All language subtitles for Law and order S20E16 - Innocence

In the criminal justice system

the people are represented
by two separate
yet equally important groups,

the police
who investigate crime

and the district attorneys
who prosecute the offenders.

These are their stories.

Suspect's inside
the apartment.

Neighbors confirmed.

Cedric Stuber,
lives with his mother,
third floor.

This is the gentleman
that called in the tip.

I recognized the guy
from the police sketch.

I followed him here,
called 911.

He's the killer.
All right, stay here.

What is it?

We just have
a few questions
to ask you, ma'am.

Quit yelling in the hallway.

Mrs. Stuber?

Yeah.
What do you want?

We'd like to speak
to your son, Cedric.

He didn't do nothing.

Hey!

Hands up!

Let him go!

My baby! My baby!

Hey!

Get her
out of here!

Come on,
let's go!

That's him,
that's the gay basher.

Why'd you kill him?
Do you hate gays?

I'm bleeding.

We'll take care of you
down at the station.

Or you can ask one
of these gentlemen
for a Band-Aid.

Murderer!

Hater!

Where were you last
Tuesday night?

Home with my mom.

What did the
two of you do?

I don't know,
watch TV.

Which channel?

I don't know. Surfing.

You remember this guy?

That, I got nothing
to do with that.

So, you do know
what this is about?

Yeah, I watch the news.

That guy you killed,
his partner got a real
good look at you.

How'd it go down?
The victim say something?

Things got out of hand?

I didn't kill
no gay dude.

It's beneath you, huh?

Straight guys never
have a problem with
two girls together.

It's kind of hot.

But two guys...

It's the ass thing, right?

Does that skeeve you,
Cedric? Hmm?

Imagining what two guys
do together?

The ins, the outs,
what goes where?

Doesn't bother me.

Okay, maybe he likes it.

Is that it?

Maybe that's why
you were downtown,

looking for a little taste.

Something on the down-low?

Hmm?

You like a nice ass
on a man, Cedric?

Just shut up! You shut up!

I ain't no fag!

Stuber's our guy.
Access to the weapon,
shaky alibi, the hoodie.

CSU just couldn't find
physical evidence.

So the case hangs
on the ID.

Mr. Sorrentino,
how are you doing?

Every time I come down here
it's like reliving
that night,

so I hope we're not
wasting our time.

You're not wasting
your time today.

Take a few
extra minutes, if you need.

No, I recognize him.

Number three.

You sure?

I'm positive.
That's the man
who killed Alan.

I'll never forget that face.

Charge Mr. Stuber
with murder.

Thank you,
Mr. Sorrentino.

I'll walk you out.
I'll be gone for a few hours.

You charging him
on one ID?

The gay community must
have the D.A.'s office
by the balls.

See you in court,
Mr. Gilman.

Thanks. I know you're doing
everything you can.

The accelerator
machine's down.

They got a technician
working on it.

How long?

She couldn't tell me.

All these people ahead of me.
I can't take
this kind of time.

You can and you will, baby.

Let me get you
some new magazines.

Okay.

That your husband?

Boyfriend.

He's nice.

Yeah.

You're lucky to have
somebody wait with you.

Well, I haven't
seen you before.
It's your first time?

Yeah. Radiation newbie,
that's me.

My oncologist says that
radiation is the last chance.

That if this doesn't work,
then they can't operate.

That's what they say.

Like, the treatment
burns you up inside,

melts everything
together.

Radiation is strong
because it has to be.

That's why it works.

So you keep thinking
about that,

the X-rays
destroying the cancer.

Okay.

Okay.

You're a tough girl.

Thanks.
I can tell.

My husband has been attacked.

There's blood everywhere.

It was a white kid
in a yellow sweatshirt.

He had some kind of razor.

Help us!
Alan is bleeding to death!

That's you on the tape?

Yes.

Please tell us what
happened to you and
Alan Camden that night.

We were walking home
from a party.

We were holding hands.

A man on the street saw us,
and he spit.

And he said, "What are
you looking at, fags?"

