Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 5x7

1. In the criminal justice system,

2. sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous.

3. In New York City, the dedicated detectives

4. who investigate these vicious felonies

5. are members of an elite squad

6. known as the Special Victims Unit.

7. These are their stories.

8. Come in, Central.

9. 10 Post 11.

10. This is Central. Go ahead.

11. Got a 10-10 possible burglary at Momma Sue's Restaurant.

12. Request backup.

13. That's a 10-4.

14. Police!

15. Let me see your hands!

16. Now! Drop the gun!

17. Help me...

18. Drop the piece or I shoot!

19. Please... somebody help me...

20. Wait! Hold it!

21. Over here... please...

22. Someone, someone help me, please...

23. 10 Post 11, assault victim at this location.

24. Need a bus and SVU.

25. You okay, Mrs. Fulton?

26. It's okay.

27. My head...

28. 10-4, Post 11.

29. Bus is on the way.

30. Male, maybe Latino,

31. late teens, dark jacket, some kind of cap.

32. All right, you get a look at his face?

33. Sorry. I was too busy looking at his gun.

34. I understand. Thank you.

35. Hey.

36. Hey. Sorry to wake you up.

37. You didn't.

38. I was helping the twins with a science project.

39. What do we got?

40. The victim is Jennifer Fulton.

41. She owns the restaurant with her husband.

42. Now, the place was closed, but front and rear doors were open.

43. Perp knocked her out and he raped her.

44. She always work this late?

45. Sometimes she closes up, sometimes the husband.

46. The cops know them, so they make a point of checking in—

47. which is what Officer Breggin was doing—

48. when he caught the perp in the act.

49. "B-I-C-H."

50. Did the moron rob the place?

51. Night's take was still in the register.

52. Then either he didn't get to finish the job,

53. or this was personal.

54. Where'd EMS take her?

55. You almost missed her.

56. She lost consciousness and you're releasing her?

57. Mrs. Fulton is insisting she leave.

58. She let you do a rape kit?

59. Yes. We patched her up as best we could.

60. Jennifer, I'm Detective Olivia Benson.

61. This is my partner, Elliot Stabler.

62. Hello. Uh, do I need to sign something?

63. Mrs. Fulton, I'm urging you to let us admit you for the night.

64. Look, Doctor, I'm fine.

65. Honestly. Now just show me where to sign.

66. We just have a few questions

67. we'd like to ask you about what happened.

68. Of course. Jennifer, did you know your attacker?

69. No.

70. Can you describe him?

71. Well, I'm afraid it all happened so quickly.

72. What about his clothes?

73. His race? Had he been drinking?

74. Look, I was in the middle of closing up,

75. and he hit me from behind.

76. I'm sorry, I don't remember anything.

77. Okay, well, why don't you go home and get some rest,

78. and we'll talk to you tomorrow.

79. Look, thank you for your concern,

80. but really, I'm all right.

81. You were assaulted.

82. And I survived.

83. Please, I just want to put this behind me.

84. Captioning sponsored by UNIVERSAL NETWORK TELEVISION

85. The rape kit was negative,

86. but the ER confirmed that Jennifer Fulton was assaulted.

87. Denial is a normal response to trauma.

88. Well, either that or she's scared that the creep will try it again.

89. Look at the graffiti, Captain.

90. He's sending her a message.

91. Well, if she was threatened,

92. could explain why she wouldn't talk.

93. You run this past the Gang Squad?

94. They didn't recognize the tags.

95. Could mean some wanna-be.

96. Or a new recruit trying to make his bones.

97. Well, check with the local precinct,

98. see if the Fultons filed any complaints recently.

99. Talk to CSU— maybe this guy

100. left something besides his bad spelling.

101. O'HALLORAN: We found skin, blood and makeup.

102. That explains the cut on her temple.

103. She fell or was pushed into the counter.

104. Yeah.

105. No security cameras.

106. But what about the paint?

107. Available at any auto shop or hardware store.

108. In other words, O'Halloran, you got zip.

109. Hey, not so hasty, Munch.

110. We're still checking the bar for prints,

111. and we found this by the back door.

112. What is it?

113. Top of a new pack of chewing gum.

114. Not enough to print, but it's something.

115. Why? Anybody could've dropped it.

116. I don't think so.

117. Entryway was mopped right after the restaurant closed.

118. The floor was spotless.

119. Except for this.

120. Okay, kid breaks in,

121. pops a piece of gum to calm his nerves.

122. Could've bought it nearby.

123. He could've bought it in Pittsburgh.

124. We'll check the stores around here first.

125. Liv just called from the two-nine.

126. They've had no complaints from the Fultons

127. about gang harassment, but Jennifer's been in trouble before.

