All language subtitles for Law.and.Order.SVU.S27E12.WEB

- 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.

- How much?
- You tell me.

What're you looking for?

- Everything.

- 100.

- That's a lot.
- How much you got?

- 80.

- Who's your friend?

- Why don't you get in the car
and stop asking questions?

- NYPD!
- Don't shoot!

- Hands on the steering wheel!
- Don't shoot!

Please! Don't shoot!

- NYPD! Hands! Hands now!
- Don't shoot!

Please, I'm married!
I'm married! I have kids!

Please, I'm begging you!
My wife will take the kids!

- Down!
- My wife--please, I--

- Hey. Hey, I'm Tracy.
- Down!

- I'm a police officer.

You hurt?
Come here.

- Ah!

Ow! Ow!
I swear I've never done this...

- I'm here to help you.

You're not in any trouble,
I promise.

That man's not gonna be able
to hurt you.

Can you tell me your name?

Captain.
- Hey.

- Don't start.

- First of all,
you don't look bad.

This--you look good.
I mean, this is something.

- Oh, yeah, you can borrow it.
- Mm, thank you.

- She won't tell me her name
or her age or anything, really.

But she's young--
no older than 15, I think.

John's from Jersey--

swears she was already beat up
when he solicited her.

- She won't let
the doctor examine her?

- No.
Only treated the busted lip.

But she's in no hurry to leave.

I think she might be ready
to accept some help.

- All right.

Hey, I'm Olivia.
I'm a police officer.

Ouch.

That looks like it hurts
a little bit, huh?

I'll get it. I'll get it.

Wow.

I like heels, but I don't think
I could walk in these.

You know what I brought?

I always bring socks
in case people are cold.

Feel them.
They're my favorite.

Super soft, right?

You know what else
I always have in my bag...

are these...

little makeup wipes, if you
want to take your makeup off.

They smell really good.
They're cucumber.

- You got any hot Cheetos
in that bag?

- I'm happy to get you some
when we're done.

That wig can't be comfortable.

Let me help you.

There you go.

Oh, that thing is heavy.

Here.

Yeah, get yourself comfortable.

Here, I'll take it.

Ah, I'll help you with that.

Oh, you got it. Great.

So what's your name?
- Riley.

- Is there somebody
I can call for you, Riley?

- Mm.

- How about--
It's so cold in here.

I should have given you
this earlier.

Take this.

There you go.

Here.

Okay, good.

- So how old are you?

- Um, I'll be 15
in a couple of months.

- Your parents around?

- Um...

my--my mom died
when I was little.

- Oh, I'm sorry.

- My dad--I just don't live
with him anymore.

- Okay.
You in foster care?

Those lashes--
are they hard to get off?

- No, not really.

- Okay.

Oh.

Good, that was easy.

So, Riley...

- I don't know you,
and you don't know me,

but...

what happened to you
isn't right.

It's not fair.

And you deserve
to be protected...

and loved.

And I can't change the past,
but what I can do is,

I can promise you...

that I'll do everything
in my power

to make sure that you...

get to be the girl
that you were supposed to be.

He said if I ever told
anyone, I--

I'd never see my daddy again.

- Who said that?

- He said
I could never go home.

Please, I just--
I just want to go home.

Can you just take me home?

Is it okay if I give you a hug?

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

- Oh.

I got you.

- She agreed
to the physical exam.

- Oh, great.
- I'll do it myself.

- Thank you.
- Nice work.

- Oh, so did she tell you

her last name
or where she lives or...?

- No, but, uh, ACS is sending
a social worker.

They may be able to ID her.

- Oh, it would have been nice

if, uh, they checked
on the child in their care

before she was pimped out.

Look, Ash,
I know you're slammed,

but I really don't want her

to go to another
foster home tonight.

- I'll--I'll find her a bed.
- Oh, thank you.

- Oh, uh, I think
that's the social worker.

Tell her I'll talk to her
after the exam?

Don't bite her head off.
- Yeah.

- You're the detective?

- I'm the captain,
Olivia Benson.

