Matlock (1986–1995): Season 9, Episode 13 - The Assault - full transcript

I got it!

Nobody got it!

Look out, man.

Hi. Sorry I'm late. There was
a big accident on the parkway.

I got stuck behind a
bunch of lookie loos.

That's all right. We should get started,
Ben called about 15 minutes ago,

said he was leaving
the courthouse,

he was gonna stop and
pick up some barbecue,

so that only gives
us 30 minutes.

Pop, what are you doing?

Looking for Ben's
popcorn popper.



Forget the popcorn popper.

How am I gonna pop the popcorn?

Look, come on, we
gotta get going here.

Go ahead. Ah, here it is.

Now, where's the popcorn?

Thursday the 27th, 5 p.m.
Is that okay with everyone?

- Yeah, good.
- Yeah, yeah.

Good, because I spoke
to Sandy. Guess what.

- She said it's okay?
- As long as we're out of the building

- by midnight, it doesn't matter.
- Great.

- Yeah, I thought so too.
- That's great.

- Food?
- I'll have it catered.

Caviar, designer
cake, stuff like that.

No, Billy, hot dogs
and french fries.



Okay.

And popcorn, if I
can ever find any.

This reminds me of something.

Uh, Pop, this is a surprise
party. We're all clear on that, right?

Tick a lock.

What are you looking at me for?

Well, remember when
you took Ben to the movies

- last month?
- Yeah.

Walked out after the first 10 minutes
because you blurted out the ending.

Okay, one lousy
little slip of the tongue,

and you're marked for life.

And I was right. It did
end that way. Heh-heh-heh.

Yeah, he owes me money.

- No, she didn't.
- Yes, she did.

Hey!

Shut up, man. Shut up.

I got a knife, man, so be still.

Left front pocket.

Ah. Ha, ha.

Very smart.

Let's go.

Help! Help! Help!

Help! Help! Help!

Robbery! Rob...!

Help! Help! Help!

Robbery! Robbery!

Help. Oh, help. Help.

Robbery.

Hey.

- Doggone.
- You got a problem?

If you're trying to rob
me, you're too late.

All I got is the shoes on my
feet, the clothes on my back,

and the fillings in my teeth.

Hey, look, mister, everybody
who lives in this neighborhood

is not out to rob you.

I'm... I'm sorry.

My car broke down,
I just got mugged,

the telephone ate
my last quarter,

and now my barbecue's
probably stone-cold.

That's what you're
doing down here?

Picking up barbeque?

- Red Devil's.
- Best in the world.

So where's this car of yours?

Around the corner.

Just put it in the hole, man.

I'm trying to work this thing.

Hey. Hey!

Hey, get out of there.

Get away! Drop that, hey!

Hey, you guys
heard the man. Move.

Yeah, move, get out of
there. Get out of there.

- Old man.
- Hey, wait a minute.

Hey! Hey, you! That's my bar...

Run...

They got my barbecue.

Like you said, probably
stone-cold anyway.

I could have heated it up.

Not so good then.

Better than nothing.

Ah. Dries it out.

Yeah, I guess.

You know your
barbecue, don't you?

Yep.

Know cars too.

Well, I took a correspondence
course in auto repair.

Last time I was in prison.

Just kidding.

- Stan Johnson.
- Oh, heh-heh.

Ben Matlock. Heh-heh.

God's sake, Ben, what were you
thinking going down there by yourself?

- You could've gotten yourself killed.
- I go there by myself all the time.

It's just that my
car broke down.

- Well, did you tell the police?
- Yeah.

But it happened so fast, I didn't
get a good look at either one of them.

Oh. Oh, wow.

Where were you yesterday?

I called from a pay phone,
but nobody answered.

- Yesterday?
- Yeah. About 5:30.

- Five-thirty? Uh...
- Yeah, you said you'd be here till 6.

And I wasted my last
quarter trying to call you.

By 5:30. Five... Ooh.

Um, it's a real
busy day yesterday.

