Bull (2016–…): Season 6, Episode 4 - Uneasy Lies the Crown - full transcript
Previously on Bull...
Where's my daughter?
It's hell when someone
takes your child from you.
They nearly took
everything from us, didn't they?
Oh, no. Where's Astrid?
I don't know!
He took her.
He had a gun!
I need a minute.
Bull?
Tess, don't forget to come home
right after school
on Wednesday, okay?
That college counselor
will be here at 3:30
for your follow-up. Tess?
Tess.
Hey, Sophia.
Sophia.
We have a problem.
This was plugged in
behind the dryer.
I think Tess is vaping.
You want to talk to her
or should I?
Actually...
It's mine.
Sophia, seriously?
Don't look at me like that.
All that crap with my sister
and that damn bathroom remodel?
We had a deal.
I know.
I know.
You're right.
It's going in the trash.
Okay?
Sophia!
Sophia!
What happened?
Oh, my God. Oh, my God!
Mom. Mom!
When the Smokestack vape pen
that Sophia Echols was smoking
overheated,
it exploded,
sending metal and plastic shards
into her right hand,
neck, mouth and face.
And these injuries--
they caused Sophia's death?
The ejected materials
penetrated the floor
of her mouth and
went into her neck,
dissecting both
the carotid artery
and internal jugular vein.
She bled to death in minutes.
Dr. Dettmer,
were Sophia's injuries
consistent with those suffered
by the other 146
plaintiff-victims
of this class action?
The nature of the injuries
was quite similar.
They just differed in degree.
And how is that?
Sophia's injuries
were the most extreme,
hers being the
only fatality.
But across the board,
we saw burns,
nerve and tissue damage,
lost limbs, lost teeth,
facial disfigurement.
Three victims were blinded.
The ejected shrapnel
was catastrophically
destructive.
Ejected shrapnel?
Doctor, it sounds as if
you're describing
a battlefield wound.
In a way, I am.
In each of these cases,
the Smokestack vape pens
were closer to a grenade
than a recreational device.
Thank you. No further questions,
Your Honor.
How we doing?
Green prairie
for miles on this end.
I wouldn't get
too comfortable with that.
Here comes Carole.
So,
Dr. Dettmer,
if the device was a grenade,
who pulled the pin?
I don't understand
the question.
Sophia Echols ignored
multiple warnings
and used
an unauthorized charger
for the device,
in effect, weaponizing
her own vape pen.
Isn't that right?
I wouldn't put it that way.
Hmm. I would.
Not a single injury
has occurred
when a Smokestack vape pen
is charged as instructed
with an authorized charger.
Isn't that correct?
Objection. Your Honor,
counsel is testifying.
This clearly falls outside
of the scope
of the witness' expertise.
I withdraw the question,
Your Honor.
Mm-hmm.
No, don't even think about it.
Your mom needs you.
You are exactly where
you need to be right now.
Is that Danny?
Yeah.
Uh, is there
anything we can do?
Order in food
to the hospital?
Does she need me
to send her more clothes?
Do you need more clothes?
Okay. Well, hang in there.
We're praying for your mom.
Okay.
How's her mom doing?
Still in the ICU.
Danny's hoping she'll
get transferred
to a rehab facility for
stroke victims soon,
but who knows how
long that'll take.
I think we need to bring in
a temporary investigator.
I mean, this case is really...
The last thing
we need right now
is another person
on the payroll.
I need to talk to you.
Yeah, just give me a second.
Carole Atkins killed
us today in court
with those warnings
against unauthorized chargers.
I'm aware.We need to find a way
to turn those warnings
against Smokestack.
Show they were
wholly insufficient.
Isn't it obvious? They say
if you use the wrong charger,
the vape pen may malfunction.
They don't say
it'll blow your damn face off.
Right.
We need to prove Smokestack knew
these devices
could blow your damn face off
before they put them
on the market.
I've scoured R & D reports,
internal emails.
So far, zilch.
Well, keep scouring.
We need a smoking gun.
Or a smoking vape pen.
Get it?
'Cause vape...I got it.
I got it.
I thought it was funny.
Hello?
Hi, there. I'm all yours.
Uh, that's what you said
last week. And yesterday.
There's no escaping now.
Uh, we need to talk money.
What about it?
We don't have any.
That sounds a tad hyperbolic.
This is
the biggest case
we have ever taken on,
and it's bleeding us dry.
We've already spent
nearly $2 million
for all the medical experts,
engineers,
trauma specialists,
not to mention
the paralegals we hired
just to get through
all the discovery.
And there is no end in sight.
Well, got to go big to win big.
Meanwhile,
we are turning away clients
because we don't have
the bandwidth for anything else.
Well, none of that matters when
we get our contingency fee.
Whenever that is.
But I talked to our bank,
and they agreed
to extend our credit line.
Problem solved.
No. Problem not solved.
It's only enough to cover
about half our expenses.
Have you read
my proposal yet?
Remember
our bandwidth conversation?
It'll bring in money right away.
Best part,
no extra work for you.
I'm sorry to interrupt,
but Rebecca Healy is here,
and she's in the
conference room.
Not it.
Yes, it. I talked to
her the last time.
I talked to her the
last three times.
Bull, she's demanding
to talk to you.
I will talk to her.
Uh, no, Bull,
I really need to talk to you
about this proposal.
Everything is fine.
I have everything under control.
Hey.
You said
we'd be done by now.
I know.
Have our money by now.
I know you're frustrated,
Rebecca.
My son
can't wait any longer
for his reconstructive surgery.
I know.
And he shouldn't have to.
This is taking a lot longer
than any of us anticipated.
Smokestack has been
dragging it out, right?
Smokestack
already offered to settle.
More than once.
You're the one
dragging this out.
Those were not settlement
payouts.
Not real ones. They were
nuisance payouts
to make us go away.
I am gonna get you
and the rest of the class
so much more.
I want out.
Of the class, I mean.
I want to negotiate
my own settlement. Now.Right.
But we already talked about
this. You can't opt out.
The deadline has passed.
No.
Yes.
No. There has to be a way.
There isn't.
Once we've been certified
a class,
the court sees us as one entity,
and there's no jumping in
or out of one entity.
We just have to have patience
a little while longer.
But I promise you,
we are in the right.
I am gonna get your son
everything he deserves.
But I can't do that if I
don't get back to work,
and I've got to prep a witness
right now, okay?
So, I will see you
in court tomorrow.
You lied to me!
Rebecca, I never
lied to you.
You said that Smokestack Labs
would never go to trial.
You said that
you would pick a jury
that would
scare the pants off of them.
I told you...
You said that being a part
of this stupid class
was the best thing for my son.
I did. I gave you
my word. And...Your word
means nothing.
Everything's
under control, hmm?
♪
Should be able to get through
the last of our
witnesses today.
That is, unless Taylor
has found a rabbit
for me to pull
out of my hat.
Not yet.
Oh. Well, you got to hand
it to Carole. Pretty smart,
having Mrs. Clayton here
every day by her husband's side.
'Cause he's not
the big, bad CEO of a
evil corporation,
but a president
of a nice, friendly,
family business.
I might be mistaken,
but it seems to me
like you admire Carole.
Well, you don't have
to like a hurricane
to appreciate
its ferocity.
Well, heads up. Hurricane Carole
looks to be
making landfall.
Think she's got
another offer for us?
Either that
or it's the first chapter
of her memoirs. I don't know
which would be worse.
Gentlemen.
Good morning,
Carole.
I think we're beyond that,
don't you?
How about we wrap this up
and take the day off.
I'm looking for a punch
line, but I can't...
Oh, wait, there it is.
$9 million.
You can't be serious.
We have 147
seriously injured victims.
One of them is dead.
My clients included
seven warning labels
on their devices and packaging.
Well beyond industry standards.
What else could they have done?
I don't know. For starters,
maybe sell a product
that doesn't kill people?
Mr. Palmer,
you're new
to the class action game,
but Bull and I have been
around the block
more times
than we would like to admit,
and we both know how expensive
it is to try these cases.
