"Justice-- what does that word mean?" "Today, for example, it means that when an individual is charged with attempted murder, that charge must be proven beyond any reasonable doubt." "And in order to prove attempted murder, only one thing matters: intent." "Now, I'm not going to lie to you." "Gordie Brock screwed up big time." "He came home drunk, he beat up his wife Deena and sent her to the hospital." "But when Deena Brock was lying on that floor unconscious, it was Gordie Brock who called for an ambulance." "It was Gordie Brock who stopped his wife from bleeding to death before help arrived." "Does that make him a hero?" "Obviously not, but it does clearly show one thing:" "While he abused his wife, he never meant to kill her." "He... never... meant..." "to kill her." "You can hate Gordie Brock if you want for beating his wife" "I do-- but when you go into that jury room, remember those six words because they go to the heart of this case." "See, you have a job, and your job is to deliver justice." "And thankfully, the prosecution has made your job easy." "Two words:" "Not guilty." "Do they always decide so fast?" "Well, three hours isn't my record for an acquittal, but it'll do." "You really saved my ass." "You just remember what we talked about." "Got a meeting tonight." "Good, okay." "You didn't just save his life, you saved mine, too." "WOMAN:" "Shark strikes again." "Oh, Madam District Attorney." "I should have tried this one myself." "You know, as much as I love going head-to-head with you, Jess, it wouldn't have mattered this time." "Attempted murder?" "Gordie Brock is headlines." "You went for the glory, you lost." "I tried to put away a wife beater." "Gordie Brock belongs in prison." "Well, the jury disagreed, didn't they?" "But if it's any consolation, you look really hot in that suit." "Dream on." "I will." "MAN:" "How you doing, Stark?" "Hey." "* Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear *" "* And he shows them pearly white *" "* Just a jackknife has old MacHeath, dear *" "* And he keeps it, yeah, out of sight... *" "Margaret, why be a buzz kill?" "Suspect's in the kitchen." "GORDIE:" "It's my lawyer, boys." "So why not save everybody some time and money and let me go right now?" "WOMAN:" "It's a shame I canceled the photo shoot." "Margaret, why are you still here?" "I've been asking myself that for nine long years." "Well, then surely you're familiar with the phrase "cancel everything."" "Your clients are." "You got to get back on the horse." "Now look, here's a tip, okay?" "Why don't you take the equestrian metaphors and shove 'em you know where?" "Oh, that's nice." "Why aren't you in school?" "It's 4:30 in the afternoon, Dad." "Oh." "Do you want more green peppers in your eggs?" "Not hungry." "It's 'cause you're depressed." "Hi." "Hi." "Ooh, you smell." "When was the last time you took a shower?" "Tuesday." "Look, Dad, after the whole Deena Brock thing, it makes perfect sense for you to punish yourself out of guilt." "The white teen Oprah speaks." "Yes, well, the scars of my broken home have made me wise beyond my years." "Come on, Dad, it's been a month." "I'm really worried about you." "These are good." "I'm okay." "Yeah?" "Really." "Yes, I am." "Shouldn't you be getting home?" "Oh, I just came by to remind you about the custody hearing." "I don't do custody, honey." "Custody of me, Dad." "I turned 16 last month?" "Thanks for the card." "Ouch." "Sorry." "Now I have to decide who gets final custody, you or Mom." "That judge was a major putz." "You got a phone call." "I'm out." "It's the Mayor." "Said something about a ten-year audit on your city tax return." "MAN:" "Did you read Lopez this morning?" "No." "Aspen's still the playground for the rich and famous but L.A.'s a new hot spot to get away with murder." "You should audit his taxes." "Truth is, I'm sick of the poor going to jail for jaywalking while millionaires kill each other without missing a massage." "We're starting a high profile crime unit in the DA's office to nail rich folk with fancy lawyers like you." "What's so funny?" "I tell you what, Mr. Mayor." "You put ten prosecutors on a big-time case, you give 'em all the money they can spend, and I'll bury 'em alive every day of the week with a matinee on Wednesday and another on Sunday." "So you think Devlin's incompetent?" "Hey, she's got great legs, but she doesn't know diddly about winning big jury trials." "That's why I'm bringing somebody from the outside to head the unit." "What schmo would take that job?" "Come on." "Me a prosecutor?" "No." "Come on." "Why not, huh?" "I eat prosecutors for breakfast." "They're my main source of fiber." "Come on." "Who better to shake up the DA's unit?" "Huh?" "Winning is what you do and it's what makes you the man." "And I'd consider this a personal favor." "Jessica would never go for it." "I've got a 67% approval rating." "She's got editorials screaming for her head." "She'll do what I say." "Manny, give me one good reason" "I should even consider this." "I'll give you three, hermano." "You feel bad about Deena Brock, you're sick of playing on the wrong side," "?" "sync:" "FRM@gadence" "Sir, she's on the phone." "Really?" "Come on." "Let's get this over with." "Let me call you back." "Welcome to the District Attorney's office, Mr. Stark." "Ms. Devlin." "Well, this baby should get me out of a few speeding tickets." