FAMILY LAW: THE GAY DIVORCEE (TV)
Summary
One in this legal drama series about a divorced lawyer working in a law firm specializing in domestic cases.
Joe finds out that his friend Sean’s husband Jesse is divorcing him and wants custody of their children. Joe seeks out Danni for assistance, but no one is willing to help him, seemingly unwilling to get involved with a dispute involving a homosexual couple. Lynn agrees to help him. Meanwhile, Danni works on a case involving a woman named Helen searching for her long-missing father in order to sue him for failing to pay child support for years. He is tracked down to a retirement home in Santa Monica, and his child support back payments are estimated to be somewhere around $160,000. Joe leads negotiations with Jesse’s lawyer, who argues that Jesse is entitled to full custody due to being the sole name on the children’s adoption papers, all owing to differences in laws governing adoption by gay couples. Sean argues that he gave up his career to become a stay-at-home father, but the opposing lawyer refuses to come to a joint agreement about the children. Joe protests when he learns that Jesse is moving his business to another city, and expresses concern for the children due to his long working hours. Jesse reveals that he has been sleeping with their mutual friend Carla for a year, and that she would take care of the children; Sean indicates that he already knew about the affair but wants to work past it with Jesse. They argue, and Jesse insists that he is no longer gay and prefers the company of women, revealing that he intends to marry Carla.
Lynn is indignant about the callous treatment of Sean and his situation due to legal technicalities. She gets into an argument with Joe, who believes that the children should have a woman raising them. Danni reveals to Helen that her father has been suffering from numerous health problems, including multiple heart attacks and advanced arthritis. Danni recommends that Helen withdraw her attempts to sue her father, given that he is old and will likely soon die. Helen becomes emotional and asks to be permitted to meet him, and Danni agrees. Joe and Jesse’s lawyer Mr. Chilton argue at a preliminary hearing in court about the inadequate visitation schedule and the question of whether Sean should be allowed rights as another parent. The judge orders a reconsideration of the visitation schedule and announces that opening arguments will be held the following morning. Danni takes Helen to the retirement home to visit her father, but Helen surprises her by assaulting the man for walking out on her family when she was a child. As she is being dragged away she vows to sue him in revenge.
In court, Jesse calls his twelve-year relationship with Sean “a mistake” and expresses a desire for his children to experience a “normal household.” Lynn protests this testimony and gets into an argument with Chilton about the legitimacy of claiming that children would be better raised by a heterosexual couple. The judge announces that her client’s homosexuality must be considered as a factor for determining the outcome of the case. Danni represents Helen in court but is unable to convince the judge of her case; the judge concedes that her father is morally wrong but rules that too much time has elapsed for Helen to make a proper claim for back payments. Helen’s father accuses her of trying to “bleed” him and expresses regret that he did not leave her sooner. Jesse continues to testify, stating that he is concerned about his children getting teased for having homosexual parents. He believes that living with Carla will allow his children to grow up without fear of being bullied. Joe decides to call into question the notion of homosexuality being an impinging factor on parenthood since Chilton raised the point earlier in the case. Joe also highlights Jesse’s apparent indecisiveness about his own sexuality, and brings up an instance in which Jesse was abused by his father when he was a teenager for being gay. He believes that Jesse is perpetuating a “cycle of homophobia” instilled in him by his father, and points out that his father disowned him when he learned he was going out with Sean. Jesse retorts that he is different and that his son Jonas did not want to be left with Sean.
Helen is frustrated at her inability to sue her father, believing that she has been trapped in a cycle of poverty and bad luck since she had to drop out of high school. She talks about how her dreams of going to college as a chemistry major were dashed, but Danni believes she can still do so if she desires. Joe accompanies Sean as he visits his children; his daughter Heather is sad that he cannot spend time with them, although his son Jonas appears to be going out of his way to avoid Sean. Lynn questions the adoption agent who oversaw Heather and Jonas’s adoptions in court, and she testifies that Sean was heavily involved in the adoption process, although Jesse’s name was the one listed on the adoption form due to his higher economic class. Chilton gets the adoption agent to admit that sexual orientation is unofficially a consideration when determining the worthiness of an adopting family. During a recess, Lynn runs into Carla in the bathroom, and Carla notes that she realizes that Jesse may still be attracted to other men, but feels that it does not diminish his ability to be a loving and faithful husband. Lynn simply tells her that she uninterested in the nature of Carla and Jesse’s relationship.
