The Good Wife (2009–2016): Season 1, Episode 7 - Unorthodox - full transcript
While representing the daughter of one of the partner's at the law firm, Alicia finds herself attracted to her co-counsel and his unorthodox approach to defending their client.
It's nothing.
What do you mean, it's nothing?
Look at them.
I am looking at them.
It's a financial meeting.
That's how they look in
a financial meeting.
No, that's how they look
when they're cutting jobs.
Come on,
law firms aren't recession-proof
the way they used to be.
Would you stop scaring yourself?
They said billable hours are up this year.
They said we're fine.
And tax litigation?
We have six full-time.
All right, let's cut
four and hold on to two.
Which four?
Bayer?
His wife is pregnant.
He doesn't have seniority.
See if he'll do part-time.
And the junior associates?
Let's put a pin in that.
We don't have many pins left.
Diane.
Oh, better late than never.
What, Stern?
The great man makes an appearance.
Jonas, how are you?
We need to run some names by you
for layoffs.
Where are you?
It sounds loud.
Alicia, do you have a second?
Sure.
It's not like law school, is it?
It's better.
I always felt unsure in law school.
Really?
Could have fooled me.
I did fool you.
So I have a favor to ask you.
You never met Mr. Stern.
No, he's been away.
Right. Barly and Barir Reef. Anyway
he has a daughter, Anna, from his
first marriage. She's being sued.
I don't all the details,
but I'm sure they're ugly.
Last time, we got her out
of a drug possession.
The time before that, she drove a car
through a department store window.
You don't need to take notes on this.
Anna's a real party girl.
Her new husband hired some no-name lawyer,
and Mr. Stern wants someone from
our firm to cocounsel with him.
- With this other lawyer? - Yeah.
Just make sure he doesn't screw up.
Second chair him.
She's meeting with the lawyer in two hours,
so take Kalinda and get a
lay of the land, okay?
Alicia.
We're going through a lot
of changes around here.
There's only three votes
that really matter...
Mine, Diane's, and Mr. Stern's.
This is a good way to impress Mr. Stern.
Thanks.
Whoa, you're not kidding.
Yeah, they were just on our doorstep.
Someone rang the doorbell and ran.
Why?
I don't know, I think
to scare my mom.
- Is that... - What, crack?
Yeah, but it's photoshopped.
My dad's not even in the picture.
Why do all the cool things happen to you?
That's not the hooker from the sex tape?
No, it's somebody else.
Look, if I could find her,
I could figure out who took the
pictures and who did this.
Here.
What's the password for
the parental controls?
I don't have parental controls.
My mom trusts me.
You're kidding.
This is so great.
What are you doing?
39,000 matches.
That's crazy.
That's a start.
You must be 18 years or
older to access Sweet...
Aren't you glad you have a friend
like me to help you with
a tough chore like this?
No.
No.
Hot but no.
Next site.
This is going to take forever.
Yeah.
Damn, maybe you should go
do your algebra homework
or something.
Stern's daughter lives here?
Maybe we have the wrong address.
Or maybe there's a methadone
clinic near here.
Excuse me.
Are you looking for me?
Actually, we're...
Are you...?
I'm Anna, Jonas Stern's daughter.
Oh, I'm so sorry.
Don't worry, I get that a lot.
This is me now.
Hi.
Hi.
I was in rehab
out in Westchester,
and there was this volunteer there,
a Yeshiva student, and he had
this amazing LP collection.
And so you went Orthodox?
Hey, they were good LPs.
No, Isaac
was talking about passion
and music and the Torah,
and I just... I fell in love.
That's the problem with love...
You can't make it do
what you want.
So...
What happened?
Well, a lady tripped in front of our house
and she's suing us.
We have homeowner's insurance,
but it only covers the $20,000
in compensatory damages, not the punitive.
How much is the punitive?
$1.2 million.
She's suing you for $1.2 million?
Yes.
It'll take everything
we own and our future.
Just when you think you
find your place in life,
here comes this.
Sorry, I can't do this during the Sabbath.
It's work.
And what about your dad...
- Can he help? - We don't want it.
We're not in touch with him.
Wow.
Yeah.
Last year she was
club-hopping with Tara Reid.
You know what she'll be doing next year?
Club-hopping with Tara Reid.
Does anyone
ever surprise you?
No.
Even me?
Especially you.
Sorry, Anna probably told you,
we've already hired a lawyer.
He did work for my brother
on a foreclosure,
and he's very good,
but, um, thank you.
Isaac,
could you just tell us what happened?
Are you Jewish?
Is that important?
To understand what happened, yes.
It's important to be Jewish to understand
a slip and fall?
This slip and fall, yes.
I'm sorry you came all this way, Mrs.... ?
Florrick.
You're... ?
Your husband was a great man, Mrs.
Florrick.
A very great man.
The hate crimes on 58th...
he put the skinheads away.
He took us seriously.
How's he doing?
He's... in prison.
Yes, I'm sorry.
A righteous man quickly finds
the world aligned against him.
Thank you, Isaac.
It's an eruv wire.
A what?
An eruv wire.
Well, you know the Sabbath
is a holy day of rest.
An exception is made for minor work
like carrying a baby or groceries
in a community's courtyard.
But there are no courtyards these days
so the eruv wire creates
a symbolic courtyard
for the whole neighborhood.
And this eruv wire fell?
Yes, from there.
Isn't it the responsibility
- of the community? - No,
- it's on our property. - So...
someone tripped over this wire
and now she's suing you for $1.2 million.
I feel like I'm missing something.
Willful and wanton conduct.
Ryan, there you are.
This is the other lawyer Anna mentioned.
We were just discussing the suit.
Our firm feels that it could
offer you some assistance.
Odd, I didn't know I needed some...
assistance.
Mr. and Mrs. Loeb, could you
give us a moment to talk?
Yes, yes, please.
Ryan, if you could make this work,
we'd prefer that.
And Mrs. Florrick, next
time you see your husband,
please tell him how much he is appreciated.
So I do the depositions,
the pretrial motions,
prep for next week's trial,
and here comes the 600-pound gorilla.
Yep, that's me, 600 pounds.
Did you read the brief?
Nope.
Talk to the plaintiff?
Nope.
Came on this case two hours ago.
Our firm is doing it as
a favor to Mrs. Loeb.
- Why willful and... ? - Mm-hmm.
Hey, I was put on this case.
It's not my choice
and I really don't care
if it's your choice.
You call it a 600-pound
gorilla or whatever you want,
but now I'm your second chair.
They saw the eruv wire was down,
they knew it could trip somebody up,
and they didn't try to repair it.
That's why it's willful and wanton conduct
and subject to high punitive damages.
They admitted to that?
In their depositions.
And why would they admit to that?
The wire fell on the Sabbath.
They couldn't do anything.
Wow.
