Previously on matlock...
The law firm Jacobson Moore hid documents
that could have taken opioids
off the market ten years earlier.
Think of how many lives that could've saved.
Including our daughter's.
It wasn't Olympia, Matty.
It must've been Julian.
She didn't take the study.
It's wild to me, Matty, how far we've come.
Heading home? Olympia!
My goodness, you could give an old lady a heart attack.
Is it the Johnson case?
You are the Johnson case.
And I had to bring that fettuccine Alfredo
all the way to your apartment in queens.
Could I see the cctv footage from outside the courthouse?
I need you to trace this car's license plate.
So, who the hell are you, Madeline matlock?
I'm going to ask you one more time.
Who the hell are you?
Olympia, I don't know... I know there's
a town car waiting around the corner
registered to an address in Westchester.
Do you live there?
I would think very carefully
before lying to my face again.
I do, yes.
Text the driver.
Tell him you have a new case
and you're going back to the office.
Send it.
Olympia.
I can explain.
This whole thing... it has to do with my daughter.
Stop.
I don't even know if you had a daughter.
I assure you I did.
Get in.
Did Olympia text us a new assignment?
Just something personal.
No, you only bang on the keys
like a rage-fueled jackhammer when it's work.
Okay, fine. It is work-related-ish.
And I'll tell you
if you promise not to clutch your pearls.
I left them at home. What did you do?
Nothing. I just
took a tiny little case. A case?
It's so not a big deal.
Remember Cheryl from gene's case?
Her trainer, dino... that's my client...
Anyway, dino just needed a strongly worded cease and desist
to scare off his business partner.
We're not allowed to take cases without Olympia signing off,
and she definitely - wouldn't sign off on this.
Stop it.
It's just a letter.
And Olympia always says,
"ask forgiveness, not permission,"
and that is what I'm doing.
Just getting myself some experience.
While also conveniently taking my mind
off the fact that Kira is out with another hang.
- So that's happening tonight? - Yeah.
And while I'd love to issue her a cease and desist
and put an end to this open relationship madness,
I said I would try it.
So let me just focus on dino, okay?
Okay.
Don't you have a dinner date with Satan?
I-I mean Simone. Yes.
Wait. Hi.
There's a woman here who's a client with an emergency,
but she won't give me her name,
she only wants to speak to Olympia,
and I can't reach Olympia.
And while I don't like to assume things
about people, I'm pretty sure she's, like,
really pregnant.
I'll try to reach Olympia.
Okay.
Olympia, if you'd just listen
no. You are clearly a master manipulator,
a pathological liar, and, by my best guesstimation,
a world-class con woman.
So I don't trust anything that comes out of your mouth.
Give me your bags and write down the passcode to your phone.
Now.
Hands on the table. Is that really necessary?
A burner phone?
Sit down.
"Sorry, Alfie, darling.
"Pulled back to work.
Don't stay up past"
10:00.
Write down every single lie you've told me and why.
I'm your judge.
I'm your jury.
I'll read it,
and then I'll decide what happens next.
Finally.
We have been trying to reach you.
There's a woman here,
but she won't talk to anyone but you.
Hello there, miss...? Amy.
Amy. Do we know each other?
No, but you're my lawyer.
Or I mean the-the firm is my, husband's family lawyers.
The buckleys.
Yeah, that's the... Usual reaction.
A managing partner handles your family's litigation himself.
Yeah. Senior.
He's the one that did my prenup
when I married Grant two years ago.
Jacobson Moore handled both sides?
Yes, but they're all in the pockets of the buckleys, okay?
And then I saw you on the news.
I saw you get that innocent man out of jail,
and I thought that maybe you would help me.
Help-help you how?
Grant has a work trip,
and he got my doctor to move up my c-section.
To tomorrow.
To 9:00 A.M. and I just
I need a divorce by then.
Please.
He's angry, he's controlling,
and-and when he finds out that this baby isn't his
I don't know what he's gonna do.
I just got the prenatal paternity test back.
Grant lets me visit my mom in Ohio twice a year.
"Lets" you? Yeah. He controls everything.
Even my ob loops him in.
So I got the testing done in akron.
And I said to myself, you know, if...
If it's Grant's baby, then, fine,
this is my destiny.
But if it's not, then I have to get away.
