Indictment: The McMartin Trial

Indictment: The McMartin Trial is a 1995 drama film directed by Mick Jackson, written by Abby Mann and Myra Mann, and starring James Woods, Mercedes Ruehl, Lolita Davidovich, Sada Thompson, Henry Thomas, and Shirley Knight. Executive produced by Oliver Stone, the film is a dramatization of the 1983-1990 McMartin preschool trial.

In 1983, members of the McMartin family - founder Virginia McMartin, her daughter Peggy McMartin Buckey, and her grandchildren Ray and Peggy Ann Buckley - are accused of sexual molestation and abuse of children at their well-regarded preschool. Publicity-seeking attorney Danny Davis initially defends the McMartins for the press it will bring him, but as the trial goes on he slowly begins to believe that they are innocent. Davis has his work cut out for him, however, since the media, seeing ratings and circulation, have circled the wagons and demonized the family, and prosecuting lawyer Lael Rubin is a tough opponent.

---

Indictment: The McMartin Trial contains examples of the following tropes:

• Amoral Attorney: Danny is this initially, seeing the McMartins as a treasure trove of publicity, but evolves into a Crusading Lawyer as the holes in the evidence start piling up.
• Based on a True Story: Based on the 1983-1990 McMartin preschool trial.
• Convicted by Public Opinion: Everything involving the defense’s clients, even long before trial begins, are already believed to be guilty.
• Dramatically Missing the Point: Danny tears into Lael for withholding important evidence, but the latter doesn’t bother answering him back while continuing to demand him to not shout at her.
• If It Bleeds, It Leads: How the hysteria is whipped up around the case. The hysteria surrounding the allegations snowballs into more and more dubious claims and accusations, resulting in more media attention.
• Karma Houdini: Kee MacFarland and Wayne Satz, the social worker and reporter who were dating each other at the time of the case and arguably helped whip the case into the frenzy it became, face no repercussions from their actions.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Lael Rubin’s borderline sleazy tactics during the trial result in her being reassigned to another case when she puts forth a motion to retry Ray. This also resulted in her application to become a Superior Court judge in 1990 being denied.
  • The DA’s office offers Danny and Ray a deal to take a nolo plea to avoid the expense of retrying Ray. Ray, not agreeing with the deal at all, later tells a reporter about it. When the reporter spreads the word and the press asks Martinez about it, he lies and denies it, saying the DA’s office wouldn’t offer Ray a deal in a million years. Danny then reveals the tape recorded the meeting and plays the incriminating recording to the press.
• I Reject Your Reality: Kee MacFarland is accused of purposely planting false statements onto the children to incriminate Danny’s clients, and the tapes proved this; when one little girl made it clear she wasn’t abused, MacFarland bluntly told her “We don’t want to hear anymore no’s” to which the child repeatedly screamed back, “No!”, and in earlier tapes tried to manipulated a boy into saying he was abused when he claims he wasn’t.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: "The McMartin family still lives in southern California. Peggy had a nervous breakdown and continues to suffer from agoraphobia. She lives with her mother Virginia and her son Ray. Peggy Ann successfully sued for the restoration of her teaching credentials. She is now married and has two children. In 1990, Lael Rubin's nomination to become a Superior Court judge was denied. She is still with the L.A. district attorney's office. In 1992, Wayne Satz died from heart failure at the age of 47. Kee MacFarland is still employed by Children's Institute International. Danny Davis currently practices law in Los Angeles, as does Glenn Stevens. Raymond Buckey is now a university student and plans to attend law school."