The Guardian (2001) s02e11 Episode Script
No Good Deed
POLLACK: Your Honor, I am outraged at Mr.
Fallin's insensitivity.
Mr.
Debord suffers from A.
B.
I.
, Acquired Brain Injury, a tearing of the brain's long connecting nerve fibers.
And yes, an A.
B.
I.
Sufferer will occasionally experience temper flare-ups and frustration.
But using his injury against my client to take his children violates basic notions of fundamental fairness.
We're not here to determine what's fair for Mr.
Debord, We're concerned about the welfare of his children.
If his wife wants to leave him over an injury he suffered on a construction site to earn money for his family, then that's her choice.
But she doesn't have the right, Sir, to take his children.
We're asking that Mr.
Debord's supervised visits be discontinued until such time as he is no longer a physical threat to his children.
On the last visit, Mr.
Debord threw a glass at his 9-year-old daughter.
She required 15 stitches MAN: Mr.
Debord threw that glass at the wall in frustration.
JUDGE LUTZ: Mr.
Pollack, is this gentleman with you? Gary Tuggle, director of the Acquired Brain Injury Institute.
Yes, Mr.
Pollack attached some of your literature to his brief.
TUGGLE: Then you understand the difficulties A.
B.
I.
Sufferers encounter when they enter the legal system.
I've had to modify Mr.
Debord's visitation rights on Now, I'm afraid, they'll have to be temporarily suspended.
TUGGLE: But, Judge, l Your literature claims that treatment therapy and counseling can have wondrous effects on A.
B.
I.
Victims.
I need to see that for myself.
Come back in 6 months with a doctor's affidavit, and I'll consider reinstating supervised visits.
POLLACK: Sir, with all due respect, Mr.
Debord's daughter, Adrienne, turns 10 tomorrow.
He would like to see her, Sir.
One hour, tomorrow, at Legal Services, with Social Services present.
[Judge pounds gavel.]
Mr.
Fallin, your client wants to stay in the system until he's 21? NICK: That's correct.
Jesse Caputo turns 18 in to be removed from the Allegheny County Children's Shelter at that time.
Over the last year and a half, I've seen Mr.
Caputo 4 times for group home violations.
That's right.
He's sold phone cards, illegal phone cards, from his room.
He was also caught with a quarter ounce of marijuana, and he ran a craps game that involved several of the group home's staff.
Right.
Jesse, I'm curious.
Why should I allow you to stay in a system that you so obviously do not respect? Um, well, Judge, I'm I'm doing good now.
I'm gonna graduate high school this afternoon.
Barely graduate.
Well, true, but my diploma is not gonna have my grades on it, so it'll just look like everyone else's.
Mr.
Caputo, do you believe you can keep yourself out of trouble? Yes, I do, 'cause 'cause I want to go to college, Judge Damsen.
But I can't see doing that if I don't have a place to live.
All right.
Show me you're serious.
Earn enough money, legally, to pay a quarter of their first year's tuition by your 18th birthday, and I'll let you stay in the system till you're 21.
Otherwise, you will be placed out of the group home.
Oh, man, that that was outstanding.
Now all I got to do, is is go talk to my mom.
She'll give me the money.
You think that's a good idea? Yeah, well, she told me when I was, you know, when I was a kid that if I ever got into college, she would pay for it.
My, uh uh, kids Mr.
Debord, l I don't kids.
Listen, man, later.
I have a graduation ceremony.
I can I can still, uh, be Excuse me, please.
L listen, I can - Hey, hey Listen, please! Doug.
Doug! He's just trying to communicate with you Yeah, I don't care.
Seriously, man, listen.
My graduation ceremony, it's gonna be outstanding.
Information on Acquired Brain Injury, and an invitation to come to a lecture by a leading neurologist next Saturday.
Hey, you know what? I have another hearing.
You should attend so you can be better informed when responding to our appeal! [Man singing.]
Well, there is trouble in my mind There is dark There's dark, and there is light There is no order There is chaos And there is crime There is no one home tonight In the empire of my mind There is trouble in my mind All the chaos In my mind Uhh.
Hey.
So Pinnacle Point sent us that are not organized in any useful way.
Uh, what happened to the office boy we just hired? I fired him.
Every time I turned around he was at the copy machine making flyers for his band.
Yeah, well, we need someone.
Fine.
I'm I'm gonna bring in my cousin.
Is that that kid Rudy who worked here last summer? What's wrong with Rudy? Hygiene.
Well, OK, we need somebody Yeah, I'll find someone.
Just give me 24 hours.
[Sighs.]
WOMAN: Hi, Burton.
Good to see you.
- Nice to see you.
- Yeah.
Ah, this is a beautiful office.
Oh, thank you very much.
Yeah, well, it's a nice surprise.
Here, sit down.
Oh.
So how you been? I'm happy to see you.
Same here.
But, uh, not not so good.
Oh, really? What's going on? Well, um, my house there was a fire.
Oh.
When was that? Shannon said she wasn't feeling well, so I left her on the couch and went to work.
And she fell asleep smoking a cigarette, set the couch on fire.
Well, is she all right? Yeah, she's fine.
She's in trouble, but she's fine.
What about the house? Uh, there's so much smoke damage, you know? There's a hole in the roof, and, uh damn.
The guy came to give me an estimate, and he said it would be about $60,000.
Were you insured? Oh, yeah, that's what I wanted to talk to you about.
You see they Well, they say I didn't pay my premium.
So did they, uh, they send you anything besides this? You know, the letter they always send me, telling me I'm past due.
Do you have a copy of that? No it's it's in my motel room.
12 years old, that's 7 years ago.
It's all we could afford.
Yeah, well, it's, uh I mean, well, it's Yeah, it's Why aren't you at school? I missed the bus.
Hey, Burton.
Hey, Shannon, how you doing? Good.
So, I heard you started a little fire, huh? Yeah.
Well, you shouldn't smoke, you know.
- You smoke.
- Not in bed.
Oh, yeah, thanks.
So that must have been pretty scary, huh? - Yeah.
- I'll bet.
Um Mary, listen, I got an idea.
Why don't you guys just come stay at my house? No.
Shannon could stay in Nick's old room, you could take the guest room.
You could borrow my my other car if you want.
No.
We we we couldn't.
Mary, come on.
This place sucks.
Yeah, why not? You won't see me there.
I'm hardly ever there anyway.
And Shannon's right This sucks.
[Christmas music playing.]
Alvin, what's this? Jesse Caputo's graduation present, from the clinic.
What's it doing on my desk? For you to give it to him at the graduation.
I'm not going to the graduation.
It's tradition that an L.
S.
P.
Lawyer I'm not an L.
S.
P.
Lawyer, Alvin.
You've been Jesse's lawyer for almost 18 months, Nick.
The kid looks up to you.
[Alvin sighs.]
I'll credit your hours.
WOMAN: Attention, the graduate celebrations start at 7:00 P.
M.
Hey, man, you made it.
All right, outstanding.
Cool ceremony, huh? I don't really know anybody, but This is for you.
- Oh, what's this? - I don't know.
Oh, a gift certificate for books, outstanding.
Huh.
I want to go see my mom now.
I want her to see me in my cap and gown.
Well, you'll have to arrange that with Social Services.
Oh, right.
Hey, you could supervise me.
Uh, well, uh, actually, no.
Well, if you could represent me in court, why can't you take me to see my mom? Well, Alan, you have made a practice of, uh, accepting my client's late payments.
Up to two months late, if I'm not mistaken.
She makes a claim, you're demanding prompt payment.
I mean We extended Mrs.
Gressler courtesies in the past.
You took her money, knowing that it's always sent in late.
