Class Action Page #3

you'd come to your senses.

Boy, was I wrong.

So now I spend my life

between two bickering children,

both of whom are old enough to know better.

Especially you.

Margaret, I can take.

A swine like Frederick Quinn,

no problem at all. But you...

you rattle me.

Stelli, I love you.

You know me for the old codger that I am,

and you still hang around.

I can't for the life of me understand why.

Jed...

this case will eventually go away.

Please, please don't make her go away with it.

Hi!

Hi, how are you?

Are you ready?

Maggie, are you taking one for a test drive?

I don't even have a learner's permit!

You don't need one! On-the-job training.

Very funny. Very funny.

- So what's wrong?

- I didn't say a word.

I know. And very loudly.

OK.

I'm worried, Maggie.

I'd like you to drop the case.

- Tell him to drop it. I dare you.

- He won't.

- I dare you!

- You know he won't.

This is the first time I have him

somewhere he doesn't make the rules,

before ajudge in a courtroom.

Someplace I can beat him.

"Beat him"? He's your father, Maggie.

So what?

I am sick and tired of being afraid of him.

All my life he's made me feel like

I wasn't good enough. Never mind if he was.

He made some mistakes.

Thatjust makes him human.

Too human.

You of all people should know that.

All of those women.

Were those mistakes?

What happened between

your father and me is our concern.

I think if I can put it behind me,

you should too.

Well, I've tried. And I can't.

Mom, I was there.

I saw how much he hurt you.

Why didn't you just leave him?

Come on, talk to me.

About what you choose?

What about what I want?

I won't drop this case. I won't!

Somebody has to fight him. You didn't.

Oh, Maggie, you never understood.

Maybe that's my fault.

Look, I had to make a choice with your father.

It was a very hard choice.

Sure I could have left.

God knows I thought about it.

But I still love him.

So I decided to stay and try to make it work.

It took a long time,

but we got through it.

And I honestly feel that I got

a lot more than I gave up by staying.

And I still do,

whether you believe it or not.

It's fine, Mom.

You forgive him.

You have a right to your choice.

And I have a right to mine.

We'll just be following you around

for a couple of days, videotaping you.

The boat, the docks, trying to show what

your life has been like since the accident.

My life, it is not so very interesting.

When we show the jury the tape,

we think they'll find it very interesting.

We want them to see what you've lost,

what you can't do any more.

I cannot fish is what I cannot do.

- It's good.

- It's good I cannot fish?

No, no, Mr Minh. It's a terrible thing.

We need to hear the stories

from all the Meridian owners who got hurt.

- Mr Minh, I'd like to thank you...

- Who is this man with Mr Ward?

That's Jack Tagallini.

Mr Ward helped him,

just like he's gonna help you.

Mr Ward, he must be very great man.

A very great man.

Now, listen.

You take care. We'll be in touch.

- Bye bye.

- Bye.

- Pretty severe burns.

- But his English! The jury won't understand.

So we shoot the video.

If it doesn't play, we lose him.

Who's next?

We'll go right to the summary proceedings.

- How do I look?

- Nervous.

- Why?

- You have Pepto-Bismol on your mouth.

- Maggie!

- Hi. Hi.

Are we still friends?

What do you think?

Don't worry about me, Margaret.

I'm just your old decrepit father.

Be strong. Come on.

Your Honor, it's about evidence.

Plaintiff doesn't have any.

The only reasonable course of action

is to grant my client summary judgment.

- Denied.

- Thank you, Your Honor.

Next case.

Case no. 861947,

Kellen et al. versus Argo Motors.

For the plaintiffs, Jedediah Tucker Ward.

For the defense, Margaret Eleanor Ward.

I'm glad I'm not going to be

at your house for the holidays.

I presume the proper waivers

have been signed here.

- They have, Your Honor.

- OK, what have you got for me?

The court has before it a discovery motion

compelling the defendant to supply

the names and current addresses

of all Argo employees involved in designing

the Meridian model, between 1980 and 1985.

Response, Miss Ward.

It doesn't deserve one.

This is a bald-faced fishing expedition.

People who worked on the car design might

have something interesting to say about it.

Your Honor, if my esteemed colleague

had the vaguest idea what he was looking for,

he could narrow his discovery

to something smaller than the phone book.

Miss Ward, I think he deserves something.

What he's asking for is out of the question.

Some of the people haven't worked for Argo

for years. They've scattered to the four winds.

Generating a current address list

could take thousands of hours.

- We will give him the names.

- Mr Ward?

That's a start, Your Honor.

The job descriptions and the names are not

of much value without the current addresses.

Mr Ward, in all fairness,

I think Miss Ward has proved

that supplying the addresses

would put an undue burden on the defense.

I was concerned about that, too, Your Honor,

so I called the pension department at Argo.

Told them I had a former friend

I was looking for named John Smith.

Did they have anybody by that name

who worked for the company? They did.

Called him up on the computer

and gave me his current address.

- Really?

- An illegal invasion of privacy!

They keep an updated record

of all former employees

- to send them their pension statements.

- Your Honor...

They asked me if I worked with him

at Argo and where did I live,

and then they sent me this current newsletter.

It wasn't hard at all, Your Honor.

I want those addresses.

- A cheap sideshow trick.

- It worked.

- Because Symes is a sucker for your antics.

- Lighten up. I'll buy you an ice cream.

- Oh, Jed, cut it out.

- Estelle, shush.

No! Now, listen. No more.

No. There's a lot more.

This is just the beginning.

- She used to like ice cream.

- She used to like you.

I know.

I know, Michael. You don't have

to try to make me feel better.

It's just this thing

is gonna slow us up so much.

Maggie.

Maggie! Maggie!

One, two, three, four, five.

One, two, three, four, five.

Mom.

Is there a doctor? Call the doctor!

Mom!

1954, I was watching the McCarthy

hearings on television.

I had trouble keeping my mind

on the testimony.

There was this beautiful young woman

sitting in the first row of the gallery.

Every time the camera would catch her

in the background, she was doing this.

I was fascinated.

I watched for hours,

trying to catch sight of her.

Finally, I couldn't stand it any longer.

I called the hearing room.

Had the guard...

ask her if she would call me during recess.

Amazingly enough, she did. I introduced

myself and asked her what she was doing.

She said she was mouthing the words

"McCarthy is a weasel. "

Subliminal advertising, she called it.

She said it would stick in people's minds

forever and no matter what, she claimed,

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