Do you see that man
in the courtroom?

Yes.

The defendant.

Then what happened?

Alan yelled back.

He always had
a short fuse.

The man pulled out
a box cutter
and attacked Alan,

blood spurting everywhere.

I tried to get
in between them.

But he had sliced
Alan's neck.

Alan fell, bleeding.

And what did
Mr. Stuber do then?

He looked at me, and he said,

"Keep your mouth shut,
faggot, or you'll be next."

Thank you.

I'm sorry for your loss, sir.

What time were you
and your partner
walking home from the party?

A little after 10:00.

And Alan was
more than my partner.
We were married.

Of course.

So it was dark out.
Had you been drinking?

No. I don't drink.

How about drugs?

Objection, relevance.

People's 12,
the victim's tox report.

Alan Camden had
methamphetamine and marijuana

in his system
when he was killed.

I'm trying to determine
if the witness was also
under the influence.

I'll allow it.

I had one or two hits
off a joint.
I don't do hard drugs.

When you picked my client
out of the lineup,

how much time had passed
since the attack?

Two weeks.

Two weeks after the fact,
you were able to recall
a total stranger

whom you had seen
for a matter of seconds

on a dark night
when you were high on pot?

Yes. I'm sure it was him.

I'm sure you believe that.

Nothing further.

Cedric's a good boy.

He works, driving a truck.

He pays rent,
buys groceries.

Where was Cedric the night
of January 12th,
around 10:00?

Home with me, on the couch.

We were watching TV.

Have you ever known your son
to make any anti-homosexual
remarks, Mrs. Stuber?

Absolutely not.
He wasn't raised that way.

Nothing further.

What television program were
you watching that night,
Mrs. Stuber?

A reality show.
Project Designer.

You and Cedric were watching
this program together?

That's right.

Well, let me ask you
something, Mrs. Stuber.

Do you consider yourself
a good role model
for your son?

Yes, I do.

Cedric listens to you,
he shares your ethics
and your morals?

Yes. I taught him well.

Project Designer.
What kind of show is that?

It's a contest,
about fashion design.

I watch it because I like
to make my own dresses.

A lot of the contestants
are gay, aren't they?

I suppose so.

So your son likes watching
gay fashion designers,

on the couch,
with his mom.

Some people might consider
that a little girly.

He only watches it
because I like it.

Well, have you ever
considered the possibility
that he likes it?

No.

That he enjoys watching
gay men?

That's not true.

He enjoys watching them
and fantasizing about them.

He's not one of them.
He's not a sissy.

My boy's not gay.
How dare you?

That's disgusting.

Like you said, Mrs. Stuber,
you taught your son well.

Nothing further.

On the count of
Murder in the Second Degree,
how do you find?

We find the defendant guilty.

The defendant is remanded
for sentencing.

Thank you, Mr. Cutter,
for Alan.

I can't help thinking
maybe somehow
he's more at peace now.

We both are.

Request for interviews
from Out magazine,

The Advocate,

and I've been invited
to speak

at the next LAGLA
convention.

I hear they have
the best parties.

Hold up on the
self-congratulations.

The Hudson University
Innocence Coalition

is taking on
Cedric Stuber's defense.

They've just filed a motion
to set aside the verdict.

Within hours of
Stuber's conviction?

Apparently they found
new evidence they're
claiming we overlooked

in our overzealous
rush to judgment.

And guess who signed
the motion.

Emily Ryan.

The head of
the Innocence Coalition.

My old law professor

and mentor.

Guess she's not done
schooling you.

After the verdict, a concerned
citizen called Mr. Stuber's
attorney with new evidence.

The attorney contacted us
to help file an appeal.

And we felt compelled
to act immediately.

This citizen claimed
what, exactly?

Come on, Mike.
I made you earn
every grade.

I won't give you
a preview of our case
so you can eviscerate it.

We'll need the name
of that witness.

Of course. Lisa?

Sylvia Corgan. I'll get you
her contact information.

Well, thank you
for your time,
Professor Ryan.

Emily, please.

And don't take this
as a personal attack.

