Law & Order Special Victims Unit s27e19 Episode Script
Impropriety
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.
[TIRES SCREECHING]
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
No! No!
No, I think she hit her head!
Oh, no!
Let's go!
Wait, I don't think
she's breathing, man!
- Get back in the car!
- Come on, let's get out of here.
Let's go!
♪
[ENGINE RUMBLES]
♪
Help! There's a girl
on the ground over here!
She needs a doctor!
Over here!
Help!
♪
- He's a waffle guy.
- Oh, I'm good with coffee.
Thanks.
Like I said, looked
through hundreds of cases.
I'm sure you did.
And, uh, are there minor mistakes?
Yeah, sure.
License plate numbers transposed,
paperwork misfiled, small stuff.
I mean, you could
find worse in my jacket.
Could we now?
It's not like there was
incompetence or corruption.
I'd like to decide for myself, Jake.
May I have the file?
Thank you.
You're wrong about this.
You're wrong about Benson, OK?
And whatever chain of
command or BS you're hung up on,
let it go.
Wow.
Six months as a detective,
and he's ready to run the Bureau.
Do you remember when you
had that problem in high school
with that kid and you called me?
I'm not doing that.
No, this is not about how
many times you helped me
or how tight you were with my dad.
I'm not gonna look the other way
when you're doing something wrong.
What am I doing wrong?
You're undermining a good cop.
You're letting your
ego make decisions.
Yeah.
And when you can't get to her,
you go after someone in her unit.
Then you set me up to be the fall guy.
- That's untrue.
- I still don't understand why.
If Captain Benson
asks you to do something,
and you did the opposite,
what do you think would happen?
- That's not the same thing.
- It's exactly the same thing.
I am not being unreasonable.
I'm not even being political.
I'm being a boss.
If she does good,
you look good, right?
Why not just make her an ally?
I tried.
Benson's only ever
allied with herself.
[PHONE BUZZES]
There's a teenage
girl in the hospital
head trauma, signs of sexual assault.
- Go
- [SIGHS]
Jake,
you can leave the file.
We found her
school ID in her pocket.
Emma Burns, 16, attends Carlton Prep.
- How is she doing?
- Stable, but unconscious.
There's a subdural hematoma
from getting tossed out of the car,
bruising and blood in her underwear.
Plus, the tox screen showed
Lorazepam in her system.
Anybody get a good look
at the car that dumped her?
Witness said it was an SUV.
We can get you the security footage,
- but they said it's not helpful.
- OK
- Sorry.
- Thank you so much.
All right, Lorazepam is a benzo,
so that increases impulsivity,
and it induces memory loss.
- Basically a roofie.
- Yes.
Hey.
How was your breakfast?
You know, like talking
to a charming brick wall.
- Yeah.
- You back with us?
Told Cap don't make me a cake,
- but yeah, I'm back.
- Well, that's good to hear.
So, how about the two of you,
go through the security
footage and see if you can
see something that they didn't?
Something's up with this kid.
Think he knows something?
Let's ask.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Hey.
Hey, hey. Hey, stop.
Got me running the first day back?
- Seriously?
- Hey!
[THUDS]
Oh, and it's unlocked.
Thanks, kid.
Hey, that's private property.
You can't take that.
Technically, it's
abandoned property,
- which we can search.
- Please, just give it back.
I didn't do anything wrong.
I'm just here visiting someone.
Look at this
"At the hospital, cops here."
"Nobody better snitch."
You know what the first
rule about not snitching is?
Don't text about not snitching.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
You have to do it.
Oh, my God.
Ethan's social media helped identify
the kids in this video, all
seniors at Carlton Prep.
Oh, I've heard of that.
- It's a high-end private school.
- So these four
Ethan Weiss, Matt Davis,
John Gallagher, Casey Stewart
were all on the group chat.
Possibly the ones that
took her to the hospital.
- And no luck with Ethan?
- I tried.
He's not talking.
These private school kids
ain't gonna talk to the cops.
Their parents will pay for
the best lawyers in the city.
Most of these kids are 17 years old,
so we don't need their
parents' consent to talk to them.
Let's grab them on the way to school.
And ever since she cut her hair,
- she looks like a hippopotamus.
- Hey.
[GRIM MUSIC]
- What the hell, bruh?
- Come with me, bruh.
You too.
Let's go.
♪
Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
- Hey.
- Oh!
All sticks and stems.
You got beat, kid.
So let's start with an easy one.
Where was the party last night?
Look, I'd love to help
you, but I have no idea
what you're even saying right now.
Casey, your friend may
have been sexually assaulted,
and I think that you can help her.
And I think I'd like to
speak to my attorney.
Just tell us what happened.
We'll forget about the weed.
What weed?
Wise guy, huh?
Wise enough not to talk to cops.
So, John,
your friend, Emma,
she's in pretty bad shape.
She may have been sexually assaulted,
and we're just trying to
figure out what happened.
So can you help me, help her?
♪
Lawyer.
We know you care about Emma.
You came to the
hospital to check on her.
You tried to help her, right?
You saw that she was in trouble,
and you tried to help her?
- Listen, I swear
- [DOOR OPENS]
That's enough.
Ethan, I'm your lawyer.
Don't say another word.
[DOOR SHUTS]
Calm down!
We are leaving to Aruba tomorrow.
You need to release
these kids immediately.
I'm not gonna let this get
in the way of my vacation.
These kids are not going anywhere.
I want to speak to my son.
You're not gonna give
us anything, Sergeant?
I skipped donuts at
the courthouse for this?
- What a mess.
- Well, they all lawyered up,
and won't talk,
and we can't hold them.
Which means we got no leads.
There's nothing you can do?
All right, put all the lawyers
in the conference room.
I got an idea.
Just give us a
minute, all right, guys?
Thank you.
- Hey.
- Hey.
So I wanted to give you a heads-up.
I did some digging,
and I found the retired
IAB detective who
investigated your dad's shooting.
Oh, yeah?
OK, the case I'm on is a cluster.
All right, that's fine.
- It's best I talk to him anyway.
- I owe you.
Yeah.
I take Venmo.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Sonny, what's up
with all the theatrics?
You know you can't
talk to our clients.
Well, you're right.
I'm not gonna talk to all of them.
I'm only gonna talk to one of them.
- What does that mean?
- Well, these kids are in deep.
And, uh, I'm gonna make
an offer to the first one
that comes forward
with useful information.
- The rest can drown.
- Come on, Carisi.
There's a teenage
girl in the hospital
because one of your dumb-ass clients
dropped her on her head.
This train is leaving the station,
and I'm only letting one kid ride.
You all have my number.
[DOOR SHUTS]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
I really thought one would flip.
Look, it was worth a shot.
We'll figure something else out.
[PHONE BUZZES]
Ah, no need.
We got a bite.
I keep seeing her face.
Her lips were blue.
Yeah, we saw the video.
And we also saw
that you were drinking.
Just tell them what we talked about.
We went to John's
apartment to party after school.
I only had one drink, maybe two.
- We had no idea
- I didn't get drunk.
He told us it was just him and John.
Mr. and Mrs. Weiss, just please,
let Ethan answer.
Go ahead.
At some point, I fell asleep.
And then all of a
sudden, John and Casey
were shaking me awake,
saying that Emma might be dead.
You didn't call 911?