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Do you mind telling me what the hell you're up to?" "Wow, look at these digs, huh?" "Pretty good for a city employee." "Comes with a great parking spot, too." "Unfortunately, some jerk has parked in it." "Wow, some people have no respect, do they?" "Hmm, look at that." "Terrible." "So, what, you think you can just waltz in here and cleanse your conscience by putting away a few felons?" "Hey, the Mayor asked for me." "You know what I want, Jess?" "I want us just to all be able to get along." "And I want the Rams to come back to L.A., but you know what?" "Not holding my breath." "You know, I made my bones humiliating this office on a daily basis but I want you to know it was never personal." "That's because for you, the legal system's just a game to be played for fun and profit." "Do you mind?" "You know what?" "You make that sound like a bad thing." "Maybe not for a defense lawyer, but a Deputy DA represents this city." "And generally not very well." "You are a good attorney, but the people in yr office, they..." "I don't know." "What's the word I'm looking for?" "Oh, yeah, suck." "Big trials require a big gun." "Oh, please, you screwed up." "We both know that's why you're here." "Oh." "No matter how many criminals you put away," "Deena Brock's blood's still going to be on your hands." "Yeah, what about your hands, Jess?" "If this office had the faintest clue how to mount an effective prosecution, the guy'd still be in jail and she'd still be alive." "Well, this should be fun." "Yeah." "Mardi Gras." "County of L.A. v. Jennifer Dennison." "Are you joking?" "That's a dog." "Woof." "Accused is a 20-year-old singer..." "Yeah, charged with second-degree murder in the death of Terrence Rourke at the Chateau Hotel." "Accused claims the victim raped her and she stabbed him in self-defense." "Am I supposed to be impressed?" "Guilty as sin, you're right, but unwinnable." "Next." "All right, you listen to me." "Delgado may have forced me to hire you, but this is my office." "You prosecute the cases I choose." "Okay." "What, the morgue wasn't available?" "Break a leg, Counselor." "I hear he bribes jurors." "Zero conscience." "He's scum." "He won the Frye case by getting Judge Kranepool's kid into Berkeley." "That's completely unethical." "And the conviction rate of this office is completely pathetic." "And it was Harvard, by the way." "Well, it's clear you think you know me, let's see what I know about you." "Richard "Casey" Woodland, backup QB, USC." "Dad's a state senator, charming, good with a jury, weak on the facts, not a rocket scientist." "Billie Willis, smart, passionate, lets emotion cloud her judgment." "Martin Alende..." "Allende." "Loyola Law Review." "Great on paper, weak on his feet." "Couldn't close a window." "And of course..." "Take your best shot." "Raina Troy, tough, brilliant, and I used to dream of getting you on a case." "Major authority problem." "A contempt citation waiting to happen." "Whatever." "I rest my case." "I have a dossier on every single prosecutor in this building." "Know thy enemy." "Aren't we on the same side now?" "No, the jury's out, isn't it?" "But of course, if the dragon lady assigned you to me," "I guess you're on her hit list." "That means you're damaged goods and that means that we have something in common." "Madeleine Poe." "You're not on the list." "I volunteered for the unit." "Well, I appreciate that, but you're not on the list." "I graduated cum laude from Stanford Law, clerked for the Ninth Circuit, and I've lead this office in convictions for the last two years." "I intend to become a defense attorney, and I'm here to learn from the best." "Well, there you go, sucking up-- an effective tactic." "Sit." "Thank you." "You know, people say that" ""high-priced defense attorneys" beat prosecutors because it's easier to prove reasonable doubt than certain guilt." "But there's a simple explanation for why I always win and you always lose-- my vastly superior abilities as a lawyer notwithstanding." "A prosecutor must conform his case to the demands of the legal system." "A defense attorney conforms the legal system to the demands of his case." "You want to win?" "Grab a pencil." "I live by three simple rules-- my cutthroat manifesto." "These rules guide every single decision I make on every single case." "Rule