- Vivian Parker, ACS.

When can I talk to the girl?
- After you talk to me.

So do you know who she is?
- I believe so.

From her age and description,

I think her name is
Riley Williams.

- Okay, well, is there anything
in here about her foster father

pimping her out?

- I don't think so.
- No?

Did you bother
to check on Riley

since she's been placed
in that home?

- I'm new to this case.
- Uh-huh.

Well, then let me bring you
up to speed.

She got lost in the system.

She's been forced
into prostitution.

So I need somebody on this case
who actually gives a damn.

- That's me, Captain.

I don't have to tell you
the number of cases

ACS has to cover--

over 50,000 cases

and 6,000 kids
in foster care alone,

and not enough hours in
the day to keep track of them.

- Well, then get her
out of that home

and tell me
who the foster father is

so I can arrest him.

- Well, that's the thing.
There isn't one.

She was placed
with a single woman,

Monique Sherman.

- All right, well,
I need to speak with Monique.

- You weren't concerned
when Riley

didn't come home last night?
- What?

Am I supposed to tie her
to her bed?

I done told that social worker
I cannot control that girl.

- You told the social worker
two months ago

that everything was fine.

- I don't know about that.

Look, there is a different one
every single time.

- Okay.
- That girl is a problem--

always has been.

I didn't know
anybody was coming over.

I would have cleaned up.

- Who's Marcus?
- Who?

- The guy getting bills
at this address.

- I get the wrong mail
every time.

Listen, my shift
is gonna start.

You need to go.

- Well, there's two coffee cups
here in the sink.

And there's two phone chargers.

- And a pair
of size-12 work boots.

4 pairs of men's shoes.

Couple of men's jackets.
- That is private.

- Monique, where's Marcus?

- You need to leave.

- Somebody in this house

is forcing a child
into sex trafficking.

And if Marcus doesn't exist,

that only leaves
one other person...

doesn't it?

Marcus Boyd,

42, has a rap sheet
that goes back for 20 years--

gambling, theft,

and he just finished
a bid at Green Haven

last year for promoting
prostitution.

- Looks like his first foray
into trafficking kids.

He really wants to go down
to the bottom of the barrel.

- Oh, with a record like this,

he's gonna be going away
for a long time.

- And I suspect he knows that,
because he's in the wind.

So we have a car
sitting on the residence,

and Curry is with the foster
mother in case he calls.

And how's the girl?

- Uh, she's comfortable.

Um, there's no drugs
in her system.

And, uh, she can't stay there
indefinitely.

So the social worker
is trying to place her.

- That was Curry.
Marcus called the foster mom.

He borrowed money
for a bus ticket.

He's at
the Midtown Terminal now.

- We got a hold
on all outbound buses.

Got every available eye
looking.

- Okay. He needs ID
to buy a ticket, doesn't he?

- Unless he got it online.
- How many gates?

- Over 200.
I'm sorry, Captain.

This is a tiny needle

in a 2 million-square-foot
haystack.

- Level 2, near the Dunkin's.
I think it's him.

- We're on our way.

Clear the elevators,
and shut 'em down.

- Okay, I want teams of two
at every escalator

from that level down.

Coordinate
with Port Authority officers.

- Got it, Cap.

- Gate 210, black jacket,
gray hat.

- Going to Orlando.
- Happiest pimp on Earth.

- All right, so stay here
in case he gets past us.

All right?

All right, uh, suspect is
at gate 210.

Curry and I are going in.

Marcus Boyd?

- Don't try it, Boyd.
- Don't do it.

- No. Come on!

- Clear the way.
- Stop!

NYPD!
Give me some room, please!

- Get back!
Get back inside! Move!

- Hey! Whoa, stop!
Freeze!

- Oh, my God, my leg is broken!

- Man, look at you.

Thought you were dead.
Lucky duck.

- Help me!
- Nah.

- Okay, we'll call
an ambulance...

in a minute.

- A few years ago,
the department placed

a 12-year-old with them,
and they adopted her.

Amazing family--
just really good people.