My guess
is that TAC is starting
to feel the bite.
Put yourself out of your misery.
Take the offer.
You know, I think you and I
went to different charm schools,
'cause that wouldn't have been
my approach.
But I
have an eye for juries,
and I like this one.
All I need is one juror.
One juror on my side,
and I hang the whole damn thing.
And then guess what?
We do this whole thing
all over again.
You pay more experts,
more court fees,
not to mention
more time down the drain.
No one's hanging my jury.
Can you afford to find out?
I'm racking up billable hours
no matter what. You--
you are on contingency.
You lose, you get nothing.
Think about it.
So?
There's nothing
to think about.
We quit smoking
over two years ago.
One day, I came home
from work, and...
Sophia was looking
out the back window at Tess.
She was growing up so fast.
And Sophia, she wanted
to be around for all of it.
Tess' marriage.
When she had children.
And that's when we quit.
But she didn't quit, did she?
She started vaping,
using the Smokestack vape pen.
Isn't that right?
She slipped. I-It happens.
I'm sure she'd have preferred
a cigarette.
I-I'm positive she chose to vape
because she thought
it was safer.
But it wasn't safer, was it?
No. It wasn't.
It killed her.
No further questions,
Your Honor.
Mr. Echols,
do you recognize these?
Yeah, they're chargers
from our home.
Correct. This
is the authorized
Smokestack Labs charger
that came with your wife's
vape pen, and this
is your daughter's
phone charger.
And which of these
was plugged into the vape pen
that malfunctioned
on the day of your wife's death?
The white one.
Let the record reflect
that the plaintiff
indicated the non authorized
third-party phone charger.
Can you read
the warning label
on the authorized charger,
please?
"Warning:
use of third-party charger
may result
in device malfunction."
Pretty clear.
But your wife chose to
ignore it, didn't she?
I don't think Sophia
chose to ignore anything.
Are you suggesting
that someone else
used an unauthorized charger
to charge your wife's vape pen?
No.
That's not what I'm saying.
Come on,
Patrick. Take control of this.
The fact is
your wife used
an unauthorized charger
despite being warned not to do
that very thing.
Isn't that right?
The world is full
of warnings.
I am not asking
about the world, Mr. Echols.
Just these chargers.
Every time you get gas,
there are warnings on the pump.
But you still pump gas,
don't you?
Here we go.
I am asking
the questions, sir.
Do you deserve
to die for pumping gas?
Your Honor, please, instruct
the witness...
No, my wife
didn't deserve to die
for ignoring
one stupid warning.
Mr. Echols.
Your vape pens have
all sorts of warnings
about the dangers
of nicotine.
Mr. Echols.
Mr. Echols.
But you count on
your customers
to ignore those
warnings, don't you?!
Mr. Echols, enough.
You will restrict
your testimony
to the questions asked.
And now he can.
Uh-oh.
What?
Marissa, remind me how pregnant
juror number five is again.
32 weeks and counting. Why?
Well, let's just hope
she can keep the rocket
on the launchpad a
little while longer.
The alternate juror
is not be our friend.
Hey, Chunk.
Hey.
I think I may have found
a new witness for you.
Who?
Follow me.
All right.
This guy. Dennis LaBrie.
Former Smokestack Labs engineer.
Worked in the
charger division.
If anybody can tell us
what Smokestack knew
about their chargers,
Dennis is the one.
Why him?
I found an archived copy
of Smokestack's website.
This is their
engineering staff chart.
See Dennis there?
Sure.
Mm-hmm.
This is the web page
they have up now.
Notice anything?
Yeah,
your engineer's gone.
Wiped clean
from their site just two days
after the class action
was filed.
Okay, well, maybe he just
went and got a new job.
Maybe it's just a coincidence.
Mm, could be.
But in the thousands of pages
of discovery documents
Smokestack sent over,
he's nowhere.
He's not listed in a
single R & D report
even though he was on the team
when the charger research
was done.
So, looks like Smokestack went
out of their way
to make him disappear.
That's what I've been saying.
Okay.
Well, it sounds
like you need to go find him.
You need to get him
to talk to us,
and you need to do it fast.
That part's
usually more of a Danny thing.
Yeah. But, uh,
unless he's in a hospital
in Florida,
it sounds like it's got to be
a Taylor thing.
Okay.
I spoke to Louis,
the marshal in the courtroom.
He said that juror number five
asked him for an antacid.
So, thankfully,
no premature labor.
Just good,
old-fashioned indigestion.
Thank God. Our
alternate juror
is a real "do not
pass go" situation.
Yeah.
But you-- nice work
today, Counselor.
Patrick's testimony
was very impactful.
Thank you.
Well, I'm not gonna lie.
It was a good day.
Have a few more days like this,
and we may just meet
that contingency threshold
after all.
Uh, what threshold?
Bull didn't tell you?
There is a
contingency threshold?
Doesn't anyone
say hello anymore?
We have to win over
$50 million in damages,
or we get nothing.
Not nothing. Five percent.
Uh, that's
practically nothing.
Compared to 33% like a
normal contingency case,
which I thought
we were getting.
Well, plaintiffs started
to look at other representation.
I had to sweeten the pot.
Sweetening the pot is lowering
our fee to 25% or 20%, not five.
Well,
the agreements are signed.
There is nothing we can do now.
Okay.
Well,
given the financial situation,
I really think we need to talk
about my proposal.
This isn't the best time.
We have
this great predictive algorithm
to analyze jury behavior.
No one else
has anything like it.
We can lease it out
to other firms,
and I'll still be running
the analytics from TAC.
You want to rent out
the algorithm?To bring in revenue,
shore up our finances, yes.
Winning the case
is gonna shore up
our finances.
I can't do this right now.
We got to put
the CEO of Smokestack
on the stand tomorrow.
Chunk and I
are preparing his cross.
You bet the farm, Bull.
For all of us.
And it never even crossed
your mind
to talk to us about it.
Talk to me.
My mistake. I didn't realize
I had to run
all my business decisions
past you. You're still
getting paid, right?
You know that's not the point.
Oh,
it is exactly the point.
Everybody's getting paid,
and I'm the only one
with anything to worry about.
Yeah,
my mistake. I thought
we were all in this together.
It's 4:00 in the morning.
That explains the whole
"sun not being up" thing.
I swear you're becoming
a worse sleeper than Astrid.
And I cry more,
but I'm working on that part.
Is that TAC's
balance sheet?
Unfortunately, yeah.
Well, I've seen
enough of those
to know that that much
red is not a good thing.
I know.
Marissa warned me.
I've just been so busy.
I didn't want to believe
it was that bad.
Are we talking "pack up the
car and move to Mexico" bad?
No. Although that is not
a bad plan B.
I'm just gonna have
to take money
out of my personal account,
put it into TAC
until this case resolves.
Uh, okay...
I'm not gonna touch
our retirement accounts
or Astrid's education.
It's just...
Or my money?
Or your money.
Of course.
You know why
you're doing this,
right?
Taking on
one of the biggest cases
of your career?
Because it's
a game-changing payday
when we win.
No.
It's not about the money
for you. It's about the win.
You know, it's only been
a few months
since Astrid was kidnapped,
and that knocked us both
for a loop.
I'm past all that.
I know.
It's just that when you're used
to being king of the mountain
and you get knocked down,
sometimes you look
for the biggest, baddest bear
to wrestle
just to prove
that you're on top.
I do like the idea
of me wrestling a bear
on top of a mountain,
but that's not
what this is about.
This is about helping people.
Hmm.
I'm gonna go back to bed.
Okay.
You know,
just be careful, babe.
Sometimes the bear wins.
You know what a
chop block is?
Some kind of football thing?
Yeah.
When you hit a guy in the
legs and someone else comes
and hits him up top. Tear
him apart, basically.
Mm.
You know what I'm gonna do to
Smokestack's CEO on cross today?
Chop block him.
And love every
minute of it.
Excuse me.
Well, keep talking like that,
we might win this thing.
Yeah.
Mr. Palmer,
Dr. Bull, a word.
