Previously on "L.A. Law"...
Death penalty appeals are usually losers,
I'm not going to lie to you about that,
but we do have a chance, Earl,
we have a legitimate chance.
There will be other big clients, Rosalind.
I'm not talking about clients right now,
I'm talking about the senior partner.
I'm talking about somebody who can't make a hard decision
when he needs to because he's too afraid
of risking his popularity.
Which way did you vote?
Some day you'll probably head up your own firm, Jonathan.
And you'll see, it gets complicated.
Sometimes you just have to compromise.
No, you always struck me as a man who didn't.
The surprise DNA evidence
prejudiced the defendant's right
to a fair trial under the United States Constitution.
Accordingly, we hereby set aside the verdict
and the death penalty and order a new trial
to be scheduled immediately.
Oh, God!
Ronald Sewell, Street name "Pinto".
Last seen around Olympic and Grand.
But he could be anywhere.
I want you to find out where he lives and search it.
Right.
I want to thank you all for staying late.
So, what's going on, Leland?
This. Effective as of this Friday,
I am resigning as senior partner
of this law firm.
-What?
-Leland.
I'll stay on as of counsel,
but one of you will have to take over.
Are you sick?
No, no, I'm not sick.
My health has nothing to do with it.
Then what?
What possible reason could you have
for dropping this kind of b*mb on us?
Because for some time now,
I've hated to come in to work, Anne.
People keep threatening to quit,
people tell me to go to hell,
the place is splitting at the seams,
and I can't be the one to hold it together any longer.
So what are we supposed to do?
You elect a new senior partner, that's what you do.
ANNE: Who? Who here can do this job?
Anybody but me.
You can't do this, Leland.
Oh, yes I can.
I'm old. I'm rich.
I'm done.
♪♪
♪♪
Proceeding along, Parral vs. Diane.
Victor?
Yes, the hospital has settled out,
leaving just the good doctor.
We've offered ,, but they've rejected it.
Isn't , a little low for wrongful death?
Well, the victim was terminal, anyway, Jonathan,
so the damage claim is a little weak.
Start today.
Keep us apprised.
People vs. Earl Williams, uno mas.
Motion to dismiss Wednesday.
Any chance of getting this kicked?
Slim, but Pinto has been seen and the PIs
I'm working with expect to find him.
And then?
I question him.
Which reminds me, if I do find the guy,
I need somebody to be there with me when I talk to him.
I may need an impeachment witness down the road.
I can do it.
Good.
Lastly, clean
-up items.
As you know, the vote
for the new senior partner is Friday,
which is just three short days away.
Winner decided by plurality,
the declared candidates are Rosalind, Stuart and myself.
Oh, Stuart, you little power hog.
I believe I'm qualified.
Yes, well, best of luck to us all.
Let's try to run a clean campaign.
And very lastly, I've been instructed to request
that you keep the evening of May th clear on your calendar
though I have no idea why.
Benny's clinic is doing a play,
and he's landed a major role,
so I think we should all be there.
Oh, no.
First Roxanne thinks she's Aretha Franklin.
What's he doing, An Evening with Mark Twain?
The Wizard of Oz. He's playing the Cowardly Lion.
And Alice has been cast as Dorothy.
That's great.
Well, that's it, people, we're adjourned.
Leland.
I'd like a minute of your time, please.
I wasn't going to say anything,
but there's no way I can just swallow it:
you betrayed me, Leland.
Excuse me?
How many times have we talked about
your turning over the reins to me?
Pretty soon, it'll be your firm, Douglas.
How many times have you said that?
You've got my vote, Douglas.
But not your endorsement.
You could have sat down with me beforehand.
We could have mapped out a transition,
and you could have coupled your announcement
with a recommendation.
But you didn't do that.
Instead, you invited everyone to throw his
or her hat in the ring.
You can't expect me to mandate how the others should feel.
You've made a career out of mandating and steering people
in directions you wanted them to go,
and for my money, you were steering them here, too.
Your non
-endorsement was conspicuous, Leland.