- So they're okay
with a teenage girl?

- Raised three girls
of their own.

- Okay.
- I vetted them myself--

visited the home,
spoke to neighbors.

They're aware of all
the circumstances with Riley.

They want to help.
- Good. This is good news.

I-I don't know if Riley
is gonna feel that way.

I mean, she really, really
wants to go back to her father.

- Dad lost custody
four years ago for abuse.

Before my time.
I'm not sure about the details.

- Mm, yeah, well,
that was in the Bronx.

Back then, SVU was problematic.

- Dig around,
see what I can find out.

Reunification would be ideal.

- Yeah, well, I think let's get
her somewhere safe first.

Hey, uh, excuse me, where--
where's the girl that was here?

- There was another girl here?

- Okay.

Hey.
Anything?

- One camera caught her
getting into a car

on the south side
of the hospital

about two hours
before you arrived.

- Okay.
- But the footage is garbage.

Could only make out that it was
a dark, late-model sedan.

- How did she leave
without getting caught?

- It's not a lockdown ward.

I mean, she could have walked
through the front door.

- Well, I'm checking with
the rideshare companies now

between that time frame.

- Cap, line two--came in
on the nonemergency line.

Guy says he's Riley's dad.

Hi, this is Captain Benson.

Hello?

Hello? Are you there?
- Yeah. Yeah, I'm--I'm here.

- Okay.
And you're Riley's father?

You're...

Nathan Williams?

- Yes, uh, Nate Williams.

Riley's here.

She just showed up
on my doorstep.

- Okay, Mr. Williams,
is--is Riley okay?

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
She's okay.

Uh, she says she wants
to stay with me.

I want that
more than anything,

but I don't want her
to get in trouble, or me.

I-I don't know what to do.

- Hi.

- She's, uh--she's really mad.

- Okay.

Hey, Riley.
- I'm not leaving.

You'll just have
to take me to jail.

- Okay, nobody's going to jail.

- Honey, you know that we
cannot do it like this, right?

- Nobody is listening to me.

Why isn't anyone
listening to me?

- Hey, Riley, we all just want
what's best for you, Riley.

- Then let me stay!

My dad never hurt me.

And nobody believes me.

I broke my arm
playing volleyball,

and they said he did it!

- The hospital reported
the injury to ACS

as suspected abuse.

The social worker referred it
to Bronx SVU.

- I talked to the detective.

He said it looked
like an accident,

because it was.

Then a week later, we get
pulled into Family Court,

and they said I did it,
and then they took her away.

- Did you appeal
the court's decision?

- Yeah.

It took me two years
to get a lawyer

that would even take my case.

We get to appeals court,
and they say

it's over a six-year backlog
on civil cases?

And even then,

I-I went to every class
they told me to go to.

I-I got a better place to live.

I talked to every social worker
that came to my door,

and it didn't matter.

T-they shipped Riley
all different places.

She missed school,

and now some man is beating her
and putting her in the street?

I would never--

I didn't hurt Riley,
and nobody cares.

It's been four years.

I will never get
that time back.

Riley will never get
that time back!

I tried, baby.

I tried so hard
to get you back.

I am still trying.

Can you help us?

Can you make them listen?

- I don't work for Bronx SVU,

so I don't have the authority
to reopen the case,

but I will make some inquiries.

- So, no,
you're not gonna help us.

- I'm gonna try,

but, you know, that's really
all that I can promise

at this point.

Maybe somebody
will listen to me.

But, unfortunately, uh...

you can't stay here right now.

- Listen, we have a family

that's ready for you
to stay with them,

and they are safe and loving.

I will not let you get lost
in the system.

- Just until we get
all this sorted out.

If I could...

I'd get on a plane
with you right now,

and we'd just run away.

You know I would.

I'm so sorry, baby.

This is my fault.

- I will do whatever
you want me to do. I...

I'll--I'll take any test.
I'll--I'll pay any money.

Just help me get
my daughter back.

- The Bronx SVU case file
is pretty light.

I mean, the lieutenant spoke
with the dad,

the--the school,
the hospital, and Riley.