number one:" "Trial is war, second place is death." "Rule number two:" "Truth is relative." "Pick one that works." "Rule number three:" "In a jury trial, there are only 12 opinions that matter, and" " Ms. Troy-- yours most decidedly is not one of them." "Now from this day forward, every case will be David versus Goliath." "And guess who's holding the slingshot?" "Now, I have some bad news, and I have some truly horrible news." "The bad news is from one of your lamer colleagues we have inherited the Dennison case." "The jury is lousy, the opposition has unlimited resources." "The truly horrible news... we go to trial in 48 hours." "For this to work, you must accept that winning is the only thing that matters." "What about justice?" "Hey." "Your job is to win." "Justice is God's problem." "So, guys, you're either on the bus or you're off the bus." "Let's get to work." "I've seen you on television." "Occupational hazard." "You represent criminals." "Terry wasn't a criminal." "Mrs. Rourke..." "I'm here to help you, so please tell me about your son." "Terry was a great kid." "He always loved music and photography." "Shooting videos, he could do both." "Did Terry have an active social life?" "He dated a lot." "Girls liked him." "I have to ask." "Was he in the habit of having one-night stands?" "Do you have children, Mr. Stark?" "A 16-year-old daughter." "Then you know once they start to grow up, they don't always tell you everything." "Maybe you don't want to know." "Just pray they're safe." "I believe this girl murdered your son." "But I have to tell you, it's gonna be tough to convince a jury of that." "I understand." "But the thing is..." "Terry could never have done what she said he did." "And if I'm going to find a way to go on living," "I need the world to know that." "Well, then I'll have to restore your son's reputation, won't I?" "And I give you my word I will." "Okay, Town Car picks up Jenny Dennison at 6:00 a.m., drops her at a Burbank soundstage." "She spends the next 15 hours shooting a music video." "Terrence Rourke was a camera man on the shoot." "They got chummy, went out for drinks and landed back at the Chateau at 2:15 a.m." "Alcohol impugns her credibility." "She asked him to leave, he refused." "He got sexually aggressive, pushed her down on the bed and raped her." "Her medical exam shows no evidence of forced intercourse." "Or any defensive wounds indicating a violent struggle." "Well, if Rourke didn't rape her, why'd she kill him?" "You're just like a guided missile, aren't you?" "Straight to the heart of the case." "Okay... strategy." "First, we've got to implode Jenny Dennison's case." "We want the jury to say to themselves" ""How does a guy with no history of violence whatsoever become some mad rapist?"" "We got to create our own truth." "So, here's Terrence Rourke, shows up on the set, meets a cute girl, asks her out for a date, they have a few too many drinks, they get into a drunken argument," "Jenny settles it with a knife." "The existing prep work on this case is atrocious." "Start over." "Assignments." "Madeleine-- all the dirt on Jenny." "Uh, boyfriends, friends, relatives." "Billie, same thing on Terrence Rourke." "Raina, forensics." "The CSU and the M.E.'s reports..." "Are just the beginning." "Be creative, dig deeper." "Martin, you're gonna go to the Chateau, ask for Reid." "R-E-I-D." "He's the assistant manager." "Tell him I sent you and you give him this, okay?" "Now, check out Jenny's story, the whole crime scene." "Follow in her footsteps, find the holes in the case." "Let's get going." "What about me?" "Oh, yeah." "I want you to go down to Jensen's and get a double order of cheese fries." "You're joking, right?" "Did I chuckle?" "You're gonna bring the fries to Jurors' Bailiff Ray Sabado." "Ray's in charge of the jurors on this case." "Two things he loves more than life itself:" "He loves yakking with the jurors and he loves to eat." "That bag of fries is gonna buy us more insight than ten jury consultants, okay?" "Uh, that's prosecutorial misconduct." "Well, we'll just have to be brave on this one." "We have to prove that Terrence Rourke was a victim of murder." "We need to make that jury hear his voice." "WOMAN:" "So how's the new job going?" "I've had better days." "Larry just got himself a new gig." "Head of anesthesiology." "Can he put me out of my misery?" "He's about to." "You just wrote your last alimony check." "We're engaged." "Is that for my happiness or the alimony?" "Yes." "There's more." "Larry's new job is in New York." "Oh." "There's a great private school for Julie there." "The custody hearing will be over by then." "Timing seems good." "What do you think?" "I..." "I mean, you... obviously thought this all out and... you always seem to know what's best for Julie..." "It'll be great for her." "And, hey, we always talked about moving to New York one