The Practice (1997–2004): Season 7, Episode 17 - Burnout - full transcript
DOLE:
Previously on "The Practice"
Why are you so angry?
DOLE: For pretending,
day after day after day
that my husband's
in love with me
when I know he's not.
Lindsay, for God's sake,
of course I love you.
DOLE: I know you love me,
but...
I miss being adored.
Look, the idea of splitting up
is unmentionable.
But Bobby,
other than our son,
it is so dead in this home
and has been for a while.
I know this isn't
what you wanna hear.
NANCY: No, it isn't.
FRUTT: I'm not saying
we can't win on the elements,
but the blood on your shoe
and the fact that
you were seen coming and going,
not to mention the threat.
With insanity,
even in victory,
she's gonna be locked up.
FRUTT: No, she only goes away
until she gets better,
which, from what the doctors
are telling us,
could be soon.
This is a circumstantial case.
What she did
and what they can prove
are two very different things.
You said so yourself.
FRUTT: Look, we'll do
what you want us to do,
but we're telling you,
Nancy,
your best chance
at seeing freedom again,
your best chance by far,
is insanity.
And Kevin, I may be
stepping over the line here,
but the reason I think
you're resisting the idea
of your wife being insane
is because you feel
responsible for it.
(music playing)
MARGARET: My sons
didn't get along.
They were pretty much
estranged
ever since the accident.
WALSH: Which accident
was that, Mrs. Healy?
Derek's son, Justin was 16.
He had his learner's permit.
He was driving.
Kevin was with him.
WALSH: To clarify,
Kevin is the defendant's
husband?
MARGARET: Yes,
and Derek's younger brother.
Anyway, Justin was driving.
Kevin was in the car
when the accident occurred.
Justin was killed.
Kevin was paralyzed.
Derek blamed Kevin,
claiming his lack
of supervision.
They became estranged
and remained so.
To your knowledge,
what was Derek's relationship
with the defendant?
That had also deteriorated.
Nancy became Kevin's
primary caregiver.
And as you can imagine,
it's been extremely burdensome.
There were insurance problems,
money issues,
and Nancy couldn't understand
why Kevin's own brother
wouldn't help out.
Well, you say money issues.
Actually,
the financial situation
was desperate, wasn't it?
The problem with insurance,
there's a lifetime cap.
In this case, $750,000.
They exhausted that
in three years.
Basically, Derek was well-off
but wouldn't help
with his brother's care?
Yes.
And this, in fact,
enraged the defendant,
didn't it?
Objection leading.
WALSH: Withdrawn.
Did you have an opportunity
to witness an argument
between Nancy Healy
and the victim
the day before his death?
Yes.
What did you observe, ma'am?
Well, I was visiting Derek
and she came over.
They got into it again.
WALSH: Did you hear
the defendant make any threats?
Yes.
It escalated to a point
where Derek said something like,
"Gee, if he's so bad off,
maybe he should be
put out of his misery."
And Nancy responded,
"No, Derek,
somebody should put you
out of your misery."
And then she said,
"Maybe that's the solution."
FRUTT: When Nancy said this,
did you believe
she was forming the intent
to kill Derek?
Obviously not.
And when you talked
to the police,
you described
Nancy's psychological
state of mind,
didn't you?
Yes.
FRUTT: Could you please
tell the jury
what you told the police?
For several months
preceding the killing,
she seem to be
increasingly erratic.
The insurance thing,
she felt very deceived.
It made her incense.
And erratic?
Yes.
In my opinion, she was having
some kind of nervous breakdown.
What do you mean
you can't get hired?
I can't.
Andrea, you made law review.
You clerked.
What, you have a criminal record
or something?
Close.
When I was 14,
I was raped.
It comes up in my interviews
and my prospects
hit the floor with a thud.
It comes up
in your interviews?
How many have you had?
Including callbacks,
over 30.
And it always comes up?
Pretty much.
I took some time off
for treatment,
so the little gap
in my resume,
I explain it.
Do you think it's wise
to bring it up?
I mean, law firms
aren't exactly looking
to hire rape victims.
This is what I'm assuming.
Who would you sue?
The law firms.
She already has sued and--
All 30 of them?
STRINGER: Yes.
She's claiming industry bias.
Against rape victims?
Here's the complaint
and supporting memoranda.
It's pretty good.
Thing is, they brought a motion
to dismiss yesterday
and now,
there's an evidentiary hearing--
Slow down.
Andrea has to testify,
so she basically needs
co-counsel.
That's why she asked
for our help.
Well, have any of these firms
said that her status
as a rape victim
was why they didn't hire her?
Of course not.
But zero for thirty?
Come on.
Jamie!
It's a solid test case,
Eugene.
What, rape victims
as a class?
I know it's tough
which means...
it would be a lot of help
if there were a senior litigator
there with me.
They might be more inclined
to settle.
Please?
(sighs)
It's you.
Me?
The problems,
as you describe them,
it all goes
by your own admission
to your, uh...
inability to share your life,
your unwillingness to.
I didn't exactly
say that, doctor.
Yes, you did.
Look, here's the deal.
You like being alone.
She doesn't.
So what do we do about it?
Well, we go to work on it
that is, if you want to.
Of course I do.
Well, I'm not so sure
about that.
You're here
because your marriage
feels like it's failing.
You're here because,
for the sake of your son,
you wanna repair
the deficits.
But that's different
from actually desiring
a partnership.
From where I sit,
I think you crave isolation.
LORI: She called me
just past 3:00,
asking if I could come over.
The defendant called you?
Which wasn't unusual.
I filled in a lot,
caring for Kevin.
It gave her a chance
to get out of the house.
And lately,
it seemed like she needed it.
So even though your husband
was estranged from his brother,
you weren't?
No.
In fact, it was an issue
between Derek and me.
I thought he should contribute.
The reality is our son
caused the accident
which paralyzed Kevin.
WALSH: Okay.
Going back to the day
Derek was killed,
you got a phone call
from Nancy?
Yes.
She asked
if I could watch Kevin
while she did a few errands.
I agreed.
I went over there around 4:00.
Nancy returned
a little after 6:00.
I then went home,
where I found Derek.
Dead?
Yes.
He was bleeding
from the head.
And you called the police?
Yes.
And what did you say?
That I thought
Nancy killed him.
When Nancy returned home,
how did she appear?
Very disoriented.
And you mentioned that,
lately,
you had actually
been increasing your role
as nurse for Kevin?
LORI: Yes.
I was doing night shift
twice a week.
The last month,
I was there a lot.
Why?
Well, Nancy was becoming
less competent.
