MAN: So, you should ask yourself,
with every decision you make,
is this good for the V.A.?
Am I helping with the V.A.'s strategic vision?
Now, my guess is you're all asking the same question.
With our new administration, will you still have a job?
But I want you to ask a slightly different question.
Will my job still have me?
Am I the right fit
to continue fulfilling my duties
to the best of my ability
for the greater good of the company?
We just want to make sure that we have some new staff in place
to have things run a little bit more smoothly around here.
I want to be clear:
politics will not enter into any of my decisions.
[whispers]: Bullshit.
We've had a late start,
mostly due to the delayed presidential transition.
I'm sure you've heard about that.
No hard feelings. Huh? [chuckles]
I'll probably head back to D.C.
Everybody says the Trump connection hurts us.
How about you?
If they want me, I'll stay on here.
MAN: What?
Kurt?
Leo's Bike Shop.
LIZ: That was the name of your business?
Yes. My grandfather came over from Holland after World War II,
Got a loan, opened it.
My family's run it for 60 years.
-Until last year? -Yes. We had to close down.
-Why? -Her.
MAN: Your Honor, I must object.
My client is not the direct causal reason
for this man's business to close.
Counselor, what is the violation to the rules of evidence?
Inflammatory?
-Nope. Overruled. -Exception.
-[sighs] Mr. Rahtenberg... -Rottenberg, Your Honor.
You don't have to keep saying "exception."
If you go to a higher court,
they're going to take it for granted
that you're taking exception with my rulings.
-Please, continue. -LIZ: Why are you saying
that the defendant, Ms. Marina Beck,
was the reason that your business closed?
She was a neighbor who got angry when I parked
in front of her house. She felt the front curb was hers,
so she started harassing my family and my business.
Objection to harassment. It calls for a conclusion.
No, sir. No. The witness is answering.
He's not the questioner. Improper objection.
-Exception. -Yes, excepted.
-Please continue. -Now, how did the defendant harass you and your business?
Online. We found out from a friend
there was an article on her newsfeed
about me molesting a boy at the local school.
-LIZ: And it was untrue? -Yes, completely.
But it looked real. And there were
photos of me. -LIZ: And you also discovered that
-she had created a news article? -Yes.
And how do you know that Ms. Beck created that article?
We hired an Internet forensic specialist.
It wasn't just an article.
She created 20 different social media accounts
of supposed parents who accused me of touching their children.
And this caused you to lose business?
Many people saw our business name
on that website, Business Scoundrels,
where she accused me of pedophilia.
If you look for my name online, that's all that comes up:
articles and discussions about me molesting children.
And that's why you're suing, Mr. Van De Berg?
Yes, I want the harassments to stop.
She's still posting ugly things about my family.
Even today.
But I'm also suing for my loss of business.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
Sir, why didn't you apply to get your name removed
-from those websites? -I did.
-Not hard enough, apparently. -Business Scoundrels
would only remove the accusations
if I paid a $10,000 service fee.
And isn't your good name worth $10,000?
I didn't want to pay it because it was extortion.
They accept vile accusations without proof
and then want to charge me to take them down?
Okay, okay, I've heard enough.
Let's bring it up here.
Not you, just the lawyers.
Okay, Mr. Rahtenberg, you're going to lose.
Rottenberg.
You have been biased against my name
-from the beginning, ma'am. -No, sir.
You have a rotten case,
and an awful client.
What I would suggest you do is negotiate a fair settlement.
Because if you come back here
it's gonna cost you twice as much. That's it.
[gavel bangs]
-Tomorrow at my office? -Sure.
Let's the paperwork together for a settlement.
On it.
We need the paperwork for a settlement.
Keep track of your billable hours.
On it.
You two go through the billing,
and you two double-check their work.
Oh, and keep track of your hours.
Split these up into piles for every month for every year,
and keep an accounting of the totals.
Let's get to it.
[door closes]
Things should get better, right?
Something other than paperwork?
Law of averages.
You. What's your name?
Carmen Moyo.
-Let's go. -CARMEN: Uh, I was told
to collate these bills.
Did the executive partner tell you to collate those bills?
-No. -DAVID: Right,
because that's me. Let's go.
Great.
-Why am I supposed to know you? -Uh, I don't know if you are.
Why does Benjamin Dafoe know you?
I don't know who that is.
Oh, my God. Law school illiteracy.
[door opens]
Is this her?
Carmen Moyo, as requested.
[sighs] I don't understand. Who are you?
-Carmen Moyo. -No. No, no.
-Why are you important? -I don't think that I am.
Then why do I have my top client asking for you?
-Who's that? -Mr. Wolfe-Coleman.
Y-Your client is Wolfe-Coleman.
Hmm. W-What does he need?
