Law & Order Special Victims Unit s27e07 Episode Script
False Idols
1
In the criminal justice system,
sexually based offenses
are considered especially heinous.
In New York City, the
dedicated detectives
who investigate these vicious felonies
are members of an elite squad
known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[LIGHT MUSIC PLAYING]
♪
Yeah, but Lord Mathias
was dimming her light.
Yes, he's so hot,
but also, like, poison to her soul.
God, you get me.
♪
[SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE]
[METAL CLICKING]
♪
You read her work
before anyone else?
Sometimes.
Hey, you need help?
I am the help.
Go enjoy yourself.
♪
[SIGHS]
[GLASS CLINKING]
[TENSE MUSIC]
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
♪
Well, she didn't need her wings
because she had the magic to move her,
- you know?
- Yeah.
[GRUNTING]
Oh, my God!
- [SCREAMS]
- Oh, my God!
Somebody help!
Call 911!
[PEOPLE SCREAMING]
OK, OK.
Someone's coming.
Someone's coming, OK?
- [WHEEZING]
- Help is coming.
Help is coming.
Help is coming!
[WHEEZING]
Central units, 11th precinct,
10-34 K, assault with a knife,
male stabbed torso, conscious,
perp at large, described
as white female,
black sweatshirt, fled on foot.
243 East 10th off 1st Avenue.
5 minutes past.
- Damn, that's close.
- Mm-hmm.
♪
Bro.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[SIREN CHIRPING]
Police!
Don't move.
Hands up!
- Hands!
- Now!
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
OK, are you sure that you got it?
1000%.
Totally got it.
OK, 'cause I'm walking away.
- Oh, my God.
- Give it to me.
Give it to me now.
- No, no. Hold on.
Hold on.
Shut up, OK.
- Not that hard.
- Bacon, cheese,
salt, pepper, over medium.
Make that two.
Look at this guy.
Not a scratch on him.
Good to see you, man.
Rollins, it's so good
to have you back.
It's good to be back.
Hey, I never got word that
you were already cleared.
I mean, full
Full duty?
Of course.
Should be in your inbox.
OK.
Who are you?
I'm
Uh, I'm new guy.
OK, cool.
Get off my desk.
Oh, I'm
I'm so sorry.
Yeah.
- I'm just messing with you.
- Oh.
Welcome to the squad.
Heard great things about you.
Yeah.
Does anybody dust around here?
I mean, this is disgusting.
It is very great to
have another body here,
because Curry is in Orlando
for her son's basketball tournament.
Welcome back.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Officers.
♪
Hey, can I help you?
Officer Martin,
Ramos, 11th precinct.
OK.
Perp's Leah Henning,
under for assault one.
Stabbed a male in the chest
last night around 20:05 hours.
Victim's Stuart Morgan
at New York Presbyterian,
critical.
Our boss said to bring her to you.
And why is that?
She said she was raped by our vic.
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Can I
Can I get you some water, Leah?
You know, maybe a cup
of coffee or something?
It looks like you can just go ahead
and slip those off, huh?
Is he dead?
We don't know yet.
Look, I just want to
remind you that at any time,
you can request an attorney.
[SCOFFS, SNIFFLES]
Nothing you do is gonna help me.
I can't erase what
brought you in here,
but I do want to know
your side of the story.
So can you tell me what happened?
I went for a walk,
past the bookstore,
saw Claire,
saw him.
Something just came over me.
So how did you meet them?
Uh, I was Claire's assistant.
And what kind of boss was she?
Was she
Was she a good boss, or
Amazing.
It's like, maybe you should
meet your heroes, actually.
Her-her writing, it-it saved me.
From what?
My family, my past.
I lived with her, kept her organized.
OK.
She was my whole life.
I was so happy.
[TENSE MUSIC]
And what about the husband?
♪
I can't help you unless
you tell me the truth.
♪
Claire wasn't home.
I was in my bed, writing.
I looked up, and Stuart was just
Standing there
Naked,
like it was normal.
He sat on the bed.
He pinned me down, ripped my clothes,
and I was bleeding,
and he wouldn't stop.
[CRYING]
That was the first time.
So it happened more than once?
I don't even know how many times.
And it's like, do
you just deal with it,
because the rest of the
time, you get to be around
this amazing woman
who changed your life?
I
I couldn't give that up.
OK, did
Did Claire know?
I never told her.
Claire is an empath.
She cries when she sees a dead pigeon.
She feels so much for so many people.
♪
This is gonna destroy her.
I
I kept it inside for so long.
I
I can't anymore.
♪
I tried to help Leah.
I wanted to, and I tried really hard.
But, uh, she was damaged,
and I guess I let my
empathy cloud my judgment.
Did you have much
interaction with Leah, Stuart?
No, uh, I saw that she
was bad news fairly early on,
uh, so I just tried
to steer clear until
Claire had to give up on her latest
bird with a broken wing.
What's "bad news" mean?
I'm used to avid
fans, but
Leah was
Obsessed, and she hated me.
Why do you think that is?
Because I'm not Claire Morgan.
Leah seems fixated on you.
You have any issues?
Leah is a convicted stalker.
We had to file an order
of protection against her.
Claire's terrified,
too traumatized to
hire a new assistant.
And then now Leah is
putting us both through hell.
Whatever she is accusing me of,
it's a lie.
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
Uh
I got hurt on the job before, Liv.
I know.
I'm just, you know,
checking on you 'cause it's my job.
It's not personal.
I don't even like you that much.
Likewise.
I'm good.
I'm very good.
And you're getting everything
you need from the department?
All the support, and you know
You know, Fin, time
to process everything.
Yeah, eyesight's good, no headaches.
I'm out-working kids
in the gym half my age.
I've never felt better.
Great.
You doubtin' me, Liv?
No, you have been extremely clear
about how physically
prepared that you are.
I'm prepared, period.
Good, 'cause we
missed you around here.
Hey.
Hey, so the temporary
order of protection checks out.
Neighbor saw Leah breaking
into the Morgans' home
after they fired her.
ACD with a six-month order.
- When was this?
- Sealed three months ago.
Leah did the time, and
then her record was wiped.
Well, that didn't last long.
- Do we buy Leah's story, boss?
- I think so.
Look, she was very
dissociated when I talked to her.
But I think, with
a little bit of rest,
then we'll get some clarity.
Her arraignment's set.
It's in two hours.
We need more time than that.
Well, if you want to
hold her here longer,
you need to get her to
waive her arraignment
and accept the charges.
She's gonna need a lawyer for that.
Well, good thing you know lawyers.
All right, I'll ask around.
In the meantime,
- get more than Leah's word.
- All right.
Stuart Morgan, he have any priors?
Squeaky clean, 45,
no income going
back at least 10 years.
Yeah, Stuart's only interaction
with law enforcement
is the stalking complaint.
Well, I have to say
that Leah does seem
very infatuated with Claire.
I mean, she's still protecting her
months after she was
slapped with this TOP.