Danni gets Helen to file a college application and argues in court that her father must be forced to pay it in accordance with his back payments. The judge rules that if Helen is accepted to university that her father must pay her tuition in accordance with the law. Joe becomes convinced that he will be unable to win Sean’s case; he notes to Lynn that he grew up largely without a mother and always felt that there was “something missing” in his life. Lynn begs to differ, believing that his problems stemmed from his mother in particular, and not from the absence of a female presence in his life. Helen’s father is forced to move out of his retirement home and countersues Helen for parental support. Meanwhile, Chilton calls Jonas to the stand and he testifies that he doesn’t find Sean and Jesse’s homosexuality to be “normal.” He states that he wishes to live with Jesse and Carla. Joe cross-examines Jonas and gets him to admit that he has been happy with Sean, but Jonas says he “[doesn’t] want to be around” Sean any longer out of a fear that he will become gay as a result. He insists that this is the truth even when the judge corrects him; Jonas confesses that he has already been having inclinations towards homosexuality and feels uncomfortable about it.
Joe and Lynn speak to Sean in private; he says that while Jonas never said anything about having homosexual feelings, he was beginning to suspect that this might be the case based on his behavior as of late. Joe cautions Sean that the opposing attorney will be attempting to portray him as somehow influencing his son to be gay, and that they must convince the court that Jonas’s feelings are perfectly normal. Sean is indignant about the implication that he is affecting Jonas in this manner, but Joe says that their feelings are immaterial and they must convince the court that everything is “normal.” Danni argues against Helen’s father’s countersuit in court and the judge concludes that Helen is just as responsible for her father as he is for her, deciding that money should be awarded to him. The judge, frustrated with the proceedings, suggests that both parties drop their suits and call it even. However, both sides refuse to give up and the judge orders that Helen allow her father to move in with her in order to provide care for him. Sean testifies that Jonas is merely confused as all children his age are, and he wishes to be there for him to help him determine his own identity. Chilton cross-examines Sean and attempts to make it seem as though Sean can influence Jonas’s sexual orientation. Sean states that he believes that Jesse is living a lie, trying to deceive himself and others into believing that he has turned straight. He claims that he has finally accepted himself for who he is, and wants to be able to guide Jonas so that he can be spared the turmoil that he and Jesse both went through.
Danni visits Helen and says that she may have found a way to appeal the ruling. Helen and her father are in the middle of griping at each other, which they apparently do constantly. In Sean and Jesse’s case, the judge rules that Jonas requires “stability” in order to properly care for him and awards custody of both children to Sean, much to everyone’s surprise. Joe and Lynn share a tense conversation about the case, and Lynn abruptly leaves to go home. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: April 9, 2001 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:44:38
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:87012
- GENRE: Drama, legal
- SUBJECT HEADING: LGBT Collection - Drama; Drama, legal
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1999-2002
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Fred Gerber … Executive Producer
- Stephen Nathan … Executive Producer
- David Shore … Executive Producer
- Paul Haggis … Executive Producer, Created by
- Mark R. Harris … Co-Executive Producer
- Marjorie Davis … Co-Executive Producer
- Gary Law … Co-Producer
- William Redner … Co-Producer
- Hilton Smith … Co-Producer
- Dana Maksimovich … Co-Producer
- Chuck Binder … Co-Producer
- Dan McDonald … Associate Producer
- Jerry Levine … Director
- Anne Kenney … Created by
- Leonard Dick … Writer
- Jeff Beal … Music by
- Brink, The … Theme Music by
- Kathleen Quinlan … Cast, Lynn Holt
- Christopher McDonald … Cast, Rex Weller
- Dixie Carter … Cast, Randi King
- Christian de la Fuente … Cast, Andres Diaz
- Merrillee McCommas … Cast, Patricia Dumar
- Salli Richardson (See also: Salli Richardson-Whitfield) … Cast, Viveca Foster
- Julie Warner … Cast, Danni Lipton
- Tony Danza … Cast, Joe Celano
- Tuc Watkins … Cast, Sean Santoro
- Christopher Cousins … Cast, Jesse Gibson
- Dabbs Greer … Cast, Frank Watson
- Janet MacLachlan … Cast, Judge Anne Taft
- Wendel Meldrum … Cast, Carla
- Beau Billingslea … Cast, Judge Lawrence Harrington
- Bellina Logan … Cast, Madeline Stivers
- Tom Jourden … Cast, Philip Velez
- Valerie Perrine … Cast, Helen Watson
- Charles Martin Smith … Cast, Mr. Chilton
- Shane Hunter … Cast, Jonas
- Sierra Abel … Cast, Heather
- Bradley Striker … Cast, Eddie Mendoza
- Peter Chew … Cast, Rob
- Jennifer Piser … Cast, Nursing Home Director