The Practice (1997–2004): Season 3, Episode 18 - Crossfire - full transcript

LINDSAY:
Previously on "The Practice"...

- Dad.

- The principal says he got
a phone tip from a parent.

Something about you dealing.
- I wasn't dealing.

That's a lie.

- Were they your drugs?
- No.

- Then why were they
in your locker?

- I don't know,
maybe I was set up.

- Do you like my clock?

It has a tiny camera in it,
a nanny cam.

Two nights ago,
I come home,



and I find this.

- I'll meet him at 4:30.

He's gonna give me eight bags.

- But what if I get busted?

KENDALL: My dad says,
"If you get caught,

"never admit to anything,
even to your lawyer,

because they'll be stuck
with whatever you tell 'em."

- Who gave you the drugs?

- Goes by Robby G.

I don't know his full name.

- Robby G.
- You know him?

- He might work
for a client of mine.

I'm not sure.
- That's nice.

Father and son
both work for the same guy.



I told my lawyer
I could handle this,

but I forgot to ask whether
I needed witnesses to do this.

- To do what?

- To serve you
with this petition.

- Change child custody?

- I don't think you've been
a positive influence

in Kendall's life.

- I expect we'll do okay.

No judge likes
to cut off custody,

but Eugene, we could be
in for a real fight here.

- I know.
- She hired Solomon Tager.

Where she got the money
to do that,

I don't know.

What I do know is,

this guy doesn't fool around.

If I have to get ugly,
you have to let me.

- I don't want you
tearing her up, Bobby.

At the end of the day,
she's still my son's mother.

- And at the end
of the day,

we want you
to still be his father.

- Dad?

- Kendall,
what are you doing here?

- I just came.

I took the T.

- Your mother know?

- No.

What's going on?

I had to meet with
those doctors and stuff.

Why is nobody telling me
what's going on?

- Your mother thinks,

um, your getting involved
with drugs

has something to do
with my influence,

and she thinks it would be best

if you didn't
spend time with me.

- Ever?

- Just for a while.

- But you're my dad.

- It isn't about that.

It's--

She's doing
what she thinks is best.

She loves you just like I do.

We just disagree on what's best.

- And she asking some judge
to stop you from being with me?

- Something like that, yeah.

[upbeat funky music]

♪ ♪

- Come on,
we're gonna be late.

ELLENOR: We got
plenty of time, Eugene.

BOBBY: Who's up first?

- The guardian ad litem,
Tanya Morrison.

She takes a strong position;
she's tough.

LINDSAY: Who's the judge?
- Bender.

EUGENE: Come on.

- Ms. Gamble.
- Hi.

- Hi.
- Uh, listen.

Unfortunately we weren't able
to reach a plea,

so we go to trial.

- Okay.

- I'll be putting you on first,

and remember,
we talked about his attorney.

Listen, I'll do what I can
to protect you,

but the main thing:
you have to keep your composure.

- Okay.

- He won't let her
get brutalized up there.

- This attorney's tough.

He's known for trying anything.

- She's gonna be attacked,
isn't she?

- Well,
defendants get the right

to confront their accusers,
Mr. Hayes,

and this one will.

- Kendall has
an above average IQ,

but he appears to be lacking
some moral sensibility

with regard to his behavior.

- What do you mean, doctor?

- With the drug arrest.

He focuses on the illegal search

rather than his own bad acts,

and in lying to his parents
about it afterwards,

he focuses on how his denial
skirted the truth.

- Come on, doctor.

Growing up, my children threw
every excuse imaginable at me.

Isn't that just being a kid?

- The normal kid understands
when he's done something wrong

and uses the excuse
as a way to escape punishment.

With Kendall,
it's almost as if

he believes the excuse
nullifies the bad act,

and therein lies the problem.

- To what do you attribute
Kendall's behavior?

- There could be
a lot of factors,

but I do believe
a significant one

derives from contact
with his father.

- He's a bad role model?

- I'm not saying that.

Likely, he's a great role model.

I'm saying that contact with him
is having a negative influence.