He didn't think that
there was anything criminal.

And the Bronx DA
declined to prosecute.

- But, somehow,
Bronx Family Court got involved

and initiated the removal.

- The social worker said that
there was already an ACS file

on Nate Williams
from when Riley was a baby.

So he had brought her into
the hospital with a high fever,

and they looked at him
for neglect.

- Or they looked at him
because he was a single dad,

low income, and Black.

- Yeah, that could
absolutely be a part of it.

In New York,
more than half the kids

that are removed from their
homes without a court order

are Black, even though
those kids only make up

a quarter of the population.

- Yeah, I can ask Carisi
to reach out

to Bronx Family Court--
he might have some contacts.

- Who was the lieutenant
from the Bronx?

- Uh, Delacruz.
You know him?

- Oh, yeah, he got caught up in
the house cleaning over there.

They let him stay
in the department,

but they busted him down
to the property room.

- Okay, so he hates you
or just intensely dislikes?

- I mean, I'm not getting any
Christmas cards from the guy,

but he wasn't
the worst of them.

I can have a chat.

- Yeah, I remember it.
Kid busted her arm.

Hospital questioned whether
the dad could have done it.

- You didn't think so?

- Plenty of witnesses
to the actual injury--

collided with another kid
at practice.

Dad seemed solid.
Kid's story was consistent.

I talked to my DA.
He DP'd it.

Last I heard of it.

- Well, somebody
at Family Court disagreed.

They removed her from her home.

- Doc at the hospital was
real insistent about abuse.

But other than this injury,

I couldn't find anything
to support that.

All I got.

- I appreciate you, Javi.

Tell Ginny I said hello.

- Ginny left me.

And you and me are not friends.

- If they need you
in Family Court,

will you testify?

- You know where to find me--
down in this hellhole.

- Sorry, you're
with the Manhattan DA?

The hell you doing up here?
- A favor to my SVU detectives.

Case dropped in their lap
that intersects

with one of your clients,
Nate Williams?

- Okay, and?
- And I think I got something

that's gonna help you
get his kid back.

- Look, man, don't go telling
him things like that, okay?

I don't want to give him
false hope.

- Well, hold on, relax.

I didn't tell him
anything, but I--

Stop. Listen, I don't think
you hear what I'm saying here.

The lieutenant who investigated
is willing to speak

on your client's behalf.

He's gonna say that he didn't
find any evidence of abuse.

- Okay, great.
Have him give me a call.

Thanks.
- Wait, hold on.

Do you think
your client's innocent?

- Yes, I do. I...

I also know it doesn't matter
in this case.

- "Doesn't matter"?
That's insane.

That's also bordering
on negligence.

You get a chance to get justice
for your client, you take it.

Have you ever spent any time
in Bronx Family Court?

- No, I haven't.
- Yeah.

You kind of feel it
hanging in the air, right?

The despair?

Yeah, the judges don't care.

They're just waiting for their
next political appointment.

Yeah, everybody treats
each other like garbage.

And the families that walk
through these doors,

they get screwed
one way or another.

There is rarely
a just solution.

- Well, I'm telling you,
here is one.

Request a new hearing.

Daughter's almost 15 years old.
She's gonna be able to testify.

Come on, pal,
this is as close to a slam dunk

as you're gonna get.

- Yeah.
All right, I'll do my best.

Should come up
and see for yourself.

Sit in the front row.

- All right.

I've read the application,
motions, and briefs.

I've also reviewed
the statements

from the investigating
detective and the police file.

Mr. Battaglia,
please call your first witness.

- We call Dr. Bethany Allen.

- Dr. Allen, I'll remind you,
you're under oath.

You may proceed.

- Dr. Allen, you're the head

of the Child Abuse
and Neglect Department

at St. Bartholomew's
in the Bronx?

- Yes, I am.

- And you reviewed
Riley Williams's case

when she was seen

in the St. Bart's
Emergency Department in 2022?

- Yes, I did.

- Can you explain what
a child-abuse pediatrician is?

