The Rainmaker Page #6

an honest answer. Are you sure?

- I'm damn sure!

- This is a courthouse of the U.S.!

I say you did not provide

an honest answer.

- Don't call me a liar!

- You "are" a liar.

Bailiff, remove Mr Porter. Mr Porter,

you are excused from the jury.

Your Honour, I move

to dismiss the entire panel.

- Denied.

- It's been tainted!

Your shoe...

you left it over there.

Are we ready to proceed now

with the jury selection?

- I'm ready to proceed.

- Thank you.

- We'll file it today.

- He'll go crazy.

- He'll come after you.

- I hope he does.

This is that good processed turkey.

I've got to get back to court.

I'm late.

- What about your sandwich?

- I was going to take it with me.

I'll see you later.

- How did it go?

- I served the papers on Cliff.

He didn't take it too well. I said

I was ready to rumble. He backed down.

You better watch your back.

Thanks a lot, Butch. I appreciate it.

Do you swear your testimony will be

the truth, and nothing but the truth?

- Yes, I do.

- You may take the stand.

- Please state your name.

- Mrs Marvarine Black.

You are the mother

of Donny Ray Black, -

- who recently died of leukaemia

because Great Benefit...

Objection! Leading.

Sustained.

- Your son needed an operation...

- Objection!

- Leading.

- Sustained.

Did you buy this policy because you

were concerned about medical care?

Objection! I'm sorry, Your Honour.

Leading.

Why don't you show her the policy

and ask her why she bought it?

Mr Baylor, you must ask

to approach the witness.

- Permission to approach the witness?

- You may.

Take it easy.

"July 7, 1996."

"Re:
policy 7849909886."

"On seven prior occasions, we have

denied your claim in writing. "

"We now deny it

for the eighth and final time. "

"You must be stupid, stupid, stupid. "

"Sincerely, Everett Lufkin,

vice-president, Claims Department. "

- Read it again.

- Objection! Repetitious.

- I tender the witness.

- Mr Drummond.

Please remove that exhibit.

Mrs Black...

Turn it off.

- Why did you sue for $10 million?

- Is that all?

- I beg your pardon?

- I thought it was more than that.

Your client has a billion dollars,

and your client killed my son.

I wanted to sue for a lot more.

What would you do with the money

if the jury awards you $10 million?

I'm gonna give it to the American

Leukaemia Society. Every cent.

I don't want a dime

of your stinking money.

You're under oath, Mrs Black.

Approach the witness?

I want you to read from the policy.

Page 16, section K,

paragraph 14, item E.

The insurance company says it will not

pay for experimental procedures.

You say your son would have survived

if he'd had a bone marrow transplant.

Only 7,000 bone marrow transplants

are performed a year in the U.S.

- Less than 200 in Tennessee.

- Objection. He's leading the witness.

This is cross-examination.

Leading is allowed. Overruled.

As to leading.

So it was not covered by the policy.

Who was it who first diagnosed

your son's condition?

At the very beginning,

our doctor, Dr Page.

- Your family physician?

- Yes, sir.

- Is he a good doctor?

- Very good.

Is it not true that this capable man

told you repeatedly -

- the transplant wouldn't help your son

due to the type of leukaemia he had?

No, he didn't say that.

Not like that... to me.

- Approach the witness?

- You may.

Is this not Dr Page's letterhead?

And at the bottom,

is that not his signature?

He can't introduce evidence that way.

Plus, it's hearsay.

Objection.

A letter from the Blacks' physician

to Mr Drummond is inadmissible.

That's correct, and I'm not asking for

this letter to be admitted into evidence.

I'm only asking the witness be allowed

to read the letter under Rule 612.

So her recollection can be refreshed.

- Mr Baylor, what do you say?

- I don't know. I object to this.

- We were not furnished this letter.

- Mr Drummond?

I had no idea it would be needed.

I expected this lady to tell the truth.

Anything else?

No.

I'm going to give you a little latitude,

but don't stray too far.

Does that letter

refresh your recollection -

- as to whether Donny Ray's leukaemia

could be helped by a transplant?

- He is not a specialist...

- He is a licensed, capable physician.

He told you what you, quite

understandably, didn't want to accept.

That he'd die of leukaemia despite

the best efforts of medical science.

- But I didn't believe him.

- Not only did you not believe him...

But you were less than truthful with us,

moments ago, when you told us -

- that Dr Page never said that your

son's leukaemia could not be treated.

Your words were:
"He never said that.

Not like that... to me. "

He wasn't a specialist.

I just wanted Donny Ray to have

the best medical treatment available.

- You'd do the same thing.

- Of course, ma'am.

Of course.

That'll be all.

You may step down.

- I didn't do very good.

- You did fine.

The jury can see exactly

what he's up to. Don't worry.

- I need a smoke.

- Later.

I hope he hasn't changed the locks.

- Are you scared?

- Yeah.

Let's do it.

What a pig.

- I'm sorry.

- Hurry, Kelly. Come on.

There's more in the closet.

You can't take everything.

Oh, no!

Hey! Hello!

What do you know...

What do we have here?

- What have you been doing?

- Take it easy.

Tell me. I'm your husband, remember?

You shut up!

Listen, buddy...

Take it easy.

You hurt me so bad, baby.

Why are you doing this to me?

Rudy!

Cliff, you idiot, what are you doing?

You see what you did? Is this

what you wanted? It's not my fault.

Stop it, Rudy!

- Give me the bat and leave.

- What?

Give me the bat and leave. You

were not here tonight. Give me the bat.

You were not here tonight.

- He finally killed her.

- No, it's him. "He's" dead.

- You're sure? How did it happen?

- I don't know.

They say murderers make 25 mistakes,

and they're lucky if they remember five.

It was self-defence, but he's dead.

The mistakes are piling up in my mind.

But Kelly knew what to do.

She knew it was time.

With all that was at stake,

her first thought was for my safety.

And I left her in there all alone.

Damn you, Kelly,

what the hell is going on here?

What the hell did you do?

You killed my son, goddamn you!

I'm her lawyer, and I insist

on being here during questioning.

- This is your attorney?

- Yes, sir.

I want her released in my custody.

I can't do that.

We got a dead body here, -

and bond needs to be set by a judge.

- I'm going to jail?

- Can we arrange for a private cell?

Look, a**hole, I don't run the jail.

You need to talk to the jailer.

They love lawyers down there, right?

If your lawyer's worth his salt, you'll be

out tomorrow, if you can post bond.

- You got five.

- Thank you.

They're watching us

through the window, -

- and this room is probably bugged,

so be careful what you say.

- What does "manslaughter" mean?

- Murder without the element of intent.

- How much time could I get?

- You have to be convicted first.

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