Something tells me this isn't
gonna be a friendly chat.
Ms. Atkins and I
were just having
a fascinating conversation.
One of your plaintiffs,
Rebecca Healy,
called Ms. Atkins
last night
and attempted to negotiate
her own settlement.
We...
We apologize, Your Honor.
Oh, oh, oh,
it gets better.
When Ms. Atkins explained
that as defense counsel,
she was barred from speaking
to a member of the class,
do you know
what your client did next?
She ambushed me
outside my chambers
as I arrived this morning
asking to be excused
from the class
because her concerns
are being ignored.
And according to Ms. Healy,
she's not the only one
who feels this way.
Your Honor, we've spoken
with Ms. Healy multiple times
about how class action
litigation works.
At the class
certification hearing,
you two assured me
the victims
were all in the same boat,
unified in what they wanted.
But from what I'm seeing,
no one's rowing
in the same direction.
Get your clients under control,
or I will decertify this class.
Am I understood?
Absolutely, Your Honor.
I know you're frustrated.
You want results.
The process is slow,
and I get it.
But you cannot
talk to the judge.
You can't talk
to the defense attorney.
I had to talk to someone.
You won't listen to me.
Do you know what happens if the
judge decertifies this class?
He'll declare a mistrial,
and it all starts over.
Good. I can negotiate
my own settlement.
No.It might not be
as much money,
but at least I'll
get it faster.
Get my son his
surgery faster.
That is not true, Rebecca.
A mistrial means
you have to get a new attorney.
You have to go through
discovery again.
They're not just gonna
write you a check.
It's not how it works.
I'm just trying
to get my son his surgery.
I know.
No, you don't.
Do you know why I had to
ask you to meet me outside?
Ronnie won't let me bring
anyone up to the apartment.
He's too ashamed.
He doesn't want anyone
to see him.
When the vape pen exploded...
The damage it did to his face...
He won't go to school.
He hasn't left the
apartment in months.
He's afraid
of what people are gonna say
about him.
Do you have any idea
what it's like to watch
your child be hurt like that?
And be helpless
to do anything?
It's just the two of you, huh?
You and Ronnie.
That's a lot of pressure.
I want to help you
take some of that pressure off.
You're not alone.
Stick with me
on this. I promise you,
we are gonna win.
We have to win.
I need help.
Wh-What's the matter?
I'm not Danny.
Okay, you're gonna have to be
a little more specific.
Chunk asked me to track down
this former
Smokestack Labs engineer,
Dennis LaBrie. I called him.
I texted him. I DM'd him.
Radio silence.
I finally found out
he's got a new job as a manager
at a Cable Warriors.
So I came here,
told one of the guys
at the help desk that I bought
a lemon laptop and needed
to speak with the manager,
but it completely backfired.
How?
He offered me a new laptop.
I didn't even buy
my laptop here.
So, I made up some weird excuse
and ran away,
and now I have no idea
how to get to Dennis LaBrie.
Well, you need
to figure it out today.
If we can't call him
as a rebuttal witness tomorrow,
we'll be heading
into closing arguments,
and then it's too late.
Thank you, Marissa.
I wasn't stressed enough.
Yeah. Got it. I'm sorry.
So, uh, okay, you're not Danny.
You're Taylor.
What's Taylor good at?
Mr. LaBrie.
Thank God.
I can't get them to turn off.
For Pete's sake, just...
go back to the help desk.
Dennis LaBrie?
Yeah.
Try control, six,
underscore, ampersand.
How did you...
Do you need a job?
No. My name is Taylor Rentzel.
I've been
trying to reach you.
I'm working on behalf
of a class of plaintiffs
who are suing Smokestack.
Wait. You did this?
Sorry.
I really needed to talk to you.
You're the lady
who's been calling me
about Smokestack Labs.
Well, you know, I hope
that you take those bastards
to the cleaners.
They fired me
for telling the truth.
Now I'm stuck having to commute
to Jersey every day.
Any chance that truth
had something to do
with how dangerous
the vape pens are?
That's right.
I told Clayton himself
that if people used
the wrong charger,
they could get hurt. But no,
he was more interested
in saving a buck.
Clayton. Arnold Clayton,
Smokestack's CEO?
Yes, ma'am.
You told him
using unauthorized chargers
was dangerous?I told him
people could get killed.
And this was
before anyone had been hurt?
Before the product
even shipped. It was obvious.
I-I can't tell you how helpful
you could be to this case.
Will you testify
about this in court?
Yeah. No, I can't do that.
He signed an NDA as part
of his severance agreement,
and Smokestack
wasn't messing around.
How bad is it?
There's a $500,000 penalty
if he breaches the NDA.
Okay. Tell LaBrie we'll cover
the $500,000 if Smokestack
comes after him.
We will?
Yeah, we will.
Thanks, Taylor.
Bull.
It's gonna look like we're
buying this guy's testimony.
No. We are allowed to pay
for a witness', uh,
expenses, for instance.
And if he gets sued,
that's just an expense.
The expenses exemption
was designed
for things like a hotel room
or a plane ticket.
Now, it may not be
technically unethical,
but we're
skirting the line.
Carole's about
to rest her case,
and we are losing, so
we have to call Dennis
as a rebuttal witness.
It's our best shot.
What happened?
A delivery guy
on one of those electric bikes
came zipping out of nowhere
and hit some poor man.
No.
God,
I hate those things.
That's one of our jurors.
Wasone.
There's no way he's coming back
today. Or tomorrow.
The alternate
is terrible for us.
Carole just got her one juror.
So...
Apparently, couple of you
thought it was a good idea
to go to a party
the night before a game.
So I guess the contract
you all signed
doesn't mean a damn thing.
Meet our newest juror,
Coach Randall Hughes.
You think the rules
are just suggestions? Hmm?
Hmm? Playing's a privilege.
You just lost it.
We're forfeiting the game.
I said it before,
and I'll say it again.
Actions have consequences.
Fan of bluegrass music.
Despiser of victim culture.
For the last 20 years, he's been
head coach at Tatum High School.
Think it's safe to say
he's more Bobby Knight
than Ted Lasso.
Yeah.
He's all about
following the rules
and paying the price
when you don't.
I mean,
he's just one guy.
Maybe the other jurors
can get him to come around.
He doesn't seem
much like a "come around" guy.
Well, maybe the key is not
to change his thinking
but embrace it.
Most coaches
don't like cheaters.
No, they don't.
Dennis LaBrie
is about to testify
that Smokestack knew
that their customers
could be seriously injured.
He's proof that they were trying
to cheat their way
out of accountability.
I can say it.
Maybe it'll convince
Coach Hughes.
Hmm. Where's Marissa?
She should be here for this.
I think she's with some
people in the mock courtroom.
What people?
Our software
is a predictive tool
that can help you anticipate
how juries
will react to opening and
closing arguments, witnesses,
evidence, even how
they will decide cases.
We have been using and refining
this algorithm
at TAC for over a decade,
and now we will be making
this tool available to you.
Marissa?
Excuse me?
Everyone, I think you
know Dr. Jason Bull.
Hey there.
Can I borrow you
for just a moment?
I'll be right back.
Excuse me,
I need the room.
Thank you.
What are you doing?
Trying to protect TAC.
Trying to protect you.
The Smokestack case
is a huge gamble.
We need some insurance.
Right now,
this Smokestack case isTAC.
Tomorrow we are putting our most
important witness on the stand.
We have a bum juror in the box.
I need everybody
to stay focused.
And what I don't need is
somebody going behind my back.
I didn't go behind your back.
I've been in front of you
the whole time.
You just refuse to see me.
Well, I see you now.
Get your head in my game.
'Cause that's the one
we got to win.
♪
You okay?
Sure. Have a good night.
See you tomorrow.
You're not okay.
I'm... having a moment.
It'll pass.
This have anything
to do with the presentation
Bull cut short today?
Oh, yes and no.
I said it was our algorithm.
But it isn't. It's mine.
I created it.
I know.
Everyone knows that.
Do they?
I'm not sure
Bull does, sometimes.
