L.A. Law (TV Series)
I'm Ready for My Closeup, Mr. Markowitz (1992)
Anthony DeSando: Alex DePalma
Quotes
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Douglas Brackman, Jr. : Gentlemen, when we took this on, you both agreed we should settle.
Alex DePalma : We asked for 4,000,000, they shot it down.
Leland McKenzie : So, try again.
Alex DePalma : Mr. McKenzie, we are ready for trial. We've got a solid case on the facts. Mr. Campos has spent 6 years gathering data and overseeing medical tests down in Honduras. These people are counting on us.
Alvaro Campos : 30% of the workers at my plantation are like me: we can never have children.
Douglas Brackman, Jr. : But you still have to prove a link to the pesticide. We all know how hard that is.
Leland McKenzie : The firm is in no position to carry this through a trial and appeals that could take years.
Alex DePalma : I didn't come here so you could broker a settlement and walk away with a big fee. I needed Tommy Mullaney to win.
Douglas Brackman, Jr. : You needed an experienced firm to back you. And we're telling you to settle.
Tommy Mullaney : Halifax isn't interested in settling. They want a verdict to discourage other foreign suits. The whole chemical industry is behind them.
Douglas Brackman, Jr. : Great, now we're taking on the chemical lobby.
Leland McKenzie : Look, why not make another offer? Try asking for 2,000,000.
Alex DePalma : That's a joke. After fees, that's barely 3000 per man.
Douglas Brackman, Jr. : You'd be lucky to get that for third world workers.
Alvaro Campos : Third world? Does that mean our lives have less value than yours?
Douglas Brackman, Jr. : I wasn't saying that.
Alex DePalma : Yeah, then what were you saying?
Leland McKenzie : He's talking about the average wage earn...
Tommy Mullaney : Guys, uh, let me have a few minutes here. Okay? I'll meet back you in my office.
[DePalma and Campos exit]
Tommy Mullaney : Thanks.
[Mullaney closes the door]
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Lawyer Russell Spitzer : Mr. Campos, did you ever have gonorrhea?
Tommy Mullaney : Objection, relevance?
Lawyer Russell Spitzer : I'm exploring other potential causes of Mr. Campos' sterility, Your Honor.
Judge Robert Fellmeth : Overruled, the witness will answer.
Alvaro Campos : Yes, I was 17-years old. But the doctor said I was completely cured. And there were no long time effects. And I am not the only one who sterile. There are 400 others.
Lawyer Russell Spitzer : Isn't it common for men in your culture to visit prostitutes?
Alex DePalma : Objection, irrelevant and racist!
Judge Robert Fellmeth : Sustained. Watch it, Mr. Spitzer.
Lawyer Russell Spitzer : I'm sorry, Your Honor. Mr. Campos, alcohol abuse can make men infertile. How many cantinas are there in your village?
Alvaro Campos : I don't know.
Lawyer Russell Spitzer : 35, by my information. That's one bar every 40 men in town. Sounds like a pretty happy place.
Tommy Mullaney : Objection.
Judge Robert Fellmeth : Mr. Spitzer.
Lawyer Russell Spitzer : I'll move on, Your Honor.
[Spitzer hands a piece of paper to Campos]
Lawyer Russell Spitzer : Mr. Campos, you said you were never warned about potential health risks from using Z-chlor. This is a label from a drum, Z-chlor. As you can see, it's in Spanish. Could you please translate for the jury?
Alvaro Campos : [Reading] Do not swallow, inhale vapors, or make contact with skin and eyes.
Lawyer Russell Spitzer : So you were warned. But you ignored the warning, and, uh, used the pesticide carelessly.
Alvaro Campos : We did nothing careless. And many men cannot read.
Lawyer Russell Spitzer : But you can, Mr. Campos. And as a crew leader, weren't you obligated to make sure that everyone wore protective clothing and face masks when applying this pesticide?
Alvaro Campos : I asked the fruit company for these things. And I was told me to use my bananas across my face. And I was also told if I ask more questions, I could lose my job.
Lawyer Russell Spitzer : It sounds to me like your complaint is with the foreign company. But I guess a Honduran fruit company doesn't have the deep pocket dinero of an American chemical giant.
Tommy Mullaney : Objection.
Judge Robert Fellmeth : Sustained.
Lawyer Russell Spitzer : Withdrawn. Nothing further.