sell
my father's stamp collection.

- We were married
7 and 1/2 years.

Any children?

- Alexis is two, Susan
just turned four.

- Did your wife
work, Mr. McAllister?

- She worked where I
worked at the Northfield

Postal Facility,
regional distribution

center number five.

- And what were your jobs at
the Northfield Postal Facility?

We sorted mail.

Did you know George Whelan?

Yeah, he also sorted mail.

- Would you describe for
us what it was like to work

at the Northfield facility?

What it was like?

Well, they have a machine called
an optical character reader.

It spits out 30,000
letters an hour.

There's a man with a stopwatch
standing behind you timing

to see how long it takes
you to read an address

and punch in the first three
digits of the zip code.

- And what, if anything, would
the man with the stopwatch

do if you weren't fast enough?

Write you up.

If you move too slow,
they write you up.

If you take too many
steps, they write you up.

If you hold an envelope
at the wrong angle,

if you're five minutes
late for your lunch break,

if you don't ask permission to
go to the bathroom, anything,

everything, they write you up.

I once saw them write up a
60-year-old woman for showing

a picture of her grandchild.

You have no idea what
it's like in there.

- Would you describe
the event that

took place on April 15, 1991?

I was finishing my shift.

And George Whelan
walked out on the floor

and asked me if I'd seen
our postmaster, Mr. Daggett.

I told him I hadn't.

He turned around and
walked toward the door.

Next thing I knew, he
had a gun in his hand.

Did you see him fire that gun?

Yes, I did.

When Mr. Daggett came out of
his office, he fired at him.

- And what happened
after he fired at him?

He got my wife instead.

She just punched in and was
walking out to the floor.

She caught a bullet
right in the head.

She died in my arms.

- Mr. McAllister, you
hold that the Postal

Service is responsible
for your wife's death.

I'd like you to
explain to us why.

- Because George
Whelan never would

have done what he did
if the Postal Service

hadn't driven him to do it.

Thank you.

Nothing further.

- Mr. McAllister, I'm very
sorry about your wife.

But there are a few
questions I have to ask you.

Did you observe anything
unusual about George Whelan

prior to the day
of the shooting?

Did I?

No, I didn't.
I didn't know the man that well.

You worked together.

Why didn't you
know him that well?

- There are 600
people working there.

That's right, Mr. McAllister.

There are 600 people
working there.

Yet you maintain,
do you not, that it

was incumbent on the
supervisory personnel

at the facility to not only
know this man but to know him

well enough to predict
what he would do.

- They knew the
pressure he was under.

They knew the pressure
we were all under.

- But all of you didn't
do what this man did.

All of you didn't take a
gun and start shooting.

- No, but George Whelan's
not the only postal worker

who has though, is he?

- There are more than 700,000
employees in the United

States Postal Service.

What percentage of
them do you suppose

- have behaved as Mr. Whelan has?
- I have no idea.

Objection.

The witness isn't
qualified to answer.

That objection is sustained.

- Hey, my wife wasn't
supposed to get shot.

My kids weren't supposed
to lose their mother.

- That's absolutely
true, Mr. McAllister.

The question is, who's to blame?

Right.

And according to you,
no one's to blame.

George Whelan's insane.

So you can't blame him.

The post office is
too big and too busy.

So you can't blame them.

According to you, it just
happened, right Mr. Spitzer?

Because according
to you, it's one

of life's little oddball
tragedies and it just happened.

Mr. McAllister.

You're wrong, Mr. Spitzer.

Wrong.

It didn't just happen.

George Whelan didn't
just one day go insane.

Mr. McAllister.

- Sons of bitches like the man
at that table drove him insane.

He's the one to blame.

- Mr. McAllister--

- He didn't pull the
trigger, but he's

the one who killed her.

- These are the transcripts
from the trial and the briefs

that were submitted.

Read them, digest them.

We'll talk about them tomorrow.

OK.

Go ahead and use my office.

Start culling through the
cases that were cited.

And if anything jumps out at
you that you need an answer for,

call the general counsel's
office at the bank.

I can call them?

By all means.

Because I am going to be buried
under this trial for at least

a week.

No one here knows
anything about the case.

So if you need to
know something,

call the bank's lawyers.