After Benny left,
I thought he would offer me
this office.
But it's been months,
and it just sits here empty.
Bet he never even
thought about it.
You should ask him.
I could. I just...
I thought it was obvious.
I guess he didn't.
Maybe with the kidnapping and...
everything that's
been going on, he just...
Maybe.
Like I said,
I was just having a moment.
Let's get out of here.
And what was your concern?
I realized that there was
a design flaw.
If you used
third-party chargers,
the battery could overheat
dramatically.
And what would be the result
of this dramatic overheating?
Well, when the batteries
get too hot, they explode.
So you don't need
to be a genius to know
that people were gonna get hurt.
S-Seriously hurt.
So what did you do?
I took it straight to the top.
I told him.
Let the record reflect
the witness just pointed
to Arnold Clayton,
the CEO of Smokestack Labs.
Now, what exactly did you say
to Mr. Clayton?
Well, I explained
the problem to Mr. Clayton
and I offered
a simple solution.
We could make
a unique charging port
that isn't compatible
to third-party chargers.
Problem solved.
Unique charger port.
W-What's that mean?
Well, the port is
essentially the socket
on your device
where you connect your charger.
Smokestack Labs Vape Pens
are all compatible
with the industry-standard
micro USB chargers.
Micro USBs are used
for pretty much everything.
Phone, camera.
That's why it's so easy
for people
to use the wrong charger.
And so how did Mr. Clayton react
when you proposed making
this unique charger port?
He shot it down.
Said it would be too expensive
and it would turn off
our customers.
Did he propose
an alternative?
Yeah. A cheaper one.
Adding a battery warning light
to the vape pens, but nobody
pays any attention
to warning lights.
I told him
people could get hurt.
And what happened next?
They fired me.
No further questions,
Your Honor.
What are you seeing on your end?
Dennis' testimony
is definitely landing.
Even with Coach Hughes.
He might just come around
after all.
Mr. LaBrie,
at this meeting
with Mr. Clayton,
the charger port
was not the only concern
you brought up, was it?
I'm not sure.
There was a lot going on.
Let me see if I can
refresh your memory.
Do you remember bringing up
the poor quality
of the toilet paper
in the third-floor bathroom?
Uh, I don't remember
exactly, but
they were using
very cheap products.
It was a health concern.
Hmm. And the rattling vent
over your work station,
which you described
to Mr. Clayton in some detail?
Was that a health concern, too?
Well, it made it
very difficult
to get anything done.
It was affecting
my productivity.
Right.
And the "illegal"
use of the microwave
for popcorn?
There were signs everywhere,
and that smell--
it permeated everything.
And after the meeting
with Mr. Clayton,
you followed up
with a call to him
and seven other
top Smokestack executives
to alert them to all these
issues, including--
and I believe
this was your phrase--
the "nefarious"
popcorn situation.
Do I have that right?
No.
No, y...
You're making me sound silly.
These were important matters.
These were important matters.
And-and-and the entire
executive team--
they ignored it.
I had to bring it up.
I had to.
I had to.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
It would've been nice to know
that Dennis was a crackpot
before we put him on the stand.
Taylor didn't have
enough time to ferret out
anything other than
what he wanted us to know.
We all knew he was a Hail Mary.
And Hail Marys
usually fail.
Unfortunately,
Dennis' testimony
isn't our only problem.
Everyone's favorite juror,
Coach Randall Hughes,
is a natural leader.
He may even end up
as the jury foreman.
He could spread the red.
Great.
So now Carole
may not just hang the jury,
she may win
the whole thing.
We still have one shot:
your closing.
I've been working
on a couple different versions.
Well, the mirror jurors
are downstairs waiting.
So if you want to test them out,
they're ready.
Bull?
Send the mirror jurors home.
You both should go home, too.
You don't want
to test the closing?
No. We've all been working hard.
I think the most important thing
is to get some rest.
It'll do us all good.
Tommy.
Hey, would you do me a favor
and leave the keys to the SUV
with security downstairs.
I'm gonna
drive myself home tonight.
Thanks.
There you are.
Astrid and I missed you
at bath time.
Yeah, sorry, the...
day got away from me.
Well, the good thing
about toddlers
is that they have
short memories.
Are you still at work?
Yeah. Uh...
it's just this case.
You sound weird.
Is everything okay?
I may have bet too big.
For the plaintiffs.
For TAC. For us.
I think the bear
may be winning.
Come home.
I got a tub of Rocky Road,
and it'll do wonders.
I just have one more thing
I got to do.
I'll be home soon. I love you.
I love you, too.
♪
"...the death of Sophia Echols
and catastrophic injuries
"to the other 146 plaintiffs
had nothing to do with them.
That placing a few stickers..."
Ah, I love the smell
of genius in the morning.
I think what you're smelling is
a guy that's been up all night
revising his closing argument.
I sent you a copy.
How do you feel about it?
Honestly?
I feel pretty good.
I'd say you hit it out of
the park. I have no notes.
No notes?
No notes.
But you always have notes.
What's the matter with you?
I've done everything I can.
It's out of my hands now.
Has the jury reached a verdict?
We have, Your Honor.
Will the foreman read
the verdict?
We the jury in the above
entitled case
find the defendant,
Smokestack Labs...
negligent.
The jury awards damages
to the plaintiffs
in the amount
of $145 million dollars.
Oh, my God!
Jurors, the Court
thanks you for your service.
The jury's dismissed.
What?!
Thank you.
Thank you.
Oh, thank you
for hanging in there
with me.
It will take a few months
for the settlement
to be distributed.
That's okay.
Just knowing there's a light
at the end of the tunnel.
Yeah, well...
in the meantime.
What's this?
An advance on your settlement.
For Ronnie's surgery.
Oh, my goodness.
Thank you.
You may want to hold off
on spending any more
of that judgement money.
I'm already working up
an appeal.
I would expect nothing less.
I'll see you around, Bull.
See you around, Carole.
♪
♪ And I been takin' care
of business every day ♪
♪ Takin' care of business...
Is that caviar?
Yeah. We can afford it.
We just won
a $145 million judgement.
Man, I do not get tired
of saying that.
I heard a rumor
we're all getting bonuses.
It's not a rumor.
All I've been able
to think about
since they the verdict
is that money.
What are you
gonna do with yours?
Mauricio really wants
the Lego Death Star
which costs,
like, a month's rent.
Right, of course.
So I thought I'd
splurge on that.
And some orthodonture.
Hmm.
What about you?
Well, now I feel selfish
'cause all I'm doing with mine
is buying Giants season tickets.
I think we've both always known
I'm a... superior being.
♪ If you get in with the right
bunch of fellows ♪
♪ People see you having fun
♪ Just a-lying in the sun
♪ Tell them that you like it
this way... ♪
Hey.
You are going to
the party, right?
Oh, uh... yeah, of course.
Congratulations again.
It's a huge win.
You really pulled it off.
We...really pulled it off.
♪ Takin' care of business...
Marissa, look,
I couldn't have do...
Hey, Bull.
I just got a call
from the court clerk's office.
Judge Hopkins wants to see us.
What? When?
Right now.
Judge Hopkins.
Carole.
Hello, everybody.
What's the FBI doing here?
There's been a development
in the Smokestack class action.
What's the development?
The U.S. Attorney's Office
received
an anonymous tip
that there had been
interference with the jury.
One of the jurors--
Randall Hughes--
said that he'd been bribed.
Bribed? By who?
By you.
What?
Yeah, that-that's ridiculous.
Wha...
You're just gonna take
the word of this juror?
We have corroborating
evidence that
Dr. Bull made direct
contact with this juror.
To answer your earlier
question, Dr. Bull,
I'm afraid the agents are here
to take you into custody.
Dr. Jason Bull,
you're under arrest
for the crime
of jury tampering. You have
the right to remain silent.
Anything you say...I'll just,
I-I'll follow you downtown
and we'll handle all
of this at the station.
No.
Go to my apartment,
tell Izzy what happened.
Don't call her
on the phone.
Tell her in person.
Tell her I said everything's
gonna be okay.
