Bull (2016) s03e01 Episode Script

1 Sugar, yes, please Won't you come and put it down on me? I'm right here, 'cause I need Little love, a little sympathy Yeah, you show me good loving, make it all right Good morning, Mrs.
Valerian.
Good morning, Mr.
Valerian.
Happy tenth day anniversary.
I'll call in sick if you will.
I can't.
He's coming back in today.
It's his first day back since the heart attack.
Hey.
When's he due? Couple of hours.
It's gonna be weird.
You know he's not going to be the same guy.
Something like that, confronting your own mortality? That's got to change you.
A kinder, gentler Bull? How could he not be? Does he know we lost those two cases yet? Not unless Marissa told him.
Marissa didn't tell him anything.
Anything? He didn't want to be disturbed.
Until I got that text from him on Friday saying he was ready to get back to work today, I had no contact with him.
Wait, so he doesn't know about you and your ex? And by the way, do you still call him your ex, even though he is no longer your ex? Well, no.
Now he's her ex-ex.
- Her ex-ex? - Better than her ex-lax.
Ah.
Okay.
Guys? Guys, I'm-I'm standing right here.
Hello? Hi, this is EquiSafe Insurance.
Is Julia Summerfield there? Uh, speaking.
I'm sorry.
Did I wake you? What time is it where you are? Well, I'm in Elko, Nevada.
It's a little after 6:00 in the morning here.
I'm sorry.
I-I'm in New York.
Sometimes I forget that anyone lives in a different time zone.
I-I'm calling about your case.
Your review? No.
I-I know.
I, um, I know why you're calling.
Um, I'm afraid I don't have good news.
Uh, after carefully reviewing the case with almost half a dozen specialists, we just can't approve your liver transplant.
I'm sorry.
Happy days Are here again The skies above Are clear again So let's sing a song Happy days are here again - There he is.
- Here I am.
Ah, you look great, boss.
- Haven't I always? - Oh, my God.
I'm so glad you're back.
Your name again? Believe it or not, I am so happy to see you.
And believe it or not, I am so happy to be seen.
Oh, excellent.
He's not back yet.
You look fantastic.
I'll bet you say that to all the acute myocardial infarction survivors.
And how are you feeling? It's hard to explain.
Everything feels new, and a little brighter, but familiar and old and maybe a little worn at the same time.
It's good to be back.
It's good to have you here.
There's something I think you should know.
Ooh.
Surprises.
Love 'em.
And I have one for you, too.
I know while you were in Arizona recovering, you asked everyone to stay away.
Not reach out to you.
No e-mail, no visits Benny lost two cases.
I know.
They had Internet.
It was part of our recovery process.
They teach you how to react to current events and personal disappointments.
I got married.
Well, actually, remarried.
Greg.
Greg Valerian.
My first husband.
My only husband.
I was married to him while I was working in Homeland.
12 years ago.
B.
B.
, before you, Before Bull.
And, well, it was Homeland.
I was always away Iceland, Caracas, Budapest.
He works in the restaurant business.
So he's never away.
And you can fill in the rest.
And it suddenly occurred to me: I have a different job.
I'm in one place.
So I called him up, we went for coffee, and it was so easy.
Got married in one of his restaurants.
The gang was all there.
Except you.
And I want you to know I regret that.
What's it like? Everything looks new.
A little brighter, but familiar and old and maybe a little worn at the same time.
What's your surprise? Hey.
There's a Marshall Hitchcock here to see you, from EquiSafe Insurance.
That's my surprise.
- Is Cable gonna join? - You know, I actually haven't seen her today.
Maybe she called in sick.
Somebody give her a call after we're through here.
Find out what's going on.
So, who do we have here? This is Julia Summerfield.
Lives in Nevada.
Married mother of two preschoolers.
Works from her home doing data entry.
During the birth of her youngest, doctors discovered she had endometrial cancer.
Soon as the baby was born, they put Julia on chemo.
Then they operated, surgically removed the cancer.
Or so they thought.
It was only later that they realized the cancer spread to her liver.
She went back into the hospital last year for microwave treatments, and there was a horrible accident.
The treatment left a hole in her liver the size of an apple.
My God.