BENJAMIN: Last night, the police searched his home
for any evidence of rape. They believe they found something
and Mr. Wolfe-Coleman wanted me to contact
Carmen Moyo to represent him. So...
how did that happen?
I-Is your client an acquaintance of Oscar Rivi?
The drug dealer? No.
Is your client...
is your client currently at Menard Correctional?
He was, yes. Why?
I'm representing Mr. Rivi.
[laughs]
Carmen's one of our best.
Uh, why don't we get the retainer agreement going, Ben?
♪
Oh, good. Go home.
I'll have the rest of the bills ready to sort tomorrow.
The rest?
Yeah. This is half.
[sighs]
♪
MAN: I couldn't have stolen anything.
I wrote my book before Emily in Pariswas even on the air.
-WOMAN: That doesn't mean you couldn't have gotten a copy. -Hey! Welcome to Night Court.
-Missed you. -WOMAN: Emails get hacked every day.
MAN: Oh, come on. I never read
her stupid book, and her book is just a rip-off anyway.
There are lines that are identical, Your Honor.
Because they're lines from Emily in Paris.
What is this one about?
That guy says she plagiarized his book.
-Copyright laws, interesting. -Here, here, here, here.
-Here's the program. -WOMAN: You've got to be kidding me.
-MAN: No. I said that, out loud. WOMAN: You plagiarized from Emily in Paris.
I've never even read the book.
These are actual books?
Self-published. Fan fiction.
WOMAN: Oh, come on. I know you've got a reputation for doing this,
-and I'm not gonna let you... -No, 'cause what I said...
Okay. All right, Stop, stop, stop. That's it. I get it.
WOMAN: Your Honor, this is not a small matter.
Look at Fifty Shades of Gray. That started as fan fiction.
Okay.
I'm taking a recess.
Um, don't fight when I'm gone.
You.
Can you join me in chambers?
You know him?
No.
Thoughts?
[chuckles] Well, it's copyright law.
Nobody can copy unless they have the right.
Mm.
But they both borrowed from Emily in Paris.
Right, I mean... [chuckles]
Look, there's no real money here.
All they want is attention and to feel like they've won.
Hmm.
-End of Wizard of Oz. -What?
Scarecrow getting a diploma.
Uh... right. Can you make one?
I'm in Copy Coop. I can make anything.
Okay.
-[bell dings] -Bing. Here's my decision.
Your books have both been copyrighted
by me and this court, but under different names.
Neither of you get Paris.
That is your punishment for not being original.
You get Judy in Nice
and you get Janice in Lyon.
I don't like Lyon.
Tough.
It's either Lyon or South Bronx. You decide.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Good.
Now, look at each other and say
"I respect and I love you."
Say it or I take away your copyrights.
-I respect and I love you. -I respect and I love you.
Do it till I believe you.
Marissa.
-Nicely done. -Thank you.
Amazing what you can do without a ton of red tape.
Be my law clerk.
What? No.
-I have a job. -Work here.
Part-time, full-time, your call.
Flat fee.
Ten percent of all the legal filings.
Unlimited use of the copy machines.
Your Honor, this is not a court.
I-I don't know what it is, but it's...
The future.
Come on.
Be here.
I-I can't.
I have a job.
I want to pass the bar.
I want to be a real lawyer.
You know why all these people are here?
'Cause the courts and the lawyers and the appeals
have made justice...
unattainable.
Out of reach.
To anyone who doesn't have a shitload of money
to wait it out.
That's why Exxon beats out Mr. Nobody.
Read Kafka's Before the Law.
Now I've got homework.
It's one page long.
Don't be a philistine.
Justice is only just if it's available to everyone.
DIANE: Kurt? I delayed the reservation,
so I think we can still make it.
[shower running]
Babe?
I'm pouring a drink.
Do you want one?
[sighs]
[shower stops]
[door opens]
Who is this?
No one.
Well, you just drew in a...
a beard and a mustache on him.
I was doodling.
You-you don't doodle. In fact,
you're the exact opposite of a doodler. Who is it?
I don't know. I thought it was somebody I knew, but...
-I'm not sure. -But you suspect.
I mean, if it's one of the insurrectionists,
then you need to tell the feds.
Yeah, I'm not sure it's him.
Well, who do you think it is?
Just somebody I went shooting with.
Oh, my God, then it's him.
No, he didn't talk that way.
He wasn't political. He's a veteran.
-Kurt! That's the profile. -Yeah,
and I don't drop a dime because he fits a profile.
What is this, a schoolyard? Drop a dime?
This man tried to hang the vice president.
He tried to kill Nancy Pelosi.
You don't know that, and I'm not gonna be responsible
for naming names.
-This is not McCarthyism. -Actually, it is.