I know that we're both
only interested in justice.

I had information about
Jon Sorrentino,
the victim's husband.

I thought
someone should know.

He has another boyfriend.

How do you know that?

I had a house on the market
in the Pines, Fire Island.

My buyer, Ted Wilson,
said before he made
a final decision

he wanted his associate
to come by and see the place.

So, a month ago
he brings over
his so-called associate.

It was Jon Sorrentino.

"So-called"?

They were kissing,
when they thought
I wasn't looking.

I didn't think anything
of it at the time.

When did you think
something of it?

When I saw the paper here
with his picture in it,

I realized I'd seen
him before.

His husband gets brutally
murdered, then two days later
he's kissing another man?

Please.

The real estate agent's
a busybody.

But you did buy a house
with Jon Sorrentino?

As a rental property.
He's a client.

I did a design consultation
for him on his
Adirondacks house a year ago,

the house he owned
with Alan.

So you and Jon
aren't involved.

Only as business partners.

Then why did
the real estate agent
tell us you were kissing him?

I was consoling a friend
who had suffered
an unimaginable loss.

Two gay men can be
affectionate without
it being sexual.

Just like you two.

Don't play cute with us,
Mr. Wilson.

When the police
look into this,

what else are they going
to find out about

your relationship
with Mr. Sorrentino?

Okay.

We weren't together then.

But things developed.
We're a couple now.

Then why the charade?

Jon knew how it would look.

We thought it was better
to keep it quiet.

Jon Sorrentino is listed
as co-owner of the
Fire Island Pines house.

Went into contract
three days after the murder.

Well, it could be legit.
Ted Wilson says they
didn't start a relationship

until after Alan died.

Which Sorrentino
didn't mention.

A one-witness case,
we need to make sure
this witness

didn't have his own motive.

It doesn't change the fact

that Sorrentino picked Stuber
out of the lineup.

Somebody took a picture of
Stuber when we arrested him

and posted it that day
on a gay-rights blog.

Sorrentino could've seen it
before he came in
for the lineup.

Let's subpoena the blog
and find out if Sorrentino
visited the website.

We should also find out if he
was involved with Ted Wilson
before Alan's murder.

According to his phone
records, he called Ted
a few times.

And then there's this,

a series of calls,
two months ago, to
Holt, Levy and Trachtenberg.

Divorce lawyers.

Alan and I had a bad week.

We were fighting,
he was using drugs.

So you wanted
to get a divorce?

I wanted to know my options.

We were married in
Massachusetts, where
gay marriage is legal.

But we live in New York,
where it's not.

So we couldn't
get divorced here.

Ah, so you were stuck
in the marriage.

Till death do you part.

What? No.

I just didn't want
to be married anymore.

Was this before or after
you got involved
with Ted Wilson?

Okay.

I should have told you
about that.

We were trying to be
discreet, because I thought
it would look bad.

Guess what? It looks bad.

You want to get rid of your
husband, a few weeks later
he winds up dead.

Alan was killed
by Cedric Stuber.

He was yelling gay epithets.

This was a hate crime.

Okay. Anything else
you wanted to be
discreet about?

Nothing.

I wanted out of the marriage,

but I did not
kill my husband.

Either Jon was telling
the truth and his husband
was gay-bashed to death...

Or he's lying.

Right. He found someone
to kill his husband and
pass it off as gay bashing.

That doesn't explain his
ID'ing Stuber at the lineup.

Or he did see Stuber's photo
on the blog.

Not to mention, you told him
he wouldn't be wasting
his time at the lineup.

I doubt that had
any influence.

You hope it didn't.
That was a dumb thing to say.

And Emily Ryan's going
to jump all over it.

Make sure you prosecuted
the right man.

Okay, is there any evidence
Sorrentino visited the blog
before the lineup?

Well, there's a hit
from an IP address

that we traced back
to a hedge fund
where he works.

That doesn't mean anything.
There's 30 people
in that office.

Mike, the Innocence
Coalition's going to make it
mean something.