day." "Remember?" "Yeah, right." "But this is a slightly different version." "Did you tell him?" "I told him." "Pretty freaky, huh?" "Yeah." "Yeah, pretty freaky." "But you're still gonna come visit us, right?" "I mean, I know you're always swamped..." "Oh, you kidding?" "No, I mean, hey, we'll, you know, hit the Broadway shows, we'll watch the Knicks lose." "Yeah, no, it-it..." "It'll be great." "Great." "Yeah." "Good." "Okay." "So... we'll let you get some work done." "Sweetie..." "Good night." "?" "G ed to make myself clear." "We're fighting the clock, guys." "It's only been 24 hours." "AKA half the allotted time." "Your stuff on the victim is thin." "And your forensics overview is like every high school class I ever failed, Raina." "You, Martin, you interviewed the room service guy but none of the maids on Jenny's floor?" "And what about Bailiff Sabado?" "He was sick yesterday." "And when you went to his house?" "Just tell me you went to his house." "He said he's contagious." "Well, you better hope he dies." "I take that back." "But anyway, look, the only good thing here is your stuff on Jennifer Dennison." "That is good." "We need more stuff like that if we're gonna clear Terrence Rourke's name." "That's what it's gonna take to win." "That is why we're here." "Okay." "Hey." "Hey, Julie." "That's my dad." "I'll call you guys later." "Hey." "Is Mom okay?" "Why wouldn't she be?" "Well, why else would you be here?" "I was in the neighborhood." "Why, is it so bizarre for me to stop by?" "You haven't visited me at school since the third grade." "So, yeah, this falls under the bizarre category." "Fine, you want to grab a bite to eat?" "What about your case?" "Oh, the evidentiary hearing got bumped till 4:00." "I got a couple hours, so..." "Are you sure Mom's okay?" "?" "You know, I thought with you leaving soon we might hang out a little bit, but if you don't want, I can eat a Power Bar..." "That's not what I said." "Look, the thing is, I was just headed down to Melrose." "Oh, that's good, because I need a new pair of leather chaps." "Well, actually..." "You ready to go?" "Dad, this is Jared." "Hi." "Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stark." "Jared." "Caught the Brock trial on Court TV." "It was a killer cross on the neighbor chick." "Yeah, thanks." "That didn't work out so well, as it turned out, but..." "Dad." "Yeah." "Jared, you know, my dad and I are..." "No, sweetie, it's okay." "You two go." "Okay, I'll see you later." "Are you sure?" "I'll catch you later." "Good meeting you, sir." "You, too." "Okay, how about she's got me stuck in the damn storage closet?" "I'm surprised she let you out for lunch." "Foxy, what are you doing here?" "He's head of my Council on Physical Fitness." "Oh, couldn't get Magic?" "Oh... you're funny." "I hear I might need to find a new lawyer." "I'll get you some names." "How about Anita Astin?" "Outstanding." "Apparently, Defiance Records agrees." "I hear they're about to bring her in to represent Jenny Dennison." "That's not good." "She as tough as they say?" "Tougher." "Didn't you two have a little thing?" "Once." "Well, twice, actually." "How'd it end?" "Not well." "Hmm." "Involuntary manslaughter." "Five years." "She's out in two." "You run this past the DA?" "It's a great deal, Jenny." "Take it." "Are we talking about jail-jail or Martha Stewart jail?" "Uh, we could work something out." "The offer's declined." "You sure, Jenny?" "Because if you get convicted, you could die in prison." "The offer is declined." "I need to speak to Mr. Stark." "Come on." "Man, you like to roll the dice, don't you?" "You think, what, I'm some state school prosecutor with 30 cases in the fire?" "You're taking a hell of a chance." "I know, but it'll be so much more fun kicking the shark's ass." "Don't call me that, I hate that." "Oh, it's not like I haven't seen your fin." "Oh, you'd reject a primo deal, what, to settle an old score between us?" "Oh, don't flatter yourself." "I know your M.O." "You've got squat or you wouldn't be dealing." "Maybe your client deserves a break." "Oh, so now you're the prosecutor with a heart?" "Please, you're a disgrace." "I'm sensing some hostility." "Yeah, you hopped the fence." "Like being a defense attorney is something you need to rehab from." "Maybe it is." "Your client went bad, you melted down." "You sold out your partners, you sold out your profession, and now, Stark," "I'm gonna beat you like an African drum." "You got something big, right?" "I'll see you in court." "Well, maybe they found an eyewitness." "They'd have to be on the list." "New forensics?" "The defense hasn't hired an expert." "Oh, hey, thanks for joining us." "I hired a Web monitoring service to keep us posted on all things Jenny." "Well, there you go." "Score one for Mr. Law Review." "And the winner is?" "Sexstacy.net." "Oh, God, is that...?" "Jenny Dennison