- A good model
with a bad influence?

- Mr. Young is
a criminal defense attorney.

I certainly don't have
all the answers,

but I know that Kendall
is somehow

processing right and wrong
through his father's eyes,

and it's resulting in a blurring
of the lines for him.

- How many hours total
did you spend with Kendall?

- About 6 1/2.

- And in 6 1/2 hours,

you find that Eugene Young
is a bad influence on his son?

- Yes.

- Because he's
a criminal defense attorney.

- Because of the emotional
and behavioral impact

he's had on his son.

- Because he's
a criminal defense attorney.

- Mr. Young
faces tough moral choices.

Maybe he has a handle on it,
and maybe he doesn't.

- When you say Mr. Young
faces tough moral choices,

do you have any evidence
of Mr. Young acting amorally?

- Well,
I think defending somebody

accused of murder is perhaps--

- It's immoral for
a criminal defense attorney

to represent murder defendants?

- I'm talking about how
it impacts on a child to see--

- It's your opinion
that children can't process--

- Your Honor, he's not
letting the witness finish.

- I agree.

Let her complete
her response, Mr. Donnell.

- Of course every defendant
deserves representation.

Most 11-year-olds
can appreciate this.

I'm speaking as to
what's going on with Kendall.

- Thank you, doctor, but how--
- I still haven't finished.

By defending these people,

the drug dealers,
the people that use drugs,

Kendall sees an implied
endorsement of them.

Dad says,
"These people are okay."

Dad says, "What these people
did wasn't so bad."

Dad says, "It's the police
who are at fault."

These are the things
this kid is processing.

It's not coming from his mother.

- Thank you for taking the time.
- Sure.

I'm going to have Lucy
take notes if you don't mind.

- Sure.

Well, as I said on the phone,

I'm a practicing
child psychologist,

and I was recently
discharged from my job

for grounds I believe
to be illegal.

- And what were the grounds?

- I developed
a condition in my eyes,

which they cited as cause.

- What kind of condition?

- It affects the muscles and--

well, as you can see,
I'm rather cross-eyed.

Can you tell?

- Well, since you mention it.

- And this is
why they fired you?

- Yes.

It's bilateral nerve palsy.

I got it from a head trauma.

Ms. Washington,
it does not render me disabled.

I have been, and continue to be,
an excellent psychologist.

I'm very good at what I do.

- I spent most of the afternoon
walking around window shopping.

Then I walked to my car.

- And what happened?

- As I started
to pull out, that man,

he jumped in the passenger side.

- What did you do?

- I tried to jump out my side,

but he grabbed my wrist
so I couldn't get out.

- What happened then?

- He pulled a knife
out of his jacket

and pressed it
against my neck really hard.

- Tell me, what was
going through your mind?

- Fear.

I was thinking,

"If he had just wanted the car,
he would have let me jump out."

I thought he was gonna hurt me.

- What happened next?
- I started talking.

- You started talking?
- Yes.

I started telling him
about myself.

I thought maybe
if he knew something about me,

he wouldn't want to kill me.

- Why did you think that?

- I read that one strategy
with an attacker

is to try to
humanize yourself with them

so they won't kill you.

- And it worked?

- Yeah, I guess so,
because he told me to get out,

which I did,
and then he drove away.

- Any bruises on your wrist
or your neck?

- I don't think so.

- You never went to a hospital?
- No.

- Can anybody account for your
whereabouts that afternoon,

when you say you were
window shopping?

- Not that I know of;
I was by myself.

- Did you also
kiss Randy Strunk?

- Excuse me?

- The truth is, you met Randy,
you had consensual sex with him,

and then
you loaned him your car.

- Objection!
- Isn't that what happened?

- Are you crazy?
- You would never

sleep with someone you just met?

- Objection!
- It's a fair question.

- Sidebar, Your Honor.

- She's been known
to pick up men,

and not just with her car.

- You've got to be kidding me.
- She's a social girl.

I'm just showing--
- That is completely irrelevant.