Everything's gonna be fine.
♪
Captioning sponsored by
CBS
Where's my daughter?
It's hell when someone
takes your child from you.
They nearly took
everything from us, didn't they?
Oh, no. Where's Astrid?
I don't know!
He took her.
He had a gun!
I need a minute.
Bull?
Tess, don't forget to come home
right after school
on Wednesday, okay?
That college counselor
will be here at 3:30
for your follow-up. Tess?
Tess.
Hey, Sophia.
Sophia.
We have a problem.
This was plugged in
behind the dryer.
I think Tess is vaping.
You want to talk to her
or should I?
Actually...
It's mine.
Sophia, seriously?
Don't look at me like that.
All that crap with my sister
and that damn bathroom remodel?
We had a deal.
I know.
I know.
You're right.
It's going in the trash.
Okay?
Sophia!
Sophia!
What happened?
Oh, my God. Oh, my God!
Mom. Mom!
When the Smokestack vape pen
that Sophia Echols was smoking
overheated,
it exploded,
sending metal and plastic shards
into her right hand,
neck, mouth and face.
And these injuries--
they caused Sophia's death?
The ejected materials
penetrated the floor
of her mouth and
went into her neck,
dissecting both
the carotid artery
and internal jugular vein.
She bled to death in minutes.
Dr. Dettmer,
were Sophia's injuries
consistent with those suffered
by the other 146
plaintiff-victims
of this class action?
The nature of the injuries
was quite similar.
They just differed in degree.
And how is that?
Sophia's injuries
were the most extreme,
hers being the
only fatality.
But across the board,
we saw burns,
nerve and tissue damage,
lost limbs, lost teeth,
facial disfigurement.
Three victims were blinded.
The ejected shrapnel
was catastrophically
destructive.
Ejected shrapnel?
Doctor, it sounds as if
you're describing
a battlefield wound.
In a way, I am.
In each of these cases,
the Smokestack vape pens
were closer to a grenade
than a recreational device.
Thank you. No further questions,
Your Honor.
How we doing?
Green prairie
for miles on this end.
I wouldn't get
too comfortable with that.
Here comes Carole.
So,
Dr. Dettmer,
if the device was a grenade,
who pulled the pin?
I don't understand
the question.
Sophia Echols ignored
multiple warnings
and used
an unauthorized charger
for the device,
in effect, weaponizing
her own vape pen.
Isn't that right?
I wouldn't put it that way.
Hmm. I would.
Not a single injury
has occurred
when a Smokestack vape pen
is charged as instructed
with an authorized charger.
Isn't that correct?
Objection. Your Honor,
counsel is testifying.
This clearly falls outside
of the scope
of the witness' expertise.
I withdraw the question,
Your Honor.
Mm-hmm.
No, don't even think about it.
Your mom needs you.
You are exactly where
you need to be right now.
Is that Danny?
Yeah.
Uh, is there
anything we can do?
Order in food
to the hospital?
Does she need me
to send her more clothes?
Do you need more clothes?
Okay. Well, hang in there.
We're praying for your mom.
Okay.
How's her mom doing?
Still in the ICU.
Danny's hoping she'll
get transferred
to a rehab facility for
stroke victims soon,
but who knows how
long that'll take.
I think we need to bring in
a temporary investigator.
I mean, this case is really...
The last thing
we need right now
is another person
on the payroll.
I need to talk to you.
Yeah, just give me a second.
Carole Atkins killed
us today in court
with those warnings
against unauthorized chargers.
I'm aware.We need to find a way
to turn those warnings
against Smokestack.
Show they were
wholly insufficient.
Isn't it obvious? They say
if you use the wrong charger,
the vape pen may malfunction.
They don't say
it'll blow your damn face off.
Right.
We need to prove Smokestack knew
these devices
could blow your damn face off
before they put them
on the market.
I've scoured R & D reports,
internal emails.
So far, zilch.
Well, keep scouring.
We need a smoking gun.
Or a smoking vape pen.
Get it?
'Cause vape...I got it.
I got it.
I thought it was funny.
Hello?
Hi, there. I'm all yours.
Uh, that's what you said
last week. And yesterday.
There's no escaping now.
Uh, we need to talk money.
What about it?
We don't have any.
That sounds a tad hyperbolic.
This is
the biggest case
we have ever taken on,
and it's bleeding us dry.
We've already spent
nearly $2 million
for all the medical experts,
engineers,
trauma specialists,
not to mention
the paralegals we hired
just to get through
all the discovery.
And there is no end in sight.
Well, got to go big to win big.
Meanwhile,
we are turning away clients
because we don't have
the bandwidth for anything else.
Well, none of that matters when
we get our contingency fee.
Whenever that is.
But I talked to our bank,
and they agreed
to extend our credit line.
Problem solved.
No. Problem not solved.
It's only enough to cover
about half our expenses.
Have you read
my proposal yet?
Remember
our bandwidth conversation?
It'll bring in money right away.
Best part,
no extra work for you.
I'm sorry to interrupt,
but Rebecca Healy is here,
and she's in the
conference room.
Not it.
Yes, it. I talked to
her the last time.
I talked to her the
last three times.
Bull, she's demanding
to talk to you.
I will talk to her.
Uh, no, Bull,
I really need to talk to you
about this proposal.
Everything is fine.
I have everything under control.
Hey.
You said
we'd be done by now.
I know.
Have our money by now.
I know you're frustrated,
Rebecca.
My son
can't wait any longer
for his reconstructive surgery.
I know.
And he shouldn't have to.
This is taking a lot longer
than any of us anticipated.
Smokestack has been
dragging it out, right?
Smokestack
already offered to settle.
More than once.
You're the one
dragging this out.
Those were not settlement
payouts.
Not real ones. They were
nuisance payouts
to make us go away.
I am gonna get you
and the rest of the class
so much more.
I want out.
Of the class, I mean.
I want to negotiate
my own settlement. Now.Right.
But we already talked about
this. You can't opt out.
The deadline has passed.
No.
Yes.
No. There has to be a way.
There isn't.
Once we've been certified
a class,
the court sees us as one entity,
and there's no jumping in
or out of one entity.
We just have to have patience
a little while longer.
But I promise you,
we are in the right.
I am gonna get your son
everything he deserves.
But I can't do that if I
don't get back to work,
and I've got to prep a witness
right now, okay?
So, I will see you
in court tomorrow.
You lied to me!
Rebecca, I never
lied to you.
You said that Smokestack Labs
would never go to trial.
You said that
you would pick a jury
that would
scare the pants off of them.
I told you...
You said that being a part
of this stupid class
was the best thing for my son.
I did. I gave you
my word. And...Your word
means nothing.
Everything's
under control, hmm?
♪
Should be able to get through
the last of our
witnesses today.
That is, unless Taylor
has found a rabbit
for me to pull
out of my hat.
Not yet.
Oh. Well, you got to hand
it to Carole. Pretty smart,
having Mrs. Clayton here
every day by her husband's side.
'Cause he's not
the big, bad CEO of a
evil corporation,
but a president
of a nice, friendly,
family business.
I might be mistaken,
but it seems to me
like you admire Carole.
Well, you don't have
to like a hurricane
to appreciate
its ferocity.
Well, heads up. Hurricane Carole
looks to be
making landfall.
Think she's got
another offer for us?
Either that
or it's the first chapter
of her memoirs. I don't know
which would be worse.
Gentlemen.
Good morning,
Carole.
I think we're beyond that,
don't you?
How about we wrap this up
and take the day off.
I'm looking for a punch
line, but I can't...
Oh, wait, there it is.
$9 million.
You can't be serious.
We have 147
seriously injured victims.
One of them is dead.
My clients included
seven warning labels
on their devices and packaging.
Well beyond industry standards.
What else could they have done?
I don't know. For starters,
maybe sell a product
that doesn't kill people?
Mr. Palmer,
you're new
to the class action game,
but Bull and I have been
around the block
more times
than we would like to admit,
and we both know how expensive
it is to try these cases.
My guess
is that TAC is starting
to feel the bite.