and Terrence Rourke minutes before she killed him." "So much for Jenny being the innocent victim." "BILLIE:" "Now that sex is definitely consensual." "Kind of hot, too." "This thing's a slam-dunk." "This thing's a train wreck." "Five minutes ago we had a rape defense based on weak physical evidence." "Now we've got Paris Hilton 2." "Some sleazy Romeo with a hidden camcorder trying to get rich off a sex tape." "That's terrific." "Since when is secretly taping sex punishable by murder?" "Since rule number three." "Jury trials are not about the law, they're about what 12 people think is right." "Anita will turn that tape into rape by humiliation." "Do you think winning this thing was tough before?" "?" "?" "?" "I mean, everyone is talking about it." "You watched it?" "Yeah." "I mean, it was really creepy." "One second they're going at it, and the next..." "No, you're too young for that stuff, okay?" "Oh, come on, Dad, that's like PG-13 compared to some of the porn floating around on the Web." "Oh, so what, now you know all about sex, is that it?" "I know enough." "Yeah?" "Enough for what?" "Are you asking if I'm a virgin?" "No, I'm not." "'Cause all my friends' dads are really sphinctered out about it." "You got your mom, you got your shrink." "Knowing would totally wig you out." "Exactly." "Look, I want you to promise me you will never be in a hotel room with a man unless A) you're married" "B) I'm dead or C) both." "Well, you know, there's this one really hot guy" "I'm dying to go out with." "Yeah, but I don't really have a need to know that, okay?" "Dad, will you have dinner with me tonight?" "A make-up date for the other day." "Okay, but I got to warn you," "I'm not cheap and I'm not easy." "Mrs. Rourke, was your son Terrence prone to violence?" "It wasn't in his nature." "But he did enjoy a reputation as something of a ladies' man, right?" "You can ask any girl he ever went out with." "Terry was a gentleman." "Thank you." "No further questions, Your Honor." "First, let me extend my deepest sympathy for the loss of your son." "Thank you." "Would you describe Terrence to be a stable young man?" "Absolutely." "Yet he spent three weeks in New Days treatment center in 2001." "MRS. ROURKE:" "Terry, uh... had a problem with alcohol and painkillers." "Your son's records show that he was physically abusive to a nurse." "Your Honor..." "May I finish my question?" "Did your son have an altercation with Nurse Gina Hathaway on August 7, 2001?" "That was a misunderstanding." "Objection." "Hearsay." "Overruled." "Please answer." "She took away his journal." "And Terrence was subsequently moved to a ward with exclusively male nurses?" "Yes." "You missed rehab?" "It was a voluntary commitment." "If I'd had more time..." "Anita had one day on this case and she came up with it." "What were you thinking?" "I'm sorry." "I did the best I could." "You know what, it's not your fault, it's my fault." "In between writing three briefs, putting together my witness list, formulating my direct," "I should have found time to do your job, too." "Look, she apologized..." "Do you mind?" "I don't need you to defend me." "There is no defense for mediocrity." "I've been up for 32 hours." "I interviewed his friends, his family, his teachers." "You want a merit badge?" "In jury trials, you don't get a second chance." "Your incompetence has put us in a major hole." "If I'm such a major screw-up..." "Mm-hmm." "...why don't you fire me?" "That's the first helpful suggestion you've had." "Good luck with the rest of your career." "And you are on deck." "DEVLIN:" "You fired her?" "You don't have the authority to fire her." "Gone." "See, this is a problem." "You don't play well with others." "So there's no "team"in "I."" "What do you want from me?" "You know what, she torpedoed my case, she got what she deserved." "Listen, let me put you out of your misery." "Your team can finish this up." "You can go back to your million dollar retainers, your cherry-picked cases and just forget this ever happened." "I never walk out in the middle of a movie." "Yeah, I've seen this one." "You die in the end." "The hero never dies." "You're not exactly hero material." "Jess, I promised Elizabeth Rourke" "I would clear her son's name." "Well, you're off to a flying start." "Billie, come on." "He didn't mean it." "Sure he did." "The guy is a major-league head case." "Technically, Devlin's the only one who can fire you." "She's not exactly one of my biggest fans." "For God's sake, just let her go." "I'm sorry if I don't join the pity party, but Stark was right-- she blew it." "Rourke's friends knew he had a drug problem and she didn't ask the right questions." "Would you repeat that?" "With your head so far up Stark's ass, your voice is kind of muffled." "I'm doing my job." "You should give it a try." "God, Madeleine." "We all know that you're God's gift to