Senior partners don't have it given to them, Douglas.
You want that job?
You go out there, you take it.
Now, you've got my vote.
If you can't muster the support of your colleagues,
that's not my problem.
And how soon after the accident
did the ambulance arrive?
Maybe minutes.
And it was probably another
before we got to Cedric's.
And that would be Cedrics Israel hospital.
Yes, they wheeled him right in.
Some...
nurses or paramedics
or something checked him over but
they weren't really able to help much.
After a few minutes, he came.
Let the record reflect that the witness
has indicated the defendant, Dr. Michael Diane.
And what happened then, Mrs. Parral?
We went into a little room and I think they took blood.
And then they took him off for tests.
And then Dr. Diane came back
and said that there was something wrong with his spleen,
and that they'd have to operate right away.
And what happened then?
They took him off to prep,
and they put me in a room where I could wait.
About a half hour or so, the doctor comes back
and says he's not going to do the surgery.
Did the doctor tell you why not?
Yes, he says it was because my husband had AIDs.
He said it would be too dangerous.
Too dangerous for whom?
Too dangerous for him, the doctor.
He told me not to worry,
that he'd get another doctor to do it.
But that he wasn't going to operate.
And then he left the room.
And when was the next time that you saw Dr. Diane?
About an hour later.
He came back in the room and he told me...
He told me Warren was dead.
Thank you, Mrs. Parral.
How did your husband contract AIDS, ma'am?
He had an accident at work about six years ago,
and he received a blood transfusion
that was contaminated.
And he was being treated for this disease.
He was getting treatment. It wasn't effective.
Your husband was dying.
Yes, he was.
Um...
I'm sorry, ma'am, but could you tell us
how long the doctors had given him to live?
They said he probably wouldn't make it through the summer.
And was your husband employed at the time of his death?
No.
He hadn't worked since last October.
Thank you, ma'am.
I have nothing further, Your Honor.
That doesn't mean he should be left to just die.
Like he didn't matter.
Thank you, ma'am, there's no question before you.
I love you.
I love you, too.
I'll see you there.
He's been having these dreams.
What dreams?
He keeps seeing a crowd of people surrounding him,
screaming at him that he should die.
He keeps having this other one that...
he says it's like he's lying down and he can't wake up
and he doesn't know if he's asleep or
if that's his state of consciousness when he's dead.
It's happening almost every night, Michael.
He's afraid to close his eyes.
Can you win this motion to dismiss?
I don't think so.
Well, you've got to try.
He's falling apart,
and if we don't get him out of here pretty soon,
I think he's going to break.
Stuart, I didn't say you wouldn't make
a good senior partner.
No, you didn't say it.
But you implied it, didn't you?
I simply asked why it is you want to run for it.
Oh, which means, how could I possibly consider
for a single second that I could actually run a law firm, right?
Oh, brother if that is what you infer
from one simple little question, Stuart,
I don't know what to say.
Well, let's get down to it, Anne:
are you going to vote for me?
Honey, of course I'm going to vote for you.
You're my husband, how could I not support you in this?
Oh, great, there it is. You are unbelievable.
The absolute maestro with the back
-handed compliment.
Oh, for God's sake.
No, it's great, Anne. It's great.
You'll vote for me out of spousal obligation,
not because I'd be any good at the job.
-[ knocking ]
-Not not because I'd be a good leader.
Not because it would be good for the firm.
No, but because it's a wife's duty to back her husband
even though he may be tilting at windmills.
Stuart, what do you want from me?
Do you want me to stand up and cheer, the firm is saved?
Stuart Markowitz to the rescue?
You have never been the head of a single department.
You have never been the boss of anything.
At least Douglas has been an administrator.
That's all he is, Anne, is an administrator.
He has no vision.
He can't see beyond the paper clip inventory,
and he has no business being vested
with the direction of our lives.
Better him than Rosalind Shays.
She can't win.
She can, Stuart, if you and Douglas split your vote!
