Yes, baby.
Oh, 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?
- I do. - Please be seated.
Andrew, can you describe the circumstances in which...
you joined the firm Wyant, Wheeler, Hellerman, Tetlow and Brown?
Wyant, Wheeler aggressively recruited me.
They were the most prestigious firm in Philadelphia...
full of opportunity.
And I was impressed with the partners.
- Including Charles Wheeler? - Particularly Charles.
What impressed you about him?
He was the kind of lawyer I thought I wanted to be.
What kind of lawyer is that?
Possessed of an encyclopedic knowledge of the law...
a razor-sharp litigator, genuine leader.
Gifted at bringing out the very best in others...
and an awesome ability to illuminate...
the most complex of legal concepts to a colleague, a courtroom...
to the man in the street.
The kind of person who can play three sets of tennis...
but doesn't sweat.
Underneath an elegant surface...
he has an adventurous spirit.
In the years you worked at Wyant, Wheeler...
did 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 something happened...
at the racket club...
about three years ago.
Somebody started telling some jokes.
What do you call a woman who has P.M.S. And E.S.P. At the same time?
I don't know! What do you call her?
A bitch who knows everything.
Sounds like someone I know.
Hey, Walter, how does a faggot fake an orgasm?
He throws a quart of hot yogurt on your back!
That reminds me...
How'd that make you feel?
Relieved...
that I never told him I was gay.
Just very relieved.
All right.
Are you a good lawyer, Andrew?
I'm an excellent lawyer.
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.
What I love the most?
Yes.
Is that every now and again...
not often, but occasionally...
you get to be a part of...
justice being done.
That really is...
quite a thrill when that happens.
Thank you, Andrew.
You said earlier...
you aspire to be the kind of person who had an adventurous spirit, 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 Al DS... Excuse me.
My doctor mentioned the impact stress could have on the immune system.
Have you ever been to the Stallion Showcase Cinema...
on 21st Street?
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 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?
I'm Robert.
Andy.
Yes.
Once.
When? Approximately what year did that event take place?
I guess it was 1984.
'84, '85.
Were you aware in 1984, '85...
that there was a fatal disease out there called Al DS...
and that you could contract it through sexual activity?
I'd heard of some... I'd heard of a thing.
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. I could use some water, though.
John, would you bring Mr. Beckett some water?
While you were employed at Wyant, Wheeler you did everything you could...
to make sure no one knew that you were an active homosexual.
Correct?
No.
That's not correct. I never lied about it.
As a homosexual...
one is often forced to conceal one's sexuality.
Isn't that right?
In some circumstances, yes.
Isn't it true you've spent your life pretending to be something you're not...
so much so that the art of concealment and dishonesty...
- has become second nature... - 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...
anonymous 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 you contend that when the partners were made aware of the lesions...
that they leapt to the conclusion that you had Al DS and 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 by my ear.
Your Honor, may I approach the witness?
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, I... At the time I was fired...
I had four lesions, and they were much bigger.
Could you answer the question, please?
Well, no. No, I can't really see it.
No more questions, Your Honor.
This would be a good time to break for today.
- We can reconvene in the morning. - I hate this case.
Your Honor, may I have five minutes in redirect?
Mr. Beckett, can you go on for five minutes?
- Three minutes. - Yes.
May I borrow your mirror, please?
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 torso.
Your torso. If it please the court...
I would like to ask Andrew to remove his shirt...
so that everyone could get an accurate idea of what we're talking about.
Objection.
Your Honor, it would unfairly influence the jury.
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?
We're talking about Al DS, 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.
Can you see the lesions on your chest in this mirror?
Yes.
Thank you.
Do you swear to tell the whole truth, so help you God?
I do.
Please be seated.
Mr. Wheeler, were you aware that Andrew Beckett...
was suffering from Al DS at the time of his departure from Wyant, Wheeler?
- No. - For absolute clarity...
did you fire Andrew Beckett...
because he had Al DS?
No, I did not fire Andrew Beckett because he had Al DS.
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.
And that's why we stuck with him year after year.
Why did you give him...
opportunity after opportunity?
Well, when you groom 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 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?
Objection!
- Your Honor, objection. - All right, Mr. Miller.
- That'll be sufficient. - Mr. Wheeler, you are magnificent.
You are my hero.
Andrew is right. You are the greatest.
Are you gay?
Objection.
How dare you!
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 Al DS...
it drove a stake of fear right through your heterosexual heart?
Remembering...
all the hugs and handshakes, the intimate moments in the sauna...
the friendly pats on the backside that you and Andrew exchanged...
like guys exchange.
