Spotlight Page #15

JUDGE SWEENEY:

Duly noted, Mr. Garabedian.

Garabedian, angry, mutters under his breath. Mike catches it.

109 EXT. HAMPDEN SUPERIOR COURT, SPRINGFIELD, MA - LATER 109

Garabedian sits on the courthouse steps, eating a packed

lunch out of tupperware. Simmering.

MIKE:

How you doing, Mitch?

Mike walks up, sits down.

GARABEDIAN:

I’m fine.

MIKE:

(pushing him)

He’s tough, that Wilson Rogers.

11/26/14 93.

GARABEDIAN:

He’s smug. And he’s sloppy.

MIKE:

He doesn’t seem sloppy.

GARABEDIAN:

You don’t know the half of it.

Trust me.

MIKE:

What’s the half of it?

(then)

Tell me the half of it, Mitch.

Garabedian looks at him, wrestling with something.

GARABEDIAN:

Off the record.

MIKE:

Off the record.

GARABEDIAN:

Three years ago, I get a call from

an ex-Priest. Anthony Benzevich.

He was at Blessed Sacrament back in

‘62 and he saw Geoghan taking little

boys up to the Rectory bedroom.

Benzevich was appalled, he told the

Bishop. And the Bishop threatened

to reassign him. To South America.

MIKE:

Jeez.

GARABEDIAN:

Yeah. So, fast-forward 35 years,

Benzevich reads Geoghan’s been

charged with molesting more than a

hundred kids. Benzevich feels

guilty, he calls me.

MIKE:

You have testimony from a priest

telling his superiors about Geoghan

in 62’?

GARABEDIAN:

No, I do not. Because when I call

Benzevich in to give a deposition,

he shows up with a lawyer.

11/26/14 94.

MIKE:

Wilson Rogers.

GARABEDIAN:

Suddenly, Father Benzevich has a

foggy memory. Can’t remember

anything. He’s useless. So I go

back to work, I forget about it,

whatever. Until about a year ago. I

find an article about a priest who

warned church officials about

Geoghan.

MIKE:

(stunned)

Benzevich went to the press.

GARABEDIAN:

Local paper, Patriot Ledger, nobody

saw it. But now I got Benzevich on

record, so I file a motion to depose

him a second time. And Wilson

Rogers, that smug son of a b*tch, he

files a motion opposing my motion.

And that’s when I have him!

MIKE:

Have him how?

GARABEDIAN:

Rogers opposes my motion. So I gotta

make an argument as to why I’m

allowed to depose Father Benzevich a

second time. But now, I’m allowed

to attach exhibits. You follow what

I’m saying?

MIKE:

The sealed documents...

GARABEDIAN:

Yes, I can use the sealed documents

I’ve gotten in discovery, Mr.

Rezendes, the same documents your

paper is currently suing for.

MIKE:

You’re shitting me.

GARABEDIAN:

No, I am not shitting you. So I

pull out the 14 most damning docs

and I attach them to my motion. And

they prove everything.

11/26/14 95.

(MORE)

About the Church, about the bishops,

about Law...

MIKE:

And it’s all public? Because your

motion to oppose Rogers’ motion...

GARABEDIAN:

...is public. That’s correct. Now

you’re paying attention.

MIKE:

(head spinning)

So I can just walk into the

courthouse right now and get those

documents?

GARABEDIAN:

No. You cannot. Because the

documents are not there.

MIKE:

But you just said they’re public.

GARABEDIAN:

I know I did. But this is Boston.

And the Church doesn’t want them to

be found. So they are not there.

MIKE:

Mitch, are you telling me that the

Catholic Church had legal documents

removed from the courthouse?

Mitch collects his things, turns to Mike. With clarity.

GARABEDIAN:

Look, I’m not crazy, I’m not

paranoid, I’m experienced. Check

the docket, you’ll see. They control

everything. Everything.

Mitch exits. Mike watches him go, UNNERVED. Is Mitch right?

