Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 16, Episode 2 - American Disgrace - full transcript

NARRATOR: 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.

BAUER: With us today, the
greatest basketball player ever.

He retired three years ago, and his
legacy has only grown in his absence.

Ladies and gentleman,
the one and the only,

Shakir "the Shark" Wilkins.

As my daughter mentioned,



today is a very special
day at Orion Bay.

Today we are announcing the worst
kept secret in the garment industry.

Shakir's contract
has been renewed.

He's not only a great warrior,

he's an even greater role model,

and he will always be a
part of our Orion Bay family.

Shakir.

(APPLAUDING CONTINUES)

Thank you, Mr. Bauer.

It's an honor,

a privilege,

and one hell of a
payday. (CHUCKLING)

CORDELIA: We'll take questions
now. We'll start with Al Trautwig.

Sup? Hey.



Shakir looks... Good. Right.

FIN: Most of those guys get
a little chubby after they retire.

I swear I didn't have a gambling
problem till he left the game.

I never lost a dollar
betting on him.

MAN ON TV: Amazing
player, great skills.

That's my boy!

Nice job. Thank you, sir.

Well, I don't
understand. Where is it?

What's going on, honey?

Shakir's driver's gone AWOL.

Well, Uber it.

Carla can go with.

Um, can't someone else do that?

Is there a problem?

Shakir,

Carla will get you
out of here. Let's go.

Hi, yes... Hey, Shakir,

let me get one more
shot of you! Hey, Shakir!

(INAUDIBLE)

Get off of me! You
can't shut me up.

I'm not your thot. You
can't just make this go away.

He knows what he did! Carla.

Carla! That's enough! What,
your life just gets to go on, huh?

More money? More
fame? No responsibility?

Get her out of here! Get
her out of here! Get off of me!

What the hell she talking
about? Let's go! Dad, let's go!

Let's go! Please.

CARLA: You can't shut
me up. I'm not your thot!

You can't make this go
away. What's going on?

Uh, breaking news at Orion
Bay. You know Shakir Wilkins?

Ah, America's hero? Yeah.

Not anymore...

Get your hands off of me!

He's not a role model.
He's a rapist. He raped me!

He raped me! When
did this happen?

Half an hour ago. You
want me to talk to this girl?

Where are Fin and
Rollins? At a working lunch.

Get 'em back in here.

(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)

Do I have to talk about this?

Well, we have a video of
you attacking Shakir. So,

if he presses charges,
this might help.

If he presses charges?
He assaulted me.

It didn't look that
way on the tape.

She's not talking about today.

Are you, Carla?

No.

I'm talking about Memorial Day.

Three months ago?

Carla, why don't
you have a seat?

Um...

A summer kick-off
in the Hamptons.

I drove Shakir back to
the city and he invited me

to his hotel for a nightcap.

At the bar,

or did you go to his room?

The last thing I remember

was having a drink
with him at the hotel bar.

One drink.

I woke up in his room.

In his bed, naked and sore.

Did you go to the
hospital afterwards, or

call a doctor?

No.

What was I gonna do? I mean,

I don't remember anything.

What made you decide
to confront him today,

at a... At a press event?

There was a problem
with his car, and so

I was told to get
Shakir back to his hotel.

It triggered me.

Look, this is a mistake, okay? There's
nothing that you guys can do about it.

I'm probably gonna
lose my job as it is...

Hold on, hold on. One sec.

What do you mean by that?

Lose your job? Are you serious?

Shakir Wilkins is
the face of Orion Bay.

It's like peeing
on Mt. Rushmore.

I mean, Mr. Bauer
said it back then,

"No good can come from this."

You told Mr. Bauer
about the rape?

Yes. He said that
maybe I was confused,

or that...

My feelings were hurt because
Shakir didn't send flowers.

Mr. Bauer said that if I kept
the conversation between us,

he'd recommend a bonus every
time that my name came up.

And Carla, can you...

