PHILADELPHIA

As the TV DRONES ON, CHARLIE THE COP, OTHERS GLARE at Joe.

                              FILKO
                         (chuckles)
                    Hey, Joe.
                         (a wink to the COP)
                    You're not starting to get a
                    little... light on your feet
                    here on us, are you?

Joe does not laugh.

                              JOE
                    Yeah, Filko. I am.
                         (stepping toward Filko)
                    I'm on the prowl, Filko. I need
                    a man. Not just any man. I need
                    a hunk. A hunk like you. How
                    about it, Filko? Want to play
                    sailor? This time, I'll be first
                    mate and you can be Columbus.

                              FILKO
                    Chill out, Joe.

                              JOE
                         (angry)
                    Those people make me
                    sick, Filko! But a law's been
                    broken, okay? The law. Remember
                    the law?

CHARLIE THE COP has relaxed a bit.

                              CHARLIE THE COP
                    At least we agree on one thing,
                    Joe... They make me sick too.

HOLD ON JOE, but WE HEAR THE TV REPORTER in the BACKGROUND:

                              TV REPORTER MEDINA
                    "... now the public knows that
                    your son has AIDS and he's gay.
                    How does that make you feel?"

All eyes turn to the TV: SARAH BECKETT IN CLOSE UP.

                              SARAH
                    "This is a world full of war,
                    famine, poverty, homelessness...
                    and people make a fuss because
                    two men or two women want to
                    live together, or make love.
                    Seems kind of silly, doesn't
                    it?"

The bar ERUPTS with a CHORUS OF BOOS AND CATCALLS.

                                                  CUT TO:

JOE ADDRESSING A WITNESS IN COURT (INT./DAY) ...

                              JOE
                    And Walter Kenton knew the
                    lesions on your face and arms
                    were caused by AIDS?

The witness: MARIA TORRES, Hispanic, 35, healthy-looking.

                              MARIA
                    Definitely. People were going
                    around, whispering things. I
                    figured I didn't have anything
                    to lose, so I told all the
                    partners.

                              JOE
                    How did Walter Kenton treat you,
                    after you told him you had AIDS?

CLOSE ON KENTON, looking confident.

                              MARIA
                    Every time he came into contact
                    with me, he'd get this look on
                    his face. I called it, the
                    "Oh God" expression. As in "Oh
                    God, here comes that woman with
                    AIDS."

Andrew LAUGHS.

                              JOE
                    Ms. Torres? Have your employers
                    fired you for having AIDS?

                              MARIA
                    No. When I need time off, for
                    medical reasons, we work it out.

                              JOE
                    Thank you. No more questions.

Jerome Green rises.

                              JEROME GREEN
                    Miss Torres. How did you contract
                    the AIDS virus?

                              MARIA
                    During a transfusion. I lost
                    a lot of blood giving birth to my
                    second child.

                              JEROME GREEN
                    In other words, in your case
                    you happen to be an innocent
                    victim of the AIDS tragedy.

                              MARIA
                    Look. I'm no different from
                    everyone else who has this
                    disease: I'm not guilty, I'm
                    not innocent. I'm just trying
                    to survive.

                                        QUICK CUT TO:

JOE, APPROACHING A WITNESS (INT./DAY) ...

                              JOE
                    Beyond noticing the marks on
                    his face, were there other
                    things about his appearance
                    that made you suspect he had
                    AIDS?

THE WITNESS: Paralegal Anthea Burton.

                              ANTHEA
                    He was losing weight. He looked
                    kind of tired sometimes. But he
                    was working so hard... Still, I
                    felt something was wrong.
                         (looking at Wheeler)
                    And I can't believe they're
                    saying they didn't notice
                    anything.

                              BELINDA
                    Objection.

                              JUDGE GARNETT
                    Just answer the question.

                              ANTHEA
                    Sorry.

                              JOE
                    Ms. Burton. You're black.

                              ANTHEA
                    Is that a question?

                              JOE
                    No. Have you ever felt
                    discriminated against, at Wyant
                    Wheeler?

                              ANTHEA
                    Yes.

Wheeler shakes his head, disgusted. Kenton fumes, outraged.
Seidman looks surprised.

                              JOE
                    In what way?

                              ANTHEA
                    Well... One time, Mr. Wheeler's
                    secretary, Lydia, told me Mr.
                    Wheeler had a problem with my
                    earrings.

                              JOE
                    Your earrings?

Anthea is wearing large, dangling African-style earrings.

                              ANTHEA
                    Apparently, Mr. Wheeler felt
                    they were too... "ethnic" is the
                    word she used. She said he
                    would like it if I wore
                    something smaller, less garish,
                    and... more "American."

                              JOE
                    What did you say?

                              ANTHEA
                    I said my earrings are American.
                    They're African-American.

                              JOE
                    Thank you. No more questions.

Belinda Conine approaches Anthea.