- I have to say I kind of hate
the idea of working on the side

of the bank in this case.

Why is that?

- Because I think
they do discriminate

in their lending policy.

Read the papers.

I will.

- I think you'll
find that the bank

was using very
reasonable criteria

in evaluating the credit risks.

- Maybe it's just a matter
of general principles.

- That's usually not
a good way to decide

the merits of a specific case.

No, you're right.

- I appreciate you
doing this, Gwen.

I'm really underwater right now.

Tell us, Dr. Gerhart.

What is your field of expertise?

- The psychological effects
of stress in the workplace.

- And have you spent much
time at the Northfield

Postal Facility?

- Yes.
I have.

- Have you examined
George Whelan?

Yes.

- And what observations
are you prepared to make?

- That there was a direct
link between conditions

at the postal facility and Mr.
Whalen's actions on the day

he shot and killed
Tina McAllister.

- In your opinion, what was
responsible for that link?

- The workers are governed by
machines at the Postal Service.

And whether we're talking about
optical readers or stopwatches,

management has made
it abundantly clear

that the pace of
work has nothing

to do with human behavior,
and everything to do

with mechanized efficiency.

Add to this
draconian regulations

and few meaningful outlets
for worker frustrations,

and you have the
conditions that result

in tragedies like this one.

- In your opinion, could this
tragedy have been prevented?

Yes.

This wasn't the first
episode of a violent behavior

on the part of a postal worker.

Far from it.

The fact is that there have
been clusters of such behavior

ranging from
homicides to suicides

to fistfights at
postal facilities

all over the country.

Now, had management been willing
to view these indications

as a fundamental problem and
taken steps to remedy that,

this tragedy could
have been prevented.

- Did the management
in your opinion

have any basis to conclude that
George Whelan was a person who

was likely to become violent?

Again, the answer is yes.

See, contrary to
popular myth, people

don't just suddenly snap.

In 17 years, George Whelan had
never filed a single grievance.

Now suddenly, he was disciplined
for a petty infraction.

And in the span of two
weeks, he filed six.

He wrote three
letters to supervisors

and requested an appointment to
speak to Mr. Daggett, something

he had never done before.

Now, he made numerous
references in his letters

to acts of violence committed
at other postal facilities.

These were signals.

These were calls for help.

And anyone who was listening
would have heard them.

I have nothing further.

- You referred to the
clusters of violent behavior

among postal workers.

Tell me something, doctor.

How does the Postal Service
compare with other industries

in that regard?

- Not having done a statistical
analysis on other industries,

I really couldn't say.

- In that I have done a
little statistical analysis,

let me run the following
figures by you.

The number of homicides and or
suicides among postal workers

is 2.3 for every
500,000 workers.

Among hotel clerks, the rates
10 per every 500,000 workers.

Should we look into
on-the-job stress

in the hotel industry, doctor?

- I'm sure you know, counselor,
that those kind of statistics

are hardly what I base
my conclusions on.

- Doctor, I don't think
you base your conclusions

on any kind of statistics.

Objection.

Sustained.

- Is there scientific proof
of any kind that on-the-job

stress was responsible for acts
of violence in postal workers?

- Well, if you mean hard
and fast verifiable data,

the answer is no.

- In other words, it's
impossible to prove,

it's impossible to disprove.

It's a theory, isn't it, doctor?

Yes.

- It's a theory that if
accepted as fact will allow

the plaintiff in this case to
collect a great deal of money

because the Postal Service is,
after all, a deep, deep pocket.

Did you have that in
mind by any chance

when you were
formulating this theory?

No.

I didn't.

All right, doctor.

I have no further questions.

Oh my.

How does it look?

- This is quite a
collection, not necessarily

in terms of its monetary
value, although that's

not inconsiderable.

But primarily in terms of its
intellectual organization,

its understanding of
historical significance,

a superb series of
1923 imperforates,

a never-hinged plate block
of a 1924 Huguenot-Walloon,

some fine examples
of Graf Zeppelins.

This was a real collector.

- Well, that
doesn't surprise me.

Nat was very methodical
about everything he did.

He was a very thoughtful,
rather scholarly, man.

It shows.

- Do you have any idea yet
as to how much it's worth?

- Well, from what
I've seen thus far,

I would say we were into
the mid five figure range.