Prove that?

Last week I got $5,000.

BAUER: There's really
nothing to talk about.

Girls throw themselves
at Shakir all the time,

why would he need
to rape somebody?

I know what you mean,
but isn't it possible you

were also trying to protect
your company's image?

My father volunteered
to speak with you.

We actually prefer to
speak to witnesses, uh,

without family members present.

Cordelia is not just my VP,

she's also my
lawyer. So she stays.

Wanna tell us about the
bonus you gave Carla?

There were no
payments of any kind.

And what about the
extra $5,000 last week?

Was that a
performance incentive?

Orion Bay is a family.

We take care of each other.

When she came to me, she said that
she did not remember all the details.

But she's a good kid.

Maybe she got a little drunk.

I just... I didn't want
any hard feelings.

The problem is,

it looks like you're
covering up a rape.

My father is blameless here.

An unstable employee
made unsupported allegations.

If she thought she was raped, why
didn't she report that to the police?

She has now.

Shakir is like a son to me.

He would not do
something like this.

Let me talk to the boy,
I'll see what he has to say.

ROLLINS: Don't do that.

It's an official
police investigation.

So any conversation
you have with Shakir,

either of you, could be
misconstrued as conspiracy.

SHAKIR: All right, let's go, let's
go! Snap that wrist! Come on.

Let's see that crossover. Whaddya
got, whaddya got? Come on!

There you go. There you go!

Next time, next time,
let's go. Keep it going.

Whaddya got, whaddya
got, whaddya got?

There you go,
good job. Good job!

Come on, let's go,
let's go, let's go! Shakir,

can we talk to you for a minute?

Yeah. All right, keep it going,
guys! Keep it going, I'll be right there.

We just need to ask
you a few questions.

Is this about Carla?

Look, she obviously
has emotional problems.

But look, I don't wanna
press any charges.

That's not what this is about.

She's accusing you
of rape, Mr. Wilkins.

Look, like I said, she has
emotional problems and

I hope she gets
the help she needs.

ROLLINS: Hmm.

And how long have you known her?

Girls like that come and go with
the company. What... Maybe a year?

But you spent Memorial
Day with her, right?

Um, she drove you
back to your hotel?

Yeah, yeah. Uh, my
town car over-heated and,

and she drove me
back into the city.

To your hotel. Did
anything happen?

We had a drink at the bar,
a bite to eat. Then she left.

And that's it? Yeah.

Because, um,

she says you drugged her, you took her
back up to your room, and you raped her.

That's insane.
That did not happen.

The why would she say it did?

But this, this... This is
nothing but a shakedown.

She came at you for money? No.

But she will. I'm going
through a divorce right now,

a custody battle. It's in the
papers. She knows about it.

Yeah, we get that.

I feel badly for this girl.

I'm trying not to overreact here,
but if anyone was assaulted,

it was me in that elevator.

You wanna press charges then?

You know, maybe I should talk to my
lawyer at this point, to protect myself.

Okay? In the meantime, I
have to get back to these kids.

Shakir, how long
you gonna be in town?

A few more events.
Just for the week.

Okay, because if you leave,

you need to tell us
where you're going.

Look, something set Carla off.

It happened three months ago.

But she waits until all the
hotel video's been erased

and she's got a
lobby full of press?

She's putting on a show
for the security cameras.

Shakir thinks it's a shakedown,
he's going through a divorce...

Come on, guys. I don't
want to hear that women lie

and that Shakir is a hero, and he
never could have done such a thing.

This is SVU, and we
take disclosures seriously.

Copy that, Sergeant.
But for what it's worth,

Shakir's been a public
figure for what, 20 years?

There's never been a
whisper about anything like this.

It's just, like, coming
out of nowhere.

And this girl can't remember any
details. (CELL PHONE CHIMES)

Exactly. Guys,

we've had cases where
athletes drug women.

Rollins, are you
with us? Uh, yeah.

