L.A. Law (TV Series)

Hello and Goodbye (1993)

Lisa Zane: Melina Paros

Photos 

Quotes 

• Gordon Reeve : About 7:00 that night, Bill Collins called the newsroom.

  Phyllis Wodjack : Did you know who he was?

  Gordon Reeve : Sure. After the trademark closing, Collin was all over the airwaves, giving speeches. A lot of people knew who he was.

  Phyllis Wodjack : What did Mr. Collins say on the phone?

  Gordon Reeve : He said he was gonna set himself on fire in front of the Trademark building, to protest American jobs going overseas. He said, "Send a camera."

  Phyllis Wodjack : And what did you do?

  Gordon Reeve : First, I called the police. Then I told my Station Manager, Eric Simms, and he said, "Cover it."

  Phyllis Wodjack : What happened when you got to the Trademark building?

  Gordon Reeve : I didn't see anything at first. But, uh, as soon as I set down my equipment, Collins walked out of the alley carrying a can of gasoline, stood on the sidewalk, said he was gonna kill himself. I asked him why. He said, "Turn on the camera and I'll tell you."

  Phyllis Wodjack : What happened next?

  Gordon Reeve : I did what he said. I was, I'm... expecting the cops to show.

  Phyllis Wodjack : And what happened after you began rolling the camera?

  Gordon Reeve : Collins made a speech, poured gasoline on himself, and then he lit a match.

  Phyllis Wodjack : You have no regrets about your actions that day?

  Gordon Reeve : Do I second-guess myself? Sure. I feel for Bill Collins... and his family. But who's to say that he died in vain? After what he did, Trademark scratched plans to close that Anaheim plant.

  Melina Paros : Objection. Speculation.

  Judge Richard Lobel : Sustained.

  Phyllis Wodjack : Mr. Reeve, do you feel responsible for Bill Collins' death?

  Gordon Reeve : Over 19 years as a cameraman, I've seen a lot of tragedy. I've seen, uh, soldiers blown up by grenades. I've seen, uh, children starving.

  [sighs] 

  Gordon Reeve : I, uh, I just photograph these things. I don't cause them.

  Phyllis Wodjack : Thank you. Nothing further, Your Honor.

• Melina Paros : Thank you. Mr. Simms, are you aware that Mr. Collins notified two other news groups of his planned suicide, only the elected not to cover it citing ethical considerations?

  Eric Simms : When we made that tape available, every station in this city aired it, including the networks and the cable news programs.

  Melina Paros : Last year, didn't you speak to a group of UCLA journalism students, exhorting them to "strive for journalistic integrity?"

  Eric Simms : I did. And that's the same thing I try to empress upon my employees.

  Melina Paros : Last November, did you air footage of a game warden being eaten by an alligator? A skydiver whose parachute didn't open? A home video of a grandmother as she was being gunned down by a drive-by shooting?

  Eric Simms : Yes.

  Melina Paros : And as your October 31st staff meeting, did you exhort your employees to seek out such sensational stories?

  Eric Simms : We're a small station, Ms. Paros, fighting for our share of the audience. Yes, I went after those stories, because that's what people want to watch. And that's why we beat our competition during that Sweeps period.

  Melina Paros : Was Mr. Reeve at this October 31st meeting?

  Eric Simms : Yes.

  Melina Paros : On what date did Mr. Reeve photograph the immolation of Mr. Collins?

  Eric Simms : I believe it was November 5th.

  Melina Paros : Thank you. Nothing further.

• [Here at the witness room. Melina and her plaintiff Belinda Collins sitting quietly. Coming from outside, Phyllis Wodjack and her two defendants Gordon Reeve and Eric Simms has arrived at the witness room, have a seat, talk, and make the offer] 

  Melina Paros : What's your offer?

  Phyllis Wodjack : Mr. Collins made 40,000 a year when he was let go. Assuming he remained healthy, he had another 10 years of earnings. Add loss of love and affection, we're round it up to 500,000, present value of 385.

  Melina Paros : Belinda?