-They stormed the Capitol! -The feds
will threaten me with indictment
if I don't name names.
Even if I'm not sure if they're responsible.
And then they will be asked to name names,
and everybody will get lawyers, and...
and those are the only people who will benefit.
[door slams]
What do you need, Diane?
Uh, I-I don't know.
Uh, maybe nothing.
Do you want me to come back?
No.
I want to know who this man is.
[chuckles] Well, that's gonna be pretty hard.
It's not a great photo.
Well, I-I may have some more information.
He's a veteran.
And he shoots at the same range as, um...
as my husband, Kurt.
It's the Kankakee Gun Club.
All right, I'll see what I can do.
-REIF: What?! Are you serious?! -ROTTENBERG: Look,
you're missing the tragedy here.
It's not just you guys.
She can't pay me either.
Well, we will be attaching her wages.
Yeah, you're welcome to it, but there's nothing there. Nothing.
-I looked. -Well, even-even the inheritance?
-Swallowed up by taxes. -REIF: This is bullshit.
ROTTENBERG: I understand your anger.
But, hey, congratulations on your win.
Dylan Pike.
What?
Dylan Pike.
-The man in the wanted photo. -How...
Wow. The feds couldn't find him and you-- what, just like that?
-They didn't know he shot at the Kankakee Gun Club. -That's all you needed?
The club had his driver's license on their computers.
-And how did you get it? -Diane, if I told you that,
you wouldn't need me.
Well, we don't pay you enough.
Oh, I know that. Want to see his photo?
Um, you want me to call the feds?
Uh, no. I can.
Or, I... I-I will.
I-I just have to think about it.
RECEPTIONIST: Hello, sir. Thank you for waiting.
Welcome to Reddick/Lockhart.
Can I help you?
David Rathbone for Liz Reddick.
I think David Cord is in the reception waiting for you.
David Cord? Like, the Cord Brothers?
Yeah. He asked for you,
but he gave his name as David Rathbone.
Why?
I have no idea.
What have I done with the aces?
-Sure. -Mm.
Oh...
[chuckling]
Thank you. Thank you.
Mr. Cord?
Ms. Reddick. Hello.
I knew your father.
I hated your father.
Yes. Well, he hated you, too.
[chuckling] You gave the name Rathbone?
I did.
I do that, sometimes, just to see if I get as warm a reception
as I would if I gave my true name.
And I'm happy to say I did.
-Hello. -Oh, this is Marissa.
This is one of our law clinic lawyers.
Eli Gold's daughter.
Democrats as far as the eye can see.
Why don't you ask Julius to join us. Hmm?
I want to save the country.
You want to save it?
Yes.
Don't you?
Yes.
January 6 changed everything for me.
My "road to Damascus" moment, but...
Do I have to explain that to Democrats?
No.
And I'm not a Democrat.
Ah! That's my point.
See, I came to realize that we-- say, the three of us--
we have a lot more in common than we might think.
We all love this country.
I love this country.
It gave my family a start.
My dad, he started a small laundry business.
Sent his son to college, and I...
made something of myself.
Too many people take America for granted.
I don't.
And I suspect that you don't either.
Well, I-I don't think there's a disagreement there.
I think the disagreement is in the details.
Ah. Well, let's start with the details.
Reif Van De Berg and Leo's Bike Shop.
-JULIUS: What is that? -Uh, that's a...
uh, a defamation suit involving a small business.
A-A suit that we won.
CORD: But it didn't make any difference
because the defendant is bankrupt.
Uh, I-I don't, uh, know how...
And the client's retainer is gone.
-He has no money to pay you. -Uh, Mr. Cord...
So, I want to hire you to continue to sue on his behalf.
I'll offer you a $12 million fund to continue the suit
for another six months.
Uh... Why?
My only request is that you go after a different defendant
for defamation.
One with deeper pockets.
The social media company
that distributed Ms. Beck's vile lies to the public.
But $12 million is a lot of money.
So, what's in this for you?
I want to go after Section 230.
♪
♪ Back when there was no one on the Internet♪
♪ We had no iPhones♪
♪ Memes were not invented yet♪
♪ Congress made up a law to help it blossom and grow♪
♪ So now I can't get sued for what my users say♪
♪ That's why I own two spaceships♪
♪ And most of L.A.♪
♪ All from winding you up♪
♪ And then watching you go♪
♪ I just want to engage you♪
♪ With things to enrage you♪
♪ To keep your eyes on your screen♪
♪ I don't ever get dirty♪
♪ Because Section 230♪
♪ Is keeping my hands so clean...♪
♪ Here's the good news♪
♪ Everybody has a voice♪
♪ Here's the bad news♪
♪ Everybody has a voice♪
♪ Cheats and liars, the fools♪
♪ And the mad and the mean♪
♪ You get Arab Spring, you get #MeToo♪
♪ Bonus items♪
♪ Pizzagate, fake news and Q♪
♪ I've got principles♪
♪ So, sorry, I can't intervene♪
♪ So blame the people who wrote it out♪
♪ They promote it♪
♪ To keep your eyes on your screen♪
♪ I don't ever get dirty♪
♪ Because Section 230♪
♪ Is keeping my hands♪
♪ So clean.♪
[quiet chatter]
Jay.