Given how badly her immune system had been taxed by her earlier cancers, her prognosis was pretty dire.
Without a liver transplant, she was given only a year to a year and a half to live.
She filed a claim with her insurance company, EquiSafe Insurance, to pay for the surgery, which costs somewhere in the neighborhood of $400,000.
That was four months ago.
This isn't gonna end well, is it? And they denied her claim.
In the meantime, she has filed suits against the hospital, the doctors, the manufacturers of the equipment that malfunctioned.
But as you might imagine, all of those are going to take years to make their way through the courts.
And since, at this point, she has little more than three or four months to live, she decided to file suit against her insurance company, EquiSafe, to pay for the operation.
Okay.
So when do we get to meet our client? He's already here.
He's in Bull's office.
He? I-I thought, uh We're not representing Mrs.
Summerfield.
We'll be working on behalf of the insurance company.
Hey.
I left three messages for Cable, bunch of texts, and I just fired off an e-mail.
If she doesn't make contact by the end of the day, I'll go by her place.
Anybody here know how much two million dollars a month is? Two million dollars a month.
Exactly right.
Two mil a month.
Roughly half a million a week, that's a hundred grand a day.
Sounds like a lot, right? But when you got 30-some employees, and you're renting 6,000 square feet of prime Manhattan real estate, when you pay taxes, insurance, you have green drinks to pay for, your team loses a couple of cases while you're convalescing, a guaranteed two mil a month makes a huge difference.
I only mention it because, when I was in Arizona, learning how to eat, not drink, exercise and control my temper, I met a man named Marshall Hitchcock.
And for those of you not familiar, he is the CEO of EquiSafe Insurance.
And watching him struggle with his recovery made a huge impact on me.
And apparently, I made some kind of impact on him, because he asked if my firm our firm would be interested in a two million dollar a month retainer.
And with that in mind, I'd love you to meet our new client, Mr.
Marshall Hitchcock.
Thank you for that.
Crazy about your boss, by the way.
Listen, uh, I know people hear "insurance company," and they, uh, roll their eyes.
But I have a secret.
We actually provide an extraordinary service.
We actually do something great.
And I personally know that now because I just went through a horrible experience, and like your boss, I needed extraordinary care, and I got it.
And my insurance helped make that happen.
Yeah.
So, uh Anyway, I-I'm gonna get out of here and let you folks do what it is you do, but I just wanted to say hello and, uh, tell you how much I'm looking forward to working together.
Thank you.
Thank you.
All right.
So, just to be clear, moving forward, EquiSafe Insurance has first call on our services.
And while we're free to take on other cases, they are the only insurance company that we will be representing.
Boss? We hear you.
I hear you.
And, uh, this sounds like a great thing for the company, but this-this first case is, um I sense some of you are upset about it.
I suspect you think we should be on the other side of this one, that you'd rather be representing the woman, who, through no fault of her own, lost the use of her liver and almost certainly is going to lose her life.
You want to go home at night, feel good about yourself.
Plus, it's kind of a slam dunk.
I mean, it's not hard to find a jury, let alone mount a case, against a big, bad insurance company.
Of course one problem with that: she didn't hire us.
The big, bad insurance company did, and this is a business, not a charity, so Yeah, that heart attack really smoothed off the rough edges.
Turned him into a pussycat.
Maybe she just went out to get some coffee.
Maybe.
If you want, you could give me your number, and then if she comes back, I can let you know, or, you know, if I hear anything, I give you a call.
No? And, you know, and then I-I'll give you my number if you need to get back in here again.
It's simple.
It's not a problem.
Wait, so my friend is missing, and you're hitting on me? I No, I'm not hitting on you.
I just I mean, I know nothing about you.
I mean, you know, you could be married for all I know.
I got to go.
Hello? Marissa, sorry to wake you, but I was laying in bed reviewing everything that happened today, and I realized I never said hi to Cable.
Was she even there? No.
She wasn't there.
I-I didn't want to bother you with it, but nobody seems to be able to locate her.
Danny's on it.
The whole place is on it.
The second we hear from her or get some explanation I will let you know.
Well, I'll give her a call the second you and I hang up.
Bull, everybody's been giving her a call every ten minutes.