128. What for?

129. Undercover cop caught her serving liquor to a minor.

130. She said it was a mistake; kid looked older than he was.

131. It was her first offense. She paid the fine.

132. Was the kid cited?

133. Yeah. 18-year-old Leon Ardilles.

134. His photo's being faxed over now.

135. Anybody who might want to target the restaurant?

136. Nothing that's come up.

137. Momma Sue's is a restaurant chain out of New Orleans.

138. Jennifer and her husband own the franchise for the West Village.

139. We found the smoking gum.

140. What's he talking about?

141. We pulled the security camera tapes

142. from every convenience store

143. within a ten-block radius of the restaurant.

144. We came up with this.

145. Latino male, late teens.

146. 15 minutes before Officer Breggin came by the restaurant.

147. Store owner know the kid?

148. Nah.

149. Get a printout, canvass the neighborhood.

150. Don't bother.

151. This is Leon Ardilles, our underage drinker.

152. So's that.

153. Did you see the man who attacked you?

154. I'm not sure. It was... it was dark.

155. Take your time, Jen.

156. I think it was him.

157. You ever see him before last night?

158. He looks like the kid

159. that was arrested in our bar

160. for drinking last month.

161. Yeah. He was underage.

162. He had the balls to blame Jen for getting him in trouble.

163. I should have never left you alone to close up.

164. Did you take the night off, Mr. Fulton?

165. Yeah, I had tickets to the Knicks, second row.

166. That was some game. Thought Houston

167. was going to pull it out for them in the fourth.

168. Houston fouled out in the third. What game were you watching?

169. I must be thinking about the game the night before last.

170. Right.

171. Are you going to arrest the punk who attacked my wife?

172. Remember her?

173. Never seen her before.

174. How about I refresh your memory.

175. Cops busted you for drinking in her bar.

176. Doesn't mean I roughed her up.

177. You did the lady,

178. left your tag, even faced down a cop.

179. Only thing we don't get is why a big tough

180. hombre like you had to knock her out

181. before you tried to rape her.

182. Sounds like performance anxiety to me.

183. I swear I didn't touch her.

184. Touched something. Let go of me!

185. That look like orange paint to you?

186. Uh-huh.

187. I might've guessed:

188. NYPD's very own civil rights busters.

189. What do you want, Balthus?

190. Some quality time with my client.

191. Yeah? Sorry.

192. We're taking him to the crime lab.

193. What for?

194. Test the paint on his hands.

195. So this is where you fellas cook the books.

196. Why isn't this in an evidence bag?

197. Because it's my lunch.

198. Oops.

199. Well, look at this: our crime scene.

200. Stay away from there, Balthus.

201. Listen, Munchkins, I can see it now

202. or I can see it in Discovery.

203. O'HALLORAN: Okay, I'll test the sample in the GCMS—

204. Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer.

205. Which will tell you that the paint on Leon's finger

206. matches about a million cans of spray paint.

207. So, there was a glass

208. and an open bottle of wine on the bar,

209. which you then dusted for prints.

210. And whose did you find?

211. Jennifer Fulton.

212. Here's another piece of evidence, a broken wine glass.

213. And what does the report say?

214. "Found in trash behind bar.

215. "Glass wiped clean

216. but two partial prints on base."

217. Mrs. Fulton's, too?

218. No. We're still looking.

219. So, after the restaurant was closed,

220. Mrs. Fulton shared a bottle of wine

221. with some mystery person,

222. who then wiped his prints and left.

223. Leon, did Mrs. Fulton invite you in for a glass of wine?

224. No, ma'am.

225. I didn't think so.

226. The paint's a match.

227. You're cooked, Leon.

228. Okay, I found the door open,

229. I went in and tagged the place.

230. I heard a moan and I saw her lying there.

231. I was gonna help her when the cop came in.

232. Criminal trespassing.

233. I doubt he'll even get probation.

234. Trespass?

235. The little psycho had a gun. Gun? What gun?

236. Did you find a gun? No.

237. I'll see you at arraignment.

238. Not another word.

239. The kid admits he was there, Captain.

240. Officer Breggin swears he was armed.

241. And the victim I.D.'d him. We still got a good case.

242. If you hadn't given his attorney

243. a sneak preview of the forensics.

244. Why the hell did you let her in there?

245. We didn't have a choice.

246. She would've got the evidence in Discovery anyway.

247. Well, we still have to I.D. Mrs. Fulton's mystery boyfriend.

248. Elliot and Olivia are looking at everybody

249. who worked at the restaurant after hours.

250. Give them a hand.

251. May not need one.

252. We checked out her husband Craig.

253. Turns out he took a couple collars for domestic violence.

254. So we got his prints.

255. They're sealed.

256. Cases never made it to court.

257. Jennifer dropped all charges.

258. Doesn't mean Craig assaulted her this time.

259. Yeah, but it may be

260. why they're not living together anymore.