She'd forget things.
One time, Kevin was in bed
for almost the whole day
while she slept on the floor.
She'd taken some pills
or something.
BERLUTI: Did you talk to her
about this?
LORI: Yes. I tried to get her
to get help of her own,
counseling,
but she'd just go off
on how she couldn't afford it.
Going back to the day
your husband died,
when you got the call
from Nancy,
asking you to come over,
how did she sound to you?
Not good.
She sounded like
she was going to snap.
Your husband received money
as part of a family trust.
Isn't that right?
Yes.
And upon his death,
that money
would then go to Kevin.
Also correct?
Yes.
Would Nancy Healy
have known this?
Yes, she would.
I don't even think
I called her.
I don't even think
I called her.
Honey, they have
the phone records.
Maybe she wants me convicted.
Anybody think about that?
Lori is your friend.
She's not gonna lie.
Why didn't you
cross her better?
You were mush!
Look...
we need to stay united
and focus on our defense.
Tomorrow's gonna be a long day.
She thinks I'm insane.
Sweetheart...
it's our legal defense.
If I go away,
who takes care of you?
Who takes care of you?
(music playing)
COTE: Overall...
of the 30 initial interviews,
I talked about being raped
all but seven times.
I got seven callbacks.
I'll let you guess
which ones.
Why bring it up at all?
Certainly, rape does not make
for a fun conversation.
No, it doesn't.
The truth is
I never talked about it,
not even to my closest friends.
I always thought that
I could outrun the memory
and that one morning,
I would finally wake up unraped.
But during my clerkship,
I began to suffer
from some emotional problems,
anxiety.
I got therapy
and discovered much of it
was brought on
by my own feelings
of shame and guilt.
So your therapist encouraged
you to talk about it?
Yes.
Unfortunately,
people don't wanna hear it.
During all these interviews,
did anyone make any
inappropriate remark
concerning your being raped?
No.
Do you have any evidence,
testimonial, paper
where you can show,
but for your being raped,
you would have been hired
at a particular firm?
At a particular firm?
No, I have no hard evidence.
Thank you, Andrea.
That's all.
You may step down.
Your Honor, clearly, there's no
prima facie case here.
And even if you could show
a smoking gun,
Massachusetts is an at will
employment state,
which means, legally,
they can hire
whoever they want
without any--
I'd like to call Jason McNeil.
Ms. Stringer...
He's sitting right there.
He's one of the defendants.
I'd like to ask him
a few questions.
We'll take a 20-minute break,
then resume with Mr. McNeil.
Excuse us.
Why did you do that?
I didn't think
Andrea held up too well
in cross,
so I figure, what's to lose?
Maybe the guy
will say something to help us.
Jamie, if you don't know
what a witness will say,
you don't call them.
That's cross-examination 101.
The case
is a long shot, Eugene,
so--
Exactly.
So the last thing we need
is for the defense
to get to button the motion
with their side.
STRINGER: The judge
was about to rule.
YOUNG: This witness isn't
going to admit to anything.
Odds are,
he'll have you for lunch,
and then the judge will rule,
all right.
Jamie, think.
If that fails,
at least check with me.
KEVIN: So she had come home
at about 5:00,
and...
she looked well,
like Lori said, in a daze.
This was when she got back
from your brother's?
KEVIN: Yes.
Then, she lay down
for about an hour.
And then when she woke up,
she said that...
she had no memory of even going
to my brother's house.
Did you believe her?
I did.
Because this sort of thing
had happened before.
She had blackouts
for extended periods of time.
It was brought on
by a syndrome called
caregiver's burnout.
Caregiver's burnout?
It's basically a state
of emotional
and mental exhaustion.
Mrs. Healy demonstrated
many of the symptoms,
inability to sleep,
thoughts of suicide,
feelings of hopelessness.
The syndrome can be
especially pronounced
when the caregiver
is also the spouse.
She had to wash me,
dress me, feed me,
assist me in going
to the bathroom,
and then...
clean me up
after I'd been to the bathroom.
It was full-time,
around the clock.
It became her life.
And the problem is
they start to see themselves
exclusively as caregivers.
Now, when this happens
with patients
whose condition
isn't improving--
She was plunging into depression
and hopelessness.
And some days, she would
just amble around the house,
feeling completely disoriented.
GABLER: Add to that the rage
against the brother
for not helping,
my opinion is,
it triggered a psychotic break.
But wouldn't she at least
remember it?
No.
Because she suffered
from a form
of traumatic amnesia.
What she did
was so shocking,
she basically blocked it out.
WALSH: How can you prove
she's not faking amnesia?
We obviously can't prove it,
but in my professional opinion,
she has no memory
of committing this act.
Yes, well,
in my professional experience,
the killer
usually denies doing it.
And then,
once you catch them, it's,
"Oh, gee, amnesia."
Objection.
WALSH: Withdrawn.
When did this traumatic shock
kick in, doctor?
Probably as soon
as she committed the act
and realized it.
After she had taken the time
to wipe the fire poker
clean of her prints?
Possibly.
I can't say for sure.
And all these symptoms
of burnout you spoke of,
thoughts of suicide,
sleeplessness, hopelessness,
did you actually witness
those symptoms, doctor?
They were corroborated
by her husband.
Yes, her husband.
He had the same
financial motive to kill
as his wife, didn't he?
Objection.
Objection.
That went as well
as we could have hoped.
You held up extremely well,
Kevin.
So what happens now?
You.
You happen.
FRUTT: You just need
to tell your story, Nancy.
Expect for Walsh
to come at you
with everything he's got.
But do not dodge,
do not hide.
Simply tell the truth.
Our main mission here
is to let the jury see you
as a human being.
Okay.
We're doing very well.
We just need to hang in there
a little bit longer.
I remember her mentioning
she'd been raped,
but it certainly didn't factor
into my decision.
Why didn't you hire her?
Counsel,
we see so many applicants,
all with excellent transcripts
from top-rate law schools.
In the end,
many of the final calls
come from the gut.
And your gut said,
"Don't hire Andrea Cote"?
MCNEIL: I didn't form
any negative conclusions
toward her.
I guess I just had more positive
reactions to others.
Because they hadn't
been raped?
Of course not.
She made law review.
She was a finalist
in the New England
Moot Court Competition.
McNEIL: She's very qualified.
But if you look at our hires
over the last year,
you'll see that they, too,
are extremely talented.
STRINGER: Mr. McNeil,
I have no doubt that
you are an honorable man.
Reminding you that
you are under oath,
are you telling this court
that Andrea Cote's status
as a rape victim
didn't inform a little
on your decision
not to hire her?