I-I'm sure there's some kind of explanation.
And-and the second I have it, I will share it with you.
Bull, it's 1:30 in the morning.
Where are you? - I'm in a cab.
- Heading where? Nowhere, just driving around.
That sounds a little strange.
Should I be concerned? Well, like I said, I couldn't sleep, so I started to take a walk, and did you know there's a bar on almost every block of this city? Why, on some, there are even two or three.
So, anyway I realized walking wasn't my safest option, so I hailed a cab, and what do you know, it works.
By the time I see a bar, the car's already moved past it, and, uh, I'm safe.
Too late.
Can't go in.
Damn, I'm smart.
Don't you think maybe you could use some rest? You're still on the mend.
Just say, "I need to get back in bed with my husband.
" I need to get back in bed with my husband.
Tell the team we need to meet at 9:00.
Will do.
Found out late last night that the plaintiff, Mrs.
Summerfield, moved for an emergency hearing based on her declining physical condition, and the judge granted the motion, and we start voir dire tomorrow.
Okay.
Talk us through it.
Well, to begin with, it's a civil trial, which means we're only looking at a six-person jury.
And for the plaintiff to win, they require at least five of those jurors to agree with them, which means all we need to do is convince two people to side with us.
Oh.
- Is that all? - Yeah.
Ah.
So here we are, sitting in the courtroom, Mrs.
Summerfield behind the plaintiff's table, a dying mother with a hole in her liver.
Who are these magical jurors we're looking for, who are gonna see past a dying human being pleading for her life and sympathize with our client, the insurance company? That sounds like a tall order for voir dire.
Maybe.
Maybe not.
So what would you have me ask? I would have you say Good morning.
Good morning.
- You a mother? - I am.
So I gather, like the rest of us, you feel terrible for Mrs.
Summerfield? I do.
You okay if we play a game of pretend? Okay.
So you're standing at the edge of a dock.
You can't swim.
Two people in front of you are in the water, and they're drowning.
You only have one life preserver.
Who do you throw it to? Who do you throw it to? Well, you haven't given me any information about the people that are drowning.
I mean, how can you ask me to make that decision? You have to make that decision.
Two people in front of you are drowning.
In three minutes, they're going to be dead.
You can ask me a question, I'll tell you what I know, but time's a-wastin'.
Um, is one older than the other? From where you're standing, one appears to be in their 70s and the other one in their 20s.
Well, I kind of have to save the 20-year-old, don't I? I mean, he or she might have 50 or 60 more years.
The swimmer in their 70s, maybe ten.
Then do it, do it.
Throw that life preserver.
Okay.
I did it.
All right.
Good for you.
You just saved someone's life.
One more question.
Sure.
Would it be fair if I prosecute you for the murder of the 70-year-old? No, no, that's okay.
You don't have to answer that.
This juror is acceptable to the defense, Your Honor.
You just got to do that two or three more times, and we got a jury we can win with.
So having successfully treated Mrs.
Summerfield for her endometrial cancer, you realized the cancer had spread to her liver? Yes, we discovered it in its earliest stages, and really felt confident that we'd be able to treat it.
And you used a technique called microwave ablation.
Can you explain how that works? I know how hard it was to put together a jury that would even consider the possibility that our client might be in the right, but at the moment, I am seeing nothing but red.
with pinpoint amounts of microwaves.
The microwave creates intense heat, just like it does in an oven, and that heat kills the cancer.
But that didn't happen with Mrs.
Summerfield.
No.
Our instruments malfunctioned, and we delivered about 40 times the level of heat that was required, and ended up destroying a vast portion of her liver.
And is there a way to rectify that? Not really.
Not short of getting her a new liver.
Which you'd like to see happen? I would.
In fact, even though Mrs.
Summerfield is suing us for malpractice, I my whole team has offered to waive their fees.
Anything to make her surgery possible.
And the hospital where we performed the procedure has indicated they, too, would like to help out, waive certain costs.
So if everyone is pitching in, if everyone wants to see this happen, what is standing in the way of Mrs.
Summerfield getting the new liver she requires? Well, you can't just order them up on Amazon Prime.
They're harvested from healthy people who meet an untimely end and whose families are willing to donate them, which makes their availability unpredictable.