Even if it were true,

a victim's sexual history
is inadmissible.

Rape shield.
- This is not a rape.

Rape shield doesn't apply,
and I am entitled

to cross-examine
my client's accuser.

- I won't let you go there,
Mr. Dawson.

- You don't
know this woman, Judge.

She's a real piece of--

- Problem is, Counsel,
I know you.

You're not going there.

- He's a good man,
and in my opinion,

a very good father.

- Well, then why are we here?

- We're here because of
the world he lives in.

My ex-husband
fights for bad people.

My son attributes
some idealism to this world.

The influence scares me.

He's begun to deal drugs

with a sense of pride, even,

a pride that he gets
from his dad.

- Objecting that.

- It would be one thing
if he came home

wanting to defend criminals,

but to identify with them
as role models?

This is beginning to happen.

- Have you talked
to your ex-husband about this?

- My ex-husband
breathes this world.

That's what led
to us splitting up.

He's inside it.

He defends these people
on a mission.

It was more important to him
than being a husband,

more important
than being a father.

- Objection.
That isn't true, Sharon.

JUDGE BENDER: Mr. Young.
- You know that's not true!

- Mr. Young, take your seat.

- I know you love him,

but you don't see
what you're doing to him.

JUDGE BENDER: Ms. Young, please
do not address your ex-husband.

- That was a lie.
- It doesn't matter.

- You just sat there.
- Eugene.

- You just let her
go on with that.

- I'll get my chance on cross.
- You should have shut her down!

- Eugene, you know
she gets to tell her side.

You know I had to let her.

- She knows my values,

she knows I don't honor
the people I defend,

and she knows
Kendall knows that.

- Tager probably told her
to come on strong.

Like I said,
these kinds of fights

you don't win by holding back.

Eugene, look at me.

Now it's my turn.

I don't want to hold back.

Anything you got on her
that I can use,

now's the time to tell me.

I'm friends with Sharon.

I don't want to go after her,

but if you want
your son back...

I have no real choice.

And you have to help me.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- Bobby.
- Sharon.

- It's okay.

A second?

Does he know why I'm doing this?

- He understands
the reason you gave him, yes.

Does he understand?

- Do you?

- I understand you think
you're doing what's best.

I'll see you in there.

- How long was it

from the time Randy
allegedly got in the car

to the time you got out?

- It seemed like forever,
but it was probably

no more than a couple minutes.

- So you only had
a couple of minutes

to reveal the personal details

that you hoped
would spare your life?

- Yes.

- And the details
that you chose to reveal

were, of course,
the ones that you thought

would generate
the most sympathy?

- I guess so, yes.

- You told him
you had a settlement

coming from a car accident,

that you broke up
with your last boyfriend

because you discovered he was
seeing one of your friends.

And you have allergies.

- I probably did.

- Your favorite movie
is "Braveheart,"

and you told him you lost
your virginity in a car.

You tell him that?

- I honestly don't remember
everything I said.

I was scared.

I was just rambling on.

- Are those things true?

If you're not sure,

we can always verify them
with your insurance company,

your friends, your doctor.

- A lot of it is true.

I was trying to talk to him
about my life,

make him feel like he knew me.

- What I did
was fax a demand letter

plus a draft of a motion
for injunctive relief

which we can bring
before a judge at any time.

It did succeed
in getting their attention.

- Which means?

- Dr. Fairby,
your boss, and his lawyer

are coming for a meeting.

I suspect they could be offering
to modify your severance.

- Well, that isn't what I--

I really want my job back.

- Okay, then,
I'll take the shot.

- Thank you, Ms. Washington.

- Okay, I'll call you
right after the meeting.

I saw you snickering.
- I wasn't laughing.

I--
- It's palsy, Jimmy.

Real funny.

- You're the one with
the primary physical custody

right now,
aren't you, Sharon?

- Yes.

- You're the one spending

the most time with Kendall.

Possible you share
some blame for his problems,

or is that just impossible?

- I lived with Eugene
for nine years.

I know where the blame goes.