And there are a
couple of boxes that I

haven't been through as of yet.

Let's see what we
have over here.

All right.

- Speaking strictly as
a fellow philatelist,

I can tell you there's
much to admire here.

There are themes and confluences
running throughout what

this man has done.

What is this?

What?

- There's a false
bottom in this box.

It appears that
there's pornography

in here, Mr. Mackenzie.

What?

- It appears that it didn't
get in here by mistake, either.

- Well, I have no idea where
it would have come from.

- There's quite an
array, isn't there?

Look at this degradation.

- Did you know George
Whelan, Mr. Daggett?

Not personally.

No.

- Were you aware of the
fact that he had requested

an appointment with you?

- I wasn't aware of it
for the simple reason

that all employee communications
are handled further

down the chain of command.

It was dealt with.

It just wasn't dealt with by me.

- Was there any
mechanism in place

to deal with worker stress?

Yes.

There's a referral service
for psychological counseling.

There's the grievance
procedure if an employee feels

he or she has been wronged.

And then of course, there's
all of us, by which I mean

employees and supervisors both.

Our number-one resource
at the US Postal Service

is our people.

We should never
lose sight of that.

- In your opinion,
was there any way

that you could have prevented
this tragedy from happening?

I wish there had been.

The truth is I don't know what
I would have done differently.

I don't know what
I could have done.

I'm trained to move the mail,
not diagnose mental illnesses.

But what I want to
say to Mr. McAllister

is this, that while I did
not lose anyone dear to me,

I too was devastated
by what happened.

I think I can
safely say that all

of us whose lives were
touched by this event

will never be the same.

I have nothing further.

- Since you say that your
life will never be the same,

I'd like to start by asking
exactly how it's different.

- I'm not sure I
know what you mean.

- Do you have the same
work rules in place

now that you had
in place before?

- Those work rules
exist for a reason.

Is that a yes?

Yes.

- Do you still write people
up for taking too many steps?

- We've conducted
studies, Ms. Perros.

- Do you write them up
for holding an envelope

at the wrong angle to read it?

- Those studies have shown
us the optimally efficient

method to perform each task.

- And if someone deviates
from that which is optimally

efficient, you bust them.

I correct them.

That's my job.

- Isn't it also
your job to provide

a work environment that's safe?

- What happened that day
could have happened anywhere.

It could have happened
on the street.

It could have happened on a bus.

It could have happened right
here in this courtroom.

I tried to provide a work
environment that's safe.

But sometimes,
unforeseen events will

occur that render it otherwise.

- And it's your testimony
that the work rules in place

at your facility
did nothing to bring

about this unforeseen event.

Look.

I have a very clear-cut
mandate Ms. Perros.

Do it faster.

Do it cheaper.

Do it better.

People want their
mail delivered.

They want it delivered promptly.

And they don't want the
price of a stamp to go up

by as much as one single penny.

I do what I have to do
to get the job done.

Fix your collar.

We're not going on a bus.

We're going on an airplane.

Gotta look a little sharp.

Do I look sharp now?

Like a tech.

I'm so excited.

I can't believe
we're doing this.

Remember what I told you.

This is a business trip.

OK.

We're a couple of businessmen.

We're going on a business trip.

If we should happen to enjoy
ourselves along the way,

all well and good.

But the purpose of
this trip is business.

Business.

- You all packed?
- Yeah.

Good.

Let's make like a hockey stick
and get the puck out of here.

Let's go.

Oh.

Where are you off to, Benny?

- Oh, I asked Douglas
if I could leave early.

And he said it was OK.

Where are you going?

- I gave out the mail, and I
put extra paper in the copier,

and I cleaned up the kitchen.

Benny.

Tell her where we're going.

We're going to Vegas.

[music playing]

I'm going to get rid of it.

- You can't get
rid of it, Leland.

It's hard core
pornography, Stewart.

The family doesn't
know about it.

What possible good would
it do them to find out?

- Yeah, I guess I wouldn't
want to know that my father

collected pornography.

- Your father
collected pornography?

- No.
- No.

No.

The deceased in this estate
matter collected pornography.

What do you mean by collected?

I mean, collected.

I mean, boxes of magazines,
films, playing cards,

a jigsaw puzzle.