It was my old
captain in Atlanta.

A girl down there claims

that, uh, Shakir did the same thing
to her, after seeing him on the news.

Oh, they're piling on now, huh?

Okay, so go get on a
plane and talk to the girl.

And, uh, don't let your
hero worship blind you.

Will do.

Maybe I'll check in on
my mom while I'm there.

CAPTAIN REYNOLDS: So, you
gonna see your mom while you're here?

No.

I don't know.

Tell me about this victim.

Well, I don't know
that she is one.

She claims Shakir Wilkins
raped her over six months ago.

No outcry, no physical evidence.

We're not pursuing. Okay, so...

Why'd you call me?

Thought you'd want to know.

Maybe I just wanted an excuse.

Are you and your
wife separated again?

This time it's for good.

Little girl's in college, so...

You up for a beer later?

I gotta take a
rain-check on that.

I gotta catch the five o'clock
today back to New York.

They work you hard up there.

Well, next time.

Hey, is... Is the
Deputy Chief in?

You just missed him.

He said he knew you were
coming and he sends his regards.

Hmm.

I was Shakir's
stylist on a shoot.

I was thrilled to meet him.

At first.

Tell me what
happened, Macie-Lynn.

He invited me to
his hotel after...

We had some wine.

And the next thing I remember,

I was in his bed,

naked.

He raped me, just
like that other girl said.

Did you tell anyone?

No.

Atlanta's a small
town. People talk. Yeah,

they do.

So I, um,

I called Mr. Bauer.

I'd met him at some
events down here, and

he told me the same thing
that captain out there said.

That no good will come
from making a complaint.

Um,

did Mr. Bauer offer any

kind of other help, at all?

He said he didn't
want hard feelings,

so if I could let it go,
he'd see to it I got a bonus.

I support my family. My...
My daddy lost his job, I...

I needed the money.

So I gave this
Marcie girl 5 grand.

She had no memory
of what happened.

It was the same
cockamamie story Carla told.

But you hadn't heard
Carla's story yet.

And Macie-Lynn
was six months ago.

Well, I may have the
timeline confused...

My father runs a
multi-billion dollar company,

fielding hundreds of emails
and phone calls a day.

You can't expect him to remember

who said what, when. FIN: Yeah,

but you'd remember if someone
else came to you about Shakir, right?

How's that? Mr. Bauer,

you're looking at
witness bribery.

Think hard.

CORDELIA: Okay,
actually, we are done here.

Dad? No. No, no, no.

There was a gold digger.

A black girl. Works in retail.

I didn't believe
a word she said.

ROLLINS: Hey, you're Tiana?
We need to talk to you about Shakir.

This about that girl who
went off on him in the elevator?

Mmm-hmm.

I... I like working here. I
don't want no part of this.

So you think if you talk to the
police, you're gonna lose your job?

Mr. Bauer says Shakir
is the golden goose.

A role model for my community.

Look around. We all have
our jobs because of Shakir.

I'm on a store
manager track here.

And he told you that
after you went to him?

Mr. Bauer sent us here.

He did?

Listen, honey, from
personal experience,

pretending something didn't
happen doesn't make it go away.

I'm sorry, who are
we talking about now?

Tiana Raynes.
Sharkwear salesgirl.

SHAKIR: And she
kept her panties?

Yeah, there was semen
on them and her dress.

Better than an autograph.

When does she
allege this took place?

You were in her store for a
March Madness event, Mr. Wilkins?

I was everywhere
for March Madness.

Sixteen cities in sixteen days.

This was in the
Sharkwear flagship store.

Tiana took a selfie with,
uh, with you and your cut-out.

That's her, that's the dress.

Okay, she met him.

She says he did more than that.

So we are gonna need a
DNA sample today, Mr. Wilkins.

Just a minute. Shakir
and... No, no look,

I wanna be totally
straight here.

I was in a bad place.

I'd just lost my marriage.