She sounds like a stalker.
Well, she sounds
like a Claire Morgan fan.
They're known to be pretty intense.
[LAUGHS]
And who are they?
I've read her books.
I mean, all of them
A few times.
And her recent biography.
Rollins, do I need
to put you on modified
for this one, Sergeant?
I have a unique insight
to the readers of her work.
Claire's writing can
feel very, um, personal.
It's like a lot of misfits finding out
they have secret powers or, you know,
finding their voices or
Or wings.
Oh, OK.
Well, it sounds like, um,
Claire makes people
like Leah feel seen.
That can be powerful.
Plus, Claire kind of
feeds into the fervor.
I mean, she's been
a bestselling author
for ten years.
She still goes by book clubs.
She sends fans gifts.
- She volunteers at a DV shelter.
- OK.
But as soon as we
brought up Leah's allegations,
- Claire shut down quick.
- She did.
But I'm
I'm curious to see what she would say
outside of his presence.
I think that we need more
before we do that, right?
So look, Leah lived in
the house for two years.
Somebody must have seen something.
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
I ran the financials.
They had a dog walker,
a housekeeper, and a personal chef.
- OK.
- I'm on that.
I'm not looking for desk duty today.
OK.
Working at the Morgans' was fine.
A bit boring.
Claire had a lot of
food sensitivities.
Miss the hours, though.
- Pull it.
- Yes, Chef.
How about Stuart?
What was he like?
This is about Leah, right?
Saw what she did to him.
All over the news.
Yeah, pretty horrific.
You don't seem too horrified.
- Behind.
- Can we do this later?
Not in the middle of all this?
- What are you worried about, Nicole?
- You
Using something
I say against Leah.
I don't want to be part of that.
So we're not investigating Leah.
We're investigating Stuart, Nicole.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
I saw something once,
about a year after Leah moved in.
Stuart was in Leah's room,
which was totally weird.
I could see her in her underwear.
She looked dazed.
Her makeup was all smeared.
Something about it felt wrong.
Stuart saw me and shut the door.
Did you report it?
Stuart's married to a
famous feminist author.
Who's gonna believe me over him?
Claire had to have known, right?
You talk to Leah about it?
Didn't get a chance.
Stuart fired me the next day.
Did you tell anybody about this?
- A friend?
- Yeah.
Texted my boyfriend
right after it happened.
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]
Hey, Brian. Thanks for coming down.
Hey, Sonny, good to see you.
- How are the kids?
- Ah, you know, a handful, as always.
- This is Captain Olivia Benson.
- Hey.
- This is Brian Moss.
- Nice to meet you.
General practice, but
he dabbles in criminal law
- for the right cases.
- Mm.
An old pal from law school.
Well, thank you so
much for coming in,
especially on such short notice.
Oh, of course. Anything
else I should know?
You know, Leah
is, she's vulnerable.
Um, she's not denying the stabbing.
So if she waives the arraignment,
then she can assist SVU in verifying
a sexual assault allegation.
So we just want to
make sure, you know,
somebody has her
best interests in mind.
Well, I'm your guy.
Where's my client?
- Second door on the right.
- Yeah.
- Great, thank you.
- Mm-hmm.
Hey, how are we doing
on the personal chef?
I love people that
don't delete their texts.
Nicole Sandoval texted
her boyfriend in detail
after seeing Stuart in Leah's room.
Saw red marks on Leah's arms.
She seemed scared, and
Stuart seemed suspicious.
We still thinking that
Claire had no idea about this?
Well, Nicole had suspicions.
OK, so we have a
witness with Nicole.
- So if Leah corroborates
- Well, then, we got a case.
I mean, especially with the
potential perjury on the TOP.
- Oh, well, that was fast.
- Good news.
Leah has agreed to
waive the arraignment.
So that's all set.
- That's great.
- Great.
She's done talking
until she gets a deal.
- What?
- Brian, come on.
Of course, I'm gonna
try to get you a deal.
It's deal or no
cooperation, and that's it.
Sorry, I
We need access to Leah.
We have to investigate her
allegations to prove her story.
It's not a negotiation.
So you call me when you got something.
Good to see you, Sonny.
Are you kidding me?
♪
Look, we all know that
Leah's situation is complicated.
But Brian is doing exactly
what we asked him to do.
Are you his lawyer now?
We asked him to help Leah,
not bone us on this investigation.
Look, there's a chance we'd be here,
no matter who represented her.
At least I know this guy.
Look, the question is,
- do you trust him?
- Yes, I do.
Look, Brian is gonna fight for Leah.
I'm gonna fight for a deal.
But we can't count
on Leah's cooperation.
And I can't go to trial with
text messages and no victim.
So we need a new witness,
and new evidence, something solid.
Bruno found a bunch
of Claire's ex assistants.
Now, none of them want to talk,
except there's one in Queens,
and he's on his way
there now to talk to her.
Look, I think that it's
time for us to have a chat
with poor, frail Claire.
Look, Rollins, you can bow out.
But you do know her,
and I think it would be helpful.
Yeah, I mean, if she's guilty
Screw her.
Thank you.
Hi, I'm Captain Benson.
I think you know Sergeant Rollins.
We wanted to talk to you
more about Leah's allegations.
Two women, that's really
It is refreshing.
Look, we understand
you wanting to protect your husband.
But, if you care about your
fans as much as you say you do,
now would be the time to speak up.
Do you two want a bite
to eat or some tea, maybe?
No.
OK, good,
because I have nothing in the house,
because I have no appetite,
and I can barely write.
Your former chef, Nicole Sandoval,
do you remember why she left?
Yeah, she was a real perfectionist,
and a
A true Virgo.
What are your signs?
She said that Stuart fired her,
right after she
witnessed an interaction
between Stuart and Leah.
This is all fairly
traumatizing for me.
And I
I had a migraine earlier.
Now I think it's coming back.
Um, but I think Nicole witnessed
one of Leah's many health crises,
and, I feel for her.
- I really do.
- Do you?
Because it seems like
you're calling her crazy
to cover for Stuart.
Have either of you read my books?
Yeah, I have.
OK, good.
You know that my
primary responsibility
is to other women.
And Nicole feels abandoned by me.
She cooked up this story to
damage my reputation with
So let me stop you for a second.
Our job is to protect
victims of sexual assault,
not your reputation.
Yeah, I know.
That's
That's
it's not about me.
It's
But I do know
that Leah's false claim
is a problem for real victims,
and that could be used
to call uh, genuine
accusations into question.
And I know you don't want
that on your conscience.
So you're saying
charging Stuart with rape
is actually bad for all women.
No.
No, no, no, no.
That's a very
ungenerous interpretation.
But, yes, generally,
false rape claims are bad for women.
I think we can all agree on that,
that false rape allegations are
definitely damaging to women.
But that's not what this is here.
And we're gonna prove it,
with or without your help.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I started a Claire Morgan
fan account on Twitter.
