- 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.
[bell clangs, distant ship horn blares]
[distant siren wailing]
[rap music playing on car stereo]
♪ ♪
- 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?
[tense music]
- 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!
[groaning] 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?
[indistinct chatter]
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?
[shoe thuds]
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.
[bag thuds]
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.
- [sniffles]
- 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... - [sniffles]
- 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.
- [sniffles, voice breaks]
[somber music]
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?
♪ ♪
- [softly] Is it okay if I give you a hug?
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
- [sniffles]
- Oh.
I got you.
♪ ♪
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- 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.
[cell phone vibrates] - 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.
[indistinct chatter over PA]
- 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.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- 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.
[indistinct chatter]
♪ ♪
Marcus Boyd?
- Don't try it, Boyd. - Don't do it.
- No. Come on!
[person groans loudly, indistinct shouting]
- [grunting] Clear the way. - Stop!
NYPD! Give me some room, please!
- Get back! Get back inside! Move!
- Hey! Whoa, stop! Freeze!
[horn blares]
[person screams]
♪ ♪
- Oh, my God, my leg is broken!
- Man, look at you.
Thought you were dead. Lucky duck.
- Help me! - Nah.
- [groaning]
- Okay, we'll call an ambulance...
in a minute.
- [groaning] - [sighs]
- 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.
[video game beeping, whirring over cell phone]
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.
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
[phone beeps] - 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.
♪ ♪
[knock on door]
- 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.
- [crying]
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.
- [sniffles]
- Just until we get all this sorted out.
- [sniffles] - 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.
- [crying]
- 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.
- [sniffles, continues crying]
♪ ♪
- 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.
- [sighs]
- 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.
- [scoffs]
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. [gavel bangs]
♪ ♪
- 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.
♪ ♪
[indistinct chatter, elevator bell dings]
- 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.
[dramatic music]
- How do you know when you're wrong?
- [chuckles] 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.
- [sighs]
♪ ♪
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.
♪ ♪
- [sighs]
- 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.
[sighs] Look...
I'm just trying to do the right thing for Riley
and for whoever else is out there.
♪ ♪
- [sighs]
Hey, CJ, what's-- what's shaking?
- I got a problem.
That doctor, uh...
[sighs] 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.
[dramatic music]
- 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.
[indistinct chatter over PA]
- 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.
[cell doors open, close]
[door buzzing]
- Ms. Langford, I'm CJ Jones--
- I remember who you are.
- Good.
[sighs]
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. [bangs on table]
♪ ♪
I didn't know I was never gonna see him again.
[cries]
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. - [sighs]
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?
[sighs]
- 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.
[knock on door]
- 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. - [chuckles]
- 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.
[chuckles] - 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.
- [sighs]
- 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?
♪ ♪
[door closes]
- 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. [gavel bangs]
♪ ♪
- Corinne Langford missed her son's first steps.
How awful is that? [sniffles]
- 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.
♪ ♪
[wolf howls]