Uh, let me... Let me just
think. Five-thirty was...

- Found him.
- Really?

Mm-hmm. Stanley Johnson. He works
at the Central District Youth Center.

Usually gets there around 9:30.

- Oh, thanks.
- So, what are you gonna do?

I'm gonna go down
there and try to find him.

- Great, great.
- Let's go. Let's go.

Excellent. All right. All
right. Give me the ball now.

Gather around. Let's
see if we can set this shot.

Okay, Bobby, you're gonna
run to pick out Patrick's man.

Maxwell, dish the ball back
out to you, up for the deuce.

- Let's set it up.
- Let's do it.

- Let's go.
- Let's go. Let's go.

Come on, baby.

- All right.
- Defense.

- Defense. Defense.
- Go!

- Why do you want it?
- I'm open.

- Let's go.
- Yeah!

Yes. Yes.

Now, try to run it on the
other side. On the other side.

It's a little early for
barbecue, isn't it?

Yeah.

- How you doing?
- Fine.

- Good-looking bunch of boys.
- Yep.

- Shouldn't they be in school?
- Yep.

And if I can keep them
off the streets long enough,

maybe they'll figure that out.

- We got some playground.
- Right away.

- Wayne...
- Here it is, three, two, one.

I wanna thank you.

You did that.

Good, good. All right,
now let's try this play.

Steve, you drive hard from the
hole, dish it up to Calvin for the jumper.

- All right.
- Got it?

All right.

Um, I didn't expect you
to help me out yesterday,

but you did anyway,
and, well, I just...

I wanna pay you back.

What did you say
you did for a living?

- Lawyer.
- Heh-heh.

I know.

- You're a lawyer, huh?
- Yep.

Yo, guys, practice free throws
for a while. I'll be right back.

- All right.
- Okay. You got a deal.

- Come on.
- Okay.

- Oh, yeah.
- Oh, yeah.

- You live here?
- Yeah.

Second story, third
apartment from the end.

Come on, you ain't
seen nothing yet.

Supposed to need a key to get in,
but as you can see, lock's broken.

Has been for more than a year.

- It's dark.
- Yep. Lights are burned out.

- How come?
- Landlord.

Never fixes
anything around here.

He feels he doesn't have to.

Of course he has to.

He's legally obligated to
keep this place fit to live in.

I've called the realty
company that owns this dump

at least 30 times.

It's like talking to a wall.

- Call the police?
- Yeah. Said they're looking into it.

That was about six months ago.

- Call the city?
- Said they're looking into it too.

Hell, every bureaucrat
in this city's looking into it,

but nothing ever happens.

- Why don't you move?
- I could.

I could move out of this
neighborhood, of this city,

out of this life if I wanted
to, but I don't want to.

Something's gotta be
done, so I guess I'm it.

Sounds like you need a lawyer.

Yeah, it does, doesn't it?

I'm pretty sure the
Drake Apartments

is one of Mr. Mitchell's
properties. Yes.

- Mr. Mitchell?
- George Mitchell.

George Mitchell's
about 6'2", balding,

a member of the
Atlanta Charities Board?

Mm-hmm. Yes, that's him.

Well, tell him I'm
here. I wanna see him.

My name's Ben Matlock.

Mm-hmm.

Yes, there's a Ben Matlock
out here would like to see you.

Ben, what are you doing here?

- Could I talk with you for a minute?
- Oh, sure, come on in.

Don't tell me I missed
another meeting.

Oh, no, this doesn't have anything
to do with the charities board.

What? What are you staring at?

Your desk.

I got so much stuff piled on
my desk, I lose things for days.

Oh, heh-heh. So,
what is this about?

Uh, it's about that apartment building
you own down in the Central District.

The Drake Apartments.

Yes?

I had occasion to visit
somebody down there,

and I was just appalled by
the condition of that building.

There's broken glass everywhere,

there's no lights in the hall,

there's trash all
over the place.

If you went down, I'm sure
you'd be just as appalled.