To be with the baby's father?
No. It's-it's not about him.
He's, some guy I knew from high school.
It was a one-off thing.
But Grant will fight for custody just to spite me.
That-that's why I need a divorce tonight.
Amy, family law isn't my specialty,
but I do know that divorces take time.
We'd have to serve Grant papers
and then put a reasonable clock on them.
And, unfortunately, "before sunrise"
isn't legally reasonable.
No, please. You-you have to do something.
I-I... I only have three more hours
before he realizes that I'm gone.
How long has it been like this?
Two years.
Look, you have to understand
I was 23 when I met him.
He was 38.
He was successful and-and accomplished and charming.
But everything changed once we got married.
Suddenly, I couldn't see friends without him.
Even though he knew I wasn't religious,
every Sunday, he would pressure me to go to church.
And if I even hesitated, he would say,
"well, what is it that you're feeling guilty about?"
And then he wanted to have kids right away
even though we had agreed to wait.
I'm pretty sure he sabotaged my birth control.
He tracks what I eat, what I drink.
He's booked a baptism for our daughter... it's a girl,
and he did it without me knowing.
If I do anything wrong, if I disagree with him,
he-he berates me.
Okay.
We can't get a divorce tonight,
but maybe we can get a temporary restraining order
in night court,
at least keep Grant away from the hospital
so that he does not sign the birth certificate.
Then he'll have less claim on your daughter
when we do start divorce proceedings.
And he-he won't find out?
Not until after the restraining order is issued.
Now, I need you to go through all of your emails,
texts, voice mails.
Anything even remotely threatening,
give them to Sarah and Billy
so they can prepare them to enter into evidence, okay?
All right.
Olympia,
do you think maybe we should call in Matty?
Since it's all hands on deck?
No. Matty is exhausted and she requested the night off.
You two can handle this.
Call and get us a hearing in night court.
Hey, you. Hey.
So, I thought I'd be working a little late,
but now it's looking like late late
and Rosie can only stay until 9:00, so... No problem.
I'll just, take my work home,
fall asleep reading to the twins,
wake up at 4:00 A.M. in my clothes, panicked.
I got you. No problem.
Thanks.
You know I don't take it for granted,
not even for a second,
what a great co-parent you are.
Hi, darling.
Listen, I don't want to leave too many messages,
but call me, okay?
Alfie got your text.
I just
I just want to know what time you're coming home.
You won't be able to verify everything.
I paid a company to wipe my history off the Internet.
Exactly what a con man would say.
I'm not a con man.
Then what happened to your accent?
You can call my old law firm in San Francisco.
And talk to someone you've planted?
There is one thing you can verify.
I couldn't bring myself to erase my daughter's
stop talking about your daughter.
It's hard to separate truth from fiction entirely.
Because most of what you know about me is based in truth
but is also a lie.
"But is also a lie.
"You've met my grandson Alfie.
"And it's true that his mother died.
"But not in a car accident.
"Ellie died of a drug overdose.
My husband and I"
"my husband and I"?
Your husband is alive, apparently,
and I'm pretty sure he's saved under "building super"
in your phone.
He's nervous 'cause I haven't checked in.
Call him right now.
Put it on speaker
and convince him that you're fine.
Hey.
I was really getting worried.
I'm sorry. Olympia needs me to stay late tonight.
And of course you don't want to say no to her
now that you know she didn't do it.
True.
That's okay, Matty. I know how much she means to you.
She does mean a great deal to me.
Well, you were right to trust her.
I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time about it.
It's okay.
I got to get back to work. Kiss Alfie for me.
Bye.
See?
Our friendship... what didn't I do?
14 years ago,
a Reddit post claimed that someone at Jacobson Moore
hid documents
that could have taken opioids off the market earlier
and saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
What?
Two years ago, my grandson saw that post.
Well, obviously, it's not true.
I investigated.
It is very much true.
I know what the document is
and when it was stolen and who did it.
Okay. Who?
Your ex-husband.
Julian.
You're out of your damn mind.
I'm not. April 6, 2010.
A fire drill.
That's when the document was stolen.
And what was this document?
A study about warning labels on opioids.
And Julian took the study.
Right.
Like he put that spy pen in my office?
You did that, didn't you?