Yeah, it's the perfect legal trap.
They're liable because their religion
wouldn't let them act.
And your defense?
My defense is to suggest
that you go tell your boss
you're meeting regularly with me
and I'm doing a great job
and let me win this case.
That's not going to happen, Mr. Alprin.
We're in this together.
Can't hear you.
you were maintaining that injured so badly
as to require a large judgment?
I'm maintaining that I have pain
every single day.
I... I tryed to ignore it.
I tryed to pick up my
little girl, but I can't.
It keeps me from pushing her on a swing.
It keeps me from playing
with her on the floor.
And this grocery store was a
half mile from your home.
Why did you pass up five
closer grocery stores
to go to this one?
My daughter needs gluten-free foods
and, uh, this grocery store...
the kosher grocery store...
had more options.
Good answer.
After you fell, how much time passed... ?
Great answer.
Anything to undercut the injury testimony?
I'm still checking.
I mean, as far as I can tell,
nobody witnessed her fall,
but I'm checking with first responders.
Any word from your cocounsel?
No, our friend Mr. Alprin
doesn't pick up his phone.
This one's a tough one.
The jury's gonna love her.
And you're dealing with sympathy issues.
Is that a euphemism for something?
Anti-Semitism.
We'll deal with that in voir dire.
Wonder what those questions
will sound like.
"Do you dislike Jews?"
You're a bundle of fun today.
You're kidding me!
Layoffs.
# She waits, hesitates #
# Slips away and sneaks out in the dawn #
# He wakes, never fakes #
# Holds onto a dream until it's gone #
# She never says to be wary #
# She never says, she don't
believe, couldn't you see? #
# "I never saw a woman quite
like me," she said... #
Hi, I'm Katarina.
And I am so excited to chat with you.
You must be 18 or older to chat
and please have your credit card ready.
And as if life wasn't full enough.
Mr. Alprin...
So, I asked for a continuance
until Monday morning
because Vice cops like to sleep in,
so don't fail to show up in court, okay?
If you don't show up, you're
going to have to take a plea.
Alprin & Associates.
I thought you were taking
away his keys, Mrs. Frazzi.
Okay, the arraignment won't be until 3:00.
I'll see you there.
Okay, you let me know when you can talk.
I'll just...
sit here and wait.
So... Mrs. Florrick.
Mrs. Peter Florrick.
Right here in my office.
- Yep. - Dressing up
as a peasant and walking amongst the serfs.
That's me.
So this is what idealism looks like.
I liked your husband.
He was better than this
current state's attorney.
Easier on DUIs and drug cases.
So, here's your problem.
You've got a client who
admitted to liability,
and a sympathetic plaintiff.
You saw the depositions?
Got them from the plaintiff's attorney.
You wouldn't answer your phone.
The only play I see is you
attack the medical evidence,
and try to reduce the punitive amount.
What do you think of the First Amendment?
- I like it. - Isaac and Anna's religion
requires they not act on
the fallen eruv wire,
because it's the Sabbath.
Therefore they can't be
held liable for not acting.
You want to use the First Amendment
to attack a slip and fall?
They believed God would
judge them if they acted,
so they couldn't act.
And what about OSHA v. Smith?
OSHA v. Smith can kiss my ass.
Liability is outweighed
by the Loebs' right to
exercise their religion.
Up to what point?
If they saw someone dying outside...
Well, yes, when that
happens, I will call on you,
Mrs. Florrick.
But you're creating a
loophole in liability law.
No. The Constitution is.
How long were you married?
15 years, and don't do that.
- What? - Throw a personal
question into the middle of
an intellectual argument.
It gets more honest answers.
Judges in civil courts
crave two things: novelty
and getting out of civil court.
The First Amendment is novel.
We'd have to put a First
Amendment scholar on the stand.
I was about to make calls.
Give me half.
How can you work there?
How can I work where?
What are we talking about now?
Stern, Lockhart & Gardner.
Oh, right.
The big bad corporate overlords.
Much better to work in a storefront,
fighting for DUIs and prostitutes.
Two years ago,
I had a case of lead poisoning in toys.
Benny Brauer.
Eight months old.
Fell into a coma
after sucking on a crib mobile.
The insurance company offered to settle
until your firm got involved.
Isn't the point of representing
clients to help them win?
Meet me in open court,
I'll beat you every time.
That's not what your firm did.
You buried us in paper,
continuances, trial motions
waiting for Benny Brauer to die.
A week later,
I heard your chief litigator
had a name for it.
"Litigating the margins."
Delaying the reward to
exhaust the opposition
and therefore reduce the payout.
We do pro bonos.
We do death row cases.
You can't tarnish an entire
firm based on one case.
Sure you can.
Especially when one of the partners
was the chief litigator.
Will Gardner.
Just give me one second, all right?
Alicia.
So, Stern called for an update
on his daughter's case,
and he sent you something.
Me?
Well, whoever we put on the case.
He's in Bora-Bora.
Thanks.
So, how's it going?
Good.
We're going for a First Amendment defense.
On a slip and fall?
Religious freedom trumps liability.
Smart.
Maybe I'll sneak into court,
and see how it's going.
How's the cochair?
He's... interesting.
Interesting is good.
- He was saying some things. - Yeah? What?
Nothing. Another time.
Look, here's
my take on it. We're too low
on the totem pole to get fired
because we don't cost enough.
The problem is these older people.
I don't mean that in a generational sense.
I just mean, you know, the ones
who have been here longer.
- Thanks. - They're not hungry enough,
you know? And they cost too much.
Cary, have you ever heard of a case here
defending a toy company
against lead poisoning?
No.
- Why, should we be on it? - No, no,
it was two years ago.
The kid died when we didn't settle.
Two years ago? Why are we talking
about something that
happened two years ago?
Hey.
How's homework going?
Done.
What've you been up to?
Nothing. Homework.
Oh, Grandma left her wallet again.
Can you put it by the door so she
doesn't forget it next time?
Sure.
Shoymer
is a purely volunteer policing
force for the Hasidim.
Mostly we deal with hate crimes.
And you were the first
responders on the scene?
Yeah, right here.
Lady was on her back, screaming.
On her back? But she fell forward.
Yeah, and then she rolled on her back.
There was a lot of broken
glass in her groceries.
That camera seems to have a direct view.
It was put in before the lady fell,
but wasn't hooked up till after.
Oh... it's unlucky, yeah?
Just happened like that.
You know with all the hate crimes
around here, we have
almost every square yard
of this block covered by cameras.
Can I ask a favor, Ezra?
Could you stand here for a minute
where down fell?
Sure.
Okay, hold up, hold up.
So, Mr. Alprin, let me get this straight.
You intend to argue a slip and
fall as a First Amendment issue?
Yes, Your Honor.
This is ridiculous, Your Honor.
They can't even keep a straight face.