Her writing was immersive,
a world where I could be strong,
and, I loved it,
and I met great people,
including Claire.
Yeah, so, uh, so how'd that happen?
DM'd her.
I couldn't believe that she replied.
Claire was my idol.
And we'd chat.
She was always asking me how I was,
which was really needed at the time.
What was going on?
I was in an abusive relationship.
I couldn't admit it to myself,
but, Claire really got me to open up.
And next thing I knew, I
was moving into her house.
[CHUCKLES]
Honestly, that job saved my life.
Did you hear what
happened to Claire's husband?
Yeah, stabbed or something.
I
I don't know much.
I try to stay offline.
Claire's former
assistant stabbed him.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
♪
What was your experience with Stuart?
I was in the shower.
Stuart didn't say a word,
just took off his towel,
and stepped in.
It was so bizarre.
I was
Paralyzed.
After, when it was all over, he
He just smiled at me,
like,
wasn't that amazing for both of us?
It kept happening.
I got pregnant.
He made sure I had an abortion.
Did Claire know about all this?
Yeah, Stuart said it was an affair.
Paid me in cash, sent me on my way.
My shoulder still hurts
every time I write on a chalkboard.
Oh, he broke my collarbone.
I tried to fight back that time.
I got hurt.
He still raped me.
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Is that our guy?
Checked out early.
Not early enough.
♪
Hey, Stuart Morgan, I
got a different car for you.
Stay back.
Your hands off me right now.
NYPD.
♪
Stuart Morgan, you're under arrest
for the rapes of Leah
Henning and Alex Corbin.
That's not necessary.
He's not running anywhere.
♪
Captain Benson,
thanks for making the time.
Of course. I'm sorry.
I didn't know that
everybody was already here.
- Yeah.
- Hey, Downes.
OK, so Leah Henning.
Benson and Carisi say she's a victim.
Downes and Price think she's a perp.
I'm tired of hearing about it,
so we're gonna work it
out together right now.
The charges against
Leah should be dropped.
She's a victim of
long-term sexual abuse.
She was clearly acting
under extreme emotional distress here.
Leah Henning sought
out Stuart Morgan
nine months after she'd last seen him.
There is no self-defense
argument here, Carisi.
She confessed,
- and showed no remorse.
- Well, hold on.
She showed no remorse
for attacking her rapist, right?
Now, Leah lived with Stuart Morgan
for two years, and
that situation shows
all the hallmarks of
an abusive relationship.
No matter her state of mind,
she committed a B-violent
felony at a public event.
If she walks clean here,
what are we saying?
That, that vigilante
justice is acceptable?
- No.
- That it's encouraged?
We can't completely
drop the charges on Leah.
It's against public safety.
- Move on, Carisi.
- Move on to what, sir?
What's gonna happen at the trial?
Because your argument falls apart
when Leah's rape comes up.
Nolan, there's no case
here, so let's act like it.
Assault two, five-year sentence.
Five years? Please.
Stuart Morgan is scum.
He's going to trial for raping Leah,
and at least one other woman.
So however extreme her actions are,
I mean, she may be bringing
a potential serial rapist to light.
This woman, she's been through hell.
What she needs is
Is treatment,
she needs healing,
and she needs a little
bit of understanding.
Now, she's gonna
get that from the public.
I think she needs it
from the law as well.
All right, let's give her a split.
One year house arrest, four probation,
ROR, ankle bracelet,
and mandatory therapy.
Take it to her lawyer.
You got a deal.
♪
Will Claire be at the trial?
There is a good
chance that she will be.
I don't think I can say
any of this in front of her.
She'll be traumatized.
OK, Leah, have a seat.
Look, I
I admire your concern here.
I really do.
But my hope is that you
can focus on yourself.
Claire is not the victim here, right?
You, you deserve to tell your story.
You don't know how she gets.
She'll be so hurt.
Leah, you've been
protecting her for so long.
Don't you think that she's the one
who should be worried
about protecting you?
♪
I tried to tell her.
And what happened?
I tried, and I couldn't get far,
because I was so
nervous, and I was shaking,
and she wouldn't talk to me
because she had a migraine.
And then Stuart fired me a week later,
and made me sound crazy,
said that she was afraid of me.
♪
In a way, I guess it made it easier.
I got to blame everything on him.
But she knew.
Claire knew, and maybe the whole time.
Once, I was wearing a tank top,
and I had these bruises
on my arms,
from him.
♪
I guess I just wanted her to see them,
and ask what had happened, but
She just avoided me
until they were gone.
♪
So a cry for help.
She acted like she didn't hear it.
♪
What are you doing at a
lowly pre-trial arraignment?
We're gonna be in and out.
I want to see if Claire shows up.
This is calendar number seven,
People of the State of New
York versus Stuart Morgan,
indictment 823 of 2025.
Dominick Carisi for the people.
Meryl Smith for the defendant
who's present beside me.
Your Honor, I am filing
and serving the indictment.
Counsel, have you received
a copy of the indictment
- for your client?
- Defendant acknowledges receipt,
and enters a plea of guilty.
Mr. Morgan accepts
full responsibility,
and he'd like to read
a short statement.
That's
That's not appropriate here.
- We're not giving a rapist a public forum.
- Hang on.
Hold on, hold on, hold on.
What, what is the purpose
of this statement, Ms. Smith?
- To apologize.
- To what end?
Order, Mr. Carisi.
Mr. Morgan, you may proceed.
[CLEARS THROAT]
What I did to Leah and Alex,
was inexcusable.
I take full responsibility,
and I'm sorry.
And to my wife, Claire,
whose trust I betrayed
and whose world I shattered last week
when she first learned
of my horrible actions,
I am so very sorry.
♪
Stuart will go for at least 15.
He's a convicted rapist.
This is a win, but
it doesn't feel like it.
Because he's doing
it all to protect Claire.
Yeah, so no trial
means no discovery.
So whatever's still out there
to implicate Claire stays secret.
Can you tell us about this?
My heart is with Stuart's victims.
And now I would really like
to put this chapter behind me,
because I have worked
hard to become who I am,
and frankly, to have my name tethered
to someone else's misdeeds,
would be unjust.
♪
A woman must use her own
voice to tell her own story,
and I do hope you will listen to mine.
♪
Leah still needs her day in court.
We got work to do.
♪
Now I'm just taking
it one day at a time,
and I'm processing
this personal apocalypse
the only way I know how,
and that's through writing.
Should we be expecting
a Claire Morgan memoir?
I don't know.
All I know is that
it's gonna be smaller.
Wow, she is shameless.
More like cutthroat.
And gets to keep
making a living off women
while ignoring their
assaults in her own home.
But she has no duty to protect.
Look, I'm telling you, this
is gonna be a tough case.
I might be able to
get witness tampering,
or intimidation, maybe,
but if you want
conspiracy to commit rape,
there needs to be an overt act.
Knowing after the fact is not enough.
So we need to prove
that Claire actively helped
plan or facilitate these rapes.