Plan B, I know that too.
- Plan B?

What's that got to do
with Eugene's parenting?

- It's got to do with Kendall
always bragging

that his dad
can get anybody off.

- He's a bad parent for the way
he defends his clients?

- He's a bad influence

when it comes to teaching him
accountability.

- What about you,
as a primary caretaker,

refusing to accept
any responsibility?

What message on accountability
does that send?

- I'm accepting responsibility

to set my son's life
back on course.

I'm taking the steps necessary

to see that he's raised
with the right values.

- So your concern in all this

is that Kendall
learn the right values?

- Yes.

- And you don't think

that Eugene is teaching
those values to Kendall?

- No, I don't.

- And values,
that's one of the reasons

you got divorced.

Your difference
of opinion on values?

You had an affair,
didn't you, Sharon?

- That was four years ago, and--

- How long did that affair last?

- Objection, Your Honor!

What relevance is
an event that happened--

- Excuse me,
but this witness is saying

that my client's character
is deficient,

and that his son
gleaned these deficiencies.

I should be allowed to question
the petitioner on her character.

- I'll allow it.

Answer the question.

- The affair
lasted about two months.

- And during the affair,
on more than a few occasions,

you told Eugene that you were
having dinner with a girlfriend,

or you were working late,
when in fact,

you were seeing this man;
isn't that right?

- It was wrong.
I know that, but--

- You were lying to him.
- Yes.

- And did Kendall know
you were lying to his father?

What kind of influence?

- Kendall never found out about
either the affair or--

- So your son
still doesn't know the truth.

The deception lives on.

- Objection.
- Withdrawn.

The man you were seeing
was married, right?

- Yes.

- What kind of values does that

teach your son, Sharon?

What kind of values does he get

from a mother's
infidelity and adultery?

- Objection!
- Sustained.

Move on.

- You complained
about Eugene's job.

You ever once ask him
to quit his job?

- I knew he would never--

- The question was,
did you ever ask him to quit?

Yes or no?
- No, that doesn't--

- You ever urge him
to demand to be made partner?

That ever happen?
- Yes.

- So this world he lives in,
which you so object to,

you wanted him to become
a partner in it.

You get alimony.
don't you, Sharon?

- Yes.

- You make money off this world,

you urged him to go for partner,

and now you cite that world

as ground
for parental unfitness.

Is hypocrisy a value
you pass on to Kendall?

- Objection.
- Overruled.

- The best interest
of the child, Sharon,

does that include
infidelity, lying, hypocrisy?

- Objection.
- Mr. Donnell.

- After you drew
this conclusion

that Eugene's job
wasn't good for Kendall,

did you go to Eugene and say,

"Hey, what do we
do about this?"

Or did you just move
for full custody?

- He's not going to change.

- You just filed
for full custody

without so much
as a conversation,

didn't you, Sharon?

Don't you think it could be
in Kendall's interest

to try to work things out
with his dad

before ripping him away?

- He's badgering her!

- Didn't Eugene
deserve that much?

A conversation?
- Your Honor.

- Didn't Kendall
deserve that much?

- He's not going to change!

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- I love Gerry,
and he's a good psychologist,

but if he can't connect
with patients--

- What evidence do you have
that he can't?

- Look--

- Have his patients left him

since he established
this condition?

- Some have.
- But most haven't.

- The problem is,

I need doctors
who can help build our clinic.

He's unable to bring in
new business.

- You've effectively
discharged him

for a medical condition.

- No, the discharge
was predicated

on the inability to perform
the functions of the job.

- What if he wears dark glasses?

- How would you feel
about a therapist

where you can't even
see his eyes?

- I'd deal with it.

- Look, part of the job
is cultivating new clientele.

Gerry is unable to do this.

Look, I like the guy.

I wouldn't do this
if I didn't have to.

- I'd seen Lynette Hayes around,

and I'd always
wanted to meet her.

I saw her
walking across the street

looking into some store window.

- What did you do?

- I thought, "What the hell,"

so I crossed over,
and I went to say hello.

