History Main / DontAnswerThat

* ''Series/{{Hunter}}'': It's Rick Hunter who does this despite being a CowboyCop, in an episode involving a VigilanteMan who [[AssholeVictim killed a gangster who raped his wife]]. The man is just about to confess when Hunter says, "Stop!" and then advises him of his rights, specifically the right to contact a lawyer. And the lawyer just happens to be a skilled AmoralAttorney who's frustrated Hunter in the past. Of course, a police officer advising a suspect to contact a particular lawyer would be illegal, as said lawyer points out.

'''Munch:''' ''(to Stabler)'' You don't have to answer that.

* ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}} has Blunt advise Mr. Kornada to not answer Mr. Ishiguro's question about whether or not he ordered his robot, Clippy, to wipe his memory or destroy himself.

* A variant occurs without a lawyer stating this in ''ComicBook/JemAndTheHolograms''. Clash, the gopher for the Misfits, tried to sabotage a charity concert the Holograms were performing at by using bolt cutters to drop a lighting fixture on the band. When Clash later appears with the Misfits, Kimber recognizes her from the concert and thinks Clash tried to kill the Holograms on orders from the Misfits. While Pizzazz previously made it clear she didn't want something like this to happen (because she wants the Misfits to beat the Holograms fair and square ''and'' the incident only got the Holograms more attention), she orders Clash not to say anything so the Misfits can remain ignorant and blameless of the affair.

* ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' [[https://schlockmercenary.com/2004-05-06 invokes this trope]]

* ''Series/{{Yellowjackets}}'': In "[[Recap/YellowjacketsS2E5TwoTruthsAndALie Two Truths and a Lie]]", a girls soccer team has been stranded for months in the Canadian wilderness. Mari goes to [[TheFriendNobodyLikes Misty]] and [[PerformanceArtist Crystal]] with the deck of cards used to assign chores while the pair are amusing themselves:
-->'''Mari:''' What are you two dorks dorking out about? Uh... Actually, don't answer that, just pick your chore.

-->'''Benjamin Donovan:''' Don't say another word, Miss Miller. I'm representing you now.
-->'''Det. Misty Knight:''' Is this ''snake'' your lawyer? Candace, if you're not guilty, you'll answer my questions.
-->'''Benjamin Donovan:''' Nice try. My client isn't under arrest, Miss Miller?
-->'''Candace Miller:''' I'm not guilty. What else do you want to know?
-->'''Benjamin Donovan:''' Miss Miller, don't say another word.
-->'''Det. Misty Knight:''' We used luminol and found traces of blood in Mr. Stokes' shower, even though it had been heavily bleached.
-->'''Benjamin Donovan:''' ''[to Candace]'' Stand up and walk out.
-->'''Det. Misty Knight:''' It's a good thing you got this high-powered flunky. I'm about to nail your ass to the wall.
-->'''Candace Miller:''' It was Luke Cage! ''[beat]'' After I showered, I came out to see Cornell. I still needed my paycheck. I heard loud voices and a struggle. That's when I walked out and I saw Mr. Stokes down below on the floor. Luke Cage saw me and ran away. He was wearing bright yellow gloves, like the kind he used to use when he washed dishes.
-->'''Det. Misty Knight:''' And you're positive it was Luke Cage?
-->'''Candace Miller:''' You would know. I saw you two at the bar together the other night. I saw you talking outside, too. May I go now?
-->'''Det. Misty Knight:''' Candace, look me in the eye. You were too scared to go upstairs and serve Cottonmouth without Luke. Table number seven, right? And then you started sleeping with him? But you still call him "Mr. Stokes." And you can't even tell me about his private entrance! What do they have on you, huh? Is it money? How much are they paying you?
-->'''Benjamin Donovan:''' ''[to Misty]'' This is over. We're done.

-->'''Stabler:''' You're a Cancer, not a Leo.
-->'''Cleary:''' All right, it was a nickname.
-->'''Stabler:''' For who?
-->'''Attorney:''' You don't have to answer that.
-->'''Stabler:''' You get to Tribeca a lot?
-->'''Attorney:''' You don't have to answer that.
-->'''Stabler:''' What questions can your client answer?
-->'''Attorney:''' Anything that's a matter of public record. I want to know what my client is being charged with.
-->'''Munch:''' ''(to Stabler)'' You don't have to answer that.

The accused is in an interrogation room, and has demanded a lawyer, who has arrived. The lawyer sits at his client's side as the detectives/crime lab/whoever drops a key piece of evidence on the table and accuses them again of the crime.

The client immediately begins to confess. Sometimes the lawyer will attempt half-heartedly to stop him ("Don't answer that" or "This interview is over"), but the new evidence causes so much grief and repentance that the victim gives a bone-chilling MotiveRant which real-life detectives would kill to have. Sometimes, the lawyers don't say ''anything''. One can only assume they got their payments up front. Often the result of an ExasperatedPerp.

Legally speaking, the detectives can ask anything they want once the lawyer is available to the client, but if the lawyer asks or demands to speak to the client alone, then police officers are required to leave the room or otherwise allow a private discussion. The fact that the lawyers in TV shows simply tell their clients not to answer something does not prevent the detectives from continuing to question. Which usually means that the lawyers are pretty damn ineffectual.