- Have you seen it?
- No, I haven't seen it.

- I really think everyone's
interest would be best

served if I just destroyed it.

- Well, you can't
destroy it, Leland.

You have a fiduciary
relationship to the estate.

- But it's not as if
it's worth any money.

Are you sure?

- Are you telling
me there's a market

in secondhand pornography?

- I don't know whether
there is or there isn't.

But before you
dispose of this stuff,

I think I ought to call Yale
Tobias to come and take a look.

Oh, that's a great idea.

- Yeah, his wife divorced
him because of his collection

of pornography.

He's rich, he's
obsessed, I think

we ought to get him in here.

Give him a call, Arnold.

One way or another, I want
that material out of my office.

- Where do you now
reside, Mr. Whelan?

- I reside at Atascadero
State Hospital,

Atascadero, California.

- And how long did you work for
the Postal Service, Mr. Whelan?

17 years.

- Would you tell us
what your job was?

I sorted mail.

Did you like your job?

One time, I did.

And did that change?

Yes, it did.

What happened?

They wrote me up.

What'd they write you up for?

For being late.

Were you late?

No, I wasn't.

In 17 years of working
there, I was never late.

I make something
of a point of that.

I figure out how long it's going
to take me to get from point A

to point B. I allow for
traffic, I allow for weather,

and as a result of that,
I'm always on time.

Then why were you written up?

- Because a pipe broke
in one of the restrooms.

As a result of that,
they closed the entrance

I was accustomed to using.

As a result of that, I had to
go around half the circumference

of the building to get in.

As a result of that, I was,
in fact, late in punching in.

But I was not late
in getting to work.

- How late were
you in punching in?

- 10 minutes late, which I know
seems trivial to many people,

but the rule was you
had to be on time.

I have no quarrel
with that rule.

In this instance, however,
it wasn't my fault.

Did you say that?

I said it repeatedly.

I put it in writing.

I wanted that lateness notation
expunged from my record.

- And were they
willing to do that?

No.

They weren't.

And because I was unwilling to
let it go, I was disciplined.

How were you disciplined.

I was told to watch the scale.

They'd bring packages
over to weigh them.

And I would see how
much they weighed.

There were yellow lines
painted on the floor.

And I was told to stay inside
those lines my entire shift.

I was permitted out for lunch
for two 10-minute breaks.

And if I had to go
to the bathroom,

I'd ask permission to go.

- Why did you bring a
gun to work, Mr. Whelan?

- Because I felt as though
I had been unfairly treated.

And maybe I made
too much of that.

I did make too much of it.

I know, Mr. Daggett, that you
had a lot more on your minds

than my excuses.

If I was late, I was late.

Period.

But now that I have
your ear, sir, there's

something else I'd like to say.

If you could find it in your
heart to give me my job back,

you never have to worry
about my being late again.

That's a promise.

- Benny, you need to
tell us what's going on.

What do you mean?

- We understand that your friend
Dominic took you to Las Vegas.

Yeah.

Who paid?

I did.

- I think we got to
take some action here.

What do you mean?

What do I mean?

How much did you spend to
go to Las Vegas, Benny?

- Well, airplane
tickets were $387.

Wait a second.

You paid for his ticket
as well as your own?

- Uh-huh.
- What else did you pay for?

Well, I paid for chips.

How much?

$500 worth.

Can we get a protective order?

We can certainly try.

- What happened after
you bought the chips?

- Dominic played this
dice game they have.

If you throw the dice
and get a seven, you win.

Or if you get another number and
then you get it again, you win.

Or if you put a chip down on
a square and somebody else

- is throwing the dice--
- Yes.

We know.
It's called craps.

We know what the game is.

Dominic let me throw the dice.

And we kept winning.

And the man kept giving
us more and more chips.

Then what happened?

- Then we went and
played blackjack

where you got to get 21.

And then the man kept giving
us more and more chips.

And then I went over
to the slot machines

and I kept putting quarters in
until $50 in quarters came out.

- Benny, how much money did
you have when you got there?

$620.

- How much money did
you have when you left?

$3.75.

We had to take the bus
home from the airport.

I don't get it, Benno.

You're a thrifty guy.

You're smart with money.

Why are you doing this?