- And what happened?

- I kind of put
a light hit on her.

She seemed receptive,
so we just started talking.

- How long
were the two of you

talking out there on the street?

- A few minutes.

Then we started walking.

We got to where she was parked,

and then we were just
leaning against her car

talking some more.

- Did the two of you
get inside the car?

- Yeah.

We were getting
kind of cold standing outside.

She asked me,
did I want to get in?

- What happened once
the two of you were in the car?

- She ran the heater
for a while,

and we listened to some music.

Then we fooled around.

- So after just meeting you,

she found you so irresistible
she just had to have you?

- I guess so.

- Then you made such
a favorable impression

she just gave you her car?

- No.

She loaned it to me.

I had lost track of time,

and I was really late
for a job interview

that I had across town.

The job was really
important to me,

and it was too late
for me to catch a bus.

- So instead of offering
to drive you herself,

she just gave her car
to a complete stranger?

- Well, we weren't
total strangers at that point.

And anyway, she had some things
she needed to get done,

and so I was supposed to
meet her back there

at that street at 5:00.

- But you decided
to keep the car instead.

- I got lost trying to find
the warehouse across town

where I was supposed to
meet with this guy

in shipping and receiving.

Anyway, by the time I got back,
she was gone.

- So you figured free car.
- No.

I didn't have her phone number
or her last name.

I was searching
for her registration,

and that's when
the police arrested me.

That's the truth.

- Still love me?

- She started it.

I know that.

- And she's not finished,
Eugene.

Tomorrow morning,
you're on that stand.

They'll be coming after you.

- Yeah.

- You can't lose control.

You can't seem
erratic or volatile.

You have to
remain calm in that chair.

- It's a little easier
said than done.

- You'll do it
because of the stakes.

You'll do it.

- I can't figure
how this happened.

Custody battles,
divorce.

I know how it can
turn into runaway hate,

but Sharon and me?

We get along.

We still love each other.

I know we both love Kendall.

How'd this happen?

♪ ♪

- What's up?

- Well, I guess my radar.

- What's going on?

- Lynette, I could be way off,

but I get a gut feeling
with witnesses,

and after listening
to Randy Strunk's testimony,

it had a believable ring to it.

- You're not serious.

- There's just
a couple of things

that don't exactly make sense.

After he took the car,

he then returned
to the same area.

He didn't change the plates.

He acted like
an innocent person.

- Why would I say
he just stole my car?

- Is it possible
you thought he did

when he didn't
come back soon enough?

- No.

He carjacked me.

- Mr. and Mrs. Hayes,

could you excuse us
for a second?

I--
- Helen, what's this about?

- I need to speak
with your daughter in private.

Please.

Lynette, if you are
making this up,

a man is facing jail.

- I'm not making this up.
- He carjacked you.

- Yes.

- Look, I know it was
your father

who reported this to the police.

Are you just sticking
to the story you gave him?

- No.

It's the truth.

- If anything,
Kendall needs to spend

more time with me,
not less.

- How did Kendall
get those drugs?

- He got them from someone

who works for
a former client of mine.

It was an unfortunate
coincidence.

- Did you ever introduce Kendall
to this former client of yours?

- Of course not.

- Have you ever,
in any way,

conveyed to Kendall

that it was okay
to take or sell drugs?

- No.

- Why do you think
your ex-wife

blames you
for Kendall's problems?

- Sharon has always had
ideological problems

with my job.

I think when
this arrest happened,

it hit a lot
of nerves and fears.

I also think she blames

the failure of our marriage
on my job,

and she's reliving
a lot of that anger, I guess.

- Can you understand that?

- I can understand her fear.

When Kendall got arrested,
I was afraid too.

I also got angry.

But I do not understand
her punishing me,

and I certainly don't understand
her punishing Kendall,

and that's what
you're doing, Sharon.

- Your son got arrested
for possessing drugs,

drugs that he bought
off of one of your clients.

- That was a coincidence,
as I said.