You can take just enough support away from each other
to make that queen bitch the winner.
Anne...
Stuart, I can live with Brackman.
Not happily, but I can live.
But if Rosalind Shays gets control of this firm
-
-
It's not going to happen.
You want to know how this thing's going to break down?
Leland backs Douglas, Rosalind votes for herself,
you and I vote for me.
That leaves Becker and Kuzak as the swing votes.
You think they'll vote for you?
Oh, yeah. Arnie was never happy
about her joining the firm to begin with.
And he's never taken Douglas seriously.
I think I can nail him down.
The trick is Kuzak.
Go to figure out a way to bag Kuzak.
Okay, ,.
Not a chance.
Come on, Mark, you can't show damages here.
He had a three month life expectancy and no lost income.
I'm throwing you a bone.
We're not going for wrongful death, here, Victor,
I'm going for hedonics.
Loss of enjoyment of life.
How much enjoyment did he have coming to him, Mark?
He was a month away from his organs
beginning to shut down.
If anything, this thing spared him tremendous suffering.
Your guy cost Warren Parral the rest of his life.
I'm not forgiving that for grand.
Sorry.
You going to take this offer to your client, Mark?
Yes, Victor, I'll tell her,
and I'll tell her not to accept it.
You told her everything?
Meaning what?
Have I told her that I have AIDs?
Look, Mark, I'm sorry,
I just don't want to see your judgment here clouded
by your own personal situation.
She knows about my situation, Victor.
And she knows me to be an honest attorney
who would never compromise his client's interest
just to make a point, even if I'm dying.
I'm sorry, Mark, that was out of line.
Your offer is rejected.
Found him this morning doing some business on Olympic.
He knows why you grabbed him?
Not yet.
He's figured out it ain't no job interview.
You find out where he lives?
One room studio on Olympic.
It was clean.
Ronnie, this is Mike Kuzak.
He would like to know some things.
What the hell is this?
I represent a man who is charged with k*lling Nina Corry.
Does that mean anything to you?
-No.
-Well, it should.
You were seen leaving her apartment
the night that it happened. That's what this is about.
I don't know what you're talking about.
You're going to talk to us, Ronnie.
We are going to have a conversation here.
I don't know nothing about what you're asking me.
You were seen, Pinto. You were seen there.
Now either you start telling us what we want or
prepare yourself for a very long afternoon.
You got that?
Hey! Hey!
What the hell are you guys doing?
Listen to me, you stupid son of a bitch!
I don't give a damn about you
or laws or rules or anything.
All I care about is who k*lled Nina Corry.
Now, you better start telling me some things
very quickly, or you're going to get hurt.
I told the police, and I'm telling you:
I was in the building that night but I didn't k*ll nobody.
What do you mean, you told the police?
I told them everything!
And the district attorney, too.
You told the district attorney
that you were in that building that night?
I told them everything. What the hell is this?
What was the district attorney's name?
Get your hands off me!
I said what was the district attorney's name!
Flanagan! Some chick named Flanagan.
Arnie, I've been thinking.
Great, every man should have a hobby.
I've been thinking about the future of the firm.
I think an entertainment department could be
a very good idea, and I'd be willing to support you
in that endeavor should you decide to pursue it.
Thank you, Douglas, I appreciate the bribe.
It's not a bribe.
It is, however, an indication of how receptive I can be
to new ideas. Perhaps your ideas.
I haven't decided who I'm voting for yet.
And I certainly don't want to influence you in any undue way.
But I might remind you of your own belief
that Rosalind Shays is not a team player.
Not to mention the fact that having a woman at the helm
would shatter a long
-standing tradition here.
What about Stuart, do we have any tradition against him?
A fine tax attorney.
But let's face it: a little Napoleon.
Who knows what would happen with him
running around in charge.
But this much we do know:
a vote for Stuart Markowitz is a vote for Anne Kelsey.
She'd be the one calling the sh*ts.
That's pretty vicious, Douglas.
I'm not altogether sure I agree with it.
