[bruce Springsteen's "streets of Philadelphia" plays]
J' I was bruised and battered I couldn't tell what I felt
j I was unrecognizable to myself j
j saw my reflection in a window and didn't know my own face j
j oh, brother, are you gonna leave me wastin' away? &
j on the streets of Philadelphia j
want this one?
J I walked the Avenue till my legs felt like stone j
j I heard the voices of friends vanished and gone &
j at night I could hear the blood in my veins &
j just as black and whispering as the rain &
j on the streets of Philadelphia j
j it's just you and I, my friend j
j and my clothes don't fit me no more j
j I walked a thousand miles just to slip this skin
j the night has fallen I'm lyin' awake j
j I can feel myself fading away j
j so receive me, brother with your faithless kiss j
j or will we leave each other alone like this? J
j on the streets of Philadelphia ij
[indistinct cheering]
Man: This pestilent dust that counselor refers to.
Has appeared on only three occasions.
Each time it was tested. And the results, limestone. It's messy, but innocuous.
- Innocuous? - Defined by Webster's as "harmless."
I know what it means. May I? Thank you.
Your honor?
[Sniff s]
Imagine how the children in this neighborhood are being made to feel.
The constant pounding of... Of construction ringing in their ears...
As this skyscraper, a tribute to mankind's greed, grows daily.
Casting an ominous shadow over their lives, filling them with dread...
Even as they are surrounded by this toxic dust.
Your honor, Kendall construction builds neighborhoods.
It doesn't destroy them.
Granting a restraining order against this construction site...
Will throw 753 philadelphians out of work
and lend validation to this contemptible and groundless nuisance suit.
It's an example of the rapacious litigation that today is tearing...
At the very fabric of our society.
Let's not go off the deep end, gentlemen.
You've made an articulate and compelling presentation, Mr. Miller.
But I don't believe you've proven irreparable harm.
Not yet, your honor.
[Elevator dings]
[Joe and Andy speaking indistinctly, overlapping]
[Cell phone ringing]
- Is that you? - Yeah, that's me.
- Miller. Yes. Hello, Iris. - A client of yours?
Ha, ha. Funny! Hold on, Iris. Excuse me, sir? Uh, sir... yo! Yo!
Man 1: My sons and I went to a restaurant the other day.
We ordered coffee.
The waiter comes up and goes, "would you like sugar or sweet 'n low?"
I said, "do I look like I should be on a diet?"
[Woman laughing]
Woman: Sometimes I feel so sorry for people. They don't get it.
Gillman: Andy. - Hi, doc.
Your blood work came back this morning.
I'm gonna come back in a few minutes and talk to you about it, all right?
- I'll be right here. - Good.
Man 2: How're you doing today, Jerry?
Jerry: Hi. Man 2: How are you feeling?
Jerry: I'm feeling pretty good. Man 2: Great.
Make a fist for me.
Once more.
We're gonna have to start looking for veins in your feet, sweetheart.
Jerry: Patience, Tyrone. Tyrone: Okay.
Once more.
Hey, cab!
Hey, Andy. Terrific job on the Kendall situation.
Bob: Top notch, Mr. Beckett. Andy: Thanks, Kenneth, Robert.
rose: Hi, Mr. Beckett. - Hi, rose.
Anthea, just the paralegal extraordinaire I was hoping to see.
I know what that means. The answer is no.
- I'm talking dinner at Felicia's.... - I got a class.
I've got some pretty compelling briefs that need proofing.
You can exploit somebody else.
- Since you've asked.... Your exam!
- Thank you. Ninety-eight. - Ninety-eight!
- I gotta go. - Ninety-eight. Congratulations!
Hey, I have to pick up Amy...
But I wanna talk to you about Hansen.
Give me a call, I'll be here. Tell Amy I loved her painting. It's on my wall.
Hi. Conference call's up. The roll call started. This is the settlement agreement.
The red-line copy's on your desk. You heed me in there?
No it's 6:30 go home.
[Phone ringing]
- Hello? Andy: Hey, mom!
Oh, hi, darling. What a wonderful surprise. How are you?
- Goaod. - Well, what does Dr. gillman say?
Dr. gillman says I am fine. My blood work is excellent.
She says my t cells are steady.
Honey, how about your platelets? What did she say?
Oh, even my platelets look good.
(Sreat
mom, more importantly, how are you?
Mom?
Ll jh...
- I'm fine. “and how is dad?
- And dad is fine. - And what are you doing?
[Church bell chiming]
[Keyboard clacking]
[Computer beeps]
Okay.
"Action for the wrongful interference with prospective economic relations."
Okay.
[Keyboard clacking]
- Andy. - Huh? Yo.
- Am I interrupting you? - Uh, in a word, Bob.
Charles wants to see you upstairs.
I was just about to take a break. You sure I'm not underdressed for this?
No. No, you're not.
Charles, Andy has expressed a keen interest...
In highline inc. V. Sander systems.
Isn't that right, Andy?
The fate of the participants interests me. Yes, sir.
It's an antitrust action.
It is, and it isn't, Charles.
Sander systems copies highline's spreadsheet program.
For me, the legal principle involved is copyright infringement.
Hm. Well, tell me this, Andy.
Uh, which side of this conflict would you wish to see emerge victorious?
And don't allow my close personal relationship...
With bill Wright, sander system's ceo...
To influence your answer in any way.
[Imen laughing]
Well, I'd like to see highline win this one.
Oh. Why, Beckett?
If sander systems wins, an energetic young company is destroyed.
The laws for antitrust and copyright were enacted to prevent exactly...
The kind of bullshit that sander systems is trying to pull.
Andy, you know who reps highline inc.?
Andy: Rodney Bailey.
Oh, I object!
[Imen laughing]
Rodney Bailey, who couldn't find his way around copyright law with a map.
[Imen laughing]
Well, apparently the fellows at highline agree with you, Andy.
Which explains why, as of 9:03 this evening, right after the dessert course...
Highline incorporated is now represented...
By wyant, Wheeler, hellerman, tetlow & brown.
Outstanding.
And more specifically, senior associate Andrew Beckett
[clapping]
- Yes! Men": Bravo!
Andy: Yeah! Yeah!
Yeah!
[Phone ringing]
Bob: Bravo!
Man: Congratulations.
Thank you, Robert. Thank you.
We've got to get on highline right away.
Statute of limitations. Yeah, I'm right on it.
Exactly. Ten days before we have to file.
- All right, 10 days left. - Tokyo on line four, Bob.
Oh, Walter, thank you.
- Thank you. Kenneth, thank you. Kenneth: You bet. Congratulations.
- Oh, thanks. I'm overwhelmed. - What's that on your forehead, pal?
Andy: What? Where?
That, right there on your forehead.
Oh, oh, I got whacked in the head with a racquetball.
Kenneth: Ooh. Andy: Excuse me.
Charles, I....
I sincerely appreciate your faith in my abilities.
Faith, Andy, is a belief in something for which we have no evidence.
It does not apply to this situation.
Well, go home. Oh, no, go back to work!
Yeah, yeah.
- Thank you, Charles. - No sweat, buddy.
[Speaking indistinctly]
[37]
[Keyboard clacking]
Tommy, how are you?
[37]
Andy: The highline complaint is right there on my desk, Shelby.
It's all set to go. So make sure jamey is on top of it.
Sure, you got it. Anything else?
Andy: No, that's it. I'll work out of the house here for the rest of the afternoon.
So thanks a lot.
- Bye-bye! - Bye.
Chandra: Okay, now, you're gonna want to apply this foundation...
As evenly as you can, okay?
You don't want it to look like you threw it on with a spoon.
- Yeah. - Okay? So over here...
[Phone rings]
Man: I got it. Chandra: Right there.
Now, uh, chandra, you don't think this is just a little too orange for me?
Well, it's tahitian bronze, and that works best on these lesions. Okay?
Think of it as the "I just got back from Aruba" look.