- Your lawyer, Ms. Frutt,
she was recently arrested

on drug charges herself,
wasn't she?

- Those charges were dismissed.

She was set up by the police.

- That's exactly
what Kendall said

when you asked him
how the drugs

ended up in his locker,
isn't it?

- Except in Ellenor's case
it was true.

- A client dropped a bag
of what was thought to be drugs

on Ms. Frutt's desk.

- That's right.

- And when asked
who the drugs belonged to,

Ms. Frutt responded,
"I don't know," didn't she?

- Yes.
- But she knew

where the drugs came from,
didn't she?

- As lawyers,
we have a duty

not to betray our clients.

- So Ms. Frutt
did the right thing by lying?

- In that context,
it wasn't lying.

- It was telling the truth?

- No.
- Which was it?

- It was protecting our client,

which,
as you well know,

we have an ethical
obligation to do.

- Yes.

Did you sit down
and explain that

to your son, Mr. Young?

- Kendall knows
about our duties.

We have these talks--

- No, I'm not talking
in general.

I'm referring to
that specific occasion

after he witnessed Ellenor Frutt
lying to the police.

Did you sit down and explain
the situation to him?

- Not that time, no.

- Can you honestly say
that you have

taught Kendall
right from wrong,

truth from lies?

- I have never, ever
encouraged my son

to break the law or to lie.

- My dad says,
"If you get caught,

"never admit to anything,
even to your lawyer,

because they'll be stuck
with whatever you tell 'em."

- I never told him that.

- Is that the truth
or a justifiable lie?

- Objection!

- Kendall knows what I do
for a living, Mr. Tager.

- Yes, in fact,
he spends a lot of time

at your office, doesn't he?

- Until this happened.

- He was right there
when the police charged in

with their guns
arresting Ellenor Frutt.

He was even in the line of fire,
wasn't he?

- You know that wasn't
a common occurrence.

- On average,
how many waking hours a week

do you spend with your son
outside the office?

- I work a lot of hours.

That's why he's with me at work.

- And that's his exposure
to you, isn't it?

Eugene Young, the lawyer.

- And father.

And father.

- Father at work.

Reference was made earlier
to plan B.

What is that?

- It's a defense strategy.

- More specifically,
it means accusing someone

in open court
of committing the crime.

- Basically.

- According to recent
court transcripts,

you accused a brother
of beheading his sister

even though you didn't believe

that he was really
involved in the death.

Correct?
- Yes.

- Ever sit down
and talk to Kendall

about why
you do these things in court?

- Yes, I have.

- Ever been booked
on assault, Mr. Young?

- Once.
The charge was dropped.

- Yeah, you got mad
at one of your clients

who sodomized two young boys.

You beat him up
in open court, right?

- Objection!

This has no relevance.

- Everything is fair game.

You made that clear.
- All right.

I'll give you a little latitude,
Mr. Tager.

- When this case was filed,
you were under court order

not to discuss the merits of it
with your son Kendall.

Is that right, sir?
- Yes.

- You talk to him about it
two nights ago?

- He was confused
as to what was going on.

- You basically tell him
that his mother was wrong?

- I told him we disagree
as to what was best.

- Well, would it surprise you
if he went home

with the idea
that you thought she was wrong?

Night before the hearing,
you violate a court order,

position your son
on your version of the merits.

Are these the good footsteps
for a son to step in?

- He's being fired
for a medical condition.

That's contrary to law.

- He's being terminated

for an inability
to perform the functions--

- Appearance is not a function.

He has sixth nerve palsy

brought about by head trauma,
and there's no--

- Look, I don't know much
about psychology, Counsel,

but I do suspect that if I were
to go see a therapist

to unearth my troubles,

it wouldn't help to have him
look back at me cross-eyed.

- And that is bigotry.

So he looks different.

In time--
- Step up here, Mr. Pyle.

Dr. Pyle.

Okay, I'm looking
to get an idea.

My mother-in-law
has got delirium.

Tell us what that is.

- Delirium is basically
a disturbance of consciousness.