So what, dig up more
people who might have seen
something in that
house, hope they want
to denigrate a
supposedly great writer?
We may not have to.
Claire's biography is
long, and it's intimate,
and the writer spent time with Claire.
He had access to her friends,
collaborators, her archives.
- Jacob Engel, UNY professor?
- Yeah.
Yeah, interview here bragging about
his exclusive access to Claire Morgan.
OK, so Claire trusted him.
Or thought she could control him.
Either way, she made a good bet.
Stuart comes off looking
perfect in that book.
Jacob says it took over
1,000 hours of research.
1,000 hours.
He must have recorded it, right?
[MUFFLED INDISTINC
SPEECH ON RECORDING]
Hey, how's it going?
- Not great.
- Kill me.
So a disturbing number
of people in Claire's orbit
had strong reservations
and suspicions about Stuart.
Surrounded herself with sycophants,
people more concerned
with protecting her career
than the women that Stuart victimized.
Hey, I got something.
Claire and our biographer, Jacob.
Everything seems to be reduced to
how much our mothers have damaged us.
And I really want to explore the
Jacob, can you just
pause that for a moment?
Just one minute.
And go into the kitchen, please.
Stuart, can you come in here, please?
Now here's the good stuff.
Our boy Jacob kept recording.
Thank you, Jacob.
It gets quiet.
I'ma blast it.
I saw that look.
I wasn't doing anything.
You know I hate it.
I hate it when you lie to me.
We've discussed this.
That one, it's
that one isn't yours.
She's here every day.
You can't expect me to
I do so much for you, Stuart,
more than a reasonable
person might expect.
So do something for me too.
All right.
I know you need an outlet, you know,
to expel that energy.
Ugh.
And, um, I've
I found a new one.
So, starts next week.
I think you'll
I think she'll stick around.
More like
More your type.
What is the date on that?
May 5, 2022.
Leah's first check from the Morgans
was cut in June of 2022.
OK, she hired Leah for Stuart.
How's that for conspiracy?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[SIRENS WAILING]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Step aside, please.
♪
[WHISPERING INDISTINCTLY]
I'm not taking any more questions.
Oh, that's OK.
We don't have any.
So why are you here?
♪
You're so good at finding them,
these vulnerable
women who idolized you,
confided in you.
They were so desperate
for your approval,
for your
For your closeness,
you knew that they would do anything.
But when that didn't work anymore,
then you threw your fame at them,
you threw your money at them.
If you had something solid,
we wouldn't be here right now.
We wouldn't be talking about this.
[CHUCKLES] But clearly you don't.
All you have is this story,
um, to justify what?
Like, arresting the wife
of a sexual predator?
You can't sell that story.
It's, it's too messy.
And it, there's so, too
much room for interpretation.
Hold on.
You don't like our story?
- Hmm.
- That is devastating.
Well, you know what?
I bet the DA is going to
be a lot better at telling it.
- Yeah, Claire Morgan
- [SCOFFS]
You're under arrest.
- No, that is
- Turn around.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
What's going on?
- Claire!
- Is she okay?
- Claire!
- Claire, what's going on?
[CROWD CLAMORING]
[SHOUTS ECHOING]
Back up, please.
[CROWD SHOUTING]
Got her?
♪
[CROWD CLAMORING]
Leah used to be
one of them, and now
Now they're all rooting against her.
I'm glad we could be here.
Leah needs our support.
I think Leah's pretty tough, right?
She's already done the hard part.
She's admitted something
that's incredibly difficult to admit.
She's very courageous.
I think she's, uh
I think she's free, now.
- Liv
- Yeah.
Me getting jumped
You think that could have
happened back in the day?
I think that could have
happened to any one of us, Fin.
Yeah, but even a couple years ago,
I would have been faster.
I would have caught on quicker.
Definitely wouldn't have lost my gun.
I don't see it that way.
[SIGHS]
I don't think anybody does.
Yeah.
I just think I need
a little bit more time
before I come back,
- just to get my head around it.
- Yeah.
Take all the time you need.
There's always,
always gonna be a place here for you.
Thanks.
I thought I was
hallucinating at first.
Claire Morgan walked
into our book club meeting.
Everyone tried to corner her,
but within minutes, Claire
was only talking to me.
What did you two talk about?
About reading her books
and feeling like I could escape,
how I moved to the city and felt lost.
I felt like she cared.
But you don't feel that way anymore?
It feels like I was being studied,
recruited,
for Stuart.
- Objection, speculation.
- Speculation?
Your Honor, these are her feelings.
Overruled, but be
careful, Mr. Carisi.
Go ahead.
Claire was only
interested in hearing about
why I felt broken.
It was research,
a checklist of vulnerabilities
for Stuart to exploit.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
Claire wanted everyone to see her
as this empathetic champion of women,
but it's just a story.
Thank you, Leah.
No further questions.
♪
Who assaulted you, Leah?
Stuart Morgan.
And was Claire ever present
when these assaults occurred?
No.
Did you tell Claire
what Stuart did to you?
I tried.
In fact, you were deliberately
hiding it from her, correct?
- Yes, but I
- No further questions.
♪
My life is turned upside-down.
I can't sleep.
I can't eat.
And I'm
I'm in analysis three times a week,
and I'm only beginning
to process the trauma
of living with a rapist for 15 years.
So I hope the jury can see
how cruel and unjust
this trial really is.
Thank you.
No further questions.
Mrs. Morgan,
Leah Henning and Nicole Sandoval
worked at your home at
the same time, correct?
Correct.
And you felt it appropriate
to only designate Leah
as someone that your
husband could pursue.
I didn't designate anyone.
It was a harm reduction
because Stuart can't help himself.
What couldn't he help himself from?
Stuart likes young women,
and young women like to work for me,
and so I figured
if an affair was going to happen,
it might as well be with
someone who's replaceable.
So why did you think
that Leah was replaceable?
Nicole's work is specialized,
and so it requires expertise
and-and time and skill.
But you didn't see
Leah's job that way?
No, Leah's job is doing things
like organizing my desk and
And making reservations,
and shipping off gifts to fans.
Did Leah ever travel with you?
No, she never tracked your expenses
or maintained your
calendar or anything like that?
No, I do all of that.
Oh, OK, well, that
doesn't sound like
much of a job at all.
I mean, if you didn't
hire her to do that work,
then why did you hire her?
- I wanted to help her.
- Huh.
Did you tell Leah that it was possible
your husband could be
interested in her sexually?
- No.
- So, to be clear,
you told your husband
that she was for him,
but you never bothered
to mention that to Leah,
and you're somehow surprised.
that all of this has happened?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
I'm done with her.
♪
Has the jury reached a verdict?
Yes, we have.
On one count of witness tampering,
how do you find the defendant?
Not guilty.
On two counts of
conspiracy to commit rape.
♪
Guilty.
Thank you to the
jury for your service.
You are dismissed.
[CROWD MURMURING]
Thank you.
You're welcome.
♪
Your Honor, may I make a statement?
