Season 1 Episode 4 - Dirty Little Secrets

Harvey provides legal representation for Quentin Sainz, Jessica's ex-husband, while Mike is entrusted with his inaugural independent case. Meanwhile, Mike's hidden secret comes perilously close to being exposed.

Harvey finds himself defending Quentin Sainz, Jessica's ex-husband, while Mike tackles his first solo case. In a Harvard trivia game among colleagues, Mike is narrowly leading against his rival, Seth Keller. However, during a critical question about a Harvard Law dormitory tradition, Mike falters, allowing Seth to claim victory. Mike challenges Seth's answer to another question about Harvard Law graduates on the Supreme Court, pointing out that there are actually six, including Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Mike's precision wins him the game. Despite his triumph, Mike becomes uneasy about Louis potentially knowing his secret and confides in Harvey, who dismisses the concern.

Harvey notices Jessica embracing Quentin in her office and deduces that she has taken on his case. Concerned by media coverage of the ALS drug manufactured by Quentin's company, which allegedly caused numerous deaths, Harvey warns Jessica that the case is a disaster waiting to happen. To Harvey's surprise, Jessica reveals that Quentin is her ex-husband and requests Harvey's involvement since Quentin's girlfriend, Lisa, opposes Jessica's participation. Reluctant to work under Jessica's influence, Harvey declines the case.

Mike's case involves a bedbug infestation in a building owned by Johnny Karinski, who refuses to address the problem. After filing a case with the housing department, Mike inspects the apartment with his client, Frank, where they encounter Karinski threatening to evict Frank for withholding rent. Mike asserts that withholding rent is legal if the apartment is uninhabitable, but he must still prove it in court.

Harvey meets with Quentin and Lisa to discuss the ALS drug controversy. Quentin claims that terminally ill patients with pre-existing conditions used his drug as a scapegoat for other pharmaceutical companies. He insists that the drug was proven safe over eight years and disputes the media's unsubstantiated claims.

Harvey, Mike, and Quentin meet Collin Church, a lawyer representing the ALS drug dispute. Collin rejects the settlement money, demanding a much higher amount due to his client being misled about the drug's side effects. When Quentin rejects the offer, Collin threatens to publicly expose the side effects of his client's experience. Harvey warns him about potential libel, but Collin demonstrates his willingness to go to extremes for the proposed settlement. Harvey refuses to be blackmailed and leaves the room with Quentin, but Collin warns them that they have four days to deliver the $250 million settlement. Upset with Harvey's refusal, Jessica chastises him for portraying the "bad lawyer" image and using deceased patients as a mere fraction of those who benefited from the drug.

In housing court, Mike faces off against Vivien Tanaka, a professional lawyer. Unfortunately, Mike loses the case, leaving a negative impression on the judge and failing to provide the required receipts. Louis lectures Mike, acknowledging that the client he initially brought in from the tennis courts helped salvage Mike's reputation despite the loss. However, Louis had expected Mike to win.

Harvey and Mike present their case in court, revealing Collin's history of unsuccessful lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies through threats of publicizing the cases, leading to settlement agreements. They also expose Collin's recycling of plaintiffs to secure victories. Collin retaliates by disclosing Quentin's financial instability and previous bankruptcy, insinuating the financial motives behind the alleged fraud. The judge decides to proceed with a trial. Following Harvey's courtroom defeat, Jessica takes over the case herself, expressing her disappointment in Harvey's lack of faith in Quentin.

Mike and Rachel pose as a married couple to uncover secrets about Karinski's upscale apartment building by gathering information from the inhabitants instead of relying on the realtor.

Jessica meets Quentin at Central Park to confront him about his lies during their divorce and insists on knowing all the secrets he has kept from her in order to continue fighting for the lawsuit. Later, she meets with Harvey for drinks and reveals that Quentin is suffering from ALS.

Harvey and Jessica confront Lisa, who confesses to falsifying drug trials to expedite the drug's release and save Quentin. They then present Quentin with the options of making Lisa the scapegoat or fighting alongside Collin to establish a new drug company. Surprisingly, Quentin proposes a conference with the six ALS patients and Collin proposes partial ownership of the drug company for the patients. This arrangement aims to conduct further research to benefit patients like them.

Meanwhile, Mike gathers former tenants of Karinski's buildings to testify in court about the abuse they endured while living in his apartments. Through photographs provided by the tenants, Mike discovers similarities between their carpets and Frank's. Mike and Harvey confront Karinski at his home, presenting a sample of Frank's infested carpet. Karinski reacts strongly, realizing that the carpet is infested with bedbugs. Mike exposes Karinski's scheme of intentionally creating bedbug problems to force tenants out, allowing him to renovate the apartments and charge higher rent. Furthermore, Karinski reuses the infested carpet in other buildings he acquires to repeat the cycle. After winning the housing court case, fifteen additional clients express interest in filing similar complaints against Karinski, surprising Louis.

In the end, Mike and Rachel joke about their fake marriage status, and Mike takes a leap of faith by asking Rachel out on a date for their fake fifth anniversary. However, Rachel declines, stating that she doesn't date colleagues from the office.