Put yourself out of your misery.
Take the offer.
You know, I think you and I
went to different charm schools,
'cause that wouldn't have been
my approach.
But I
have an eye for juries,
and I like this one.
All I need is one juror.
One juror on my side,
and I hang the whole damn thing.
And then guess what?
We do this whole thing
all over again.
You pay more experts,
more court fees,
not to mention
more time down the drain.
No one's hanging my jury.
Can you afford to find out?
I'm racking up billable hours
no matter what. You--
you are on contingency.
You lose, you get nothing.
Think about it.
So?
There's nothing
to think about.
We quit smoking
over two years ago.
One day, I came home
from work, and...
Sophia was looking
out the back window at Tess.
She was growing up so fast.
And Sophia, she wanted
to be around for all of it.
Tess' marriage.
When she had children.
And that's when we quit.
But she didn't quit, did she?
She started vaping,
using the Smokestack vape pen.
Isn't that right?
She slipped. I-It happens.
I'm sure she'd have preferred
a cigarette.
I-I'm positive she chose to vape
because she thought
it was safer.
But it wasn't safer, was it?
No. It wasn't.
It killed her.
No further questions,
Your Honor.
Mr. Echols,
do you recognize these?
Yeah, they're chargers
from our home.
Correct. This
is the authorized
Smokestack Labs charger
that came with your wife's
vape pen, and this
is your daughter's
phone charger.
And which of these
was plugged into the vape pen
that malfunctioned
on the day of your wife's death?
The white one.
Let the record reflect
that the plaintiff
indicated the non authorized
third-party phone charger.
Can you read
the warning label
on the authorized charger,
please?
"Warning:
use of third-party charger
may result
in device malfunction."
Pretty clear.
But your wife chose to
ignore it, didn't she?
I don't think Sophia
chose to ignore anything.
Are you suggesting
that someone else
used an unauthorized charger
to charge your wife's vape pen?
No.
That's not what I'm saying.
Come on,
Patrick. Take control of this.
The fact is
your wife used
an unauthorized charger
despite being warned not to do
that very thing.
Isn't that right?
The world is full
of warnings.
I am not asking
about the world, Mr. Echols.
Just these chargers.
Every time you get gas,
there are warnings on the pump.
But you still pump gas,
don't you?
Here we go.
I am asking
the questions, sir.
Do you deserve
to die for pumping gas?
Your Honor, please, instruct
the witness...
No, my wife
didn't deserve to die
for ignoring
one stupid warning.
Mr. Echols.
Your vape pens have
all sorts of warnings
about the dangers
of nicotine.
Mr. Echols.
Mr. Echols.
But you count on
your customers
to ignore those
warnings, don't you?!
Mr. Echols, enough.
You will restrict
your testimony
to the questions asked.
And now he can.
Uh-oh.
What?
Marissa, remind me how pregnant
juror number five is again.
32 weeks and counting. Why?
Well, let's just hope
she can keep the rocket
on the launchpad a
little while longer.
The alternate juror
is not be our friend.
Hey, Chunk.
Hey.
I think I may have found
a new witness for you.
Who?
Follow me.
All right.
This guy. Dennis LaBrie.
Former Smokestack Labs engineer.
Worked in the
charger division.
If anybody can tell us
what Smokestack knew
about their chargers,
Dennis is the one.
Why him?
I found an archived copy
of Smokestack's website.
This is their
engineering staff chart.
See Dennis there?
Sure.
Mm-hmm.
This is the web page
they have up now.
Notice anything?
Yeah,
your engineer's gone.
Wiped clean
from their site just two days
after the class action
was filed.
Okay, well, maybe he just
went and got a new job.
Maybe it's just a coincidence.
Mm, could be.
But in the thousands of pages
of discovery documents
Smokestack sent over,
he's nowhere.
He's not listed in a
single R & D report
even though he was on the team
when the charger research
was done.
So, looks like Smokestack went
out of their way
to make him disappear.
That's what I've been saying.
Okay.
Well, it sounds
like you need to go find him.
You need to get him
to talk to us,
and you need to do it fast.
That part's
usually more of a Danny thing.
Yeah. But, uh,
unless he's in a hospital
in Florida,
it sounds like it's got to be
a Taylor thing.
Okay.
I spoke to Louis,
the marshal in the courtroom.
He said that juror number five
asked him for an antacid.
So, thankfully,
no premature labor.
Just good,
old-fashioned indigestion.
Thank God. Our
alternate juror
is a real "do not
pass go" situation.
Yeah.
But you-- nice work
today, Counselor.
Patrick's testimony
was very impactful.
Thank you.
Well, I'm not gonna lie.
It was a good day.
Have a few more days like this,
and we may just meet
that contingency threshold
after all.
Uh, what threshold?
Bull didn't tell you?
There is a
contingency threshold?
Doesn't anyone
say hello anymore?
We have to win over
$50 million in damages,
or we get nothing.
Not nothing. Five percent.
Uh, that's
practically nothing.
Compared to 33% like a
normal contingency case,
which I thought
we were getting.
Well, plaintiffs started
to look at other representation.
I had to sweeten the pot.
Sweetening the pot is lowering
our fee to 25% or 20%, not five.
Well,
the agreements are signed.
There is nothing we can do now.
Okay.
Well,
given the financial situation,
I really think we need to talk
about my proposal.
This isn't the best time.
We have
this great predictive algorithm
to analyze jury behavior.
No one else
has anything like it.
We can lease it out
to other firms,
and I'll still be running
the analytics from TAC.
You want to rent out
the algorithm?To bring in revenue,
shore up our finances, yes.
Winning the case
is gonna shore up
our finances.
I can't do this right now.
We got to put
the CEO of Smokestack
on the stand tomorrow.
Chunk and I
are preparing his cross.
You bet the farm, Bull.
For all of us.
And it never even crossed
your mind
to talk to us about it.
Talk to me.
My mistake. I didn't realize
I had to run
all my business decisions
past you. You're still
getting paid, right?
You know that's not the point.
Oh,
it is exactly the point.
Everybody's getting paid,
and I'm the only one
with anything to worry about.
Yeah,
my mistake. I thought
we were all in this together.
It's 4:00 in the morning.
That explains the whole
"sun not being up" thing.
I swear you're becoming
a worse sleeper than Astrid.
And I cry more,
but I'm working on that part.
Is that TAC's
balance sheet?
Unfortunately, yeah.
Well, I've seen
enough of those
to know that that much
red is not a good thing.
I know.
Marissa warned me.
I've just been so busy.
I didn't want to believe
it was that bad.
Are we talking "pack up the
car and move to Mexico" bad?
No. Although that is not
a bad plan B.
I'm just gonna have
to take money
out of my personal account,
put it into TAC
until this case resolves.
Uh, okay...
I'm not gonna touch
our retirement accounts
or Astrid's education.
It's just...
Or my money?
Or your money.
Of course.
You know why
you're doing this,
right?
Taking on
one of the biggest cases
of your career?
Because it's
a game-changing payday
when we win.
No.
It's not about the money
for you. It's about the win.
You know, it's only been
a few months
since Astrid was kidnapped,
and that knocked us both
for a loop.
I'm past all that.
I know.
It's just that when you're used
to being king of the mountain
and you get knocked down,
sometimes you look
for the biggest, baddest bear
to wrestle
just to prove
that you're on top.
I do like the idea
of me wrestling a bear
on top of a mountain,
but that's not
what this is about.
This is about helping people.
Hmm.
I'm gonna go back to bed.
Okay.
You know,
just be careful, babe.
Sometimes the bear wins.
You know what a
chop block is?
Some kind of football thing?
Yeah.
When you hit a guy in the
legs and someone else comes
and hits him up top. Tear
him apart, basically.
Mm.
You know what I'm gonna do to
Smokestack's CEO on cross today?
Chop block him.
And love every
minute of it.
Excuse me.
Well, keep talking like that,
we might win this thing.
Yeah.
Mr. Palmer,
Dr. Bull, a word.
Something tells me this isn't
gonna be a friendly chat.