Ms. Stringer, I indeed like
to think of myself
as an honorable man.
I'm a proud member
of the bar
and an officer of this court.
And I will tell you
categorically,
her status as a rape victim
played no part whatsoever
in my determination.
NANCY: My head would get,
um, I don't know,
loopy sometimes
like I was drugged
or something.
The doctor said
it was from stress.
Sometimes I would get this
incredible fatigue
and I would go to sleep.
And I guess I would wake up,
but I wouldn't wake up
really.
I have no memory of even going
to Derek's house that day.
And this kind of blackout,
had it happened before?
Two other times.
Like half a day
would be a blank.
But your anger
toward the victim,
that you remember?
Definitely.
I think...
he was a vile person.
I'm not defending
my killing him,
but I very much hated him.
I won't pretend otherwise.
Do you remember saying to him
that he should be
put out of his misery?
That was a figure of speech.
I promise you,
I never formed an intent
to kill him
or to become violent.
Whatever happened
in that house...
happened,
but I had to be acting
outside of myself.
If you don't remember,
how can you be sure
you didn't form
a plan that day to kill him?
Because I'm not a murderer,
Mr. Walsh.
Are you a liar?
No.
An honest person?
Yes, I am.
I see.
So the hatred you felt
for your brother-in-law
was because he wouldn't
contribute money
to your husband's care?
That was the main thing,
but he was a bad human being
in many other ways.
So you could never see
yourself loving him,
I guess?
Could you see yourself
making love to him?
You see...
Derek once confided something
to his mother.
I had planned to ask her
on the stand,
but then I thought
how much more exciting
it would be
to ask you.
Did you ever have an affair
with the victim, Mrs. Healy?
Blackout?
No memory of it?
Did you ever have
sexual intercourse
with Derek Healy?
It happened.
WALSH: You just told the jury
you were an honest person.
Is that your idea
of honest behavior
sleeping with your husband's
brother?
Objection!
Did he scorn you?
Your Honor!
Mr. Walsh.
Love or money, money or love,
what was the motive
for murder?
FRUTT: Move to strike.
WILCOX: Mr. Walsh!
(music playing)
FRUTT: Look, technically,
this doesn't affect our defense.
With a psychotic break,
motive isn't in play.
What other--
Let's not kid ourselves.
It matters.
I am so sorry.
It happened three years ago.
I just--
sometimes I would get
so lonely, Kevin.
Well,
I never deluded myself
into thinking that
and I was always afraid
that you'd...
turn to someone else
for what you couldn't get
from me.
To go to him?
Any word?
No.
I persuaded the judge
to let me give a summation,
so we go back in
tomorrow morning.
Summation?
I can't give up on this, Eugene.
Well, how did you
persuade the judge?
Did you go in ex parte?
Yes.
Jamie, you can't do that.
Please don't start with me.
What start?
It's just that you can't do--
I would really appreciate
you not leaning on me right now
and just letting me
finish this closing.
Could you do that?
Are you okay?
(music playing)
MAN: Here you go, sir.
Oh, jeez!
Oh, I'm sorry.
Bobby!
Oh, my God. Sarah?
How are you?
I'm great. You?
Fine, fine.
I thought you left Boston.
Well, I'm back.
D.C. summers were too hot.
I'm at Wickham now,
private practice.
Wickham?
Yes.
Well, that's a good firm.
It is. It is.
Great. Married?
No, no. One day, I hope.
Well, you look...
fabulous.
Thank you.
You do too.
Um, I'm actually running late.
I would love
to catch up sometime.
That'd be great.
Good to see you.
You too.
Yeah.
FRUTT: No prior history
of any violence.
She came home dazed that day
with no memory
of what had happened.
She had had prior blackouts,
and as the medical experts
told you,
she suffered from a syndrome
known as caregiver's burnout.
It broke her.
The daily, overwhelming burden
of having to care
for a quadriplegic
with almost no help, no money,
coupled with a rage
against a man
who refused to help her,
it broke her.
Even Derek Healy's own wife
told you
that when she spoke to Nancy
on the phone that day,
she sounded
like she was going to snap.
Well,
she did snap.
And the trauma
of taking a human life
suppressed her memory.
WALSH: How convenient.
She kills,
forgets she kills,
then lines up
for her inheritance.
Oh, and by the way,
she just happened to have slept
with the guy that she took
the fire poker to.
Come on.
The only person that can support
these memory lapses,
this dazed condition,
is her husband,
the man who also
has a strong motive
to defend his wife,
the man who also profits
from the killing.
Here's what we have.
The defendant
and her ex-lover
argue the day before.
She tells him
he should be put out
of his misery.
She says, "That's the solution."
The next day,
she kills him
knowing she'll inherit.
Exactly, how long
is this summation?
(door closes)
Jamie, it's understandable
for a lawyer to be anxious,
especially a young one,
but this is a motion.
It's not a trial so--
It's a motion to dismiss
and the client is a friend.
And--
I asked before.
I'll ask you again.
Are you okay?
You can talk to me.
It might even help.
I'm fine.
I am anxious, but...
I'm fine.
Okay.
I was date raped once.
Four years ago.
I didn't report it.
I was too afraid of the stigma,
so maybe this case has...
stirred things up a bit.
You didn't report it?
I couldn't even remember
what I said yes to.
So what, he drugged you?
Yes.
So I don't know.
Maybe I'm not being
exactly objective
about this case and if so,
I'm sorry.
Did you go to counseling
for this or--
You're the first person
I've even told.
Don't ask me
why I'm telling you.
Jamie, Lucy works
for rape crisis.
Maybe she can--
I'm past it now, but thank you.
Jamie,
this is something
you need to deal with.
I did deal with it.
I moved on.
Clearly, you haven't.
I need to get to work
on my closing.
I told you this
in confidence, Eugene,
and I'm gonna ask you
to respect it.
FRUTT: There's gonna be some
media floating around.
So why don't you go wait
on that witness room
and we'll find out
what's going on.
Okay.
Ellenor, Jimmy.
How'd you like
my little bombshell?
You're quite pleased
with yourself.
Anyway, we have a verdict.
Excuse me?
11:00 last night.
Jury's coming back
in about an hour.
See you then, I guess.
This isn't good.
No, it isn't.
What's up?
The jury has a verdict.
We'll be called
in about an hour.
(music playing)
(door closes)
BERLUTI:
Look, it means nothing.
They spend so much time
together.
It probably has no relevance
to anything.
BARKER: I still love
the justice department,
but, uh,
I guess I wanna buy
a house one day,
so private practice it was.