  Belinda Collins : Okay. On one condition. I want you to go on TV and take responsibility for what you did. I want you to say that what you did was immoral.

  Eric Simms : Mrs. Collins, I can't allow Gordon to do that, even if he wanted. We'd be inviting lawsuits from every person who didn't like what we put on the air.

  Belinda Collins : Then I reject your offer.

  [Belinda declines the offer. Phyllis Wodjack is taking Eric Simms outside and leave. While Melina is outside the witness room, waiting for Belinda, but Gordon Reeve want to owe Belinda an apology of how Gordon feel, ashamed and terrible about what happened to Belinda's late husband Bill Collins] 

  Gordon Reeve : Mrs. Collins, I want you to know that. I feel terrible about what happened to your husband, and if I had it to do over... I wish I had done something.

  Belinda Collins : Why didn't you say that under oath?

  [Belinda is leaving with Melina and Gordon will be alone] 

• Melina Paros : [Ms. Paros prepares the closing argument]  Gordon Reeve says that taking pictures of a distraught man burning himself to death is all in a day's work. "I'm a journalist," he says, "No blood on my hands." But Mr. Reeve crossed the line. Not only of responsible journalism but of human decency and the law. Why? Violence sells. Now, Bill Collins may have thought that he was dying for a purpose, but the only purpose that Mr. Reeve and his station had in mind was winning higher ratings. If you think that their actions were a substantial cause of Mr. Collins' self-immolation, then you must find Mr. Reeve and KINX responsible for contributing to his suicide. Thank you.

  [Ms. Paros heads back to her seat. And the opposing counsel Ms. Wodjack's turn to prepare for closing] 

  Phyllis Wodjack : That video... is excruciating to watch. But it happened. And it was news. And every station in this town, every network ran that tape. It's estimated 20 million people saw the footage. Now, maybe you think that Gordon Reeve is an awful person because he didn't stop somebody from killing himself. But under the law, he had no duty to rescue Bill Collins from himself. His duty as a journalist was to photograph the event. And to say Bill Collins wouldn't have killed himself if my client had capped his lens is rank speculation. And believe me, if Gordon Reeve had refused to run his camera, Bill Collins would have found another reporter who would have gladly covered the story.

  [Ms. Wodjack turned to plaintiff Belinda Collins] 

  Phyllis Wodjack : This is tragic news. Yes, I grant you that. But don't make the mistake of blaming the messenger.

  [Ms. Wodjack is finished with the closing and head back to her seat] 

• [Here at the courthouse] 

  Melina Paros : And when did your late husband go into his depression?

  Belinda Collins : Last year. After Trademark Tools moved their manufacturing plant to Taiwan. After 23 years as a die-maker, he was on the street, along with 50 other machinists.

  Melina Paros : Please go on.

  Belinda Collins : He felt tremendous guilt. As a worker's rep, he helped management to keep Trademark non-union in return for the assurance that their jobs would be secure. And after the shutdown, he... he became obsessed with how he'd been lied to. He wrote letters constantly to congressman, magazines, "60 Minutes." He believed that what happened to Trademark was symbolic of what's wrong in this country, with companies selling out their workers and shipping jobs overseas. He wanted his story to be heard. No one was interested.

  Phyllis Wodjack : Objection. We don't know the state of the decedent's mind. This is sure speculation.

  Judge Richard Lobel : I'll allow it.

  Belinda Collins : By staging this, uh... spectacle, my late husband was crying out for help. But he never would have gone through with it had it not been for the cooperation of Gordon Reeve.

  Phyllis Wodjack : Your Honor...

  Judge Richard Lobel : Mrs. Collins, while you're on the witness stand, you will limit your comments to questions posed by the attorneys, understood?

  [Belinda nodded] 

  Judge Richard Lobel : The jury will disregard Mrs. Collins' outburst.

  Melina Paros : Nothing further. Thank you.

• [Judge Lobel handover the verdict to the bailiff and return it back to the members of the jury] 

  Judge Richard Lobel : Has the jury reached a verdict?

  Jury Foreperson : We have, Your Honor.