I wanted to, but they didn't let me.
Like you said, we had been drinking.
We just didn't want to get in trouble.
So you drove her to
the hospital yourselves?
Yeah, but I didn't mean
for her to hit her head.
I-I lost my grip, and she fell.
And then John and
Casey were yelling at me.
I didn't know what to do.
- I tried to pick her back up
- All right,
Ethan has given his statement.
Now, let's talk deal.
Full immunity for my client.
If you want full immunity,
- he's gotta give me more than that.
- Hey, Ethan.
It doesn't matter
if your intentions were good.
Emma almost died.
She may have been raped.
So if you know something,
- you can help her.
- Ethan, you don't have to say a thing
- It's OK, Ethan
- OK, enough!
Emma started to act weird.
She seemed out of it.
And then I saw her go
in the guest bedroom
With Matt.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
All right, according to
Ethan, Emma and Matt,
they were flirting the entire night,
and then they snuck off
into the guest room together,
and Emma was unsteady on her feet.
OK, but Ethan didn't intervene?
Well, he didn't
think it was a big deal.
He figured if they
were going off together,
then Emma must have consented.
Excuse me.
OK, but she was
16 and full of drugs.
Where'd the Lorazepam
come from, anyway?
Ethan said that there
were no drugs at the party.
Was Matt drunk, too?
Ethan said that Matt
had one drink, possibly two.
So he was sober
enough to know better.
We have a suspect and a crime scene.
Go check out the apartment.
That was Matt's lawyer.
He wants to talk.
All right.
My client has come
forward of his own volition.
He's willing to cooperate.
But before you take him into custody,
there's something you should see.
- What's this?
- It's a toxicology report.
Matt woke up the
morning after the party
with no memory of the previous night.
I ordered the report.
It shows Lorazepam
glucuronide in his urine
at a rate of 30
nanograms per milliliter,
which is more than enough to impair
decision-making and memory.
Since benzos only remain in
the urine for one to three days,
it is likely he ingested the drug
at the party in question,
which Matt swears
he did not willingly do.
So what are you saying?
Our son was drugged.
I had one drink early in the night,
and I never took any drugs.
Well, who do you think
would have drugged you?
[SIGHS]
He clearly doesn't know anything.
And if any sex occurred,
I suggest you look
- at my client as a victim,
- [PHONE BUZZES]
not the perpetrator.
OK, well, hopefully we're
gonna get to the bottom
of what happened.
Emma's awake.
No, it's not true.
I know that it's hard to hear,
but your injuries are consistent
with a sexual assault.
Matt cares for me.
He would never rape me.
OK, do you have any
memory of-of the night?
Because one of your
friends said that they saw you
and Matt walking into a bedroom,
and you were having trouble walking.
Oh, well, no.
I like Matt, so if we did anything,
I would have wanted it to happen.
You had Lorazepam in your system,
and that's a drug that can cause
memory loss and confusion.
So do you remember
taking anything like that?
No.
I don't take any pills.
I don't get wasted,
because I just
I don't ever want to feel
like I'm not in control, OK?
OK, I believe you.
So how about you tell me
anything that you do remember
leading up to the party?
And nothing is too small.
You know, little things
can be important.
We went to John's
apartment after school.
So were his parents home?
His dad died. Talia
was there though.
- And Talia is his mother?
- Yeah.
Did she know that
you all were drinking?
It's not a big deal.
And she
She said that it's safer
to drink at her place,
rather than some, like,
back alley.
So, she's cool.
- Uh-huh.
- She doesn't treat us like kids.
Was she drinking with you?
[SCOFFS] Only a little,
but hardly anything.
Right.
Look, Talia is a good person.
She's like one of us.
She's a friend.
And she's the one who told
me that Matt has a crush on me.
Oh.
When did she tell you that?
At the party.
And, um
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
She told me to go for it, and
If Matt and I wanted to
use the guest bedroom,
that we could.
Emma, I think that you know that it's
inappropriate for
an adult to say that.
♪
OK, so what happened next?
♪
I don't remember
anything after that.
♪
NYPD.
We're looking for Talia Federov.
Who are you?
Detective Griffin.
Sergeant Tutuola.
We need to ask you a few questions,
take a look around the apartment.
Why would you need to
look around my apartment?
We think someone may have
been sexually assaulted here
at a party the other night.
Oh, my God. Who?
In my home, here?
We already have a suspect.
We just need to take a
look at the crime scene.
We'll be in and out in five minutes.
I would love to help you guys out.
I really would, but my dad is a
retired judge, Owen Fedorov
I'm sure you've heard of him.
And he would absolutely kill
me if I let law enforcement in
- without a warrant, so I'm sorry.
- Good thing we brought one.
All right, guys, come on in.
Spread out.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Um, this is a mistake.
I'm sure of it.
You can't just waltz
in here and barge in
- and start touching everything
- Ma'am.
- Griff, find the guest room.
- Copy.
The guest room?
There's nothing in the guest room
that you need to see.
♪
So this is your daughter's room?
What?
No, I don't have a daughter.
This is
This is my room.
Listen, I just let them
have a couple of drinks.
It's not a big deal.
I mean, wouldn't
you rather that than
Than having them drink at
some park unsupervised?
I just wanted to create a safe space.
♪
Hey, you got tweezers?
Yeah.
♪
What you got?
♪
Hidden camera.
Detective, do you have kids?
So, I mean, you would understand.
My son was bullied all
throughout school, and so was I.
I tried to step in and create a space
for him and his friends
to have some fun.
That's all.
I didn't do anything bad.
I just
I'm a helicopter mom, I guess.
But, I did it for my son.
You know what I
never did for my son?
Roofie his friends.
Talia Federov, you're under arrest.
- Turn around.
- What?
I [SIGHS]
The best you have is endangering
the welfare of a
child for the alcohol,
- a misdemeanor.
- Well, don't forget
about the Lorazepam.
The medicine cabinet wasn't locked.
It's not the first time that
kids helped themselves
to a parent's prescriptions.
That doesn't explain
the hidden camera.
Yeah, and the only device
the camera was connected to
was your cell phone.
That camera was used
to check on her aunt,
who had dementia and
who was staying with them
until she passed away.
OK, show us the video.
Sorry, the camera only
streams the video directly,
so there are no recordings.
Oh, so you were
watching teenagers have sex
in your guest bedroom live?
That is an outrageous accusation.
OK, well, tell us about this
unlawful surveillance charge,
You would have been,
what, a college freshman?
Is that when you picked
up your peeping kink, Talia?
You were charged
as a youthful offender,
which is usually sealed.
But thankfully, we got a great ADA.
Taking pics through the dorm window
of football players and cheerleaders.
- I was walking down the street
- No, Talia, just be quiet.
No.
Their curtains were wide open.
- Stop, Talia. Talia.
- This is
A YO plea is hard to come by.
It must be nice to have a father
- who's a judge with juice.
- Mm-hmm, must be nice.
That must be what privilege buys.
And what is that?
Never having to face consequences.
- Welcome back, Judge Federov.
- Oh, thanks, Sam.
I wish it was under
better circumstances.
This is calendar number three,
the People of the State of
New York versus Talia Federov.
Defendant's charged with
two counts of facilitating
a sexual offense with
controlled substance
and two counts of using a
child for sexual performance.