My wife and I separated on
New Year's, and yes, I've been...

Dating since.

And you "dated" Tiana Raynes?

No, hooked up.

One time, after hours
in a... A dressing room.

And it was her idea.
That's not her story.

She told me you drugged her,
and she woke up the next morning,

in the store, her dress stained.

She says this now,
five months later?

And she just happened
to save the panties?

This is well-timed blackmail.

Look, she's lying
about the rape.

Yeah, like Carla. Hmm?

Like Macie-Lynn?

They all say that you
bought them a drink, and

the next thing they
remember they were naked

and they had been violated.

They are lying, too! About what?

Tiana's lying about being raped,

but you did have sex with her.

And the other two, they're
lying about everything?

Okay, okay. I don't know
what's going on here.

But Carla and the
other one... Macie-Lynn?

I may have had
sex with them also.

COUNSELOR CALHOUN:
And if you did, it was consensual.

Isn't that right, Shakir?

Yes. absolutely.

So I wasn't all warm
and cuddly afterwards.

I like sleeping alone.

You know, spending the night, spooning, it's
not a part of the Shakir Wilkins Experience.

Can't blame you there.

Now, by the way, do you have a
prescription for Ambien or Xanax?

Yes, of course I do.

I can't sleep most nights because
my wife is trying to take my son.

And that's why I
couldn't admit to the sex.

She will crucify me with
it in the custody battle.

You've got bigger problems
than a custody battle, Mr. Wilkins.

Okay, now Shakir is saying he
did have sex with all three of them?

Let me guess, it was consensual.

It's possible.

I had two girls claim
their dad molested them

just to get him to pay
their student loans off.

No rape kits, no
outcry at the time.

Barba's really gonna
go forward with this?

Give it a rest, guys.

I mean, I didn't want
to believe it either,

but we've got three
consistent stories,

and there's no evidence that
the women compared notes.

They may just be after money.
They already got it from Bauer.

To keep quiet about
being assaulted.

BENSON: You want
an outcry witness?

Bauer's your guy. Good luck.

You think Orion Bauer's
gonna tank Shakir?

I'm predicting health problems.
Mini-stroke or something.

We have him on witness bribery
charges. That gives us leverage.

In the meantime, let's
vet the three complainants.

Money issues,
personal histories,

and any previous
false accusations.

No, no. I won't
testify against Shakir.

It's not just the
money, he's been loyal.

Have you read his autobiography?

I don't even know
if he's read it. But

the point is, he's
an inspiring story.

Hey, Dad, listen, we're
on their court now, all right?

Let us listen to what
they have to say.

Mr. Bauer,

we've got three credible
vics with consistent stories.

You're an outcry witness
in all three cases...

What the hell does that mean? It
means they all came to you, Dad.

Yeah... Because I'm like a
father to everyone in this company.

And like a father, when they came
to you, they said they'd been attacked,

you gave them money and
you told them to keep quiet.

You're on the hook here.

Ask your daughter.

CORDELIA: If my father
testifies to what these women said,

is that in exchange for charges
not being filed against him?

Charges for what?

You paid them, Mr. Bauer!

Those were bonuses.

A week before Shakir's
contract was to be renewed?

We renewed his
contract two months ago.

The only reason we kept it secret
because we wanted to announce in the fall.

CORDELIA: Dad, Dad. Listen.

As painful as this is,

you have got to let Shakir go.

No matter what happens,

he cannot work for
Orion Bay anymore.

Do you hear me?

(MUMBLING)

I... I didn't see this coming.

I know.

You must think I'm an old fool.

No, Daddy. No, I don't.

Nobody told me
I'd have to testify.

You might.

Our D.A. is gonna argue that what
happened to you is part of a pattern.

Is Shakir gonna be there?

FIN: Yeah.

Like I told that girl detective, I
don't remember too much of it.

Okay.

Let's start with the part
that you do remember.

You need me to testify?