How do I make an anonymous phone call?
-Do you have a burner? -No.
Uh, hello. Yes...
I would like to report the name
of one of the January 6 rioters.
I saw on your poster.
Dylan Pike.
No.
I-I'd rather not leave my name.
No. I-I don't.
♪
[arguing]
David Cord is not a good look for us.
[scoffs] I think we would look great in $12 million.
Blood money.
That's a little dramatic.
The amount of money he's spent funding Republican campaigns
-over the last decade... -If you all weren't all so busy
turning up your noses at the Republican Party,
you might remember that Democrats and Republicans
thought Section 230 was flawed.
Here's an opportunity for the unity
that the Democrats say they want.
I've never asked to unite with white supremacists.
Yeah, let's not pretend this is some bipartisan issue, though.
The right has no interest in stopping conspiracy theories
on these platforms.
It would help if the boomers would stop falling
for those conspiracy theories
and sharing it with their friends.
Sorry, but it would.
And no more plotting to overthrow the government,
or stalking journalists online.
What about the employee that wants to speak out
against the boss that's sexually harassing them?
They repeal Section 230, and there would be no #MeToo.
I don't believe that. You regulate Section 230,
and let the newspapers get back to actually being competitive.
We're not going back to reading newspapers, grandpa.
-Grandpa? -Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. That's inappropriate.
-There's no need... -Did you really just say "grandpa"?
Wait! Wait. Wait. Wait.
If we're gonna go after the social media giants,
we need the resources of a deep pocket like Cord.
-MADELINE: Where are you going? -To court.
But we haven't decided if we're taking this Cord money yet.
Of course we are.
[quietly]: Ooh-kay.
This is a new suit?
It's the same facts, Your Honor, but different defendant.
-You're suing Chumhum? -JULIUS: Yes, Your Honor.
You have read Section 230, I assume.
Yes, Section 230 purports to shield Internet platforms
from liability, but we believe it is unconstitutional
because it contravenes the First Amendment.
And how does it do that?
Well, the First Amendment states that, uh,
"Congress shall make no law
abridging the freedom of the press."
Section 230 doesn't say anything about the press.
No, but in practice, the law has decimated the press.
LIZ: Through Section 230,
the government has placed its thumb on the scales,
in favor of Internet platforms
over newspapers and other press outlets.
Huh.
MAN: Fucking Democrats.
Take care. Stay in touch.
May I help you?
Oh. Sure hope so.
Um, Madeline Starkey. I'm with the FBI.
I'll never get used to saying that. It sounds so melodramatic.
My husband made a ringtone for my phone.
I'm Madeline Starkey with the FBI.
[ringtone plays ominous riff]
Hi.
-May I help you, Ms. Starkey? -Oh, so polite.
Uh, yes, uh, you may help me by answering a few questions.
Uh, and I won't take up too much of your time.
-Seems like a bad day -Presidential transition,
a lot of people are being let go.
Uh, I'm so sorry. But not you, though?
Not yet. Unless that's why you're here.
Oh. No, no, no, no.
I'm the deep state.
We don't do anything meaningful. [chuckles]
Mm. I spoke to a friend of yours, Dylan Pike.
He said you trained him in the use of AR-15s, nine millimeters,
how to buy ammunition in bulk.
We covered a bunch of subjects in his group.
So it wasn't just a one-on-one.
It was a small group of veterans.
I believe this group was five veterans.
You wouldn't happen to remember the names
of the other four individuals who trained with Mr. Pike?
This would be sometime prior to the January events, uh,
at the Capitol.
Could you provide me with those names?
No.
Sorry. Can't.
You can't? Or you won't?
You have a very calm manner.
I should be calm, but I'm unnerved. [laughs]
Anything else, Ms. Starkey?
No. No, no, not right now.
But pretty soon. We'll be in touch.
You've been a managing editor for how long, Mr. Hookstratten?
Twenty-three years.
I was a reporter
for ten years before that.
And you were aware, were you not,
of this story that was circulating on social media
about a bike shop owner grooming school children
for sexual exploitation.
I was aware of it, yes.
Why didn't your newspaper cover the story?
It-- It seems like it was newsworthy, right?
-If it were true, yes. -How do you know it wasn't?
