The Defenders (2010–2011): Season 1, Episode 9 - Whitten v. Fenlee - full transcript

Nick, wait up!

Catch up with me.
I got a meeting to get to.

I have a favor to ask. No.

You haven't even heard what it is.

I don't do favors.
Not even for me?

Especially not for you.

I pay you to answer my
phone manage my schedule,

not hock me for favors.

Hock you? When do I ever hock you?

Oh, please.
Is... is hock even a word?

My sister's friend needs a lawyer.



Well, have her call the office,

like people are doing right now,
getting voice mail

and moving on to another lawyer,
costing me business.

Now, get back to the desk!

So you'll see her.

Fine. Whatever.

Nick, meet Lacy Whitten.

I can't do this now. I have
a meeting with the Bergers.

I rescheduled it.

Lacy, don't worry.
Nick is the best.

Hi, Lacy. Nice to meet you.

Get to work.

You want to have a seat? Um...

Okay, Lacy.



What's going on?
How can I help you?

Everyone says I need a lawyer.

And why are they saying that?

I was arrested.
What was the charge?

I defaced the new high-rise
office building downtown.

How did you deface it?

Spray-painted "built in blood"
on the facade.

"Built in blood"?

Why would you do
something like that?

My husband, Troy,
died during construction.

I am so sorry.

This must be difficult.

Having to identify someone you
love who fell seven stories?

Yeah.

It's been difficult.

Well, the spray-painting, you know,
under the circumstances,

I think everybody's going
to understand the act.

Have you had grief counseling?

"One day at a time."

"It's a journey,
not a destination."

No, thanks.

Well, if we can say
that you're willing to,

I'm sure I can get the charges

dropped or at least reduced

down to a slap on the wrist fine.

Grief counselors are bloodsuckers

that prey on the bereaved.

Like lawyers.

Right.

Look, um...

The DA, even in
conviction-happy Vegas...

they're not in the business

of throwing the book
at a grieving widow.

I'll see if I can
make this go away.

That's it?

Sure.

Thanks.

Nice to meet you, Lacy.

You are never going to guess
who's in our waiting room.

I'll give you a hint.

He's a super famous blogger.
That's an oxymoron.

That's like saying
"super famous dentist."

Aron Ayles. He writes
truth hurts more.

It's a blog about what's
going on in Vegas.

Everybody reads him...
everybody my age.

I'm old. Funny.

Your r? Sum? Is updated, right?

Mr. Ayles.

Mr. Kaczmarek, this is Aron Ayles.

Of course. I... I know who he is.

Please, have a seat.
How can I help you?

By taking my case.

So far, every lawyer
I've talked to

has said it's unwinnable.

That's because all the
lawyers you talked to

are gutless mama's boys.

Give me the details.

Well, I'm a blogger.

Truth hurts more...
Love your work. Yeah.

Well, I'm here about Friday's
post about Colin Pettigrew.

The Colin Pettigrew? Yeah.

I love that guy.
He... he is the...

He is the best
illusionist in town.

We have the same dry cleaner.

That's great. Well, he's suing me

for revealing on my blog

how he does the illusion
to close out his show.

Here is a link to that trick.

Okay. Let me see the complaint.

Yeah, it alleges that you violated

the uniform trade secrets act.

It's going to come down to
whether you stole the trick.

I did not. A source
told me how it was done.

They subpoenaed me last
night to find out who it is.

And you'd rather not say.

Bloggers have a rep for
being irresponsible cranks.

If I give up my source,

no one's ever going
to talk to me again.

Nevada has one of the
strongest shield laws

in the country
protecting journalists.

Unfortunately, that does
not apply to bloggers.

That's what every other
lawyer already said.

Yet.

When we're done, it will.

You ready to kick some
ass and make new law?

Absolutely.

I file a motion to
block the subpoena.

If they can't compel Aron
to reveal his source,

they can't prove that
the trick was stolen.

Yeah, might work. Zoey!

I thought we talked
about this last week.

We are doughnut people,
not pastry people.

Pastries try too hard,
and they're expensive.

And until some of our clients

pay back the money they owe us,

just plain doughnuts.

They're barter pastries.

Mr. Silva, the Baker,
he wanted to thank you

for being so understanding

about missing his
payment this month.