Good morning, Your Honor.
Trevor Langan for the defendant.
My client enters a plea of not guilty.
As to bail, Your Honor,
the defendant is accused
- of a class D violent felony.
- I read the complaint.
Defendant has no criminal record.
I'm going to release her
on her own recognizance,
and assign this case
to Judge Kevin Ryan.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Next case!
♪
Hey.
What was that?
Don't you know?
Talia's father was the
chief of criminal court.
Oh. So I see that membership
still has its privileges.
[LAUGHTER]
So, what can I do for you gentlemen?
I appreciate the time, Judge.
Um
I just, I wanted to
discuss your relationship
with the defendant's father.
Well, it's common
knowledge that we were friends.
That was years ago.
I certainly don't see it as a problem.
Well, no, of course not.
But, um, I mean, I
just think we should
really try to avoid even the
appearance of impropriety here.
Oh, so you're suggesting
there's something
improper about me trying the case.
Everybody knows he
was your mentor, Judge.
Mentor?
Judge Federov was close
with many judges in this building.
Even so, I think it would be wise
for you to recuse yourself.
Denied.
Anything else?
Uh, yeah, actually, Your Honor,
I was hoping that this
meeting would be about
Mr. Carisi offering my
client a misdemeanor.
- A misdemeanor?
- Yeah.
One of those kids almost died.
That's never gonna happen.
I appreciate your
passion, Mr. Carisi,
but if I were you, I'd think on it.
Thank you, Judge,
but no deal.
Well, then, I guess I will see
both you gentlemen in court.
It's totally normal to
feel nervous, all right?
So, ADA Carisi is gonna
prep you in his office,
and he's gonna go through
every single question with you
right before you have to testify.
- Uh, will you be there, too?
- Oh, yes.
- Absolutely.
- OK.
Absolutely.
Here, why don't you have a seat?
Thank you.
OK, can I
Can I make you a cup of tea?
- Yeah.
- Great, great.
So Emma, is there, um
Is there something else bothering you,
something you want to talk about?
No, it's fine.
I'll handle it.
[CHUCKLES]
OK.
You know, you
mentioned at the hospital
that you never wanted
to feel out of control, that, uh
It seems like it's something
that is very important to you.
Thank you.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
A lot of people that I've talked to,
you know, survivors of
trauma, experience something
called hypervigilance.
And it's when your brain
works really, really hard,
right, scanning for threats
to make sure that they're safe,
and they sort of live
in a constant state
of fight or flight.
You ever
You ever feel like that?
Sometimes.
I want you to know
that you can talk to me
because, I know a
little bit about that.
If I, uh
If I tell you something, do you
Do you have to tell other people?
Well, sometimes I do, yeah.
If you need me to keep
it between us, then
Then I will.
I promise I'll keep it between us.
OK.
When I was younger
Like-like 12, um
My uncle, he
He would
He would touch me.
And he would have me, uh, touch him.
I-I knew
I knew it was wrong.
But I couldn't make him stop.
It was during, like, seventh grade.
But that's it.
That's
That's what happened.
I'm so sorry, Emma.
I'm so sorry that that happened.
Would it be OK for
me to ask you a couple
of questions about that?
So where is your uncle now?
He died, last year.
OK, and did you ever tell anyone?
My mom
The-the summer after it happened.
Mm, what did she do?
I mean, never let me
be alone with him again.
- But that's it.
- But did she call the police,
- or a doctor or
- My parents were
having money problems.
And my uncle, he was rich.
He invented this app or something.
And so he paid for
everything, paid for school.
[SNIFFS]
But yeah, that's
That's it.
That's all they did.
That must have been so hard, and
And so unfair.
And Emma, if you'd let me,
I'd love to talk to your parents.
- No.
- Hold on.
Even if it's just to
get a good therapist
- No, no, I
- Who can help you.
I can't handle any
of that right now.
OK?
So just
Just don't tell anyone.
I did promise, and
I won't tell anyone.
I will keep it between us.
I promise you that.
OK.
I can't believe anybody's
asking about Jimmy Griffin.
How long has that guy
been dead and buried?
Believe me, I know.
There's this unreliable
informant talking smack,
and I was told to track
it down and put it to bed.
Doubtful I remember much, Curry.
It's all right.
See if anything jogs your memory.
[CHUCKLES]
[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING SOFTLY]
Oh.
♪
You're
You're missing stuff.
- You sure you got all of this?
- What's missing?
Well, photos for one.
We certainly had one of the gun.
OK, I'll dig around.
So, it was an
officer-involved shooting.
You caught the IAB investigation.
What happened?
Jimmy and
And some skel
get into a beef in a bar,
uh, something about the guy
owed Jimmy, you know, money.
They take it outside.
Dummy pulls a gun.
Jimmy pulls, puts
one in the guy's knee.
Good shoot.
Guy survived.
End of story.
The file says that the
skel was Dennis Reeves.
I looked into him. He died in 2015.
But, you remember
what he said back then?
What do you think he said?
"Not my gun.
Dirty cop planted it."
Made up some garbage
about Jimmy was on his payroll.
- Nonsense.
- Any witnesses?
It was Jimmy and his partner.
You probably know her.
She's the new chief of Ds, Tynan.
Yeah, I met her a few times.
She's solid.
- She stand up?
- Yeah.
She said the same thing Jimmy said
you know, pretty
open-and-shut, you know,
two cops versus one skel.
You know, not a lot of
shoe leather on this, Curry.
- No-brainer, I get it.
- [CHUCKLES]
Reeves said that Jimmy
was on his payroll, right?
What, was he a bookie?
Yeah. Um
[SIGHS]
You know, I-I don't recall.
Anything else I can help you with?
Yeah, last thing.
Case file says that
Reeves caught a collar
- for the illegal gun.
- Yeah.
He had some night, right?
Got drunk, pulled a gun on a cop,
got shot, and arrested
for a gun charge.
Just a, uh, great New York tale.
Any idea what happened to the gun?
Probably in a box in a
property warehouse in Queens.
I checked.
It's not there.
What can I tell you, Curry?
Sometimes things just disappear.
Looking a little
dry there, Sergeant.
Next one's on me.
Thanks for your time.
I'm telling you, I have nothing
but admiration for your
work with SVU, Mr. Carisi.
Thank you, Judge.
That, uh
- That means a lot to me.
- That must take a toll,
you know, a heavy load.
You know what?
How about I tell you all about it,
but, after this trial?
Because seeing as your daughter's
the defendant in this case,
I don't think
it's even appropriate for us
to be speaking right now.
I thought you might say that.
Good day, Judge.
Do you have children, Mr. Carisi?
Yes, I do.
I'm sure you agree that,
you'd do anything to protect them.
My suggestion is a
lighter load for you,
makes a lighter load for me.
With respect, Judge,
I'm not interested in
lightening anyone's load.
I just want to try a fair case.
You know I was on the
bench for over 30 years.
That doesn't mean anything to you?
It means you know damn
well that your friend, Judge Ryan,
should recuse himself.
You have a good day, Judge.
And after the defendant gave
you this drink, what happened?
I don't remember. I-I blacked out.
And did you submit
for a toxicology screen?
Yes, and it showed I had
Lorazepam in my system,
which I never took.
So the defendant spiked your drink.
Objection assumes
facts not in evidence.