And you figured that if she ever files a claim prior to a late payment, you'll just deny the coverage.
You and I have done this before.
You know I can only give you 20% of the claim value, just to put this behind us.
Alan, you pay the full claim, or I'll I'll file suit.
[Knock on door.]
Jesse, what are you doing here? I just came by to say hey and let you know that I graduated from high school today.
I can see that.
Who's your friend? - Oh, Mr.
Fallin, my mom.
- Hi.
Mr.
Fallin's my lawyer.
He's top notch, been helping me out with my legal stuff.
Anyway, today the court said that I can't stay in a group home after my 18th birthday, unless I'm enrolled in college.
So So? So you said if I ever got into college, you'd pay for it.
That don't sound like something I'd say.
Yeah, you know, when I was 13, I asked if I could go to college, and, you know, even though even if I wasn't any good at football.
- Don't you remember? - No.
Well, can we come in for a bit? I don't have any money.
Mom, forget about the money.
I just wanted to come by in my cap and gown and show you that, you know, no matter how bad things were, I still made it.
So you don't have to feel so bad.
[Baby crying.]
[Sighs.]
Who's baby is that? - That's my baby.
- I have a brother? A sister, a half sister.
Can I see her? I'm real glad you done OK for yourself, but you can't come around here anymore.
I have a husband and he don't know about you, and I don't have any money.
[Bolts door lock.]
- That was outstanding.
- Yeah.
Seeing my mom dressed like this.
I bet she was kinda proud, you know? Yeah, I'm sure she was.
Hey, you know my name Caputo? - Mm-hmm.
- That's not it.
Really.
It's Simkins.
That's my dad's name.
Yeah, you've told me this.
Played quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks.
Number 19, just like Johnny Unitas.
Right.
Then he was the third leading passer in the league in 1985.
And then he got killed in some accident on Interstate 5 after my mom had me.
You've mentioned it.
But the cool thing is that, like, my dad was pretty famous.
He was good at something, you know? So there you go.
Runs in the family.
Yeah, may be.
Uh, hey, listen, man.
Can you drive me around for a couple hours? So I can run into a few places and get a job? You know, like the gas and goods.
You know, Jesse, I'm kind of busy right now.
Come on, Mr.
Fallin, you heard what the judge said.
If I don't raise enough money in 3 months, I'm gonna be on the streets.
Maybe you could convince her to give me some more time.
You know, why don't you come by the office tomorrow morning? I really need some temp help.
What's temp help? Well, you run some errands, you be the office boy.
- Just for the holidays, OK? - Outstanding! Mr.
Fallin, this is the best decision you've ever made.
You'll see, I'm gonna be the best guy that works at your firm.
I'm so sorry about this, Burton.
I have to pull a double tonight.
Oh, hey, don't worry about it.
We'll be fine.
I don't get off till 4:00 A.
M.
I'll be real quiet coming in.
You have a key to the house to get back in? Yeah.
Are you sure this is all right? Oh, I love the company.
I can't remember the last time I've had a kid in the house, but [Laughs.]
She likes you.
Well, I like her.
Who doesn't? She thinks you're, um oh, what's the word? Old.
- No.
- No? A gentleman.
You're a gentleman.
- Well, buy that.
- Yeah.
Shannon.
What? I want you to turn the TV off and go to bed.
I'm in the middle of my show.
Oh, come here.
I want you to turn the TV off and go to bed.
Ok, honey? - Yeah.
- Bye-bye.
Bye, Burton.
- Ok, see you later.
- See ya.
So? So, what do you wanna do? Well, I think your grandmother just told you, you have to go to bed, right? Can I have a coke? Uh, all I have is tonic water and seltzer, so Seltzer's gross.
Well, you ever had it with chocolate syrup and milk? - Uh-uh.
- Huh? It's called an egg cream.
You ever had one of those? - No.
- Wanna try one? - Yeah, Sure.
- All right.
We'll see we'll see how gross it is.
One egg cream coming up.
And then you gotta go to bed.
Hey, so I got here at Pinnacle Point case, right? Your trainee was already here waiting outside the office.
Hey! Morning, Mr.
Fallin.
Morning, Jesse.
Mr.
Straka told me what the case was about and what the other side wanted from you guys, so I just categorized everything by year, and then I broke it down into press releases, promotional materials, internal memos, emails, and whatever these things are.
Government filings.
Well, whatever they are, they're all in date order from oldest to the most recent.
Good work, Jesse.
When you're done sorting the other documents, I'll show you how to bate stamp them.
Actually, I think I might need Jesse for a while.
- No, but this document - Find someone else.
- Who? - Cousin Rudy.
WOMAN ON INTERCOM: Mr.
Straka, Mr.
Merrick is here to see you.
We're gonna talk about this later, OK? Listen.
You know, I want to learn everything about the firm I can now because, you know, after college, I want to go to law school, and then after that, I can come and work here with you.
Outstanding.
Yeah.
So, what should I do now? You want me to clean your office? Well, if you want to know how things work, follow me around for the day, take some notes, and just keep quiet, OK? Ok.
I have a deposition on the north side, then I have a meeting at Legal Services.
Let's go.
- Mr.
Fallin - Yeah? Thanks, man.
- Hey, hey, hey, no hugs.
- All right.
All right, let's go.
Alan, here's a copy of every canceled check from the last 5 years.
There's 20 late payments in there, all accepted by keystone mutual, which to me is proof of an established course of conduct, making your refusal to pay unlawful.
But still, Burton Alan, what do you think a jury's gonna do when I tell them that you put a woman and her granddaughter out on the street? Especially when I bring up the subject of punitive damages.
You're going to litigate a $60,000 claim? Only if you make me.
Burton, I'm just trying to shave a few bucks off the full value.
Makes me look good back at the home office.
I'm sure we can work something out.
I understand that position usually, but not not in this case.
We need the full payment, or we're gonna litigate.
OK.
Hmm.
Don't do anything yet.
Let me talk to my supervisor.
I'm sure we can resolve this first thing tomorrow.
Good.
Well, Wait a minute, wait a minute.
Tomorrow's well, tomorrow's no good for me.
Uh The day after tomorrow.
All right? OK.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Burton bought me a new DVD.
Yeah? Yeah, and he helped me get ready for my test on the great depression.
You know, Burton was alive during that.
Did you know that? I didn't.
Well, I was very young.
I'm gonna watch my movie.
Well, you two had fun.
Yeah, we did.
Hey, what are you doing? You don't have to do that.
It makes me feel better if I can help out.
I've got a girl that does that.
Let me lend a hand, OK? All right.
Oh, listen, I talked to that insurance guy, and things are getting a little complicated, and he won't budge an inch, so l I threatened to sue him.
Thank you.
I'm sorry it's taking so long.
It's just a lot of bureaucratic nonsense that Oh, by the way, you're you're not working tonight, right? No.
I thought it'd be fun if we all had dinner together.
Oh.
Someplace nice like Giselle's, so l I made a reservation.
Burton, you don't have to do that.
I know you lost most of your clothes, so I had Gretchen go over to Kaufmann's and pick out a couple of things for you guys to wear.
- Burton Look, it's just dinner, OK? Burton, men don't always understand me.
Because, well, I've been in experiences where I'm saying one thing, and the men want to believe I'm saying something else.
Yeah? So I just want to make sure that you understand we're friends.
I do.
Good.
Because I really do admire you, and respect you, and Mary, you know, I have the same problem.
You do? Yeah, with women.
I don't know.
For some reason, they always They always want to sleep with me, and I don't like to lead 'em on, but, you know, first thing I know I've broken their hearts, and I I don't want to do that with you.
[Giggles.]