Well, I put it in Julian's office, and then it moved
you made me think that the father of my kids
was spying on me!
Do you have any idea what that did to me?
I was paranoid that there were listening devices everywhere.
I-I couldn't sleep.
I tore apart my home.
I lost it on Julian, and I was thrown into jail.
You did that.
And then you had the nerve to console me
and act like my frie... Like my friend?
- Because I was that, too. - Stop it.
Just stop, Matty.
Look
maybe Julian acted alone
or on behalf of senior, but I know he did it.
And I think he used the payout
as a down payment on your brownstone.
What?
Is that why you told me to go after his money?
Look at your bank statements.
There were three people on the wellbrexa team
that didn't check in after the fire drill.
Senior was in Australia, you were in court,
and Julian... how the hell do you know where I was 14 years ago?
Because I have your laptop.
That coffee spill.
It was on purpose?
I needed
that laptop had a voicemail from my dead father.
I know.
And I'll return it.
But the redditor said it was you or Julian or...
Matty?
What are you doing?!
I'm so sorry!
Hey. I just wanted to say good night to the kids.
Did I catch them?
Just went down.
How's your night going?
A slog.
I'm due in night court at 10:00.
No problem. I'll just crash in the guest room.
What you working on?
It's, top secret.
Come on. You can trust me.
I'll tell you after I win.
Thanks again.
Your honor, as you can see,
Mr. Buckley has made repeated threats
and leveled near daily verbal abuse on my client,
creating a marriage of control, coercion and fear.
Well, he certainly is controlling.
But for it to reach legal threshold required
to issue a restraining order.
Mrs. Buckley, has Grant Buckley
ever physically assaulted you?
No, but he says things like,
"if you leave, I'll kill you," and...
Then he says he's joking.
I don't joke like that. Do you?
Your honor, if there's
even a chance that my client and her child are in danger,
isn't it within our duty of care to act?
Well, as much as I agree with you in theory,
there are precise rules governing a restraining order.
And while I absolutely believe that this relationship
feels threatening,
my task is to assess if the circumstances meet
the qualifications set by the state of New York.
And since Mr. Buckley has no record of violence,
no history of abuse,
the court does not have evidence to meet
those qualifications tonight.
Your honor, this isn't right.
I understand you feel that way, counselor.
However, the law exists
to take feelings and emotions out of the equation.
It's okay.
He still doesn't know where you are.
We have time to figure out our next move.
Change of plans. I'm calling the cops.
Olympia, no.
Yes.
I have a case to focus on,
and I can't be objective.
That's what the law is for.
What exactly do you plan on telling the police?
That you were here under false pretenses.
I'm not. I legally changed my name
from Madeline Kingston to Madeline matlock.
Huge fan of the TV show.
And I took the New York bar.
Well, it's illegal to record someone without their knowledge.
And it's illegal to confine someone to a room
without their consent.
False imprisonment, I think it's called.
Then we'll be in side-by-side cells.
I've been there before.
If you call the police,
my husband will send every bit of our research
to the New York times.
The name Julian marks ton
will be as notorious as Bernie mad off
or the sacklers.
Think about what that will mean for your children.
At least now you're being honest about your contempt for me.
I have no contempt for you.
But I will do what's right by my child.
At the expense of my children?
The truth is coming out one way or another.
But if you help me get the last piece
of financial information that I need,
I will make it clear to the times
that you were not his accomplice.
That you were part of the solution.
That you're a hero.
Think about that when you think about your children.
Julian did what he did.
You have a choice.
Hey, Sarah, what's happening?
Amy's husband just got here.
What?
Yeah. He's at reception.
Come on. Open the door.
What do I do?
Hello?
Hello! I know my wife is in there!
Hello! Hey there.
Everything okay?
You took Amy to get a restraining order
the night before we have our kid.
Unfortunately, I can't comment on privileged
tell me where my wife is. You seem really upset.
You're damn right I'm upset. We've having a baby tomorrow.
She is delaying her c-section.
Enough!
Where the hell is my wife?
Are you filming me?
Company policy. If an angry man shows up
in the middle of the night, we document it.
You'll be hearing from your boss.
Olympia texted.
Grant's gone.
Thank god.
I also just made you,
like, a little resting area, I guess.
Do pregnant people like to rest?