Well,
it certainly looks good on you.
Thank you.
Bobby, what's going on?
What do you mean?
Why are we having coffee?
Well, like you said, to...
catch up and--
I see.
Let's catch up then,
how's your marriage?
If you have to think about it,
maybe you shouldn't be
having coffee
with a woman you used
to sleep with.
I didn't mean anything
other than--
I'm very faithful
to my wife.
Uh-huh.
And are you being faithful
to her at this moment?
Yes.
I'm just having coffee,
not with someone
who I used to sleep with,
but...
someone who--
Who what?
Who doesn't seem to mind
my company.
I don't always get that.
Ah.
So I take it your marriage
is important to you.
Very.
Then maybe you should make use
of this free time
and spend it with your wife.
There's no record
of anybody saying anything
or anybody even considering
her status
as a rape victim.
No evidence that it was a factor
in any decision not to hire her.
All we have
is the paper-thin allegation
supported by nothing
that it must have been
because she was raped.
And even if she's right,
even if they could show
she wasn't hired
because she was raped
and they can't,
the law does not recognize
crime victims
as a protected class
for the purpose
of bringing a lawsuit.
Accordingly, Your Honor,
you have no legal choice
but to dismiss this complaint.
Of course there's going to be
no record of it.
No lawyer is ever going
to write down
or say aloud,
"Gee, I really liked her,
but that rape thing."
It's just easier to say,
"I didn't get a good feel."
I agree,
but that's your problem,
counsel.
Interviews are just that
getting a feel for a person.
They're not scientific.
And prospective employers
can reject a candidate
for a whole host of reasons.
But being raped
is not one of them.
Says who?
As Mr. Hall points out,
there's no special protection
for crime victims.
But if she was perceived
as being sexually damaged--
Where's the showing of that?
If allowed to conduct discovery,
I could make a showing.
Ms. Stringer,
it's tough enough
to fire a person in this country
without being subjected
to a lawsuit.
Now, you're asking me to create
a brand new cause of action
for those people
not even hired yet.
And it's hard enough
to be raped
without then having to endure
a stigma.
Rape victims
are still perceived of as angry,
damaged, less than.
As a result,
women are encouraged by society
to keep it to themselves,
and for God sakes,
don't talk about it.
Andrea Cote is a rape survivor.
And one of the ways
she's survived
is by talking about it.
She shouldn't have to stay
in a closet.
A woman is forcibly raped
every six minutes
in this country.
Let me say it again.
Every six minutes.
You're getting off track.
No, I'm not!
Jamie.
There are a lot
of rape survivors out there.
They're beginning
to constitute
a significant portion
of our society,
and...
we're out there.
We're all around you.
But we stay quiet
and things stay a secret
because there's
an implied pressure, uh...
don't talk about it.
Well,
we're out there.
You seem
to be getting emotional,
if you can make
a legal argument...
My legal argument
would be public policy.
This country spends
millions of tax dollars
on rape prevention,
medical facilities,
rape crisis units.
We pass rape shield laws.
We have rape victims' funds.
We have a public policy
to integrate rape survivors
into society
to make them whole.
Not hiring someone
because she was raped
violates that public policy,
and accordingly,
affords my client
a cause of action.
(music playing)
Two things,
first,
you argued an excellent case.
Your legal analysis was strong.
Who knows,
you may even get the judge
to recognize rape victims
as a status class.
Second,
Jamie,
you need to recognize yourself
as a rape victim.
Like the judge said,
your emotion
was all over that room.
This thing--
talk to Lucy.
(door opens)
KEVIN: Time to go?
No. We still have a few minutes.
I figured it out.
Nancy,
her feeling of being drugged.
She was drugged.
She slept through the day.
You made the phone call to Lori.
Lori drove over,
drove Nancy's car back,
pulled into the garage.
She kills her husband,
dabs Nancy's shoe in the blood,
and drives back.
Nancy wakes, has no memory
of what happened.
You tell her
she's been out somewhere.
Nancy eventually believes it
because she knows
she's had blackouts before
on other occasions
where you've drugged her.
And when Nancy made the threat
about putting him
out of his misery,
the timing was perfect.
Do it the next day.
And how would you propose
that I drugged her
when I can't even move my hands?
Sedatives on my lips?
Lori took care of that
when she made the coffee
the night before.
Well,
if this fantastic tale
were true,
why would I then participate
in my wife's defense
and...
testify on her behalf at trial?
Because either you felt a need
to play your part
to the fullest
or you really don't want
Nancy in jail.
The only goal
was to kill your brother
and get away with it.
You make me sound villainous.
Wheelchair-bound people
are victims.
We're weak.
You know that.
FRUTT: Here's the problem,
Kevin.
If Nancy gets convicted,
which is a real possibility,
she's going away for life,
and I won't be able to undo it.
So the question is,
"How villainous are you?"
Gonna let your wife
go away, Kevin,
after all she's done for you?
All she's done?
She cheated on me.
Anyway, she's not going
to go away
because you're a wonderful
attorney, Ellenor,
and you've just tried
a splendid case.
Don't sell yourself short.
(knocks on door)
(door opens)
The jury's coming in.
(music playing)
Madam foreperson,
the jury has reached a verdict?
We have, Your Honor.
Will the defendant please rise?
What say you?
In the matter of the
Commonwealth versus Nancy Healy
on the charge of murder
in the second degree,
we find the defendant,
Nancy Healy,
guilty.
WILCOX: The jury is dismissed
with the thanks of the court.
We're adjourned.
(gavel bangs)
FRUTT: I'm sorry.
We'll start pursuing appeals.
NANCY: Okay.
KEVIN: I'm so sorry, honey.
Who's gonna take care of you?
I'll be okay.
OFFICER: This way, ma'am.
FRUTT: Nancy is my client.
I can go to the police
with my theory.
Please do.
I'm sure they'll be
as entertained by it as I was.
(music playing)
Where is everyone?
Lunch.
Well, then I guess I'll go eat.
You want me
to pick you up something?
No, thanks.
Want to...
go to lunch?
Uh, I would love to,
but if someone isn't here
to watch the phones,
Eugene gives birth.
Okay.
Lucy, could I talk to you
for a second?
Yeah, sure.
Well, uh--
(telephone rings)
Uh, one second.
Donnell, Young, and Frutt.
Uh-huh.
Thank you.
That was the clerk's office.
You won your motion.
What?
Motion to dismiss was denied.
Oh, wow.
Congratulations.
What did you wanna talk about?
Well, I--
it--
Are you okay?
What's wrong?
Um...
nothing.
It was a...
big case.
