The Verdict Legal Analysis - Aakriti Gera
The Verdict is a 1982 courtroom drama directed by Sidney Lumet. The story is about a lawyer who sees a malpractice case as an opportunity to revive his career and reputation by not settling the case and going to trial.
Paul Newman plays the role of a lawyer from Boston who has had myriad problems over the years. A lawyer named Mickey Morrissey has a case for Frank Galvin, played by Newman. A case of a medical an, open and shut, malpractice suit against a Catholic hospital where a young woman was turned into a vegetative state due to a medical oversight. The lawyer was interested in settling the case out of court and earning a commission for himself as well. However, when he visited his client in …show more content…
This clearly highlights how wealth, fame, and popularity can corrupt the minds and practices that are supposed to provide the people with help whether legally or medically. Second subject, the need for cover-ups. Dr. Towler, the anesthesiologist, who is an expert in his field and has written a reputed book on the subject as well, makes a great error resulting in the loss of a life. The anesthesiologist lies to the family of the victim, which not only goes against the professional code of ethics but also moral ethics. He further goes to threaten the nurse to change the 1 on the chart to 9 hours. This is the most critical aspect for me personally. Any person who seeks professional services would expect certain respect and care to be shown. It is critical to understand that a client is not a money making machine. There is no remorse on the part of the parties who did any wrong and legal system barely even concerns itself. For example, the assistant to the anesthesiologist and one the expert witnesses leave the country for a vacation before the trial even begins. I also found the judge of the case to be less concerned with the matters. He is not a core part of the film however; he can also be placed into the unethical lot of professionals. One thing, which concerned me about his behavior, was the part where he ignores an important testimony by the nurse. I may not understand the technical terms of law, but I believe it is his duty to serve the correct decision and if a testimony reveals the truth about the case, it is important to serve justice. Lastly, the disregard of women. Although there are not a lot of legal issues concerning this aspect, I did notice a few things on this matter. Through the movie I saw the blatant way they were pushed, threatened and used for personal reasons. Another factor in this was the fact that
The Verdict is a 1982 courtroom drama directed by Sidney Lumet. The story is about a lawyer who sees a malpractice case as an opportunity to revive his career and reputation by not settling the case and going to trial.
Paul Newman plays the role of a lawyer from Boston who has had myriad problems over the years. A lawyer named Mickey Morrissey has a case for Frank Galvin, played by Newman. A case of a medical an, open and shut, malpractice suit against a Catholic hospital where a young woman was turned into a vegetative state due to a medical oversight. The lawyer was interested in settling the case out of court and earning a commission for himself as well. However, when he visited his client in …show more content…
This clearly highlights how wealth, fame, and popularity can corrupt the minds and practices that are supposed to provide the people with help whether legally or medically. Second subject, the need for cover-ups. Dr. Towler, the anesthesiologist, who is an expert in his field and has written a reputed book on the subject as well, makes a great error resulting in the loss of a life. The anesthesiologist lies to the family of the victim, which not only goes against the professional code of ethics but also moral ethics. He further goes to threaten the nurse to change the 1 on the chart to 9 hours. This is the most critical aspect for me personally. Any person who seeks professional services would expect certain respect and care to be shown. It is critical to understand that a client is not a money making machine. There is no remorse on the part of the parties who did any wrong and legal system barely even concerns itself. For example, the assistant to the anesthesiologist and one the expert witnesses leave the country for a vacation before the trial even begins. I also found the judge of the case to be less concerned with the matters. He is not a core part of the film however; he can also be placed into the unethical lot of professionals. One thing, which concerned me about his behavior, was the part where he ignores an important testimony by the nurse. I may not understand the technical terms of law, but I believe it is his duty to serve the correct decision and if a testimony reveals the truth about the case, it is important to serve justice. Lastly, the disregard of women. Although there are not a lot of legal issues concerning this aspect, I did notice a few things on this matter. Through the movie I saw the blatant way they were pushed, threatened and used for personal reasons. Another factor in this was the fact that