Exactly. I've... I've called in sick for four days.
And now they're gonna think that I was taking a cruise.
- Fax. - Oh, thank you, Bruno.
Chandra: Here, okay, look. We could try this light eqypt...
Andy: Ow, ow, ow. Chandra: What?
- Oh, ow. Bruno: Andy?
[37]
- Excuse me. “what?
[Grunting]
Just like my cousin Fredo.
[Door slams]
Hi
does anybody want a bagel?
[Andy sobbing]
Bruno: You okay, Andy?
I... I think... I think I need... I need to go to the hospital.
[37]
[Horn honking]
Woman: Watch out.
[Siren wails]
Andy: Hello, hello, oh....
[Imiguel sighs]
It's all right.
- I'm getting out of here, all right? Miguel: Okay.
Okay? Talk to you later. Oh, one more, one more.
Andy: Thank you for driving like a bat out of hell
chandra: Take it easy.
Dr. gillman is out of her office. I told her to take a day off, she took a day off.
Can you believe that?
So they took blood, a specimen or something?
Blood, yes. A specimen, I'm empty.
Did you find somebody to take your class?
Don't worry about it. Let me see.
Oh. You got a fever, baby.
Man: Nurse?
Oh, there's my guy. Uh, excuse me, uh, doctor? Hello. Hi.
- Just one second. - Yes, right here....
I came that close to not making it into the bathroom, Miguel.
I almost lost it in front of everybody.
- What? It's nothing to be ashamed of. - I'm not ashamed. It's just...
Oh, uh... Uh, what about my blood work?
We're waiting. Meanwhile, I wanna prep you for a colonoscopy.
We wanna take a look inside.
- Sounds delightful. Miguel: Wait a minute.
Why do you need to do this?
- Who are you? - Who are you? Doctor...?
Andy: This is my partner. Yeah
uh, he keeps records of all of my hospital visits. It's nothing personal.
Oh, I'm Dr. klenstein.
Listen, you're right. A colonoscopy is not a pleasant procedure.
But if the ks is causing the diarrhea, we've gotta know about that right away.
No, no, but it could be parasites, an infection, I mean...
A reaction to the azt.
Klenstein: All these are possibilities. But we've gotta go forward...
Miguel: No, no, listen. He's not going through some painful procedure...
Until we cancel out everything else.
I'm trying to help your partner. And you're not a member of his immediate family.
I'm not?
- I could have you removed from the er. Miguel: Really?
Look, look, look. He's upset. He's sorry.
No, don't apologize for me, okay?
Okay, he's... he's not sorry.
Let's do this. Let's find out what the blood work tells us.
I will try to give you a specimen. Some hospital food may help me along.
Then we might hear from Dr. gillman. We can start from there, okay?
- Everybody happy? All right? Miguel: Okay, yeah.
I'll get on the lab about the blood work then.
- Thank you, doctor. - Sorry about...
[Ibeeper beeping]
Shit. That's the third time the office has beeped me.
- I'd better go. - Klenstein?
Yeah, klenstein. I gotta go give them a call.
Now, I want you to sit down, and I want you to relax.
- I'm relaxed. - Oh, good, good.
Is there a phone around, somewhere nearby?
Woman: Down the hall. Andy: Thank you.
If you or someone you know has been injured through the fault of others...
You may be entitled to a cash settlement for money damages...
[Andy laughing]
Andy: Good lord.
[Andy laughs]
- Mr. Beckett's office. - Uh, hi, Shelby. It's me.
- Jamey's been beeping me, so.... - Oh, I'm so glad you called, Andrew.
I just wanna let you know we have a minor catastrophe in the making here.
It's about that highline complaint. Jamey is going ballistic on us!
All right. Calm down. Put him on.
All right. One second.
Andy, this is a disaster. We can't find the revisions on the highline complaint.
Wait, wait, wait! Slow down. Slow down.
I told them you were working on it. It should've been here this morning.
No, no, no, no. I brought it into the office last night.
I was there until 3 A.M. there should be a copy with corrections on my desk.
I'm telling you, it's not here, Andy. Shelby can't find it either.
All right. Uh.... The hard disk on my computer.
You'll have to print it up and run it through word processing yourself.
- Okay, what did you file it under? “hl -1
jamey, we are up against a statute of limitations on this complaint.
And it runs out in. __
in 75 minutes.
- It's not here, Andy. - It's not there? I'm on my way!
[Sighs]
Every problem has a solution.
Joe: Push, baby, push. Doctor: Push, Lisa, push.
Joe: All right, it's coming! Yeah, baby, it's coming!
It's a... it's a girl!
[Baby crying]
Oh, my god. Oh, my god.
Doctor: You can relax, Lisa. Great job. Great job.
Man: Take a picture, Joe. - I'm trying. I can't get the film in.
Oh, my god! Baby, yeah. Baby, help me, baby.
Ha-hal
- aw, look at her. Look at her. - Look at our baby.
Joe: That little, sweet little....
[Camera clicking]
- Oh, my god! Look at her. Nurse: Oh, she's perfect, Lisa.
Yeah, go down to famous 4th street deli.
Get a pound of scotch salmon. She likes that.
Yeah, some onion rolls, bagels. Here, give me a call.
- Onion rolls, bagels. Yeah, champagne. - Joe Miller. You're that TV guy.
Joe: I don't care how much it costs. Get the dom perignon.
- Thanks. - How much?
Oh, $100? No, don't get any dom perignon. Get a nice Californian.
Get it all over here because she's starving.
No, no, Iris. Not the baby. Lisa is starving! Yeah, Lisa.
And, Iris, Iris, Iris. Iris, listen. Anybody call?
- An Andrew Beckett called. - Beckett?
- Who's Andrew Beckett? Man: There he is. Joseph!
Hey, hey, hey, hey!
[Laughing]
[37]
Joe: All right, look. I want you to explain this to me like I'm a 6-year-old, okay?
The entire street is clear, except for one small area under construction.
This huge hole that is clearly marked...
- And blocked off, right? Yes
you decide you must cross the street at this spot, no other, you fall into the hole.
Now you wanna sue the city for negligence, right?
Yes do I have a case?
- Yes. Yeah, of course you got a case. - Great
I want you to go with my assistant Iris here.
She'll have you fill out some forms. Tell you all about our fee arrangement.
Of course, you know, we take no cash unless we get cash justice for you.
How's your back? You got any lower-back pain, dizziness, nightmares?
Funny you should mention that. I've been...
Iris will take good care of you. Iris, you take good care of Mr. Finley.
Iris: I will. Mr. Beckett's here. - Hey, thanks a lot.
- Thank you very much. - All right. Take care. Mr. Beckett!
Mr. Beckett, come in.
It's good to see you again, counselor. Judge Tate? Kendall construction?
- "Innocuous." ” ha-ha-ha. Yeah
how are you? What happened to your face?
- I have aids. - Oh.
Oh, I'm sorry. I, uh....
[37]
- Can I sit down? Yeah
thank you.
Oh, look at this, you have a new baby.
Yeah, yeah, a little baby girl.
Oh, "it's a girl." Congratulations.
Yeah, one week old.
Kids are great.
Yeah, thank you, Beckett. I'm real excited about it. Listen, I, uh....
[Andy clears throat]
What can I do for you?
I've, uh.... I've been fired by wyant-Wheeler.
I plan on bringing a wrongful-termination suit...
Against Charles Wheeler and his partners.
You wanna sue wyant, Wheeler, hellerman, tetlow & brown?
Correct. I'm seeking representation.
Continue.
I misplaced an important complaint. That's their story.
Wanna hear mine?
How many lawyers you go to before you called me?
Nine.
Continue.
The night before it was due, I worked on the complaint in my office.
I left a copy of it on my desk.
The next day the complaint vanished.
No hard copy.
All traces of it mysteriously gone from my computer.
Miraculously, a copy of the complaint was located at the last minute.
And we got it to court on time.