In Kolatch V. Harper,
1983, Your Honor, it was argued,
the Constitution can't be segregated
from peripheral areas of law.
Kolatch V. Harper?
You can't just bring up some
two-bit case from 1983
as a citing.
That was actually a one-bit case.
It was my first one as a litigator.
And as I remember it,
- I lost that case. - Yes, sir,
but it was still a good argument.
Your Honor, shouldn't a
jury be allowed to decide?
Yes, that's what I argued then.
Your Honor, this is about liability.
This is not about the Constitution.
Counselor, everything's
about the Constitution.
Life rarely gives you a chance
to reverse a past regret.
So, what the hell?
Step back.
Oh, and, Mr. Abbott,
you may call your first witness.
So, when you installed the wire a year ago,
you warned the Loebs about maintenance?
Yeah, I did.
I always recommend
that I be called once a month
to maintain and inspect.
And how often did the Loebs phone you
after you installed it?
Zero.
Thank you, Mr. Knox.
No more questions, Your Honor.
Mr. Alprin?
Good morning, Mr. Knox.
Good morning. Every time a customer
phones you for maintenance,
you make money, correct?
That's not why I ask them to.
You ask customers to phone you once a month
not because your work is shoddy?
No.
Because that would mean you'd
liable in this case, too,
if your work was shoddy.
- Objection. - Sustained.
When was the last time you were sued
for shoddy workmanship, Mr. Knox?
Well, I've never been sued.
And have you ever been served?
I guess I might have.
Isn't it true that the plaintiff
in this case tried to sue you
- for the shoddy workmanship at
the Loeb house, - Objection.
and it was until you agreed...
with a proverbial gun
to your head... to testify
for the plaintiff...
- Your Honor, objection! - Mr. Abbott,
the question hasn't been asked yet.
Wasn't it only when you agreed
to testify against the
Loebs that the lovely
Mr. Abbott over here agreed to
drop the lawsuit against you?
Go ahead, you can object now.
Objection, Your Honor.
Overruled.
You're making this sound bad.
Well, then, help me make it sound good.
You did shoddy construction,
connecting the eruv wire,
you got sued, and then you tried
to blame the customer for...
Misstates the facts!
Objection!
to avoid a lawsuit yourself.
Help me make that sound good.
Your Honor, objection.
Withdrawn.
Your witness.
Nice cross.
Thanks.
Where did you go to school?
So we're getting intimate now?
Yes, school talk.
Very personal.
Samford University.
Stanford, really?
No, Samford. Cumberland.
Ranked in the top 133 of law schools.
I make up in passion what
I lack in law books.
You're good.
So,
you can't use any machinery
during the Sabbath, because
God would disapprove?
Yes.
So that's why you couldn't call
about the eruv wire being down, because
that would be operating machinery?
Yes.
Okay.
I think I get it.
What's he got?
Mrs. Loeb,
this is a record of your cell phone bill.
If you could look at the
underlined item there.
There's a phone call you made at 9:33 p.m.
On what day? Would you read that?
September fourth?
Yes, what day was that?
What day of the week?
Mrs. Loeb.
Friday.
That would be the Sabbath?
You...
made a phone call on the Sabbath?
I...
I'm...
Yes.
And this was a call to?
To my father.
We've been estranged,
and I...
And you called at night on your cell,
so your husband wouldn't find out about it.
Is that right?
Yes.
I'm sorry.
You did the same thing
on August 7,
and July 17,
and June 19.
Is this correct?
Other Fridays?
So, Mrs. Loeb,
you could have called
about the eruv wire being down,
but you chose not to...
...thus, making you liable.
No further questions.
I understand it.
I understand her wanting
to phone her father.
It's a betrayal.
It's a weakness.
Was what happened with
your husband a weakness?
That's different.
How is it different?
She didn't cheat on you.
She lied to me.
She... betrayed... everything.
But it wasn't selfish.
Have you forgiven your husband?
Then how can you tell me to forgive?
Hey, I'll get back to you.
They want to talk settlement.
They know we've lost our
First Amendment argument,
now they want to pick our pockets.
We don't have a lot of options.
And you're really 18?
Yes.
And what do you look like, Zach?
Can I ask you a question?
You can ask me anything you want.
I think I have a picture of you.
It's-It's of you and a man in...
it looks like a hotel room.
What am I wearing?
A black bra.
But you sound so sexy.
No, I don't.
Yes, you do.
Your voice is so...
It makes me want to do things.
Katarina, listen, I'm paying you
so I can ask you something serious.
Somebody took photos of
you in a hotel room,
and you're using drugs.
And... I need to know
who took the pictures.
Kid, look, I'm not Katarina.
Ryan Alprin?
- Yeah, I saw him in court. - I like him.
It's like we were, out of
a law school... hungry.
Is he with some firm? No.
He's coming here, actually, for
that settlement conference.
Aren't we laying people off?
Yeah, but we need some new blood.
Litigators who can do the
job of two, you know?
You've met him before.
- Who? - Ryan Alprin.
That case involving lead poisoning in toys?
Oh, right, from two years ago.
He was on the other side.
The losing side.
So, what, he holds a grudge?
Thinks we buried him.
I'm sure we did.
That's how you kill shallow pockets.
Litigating for the margins?
Representing your client.
If he was with a bigger firm,
might have deeper pockets.
Let's talk to him, see if he's interested.
Okay.
I better go.
A lot of glass here.
Yes, every time we sell a piece
of our soul, we buy glass.
Who's that?
My competition.
Ah.
Nice coconut.
- Thanks. - Can I have it?
No.
What's our fallback position?
Like you said before...
undercut the extent of injuries
and try to reduce the award.
Yeah, we're still vulnerable on punitive.
I've gone over the numbers.
We can settle for double compensatory.
Why didn't you divorce him?
Because I didn't want to.
Double compensatory
handles the victim's
medical, and a bit more.
That's not an answer.
It's the only answer you're getting.
No one asks you?
Ryan, I'm your cocounsel.
I know you think
you've got this cute little
spontaneous thing going...
This is my take on it.
You're a rule-follower.
The way you dress, the way you act.
But there's this part of
you that wants freedom.
Rule-breaking.
Look at who you married, look at, uh...
Ryan, seriously, stop.
You like people who scare you.
The Loeb house, deli,
parking lot, park.
There are video cameras
here, here, here and here.
This...
is what they shot.
Now, there's a three-foot clearance
between the victim's head
and this view.
A two-foot clearance between her feet
and this view.
That is either
the strangest coincidence
in the world, or...
Or a scam.
But she had to know exactly
what the cameras saw
to avoid being taped.
This view at the deli was obvious,
because the cash register was right next
to the security screen.
But these cameras-- the park cameras--
their screens aren't on-site.
The only way she could see them
was at the security company.
So, you think the victim
has a connection there?
We'll settle for one million.
That's unlikely.