(music playing)
WOMAN: You stinker!
(music playing)
Previously on "The Practice"
Why are you so angry?
DOLE: For pretending,
day after day after day
that my husband's
in love with me
when I know he's not.
Lindsay, for God's sake,
of course I love you.
DOLE: I know you love me,
but...
I miss being adored.
Look, the idea of splitting up
is unmentionable.
But Bobby,
other than our son,
it is so dead in this home
and has been for a while.
I know this isn't
what you wanna hear.
NANCY: No, it isn't.
FRUTT: I'm not saying
we can't win on the elements,
but the blood on your shoe
and the fact that
you were seen coming and going,
not to mention the threat.
With insanity,
even in victory,
she's gonna be locked up.
FRUTT: No, she only goes away
until she gets better,
which, from what the doctors
are telling us,
could be soon.
This is a circumstantial case.
What she did
and what they can prove
are two very different things.
You said so yourself.
FRUTT: Look, we'll do
what you want us to do,
but we're telling you,
Nancy,
your best chance
at seeing freedom again,
your best chance by far,
is insanity.
And Kevin, I may be
stepping over the line here,
but the reason I think
you're resisting the idea
of your wife being insane
is because you feel
responsible for it.
(music playing)
MARGARET: My sons
didn't get along.
They were pretty much
estranged
ever since the accident.
WALSH: Which accident
was that, Mrs. Healy?
Derek's son, Justin was 16.
He had his learner's permit.
He was driving.
Kevin was with him.
WALSH: To clarify,
Kevin is the defendant's
husband?
MARGARET: Yes,
and Derek's younger brother.
Anyway, Justin was driving.
Kevin was in the car
when the accident occurred.
Justin was killed.
Kevin was paralyzed.
Derek blamed Kevin,
claiming his lack
of supervision.
They became estranged
and remained so.
To your knowledge,
what was Derek's relationship
with the defendant?
That had also deteriorated.
Nancy became Kevin's
primary caregiver.
And as you can imagine,
it's been extremely burdensome.
There were insurance problems,
money issues,
and Nancy couldn't understand
why Kevin's own brother
wouldn't help out.
Well, you say money issues.
Actually,
the financial situation
was desperate, wasn't it?
The problem with insurance,
there's a lifetime cap.
In this case, $750,000.
They exhausted that
in three years.
Basically, Derek was well-off
but wouldn't help
with his brother's care?
Yes.
And this, in fact,
enraged the defendant,
didn't it?
Objection leading.
WALSH: Withdrawn.
Did you have an opportunity
to witness an argument
between Nancy Healy
and the victim
the day before his death?
Yes.
What did you observe, ma'am?
Well, I was visiting Derek
and she came over.
They got into it again.
WALSH: Did you hear
the defendant make any threats?
Yes.
It escalated to a point
where Derek said something like,
"Gee, if he's so bad off,
maybe he should be
put out of his misery."
And Nancy responded,
"No, Derek,
somebody should put you
out of your misery."
And then she said,
"Maybe that's the solution."
FRUTT: When Nancy said this,
did you believe
she was forming the intent
to kill Derek?
Obviously not.
And when you talked
to the police,
you described
Nancy's psychological
state of mind,
didn't you?
Yes.
FRUTT: Could you please
tell the jury
what you told the police?
For several months
preceding the killing,
she seem to be
increasingly erratic.
The insurance thing,
she felt very deceived.
It made her incense.
And erratic?
Yes.
In my opinion, she was having
some kind of nervous breakdown.
What do you mean
you can't get hired?
I can't.
Andrea, you made law review.
You clerked.
What, you have a criminal record
or something?
Close.
When I was 14,
I was raped.
It comes up in my interviews
and my prospects
hit the floor with a thud.
It comes up
in your interviews?
How many have you had?
Including callbacks,
over 30.
And it always comes up?
Pretty much.
I took some time off
for treatment,
so the little gap
in my resume,
I explain it.
Do you think it's wise
to bring it up?
I mean, law firms
aren't exactly looking
to hire rape victims.
This is what I'm assuming.
Who would you sue?
The law firms.
She already has sued and--
All 30 of them?
STRINGER: Yes.
She's claiming industry bias.
Against rape victims?
Here's the complaint
and supporting memoranda.
It's pretty good.
Thing is, they brought a motion
to dismiss yesterday
and now,
there's an evidentiary hearing--
Slow down.
Andrea has to testify,
so she basically needs
co-counsel.
That's why she asked
for our help.
Well, have any of these firms
said that her status
as a rape victim
was why they didn't hire her?
Of course not.
But zero for thirty?
Come on.
Jamie!
It's a solid test case,
Eugene.
What, rape victims
as a class?
I know it's tough
which means...
it would be a lot of help
if there were a senior litigator
there with me.
They might be more inclined
to settle.
Please?
(sighs)
It's you.
Me?
The problems,
as you describe them,
it all goes
by your own admission
to your, uh...
inability to share your life,
your unwillingness to.
I didn't exactly
say that, doctor.
Yes, you did.
Look, here's the deal.
You like being alone.
She doesn't.
So what do we do about it?
Well, we go to work on it
that is, if you want to.
Of course I do.
Well, I'm not so sure
about that.
You're here
because your marriage
feels like it's failing.
You're here because,
for the sake of your son,
you wanna repair
the deficits.
But that's different
from actually desiring
a partnership.
From where I sit,
I think you crave isolation.
LORI: She called me
just past 3:00,
asking if I could come over.
The defendant called you?
Which wasn't unusual.
I filled in a lot,
caring for Kevin.
It gave her a chance
to get out of the house.
And lately,
it seemed like she needed it.
So even though your husband
was estranged from his brother,
you weren't?
No.
In fact, it was an issue
between Derek and me.
I thought he should contribute.
The reality is our son
caused the accident
which paralyzed Kevin.
WALSH: Okay.
Going back to the day
Derek was killed,
you got a phone call
from Nancy?
Yes.
She asked
if I could watch Kevin
while she did a few errands.
I agreed.
I went over there around 4:00.
Nancy returned
a little after 6:00.
I then went home,
where I found Derek.
Dead?
Yes.
He was bleeding
from the head.
And you called the police?
Yes.
And what did you say?
That I thought
Nancy killed him.
When Nancy returned home,
how did she appear?
Very disoriented.
And you mentioned that,
lately,
you had actually
been increasing your role
as nurse for Kevin?
LORI: Yes.
I was doing night shift
twice a week.
The last month,
I was there a lot.
Why?
Well, Nancy was becoming
less competent.
She'd forget things.