261. Craig moved out six months ago.

262. Then why the loving couple act?

263. Because the restaurant franchise

264. is in both their names.

265. Momma Sue's head office in New Orleans just told me

266. that if the Fultons split up

267. or if they get in any legal trouble,

268. they could lose the restaurant.

269. So they're staying married for the money.

270. Uh, no, there is no money.

271. The head office says that the restaurant's in trouble.

272. The profits are in the toilet.

273. They were thinking of closing the place.

274. That's a recipe for violence.

275. I'll tell you who will have hubby's prints:

276. the State Liquor Authority.

277. Get the lab to run 'em against the partials.

278. And maybe you should ask Jennifer

279. who she shared that romantic bottle of wine with.

280. Why are you questioning me?

281. I thought I was the victim here.

282. Jennifer, the defense is going to dig into your personal life

283. to undermine your case.

284. You've got to tell me everything.

285. I have.

286. Well, you didn't tell me

287. that you and your husband were separated.

288. It's not official. I want a divorce, he doesn't.

289. Look, I really don't want to talk about this.

290. Mrs. Fulton, think about what you're doing.

291. I know what I'm doing.

292. I am trying to keep my life together.

293. If you guys can't help me, please leave me alone.

294. We're on your side.

295. Jennifer, we know that you were attacked.

296. We know that Leon Ardilles had a grudge against you.

297. But did he try to rape you?

298. Jennifer...

299. was it Leon?

300. No. I'm sorry.

301. It wasn't him.

302. It was your husband, wasn't it.

303. He came around after closing,

304. he said he wanted to talk.

305. So you opened a bottle of wine.

306. At first he was civil, then he started

307. accusing me of running the restaurant into the ground.

308. He said that if I divorced him,

309. he'd cut me out of the franchise.

310. I said, "Over my dead body."

311. And he got violent.

312. He ripped my shirt...

313. he shoved his hand between my legs and...

314. said that he could do whatever he wanted to me.

315. I begged him to stop, but he wouldn't,

316. not until I told him I was pregnant

317. and then he let go.

318. And I tried to run and I fell.

319. Are you pregnant?

320. 11 weeks.

321. And Craig's the father.

322. We tried to get back together for the sake of the business.

323. We had sex once or twice, but it didn't work.

324. Obviously the sex worked.

325. Will you testify against him?

326. No, I-I can't...

327. We can protect you.

328. Jennifer...

329. if you let this go again...

330. the next time, he might kill you.

331. You will protect me.

332. Yes.

333. Why are we here?

334. Mrs. Fulton identified Leon Ardilles as her attacker.

335. Yeah. She recanted her I.D.

336. Well, then Mrs. Fulton is an unreliable witness.

337. Who she going to finger next?

338. Your client.

339. You're a liar. I never touched Jen!

340. You beat her up just like you beat her before.

341. And as soon as Forensics puts you at the scene,

342. we're going to throw your ass in jail.

343. No, the only thing that Forensics will prove

344. is that my client was in his own restaurant.

345. Drinking wine with his wife.

346. You didn't wipe all your prints off

347. the glass there, smart guy.

348. You don't have my prints.

349. No, no. The State took them when

350. you got your liquor license. You remember?

351. Craig, don't say anything.

352. No, I want to.

353. Jen was telling the truth.

354. I was at the restaurant.

355. After the Knick game,

356. I went over to talk about saving the business.

357. Jen had been drinking. She wouldn't listen.

358. She told me she had bigger problems, like being pregnant.

359. I lost my temper.

360. Right. And you beat the crap out of her.

361. No! I begged her

362. to stop drinking,

363. if not for her sake, for our kid's.

364. She told me it was none of my business.

365. She went to grab her purse, I tried to get her keys.

366. Must be when her blouse got ripped.

367. Yeah. I grabbed her by the arm, she pulled away.

368. She was unsteady on her feet.

369. She fell and she hit her head.

370. And then you ran out.

371. What a gentleman.

372. Look, I know I should've stayed there with her,

373. but I was afraid

374. she was going to call the cops and blame me.

375. Jennifer is pregnant. Craig doesn't want to put her

376. through the strain of a trial.

377. How noble of him.

378. What kind of deal would you client like to make?

379. He'll take a Serrano plea to Assault Three

380. in exchange for misdemeanor probation.

381. Get real, Nikki.

382. I won't accept a no contest plea for attempted rape

383. when your client has a history

384. of domestic violence.

