The Verdict
The Verdict is a 1982 American legal drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by David Mamet, adapted from Barry Reed's 1980 novel of the same name. The film stars Paul Newman as a down-on-his-luck alcoholic lawyer in Boston who accepts a medical malpractice case, initially to make money and improve his own tenuous situation. But he discovers while working the case that he is doing the right thing and serving justice. Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, Milo O'Shea and Lindsay Crouse appear in supporting roles.
Plot
Once-promising attorney Frank Galvin is an alcoholic ambulance chaser. As a favor, his former partner Mickey Morrissey sends him a medical malpractice case which is all but certain to be settled for a significant amount. The case involves Deborah Ann Kaye, who was left comatose after choking on her own vomit when she received general anesthesia during childbirth at a Catholic hospital. The plaintiffs, Kaye's sister and brother-in-law, intend to use the settlement to pay for her care.