I was just down there last week.

And you didn't do
anything about it?

About what?

Well, I mean, granted,
it's not the Taj Mahal,

but it's certainly
better than nothing.

I don't get it.

Oh. Ben, do you know how much

a two-bedroom apartment
down there goes for?

Two hundred ten dollars a month.

I mean, really.

I'll bet your gas bill for the month
of January was higher than that.

Now, as far as I'm concerned,

I'm doing this community
a public service.

There are rats in the halls.

That's because those people
leave their garbage in the halls.

If you'd fix the trash chute
so they could use that...

Ben, Ben, please
try to understand.

How I choose to
manage my property

is really none of your business.

A friend of mine
wants to sue you.

Does the name Stan
Johnson ring a bell?

Since when did you
start representing renters?

Be at his place
tomorrow morning, 9:00.

I'm busy tomorrow morning.

He's gonna sue you.

Be there, 9:00.

He's got a good case.

- I got your popcorn popper.
- All right.

Here it is. I cleaned
it and everything.

You want me to put
it back in the kitchen?

Okay.

So I might be
needing it again soon.

- Okay.
- Ah.

- Could you do me a favor?
- What?

The cable company's sending
a crew over here on the 27th

to put in a new box,

and I can't be here because
I got hearings all day.

Could you hang
around and let them in?

- The 27th?
- Yeah, between 2 and 6.

- Nope. I can't.
- What do you mean you can't do it?

- Can't do it.
- Why?

I just can't.

Get somebody else.

I do favors for
you all the time.

Defend your boy, loan
you my popcorn popper,

and I ask you to
do one little thing.

I've done lots of things
for you plenty of times.

- Like what?
- Lots of things.

Plenty of times.

Here.

Jackass.

I heard that!

Hello, George.

- Stan Johnson, George Mitchell.
- Hi, we talked on the phone once.

If we could do this
quickly, I'd appreciate it.

Okay.

I can see it. I'm not blind.

I suppose this is my fault?

Well, if the lock
on the door worked,

maybe he wouldn't
be able to get in here.

Excuse me.

Hollis. Come on,
up and at them, man.

- No, no, no, this way.
- Oh, yeah, yeah.

Here you go, man, here
you go. Go get some coffee.

Friend of yours?

Let's show him Gordon's place.

Gordon Matheny.
Nice to meet you.

Can I get you anything?

No, thank you.

Gordon's lived here
almost ten years.

He's always paid his
rent in full and on time.

But not lately.

Gordon, why don't you tell him why
you haven't been paying your rent?

I'm just fed up with how nothing
ever gets done around here.

Things never get fixed.

Yeah.

Like this?

Look at this. Torn up carpet.

Look at these walls. They need
to be re-scraped and painted.

And look at this.

This was like this
when he moved in here.

Follow me.

No water. He has to
wash up in the kitchen,

the plumbing in here's
been busted for nine months.

If you people were more
careful about what you put down...

"You people"?

And just who do you
mean by "you people"?

You tenants.

The people who are
causing this property

to plummet in value
even as we speak.

Well, isn't that why
you bought this place?

So that you could write off
the depreciation every year?

The point is, why should I
put good money into something

you tenants are just
gonna trash anyway?

Well, maybe if you took
better care of this place,

this place wouldn't
get so trashed.

Man, you don't even think
enough of me to shake my hand.

You're breaking the law, George.

Wait, wait, wait a minute.
I'm breaking the law?

This man in here just admitted
he hasn't been paying his rent.

You're in the wrong,
you're breaking the law.

If I have to drag you into
court to prove it, I'll do it.

- I called them.
- Did they call?

- They can be there.
- Excellent. Now, what about him?

- No, I can't get ahold of him. Call him.
- All right, I'll try.

- Hi.
- Hey, pop.

- Hi.
- So far 37 people are gonna come.

And we can start
decorating the room at 4 p.m.

Yeah, I got the
food all ordered.