* The primary job of the various accountants of the old-money Lavish family in ''Literature/MakingMoney'' is either advising their clients of this, or performing an after-the-fact version by disclaimer (for instance, when one Lavish casually mentions the idea of poison in relation to [[ItMakesSenseInContext a very unhelpful dog]], her lawyer immediately chips in to say [[ExactWords she was not referring to any particular course of action]], only the existence of poisons ''in general''). In the climactic trial scene, Anhk-Morpork's chief zombie lawyer, Mr. Slant, asks a question of the Lavishes which causes their entire legal department to object at once. Slant makes them sit back down, in unison, with a single DeathGlare.

* Played with in ''Series/NewTricks''. The suspect is technically not entitled to a lawyer in the circumstances, but is stubbornly refusing to speak without one. They set up an elaborate charade whereby an OldFashionedCopper pretends to be an obstructive defense lawyer who aggravates the investigator to the point that he flies into a rage and "shoots" him, terrifying the perp into confessing.

* ''Series/{{Hunter}}'': It's Rick Hunter who does this despite being a CowboyCop, in an episode involving a VigilanteMan who [[AssholeVictim killed a gangster who raped his wife]]. The man is just about to confess when Hunter says, "Stop!" then advises him of his rights, specifically the right to contact a lawyer. And the lawyer just happens to be a skilled AmoralAttorney who's frustrated Hunter in the past. Of course, a police officer advising a suspect to contact a particular lawyer would be illegal, as said lawyer points out.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E21TheDrumhead The Drumhead]], a witness in a Board of Inquiry concerning an explosion in the ''Enterprise'''s engine room is accused of lying about something irrelevant to the case in order to damage his credibility and insinuate his guilt. His advocate, Commander Riker, rushes to his side and whispers to him to refuse to answer. It doesn't help much, but by this point the presiding judge has started to show an alarming disregard for proper procedure and Captain Picard [[ReasonYouSuckSpeech pointedly calls her on this]] before putting a stop to an inquiry that has gone badly OffTheRails.

* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' naturally has defense attorneys doing this all the time. Parodied in "Closure", where the rapist claims that the reason the watch he stole from a victim has "Leo" monogramed on it is that that's his Astrological Sign.

[[folder:LiveActionTV]]

[[folder:{{Webcomics}}]]

[[folder: WesternAnimation]]

* In ''Fanfic/ChrysalisVisitsTheHague'', Estermann instructs his client Chrysalis to zip it when asked about her [[HiveQueen job and work]], as it may work against her during the trial.

* ''Series/{{Friends}}''. A non-legal version. After finding about Ross' one-night-stand, Rachel angrily asks, "Was she good?". The eavesdropping Joey mutters, "Don't answer that."

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': In The Drumhead, a witness in a trial is accused of lying about something irrelevant to the case in order to damage his credibility and insinuate his guilt. His attorney, Commander Riker, rushes to his side and whispers to him to refuse to answer.

* Subversion: On ''WesternAnimation/TheDickTracyShow,'' Stooge Viller interprets Mumbles' incomprehensible mumbling. In "Court Jester," the two are being tried in court for forgery, but Stooge has taken it on the run. The prosecution can't get Mumbles to admit they're guilty without Stooge there to decipher what Mumbles is saying. When Go Go Gomez brings Stooge in and Mumbles enters a plea, the judge orders Stooge to tell the court what he said. Stooge blurts out "He said we're guilty."

* The primary job of the various accountants of the old-money Lavish family in ''Discworld/MakingMoney'' is either advising their clients of this, or performing an after-the-fact version by disclaimer (for instance, when one Lavish casually mentions the idea of poison in relation to [[ItMakesSenseInContext a very unhelpful dog]], her lawyer immediately chips in to say [[ExactWords she was not referring to any particular course of action]], only the existence of poisons ''in general''). In the climactic trial scene, Anhk-Morpork's chief zombie lawyer, Mr. Slant, asks a question of the Lavishes which causes their entire legal department to object at once. Slant makes them sit back down, in unison, with a single DeathGlare.

* ''Series/TheWire'' plays a realistic version of this when it comes to the bureaucratic hurdles the police have to deal with. Bunk Moreland and Jimmy [=McNulty=] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY_5KP9cHRI decide to trick D'Angelo Barksdale]] into writing a letter of condolence to the non-existent family of a recently murdered witness[[note]]The photo is actually one of Bunk's own kids that he keeps at his desk[[/note]] (hoping he'll include some incriminating information) as they wait for [[AmoralAttorney Maurice Levy]] to arrive. He gets there just in time, tells D'Angelo to stop writing immediately, and drags him out the door.

* ''Series/TheDefenders2017'' (pictured above): [[CallBack Poor Misty Knight, always being interrupted by those damn lawyers that uncooperative suspects in murder investigations magically summon out of the blue.]] This time around, Misty is interrogating Series/JessicaJones2015. Jessica has been arrested after John Raymond is attacked by Elektra in Jessica's apartment ([[BetterToDieThanBeKilled and took his own life]]), and Misty had earlier caught Jessica stealing evidence from an apartment where John had stockpiled explosives. As Jessica is about to tell Misty that John killed himself over "weirdass shit", the door suddenly opens and [[Series/Daredevil2015 Matt Murdock]] walks in.
-->'''Matt Murdock:''' Jessica Jones, stop talking. Hi. This is over.

* Subversion: On ''WesternAnimation/TheDickTracyShow," Stooge Viller interprets Mumbles' incomprehensible mumbling. In "Court Jester," the two are being tried in court for forgery, but Stooge has taken it on the run. The prosecution can't get Mumbles to admit they're guilty without Stooge there to decipher what Mumbles is saying. When Go Go Gomez brings Stooge in and Mumbles enters a plea, the judge orders Stooge to tell the court what he said. Stooge blurts out "He said we're guilty."