I've shown how much the
homeowners policy will pay.
That's our zone.
No, our zone is what Jonas Stern can pay.
Oh, so that's what this is about?
You're targeting Mr. Stern.
We're aware of Mr. Stern.
Then you're aware that Mr. Stern
is not stepping in on this.
We're in Mr. Stern's office,
and you work for Mr. Stern,
but he's not stepping in on this?
Okay. This was fun.
I have 63 security linkups...
Households, businesses, loading docks.
We DVR everything up to about six months.
Do all the employees have
access to all these screens?
Well, actually, it's just the three of us.
What are you looking for?
Just covering my bases.
There was a surveillance camera put in
right where this trip and
fall happened, right?
Right, but it wasn't linked
up until the next week. Mm.
In fact, we rushed it due
to that fall. There.
Oh, yeah.
Why rushed?
Well, it's kind of dark there at night.
So someone goes there
with a cherry picker to put a camera up?
That's right.
And who does that?
I do.
I think we've got our man.
We've got phone records,
we've got credit card bills.
Hank was within reach of the eruv wire
days before it fell.
This could work.
You want to do cross?
No, you should.
Get him to deny connection,
and then go for impeachment.
I like working with you.
Yep.
No, I really do.
What?
You shouldn't do this.
- Do what? - Talk this way.
Because you're married?
For a start.
Your husband cheated on you.
And so what?
What does that mean?
What do you want?
Ryan, I've got two teenage kids
and a to-do list you wouldn't believe.
You're not convincing me.
Just do the work, okay?
Please?
The Loebs are counting on us.
Don't make this more difficult.
We're doing this wrong.
Probably.
I can't fire another person.
I can't look another one
in the eye and say, "You're
going to land somewhere,"
when I know they're not.
What do you propose?
You have a lifeboat that holds 15 people
or one person... who do you put in it?
Is one a priest and one a rabbi?
Stern costs just as much
as 15 litigators, Diane.
You want to make a move against Stern?
I want to save 15 jobs.
Stern brought us together.
We're only a firm because of him.
The wedding is over, the
minister can go home.
He costs us.
He's not what he used to be.
He doesn't bring in any clients.
You know, this would be a
whole lot less galling
if you were just honest.
There are three votes on this board,
and you want to get rid of
the one that sides with me.
This is a power play, pure and simple.
Get off it, Diane.
Nothing here is pure, and
nothing here is simple.
This is.
It's going to be hard.
I know. I'm sorry.
I can see, even with the small things,
he doesn't trust me.
It's like with my dad
after rehab the first time.
He looked at me differently.
Like I was a time bomb.
I'm sure he wants it to work.
He does.
You can't just throw a
marriage away, can you?
You good?
Mr. Alprin,
are you ready?
Yes, Your Honor.
So, you are the owner
and operator of Megalith Security.
Is that right, sir?
Yes, it is.
And how do you know the plaintiff?
Well, I... I don't know her.
You're under oath, and you're saying
you don't know her?
Yes, I am.
Fair enough.
Sir...
What's this?
It's a phone bill.
It's your phone bill, correct?
And this number here... you see that?
That number belongs to the plaintiff.
So, was that a wrong number, sir?
Probably. I... I don't know.
And here on this page, did you phone
that wrong number three more times?
I don't know.
And this phone call was eight minutes long.
Is that typically how long you...
talk to a wrong number?
Well, I would contest that bill.
And this call
of five minutes, and this one
of 23 minutes... would you
contest that, as well?
I would.
Now, this surveillance
camera that you installed
near the Eruv wire
in the week before the... accident,
you were in a cherry picker bucket, right?
Up there installing the camera?
Yes.
And that would have put you
right in the exact place
where the Eruv wire
attached to the Loeb house?
No, not... not right there.
Five feet away?
I don't know.
I didn't measure it.
Well, we did.
So, you were in a position
to weaken the eruv wire
so that it could fall.
Objection!
Kalinda, I'm in the middle of trial.
- Can't this wait? - No, it can't.
Look, Will was having me look
- into your cocounsel. - What?
He was thinking of hiring him.
It's a standard operating procedure.
- Okay. - I'm on with a friend
from the bar association.
They can't find his bar number.
What? Why?
Because he's not a lawyer.
Ryan Alprin went to law school,
but failed his bar exam and
never took it a second time.
They can't find his bar association number.
How is that even possible?
The system is based
on trust more than we think.
But he's up there right
now cross-examining.
Yeah, I'm still here.
He's winning this case.
This is not just about the case.
He'll be arrested... this
is a state crime... and you
could be disbarred if you
don't take this to the judge.
If I know he's not a lawyer.
Which you'll know
in two minutes.
Once the jury
starts deliberating, the verdict stands.
Yeah, but we need to...
Okay. We're winning this case.
The Loebs need us to win this case.
I'm not going to let Ryan...
I need you to take a walk around the block.
What?!
I need you to take a walk
around the block now, and we'll talk later.
Wait. I want to be clear.
You want me not to be here
when I get this information?
We are minutes away from
sending this to a jury,
so go for a walk.
So, you're saying, sir,
you're not connected to the plaintiff,
and yet you had access to the eruv wire
just days before it fell,
you control the placement and view
of your surveillance cameras,
and you phoned the plaintiff three times
in the week before the accident?
I don't know about any of this.
So, the documentation is lying?
All these phone records,
all these bills...
- Stop. - What?
You're resting the defense right now.
I'm not...
I know you're not a lawyer.
And I'm not going to let
you endanger this case.
Mr. Alprin?
The defense rests, Your Honor.
This is what you're going to do.
After jury instructions,
you turn yourself in,
or I'm going to the judge.
This is all a mistake.
Don't. I mean it.
I'm sorry.
No, this isn't one of those "sorry" things.
You turn yourself in, or I will.
All rise.
Madam Foreperson,
have you reached a verdict?
Yes, we have, Your Honor.
How do you find?
We find for the defense.
Thank you, jurors, for your services.
You are dismissed.
Yeah?
Just quickly.
Uh, this lawyer, Ryan... I
think I made a mistake.
- What do you mean? - I mean...
I don't think he's right for us.
Okay.
I got it. Thanks.
Hey, it's me.
Look, the law is the
only thing I'm good at.
It's the only thing I've ever been good at.
I made a mistake, and I'm going to fix it.
I just, uh...
Alicia...
I wanted to say to you...
Zach, who were you talking to last night?
Uh, no one.
Jackie picked up the extension, Zach.
She said you were on the
phone with someone.
Who was it?
Look at me.
Who was it?
- You wouldn't understand. - Well, I may
or I may not, but you're
going to tell me anyway.
I phoned a sex line.
I was curious.
I won't do it again.
Mom, I said I'm not going to do it again.
I know.
I can't stop
what goes on out there,
but in here, we tell each other the truth.