Also, not just any liver will do.
The liver has to be carefully matched to the patient, or the patient's body rejects it.
All of which makes the process of finding a liver and all the necessary testing and follow-up very, very time-consuming - and very expensive.
- How expensive? Anywhere from $400,000 to $500,000.
And without that transplant, how long is Mrs.
Summerfield expected to live? Honey, you ready to go? Come on.
Get you out of here.
We love you.
Love you.
Come on, squirt, you're with me.
- Go with Daddy.
- We'll get you out of here.
Come on, handsome.
I know it's not technically possible, but I'd almost swear our six red jurors got even redder.
Will the witness please answer the question? Without a transplant, I believe life expectancy is roughly four months.
Four months.
16 weeks.
No further questions, Your Honor.
Thank you for your testimony, Dr.
Bendry.
Appreciate you taking the time to be here, and appreciate you offering your services for free to try to undo the horrible situation that Mrs.
Summerfield finds herself in.
You're welcome.
Just one question.
What if it was suddenly possible for Mrs.
Summerfield to have the operation you're saying she needs? We find her a liver, everything is paid for, the operation's a success How long would you estimate that she would live? Ten years, 20 years, 30 years? Objection.
Counsel is asking the witness to speculate.
The counsel is asking the witness for his expertise, Your Honor.
Objection overruled.
The witness will answer the question.
Three years.
Maybe three and a half.
The first cancer took a terrible toll on her, and now this second one So 36 months, maybe 42.
And how much did you say the operation would cost? Between 400,000 and 500,000.
Half a million? Got it.
No further questions, Your Honor.
Nice.
Chunk, Danny and I all really thought it was a huge mistake to put a price tag on the woman's life, but then I just looked up, and one of our red jurors actually turned green.
Now the trick is not to lose him or her along the way.
Let's talk about 42 months.
Some people might argue that that doesn't seem like a very long time, particularly given how scarce livers are how much it will cost to do the surgery.
In 42 months, my five-year-old son will be in third grade.
If I get 42 more months, I'll be able to see him walk to school through all four seasons of the year another couple hundred times.
I could help him learn to read, show him how to tie his shoes.
And my little girl, Maura, she'll be in first grade.
We'll get to buy school supplies together, make Halloween costumes.
I could teach her how to brush her hair.
It's three more Christmases and six more birthday parties.
Maybe I'll get to see them ride bikes and ice skate and swim with floaties.
Maybe even without.
But most of all, I'll be able to kiss them good night over a thousand times more.
We have no further questions, Your Honor.
Very well, then let's take a 20-minute recess.
Hi, guys.
Come here.
Hello.
How are you guys? I'll be right back.
I'm gonna pay for parking.
Okay.
How are you guys doing? Is Daddy taking good care of you out here in the hall? Yes.
Good.
- I have to go to the bathroom.
- Right now? Honey, Daddy just went to go put money in the meter.
Can you wait till he gets back? No, I have to go right now.
But, honey, I can't take you in the men's room, and you're too big to go in the ladies' room, and this is New York City.
You know, I can take him.
I couldn't help but overhear.
I could take him to the men's.
I'll keep an eye on him.
- You okay in there? - Yes.
Don't forget to flush.
All right.
Wash your hands.
There's the soap.
Attaboy.
Are you a friend of my mommy? Uh no.
Not really.
But you like her, right? My daddy says my mommy's job is to make sure everybody in that room likes her.
I want to start the case tomorrow by putting Hitchcock on the stand, try and get the jury to understand what goes into making a decision like this.
Okay.
I know what to do with that.
Then what? Well, God may get me for saying this, but - do we go after the mother? - What do you mean? Well, I'm just saying maybe she contributed to her current condition somehow.
- Drinking or drugs or - She didn't.
I checked.
She's a church girl.
- Clean as a whistle.
- And even if she wasn't, we don't want to go after a dying mother with a hole in her liver.
Not gonna win any hearts and minds that way.
Hear, hear.
I'm just trying to do my job.
Although how many people our there are waiting for liver transplants? There are currently 17,000 people waiting for a liver transplant.
And, on average, how long do they have to wait? Last time they counted, the average wait time was 321 days.