It was fun, Arnie.

We saw Siegfried and Roy.

- He's got the complete
Santa Cruz series.

The Svendborg bestiality plates.

These are very rare editions.

- Oh, how long is this
going to take, Arnold?

- What I find most remarkable
is the scholarliness

and the discipline evidenced
in this collection.

Most collectors collect
along the line of fetishes.

This gentleman's
approach was historical.

There are pieces
from Nazi Germany.

There's a wonderful
soft core section

from the '50s with
those Seabrook homes

of women posing with
garden hoses and guitars.

Arnold.

- Is the quote unquote
"free love hippie years"

the Chicago School, the
so-called existential

nymphomania period
represented like I've never

seen it represented before.

- I take it that
you're interested.

Oh my God.

Yes.

- Correct me if
I'm wrong, Leland.

I think what we're
interested in doing here is

selling the entire collection.

Absolutely.

- Arnold, you don't break
up a collection like this.

I mean, even if I wanted
to, what wouldn't I take?

The 8 millimeter reels?

How much Yale?

All right.

I can give you a
check right now for--

$50,000.

- Mr. Tobias, we know
what we've got here.

We know what the
Svendborg bestiality

plates alone are worth.

Now, out of
consideration to Arnold,

I'm showing you the
collection before I

show it to anyone else.

But I'm not willing, and
I'm not able as an executor

of the estate, to make
any concessions on price.

- You think you can do
better than $50,000?

Yes I do.

I've already got a call
from a Japanese collector

willing to buy the entire
collection, sight unseen.

- Well, I am not letting
this fall by the wayside

because I wanted to save a buck.

An opportunity like this comes
along once in a lifetime.

And I am not about
to let it pass me by.

I want this collection.

How much do you want it?

I want it very much.

- Do you want to tell me
what it was were thinking

about when you fobbed off your
responsibility for this appeal

on Gwen?

What do you mean?

- I mean that Gwen's
not a lawyer, Melina.

She's not authorized by
either the state of California

or this firm to practice law.

I asked her to assist me.

- She called the general
counsel's office.

So what?

- She spoke to one of their
bank's senior attorneys.

So what?

- Did it ever occur to you that
the bank's attorneys, like most

attorneys, don't appreciate
having their time taken up

explaining the fine points
of an appellate brief

to someone who is
themself not an attorney?

- Were the questions Gwen
asked stupid questions?

- I don't think that's
the least bit relevant.

You had no business
bringing her into that case.

Look.

I am doing what I have to
do to manage my workload.

If she screwed up, I would
take responsibility for that.

She didn't screw up.

She just violated what
you and some other pompous

lawyer with a pole
up his ass regard

as an inviolate caste system.

And for that, you're
in here wasting

what precious few moments
I have left in which

to prepare to go to court.

Now, you listen to me, Melina.

And listen good.

I wouldn't be in here if
I hadn't gotten a call

from the bank's attorney.

And I wouldn't have gotten that
call if he hadn't been unhappy.

Now you may think
that's insignificant.

Let me assure you, you're wrong.

This bank represents
what could potentially

be a substantial source
of revenue for this firm.

As the managing partner, it's my
responsibility to do everything

in my power to make sure
that potential is realized,

starting with making sure
that their attorneys are

not unhappy.

Now, if you can't assure
me of that, let me know

and I'll give this
case to someone else.

- Douglas, I have been
working till 10 o'clock

every night for two weeks.

I haven't had a day
off in over a month.

Maybe you should give
this to somebody else.

Done.

- It's always
difficult to understand

a tragedy to try and make
sense out of the senseless.

An innocent woman dies
and we all grieve.

Unfortunately, random
violence is part of society.

A day doesn't go
by that we don't

read about another
murder, another shooting.

Is the post office a demanding
high-stress environment

in which to work?

Undoubtedly.

Is there a connection between
violence and the working

conditions at the post office?

We have no idea.

The only issue here,
ladies and gentlemen,

is, did the management at the
Northfield Postal Facility

cause George Whelan
to do what he did?

All of us in varying degrees are
under stress, punching a time

clock, pleasing your boss.

Those are stressful things.

Most of us, however,
don't take a gun

to work and start shooting.

And none of us, if we did
so, would be entitled to hold

our employers responsible.