BENSON: Under
oath. Is that a problem?

No, no. It's just I... I heard
the other girl, the black one,

she saved her panties.

Where did you hear that?

Um, I heard
Cordelia on her cell.

She was talking to
Shakir. She was very upset.

Yeah. That... That evidence is a
start, Carla, but you know, if there is

anything that you have, or, or anything that
you could get to corroborate your story,

that would...

That'd be a big help.

I'm glad you called.

You are?

I'm sorry if I've hurt you.

And I... I want
to make this right.

Before we all get hurt.

All?

Are you threatening me? I
thought that we could just talk.

We both know I'm not the
only athlete you've been with.

If you take the stand,

it's fair game.

But... But we don't have
to go down that road.

Now, we can make
all this go away.

You could start over.

Ah, maybe get yourself a condo in
the city. But it's your choice, Carla.

A controlled meet?

You can't do that once
he's represented by counsel.

Wasn't our idea. This
is all her. It's her phone.

Uh-huh. And second
of all, it's not probative...

Pleading in the alternative?
Never a sign of strength.

I was just trying to find
out why she was lying,

what she wanted...

Shakir, you've done enough.
No, Shakir Wilkins is not a rapist!

And you'll get the opportunity to
tell your side of the story to the jury.

Shakir Wilkins,
you're under arrest.

You have the right
to remain silent.

Anything you say can and will be

held against you
in a court of law.

It is with a heavy
heart that I announce

that Orion Bay is
terminating its relationship

with Shakir Wilkins,
effective immediately.

Shakir! Shakir! Shakir!

BAUER: He is, like everyone,
entitled to due process.

Only Mr. Wilkins and
these women know what

really transpired
behind closed doors.

But the lack of judgment
for a married man to be alone

in a room with three different
women at late hours is undeniable.

We have always
celebrated role models.

But no matter what the court
decides, Mr. Wilkins has forfeited

the privilege of
representing Orion Bay.

Thank you.

RAFAEL: And when the third
woman, Tiana Raynes, came to you

and said Shakir Wilkins had raped
her, did you promise her a bonus?

Yes, I did.

Can you tell the jury why you
offered these women bonuses?

Which may appear to
some as buying their silence?

I take no joy in this. I've had a
long-term relationship with Mr. Wilkins.

I... I simply couldn't
reconcile my knowledge

of him with what these
women were saying.

At the time, I believed that
these were false allegations.

And now?

After I saw how upset
Carla was in that elevator,

it began to gnaw at me.

And, and these
other girls, uh...

There's a saying, when three
people at a party tell you you're drunk,

don't drive home.

Thank you, Mr. Bauer.

I'm sure we can all agree you're in
a difficult position here, Mr. Bauer.

Yes. Thank you.
But isn't it true you're

only testifying today in exchange for
avoiding charges of bribing a witness?

I'm testifying here today
because I made a wrong decision,

and for that I apologize.

But no charges have been filed.

Correct.

At the time these "complainants" came
forward, did you believe their stories?

No, I did not.

I simply couldn't think
that the man I knew

was capable of doing the
things they said he was doing.

COUNSELOR CALHOUN:
But now you do believe

that Shakir Wilkins
assaulted these three women?

Yes, I do.

As I said, after that scene
in the elevator with Carla,

replaying all their words
without blinders on?

So, God help me, yes, I do.

Does the sudden
change in your beliefs

give you the right to
invoke the morals clause

and terminate your
contract with Mr. Wilkins,

saving your company,
roughly, half a billion dollars?

Roughly, yes. But that's
not why I terminated him.

Does getting out of your contract
with Mr. Wilkins provide long-term relief?

Objection. Withdrawn.

Nothing further.

I came to... Naked, sore.

I had pieces of memory of
Shakir Wilkins raping me.

But you didn't go to the
hospital, you didn't tell police?

CARLA: I was afraid of what
people would think of me,

or what would happen to my job.