It can affect cognition,

often manifested
by a reduced clarity

of awareness of the environment.

It can cause focus problems.

Attention deficit problems
are common.

The person is frequently
easily distracted

by irrelevant stimuli,

and it's often difficult
to engage

in long, sustained
periods of conversation.

There's also disorientation
as to time--

- I'm sorry.

I'm upholding the discharge.

- Your Honor.

- Ms. Washington,
this may not seem fair,

but it's tough
to take him seriously.

- You can't penalize him
for something he can't control.

- Nor should I penalize them.

Dr. Pyle,
you may be an excellent doctor,

but medicine is business
these days too.

And under the adage,

"You only get one chance
to make a first impression,"

I have to sympathize
with the defendant as well.

- This isn't fair.

- And your problem,
young lady,

is that you think
justice is fair.

- I'm not a big fan of ex parte.

What's the mystery?

- I'm not sure
I have good-faith belief

in the defendant's
guilt anymore.

- Why?

- I guess it comes down
to credibility.

My gut tells me
she fed her father this story,

he insisted on the arrest,
and she's cornered.

- What have you got
to support this?

- Oh, just listening
to their testimony.

I think I believe him.

- So what?

You're not the jury.

- Still,
if a DA doesn't have

a good-faith belief--

- That may affect
your bringing the charges,

but your weighing the testimony
is irrelevant.

Come on.

- And if I brought
a motion to dismiss?

- Forget it.

And don't tank
your closing, either.

Defense attorneys
aren't the only ones

with obligations
in that room.

- Why'd you do this, Sharon?

- Here you go,
disobeying another court order.

We're not supposed
to talk about this outside.

- Why'd you do this?

- I know you love him.

But I also know I'm losing him.

If it were to you, Eugene,
I could deal with it,

but I'm losing him
to something that--

He's a good kid
becoming a bad kid.

You don't see that,

either because
you don't want to,

or you can't.

- Do you really
think he's better...

Cut off from me?

- Yes.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

- This isn't about
who's a better person

or who loves Kendall more.

It's what's
in the boy's best interests.

We've listened
to the guardian ad litem,

somebody who is neutral,
linking Kendall's problems

to his contact with his father.

A boy losing an ability
to distinguish right from wrong.

We all saw that tape.

An 11-year-old boy

versed on the how-tos
of drug dealing.

Who in this room
wasn't horrified?

Eugene Young was sued
for intentional infliction

of emotional distress when,
in open court,

he accused a brother
of killing his own sister,

an allegation he admittedly
didn't really believe.

And in defense of Eugene Young,
his colleague, Jimmy Berluti,

described him
as being in extreme denial,

a man struggling to survive
what he does for a living.

That struggle
is affecting Kendall.

We're not asking for punishment,
or that it be permanent,

but for now,

we have to follow
Dr. Morrison's recommendation

and appoint Sharon Young
as full custodian.

In the end, it's not about
a mother or a father.

It's about the welfare
of an 11-year-old boy

who very clearly needs help.

- We see young kids in this room
every day arrested for drugs.

We don't take them
away from their parents.

Just the opposite.

The courts usually plead
for the parents to step in.

That's exactly what Eugene Young
would like to do.

This is a huge overreaction
to a bad event.

There is nothing--

nothing to even suggest
any parental unfitness.

Mr. Tager quoted Jimmy Berluti's
closing argument as evidence.

Well, he left out
the part of the summation

where Mr. Berluti
referred to Eugene Young

as deeply honorable,

dignified,

a hero.

I second that.

So do you, Sharon.

There is nobody--

nobody who's
walked through these doors

with more honor,

more dignity and morality,

than the man sitting over there.

- If you recant,
I promise,

there will be
no perjury charges.

- Why are you doing this?

- Lynnette,
I'm just saying,

if you did make this up--

- It's bad enough
the defense attorney attacks me.

Now the DA goes after me too?

He carjacked me.

He did.

- Randy Strunk, well,
he's got to be

the luckiest man in the world.