Sustained.
Matt,
did you see anyone put
Lorazepam in your drink
after the defendant gave it to you?
- No.
- Thank you.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
Mr. Davis, tell the jury about the
deal you made with Mr. Carisi
to get you to testify.
Objection.
He knows there's no deal.
Overruled.
Your Honor, assumes
facts not in evidence.
Sit down, Mr. Carisi.
Well, there is no deal.
Isn't it true that
you were investigated
for the rape of Emma Burns?
- Yeah, I guess, but
- Yeah, but,
you were never arrested or charged
for that sexual assault, correct?
Correct.
Who made the call to not charge you?
I-I guess, Mr. Carisi.
- [SOBBING]
- Hey.
We're gonna have to go out there now,
so I need you to take a deep breath.
Hey.
I don't know what happened.
She was fine.
- She had trouble breathing.
- OK. Hey, Emma.
I'm here.
I'm here.
Hey, can you tell me what happened?
[HYPERVENTILATING]
What's going on?
All those people.
OK, Emma, I'm gonna
be right there with you.
You just
You just focus on me, OK?
I'm gonna be right
there in the gallery.
Deep breath.
[BREATHES DEEPLY]
There you go.
Deep breath.
- [PANTING]
- Huh?
- [BREATHES DEEPLY]
- Deep breath.
- [SOBS]
- Oh, geez.
- It's OK.
- Honey, it's OK.
OK.
Can you adjourn early?
There's no way
Ryan's gonna go for that.
[SIGHS]
I can't put her on
the stand like this.
You may not have to.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Based on the evidence
and your years of experience,
do you believe that
the defendant drugged
two teenagers, Emma
Burns and Matt Davis,
in order to watch them have
sex on a hidden camera?
Yes, I do.
Thank you, Captain.
No further questions, Your Honor.
Captain,
is it fair to say that
the alleged victim
in this case was under the influence
on the night in question?
There's nothing alleged about it.
The evidence proves
that Emma is a victim.
But, she doesn't remember any of it.
So how do we know
she's not making it up?
Well, victims of sexual assault
often have trouble
remembering traumatic events,
especially when they're
drugged against their will.
Did Emma ever mention any
other traumatic events in her life?
We spoke of many things.
Any of those pertinent to this case?
Not that I can speak of.
Captain Benson,
has Emma ever claimed
to have been sexually
assaulted before?
Objection, Your Honor.
Overruled.
Captain.
My duty is to protect
the victim, Your Honor.
You are under oath, Captain,
and you will answer the question.
I'm sorry, but I can't.
♪
Ladies and gentlemen,
I'm gonna send you on a short break.
We, uh, have some boring
legal matters to address.
Grab a coffee, stretch your legs,
and we'll call you back in shortly.
♪
Your Honor, the Rape Shield Law
specifically limits
the defense's ability
to introduce the
past sexual behavior
This isn't about
past sexual behavior.
This is to establish
if the girl has lied
in the past about sexual assault
and goes directly to her credibility.
I agree.
Captain Benson will
answer the question.
I can't do that, Your Honor.
I'm sorry.
Are you refusing to
comply with a court order?
Legally, she cannot
answer that question.
Sit down, Mr. Carisi.
- Captain.
- I don't want to refuse.
I'm simply obeying
the Rape Shield Law,
which was passed to protect victims.
If you refuse my order,
I will hold you in contempt of court.
Your Honor, Captain
Benson is following the law.
You can't do this.
You don't tell me what I
can do in my own courtroom,
Mr. Carisi!
♪
It's your last chance, Captain.
My duty is to protect the victim.
I can't and won't answer the question.
♪
Put her inside.
♪
[HANDCUFFS CLICKING]
♪
Hey, Liv.
Listen, I'll defend your right
not to answer that question in court,
- but what the hell is going on?
- I'm sorry, Carisi.
I can't.
I can't say.
No, it's OK.
You don't have to go to jail for this.
Don't worry about that, Emma.
I will not be manipulated
by that lawyer.
I'm not going to either.
[SOLEMN MUSIC]
Captain Benson knows
what Uncle Ian did to me.
♪
I can't keep it a secret anymore.
And neither can you.
You have to tell everyone.
I'm not afraid anymore.
OK.
OK.
How did that lawyer know about this?
Because I told Talia.
[SIGHS]
She acted sympathetic and kind.
And now she's gonna use it against me.
I'm really sorry, Mom,
because I thought
that I could trust her.
♪
You have nothing,
to be sorry for.
♪
I'm sorry.
Oh, I am so, so sorry.
♪
[SIGHS]
No charges were ever filed?
No.
She never even reported it?
That's not uncommon in
these types of circumstances.
So we just have to
take her word for it?
She told her mother.
She also told your client.
Is it fair to say that
charges were never filed
against the uncle because her mother
didn't believe that she'd
been sexually assaulted?
Objection, Your Honor.
Overruled. Answer, Captain.
No.
That's not fair to say.
Emma is not a liar.
And her mother couldn't protect her
because people with money
and people with influence
held all the power.
But that's what this trial is for,
to even the odds
and to give power back to the people
who deserve it the most.
Emma, do you drink alcohol often?
Maybe a drink or
two if I'm at a party.
Pretty normal for a teen.
I can't say that I didn't steal a beer
out of the fridge in the garage
every once in a while
when I was a kid.
- Careful, Mr. Carisi.
- I'm sorry, Your Honor.
We weren't all law-abiding teenagers.
Emma, was it strange,
for an adult to be giving you alcohol?
At first, yes.
But we knew that Talia's father
was a judge, so we felt safe.
And did you and Talia become close?
We did.
She said that she understood me,
and that I could tell her anything.
What'd you talk about?
I talked about the boys that I liked,
and school stuff.
And I, um
Told Talia that my uncle molested me.
And is this the secret
that Captain Benson
was willing to go to jail to keep?
Yes.
♪
And why did you
want to keep it a secret?
♪
I was ashamed.
I was afraid that it was gonna make me
and my family look bad.
And I told Talia because I
I trusted her,
or I thought that I could.
But she used my
My secret,
my abuse, to make me look like a liar,
- to try and break me.
- Objection.
Sustained.
The jury will disregard.
Emma, why do you say that?
Talia knew I wanted to hide it.
I think she hoped that it
would make me fall apart.
♪
But it didn't, Talia.
I'm stronger than you think.
Objection!
Sustained.
The jury will disregard.
♪
Hey, just heard the good news.
Congrats on the verdict, man.
I would have paid money
to see Judge Fedorov's face.
Chief!
Captain Benson,
you've done excellent work
throughout your years with SVU.
In your tenure as captain,
you've led this team
through difficult cases
with a steady hand.
It has been an honor to work with you.
I am here to inform you
that you are suspended,
- effective immediately.
- Chief, come on
- Stand down, Detective.
- Are you kidding me right now?
So what did you find, Chief?
Did I not file a report on time?
This has nothing to
do with files, Captain.
You were found in contempt
and taken into custody.
Wow.
The department cannot tolerate that
under any circumstances.
Please turn over your
service weapon and badge.
Wow.
Wow.
Chief, come on.
Go home, Captain.
Liv, we'll appeal it first thing.
Not the time.
Let her be.
[SIGHS]
[SOLEMN MUSIC]
♪
[DOOR OPENING]
♪
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.
