Perri O’Shaughnessy - Breach Of Promise

Mrs. Lim: I completely disagree.

Cliff: Well, if you insist, I’ll call the bailiff. Let’s see if the reporter can read that part of the statement back to us. Oh, and while we’re at it, let’s ask for a little clarification on mutual consent. Mrs. Lim said she wasn’t sure they were agreeing to the same thing…

Mrs. Lim: No, Mr. Wright. I said I was sure they were agreeing.

Bob: You know, Mrs. Lim, it strikes me you are taking all of this very hard. Why beat yourself up about Lindy Markov? What’s in it for you?

Mrs. Lim: That kind of comment doesn’t merit an answer.

Shuffling noises.

Kris: Do we have to go do this? Can’t we just vote again?

They leave the room for a half hour. Before they return, they break.

Cliff: I’m sure we all feel clearer now that we’ve heard the transcript read back.

Diane: As if it’s suddenly clearer the second time!

Cliff: Apparently, what Mrs. Lim was reading came from Nina Reilly’s opening statement, and her words were almost, but not entirely accurate, so I’m glad we got that figured out. Now, let’s remember the judge said that things said by the lawyers are not evidence unless they are supported by other evidence. We can’t just assume they can prove what they say…

Mrs. Lim: There was plenty of proof. Plenty. He made promises. He broke them. He pretends to forget about them. Isn’t that convenient? You think he doesn’t remember getting down on his bended knee and promising to love her forever in that church? You think he doesn’t remember they started off sharing everything or that he introduced her as his wife a million times? He’s ashamed of himself, but he’s set the wheels in motion and now he’s too stubborn to backtrack.

Diane: It’s true. He really wiggled up there.

Grace: He looks bad in general. Did you see the picture in the papers this morning of him outside the courthouse?

Diane: It’s hard to believe he ever punched his way out of a paper bag.

Cliff: I have to remind you, we’re not supposed to be reading the papers. The judge said…

Grace: We just looked at the pictures, right Diane?

Diane: Who has time to read that drivel? I’ve got better things to do. I’m in training for Mt. McKinley. Three hours a day on the stair-climber, two on a bike, running…

Grace: I think he has a lot to hide. He knows he done her wrong. He must just hate himself.

Courtney: I didn’t trust him. All those years he introduced her as his wife. Every time it was a lie, and that’s according to his own viewpoint!

They talk about the video in court that showed him doing just that, and how Mike Markov did not seem surprised to see it.

Ignacio: I believe he knew in his heart he was a married man. But the business-well, the lawyer referred to it as “their child.” It’s like a custody battle. He’ll say anything to stay in control of that.

Kevin: All of that’s completely beside the point. Doesn’t matter if he lied. Doesn’t matter if he’s a cad. We’re here because Lindy Markov wants his money. And I have yet to hear the reason we ought to give it to her, besides that he gave her kisses and hugs and said a few things over the years he didn’t mean and has lived to regret.

Bob: I resent all this valuable time spent over an issue that’s just… frivolous! Has anyone considered how much both of those rich people are paying all those lawyers? Why, there were times during this trial when there were four or five people sitting at the table on each side. How much do lawyers make? A couple hundred thousand a year? That’s practically a million bucks right there, because it probably took them minimum a year to prepare for this trial. Plus, there’s the judge, the reporter, the court clerk… we pay for them out of our taxes!

Maribel: And let us not forget the little people.

Bob: That’s right. We’re putting in a whole lot of sweat equity here. And what are we getting out of it?

Kevin: Why, Bob. We have the sweet satisfaction of being an integral part of justice in America.

They laugh.

Cliff: Let’s get back to our earlier discussion. We spent a lot of time discussing Mike Markov’s testimony. But whether he lied is not the issue. The issue is, does Lindy have a leg to stand on?

Diane: You know, I just can’t let this go by. Every time you refer to Mike, you call him Mike Markov. Every time you refer to her, you just call her Lindy. Has everyone else noticed that?

Bob: What difference does it make?

Diane: He sounds more important.

Cliff: I’m sorry, Diane. I really am. If I did that, it was unconscious.

Diane: The worst part of it is, I believe you. You are so unaware of the way you are stampeding this woman, and many of the women here right into dust.

Maribel: Will you please quit being my champion, Diane? I do not feel stampeded. You have such a nerve.

Kevin: Ladies, and Diane, I can see this is hard for you. You see a man who has tossed off a good woman. But where, oh, where is it written that he should pay for that for the rest of his life? They had a good run. Now it’s over.

Frank: She needs to forget about him and move on.

Bob: I say we help her along by giving her a kick in the rear end.

Kris: You know what? I’d like to vote again.

Diane: You’re giving up.

Kris: She’s got her rich friends to bail her out. I need to get back to my kids, and in terms of the universe, who cares whether she walks away rich or poor. She’ll toil along like the rest of us.

Diane: Is this the way it works? Somebody wants to go home, so we let Lindy Markov down?

Kris: Diane, I wish I was holier than thou. But I’m not. I’m just a person, trying to scrape by. And I do not have time for this.

Diane: You know what? Up to now I had a shred of faith in the jury system. People would ask me, shouldn’t a smart judge be the one to decide? Why waste everyone’s time? And I’d say, well, a jury of your peers is what stands between you and a bigot, or an ass-kissing politician, or a hard-line Gestapo judge, or…

Maribel: Well, that’s a terrible thing to say about Judge Milne…

Diane: God, this is just what I mean! I’m not talking about Judge Milne. I’m talking about a system that is as fair as it’s possible to have. There isn’t one better. And yet, here we are, letting these guys flirt and cajole and bully us into changing our position.

Maribel: Who’s flirting? You just insult people left and right!

Kris: I don’t let men bully me. I make up my own mind. You have a hard time accepting that another woman might not think the same way you do, Diane. But we all have life experience and brains, too.

And, put this in your pipe. He said he’d take care of her. He’s got such a guilty conscience, that’s obvious. So I believe he will. Like I said before, I’d rather she didn’t have to beg, but I can see which way the wind is blowing here, and I’m willing to go with the flow because however it turns out, she’s going to get something out of him, probably more than I’ll ever see in my life. And if she has to beg, well, welcome to the real world, baby.

Diane: Kris, please. You said at the beginning she deserved something. Give this some more thought.

Kris: Didn’t you hear me? I don’t have any more time to spend on this woman’s problems. I have my own. She’s not going to jail for a crime she didn’t commit or anything! This is just about money. This is not life or death.

Diane: I’m just asking you to take your time before deciding to change your vote.

Kris: Courtney’s not the only one who knows something about psychology. I know a few things about your type.

Diane: Huh?

Kris: Yeah, the mountain climber mentality. These are people who are happiest when they are in extreme situations that demand all their attention. They’re lousy at living everyday lives. That’s too boring. I think you’d like to drag this thing out. I think you’re enjoying this. You need to get a life.