Mr. Sorrentino's
credibility is undermined

by his silence about
his marital troubles,

and his ID of Mr. Stuber
was tainted

when Mr. Cutter stated

that he wouldn't be
wasting his time
viewing this lineup.

I in no way indicated which
person he should identify.

If his witness saw a photo
of my client on a blog,

well, he would already know
who to ID.

The only hard evidence
Professor Ryan has presented

is that Jon Sorrentino's
marriage was in trouble.

It doesn't prove he made
a false identification,

nor does it exculpate
Mr. Stuber.

That is true, Ms. Ryan.

We have an additional
witness that is prepared
to give testimony.

My name is Rodrigo Diaz.

I know
Jon Sorrentino pretty well.

I knew his boyfriend,
Alan, too.

How is that, Mr. Diaz?

I'm their drug dealer,
or I used to be.

When was
the last time that you
saw Mr. Sorrentino?

He asked to meet me
two months ago.

He said he was tired
of being married, but
he couldn't get a divorce.

So he asked me
if I knew anybody

that could get rid
of his problem.

Like a hit man.

Did he say why
he was asking you?

He said he wanted
his husband, Alan, dead.

I told him he was crazy.

Thank you.

Mr. Diaz, if you knew
Jon Sorrentino was
soliciting a hit man,

why didn't you go
to the police after
his husband was killed?

I tried.
I called the precinct
on 18th Street.

You tried?

Yeah, and they
put me on hold.

So I got frustrated
and I hung up.

So why come forward now?

Because it's the
right thing to do.

Oh, and it wasn't
the right thing to do
a month ago,

when Mr. Stuber was
on trial for murder?

I didn't know about no trial.

Now, this student from
the Innocence Clinic,

Lisa Klein, she found me.

She heard I was Jon
and Alan's dealer,

and she asked if I knew about
any problems between them.

I said maybe I did,

and she convinced me
to tell my story.

As far as you know,
did Mr. Sorrentino hire
a hit man?

No, I don't know that.

Their witness is a drug dealer
whose claims
can't be verified.

I ask that the court respect
the jury's decision.

The jury made their decision
with only half the facts.

And Mr. Stuber was denied
the opportunity

to present an alternative
theory of the crime.

I agree.
In light of this new witness

and Mr. Cutter's apparent
attempt to influence
the lineup identification,

I'm granting
defense counsel's motion.

The guilty verdict
is set aside.

I'm ordering a new trial.

I don't know whether to be
outraged or humiliated.
Or both.

Oh, nothing personal, Mike.

Now let's see if you really
did learn something from me.

Nothing personal?
That was personal.

This surprise witness,
this dope dealer,
really hurt us.

If he's lying,
we need to prove it.

Is this about salvaging
your case

or finding out
if Sorrentino really had
his husband killed?

I don't give a damn about
anything except putting
the right people in jail.

Good. I'll get my guys
back on it.

Bad enough being
second-guessed by Emily Ryan.

It's a hell of a lot worse
if she's right.

It seemed like
a straight-up gay bashing.

Now I don't know.

Forget that Emily Ryan
was your mentor, Mike.

She's just another
defense lawyer.

A defense lawyer who just won
a retrial for a killer.

That too.

You're telling me
this murderer might
walk away scot-free?

Let's take it
a step at a time.

Was Rodrigo Diaz
your drug dealer?

He used to be.

Did you ever have
a conversation with him
about your marital problems?

Well, I definitely
told him Alan and I
weren't getting along.

Meaning, "Could you
get rid of him for me?"

Oh, my God!
You think I hired him
to kill Alan?

Rodrigo swore under oath
that you asked for
an introduction to a hit man.

That's a lie!

Do I need a lawyer?

If I had something to hide,
I'd make a phone call.

What else do you want
to know?

Why would Rodrigo say that?

He have any kind of grudge
against you?

Alan had a really bad
meth habit.

It was one of the reasons
things weren't working out
between us.

It got to the point
where I told Rodrigo

if he kept dealing to Alan,
I was going to the police.

No doubt that would
piss him off.

So why isn't he down here
answering these questions?