- Well, it's
in the job description.

It is a subspecialty
of pediatrics.

We are trained to evaluate,
treat, and prevent child abuse.

- Why did you recommend
Riley be removed from the home

after evaluating her
four years ago?

- I made my recommendation

based on Riley's
medical history

and on the injuries
she presented with.

As a newborn, Riley developed
a fever of 102.

And by the father's
own admission,

he delayed getting medical
attention for three days.

By definition,
um, failure to provide

necessary medical care
is neglect.

- And what
about her broken arm?

- Riley presented
with a non-displaced fracture

to the ulna,

also called
a "nightstick fracture."

In young women,
this injury often occurs

when someone uses their forearm

to shield their face
from a blow.

- And even though Riley stated
she'd been hurt playing sports?

- Well, you don't need
to be a doctor

to understand that children
protect their parents,

protect their abusers.

And it's up to me and to you--

and to you, Your Honor--

it's up to us all
to protect them.

- Thank you all
for your presentations.

While I understand

that the Administration
for Children's Services

has the burden of proof here,

I will say
I still have concerns

for the minor's safety.

I'll review all the evidence
and have a decision in a week.

We're adjourned.

- So what does that mean?

Does that mean
that she might say yes?

- Honestly, it means she wants
us to wait until she says no.

Welcome to the Bronx.

Hope you enjoyed
your field trip.

- Dr. Allen.

Hi.
- Hi.

- I'm Captain Olivia Benson

from Manhattan
Special Victims Unit,

and I was just in court,
and I heard your testimony.

- Oh, well, I'm happy
to have helped.

- Well, actually, you know,
I'm always looking to learn,

and I was wondering
if you might tell me

just a little bit more of how
you came to your conclusion

about Riley Williams.

- Easy.
I followed the science.

- Okay, but police work
supported everything

that Riley said and everything
that her father is saying.

- Then the police work
is wrong.

- How do you know
when you're wrong?

- Well, I appreciate
the work of law enforcement.

I do, but you are
simply not capable

of making judgments
at this level.

And I'm sorry if that sounds
condescending.

- It does.
But I assume that's the point?

- Fair.

I respect what you do.

But if we allow cops
and lawyers and judges

to interpret science,
children die.

The only thing that I regret

about how I handled
Riley Williams is,

I just wish I'd gotten her
out of that house sooner.

- Okay, Dr. Allen,

Riley Williams was forced
into prostitution

while in foster care.

She wasn't safer.

- Yes, but that is not
my responsibility, is it?

It's yours.

That's all the time
I've got, Captain.

Good luck.

What are our next steps?

- We don't really have any.
- Why not?

- Liv, this isn't even
our own county.

Now, we got the guy
a new hearing,

and hopefully
the judge comes back

with the--
the right decision, but...

we've done
all that we can do here.

- I don't know, Olivia.

The arm fracture could have
been warding off a blow,

or it could have happened
the way the child

and the dad described it.
- Okay, fine.

I mean, at worst,
it's--it's unclear.

But would you have taken her
out of the home based on this?

- If there was a history
of neglect or abuse.

- The history is high fever
that went on too long

before the father sought
medical attention.

- I don't know what you want me
to say, Olivia.

- Would you have taken her
out of the house?

- No, but I am just reading
the reports.

I'm not seeing the patient
or the father.

- Well, neither did Dr. Allen.

She made her decision remotely

based on medical records
and imaging.

So what's really
bothering you here?

- You know, there are only

about 350 board-certified CAPs
in the country.

Dr. Allen is one of them.

She's one of the most respected
and sought after.

- But that doesn't mean
that she can't make a mistake.

- And, frankly,
I'm a little surprised

that you want to challenge

the medical judgment
of a physician.

- I know that I'm not a doctor.

I've been doing this
a long time.

That's got to count
for something.

And Dr. Allen is so sure...

and that's a problem.

- Doctors can get myopic.

They want to prove
their hypotheses so bad

that they reject
any information

that doesn't conform with it.

- Look, I'm not trying
to undermine Dr. Allen.