You know what? We got to get

one of those meters
that cabdrivers have

and put it in the office

and make our clients
pay as they go.

Mmm. You want to know how
Pettigrew does his trick?

No, I do not.

Never, ever,
ever do I want to know.

Why not?

It's magic.

Give me a quarter.

I am going to make your quarter...

Go through this desk.

All right. Don't laugh, all right?

You know why you're
clapping like a seal?

Because I fooled you.

Absolutely. How'd you do that?

I'm not going to tell you.

That's the whole point of magic.

It's that it fills
you with wonderment,

and by giving away the secret,

that destroys the
possibility of wonder.

And that's exactly what
your blabbermouth client

just did to everyone
who read his blog.

He was a journalist
uncovering facts.

Oh, journalist, my ass.

Any idiot with a computer
and a Wi-Fi connection

can spew hateful, vindictive crap

and call it journalism.

This is about that blogger

who rated all the Vegas attorneys.

It is not.

Look, the rating was subjective.

Who cares if I was
rated number nine

and you were rated a
hundred and something?

That is not the point.

The point is, mainstream media

follows ethical protocols
that bloggers do not.

And I was 98.

Don't be mad.

Built in blood! Built in blood!

Built in blood! Built in blood!

You have the right
to remain silent.

Anything you say

... Built in blood!

Can and will be used against
you in a court of law.

Built in blood! You have
the right to an attorney...

Yeah. That would be lucky me.
Built in blood!

? Come on, come on!?

? Come on, come on!?

Well, congratulations.

I assume you want to go to jail.

They killed my husband.

Explain how continuing
to be arrested

helps with your grieving process.

My grief and its process
is none of your business.

Okay. You know, this all could be

none of my business if you want.

It's not like I
woke up this morning

and went, "oh, happy day.

If I can only represent
Lacy Whitten."

Get me out of here.

Well, now that you've
asked so nicely.

They're not going to
let you out of here

unless you promise to stop
with these public scenes.

Oh, I'm going to keep protesting
until someone listens.

All right. Start with me.

You want people to listen,
but you won't talk to anyone?

More than once,
Troy came home saying

that working conditions
on that site were unsafe.

All right. Did he
mention any specifics?

He wouldn't say any more.

He didn't want to lose his job.

We came out here from Kansas

during the building boom.

It was the first real
money we'd ever seen,

so he told me not to
say anything, either.

Now I'm up every night

wishing that I told
everyone I met.

His fall.. did you see
the accident report?

The developers just shuffle
me off to the city,

and the city just sends
me right back to them.

No one wants to tell
you the truth. Right.

Right. Right. Well...

At the risk of sounding
like a bloodsucking lawyer,

you're going to need to sue.

I don't want money.

I want answers.

That's my point.

If you file a wrongful death,
it will force them

to hand over all
relevant documents.

And then you'll be able to see,
one way or the other,

if the unsafe conditions
contributed to Troy's accident.

Okay. Then, do it.

Can you get me released?

Pretty please.

Will you go to a grief counselor?

Pretty please.

Lacy,

I have to give them something.

Fine. If it gets me out.

Okay. But from now on,
you let me do my job,

and I'll see about
making this right.

This motion

is for a protective order blocking

opposing counsel's subpoena

compelling my client
to name his source.

You're aware NRS 49.275

invoking journalistic protection

doesn't include Internet media.

Yes, but, uh...
that's got to change.

Bloggers have been granted
white house press credentials.

They've covered
presidential debates.

Won major journalism awards.

The publisher of
the New York times

has gone on record as
saying in the near future,

his paper will exist
only on the web.

I'm looking for your point,
counselor.

When that happens, are all
of his reporters and editors

going to lose their journalistic
privileges and protections? No.

Because, no matter the forum,

they're still journalists,

just as my client is.

While not unsympathetic

to your argument regarding
the law's intent,

I am bound by the
letter of the statute,

which does not specify

as to the Internet in its
protection, so I'm denying

the motion to block the subpoena.

Your client has 48 hours
to either name his source

or face going to jail
for contempt of court.

Court adjourned.

What do we do now?

Now... we talk to some magicians.

Hey. Hey, Mr. happy.

Ah, Fenlee's high-and-mighty
corporate attorneys

just blew off my
discovery requests.