RAFAEL: And so,

why come forward now?

Well, I was asked to
work with Shakir again

at the press conference
for his re-signing.

I couldn't hold it in.

I blacked out. When I
came to, my clothes were off,

I was bruised.

I knew I'd been raped.

You knew this, and yet

you didn't call the
police? Friends? Family?

I come from a good Christian
home. I'd gone to a hotel room

with a black athlete.

My mother would have blamed me,

the same way you're
blaming me now.

Then I woke up,

my dress was ripped, stained.

He raped me.

And you didn't tell anyone?

Look, I know I have to
do this, but I had to take

an express bus and
a taxi to get here.

Okay. We can... We can
reimburse you for that.

And that's it?

Is everything all right, Tiana?

I just... Forget it.

Just tell me what you and
Mr. Bauer want me to say.

We want you to say
exactly what happened.

Let me look at what I said
before, and I'll get it right.

Oh. Okay, then tell us... What
did you mean when you said

you'd say what Orion
Bauer wanted you to say?

Orion Bauer gave you
a bonus to keep quiet

about the initial
complaint, isn't that right?

A bonus. Uh-huh. Right.

Are you saying he
didn't make a payment?

What?

How much is that suit, 2 grand?

I beg your pardon?
And that tie? Please.

I work retail. You
don't think I know?

Okay, Tiana, what does
that have to do with this?

Oh, hello, white girl.

Orion Bauer paid me half-ass
what he paid those other girls.

And how do you know this?

I heard it on LMZ.

Do you think I'm stupid?

He paid them 5 grand.

So maybe you call him and make
it right. Then I'll remember better.

He paid them for what?

To keep quiet about the rape?

(SCOFFS) Please.

All I know is,

I got paid to say
Shakir raped me.

Are you saying...

Are you saying Shakir
Wilkins did not rape you?

I'm saying you get Mr. Bauer to
give the right amount, the fair amount,

I'll say whatever the two
of you want me to say.

Hell, I'll do you nasty like I
did Shakir in that dressing room.

But you got to
man up and pay up.

Witness tampering,

false accusations.

These are serious allegations.

Which is why I move for an
immediate dismissal, Your Honor.

I've given full disclosure,
Brady material.

I need time to investigate
this witness' story.

She admitted she took payments from
Orion Bauer to make a false allegation.

How much more do
you need to investigate?

She could be lying now,

to extort Orion Bauer
for more money.

This whole case has been
a shakedown from the get.

Her credibility is shot, so
are your other two witnesses.

We don't know that.

I'm not dismissing charges,

but I will grant a 48-hour
continuance until this is sorted out.

Get your facts straight
and narrow, Mr. Barba.

Keep it.

So Carla and Macie-Lynn aren't changing
their stories. They definitely got paid more.

That for all of us? Oh, yeah.

Goat cheese and
sun-dried tomato.

I made you for a pepperoni guy.

I'm full of surprises.

This whole case is a crock. I
mean, I kinda called it. Hello?

Yeah, we still don't
know what happened.

How do you ever really
know what happened?

I mean a man, and a
woman, alone in a room.

There's a hundred different stories how
that plays out. Most of them not criminal.

Not good, either.

Carisi, remind me
why you're SVU again?

I worked homicide,
a couple years.

It's...

It's the women who get you.

They're dead, but...

But their hair's clean. They're...
They're nicely dressed, and made-up.

And that means their husbands
or their boyfriends did it.

It's like they knew.

They knew it was coming,
they don't even look surprised.

Just...

Just finished.

It doesn't, you know, make me
treasure every moment or any of that crap.

Okay.

Uh, meanwhile, Carla
Gannon is on her way up.

Will she hold or will
she fold, huh? I got this.

But you already got money
once from Orion Bauer, right?

Yes, to keep quiet. But I couldn't
get over what Shakir did to me.

You're in a lot of trouble
if you're lying here, Carla.

No, actually, you're not, Carla.