[TIRES SCREECHING]
[TENSE MUSIC]
♪
No! No!
No, I think she hit her head!
Oh, no!
Let's go!
Wait, I don't think
she's breathing, man!
- Get back in the car!
- Come on, let's get out of here.
Let's go!
♪
[ENGINE RUMBLES]
♪
Help! There's a girl
on the ground over here!
She needs a doctor!
Over here!
Help!
♪
- He's a waffle guy.
- Oh, I'm good with coffee.
Thanks.
Like I said, looked
through hundreds of cases.
I'm sure you did.
And, uh, are there minor mistakes?
Yeah, sure.
License plate numbers transposed,
paperwork misfiled, small stuff.
I mean, you could
find worse in my jacket.
Could we now?
It's not like there was
incompetence or corruption.
I'd like to decide for myself, Jake.
May I have the file?
Thank you.
You're wrong about this.
You're wrong about Benson, OK?
And whatever chain of
command or BS you're hung up on,
let it go.
Wow.
Six months as a detective,
and he's ready to run the Bureau.
Do you remember when you
had that problem in high school
with that kid and you called me?
I'm not doing that.
No, this is not about how
many times you helped me
or how tight you were with my dad.
I'm not gonna look the other way
when you're doing something wrong.
What am I doing wrong?
You're undermining a good cop.
You're letting your
ego make decisions.
Yeah.
And when you can't get to her,
you go after someone in her unit.
Then you set me up to be the fall guy.
- That's untrue.
- I still don't understand why.
If Captain Benson
asks you to do something,
and you did the opposite,
what do you think would happen?
- That's not the same thing.
- It's exactly the same thing.
I am not being unreasonable.
I'm not even being political.
I'm being a boss.
If she does good,
you look good, right?
Why not just make her an ally?
I tried.
Benson's only ever
allied with herself.
[PHONE BUZZES]
There's a teenage
girl in the hospital
head trauma, signs of sexual assault.
- Go
- [SIGHS]
Jake,
you can leave the file.
We found her
school ID in her pocket.
Emma Burns, 16, attends Carlton Prep.
- How is she doing?
- Stable, but unconscious.
There's a subdural hematoma
from getting tossed out of the car,
bruising and blood in her underwear.
Plus, the tox screen showed
Lorazepam in her system.
Anybody get a good look
at the car that dumped her?
Witness said it was an SUV.
We can get you the security footage,
- but they said it's not helpful.
- OK
- Sorry.
- Thank you so much.
All right, Lorazepam is a benzo,
so that increases impulsivity,
and it induces memory loss.
- Basically a roofie.
- Yes.
Hey.
How was your breakfast?
You know, like talking
to a charming brick wall.
- Yeah.
- You back with us?
Told Cap don't make me a cake,
- but yeah, I'm back.
- Well, that's good to hear.
So, how about the two of you,
go through the security
footage and see if you can
see something that they didn't?
Something's up with this kid.
Think he knows something?
Let's ask.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Hey.
Hey, hey. Hey, stop.
Got me running the first day back?
- Seriously?
- Hey!
[THUDS]
Oh, and it's unlocked.
Thanks, kid.
Hey, that's private property.
You can't take that.
Technically, it's
abandoned property,
- which we can search.
- Please, just give it back.
I didn't do anything wrong.
I'm just here visiting someone.
Look at this
"At the hospital, cops here."
"Nobody better snitch."
You know what the first
rule about not snitching is?
Don't text about not snitching.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
♪
You have to do it.
Oh, my God.
Ethan's social media helped identify
the kids in this video, all
seniors at Carlton Prep.
Oh, I've heard of that.
- It's a high-end private school.
- So these four
Ethan Weiss, Matt Davis,
John Gallagher, Casey Stewart
were all on the group chat.
Possibly the ones that
took her to the hospital.
- And no luck with Ethan?
- I tried.
He's not talking.
These private school kids
ain't gonna talk to the cops.
Their parents will pay for
the best lawyers in the city.
Most of these kids are 17 years old,
so we don't need their
parents' consent to talk to them.
Let's grab them on the way to school.
And ever since she cut her hair,
- she looks like a hippopotamus.
- Hey.
[GRIM MUSIC]
- What the hell, bruh?
- Come with me, bruh.
You too.
Let's go.
♪
Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
- Hey.
- Oh!
All sticks and stems.
You got beat, kid.
So let's start with an easy one.
Where was the party last night?
Look, I'd love to help
you, but I have no idea
what you're even saying right now.
Casey, your friend may
have been sexually assaulted,
and I think that you can help her.
And I think I'd like to
speak to my attorney.
Just tell us what happened.
We'll forget about the weed.
What weed?
Wise guy, huh?
Wise enough not to talk to cops.
So, John,
your friend, Emma,
she's in pretty bad shape.
She may have been sexually assaulted,
and we're just trying to
figure out what happened.
So can you help me, help her?
♪
Lawyer.
We know you care about Emma.
You came to the
hospital to check on her.
You tried to help her, right?
You saw that she was in trouble,
and you tried to help her?
- Listen, I swear
- [DOOR OPENS]
That's enough.
Ethan, I'm your lawyer.
Don't say another word.
[DOOR SHUTS]
Calm down!
We are leaving to Aruba tomorrow.
You need to release
these kids immediately.
I'm not gonna let this get
in the way of my vacation.
These kids are not going anywhere.
I want to speak to my son.
You're not gonna give
us anything, Sergeant?
I skipped donuts at
the courthouse for this?
- What a mess.
- Well, they all lawyered up,
and won't talk,
and we can't hold them.
Which means we got no leads.
There's nothing you can do?
All right, put all the lawyers
in the conference room.
I got an idea.
Just give us a
minute, all right, guys?
Thank you.
- Hey.
- Hey.
So I wanted to give you a heads-up.
I did some digging,
and I found the retired
IAB detective who
investigated your dad's shooting.
Oh, yeah?
OK, the case I'm on is a cluster.
All right, that's fine.
- It's best I talk to him anyway.
- I owe you.
Yeah.
I take Venmo.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Sonny, what's up
with all the theatrics?
You know you can't
talk to our clients.
Well, you're right.
I'm not gonna talk to all of them.
I'm only gonna talk to one of them.
- What does that mean?
- Well, these kids are in deep.
And, uh, I'm gonna make
an offer to the first one
that comes forward
with useful information.
- The rest can drown.
- Come on, Carisi.
There's a teenage
girl in the hospital
because one of your dumb-ass clients
dropped her on her head.
This train is leaving the station,
and I'm only letting one kid ride.
You all have my number.
[DOOR SHUTS]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
I really thought one would flip.
Look, it was worth a shot.
We'll figure something else out.
[PHONE BUZZES]
Ah, no need.
We got a bite.
I keep seeing her face.
Her lips were blue.
Yeah, we saw the video.
And we also saw
that you were drinking.
Just tell them what we talked about.
We went to John's
apartment to party after school.
I only had one drink, maybe two.
- We had no idea
- I didn't get drunk.
He told us it was just him and John.
Mr. and Mrs. Weiss, just please,
let Ethan answer.
Go ahead.
At some point, I fell asleep.
And then all of a
sudden, John and Casey
were shaking me awake,
saying that Emma might be dead.
You didn't call 911?