Just flicked them away!

Having to haul them in
front of a judge right now.

Who'd you get? Dowler.

Oh, that tool.

Ah, less of a tool since he's
had that hernia operation.

We sent that bouquet, right?

Like he'd won the Kentucky derby.

Well, you should be good.

As long as he doesn't
show me his stitches.

Opposing counsel has just flat out

blown off our discovery request.

As much as told us
where we could go!

Which, unfortunately,
your honor, is here

to compel them to do

what they should have
done in the first place.

Mr. Cordell?

I concur completely with
plaintiff's counsel, your honor.

And apologize.

For this unnecessary and
regrettable high-handedness.

I assure this court
and Mr. Morelli

that upon returning to my firm,
the individuals responsible

will be identified
and reprimanded.

The requested documents
will be provided forthwith.

And again, let me express
my sincere regret,

for our discourteous
inattention to this matter.

Mr. Morelli?

Great!

We look forward to receiving them.

Forthwith.

I wiped the floor with that fancy,
white-shoed mouthpiece.

I don't know about that.

Come on! I chewed him up,
I spit him out!

Nick? Nick? I knocked him forward,
I knocked him back...

Those documents from
opposing counsel arrived.

"Wiped the floor"
with their fancy lawyer.

"Chewed him up and spit him out."

Well, he could see who
he was up against.

Why else do you think he's
trying to bury us in paperwork?

Not trying. He has succeeded.

I can't breathe.

Now I know why I hate civil suits.

Safety reports before
and after the accident.

A clean bill of health from a
city inspector Tyler Ralston?

Oh, I got an accident
report here. Bingo.

Says Troy only fell two stories.

Lacy said seven.

Yeah, but the cause of
death was head trauma

from hitting a beam
on the way down.

That could've happened
from two stories, or seven.

There's supposed to be safety
nets every two stories.

This says they were in place
at the time of Troy's death.

You ever work construction, Pete?

You see these hands, Nick?

I didn't even play with Legos.

The crew I worked,
they were always grousing about

how the site was unsafe.

You sure we got a case?

Keep looking.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
I think I got something here.

File on ray cowling, electrician.

Injured at the same
job site. Zoey!

Yeah? Get me a current
address on this, please?

Hurt just a month
before Lacy's husband.

He might have an interesting
take on the safety conditions.

Uh, 2734 Roweena.

That's the house. Wow.

That can't be it. It's huge!

Check again.

I believe you're confusing me
with someone who screws up.

That's the guy's house.

Got a number?

Evening. Is this the
cowling residence?

Yes, I'd like to speak to
your husband ray, please?

Oh, I'm sorry.

I-I-I didn't know.

Please accept our deepest
condolences for your loss.

Yes, I'm an attorney

representing the
wife of Troy Whitten.

He worked on the same job
site as your late husband.

We're bringing a wrongful death
suit against Fenlee and...

She hung up!

How does an electrician
get a house like that?

Ti need to know about
tricks gives trade secrets.

How do you prove a trick is yours?

You can't, really.

Copyright doesn't apply,

and patenting them just
gives the trick away.

So anybody can steal a
trick that you created?

A completely original
trick is rare these days.

Now it's more about evolution.
Making your trick your own.

I'll show you.

We all do sleight
of hand with cards.

This one was called
"the king William,"

when it was created
in Scotland in 1700.

As I riffle through the deck,

I simply want you to say,
"stop" somewhere.

Stop.

Take the three of hearts.

Place it face up
on top of the deck.

Watch.

Pete : Yeah! Cool...

Wow, that was cool.

Not yet.

Oh, come on. Come on!

Ah! But wait.

You see, he can't afford
a new deck of cards.

Watch.

Pete : Very nice.

I saw it at the trop last week.

Guy called it
"the ghost deck from beyond."

This is fantastic.
All I have to prove

is Pettigrew's trick is a
variation of another trick.

There's no trade secret,
my guy is good.

I'm going to need you
to take the stand

and testify as to the
origin of Pettigrew's trick.

Uh... I don't know the
origin of the trick.

Oh... you guys are killing me.

Are you telling me the
trick is original?

Yes.

Yeah.

What do you got?

No independent money
sources for the Cowlings.