It made you say, " My God!
What does this say about me?"
Objection, Your Honor.
The witness will please respond to the question.
You may tap dance around me all you wish...
with your innuendoes 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.
Explain this like I'm a six-year-old, 'cause I just don't get it.
Who makes these rules that you're talking about? You?
Read your Bible, Mr. Miller, Old and New Testament.
Pretty valuable rules in there.
Excuse me.
Excuse... I can't...
Excuse me!
Christ's sakes, somebody get a doctor!
What is it? Turn over now.
- Call an ambulance, please? - Right away.
An ambulance, please! Let him breathe.
Please make room for him.
It's not working.
- Please, sir! - It's not working!
- They know how to save him. - It is making him worse!
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 Al DS.
- Order. - Thank you. Your witness.
- Miss 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. I didn't.
I didn't mention it to anyone...
not even Andy.
I didn't even give him a chance to talk about it.
And I think I'm going to regret that...
for as long as I live.
- Any more questions, Miss Conine? - That's all, Your Honor.
They are sayin' he wasn't a good lawyer. He was mediocre.
And the fact that they gave him the most important lawsuit they ever had...
for one of their most important clients...
They say that doesn't prove anything because that was just a test.
- What'd they call it? A carrot? - Yeah. "What's up, Doc?"
To see if he'd rise to the occasion. Okay.
Say I gotta send a pilot into enemy territory...
and he's gonna be flyin' a plane that costs $350 million.
Who am I gonna put in that plane?
Some rookie who can't cut it so I can see if he is up 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 six-year-old?
- Juror number six? - I agree.
- Juror number seven? - I agree.
- Juror number nine? - I agree.
Juror number ten?
- I disagree. - Juror number 11?
- I agree. - Juror number 12?
Agree.
Have you awarded any damages?
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.
You may record the verdict.
Everyone remain seated until the jury is removed.
How could they do that?
This trial is now concluded.
Congratulations!
We'll strain ourselves getting a reversal on this one.
- We'll get started in the morning. - Well, that's that.
Congratulations, Mr. Miller. I'll see you at the appeal.
Congratulations. Well done.
Oh, man. Thanks a lot.
- I'll see ya at the hospital. - Okay.
Oh, Mr. Miller. Hi. How you doin'?
- You know where the room is? - Down the hall.
- Right there. - The one off...
Thanks.
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 C.M.V. He will not regain his vision.
- Next door, to the right. - The C.M.V. Has ravaged his body.
Hi. Congratulations.
Hey. Way to go.
Man of the hour.
Hey, Joe.
We are so grateful to you. You were wonderful. Thank you so much.
- Can I take that for you? - Yeah. I brought some...
- Oh, wonderful. - Cheese and stuff.
How ya doin'?
What do you call a thousand lawyers...
chained together at the bottom of the ocean?
I don't know.
A good start.
Excellent work, Counselor.
I thank you.
It was great working with you...
Counselor.
I'd better go.
Yeah. Sure thing.
I'll see you later?
Thanks for stopping by.
I'll see you again.
I'll keep it on ice for you.
See you.
I just want to say thank you.
We really appreciate it. We'll see you again?
He's a fighter.
We just want to get him home.
Thank you, Joe.
What do you call a thousand lawyers chained at the bottom of the ocean?
- A good start? - Very amusing.
I'll see you tomorrow, buddy. Okay?
God bless you, Andy.
Good night, son.
Try to get some rest, okay?
I love you, Andy.
I love you too, Dad.
See you first thing tomorrow.
Hey. It's okay.
- Don't worry. - I'll see you tomorrow.
Come on, sweetheart.
It's all right. It's okay. Don't worry about it.
Good night, my angel.
My sweet boy.
No, let me help you.
Miguel...
I'm ready.
Hello?
Joe, it's Miguel.
Hello?
- It's nice to see you. - Everybody's upstairs.
Sometimes I think that I know
What love's all about
And when I see the light
I know I'll be all right
I've got my friends in the world
I had my friends
When we were boys and girls
And the secrets came unfurled
Look at my boy.
Oh, hi. Yes, I know.
City of Brotherly Love
Place I call home
Don't turn your back on me
I don't wanna be alone
Love lasts forever
Someone is talkin' to me
Calling my name
Tell me I'm not to blame
I won't be ashamed of love
Philadelphia
City of Brotherly Love
Sometimes I think that I know
What love's all about
And when I see the light
I know I'll be all right
Philadelphia
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