385. Jennifer dropped all charges.

386. I have a confession.

387. I have a complainant. I'm going to trial.

388. With what? You've zero

389. medical evidence of a rape

390. and your complainant first blamed her attack

391. on a disadvantaged kid.

392. Not to mention the fact

393. that she drinks while she's pregnant.

394. That makes it okay to beat her up?

395. That was an accident.

396. He was protecting his unborn child.

397. I get this in front of a jury, he'll probably be acquitted.

398. Fulton takes the plea and agrees to a restraining order

399. barring him from contact with Jennifer.

400. Any harassment and I will lock him up.

401. You made a deal with that idiot?

402. I take him to trial, I'm not sure I'd win.

403. So what will it take to convince you?

404. Broken bones? Or maybe a dead body?

405. Jennifer Fulton didn't exactly help her case

406. by fingering the wrong guy.

407. Oh, so now rape victims have to be perfect

408. before you'll bother to prosecute the rapist?

409. I prosecute cases I have a chance at winning.

410. Well, hang around

411. 'cause you'll be prosecuting him for murder.

412. The number one cause of death

413. among pregnant women is homicide,

414. usually at the hands of their partners.

415. Craig Fulton goes within 200 yards of Jennifer,

416. he's in jail.

417. Oh, great, that'll stop him.

418. Let's go give her the good news.

419. I can't believe you're letting him go.

420. He pled out to sexual assault.

421. That will be on his record.

422. And that's a punishment? After nearly killing me?

423. You promised you'd protect me.

424. If he comes near you again, if he threatens you in any way,

425. we will arrest him.

426. Can you be by my side

427. 24 hours a day?

428. I wish I'd never listened to you.

429. You think you've had enough, there, Jennifer?

430. I know what's enough, okay?

431. Please don't lecture me.

432. I'd like you to go.

433. Jennifer, I know that we let you down,

434. but if you need help, we can recommend counselors.

435. I don't need counseling.

436. You know alcohol's not good for the baby.

437. I'm not having the baby.

438. If you need me,

439. this is my home number.

440. Hello?

441. Yeah, yeah, it's me.

442. He did what?

443. Where are you?

444. I'm really sorry.

445. I shouldn't have dragged you out

446. in the middle of the night.

447. That's okay, Jennifer.

448. Just tell me what happened.

449. A woman came in just before we closed.

450. She said she had something for my husband.

451. She gave me this.

452. It's a temporary restraining order.

453. Yeah, to stop me from having an abortion.

454. I have to go to court tomorrow.

455. Can he really do this?

456. No, he can't.

457. Not unless someone re-wrote New York State law overnight.

458. So I can ignore it?

459. You've been served, you have to appear.

460. Even if the restraining order

461. has no legal standing?

462. I'm afraid so.

463. He can just drag me into court,

464. parade me around in public any time he wants?

465. Don't worry.

466. New York recognizes a woman's right to privacy.

467. Even a pro-lifer like Judge Rebard will have

468. to dismiss the order.

469. How did Craig manage to get his case heard before Rebard?

470. I was wondering that myself.

471. I think I know the answer:

472. Felicity Bradshaw.

473. She's a well-known pro-life attorney.

474. Defends anti-abortion activists, even clinic bombers.

475. She's connected enough to get this

476. on Judge Rebard's calendar.

477. But you can stop him, can't you?

478. I'm an Assistant District Attorney.

479. I can't fight this for you.

480. But I can recommend someone who will— Lorna Scarry.

481. I thought she only handled Wall Street embezzlers.

482. She salves her conscience

483. by doing pro bono work for women's groups.

484. I've been up against her twice.

485. She wiped the floor with me both times.

486. Aside from the fact it has no validity under the law,

487. this order is a blatant attempt by Mr. Fulton

488. to harass and intimidate his wife.

489. My client can't even manage his own restaurant

490. because of his wife's restraining order.

491. He has to come to the court

492. just to discuss business with her.

493. Don't try to use me

494. as a marriage counselor, Mrs. Bradshaw.

495. I'm not, Your Honor.

496. Mr. Fulton wants to prevent

497. the termination of his child,

498. but he fully acknowledges

499. the burdens that this would impose upon his wife.

500. He's willing to fund alcohol rehabilitation...

501. What is she talking about?

502. I'm not an alcoholic.

503. Mrs. Fulton, please.

504. What kind of lies have you been telling her?

505. Mr. Fulton will pay for alcohol rehabilitation

506. and provide financial support for his wife

507. during her pregnancy, and take custody

508. of the child after it's born.

509. Ms. Scarry, does your client wish for time

510. to consider this offer?

511. Not in a million years. He doesn't even like children.

512. We are impressed by Mr. Fulton's generosity, Your Honor,

513. but we know he's broke.