  Judge Richard Lobel : What say you?

  Jury Foreperson : We find damages in the amount of $600,000. We apportion 90% of the responsibility to Mr. Collins and 10% to the defendant.

  Judge Richard Lobel : The verdict is so entered. The defendant is ordered to pay Mrs. Collins the amount of $60,000. The jury is discharged with the thanks from the court. We're adjourned.

  Belinda Collins : 60,000?

  Melina Paros : The jury felt your husband was mostly responsible for his suicide. I'm sorry.

• Douglas Brackman, Jr. : Any word on Daniel's baby?

  Leland McKenzie : No, not yet, but we're all working on the problem.

  Arnie Becker : My old colleagues at Channel 3 have been...

  Jonathan Rollins : I've got city councilmembers getting the word out in their districts.

  Douglas Brackman, Jr. : Well, let's hope these efforts pay off before time runs out for Lucy.

  [Leland is looking at his appointment book] 

  Douglas Brackman, Jr. : Well, Collins vs. Reeve and KINX News. Wasn't this settled?

  Melina Paros : KINX is offering nuisance value, but on my advice, Mrs. Collins has refused.

  Leland McKenzie : What cause of action?

  Melina Paros : Wrongful death. We're suing the cameraman and the news group for 1,000,000 bucks.

  Arnie Becker : Come on, this poor guy's distraught over losing his job, barbecues himself on TV, you blame the press?

  Melina Paros : If a cameraman weren't there, my client's husband would be alive.

  Jonathan Rollins : Except for the First Amendment, you might have a case.

  Melina Paros : I know I'm pushing the envelope, but the people are tired of the media's lack of responsibility. I think it'll fly.

  Douglas Brackman, Jr. : Who knows? Maybe you'll set a precedence. We could use the publicity.

• [the court bailiff set up the video and the television screen in the courtroom] 

  Melina Paros : Mr. Reeve, you've testified that you're trained to avoid becoming part of the story?

  Gordon Reeve : That's right.

  Melina Paros : But it never occurred to you that by agreeing to videotape Mr. Collins' suicide, you helped create the story?

  Melina Paros : No. I don't see it that way.

  Melina Paros : You had no sense that Mr. Collins was performing for the camera?

  Gordon Reeve : Most of the people I shoot are performing for the camera.

  Melina Paros : And you feel no responsibility for how others react to being taped?

  Gordon Reeve : If I had to worry about that, I wouldn't be able to do my job.

  Melina Paros : Let's see what kind of a job you did.

• Phyllis Wodjack : Your Honor, I renew my objection. This tape is prejudicial...

  Judge Richard Lobel : I've made my ruling, Miss Wodjack. Proceed, Ms. Paros.

  Bill Collins : [Bill Collins making messages, seen on the videotape footage]  The board of directors at Trademark treat the American worker like slave labor. When are the CEO's of this country gonna learn? Sending American jobs to a Third World is creating a Third World right here in the United States! Did you hear that?

  Gordon Reeve : Got it!

  [But pause the videotape] 

  Melina Paros : Mr. Reeve, do you think that by affirming that Mr. Collins' message was heard, you encouraged his suicide?

  Gordon Reeve : He asked me a question, I replied. I didn't encourage him.

  [Continue playing videotape footage. Bill pours a can of gas all over by himself. Belinda watched her late husband on the screen. Miss Paros watched. Ms. Wodjack is watching] 

  Bill Collins : You ready?

  Gordon Reeve : I'm rolling!

  [pause the videotape] 

  Melina Paros : Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you just green light a suicide?

  Gordon Reeve : No. I didn't tell him to do anything.

  Melina Paros : A man drenched in gasoline, holding a match, asks you if you're ready, and you answer affirmatively. You don't call that encouragement?

  Gordon Reeve : I just told him I was rolling. What he did was up to him.

  [Continues playing a footage, Bill lights the match and throws it to the ground and Bill Collins was burned himself to death. Belinda was sobbing and lost her husband. Bill screaming. Members of the Jury find out. Bill continues screaming to his death of immolation on fire]