I wanted to, but they didn't let me.
Like you said, we had been drinking.
We just didn't want to get in trouble.
So you drove her to
the hospital yourselves?
Yeah, but I didn't mean
for her to hit her head.
I-I lost my grip, and she fell.
And then John and
Casey were yelling at me.
I didn't know what to do.
- I tried to pick her back up
- All right,
Ethan has given his statement.
Now, let's talk deal.
Full immunity for my client.
If you want full immunity,
- he's gotta give me more than that.
- Hey, Ethan.
It doesn't matter
if your intentions were good.
Emma almost died.
She may have been raped.
So if you know something,
- you can help her.
- Ethan, you don't have to say a thing
- It's OK, Ethan
- OK, enough!
Emma started to act weird.
She seemed out of it.
And then I saw her go
in the guest bedroom
With Matt.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
All right, according to
Ethan, Emma and Matt,
they were flirting the entire night,
and then they snuck off
into the guest room together,
and Emma was unsteady on her feet.
OK, but Ethan didn't intervene?
Well, he didn't
think it was a big deal.
He figured if they
were going off together,
then Emma must have consented.
Excuse me.
OK, but she was
16 and full of drugs.
Where'd the Lorazepam
come from, anyway?
Ethan said that there
were no drugs at the party.
Was Matt drunk, too?
Ethan said that Matt
had one drink, possibly two.
So he was sober
enough to know better.
We have a suspect and a crime scene.
Go check out the apartment.
That was Matt's lawyer.
He wants to talk.
All right.
My client has come
forward of his own volition.
He's willing to cooperate.
But before you take him into custody,
there's something you should see.
- What's this?
- It's a toxicology report.
Matt woke up the
morning after the party
with no memory of the previous night.
I ordered the report.
It shows Lorazepam
glucuronide in his urine
at a rate of 30
nanograms per milliliter,
which is more than enough to impair
decision-making and memory.
Since benzos only remain in
the urine for one to three days,
it is likely he ingested the drug
at the party in question,
which Matt swears
he did not willingly do.
So what are you saying?
Our son was drugged.
I had one drink early in the night,
and I never took any drugs.
Well, who do you think
would have drugged you?
[SIGHS]
He clearly doesn't know anything.
And if any sex occurred,
I suggest you look
- at my client as a victim,
- [PHONE BUZZES]
not the perpetrator.
OK, well, hopefully we're
gonna get to the bottom
of what happened.
Emma's awake.
No, it's not true.
I know that it's hard to hear,
but your injuries are consistent
with a sexual assault.
Matt cares for me.
He would never rape me.
OK, do you have any
memory of-of the night?
Because one of your
friends said that they saw you
and Matt walking into a bedroom,
and you were having trouble walking.
Oh, well, no.
I like Matt, so if we did anything,
I would have wanted it to happen.
You had Lorazepam in your system,
and that's a drug that can cause
memory loss and confusion.
So do you remember
taking anything like that?
No.
I don't take any pills.
I don't get wasted,
because I just
I don't ever want to feel
like I'm not in control, OK?
OK, I believe you.
So how about you tell me
anything that you do remember
leading up to the party?
And nothing is too small.
You know, little things
can be important.
We went to John's
apartment after school.
So were his parents home?
His dad died. Talia
was there though.
- And Talia is his mother?
- Yeah.
Did she know that
you all were drinking?
It's not a big deal.
And she
She said that it's safer
to drink at her place,
rather than some, like,
back alley.
So, she's cool.
- Uh-huh.
- She doesn't treat us like kids.
Was she drinking with you?
[SCOFFS] Only a little,
but hardly anything.
Right.
Look, Talia is a good person.
She's like one of us.
She's a friend.
And she's the one who told
me that Matt has a crush on me.
Oh.
When did she tell you that?
At the party.
And, um
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
She told me to go for it, and
If Matt and I wanted to
use the guest bedroom,
that we could.
Emma, I think that you know that it's
inappropriate for
an adult to say that.
♪
OK, so what happened next?
♪
I don't remember
anything after that.
♪
NYPD.
We're looking for Talia Federov.
Who are you?
Detective Griffin.
Sergeant Tutuola.
We need to ask you a few questions,
take a look around the apartment.
Why would you need to
look around my apartment?
We think someone may have
been sexually assaulted here
at a party the other night.
Oh, my God. Who?
In my home, here?
We already have a suspect.
We just need to take a
look at the crime scene.
We'll be in and out in five minutes.
I would love to help you guys out.
I really would, but my dad is a
retired judge, Owen Fedorov
I'm sure you've heard of him.
And he would absolutely kill
me if I let law enforcement in
- without a warrant, so I'm sorry.
- Good thing we brought one.
All right, guys, come on in.
Spread out.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Um, this is a mistake.
I'm sure of it.
You can't just waltz
in here and barge in
- and start touching everything
- Ma'am.
- Griff, find the guest room.
- Copy.
The guest room?
There's nothing in the guest room
that you need to see.
♪
So this is your daughter's room?
What?
No, I don't have a daughter.
This is
This is my room.
Listen, I just let them
have a couple of drinks.
It's not a big deal.
I mean, wouldn't
you rather that than
Than having them drink at
some park unsupervised?
I just wanted to create a safe space.
♪
Hey, you got tweezers?
Yeah.
♪
What you got?
♪
Hidden camera.
Detective, do you have kids?
So, I mean, you would understand.
My son was bullied all
throughout school, and so was I.
I tried to step in and create a space
for him and his friends
to have some fun.
That's all.
I didn't do anything bad.
I just
I'm a helicopter mom, I guess.
But, I did it for my son.
You know what I
never did for my son?
Roofie his friends.
Talia Federov, you're under arrest.
- Turn around.
- What?
I [SIGHS]
The best you have is endangering
the welfare of a
child for the alcohol,
- a misdemeanor.
- Well, don't forget
about the Lorazepam.
The medicine cabinet wasn't locked.
It's not the first time that
kids helped themselves
to a parent's prescriptions.
That doesn't explain
the hidden camera.
Yeah, and the only device
the camera was connected to
was your cell phone.
That camera was used
to check on her aunt,
who had dementia and
who was staying with them
until she passed away.
OK, show us the video.
Sorry, the camera only
streams the video directly,
so there are no recordings.
Oh, so you were
watching teenagers have sex
in your guest bedroom live?
That is an outrageous accusation.
OK, well, tell us about this
unlawful surveillance charge,
You would have been,
what, a college freshman?
Is that when you picked
up your peeping kink, Talia?
You were charged
as a youthful offender,
which is usually sealed.
But thankfully, we got a great ADA.
Taking pics through the dorm window
of football players and cheerleaders.
- I was walking down the street
- No, Talia, just be quiet.
No.
Their curtains were wide open.
- Stop, Talia. Talia.
- This is
A YO plea is hard to come by.
It must be nice to have a father
- who's a judge with juice.
- Mm-hmm, must be nice.
That must be what privilege buys.
And what is that?
Never having to face consequences.
- Welcome back, Judge Federov.
- Oh, thanks, Sam.
I wish it was under
better circumstances.
This is calendar number three,
the People of the State of
New York versus Talia Federov.
Defendant's charged with
two counts of facilitating
a sexual offense with
controlled substance
and two counts of using a
child for sexual performance.
Good morning, Your Honor.