Reach out to EquiSafe Insurance.
Get me the names of everyone waiting for a liver, how long they're expected to live and how long they've been waiting.
And also, get me the names of everyone who was waiting for a liver, but didn't make it.
How's it going on the Cable front? Uh, well, she's officially on the FBI's list of missing persons as of today.
Her mom's, uh, a mess.
But, um, I have one more idea that I'm-I'm gonna try tomorrow.
Well, let me know if there's anything I can do to help.
Let her mother know.
I can't reach anyone at EquiSafe, but I will jump back on it first thing in the morning.
How's married life treating you? Come on, let me have it.
I know you've been dying to give it to me all day.
Married life is good, thank you very much.
I highly recommend it.
Yeah, I really think it's gonna catch on.
Are you mad at me for getting remarried? Mm.
maybe a little jealous.
Not like that.
Not jealous of your husband, jealous of your happiness? Well, I don't know what to do about that, Jason.
You know, when I was lying there on those courthouse steps, with this elephant sitting on my chest I kept hearing this voice in my head.
It was my ex-wife, telling me that I'm no good alone.
She said that to me a week before she got married again.
I'm starting to think she might be right.
You really hate this case, don't you? We all do.
We all keep thinking, "What if it were us?" Three more years with the people you love.
How do you put a price on that? No.
I'm sorry.
You're being myopic.
It's about the greater good.
It's about resources.
It's about making sure that there's something for everyone.
And the simple fact is that everyone can't have everything.
I know, 'cause I just went through I knew what you went through.
I cried for weeks.
I prayed for weeks.
But Jason, what happened to you has nothing to do with the rest of us.
How could you say that? 'Cause you're rich.
And yes, everybody gets it, everybody can't have everything, but it sure seems like people like you, people like Mr.
Hitchcock always manage to get theirs.
I will do my best to get you all that data from EquiSafe first thing in the morning.
Look, I understand this is a heartbreaking situation.
It is no fun to sit here and look Mrs.
Summerfield in the eye and say no.
But according to our actuaries and our medical experts, the chance for success is so low and the chance for extended life is so small that it would be irresponsible for us to pay this claim and allow this to go forward.
And can you explain that? When you start approving what amount to Hail Mary medical procedures, it inevitably drives up premiums, so that people with legitimate claims can't afford to even buy insurance, much less file a claim.
No further questions, Your Honor.
Thank you.
You may step down.
Do these people give a damn about this? They certainly don't appear to.
Got it.
And going forward, I'd appreciate it if you'd reel in your sense of self-satisfaction.
Mr.
Toliver, how long have you been waiting for a liver? Going on 11 months.
So you've been waiting seven months.
And forgive me, are you married? No.
Although I hope to be, some day.
- Obviously, no kids? - Again, maybe someday, once I find my liver.
If they get to me, in time.
19 months.
So you've been waiting 19 months for your liver.
And what's your life expectancy if you get one? I've been told 30 to 35 years.
I've been told I could live another 50 years.
I was told 50 to 60 years.
Talk to me.
I would, but there's nothing to say.
Yeah? Hi.
Um, I need to get into my friend's apartment again.
Whoa, okay.
You're just going to take that? I'm not taking anything.
I-I don't think I can let you do that.
Yes, you can.
Technically, it belongs to my boss; he paid for it.
Okay, but I'm-I'm supposed to just take your word for it? Hey, my friend has fallen off the face of the Earth, okay? She's vanished.
That doesn't just happen.
I need to look through this computer and I need to figure out what's going on.
Okay, look, hey.
Listen.
Do what you want, okay? But for what it's worth, it does happen, okay? People do vanish.
They make themselves disappear all the time.
Whatever you say.
Mrs.
McCrory, hi.
You know, I'm actually standing in your daughter's apartment right now.
I'm sorry, you want me to turn on the television? Channel three? Okay.
Uh, Mrs.
McCro If you are just joining us, updating our top story, once again repeating the New Jersey state medical examiner is now confirming that there were 37 fatalities in that I-99 bridge collapse earlier this week.
Additionally, state investigators now believe they have recovered and identified all the remains from the bay and are in the process of notifying next of kin.
