Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 16, Episode 8 - Spousal Privilege - 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.

No, no, Maria. No, you
can't! You can't pull that crap.

No, you had Zara
all summer long.

Right, I flew out there, you're supposed
to fly her out here for Thanksgiving.

Yeah, my mother's expecting us.

My sister's flying
up from Miami...



No! Look, this isn't up
for discussion! All right?

No. Well, yeah, who's
yelling? I'm not yelling!

No, you do not hang...
Don't hang up on me! Maria?

Damn it! Whoa!

Hey, you all right?

What's going on? Nothing.

Okay. Good. Take a breath.

How about you don't
tell me what to do.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Don't say it.

Say what?

Hey, what happened to your hand?

Uh, nothing, it's fine.

(SNIFFS)



That work-related?

Uh, yeah. Some geek
hacked celebrity nude selfies

from the Cloud and
posted them on Redchanit.

And that's SVU because... Some of
the celebs in the pics are underage,

that makes it child porn.

Okay. Wrap it up, Fin.

You find anything,
have TARU trace it.

You know you don't want naked
pictures of yourself on the Internet,

don't take naked
pictures of yourself.

Right. And if you don't want to get
assaulted, don't wear a short skirt?

Hey, hold up. Uh, who's that?

FIN: What? NICK:
No. Go back. There.

That's A.J. Martin. FIN: From
the Sports Wrap pre-game show?

What, now. But before that
he's a Heisman Trophy winner

and, um, eight-time Pro Bowler.

That's... That's his baby
mama, Paula Bryant.

NICK: Yeah, but how does this get
mixed in with those celebrity nudes?

FIN: I don't know.
Redchanit's like a failed state.

They'll post anything now.

Whoa.

Hey, guys?

What is this, a celebrity
nude task force?

It may be something more.

A.J. Martin? When was this?

Well, I mean, from the
way they're dressed,

it looks like the Black
and White Gala at the Met.

Six weeks ago. Tons
of press coverage.

BENSON: I don't remember
hearing anything about

A.J. Martin being
picked up on a domestic.

Well, they must
have picked him up,

'cause a patrolman shows up.

This guy's a sports hero.
You know how this goes.

Well, I know how it used to go.

She's so out of it.
She can hardly walk.

Find out, uh, if there's any video
of what happened in between?

Yeah, I don't see it posted
anywhere. We can contact the garage.

Hey, no, call
the local precinct,

find out what really
happened. I'll call the Chief.

You want us to investigate?

After Ray Rice and the others?

If it looks like domestic
violence, we follow up.

Before this becomes news.

(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)

You never got into it
after a few too many?

(DRAWER CLOSING)

And how is this SVU?

Well, that's how.
Sexual assault.

(SCOFFS) Must be slow downtown.

Well, it was a couples thing. My
officer arrested both at the scene.

Yeah, we saw that. But she was
woozy, she was missing a shoe...

She looked roughed up.

Ms. Bryant declined
medical attention.

He was polite, she was contrite.

So their interviews
were consistent?

That was more of a discussion.

But they were
spoken to separately?

I didn't see the need.

Look. We got a lot
of swells up here.

And sometimes, less is more.

NICK: Oh...

I get it.

Hey. A.J. is a legend.

His lady said she got
jealous and she made a scene.

Look, some lowlife leaked
that video to Redchanit,

now you guys want to come in here
and play Monday morning quarterback?

Look, we're just trying to figure
out why no charges were filed.

Well, looks like it was adjourned
contemplating dismissal.

So you got a problem, you
can take that up with the D.A.

Out of context, this
video is disturbing,

but it doesn't contradict the
police report sent to the A.D.A.

Who was this A.D.A.?

Uh, Danielle DiCarlo.
Green, but good.

Taking her first
vacation in three years.

To say that she is dedicated
is an understatement.

Well, to say that she threw the
book at him is an overstatement.

The precinct cops said
it was a drunken spat.

DiCarlo dropped the
charges against Paula,

offered A.J. adjournment in
contemplation of dismissal.

He does community
service, doesn't reoffend...

In six months it
all gets dropped.

Look, that's the deal that I give
when the victim refuses to cooperate.

Are you saying because
they're celebrities

we should have given them
anti-preferential treatment?

I'm saying that your A.D.A. shouldn't
have taken the arresting officer's word.

I take your word all the time.

Anyway, this is moot. The deal
was offered, the lawyer said no.

They turned down a get
out of jail free card? Why?

It's a smart move.

A.J. called the A.D.A.'s bluff.

He just assumed that he'd
get away with it regardless.

What, he's probably
worried about PR,

trying to avoid
community service.

So great, he gets
away with everything.

Everything? Look,
there's not a lot here.

Any footage from the stairwell?

Amaro and Rollins
are tracking it down.