Well, then think about this:
if I get the nod,
the totem pole stays basically the same.
But if Stuart gets elected,
he becomes more powerful than you
and so does Anne Kelsey.
Thank you for that objective analysis, Douglas.
I'll... I guess I'll have some thinking to do.
Oh, Stuart.
Douglas.
Hi, Arn.
I just found out I can't make it to the Laker game
this Saturday night. You want the tickets?
And so you were the first doctor
to examine this patient?
Yes. I don't usually work in the ER,
but I was on call that night,
and for a series of other emergencies,
I happened to be there when they brought Mr. Parral in.
And you diagnosed Mr. Parral as having a ruptured spleen?
It wasn't ruptured, but the cat scan
revealed a severe contusion
and a lot of blood in the abdomen.
That's why I scheduled the surgery.
And then you decided not to operate, is that right?
Yes, I had noticed during the initial examination
that he was somewhat emaciated.
And then during prep, I saw the purple lesions on his skin
and the advanced yeast infection on his mouth.
I knew then that he had AIDs.
And that is why you declined to operate.
Yes, sir.
I will treat AIDs patients
but I will not perform surgery.
Why not, Doctor?
Because I would be exposing myself and my team
to an infectious disease that is almost always fatal.
But can't you wear protective clothing?
It's very common for surgeons to get cuts
and nicks on their hands while they're performing the procedure.
Dr. Diane, when this patient went into shock,
you knew that if you didn't operate right away
he was going to die.
Yes.
And every single day I'm haunted by the memory
of watching him die.
I stood there and watched it.
But I also knew given his weakened immune system
that there was a chance he wouldn't survive the procedure.
And when I considered that along with the fact
it's a bloody operation
and I would be risking my own life as well,
I made my decision.
Now, am I conflicted about this? Absolutely.
Was I wrong? I don't think so.
Thank you, Doctor. Nothing further.
Dr. Diane...
You let a man die because he had AIDs.
I declined to operate because I didn't want to die of AIDs.
What exactly are the odds of
contracting AIDs in that way, doctor?
Odds are only significant
if you're willing to gamble, counselor.
I'm not.
Ever operate on a patient
who was infected with hepatitis B?
Yes.
Well, I'm confused.
Hepatitis B is a deadly disease which is more
easily transmitted than the HIV virus.
You don't mind dying from hepatitis?
First of all, Hepatitis B is not always fatal.
There is a treatment for Hepatitis B.
There is no cure for AIDs.
If you get it, you die.
Well, over healthcare workers die every year
from Hepatitis B.
Only have ever contracted the HIV virus
from job exposure and none have died.
We don't know how many doctors have contracted the HIV virus.
This disease has a long incubation period, counselor.
There could be thousands of healthcare workers
out there who have this disease and don't know it.
Warren and Susan Parral counted on you.
They went to the hospital for help and what they got
was a doctor who discriminates against patients
on the basis of what diseases they have.
Do you see those two kids over there, counselor?
They count on me, too.
They count on having a father around when they grow up.
You took an oath to save lives, and you let him die.
He was going to die anyway.
So are we all, doctor.
We're all just trying to put that day off
for as long as we can.
Have you ever been in an OR, counselor?
We are passing around razor
-sharp instruments
that can cut through your gloves, that can cut your hand.
Move to strike.
And if you're asking me to risk my life
to buy three extra months for a man
who's likely to spend them in excruciating agony,
yes, it's not worth it.
[ knocking ]
Jonathan told me what happened this morning.
Needless to say, I was shocked.
Terribly shocked.
Well, I guess we've both been shocking each other these days.
Earl's desperate.
I don't know what's going to happen
if this thing goes on much longer.
What happened this morning makes me worry about you, Michael.
I think you're too close to this thing.
Maybe you should step back, let Victor spell you a little?
Victor is in trial, he can't do it.
No, I've got to do this, Leland.
I'm the only one who knows about this case.
What happened today will not happen again,
I promise you that.
♪♪
And what is your opinion, Dr. Petit,
of the defendant's conduct that night at the hospital?