You can help us out with that.

Winston?

Yeah.

Cold out there, huh?

You a cop, man?

Are you?

You look straight.

I didn't know these
Chelsea boys had
any straight friends.

What can I tell you?
They said you can get molly.

Can you do 20 or not?

That's 25 apiece.

If you went to school
on the short bus,
it's 500.

I need 250 up front.

There's a $50 service
charge, too.

Hey.

Let's take a walk.

Aw!

You think I'm stupid
enough to carry
my own stash, man?

You were
stupid enough to lie
on the witness stand.

Is that what this is about?

Everything I said in court is
the God's honest truth, man.

Except you forgot
to mention

that Jon said he was
going to dime you out

if you didn't stop
dealing to his partner.

Nobody asked me
about that, man.

Tequila Chito's in Brooklyn.

Lisa at the
Innocence Coalition.

So you were with her
at this tequila bar?

So?

Is that how they
convinced you to testify?

They bought you
a couple shots
of Patron Anejo?

I got nothing else
to say, man.

All right, then get in.

Yeah, that's Rodrigo.
He a regular here?

He comes by
when he's flush.

Did he ever come by
with a woman,

brown hair, early 20s?

Yeah, a few weeks ago.
They had a pitcher
of margaritas.

This is a busy place.
How come you remember
what they ordered?

About 20 minutes
after they were here,
they got in an argument.

Rodrigo started to walk out,

and she came up to me
with a credit card,

asked for $100 cash back.

What'd she do
with the money?

She gave it to him.
They sat down
and talked some more.

Did they leave together?

No. About an hour later,
she asked me for the number
of a car service.

Rodrigo came out here
by himself to wait for it.

We ran down the car service,
and the driver told us

that Rodrigo paid him 20 bucks
to drive him

to an address
in Prospect Heights,
a known drug location.

So Professor Ryan's student

greased the wheels of justice
with some drug money.

Are you suggesting they bought
his testimony for 80 bucks?

And a pitcher of margaritas.

If you throw in retaliation
for Jon's threat to
call the cops on him,

I'd rate Rodrigo's
credibility at zero.

Rodrigo was reluctant
to get involved.

He wouldn't come in
to the clinic.

So you
invited him to a bar?

I've been at the clinic
two semesters.

I've had to meet
witnesses in prisons,

in tenement hallways
where junkies are
shooting dope...

Did you ply them all
with cocktails?

Rodrigo ordered
the drinks.

And throw them a little
drug money on the side?

It was car fare.

Professor Ryan always
said you were on the ball,
Mr. Cutter.

Frankly, I'm a bit
disappointed you'd mistake
cab money for a bribe.

Did Rodrigo ever mention
he was pissed off
at Jon Sorrentino

for threatening
to turn him over
to the police?

I don't have to download
my interview for you.

But now you
have all the facts.

You must have doubts
about his credibility.

Jon Sorrentino is
the one who lied here.

He hired somebody to
kill his partner and make it
look like a gay bashing.

You're grasping at straws
instead of admitting
you were wrong.

I think the grasping's
just begun.

Thank you.

What the hell's
going on now?

I got a call
from Emily Ryan.

You subpoenaed
her students'
academic records?

One of her students
paid off a witness,

the witness
who blew up our case.

Your subpoena covered
every student

who's worked at her clinic
for the past 10 years,

their grades,
their written assignments,
their email messages...

We're entitled to know
if there's a pattern
to these improprieties.

Leverage is one thing.

You've declared war
on the Hudson
Innocence Coalition?

Why protect people
who make it their mission
to undermine our work?

I'm not arrogant enough
to believe we
never make mistakes.

My doubts disappeared
when I found out
their witness

was enticed to come forward
with cash and tequila.

It's easy to wax philosophical
about Emily Ryan,

but the egg's
on my face, Jack.

Don't ask me to
withdraw that subpoena.

Here you go.

If she's intent
on making Diaz
her star witness,

we'll find every customer
he's ever ripped off
to impeach him.

That's easier said
than done, Mike.

