Spoil the Child

what happens

Amy threatens to remove a young boy from the custody of a father who asserts his right to beat his son regularly with a belt, leaving welts; Maxine becomes frustrated by her ever-increasing case load and a system that doesn't seem to care about the children it should be serving as she struggles to get placements for two orphaned and mentally ill siblings; Gillian and Peter begin the adoptive process; Vincent and Donna work out some roommate issues; Amy's assertiveness in dealing with a judge who disrupts her courtroom lands her a job offer; Donna turns to a reluctant Vincent for advice after her conjugal visit with Oscar goes badly; Lauren goes into a full-tilt brat meltdown when the dancing supply store runs out of her recital costume after Amy waits too long to order it; Amy stays up all night to make the costume after spurning Maxine's offer to help.

who made it

directed

Kristoffer Tabori

written

Nicole Yorkin, Dawn Prestwich

guest cast

Billed for this episode only — the turn people remember an episode for.

• Jillian Armenante as Donna Kozlowski
• Time Winters as Atty. Croneth
• L. Scott Caldwell as Tanya Miller
• Aloma Wright as Judge Roberta Pattison
• Holmes Osborne as Judge Brooks
• Samantha Shelton as Evie Martell
• Richard Gilliland as Dr. Brent Reynolds
• George Murdock as Judge Norman Artel