His conduct was atrocious.
The code of ethics promulgated
by the American Medical Association
requires him to treat that patient.
He's in the emergency room for God's sake.
He has a legal obligation to treat him.
Even if the patient has a deadly infectious disease?
We're doctors.
We've been treating deadly diseases for a hundred years.
Tuberculosis, malaria, yellow fever, small pox.
Those were all once deadly diseases.
So his conduct, then, in your opinion,
was a breach of the accepted standard of medical care?
He let a man die because he had AIDs.
That's an affront to every decent doctor in this country.
Thank you, sir. Nothing further.
His conduct wasn't an affront to every doctor, was it?
To every responsible doctor, I think it was.
Well, you know, I'm not sure what doctors you've been talking to.
because a recent survey of medical school graduates
found that % do not want to treat AIDs patients.
Well, that's a bigotry.
Maybe so, but it is shared by a big part
of your profession, sir.
I don't care how widespread the paranoia is, it's wrong.
The AMA has an ethical code of conduct, counselor.
He violated it.
Did the AMA take any action
against my client as a result of his conduct?
The AMA has pronounced that a doctor cannot refuse
to treat someone because he has AIDs.
Did they take any action against my client, sir?
-They should have.
-But they didn't.
Maybe because they were more concerned
with protecting their own
than in weeding out negligent
-
-
Wait a second, a minute ago
you were exalting the AMA as the example
that he should life up to.
Now, you're condemning it.
If anything I'm just condemning the fact
they failed to discipline
-
-
But the fact is that nobody has disciplined him.
Not the AMA, not the hospital that he works at.
well, I think that's disgraceful.
Yes, sir, you think it's disgraceful
but you do not speak for the medical community here, do you?
I don't care what others doctors say
-
-
Many doctors would do exactly what my client did
under the circumstances.
And that's what scares me the most.
Thank you, Doctor Petit. Nothing further.
Case number
-, the people vs. Earl Williams.
Motion to dismiss.
Your Honor, defendant's motion asserts
lack of probable cause for the retrial.
The people submit the entire transcript from the first trial
as modified by the supreme court ruling
as evidence in support of probable cause.
So entered.
Mr. Kuzak, do you have anything?
I do, Your Honor.
I'd like to call a witness.
This is a motion to dismiss.
I know, Your Honor,
but new evidence has come to light
and I'd like to present that evidence now.
Very well, call your witness.
The defense calls Ronald Sewell to the stand.
Your Honor, seek to treat the witness as hostile.
I obtained a court order last night
to have him locked up as a material witness.
He's here today only through the courtesy of the sheriff's office.
I don't expect him to be cooperative.
You can lead.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth so help you God?
Yeah, I do.
Would you state your name for the record, sir?
Ronald Sewell.
And are you sometimes referred to as "Pinto"?
Sometimes.
Turning your attention to the night
of November th, ,
were you present at an apartment building
at Suite, sir, in Hollywood?
I was present.
What occasioned you to be there, sir?
I don't remember.
While you were there,
did you see or hear anything unusual?
Mr. Sewell...
I'm only asking you to tell the court
what you already told the police.
I know you have no interest in helping me,
but you do have an interest in avoiding perjury charges.
Did you see or hear anything unusual?
I heard a woman scream when I was leaving the building.
I had nothing to do with it, but I heard it.
What did you do?
Nothing. I just got the hell out of there.
Did you pass a woman on your way out?
Yeah.
Mr. Sewell, I show you this picture
and ask if this could be that woman.
I don't know.
I didn't really look at her.
But is it possible that this could be this woman?
Yeah, it's possible.
Your Honor, I ask that this be marked.
This is a photograph of Amy Slessen, the witness
who claimed she saw Earl Williams
leaving the building that night.
Objection. This man did not identify
the woman in the picture.
That has no probative value.
Could it have been me you saw that night?
Yep.
Thank you.
Why don't we move on?
Mr. Sewell, did you see anyone else while
you were there that night?