What is the matter with you? It's a couple of damn dresses and dinner.
Let's have dinner, OK? - OK.
JESSE: Hey, this is so cool.
I've only been here as a client, you know? Hey, maybe I'll work here, too.
Hey, Mr.
Fallin, how did you get this job? Just have a seat.
JESSE: This is outstanding.
We'll be in the meeting room.
[Phone rings.]
WOMAN: Legal Services.
[Christmas music playing.]
Hi, you must be Mr.
Debord.
The woman from Social Services is running a little late, so just have a seat, we'll be right Mr.
Debord! Down! Under the table! WOMAN: Over here! There's someone with a gun at Legal Services.
All right, you stay here, don't make a sound.
You stay with them.
MR.
DEBORD: Where are kids? You took No, l I didn't MR.
DEBORD: I want No, I was trying to help you to get the help that you need.
Sir, if you could just calm down.
Where are they?! MAN: They're not here, Mr.
Debord.
Just calm down.
Need! Mr.
Debord, put the gun down, and we can go and we can go and we can talk about this in my office.
I'm We'll go in my office.
We'll just talk about this.
We can work it out, OK? Mr.
Debord MAN: Don't! NICK: Jesse, no! [Gasps.]
I didn't I didn't Sorry, I didn't mean to Jesse Jesse I didn't mean to do that.
Did I get shot? My shirt, I just bought it.
- Get back! Get back! - Oh, my God! Who are you? I'm a oh, my God.
Who are you? I'm I'm I'm, um l'm a public defender.
With the early intervention unit.
I was sent here to represent you.
I have lawyer! Is your lawyer here? No.
That's why they sent me.
To help you to help you get out of this mess I want my daughters! Ok, good, good.
I can arrange that for you.
No, you can't.
I'm in trouble.
The prosecutor has offered me a deal for you.
OK? No jail, you can see your daughters every day.
But you have to put the gun down.
No jail.
No jail, just help.
That's all, just help.
I'm your lawyer.
Huh.
I am your lawyer.
You have to trust me.
But this deal is not good if you don't put the gun down, OK? Come on, please, you have to put the gun down.
You're my lawyer? Yes, I am.
I'm just here to help you.
OK.
UGH! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! MAN: You you were right there? Do you have any information on the victim? Yeah.
His file's He was living in the Allegheny County Children's Shelter.
Orphan? No, his mother, uh Cynthia Caputo she lives in Mckees Rocks.
Hey.
Where's Nick? He went with the boy to the hospital.
I was supposed to go to the symphony tonight.
I left my tickets in my desk.
That's the only reason why I came back up.
Well go home, get some rest.
- Miss Olsen? - Yes? Joshua Pollack, Doug Debord's lawyer.
OK.
I need to know what you said to him.
Exactly.
Uh I don't know I mean, just what I had to, I guess.
He's claiming he was promised a deal that's totally unrealistic.
Right.
Well, you know, I, uh You lied to Mr.
Debord.
Yeah, of course I did.
You lied to him.
Nicholas? Yeah.
Alvin called.
Are you all right? Yeah, I'm I'm fine.
I'm fine.
I'm fine.
I just you know the kid.
Yeah, well Well, can l can I get you something? No thanks.
Thanks, Dad, no.
God, it must've been terrible.
Listen, maybe, uh Maybe I should spend the night over here.
What do you think? No, Dad, you don't have to do that.
Well, you look a little shaken, son.
Dad, I'm fine, really.
- You sure? - Yes.
All right.
I need to change.
TV ANNOUNCER: This is "KDKA TV News" at 11:00.
With Patrice King Brown, Ken Rice SHANNON: Burton! Burton! NEWS ANCHORMAN: Earlier tonight, police arrested a man they say [Shannon sobbing.]
Hey, hey, hey, what's happening? What's wrong, honey? - Bad dream.
- Abad dream? I was all alone in my old house.
- It was burning.
- Oh.
And then there was a knock at the door.
It was my mom, and I couldn't move.
I was just stuck there.
Oh, yeah.
The fire with my mom.
Yeah, I know.
That's terrible.
That's what dreams are.
You can't move I know.
You want some water or something? - Are you hungry? - No.
Well, Mary Mary ought to be home pretty soon now, OK? - Burton? - Yeah? Can you stay here? You want me to stay here with you? - Yeah.
- Sure, sure.
Lie down.
Let me turn this light off.
Just lie down there.
Close your eyes and try not to think about it, OK? Bad dreams suck, right? Yeah.
That guy Tuggle and his brain injury institute filed a petition against me with the disciplinary committee.
They're actually saying that I made him believe he was getting legitimate legal counsel when he wasn't.
L I mean, I did lie to him, but No, no, no.
Don't take it seriously.
Nick, you've been in front of the committee.
You got a lunatic to put his gun down.
You deserve a key to the city.
Well, I could still be disciplined.
NICK: Oh I told the man I was there to represent him.
- You know, I did.
I lied.
- I'll represent you, OK? Uh, you know what? No, Nick, I don't think it's a good idea.
Why not? Because you've been in front of the board yourself.
Well I came here to ask you about the guy that represented you.
Michael Stone.
- OK, is he good? - Yeah.
Well, would you contact him for me? Sure.
Thank you.
Um, the boy Jesse, how's he doing? Oh, he's gonna be out of surgery.
I have to get over to the hospital to speak to his doctor.
Really? Do you want me to go with you? No.
No, thanks.
I'll contact Stone.
The bullet entered his cheek, shattered his sinus cavity, and caused a contusion in the front of his brain.
He's gonna need several more surgeries.
He's gonna survive, though? He's a strong kid.
His vitals are great.
He made it through this surgery with no problems.
- Will he fully recover? - No.
With the areas of the brain that have been damaged, he'll he'll have language difficulty, lose the ability for cognitive reasoning, memory loss.
What can I do? Just what you're doing.
He needs friends, family, people to help him through this time.
Do you want to see him? Uh It's no problem.
He's right in there.
He could use a familiar face.
Hey, Jesse.
I just spoke to the doctor.
I wanted to thank you for what you did.
You shouldn't have done it.
[Knock on door.]
I called Michael Stone's office.
He's not available for the next month.
Great.
You know, I've been doing research, and it's not good.
There's precedent.
In Colorado a few years ago, a prosecutor posed as a defense attorney to help capture a rapist, and his license was suspended.
So? So, exigent circumstances are not an excuse for deception by an officer of the court.
You argue that the intent of the disciplinary rule is to prevent lawyers from lying for their own personal gain.
You didn't do that.
You lied to help other people.
Yeah, but in the Colorado case The prosecutor in Colorado captured a felon.
He got a conviction.
He gained from it professionally.
You didn't.
Let me represent you.
Hey.
Hey.
How you doing? Come on in? How are you? - OK.
- Yeah? Hey, just sit down for a minute.
How's your son? Oh, he's fine, he's fine.
I went over there, and he's doing fine.
You know, he's a big boy.
He didn't seem to need me much.
- I don't believe that.
- No, it's true.
When he was a little boy, he was like that.
He's a he's a tough little kid.
He'd have a problem with something, I'd try to give him money or help him with things, and he always seemed to find a way to say, "no, thanks.
" - Really? - Yeah.
- You know what I think? - What? I think you work too hard.
I know.
I know.
Yeah.
Do me a favor, will you? Sure.
Come over here a minute.
You sit right back here.
- Right here.
- Why? OK, Just sit down there and face that way.
Lean back and relax, OK? Now, I used to be pretty good at this.
You are good.
Heh Yeah.
How's that? I think my daughter was kind of like your son.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
She didn't want anything until she wanted everything.