Because I spent two weeks running down the rumors.
In the case of this story, there was nothing,
just a lot of gossip online.
Now, what kind of financial shape of your newspaper
at the time that you decided not to run the story?
Your Honor, I'm sorry, but I have to object there.
Relevance.
The financial impact of Section 230's exemption
-on newspapers is directly relevant. -Overruled.
HOOKSTRATTEN: We were broke and getting broker.
The advertisers we'd counted on
had mostly gone over to the Internet.
It was only a matter of time before we wouldn't be able
to keep the lights on anymore.
Six months ago, that time came.
Your witness.
Classified ads were a big source of revenue for newspapers
-at one time. Is that right? -They were.
I imagine those being a thing of the past contributed to that.
-It did. -What about cable news networks?
-That have an impact? -Objection, Your Honor.
We are not litigating over cable news or classified ads.
That's right. We're litigating over your untested theory
that newspapers went bankrupt because social media
has a government-sanctioned advantage in the marketplace.
We should, Your Honor, at the very least, test this theory.
Agreed. Overruled.
ZSCHAU: Is it possible, Mr. Hookstratten,
that the reason these newspapers went bankrupt
is no more complicated
than they didn't keep up with their competition?
-That's one reason. -Thank you for not contesting the obvious.
Mr. Hookstratten...
...didn't your newspaper conduct this survey
-of where readers were now getting their news? -Yes.
And what were the top four sources?
Facebook, Twitter, Google, Chumhum.
None of which can be sued for defamation, libel, or fraud.
Now, do you think that enters in to what stories
you do run, and what stories you do not run?
It's always hanging over your head.
Gawker was sued out of existence
by someone who wanted them shut down.
That can happen to a newspaper or a website.
It can't happen to Facebook.
Oh, I forgot you were in here.
Yeah. You don't need to do those anymore.
We're suing Chumhum now.
[door closes]
[quiet murmuring]
[beeps]
WACKNER: Uh, case number 15. Let's go.
Ah!
Five-minute recess.
Don't touch these props, please.
I want to do both.
I want to clerk here, and I want to work at Reddick/Lockhart.
How many hours can you give me?
What do you need me to do?
Well...
My copyright certificates are...
are catching on with the fan fiction crowd, and...
I need you to process them.
MARISSA: How much are you charging for these?
I checked what the Writers Guild charged for script registration.
-20 bucks. -You're kidding.
-And how many have you sold? -412.
-What? -I know.
It spread online.
But these don't mean anything.
They're just pieces of paper.
What do you think US copyright is?
Mine is at least good for 71 years.
That's a year more than US.
Okay, but a plagiarist can still steal a work.
They can do that with the US copyright.
They just get sued in court, like they would in my court.
Oh, my God.
Marissa, I'm building something here.
I want you to join me.
I want your advice.
I want your advice on cases.
I want to bounce legal theories off you.
What are your legal theories?
I don't know. That's why I need to bounce them.
Okay. I can give you from noon to 2:00 pm,
and 5:00 to 7:00, if you want it.
Boom.
That's how revolutions are made.
Back rooms of copy shops.
Let's go.
DIANE: Hey! I'm home.
Kurt?
Some reason you're sitting in the dark?
No.
You want me to come and sit with you?
I got a visit from the FBI today.
Uh, about what?
About the guy I took shooting, the one in the Wanted poster.
-And what did you tell them? -Nothing.
This agent wanted me to give her names
of the other veterans I took shooting.
Okay, Kurt, listen to me. I...
I'm your wife, which means that anything you tell me
is privileged communication. So...
This is not the time to be the taciturn mountain man.
Just tell me. Tell me everything.
About?
Who did you take shooting?
Veterans with PTSD.
I volunteer to shoot with them on Saturdays.
They're not criminals.
Then just give the FBI their names and explain that.
One of these veterans said he was going to D.C.
and he wanted a tour of the Capitol.
I called the congressional office to arrange it.
When was this?
On January 5.
Which congressperson?
I'm not gonna say.
Kurt, I can't tell anyone.
I'm not gonna say.
Okay.
You're not gonna talk to the feds again.
I-I am going to talk to them.
You think I'm in trouble?
Yes. I think you're a Trump official
who trained an insurrectionist in firearms.
I didn't train...
And then arranged
for them to scout the Capitol.
I think that's the definition of trouble.
So here's where I come in.
From this moment on...
I am your lawyer.
STARKEY: Have a seat.
How...
How is your bird problem?
Intermittent. [clears throat]
They put rotors out there, so the birds won't land.
Makes sense.
Eh, sometimes.
But here we are again.
Yes. This'll be very brief.
I just want you to know I'm Kurt McVeigh's attorney,
and I need you to not approach him again without my presence.
You're going to represent him?