I'm not, but...

but I think that
there may be an injustice here.

Obviously, if I'm wrong,
I'll let it go, but...

- Yeah.
That sounds just like you.

Allen keeps jumping around.

For a supposedly rising star
in this field,

she keeps bouncing to new jobs.

And a small hospital
in the Bronx

isn't exactly a step up.

I always wondered why.

- Well, Ashley wasn't wrong.
Dr. Allen has been all over.

She started her career
in Chicago

and then a couple of places
in Cleveland,

three- or four-year stints,

and she spent the longest
amount of time in the Bronx.

- She seems to spend
half her time

giving expert testimony

and talks
at medical conferences.

The last one was
about abusive head trauma--

what we used to call
shaken baby syndrome.

- Liv, you got a beef
with me or something?

- No. Why?

- Then what's with the, uh--
the boatload of subpoenas

you dumped on my desk?

Requests for medical records
from three Cleveland hospitals,

a Chicago hospital group,
employment records,

DCFS records,
medical board records--

all for Dr. Bethany Allen.

- Yeah, I'm just--
I'm looking into her.

- Liv, come on, I told you,
we--we did our job here.

In fact, we did more than that.

- Okay,
and Riley Williams is living

in a foster home indefinitely.

- Unfortunately, Riley Williams

is out of our hands--
that's a different department.

And I-I cannot believe
that you, of all people,

want to go after
a medical doctor on this.

- Why?
Because she can't be wrong?

- That is not what I said.
- Okay.

Carisi, I've worked
with CAPs before,

and it has always been a team.

- So what's your plan here?

What, y-you're gonna build
a case against her?

You gonna arrest her?
- No.

She hasn't done
anything criminal.

Look...

I'm just trying to do
the right thing for Riley

and for whoever else
is out there.

Hey, CJ, what's--
what's shaking?

- I got a problem.

That doctor, uh...

I used her in a case
six months ago--

expert witness.

And I got the conviction.

- You're questioning that now?

- Aren't you?

- Sure, I remember this--
Corinne Langford.

Baby had a head injury.
Doctor couldn't rule out abuse.

- Oh, what did the mother
tell you?

- Nothing. I tried to talk
to her at the hospital.

She said her cousin was
a lawyer or something.

Told her, never talk
to the police.

Honestly, that's good advice.

- And so you never
interviewed her at all?

- No. Next thing I heard,
CJ got the indictment.

- My usual expert witness
wasn't available.

Someone recommended Dr. Allen,
and she was incredible.

Grand jury loved her.

She diagnosed
abusive head trauma.

After the indictment,

the defense lawyer
wanted a deal--

pled to attempted
reckless endangerment one.

Mom's in the middle
of 12 months at Rikers.

- Where's the kid now?
- ACS put him with an aunt.

- I got to tell you, I don't
see what the problem is here.

The doctors in the ER
flagged it for abuse,

Allen confirmed it,
and the mom pled guilty.

- My guy looked
at the case later,

said he was surprised
I got the indictment

based on what he saw--
called it a gray area.

He wouldn't have
called it abuse.

And the mother pled
because the lawyer said

it would have been worse
in front of a jury.

- He's right.
It would have been.

- All right, CJ, I--

I just want to make sure that--
that you're understanding

what you're starting here,

because if you open this up,
you open up everything.

Do you understand?
- I know.

- Think about what happens when
we find out a cop is corrupt.

All those cases--
they get tossed, right?

So are we gonna do that
for--for doctors now?

- Honestly, if even
one person is in prison

for something they didn't do,
that's too many.

So, yeah,
I want to open this up.

- CJ, this is not just about
guilty people walking free.

This is also about
potentially sending kids

back to their abusers.

So you better be damn sure...

because I am not qualified

to determine if a doctor's
doing medical malpractice,

and neither are you.

- Then we find someone who is.

- Olivia, I gave you
my five-minute opinion

on the last case
as a favor to you,

and that's all
I'm comfortable doing.

- All right, Ash, please, will
you please just listen to me?