But the next day I was summoned to a meeting with the managing partners.
They were waiting for me in the conference room.
Oh, hello, Andy. Uh, come on in.
Would you mind hitting the windows"?
Yeah. Thanks. Hey, come on in. Come on in.
Robert, Charles, Walter. Hey, Lydia.
Charles: Thanks for coming in. - Oh, of course.
Now, Andy, before we begin...
I'd just like to say that everyone in this room is your friend.
I know that, Charles.
More than your friend. Family.
Charles, I must apologize again for the highline mishap yesterday. That...
That was some scary moment around here.
Wow, thank god the... the complaint was found and no damage was done.
This time. What about next time?
There won't be a next time. I guarantee it.
Yeah, it's just that something's come over you lately, Andy. I don't know...
Some kind of stupor or a fogginess.
Some people think you have an attitude problem, Beckett.
Really?
- Who thinks that? - L do.
Excuse me
am I being fired?
Let me put it this way, Andy.
Your place in the future of this firm is no longer secure.
We feel it isn't fair to keep you here when your prospects are limited.
And now I don't want to rush you out of here...
- We've got a committee meeting. Andy: Excuse me, Charles.
With all due respect, this...
This is preposterous. It... It doesn't make any sense.
You're right, Beckett. You don't have an attitude problem.
Take it easy, Walter.
If you'd lost confidence in me, why'd you give me the highline suit?
Andy, you nearly blew the entire case, for chrissakes that alone is inexcusable
it would have been catastrophic for us.
Uh-huh.
So you were concealing your illness?
That's correct.
All right. Explain this to me like I'm a 2-year-old, okay?
Because there's an element to this thing I just cannot get through my thick head.
Didn't you have an obligation to tell your employer...
You had this dreaded, deadly, infectious disease?
That's not the point. From the day they hired me to the day I was fired...
I served my clients consistently, thoroughly, with absolute excellence.
If they hadn't fired me, that's what I'd be doing today.
And they don't wanna fire you for having aids...
S0, in spite of your brilliance, they make you look incompetent.
Thus the mysterious lost file. Is that what you're trying to tell me?
- Correct. I was sabotaged. - Hm_
I don't buy it, counselor.
That's very disappointing.
I don't see a case.
I have a case.
If you don't want it for personal reasons...
Thank you. That's correct, I don't.
Well, thank you for your time, counselor.
Mr Beckett
[bruce Springsteen's "streets of Philadelphia" plays]
Uh
I'm sorry about what happened to you. It's a bitch, you know?
[37]
Have a nice day, Mr. Beckett.
What the hell's the matter with that guy?
Iris, find out if armbruster can see me.
- Armbruster? When? - This afternoon.
Filko: What's wrong with him? - No, right away, Iris. Right away.
Okay.
Man: Excuse me.
The HIV virus can only be transmitted through the exchange of bodily fluids.
Namely, blood, semen and vaginal secretions.
Right.
Yeah, but isn't it true they're finding out new things about this disease every day?
You tell me today there's no danger. I go home, I pick up my little baby girl.
Then I find out six months from now on the news: "Whoops, made a mistake.
Yeah, you can carry it on your shirt or your clothes, or..."
What are you doing?
- We're gonna draw blood. - Why are we gonna do that?
Joe. Little Joe. I've known you since you were a kid.
And I don't care a whit about your private life.
Heh-heh-heh. Thanks, doc. I don't need an aids test, but thanks anyway.
Listen, just send a bill to my office for me, okay?
Armbruster: Hm.
Thanks for the information, really.
[Chuckling]
- You have a problem with gays, Joe. - No, not especially.
Yes, you do. How many gays do you know?
Joe: How many you know? - Ha, ha. Lots.
- Like who? - Karen berman. My aunt Teresa.
Cousin Tommy who lives in Rochester. Eddie meyers from the office. Um....
Stanley, the guy who's putting in our kitchen cabinets.
That beautiful, sensuous, voluptuous woman is a lesbian?
- Duh. Since when?
Heh-heh. Probably since she was born.
Joe: Oh, man.
All right. Well, hey. I admit it, okay? I'm prejudiced.
- I don't like homosexuals. You got me. - All right.
I mean, the way these guys do that thing, don't they get confused?
[In effeminate voice] "Oh, I don't know, is that yours or is that mine?"
[Both laughing]
[In normal voice] I don't wanna be in the bed with anybody...
Who's stronger than me or that has more hair on their chest than I do.
Now, you can call me old-fashioned. You can call me conservative.
- Just call me a man. Mm. - Mm_
besides, I think you have to be a man...
To understand how really disgusting that whole idea is anyway.
Lisa: Yeah? Yeah
well, well. Little caveman of the house.
You damn skippy. Here you go, baby.
You stay away from your aunt Teresa too.
Joe, don't say that to her.
Think about it. Those guys pumping up together...
Trying to be macho and faggot at the same time.
I can't stand that shit. There, I'm being totally honest with you, okay?
- Oh, yeah, you are. - All right. I got a question for you.
Would you accept a client if you were constantly thinking:
"I don't want this person to touch me.
I don't want them to even breathe on me"?
- Not if I was you. - That's what I'm talking about.
- Mm-hm. “what?
[Lisa laughs]
Man: Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas.
- Merry Christmas. - Thank you.
- Hey, merry Christmas. - Merry Christmas, sir.
Ho, ho, ho.
Thank you.
Happy new year.
- You're the, uh, TV guy. - TV guy.
Sir?
This is the supplement.
You're right. There is a section on HIV-related discrimination.
Andy: Oh, thank you.
Thank you very much.
[37]
We do have a private research room available.
Andy: I'm fine right here, thank you.
Excuse me. Do you know where I can find the state v. Murdoch case?
Librarian: Just a moment. I'll be right with you.
Man: Thanks.
[Librarian sighs]
Wouldn't you be more comfortable in a research room?
[Coughs]
No. Would it make you more comfortable?
Oh, uh, Beckett, how you doing?
Counselor.
Huh.
Whatever, sir.
[Chair squeaks]
Fxcuse me.
[Coughing then blowing nose]
Who'd you get?
- What? - Did you find a lawyer?
I'm a lawyer.
Hey, how's your baby?
Oh, yeah. She's, uh... She's wonderful great
- what's her name? =I arice.
That's a beautiful name.
Named her after my sister.
[37]
Look, I'm, uh....
How'd they find out you have the aids?
One of the partners noticed a lesion on my forehead.
Um
but how do you go from, uh...?
How do you go from a lawyer spotting a lesion...
Which could have been anything...
To the partners deducing that you have aids...
And terminating you on the basis of that conclusion?
That's a good point.
The partner who spotted the lesion, Walter kenton
worked for Walsh, ulmer & brahm indc.
A paralegal there, Melissa Benedict...
She showed lesions, on and off, for the better part of two, three years.
She says it was common knowledge around the office
that her lesions were caused by aids.
- But they didn't fire her. - No, they did not fire her.
I see. So you got a... You got a relevant precedent?
- Mm-hm. The arline decision. “arline?
Andy: Supreme court.
"The federal vocational rehabilitation act of 1973 prohibits discrimination...
Against otherwise qualified handicapped persons...
Who are able to perform the duties required by their employment.
Although the ruling did not address the specific issue...
Of HIV and aids discrimination..."
"Subsequent decisions have held that aids is protected...
As a handicap under law...
Not only because of the physical limitations it imposes...
But because the prejudice surrounding aids exacts a social death which prece...
Which precedes the actual physical one."
"This is the essence of discrimination.
Formulating opinions about others not based on their individual merits.
But rather on their membership in a group with assumed characteristics."
[Cheering]
[Speaking indistinctly]
[Organ plays "charge song" over speakers]
- Charles Wheeler! - Julius erving! Glad to see you.
- Ken starr. Charles: Ken, how are you?
Hey, how are you?
[Speaking indistinctly]
- Charles Wheeler. How you doing? - How are you?