Working on a subpoena
to Doctors Without Borders?

Oh, what can we do for you,
Professor Ryan?

I just talked to Jack McCoy,

and he says that
he's standing behind your
crusade against my students.

So when can we
expect the records?

Oh, you still have
a few more hoops

you're going to have to
jump through.

Well, we're fully
prepared

for your motion to
quash our subpoena.

Didn't I teach you
about blowback, Mike?

Sometimes you open up a door
that you think is safe

and an inferno
comes roaring out.

Just remember,
this was your call.

Am I just hearing things,
or did she just threaten you?

It's just standard
defense lawyer shtick.

Don't worry about it.

The privacy of these
academic records is
protected by federal law.

Mr. Cutter's subpoena is
an insult to Hudson University
and its students.

These students
forfeited their
right to privacy

when they chose
to intervene
in a criminal case.

My clinic has freed
22 innocent men who were
doing life without parole.

How am I going
to get students to volunteer
for this kind of work

if they think the government
is reading their emails,

scrutinizing
their academic records?

The D.A.'s office has
no interest in these records

other than to determine
if Ms. Ryan's students

were incentivized
to manufacture new evidence.

Now, we've already
established that a student
corrupted a witness.

The student paid for car fare
and bought a couple of drinks.

Drug money and booze.

This may be the tip
of the iceberg, Your Honor.

The prosecution has made a
clear showing of impropriety,
Professor Ryan.

I want to know what else
is going on over there
at your clinic.

So I'll give you
the academic records,
Mr. Cutter.

Not the emails.

Students who worked on
a successful exoneration

have a grade average
six points higher
than one who didn't.

And are your grades
in there too, Mike?

Just because
they're being rewarded

doesn't mean
they're cooking the books.

Most of Ryan's exonerations
were based on irrefutable
DNA matches.

I'm not saying that
every piece of new evidence
she's uncovered is tainted.

But there's pressure
on these kids
to overturn convictions,

and her tacit reward system?

It fosters a culture
of overzealousness.

And Emily?
She finds the way in.

I assume you're speaking
from experience.

Yeah.

She knew I had nowhere
to go for the holidays.

She used to invite me to
her house for Thanksgiving,

with her husband.

Christmas dinner.
And I would have
run into bullets for her.

And this is how
you repay her kindness.

The four students
who worked on Stuber's case

got letters of recommendation
to prospective employers.

And you're planning on
introducing all of this
at Stuber's new trial?

Forget the retrial.

We'll move for a hearing
to see how far
Ryan's students went

to manufacture a wrongful
conviction here.

Judge Braden can reinstate
the jury verdict.

Professor Ryan was always
skeptical of one-witness
ID cases like this one,

especially when there was
community pressure
to make an arrest.

So she had us talk to
Jon and Alan's neighbors.

One of them put us
onto their drug dealer,
Rodrigo Diaz.

The first time you talked
to Mr. Diaz was in
a tequila bar?

What did you expect?
He's a drug dealer.

Whom you compensated
for spending time
with you.

He asked me to pay for
his drinks and car fare.

I was reimbursed
by the clinic.

But after taking the cash
and then downing
a pitcher of margaritas,

he revealed the new evidence
you were looking for.

He wasn't drunk enough
to make me doubt
what he was saying.

And then he agreed
to testify for you,

just like any
upstanding citizen?

That's right.

Are you sure you didn't
offer him more money,

or anything else
to motivate him?

He was worried about being
arrested because he'd be
admitting to selling drugs.

I told him if that happened,
the clinic would
get him a lawyer.

Did you mention
any of this,

the free lawyer,
the car fare, the drinks,
to Professor Ryan?

Well, no.

After your work
on the Stuber case,

did Professor Ryan write you
a letter of recommendation

for a federal clerkship?

Yes, she did.

Am I the only professor
to write you a letter
of recommendation?

No, I have two others.

I'm in the top 10%
of my class.
I'm also on law review.

Were you motivated
to embellish Mr. Diaz' story

for a grade
or a recommendation?

Absolutely not.