One time, Kevin was in bed
for almost the whole day
while she slept on the floor.
She'd taken some pills
or something.
BERLUTI: Did you talk to her
about this?
LORI: Yes. I tried to get her
to get help of her own,
counseling,
but she'd just go off
on how she couldn't afford it.
Going back to the day
your husband died,
when you got the call
from Nancy,
asking you to come over,
how did she sound to you?
Not good.
She sounded like
she was going to snap.
Your husband received money
as part of a family trust.
Isn't that right?
Yes.
And upon his death,
that money
would then go to Kevin.
Also correct?
Yes.
Would Nancy Healy
have known this?
Yes, she would.
I don't even think
I called her.
I don't even think
I called her.
Honey, they have
the phone records.
Maybe she wants me convicted.
Anybody think about that?
Lori is your friend.
She's not gonna lie.
Why didn't you
cross her better?
You were mush!
Look...
we need to stay united
and focus on our defense.
Tomorrow's gonna be a long day.
She thinks I'm insane.
Sweetheart...
it's our legal defense.
If I go away,
who takes care of you?
Who takes care of you?
(music playing)
COTE: Overall...
of the 30 initial interviews,
I talked about being raped
all but seven times.
I got seven callbacks.
I'll let you guess
which ones.
Why bring it up at all?
Certainly, rape does not make
for a fun conversation.
No, it doesn't.
The truth is
I never talked about it,
not even to my closest friends.
I always thought that
I could outrun the memory
and that one morning,
I would finally wake up unraped.
But during my clerkship,
I began to suffer
from some emotional problems,
anxiety.
I got therapy
and discovered much of it
was brought on
by my own feelings
of shame and guilt.
So your therapist encouraged
you to talk about it?
Yes.
Unfortunately,
people don't wanna hear it.
During all these interviews,
did anyone make any
inappropriate remark
concerning your being raped?
No.
Do you have any evidence,
testimonial, paper
where you can show,
but for your being raped,
you would have been hired
at a particular firm?
At a particular firm?
No, I have no hard evidence.
Thank you, Andrea.
That's all.
You may step down.
Your Honor, clearly, there's no
prima facie case here.
And even if you could show
a smoking gun,
Massachusetts is an at will
employment state,
which means, legally,
they can hire
whoever they want
without any--
I'd like to call Jason McNeil.
Ms. Stringer...
He's sitting right there.
He's one of the defendants.
I'd like to ask him
a few questions.
We'll take a 20-minute break,
then resume with Mr. McNeil.
Excuse us.
Why did you do that?
I didn't think
Andrea held up too well
in cross,
so I figure, what's to lose?
Maybe the guy
will say something to help us.
Jamie, if you don't know
what a witness will say,
you don't call them.
That's cross-examination 101.
The case
is a long shot, Eugene,
so--
Exactly.
So the last thing we need
is for the defense
to get to button the motion
with their side.
STRINGER: The judge
was about to rule.
YOUNG: This witness isn't
going to admit to anything.
Odds are,
he'll have you for lunch,
and then the judge will rule,
all right.
Jamie, think.
If that fails,
at least check with me.
KEVIN: So she had come home
at about 5:00,
and...
she looked well,
like Lori said, in a daze.
This was when she got back
from your brother's?
KEVIN: Yes.
Then, she lay down
for about an hour.
And then when she woke up,
she said that...
she had no memory of even going
to my brother's house.
Did you believe her?
I did.
Because this sort of thing
had happened before.
She had blackouts
for extended periods of time.
It was brought on
by a syndrome called
caregiver's burnout.
Caregiver's burnout?
It's basically a state
of emotional
and mental exhaustion.
Mrs. Healy demonstrated
many of the symptoms,
inability to sleep,
thoughts of suicide,
feelings of hopelessness.
The syndrome can be
especially pronounced
when the caregiver
is also the spouse.
She had to wash me,
dress me, feed me,
assist me in going
to the bathroom,
and then...
clean me up
after I'd been to the bathroom.
It was full-time,
around the clock.
It became her life.
And the problem is
they start to see themselves
exclusively as caregivers.
Now, when this happens
with patients
whose condition
isn't improving--
She was plunging into depression
and hopelessness.
And some days, she would
just amble around the house,
feeling completely disoriented.
GABLER: Add to that the rage
against the brother
for not helping,
my opinion is,
it triggered a psychotic break.
But wouldn't she at least
remember it?
No.
Because she suffered
from a form
of traumatic amnesia.
What she did
was so shocking,
she basically blocked it out.
WALSH: How can you prove
she's not faking amnesia?
We obviously can't prove it,
but in my professional opinion,
she has no memory
of committing this act.
Yes, well,
in my professional experience,
the killer
usually denies doing it.
And then,
once you catch them, it's,
"Oh, gee, amnesia."
Objection.
WALSH: Withdrawn.
When did this traumatic shock
kick in, doctor?
Probably as soon
as she committed the act
and realized it.
After she had taken the time
to wipe the fire poker
clean of her prints?
Possibly.
I can't say for sure.
And all these symptoms
of burnout you spoke of,
thoughts of suicide,
sleeplessness, hopelessness,
did you actually witness
those symptoms, doctor?
They were corroborated
by her husband.
Yes, her husband.
He had the same
financial motive to kill
as his wife, didn't he?
Objection.
Objection.
That went as well
as we could have hoped.
You held up extremely well,
Kevin.
So what happens now?
You.
You happen.
FRUTT: You just need
to tell your story, Nancy.
Expect for Walsh
to come at you
with everything he's got.
But do not dodge,
do not hide.
Simply tell the truth.
Our main mission here
is to let the jury see you
as a human being.
Okay.
We're doing very well.
We just need to hang in there
a little bit longer.
I remember her mentioning
she'd been raped,
but it certainly didn't factor
into my decision.
Why didn't you hire her?
Counsel,
we see so many applicants,
all with excellent transcripts
from top-rate law schools.
In the end,
many of the final calls
come from the gut.
And your gut said,
"Don't hire Andrea Cote"?
MCNEIL: I didn't form
any negative conclusions
toward her.
I guess I just had more positive
reactions to others.
Because they hadn't
been raped?
Of course not.
She made law review.
She was a finalist
in the New England
Moot Court Competition.
McNEIL: She's very qualified.
But if you look at our hires
over the last year,
you'll see that they, too,
are extremely talented.
STRINGER: Mr. McNeil,
I have no doubt that
you are an honorable man.
Reminding you that
you are under oath,
are you telling this court
that Andrea Cote's status
as a rape victim
didn't inform a little
on your decision
not to hire her?