That is the truth.
You're sure?
There's nothing else you want to tell me?
No.
Why?
Corrected and synced by GeoffS
What do you mean, it's nothing?
Look at them.
I am looking at them.
It's a financial meeting.
That's how they look in
a financial meeting.
No, that's how they look
when they're cutting jobs.
Come on,
law firms aren't recession-proof
the way they used to be.
Would you stop scaring yourself?
They said billable hours are up this year.
They said we're fine.
And tax litigation?
We have six full-time.
All right, let's cut
four and hold on to two.
Which four?
Bayer?
His wife is pregnant.
He doesn't have seniority.
See if he'll do part-time.
And the junior associates?
Let's put a pin in that.
We don't have many pins left.
Diane.
Oh, better late than never.
What, Stern?
The great man makes an appearance.
Jonas, how are you?
We need to run some names by you
for layoffs.
Where are you?
It sounds loud.
Alicia, do you have a second?
Sure.
It's not like law school, is it?
It's better.
I always felt unsure in law school.
Really?
Could have fooled me.
I did fool you.
So I have a favor to ask you.
You never met Mr. Stern.
No, he's been away.
Right. Barly and Barir Reef. Anyway
he has a daughter, Anna, from his
first marriage. She's being sued.
I don't all the details,
but I'm sure they're ugly.
Last time, we got her out
of a drug possession.
The time before that, she drove a car
through a department store window.
You don't need to take notes on this.
Anna's a real party girl.
Her new husband hired some no-name lawyer,
and Mr. Stern wants someone from
our firm to cocounsel with him.
- With this other lawyer? - Yeah.
Just make sure he doesn't screw up.
Second chair him.
She's meeting with the lawyer in two hours,
so take Kalinda and get a
lay of the land, okay?
Alicia.
We're going through a lot
of changes around here.
There's only three votes
that really matter...
Mine, Diane's, and Mr. Stern's.
This is a good way to impress Mr. Stern.
Thanks.
Whoa, you're not kidding.
Yeah, they were just on our doorstep.
Someone rang the doorbell and ran.
Why?
I don't know, I think
to scare my mom.
- Is that... - What, crack?
Yeah, but it's photoshopped.
My dad's not even in the picture.
Why do all the cool things happen to you?
That's not the hooker from the sex tape?
No, it's somebody else.
Look, if I could find her,
I could figure out who took the
pictures and who did this.
Here.
What's the password for
the parental controls?
I don't have parental controls.
My mom trusts me.
You're kidding.
This is so great.
What are you doing?
39,000 matches.
That's crazy.
That's a start.
You must be 18 years or
older to access Sweet...
Aren't you glad you have a friend
like me to help you with
a tough chore like this?
No.
No.
Hot but no.
Next site.
This is going to take forever.
Yeah.
Damn, maybe you should go
do your algebra homework
or something.
Stern's daughter lives here?
Maybe we have the wrong address.
Or maybe there's a methadone
clinic near here.
Excuse me.
Are you looking for me?
Actually, we're...
Are you...?
I'm Anna, Jonas Stern's daughter.
Oh, I'm so sorry.
Don't worry, I get that a lot.
This is me now.
Hi.
Hi.
I was in rehab
out in Westchester,
and there was this volunteer there,
a Yeshiva student, and he had
this amazing LP collection.
And so you went Orthodox?
Hey, they were good LPs.
No, Isaac
was talking about passion
and music and the Torah,
and I just... I fell in love.
That's the problem with love...
You can't make it do
what you want.
So...
What happened?
Well, a lady tripped in front of our house
and she's suing us.
We have homeowner's insurance,
but it only covers the $20,000
in compensatory damages, not the punitive.
How much is the punitive?
$1.2 million.
She's suing you for $1.2 million?
Yes.
It'll take everything
we own and our future.
Just when you think you
find your place in life,
here comes this.
Sorry, I can't do this during the Sabbath.
It's work.
And what about your dad...
- Can he help? - We don't want it.
We're not in touch with him.
Wow.
Yeah.
Last year she was
club-hopping with Tara Reid.
You know what she'll be doing next year?
Club-hopping with Tara Reid.
Does anyone
ever surprise you?
No.
Even me?
Especially you.
Sorry, Anna probably told you,
we've already hired a lawyer.
He did work for my brother
on a foreclosure,
and he's very good,
but, um, thank you.
Isaac,
could you just tell us what happened?
Are you Jewish?
Is that important?
To understand what happened, yes.
It's important to be Jewish to understand
a slip and fall?
This slip and fall, yes.
I'm sorry you came all this way, Mrs.... ?
Florrick.
You're... ?
Your husband was a great man, Mrs.
Florrick.
A very great man.
The hate crimes on 58th...
he put the skinheads away.
He took us seriously.
How's he doing?
He's... in prison.
Yes, I'm sorry.
A righteous man quickly finds
the world aligned against him.
Thank you, Isaac.
It's an eruv wire.
A what?
An eruv wire.
Well, you know the Sabbath
is a holy day of rest.
An exception is made for minor work
like carrying a baby or groceries
in a community's courtyard.
But there are no courtyards these days
so the eruv wire creates
a symbolic courtyard
for the whole neighborhood.
And this eruv wire fell?
Yes, from there.
Isn't it the responsibility
- of the community? - No,
- it's on our property. - So...
someone tripped over this wire
and now she's suing you for $1.2 million.
I feel like I'm missing something.
Willful and wanton conduct.
Ryan, there you are.
This is the other lawyer Anna mentioned.
We were just discussing the suit.
Our firm feels that it could
offer you some assistance.
Odd, I didn't know I needed some...
assistance.
Mr. and Mrs. Loeb, could you
give us a moment to talk?
Yes, yes, please.
Ryan, if you could make this work,
we'd prefer that.
And Mrs. Florrick, next
time you see your husband,
please tell him how much he is appreciated.
So I do the depositions,
the pretrial motions,
prep for next week's trial,
and here comes the 600-pound gorilla.
Yep, that's me, 600 pounds.
Did you read the brief?
Nope.
Talk to the plaintiff?
Nope.
Came on this case two hours ago.
Our firm is doing it as
a favor to Mrs. Loeb.
- Why willful and... ? - Mm-hmm.
Hey, I was put on this case.
It's not my choice
and I really don't care
if it's your choice.
You call it a 600-pound
gorilla or whatever you want,
but now I'm your second chair.
They saw the eruv wire was down,
they knew it could trip somebody up,
and they didn't try to repair it.
That's why it's willful and wanton conduct
and subject to high punitive damages.
They admitted to that?
In their depositions.
And why would they admit to that?
The wire fell on the Sabbath.
They couldn't do anything.
Wow.
Yeah, it's the perfect legal trap.
They're liable because their religion
wouldn't let them act.
And your defense?