No lottery wins, no family wealth.

A life insurance policy

that wouldn't even
pay for the pool man.

I found Ray's death notice,

followed three weeks later
by the recorded house sale.

The wife? Got a payoff.

With the usual
non-disclosure stipulation.

That's why she wouldn't talk.

So I sent a supplemental
interrogatory requesting

all the information
on ray cowling.

Thought I'd rattle their cage.

Oh, Nick, I hope they don't send
another moving van full of documents.

Well...

What?

They want to meet.

Settle?

We'll see.

Appreciate you coming, counselors.

This is my partner,
Pete Kaczmarek.

Good to meet you.
The rest of our team.

I'd introduce you,
but I'm not sure

I can recall all their names.

Please.

All right.

Help yourselves, gentlemen.

Pastries?

No, thanks. We're good.

You don't take anything,
we can't write it off.

So... what do you
want to see us about?

We're of course familiar with

your reputations as
criminal advocates.

You should know you're
held in enviable esteem.

Not sure the DA's
office would agree.

We've also noted

you don't typically
involve yourselves

in civil suits of this kind.

No doubt because you well know

these types of
actions can drag on.

Chewing up hours, piling up costs.

Costs that I'm afraid in this case

are in the end going
to prove unrecoupable.

There's no liability here.

The circumstances of
Troy Whitten's death

simply won't support
a judgment of fault.

This all promises to be

a long, expensive
exercise in futility,

for you and your client.

But... if forced to
continue along this path,

when we ultimately
prevail in court,

we'll have no recourse

but to turn around and sue your
client for our incurred costs.

Which, as you can imagine,
will likely be quite substantial.

So...

For all concerned,

but most especially
this unfortunate widow,

it is our sincere belief

it would be best to drop
this matter at this juncture.

Thanks for the invite.

So it's not a total
loss for you guys.

Do you believe that guy?
You believe him?

Okay, I got to say this,
Nick. Thanks.

I know you. I know the boxer in you.
You're a fighter.

Damn right I am.

What if this guy isn't bluffing?
What if there isn't a case here?

He's not wrong about how
much time it's going to take.

And the expense on what could
be a wild-goose chase... Pete!

The electrician's widow got
enough money to buy a McMansion.

That's my point.

They paid her off,
and didn't offer us a dime.

Hello? Sometimes an accident
is just an accident.

No, Nick. Don't shush me.

We have to discuss this.
Nick, listen to me!

We have to think about
what this is going to do...

Four, five? Five... $5 million?!

Uh, yeah, I'll pass
that along to my client.

Thank you.

Oh ye of little faith.

You got a couple bucks for the valet?
I'm a little short.

$5 million?

With a corporation,
this is the closest

anyone gets to an apology.

Expressed in the only terms
they understand: Money.

It's... so much.

They know that a jury
could award even more.

I'm, uh... I'm having trouble
wrapping my head around this.

Well, it comes with the
usual strings attached.

No official admission of fault...

Full nondisclosure agreement.

Meaning what?

Well, you can't talk
about the settlement,

you can't talk about the accident.

All right, you look a
little overwhelmed.

Maybe you want some
time to process this?

No. I-I don't need time.

Tell them I'm turning it down.

Uh... Lacy.

It's hush money.

"Take this cash,
lady, and go away."

You're not going to
get what you need.

They're never going to say
"I'm sorry" and mean it

if I accept, the same unsafe
conditions just go on.

I mean, if that cowling woman
had turned down their offer...

Troy might still be alive.

I don't want some other
man's blood on my hands.

Okay.

We fight on.

Be prepared.

The other side's
gonna come at you,

fighting hard, fighting dirty...

Trying to drag Troy
through the mud.

It won't work.

Troy was a good man.

Ah, it's Vegas.

Wall-to-wall desert...
Who needs a boat?

I was gonna buy a
boat with my share.

With your share?

Could've put in a
lake for that boat.

: Yeah.

What were you gonna do with yours?

A separated man living
in a crappy apartment?

What do you think?

Buy a house bigger than hers.

Yeah.

Maybe not a house.

A compound. Mm.

Something really huge.

Yeah.

Well, it's not gonna happen.

Yep.

I'm not telling you my source.