I was motivated to
expose the truth,
to remedy an injustice.

Thank you.

I'd like to call Emily Ryan
as the People's next witness.

Your Honor,
I'm defense counsel.

Co-counsel. Mr. Gilman can
handle any questioning.

I was alluding to
attorney-client privilege.

I'll be asking about her
clinic, not her conversations
with Mr. Stuber.

Please take the witness stand,
Professor Ryan.

It's customary to cover
a witness's travel expenses.

But we can't control what
a witness does with the money.

To suggest that
Mr. Diaz perjured
himself for $80,

I find that preposterous.

Is it also customary
to provide free cocktails
and free legal representation?

Lisa may have been
a bit oversolicitous.

I would love to have
some more experienced
investigators.

Unfortunately, we don't have
those kind of resources.

So you reward
the students in your clinic

who work on successful
exonerations

with better grades and more
enthusiastic recommendations?

They have higher grades
because I assign
my brightest students

to the most serious cases.

With all this at stake,
how can we know
for certain

that Lisa didn't suggest
this hit man story
to Mr. Diaz?

My students may
get a bit overzealous.

A lot of us are
susceptible to that.

But they don't
suborn perjury.

That goes against
everything that we stand for.

All right, step down,
Professor Ryan,
I've heard enough.

I'm troubled by the way
Mr. Diaz was coaxed

into coming forward
by an apparent bribe.

Without his testimony,
I never would have taken
the extraordinary step

of setting aside a verdict
by a jury who weighed
all the facts.

The jury did not have
all the facts.

Almost all the facts.
I now find Diaz' testimony
extremely suspect.

I'm reversing my earlier
decision and reinstating
the jury's conviction.

In that case, the defendant
moves to dismiss
for another reason.

Judge, are you going
to allow Professor Ryan
to keep taking potshots

at a legitimate jury verdict?

What's the problem now,
Professor Ryan?

The lead prosecutor's license
to practice law
was obtained fraudulently.

Excuse me?

You heard me
correctly, Judge.

My client's right
to a fair trial

includes the right
to be prosecuted by
assistant district attorney,

and Mr. Cutter is
not an attorney at all.

I went to three colleges
in four years.

A couple of credits
slipped through the cracks.

I thought it would get
sorted out by the time
I got to law school.

So you don't actually
have your BA.

I did the work, but no one
actually handed me a diploma.

I don't understand how this
affects your law license.

This oversight got
perpetuated when I applied
for the New York Bar.

You represented to the Bar
Overseers that you had your
undergraduate degree.

Right.

And on your résumé
to the D.A.'s office?

Damn it, Mike.

How did Emily Ryan
find out about it?

She was my faculty advisor.

I mentioned it to her once
and she told me,

"Don't worry about it,
it's a technicality."

It's now a technicality
that puts every one of your
convictions in jeopardy.

Starting with
the Stuber case.

Judge Braden wants
to put me under oath,

hold a hearing
in his chambers tomorrow.

I'll be joining you.

After I passed the bar exam,

I checked the qualifications
for the New York Bar.

A college degree
is not a requirement.

I do have
the required law degree,

so I believe that my
license to practice law
is valid.

May I ask a few questions,
Judge?

When you were interviewed by
the Bar Examiner's Character
and Fitness Committee,

did you mention any of this?

No.

So, when you were sworn in
as an A.D.A.

And you promised
to uphold the laws,

you were essentially
committing a fraud

on the people
of the State of New York?

I object to
that characterization.

The question is whether
his lapse of judgment

impinged on the defendant's
right to a fair trial.

And why Professor Ryan
waited so long
to assert that it did.

I'll take
the defense motion to dismiss
under advisement.

Once again, Mr. Cutter,
I am very disappointed
by this turn of events.

You were 21.
You made a mistake.

I just raked a law student
over the coals
for having poor judgment.

Well, maybe you should never
have gone after the clinic.

I didn't have a choice.
Their witness was lying.

And you had a chance
to show up your mentor.

That had nothing
to do with it.

Really? Mike.

Jack's going to fire me.