Trevor Langan for the defendant.
My client enters a plea of not guilty.
As to bail, Your Honor,
the defendant is accused
- of a class D violent felony.
- I read the complaint.
Defendant has no criminal record.
I'm going to release her
on her own recognizance,
and assign this case
to Judge Kevin Ryan.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Next case!
♪
Hey.
What was that?
Don't you know?
Talia's father was the
chief of criminal court.
Oh. So I see that membership
still has its privileges.
[LAUGHTER]
So, what can I do for you gentlemen?
I appreciate the time, Judge.
Um
I just, I wanted to
discuss your relationship
with the defendant's father.
Well, it's common
knowledge that we were friends.
That was years ago.
I certainly don't see it as a problem.
Well, no, of course not.
But, um, I mean, I
just think we should
really try to avoid even the
appearance of impropriety here.
Oh, so you're suggesting
there's something
improper about me trying the case.
Everybody knows he
was your mentor, Judge.
Mentor?
Judge Federov was close
with many judges in this building.
Even so, I think it would be wise
for you to recuse yourself.
Denied.
Anything else?
Uh, yeah, actually, Your Honor,
I was hoping that this
meeting would be about
Mr. Carisi offering my
client a misdemeanor.
- A misdemeanor?
- Yeah.
One of those kids almost died.
That's never gonna happen.
I appreciate your
passion, Mr. Carisi,
but if I were you, I'd think on it.
Thank you, Judge,
but no deal.
Well, then, I guess I will see
both you gentlemen in court.
It's totally normal to
feel nervous, all right?
So, ADA Carisi is gonna
prep you in his office,
and he's gonna go through
every single question with you
right before you have to testify.
- Uh, will you be there, too?
- Oh, yes.
- Absolutely.
- OK.
Absolutely.
Here, why don't you have a seat?
Thank you.
OK, can I
Can I make you a cup of tea?
- Yeah.
- Great, great.
So Emma, is there, um
Is there something else bothering you,
something you want to talk about?
No, it's fine.
I'll handle it.
[CHUCKLES]
OK.
You know, you
mentioned at the hospital
that you never wanted
to feel out of control, that, uh
It seems like it's something
that is very important to you.
Thank you.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
A lot of people that I've talked to,
you know, survivors of
trauma, experience something
called hypervigilance.
And it's when your brain
works really, really hard,
right, scanning for threats
to make sure that they're safe,
and they sort of live
in a constant state
of fight or flight.
You ever
You ever feel like that?
Sometimes.
I want you to know
that you can talk to me
because, I know a
little bit about that.
If I, uh
If I tell you something, do you
Do you have to tell other people?
Well, sometimes I do, yeah.
If you need me to keep
it between us, then
Then I will.
I promise I'll keep it between us.
OK.
When I was younger
Like-like 12, um
My uncle, he
He would
He would touch me.
And he would have me, uh, touch him.
I-I knew
I knew it was wrong.
But I couldn't make him stop.
It was during, like, seventh grade.
But that's it.
That's
That's what happened.
I'm so sorry, Emma.
I'm so sorry that that happened.
Would it be OK for
me to ask you a couple
of questions about that?
So where is your uncle now?
He died, last year.
OK, and did you ever tell anyone?
My mom
The-the summer after it happened.
Mm, what did she do?
I mean, never let me
be alone with him again.
- But that's it.
- But did she call the police,
- or a doctor or
- My parents were
having money problems.
And my uncle, he was rich.
He invented this app or something.
And so he paid for
everything, paid for school.
[SNIFFS]
But yeah, that's
That's it.
That's all they did.
That must have been so hard, and
And so unfair.
And Emma, if you'd let me,
I'd love to talk to your parents.
- No.
- Hold on.
Even if it's just to
get a good therapist
- No, no, I
- Who can help you.
I can't handle any
of that right now.
OK?
So just
Just don't tell anyone.
I did promise, and
I won't tell anyone.
I will keep it between us.
I promise you that.
OK.
I can't believe anybody's
asking about Jimmy Griffin.
How long has that guy
been dead and buried?
Believe me, I know.
There's this unreliable
informant talking smack,
and I was told to track
it down and put it to bed.
Doubtful I remember much, Curry.
It's all right.
See if anything jogs your memory.
[CHUCKLES]
[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING SOFTLY]
Oh.
♪
You're
You're missing stuff.
- You sure you got all of this?
- What's missing?
Well, photos for one.
We certainly had one of the gun.
OK, I'll dig around.
So, it was an
officer-involved shooting.
You caught the IAB investigation.
What happened?
Jimmy and
And some skel
get into a beef in a bar,
uh, something about the guy
owed Jimmy, you know, money.
They take it outside.
Dummy pulls a gun.
Jimmy pulls, puts
one in the guy's knee.
Good shoot.
Guy survived.
End of story.
The file says that the
skel was Dennis Reeves.
I looked into him. He died in 2015.
But, you remember
what he said back then?
What do you think he said?
"Not my gun.
Dirty cop planted it."
Made up some garbage
about Jimmy was on his payroll.
- Nonsense.
- Any witnesses?
It was Jimmy and his partner.
You probably know her.
She's the new chief of Ds, Tynan.
Yeah, I met her a few times.
She's solid.
- She stand up?
- Yeah.
She said the same thing Jimmy said
you know, pretty
open-and-shut, you know,
two cops versus one skel.
You know, not a lot of
shoe leather on this, Curry.
- No-brainer, I get it.
- [CHUCKLES]
Reeves said that Jimmy
was on his payroll, right?
What, was he a bookie?
Yeah. Um
[SIGHS]
You know, I-I don't recall.
Anything else I can help you with?
Yeah, last thing.
Case file says that
Reeves caught a collar
- for the illegal gun.
- Yeah.
He had some night, right?
Got drunk, pulled a gun on a cop,
got shot, and arrested
for a gun charge.
Just a, uh, great New York tale.
Any idea what happened to the gun?
Probably in a box in a
property warehouse in Queens.
I checked.
It's not there.
What can I tell you, Curry?
Sometimes things just disappear.
Looking a little
dry there, Sergeant.
Next one's on me.
Thanks for your time.
I'm telling you, I have nothing
but admiration for your
work with SVU, Mr. Carisi.
Thank you, Judge.
That, uh
- That means a lot to me.
- That must take a toll,
you know, a heavy load.
You know what?
How about I tell you all about it,
but, after this trial?
Because seeing as your daughter's
the defendant in this case,
I don't think
it's even appropriate for us
to be speaking right now.
I thought you might say that.
Good day, Judge.
Do you have children, Mr. Carisi?
Yes, I do.
I'm sure you agree that,
you'd do anything to protect them.
My suggestion is a
lighter load for you,
makes a lighter load for me.
With respect, Judge,
I'm not interested in
lightening anyone's load.
I just want to try a fair case.
You know I was on the
bench for over 30 years.
That doesn't mean anything to you?
It means you know damn
well that your friend, Judge Ryan,
should recuse himself.
You have a good day, Judge.
And after the defendant gave
you this drink, what happened?
I don't remember. I-I blacked out.
And did you submit
for a toxicology screen?
Yes, and it showed I had
Lorazepam in my system,
which I never took.
So the defendant spiked your drink.
Objection assumes
facts not in evidence.
Sustained.