Well, I'm all out of moves, Aron!

The judge is gonna throw
you in jail for contempt.

Bring it on.
I'll blog from county.

Maybe I'll finally get
some media attention

for Internet journalism.

I got you a crumb cake.

I know it's your favorite.

Thank you.

And, uh, Pete, oh,

there's something behind your ear.

This really giant guy outside
told me to give that to you.

Mr. Kaczmarek?

What are you doing here?

Keeping your ass out of prison.

Reuben charters.

I'm Aron's source.

Whoa, whoa, hold... okay.

This is all covered by

attorney-client privilege,
right? Yeah.

Okay, I'm not letting you do this.

You don't have a choice.

Okay, look, people like me

deserve to be protected
under the law.

If you out yourself as my source,

you're gonna hurt the cause.

If you go on the stand,

you open yourself up to
charges of trade secret theft.

: Yeah, I don't think so.

Did your husband Troy ever
mention anything about

safety conditions
at the workplace?

Objection.

Hearsay.

Your honor, a husband's comment

to his wife about
workplace safety,

or in this situation, a distinct

lack thereof... objection.

The jury will disregard
plaintiff counsel's statement

about safety conditions.

But I'll allow the
question to the witness.

Thank you.

He said the site was unsafe.

And, uh, Troy... Is he
a complainer, a whiner?

Objection.

Relevance. Really?

An expensive lawyer like you,
you don't see

the relevance of that?

Your honor. Mr. Morelli.

All right, but if he's gonna
object to everything I say,

maybe he can just use flash cards.

Save the voice.

I'll allow the question.

I never heard him complain as much

about a site the whole
time I knew him.

I'm sorry to ask you, but...

You miss him?

Every day.

How's that affected you?

I'm not sleeping or eating.

I don't want to see people...
family, friends.

And I'm nervous all the time.

I never used to be that way.

Troy was my whole world.

And now he's gone.

No further questions, your honor.

I and I'm sure all of us here

are truly sorry for your loss.

Was Troy a drinker?

Objection!

What, no flash cards?

Mr. Cordell.

Relevance as to work site
behavior, your honor.

I'll allow.

He liked beer.

Would it surprise you to
hear that he liked it enough

to regularly have one
at work during lunch?

Objection!

Withdrawn.

Who is Mary Stempel?

She's a marriage counselor.

Not just a marriage counselor,

but your marriage counselor.

Yours and Troy's.

Isn't that right?

Yes.

What did you two consult her for?

That's private.

You'll notice your
attorneys aren't objecting.

Because in making a pain
and suffering claim,

you forfeit confidentiality
when it comes to

things discussed in
therapy and counseling.

So, I ask again,

why did you and Troy see
a marriage counselor?

We were having some problems.

What kind of problems?

The witness will answer.

There was a fidelity issue.

Who was it that had the affair?

: No, no, no, no.

I did.

And so you brought
this meritless lawsuit

out of your understandable guilt.

Objection!

Withdrawn.

No further questions.

It wasn't even an affair.

It was a mistake.

Biggest of my life.

But we got past it, Troy and me.

I know, I know,
but we didn't know.

If I would've known,
I could've brought that up.

I could've softened the blow.

I can't ask questions I
don't know the answers to.

That's, like, lawyering 101.

If there's anything you haven't
told us about anything,

now would be the time.
There isn't.

Are you sure?

I swear.

I'm sorry.

How bad has this hurt our case?

I'm not gonna lie to you.

It didn't help.

We're screwed!

She may as well have
just pushed her husband

off the building herself.

Excuse me, miss, ma'am,

could I have another... fork?

What's with the fork?
Previous customer's meal

is still attached to it,
which is a health code violation.

How do you miss
something like this?

Ah, these poor girls
are overwhelmed.

When it's busy like this,

they're rushed, they miss things.

Lacy's husband died at the peak

of the construction boom, correct?

Mm-hmm. Seemed like

a new building went up every day.

Yeah, it was crazy. So?

Well, those building inspectors
must have been busy as hell.

We should check all
the safety reports

on the guy who signed off
on the husband's building.

If he was spread too thin,

maybe we can prove
he missed something.

You got all that
from a dirty fork?

That's why it's Morelli-Kaczmarek,

Mr. Kaczmarek.