You know, the stuff that parents do, the stuff that you do to keep things from falling apart she just rejected that.
And then, you know, out of nowhere, there's this major problem, and one that I can't really fix, and that's when she comes to me for help.
I know how that goes.
The trick is you never let them know you're helping them.
You're lucky you have another shot at it, though.
Yes.
Thank you.
No, no, hey, hey, what are you doing? Come here.
Come back here.
Look, l No, it's good.
Just got started.
Just relax, OK? I'm not really used to people taking care of me.
Well, you should be.
Why? You deserve it.
The affidavit from the dean of your law school is solid.
What is the name of the judge that you clerked for? Judge McHenry.
Well, we're still waiting on an affidavit from him.
OK.
- Now the committee - Nick.
The committee now, they're gonna say that by condoning your actions, it might open the doors for other lawyers to deceive and then claim their intentions were honorable.
- Nick - They're gonna say that the law is the law, and that you agreed to abide by the rules of our profession when you were sworn in.
Here is the first thing that we do.
We completely humiliate Tuggle.
We make him seem like a zealot who is using the situation for his own political purposes.
Nick, will you look at me for a second? What is it? - You think this is a good idea? - Yes.
You're acting like you hate the Committee and Tuggle, and you should remember that this is just a legal issue, not personal.
No, you're wrong.
It is personal.
It's personal.
There's not a strong legal argument to be made here.
I'm gonna argue this on a very emotional level, Lulu.
Well, what if they feel like they have to follow precedent? You saved Debord from doing more harm.
You didn't gain a thing by doing it.
You did what every other human being wishes they were able to do in that situation.
Lulu, there were a half a dozen lawyers in the room.
We all wish that we could've lied as well as you did then.
Burton We've drafted a release stating she'll make no other claim and that she accepts this amount.
She signs it, we'll cut the check tomorrow.
OK.
Great, Alan.
Any other lawyer, we would've dragged this out for months.
So next time we butt heads, I want you to remember this and thank me.
I will, I will.
Thanks, Alan.
Take care.
NICK: His injuries are very severe.
The cops gave me the details.
He's gonna need a lot of care.
- I don't have any money.
- I'm not here for your money.
What do you want? Jesse is gonna need someone to make medical decisions for him.
I wouldn't know how to do that.
I wasn't expecting you to.
I was planning on doing it myself.
I just Mrs.
Caputo, I need your permission.
OK.
And the doctor said that things from his childhood may help stimulate brain function, and I was wondering if you had any of his old things.
- Not really.
- Any photographs? I don't think so.
I have some of his dad's clippings.
You know, football cards.
- Football cards? - Yeah.
Jesse's real into that.
On account of his dad being a pro quarterback.
Yeah.
Mrs.
Caputo I've seen Jesse's file.
I know who his father is.
You do? Yeah, I do he lives he's a 67 -year-old alcoholic, he used to beat you, and he's never shown any interest in Jesse at all.
Don't tell him that.
He loved that football player story so much.
Don't tell him the truth.
Wait here.
I'll get you the football cards.
SHANNON: Hey, Burton.
- Hey.
- Why the long face? - I don't have a long face.
- You were scowling.
Well, never mind that.
How'd you do on that test? B-minus.
B-minus? Wow.
Maybe a little celebration's in order here, huh? OK.
Pizza, go to a movie after? Really? - Yeah.
- Cool.
Oh, if it's OK with your grandmother.
Well it's fine with me.
Great, thanks.
I'll get my coat.
OK.
She was supposed to be grounded.
Oh, my God.
Oh oh, I'm sorry.
No, watching you with her makes me realize maybe I'm too hard on her.
No, you're not.
Yeah.
You're so good with kids.
You know how to talk to them as equals and not talk down to them.
You are.
Well, I wasn't always Well, with Shannon, I guess it's just easy.
She's Not with me.
Oh, well, anyway, good news, Mary.
The insurance company came through with the settlement.
Yeah? Yeah.
$60,000 worth.
Heh heh heh! Oh, thank you! Oh! So, I was thinking about this, Mary, coming home, and I think it would be a good idea if you put it in the bank.
Some of it in a Roth I.
R.
A.
, some of it in a CD, and just use it to pay for Shannon's college.
That's a good idea, Burton, but we've gotta have a place to live.
Well, I was thinking you could stay on here a while longer.
- Save the money.
- What do you mean? Mary, it's a great big house.
And the school district, by the way, is terrific.
Burton, uh, thank you, you know.
Thank you.
I'm gonna raise Shannon.
It's my second chance.
You know, my second chance.
Yeah.
I have to do it, you know, for her.
My way, you know.
No, no, I understand.
Um But thank you.
Well, anyway, this is this is the release form.
You have to sign this before they'll give you the money, so when you get a chance - OK.
- Ready? Yeah.
So, why don't we see one of those Adam Sampson movies you like so much? - Sandler.
- I knew that.
You coming, Mary? No.
I'm gonna stay here and pack our things.
Pack? Where are we going? We got our money.
So, we can rent a place and fix up our house.
Oh, cool.
Thanks, Burton.
- Yeah.
OK.
- You two have fun.
- All right.
Ready? - Yeah.
- See you later.
- Bye.
Louisa Olsen lied.
She misrepresented herself to Doug Debord.
And this committee, unless they want to create a precedent for ethics committees across the country, has no choice but to sanction her.
Louisa Olsen knows she broke the rules of professional conduct.
Knowing that, Miss Olsen only wishes she'd just lied a few moments earlier.
If she had, she may have prevented a shooting in which a 17 -year-old kid was shot in the head at close range.
But what happened to that kid, what Doug Debord did that afternoon, isn't why we're here today.
The only thing that seems to matter in this room is that Louisa Olsen lied to a man brandishing a gun and shooting innocent people.
She lied.
And 15 adults and 7 children children hiding under tables and behind chairs can attest to that fact, and so can I.
I watched her as she stood out in the open with a gun pointed at her head, and I can tell you firsthand, she lied.
Before you make your decision, given the exigent circumstances that legally have no bearing here, given the lives saved, given the life basically lost, let me tell you something.
The lawyer you're about to sanction is one of the finest, kindest, most honest, one of the best people you'll ever meet best I know.
So punish her because she lied for no other reason than to help other people.
Sanction her.
She must deserve it.
How'd it go? pending a 6-month probation.
Oh, that's great, you won't have to miss a day of work.
Right.
Uh, Nick You did a great job in there.
Thank you.
Judge Damsen I spoke with Jesse Caputo's mother.
She's agreed to allow me to be his medical guardian.
If you'll approve me.
That's a major responsibility, Mr.
Fallin.
I understand that.
Instead of being a dependent until he's 21, he'll be one the rest of his life.
I can do this.
Fine.
This This won't take long.
I just went over the annual report.
And, quite frankly, this year's the low point in the history of this firm.
Billing was down, revenue was down.
I can't even remember the last time we landed a big client.
So I'm challenging each and every one of you to recommit to the firm.
That's a commitment that I need.
So if anybody in here is not willing to give 110% from this point on, let me remind you that Kirk and McGee is right across the street.
NICK: Jesse Look, I spoke to your mom and I spoke to Judge Damsen, and they've both agreed to let me be your medical guardian, so it's good.
And I brought some stuff for you to, uh look at.
It's your dad's stuff.
His football cards.
You can You can just look at 'em.
MAN: Mr.
Fallin, got your call.
I'll do everything I can.
Thank you.
So I'll just put them here for you, OK? How's Jesse doing? Not good.
I'm sorry.
Uh, nick, you know, those things you said in court today about me? Yeah? Did you mean them? I was just representing my client.
I know.
You know me, Lulu.
I just like to win.