I saw a guy running.
White kid, like .
He was going the other direction when I was leaving.
Could you describe this person?
White, young, brown hair, maybe.
That's all I saw.
Your Honor, let the record reflect that the witness
has just given a description which loosely matches
the features of Todd Aaron
-Price,
Nina Corry's boyfriend.
Let the record reflect that the description
given by the witness loosely matches the features of
more than five million young men
who live in greater Los Angeles.
The record will reflect it all.
Let's move on.
Mr. Sewell, have you ever told anyone else
what you've told the court here today?
I told the police and I told the district attorney.
And when did you tell them this information?
About two days after the m*rder.
Maybe three.
Tell us, Mr. Sewell, is the district attorney
with whom you spoke in this courtroom today?
Yeah.
That's her right there.
I should have you thrown in jail.
Your Honor, I did nothing to
-
-
You knew that witness was there at the scene.
You concealed it from him, you concealed it from me.
That witness was on dr*gs that night.
He could offer no meaningful
-
-
You have a duty to turn over all exculpatory evidence.
I have a duty to turn over all relevant evidence.
This Pinto is and was a drugged out
-
-
He was there. That makes him relevant.
He also saw somebody who could have been the victim's boyfriend.
He was damn well relevant.
We questioned Nina's boyfriend. It wasn't him.
-That doesn't matter.
-That's a theory.
You want to disqualify me, go ahead.
As for this case, he's already got a new trial.
Don't tempt me, lady.
I locked him up for contempt.
I can do the same for you.
Now, is there anything else I don't know about?
No.
Summations tomorrow at :, that's all.
Your Honor, I
-
-
Shut up, and get out.
There's no dispute about what happened here.
Dr. Diane refused to operate
and it cost Warren Parral his life.
The real question here concerns the value of that life.
Now, since the patient was terminal with AIDs anyway,
I guess you can easily ask well, what's the big loss?
So he just died a little sooner, that's all.
What's three months?
Well, I'll tell you something, ladies and gentlemen,
to a dying man, three months is a lifetime.
Warren Parral died at a time
when he was clinging to life's joys.
Death came when he reveled in being alive.
The night before this happened,
he sat at the foot of
his six
-year
-old daughter's bed, Marcia,
and he studied her little face and he wondered
or maybe just tried to remember what it is
that little children dream about,
or why she would breathe through her nose
and just suddenly switch and breathe through her mouth.
And he said to his wife, Susan, that as long
as he was looking at their child,
looking at what he had brought into this world,
he couldn't feel unlucky.
He was dying, but he knew he was extraordinarily fortunate
because tomorrow he would wake up
and it would all be there for him all over again.
A day when he could watch his child grow
and see his wife smile and smell everything
and measure every single minute
and after that there would be another day
and another one after that and another one after that.
Warren Parral had ,
maybe of those days coming to him
and he felt lucky.
Lucky, because he was getting those days at a time when
the value of life for him was at its zenith.
To be alive.
It's a rich thing.
And those days matter, ladies and gentlemen.
Warren Parral had those days,
those moments coming to him.
And he looked forward to the rest of his life.
He looked forward to all of it.
The hardest and probably
the most horrific thing
that Dr. Diane ever had to do in his career
was to stand there that night and watch his patient die.
This thing about AIDs, we just don't know
everything about it yet.
And that is a shame.
We don't know exactly how you get it or how you don't get it.
But what we do know is that once you do get it,
you're going to die.
My client, just like Warren Parral,
doesn't want to die.
And if we start imposing a duty
on physicians that they have to take this kind of risk...
that they have to stick their hands
into contaminated, deadly blood,
then people are going to stop becoming doctors.
For sure, doctors will refuse to staff emergency rooms.
And if that happens,
well, then you and I are in trouble
because suddenly there's going to be nobody there for us.
I know that refusing to do surgery on an AIDs patient
is a kind of prejudice.
I mean, I know this.
But when we are dealing with death,
we've got to be pragmatic, ladies and gentlemen.