Or is that just an urban myth?
It's an urban myth. No, we go hard.
Yeah, all night long.
Cool.
I also brought you some weird snacks.
Sardines, pickles, black licorice.
Any plain crackers?
I can do plain crackers.
Okay.
Sorry, I don't have much experience with pregnancy.
None of my friends are there yet.
How old are you?
26.
Me, too.
You know, before I met Grant,
I always thought I would go and get my master's
in neuro psych.
I always thought I'd go back to school
after I got married.
He wouldn't let you?
It wasn't "let" at first. It was...
You know, "why don't you want to spend time with me?"
And then, "why would you want to go to frat parties?"
That's how it happens, you know? Slowly.
Trust me, I know what it's like
to have your boundaries stretched.
I mean
not in the same way.
What's your way?
I currently find myself in an open relationship.
You don't like it?
Because right now, an open relationship sounds perfect.
Senior just called, and he's pissed.
She say who tipped off the buckleys?
No, but he said Grant will give Amy a quick divorce.
Tonight, if she wants.
Which means there is something
really bad for her in this prenup.
Comb through it.
Then research case law to see if there is any precedent
from the 1880s to today
to help keep this baby away from Grant.
Okay, this is an insane amount of work.
And I love work.
Start with case law.
Got it.
I need you to go through this prenup
so I can excavate a pregnant woman
from her emotionally abusive marriage.
These are her text messages and emails.
A restraining order was denied,
and with what I now know to be your extensive history
in contract law,
this should be right up your alley.
I'd love to help you,
but I need something in return.
Go to the documents room.
This is the locator number for the missing study.
You'll see that it's gone.
Pay close attention to any infidelity clause.
Amy is finally asleep.
Did you make your own letterhead for your side client?
Give it back to me. "Signed, Sarah Franklin,"
"esquire, attorney at law."
- Don't you just have - to pick only one? - Give,
and wow, there is some strong language in here.
I'm developing my litigation persona.
And she is aggressive.
Let's get back to case law.
And at the end of the night,
remind me again how much I hate working with you.
Copy you.
Sarah Franklin, esquire at law.
Did you look?
I did, and there appears to be a document missing.
And I do not have an opinion
or conclusion about what that means yet
because I'm focused on Amy.
What did you find in her prenup?
It's brutal.
In addition to the usual financial manslaughter,
there's a clause she has to go through
their approved legal counsel.
What? Yeah.
You could finagle a way around it
because we're from the same firm,
but it's tightly worded.
If she violates,
he gets the kid, she gets a little bit of money.
And if she had an affair?
He gets the kid, she gets no money.
Who was that woman who came to court
when you left papers at home?
Counselor.
My sister bitsy.
I based the Matty matlock persona on her.
And Andy Griffith.
Her husband was the con man.
Caught sleeping with hookers.
Cindy shapiro is her best friend.
I don't know anything about you.
You know a lot of things about me.
The talks we had.
The way we work together.
You heard my husband.
Our friendship was real.
How long have you been married to him?
49 years.
And our daughter died
from a drug overdose... stop.
And I came here to expose
the criminal who was responsible.
But I never expected to find you.
What you've done for me,
how you've changed my life, that was real.
I came here expecting to be invisible.
People don't see old women.
But you saw me.
If I could... Erase how I've hurt you
start over with a clean slate...
Start over.
Yeah.
No, start over.
Clean slate.
An annulment.
That would void the prenup completely.
But after two years?
Well, t-technically, a judge
can Grant one up to four years.
It just has to fall into one of four categories.
Did she sign under duress? No.
Under 18, no.
Lacking mental capacity, no.
Ooh. Fraud.
Seems about right.
If a party was tricked into the marriage
by a false representation and we can prove that party
would not have gone through with the marriage
had they known the truth, we've got a case for annulment.
And if Grant was abusive to Amy,
I'm guessing that wasn't the first time.
Maybe he went too far in his past.
And if he purposely covered that up,
there's your provable fraud.
I'll get Billy and Sarah to get a list of ex-girlfriends.
Hadley, I think?
She's married to a state senator.
And those are all the women you can remember meeting
at Grant's college reunion? Yeah.
You okay?
Yeah.
Just, having one of those,
pre-contraction thingies, the Braxton-Hicks.