Right.
Lulu.
- Yeah? I meant most of them.
Fallin's insensitivity.
Mr.
Debord suffers from A.
B.
I.
, Acquired Brain Injury, a tearing of the brain's long connecting nerve fibers.
And yes, an A.
B.
I.
Sufferer will occasionally experience temper flare-ups and frustration.
But using his injury against my client to take his children violates basic notions of fundamental fairness.
We're not here to determine what's fair for Mr.
Debord, We're concerned about the welfare of his children.
If his wife wants to leave him over an injury he suffered on a construction site to earn money for his family, then that's her choice.
But she doesn't have the right, Sir, to take his children.
We're asking that Mr.
Debord's supervised visits be discontinued until such time as he is no longer a physical threat to his children.
On the last visit, Mr.
Debord threw a glass at his 9-year-old daughter.
She required 15 stitches MAN: Mr.
Debord threw that glass at the wall in frustration.
JUDGE LUTZ: Mr.
Pollack, is this gentleman with you? Gary Tuggle, director of the Acquired Brain Injury Institute.
Yes, Mr.
Pollack attached some of your literature to his brief.
TUGGLE: Then you understand the difficulties A.
B.
I.
Sufferers encounter when they enter the legal system.
I've had to modify Mr.
Debord's visitation rights on Now, I'm afraid, they'll have to be temporarily suspended.
TUGGLE: But, Judge, l Your literature claims that treatment therapy and counseling can have wondrous effects on A.
B.
I.
Victims.
I need to see that for myself.
Come back in 6 months with a doctor's affidavit, and I'll consider reinstating supervised visits.
POLLACK: Sir, with all due respect, Mr.
Debord's daughter, Adrienne, turns 10 tomorrow.
He would like to see her, Sir.
One hour, tomorrow, at Legal Services, with Social Services present.
[Judge pounds gavel.]
Mr.
Fallin, your client wants to stay in the system until he's 21? NICK: That's correct.
Jesse Caputo turns 18 in to be removed from the Allegheny County Children's Shelter at that time.
Over the last year and a half, I've seen Mr.
Caputo 4 times for group home violations.
That's right.
He's sold phone cards, illegal phone cards, from his room.
He was also caught with a quarter ounce of marijuana, and he ran a craps game that involved several of the group home's staff.
Right.
Jesse, I'm curious.
Why should I allow you to stay in a system that you so obviously do not respect? Um, well, Judge, I'm I'm doing good now.
I'm gonna graduate high school this afternoon.
Barely graduate.
Well, true, but my diploma is not gonna have my grades on it, so it'll just look like everyone else's.
Mr.
Caputo, do you believe you can keep yourself out of trouble? Yes, I do, 'cause 'cause I want to go to college, Judge Damsen.
But I can't see doing that if I don't have a place to live.
All right.
Show me you're serious.
Earn enough money, legally, to pay a quarter of their first year's tuition by your 18th birthday, and I'll let you stay in the system till you're 21.
Otherwise, you will be placed out of the group home.
Oh, man, that that was outstanding.
Now all I got to do, is is go talk to my mom.
She'll give me the money.
You think that's a good idea? Yeah, well, she told me when I was, you know, when I was a kid that if I ever got into college, she would pay for it.
My, uh uh, kids Mr.
Debord, l I don't kids.
Listen, man, later.
I have a graduation ceremony.
I can I can still, uh, be Excuse me, please.
L listen, I can - Hey, hey Listen, please! Doug.
Doug! He's just trying to communicate with you Yeah, I don't care.
Seriously, man, listen.
My graduation ceremony, it's gonna be outstanding.
Information on Acquired Brain Injury, and an invitation to come to a lecture by a leading neurologist next Saturday.
Hey, you know what? I have another hearing.
You should attend so you can be better informed when responding to our appeal! [Man singing.]
Well, there is trouble in my mind There is dark There's dark, and there is light There is no order There is chaos And there is crime There is no one home tonight In the empire of my mind There is trouble in my mind All the chaos In my mind Uhh.
Hey.
So Pinnacle Point sent us that are not organized in any useful way.
Uh, what happened to the office boy we just hired? I fired him.
Every time I turned around he was at the copy machine making flyers for his band.
Yeah, well, we need someone.
Fine.
I'm I'm gonna bring in my cousin.
Is that that kid Rudy who worked here last summer? What's wrong with Rudy? Hygiene.
Well, OK, we need somebody Yeah, I'll find someone.
Just give me 24 hours.
[Sighs.]
WOMAN: Hi, Burton.
Good to see you.
- Nice to see you.
- Yeah.
Ah, this is a beautiful office.
Oh, thank you very much.
Yeah, well, it's a nice surprise.
Here, sit down.
Oh.
So how you been? I'm happy to see you.
Same here.
But, uh, not not so good.
Oh, really? What's going on? Well, um, my house there was a fire.
Oh.
When was that? Shannon said she wasn't feeling well, so I left her on the couch and went to work.
And she fell asleep smoking a cigarette, set the couch on fire.
Well, is she all right? Yeah, she's fine.
She's in trouble, but she's fine.
What about the house? Uh, there's so much smoke damage, you know? There's a hole in the roof, and, uh damn.
The guy came to give me an estimate, and he said it would be about $60,000.
Were you insured? Oh, yeah, that's what I wanted to talk to you about.
You see they Well, they say I didn't pay my premium.
So did they, uh, they send you anything besides this? You know, the letter they always send me, telling me I'm past due.
Do you have a copy of that? No it's it's in my motel room.
12 years old, that's 7 years ago.
It's all we could afford.
Yeah, well, it's, uh I mean, well, it's Yeah, it's Why aren't you at school? I missed the bus.
Hey, Burton.
Hey, Shannon, how you doing? Good.
So, I heard you started a little fire, huh? Yeah.
Well, you shouldn't smoke, you know.
- You smoke.
- Not in bed.
Oh, yeah, thanks.
So that must have been pretty scary, huh? - Yeah.
- I'll bet.
Um Mary, listen, I got an idea.
Why don't you guys just come stay at my house? No.
Shannon could stay in Nick's old room, you could take the guest room.
You could borrow my my other car if you want.
No.
We we we couldn't.
Mary, come on.
This place sucks.
Yeah, why not? You won't see me there.
I'm hardly ever there anyway.
And Shannon's right This sucks.
[Christmas music playing.]
Alvin, what's this? Jesse Caputo's graduation present, from the clinic.
What's it doing on my desk? For you to give it to him at the graduation.
I'm not going to the graduation.
It's tradition that an L.
S.
P.
Lawyer I'm not an L.
S.
P.
Lawyer, Alvin.
You've been Jesse's lawyer for almost 18 months, Nick.
The kid looks up to you.
[Alvin sighs.]
I'll credit your hours.
WOMAN: Attention, the graduate celebrations start at 7:00 P.
M.
Hey, man, you made it.
All right, outstanding.
Cool ceremony, huh? I don't really know anybody, but This is for you.
- Oh, what's this? - I don't know.
Oh, a gift certificate for books, outstanding.
Huh.
I want to go see my mom now.
I want her to see me in my cap and gown.
Well, you'll have to arrange that with Social Services.
Oh, right.
Hey, you could supervise me.
Uh, well, uh, actually, no.
Well, if you could represent me in court, why can't you take me to see my mom? Well, Alan, you have made a practice of, uh, accepting my client's late payments.
Up to two months late, if I'm not mistaken.
She makes a claim, you're demanding prompt payment.
I mean We extended Mrs.
Gressler courtesies in the past.
You took her money, knowing that it's always sent in late.
And you figured that if she ever files a claim prior to a late payment, you'll just deny the coverage.