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
In the criminal justice system,
sexually based offenses
are considered especially heinous.
In New York City, the
dedicated detectives
who investigate these vicious felonies
are members of an elite squad
known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[LIGHT MUSIC PLAYING]
♪
Yeah, but Lord Mathias
was dimming her light.
Yes, he's so hot,
but also, like, poison to her soul.
God, you get me.
♪
[SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE]
[METAL CLICKING]
♪
You read her work
before anyone else?
Sometimes.
Hey, you need help?
I am the help.
Go enjoy yourself.
♪
[SIGHS]
[GLASS CLINKING]
[TENSE MUSIC]
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
♪
Well, she didn't need her wings
because she had the magic to move her,
- you know?
- Yeah.
[GRUNTING]
Oh, my God!
- [SCREAMS]
- Oh, my God!
Somebody help!
Call 911!
[PEOPLE SCREAMING]
OK, OK.
Someone's coming.
Someone's coming, OK?
- [WHEEZING]
- Help is coming.
Help is coming.
Help is coming!
[WHEEZING]
Central units, 11th precinct,
10-34 K, assault with a knife,
male stabbed torso, conscious,
perp at large, described
as white female,
black sweatshirt, fled on foot.
243 East 10th off 1st Avenue.
5 minutes past.
- Damn, that's close.
- Mm-hmm.
♪
Bro.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[SIREN CHIRPING]
Police!
Don't move.
Hands up!
- Hands!
- Now!
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
OK, are you sure that you got it?
1000%.
Totally got it.
OK, 'cause I'm walking away.
- Oh, my God.
- Give it to me.
Give it to me now.
- No, no. Hold on.
Hold on.
Shut up, OK.
- Not that hard.
- Bacon, cheese,
salt, pepper, over medium.
Make that two.
Look at this guy.
Not a scratch on him.
Good to see you, man.
Rollins, it's so good
to have you back.
It's good to be back.
Hey, I never got word that
you were already cleared.
I mean, full
Full duty?
Of course.
Should be in your inbox.
OK.
Who are you?
I'm
Uh, I'm new guy.
OK, cool.
Get off my desk.
Oh, I'm
I'm so sorry.
Yeah.
- I'm just messing with you.
- Oh.
Welcome to the squad.
Heard great things about you.
Yeah.
Does anybody dust around here?
I mean, this is disgusting.
It is very great to
have another body here,
because Curry is in Orlando
for her son's basketball tournament.
Welcome back.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Officers.
♪
Hey, can I help you?
Officer Martin,
Ramos, 11th precinct.
OK.
Perp's Leah Henning,
under for assault one.
Stabbed a male in the chest
last night around 20:05 hours.
Victim's Stuart Morgan
at New York Presbyterian,
critical.
Our boss said to bring her to you.
And why is that?
She said she was raped by our vic.
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Can I
Can I get you some water, Leah?
You know, maybe a cup
of coffee or something?
It looks like you can just go ahead
and slip those off, huh?
Is he dead?
We don't know yet.
Look, I just want to
remind you that at any time,
you can request an attorney.
[SCOFFS, SNIFFLES]
Nothing you do is gonna help me.
I can't erase what
brought you in here,
but I do want to know
your side of the story.
So can you tell me what happened?
I went for a walk,
past the bookstore,
saw Claire,
saw him.
Something just came over me.
So how did you meet them?
Uh, I was Claire's assistant.
And what kind of boss was she?
Was she
Was she a good boss, or
Amazing.
It's like, maybe you should
meet your heroes, actually.
Her-her writing, it-it saved me.
From what?
My family, my past.
I lived with her, kept her organized.
OK.
She was my whole life.
I was so happy.
[TENSE MUSIC]
And what about the husband?
♪
I can't help you unless
you tell me the truth.
♪
Claire wasn't home.
I was in my bed, writing.
I looked up, and Stuart was just
Standing there
Naked,
like it was normal.
He sat on the bed.
He pinned me down, ripped my clothes,
and I was bleeding,
and he wouldn't stop.
[CRYING]
That was the first time.
So it happened more than once?
I don't even know how many times.
And it's like, do
you just deal with it,
because the rest of the
time, you get to be around
this amazing woman
who changed your life?
I
I couldn't give that up.
OK, did
Did Claire know?
I never told her.
Claire is an empath.
She cries when she sees a dead pigeon.
She feels so much for so many people.
♪
This is gonna destroy her.
I
I kept it inside for so long.
I
I can't anymore.
♪
I tried to help Leah.
I wanted to, and I tried really hard.
But, uh, she was damaged,
and I guess I let my
empathy cloud my judgment.
Did you have much
interaction with Leah, Stuart?
No, uh, I saw that she
was bad news fairly early on,
uh, so I just tried
to steer clear until
Claire had to give up on her latest
bird with a broken wing.
What's "bad news" mean?
I'm used to avid
fans, but
Leah was
Obsessed, and she hated me.
Why do you think that is?
Because I'm not Claire Morgan.
Leah seems fixated on you.
You have any issues?
Leah is a convicted stalker.
We had to file an order
of protection against her.
Claire's terrified,
too traumatized to
hire a new assistant.
And then now Leah is
putting us both through hell.
Whatever she is accusing me of,
it's a lie.
[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
Uh
I got hurt on the job before, Liv.
I know.
I'm just, you know,
checking on you 'cause it's my job.
It's not personal.
I don't even like you that much.
Likewise.
I'm good.
I'm very good.
And you're getting everything
you need from the department?
All the support, and you know
You know, Fin, time
to process everything.
Yeah, eyesight's good, no headaches.
I'm out-working kids
in the gym half my age.
I've never felt better.
Great.
You doubtin' me, Liv?
No, you have been extremely clear
about how physically
prepared that you are.
I'm prepared, period.
Good, 'cause we
missed you around here.
Hey.
Hey, so the temporary
order of protection checks out.
Neighbor saw Leah breaking
into the Morgans' home
after they fired her.
ACD with a six-month order.
- When was this?
- Sealed three months ago.
Leah did the time, and
then her record was wiped.
Well, that didn't last long.
- Do we buy Leah's story, boss?
- I think so.
Look, she was very
dissociated when I talked to her.
But I think, with
a little bit of rest,
then we'll get some clarity.
Her arraignment's set.
It's in two hours.
We need more time than that.
Well, if you want to
hold her here longer,
you need to get her to
waive her arraignment
and accept the charges.
She's gonna need a lawyer for that.
Well, good thing you know lawyers.
All right, I'll ask around.
In the meantime,
- get more than Leah's word.
- All right.
Stuart Morgan, he have any priors?
Squeaky clean, 45,
no income going
back at least 10 years.
Yeah, Stuart's only interaction
with law enforcement
is the stalking complaint.
Well, I have to say
that Leah does seem
very infatuated with Claire.
I mean, she's still protecting her
months after she was
slapped with this TOP.
She sounds like a stalker.
Well, she sounds
like a Claire Morgan fan.