While it may be
comforting to believe

that a dangerous individual
can somehow be singled out,

somehow be stopped, the
truth is that no one

knows how to do that.

Does the post office regret
that Tina McAllister was killed?

Absolutely.

But are they in any way
to blame for her death?

Absolutely not.

The defense counsel's right.

We all have stress.

If we work for a living, we
depend on our boss's approval.

We need our paychecks.

And we want to do a good job.

And so we're vulnerable.

We're vulnerable to our
boss's whims, to their moods,

to the pressures that
they're under themselves.

There are some bosses who
are reasonable and fair.

And there are some who are
petty, and abusive, and cruel,

and they get away
with being like that

because the people who work
for them need their jobs.

I would maintain that the postal
service is one such employer,

and that Richard Daggett
is one such supervisor.

I would maintain that
when a worker becomes

violent after having
been repeatedly

hounded and humiliated, it's
self evident why he's done so.

Grown men and women should
not be treated like children,

should not have
to ask permission

to go to the bathroom,
or be expected

to perform like robots.

Heightened efficiency
is no justification

for the systematic
degradation of a human being.

And that's what was
done to George Whelan.

And that's why Brian
McAllister's wife is dead.

The postal service is to blame.

And it's only fitting and
proper that they be made to pay.

[music playing]

- I've gotten an appraisal
on the stamp collection.

Please.

And?

It's worth close to $80,000.

- Well, I guess that
settles that question.

- There's no way I
can persuade you not

- to sell dad's stamp collection?
- Sure there is.

You can give me $40,000.

- Now, there may be
another solution.

Within your father's collection,
I found some other items

that have considerable value.

You mean, not stamps?

Right.

Not stamps.

What did you find?

- Oh, well, I found some
men's magazines and some film.

And I found--

I found pornography.

- That didn't
belonged to my father.

- When you say pornography,
how much pornography

are you talking about?

$110,000 worth.

I don't believe that.

- You actually have someone
willing to pay that much?

Yes.

Yes I do.

- How many dirty magazines
did the old man have?

Well, there's quite a few.

I think I'm going to be sick.

- Well, let me suggest that
what it does allow you to do

is keep the stamp collection
and sell the pornography,

and split the difference
between the value of the two.

- I don't want to have
anything from the sale

of his pornography.

Well, you are entitled to it.

I don't want it.

That's what he was
doing in his study?

- It's not like that's
all he was doing.

I have to get out of here.

- Well, we're supposed to
sit down with your mother

today and let her know
what we're going to do.

Fine.

Right now, I just
have to be by myself.

Judith, come on.

He spent part of the time on
his stamp collection, right?

Yeah, yeah.

Well, yeah.

- The matter of McAllister
versus the US Postal Service.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We have, your honor.

How say you?

- We find for the
plaintiff an award damages

in the amount of $1 million.

- The jury is dismissed with
the thanks of the court.

We are adjourned.

[whispering]

We won.

So now they appeal, right?

- Either that, or
offer to settle.

Forget about that.

- Well, let's just
see what the offer is.

Because they can keep
us in appeals for years.

Let them.

- Don't you want
the money, Brian?

Not if it means capitulation.

It doesn't mean that.

It just means that you've
made a rational decision

to get on with your life.

- Hey, don't use that
expression with me, all right?

The life I knew is over.

The woman I loved is dead.

And there's nothing more
important to me right now

than taking on the
people who killed her.

Come here.

Come on.

Come sit down.

Now, you can tell me to mind my
own business, but I disagree.

Because you've got two
kids to bring up and that's

a lot more important.

And you can come away from
this with enough money

to make a difference
and be done with it.

- I don't think I want
to be done with this.

I think it'd be best for all
involved if this thing just

dragged on as long as possible.

Why?

- Because I don't know how
much difference there is

between me and George Whelan.

And when this case is over, I
just might kill someone too.

[music playing]

Ah, Judith.

Judith.

How are you feeling?

I'm still in a state of shock.

He was a human being, Judith.

He had flaws.

- Well, in my book, this was
a little more than a flaw.

- That didn't stop him from
being a good father now,

did it?

I don't know.

Yes you do.

You know the kind
of father he was.

- This makes me think of
him differently, Frank.