Ms. Stringer, I indeed like
to think of myself
as an honorable man.
I'm a proud member
of the bar
and an officer of this court.
And I will tell you
categorically,
her status as a rape victim
played no part whatsoever
in my determination.
NANCY: My head would get,
um, I don't know,
loopy sometimes
like I was drugged
or something.
The doctor said
it was from stress.
Sometimes I would get this
incredible fatigue
and I would go to sleep.
And I guess I would wake up,
but I wouldn't wake up
really.
I have no memory of even going
to Derek's house that day.
And this kind of blackout,
had it happened before?
Two other times.
Like half a day
would be a blank.
But your anger
toward the victim,
that you remember?
Definitely.
I think...
he was a vile person.
I'm not defending
my killing him,
but I very much hated him.
I won't pretend otherwise.
Do you remember saying to him
that he should be
put out of his misery?
That was a figure of speech.
I promise you,
I never formed an intent
to kill him
or to become violent.
Whatever happened
in that house...
happened,
but I had to be acting
outside of myself.
If you don't remember,
how can you be sure
you didn't form
a plan that day to kill him?
Because I'm not a murderer,
Mr. Walsh.
Are you a liar?
No.
An honest person?
Yes, I am.
I see.
So the hatred you felt
for your brother-in-law
was because he wouldn't
contribute money
to your husband's care?
That was the main thing,
but he was a bad human being
in many other ways.
So you could never see
yourself loving him,
I guess?
Could you see yourself
making love to him?
You see...
Derek once confided something
to his mother.
I had planned to ask her
on the stand,
but then I thought
how much more exciting
it would be
to ask you.
Did you ever have an affair
with the victim, Mrs. Healy?
Blackout?
No memory of it?
Did you ever have
sexual intercourse
with Derek Healy?
It happened.
WALSH: You just told the jury
you were an honest person.
Is that your idea
of honest behavior
sleeping with your husband's
brother?
Objection!
Did he scorn you?
Your Honor!
Mr. Walsh.
Love or money, money or love,
what was the motive
for murder?
FRUTT: Move to strike.
WILCOX: Mr. Walsh!
(music playing)
FRUTT: Look, technically,
this doesn't affect our defense.
With a psychotic break,
motive isn't in play.
What other--
Let's not kid ourselves.
It matters.
I am so sorry.
It happened three years ago.
I just--
sometimes I would get
so lonely, Kevin.
Well,
I never deluded myself
into thinking that
and I was always afraid
that you'd...
turn to someone else
for what you couldn't get
from me.
To go to him?
Any word?
No.
I persuaded the judge
to let me give a summation,
so we go back in
tomorrow morning.
Summation?
I can't give up on this, Eugene.
Well, how did you
persuade the judge?
Did you go in ex parte?
Yes.
Jamie, you can't do that.
Please don't start with me.
What start?
It's just that you can't do--
I would really appreciate
you not leaning on me right now
and just letting me
finish this closing.
Could you do that?
Are you okay?
(music playing)
MAN: Here you go, sir.
Oh, jeez!
Oh, I'm sorry.
Bobby!
Oh, my God. Sarah?
How are you?
I'm great. You?
Fine, fine.
I thought you left Boston.
Well, I'm back.
D.C. summers were too hot.
I'm at Wickham now,
private practice.
Wickham?
Yes.
Well, that's a good firm.
It is. It is.
Great. Married?
No, no. One day, I hope.
Well, you look...
fabulous.
Thank you.
You do too.
Um, I'm actually running late.
I would love
to catch up sometime.
That'd be great.
Good to see you.
You too.
Yeah.
FRUTT: No prior history
of any violence.
She came home dazed that day
with no memory
of what had happened.
She had had prior blackouts,
and as the medical experts
told you,
she suffered from a syndrome
known as caregiver's burnout.
It broke her.
The daily, overwhelming burden
of having to care
for a quadriplegic
with almost no help, no money,
coupled with a rage
against a man
who refused to help her,
it broke her.
Even Derek Healy's own wife
told you
that when she spoke to Nancy
on the phone that day,
she sounded
like she was going to snap.
Well,
she did snap.
And the trauma
of taking a human life
suppressed her memory.
WALSH: How convenient.
She kills,
forgets she kills,
then lines up
for her inheritance.
Oh, and by the way,
she just happened to have slept
with the guy that she took
the fire poker to.
Come on.
The only person that can support
these memory lapses,
this dazed condition,
is her husband,
the man who also
has a strong motive
to defend his wife,
the man who also profits
from the killing.
Here's what we have.
The defendant
and her ex-lover
argue the day before.
She tells him
he should be put out
of his misery.
She says, "That's the solution."
The next day,
she kills him
knowing she'll inherit.
Exactly, how long
is this summation?
(door closes)
Jamie, it's understandable
for a lawyer to be anxious,
especially a young one,
but this is a motion.
It's not a trial so--
It's a motion to dismiss
and the client is a friend.
And--
I asked before.
I'll ask you again.
Are you okay?
You can talk to me.
It might even help.
I'm fine.
I am anxious, but...
I'm fine.
Okay.
I was date raped once.
Four years ago.
I didn't report it.
I was too afraid of the stigma,
so maybe this case has...
stirred things up a bit.
You didn't report it?
I couldn't even remember
what I said yes to.
So what, he drugged you?
Yes.
So I don't know.
Maybe I'm not being
exactly objective
about this case and if so,
I'm sorry.
Did you go to counseling
for this or--
You're the first person
I've even told.
Don't ask me
why I'm telling you.
Jamie, Lucy works
for rape crisis.
Maybe she can--
I'm past it now, but thank you.
Jamie,
this is something
you need to deal with.
I did deal with it.
I moved on.
Clearly, you haven't.
I need to get to work
on my closing.
I told you this
in confidence, Eugene,
and I'm gonna ask you
to respect it.
FRUTT: There's gonna be some
media floating around.
So why don't you go wait
on that witness room
and we'll find out
what's going on.
Okay.
Ellenor, Jimmy.
How'd you like
my little bombshell?
You're quite pleased
with yourself.
Anyway, we have a verdict.
Excuse me?
11:00 last night.
Jury's coming back
in about an hour.
See you then, I guess.
This isn't good.
No, it isn't.
What's up?
The jury has a verdict.
We'll be called
in about an hour.
(music playing)
(door closes)
BERLUTI:
Look, it means nothing.
They spend so much time
together.
It probably has no relevance
to anything.
BARKER: I still love
the justice department,
but, uh,
I guess I wanna buy
a house one day,
so private practice it was.
Well,
it certainly looks good on you.
Thank you.