Great. Now you sure you got
everything? Hot dogs, chips,

- cake, punch, uh, hors d'oeuvres?
- Yeah.

Gotta make more popcorn.

Enough for 45 people.

Forty-four. I'm not going.

- You're not going?
- Why not?

He called me a jackass.

- You call him a jackass all the time.
- I know.

What's the big deal?

He called me a jackass
close to his birthday.

He must mean it.

- Are you Gordon Matheny?
- Yes.

I got an order of eviction
here, Mr. Matheny.

I'm afraid you're gonna have to
vacate the premises immediately.

You're throwing me out?

You were notified by mail that
you owed four months back rent,

and that failure to pay
will result in eviction.

But where am I supposed to go?

And what am I supposed
to do with all my stuff?

Look, all I know is it's
gotta be out of here. Now.

Would you just tell him
Stan Johnson's here?

He knows who I am.

Well, I'm afraid
Mr. Mitchell's not in right now.

I saw his car in the
parking lot. The man's here.

He's in a meeting.

Then get him out of it.

Look, lady, because of him, an old
man's being thrown out of his home.

- It's an emergency.
- I'll have him call you.

No, I wanna see him now.

He's not going to
see you, Mr. Johnson.

And I'm afraid if you don't leave,
I'm going to have to call the police.

Sooner or later, I'll see him.

Help me!

Somebody. Somebody help me!

- Man, you all right?
- Please.

Somebody jumped me from behind,

pulled me into one of
those demolished buildings,

started going at
me with a knife.

Did you get a look at him?

I mean, what the hell
kind of world is this?

You can't even
walk down the street.

Sir, can you describe
the assailant?

He had his arm around my
neck. I couldn't turn around.

Get a look at his clothes?

Just the, uh, sleeve of
his shirt. It was flannel.

Either, uh, black and green
or blue and green checks.

- He say anything?
- No.

He just, uh, held on

and kept trying to stab me.

Is it too much to ask to
be safe on the streets?

In that neighborhood, maybe.

What in the world
were you doing there?

Oh, my company owns the
Drake apartment building.

We had to evict somebody today.

I just wanted to make
sure he was gone.

What was his name?
Do you remember?

- Stan Johnson?
- Yeah.

Detective Robert Garrison. Like
to ask you a couple of questions.

Just got done talking
to Gordon Matheny

over at the South
Street Shelter.

Told us when he got evicted,

you were more upset
about it than he was.

Well, yeah, I was mad as hell.

The guy's 73 years
old, for God's sakes.

George Mitchell was attacked
in an alley up the block tonight.

- You hear about that?
- No.

Yeah. Somebody
tried to slice him up.

Didn't go for his watch or
his wallet, just went for him.

Turns out Mr. Matheny was
eating dinner over at the shelter

when all this was going on.

Besides, like you
said, he's an old man.

Too old to be dragging
people off, cutting them up.

- What's your point?
- Sir?

- Excuse me.
- Take a look at this.

- This your shirt?
- Yeah.

What's this on the sleeve?

I don't know.

Looks to me like blood.

You should never have gone
up to his office without me.

I know.

Guess I really
need a lawyer now.

Yeah. They'll
charge you tomorrow.

Attempted murder.

- I didn't do it, Ben.
- Oh, I know.

I have to ask you this stuff.

Where were you
tonight about 7:30?

Just home. Watching
TV, same as always.

Working with those
kids all day, Ben,

they wipe me out.

I come home, I take a shower,

I turn on the tube
and just vegetate.

Yeah, I imagine.

So, did you...? Did you
call anybody or anybody visit

or is there any way to verify
you were home all night?

No.

The police have done
some preliminary studies.

The stain on
your shirt is blood.

Same type as George Mitchell's.

I have no idea how it
got there, Ben. I swear.

That shirt, it's been
lying around for days.

I left it there after I wore
it playing basketball.

That's gonna be
a problem, isn't it?

Well, we'll give
it our best shot.

- Any more coffee?
- Oh, you betcha.

I'll get you a cup.