You and I have done this before.
You know I can only give you 20% of the claim value, just to put this behind us.
Alan, you pay the full claim, or I'll I'll file suit.
[Knock on door.]
Jesse, what are you doing here? I just came by to say hey and let you know that I graduated from high school today.
I can see that.
Who's your friend? - Oh, Mr.
Fallin, my mom.
- Hi.
Mr.
Fallin's my lawyer.
He's top notch, been helping me out with my legal stuff.
Anyway, today the court said that I can't stay in a group home after my 18th birthday, unless I'm enrolled in college.
So So? So you said if I ever got into college, you'd pay for it.
That don't sound like something I'd say.
Yeah, you know, when I was 13, I asked if I could go to college, and, you know, even though even if I wasn't any good at football.
- Don't you remember? - No.
Well, can we come in for a bit? I don't have any money.
Mom, forget about the money.
I just wanted to come by in my cap and gown and show you that, you know, no matter how bad things were, I still made it.
So you don't have to feel so bad.
[Baby crying.]
[Sighs.]
Who's baby is that? - That's my baby.
- I have a brother? A sister, a half sister.
Can I see her? I'm real glad you done OK for yourself, but you can't come around here anymore.
I have a husband and he don't know about you, and I don't have any money.
[Bolts door lock.]
- That was outstanding.
- Yeah.
Seeing my mom dressed like this.
I bet she was kinda proud, you know? Yeah, I'm sure she was.
Hey, you know my name Caputo? - Mm-hmm.
- That's not it.
Really.
It's Simkins.
That's my dad's name.
Yeah, you've told me this.
Played quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks.
Number 19, just like Johnny Unitas.
Right.
Then he was the third leading passer in the league in 1985.
And then he got killed in some accident on Interstate 5 after my mom had me.
You've mentioned it.
But the cool thing is that, like, my dad was pretty famous.
He was good at something, you know? So there you go.
Runs in the family.
Yeah, may be.
Uh, hey, listen, man.
Can you drive me around for a couple hours? So I can run into a few places and get a job? You know, like the gas and goods.
You know, Jesse, I'm kind of busy right now.
Come on, Mr.
Fallin, you heard what the judge said.
If I don't raise enough money in 3 months, I'm gonna be on the streets.
Maybe you could convince her to give me some more time.
You know, why don't you come by the office tomorrow morning? I really need some temp help.
What's temp help? Well, you run some errands, you be the office boy.
- Just for the holidays, OK? - Outstanding! Mr.
Fallin, this is the best decision you've ever made.
You'll see, I'm gonna be the best guy that works at your firm.
I'm so sorry about this, Burton.
I have to pull a double tonight.
Oh, hey, don't worry about it.
We'll be fine.
I don't get off till 4:00 A.
M.
I'll be real quiet coming in.
You have a key to the house to get back in? Yeah.
Are you sure this is all right? Oh, I love the company.
I can't remember the last time I've had a kid in the house, but [Laughs.]
She likes you.
Well, I like her.
Who doesn't? She thinks you're, um oh, what's the word? Old.
- No.
- No? A gentleman.
You're a gentleman.
- Well, buy that.
- Yeah.
Shannon.
What? I want you to turn the TV off and go to bed.
I'm in the middle of my show.
Oh, come here.
I want you to turn the TV off and go to bed.
Ok, honey? - Yeah.
- Bye-bye.
Bye, Burton.
- Ok, see you later.
- See ya.
So? So, what do you wanna do? Well, I think your grandmother just told you, you have to go to bed, right? Can I have a coke? Uh, all I have is tonic water and seltzer, so Seltzer's gross.
Well, you ever had it with chocolate syrup and milk? - Uh-uh.
- Huh? It's called an egg cream.
You ever had one of those? - No.
- Wanna try one? - Yeah, Sure.
- All right.
We'll see we'll see how gross it is.
One egg cream coming up.
And then you gotta go to bed.
Hey, so I got here at Pinnacle Point case, right? Your trainee was already here waiting outside the office.
Hey! Morning, Mr.
Fallin.
Morning, Jesse.
Mr.
Straka told me what the case was about and what the other side wanted from you guys, so I just categorized everything by year, and then I broke it down into press releases, promotional materials, internal memos, emails, and whatever these things are.
Government filings.
Well, whatever they are, they're all in date order from oldest to the most recent.
Good work, Jesse.
When you're done sorting the other documents, I'll show you how to bate stamp them.
Actually, I think I might need Jesse for a while.
- No, but this document - Find someone else.
- Who? - Cousin Rudy.
WOMAN ON INTERCOM: Mr.
Straka, Mr.
Merrick is here to see you.
We're gonna talk about this later, OK? Listen.
You know, I want to learn everything about the firm I can now because, you know, after college, I want to go to law school, and then after that, I can come and work here with you.
Outstanding.
Yeah.
So, what should I do now? You want me to clean your office? Well, if you want to know how things work, follow me around for the day, take some notes, and just keep quiet, OK? Ok.
I have a deposition on the north side, then I have a meeting at Legal Services.
Let's go.
- Mr.
Fallin - Yeah? Thanks, man.
- Hey, hey, hey, no hugs.
- All right.
All right, let's go.
Alan, here's a copy of every canceled check from the last 5 years.
There's 20 late payments in there, all accepted by keystone mutual, which to me is proof of an established course of conduct, making your refusal to pay unlawful.
But still, Burton Alan, what do you think a jury's gonna do when I tell them that you put a woman and her granddaughter out on the street? Especially when I bring up the subject of punitive damages.
You're going to litigate a $60,000 claim? Only if you make me.
Burton, I'm just trying to shave a few bucks off the full value.
Makes me look good back at the home office.
I'm sure we can work something out.
I understand that position usually, but not not in this case.
We need the full payment, or we're gonna litigate.
OK.
Hmm.
Don't do anything yet.
Let me talk to my supervisor.
I'm sure we can resolve this first thing tomorrow.
Good.
Well, Wait a minute, wait a minute.
Tomorrow's well, tomorrow's no good for me.
Uh The day after tomorrow.
All right? OK.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Burton bought me a new DVD.
Yeah? Yeah, and he helped me get ready for my test on the great depression.
You know, Burton was alive during that.
Did you know that? I didn't.
Well, I was very young.
I'm gonna watch my movie.
Well, you two had fun.
Yeah, we did.
Hey, what are you doing? You don't have to do that.
It makes me feel better if I can help out.
I've got a girl that does that.
Let me lend a hand, OK? All right.
Oh, listen, I talked to that insurance guy, and things are getting a little complicated, and he won't budge an inch, so l I threatened to sue him.
Thank you.
I'm sorry it's taking so long.
It's just a lot of bureaucratic nonsense that Oh, by the way, you're you're not working tonight, right? No.
I thought it'd be fun if we all had dinner together.
Oh.
Someplace nice like Giselle's, so l I made a reservation.
Burton, you don't have to do that.
I know you lost most of your clothes, so I had Gretchen go over to Kaufmann's and pick out a couple of things for you guys to wear.
- Burton Look, it's just dinner, OK? Burton, men don't always understand me.
Because, well, I've been in experiences where I'm saying one thing, and the men want to believe I'm saying something else.
Yeah? So I just want to make sure that you understand we're friends.
I do.
Good.
Because I really do admire you, and respect you, and Mary, you know, I have the same problem.
You do? Yeah, with women.
I don't know.
For some reason, they always They always want to sleep with me, and I don't like to lead 'em on, but, you know, first thing I know I've broken their hearts, and I I don't want to do that with you.
[Giggles.]
What is the matter with you? It's a couple of damn dresses and dinner.