And was that just the mother of all tips? A beat... then

Mike grabs his stuff and runs towards his car.

110 EXT. SUFFOLK COUNTY COURTHOUSE, DOWNTOWN BOSTON - LATER 110

Mike gets out of his car, runs across same street into the

courthouse.

11/26/14 96.

GARABEDIAN (CONT'D)

111 INT. SUFFOLK COUNTY COURTHOUSE, RECORDS ROOM - DAY 111

A mousy looking CLERK #2 (O’BRIAN) pushes a BINDER across a

help desk to... Mike. Who starts going through the file.

CLERK #2 (O’BRIAN)

Docket entry #49 in the Geoghan

case.

(then)

We’re closing in ten minutes.

CLOSE ON DOCKET ENTRY #49: Plaintiff’s opposition to

Reverend Anthony Benzevich’s Motion for Protective Order.

Dated APR 2, 2001. And a list of 14 exhibits.

Mike, excited, opens the file, finds the motion and a FOLDER,

EXHIBITS A - N. Mike opens it. It’s empty. HOLY SH*T.

112 INT. ROBBY’S HOUSE, ROBBY’S HOME OFFICE - EARLY EVENING 112

Robby stands, searching through bookshelves... until he finds

a BC HIGH YEARBOOK. He flips to the faculty page, homing in

on a PHOTO... FATHER JAMES TALBOT. A beat. His phone RINGS.

ROBBY (INTO PHONE)

Robby.

MIKE (OVER THE PHONE)

Hey, it’s me. You’re not gonna

believe it.

113 EXT. SUFFOLK COUNTY COURTHOUSE, DOWNTOWN BOSTON - SAME TIME113

Mike is walking out of the courthouse.

MIKE (INTO PHONE)

Garabedian gave me a tip, some of

the sealed docs are already public.

They’re part of a motion he filed.

He said they’re the best of the

bunch, we don’t have to wait for

Sweeney’s ruling.

INTERCUT THE TWO SCENES

ROBBY (INTO PHONE)

So we can get them?

MIKE (INTO PHONE)

Yeah, but they’re not there! I

already talked to Albano, he said

all we have to do is file a motion

and Sweeney will order Mitch to

refile the docs.

11/26/14 97.

ROBBY (INTO PHONE)

And you think these documents are...

MIKE (INTO PHONE)

He said these 14 docs are all we

need. They’re huge, Robby.

ROBBY:

Okay. I’ll call Ben. Good work.

114 EXT. GLOBE, PARKING LOT - EARLY MORNING 114

Marty gets out of his car and walks toward the building. It’s

a beautiful September morning.

115 INT. GLOBE, NEWSROOM - MOMENTS LATER 115

It’s pretty empty. Marty walks in, heads toward his office,

but slows when SOMETHING on a TV catches his attention. He

walks to the TV, joins A YOUNG REPORTER already watching.

MARTY:

What happened?

YOUNG REPORTER:

They’re saying it’s a prop plane but

that’s not a prop plane.

We glimpse the TV. The World Trade Center. On fire.

MARTY:

Tell Linda to get every reporter we

have in here now.

116 INT. GLOBE, NEWSROOM - DAY 116

CLOSE ON a TV. Cardinal Law addressing a large group of

reporters, citizens in front of the Cathedral.

CARDINAL LAW (REAL FOOTAGE)

You pray for the injured, and those

who survived. You pray, too, for

the nation, that our response might

reflect our best ideals and God’s

teaching as it is found in

Christianity and Islam as well.

REVEAL a group watching TV in the corner of the newsroom, Ben

front and center. Robby, Matt, Sacha are off to the side.

BEN:

Not bad. Who’s there?

11/26/14 98.

FEMALE EDITOR:

Paulson.

Ben starts to move, an editor at his side.

BEN:

I wanna talk to him when he’s back.

(to Robby)

Did Rezendes find a way to get to

Florida?

ROBBY:

They just opened the airport in

Providence, he’s on his way there

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