He wasn't this kindly
white-haired man

in a cardigan sweater working
on his stamp collection.

He was an obsessive sicko
pawing through dirty pictures.

Now, now.

I haven't said anything
about this to your mother.

Oh my God.

- I would hope not.
- No, no, no.

She shouldn't know
anything about it.

It would kill her.

- I mean, however
disconcerting this is to us,

we can still deal with it a hell
of a lot better than she could.

So we won't say anything.

Nothing.

Hello, children.

Hi, Mom.

Leland.

- Well, have you kids
worked out your differences?

Yes, mom.

We have.

Good.

I think the last thing
your father wanted

was for something like
his stamp collection

to have driven the
two of you apart.

By the way, did you ever
find his dirty magazines?

- So you know, Mr. Nuzzi,
we take an interest

in Benny Stulwicz's welfare.

- Lest you're about to tell us
that's none of our business.

Right.

Because we maintain it's
very much our business.

- In addition to being
Benny's employers,

we also administer his trust.

Now, if need be, we
can march into court

and get control of
all of Benny's assets

as well as a protective
order against you personally.

- And while we'd rather not
do that, the next time we

find out you're
taking money from him,

that's exactly what we'll do.

Are you done?

- Yeah.
- Good.

Let me set you straight
about something.

I'm not afraid of you.
All right?

That's for openers.

Ben Stelwards and I have
our own arrangement.

That arrangement doesn't
have anything to do with you.

- You are taking
advantage of someone

who is mentally retarded.

- So far as I'm concerned, I'm
not taking advantage of anyone.

So happens Ben's an adult.

A retarded adult.

- An adult. A grown man who
doesn't have to answer to you

or anyone else about
how he spends his money.

- You're the one who's got
to answer for it, Dominic.

- Either of you ever
take Ben to Vegas?

That's not really the point.

I think it is the point.

The fact that we're 45
minutes from the greatest

spectacle of the Western world,
and before I took him he'd

never been?
That's exactly the point.

- Believe it or not,
Benny has never expressed

any interest in Las Vegas.

Well, that's sadder still.

Because I'll tell you what, he's
real interested in going back.

He saw lights.

He saw action.

He saw Siegfried and Roy.

OK?

He saw white tigers appear
and disappear on command.

Not much compares with that.

- And we're supposed to
ignore the fact that it's

Benny who pays for everything?

- Hey, right now,
he's the one who's

got, so he's the one that pays.

When I'm the one that's
got, I'm the one that pays.

With me, Benny is Ben.

He's not a retarded
messenger boy.

He's a man.

We do the things that men do.

We go to the track.

We go to Vegas
because we're men.

We don't need your
permission, your approval.

You want to take me
to court, be my guest.

Dominic.

Hey, Ben.

How are you doing?

What's going on?

- We're just having
a little chat.

- Are you guys are
going to be friends?

Absolutely.

- Maybe they could go with
us to the racetrack sometime.

- Yeah, I don't see why not.
Hey.

Listen, Ben.
Walk me out, will ya?

I got to get going.

Yeah.

- So we have a good
time in Vegas or what?

We had a great time.

Hey.

Next time we go, we
go see Ann-Margret.

- Really?
- Oh, hey.

She's only the most beautiful
woman on the face of the Earth.

What, she should be there
and we wouldn't go see her?

So we will go.

That's what I'm saying.

I'll connect you.

One moment.

- Are you going to bet on
any horses today, Dominic?

I don't know yet.

- I went to the bank
and I got money.

Here.

Give me that.

Come here.

How many times
have I told you not

to keep your money in a wallet?

I forgot.

- Farmers keep their
money in wallets.

Anyone that's hip keeps their
money in their pants pocket.

Look at this mess.

Look at this.

All right.

I'm going to tell you
this one more time.

Bills, right side up.

OK, larger denominations
on the bottom,

smaller denominations
on the top.

Folded in the middle.

And when you pay out, you always
peel them off towards you.

Not towards the other guy.

Towards you.

OK.

- Trying to teach
you something here.

I know.

Here.

- Don't you want any
money to bet with?

No.

You sure?

Yeah.

- I'll see you at
Du-par's tonight.

Hey.

I got to eat supper, right?

[music playing]