Matt,
did you see anyone put
Lorazepam in your drink
after the defendant gave it to you?
- No.
- Thank you.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
Mr. Davis, tell the jury about the
deal you made with Mr. Carisi
to get you to testify.
Objection.
He knows there's no deal.
Overruled.
Your Honor, assumes
facts not in evidence.
Sit down, Mr. Carisi.
Well, there is no deal.
Isn't it true that
you were investigated
for the rape of Emma Burns?
- Yeah, I guess, but
- Yeah, but,
you were never arrested or charged
for that sexual assault, correct?
Correct.
Who made the call to not charge you?
I-I guess, Mr. Carisi.
- [SOBBING]
- Hey.
We're gonna have to go out there now,
so I need you to take a deep breath.
Hey.
I don't know what happened.
She was fine.
- She had trouble breathing.
- OK. Hey, Emma.
I'm here.
I'm here.
Hey, can you tell me what happened?
[HYPERVENTILATING]
What's going on?
All those people.
OK, Emma, I'm gonna
be right there with you.
You just
You just focus on me, OK?
I'm gonna be right
there in the gallery.
Deep breath.
[BREATHES DEEPLY]
There you go.
Deep breath.
- [PANTING]
- Huh?
- [BREATHES DEEPLY]
- Deep breath.
- [SOBS]
- Oh, geez.
- It's OK.
- Honey, it's OK.
OK.
Can you adjourn early?
There's no way
Ryan's gonna go for that.
[SIGHS]
I can't put her on
the stand like this.
You may not have to.
[SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Based on the evidence
and your years of experience,
do you believe that
the defendant drugged
two teenagers, Emma
Burns and Matt Davis,
in order to watch them have
sex on a hidden camera?
Yes, I do.
Thank you, Captain.
No further questions, Your Honor.
Captain,
is it fair to say that
the alleged victim
in this case was under the influence
on the night in question?
There's nothing alleged about it.
The evidence proves
that Emma is a victim.
But, she doesn't remember any of it.
So how do we know
she's not making it up?
Well, victims of sexual assault
often have trouble
remembering traumatic events,
especially when they're
drugged against their will.
Did Emma ever mention any
other traumatic events in her life?
We spoke of many things.
Any of those pertinent to this case?
Not that I can speak of.
Captain Benson,
has Emma ever claimed
to have been sexually
assaulted before?
Objection, Your Honor.
Overruled.
Captain.
My duty is to protect
the victim, Your Honor.
You are under oath, Captain,
and you will answer the question.
I'm sorry, but I can't.
♪
Ladies and gentlemen,
I'm gonna send you on a short break.
We, uh, have some boring
legal matters to address.
Grab a coffee, stretch your legs,
and we'll call you back in shortly.
♪
Your Honor, the Rape Shield Law
specifically limits
the defense's ability
to introduce the
past sexual behavior
This isn't about
past sexual behavior.
This is to establish
if the girl has lied
in the past about sexual assault
and goes directly to her credibility.
I agree.
Captain Benson will
answer the question.
I can't do that, Your Honor.
I'm sorry.
Are you refusing to
comply with a court order?
Legally, she cannot
answer that question.
Sit down, Mr. Carisi.
- Captain.
- I don't want to refuse.
I'm simply obeying
the Rape Shield Law,
which was passed to protect victims.
If you refuse my order,
I will hold you in contempt of court.
Your Honor, Captain
Benson is following the law.
You can't do this.
You don't tell me what I
can do in my own courtroom,
Mr. Carisi!
♪
It's your last chance, Captain.
My duty is to protect the victim.
I can't and won't answer the question.
♪
Put her inside.
♪
[HANDCUFFS CLICKING]
♪
Hey, Liv.
Listen, I'll defend your right
not to answer that question in court,
- but what the hell is going on?
- I'm sorry, Carisi.
I can't.
I can't say.
No, it's OK.
You don't have to go to jail for this.
Don't worry about that, Emma.
I will not be manipulated
by that lawyer.
I'm not going to either.
[SOLEMN MUSIC]
Captain Benson knows
what Uncle Ian did to me.
♪
I can't keep it a secret anymore.
And neither can you.
You have to tell everyone.
I'm not afraid anymore.
OK.
OK.
How did that lawyer know about this?
Because I told Talia.
[SIGHS]
She acted sympathetic and kind.
And now she's gonna use it against me.
I'm really sorry, Mom,
because I thought
that I could trust her.
♪
You have nothing,
to be sorry for.
♪
I'm sorry.
Oh, I am so, so sorry.
♪
[SIGHS]
No charges were ever filed?
No.
She never even reported it?
That's not uncommon in
these types of circumstances.
So we just have to
take her word for it?
She told her mother.
She also told your client.
Is it fair to say that
charges were never filed
against the uncle because her mother
didn't believe that she'd
been sexually assaulted?
Objection, Your Honor.
Overruled. Answer, Captain.
No.
That's not fair to say.
Emma is not a liar.
And her mother couldn't protect her
because people with money
and people with influence
held all the power.
But that's what this trial is for,
to even the odds
and to give power back to the people
who deserve it the most.
Emma, do you drink alcohol often?
Maybe a drink or
two if I'm at a party.
Pretty normal for a teen.
I can't say that I didn't steal a beer
out of the fridge in the garage
every once in a while
when I was a kid.
- Careful, Mr. Carisi.
- I'm sorry, Your Honor.
We weren't all law-abiding teenagers.
Emma, was it strange,
for an adult to be giving you alcohol?
At first, yes.
But we knew that Talia's father
was a judge, so we felt safe.
And did you and Talia become close?
We did.
She said that she understood me,
and that I could tell her anything.
What'd you talk about?
I talked about the boys that I liked,
and school stuff.
And I, um
Told Talia that my uncle molested me.
And is this the secret
that Captain Benson
was willing to go to jail to keep?
Yes.
♪
And why did you
want to keep it a secret?
♪
I was ashamed.
I was afraid that it was gonna make me
and my family look bad.
And I told Talia because I
I trusted her,
or I thought that I could.
But she used my
My secret,
my abuse, to make me look like a liar,
- to try and break me.
- Objection.
Sustained.
The jury will disregard.
Emma, why do you say that?
Talia knew I wanted to hide it.
I think she hoped that it
would make me fall apart.
♪
But it didn't, Talia.
I'm stronger than you think.
Objection!
Sustained.
The jury will disregard.
♪
Hey, just heard the good news.
Congrats on the verdict, man.
I would have paid money
to see Judge Fedorov's face.
Chief!
Captain Benson,
you've done excellent work
throughout your years with SVU.
In your tenure as captain,
you've led this team
through difficult cases
with a steady hand.
It has been an honor to work with you.
I am here to inform you
that you are suspended,
- effective immediately.
- Chief, come on
- Stand down, Detective.
- Are you kidding me right now?
So what did you find, Chief?
Did I not file a report on time?
This has nothing to
do with files, Captain.
You were found in contempt
and taken into custody.
Wow.
The department cannot tolerate that
under any circumstances.
Please turn over your
service weapon and badge.
Wow.
Wow.
Chief, come on.
Go home, Captain.
Liv, we'll appeal it first thing.
Not the time.
Let her be.
[SIGHS]
[SOLEMN MUSIC]
♪
[DOOR OPENING]
♪