- Very good. “welcome...
Summons for you.
Take a look at it. Have a good day.
Hey, Dr. j. How are you? I love you, man. You're the best.
If you ever need a lawyer for anything, you give me a call.
If you slip and fall, accidents, anything. Let me know.
See you in court.
- The TV guy. - Yeah, the TV guy.
[Joe laughs]
Say, Chuck, what's up?
Charles: Now, regarding Andy...
I want to know everything about his personal life.
Does he frequent those pathetic bars on Chestnut street?
Walter: Right, Charles. Bor: Jesus.
Charles: What other homosexual facilities does he go to?
Walter: Absolutely. Bob: Charles
Charles: What deviant groups or organizations does he secretly belong to?
Kenneth: First thing in the morning. Charles: Wait a minute, Bob.
Bob: Look.... Charles: What is it?
Let's make a fair settlement offer, put this whole tragic business behind us.
Charles: Bob.
Andy brought aids into our offices, into our men's room.
He brought aids to our annual goddamn family picnic.
We ought to be suing him, Bob.
Where is your compassion, gentlemen?
Bob, we gave him highline. Did Andrew Beckett say:
"I might not be able to serve our client to the best of my ability"?
He said nothing!
And now, discarding the trust and affection I conferred upon him,
Andrew Beckett proposes to haul me into court
to sling accusations at me, to call me a bigot!
In full view of the entire Philadelphia judicial establishment. My god.
Fxcuse me.
Beckett doesn’t wanna go to court. He's looking for a quick, tasty settlement.
A jury might decide that he has a case.
Charles: Wait a minute.
He was fired for incompetence, not because he has aids.
You didn't know he was sick, did you, Bob?
Holy shit! Did you, Bob?
No, no. Not... not really.
Okay, okay, everybody. Everybody, this is the house that I grew up in.
[Imiguel speaks spanish]
Right here in the hometown of lower Merion, Pennsylvania.
Oh, wait. Here. Here's proof.
There. My handprints from when I was a cute little boy.
Today is the 40th wedding anniversary of my mom and dad.
The becketts. Isn't that something?
Miguel: Pretty tough life around this poverty so many years, huh?
Those can be some pretty mean streets. Don't let appearances fool you.
Here's the front door. I once slammed this finger in the front door, and I broke it.
Woman: Where's my brother? Andy: Hey! Hey!
There's my sister Jill, everybody.
Say hello, Alexis. Mommy's pregnant again!
- What’? Are you really? Yes yes
[all laughing]
Andy: Hi, Meghan. - Uncle Andy!
Where's dad?
He's out trying to get the snow blower fixed.
It shows once in seven years, dad buys a new snow blower.
- Oh, me. How are you? - Oh, mom, today's a good day.
Meghan, keep that up. You're doing a great job.
I gotta say hello to the bronte sisters. Hello, everybody.
Woman 1: Hi. Woman 2: Hi, Andy.
- How are you? Woman 3: Hi
man: Hey, hey, heh. Andy: Unh!
Put me down!
[gary goetzman's "all the way" plays]
J' since you let me love you it's for sure I'm gonna love you j
j all the way j
j oh, but in Sarah &
j go all the way jj
there's gonna be things said at the trial
that are gonna be hard for you to hear about me and my personal life.
There's will be publicity. I wanna make sure it's okay with everybody.
[Ibaby whimpers]
Andy, you want me to take her?
No, no, she's... she's fine.
I think it's great that you're asking, Andy, but this is really your call.
All right. Thank you, brother. Thank you.
Hey, you're my kid brother. That's all that matters, okay?
To be honest, I'm worried about mommy and daddy.
No
they've been through so much already.
And it's possible that there are gonna be some very tough times ahead.
Uh, Andy, the way... the way that you've handled this whole thing....
I don't believe there's anything that anyone could say...
That would make us feel anything but incredibly proud of you.
Well, I didn't raise my kids to sit in the back of the bus.
You get in there and you fight for your rights, okay?
Gee, I love you guys.
[37]
Joe: Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...
Forget everything you've seen on television and in the movies.
There's not gonna be any last-minute surprise witnesses.
Nobody's gonna break down on the stand with a tearful confession.
You're gonna be presented with a simple fact.
Andrew Beckett was fired.
You'll hear two explanations for why he was fired, ours and theirs.
It is up to you to sift through layer upon layer of truth...
Until you determine for yourselves which version sounds the most true.
There's certain points that I must prove to you.
Point number one: Andrew Beckett was...
Is a brilliant lawyer. Great lawyer.
Point number two: Andrew Beckett, afflicted with a debilitating disease...
Made the understandable, the personal, the legal choice...
To keep the fact of his illness to himself.
Point number three: His employers discovered his illness.
And, ladies and gentlemen, the illness I'm referring to is aids.
Point number four: They panicked.
And in their panic, they did what most of us would like to do with aids
which is just get it and everybody who has it...
As far away from the rest of us as possible.
Now, the behavior of Andrew Beckett's employers may seem reasonable to you.
It does to me.
After all, aids is a deadly, incurable disease
but no matter how you come to judge...
Charles Wheeler and his partners, in ethical, moral and in human terms...
The fact of the matter is when they fired Andrew Beckett because he had aids
they broke the law.
Fact:
Andrew Beckett's performance on the job varied from...
Competent, good, to oftentimes mediocre
to sometimes flagrantly incompetent.
Fact:
He claims he's the victim of lies and deceit.
Fact: It was Andrew Beckett who lied.
Going to great lengths to conceal his disease from his employers.
Fact:
He was successful in his duplicity.
The partners at wyant-Wheeler did not know...
That Andrew Beckett had aids when they fired him.
Fact:
Andrew Beckett is dying.
Fact:
Andrew Beckett is angry.
Because his lifestyle, his reckless behavior.
Has cut short his life.
And in his anger, his rage, he is lashing out.
And he wants someone to pay.
Thank you.
[37]
[Imouthing indistinctly]
Andrew Beckett represented your company...
In a lawsuit in 1990, is that correct?
- That's correct. - Were you pleased with his work?
We were satisfied with the outcome of the litigation.
Satisfied.
Mr. laird, when I approached you about being a witness at this trial...
You gave sworn testimony in a deposition. Is that correct?
That's correct.
In that deposition you said that you were impressed and delighted...
With the quality of Andrew Beckett's work. Do you recall saying that?
In all honesty, I was delighted with certain aspects of Andy's efforts.
But, in general, I found the work to be merely satisfactory.
Joe: Uh-huh.
[Whispers indistinctly]
Do you agree...
That a bologna sandwich is a satisfactory meal,
[audience snickering]
Whereas caviar and champagne, roast duck...
And baked Alaska, that might be considered a delightful meal?
We object. These gastronomical comments...
Are irrelevant to these proceedings, your honor.
No, they are not irrelevant. Your honor, five months ago...
This witness characterized Andrew Beckett as caviar.
Now he's calling him a bologna sandwich.
I think that the jury is entitled to know.
What powerful force has caused him to change his mind.
He hasn't changed his mind. He's amplified his answer.
Objection sustained.
All right.
All right, Mr. laird, explain this to me like I'm a 4-year-old, okay?
Did Andrew Beckett win your lawsuit for you?
Yes, we won.
Oh, congratulations. That must have been a very...
Satisfactory experience.
[Crowd chanting indistinctly]
[37]
Officer: Ready, Mr. Beckett? Man: Get ready, here they come!
Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve! Thou shalt not lie with mankind.
Do you see this as a gay-rights issue?
I am not political. I just want what is fair and what is right.
But you are gay, aren't you?
Well, I don't see how that's any of your business, but yes, I am.
Man 1: Oh, Jesus. Filko: Whoo
- totally irrelevant. Man 1: Doesn't matter.
Do you think that homosexuals deserve special treatment?
Hell, no!
We're standing here in Philadelphia, the, uh, city of brotherly love...