514. Where will the funding come from?

515. A group I'm associated with, Agnus Dei,

516. would happily pay for Mrs. Fulton's rehabilitation.

517. That group is a well-known

518. religious organization, Your Honor.

519. Now they're trying to re-write the Constitution

520. and erode my client's reproductive rights.

521. Ms. Scarry, you should be aware

522. that Apnus Dei also has a Constitutional right

523. to express their beliefs.

524. Nonetheless, the order to prevent a termination

525. has no standing under the law.

526. The case is dismissed.

527. Mrs. Fulton, I know that you

528. and your husband are at war,

529. but before you hurry off to the clinic, ask yourself:

530. does your child have to become an innocent casualty?

531. He has no right to dispense personal advice.

532. The decision to terminate the pregnancy

533. is yours alone, Jennifer.

534. Jen! Jen! Jennifer, I'm sorry.

535. I really am.

536. Walk away, Mr. Fulton.

537. You're still under a restraining order.

538. I was just trying to help, that's all I was trying to do.

539. It got out of hand.

540. You've wanted a baby for so long.

541. Please, don't do this just to punish me!

542. Back off or I will arrest you.

543. Craig, that's enough.

544. Jennifer, do not let him get to you.

545. He only wants you to keep this child

546. so he can have control over you.

547. I'm going to have the baby.

548. Because of what he just said?

549. No, because

550. it's what I really want.

551. It's a decision only you can make

552. I wish you the best.

553. I'm sorry for getting you into this.

554. Do you really want to keep this child?

555. Yes, more than anything.

556. Maybe you should still talk to a counselor

557. so that you're fully informed.

558. Do you know anyone?

559. If the mom has seven or more drinks a week

560. or four or more drinks on any one occasion,

561. her child could be born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

562. Do you know what that is?

563. Uh, sort of.

564. No, not really.

565. Children with FAS can have abnormal facial features,

566. along with growth and neurological problems.

567. They can also

568. have problems with memory, speech and hearing.

569. So, if Jennifer stops drinking now,

570. will the baby be all right?

571. I'm afraid

572. there's a slight chance it won't be.

573. We know that heavy drinking in the first trimester

574. can cause the physical characteristics of FAS.

575. So exactly how much alcohol is safe?

576. Even moderate social drinkers

577. can have children with alcohol-related problems.

578. So to be safe, we say no alcohol.

579. Okay, so I'm a moderate social drinker.

580. Tell me the truth. What's my risk?

581. Put a number on it.

582. I can't.

583. We don't know why one fetus is born with FAS,

584. while another with a similar exposure to alcohol

585. is born healthy.

586. All I can say is that if you plan to have the baby,

587. stop drinking now.

588. Get help if you need it, but stop.

589. Thanks for coming with me.

590. It's no problem.

591. You want to talk, call me.

592. I'll be okay.

593. Olivia, I mean it.

594. I'm going to clean up my act.

595. See you later.

596. Jen, can I talk to you for a second?

597. No, wh-what are you doing?

598. Well, Craig wanted me to come by and...

599. Police, show me your hands!

600. Jen, get back in the car.

601. Okay, okay.

602. Tell her I'm family, man.

603. Come on, tell her.

604. Tell her I'm family.

605. You know this guy?

606. It's Craig's brother.

607. What do you want?

608. Craig just said to give Jen this.

609. Another court order.

610. Doesn't this worm give up?

611. Josh, you better go.

612. What now?

613. He's brought an action against you in Family Court

614. for derivative neglect.

615. What the hell does that mean?

616. That you're a threat to your baby.

617. He wants the statee JHe

618. to lock you up, to make you stop drinking.

619. She's having an abortion, so Craig takes her to court.

620. She decides to have the baby,

621. and again he drags her into court.

622. What the hell does this guy want?

623. Power over Jennifer. He's a control freak.

624. Yeah, a clever control freak.

625. Family Court has to act in the interests of the child,

626. whether it's born or unborn.

627. Well, you know, Liv,

628. even if Jennifer loses this case,

629. what's the worst thing that can happen?

630. She goes to rehab.

631. Which will help her and the kid, and I don't see a problem there.

632. Aren't you overlooking something?

633. Her husband tried to rape her,

634. and yet she's the one being treated like a criminal.

635. And what do you call a mother who drinks when she's pregnant,

636. even though she knows it can hurt her baby?

637. She's not drinking now, and even if she was,

638. the fact is, it's not a crime.

639. Whatever we think doesn't matter.

640. This isn't a Special Victims case anymore,

641. so we should move on.

642. Captain, she's still a victim.

643. Craig would say his unborn child

644. is the victim.