They're known to be pretty intense.
[LAUGHS]
And who are they?
I've read her books.
I mean, all of them
A few times.
And her recent biography.
Rollins, do I need
to put you on modified
for this one, Sergeant?
I have a unique insight
to the readers of her work.
Claire's writing can
feel very, um, personal.
It's like a lot of misfits finding out
they have secret powers or, you know,
finding their voices or
Or wings.
Oh, OK.
Well, it sounds like, um,
Claire makes people
like Leah feel seen.
That can be powerful.
Plus, Claire kind of
feeds into the fervor.
I mean, she's been
a bestselling author
for ten years.
She still goes by book clubs.
She sends fans gifts.
- She volunteers at a DV shelter.
- OK.
But as soon as we
brought up Leah's allegations,
- Claire shut down quick.
- She did.
But I'm
I'm curious to see what she would say
outside of his presence.
I think that we need more
before we do that, right?
So look, Leah lived in
the house for two years.
Somebody must have seen something.
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
I ran the financials.
They had a dog walker,
a housekeeper, and a personal chef.
- OK.
- I'm on that.
I'm not looking for desk duty today.
OK.
Working at the Morgans' was fine.
A bit boring.
Claire had a lot of
food sensitivities.
Miss the hours, though.
- Pull it.
- Yes, Chef.
How about Stuart?
What was he like?
This is about Leah, right?
Saw what she did to him.
All over the news.
Yeah, pretty horrific.
You don't seem too horrified.
- Behind.
- Can we do this later?
Not in the middle of all this?
- What are you worried about, Nicole?
- You
Using something
I say against Leah.
I don't want to be part of that.
So we're not investigating Leah.
We're investigating Stuart, Nicole.
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
I saw something once,
about a year after Leah moved in.
Stuart was in Leah's room,
which was totally weird.
I could see her in her underwear.
She looked dazed.
Her makeup was all smeared.
Something about it felt wrong.
Stuart saw me and shut the door.
Did you report it?
Stuart's married to a
famous feminist author.
Who's gonna believe me over him?
Claire had to have known, right?
You talk to Leah about it?
Didn't get a chance.
Stuart fired me the next day.
Did you tell anybody about this?
- A friend?
- Yeah.
Texted my boyfriend
right after it happened.
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]
Hey, Brian. Thanks for coming down.
Hey, Sonny, good to see you.
- How are the kids?
- Ah, you know, a handful, as always.
- This is Captain Olivia Benson.
- Hey.
- This is Brian Moss.
- Nice to meet you.
General practice, but
he dabbles in criminal law
- for the right cases.
- Mm.
An old pal from law school.
Well, thank you so
much for coming in,
especially on such short notice.
Oh, of course. Anything
else I should know?
You know, Leah
is, she's vulnerable.
Um, she's not denying the stabbing.
So if she waives the arraignment,
then she can assist SVU in verifying
a sexual assault allegation.
So we just want to
make sure, you know,
somebody has her
best interests in mind.
Well, I'm your guy.
Where's my client?
- Second door on the right.
- Yeah.
- Great, thank you.
- Mm-hmm.
Hey, how are we doing
on the personal chef?
I love people that
don't delete their texts.
Nicole Sandoval texted
her boyfriend in detail
after seeing Stuart in Leah's room.
Saw red marks on Leah's arms.
She seemed scared, and
Stuart seemed suspicious.
We still thinking that
Claire had no idea about this?
Well, Nicole had suspicions.
OK, so we have a
witness with Nicole.
- So if Leah corroborates
- Well, then, we got a case.
I mean, especially with the
potential perjury on the TOP.
- Oh, well, that was fast.
- Good news.
Leah has agreed to
waive the arraignment.
So that's all set.
- That's great.
- Great.
She's done talking
until she gets a deal.
- What?
- Brian, come on.
Of course, I'm gonna
try to get you a deal.
It's deal or no
cooperation, and that's it.
Sorry, I
We need access to Leah.
We have to investigate her
allegations to prove her story.
It's not a negotiation.
So you call me when you got something.
Good to see you, Sonny.
Are you kidding me?
♪
Look, we all know that
Leah's situation is complicated.
But Brian is doing exactly
what we asked him to do.
Are you his lawyer now?
We asked him to help Leah,
not bone us on this investigation.
Look, there's a chance we'd be here,
no matter who represented her.
At least I know this guy.
Look, the question is,
- do you trust him?
- Yes, I do.
Look, Brian is gonna fight for Leah.
I'm gonna fight for a deal.
But we can't count
on Leah's cooperation.
And I can't go to trial with
text messages and no victim.
So we need a new witness,
and new evidence, something solid.
Bruno found a bunch
of Claire's ex assistants.
Now, none of them want to talk,
except there's one in Queens,
and he's on his way
there now to talk to her.
Look, I think that it's
time for us to have a chat
with poor, frail Claire.
Look, Rollins, you can bow out.
But you do know her,
and I think it would be helpful.
Yeah, I mean, if she's guilty
Screw her.
Thank you.
Hi, I'm Captain Benson.
I think you know Sergeant Rollins.
We wanted to talk to you
more about Leah's allegations.
Two women, that's really
It is refreshing.
Look, we understand
you wanting to protect your husband.
But, if you care about your
fans as much as you say you do,
now would be the time to speak up.
Do you two want a bite
to eat or some tea, maybe?
No.
OK, good,
because I have nothing in the house,
because I have no appetite,
and I can barely write.
Your former chef, Nicole Sandoval,
do you remember why she left?
Yeah, she was a real perfectionist,
and a
A true Virgo.
What are your signs?
She said that Stuart fired her,
right after she
witnessed an interaction
between Stuart and Leah.
This is all fairly
traumatizing for me.
And I
I had a migraine earlier.
Now I think it's coming back.
Um, but I think Nicole witnessed
one of Leah's many health crises,
and, I feel for her.
- I really do.
- Do you?
Because it seems like
you're calling her crazy
to cover for Stuart.
Have either of you read my books?
Yeah, I have.
OK, good.
You know that my
primary responsibility
is to other women.
And Nicole feels abandoned by me.
She cooked up this story to
damage my reputation with
So let me stop you for a second.
Our job is to protect
victims of sexual assault,
not your reputation.
Yeah, I know.
That's
That's
it's not about me.
It's
But I do know
that Leah's false claim
is a problem for real victims,
and that could be used
to call uh, genuine
accusations into question.
And I know you don't want
that on your conscience.
So you're saying
charging Stuart with rape
is actually bad for all women.
No.
No, no, no, no.
That's a very
ungenerous interpretation.
But, yes, generally,
false rape claims are bad for women.
I think we can all agree on that,
that false rape allegations are
definitely damaging to women.
But that's not what this is here.
And we're gonna prove it,
with or without your help.
[TENSE MUSIC]
I started a Claire Morgan
fan account on Twitter.
Her writing was immersive,
a world where I could be strong,
and, I loved it,
and I met great people,
including Claire.