Listen to me. The important
thing is that you come clean now.

Shakir raped me. I swear to God.

Just give it to us straight!

If you made a mistake, it's not
gonna come back on you now.

Are you serious? I'm not lying
about what that man did to me.

All right. So it is your
testimony that you did not

take Orion Bauer's money to lie?

No, ma'am. No, I did not.

And if that black girl says
different, then she's lying.

Are you kidding me?

That black girl is shaking
me down? Again? Dad...

No, no, no. She
came crying to me.

I tried to make it
right. I gave her $800,

now she wants
more? The ingratitude.

Are you denying you gave
Tiana money to claim rape?

You're damned right I'm
denying, lady. It's an outright lie.

Not that I should be surprised.

Mmm-hmm, and why
is that? Dad, stop...

That girl didn't even
graduate. I was the one who

made her assistant
store manager.

Because the way I grew
up, background didn't matter.

It was a matter of character,
integrity, it was a matter of loyalty.

Okay, I think that that's
enough. It's a long path,

a strange journey, we are
all traveling with our tribes,

our... Our families. Just the way of
our culture, just the damn way of it.

This is very simple. Did
you or did you not pay

Tiana Raynes to
make false allegations?

The hell I did not.

Did you ask the other
girls? The white girls? Dad...

Because if you did, you would discover that
they... They didn't change their stories.

How do you know they didn't?
Are you in touch with them?

Dad, you have to stop now. Dad,
please, listen to me. No, no, no. Cordelia.

Cordelia! I'm in charge here.

Now look, I love you, but you have
no more sense than your mother did.

You're blind. We are done
here. All of that was off the record.

I would like you to
leave now, please.

This is enough. So now you're
worried about me? About the company?

Hmm? Now you're a good girl?

Well, that's good.

Because I forgive
you, my darling.

I forgive you for everything.

(SOFTLY) Please.

What was that, early dementia?
"Our journey, our tribes"?

I don't know.

You go on ahead.

She can't talk to you about
the case. She's his lawyer.

We can talk about fathers.

Hey, Cordelia.

You all right?

I'm fine.

Your father's always like that...
Larger than life? Absolutely.

And I love him for it.
He's old school, a lion.

Yeah, can you help me
understand something?

I don't think your
dad is the kind of man

that would completely destroy someone's
reputation just to void a contract.

No, he would never.

He raised me to believe
that your word is your bond.

He used to say, if
you ever betray that,

you were dead to him.

What did he mean when he said that
you were blind and he forgives you?

Forgives you for what?

I have no idea.

If you'll excuse me, we
really shouldn't be talking.

This doesn't make any sense.

Orion Bauer paid the store
clerk to say that I raped her?

Yeah, Tiana
finally gave that up.

What... What
about the other two?

Well, they're still claiming
you raped them. I didn't.

I swear.

I mean this can't be about
the money or my contract.

The old man makes
a fortune off me.

Okay.

Can you think of any reason
Orion Bauer wants to destroy you?

BAUER: Honey!

I thought you'd left.

I did. I came back.

Well, I'll take you to dinner.

After today, what I need is a
good steak and a stiff scotch.

Uh, Dad, the police have been
asking all kinds of questions.

I can't be your lawyer.

I may be involved.

Well, I don't care if you're my lawyer
anymore. I'll get myself a real lawyer.

What is all this about?

You tell me.

That black girl lying about
me... What did you do, Daddy?

What did you do?
You doubting my word?

A few months ago, you asked
me to stay away from Shakir.

Said he, uh, was married. That
he was a player. And I was right.

Shakir is a bad guy,

which breaks my heart.

I trusted him,

which I shouldn't have.

He screws everything that moves.

Did those girls, uh,

really come to you, Daddy,
or did you... Did you find them?

It couldn't have
been that hard. His

bodyguard, his driver, they
all report to you, don't they?

Why are you asking me this?

I'm asking if you
set all of this up.