And when it comes to AIDs, we're dealing with death.
Right now, today, that is a fact,
that's indisputable.
A jury already convicted this man once, Your Honor,
because they found guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
We basically have the same evidence in this trial
that we had in the last,
and therefore there can be no dispute
that sufficient evidence exists
to bind this defendant over for a second trial.
Accordingly, the people request that the defendant Earl Williams
be held for retrial on the m*rder of Nina Corry
and that all pre
-trial motions be scheduled
for as quickly as possible. Thank you.
This was a gruesome, brutal m*rder.
It was played out on the front pages of every newspaper.
It was the lead story in every news broadcast,
and the people of this city were sickened, Your Honor.
Sickened and disgusted.
And all of the politicians in this city
and the district attorney's office
and the media and the police and the public
all joined up to drop this enormous burden
right at Margaret Flanagan's door.
Catch this guy.
Catch him!
The thing is, she couldn't.
She just couldn't.
She had suspects, yes.
Earl Williams was there that night.
Pinto was there that night.
So was an unidentified white man who matched
the general description of Todd Arron
-Price,
the victim's boyfriend.
But the public wasn't going to buy a list of maybes, here.
They wanted the one.
Margaret Flanagan knew that she couldn't come back
and say unsolved.
She had to offer up somebody.
Picking Earl Williams was the easy part.
He was having an affair with her.
That immediately made him sordid, dirty.
He had also hit his wife once
so he could be established as being violent.
But this wouldn't be enough.
Margaret Flanagan knew this.
There were no fingerprints on the m*rder w*apon.
No blood spatterings on Earl's clothing.
No physical evidence of any kind
which went to v*olence.
Nothing, so her only chance of getting a conviction,
her only chance was to put this
lying, unfaithful wife
-beating n*gg*r
in front of the jury and say,
who else could have possibly done this?
For that to work, she had to make sure
that the jury had no
-one else to choose from.
So she buried the evidence of Pinto having been there.
She buried the evidence of the white man having been there.
She made sure they only have one suspect.
And then she sat back and she hoped like hell
they still had enough hatred and outrage
left over to convict.
To convict whoever she put in front of them.
And it worked.
No, I know that the politically safe thing to do, Your Honor,
is to let the jury have this case
and let the system turn its wheels again.
But the system isn't working.
When juries can ignore the burden of proof,
when district attorneys can lie and withhold evidence,
when innocent men can be sentenced to death,
Your Honor, the system isn't working.
Your Honor...
for Earl Williams' sake,
I'm asking you to take over now.
I'm asking you to do what you have to do.
Briefly in rebuttal, Your Honor,
I would remind the court that Ronald Sewell
is also a black man.
I prosecuted Earl Williams because he had motive,
because he had opportunity,
because an eyewitness and his own semen samples placed him
inside Nina Corry's apartment at the time of the m*rder.
The jury didn't convict this man
because of the color of his skin.
They did so because Earl Williams is a m*rder*r.
♪♪
Madame Foreman, has the jury reached its verdict?
We have, Your Honor.
What say you?
In the matter of Parral vs. Diane,
we the jury find in favor of the plaintiff,
and order the defendant to pay damages
in the amount of $,.
Members of the jury, thank you.
This case is adjourned.
Thank you.
Victor.
Mark, Congratulations.
Uh, tough case. You deserved it.
Hey, who knows with juries, right?
Listen, uh... Listen.
I have a few more cases
than I care to handle at this time.
You know how it is.
You get backed up and
sometimes cases drag on forever,
sometimes lawyers don't.
I'd be glad to handle them, Mark.
That'd be great. Great.
They're good cases.
Good people.
Good people... I'll get the files right over to you,
-Okay?
-Okay.
Great, thanks. thanks again.
Hey, uh... Ah.
I got to get across town,
I've got a meeting I should have never scheduled the damn thing.
I don't know why I did.
It's a real rat race, isn't it?
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
One of these days, I've got to slow down.
Okay, let's get going.