645. Craig left his pregnant wife bleeding on the floor.

646. He doesn't give a damn about that child.

647. He's only using it as leverage to attack Jennifer.

648. Just like he's using the courts to harass her.

649. So, what do you want to do, Olivia?

650. I want to keep an eye on him,

651. and make sure that his harassment

652. doesn't turn into something criminal.

653. Think he'd be that stupid?

654. If he got angry enough, yeah.

655. No one disputes Ms. Fulton

656. is a well-meaning professional

657. who wants what's best for her child,

658. but good intentions have not protected her baby

659. from her drinking.

660. Platitudes aside,

661. Ms. Bradshaw is trying to give a 12-week old fetus

662. rights which no court in the land

663. would acknowledge.

664. If the fetus can't survive outside the womb,

665. it's not a person under the law.

666. Surgeons can operate on a fetus at 18 weeks.

667. If a fetus can be a patient,

668. how can it not be a person?

669. Because in such procedures

670. the mother is the patient,

671. and her consent is required.

672. Counselors, let's stick to the law.

673. Ms. Scarry

674. chooses to forget that New York law does give the fetus

675. rights as a person in cases of homicide and negligence.

676. Gloria C. versus William C. and New York versus

677. Sierra K.

678. The court institutionalized Sierra K.

679. because she was a crack addict who had given birth

680. to five addicted babies and was pregnant with her sixth.

681. My client has had no children

682. and has no record of parental neglect.

683. Furthermore, crack is an illegal drug.

684. My client's social drinking

685. is perfectly legal.

686. Your client is an alcoholic.

687. That's enough, Ms. Bradshaw.

688. Can you prove Mrs. Fulton's drinking

689. is putting her child at risk?

690. Affidavits from Jennifer's colleagues and teachers

691. attesting to her lifelong addiction to alcohol.

692. I can present eyewitnesses,

693. including Mrs. Fulton's husband and Detective Benson

694. who both have observed Jennifer drinking since she's known

695. she was pregnant.

696. Your Honor, now that she's aware

697. of the possible harmful effects of alcohol on her baby,

698. Jennifer has pledged to stop drinking.

699. She has no record

700. of erratic behavior, no DUI citations.

701. She's a hard-working woman being pursued by an abusive,

702. vindictive husband

703. and his ideologically motivated lawyer.

704. Your Honor...

705. I know your position, Counselor.

706. I will review the materials,

707. and I will decide if I want to hear any witnesses.

708. We're adjourned.

709. How'd it go?

710. Okay. Bradshaw's really stretching the case law.

711. And how's Jennifer?

712. She's hanging in there,

713. but Bradshaw's been digging up dirt.

714. Hubby's come up with some witnesses,

715. including me.

716. This bastard's going to do anything to win.

717. Scarry said it'd be a good idea

718. to check these people out, do some damage control.

719. We just got six names. Let's split 'em up.

720. Thanks.

721. Elliot, did Cathy drink when she was pregnant?

722. Glass of wine every now and then. Why?

723. I've been reading this FAS literature.

724. Did you know that even one night's drinking

725. can cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?

726. I didn't know that.

727. Guess we just got lucky.

728. Right, but knowing that now, if she got pregnant again,

729. would you let her?

730. If Cathy got pregnant again, I'd shoot myself.

731. Seriously, look, she gave me four healthy kids.

732. I trust her to make her own decision.

733. That's it.

734. Thanks.

735. I haven't seen Jenny in 20 years,

736. and now you're the second person this week

737. that's asking about her.

738. Really? Who else was here?

739. Uh, her husband.

740. He wanted to surprise her for her birthday

741. with some stories about her school days.

742. Yeah. What'd you tell him?

743. Ooh, just that she was a good student,

744. very bright, and, uh...

745. some nights she had a wild side.

746. How would you define "wild side"?

747. Oh, she was young,

748. she liked to push the boundaries, and, uh...

749. mm, sometimes she came to class drunk.

750. School suspend her?

751. Not exactly.

752. She-she took the semester off.

753. You know, I really shouldn't be telling you this.

754. Ms. Dunne...

755. her husband's a liar.

756. He's just trying to hurt her in court.

757. I need to know everything that you told him.

758. I-I didn't tell him why she left school.

759. Please tell me.

760. She was pregnant.

761. I helped her to find a home

762. for unwed mothers.

763. She came to me because

764. she had no one else to turn to.

765. Her mother didn't care, and her father had disappeared.

766. What happened to the baby?

767. Oh, she gave it up for adoption.

768. That was the end of it?

769. About four years later,

770. the adoption agency contacted me.

771. They... Jenny had given them my name, and they said that, uh,

772. they had lost touch with her, and they needed to find her.

773. They say why?

774. No.

775. I told them where to contact her,

776. and that was the last I heard.