This one just hurts a little more.
Ooh.
Amy, Braxton-Hicks don't hurt.
I think you're in labor.
What?
We need to find a pattern of abuse now.
I pulled the buckleys' ndas. You can do that?
Ask forgiveness, not permission.
They're in my office. Look at the language,
see if it's impeachable.
Amy, we need to go to the hospital.
We can't.
Trust me, the buckleys will have security outside
now that they know that I'm here.
They will follow me, they will take my daughter away.
We have to be safe.
We will. I have more time.
Four minutes apart, isn't that when we go to the hospital?
The second you hit four, we're going.
But to a different hospital.
I'm gonna call my ob. Okay.
- That sounds good. - Yeah.
This is insane. We need Matty's help.
She's sleeping. She's 76.
She probably gets up every half hour to pee.
Come on, you heard my mentor.
You're right.
Forgiveness, not permission.
Why is Matty's phone ringing in Olympia's purse?
- Oops. - No. No.
Find anything?
Hello? Any loopholes in the nda?
No, sorry. All ironclad.
Which makes sense since Jacobson Moore drafted them.
Shoot.
We just need more time to figure something out.
Or more help.
I think Sarah's right.
Maybe we should call Matty.
I tried her. She didn't answer.
Look, I'll take the ndas.
Go back to your office, keep calling ex-girlfriends.
Billy.
Go.
Okay, Annie, stay calm.
Yep, and tell Dr. Dashar to stay on the phone.
I'm coming to explain everything to her.
Just tell Amy to breathe.
And you breathe, too.
Time the contractions from when they start.
What was Olympia doing up here? I don't know.
Did you hear that?
I'm a little in shock.
That you thought
I would be upset that you gave Matty
her own private office with a freaking bathroom
and a mini-fridge.
No, I am not upset in the least. You sound upset.
And loud. Quiet voice.
Remember? Matty has a migraine.
Sorry. Had one.
My head was screeching like a cat in a thunderstorm.
Anyway, like I told these two,
I don't want to work up here after all.
It's too isolated, and somehow that door got locked.
Yeah, I felt like a prisoner in a horror movie.
How scary.
Migraine's better?
- Much better. - Good.
I forgot, I think you grabbed my phone by mistake
when you left.
And I couldn't get a hold of you.
Did I?
Let me check.
Oops.
Sorry about that. Here.
Thank you. And I told the kids
I have an idea how we can nail.
Amy's husband on fraud.
Makes sense.
You're the expert.
Going through the family's priest is an interesting idea.
Agreed. And I have the list of Grant's ex-girlfriends.
Perfect.
We'll use that to pressure him.
Not "we."
You, right?
The priest is clearly your kind of guy.
Nice. Really, really old.
I'd love to go talk to him.
What do you think, Olympia?
Let's discuss the logistics.
Go relieve Annie and keep Amy calm.
So you come up with that idea just to get your phone back?
Of course not.
Two things can be true at the same time.
That's what I've been trying to tell you.
You talk to this priest, then make a call and...
Finish that sentence. And what?
You escape.
If I had wanted to escape,
it would've happened hours ago.
My medical bracelet.
GPS-monitored.
Security disguised as emts
would be rushing through that door in six minutes.
But I didn't press it
because finishing this and exposing Jacobson Moore
is the only thing that's important to me.
By which you mean blaming my ex-husband?
Because he did it.
How discreet.
Well, fine. Then prove that.
Either way, the truth is coming out.
So, am I interviewing the priest or what?
You mind if I turn this voice memo thingy on?
I'm pretty sharp for my age, but
lord, when I'm tired, I-I start one sentence
in Paris, France and end up in Paris, Texas.
I'm not sure what that means.
My point exactly.
So, yay or nay on recording?
No problem.
But here's the thing, Ms. Matlock.
I'm not going to say what you want me to say.
What do you think I want you to say?
I heard that Amy tried to get a restraining order,
which is heartbreaking.
I think it's heartbreaking that Amy's worried
about her well-being because Grant
is abusive and controlling.
Those are very serious allegations.
Do you think Amy's lying?
I think she's overwhelmed
with the realities of motherhood.
They had some sort of disagreement.
So you've never seen any signs
that Grant is controlling or even overly critical?
In past relationships?