-Yes. -Oh.
That will put such a strain on the marriage.
Thanks for the concern.
Here's my card.
If you want to interview him again, just call that number.
-Okay, just so you know, we're not after Kurt. -Mm.
-[bell ringing] -Uh-oh.
What?
The bells.
You might not want to watch this.
[bell continues ringing]
What?
[bell ringing]
-[splatting on window] -Oh, my God.
Oh!
The birds haven't quite caught on to the rotors.
Building maintenance insists they will eventually,
but I don't know.
-Oh, my... Oh, my God. -[splatting]
Anyway...
Job one, for the FBI, is identifying and building cases
against as many of the January 6 rioters as possible.
And I-I-I wish you great success.
As far as I'm concerned, they all deserve to be locked up.
Well, yes, given your politics,
I thought you might be sympathetic.
And job two...
is preventing the next January 6.
I always looked at the Conway marriage,
and I wondered how they did it.
Maybe you can tell me sometime.
Good luck with your investigation.
-[splatting resumes] -Ooh...
You get used to it.
Gunnar Neustadt, former Chumhum content moderator.
And why are you no longer at Chumhum?
PTSD.
Uh, what about the work there was traumatic?
-The churn. -The churn? What is the churn?
Constant turnover of bad content.
Some of it sad, some of it homicidal,
some of it political. It never stopped.
So, all you did was block the churn?
No, we also highlighted, repositioned, featured items.
Oh, in other words,
you did what a newspaper editor does?
ZSCHAU: Objection.
Leading.
Overruled.
NEUSTADT: It felt like I was an editor.
In that you were blocking violent or pornographic content?
In the sense that we featured clickbait.
Um, if it sparked anger or outrage, we featured it.
-That's how the site made money. -LIZ: Thank you.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
Uh, just one second, Your Honor.
I was at a judge's conference,
and Judge Friend said that her dad
was a small-town newspaper editor.
Go after editorial content.
You go for it.
-Why me? -Because we have an audience of one.
Wait.
Don't look now.
I haven't questioned a witness in two years.
Okay. Then it's time.
[clears throat] Mr. Neustadt...
Mr. Neustadt.
How often did you meet with your team of editors?
Excuse me, moderators.
-Twice a day. Morning and evening. -Okay.
Good.
And, uh, what did you discuss at these meetings?
Which stories were trending.
And by trending, you mean...
Uh, popular, interesting, newsworthy.
You were assigning value?
Objection. Counselor is testifying.
Overruled.
Continue, Counselor.
JULIUS: Mr. Neustadt, if you were deciding
which stories were important,
how is that different from what an editorial team
at a newspaper does?
Objection. The witness cannot be expected to know
the inner workings of a newspaper.
Actually, I worked in the TribuneMetro section
for three years.
[quiet chatter]
What?
Build-a-Bears.
They were sent to Marissa.
Okay.
-Why? -No idea.
-This one's a Marissa bear. -Hug me.
Why don't we, meaning you,
take all these stuffed animals
and put them in the conference room.
I'm just saying Mr. Wolfe-Coleman,
this may not be the firm for you.
Benjamin Dafoe.
RECEPTIONIST: One moment.
-MADELINE: Please send this out. -Okay.
I know. I'm putting them in the conference room.
-Do you have a minute, Marissa? -Sure.
-Actually, I, um... -Carmen.
Right, uh,
could you give us a moment, Carmen?
[exhales] Why are there hundreds of teddy bears in our reception?
I... [chuckles]
Is that a legal euphemism I don't understand?
No. This...
was sent to you.
-It's a Marissa bear. -Hug me.
That doesn't even look like me.
That would seem to be beside the point.
What is going on, Marissa?
Why are there hundreds of bears in our office?
Let me find out.
Well, if you're finding out, you must have some suspicion.
So, what is it?
I offered some advice to a client
who was buying a Build-A-Bear franchise.
-My guess is this was a thank you. -What client?
You're not a lawyer.
Why do you have clients?
Oh, my God.
This is about that Copy Coop court?
I made sure it didn't interfere with my responsibilities.
Marissa, no.
By participating in that simulacrum of a courtroom,
you exposed this firm to malpractice, sanctions,
and God knows what.
I'm just offering the judge some advice,
and helping him with his copyright office.
If you wish to continue your employment at this firm,
you will never do anything like that again.
-Do you understand? -But it's...
No. No buts.
Do you understand?
I do.
Diane, your husband and the FBI are here.
Oh, no.
Don't put them in the conference room.
I... Okay.
I think I might be a little late.
Do we all get one?
Or just clients?
Wow.
There's that, uh, calming, unnerving quiet.
[chuckles]
-Hello. -Hi
I have agreed to a ten-minute interview.