He meets a very
attractive woman who,

even though she's
a complete stranger,

just can't help herself

and agrees to fool around
with him in her car.

Then, well, she generously
gifts him with her car.

That happens every day,
doesn't it?

Randy isn't lucky,
ladies and gentlemen.

He's just careful.

He chose his victim.

He chose the time.

He chose a location where
there would be no eyewitnesses.

Randy chose every single detail
of the attack

to work to his advantage,

and after he got caught,

he, along with his attorney,

chose the strategy
of putting the victim on trial.

He said, she said
equals reasonable doubt.

Go ahead,
put him back out there.

Just don't forget
to lock your car doors.

- My definition
of the luckiest man in the world

wouldn't be an innocent man
convicted for a crime

he didn't do.

Here's a flash.

Sometimes the defendant

actually is
the victim of false charges.

Maybe she thought
he stood her up or duped her,

or maybe wasn't really
coming back with her car.

I don't know
what was in her mind

when she told her father
what happened,

but she wasn't carjacked.

No bruises.

No physical signs
of anything violent.

She wasn't carjacked.

This case reminds me
of a question

we used to have
on tests in school

when I was growing up.

Orange, apple, pear, hammer.

Which one doesn't fit?

Here, according to
Lynnette Hayes,

we have an attacker
with a knife

who took her car,

who also happens to know
about her past relationship

with an ex-boyfriend,
among other things.

These are things
you tell someone

you have a personal
relationship with,

however brief,
not an attacker.

Something doesn't fit.

- I'm sorry.
- You tried.

Should I appeal?

- Sit.

We could appeal,

but I don't think we'd win.

You're not in what we call
a suspect class,

and there's no special
protection for people with--

- Funny faces.

So you're not recommending

that we keep going
with this case?

- No.

- Well, thank you for your time,
Ms. Washington.

- I wish I could have been
more help.

- Well, I appreciate
you not laughing, anyway.

Good day.

- Good-bye, Mr. Pyle.

- Between
all the back and forth,

the one piece of evidence

that stands out most
is that you didn't try.

The boy was arrested.

Court papers were filed.

The fact that you didn't
first try,

Ms. Young,
to work something out,

that tells me that you were
leading with fear and anger,

not necessarily
Kendall's interests.

- That isn't true.

- Well, I'm not satisfied

that you've exhausted
every possible remedy.

Taking away a boy's father,
that's severe enough

not to be
the first course of action.

So I'm ordering you both
to try again.

If you fail, try again.

Then, maybe, come to me.

Mr. Young, I am tempted
to restrain your son

from coming to your office,
but I'm not there yet.

We seem to have
two intelligent

and loving parents here,

so let's put some of that
intelligence and love to work.

For God's sake,
this is not about you.

This is about your son.

The petition
to modify custody is denied.

♪ ♪

- Will the defendant
please rise.

Madam Foreperson,
the jury has reached a verdict?

- We have, Your Honor.

Commonwealth
versus Randy Strunk,

on the charge
of assault and confinement,

for the purpose of stealing
a motor vehicle while armed,

we find the defendant,
Randy Strunk, guilty.

- The jury is dismissed
with the thanks of the court.

We're adjourned.

♪ ♪

- Good job.
Thank you.

- Thank you.

♪ ♪

- Let's go.

- He ready?

- Not quite.

- I'll wait.

- Hey, Dad.
- Hey.

- Just be a couple minutes.

All right, almost done.

How many tablespoons of water
does it take

to fill a gallon container
3/4 full?

- Who'd use a tablespoon
to fill a gallon container?

- Somebody with
too much time on his hands.

How many tablespoons
equal an ounce?

- Two.
- Okay, figure it out.

♪ ♪

- 192.
- Good.

Last one.

This is conversion
from feet to meters.

- Oh, man.
- Never mind.

You go to Europe someday,

and somebody
asks you a question.

Answer in feet,

they'll look at you
like you're crazy.

- 'Cause it'll be
Paris, France,

and I'm talking English.

- Never mind,
let's just do it.

♪ ♪