Hey, I wouldn't bring this
to you if it wasn't important.

- This is a dangerous road.

Do you really want police
and lawyers

to litigate medical diagnoses?

- Doctor, this is really
because I screwed up.

I used Dr. Allen's testimony,

and I may have put
an innocent woman in jail.

She lost custody of her baby.

I would love it
if you read this file

and said Dr. Allen was right
all along.

That would make my day.

I'm not looking for anything
other than the truth.

- All right.

I'll let you know
when I have an opinion,

but if I don't find anything,

this is the last
I want to hear about it.

- Understood, understood.
- All right.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

She's the best.

She will...

give us an unbiased opinion.

So I'm gonna head
to the precinct.

- I'm gonna head to Rikers.

Corinne Langford never got
to tell her side of the story.

About time someone listened.

- Ms. Langford, I'm CJ Jones--

- I remember who you are.

- Good.

There have been some
developments in your case

that I wanted
to tell you about.

And I wanted to ask you
some questions.

- I don't have nothing
to say to you.

- Some new evidence
may have come to light

that could exonerate you.

So talking to me
about what happened

when your son was injured
could only help.

This--this is a good thing.
- This is good?

- I know, Ms. Langford--
- You don't know!

You don't know.
You put me here.

I lost my baby because of you.

He's living with another woman

who isn't his mother
because of you!

- Then let me try to fix it.

- You want to know
what happened?

My baby bumped his head...

not even hard,

and then his eyes rolled back.

And I called an ambulance,
and we went to the hospital,

the place that's supposed

to help us.

I didn't know I was never
gonna see him again.

And y'all looked at me--
a Black, single mother--

and decided I was guilty.

And then you made me
say it in court,

knowing it wasn't true.

You made me say I hurt my baby.

So go ahead--try and fix
whatever you did wrong.

It won't be enough.

- Well, I'm starting to see
why Carisi is so pissed off.

Can't wait.

Look, I...

I don't want to arrest Allen.

I just want to make this right.

And the only way to do that
is to prove her wrong,

which we can't do
because we're not doctors.

- And I'm not about
to go around telling doctors

they don't know
what they're talking about.

- So what?
So we just swallow it?

- No.

- Just--things happen,
and just collateral damage?

- I could ask Carisi to convene
an investigative grand jury,

look into practices
and procedures of ACS,

make recommendations
on how they could do it better.

But the real purpose would be
putting Dr. Allen's actions

on public record.

She's used to nobody
questioning her.

Let's make her give
some answers.

- Ash.

What happened?

- She hid a test.

I only caught it

because I checked the records
against Medicaid.

She tested him
for genetic clotting disorder--

von Willebrand's disease.

He's got it.

The brain bleed
on the imaging--

- Is from the disease.

- It certainly
can't be ruled out.

She took the test
out of the records.

But she ordered it.

- Call Carisi.

Convene a grand jury.

- Dr. Mancini, would you say
that abusive head trauma,

also known
as shaken baby syndrome,

is a controversial diagnosis?

- No, I wouldn't.

It's only controversial
in the courtroom,

not within
the medical profession.

Part of why the name changed

is because of lawyers
like yourself

who questioned
the "shaken" part of it,

even questioned
if it was a real thing.

Abusive head trauma
is a more accurate description.

- And can
accidental head trauma

ever be mistaken
for abusive head trauma?

- Sometimes.

A fall, an illness,
an infection,

even some congenital disorders
can have similar symptoms.

- Congenital disorders,
like a-a genetic disease?

- Yes.

- And how would a doctor
rule that out?

- A blood test.

- Dr. Allen, I'd like
to talk to you

about your tenure
up in the Bronx.

- Happy to.

- Now, you've found
a lot of child abusers.

- I have.

- By some metrics,
there was a 20% increase

in referrals to ACS
from your hospital.

- We are diligent and vigorous.

- How does it work up there?

Do you, um--do you mostly
call the shots?

Or do you work together
as a team?

- As a team
with my medical colleagues,

along with law enforcement
and ACS.