So, what time's the hearing?

Nine-thirty.

- Did he do it, Ben?
- No.

He's mad at George Mitchell,

but he didn't cut
him up like that.

Though I'd almost
understand if he did.

Why?

Oh, you ought to see
that apartment building.

It's so dark, and
dirty, depressing.

How can he expect his tenants
to have respect for his property

when he obviously
has no respect for them?

It's wrong to make
people live like that.

You should buy the
place and fix it up.

He'd never sell. He
needs it as a tax write-off.

Oh.

- But you know what?
- Hmm?

We could fix it up a little.

You and me and
Cliff and the tenants.

Get some material,
paint and stuff.

- We've got the manpower.
- Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

Your points are well made
and well taken, Mr. Matlock.

But I would be remiss if I
didn't take the viciousness

of the attack of which he stands
accused into consideration as well.

Bail is set at $100,000.

Next case.

- Case number...
- I'll take care of the bail.

- No, I can't let you do that.
- It's only 10 percent.

There's no risk of flight.
It's the least I can do.

Do you make it a habit of
putting up bail for your clients?

I can count them on one hand.

- I gotta make a pit stop. Wait for me.
- Okay.

Mr. Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell,
would you wait a minute?

What do you want?

I didn't do this to you.

I didn't accuse you. Excuse me.

No, wait, come on.

Let me finish.

I don't like the way that
you run your business,

and I don't like you.

But I would never
do this to you.

Or anyone else.

Thank you.

- Well, I got a little more paint.
- Oh, good.

Yeah. Ah.

Hello, Ben.

Oh, hello, Billy.

Okay if I help out?

The more the merrier.

Borrowed your paint
brush. Do you mind?

That's okay.

Uh, the cable people are
coming to install a new box

at the house on the 27th,

and since I can't be there

and Billy couldn't
arrange to be there,

could you be there between
2 and 6 to let them in?

Sure. I'd be glad to.

Thanks.

You can't do that. You got
a party to go to. Remember?

I'll just call the cable company
and tell them to come another time.

Why didn't I think of that?

You're good at
this sneaky stuff.

It's a gift.

Looking good.

What's going on here?

Heh. Hollis. You know what,

you sleep here so much,
you're practically a tenant.

So get to work.

Oh, come on,
Stan. All I wanna do

is just get by the radiator
so I can have my dinner.

Just what color would
dinner be tonight?

Oh, lookie, a modest,
but amusing red.

- Isn't that nice?
- Oh, come on.

Heh. How you doing?

- Hi.
- Hi.

I'm Cliff.

Uh, do you come
here every night?

Just about.

- About this same time?
- Mm-hmm.

Were you here two nights ago?

Uh, two night...? Yeah. Mm-hmm.

You came about this same time
and you stayed the whole night?

The whole night.

Not a good idea, Cliff.

Do you have a better idea?

I didn't think so.

Uh, would you tell
us where you were

on the night of the
third, Mr. Greeley?

Yes, sir. At 7:00, I was
at the Drake Apartments

in the hallway there
by the radiators.

I sat down like I always do.

Uh-huh. When'd you leave?

Uh, the next morning.
I stayed there all night.

Did you see Stan
Johnson that night?

Oh, yeah, he came
in, uh, right after me.

Oh, so Stan entered the
building a little after 7?

Yes, sir.

And did you see him
leave the building that night?

Oh, no. No, he didn't leave.

And I sat right there by
that radiator all night long.

- Thank you. That's all.
- Thank you.

Stay right there, Mr. Greeley.

You spend a lot of nights
sleeping by the radiator

- at the Drake Apartments, don't you?
- Yes, sir.

- Do you have a home?
- Not at the moment.

How often do you see the
defendant, Stan Johnson,

- when you spend the night there?
- Practically all the time.

He comes in right
after 7, just after me.

Practically all the time.

Does that mean sometimes
you don't see him?

Well, I don't see
him all the time, no.

Then how can you be so sure that
you saw him on the night of the third?