The birthplace of freedom...
Where the founding fathers authored the declaration of independence.
And I don't recall that glorious document...
Saying anything about, "all straight men are created equal.”
I believe it says, "all men are created equal," Angela.
Man 2: Give me a goddamn break.
As far as someone being fired at a law firm or a business.
If we found that their action was discriminatory...
They could no longer do business with the city.
Woman: Thank you, mayor. Mayor: Sure.
Yo
listen, you're, uh... you're not getting a little light in the sneakers, are you, pal?
[Imen laughing]
Hey!
Yeah, I am, filko. I'm... I'm changing.
I'm on the prowl.
And I'm looking for a hunk. Not just any hunk. I mean a man, a real man, like you.
Crowd: Ooh.
You can tell everybody about it. You know what we do. You wanna play sailor?
You remember. I'm Columbus, you're the first mate.
- Knock it off. That's not funny! - Let me tell you something.
These people make me sick, filko...
But a law's been broken.
You remember the law, don't you?
At least we agree on one thing, Joe.
What's that, Charlie?
Tutti-fruttis make me sick too.
[Woman speaking indistinctly on TV]
Joe: Ms. Benedict, is it true that you worked for Walsh, ulmer & brahm...
Three years ago at the same time as Walter kenton?
That's correct.
And at that time, did Walter kenton know the ks lesions
on your face and arms were caused by aids?
Definitely. I told all the partners.
How did Walter kenton treat you after you told him you had aids?
Every time he'd come in contact with me, he'd get this look on his face.
I referred to it as the "oh, god" expression.
As in, "oh, god, here comes that woman with aids."
Thank you, Ms. Benedict. No more questions, your honor.
Ms. Benedict, how did you contract the aids virus?
Through a transfusion. I lost a lot of blood giving birth to my second child.
So, in other words, in your case, there was no behavior on your part...
Which caused you to be infected with the virus.
It was something that you were unable to avoid isn't that correct?
[37]
I guess.
Thank you.
But I don't consider myself any different from anyone else with this disease.
I'm not guilty. I'm not innocent. I'm just trying to survive.
Thank you, Ms. Benedict. Uh, no further questions at this time, your honor.
Judge: You may step down, Ms. Benedict.
Joe: Beyond noticing the marks oh his face
were there other things about his appearance, Ms. Burton...
That made you suspect that Andrew had aids?
Well, he was getting thinner and he seemed very tired sometimes.
But he was working so hard. Still, I felt something was wrong.
And I can't believe that they're trying to pretend that they didn't notice anything.
Objection.
Just answer the question, please.
Have you ever felt discriminated against at wyant-Wheeler?
- Well, yes. - In what way?
Well, Mr. Wheeler's secretary, Lydia...
Said that Mr. Wheeler had a problem with my earrings.
Joe: Really?
Apparently, Mr. Wheeler felt that they were too "ethnic," is the word she used.
She told me he said that he would like it if I wore something a little less garish...
A little smaller and more "American."
What'd you say?
I said, "my earrings are American. They're African-American."
[All laughing]
Judge: Let's have order, please. Thank you. No more questions.
Conine: Ms Burton.
Weren't you recently promoted?
Yes, I'm in charge of the paralegal department.
Congratulations on your unfettered ascendancy at wyant-Wheeler.
Well, I don't know if I'd go so far as to call it "unfettered"
I don't understand. How do you explain...
The promotion of an obviously intelligent, articulate...
Qualified African-American woman in a firm
which practices discrimination as wantonly and consistently...
As you and Mr. Beckett claim?
I can't explain it.
Could it be that these.
Instances of discrimination are in fact misunderstandings...
That have been blown completely out of proportion?
I think counsel tends to oversimplify the issue somewhat.
Well, thank you, Ms. Burton.
I'll take that note under consideration.
[Audience laughing]
[37]
- How's the trial going”? - Excuse me?
It's a great case. Saw you on television. I'm a law student at penn.
- How you doing? - All right. How are you?
You saw me on TV? It's a good school, penn. Good school. What year are you?
- Second. - Good.
Listen, I just wanted to tell you, this case, it's tremendously important.
And I just wanted to let you know, I think you're doing a fantastic job.
- Okay. - Thank you. All right.
Look, when you graduate, you give me a call, okay?
- Thank you. - All right. Take it easy.
Thank you very much.
- Listen, Joe. Yeah?
Would you like to have a drink? I just finished a game, and I could use a beer.
No, I can't. I... you know, my wife is....
I don't pick up people in drugstores every day.
- What, you think I'm gay or something? - Aren't you?
What's the matter with you? I look gay to you?
Do I look gay to you”? Joe, relax.
No, what do you mean, "relax"? I ought to kick your faggoty little ass.
Take it as a compliment, jeez.
That's exactly the kind of bullshit that makes people hate your little...
Faggoty asses.
You want to try and kick my ass, Joe? Asshole.
Joe: No, you're the asshole, buddy! - Heh-heh
green: Please continue, Ms. O'Hara.
We were going crazy looking for this complaint.
I felt I was in the twilight zone.
Mr. Beckett was screaming at everybody. He just... he looked so freaky.
And Mr. kenton kept saying, "you lost the highline complaint?"
And he called Mr. Wheeler.
And all of a sudden jamey comes in with the complaint in his hand.
He says, "it was in central files, Andy."
Green: Central files?
Yes, central files is a place where paperwork is sent when cases are closed.
Well, jamey ran it over to the court just in time.
And everybody just stood there completely wasted.
And Mr...
And Mr. Beckett just kept saying:
[Sobbing] "I'm sorry. Sorry, I don't understand this"
green: Thank you, Ms. O'Hara. Joe: Mm.
No further questions at this time, your honor.
Judge: All right. Mr. Miller.
- May 1? Judge: Certainly.
Thank you.
- Are you okay? Yes
- want a glass of water or something? - No_
- was Andy a good boss? Yes
he was very sweet.
How would you characterize his work as an attorney?
How would I know? I just worked for him.
[Audience laughing]
Excuse me, your honor, but is this for the record?
Mr. Miller, perhaps you should return to counsel's table.
Yes, sir.
- Ms. O'Hara. Yes
were you aware at any time of any problems that the senior partners had...
With the quality of Andrew's work prior to this missing-file episode?
No, no, I wasn't.
Thank you. No more questions, your honor.
Joe: Is Andrew Beckett the kind of lawyer who misplaces crucial documents?
Jamey: Not to my knowledge. No.
Joe: Mr. Collins, if you wanted to make a lawyer look incompetent...
Would this be a good way of going about it?
Hiding an important document maybe for a few hours
and then making it look like the responsible lawyer misplaced it?
Why would Mr. Wheeler and the others behave so outrageously?
Because they found out Andy was sick?
- He's not answering the question. - Perhaps.
We have lawyers who have had heart attacks, ulcers...
Prostate cancer, leukemia.
No one's sandbagged them.
Did you have something to do with this file being lost accidentally on purpose?
Conine: Objection.
I'll rephrase. Did you have anything to do with this file being misplaced?
- Absolutely not. - Are you a homosexual?
- What? - Are you a homosexual?
Answer the question. Are you a homo? Are you a faggot?
You know, a punk, queen, pillow-biter, a fairy?
Booty-snatcher, rump-roaster? Are you gay?!
- Objection! Judge: Order. Order!
Where did this come from”? Suddenly counsel's attacking his own witness?
Mr. collins’ sexual orientation has nothing to do with this case.
Please have a seat, Ms. conine.
Would you approach the bench, Mr. Miller?
[37]
Could you kindly share with me exactly what's going on inside your head?
Because at this moment I don't have a clue.
Your honor.
Everybody in this courtroom is thinking about sexual orientation.
You know, sexual preference, whatever you want to call it.
Who does what to whom, and how they do it.
I mean, they're looking at Andrew Beckett, they're thinking about it.
They're looking at Mr. Wheeler, Ms. conine, even you, your honor.