Ms. Atkins and I
were just having
a fascinating conversation.
One of your plaintiffs,
Rebecca Healy,
called Ms. Atkins
last night
and attempted to negotiate
her own settlement.
We...
We apologize, Your Honor.
Oh, oh, oh,
it gets better.
When Ms. Atkins explained
that as defense counsel,
she was barred from speaking
to a member of the class,
do you know
what your client did next?
She ambushed me
outside my chambers
as I arrived this morning
asking to be excused
from the class
because her concerns
are being ignored.
And according to Ms. Healy,
she's not the only one
who feels this way.
Your Honor, we've spoken
with Ms. Healy multiple times
about how class action
litigation works.
At the class
certification hearing,
you two assured me
the victims
were all in the same boat,
unified in what they wanted.
But from what I'm seeing,
no one's rowing
in the same direction.
Get your clients under control,
or I will decertify this class.
Am I understood?
Absolutely, Your Honor.
I know you're frustrated.
You want results.
The process is slow,
and I get it.
But you cannot
talk to the judge.
You can't talk
to the defense attorney.
I had to talk to someone.
You won't listen to me.
Do you know what happens if the
judge decertifies this class?
He'll declare a mistrial,
and it all starts over.
Good. I can negotiate
my own settlement.
No.It might not be
as much money,
but at least I'll
get it faster.
Get my son his
surgery faster.
That is not true, Rebecca.
A mistrial means
you have to get a new attorney.
You have to go through
discovery again.
They're not just gonna
write you a check.
It's not how it works.
I'm just trying
to get my son his surgery.
I know.
No, you don't.
Do you know why I had to
ask you to meet me outside?
Ronnie won't let me bring
anyone up to the apartment.
He's too ashamed.
He doesn't want anyone
to see him.
When the vape pen exploded...
The damage it did to his face...
He won't go to school.
He hasn't left the
apartment in months.
He's afraid
of what people are gonna say
about him.
Do you have any idea
what it's like to watch
your child be hurt like that?
And be helpless
to do anything?
It's just the two of you, huh?
You and Ronnie.
That's a lot of pressure.
I want to help you
take some of that pressure off.
You're not alone.
Stick with me
on this. I promise you,
we are gonna win.
We have to win.
I need help.
Wh-What's the matter?
I'm not Danny.
Okay, you're gonna have to be
a little more specific.
Chunk asked me to track down
this former
Smokestack Labs engineer,
Dennis LaBrie. I called him.
I texted him. I DM'd him.
Radio silence.
I finally found out
he's got a new job as a manager
at a Cable Warriors.
So I came here,
told one of the guys
at the help desk that I bought
a lemon laptop and needed
to speak with the manager,
but it completely backfired.
How?
He offered me a new laptop.
I didn't even buy
my laptop here.
So, I made up some weird excuse
and ran away,
and now I have no idea
how to get to Dennis LaBrie.
Well, you need
to figure it out today.
If we can't call him
as a rebuttal witness tomorrow,
we'll be heading
into closing arguments,
and then it's too late.
Thank you, Marissa.
I wasn't stressed enough.
Yeah. Got it. I'm sorry.
So, uh, okay, you're not Danny.
You're Taylor.
What's Taylor good at?
Mr. LaBrie.
Thank God.
I can't get them to turn off.
For Pete's sake, just...
go back to the help desk.
Dennis LaBrie?
Yeah.
Try control, six,
underscore, ampersand.
How did you...
Do you need a job?
No. My name is Taylor Rentzel.
I've been
trying to reach you.
I'm working on behalf
of a class of plaintiffs
who are suing Smokestack.
Wait. You did this?
Sorry.
I really needed to talk to you.
You're the lady
who's been calling me
about Smokestack Labs.
Well, you know, I hope
that you take those bastards
to the cleaners.
They fired me
for telling the truth.
Now I'm stuck having to commute
to Jersey every day.
Any chance that truth
had something to do
with how dangerous
the vape pens are?
That's right.
I told Clayton himself
that if people used
the wrong charger,
they could get hurt. But no,
he was more interested
in saving a buck.
Clayton. Arnold Clayton,
Smokestack's CEO?
Yes, ma'am.
You told him
using unauthorized chargers
was dangerous?I told him
people could get killed.
And this was
before anyone had been hurt?
Before the product
even shipped. It was obvious.
I-I can't tell you how helpful
you could be to this case.
Will you testify
about this in court?
Yeah. No, I can't do that.
He signed an NDA as part
of his severance agreement,
and Smokestack
wasn't messing around.
How bad is it?
There's a $500,000 penalty
if he breaches the NDA.
Okay. Tell LaBrie we'll cover
the $500,000 if Smokestack
comes after him.
We will?
Yeah, we will.
Thanks, Taylor.
Bull.
It's gonna look like we're
buying this guy's testimony.
No. We are allowed to pay
for a witness', uh,
expenses, for instance.
And if he gets sued,
that's just an expense.
The expenses exemption
was designed
for things like a hotel room
or a plane ticket.
Now, it may not be
technically unethical,
but we're
skirting the line.
Carole's about
to rest her case,
and we are losing, so
we have to call Dennis
as a rebuttal witness.
It's our best shot.
What happened?
A delivery guy
on one of those electric bikes
came zipping out of nowhere
and hit some poor man.
No.
God,
I hate those things.
That's one of our jurors.
Wasone.
There's no way he's coming back
today. Or tomorrow.
The alternate
is terrible for us.
Carole just got her one juror.
So...
Apparently, couple of you
thought it was a good idea
to go to a party
the night before a game.
So I guess the contract
you all signed
doesn't mean a damn thing.
Meet our newest juror,
Coach Randall Hughes.
You think the rules
are just suggestions? Hmm?
Hmm? Playing's a privilege.
You just lost it.
We're forfeiting the game.
I said it before,
and I'll say it again.
Actions have consequences.
Fan of bluegrass music.
Despiser of victim culture.
For the last 20 years, he's been
head coach at Tatum High School.
Think it's safe to say
he's more Bobby Knight
than Ted Lasso.
Yeah.
He's all about
following the rules
and paying the price
when you don't.
I mean,
he's just one guy.
Maybe the other jurors
can get him to come around.
He doesn't seem
much like a "come around" guy.
Well, maybe the key is not
to change his thinking
but embrace it.
Most coaches
don't like cheaters.
No, they don't.
Dennis LaBrie
is about to testify
that Smokestack knew
that their customers
could be seriously injured.
He's proof that they were trying
to cheat their way
out of accountability.
I can say it.
Maybe it'll convince
Coach Hughes.
Hmm. Where's Marissa?
She should be here for this.
I think she's with some
people in the mock courtroom.
What people?
Our software
is a predictive tool
that can help you anticipate
how juries
will react to opening and
closing arguments, witnesses,
evidence, even how
they will decide cases.
We have been using and refining
this algorithm
at TAC for over a decade,
and now we will be making
this tool available to you.
Marissa?
Excuse me?
Everyone, I think you
know Dr. Jason Bull.
Hey there.
Can I borrow you
for just a moment?
I'll be right back.
Excuse me,
I need the room.
Thank you.
What are you doing?
Trying to protect TAC.
Trying to protect you.
The Smokestack case
is a huge gamble.
We need some insurance.
Right now,
this Smokestack case isTAC.
Tomorrow we are putting our most
important witness on the stand.
We have a bum juror in the box.
I need everybody
to stay focused.
And what I don't need is
somebody going behind my back.
I didn't go behind your back.
I've been in front of you
the whole time.
You just refuse to see me.
Well, I see you now.
Get your head in my game.
'Cause that's the one
we got to win.
♪
You okay?
Sure. Have a good night.
See you tomorrow.
You're not okay.
I'm... having a moment.
It'll pass.
This have anything
to do with the presentation
Bull cut short today?
Oh, yes and no.
I said it was our algorithm.
But it isn't. It's mine.
I created it.
I know.
Everyone knows that.
Do they?
I'm not sure
Bull does, sometimes.
After Benny left,
I thought he would offer me
this office.