- Well, heh-heh, I just am, that's all.
- Mmm.

Do you drink, Mr. Greeley?

Socially.

And were you drinking
on the night of the third?

Just a... Just a little bit.

Who else came into
the building that night?

- Couple of people.
- What were their names?

I don't... I don't know
their names, I mean...

Why is it that you know
Stan Johnson by name

and you don't know
these other people?

Well, because Stan
is always nice to me.

Always says hi and gives me a
little money every now and then

for, uh, coffee and
doughnuts and stuff like that.

He gives you money.

How much money?

Oh, I don't know. A
dollar here, a dollar there.

How often does he
give you this money?

I just... Hard to say.

You don't always use it for
coffee, do you, Mr. Greeley?

Sometimes you use it for Scotch

or is it a little cheap wine?

I mean, how often do
you drink, Mr. Greeley?

Whenever you get some
money from Mr. Johnson?

- But...
- Isn't that why you wanted

to testify on his behalf
in the first place?

Because of the things
that he does for you?

And in view of the fact
that, by your own admission,

you were under the influence of
alcohol on the night of the attack,

isn't it possible,
if not highly likely,

that you didn't see Stan Johnson
enter the building at 7:00 that night?

That you have confused
it with another night

or that he actually
came in the building

at 8 or 9:00 that night?

Could you repeat the question?

I'll rephrase it.

I know that you feel
indebted to Stan Johnson.

And I understand that
you wanna repay him

by giving him an alibi,

but isn't it true, Mr. Greeley, that
the only thing you can say for sure

you saw that night is the
bottom of a wine bottle?

No further questions.

- Here you go.
- Mm-hmm.

Hey.

- Anything?
- No.

Nobody in the 'hood saw
anything, found anything,

heard anything, knows anything.

We're never gonna
find the guy who did it.

Well,

we'll just have to
convince the jury

that Stan didn't do it.

Yeah, well, if we can just
figure out how that blood

got on George Mitchell's
shirt, we'd be home free.

- Let me ask you something.
- Yeah?

I saw the man's
desk, and it was clean.

I'm telling you clean.

There wasn't a pen, a
pencil, a piece of paper,

anything on that
desk, but a telephone.

And I watched him when he was
down at that tenement building of his.

He had on a nice suit

and an old beat-up
pair of shoes.

Bet you anything he threw
them away afterwards.

Kept his hands in his pockets.

Didn't shake hands with
anybody. He didn't touch anything.

And, uh, during
the bail hearing,

I saw him wash his
hands two times in an hour.

- The man has a clean fetish.
- Yeah, it sounds like it.

Now, what's a man
like that doing in a dirty,

trash-filled, awful
falling-down building

in the middle of
the night by himself?

On top of that, you know what,
he parked his car two blocks away

he was afraid it was
gonna get ripped off.

- I don't believe that for a second.
- Mmm.

Mr. Mitchell, will you please
tell the court what this is?

It appears to be a copy of
the emergency room report

that was filed the
night I was attacked.

How about reading this
notation right here out loud?

"No tetanus shot given. Patient
recently received booster."

And how about
reading that notation?

"Blood tests indicate
presence of narcotics.

Patient confirms."

You were taking narcotics?

- Just some oxycodone, for my back.
- Oh.

Ahem. Boy, you talk about luck.

Here you are, all cut
up in some back alley,

and you'd just taken
a tetanus booster

and you're popping
industrial-strength painkillers.

Couldn't have worked out
better if you'd planned it, could it?

So, uh, when'd you take
that tetanus booster anyway?

You know, I really
don't remember.

Just rough. Was it a
year before the stabbing,

or two months
before? A week before?

Or was it the day before?

Of course, it wasn't
the day before.

You went to your
doctor the day before.

I can call your secretary up
here. She's the one who told me.

As I just said, my
back was hurting.

Your back was fine!

I saw you the day
before, remember?

I went to the doctor
the day before the attack

because my back hurt

and he gave me a
prescription for oxycodone.