Yeah, so, uh, so how'd that happen?
DM'd her.
I couldn't believe that she replied.
Claire was my idol.
And we'd chat.
She was always asking me how I was,
which was really needed at the time.
What was going on?
I was in an abusive relationship.
I couldn't admit it to myself,
but, Claire really got me to open up.
And next thing I knew, I
was moving into her house.
[CHUCKLES]
Honestly, that job saved my life.
Did you hear what
happened to Claire's husband?
Yeah, stabbed or something.
I
I don't know much.
I try to stay offline.
Claire's former
assistant stabbed him.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
♪
What was your experience with Stuart?
I was in the shower.
Stuart didn't say a word,
just took off his towel,
and stepped in.
It was so bizarre.
I was
Paralyzed.
After, when it was all over, he
He just smiled at me,
like,
wasn't that amazing for both of us?
It kept happening.
I got pregnant.
He made sure I had an abortion.
Did Claire know about all this?
Yeah, Stuart said it was an affair.
Paid me in cash, sent me on my way.
My shoulder still hurts
every time I write on a chalkboard.
Oh, he broke my collarbone.
I tried to fight back that time.
I got hurt.
He still raped me.
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Is that our guy?
Checked out early.
Not early enough.
♪
Hey, Stuart Morgan, I
got a different car for you.
Stay back.
Your hands off me right now.
NYPD.
♪
Stuart Morgan, you're under arrest
for the rapes of Leah
Henning and Alex Corbin.
That's not necessary.
He's not running anywhere.
♪
Captain Benson,
thanks for making the time.
Of course. I'm sorry.
I didn't know that
everybody was already here.
- Yeah.
- Hey, Downes.
OK, so Leah Henning.
Benson and Carisi say she's a victim.
Downes and Price think she's a perp.
I'm tired of hearing about it,
so we're gonna work it
out together right now.
The charges against
Leah should be dropped.
She's a victim of
long-term sexual abuse.
She was clearly acting
under extreme emotional distress here.
Leah Henning sought
out Stuart Morgan
nine months after she'd last seen him.
There is no self-defense
argument here, Carisi.
She confessed,
- and showed no remorse.
- Well, hold on.
She showed no remorse
for attacking her rapist, right?
Now, Leah lived with Stuart Morgan
for two years, and
that situation shows
all the hallmarks of
an abusive relationship.
No matter her state of mind,
she committed a B-violent
felony at a public event.
If she walks clean here,
what are we saying?
That, that vigilante
justice is acceptable?
- No.
- That it's encouraged?
We can't completely
drop the charges on Leah.
It's against public safety.
- Move on, Carisi.
- Move on to what, sir?
What's gonna happen at the trial?
Because your argument falls apart
when Leah's rape comes up.
Nolan, there's no case
here, so let's act like it.
Assault two, five-year sentence.
Five years? Please.
Stuart Morgan is scum.
He's going to trial for raping Leah,
and at least one other woman.
So however extreme her actions are,
I mean, she may be bringing
a potential serial rapist to light.
This woman, she's been through hell.
What she needs is
Is treatment,
she needs healing,
and she needs a little
bit of understanding.
Now, she's gonna
get that from the public.
I think she needs it
from the law as well.
All right, let's give her a split.
One year house arrest, four probation,
ROR, ankle bracelet,
and mandatory therapy.
Take it to her lawyer.
You got a deal.
♪
Will Claire be at the trial?
There is a good
chance that she will be.
I don't think I can say
any of this in front of her.
She'll be traumatized.
OK, Leah, have a seat.
Look, I
I admire your concern here.
I really do.
But my hope is that you
can focus on yourself.
Claire is not the victim here, right?
You, you deserve to tell your story.
You don't know how she gets.
She'll be so hurt.
Leah, you've been
protecting her for so long.
Don't you think that she's the one
who should be worried
about protecting you?
♪
I tried to tell her.
And what happened?
I tried, and I couldn't get far,
because I was so
nervous, and I was shaking,
and she wouldn't talk to me
because she had a migraine.
And then Stuart fired me a week later,
and made me sound crazy,
said that she was afraid of me.
♪
In a way, I guess it made it easier.
I got to blame everything on him.
But she knew.
Claire knew, and maybe the whole time.
Once, I was wearing a tank top,
and I had these bruises
on my arms,
from him.
♪
I guess I just wanted her to see them,
and ask what had happened, but
She just avoided me
until they were gone.
♪
So a cry for help.
She acted like she didn't hear it.
♪
What are you doing at a
lowly pre-trial arraignment?
We're gonna be in and out.
I want to see if Claire shows up.
This is calendar number seven,
People of the State of New
York versus Stuart Morgan,
indictment 823 of 2025.
Dominick Carisi for the people.
Meryl Smith for the defendant
who's present beside me.
Your Honor, I am filing
and serving the indictment.
Counsel, have you received
a copy of the indictment
- for your client?
- Defendant acknowledges receipt,
and enters a plea of guilty.
Mr. Morgan accepts
full responsibility,
and he'd like to read
a short statement.
That's
That's not appropriate here.
- We're not giving a rapist a public forum.
- Hang on.
Hold on, hold on, hold on.
What, what is the purpose
of this statement, Ms. Smith?
- To apologize.
- To what end?
Order, Mr. Carisi.
Mr. Morgan, you may proceed.
[CLEARS THROAT]
What I did to Leah and Alex,
was inexcusable.
I take full responsibility,
and I'm sorry.
And to my wife, Claire,
whose trust I betrayed
and whose world I shattered last week
when she first learned
of my horrible actions,
I am so very sorry.
♪
Stuart will go for at least 15.
He's a convicted rapist.
This is a win, but
it doesn't feel like it.
Because he's doing
it all to protect Claire.
Yeah, so no trial
means no discovery.
So whatever's still out there
to implicate Claire stays secret.
Can you tell us about this?
My heart is with Stuart's victims.
And now I would really like
to put this chapter behind me,
because I have worked
hard to become who I am,
and frankly, to have my name tethered
to someone else's misdeeds,
would be unjust.
♪
A woman must use her own
voice to tell her own story,
and I do hope you will listen to mine.
♪
Leah still needs her day in court.
We got work to do.
♪
Now I'm just taking
it one day at a time,
and I'm processing
this personal apocalypse
the only way I know how,
and that's through writing.
Should we be expecting
a Claire Morgan memoir?
I don't know.
All I know is that
it's gonna be smaller.
Wow, she is shameless.
More like cutthroat.
And gets to keep
making a living off women
while ignoring their
assaults in her own home.
But she has no duty to protect.
Look, I'm telling you, this
is gonna be a tough case.
I might be able to
get witness tampering,
or intimidation, maybe,
but if you want
conspiracy to commit rape,
there needs to be an overt act.
Knowing after the fact is not enough.
So we need to prove
that Claire actively helped
plan or facilitate these rapes.
