Marcia Clark - Killer Ambition

“Objection. Again, calls for speculation.”

“It doesn’t, Your Honor. I’ll lay the foundation.”

The judge nodded. “Please do.”

“Were you involved in discussions regarding your possible role in Wonderland Warriors ?”

“Yes. But the talks were tentative because they hadn’t closed the deal with Russell and Ian yet.”

“And at the time you were involved in those negotiations, was Tommy making his accusations about Russell stealing his screenplay?”

“Yes.”

“If Tommy did come up with proof that Russell had stolen the screenplay, would that cause a big problem for the studio that produced it?”

Again, Terry objected, but I pointed out that since Brittany had been in the business most of her life, she knew enough to testify on the subject.

“I’ll allow it,” the judge said. “The jury can decide what weight to give her opinion.”

“You can answer, Brittany,” I said. “If Tommy came up with proof the screenplay had been stolen, would that cause problems for the defendant, Ian Powers, and Russell Antonovich?”

“Yes, big problems. Because Tommy could sue for a share of the profits, and he could tie them up in lawsuits forever. And of course it would make Russell and Ian look really bad-possibly be the end of their careers, at least as filmmakers.”

“So could Tommy’s complaint that Russell stole the script stop the studio from going through with the deal?”

“It definitely could. They wouldn’t want the headache.”

“How long did this argument between Tommy and Russell go on for?”

“About a month, maybe a little more.”

“Did the argument ever get physical?”

“Once. It was toward the end. They got into another one of their fights and Tommy socked Russell, knocked him down. It was pretty gnarly. After that, they put Tommy at the far end of the lot to keep him away from Russell.”

“But they didn’t send him home?”

“No. Everyone knew they weren’t going to let Tommy come back next season, but I guess the studio didn’t want to make more trouble for themselves by breaking his contract.”

I waited for an objection, but this time it didn’t come. I moved on to the heart of the matter.

“Did Tommy eventually get sent home?”

“Yes.”

“When was that?”

“About a week and a half after he punched Russell. It was the day after the holiday party.”

“And do you know why he got sent home at that time?”

“Yes.” Brittany teared up and bowed her head as her shoulders began to shake. I brought her a box of Kleenex. She wiped her eyes, then lifted her head. With a voice choked with emotion, she said, “Because of me.”

I waited untilBrittany raised her head, and gave her a questioning look. When she offered me a confirming nod, I continued. “How is it that you caused Tommy to be sent home?”

“Because I-” She stopped and bit her lip.

The hush in the courtroom was so complete I could hear the jurors in the first row breathing.

“Do you need a break, Brittany?”

Her next words came out in a rush, but they were clear enough.

“No, I have to finally say this. I have to tell the truth.” She glanced at Ian with sad, angry eyes, then turned back to me. “Because Ian told me to say that Tommy raped me at the holiday party. He said if I didn’t, Tommy would ruin everything. And he promised me if I did that, he and Russell would make sure I always had work. Actually, he promised I’d always have a starring role in Russell’s films.”

Someone in the gallery gasped, but otherwise the courtroom was completely still. I could feel the tension in the jury box. There was something particularly monstrous about Ian, a former child actor himself-and one who’d made himself their champion, no less-putting a young actress in this hideous position.

“And did he? Did Tommy rape you?”

“No-no, never!”

“Did you see him at the holiday party?”

“Yes, I ran into him when I was heading back to my trailer. He was really drunk, and kind of, you know, teary and sad. He said he knew he wasn’t coming back next season and he said he’d miss writing for me. That’s all that happened!”

“Now, when Ian said you had to tell that lie, what did you say? Did you agree to do it?”

“No. I was scared, I-I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t say anything to Ian. I went back to my trailer. But then my mother came and got me. She said she’d heard what happened to me and that I had to tell Chuck-”

“Chuck?”

“Chuck Viener, the head of the studio.”

“Did your mother ask you if it was true that Tommy raped you?”

“No. She just grabbed my hand and the next thing I knew, I was standing in Chuck’s office and my mom and Ian were there and they were telling Chuck that they wouldn’t let me be on the lot with that…rapist.”

“Objection, hearsay!”

“Overruled. It’s an admission, or at least an adoptive admission,” the judge said.

“And what happened next? Did Chuck ask you whether it was true?”

“Objection! Hearsay!”

“It’s a question, Your Honor. A question can’t be hearsay,” I said, annoyed.

“Again, thank you for the evidence lesson, Ms. Knight,” the judge said acidly. “Overruled.”

Brittany nodded, at first unable to speak. Finally she choked out, “Yes.”

“What did you do?”

“I didn’t know what to do, I was scared.” She looked around the courtroom beseechingly, her sorrowful expression a heart-wrenching portrait of a broken spirit. “I-I did it. I told him it was true.” Brittany stopped to catch her breath.

“Brittany, at that time, who was supporting the family-financially, I mean?”

“Um…me.”

“And you knew that if you didn’t go along with Ian’s story, you might lose your job?”

“Yes-I knew I’d lose my job, and I might never work again.”

“So you went along with the lie because you felt you had no choice?”

“Yes.”

“What happened next?”

“Ian and my mother said that if Tommy was removed from the lot that day, we wouldn’t call the police.”

“So Mr. Viener never knew that it was a lie?”

Brittany shook her head. “No.”

“Was Tommy removed from the lot that day?”

“Yes.”

“Did you see Tommy again after he left the lot that day?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because…” Fresh tears rolled down her face, and Brittany had to struggle to get the words out. “Because the day they sent him home, he shot himself. He killed himself. And it’s all because I lied!” Brittany covered her face with her hands, and her choking sobs filled the courtroom.

This time an audible gasp went up from the audience. The jury sat absolutely still; they seemed to be barely breathing. The energy in the courtroom had shifted completely as the awful implications of Brittany’s testimony sank in. I glanced at the defense table. Ian’s shoulders were hunched around his ears and he stared down at the legal pad in front of him. Terry and Wagmeister had their poker faces on, but the law clerks looked shell-shocked.

“Shall we take a break, Brittany?”

After a few moments, she reached for more Kleenex, wiped her eyes, and took a deep, ragged breath. “No, that’s okay.”

“Is this the first time you’ve publicly admitted that you falsely accused Tommy of rape?”

“Yes.”

“Was Russell Antonovich in on this lie about Tommy?”

“Objection, calls for speculation!”

It might, and Russell wasn’t on trial, but I wanted the whole truth of this sordid story to finally be told. Brittany looked at me, a deer in the headlights. She opened her mouth to continue, but the judge spoke first.