And when they find it, we
know what we're gonna see.

The same thing we've
seen before from these guys.

He knocked her out.

Why not just convict him now?

He dragged her unconscious
body out of that stairwell

with no concern for her,

and then she says she
slipped and fell? Come on.

In certain ways,
I don't disagree.

I hate it when people say that.

Since he didn't take the
offer, the case is still open.

Find the video. Or get
her to change her story.

We'll see where we are.

A.J.: We cooperated
with the police.

The D.A. offered a
conditional discharge.

My legal team's on it.

That was before the
video came to light.

Yeah, well, I mean, that's what
you should be following up on.

I mean, who leaked this?

We have detectives
working on that.

Good throw, shorty.

I'm gonna be a player just
like my dad. Who are you?

Antwan Jarrod, it's time to go to
your room. There's grown folks talking.

What are you talking about?

(SHOUTS) Junior!

Yes, sir. Go ahead
to your room, boy.

Ain't nobody playing with you.

He wants to be like his old man.

With an arm like that, though,
he's a natural quarterback.

Carrying on the
father and son dynasty.

True that. Uh, Junior's
coach says, uh...

A.J.'s only eight, but he... He,
uh, plays with the 10-year-olds.

Uh, would you mind showing
me the restroom, please?

Yeah. Sure. It's, uh...

(INHALES SHARPLY)
Right down here. Thanks.

Have a seat.

You know what this
is all about, right?

Yeah. You got to do
your job. I respect that.

All the athletes in
the press right now,

my sergeant just wants
to double check everything.

You mind walking me through it?

It's like I told the
boys that night,

had too much to drink,
had some words. That's all.

Those words didn't
turn into deeds?

Hey, I love my girl,
but even she will tell you

that she goes off the
rails when she's had a few.

All I was trying
to do is make sure

that everything stayed
within the hash marks.

It's right here.

Great. Paula, is there... Is there
anything that you might want

to tell me about that night,
about... About what happened?

Nah, I'd been drinking. I
went after A.J. and I tripped.

End of story. But you
were going upstairs...

Excuse me, Sergeant.

This is my house, and you're
here with my permission.

Anything you say to Paula
you can say to both of us.

That doesn't look
like garage footage.

No, it's from the gala,
and it's all we got.

'Cause the garage is
claiming that they erase

their security cache
every seven days.

So how did the first video end up on
Redchanit six weeks after the event?

They're lying. Get
a search warrant.

We need to find out what
really went down in that stairwell.

If something went
down in that stairwell.

"If"? Man, he dragged
her out. It's no concern.

Yeah. Have you ever tried to move a
hundred pounds of passed-out drunk?

It ain't easy.

She's covering for him. Fin,
you saw it. He's controlling.

Uh, his little son
was terrified of him.

I was terrified of my mother.

When I used to act the
fool, she'd beat my ass.

Yeah, I was raised the same way.

I mean, in the South, you
have to pick out your own switch.

So, now we're making
cultural exemptions?

You know, my father, he
went at me with his fists.

It taught me you never lay a
hand on a child. Or a woman.

It's possible that A.J. could
have been fending her off.

Fending her off? (CELL
PHONE RINGING)

Look, he is twice
her size, right?

He should have just
walked away. Okay. Great.

BENSON: What?

When?

Okay. LMZ, guys. Now.

Well, how the hell
did they get that?

The old-fashioned
way. They paid for it.

Oh, that son of a bitch.

That... That changes everything.

Hey. Give us a
little room, okay?

I'm so sorry what you
must be going through.

With that video out
there, unfortunately,

there's no shield law for
domestic violence victims.

I'm not a victim.

I'll need a word
with my clients.

And I'll need Mr. Martin and
Ms. Bryant interviewed separately.

That's not necessary.
It's okay, A.J.

You'll both be with
counsel. Brian...

On it, boss. (SIGHS)

Okay, we're good to go.

Women are flirty.
I try to be nice,

pose for a selfie,
autograph a jersey...

That is very nice of you.

We're just putting the events
of the evening in context.

Okay, so you were
flirting and Paula got mad.

I know that those girls are his fans,
but they got to know that he's mine.

And you, um, expressed that?

Yeah. I started in.
I was getting loud.

Which made A.J. angry?

(SIGHS)

I embarrassed him in
front of important people.

That can't happen.

She was stumbling. She could've
hurt herself. I had to stop her.

With your fist?

(SIGHS) I had sipped
on a few myself.

How many? You don't
need to get into that, A.J.

What I'm saying is my
reflexes weren't 100%.

They seemed pretty sharp to me.

A.J. was just
trying to protect me.

By laying you
out in a stairwell?

What's with the
animosity, Detective?

We're just trying to
understand what happened.

We already told the
NYPD what happened.