Stuart asked me if he could make a brief statement
before the vote.
In the interests of fairness,
Rosalind and Douglas may also be heard.
This isn't fair. He got to prepare.
I didn't know about speeches, I didn't prepare.
This is not a speech, Douglas, it's a statement.
-Go ahead, Stuart.
-Totally unfair.
It's not even really a statement, it's just that uh...
I know that I don't leap out at first blush
as senior partner material.
But I think the main function of the job and the one
that Leland mastered so compellingly,
is bringing a sense of community
to a sometimes cut
-throat business environment.
And that would be my goal.
I think the senior partner can never lose sight
of the fact that this is more than a place
to pick up a paycheck.
And I promise you I won't.
That was obviously prepared. He prepared it.
All right, Douglas, perhaps you could go next.
This is off the cuff.
I think Stuart's sentiments are noble,
but they also expose his naivety.
A law firm doesn't run on hugs,
it's run by doing good quality work.
I can run this place in an efficient way
that will enable us to do our best work.
That will make us feel more productive.
And that will make us enjoy this place
as well as each other a great deal more.
Rosalind?
Well, I didn't really plan to be seeking this position
and to tell you the truth,
it's not something that I covet.
But Stuart has absolutely no experience.
He's a fine attorney but he's not ready for this.
And Douglas from what I've seen
doesn't command enough respect around here
to be able to effectively lead.
I'm sorry to be blunt, but this is not the kind
of position you pass out on charity.
Leland is still the person for the job.
Let's not kid ourselves.
But if he refuses, well, let's face it.
I'm better than the other two.
I am.
All right, let's vote.
Oh, I have Michael's proxy here.
Don't sign your name, it's a secret ballot.
Pass them forward, please.
Very good, very good.
I have them all.
Douglas Brackman.
Stuart Markowitz.
Rosalind Shays.
Rosalind Shays again.
Douglas Brackman.
Stuart Markowitz.
That's two to two to two.
Three way tie.
-Come on, Leland.
-Open it.
-Rosalind Shays.
-What?
She wins, three to two to two.
Congratulations, Rosalind.
You're the new senior partner.
I'm overwhelmed, I don't know what to say.
I have a meeting.
I happen to know that Arnold voted for you.
And I voted for you.
You cast the deciding vote for Rosalind, Douglas.
I didn't think I could make it, Leland.
I didn't think I could get the vote.
The firm would be better served
by Rosalind than Stuart.
You had it, Douglas.
Before giving my ruling,
I feel compelled to comment on the circumvention of justice
that's gone on before me
through the history of this case.
Miss Flanagan, you deliberately misled this court.
You willfully withheld evidence from defense counsel.
Mr. Kuzak, you committed ex parte abuse.
You attempted to introduce excluded evidence,
and who knows what you did to enlist Mr. Sewell's testimony.
I don't know that you have no right
to look up here innocently and ask
what's happened to the system?
We are all a part of this process,
and to the extent that any of us sees fit
to ignore the rules or our responsibilities
as officers of the court,
this system doesn't stand a chance.
Now, turning to the issue before me...
I've reviewed the modified trial transcripts thoroughly
as well as the new evidence given in this hearing,
and while probable cause certainly exists,
I'm going to treat this as a defense motion
for a directed verdict,
and I am holding that this evidence as a matter of law
is insufficient to support a finding
of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
I hereby dismiss the complaint.
The defendant is to be released from custody.
Oh!
This matter's adjourned.
It's over?
I'm free?
Oh, God.
Mr. Williams, can we get a statement?
I'm coming home, mama.
Mr. Williams, can we get a statement, please?
Way to go, Mike.
How are you feeling, Mr. Williams?
♪♪
04x15 - Blood, Sweat & Fears
Watch/Buy Amazon
High-powered law firm of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak handles both criminal and civil cases, but the office politics and romance often distract them from the courtroom.
High-powered law firm of McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak handles both criminal and civil cases, but the office politics and romance often distract them from the courtroom.