Let's have dinner, OK? - OK.
JESSE: Hey, this is so cool.
I've only been here as a client, you know? Hey, maybe I'll work here, too.
Hey, Mr.
Fallin, how did you get this job? Just have a seat.
JESSE: This is outstanding.
We'll be in the meeting room.
[Phone rings.]
WOMAN: Legal Services.
[Christmas music playing.]
Hi, you must be Mr.
Debord.
The woman from Social Services is running a little late, so just have a seat, we'll be right Mr.
Debord! Down! Under the table! WOMAN: Over here! There's someone with a gun at Legal Services.
All right, you stay here, don't make a sound.
You stay with them.
MR.
DEBORD: Where are kids? You took No, l I didn't MR.
DEBORD: I want No, I was trying to help you to get the help that you need.
Sir, if you could just calm down.
Where are they?! MAN: They're not here, Mr.
Debord.
Just calm down.
Need! Mr.
Debord, put the gun down, and we can go and we can go and we can talk about this in my office.
I'm We'll go in my office.
We'll just talk about this.
We can work it out, OK? Mr.
Debord MAN: Don't! NICK: Jesse, no! [Gasps.]
I didn't I didn't Sorry, I didn't mean to Jesse Jesse I didn't mean to do that.
Did I get shot? My shirt, I just bought it.
- Get back! Get back! - Oh, my God! Who are you? I'm a oh, my God.
Who are you? I'm I'm I'm, um l'm a public defender.
With the early intervention unit.
I was sent here to represent you.
I have lawyer! Is your lawyer here? No.
That's why they sent me.
To help you to help you get out of this mess I want my daughters! Ok, good, good.
I can arrange that for you.
No, you can't.
I'm in trouble.
The prosecutor has offered me a deal for you.
OK? No jail, you can see your daughters every day.
But you have to put the gun down.
No jail.
No jail, just help.
That's all, just help.
I'm your lawyer.
Huh.
I am your lawyer.
You have to trust me.
But this deal is not good if you don't put the gun down, OK? Come on, please, you have to put the gun down.
You're my lawyer? Yes, I am.
I'm just here to help you.
OK.
UGH! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! MAN: You you were right there? Do you have any information on the victim? Yeah.
His file's He was living in the Allegheny County Children's Shelter.
Orphan? No, his mother, uh Cynthia Caputo she lives in Mckees Rocks.
Hey.
Where's Nick? He went with the boy to the hospital.
I was supposed to go to the symphony tonight.
I left my tickets in my desk.
That's the only reason why I came back up.
Well go home, get some rest.
- Miss Olsen? - Yes? Joshua Pollack, Doug Debord's lawyer.
OK.
I need to know what you said to him.
Exactly.
Uh I don't know I mean, just what I had to, I guess.
He's claiming he was promised a deal that's totally unrealistic.
Right.
Well, you know, I, uh You lied to Mr.
Debord.
Yeah, of course I did.
You lied to him.
Nicholas? Yeah.
Alvin called.
Are you all right? Yeah, I'm I'm fine.
I'm fine.
I'm fine.
I just you know the kid.
Yeah, well Well, can l can I get you something? No thanks.
Thanks, Dad, no.
God, it must've been terrible.
Listen, maybe, uh Maybe I should spend the night over here.
What do you think? No, Dad, you don't have to do that.
Well, you look a little shaken, son.
Dad, I'm fine, really.
- You sure? - Yes.
All right.
I need to change.
TV ANNOUNCER: This is "KDKA TV News" at 11:00.
With Patrice King Brown, Ken Rice SHANNON: Burton! Burton! NEWS ANCHORMAN: Earlier tonight, police arrested a man they say [Shannon sobbing.]
Hey, hey, hey, what's happening? What's wrong, honey? - Bad dream.
- Abad dream? I was all alone in my old house.
- It was burning.
- Oh.
And then there was a knock at the door.
It was my mom, and I couldn't move.
I was just stuck there.
Oh, yeah.
The fire with my mom.
Yeah, I know.
That's terrible.
That's what dreams are.
You can't move I know.
You want some water or something? - Are you hungry? - No.
Well, Mary Mary ought to be home pretty soon now, OK? - Burton? - Yeah? Can you stay here? You want me to stay here with you? - Yeah.
- Sure, sure.
Lie down.
Let me turn this light off.
Just lie down there.
Close your eyes and try not to think about it, OK? Bad dreams suck, right? Yeah.
That guy Tuggle and his brain injury institute filed a petition against me with the disciplinary committee.
They're actually saying that I made him believe he was getting legitimate legal counsel when he wasn't.
L I mean, I did lie to him, but No, no, no.
Don't take it seriously.
Nick, you've been in front of the committee.
You got a lunatic to put his gun down.
You deserve a key to the city.
Well, I could still be disciplined.
NICK: Oh I told the man I was there to represent him.
- You know, I did.
I lied.
- I'll represent you, OK? Uh, you know what? No, Nick, I don't think it's a good idea.
Why not? Because you've been in front of the board yourself.
Well I came here to ask you about the guy that represented you.
Michael Stone.
- OK, is he good? - Yeah.
Well, would you contact him for me? Sure.
Thank you.
Um, the boy Jesse, how's he doing? Oh, he's gonna be out of surgery.
I have to get over to the hospital to speak to his doctor.
Really? Do you want me to go with you? No.
No, thanks.
I'll contact Stone.
The bullet entered his cheek, shattered his sinus cavity, and caused a contusion in the front of his brain.
He's gonna need several more surgeries.
He's gonna survive, though? He's a strong kid.
His vitals are great.
He made it through this surgery with no problems.
- Will he fully recover? - No.
With the areas of the brain that have been damaged, he'll he'll have language difficulty, lose the ability for cognitive reasoning, memory loss.
What can I do? Just what you're doing.
He needs friends, family, people to help him through this time.
Do you want to see him? Uh It's no problem.
He's right in there.
He could use a familiar face.
Hey, Jesse.
I just spoke to the doctor.
I wanted to thank you for what you did.
You shouldn't have done it.
[Knock on door.]
I called Michael Stone's office.
He's not available for the next month.
Great.
You know, I've been doing research, and it's not good.
There's precedent.
In Colorado a few years ago, a prosecutor posed as a defense attorney to help capture a rapist, and his license was suspended.
So? So, exigent circumstances are not an excuse for deception by an officer of the court.
You argue that the intent of the disciplinary rule is to prevent lawyers from lying for their own personal gain.
You didn't do that.
You lied to help other people.
Yeah, but in the Colorado case The prosecutor in Colorado captured a felon.
He got a conviction.
He gained from it professionally.
You didn't.
Let me represent you.
Hey.
Hey.
How you doing? Come on in? How are you? - OK.
- Yeah? Hey, just sit down for a minute.
How's your son? Oh, he's fine, he's fine.
I went over there, and he's doing fine.
You know, he's a big boy.
He didn't seem to need me much.
- I don't believe that.
- No, it's true.
When he was a little boy, he was like that.
He's a he's a tough little kid.
He'd have a problem with something, I'd try to give him money or help him with things, and he always seemed to find a way to say, "no, thanks.
" - Really? - Yeah.
- You know what I think? - What? I think you work too hard.
I know.
I know.
Yeah.
Do me a favor, will you? Sure.
Come over here a minute.
You sit right back here.
- Right here.
- Why? OK, Just sit down there and face that way.
Lean back and relax, OK? Now, I used to be pretty good at this.
You are good.
Heh Yeah.
How's that? I think my daughter was kind of like your son.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
She didn't want anything until she wanted everything.
You know, the stuff that parents do, the stuff that you do to keep things from falling apart she just rejected that.