Look, we are
putting it behind us.

Why can't y'all? (DOOR OPENING)

We told the officers
uptown everything

they needed to know... Hi.

Sorry, had to start without
you. I'm sure. What's their story?

Uh, they were drunk, she was
stumbling and he had to stop her.

What I saw was an assault.

We're on the same page.

Let's hope that that
video is damning enough,

he won't want this
going to trial. Trial?

You want to plea this
down? He should be in jail.

Yeah, he should. But he's
personable, charismatic.

Paula supports him. The jury's
gonna want to forgive him...

You know, you're right.

You should just slap him on
the wrist and send him home.

A.J. was defending himself.

But if you want to make a
reasonable offer, we'll hear you out.

The other D.A. said something
about anger management.

We'll go. AA, whatever it takes.

Good for you. (INHALES DEEPLY)

Acknowledging there
was no serious injury,

assault three, 90 days.

Assault three, no jail time,
200 hours of community service.

A.J.'s gonna have to do
a lot more than pick up

garbage with a pointy
stick for this one.

COUNSELOR CALHOUN: My client has
already been suspended by his network.

Assault three with jail
time is an overreach.

She didn't even
go to the hospital.

You know what? You're right.
This is really reckless endangerment.

(GASPS) Gross
disregard for her safety,

which could have
caused serious injury.

You want us to plea to a felony?

I'd never hurt Paula.
She'll back me up on that.

COUNSELOR CALHOUN: You
heard the man. We'll see you in court.

Fine. Tomorrow, 9:00 a.m.

On the charge of reckless
endangerment, how do you plead?

My client pleads not guilty.

And for bail?

People request
remand, Your Honor,

given the violence of the attack

and the callous disregard
for the victim afterwards.

Mr. Martin is a first-time offender
with a young son, he's no flight risk.

JUDGE: Agreed. I'm
setting bail at $20,000.

(GAVEL BANGS)

(CAMERAS CLICKING)

Thank you.

Paula, can I just talk
to you for a second?

Why? If you want to
apologize for everything

you're putting my family
through, it's a little bit too late.

Junior is getting
harassed at school.

A.J.'s broadcasting
career is over...

Okay. Paula, I've been
doing this a long time.

And I've seen a
lot of men like A.J.

There's only one
A.J. Best believe.

And he's your soul mate.

And I'm sure that there are
times that he makes you feel

incredibly special.

But that doesn't make up for the
times when he lays hands on you.

He slipped.

Do you know what it's
like to have the whole world

watching us at our worst moment?

To be judging us
by a split second...

If you can look me
in the eye right now

and tell me this has
only happened once...

I'll believe you.

It's gonna happen again.

And why is that?

Because a strong black
man can't control himself?

He has to be taken
down a notch, right?

By the legal system,
by the public, by you.

I'm concerned about your safety.

I'm concerned about
your son's safety.

(SCOFFS)

I'm not concerned about the
public perception of black men.

Well, we're living as a family.

And A.J. needs me just
as much as I need him.

(DOOR OPENING)

Sergeant Benson, I'm
sure this is just small talk,

but you know not to speak
to Paula without her counsel.

Paula? Thank you.

(DOOR OPENING)

A.J., Paula, and I have
been praying together

and working through
this emotionally, spiritually.

Paula, you want to say something.
Thank you, Reverend Curtis.

(SIGHS)

I just want to set
the record straight.

There are people invested
in me playing the victim here.

(CAMERAS CLICKING)

That's not gonna happen.

I take full responsibility
for provoking

the unfortunate events
of six weeks ago.

A.J. and I are
working on our issues.

All we ask now is for privacy.

(REPORTERS CLAMORING)
COUNSELOR CALHOUN: We're not taking

any questions today. Thank you.

REPORTER 1: Do you
agree she provoked you?

Come on, follow me.

REPORTER 2: What about the
video? Come on, A.J., give us a break.

So, A.J., what do you have to say
to your fans and your detractors?

I would say, don't
believe the gutter press.

Um, our haters
can't bring us down.

Mmm-mmm.

We are deepening our
commitment to each other every day.

Yeah. And that's what
matters, mine and A.J.'s.

It's for the long haul.

Are you watching this?

The next stop on the
apology tour? Yeah.

So in the spirit of that deepened
commitment, I hear you two have news.

(GASPS) Yeah. Um...

A. J. proposed. (BOTH CHUCKLE)

HODA: Wow! That is...
How... How many carats is that?

15 carats. It's the same as
A.J.'s retired jersey number.

We're getting
married later on today.

A.J.: "What therefore
God hath joined together...

Mmm-hmm.

"...let no man put asunder."

Doctor, besides the
obvious size difference,

what are the other factors that
might make Mr. Martin's fists

more dangerous than
the average man his age?