No, I have not.
Is it possible you don't really know Grant
as well as you think you do?
I baptized the man. I confirmed him.
I counseled him the night before his marriage
and then married him the next day.
Well... I'm sure in front of you,
he seems very faithful.
He doesn't seem faithful.
He is faithful.
We see each other every Sunday for service,
and when he's out of town,
he often reaches out for guidance.
I helped him secure St. Patrick's
for his wedding to Amy.
And we've talked at length
about raising his kids in the church.
That was important to Grant?
Raising his kids in the church?
We spoke of it before they got married.
Your honor, in addition to this testimony, I'd like to
submit into evidence text exchanges between my client
and her husband in the months leading up to their wedding.
In them, Grant clearly tells Amy
he is not religious and reassures her
over and over that any of their future kids
won't be raised in the church, because she's an atheist.
Your honor, that is undeniable, evidence-based,
non emotional fraud.
Would you have married Mr. Buckley
if you'd known how religious he was?
No, your honor.
It's official. Four minutes apart.
By the power vested in me by the state of New York,
this marriage is annulled as of
5:49 A.M. eastern standard time.
Thank you.
Thank me by having a healthy baby.
Get her to the hospital. I'll let Dr. Dashar know
that you're on your way.
She's here. Come look.
Wow.
So cute, for a baby.
Holding your daughter in your arms for the first time
is a very powerful thing.
Her child gave her the strength to fight back.
That's for sure.
All righty, you fine folks,
I'm gonna go upstairs and grab my stuff
out of my very temporary office.
I'm exhausted.
If you need me, you know where to find me.
Really great work tonight.
Go home, get some rest.
You've earned it.
Thanks. Thank you.
Okay, Billy, guess what.
Sarah, I really don't have the brain power to
I sent out the cease and desist.
You did?
Did it take your mind off Kira?
Not at all.
But I was talking to Amy, and...
We don't think this is the right relationship for me.
Well, if it makes you feel any better,
Simone and I are not long for this world, either.
Really?
She's making dinner reservations, and I
I can't do serious right now.
She's gonna be so upset.
Yeah.
That does make me feel better.
Thank you.
"And so, that's why I did it.
"And I know you think everything I said was a lie,
"but our friendship was not a lie,
"and my daughter was not a lie.
"Her obituary is still online.
I couldn't erase it."
"Eleanor Kingston, beloved daughter
"of Edwin and Madeline Kingston,
"passed away on October 8, 2014.
Ellie loved baking,"
and singing karaoke.
And above all, she loved her son,
Alfred Edwin Kingston.
Ellie is one of the casualties of the opioid epidemic.
She will never be forgotten.
Ever. Never.
First of all, you're asking like I ask you all the time.
Mommy!
Why do you and daddy keep fighting?
We aren't, baby. We're fine.
Why don't you guys go
and, play on your iPads in your room?
Okay?
You're going after my family's money.
No, let's just be clear... classic pig in a poke.
They're trying to keep you from seeing the trust.
I am trying to see what you're hiding.
I'm not hiding anything.
I haven't exactly been doing the kind of high-profile cases
that would merit espionage.
But no.
It-it can't be.
Julian?
The partner race? The divorce?
Are you okay?
Yeah.
Yeah, I'm fine.
I... I lost a file, and then a pen ex...
Exploded on me.
And then when I tried to clean it up,
I-I guess I fell asleep.
Maybe you should listen to grandpa's voicemail.
That always makes you feel better.
Maybe I will.
Drop off was surprisingly easy,
and I can't believe you actually pulled an all-nighter.
They were easier at 25.
No kidding.
Well, go home and sleep.
On my way. All right.
Hey.
Have you found a new place yet?
For after we sell the brownstone?
Do you want to talk about that now?
And I guess I was...
Just thinking about how easy last night was.
Ooh, I remember when we bought it.
We were about to close on a two-bedroom walk-up.
Remember?
Then all of a sudden, you came into money.
Well, I didn't come into money.
My... Mom let me access the trust.
Why all of a sudden?
Just said she wanted us
to be able to buy our forever home.
Which it did not turn out to be.
Aw, come on. Sometimes it felt like forever.
Good night.
Night.
Get up.
Alfie, breakfast is served.
Finally. You forget your key?
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