Mr. McVeigh has to get back to work.
Yes. Yes, I know.
And he's been a good boy, not saying a thing.
He's not a boy.
No, he's not, your boy, Bill.
Okay. Let's start.
Just to be formal, Kurt, I'm Agent Starkey with the FBI.
[ringtone plays ominous riff]
We understand. We don't need the musical introduction.
Okay. Um... So, Kurt.
Those friends or your colleagues
or whatever they are to you, or were to you,
probably have little or no criminal liability
for January 6.
My concern isn't with their past.
It's what they might do in the future.
He has no knowledge of that.
Well, now that they've gotten away with, say, trespassing,
or smearing their feces on the floor of the rotunda,
they're emboldened to violence,
to bombs, to hostage taking.
Does Kurt have a question?
-No, but I do. -Oh. Pray, ask.
Why do you think that?
Why do I think they're emboldened?
Well, I have my reasons.
And if you tell me who they are,
I will know and then, if need be, I can stop them.
My client has no knowledge of anyone plotting anything.
Well, that does not square
with this Dylan Pike statement.
"Kurt McVeigh not only trained me in firearms,
"he also laid out the strategy for entering and occupying
the U.S. Capitol."
Was that a comment?
No. I have a comment.
-Oh, come on. Bullshit. -[chuckles]
Wow.
I'm surprised Mr. Pike didn't accuse Kurt
of being responsible for 9/11.
Certainly you have a better joke than that.
No. This isn't a joke to me.
Dylan Pike will say anything to reduce his sentence.
I do consider his statement with some skepticism.
And the only way to get to the truth is with a grand jury.
Uh, a subpoena has a tendency to sharpen the senses.
Odd you don't have a musical cue for that.
Hold on.
[cartoon laughter]
Oops. That's not right.
I can always subpoena you, Kurt.
[thunder crashes]
-MADELINE: He's a rapist. -DANIEL: An accused rapist.
God, I'm amazed I have to say this in a room full of lawyers.
JULIUS: Since when are we representing people like Wolfe-Coleman?
He's the next Jeffrey Epstein.
-MADELINE: Did you approve this, Liz? -No.
This is the first that I am hearing of this.
So it was Diane. Diane approved this.
No. I...
Well, I don't know.
I have clients who will flee when they find out
we represent this rapist.
Oh, you mean like the Women's Coalition? Big loss.
I know, the teddy bears.
-I'm working on it. -No, no, no.
Did you approve us representing Craig Wolfe-Coleman?
No. Why?
-Do we represent him? -Apparently, we do.
And we're-we're just trying to get to the bottom of it.
Without the other name partner?
MADELINE: That's why we asked you in.
Well, this isn't me.
I mean, was he here?
-Hi. Maybe I can help. -LIZ: David.
What's going on?
Uh, one of the associates, the new one...
-Marissa? -No, the real one.
-Carmen? -Right.
She pulled in Wolfe-Coleman as a client.
-Carmen? -MADELINE: Why?
DAVID: Because...
Wait, why don't I go upstairs
and get your last quarterly report.
DIANE: Oh, come on, David.
If Gavin Firth wants to talk to us about money,
he should discuss it with the partners.
Actually, Gavin was called back to London.
I'm the new Gavin.
STR Laurie made me your new boss.
Hi.
And this is what I have to say.
More of you should be out there digging up new clients
like this new Carmen girl.
Two months out of law school,
and she's got our top two clients.
Think about it.
Can I talk to you for a second?
That's bad.
-David as our boss. -Yeah.
Yeah, but, I-- you know, I have a worse worry.
Okay?
We were griping about a new client,
and two minutes later, David Lee comes running down
the stairs to talk to us.
That's quite a coincidence.
You think he bugged your office?
I don't know. You know him better than I do.
Would he do something like that?
-Oh, yeah. -Great.
So what do we do?
Have Jay look for bugs.
At night, when we can hide it from David.
God.
If we actually spent this much time lawyering,
we'd be Supreme Court justices by now.
Oh, wait. What is, what is going on
with all the teddy bears in the conference room?
It's a long story.
If it's actually prejudicial, than even telling me
what it is will prejudice me.
But I don't think it is prejudicial. All I wanted...
No. No. You say another word and I'll judge against you.
Here's what I'll allow you.
Four words to explain why it's not prejudicial.
You go over that, I'll rule for the other side.
-Your Honor... -Hey! There's two.
Can I have those two back?
No, but you now have six.
Patent claim...
-requires background. -Two more words.
Of prior work.
Nope. Three words. Ruling for the defendant.
Your patent is approved, sir. Go with God.
Wait. Shake hands. Look at each other and say,
"I respect and I love you."
No, no, no, no, no.
That's not how we do things here, sir.