                              BELINDA
                    Miss Burton? Do you still work at
                    Wyant Wheeler?

                              ANTHEA
                    Yes.

                              BELINDA
                    Were you recently promoted?

                              ANTHEA
                    Yes. I'm now in charge of the
                    paralegal department.

                              BELINDA
                    Thank you.

                                                  CUT TO:

A PHILADELPHIA EXTERIOR, A FALL AFTERNOON (LATE DAY) ...

                                                  CUT TO:

JOE COMES DOWN AN AISLE OF A DRUG STORE, EXAMINING THE BABY
cold medicines, carrying a box of Pampers (INT./DAY) ...

A YOUNG MAN in grass-stained sweats, carrying a football under
one arm, buying a tube of toothpaste, speaks to Joe:

                              YOUNG MAN
                    How's the trial going? It's
                    a great case.

Joe looks up surprised. The YOUNG MAN smiles.

                              YOUNG MAN (CONT.)
                    I saw you on television. I'm a
                    law student. At Penn.

Joe is flattered by the YOUNG MAN'S interest.

                              JOE
                    Good school. What year?

                              YOUNG MAN
                    Second.

                              JOE
                    Great.

                              YOUNG MAN
                    Would you like to have a drink
                    with me? I just finished a
                    game, I could use a beer.
                         (a smile)
                    I don't pick up people in drug
                    stores every day.

                              JOE
                    Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa... do you
                    think... ? You think I'm...
                         (low)
                    ... gay?

                              YOUNG MAN
                    Aren't you?

                              JOE
                    What's the matter with you? Do
                    I look gay to you?

                              YOUNG MAN
                    Do I look gay to you? Relax.

                              JOE
                    Relax? I ought to kick your
                    faggoty little ass for you!

                              YOUNG MAN
                    Take it as a compliment. Geesh.

But Joe is really upset. People are watching.

                              JOE
                    Don't you know this is exactly
                    the kind of bullshit that makes
                    people hate you guys?

                              YOUNG MAN
                    Fuck you! You want to kick my
                    ass? You want to try?
                         (walking away)
                    Asshole.

                              JOE
                    You're the asshole, buddy.

                              YOUNG MAN
                         (going out)
                    Get a life.

Joe stands there, holding the Pampers, people STARING.

                                                  CUT TO:

LISA'S WORKING ON HER COMPUTER, AT HOME, WHILE JOE PACES
around her desk, really upset (One year-old Rayisha sits on
the desk playing with wooden salad spoons.) (INT./NIGHT) ...

                              JOE
                    But what was it?! What was this
                    guy thinking... ?!

                              LISA
                    Don't know, Joe.

                              JOE
                    Is there some kind of expression
                    I've picked up from Beckett?!
                    Some kind of fairy attitude I've
                    unconsciously adopted?! Am I
                    walking different?! Some kind
                    of vocal thing?! Have I picked
                    up some kind of homo vibe?!

                              LISA
                    Have you changed your aftershave?

                              JOE
                    Very funny. I had a box of
                    Pampers under my arm for
                    Chrissake!

                                                  CUT TO:

LISA AND JOE'S DARKENED BEDROON, WHERE THEY LIE IN BED,
almost completely obscured by shadow (INT./NIGHT) ...

They speak softly, careful not to wake the baby.

                              LISA
                    Joe?

                              JOE
                         (sleepy)
                    Yeah... ?

                              LISA
                    Two men making love... ? Now
                    tell me again... why is that
                    disgusting?

                              JOE
                         (a tired sigh)
                    Lisa, c'mon. One guy sticking
                    his dick in another guy's mouth?
                    It's disgusting.

They lie in silence for a moment. Then:

                              LISA
                    Okay, so... help me with this
                    one, Joe... Is it disgusting for
                    someone to put his dick into
                    someone's mouth? Or, is it
                    disgusting for someone to take
                    a dick into their mouth?

                              JOE
                         (after a beat)
                    Great, Lisa. Thank you.

                                                  TO:

EXTERIOR: CITY HALL, AN AUTUMN DAY...

                              JOE (VO)
                    "But, ultimately, the complaint
                    was found, wasn't it?

                                        CONTINUOUS CUT TO:

WIDE ANGLE ON COURTROOM: JAMEY COLLINS ON THE STAND (DAY).

                              JAMEY
                    Yes. We found a copy. It been
                    incorrectly filed...

TITLE: "Plaintiff's case, day ten."

                              JAMEY (CONT.)
                    We got it to court on time.

ANGLE ON THE JURY: Several JURORS write in notebooks like the
Marine's; he's been handing them out...

Joe seems ill at ease today, a little off his game. When he
glances at Andrew, it's with irritation.

                              JOE
                    Has a file ever disappeared like
                    that before? Vanished into thin
                    air, all of a sudden, only to
                    reappear in the nick of time?