- And a tetanus booster.
- No.

I know how we can prove it.

I'll get the notes the doctor
took during your appointment.

Objection. Medical records
are privileged information.

If you're telling the truth,
you have nothing to fear.

- Mr. Matlock, you know better.
- But if the witness agrees,

- they can be admitted, can't they?
- The witness is not on trial here.

But it's germane to the case.

I am not going to let
you make an issue of this.

Objection sustained.

Now, drop this line of
questioning and move on

to another one,
Mr. Matlock. Now.

As the owner of the
Drake Apartments,

I imagine you have
a key to the building.

The lock to the
front door is broken,

- but you have a key?
- That's right.

And I guess you have
keys to all of the apartments?

I have a master key, yes.

And that's how you broke
into Stan Johnson's apartment.

I was never in his apartment.

- And that's your blood got on his shirt.
- No.

You knew he was
gonna take you to court,

where George Mitchell,
the great philanthropist,

would suddenly be exposed
as the greedy, deceitful

slumlord that you really are.

And you wanted that
least of all, didn't you?

- Objection.
- Mr. Matlock.

You came up with a plan to
make him look like the criminal

and you the victim.

You inflicted those
wounds on yourself.

- Objection!
- That is a lie.

You stabbed yourself

- then you framed Stan Johnson.
- Objection!

You're getting the sympathy
of the press and the court

instead of the
contempt you deserve.

- How dare you.
- Enough!

- You know it's true, I know it's true.
- Objection!

And if the court would
release those medical records,

- we'd all know it's true.
- Mr. Matlock, you are out of order.

I'm out of order?
He's out of order.

My client could go to jail for
something this bum did to himself,

and you say I'm out of order?

What you are is out of control.
Guards, remove Mr. Matlock.

I'll tell you what's
out of order.

Men like him commit
crimes and get away with it.

That's what's out of order.

It's that men like him can
make money off of poor people

who have to live in these
filthy, rat-infested apartments.

It's that men like him can
look at themselves in the mirror

and not throw up.

Rats running around
like houseguests.

He took a painkiller and...

The defense rests, Your Honor.

Ben, this feels great.

I thought for sure
I was going away.

I never thought in
all the time I knew you

I'd see you do what you did.

Judge Clagett's
gonna have my head.

Well, that's the bad news.

The good news is, all
your ranting and raving

gave the jury some
reasonable doubt.

Boy, that sure was
something to see,

and I wanna thank you
for that reasonable doubt.

You said you wanted to do
something for me, you sure did.

- Well...
- Only problem is

George Mitchell got
out of there scot-free too.

But he'll get his. We're
still gonna sue him, right?

We're gonna sue him up one side

- and down the other.
- Heh-heh-heh.

Well...

Time to see the
judge. You ready?

Well, might as
well get it over with.

Surprise!

- Happy birthday.
- Thanks.

- Friend?
- Friend.

- Have some popcorn.
- Thanks.

Let's go get the cake.
Wait till you see this cake.

Judge Clagett.

It's your birthday, Ben.

We're old friends. I
hope we'll stay old friends.

I know what you were doing
in here today, and it worked.

But don't ever do that in my
courtroom again. Understood?

- Yes, sir.
- Happy birthday, Ben.

Here's the cake!

Make a wish.

Happy birthday.

- Thanks a lot, Randy.
- You're welcome, Miss Stone.

Hear you went
bonkers in here today.

Yeah, I guess I did.

- Had to haul you off and everything.
- Yeah.

Well, Billy, I've been
in here a long time.

Sometimes things happen.

I don't know why.

Sometimes I yell
when it calls for silence,

and stand when
I'm supposed to sit.

And sometimes I open my
mouth and things come out

I didn't even
know were in there.

- Yeah, it happens.
- Yeah.

- Been in here a long time.
- Yeah.

Okay, let's go. It's
been a long day.

Yeah, but a great one.

Uh, you all go ahead. I,
uh... I forgot something.