They're wondering about it.
I mean, heh, trust me...
I know that they are looking at me and thinking about it.
So let's just get it out in the open. Let's... let's get it out of the closet.
Because this case is not just about aids, is it?
So let's talk about what this case is really all about:
The general public's hatred, our loathing, our fear of homosexuals.
And how that climate of hatred and fear translated.
Into the firing of this particular homosexual, my client, Andrew Beckett.
Please have a seat, Mr. Miller.
Very good.
In this courtroom, Mr. Miller, justice is blind to matters...
Of race, creed, color, religion and sexual orientation.
With all due respect, your honor...
We don't live in this courtroom though, do we?
No, we don't.
However, as regards to this witness...
I'm going to sustain the defense's objection.
Joe: How many weeks at a time would you be out to sea...
Without stopping at port?
Oh, uh, anywhere from two weeks to, uh, several months.
Any women on board?
Not when I was in the Navy.
[Crowd chuckling]
So, during these long voyages, months at a time out to seg.
No women in sight, hundreds of hardworking, robust young men...
In the prime of their lives, the peak of their natural appetites and desires...
Their god-given hormonal instincts, anything going on?
Uh, going on? Like what”? What?
Like two sailors down below making flippy-flop?
Conine: Objection. Judge: Mr. Miller.
We had one guy like that.
You haven't ruled on my objection, your honor.
Judge: Go on, Mr. Miller.
You had one guy like that? You mean a homosexual?
He, uh, strutted around quarters naked, trying to get everybody to notice him.
It made everyone sick. It was destroying our morale.
So we let him know this kind of behavior was not acceptable.
How'd you do that? You wrote him a letter?
We stuck his head in a latrine after 10 of us had used it
Joe: You taught him a lesson? - Yes, we did.
Just like firing Andrew Beckett taught him a lesson.
Conine: Objection. - I withdraw
you were aware when you worked with Melissa Benedict
that she had aids, is that correct?
- She didn't try to conceal it. - So you are aware of the difference...
Between a bruise and a lesion, is that correct?
Beckett told me he'd been hit by a racquetball, and I believed him.
Didn't you try to avoid contact with Ms. Benedict
after you found out she had aids?
She says, and I quote, that you...
Were repulsed by her. You avoided her, is that correct?
I felt and I still feel nothing...
But the deepest sympathy and compassion for people like Melissa...
Who contracted this terrible disease through no fault of their own.
[Siren wails]
[Opera music plays softly over speakers]
Miguel: Andy, don't move now.
Oh yeah
okay.
Oh, boy.
It's not going through.
We may have to flush it out again.
Oh
the vein's closed.
We've got to call Barbara.
- Nurse ratched? Wait a minute.
Yeah, and tell her to come over.
Look, I've... there's so much stuff that I need to get done.
Can we...? Can we just skip the treatment for tonight?
No. We are... We are not skipping this treatment.
It's my arm and it's my treatment, and I say skip it.
Well
you know something?
Hm?
That stuff is saving your life.
What's the matter with you tonight?
- Close the law book. - Let me just....
Miguel: Huh?
[Sighs]
The least you can do is look at me...
And give me a little of your time. Got it?
You are worried.
We don't have very much time left, now, aren't you?
No, no.
Well, I'll tell you what I'm going to do.
I'm going to start planning my memorial service.
I'm going to start preparing for the inevitable.
Maybe you should think about it.
No
no, no, no.
Nope, nope, nope.
I've got a better idea.
[Chat tering]
[Soft music playing over speakers]
Joe: Hi, Andrew. Hi, Miguel. - Hey!
- Oh, Joe Miller. - My wife, Lisa.
- Are you Lisa? - Hi, nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you too! Miguel: This is my sister, Maria.
Andy: Maria, Lisa. Joe, Miguel's sister, Maria.
Joe: How are you, maria”? Pleasure. - Do you care for something to drink?
Oh, I'll take care of Joe. Maria, thanks. Thanks very much.
You're looking alive tonight.
Oh, I had a blood transfusion and I feel great.
Ah. Uh, so you like it? I'm a lawsuit.
You get it? I'm a lawsuit.
- It's not bad. It's not bad. =I awsuit lawsuit
- what are you drinking? - Wine is good.
Andy: Uh, could I have some of the red, please?
So we gotta get to this q&a sometime tonight, you know?
Sure, yeah. Just one problem. I'm at a party right now.
- Yeah, that's fine. Whatever. - We'll get to it.
- Listen, I... - Just later, that's all.
Hi, Joe Miller.
- Do I know you? - Mona Lisa.
Ah uh
- lawsuit. Nice. Have fun.
[Singing "Mr. sandman"]
I Mr. sandman j
j bring me a dream j
j make him the cutest boy that I've ever seen j
j give him two lips like roses and clover j
j then tell me that my lonesome nights are over j
j Mr. sandman, I'm so alone j
j don't have a boyfriend to call my own j
j oh, won't you please turn on your magic beam j
j Mr. sandman, bring us a dream a dream jj
j and it's hard to imagine j
j oh, that nothing at all j
j could be so exciting j
j could be so exciting, ooh j
j and so much fun j
j oh, heaven j
j is a place j
j where nothing j
j oh, nothing can go wrong j
j oh, heaven j
j is a place j
[speaking indistinctly]
J oh, nothing can go wrong 87
thank you.
[Opera music playing over speakers]
- Ah, thank you. Sure.
Congratulations, counselor.
Congratulations?
You survived what I assume to be your first gay party intact.
[Chuckles]
Let me tell you something, Andrew.
When you're brought up the way I am, the way most people are in this country...
There's not a whole lot of discussion about "homosexuality"...
Or, what do you call it, "alternate lifestyles"?
As a kid, you're taught that queers are funny. Queers are weird.
Queers dress up like their mother, that they're afraid to fight.
That they... They're a danger to little kids.
And that all they want to do is to get into your pants.
And that sums up the general thinking out there...
If you want to know the truth.
Thank you for sharing that with me.
You're very welcome. Let's go over this testimony. We got a big day on Monday.
Okay. First I'll ask you, "can you describe the circumstances...
In which you joined the firm wyant, Wheeler, hellerman, tetlow & brown?"
Miller
do you ever pray?
Andrew, that is not the answer to the question.
But, yes, I pray.
What do you pray for?
What do you mean? I pray. I pray that, uh....
I don't know. I pray that my baby is healthy.
I prayed that my wife made it through the delivery.
I pray that the Phillies win the pennant.
Now, can we go through these questions?
Number one: Can you describe the circumstances
in which you joined the firm wyant, Wheeler, hellerman, tetlow & brown?
Can you do that for me?
There's a possibility I won't be around to see the end of this trial
yes, I've considered that.
I've made some provisions in my will for some charities.
Miguel will need a lawyer. I know it's not your area.
I know a good probate lawyer.
- Thank you. You're welcome.
Now, can you describe the circumstances in which
you joined the firm wyant, Wheeler, hellerman, tetlow & brown?
Do you mind this music? Do you like opera?
I am not that familiar with opera, Andrew.
[Opera Aria playing over speakers]
Oh, this is my favorite Aria.
It's Maria callas.
It's Andrea chénier.
Umberto giordano.
This is Madeleine.
[Turns up volume]
She's saying how, during the French revolution...
Amob set fire to her house.
And her mother died, saving her.
She says, "look, the place that cradled me is burning.
I'm alone.”
can you hear the heartache in her voice?
Can you feel it, Joe?
Now in come the strings, and it changes everything.
The music, it fills with a hope.
And that'll change again, listen.
Listen.
"I bring sorrow to those who love me."
Oh, that single cello.
"It was during this sorrow that love came to me.
A voice filled with Harmony.
It said, ‘live still.’
I am life.
Heaven is in your eyes.
Is everything around you just the blood and the mud?
I am divine.
I am oblivion.
I am the god...
That comes down from the heavens to the earth
and makes of the earth a heaven.