Tyler Ralston, Tyler Ralston,

Tyler Ralston.

This safety inspector was busy.

I'll say.

Look at these.

All from the same day.

With the traffic in this city.

What, the guy have a jet pack?

I want to talk to him.

Get his number. Same day?

These are all from
the same morning.

This guy get himself cloned?

Now I really want to talk to him.

Come on. Wait a minute.

Okay, Ralston doesn't
work there anymore.

Here is the accident report

that said he fell two
stories instead of seven,

filed by one Tyler Ralston.

I'm not proud what I did.

Phantom safety inspections,
falsifying accident reports...

I'd hope not.

Were you drinking then, too?

Not as much.

Enough to get you canned.

Yeah, but it's not what you think.

Tell us.

Money changed hands.

A whole lot.

Builders bribed you?

No, no, it was the
other way around.

They were shook down.

There weren't inspectors
enough to go around.

So my boss would say,

"pay up or you're the
ones gonna get the visit,

and we'll slow,
even shut you down."

So they'd pay.

Buildings got done on time.

It worked out for everyone.

Yeah.

Everybody except Troy Whitten.

Who?

Corruption in the building
safety commission?

This is huge.

We can't put Ralston on the stand.

Cordell will eat him for lunch.

Bust-out drunk with
an axe to grind.

So what do we do?

Simple.

We bluff.

Mr. Ayles?

Are you ready to name your source?

No, your honor.

Then I have no other choice...
your honor, sorry.

I'd like to bring up a witness
that will shed light on

this whole matter.

If you could delay
citing my client,

I think the cause of
justice will be served.

Well, for your sake,
I hope it does,

Mr. Kaczmarek.

I'd like to call Reuben charters

to the stand.

Mr. charters,

you consider yourself an expert
on magic and its history.

I like to think so, yeah.

Could you cite some qualifications

to support that claim?

I own a magic shop
here in Las Vegas,

and I've lectured extensively
on the subject for over 20 years

at universities both
here and abroad.

Mr. Pettigrew is
alleging that my client

violated the Nevada
trade secrets act

by revealing the method
of his original trick.

Do you have any opinion on that?

The trick is not original.

I'm sorry, could you
please repeat that?

The trick is derived
from a previous illusion.

Well, I talked to a
number of musicians,

and none of them could
find any antecedents.

That's because the illusion is

only recorded in
one very rare book:

L'illusionista di manuale.

And was Colin aware of this book?

Objection. Calls for speculation.

Your honor, the witness has
personal knowledge of this.

Overruled.

Witness may answer.

Yes.

About 15 years ago,

had a copy of the
book at the shop.

Colin was, what, 12, 13 years old?

He used to come in regularly
for his magic lessons.

He asked to look at the book.

So Colin was your student?

Yeah.

But I wasn't a very good teacher.

He never learned
the value of magic.

The long history of magic

is filled with great men...
Some of them famous,

many more of them forgotten.

And some of these people
worked their whole lives

to perfect one trick.

Stealing the legacy

and claiming it for
one's self is a sin!

You said at one time
you owned this book?

Yeah. I, uh, sold it to a
private collector years ago.

Do you know who owns
the collection now?

Colin Pettigrew.

In your expert opinion,

did my client exposing
Mr. Pettigrew's trick

constitute revealing
of a trade secret?

No.

It just shows that Mr. Pettigrew

stands on the shoulders of giants!

As do we all.

Thank you.

Your honor,

in light of the fact that
no trade secret existed,

therefore no trade
secret was revealed,

I request that the case against
my client be dismissed.

So ruled.

Court is adjourned.

Mr. Singler, you are CEO
of Fenlee Construction,

held that position during the time

of Troy Whitten's accident,
is that correct?

That's correct.

And as such, are you familiar
with the name Tyler Ralston?

Can't say I am.

He was your city safety
inspector at the time.

Don't you care about
your building safety?

Objection, your honor.
Argumentative.

A CEO can't be expected

to recall every
individual at every level.

Sustained.
The jury will disregard.

All right.

So, Mr. Singler, if I understand
your attorney correctly,

you didn't care enough
about Troy Whitten's death

to bother checking who signed off

on your building
and safety reports.

Objection.
I'm confused, your honor.

