- "Because that's what we do to black people, women, and gay people in this world. We turn a blind eye, and we tell them that their lives don't matter. But they do matter. Jasmine Bromelle matters."
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Bromelle was Annalise's first case after getting cleared in the arson and murder of Wes case. She had just let go all of her interns, the Keating 4, as well as Bonnie. She was seeing Isaac Roa for court mandated therapy. Jasmine Bromelle was somebody she met in jail and had her back during the time she was there before getting out on bail after Claudia Gelvin beat her face.
Case[]
Annalise met with Jasmine in prison and promised to get her out of jail. She was charged with illegal possession of a firearm after being pulled over for soliciation. When Annalise told her to sign the change of counsel form, Jasmine said she couldn't afford her but Annalise said it would be for free.
Later in court, Annalise filed a motion to suppress and argued the prosecution's entire case was based on an illegal stop-and-frisk. She said there was no probable cause to search Jasmine, which made the gun found on her inadmissable evidence. The prosecution, led by Ronald Miller, argued that Jasmine was a convicted prostitue who was stopped in an area she was known to 'ply her trade'. Annalise countered that she lived there and being black wasn't adequate grounds for suspicion. Bonnie walked in during this. Miller then said the arguments being presented were beyond the scope of the hearing, and judge Sabraski denied her motion to suppress. Annalise then asked to file a continuance, which was also denied because she didn't file a 106 motion. When Annalise was leaving, she saw Bonnie and assumed she wanted to talk, telling her it was a bad time. Bonnie said she knew and then presented herself as the prosecution on the next case, surprising Annalise.
Following that Annalise and Miller were walking and talking and he said he showed sympathy to Jasmine when he didn't charge her for the other violations. Annalise asked what he was talking about and he told her to watch the bodycam footage of Jasmine's arrest. Annalise did this, and then replayed it to Jasmine and told her she was lucky she wasn't charged with battery or soliciting an officer. Jasmine said that type of thing usually worked and Annalise told her she needed to know those type of things before court. Jasmine then emotionally told Annalise her life story and the cycle of in and out of prison she had experienced since she was 13, before calling the guard to take her away.
Back at the courthouse, Annalise was talking to Regina at the records desk, telling her she needed Jasmine's entire arrest record not just the felony arrests. Regina told her she had to go somewhere else for misdemenours but Annalise said she was sent to her. Nate stepped in to help Annalise get what she needed.
That night at the Easton Hotel Annalise went through Jasmine's entire arrest history, but realised it only went back as far as when she was 18. The next day she asked Jasmine when she was first arrested and she said it was well before she was 18. She said that the first time, the judge gave her a 'freebie' and let her go. Annalise realised that her arrest record pre-18 was sealed because she was a minor, and she could use that to get Jasmine free. Annalise asked Miller to unseal the file and he said no. Bonnie happened to be lurking so Annalise asked her next but she said no too. That night, Bonnie told Frank that Annalise asked her, so he went behind her back and delivered Jasmine's sealed files to Annalise at the hotel. Frank was trying to rebuild a relationship with Annalise after she found out he was behind her son's death.
The next day, Mr. Hedstrom was on the witness stand and Annalise gave him Jasmine's 1968 prositiution charge and asked if he recognised it because he was the one who prosecuted it. Miller objected, saying it was a sealed arrest record and Annalise cited a presdent that let witnesses testify to the seal contents of cases. Hedstrom read that Jasmine was 13 at the time of the charge, so Annalise asked why Jasmine was being prosecuted instead of being treated as a victim of sex trafficking. Hedstrom said that the consept of sex trafficking was new, he got Jasmine released from juvenile detention and her file sealed and that there wasn't much else he could do. Annalise then questioned this, listing other 13 year olds who where arrested for solicitation in 1968 but instead of being charged, they were sent to rehabilitation. She said that each one of the cases were identical to Jasmine's just that they were all white and Jasmine is black.
She then started being argumentative with the witness, to which Miller objected, saying that Jasmine was constantly turned back onto the street until she had a criminal record 'so high' she was denied housing and assistance. She then turned to the judge and demanded that Jasmine's current charges as well as prior convictions be vacated. Judge Sabraski ruled in Jasmine's favour, saying that her entire arrest record would be sealed so as long as she was never arrested again, she would be eligible for assistance and housing. After court, Jasmine was given her new ID and some money from Annalise.
Trivia[]
- Jasmine called Annalise 'the female Johnnie Cochran'. Johnnie Cochran was a famed defense attorney who defended celebrities like Michael Jackson, P. Diddy and OJ Simpson.
- He was the one who said 'if the glove doesn't fit you must acquit'
- The judge on this case, Mitchell Sabraski, made an appearance in season 6. He is also seen later in season 4.
See also[]
Appearances[]
| Season 4 | |||||||||||
| "I'm Going Away" | "I'm Not Her" | "It's for the Greater Good" | "Was She Ever Good at Her Job?" | ||||||||
| "I Love Her" | "Stay Strong, Mama" | "Nobody Roots for Goliath" | "Live. Live. Live." | ||||||||
| "He's Dead" | "Everything We Did Was For Nothing" | "He's a Bad Father" | "Ask Him About Stella" | ||||||||
| "Lahey v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" | "The Day Before He Died" | "Nobody Else Is Dying" |