I am love.
I am love."
[Imusic stops]
[Ibreathing heavily]
Well, uh....
[Chuckles]
Jeez, I'd... I'd better get out of here.
Lisa's, uh.... I told her that, you know....
- Uh, I'll look over the q&a. - No, you're ready. You're ready.
Um
[chuckles]
[Sighs]
[Aria playing over speakers]
Jesus.
[Chuckles]
God.
[37]
It's me.
[Ibaby cries softly]
Shh. I love you, little larice.
Place your left hand on the Bible. Raise your right hand.
Do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you god?
Andy: I do. - Please be seated.
Joe: Andrew, can you describe the circumstances
in which you joined the firm...
\wyant, Wheeler, hellerman, tetlow & brown?
Andy: Wyant-Wheeler aggressively recruited me.
They were the most prestigious firm in Philadelphia, full of opportunity.
And I was impressed with the partners.
Joe: Including Charles Wheeler? - Particularly Charles.
Joe: What impressed you about him?
He was the kind of lawyer I thought I wanted to be.
And what kind of lawyer is that?
Possessed of an encyclopedic knowledge of the law.
A razor-sharp litigator. A genuine leader.
Gifted at bringing out the very best in others.
An awesome ability to illuminate the most complex of legal concepts...
To a colleague, to a courtroom, to 2A man in the street
the kind of person who can play three sets of tennis...
But doesn't sweat heh.
Underneath an elegant surface...
Ne has an adventurous spirit.
Joe: So in the years you worked at wyant-Wheeler...
You ever tell Charles Wheeler you were gay?
- No, I didn't. - Why not?
You don't bring your personal life into a law firm.
You're not supposed to have a personal life, really.
Anyway, I did plan to tell Charles eventually, but then this...
Well, something happened at the racquet club.
About three and a... three years ago.
Somebody started telling some jokes.
[Imen laughing]
What do you call a woman who has pms and esp at the same time?
I don't know, Roger, what do you call her?
A bitch who knows everything.
[Imen laughing]
Sounds like someone I know.
Hey, Walter, how does a faggot fake an orgasm?
He throws a quart of hot yogurt on your back.
[Imen laughing]
Charles: That reminds me of the hairdresser...
Joe: How'd that make you feel?
Relieved
that I never told him I was gay.
Just very relieved.
Joe: All right, um....
Are you a good lawyer, Andrew?
I'm an excellent lawyer.
Joe: What makes you an excellent lawyer?
I love the law.
I know the law. I excel at practicing.
What do you love about the law, Andrew?
I... many things.
Uh, what I love the most about the law?
Yes
is that every now and again, not often, but occasionally...
You get to be a part of justice being done.
It really is quite a thrill when that happens.
Joe: Thank you, Andrew.
You said earlier you aspired to be the kind of person...
Who had an adventurous spirit, is that correct?
Something like that.
Do you take risks?
In my work, yes. Calculated risks. You have to.
Did your doctor ever tell you to reduce stress?
That long hours and stressful working conditions...
Might damage the immune system and speed up your illness?
My doctor mentioned the impact aids... Excuse me.
My doctor mentioned the impact that stress could have on the immune system.
Have you ever been to the stallion showcase cinema on 21st street?
I... I've been to
that.
I've been to that theater
three times in my life.
What kind of movies do they show there?
(Gay movies.
(Gay pornographic movies?
Yes
objection, your honor.
Your honor, this line of questioning is vital to the issue of credibility.
Let's, um... let's see where this is going. Continue, counselor.
Do men have sex with each other in that theater?
Some men.
Have you ever had sex with anyone in that theater?
Man: I'm Robert
Andy.
Yes, once.
Conine: When? Approximately what year did that event take place?
Andy: I guess it was, uh, 1984.
'84, '85.
Were you aware in 1984-85...
That there was a fatal disease out there called aids
and that you could contract it through sexual activity?
I'd heard of, uh, some... I'd heard of a thing, uh....
"The gay plague.” "the gay cancer."
We didn't know how you could get it, or that it killed you.
Do you need a break, Mr. Beckett”?
No. No. I... I could use some water, though.
Judge: John, would you bring Mr. Beckett some water, please?
Conine: While employed at wyant-Wheeler...
You did everything you could to make sure no one knew
that you were an active homosexual, is that correct?
No
that's not correct. I never lied about it.
Conine: As a homosexual
one is often forced to conceal one's sexuality.
Isn't that right”?
In some circumstances, ves.
Isn't it true that you've spent your life pretending to be something you're not...
80 much so that the art of concealment and dishonesty...
- Has become second nature to...? - Your honor, I object.
I'll withdraw it, your honor.
Mr. Beckett, were you living with Miguel Alvarez...
In 1984 or '85, when you had your...
Ahonymous sexual encounter in the porn theater?
Yes
so you could have infected him, isn't that right?
- Miguel has not been infected. - You didn't answer my question.
You could have infected Mr. Alvarez at that time, is that correct?
Yes
you've testified that the lesions on your face were visible...
To the people that you worked with, correct?
That's right.
And it's your contention...
That when the partners were made aware of the lesions
that they leapt to the conclusion that you had aids and they fired you?
Is that correct?
As painful as it is...
To accuse my former colleagues of such reprehensible behavior...
It is the only conclusion I could come to.
Do you have any lesions on your face at this time?
One. Here. Right, uh, by my ear.
Your honor, may I approach the witness?
Judge: Yes, you may.
Remembering that you're under oath, answering truthfully...
Can you see the lesions on your face in this mirror from three feet away?
Answering truthfully.
Well, at the time I was fired, I had four lesions, and they were much bigger.
Could you answer the question, please?
Um, no, no, I can't... I can't really see it.
No
no more questions, your honor.
Judge: I think this would be a good time to break for the day.
We can reconvene in the morning.
I hate this case.
Uh, your honor, may I have, uh, five minutes and redirect?
Mr. Beckett, can you go on for five minutes?
Joe: Three minutes. - Yes, yes.
May I borrow your mirror, please?
Andrew.
Do you have any lesions on any part of your body at this time...
That resemble the lesions you had on your face at the time that you were fired?
Yes, on my Tor... torso.
Your torso. If it please the court, I would like to ask Andrew to remove his shirt
s0 that everyone here could get an accurate idea of what we're talking about.
Objection, your honor. It would unfairly influence the jury.
Joe: Your honor, if Andrew was forced to use a wheelchair due to his illness
would the defense ask him to park it outside...
Because it would unfairly influence the jury?
Come on, we're talking about aids. We're talking about lesions.
Let's see what we're talking about.
I'll allow it. Mr. Beckett, would you please remove your shirt?
My god, what a nightmare.
He asked for it.
[37]
Andrew, can you see the lesions on your chest in this mirror?
Yes
thank you.
[Coughing]
Bailiff: Do you swear to tell the truth, nothing but the truth, so help you god?
Charles: I do. - Please be seated.
Mr. Wheeler.
Were you aware that Andrew Beckett was suffering from aids...
At the time of his departure from wyant-Wheeler?
- No. - For absolute clarity...
Did you fire Andrew Beckett because he had aids?
No, I did not fire Andrew Beckett because he had aids.
Mr. Wheeler, can you explain in a way that leaves no doubt
why you promoted Andrew Beckett through your firm?
And then, most importantly, why you eventually asked him to leave?
If you're the owner of a major-league ball club, you recruit the hot rookie.
And Andy was tremendously promising as a young attorney.
Fresh out of penn. Crackerjack.
That's why we went after him. That's why we hired him.
That's why we stuck with him, year after year.
[Wheezing]
Conine: Why did you give him opportunity after opportunity?
Well, when you've groomed someone the way we groomed Andy...
Nurturing him, lavishing all kinds of special treatment on him...
You make quite an investment.
We were waiting for the promise to kick in and deliver.
But, uh, ultimately, we could no longer ignore the gap...