- And does this team
ever disagree?

- No.
- Lockstep, then?

- We know how
to interpret information

and arrive
at similar conclusions.

- But what would happen
if they did disagree with you?

- They wouldn't.

No, I guess they wouldn't.

- Uh, Doctor,
I'd like to ask you

about one case in particular.

This is a baby boy--
Jayson Langford.

Now, I know that
you've reviewed this file.

I have it here for you if you'd
like more time with it.

- I'm very familiar.
- Okay, good.

Now, you diagnosed Jayson
with abusive head trauma.

- I did.
Fortunately, not fatal.

We were able to save him.

- And you were able to rule out
accidental head trauma?

- Yes, he had
a subdural hematoma

that was interhemispheric

and bilateral
retinal hemorrhaging--

all strong indicators of AHT.

- Did you test
for hypertension?

- Yes.

- What about hypoxic
ischemic encephalopathy?

- Someone's learning
their big-boy words.

Yes, I am. Yes, I am.

- We did not test for that,
as it was not indicated.

- Sure. Uh, what about
a blood-clotting disorder,

like von Willebrand's disease?

Did you test for that?
- No. Same reason.

- Now, you have examined
this entire file,

and there is
no other possible explanation

for Jayson's injuries?

- Yes, I have,
and, no, there is not.

- And you're aware, of course,

that you are
under oath here today.

- I am.
- Thank you, Dr. Allen.

- Perjury?

That is an outrageous
accusation.

- It's an accurate one.

Your client, under oath,
said that she never tested

for a blood-clotting disorder,
but she did order that test

and deliberately concealed
that fact.

Now, your lawyer will tell you

that perjury one
is a class D felony.

That's punishable by up
to seven years in state prison.

- You can't be serious.
- Oh, I'm dead serious, Doctor.

- You would send me to jail
for this, a mistake?

- A mistake?
This is not a mistake.

- You hid that test
from the mother,

you hid it from ACS,

and you hid it
from the initial grand jury.

And then you lied about it.

Why?

- Because that baby was
in imminent danger

from a mother who was incapable
of providing him

with a stable,
secure environment.

- The baby had
a genetic disorder.

That's what caused
his injuries.

- Oh, you know that for a fact?

No, you don't.

- Like you, I can only look
at the evidence before me.

And if there's
reasonable doubt--

- Reasonable doubt
means nothing

to a dead child, Captain.

I'm on the front lines.

I am sometimes the only chance
a child has at survival.

- Better safe
than sorry, right?

- Better alive than dead.
- Then why hide it, Doctor?

Why change the medical records?
Why--why lie to the grand jury?

- Because they didn't have
the capacity

to understand the complexities
of what I'm trying to do!

- No, no, no, you hid it

because you knew
that you were wrong!

And here we are.

- What do you want?
- Oh...

- I'm not interested in seeing
your client go to prison.

But the way I see it,
you got two options here.

Now, you can go forward
with this perjury trial.

You'll get convicted.

Probably gonna do
two to four years.

Your medical license--

that gets terminated
along the way.

Or...

you give up
your medical license now...

no conviction,
no felony record,

and more than likely,

you'll never have to hear
our names again.

- I need to confer privately
with Dr. Allen.

- You've got an hour.

- Does this make
children safer?

Does this help anyone

but the abusers
I've put in prison?

- I don't know, Dr. Allen.
I really don't.

But what I do know...

is that a couple of kids
have a chance

to go home
to their parents now,

parents that love them.

And for that,
my conscience is clear.

How about yours?

- After considering
the newly discovered evidence

in this case,

I am dismissing the charges
against the defendant.

Ms. Langford,
you have my sympathy,

and I apologize for all
that you've gone through.

Adjourned.

- Corinne Langford missed
her son's first steps.

How awful is that?

- All we can do is try
to do the right thing

and, when that doesn't happen,
try to fix it.

You can be proud
of yourself, CJ.

- She's still gonna have
to fight to get him back.

I mean, how--how long
is that gonna take?

- She'll have someone
on the inside...

helping her out.