Spotlight Page #4

26 INT. ONE INTERNATIONAL PLACE, LOBBY - DAY 26

Robby and Sacha stride across an enormous, marble and stone

lobby, a STARK CONTRAST to Garabedian’s digs.

27 OMITTED 27

28 INT. GREENBERG TRAURIG, CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY 28

ERIC MACLEISH, 40s, good looks, quick with a story and a

smile, walks into the posh room, finds Sacha and Robby.

ERIC MACLEISH:

The famous Walter Robinson in my

conference room.

MacLeish and Robby shake hands.

11/26/14 21.

ROBBY:

Good to see you again, Eric. Sacha

Pfeiffer, Eric MacLeish.

ERIC MACLEISH:

Nice to meet you. Do you play golf?

SACHA:

(caught off guard)

Uh, no.

ERIC MACLEISH:

Good. Your colleague took some money

off me at a charity event last year.

ROBBY:

Lucky putt. I actually had my eyes

closed.

MacLeish smiles. Chummy.

ERIC MACLEISH:

So, how can I help you?

ROBBY:

You’re familiar with the Geoghan

case?

ERIC MACLEISH:

Sure. Eighty plaintiffs. All

individual cases, Garabedian must be

swimming.

ROBBY:

And the allegations against Cardinal

Law?

MacLeish considers the question.

ERIC MACLEISH:

Look, it’s tricky. You need to

understand these are shitty cases.

The statute of limitations is only 3

years and most of these victims

don’t come forward until long after

that.

SACHA:

Why is that?

11/26/14 22.

ERIC MACLEISH:

They’re kids. Shame. Guilt. And

they come from tough neighborhoods,

nobody wants to admit this kind of

thing. So you’re screwed on the

time limit and even if you argue

your way around that, the charitable

immunity statute caps damages at

twenty grand.

SACHA:

Twenty grand for molesting a child?

ERIC MACLEISH:

That’s the way the system works.

The Church is tough. So your best

shot is to try these cases in the

press like I did on Porter. But

most victims want nothing to do with

being on TV. And Mitch isn’t

exactly a people person.

ROBBY:

So if Garabedian can’t get these

victims to talk to the press...

ERIC MACLEISH:

Then he has a long road ahead of

him. My guess? He doesn’t have

anything on Law.

SACHA:

You think he’s bluffing?

ERIC MACLEISH:

I think he’s grandstanding to cut a

better deal.

ROBBY:

Seems a bit reckless.

ERIC MACLEISH:

Have you met Mitch Garabedian?

29 INT. GARABEDIAN’S OFFICE - LATER 29

Mike, still waiting, checks his watch. He hears more YELLING

behind the door. Suddenly the door opens. A SHORT MAN exits.

Mike looks at the paralegal, points: “Is that him?” She

shakes her head, walks off screen. Mike watches her go.

Then, impatient, he stands, walks into --

11/26/14 23.

30 INT. GARABEDIAN’S OFFICE, CONFERENCE ROOM - CONTINUOUS 30

A small boardroom. MITCHELL GARABEDIAN, thin, 50s, sits at a

table buried in paperwork. He’s abrasive, to say the least.

MIKE:

Hi.

GARABEDIAN:

Who are you?

MIKE:

Mike Rezendes from the Boston Globe.

I had an appointment with you about

an hour ago.

GARABEDIAN:

I can’t talk to you, I’m very busy.

(calling to reception)

Sharon?!

MIKE:

Sharon went out for coffee, she said

she’d be right back, I’m following

up on an article...

GARABEDIAN:

The one in the Phoenix?

MIKE:

No. In the Globe.

GARABEDIAN:

Did you see the one in the Phoenix?

MIKE:

No, I didn’t.

GARABEDIAN:

I thought it was very good. I have a

copy here somewhere.

He starts to dig through the heap of papers.

MIKE:

That’s okay. I’ll track it down. I’m

actually following up on a column

that Eileen McNamara wrote for the

Globe about your suit.

GARABEDIAN:

Suits. There are eighty-four of

them, it’s not a class action. You

should get your facts straight.

11/26/14 24.

True to word. Garabedian is a bit of crank.

MIKE:

You’re right. I should. I’m just

trying to get some background

information on the Geoghan case...

GARABEDIAN:

You’re not recording this are you?

MIKE:

No, I wouldn’t do that without

asking.

GARABEDIAN:

(brusque)

I can’t show you the Church

documents if that’s what you’re

after, they’re under seal.

MIKE:

I know that.

GARABEDIAN:

Do you know they’ve tried to bring

me before the Massachusetts Board of

Bar Overseers three times? They’re

watching me very closely.

MIKE:

The Church?

GARABEDIAN:

Yes, the Church. They’d like to get

me disbarred. In fact, put that

away.

(off Mike’s pad)

Put it away! I don’t want you

recording this in any way, shape or

form. Not on paper, not on tape,

nothing. In fact, I probably

shouldn’t even be speaking to you.

MIKE:

Look, Mr. Garabedian, I know there

are things you can’t tell me. But I

also know that there’s a story here.

And I think it’s an important story.

GARABEDIAN:

I already talked to the Phoenix.

11/26/14 25.

MIKE:

Yeah, and there’s a reason I didn’t

see it, nobody reads the Phoenix

anymore. They’re broke, they don’t

have any power. The Globe does.

And if we cover this story,

everybody will hear about it.

GARABEDIAN:

The Church thinks in centuries, Mr.

Rezendes. You think your paper has

the resources to take that on?

MIKE:

Yeah, I do. But if you don’t mind

me asking, do you?

Mike’s question is non-threatening, but Garabedian reacts.

He stands, walking Mike to the door...

GARABEDIAN:

I don’t have the time to talk to

you, Mr. Rezendes, I’m very busy.

(calling out)

Sharon!

But before he can push Mike out the door, Mike turns back --

MIKE:

Can I at least talk to some of your

clients? The victims? I’d like to

do that.

GARABEDIAN:

Call me tomorrow. I need to think

about it.

31 INT. GLOBE, LIBRARY - DAY 31

A Button is pushed, CONTROL PANEL lights up.

A rotating library clip file comes to stop.

A few old newspaper clips are pulled.

A folder from the LARGE PHOTO clip file is pulled.

A Nexis search on a computer screen.

A Micro Fiche search on another screen.

A PRINTER spits out the Micro Fiche article.

11/26/14 26.

The PRINT OUT out is added to a STACK OF ARTICLES and dropped

into a file marked Porter.

32 INT. GLOBE, HALLWAY - LATER 32

CLOSE ON the same file. Moving.

REVEAL the folder is now one of many on a METAL CART that an

intern (WANDA) wheels down the hall.

33 INT. GLOBE, SPOTLIGHT OFFICE - LATER 33

A desk covered with old newspaper clips, Matt and Sacha read.

A knock... Wanda in the door. With the metal cart.

WANDA:

I got more clips from the library.

MATT:

Leave ‘em right there.

Wanda the intern unloads them beside Matt’s desk.

WANDA:

You guys doing a story on the

Church?

MATT:

No. We are not doing a story on the

Church.

Wanda blanches, leaves. Robby pours some coffee.

SACHA:

Matt, you find anything on this guy

Phil Saviano?

MATT:

No. Who is he?

SACHA:

He’s part of a victims’

organization. Kurkjian ran a story

on him just after the Porter case.

ROBBY:

There’s a victims’ organization?

SACHA:

Yeah, it’s called SNAP, Survivors

Network of those Abused by Priests.

MATT:

Crummy acronym.

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