Between the reality and the promise.
Thank you, Mr. Wheeler.
No more questions at this time, your honor.
Mr. Miller?
Conine: Objection. Your honor, objection.
Judge: All right, Mr. Miller, that will be sufficient.
Mr. Wheeler, you are magnificent.
You are... you are my hero. Andrew was right. You are the greatest.
Are you gay”?
[Audience gasps]
Objection.
[Laughs]
- How dare you. - The witness will kindly answer.
No, I am not a homosexual.
Isn't it true that when you realized Andrew Beckett
your golden boy, your future senior partner, was gay and had aids...
It drove a stake of fear right through your heterosexual heart?
Remembering all the hugs, handshakes, the intimate moments in the sauna?
The friendly pats on the backside that you and Andrew exchanged...
Like guys exchange sometimes.
It made you say, "my god! What does this say about me?"
Objection, your honor.
The witness will please respond to the question.
Mr. Miller, you may tap dance around me all you wish...
With your innuendos and locker-room fantasies
but the truth still remains.
That your client worked when he wanted to work
telling us what he thought we needed to know about who he really was.
Andy insisted on bending the rules.
And his work suffered tremendously in the long run as a result of that.
Will you explain this to me like I'm a 6-year-old? Because I just don't get it.
Who makes these rules that you're talking about, huh? You?
Read your Bible, Mr. Miller. Old and the new testament.
Pretty valuable rules in there.
Fxcuse... fxcuse me.
Andrew?
Fxcuse... I can't... unh!
[Wheezing]
Andy!
Excuse me. Andy!
Chrissakes, somebody get a doctor!
Jill: What is it? Turn him over now.
- Call an ambulance, please. Woman: Right away, yes!
Jill: Ambulance, please. Let him breathe.
Please, make room for him, please.
[Ibeeping]
[Chat tering]
Miguel: It's not working! It's not working! It's not working!
It's not working! No! It is making him worse!
Joe: Did you notice any changes whatsoever in Andrew's appearance...
Over the course of the year leading up to his termination?
Yes, I did.
Were these changes for the better or for the worse?
Sometimes for the better, but generally they were for the worse.
Mr. seidman, what did you think caused these changes in Andy's appearance?
I was afraid.
I suspected Andy had aids.
[Audience chattering indistinctly]
Judge: Order. Order!
Joe: Thank you. Your witness. Judge: Ms. conine.
Conine: Mr. seidman, did you share your suspicions...
With Mr. Wheeler or any of the other managing partners at any time...
Before the decision to fire Andrew Beckett was made?
No. No, I didn't.
I didn't mention it to anyone, not even Andy.
I didn't even give him 3 chance to talk about it.
And I think I'm going to regret that for as long as I live.
Judge: Any more questions? Conine: That's all, your honor.
Now, they are saying that he wasn't a good lawyer, that he was mediocre.
And the fact that they gave him the most important lawsuit...
That they ever had for one of their most important clients....
Now, they say that that doesn't prove anything because that was just a test.
- What'd they call it? A carrot? Man: Yeah
to see if he would rise to the occasion. Okay, okay.
So say I gotta send a pilot into enemy territory.
And he's gonna be flying a plane that cost $350 million.
Who am I gonna put in that plane?
Some rookie who can't cut the grade...
Because I wanna see if he can rise to the challenge?
Or am I gonna give that assignment to my best pilot?
My sharpest, my most experienced, my top gun, the very best I got.
I just don't get that.
Would somebody please explain it to me?
Like I'm a 6-year-old?
[All laughing]
Bailiff: Juror number six? Juror 6: I agree.
Bailiff: Juror number seven? Juror 7: I agree.
Bailiff: Juror number eight? Juror 8: Agreed.
Bailiff: Juror number nine? Juror 9: I agree.
Juror number 107? - I disagree.
- Juror number 117 - I agree.
- Juror number 127 - agree.
Have you awarded any damages?
Head juror: Yes, your honor, we have.
For back pay and loss of benefits, we award $143,000.
For mental anguish and humiliation, we award $100.000.
And for punitive damages, we award $4,782,000.
[Audience clapping and cheering]
Judge: You may record the verdict.
Everyone remain seated until the jury is removed.
Charles: How could they do that?
This trial is now concluded
Joe: Ha-ha. - Yay! Congratulations.
Conine: Strain ourselves getting 3 reversal on this one.
Man: We'll get started in the morning. Well, that's that.
Conine: Congratulations, Mr. Miller. I'll see you at the appeal.
- Congratulations. Well done. - Thank you.
- Oh, man. Thanks a lot. - I'll see you at the hospital.
Okay.
[37]
Chandra: Mr. Miller, how you doing? You know where the room is?
- Down the hall. Chandra: Yeah.
Gillman: If he leaves the hospital, which is unlikely...
Don't expect him to be remotely like he was before this crisis.
He's lost the vision in his right eye.
And because of the cmv, he will not regain his vision.
Next door, to the right.
Gillman: The cmv has ravaged his body.
[Opera music playing softly over speakers]
- Congratulations. - Hey.
- Way to go. Man: The man of the hour.
[Pop]
[Chuckles]
- Hey, Joe. - Hi_
we are so grateful to you. You were wonderful
- listen... - Thank you so much.
- Can I take that for you? - Yeah, I brought some...
- Oh, wonderful. - Cheese and.
- Thanks. - Stuff.
How are you doing?
[Andy grunting softly]
What do you call a thousand lawyers...
Chained together at the bottom of the ocean?
I don't know.
- A good start. - Heh-heh-heh
[both laughing]
Excellent work, counselor.
I thank you.
It was great working with you, counselor.
[Ibreathes heavily]
Well, I'd better go.
Yeah, yeah. Sure thing.
See you later?
Thanks for stopping by.
I'll see you again.
I'll keep it on ice for you.
See you.
I just wanted to say thank you.
You were just great.
[Speaking indistinctly]
He's a fighter.
I just want to get him home.
Thank you, Joe.
Oh, sorry.
What do you call a thousand lawyers chained together...
At the bottom of the ocean?
- A good start? - Ha-ha-ha. Very amusing.
I'll see you tomorrow, buddy, okay?
God bless you, Andy.
Good night, son. Try to get some rest, okay? Okay.
I love you, Andy.
I love you too, dad.
See you first thing tomorrow.
[Sobbing]
Andy: Oh, hey. It's okay. - Don't worry.
Andy: I'll see you tomorrow. - Okay?
Andy: See you tomorrow. - Come on, sweetheart.
Come on.
It's all right. It's all right.
It's okay. It's all right. Don't worry.
Good night, my angel.
My sweet boy.
[Speaking indistinctly]
[Grunts softly]
Oh, let me help you.
Miguel...
I'm ready.
[Phone ringing]
Hello.
- Joe, it's Miguel. - Oh.
Hello.
[neil young's "Philadelphia" playing]
[Chat tering]
Woman: It's nice to meet you. Man: Everybody is upstairs.
[Chat tering]
[Kids giggling]
[Chat tering]
> Sometimes I think that I know j
> what love's all about I
j and when I see the light &
j I know [I'll be all right &
j I've got my friends in the world &
j I had my friends j
j when we were boys and girls and the secrets came j
- oh Jill: Jenny.
- How are you? - Great.
- Look at my boy. - Oh, he's so cute.
Say hi, auntie.
[Chat tering]
- Oh, hi. Woman: You must be Lisa.
- Yes, I am. - Can I get you something to drink?
J» place I call home j
j don't turn your back on me j
> don't wanna be alone ji
I [Ove lasts forever j
j someone is talking to me j
j calling my name j
> tell me I'm not to blame j
I I won't be ashamed of love I
j Philadelphia &
[chirping]
[Laughing]
J city of brotherly love j
j brotherly love j
hey, it's my turn.
> Sometimes I think that I know j
> what love's all about I
j and when I see the light &
j I know [I'll be all right &
j Philadelphia &'j
[37]