Due to the Bad Loser Law of last Wednesday,
the ruling is reversed.
Judgement for the plaintiff.
-Yes! -Don't you dare celebrate, sir.
Thank you, Your Honor.
There's my law clerk.
Recess for ten minutes.
I can't do it. I'm sorry.
Why not?
My boss said no.
You don't need me anyway.
Let me connect you with a real lawyer.
Marissa, listen to me.
I asked you for a reason.
You know just enough not to crush what I'm doing here.
A real lawyer will look for reasons why not.
I need someone to look for reasons why.
I can find you someone.
I don't want someone.
[door opens]
[door closes]
BAILIFF: All rise.
[footsteps approaching]
Ms. Reddick,
you made an original and compelling argument.
And Your Honor, Judge Cain,
-I always thought you got a raw deal... -Your Honor.
You don't want to interrupt me, Counselor.
I have to admit, I am baffled.
How can it be that Chumhum gets away with something
any newspaper would go under for doing?
Unfortunately...
the law is the law.
It may be unfair,
but it is constitutional.
Section 230 stands,
and the statute ties my hands.
[strikes gavel]
-Mr. Cord. -[Cord laughs]
Ace or Queen?
Queen.
Good.
I just stopped by to thank you for your efforts, Ms. Reddick.
And to tell you that I'm quite prepared to bankroll an appeal.
Uh, well, we are happy to handle the appeal for you
if that's what you would like, but, um...
Uh, you should know that it is probably a long shot.
Long shots have come through for me before.
You know, I have wicked arthritis in my hands,
and my doctor told me,
"Well, just squeeze a rubber ball all day,"
but instead, I picked up a book of magic.
[Liz chuckles]
Now, I've identified 27 potential lawsuits
that I think might be viable. They're tricky,
but, uh, they've got potential.
And if you win,
the world just becomes a little more bearable.
-Hmm. -And, uh...
we are the firm that you want?
Oh, most definitely.
Talk to you soon.
Carmen, can I have a second?
Yes.
No, I'll go. It's my turn.
You're representing Craig Wolfe-Coleman?
I think I am.
Did you pursue him?
Of course not.
You know what he's accused of?
Yes, I looked over the case last night.
And it doesn't bother you?
I... [scoffs]
Uh, I don't-- I don't understand.
Should it?
Carmen, is-is-is there anyone that you would not represent?
Wouldn't?
I... I don't understand,
is... is there someone you don't want me to represent?
Okay. Uh, no. I'm just...
I'm just trying to get a sense of who you are.
Is there anyone?
Someone?
Alan Dershowitz.
[laughs] Why?
I don't know.
I don't like him.
Okay, um...
All right, here's what I want.
As your mentor,
I'm going to help you with the Craig Wolfe-Coleman case.
Thank you.
And I want us to keep talking
about your career path.
Are-are you worried about me?
I don't know what I am about you.
Mr. Wackner.
What a surprise.
Ms. Lockhart. Hi.
I love your decor.
[chuckles]
I'm always surprised, people come in my courtroom,
and they're shocked.
They think, "Oh, my God, it's so informal."
-What can I do for you, sir? -I want to hire you.
-You want to... -Hire you, your firm.
I did my research, and I'm willing to pay your retainer.
-Are you being sued? -No.
I'm creating a courtroom,
and I need to know what is the best way to do it.
Well, we don't do that, sir.
-But you do try to make money? -We do.
I'm willing to pay money.
I looked online.
One of your services is consultation on legal issues.
Your website is incredibly insistent on that.
Well, I need consultation, and I'm willing to pay.
Mr. Wackner, I...
I don't like what you're doing.
I know.
And I'm not trying to convince you.
I'm using your skepticism,
and the incentive of capitalism,
uh...
to acquire your services to, um...
perfect my little clubhouse of the law.
I want you,
and I want Marissa to help me.
Our retainer is not, uh,
it-it's sizable.
Well, I got money.
Why are you doing this, sir?
It's not gonna benefit you.
It's odd.
I'm gonna talk for a while, so...
just let me.
Since the '80s,
people have been discussing everything
as if it's built on what can benefit or disadvantage.
But do you remember a time before that?
People used to want to write the great American novel
and not sell out.
Build a beach sculpture.
Fly to Ecuador, help people.
Can you remember the last time
you heard those words,
"Peace Corps"?
I do.
I want a new Peace Corps.
For America.
I'll have downstairs draw up a... a retainer agreement.
Good.
Can I take a bear?
Oh, please do.
Um, take two.
[chuckles]
-Thank you very much. -Hmm.
-[high-pitched]: Bye-bye. -[Diane chuckles]
WACKNER: Hold the door.
Here, take one.
Captioning sponsored by CBS
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org
♪