You're being paranoid.
I'd fire me.

Who knows if they'll let me
keep my license.

Well, well, a personal visit
from the District Attorney.

You know why
I'm here, Emily.

That ship
has already sailed.

Not necessarily.

I've seen too many
innocent men rot in prison

because of
prosecutorial hubris.

Mike went after your clinic
because that's what
you taught him to do.

He didn't deserve this.

I didn't deserve this.
And I gave you the
opportunity to reel him in.

Then blame me.

Mike's a fine prosecutor.
He does you proud.

Do you really want to destroy
what you created?

I still have a client
to represent.

Do you believe he's innocent?

Or are you teaching
Mike Cutter another lesson?

What do you propose?

If I can bring Mike
around to man one,
will Stuber make a deal?

Right.
He pleads and my motion for dismissal just goes away?

Mike's still going to have
to face the Bar Overseers.

No promises, Jack.
Uh-uh.

It sounds like we both have
some convincing to do.

Stuber's a hate murderer.

He doesn't deserve man one!

I agree with you
on the merits.

I see.

We need to make a deal
to cover my ass.

Well, I'm sorry, but I'd
rather get disbarred than be
a part of that scenario.

Here's the scenario
you should be worried about.

Stuber gets retried,
by a real lawyer,

he walks because Emily Ryan's
injected enough doubt
in the case to sway a jury,

and Judge Braden refers
your misfeasance
to the First Department.

Well, I'm sorry, Jack,
but I won't do it.

Yes, you will.

If you have any hope
of staying on here, end this
debacle with a plea bargain.

Always be early,

just like I taught you,
Mike.

And face the door,
that way you don't get
stabbed in the back.

You forced my hand.
I warned you not to.

I never thought you'd actually
come after my license.

Why? You didn't think
I could fight as dirty
as you did?

You were the one
who started this, Emily.

I challenged one case.

You were the one
that made this personal.

Everything that I have worked
to build, everything that you
used to believe in,

you're trying
to rip it apart.

Well, you should have known
that I wasn't going
to back down.

Well, you're here now, Mike.

That shows maturity.
There was a time when you
couldn't accept defeat.

Judge Braden says
he'll have a ruling on our
retrial motion tomorrow.

Is that really what you want,
Mr. Stuber, another trial?

I want to get out of here.

I'm innocent.

Oh, well, then there's
no reason to talk about
a plea bargain, is there?

Wait a minute, Mike.
Come on.

Just hear him out, Cedric.

This guy's not even a lawyer.
Can he even make a deal?

Yes, he can, Mr. Stuber.

And if you have any doubts,
I'm here for your
peace of mind.

Oh, that's sweet of you.

So what do you got?

Man one. Twenty years.

Screw that.

Come on, Mike.
You can do better than that.

If he is going to blow trial,
the minimum is 15 years.

Everyone in this room knows
he won't get less
than 25-to-life

after a conviction
for a hate crime.

You know what?
I'm sick of this
hate crime crap.

It's not like he was
a black guy,

or a spic.

Our offer just went up
to 25.

Mike...
Go to trial
if you don't like it.

How about our motion
for dismissal?
How about your law license?

You can have my license.

It'll free me up to testify
about the hate speech your
client just spewed in here.

And after he's convicted
of murder in state court,

I'll walk across to the
U.S. Attorney's Office

and have your
client prosecuted

for violating the
Matthew Shepard Act.

Hate murder against gays
is a federal offense now.

Are you ready to do
back-to-back life sentences,
Mr. Stuber?

You will die in jail.

Is that true?

He'll take
the 20 years
you originally offered.

It's 25 or nothing.

Now or never, Mr. Stuber.

Is this fed thing for real?

Yes, I'm afraid so.

I'll take the 25.

That guy's nuts,
you know that?

Yeah, I do.

I've been reprimanded
by the Bar Overseers.

It goes in The Law Journal
tomorrow.

"...but we cannot see
how the flaw
in Mr. Cutter's credentials

"prejudice any of
his past convictions."

I dodged a bullet.

Did you?