This is a late breaking news story.
Keep it right here on this news channel for all the details.
I'm Logan Crawford, reporting live.
Oh, my God.
Don't.
This is Powell.
23 years old.
Waited two years and succumbed to his illness before a liver could be located and the transplant successfully performed.
This is Naomi.
After waiting 14 months, a matching liver was finally identified and transported to her hospital.
She actually, um, passed away while in prep for her procedure.
Objection.
That's a tragic story, but I fail to see the relevance.
Mr.
Colón? Your Honor, the defense is simply trying to make the point that livers, matching livers, are limited commodities, that many people with greater life expectancies have been waiting far longer than the plaintiff who seems to feel that she's entitled This isn't about entitlement.
This isn't about jumping the line.
If she doesn't get the operation in the next 12 weeks, she is going to die.
And you know what? If she dies, these people save a lot of money.
Make no mistake, this is about money.
We should be identifying livers right now.
We should be testing livers right now.
What is insurance for if not for that? Exactly! Mr.
Colón, unless you have something else substantive to offer Oh, come on, Your Honor! The plaintiff's lawyer just gave a closing statement, for God's sakes.
I'm going to ask you to wrap this up.
Of course, Your Honor.
The defense rests.
I have a confession to make.
I'm not sure I'm cut out for this.
It's not fun stuff.
People wonder why it pays so much.
Obviously, it's to win, but also it's hard finding somebody willing to do it.
So, you know juries.
- What are our odds? - Not very good.
Anything can happen during deliberations.
We have no way of monitoring them, but in all likelihood Ugh.
Well What's that? Your fee for the month.
Well, the month's not over.
Case isn't over and I'm pretty sure - I didn't do the job you hired me to do.
- Take it.
You know, that lady's lawyer isn't wrong.
Money is important.
And sometimes it can even make you feel better about things you might otherwise regret.
Marissa.
What are you trying to do, give me another heart attack? Where is everybody? They were all pretty upset.
I told them that I'd wait here for you.
You remember that bridge that collapsed in New Jersey last week? Cable was on it.
She was in a car, car she rented.
Anyway they found her in the bay under 30 feet of water.
And they identified her remains this morning.
I need to sit down.
Everybody knows? Her mother knows? Everybody knows.
What are you gonna do? I don't know.
Cry, maybe.
You want me to hang? No.
I don't think I like the idea of you being alone.
I'm-I'm fine.
Are you sure? You're not gonna do something stupid, like go get a drink? I have a system for that.
Uh, as long as I have taxi money, I have a system.
Seriously, I'm I'm fine.
You can go.
I'll be all right.
Has the jury reached a verdict? We have, Your Honor.
We, the jury, find for the defendant, EquiSafe Insurance.
The court thanks you for your service.
I got you, I got you.
- It's okay.
- No! We'll fight this.
We got two jurors.
Not among the mirror jurors, but among the ones actually sitting in the jury box.
I knew it.
I knew it.
I knew you'd be great at this.
Look, I know you said this wasn't for you, but, uh, wow.
Hey, if you change your mind.
Well I guess I owe you an apology.
I said we couldn't do this and I was wrong.
No, I think you said we shouldn't do this and you were right.
By the way, I've been meaning to tell you those two cases you lost while I was gone, I read the transcripts last night.
You were great.
Those two judges were morons.
Well, thank you, Bull.
You want to go grab a fizzy water or something or? No.
Thanks.
I got to catch a cab.
Something I got to do.
Mrs.
Summerfield? It's my friend.
What do you want? We have a plane to catch.
I just wanted to give you something.
I don't understand.
This is a check for $2 million made out to some company.
My company.
If you look on the back, I signed it over to you.
What do you mean? Why would you give me this? I don't know.
I'm crazy.
You can ask anyone who works for me.
Also, I just lost somebody.
The truth is, it's EquiSafe Insurance's money and you know, you should use it to get your operation and, uh, put the rest away for your family.
That's absurd.
Is this some kind of a joke? No joke.
Get your 42 months, which, by the way, who knows? Might just be 42 years.
You should really get going.
You don't want to miss your plane.
Happy days Thank you! Honey.
Bye, friend.
The skies above are clear again.