777. Lily?

778. There are some people here to see you.

779. Hello, Lily.

780. I'm Elliot, this is my friend, Olivia.

781. Hi, Elliot, hi, Olivia.

782. Do you want to play cards with us?

783. Heck, yeah. Whatcha playing?

784. Go Fish.

785. Ah, that's my game. Deal me in.

786. My wife and I adopted Lily

787. about 17 years ago.

788. And when did you notice that something was wrong?

789. Oh, we started to notice

790. when she was about three.

791. She was having coordination problems,

792. and she seemed slower than kids her age.

793. We thought it might help to find out

794. her parents' medical history.

795. So you contacted the birth mother?

796. The adoption agency's records were a mess,

797. but we found out through a former teacher an address.

798. We wrote, we phoned, but... nobody answered.

799. You should have told us, Jennifer.

800. I didn't think it mattered.

801. I mean, I was just a kid.

802. Your daughter's adoptive parents

803. tried to contact you.

804. Why didn't you respond?

805. I'd given up my baby.

806. I couldn't bear to go through all that pain again.

807. So you just put her out of your mind.

808. No! No, never.

809. Not a day goes by that I don't think about her

810. and pray that her family loves her.

811. They do.

812. You've seen her?

813. Yes,

814. and we think that you should, too.

815. Her name is Lily, and she's a sweet, loving kid.

816. She has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

817. Oh, God.

818. What if this baby has it, too?

819. Well, I called the FAS

820. counselor, and she said in families where a child

821. already has FAS,

822. the chances of a sibling having it go up dramatically.

823. Please don't tell anyone about this.

824. Don't tell anyone about Lily.

825. I'm sorry, but we're officers of the law.

826. We can't keep this information from the court.

827. Initially, I felt the mother's rights

828. in this case were being unfairly eroded,

829. but the new information we have about Jennifer's first child

830. and the significant extra risk this poses to the fetus

831. has made me change my mind.

832. Under Article Ten of the Family Court Act,

833. I find the fetus is at risk of derivative neglect.

834. Jennifer Fulton, you are to abstain from alcohol

835. for the duration of your pregnancy,

836. and you are to present yourself in the next 24 hours

837. for counseling and out-patient treatment

838. at an alcohol rehabilitation center.

839. It's late. What do you want?

840. To tell you I'm sorry

841. that things worked out like this.

842. Oh, is that supposed to make me feel better?

843. I doubt it will.

844. I was trying to help you.

845. What, you planning on running my restaurant

846. while I'm in rehab?

847. Jennifer, you're going to be an out-patient.

848. You can work out a schedule.

849. Oh, you always have

850. all the answers, don't you, Olivia?

851. Are you okay?

852. Yeah. Couldn't be better.

853. Jennifer, are you drinking?

854. No, give it back!

855. What is this, rum?

856. Do you have any idea what you're doing to yourself?

857. Yeah, and I have every right to do it!

858. And what about your baby?

859. You promised me that you'd stop, and I believed you.

860. I went to bat for you.

861. I didn't ask you to.

862. Yes, you did.

863. This is none of

864. your damn business! It i my business.

865. I'm a cop, and you're violating a court order.

866. Oh, get over yourself.

867. I'd like to see you handle being pregnant!

868. Jennifer Fulton, you're under arrest

869. for criminal contempt of court.

870. No. Olivia, no, please!

871. You have the right to remain silent.

872. Anything you say can and will be held...

873. No, please, don't do this to me, please!

874. Congratulations. You've got your cops

875. hauling pregnant women out

876. of their homes in the middle of the night.

877. Detective Benson showed a concern for Mrs. Fulton

878. above and beyond the call of duty.

879. I am sitting here

880. because of her concern for me?

881. Look, we're not here to fight.

882. I came to offer a deal.

883. What kind of deal?

884. If Jennifer pleads guilty,

885. I'll ask for a suspended sentence pending

886. the successful completion of her pregnancy

887. in an alcohol treatment facility.

888. In other words,

889. she's not going to court,

890. but you're going to lock her up anyway.

891. It's a residential facility.

892. It's not a prison.

893. You're depriving her of her liberty.

894. And sending a message to every troubled pregnant woman

895. that she should avoid doctors, hospitals, health workers,

896. and above all, the police,

897. or she, too, might end up in jail.

898. That's a ludicrous exaggeration.

899. Not from where my client is sitting.

900. Jennifer, we're trying to do

901. what's best for you and your baby.

902. You're going to have to trust us.

903. I did trust you, Olivia.

904. The best way out of this is to take the deal.

905. No.

906. I'm not taking any more advice from you or her.

907. I want my day in court.

908. Jennifer,

909. how did you end up here in this court?