My defense is to suggest
that you go tell your boss
you're meeting regularly with me
and I'm doing a great job
and let me win this case.
That's not going to happen, Mr. Alprin.
We're in this together.
Can't hear you.
you were maintaining that injured so badly
as to require a large judgment?
I'm maintaining that I have pain
every single day.
I... I tryed to ignore it.
I tryed to pick up my
little girl, but I can't.
It keeps me from pushing her on a swing.
It keeps me from playing
with her on the floor.
And this grocery store was a
half mile from your home.
Why did you pass up five
closer grocery stores
to go to this one?
My daughter needs gluten-free foods
and, uh, this grocery store...
the kosher grocery store...
had more options.
Good answer.
After you fell, how much time passed... ?
Great answer.
Anything to undercut the injury testimony?
I'm still checking.
I mean, as far as I can tell,
nobody witnessed her fall,
but I'm checking with first responders.
Any word from your cocounsel?
No, our friend Mr. Alprin
doesn't pick up his phone.
This one's a tough one.
The jury's gonna love her.
And you're dealing with sympathy issues.
Is that a euphemism for something?
Anti-Semitism.
We'll deal with that in voir dire.
Wonder what those questions
will sound like.
"Do you dislike Jews?"
You're a bundle of fun today.
You're kidding me!
Layoffs.
# She waits, hesitates #
# Slips away and sneaks out in the dawn #
# He wakes, never fakes #
# Holds onto a dream until it's gone #
# She never says to be wary #
# She never says, she don't
believe, couldn't you see? #
# "I never saw a woman quite
like me," she said... #
Hi, I'm Katarina.
And I am so excited to chat with you.
You must be 18 or older to chat
and please have your credit card ready.
And as if life wasn't full enough.
Mr. Alprin...
So, I asked for a continuance
until Monday morning
because Vice cops like to sleep in,
so don't fail to show up in court, okay?
If you don't show up, you're
going to have to take a plea.
Alprin & Associates.
I thought you were taking
away his keys, Mrs. Frazzi.
Okay, the arraignment won't be until 3:00.
I'll see you there.
Okay, you let me know when you can talk.
I'll just...
sit here and wait.
So... Mrs. Florrick.
Mrs. Peter Florrick.
Right here in my office.
- Yep. - Dressing up
as a peasant and walking amongst the serfs.
That's me.
So this is what idealism looks like.
I liked your husband.
He was better than this
current state's attorney.
Easier on DUIs and drug cases.
So, here's your problem.
You've got a client who
admitted to liability,
and a sympathetic plaintiff.
You saw the depositions?
Got them from the plaintiff's attorney.
You wouldn't answer your phone.
The only play I see is you
attack the medical evidence,
and try to reduce the punitive amount.
What do you think of the First Amendment?
- I like it. - Isaac and Anna's religion
requires they not act on
the fallen eruv wire,
because it's the Sabbath.
Therefore they can't be
held liable for not acting.
You want to use the First Amendment
to attack a slip and fall?
They believed God would
judge them if they acted,
so they couldn't act.
And what about OSHA v. Smith?
OSHA v. Smith can kiss my ass.
Liability is outweighed
by the Loebs' right to
exercise their religion.
Up to what point?
If they saw someone dying outside...
Well, yes, when that
happens, I will call on you,
Mrs. Florrick.
But you're creating a
loophole in liability law.
No. The Constitution is.
How long were you married?
15 years, and don't do that.
- What? - Throw a personal
question into the middle of
an intellectual argument.
It gets more honest answers.
Judges in civil courts
crave two things: novelty
and getting out of civil court.
The First Amendment is novel.
We'd have to put a First
Amendment scholar on the stand.
I was about to make calls.
Give me half.
How can you work there?
How can I work where?
What are we talking about now?
Stern, Lockhart & Gardner.
Oh, right.
The big bad corporate overlords.
Much better to work in a storefront,
fighting for DUIs and prostitutes.
Two years ago,
I had a case of lead poisoning in toys.
Benny Brauer.
Eight months old.
Fell into a coma
after sucking on a crib mobile.
The insurance company offered to settle
until your firm got involved.
Isn't the point of representing
clients to help them win?
Meet me in open court,
I'll beat you every time.
That's not what your firm did.
You buried us in paper,
continuances, trial motions
waiting for Benny Brauer to die.
A week later,
I heard your chief litigator
had a name for it.
"Litigating the margins."
Delaying the reward to
exhaust the opposition
and therefore reduce the payout.
We do pro bonos.
We do death row cases.
You can't tarnish an entire
firm based on one case.
Sure you can.
Especially when one of the partners
was the chief litigator.
Will Gardner.
Just give me one second, all right?
Alicia.
So, Stern called for an update
on his daughter's case,
and he sent you something.
Me?
Well, whoever we put on the case.
He's in Bora-Bora.
Thanks.
So, how's it going?
Good.
We're going for a First Amendment defense.
On a slip and fall?
Religious freedom trumps liability.
Smart.
Maybe I'll sneak into court,
and see how it's going.
How's the cochair?
He's... interesting.
Interesting is good.
- He was saying some things. - Yeah? What?
Nothing. Another time.
Look, here's
my take on it. We're too low
on the totem pole to get fired
because we don't cost enough.
The problem is these older people.
I don't mean that in a generational sense.
I just mean, you know, the ones
who have been here longer.
- Thanks. - They're not hungry enough,
you know? And they cost too much.
Cary, have you ever heard of a case here
defending a toy company
against lead poisoning?
No.
- Why, should we be on it? - No, no,
it was two years ago.
The kid died when we didn't settle.
Two years ago? Why are we talking
about something that
happened two years ago?
Hey.
How's homework going?
Done.
What've you been up to?
Nothing. Homework.
Oh, Grandma left her wallet again.
Can you put it by the door so she
doesn't forget it next time?
Sure.
Shoymer
is a purely volunteer policing
force for the Hasidim.
Mostly we deal with hate crimes.
And you were the first
responders on the scene?
Yeah, right here.
Lady was on her back, screaming.
On her back? But she fell forward.
Yeah, and then she rolled on her back.
There was a lot of broken
glass in her groceries.
That camera seems to have a direct view.
It was put in before the lady fell,
but wasn't hooked up till after.
Oh... it's unlucky, yeah?
Just happened like that.
You know with all the hate crimes
around here, we have
almost every square yard
of this block covered by cameras.
Can I ask a favor, Ezra?
Could you stand here for a minute
where down fell?
Sure.
Okay, hold up, hold up.
So, Mr. Alprin, let me get this straight.
You intend to argue a slip and
fall as a First Amendment issue?
Yes, Your Honor.
This is ridiculous, Your Honor.
They can't even keep a straight face.
In Kolatch V. Harper,
1983, Your Honor, it was argued,
the Constitution can't be segregated
from peripheral areas of law.
Kolatch V. Harper?