You did, didn't you?
You had Shakir followed,

you knew who he had sex with,

and you went to them
and you paid them to lie.

No. They came to me.

You framed Shakir,
Daddy. Why? Why?

After all he's done for
you. I don't understand!

All he's done for me? Yes.

What about what I've done
for him? I've given him millions.

And the son of a bitch repays me

by screwing my only daughter.

You lied to me.

You two were carrying
on behind my back.

You're right, I did
have eyes on Shakir.

And you know why?
Because he parties.

Those three girls
that I paid off,

I could have found a dozen more.

And you are very lucky
you didn't get the AIDS.

(SCOFFS)

I know all about his acting out.

All right? I confronted
him a month ago and

he knows that that part of
his life, that it has to stop.

He only told you that because he
wants you to keep his little bastard baby.

What are you talking about?

You expect me to stand by and become
the laughingstock of corporate America?

While this son of a
bitch knocks you up.

It's all over your
health insurance.

You're not allowed
to look at that, Daddy!

I'm a trustee, but what does that
have to do with the price of beans?

The point is, you lied.

You wanna make a fool of yourself and
be his whore? Go right ahead, that's fine.

But what are you gonna do when
you walk into the Maidstone Club

with a little black baby
clinging on to you?

And when he goes to Dalton?
What do you think they're gonna say?

"Oh, here comes
the scholarship boy"?

You can't say these
things, Daddy. Oh, yes I can.

You can't say them. Yes I can.

These people come
into our homes,

they come into our families.

They are animals.

BAUER: I did what I had to do to protect
you from making the biggest mistake...

Animals?

He makes his living off
athletes, and he talks like that?

Wow. He's gotta be senile, or

crazy, or both.

Yeah, I feel bad for Cordelia.

Her father's a narcissist,
she fell for another one.

She never had a chance.

And how did we get this tape?

I can't tell you. And I had to promise
it wouldn't be used against Mr. Bauer.

But we know what this means.

COUNSELOR CALHOUN: In light of
new evidence, we're asking for an immediate

dismissal of all
charges, Your Honor.

Mr. Barba?

People have no objection.

So ordered.

Mr. Wilkins, you are free to go.

(STRIKES GAVEL)

Win some, lose some, Mr. Barba.

Nice tie.

I'm gonna go upstairs
and duck calls.

So Bauer just gets
away with this?

My bet, a tape like that,

sooner or later it comes out.

But what about
these three girls?

They lied under oath,
they just get to skate?

The general policy for the D.A. is when
you go after girls when a case falls apart,

it can prevent real victims
from coming forward next time.

I get that. Yeah, usually
I do, but this time...

Carisi, you were right
about those girls all along.

Not really. I missed
Bauer paid them off.

They were just his pawns.
Like Shakir, like his daughter.

I should have seen it. It
was just right in my blind spot.

No, he was good.

That old man act
of his, he played us.

What is that expression? There
are no accidental billionaires.

Shakir! Shakir! Shakir!

I, uh... I, uh...

I'm so sorry. Yeah.

I lost my contract.
I lost everything.

You have a case against the
company and my father and...

I'll never get my name back!

I'm a punchline now.

You google me, and the first thing
that comes up is "accused rapist."

You should have trusted me.

You lied about the other women.

I didn't rape them.

(CAMERAS CLICKING)

But you're right,

I'm sorry.

It was old habit. I
was on the road,

It's... It's how I
lost my marriage.

Okay, I...

I wanna be in your life.

If you can forgive me.

I'd like to try.

Let's start over.

A new life.

And we can raise
this baby together.

(CRYING)

It's, uh, it's too late.

What do you mean?

There is no baby, not anymore.

After Tiana came
forward, I, uh...

(CRYING)

All that hate, and
they're still talking.

Gotta be a tough conversation.

Never know, right?

Where to begin.

One of 'em is saying let's start
over, and the other one is saying

it's too late.

(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)