Isn't that what the defense
attorney was just implying?

The jury will again disregard.

Move on, Mr. Morelli.

I'd like to answer that if I may.

Now, I didn't have to
see that safety report

cause I knew for certain
that worksite was safe.

Because Tyler Ralston said so?

If that was his name.

That was his name.

Uh, is his name.

And we talked to Tyler,

as well as those three men

sitting in the gallery there.

They are all city building
and safety inspectors.

And they all tell us the
same interesting story.

So please consider carefully

before I ask you
this next question,

and be mindful you are under oath.

Did money change hands
between Fenlee construction

and the city building safety
commission during that time?

Money?

I-I-I know it's, uh...

It's a little vague;

Money changing hands
between a builder

and a regulator.

I mean, it could be construed

in a couple different ways,
I guess.

One would be a bribe...

And the other would
be a shakedown.

Objection!

One, the builder
would've a criminal,

and the other just a victim.

Your honor! It would
make a hell of a lot

of difference in this case, sir.

Mr. Morelli, enough.

The witness will answer.

Mr. Singler, again,

did money change hands?

Yes, it did.

And would you say that
resulted in unsafe conditions

that were responsible for
Troy Whitten's death?

Regrettably, yes.

Thank you.

No further questions, your honor.

Construction work is dangerous.

And the kind done in this town,

the height, the scale

all the things that
make Vegas Vegas

makes it even more dangerous.

So you would think
that we would have

the best safety standards going,

but instead, we have the highest
construction fatality rate

in any city of this
size in the country.

And today we've learned why.

A commission that demands
builders get buildings up fast,

a corrupt official who
then shakes them down,

threatens to slow them
down or shut them down.

So what do builders do?

The make the payoff
and they cut corners

where safety is concerned.

Now we all expect big
corporations to misbehave.

I mean, it's like the story
of the scorpion and the frog,

it's their nature.

But that's why we have regulators.

They're supposed
to watch our back.

So when they misbehave...

That's a betrayal.

It's a betrayal to you,
it's a betrayal to me

and it's especially a betrayal...

To men like Troy Whitten.

Now there's blame enough
here to go around,

but my client is less
interested in blame

than seeing that no other woman
married to a man with a hard hat

goes from a wife in the
morning to a widow at night.

So, ladies and gentlemen,

this is what we ask of you here:

A finding of responsibility
on the part...

Of Fenlee construction

for the death of Troy Whitten.

And for damages for
pain and suffering,

we ask for this sum:

One dollar.

'Cause this was never
about the money.

It was about making a change.

Foreperson, please hand the
verdict to the bailiff.

"In the matter of Lacy Whitten v.
Fenlee construction,

"we the jury find in favor
or the plaintiff Lacy Whitten

"and against Fenlee construction
for gross negligence.

"We assess the total
amount of the damages at...

$9 million."

The jury also inquired if they
may ask for an investigation

into the city's safety commission.

You, may not, but I can.

And I will so direct
the DA's office.

As for Fenlee construction,

with this judgment of liability,
I direct you to file

a written report with
this court in no less

than ten days time
outlining steps to improve

worksite safety immediately
and into the future

or face a recommendation

for further action as
to criminal neglect.

I can't thank you enough.

It's what we do.

You gonna be okay?

In the grief counselor's words,

maybe I can start to
get a little closure,

if such a thing exists.

Look, you might need some help
managing that award money.

I know a couple of guys.

I'm gonna start a college fund

for kids of victims of
construction accidents.

Is that something you
could help me set up?

Sure.

Just doesn't feel right

to profit personally
off of Troy's death.

Right.

We'll kick in our
contingency fee, too.

I mean, minus, you know expenses.

Out-of-pocket, itemized...

Expenses.

You don't have to do that.

Yeah, I kinda do.

Otherwise, I'm just another
bloodsucking lawyer.

Hmm.

Oh... Pete's gonna kill me.

Once again, Colin Pettigrew.

A little more impressive

than your disappearing
quarter routine.

Yeah, wait till you get a load

of what else I made
disappear today.

Hey, guys.
Hey, man, that was great.

That was amazing.

Thanks for coming. Hey, ta-da.

Another trick.

It's a bill for the tickets.

Here, I'll make it disappear.