You can't just bring up some
two-bit case from 1983
as a citing.
That was actually a one-bit case.
It was my first one as a litigator.
And as I remember it,
- I lost that case. - Yes, sir,
but it was still a good argument.
Your Honor, shouldn't a
jury be allowed to decide?
Yes, that's what I argued then.
Your Honor, this is about liability.
This is not about the Constitution.
Counselor, everything's
about the Constitution.
Life rarely gives you a chance
to reverse a past regret.
So, what the hell?
Step back.
Oh, and, Mr. Abbott,
you may call your first witness.
So, when you installed the wire a year ago,
you warned the Loebs about maintenance?
Yeah, I did.
I always recommend
that I be called once a month
to maintain and inspect.
And how often did the Loebs phone you
after you installed it?
Zero.
Thank you, Mr. Knox.
No more questions, Your Honor.
Mr. Alprin?
Good morning, Mr. Knox.
Good morning. Every time a customer
phones you for maintenance,
you make money, correct?
That's not why I ask them to.
You ask customers to phone you once a month
not because your work is shoddy?
No.
Because that would mean you'd
liable in this case, too,
if your work was shoddy.
- Objection. - Sustained.
When was the last time you were sued
for shoddy workmanship, Mr. Knox?
Well, I've never been sued.
And have you ever been served?
I guess I might have.
Isn't it true that the plaintiff
in this case tried to sue you
- for the shoddy workmanship at
the Loeb house, - Objection.
and it was until you agreed...
with a proverbial gun
to your head... to testify
for the plaintiff...
- Your Honor, objection! - Mr. Abbott,
the question hasn't been asked yet.
Wasn't it only when you agreed
to testify against the
Loebs that the lovely
Mr. Abbott over here agreed to
drop the lawsuit against you?
Go ahead, you can object now.
Objection, Your Honor.
Overruled.
You're making this sound bad.
Well, then, help me make it sound good.
You did shoddy construction,
connecting the eruv wire,
you got sued, and then you tried
to blame the customer for...
Misstates the facts!
Objection!
to avoid a lawsuit yourself.
Help me make that sound good.
Your Honor, objection.
Withdrawn.
Your witness.
Nice cross.
Thanks.
Where did you go to school?
So we're getting intimate now?
Yes, school talk.
Very personal.
Samford University.
Stanford, really?
No, Samford. Cumberland.
Ranked in the top 133 of law schools.
I make up in passion what
I lack in law books.
You're good.
So,
you can't use any machinery
during the Sabbath, because
God would disapprove?
Yes.
So that's why you couldn't call
about the eruv wire being down, because
that would be operating machinery?
Yes.
Okay.
I think I get it.
What's he got?
Mrs. Loeb,
this is a record of your cell phone bill.
If you could look at the
underlined item there.
There's a phone call you made at 9:33 p.m.
On what day? Would you read that?
September fourth?
Yes, what day was that?
What day of the week?
Mrs. Loeb.
Friday.
That would be the Sabbath?
You...
made a phone call on the Sabbath?
I...
I'm...
Yes.
And this was a call to?
To my father.
We've been estranged,
and I...
And you called at night on your cell,
so your husband wouldn't find out about it.
Is that right?
Yes.
I'm sorry.
You did the same thing
on August 7,
and July 17,
and June 19.
Is this correct?
Other Fridays?
So, Mrs. Loeb,
you could have called
about the eruv wire being down,
but you chose not to...
...thus, making you liable.
No further questions.
I understand it.
I understand her wanting
to phone her father.
It's a betrayal.
It's a weakness.
Was what happened with
your husband a weakness?
That's different.
How is it different?
She didn't cheat on you.
She lied to me.
She... betrayed... everything.
But it wasn't selfish.
Have you forgiven your husband?
Then how can you tell me to forgive?
Hey, I'll get back to you.
They want to talk settlement.
They know we've lost our
First Amendment argument,
now they want to pick our pockets.
We don't have a lot of options.
And you're really 18?
Yes.
And what do you look like, Zach?
Can I ask you a question?
You can ask me anything you want.
I think I have a picture of you.
It's-It's of you and a man in...
it looks like a hotel room.
What am I wearing?
A black bra.
But you sound so sexy.
No, I don't.
Yes, you do.
Your voice is so...
It makes me want to do things.
Katarina, listen, I'm paying you
so I can ask you something serious.
Somebody took photos of
you in a hotel room,
and you're using drugs.
And... I need to know
who took the pictures.
Kid, look, I'm not Katarina.
Ryan Alprin?
- Yeah, I saw him in court. - I like him.
It's like we were, out of
a law school... hungry.
Is he with some firm? No.
He's coming here, actually, for
that settlement conference.
Aren't we laying people off?
Yeah, but we need some new blood.
Litigators who can do the
job of two, you know?
You've met him before.
- Who? - Ryan Alprin.
That case involving lead poisoning in toys?
Oh, right, from two years ago.
He was on the other side.
The losing side.
So, what, he holds a grudge?
Thinks we buried him.
I'm sure we did.
That's how you kill shallow pockets.
Litigating for the margins?
Representing your client.
If he was with a bigger firm,
might have deeper pockets.
Let's talk to him, see if he's interested.
Okay.
I better go.
A lot of glass here.
Yes, every time we sell a piece
of our soul, we buy glass.
Who's that?
My competition.
Ah.
Nice coconut.
- Thanks. - Can I have it?
No.
What's our fallback position?
Like you said before...
undercut the extent of injuries
and try to reduce the award.
Yeah, we're still vulnerable on punitive.
I've gone over the numbers.
We can settle for double compensatory.
Why didn't you divorce him?
Because I didn't want to.
Double compensatory
handles the victim's
medical, and a bit more.
That's not an answer.
It's the only answer you're getting.
No one asks you?
Ryan, I'm your cocounsel.
I know you think
you've got this cute little
spontaneous thing going...
This is my take on it.
You're a rule-follower.
The way you dress, the way you act.
But there's this part of
you that wants freedom.
Rule-breaking.
Look at who you married, look at, uh...
Ryan, seriously, stop.
You like people who scare you.
The Loeb house, deli,
parking lot, park.
There are video cameras
here, here, here and here.
This...
is what they shot.
Now, there's a three-foot clearance
between the victim's head
and this view.
A two-foot clearance between her feet
and this view.
That is either
the strangest coincidence
in the world, or...
Or a scam.
But she had to know exactly
what the cameras saw
to avoid being taped.
This view at the deli was obvious,
because the cash register was right next
to the security screen.
But these cameras-- the park cameras--
their screens aren't on-site.
The only way she could see them
was at the security company.
So, you think the victim
has a connection there?
We'll settle for one million.
That's unlikely.
I've shown how much the
homeowners policy will pay.
That's our zone.
No, our zone is what Jonas Stern can pay.