910. Your Honor, what's the relevance?

911. Get to where you're going, Ms. Scarry.

912. I believe it all started

913. because your husband attempted to rape you?

914. Yes.

915. And then he joined forces with an anti-abortion group

916. and took you to court?

917. They wanted to stop me from terminating my pregnancy.

918. I realized I wanted a child,

919. and that I was incredibly lucky to have the chance to have one.

920. But after you agreed

921. to your husband's request not to terminate the pregnancy,

922. he took you to court again,

923. this time alleging you were an unfit mother.

924. Yes.

925. Because of my drinking.

926. So,

927. these last few weeks

928. of your life include an attempted rape,

929. multiple court appearances, and now you're on trial

930. after having been arrested in your own home.

931. Jennifer, if you had not been subjected

932. to this level of harassment, would you need to drink?

933. No.

934. How do you know?

935. Objection.

936. Calls for speculation.

937. Answer the question, Mrs. Fulton.

938. I drink when I'm under stress.

939. If my husband would leave me alone,

940. I wouldn't need alcohol.

941. And will do everything you can to ensure your child is healthy?

942. Yes. I will.

943. Jennifer,

944. do you believe

945. you can control your alcohol addiction?

946. Yes, I do.

947. You weren't able to go 24 hours

948. without breaking the Family Court's ruling.

949. I was under a lot

950. of stress.

951. You're pregnant.

952. That stress isn't

953. going to go away.

954. Can you guarantee

955. that you won't have another lapse?

956. Yes.

957. How?

958. Alcoholism is a disease.

959. It's not something that can be switched on and off.

960. I know

961. I can control it.

962. How can you, Jennifer?

963. Because I love my baby.

964. I'm not going to hurt it.

965. You say that, but you still drank.

966. I'm telling you, I love my child.

967. I do!

968. The People's argument

969. makes perfect sense.

970. If the mother has a drinking problem,

971. why not give her treatment

972. so her behavior doesn't harm her unborn child?

973. Everything in me as a wife and a mother agrees

974. with the urge to protect the fetus.

975. Then why does this Family Court order make me so afraid?

976. Because if you follow the Court's line of thinking

977. to its inevitable conclusion,

978. then every pregnant woman could be monitored

979. by the State.

980. Today, it's alcohol, but what's next, driving?

981. She could get into an accident.

982. Prescription meds— all those side effects.

983. Dieting— the baby might suffer.

984. In fact, why not prohibit every activity

985. which could harm the fetus?

986. If you give the fetus rights

987. to the extent the Family Court demands,

988. then all you women here must be prepared

989. to lose your own rights.

990. And where will it end?

991. With you as nothing more than child-bearing receptacles

992. with no right to privacy

993. and no right to control your own bodies.

994. Jennifer Fulton is here

995. because she ignored a court order not to drink.

996. Now, she's promised not to drink again

997. and to attend an out-patient facility.

998. But she's broken these promises before.

999. So, how can she guarantee that she won't break them again?

1000. She can't.

1001. Now, you've been asked to consider the mother's rights,

1002. but don't forget about the rights of the child,

1003. the child Jennifer wants to have.

1004. Doesn't that child have the right to be born healthy?

1005. Or must it suffer its entire life

1006. just to uphold the mother's right to do

1007. whatever she wants with her body?

1008. Now, you know

1009. Jennifer can't help herself, so I'm asking you to help her

1010. by finding her guilty.

1011. Yes, she will be locked up,

1012. but she will also be given, at State expense,

1013. the treatment that she needs

1014. to ensure the safe delivery of her baby.

1015. Well, isn't that what everyone here wants?

1016. Ladies and gentlemen

1017. of the jury, have you reached a verdict?

1018. We have, Your Honor.

1019. On the charge of criminal contempt

1020. of court, how do you find?

1021. We find

1022. the defendant not guilty.

1023. Mrs. Fulton,

1024. I'm sure you understand

1025. the Family Court ruling still applies.

1026. You will present yourself for treatment tomorrow morning,

1027. or you will find yourself in court again.

1028. This court is adjourned.

1029. Whatcha doing?

1030. I came to see my daughter.

1031. How did you know I was here?

1032. Lily's dad called me.

1033. He said that a woman was outside his house

1034. for hours, watching.

1035. I knew it was you.

1036. They didn't find me guilty in court

1037. 'cause they didn't want to lock me up.

1038. But I am guilty.

1039. What if I've damaged this baby, too?

1040. What if she's like Lily?

1041. Why don't you talk to Lily?

1042. I can't.

1043. That's why you came, isn't it?

1044. Jennifer, it's okay.

1045. I told them who you are.

1046. And they said to come over.

1047. Talk

1048. to Lily.

1049. Come on.

1050. I'll wait for you.

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1052. and NBC