But it's been months,
and it just sits here empty.
Bet he never even
thought about it.
You should ask him.
I could. I just...
I thought it was obvious.
I guess he didn't.
Maybe with the kidnapping and...
everything that's
been going on, he just...
Maybe.
Like I said,
I was just having a moment.
Let's get out of here.
And what was your concern?
I realized that there was
a design flaw.
If you used
third-party chargers,
the battery could overheat
dramatically.
And what would be the result
of this dramatic overheating?
Well, when the batteries
get too hot, they explode.
So you don't need
to be a genius to know
that people were gonna get hurt.
S-Seriously hurt.
So what did you do?
I took it straight to the top.
I told him.
Let the record reflect
the witness just pointed
to Arnold Clayton,
the CEO of Smokestack Labs.
Now, what exactly did you say
to Mr. Clayton?
Well, I explained
the problem to Mr. Clayton
and I offered
a simple solution.
We could make
a unique charging port
that isn't compatible
to third-party chargers.
Problem solved.
Unique charger port.
W-What's that mean?
Well, the port is
essentially the socket
on your device
where you connect your charger.
Smokestack Labs Vape Pens
are all compatible
with the industry-standard
micro USB chargers.
Micro USBs are used
for pretty much everything.
Phone, camera.
That's why it's so easy
for people
to use the wrong charger.
And so how did Mr. Clayton react
when you proposed making
this unique charger port?
He shot it down.
Said it would be too expensive
and it would turn off
our customers.
Did he propose
an alternative?
Yeah. A cheaper one.
Adding a battery warning light
to the vape pens, but nobody
pays any attention
to warning lights.
I told him
people could get hurt.
And what happened next?
They fired me.
No further questions,
Your Honor.
What are you seeing on your end?
Dennis' testimony
is definitely landing.
Even with Coach Hughes.
He might just come around
after all.
Mr. LaBrie,
at this meeting
with Mr. Clayton,
the charger port
was not the only concern
you brought up, was it?
I'm not sure.
There was a lot going on.
Let me see if I can
refresh your memory.
Do you remember bringing up
the poor quality
of the toilet paper
in the third-floor bathroom?
Uh, I don't remember
exactly, but
they were using
very cheap products.
It was a health concern.
Hmm. And the rattling vent
over your work station,
which you described
to Mr. Clayton in some detail?
Was that a health concern, too?
Well, it made it
very difficult
to get anything done.
It was affecting
my productivity.
Right.
And the "illegal"
use of the microwave
for popcorn?
There were signs everywhere,
and that smell--
it permeated everything.
And after the meeting
with Mr. Clayton,
you followed up
with a call to him
and seven other
top Smokestack executives
to alert them to all these
issues, including--
and I believe
this was your phrase--
the "nefarious"
popcorn situation.
Do I have that right?
No.
No, y...
You're making me sound silly.
These were important matters.
These were important matters.
And-and-and the entire
executive team--
they ignored it.
I had to bring it up.
I had to.
I had to.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
It would've been nice to know
that Dennis was a crackpot
before we put him on the stand.
Taylor didn't have
enough time to ferret out
anything other than
what he wanted us to know.
We all knew he was a Hail Mary.
And Hail Marys
usually fail.
Unfortunately,
Dennis' testimony
isn't our only problem.
Everyone's favorite juror,
Coach Randall Hughes,
is a natural leader.
He may even end up
as the jury foreman.
He could spread the red.
Great.
So now Carole
may not just hang the jury,
she may win
the whole thing.
We still have one shot:
your closing.
I've been working
on a couple different versions.
Well, the mirror jurors
are downstairs waiting.
So if you want to test them out,
they're ready.
Bull?
Send the mirror jurors home.
You both should go home, too.
You don't want
to test the closing?
No. We've all been working hard.
I think the most important thing
is to get some rest.
It'll do us all good.
Tommy.
Hey, would you do me a favor
and leave the keys to the SUV
with security downstairs.
I'm gonna
drive myself home tonight.
Thanks.
There you are.
Astrid and I missed you
at bath time.
Yeah, sorry, the...
day got away from me.
Well, the good thing
about toddlers
is that they have
short memories.
Are you still at work?
Yeah. Uh...
it's just this case.
You sound weird.
Is everything okay?
I may have bet too big.
For the plaintiffs.
For TAC. For us.
I think the bear
may be winning.
Come home.
I got a tub of Rocky Road,
and it'll do wonders.
I just have one more thing
I got to do.
I'll be home soon. I love you.
I love you, too.
♪
"...the death of Sophia Echols
and catastrophic injuries
"to the other 146 plaintiffs
had nothing to do with them.
That placing a few stickers..."
Ah, I love the smell
of genius in the morning.
I think what you're smelling is
a guy that's been up all night
revising his closing argument.
I sent you a copy.
How do you feel about it?
Honestly?
I feel pretty good.
I'd say you hit it out of
the park. I have no notes.
No notes?
No notes.
But you always have notes.
What's the matter with you?
I've done everything I can.
It's out of my hands now.
Has the jury reached a verdict?
We have, Your Honor.
Will the foreman read
the verdict?
We the jury in the above
entitled case
find the defendant,
Smokestack Labs...
negligent.
The jury awards damages
to the plaintiffs
in the amount
of $145 million dollars.
Oh, my God!
Jurors, the Court
thanks you for your service.
The jury's dismissed.
What?!
Thank you.
Thank you.
Oh, thank you
for hanging in there
with me.
It will take a few months
for the settlement
to be distributed.
That's okay.
Just knowing there's a light
at the end of the tunnel.
Yeah, well...
in the meantime.
What's this?
An advance on your settlement.
For Ronnie's surgery.
Oh, my goodness.
Thank you.
You may want to hold off
on spending any more
of that judgement money.
I'm already working up
an appeal.
I would expect nothing less.
I'll see you around, Bull.
See you around, Carole.
♪
♪ And I been takin' care
of business every day ♪
♪ Takin' care of business...
Is that caviar?
Yeah. We can afford it.
We just won
a $145 million judgement.
Man, I do not get tired
of saying that.
I heard a rumor
we're all getting bonuses.
It's not a rumor.
All I've been able
to think about
since they the verdict
is that money.
What are you
gonna do with yours?
Mauricio really wants
the Lego Death Star
which costs,
like, a month's rent.
Right, of course.
So I thought I'd
splurge on that.
And some orthodonture.
Hmm.
What about you?
Well, now I feel selfish
'cause all I'm doing with mine
is buying Giants season tickets.
I think we've both always known
I'm a... superior being.
♪ If you get in with the right
bunch of fellows ♪
♪ People see you having fun
♪ Just a-lying in the sun
♪ Tell them that you like it
this way... ♪
Hey.
You are going to
the party, right?
Oh, uh... yeah, of course.
Congratulations again.
It's a huge win.
You really pulled it off.
We...really pulled it off.
♪ Takin' care of business...
Marissa, look,
I couldn't have do...
Hey, Bull.
I just got a call
from the court clerk's office.
Judge Hopkins wants to see us.
What? When?
Right now.
Judge Hopkins.
Carole.
Hello, everybody.
What's the FBI doing here?
There's been a development
in the Smokestack class action.
What's the development?
The U.S. Attorney's Office
received
an anonymous tip
that there had been
interference with the jury.
One of the jurors--
Randall Hughes--
said that he'd been bribed.
Bribed? By who?
By you.
What?
Yeah, that-that's ridiculous.
Wha...
You're just gonna take
the word of this juror?
We have corroborating
evidence that
Dr. Bull made direct
contact with this juror.
To answer your earlier
question, Dr. Bull,
I'm afraid the agents are here
to take you into custody.
Dr. Jason Bull,
you're under arrest
for the crime
of jury tampering. You have
the right to remain silent.
Anything you say...I'll just,
I-I'll follow you downtown
and we'll handle all
of this at the station.
No.
Go to my apartment,
tell Izzy what happened.
Don't call her
on the phone.
Tell her in person.
Tell her I said everything's
gonna be okay.
Everything's gonna be fine.
♪
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