Oh, so that's what this is about?
You're targeting Mr. Stern.
We're aware of Mr. Stern.
Then you're aware that Mr. Stern
is not stepping in on this.
We're in Mr. Stern's office,
and you work for Mr. Stern,
but he's not stepping in on this?
Okay. This was fun.
I have 63 security linkups...
Households, businesses, loading docks.
We DVR everything up to about six months.
Do all the employees have
access to all these screens?
Well, actually, it's just the three of us.
What are you looking for?
Just covering my bases.
There was a surveillance camera put in
right where this trip and
fall happened, right?
Right, but it wasn't linked
up until the next week. Mm.
In fact, we rushed it due
to that fall. There.
Oh, yeah.
Why rushed?
Well, it's kind of dark there at night.
So someone goes there
with a cherry picker to put a camera up?
That's right.
And who does that?
I do.
I think we've got our man.
We've got phone records,
we've got credit card bills.
Hank was within reach of the eruv wire
days before it fell.
This could work.
You want to do cross?
No, you should.
Get him to deny connection,
and then go for impeachment.
I like working with you.
Yep.
No, I really do.
What?
You shouldn't do this.
- Do what? - Talk this way.
Because you're married?
For a start.
Your husband cheated on you.
And so what?
What does that mean?
What do you want?
Ryan, I've got two teenage kids
and a to-do list you wouldn't believe.
You're not convincing me.
Just do the work, okay?
Please?
The Loebs are counting on us.
Don't make this more difficult.
We're doing this wrong.
Probably.
I can't fire another person.
I can't look another one
in the eye and say, "You're
going to land somewhere,"
when I know they're not.
What do you propose?
You have a lifeboat that holds 15 people
or one person... who do you put in it?
Is one a priest and one a rabbi?
Stern costs just as much
as 15 litigators, Diane.
You want to make a move against Stern?
I want to save 15 jobs.
Stern brought us together.
We're only a firm because of him.
The wedding is over, the
minister can go home.
He costs us.
He's not what he used to be.
He doesn't bring in any clients.
You know, this would be a
whole lot less galling
if you were just honest.
There are three votes on this board,
and you want to get rid of
the one that sides with me.
This is a power play, pure and simple.
Get off it, Diane.
Nothing here is pure, and
nothing here is simple.
This is.
It's going to be hard.
I know. I'm sorry.
I can see, even with the small things,
he doesn't trust me.
It's like with my dad
after rehab the first time.
He looked at me differently.
Like I was a time bomb.
I'm sure he wants it to work.
He does.
You can't just throw a
marriage away, can you?
You good?
Mr. Alprin,
are you ready?
Yes, Your Honor.
So, you are the owner
and operator of Megalith Security.
Is that right, sir?
Yes, it is.
And how do you know the plaintiff?
Well, I... I don't know her.
You're under oath, and you're saying
you don't know her?
Yes, I am.
Fair enough.
Sir...
What's this?
It's a phone bill.
It's your phone bill, correct?
And this number here... you see that?
That number belongs to the plaintiff.
So, was that a wrong number, sir?
Probably. I... I don't know.
And here on this page, did you phone
that wrong number three more times?
I don't know.
And this phone call was eight minutes long.
Is that typically how long you...
talk to a wrong number?
Well, I would contest that bill.
And this call
of five minutes, and this one
of 23 minutes... would you
contest that, as well?
I would.
Now, this surveillance
camera that you installed
near the Eruv wire
in the week before the... accident,
you were in a cherry picker bucket, right?
Up there installing the camera?
Yes.
And that would have put you
right in the exact place
where the Eruv wire
attached to the Loeb house?
No, not... not right there.
Five feet away?
I don't know.
I didn't measure it.
Well, we did.
So, you were in a position
to weaken the eruv wire
so that it could fall.
Objection!
Kalinda, I'm in the middle of trial.
- Can't this wait? - No, it can't.
Look, Will was having me look
- into your cocounsel. - What?
He was thinking of hiring him.
It's a standard operating procedure.
- Okay. - I'm on with a friend
from the bar association.
They can't find his bar number.
What? Why?
Because he's not a lawyer.
Ryan Alprin went to law school,
but failed his bar exam and
never took it a second time.
They can't find his bar association number.
How is that even possible?
The system is based
on trust more than we think.
But he's up there right
now cross-examining.
Yeah, I'm still here.
He's winning this case.
This is not just about the case.
He'll be arrested... this
is a state crime... and you
could be disbarred if you
don't take this to the judge.
If I know he's not a lawyer.
Which you'll know
in two minutes.
Once the jury
starts deliberating, the verdict stands.
Yeah, but we need to...
Okay. We're winning this case.
The Loebs need us to win this case.
I'm not going to let Ryan...
I need you to take a walk around the block.
What?!
I need you to take a walk
around the block now, and we'll talk later.
Wait. I want to be clear.
You want me not to be here
when I get this information?
We are minutes away from
sending this to a jury,
so go for a walk.
So, you're saying, sir,
you're not connected to the plaintiff,
and yet you had access to the eruv wire
just days before it fell,
you control the placement and view
of your surveillance cameras,
and you phoned the plaintiff three times
in the week before the accident?
I don't know about any of this.
So, the documentation is lying?
All these phone records,
all these bills...
- Stop. - What?
You're resting the defense right now.
I'm not...
I know you're not a lawyer.
And I'm not going to let
you endanger this case.
Mr. Alprin?
The defense rests, Your Honor.
This is what you're going to do.
After jury instructions,
you turn yourself in,
or I'm going to the judge.
This is all a mistake.
Don't. I mean it.
I'm sorry.
No, this isn't one of those "sorry" things.
You turn yourself in, or I will.
All rise.
Madam Foreperson,
have you reached a verdict?
Yes, we have, Your Honor.
How do you find?
We find for the defense.
Thank you, jurors, for your services.
You are dismissed.
Yeah?
Just quickly.
Uh, this lawyer, Ryan... I
think I made a mistake.
- What do you mean? - I mean...
I don't think he's right for us.
Okay.
I got it. Thanks.
Hey, it's me.
Look, the law is the
only thing I'm good at.
It's the only thing I've ever been good at.
I made a mistake, and I'm going to fix it.
I just, uh...
Alicia...
I wanted to say to you...
Zach, who were you talking to last night?
Uh, no one.
Jackie picked up the extension, Zach.
She said you were on the
phone with someone.
Who was it?
Look at me.
Who was it?
- You wouldn't understand. - Well, I may
or I may not, but you're
going to tell me anyway.
I phoned a sex line.
I was curious.
I won't do it again.
Mom, I said I'm not going to do it again.
I know.
I can't stop
what goes on out there,
but in here, we tell each other the truth.
That is the truth.
You're sure?
There's nothing else you want to tell me?
No.
Why?
Corrected and synced by GeoffS