And then, you know, out of nowhere, there's this major problem, and one that I can't really fix, and that's when she comes to me for help.
I know how that goes.
The trick is you never let them know you're helping them.
You're lucky you have another shot at it, though.
Yes.
Thank you.
No, no, hey, hey, what are you doing? Come here.
Come back here.
Look, l No, it's good.
Just got started.
Just relax, OK? I'm not really used to people taking care of me.
Well, you should be.
Why? You deserve it.
The affidavit from the dean of your law school is solid.
What is the name of the judge that you clerked for? Judge McHenry.
Well, we're still waiting on an affidavit from him.
OK.
- Now the committee - Nick.
The committee now, they're gonna say that by condoning your actions, it might open the doors for other lawyers to deceive and then claim their intentions were honorable.
- Nick - They're gonna say that the law is the law, and that you agreed to abide by the rules of our profession when you were sworn in.
Here is the first thing that we do.
We completely humiliate Tuggle.
We make him seem like a zealot who is using the situation for his own political purposes.
Nick, will you look at me for a second? What is it? - You think this is a good idea? - Yes.
You're acting like you hate the Committee and Tuggle, and you should remember that this is just a legal issue, not personal.
No, you're wrong.
It is personal.
It's personal.
There's not a strong legal argument to be made here.
I'm gonna argue this on a very emotional level, Lulu.
Well, what if they feel like they have to follow precedent? You saved Debord from doing more harm.
You didn't gain a thing by doing it.
You did what every other human being wishes they were able to do in that situation.
Lulu, there were a half a dozen lawyers in the room.
We all wish that we could've lied as well as you did then.
Burton We've drafted a release stating she'll make no other claim and that she accepts this amount.
She signs it, we'll cut the check tomorrow.
OK.
Great, Alan.
Any other lawyer, we would've dragged this out for months.
So next time we butt heads, I want you to remember this and thank me.
I will, I will.
Thanks, Alan.
Take care.
NICK: His injuries are very severe.
The cops gave me the details.
He's gonna need a lot of care.
- I don't have any money.
- I'm not here for your money.
What do you want? Jesse is gonna need someone to make medical decisions for him.
I wouldn't know how to do that.
I wasn't expecting you to.
I was planning on doing it myself.
I just Mrs.
Caputo, I need your permission.
OK.
And the doctor said that things from his childhood may help stimulate brain function, and I was wondering if you had any of his old things.
- Not really.
- Any photographs? I don't think so.
I have some of his dad's clippings.
You know, football cards.
- Football cards? - Yeah.
Jesse's real into that.
On account of his dad being a pro quarterback.
Yeah.
Mrs.
Caputo I've seen Jesse's file.
I know who his father is.
You do? Yeah, I do he lives he's a 67 -year-old alcoholic, he used to beat you, and he's never shown any interest in Jesse at all.
Don't tell him that.
He loved that football player story so much.
Don't tell him the truth.
Wait here.
I'll get you the football cards.
SHANNON: Hey, Burton.
- Hey.
- Why the long face? - I don't have a long face.
- You were scowling.
Well, never mind that.
How'd you do on that test? B-minus.
B-minus? Wow.
Maybe a little celebration's in order here, huh? OK.
Pizza, go to a movie after? Really? - Yeah.
- Cool.
Oh, if it's OK with your grandmother.
Well it's fine with me.
Great, thanks.
I'll get my coat.
OK.
She was supposed to be grounded.
Oh, my God.
Oh oh, I'm sorry.
No, watching you with her makes me realize maybe I'm too hard on her.
No, you're not.
Yeah.
You're so good with kids.
You know how to talk to them as equals and not talk down to them.
You are.
Well, I wasn't always Well, with Shannon, I guess it's just easy.
She's Not with me.
Oh, well, anyway, good news, Mary.
The insurance company came through with the settlement.
Yeah? Yeah.
$60,000 worth.
Heh heh heh! Oh, thank you! Oh! So, I was thinking about this, Mary, coming home, and I think it would be a good idea if you put it in the bank.
Some of it in a Roth I.
R.
A.
, some of it in a CD, and just use it to pay for Shannon's college.
That's a good idea, Burton, but we've gotta have a place to live.
Well, I was thinking you could stay on here a while longer.
- Save the money.
- What do you mean? Mary, it's a great big house.
And the school district, by the way, is terrific.
Burton, uh, thank you, you know.
Thank you.
I'm gonna raise Shannon.
It's my second chance.
You know, my second chance.
Yeah.
I have to do it, you know, for her.
My way, you know.
No, no, I understand.
Um But thank you.
Well, anyway, this is this is the release form.
You have to sign this before they'll give you the money, so when you get a chance - OK.
- Ready? Yeah.
So, why don't we see one of those Adam Sampson movies you like so much? - Sandler.
- I knew that.
You coming, Mary? No.
I'm gonna stay here and pack our things.
Pack? Where are we going? We got our money.
So, we can rent a place and fix up our house.
Oh, cool.
Thanks, Burton.
- Yeah.
OK.
- You two have fun.
- All right.
Ready? - Yeah.
- See you later.
- Bye.
Louisa Olsen lied.
She misrepresented herself to Doug Debord.
And this committee, unless they want to create a precedent for ethics committees across the country, has no choice but to sanction her.
Louisa Olsen knows she broke the rules of professional conduct.
Knowing that, Miss Olsen only wishes she'd just lied a few moments earlier.
If she had, she may have prevented a shooting in which a 17 -year-old kid was shot in the head at close range.
But what happened to that kid, what Doug Debord did that afternoon, isn't why we're here today.
The only thing that seems to matter in this room is that Louisa Olsen lied to a man brandishing a gun and shooting innocent people.
She lied.
And 15 adults and 7 children children hiding under tables and behind chairs can attest to that fact, and so can I.
I watched her as she stood out in the open with a gun pointed at her head, and I can tell you firsthand, she lied.
Before you make your decision, given the exigent circumstances that legally have no bearing here, given the lives saved, given the life basically lost, let me tell you something.
The lawyer you're about to sanction is one of the finest, kindest, most honest, one of the best people you'll ever meet best I know.
So punish her because she lied for no other reason than to help other people.
Sanction her.
She must deserve it.
How'd it go? pending a 6-month probation.
Oh, that's great, you won't have to miss a day of work.
Right.
Uh, Nick You did a great job in there.
Thank you.
Judge Damsen I spoke with Jesse Caputo's mother.
She's agreed to allow me to be his medical guardian.
If you'll approve me.
That's a major responsibility, Mr.
Fallin.
I understand that.
Instead of being a dependent until he's 21, he'll be one the rest of his life.
I can do this.
Fine.
This This won't take long.
I just went over the annual report.
And, quite frankly, this year's the low point in the history of this firm.
Billing was down, revenue was down.
I can't even remember the last time we landed a big client.
So I'm challenging each and every one of you to recommit to the firm.
That's a commitment that I need.
So if anybody in here is not willing to give 110% from this point on, let me remind you that Kirk and McGee is right across the street.
NICK: Jesse Look, I spoke to your mom and I spoke to Judge Damsen, and they've both agreed to let me be your medical guardian, so it's good.
And I brought some stuff for you to, uh look at.
It's your dad's stuff.
His football cards.
You can You can just look at 'em.
MAN: Mr.
Fallin, got your call.
I'll do everything I can.
Thank you.
So I'll just put them here for you, OK? How's Jesse doing? Not good.
I'm sorry.
Uh, nick, you know, those things you said in court today about me? Yeah? Did you mean them? I was just representing my client.
I know.
You know me, Lulu.
I just like to win.
Right.
Lulu.
- Yeah? I meant most of them.