litigation." "You guys really don't get it." "Despite your glaring deficiencies, or rather because of them, you're being given an incredible opportunity to prosecute every high-profile case in this city." "If you'd stop whining for two minutes, you'd realize there's not a lawyer in this building who wouldn't trade places with you in a heartbeat." "Hello." "Yeah, okay, got it." "That was Stark." "He wants us at his place... now." "Madeleine is an obnoxious, ass-kissing twit." "But she's right." "This is the chance of a lifetime." "Not for me." "So did you guys take the bus here, or what?" "I'm just curious." "Nice place." "Thank you." "You've got to be kidding me." "This place is beautiful, and it looks like it's got everything." "Except a conscience." "Let me guess-- regulation indoor court?" "Exactly." "Ladies and gentlemen, this is where the magic happens." "Sweet home." "The panels you're walking on covered the floor of the United States Supreme Court for 68 years." "This thing's seen better days." "Oh, it looked a lot better when Clarence Darrow sat in it during the Scopes Monkey Trial." "That lamp was on Ito's desk during OJ." "This jury box is from the set of To Kill a Mockingbird." "You don't get enough of the courtroom during trial?" "Not surprisingly, you miss the point entirely." "Trials are won before you ever step foot in the courtroom." "There are eight cameras, real-time polling technology for mock jurors, the same voice analysis system used by the FBI at Quantico." "I never make an argument in open court before it has been perfected in this room." "Now, guys, we got one shot at this case." "Destroy Jenny Dennison on the stand." "We must convince the jury that she was this predatory little slut who lured Terrence Rourke into her hotel room, got into a lovers' quarrel and killed him in cold blood." "How can we be sure the defense will put Jenny on the stand?" "'Cause Anita still has to prove self-defense." "Jenny's needs the only living witness." "RAINA:" "Slamming the victim in a sex trial can backfire, Especially if the prosecutor is a guy." "That's why I'm not going to question Jenny." "You are." "We're going to put some of that patented hostility to work." "I won't attack a defendant without foundation in order to prejudice the jury." "CASEY:" "She's right, it's an ugly tactic." "And it looks desperate." "I don't know if you've noticed this yet, guys, we are desperate." "Rule number one-- trial is war." "And war tends to get ugly." "I'll do it." "I have no problem tearing Barbie's head off." "Why does that not surprise me?" "A smart defendant like Jenny is not going to lose it on the stand." "Oh, really?" "I'll tell you what-- just for kicks and giggles, why don't you..." "May I, please?" "...step into the witness box." "And, guys, you get in the jury box." "Come on." "Judge Margaret." "You're sworn, charged with killing a man you just had sex with." "Ms. Troy, how old are you?" "29." "How many men have you had sex with?" "What?" "Your Honor?" "The witness will answer." "I have no idea." "More than 50?" "I don't..." "Of course not... 30?" "Am I getting closer?" "You may keep a running count, but I don't." "Have you ever contracted a venereal disease?" "Have you ever contracted a venereal disease?" "Once." "In college." "So you enjoy unprotected sex?" "I was 20 years old." "Ever engage in SM?" "Bondage?" "Sex with another woman?" "Multiple partners?" "Know what?" "I'm done." "Is that a crucifix around your neck?" "Don't go there." "Are you a practicing Christian?" "Yes." "Would you say that you understand the teachings of your church?" "How do you reconcile those teachings with your wanton promiscuity?" "You don't know the first thing about me!" "You may live in a fancy mansion, but you are still a low-rent ambulance-chasing son of a bitch." "No more questions, Your Honor." "You may step down." "Okay, guys, I'll be back in two hours." "And when I return, I want to see Jennifer Dennison's entrails hanging from that chandelier right next to Ms. Troy's." "Thanks for the picture, huh?" "Sure." "So what do you think?" "I think, uh..." "About what?" "About Honors French?" "Oh, uh, look, it seems to me that you want to learn French, that we should get you an apartment in Paris..." "But, Dad, I'm talking about looking good on college applications." "Sorry." "Yes." "No." "Good, that's much better." "Use the stuff with the boyfriend." "It's great." "Yes, great." "I'll be..." "I'll be back soon." "Bye." "Electronic handcuff." "So we were...." "Where were we?" "Oh, en France." "Know what?" "We should probably just go." "You're really busy." "No, Julie, I'm..." "It's fine." "I'm not mad." "In fact, I couldn't think of a more appropriate way to say good-bye." "Don't say that..." "Dad, I never fit into your life." "Now I can finally stop trying." "You know, when that lady died and you lost it," "I