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'Good Wife,' Good Law: Car Accidents and Medical Marijuana

By Tanya Roth, Esq. on March 18, 2013 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

This week, "The Good Wife" delved into a car crash and also dealt with issues surrounding medical marijuana laws. Count on CBS to turn an ordinary car accident case into a whodunit-style mystery.

Recap: 'Invitation to an Inquest'

In the latest episode of "The Good Wife," Alicia gets contacted by a friend, Janie, whose late husband Roger Ludwig once sat on the bench. The judicial widow is now haggling with the insurance company, playing tug-of-war.

It's the usual tug-of-war that insurance carriers pay after a car accident. They come back and tell you that the accident was your fault and that they refuse to pay up.

Only, in this case, it's a life insurance company, not a car insurance company. And there's a $2 million policy on the line.

With a life insurance policy in the picture and a suspicious "car accident" on a remote rural road, all eyes turn to the widow. And on the mistress. And on suicide (Ludwig was on the hook in a bribery scandal).

And the list could go on, in true "Clue" fashion (it was the butler in the library with the candlestick!).

What they discover is that Ludwig was indeed having an affair. But the car accident had little to do with it. After having his tryst with his best friend's wife at a hotel, Ludwig drove through a guard rail to avoid a drunken driver.

Reality Check: Medical Marijuana Laws

In a side story, Emmons Pharmaceuticals becomes a client of the firm and asks them to help write a draft legislation for a medical marijuana law.

But when a lobbyist comes to a law firm asking for help with a draft legislation, one can only assume that there are expectations that the legislation will be drafted a certain way -- i.e., with a certain corporate agenda.

To explain the process quickly, the medical (and recreational) cannabis industry is going through an interesting time where state laws are changing and bills are being passed. Nevertheless, questions about how new pot laws should be implemented have raised legal concerns. So that's where draft legislation comes in: Lawmakers sometimes consider lobbyists' input help come up with new regulations about how laws will be implemented.

But help from a pharmaceutical company in drafting a medical marijuana law? That could raise questions about potential conflicts of interest down the line.

What did you think of this week's episode of "The Good Wife"? Is the show guilty of making any legal mistakes? Check back here for more legal recaps of "The Good Wife," and send us a tweet @FindLawConsumer with the hashtag #TheGoodWife.

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