Bobby, what's going on?
What do you mean?
Why are we having coffee?
Well, like you said, to...
catch up and--
I see.
Let's catch up then,
how's your marriage?
If you have to think about it,
maybe you shouldn't be
having coffee
with a woman you used
to sleep with.
I didn't mean anything
other than--
I'm very faithful
to my wife.
Uh-huh.
And are you being faithful
to her at this moment?
Yes.
I'm just having coffee,
not with someone
who I used to sleep with,
but...
someone who--
Who what?
Who doesn't seem to mind
my company.
I don't always get that.
Ah.
So I take it your marriage
is important to you.
Very.
Then maybe you should make use
of this free time
and spend it with your wife.
There's no record
of anybody saying anything
or anybody even considering
her status
as a rape victim.
No evidence that it was a factor
in any decision not to hire her.
All we have
is the paper-thin allegation
supported by nothing
that it must have been
because she was raped.
And even if she's right,
even if they could show
she wasn't hired
because she was raped
and they can't,
the law does not recognize
crime victims
as a protected class
for the purpose
of bringing a lawsuit.
Accordingly, Your Honor,
you have no legal choice
but to dismiss this complaint.
Of course there's going to be
no record of it.
No lawyer is ever going
to write down
or say aloud,
"Gee, I really liked her,
but that rape thing."
It's just easier to say,
"I didn't get a good feel."
I agree,
but that's your problem,
counsel.
Interviews are just that
getting a feel for a person.
They're not scientific.
And prospective employers
can reject a candidate
for a whole host of reasons.
But being raped
is not one of them.
Says who?
As Mr. Hall points out,
there's no special protection
for crime victims.
But if she was perceived
as being sexually damaged--
Where's the showing of that?
If allowed to conduct discovery,
I could make a showing.
Ms. Stringer,
it's tough enough
to fire a person in this country
without being subjected
to a lawsuit.
Now, you're asking me to create
a brand new cause of action
for those people
not even hired yet.
And it's hard enough
to be raped
without then having to endure
a stigma.
Rape victims
are still perceived of as angry,
damaged, less than.
As a result,
women are encouraged by society
to keep it to themselves,
and for God sakes,
don't talk about it.
Andrea Cote is a rape survivor.
And one of the ways
she's survived
is by talking about it.
She shouldn't have to stay
in a closet.
A woman is forcibly raped
every six minutes
in this country.
Let me say it again.
Every six minutes.
You're getting off track.
No, I'm not!
Jamie.
There are a lot
of rape survivors out there.
They're beginning
to constitute
a significant portion
of our society,
and...
we're out there.
We're all around you.
But we stay quiet
and things stay a secret
because there's
an implied pressure, uh...
don't talk about it.
Well,
we're out there.
You seem
to be getting emotional,
if you can make
a legal argument...
My legal argument
would be public policy.
This country spends
millions of tax dollars
on rape prevention,
medical facilities,
rape crisis units.
We pass rape shield laws.
We have rape victims' funds.
We have a public policy
to integrate rape survivors
into society
to make them whole.
Not hiring someone
because she was raped
violates that public policy,
and accordingly,
affords my client
a cause of action.
(music playing)
Two things,
first,
you argued an excellent case.
Your legal analysis was strong.
Who knows,
you may even get the judge
to recognize rape victims
as a status class.
Second,
Jamie,
you need to recognize yourself
as a rape victim.
Like the judge said,
your emotion
was all over that room.
This thing--
talk to Lucy.
(door opens)
KEVIN: Time to go?
No. We still have a few minutes.
I figured it out.
Nancy,
her feeling of being drugged.
She was drugged.
She slept through the day.
You made the phone call to Lori.
Lori drove over,
drove Nancy's car back,
pulled into the garage.
She kills her husband,
dabs Nancy's shoe in the blood,
and drives back.
Nancy wakes, has no memory
of what happened.
You tell her
she's been out somewhere.
Nancy eventually believes it
because she knows
she's had blackouts before
on other occasions
where you've drugged her.
And when Nancy made the threat
about putting him
out of his misery,
the timing was perfect.
Do it the next day.
And how would you propose
that I drugged her
when I can't even move my hands?
Sedatives on my lips?
Lori took care of that
when she made the coffee
the night before.
Well,
if this fantastic tale
were true,
why would I then participate
in my wife's defense
and...
testify on her behalf at trial?
Because either you felt a need
to play your part
to the fullest
or you really don't want
Nancy in jail.
The only goal
was to kill your brother
and get away with it.
You make me sound villainous.
Wheelchair-bound people
are victims.
We're weak.
You know that.
FRUTT: Here's the problem,
Kevin.
If Nancy gets convicted,
which is a real possibility,
she's going away for life,
and I won't be able to undo it.
So the question is,
"How villainous are you?"
Gonna let your wife
go away, Kevin,
after all she's done for you?
All she's done?
She cheated on me.
Anyway, she's not going
to go away
because you're a wonderful
attorney, Ellenor,
and you've just tried
a splendid case.
Don't sell yourself short.
(knocks on door)
(door opens)
The jury's coming in.
(music playing)
Madam foreperson,
the jury has reached a verdict?
We have, Your Honor.
Will the defendant please rise?
What say you?
In the matter of the
Commonwealth versus Nancy Healy
on the charge of murder
in the second degree,
we find the defendant,
Nancy Healy,
guilty.
WILCOX: The jury is dismissed
with the thanks of the court.
We're adjourned.
(gavel bangs)
FRUTT: I'm sorry.
We'll start pursuing appeals.
NANCY: Okay.
KEVIN: I'm so sorry, honey.
Who's gonna take care of you?
I'll be okay.
OFFICER: This way, ma'am.
FRUTT: Nancy is my client.
I can go to the police
with my theory.
Please do.
I'm sure they'll be
as entertained by it as I was.
(music playing)
Where is everyone?
Lunch.
Well, then I guess I'll go eat.
You want me
to pick you up something?
No, thanks.
Want to...
go to lunch?
Uh, I would love to,
but if someone isn't here
to watch the phones,
Eugene gives birth.
Okay.
Lucy, could I talk to you
for a second?
Yeah, sure.
Well, uh--
(telephone rings)
Uh, one second.
Donnell, Young, and Frutt.
Uh-huh.
Thank you.
That was the clerk's office.
You won your motion.
What?
Motion to dismiss was denied.
Oh, wow.
Congratulations.
What did you wanna talk about?
Well, I--
it--
Are you okay?
What's wrong?
Um...
nothing.
It was a...
big case.
(music playing)
WOMAN: You stinker!
(music playing)