really thought you'd changed." "?" "?" "He said, "I just made you a star." JENNY:" "Y:" "I had no idea what he meant." "Then he showed me his camera." "He filmed your lovemaking?" "He must have brought the camera with him." "JENNY:" "Set it up when I wasn't looking." "And what happened next?" "I told Terry to give me the tape." "He laughedn my face." "Pinned me down on the bed." "I kept thinking about my parents-- how much this would hurt them." "That's when I spotted the knife." "And what did you do?" "I grabbed the knife." "And I swung it." "Did you call 911 right away?" "JENNY:" "Yes." "Ms. Dennison, why didn't the police find the tape?" "Before they came, I went to my manager's room, gave her the tape." "I didn't want anyone to see it." "Now it's everywhere." "No further questions." "I'm going to start with the high school stuff and build from there." "JUDGE:" "Does the prosecution wish to cross-examine the witness?" "Mr. Stark, do you wish to question this witness?" "We have no questions, Your Honor." "I saw Jenny Dennison" " I didn't see a guilty defendant." "I saw a troubled young girl." "I saw..." "Julie." "But she killed somebody." "Stone cold guilty." "Murderer." "Should have torn her to shreds." "MADELEINE:" "The maid let us in." "Start looking for a new maid." "Okay, guys, how do you want to do this?" "Take turns calling me a hypocrite?" "What?" "Saying, oh, yeah, trial is war, and I'm a deserter." "I got it all." "Come on." "Take your best shot." "Come on, let's go." "State of Ohio v. Pavey." "The same equipment used by Anita's serology expert yielded faulty results." "Grounds for a successful appeal." "Casts doubt on Anita's theory." "Jenny attended a program for gifted students her senior year of high school." "Guy who runs it says she's a narcissist and a liar." "He's happy to testify to it in court." "Broke down the timeline." "There's a discrepancy between Jenny's account and the room service log." "Sabado's off the cheese fries, but he's on a mean cupcake bender." "Juror number six is born again." "Thinks rock 'n' roll is the devil's music." "And the promiscuity angle should help us with three and ten." "You worked your tails off, and I let you down." "So what's the next move?" "Honestly?" "I don't have one." "Make one up." "Truth is relative." "Yada, yada." "Let's go." "You blew it, but you're still the only shot we have to win this case." "And that is why we're here." "Remember?" "See that?" "She made that when she was 15." "Imagine how her friends laughed at her when she said, "Oh, I'm going to be a big star."" "But, hey, look at her now." "Yeah." "She's on trial for murder." "The point is, she knew what she wanted." "She was driven by pure ambition." "Nothing else mattered." "You know, all my life, all I ever wanted to be was the best lawyer in the world." "But when you lose that drive-- that consuming ambition-- you're done." "Mine died with Deena Brock." "You're still the best." "If that were true," "I would have let you rip Jenny's heart out." "To be the best, you got to be like her." "Be in complete control." "Never leave anything to chance." "Never let yourself be vulnerable." "Obsessive control." "Never let yourself be the victim." "Oh, man." "Oh, man." "Yes." "Yes!" "Yes, yes, yes, yes." "I want the original of that tape brought to the LAPD Crime Lab." "I want it back in two hours." "In the bullpen, 30 minutes!" "Yes!" "I am great, and yet..." "I am humble." "The Prosecution now wishes to cross-examine the witness?" "Yes, Your Honor." "What now?" "Watch and learn." "Thank you." "Ms. Dennison, when did you first decide you wanted to be a pop star?" "I guess it was the first time I saw a Madonna video." "I was seven." "Besides Madonna, what other performers do you emulate?" "J.Lo?" "Britney Spears?" "Christina Aguilera?" "Definitely." "Now, those singers incorporate an explicit sexuality into their performances, but according to publicity material from Defiance Records, your label, you are the next Norah Jones-- wholesome, spiritual and family-friendly." "Doesn't that bother you?" "Defiance signed me." "They decide the best way to sell my music." "But you've been planning your career since you were in grade school, and you know that sex sells." "You're smart enough to know that." "So why do you think they didn't listen to you?" "Objection." "What is the relevance of this line of inquiry?" "JUDGE:" "Mr. Stark?" "Ms. Dennison... this is a video you made four years ago on an SD200 camcorder." "It is Defense Exhibit D, previously entered." "A forensic analysis confirms that this tape bears the precise electromagnetic artifacts as the videotape of you and Terrence Rourke at the Chateau Hotel." "In other words, these two tapes were made by the exact same camera, Jenny." "Your camera." "Would you please explain to this jury why you lied about whose camera was used to make