So what, dig up more
people who might have seen
something in that
house, hope they want
to denigrate a
supposedly great writer?
We may not have to.
Claire's biography is
long, and it's intimate,
and the writer spent time with Claire.
He had access to her friends,
collaborators, her archives.
- Jacob Engel, UNY professor?
- Yeah.
Yeah, interview here bragging about
his exclusive access to Claire Morgan.
OK, so Claire trusted him.
Or thought she could control him.
Either way, she made a good bet.
Stuart comes off looking
perfect in that book.
Jacob says it took over
1,000 hours of research.
1,000 hours.
He must have recorded it, right?
[MUFFLED INDISTINC
SPEECH ON RECORDING]
Hey, how's it going?
- Not great.
- Kill me.
So a disturbing number
of people in Claire's orbit
had strong reservations
and suspicions about Stuart.
Surrounded herself with sycophants,
people more concerned
with protecting her career
than the women that Stuart victimized.
Hey, I got something.
Claire and our biographer, Jacob.
Everything seems to be reduced to
how much our mothers have damaged us.
And I really want to explore the
Jacob, can you just
pause that for a moment?
Just one minute.
And go into the kitchen, please.
Stuart, can you come in here, please?
Now here's the good stuff.
Our boy Jacob kept recording.
Thank you, Jacob.
It gets quiet.
I'ma blast it.
I saw that look.
I wasn't doing anything.
You know I hate it.
I hate it when you lie to me.
We've discussed this.
That one, it's
that one isn't yours.
She's here every day.
You can't expect me to
I do so much for you, Stuart,
more than a reasonable
person might expect.
So do something for me too.
All right.
I know you need an outlet, you know,
to expel that energy.
Ugh.
And, um, I've
I found a new one.
So, starts next week.
I think you'll
I think she'll stick around.
More like
More your type.
What is the date on that?
May 5, 2022.
Leah's first check from the Morgans
was cut in June of 2022.
OK, she hired Leah for Stuart.
How's that for conspiracy?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[SIRENS WAILING]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
Step aside, please.
♪
[WHISPERING INDISTINCTLY]
I'm not taking any more questions.
Oh, that's OK.
We don't have any.
So why are you here?
♪
You're so good at finding them,
these vulnerable
women who idolized you,
confided in you.
They were so desperate
for your approval,
for your
For your closeness,
you knew that they would do anything.
But when that didn't work anymore,
then you threw your fame at them,
you threw your money at them.
If you had something solid,
we wouldn't be here right now.
We wouldn't be talking about this.
[CHUCKLES] But clearly you don't.
All you have is this story,
um, to justify what?
Like, arresting the wife
of a sexual predator?
You can't sell that story.
It's, it's too messy.
And it, there's so, too
much room for interpretation.
Hold on.
You don't like our story?
- Hmm.
- That is devastating.
Well, you know what?
I bet the DA is going to
be a lot better at telling it.
- Yeah, Claire Morgan
- [SCOFFS]
You're under arrest.
- No, that is
- Turn around.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
What's going on?
- Claire!
- Is she okay?
- Claire!
- Claire, what's going on?
[CROWD CLAMORING]
[SHOUTS ECHOING]
Back up, please.
[CROWD SHOUTING]
Got her?
♪
[CROWD CLAMORING]
Leah used to be
one of them, and now
Now they're all rooting against her.
I'm glad we could be here.
Leah needs our support.
I think Leah's pretty tough, right?
She's already done the hard part.
She's admitted something
that's incredibly difficult to admit.
She's very courageous.
I think she's, uh
I think she's free, now.
- Liv
- Yeah.
Me getting jumped
You think that could have
happened back in the day?
I think that could have
happened to any one of us, Fin.
Yeah, but even a couple years ago,
I would have been faster.
I would have caught on quicker.
Definitely wouldn't have lost my gun.
I don't see it that way.
[SIGHS]
I don't think anybody does.
Yeah.
I just think I need
a little bit more time
before I come back,
- just to get my head around it.
- Yeah.
Take all the time you need.
There's always,
always gonna be a place here for you.
Thanks.
I thought I was
hallucinating at first.
Claire Morgan walked
into our book club meeting.
Everyone tried to corner her,
but within minutes, Claire
was only talking to me.
What did you two talk about?
About reading her books
and feeling like I could escape,
how I moved to the city and felt lost.
I felt like she cared.
But you don't feel that way anymore?
It feels like I was being studied,
recruited,
for Stuart.
- Objection, speculation.
- Speculation?
Your Honor, these are her feelings.
Overruled, but be
careful, Mr. Carisi.
Go ahead.
Claire was only
interested in hearing about
why I felt broken.
It was research,
a checklist of vulnerabilities
for Stuart to exploit.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
Claire wanted everyone to see her
as this empathetic champion of women,
but it's just a story.
Thank you, Leah.
No further questions.
♪
Who assaulted you, Leah?
Stuart Morgan.
And was Claire ever present
when these assaults occurred?
No.
Did you tell Claire
what Stuart did to you?
I tried.
In fact, you were deliberately
hiding it from her, correct?
- Yes, but I
- No further questions.
♪
My life is turned upside-down.
I can't sleep.
I can't eat.
And I'm
I'm in analysis three times a week,
and I'm only beginning
to process the trauma
of living with a rapist for 15 years.
So I hope the jury can see
how cruel and unjust
this trial really is.
Thank you.
No further questions.
Mrs. Morgan,
Leah Henning and Nicole Sandoval
worked at your home at
the same time, correct?
Correct.
And you felt it appropriate
to only designate Leah
as someone that your
husband could pursue.
I didn't designate anyone.
It was a harm reduction
because Stuart can't help himself.
What couldn't he help himself from?
Stuart likes young women,
and young women like to work for me,
and so I figured
if an affair was going to happen,
it might as well be with
someone who's replaceable.
So why did you think
that Leah was replaceable?
Nicole's work is specialized,
and so it requires expertise
and-and time and skill.
But you didn't see
Leah's job that way?
No, Leah's job is doing things
like organizing my desk and
And making reservations,
and shipping off gifts to fans.
Did Leah ever travel with you?
No, she never tracked your expenses
or maintained your
calendar or anything like that?
No, I do all of that.
Oh, OK, well, that
doesn't sound like
much of a job at all.
I mean, if you didn't
hire her to do that work,
then why did you hire her?
- I wanted to help her.
- Huh.
Did you tell Leah that it was possible
your husband could be
interested in her sexually?
- No.
- So, to be clear,
you told your husband
that she was for him,
but you never bothered
to mention that to Leah,
and you're somehow surprised.
that all of this has happened?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
I'm done with her.
♪
Has the jury reached a verdict?
Yes, we have.
On one count of witness tampering,
how do you find the defendant?
Not guilty.
On two counts of
conspiracy to commit rape.
♪
Guilty.
Thank you to the
jury for your service.
You are dismissed.
[CROWD MURMURING]
Thank you.
You're welcome.
♪
Your Honor, may I make a statement?
♪
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