the tape?" "I didn't lie." "I..." "I guess Terry used my camera." "That's not what you said." "You said, "He showed me his camera." "He must have brought it with him."" "Your testimony is on record." "Shall I have it read back?" "A brief recess, Your Honor?" "Denied." "Ms. Dennison, would you please tell this jury why you videotaped yourself and Terrence Rourke having sex at the Chateau Hotel?" "It was all a big misunderstanding." "Did you tell Terrence you were videotaping your sexual encounter?" "No, but..." "Why not?" "I didn't think he'd care." "But he did care, did he not?" "In fact, he was horrified by what you did." "What happened when Terrence Rourke realized what you were up to?" "When Terry spotted the camera, he got really mad." "He was scared his mom would see the tape." "STARK:" "Because you intended to make the tape public." "I didn't say that!" "Is it humanly possible that you could have released this tape to cause a scandal that would launch your career?" "No." "You didn't give the tape to the police." "You took your bloody little fingers, walked down the hall, and slipped it to your manager." "And now it somehow magically-- miracle of miracles-- finds its way onto the Internet." "Now everybody's talking about it-- talking about you-- the week your first album is about to be released." "Can you look this jury in the eye and tell any single one of them that this is a cosmic accident?" "Now, would you kindly tell this jury what happened in that hotel room between you and Terrence Rourke?" "Terry tried to grab the tape." "He wrestled me onto the bed, his knee was on my chest." "I should have just given it to him." "STARK:" "Why didn't you?" "I don't know." "I couldn't breathe." "I got scared." "I was still kind of drunk." "When I grabbed the knife," "I just wanted to scare him, to make him stop." "I don't know how this all happened." "STARK:" "Jenny, you do, because the moment you met Terrence Rourke, you decided to videotape your sexual encounter." "That part was premeditated, was it not?" "Yes, but I swear to God, I never meant to hurt him." "Please believe me." "I do." "But your plan cost him his life." "It cost Elizabeth Rourke her only child." "There is no greater loss." "No further questions, Your Honor." "Hi." "Let me get a photo with the man of the hour." "Your Honor." "Madam District Attorney, por favor." "Beginner's luck." "It's called winning." "One more?" "Don't worry-- you'll get used to it." "That's good." "Thank you, Your Honor." "Thanks, Manny." "I am going to give you exactly 30 seconds to gloat." "Hey, you-you do know you just won a huge case, right?" "Yeah." "You look like you just lost your best friend." "I'm about to lose a hell of a lot more than that." "As stipulated in your parents' divorce decree, having reached the age of 16, you must now designate which parent will act as custodian until your 18th birthday." "Have you reached a decision?" "Yes." "My mother's been everything to me." "My protector, my best friend." "When my parents got a divorce," "I thought the world was coming to an end." "But she made sure it didn't." "I mean, she was a mess, but she pretended like everything was okay so that I wouldn't be scared." "And it wasn't always easy." "I can be a real pain." "But my mom taught me that it's not enough to love someone when it's easy." "You got to love them when it's hard." "When they don't deserve it, when they're in trouble." "That's what family does." "Which is why I choose to live with my dad." "?" "I'm as surprised as you are, probably more." "I didn't mean to hurt you." "Oh, I'm not hurt." "Well, okay, I'm a little hurt, but mostly I'm scared." "I mean, no offense, Sebastian, but you are incredibly self-absorbed." "No offense taken." "Well, seriously, do you have any idea what it takes to raise a teenage girl alone in Los Angeles?" "No, but if this is what Julie wants, I..." "What she wants!" "She's 16!" "She wants a Porsche, a date with Prince William, and world peace." "Uh, Mom..." "She's a child." "My whole life is here." "Oh, Jules." "If this is really what you want I can't stop you." "I just hope to God you know what you're doing." "This is the biggest case you'll ever get." "Don't blow it." "Why?" "You're the only father I'm ever going to have, and, if there is a God," "I'm the only kid you're ever going to have." "Mom's really mad right now, but she'll get over it." "If I go to New York, you and I will exchange birthday cards and Christmas presents, but we'll wind up perfect strangers." "You may prefer that, but I don't." "The last thing I would ever want..." "For once, don't say anything." "I've gone to the shrink long enough to know that I'll be screwed up for life if I don't get some closure on you and me." "And there's another reason why I chose you." "Something you probably don't understand, and maybe you never will." "You need me."