On average, uh, retired pro football
players retain 20% higher bone density

and 13% higher muscle
mass than other men.

Were you able to determine
the force of the blow

the defendant delivered to Mrs.
Martin on the night in question?

Yes. Uh, using the
standard force algorithm.

Uh, with his weight
and muscle mass,

A.J. Martin's fist
hit Paula's face

at more than 700
pounds per square inch.

Four times the force your average
middle-aged couch potato could exert.

In your opinion, was this punch
capable of causing serious injury to,

or even of killing Mrs. Martin?

DOCTOR: Absolutely.
RAFAEL: Why didn't it?

Because she got lucky.

Your Honor...
Jury will disregard.

RAFAEL: Nothing further.

As a medical examiner, is it fair to
say you spend more time examining

dead bodies than live ones?

I perform autopsies, but I
evaluate the living when required.

But you didn't perform
a physical examination

on either Mr. or Mrs. Martin,
did you? DOCTOR: No.

How about an MRI, a CAT Scan?

Did you look at any
medical records at all?

No.

So, your speculation is based on one
angle of a grainy, black and white video.

Oh, and some math.
Excuse me, an algorithm.

DOCTOR: That's correct.

And in your opinion,
the action you saw

could possibly
cause serious injury.

Or neurological
damage. Death, even.

And yet, minutes later,
Mrs. Martin was carrying

on a coherent conversation
with a police officer.

Is that consistent with someone
suffering serious brain injury?

Some neurological
symptoms take time to develop.

It has been six weeks.

She's sitting right
there. Looks fine to me.

Objection. Withdrawn.

Nothing further.

Even after we showed Mrs. Martin
the footage of Mr. Martin striking her,

she continued to insist
that it was her fault.

Now, that's not uncommon
for victims of domestic violence.

It's also not uncommon for
victims to refuse to testify.

RAFAEL: Why is that?
Some are emotionally or

financially dependent
on their abusers.

Some are scared of reprisals.

And a victim of domestic
violence is most at risk

when she goes against
her abuser or tries to leave.

This is exactly why domestic violence
laws were changed in New York,

to protect people who were unable
or unwilling to protect themselves.

Just because a
person can't admit,

or is in denial
about their abuse,

doesn't mean that the
abuse didn't happen.

Or won't worsen.

RAFAEL: Thank you.

Sergeant Benson, did Mrs. Martin
express fear of her husband to you?

Not directly. No.

Did she cite financial or emotional
dependence as reasons not to testify?

She did not.

So it's possible the
reason she's not testifying,

the reason she
married Mr. Martin,

is because she's in love with him
and believes he'll be a good husband?

That's not what I
saw on the video.

You do know my client
has expressed regret

and agreed to anger management
and spiritual counseling?

Yes, and I've heard that before.

Sergeant, do you believe in the
rehabilitative power of anger management?

Not always, no.

Wasn't a detective in your
squad who severely beat a civilian

recently returned to active duty after
a short stint in anger management?

Objection. Relevance.

Goes to her expert
opinion, Your Honor.

Witness may answer.

My detective lost his temper
with a horrific child abuser,

not his wife.

But your point is
anger management

is sufficient enough for a violent
police officer to get his gun back,

but insufficient to
rehabilitate A.J. Martin,

a man without so much
as a prior speeding ticket!

Objection, Your Honor.

I'm sorry. I won't ask any more
questions about the Sergeant's

double standard. Withdrawn.

(WHISPERING) We got
'em on the ropes. Mmm-hmm.

I grew up in a home where my
father took his fists to my mother.

We lived in fear.

What A. J. did, there's
no excuse. Ever.

MAN: There is no place in
society for domestic violence.

Hey. Hey.

I started without you.

Went to the gym first. Uh,
what she's having, please.

And a refill, please. You
can make it neat this time.

You okay?

That was rough.

Well, Calhoun's
just doing her job.

Yeah, but she had no
right to go after you like that.

She's got a point though.

(CHUCKLES) Yeah.

What... What point is that?

That it's a private...
Private matter

between Paula Martin
and her husband.

I mean, I just think
we're overreaching...

Amanda, he hit her.
Right? End of story. Cheers.

Wait, so we get to
decide what's best for her?

That's infantilizing.

That's...

(CHUCKLES) That's us
making her a victim all over again.

Right. Just take it
easy. (CHUCKLES)

Are you counting my drinks now?

Saint Nick, right? Savior
of damaged women.

Stop. Look, all I'm saying is,

no man has the
right to hit a woman.

That's right, that's
right. But some of us

don't need to be saved, okay?

Like, you married a
woman who didn't, right?

Maria... (CHUCKLES)

I saw the way she went
after you in the squad room...

I never laid a hand on Maria.

Yeah, but you never
wanted to? No, no, no.

She got to you.
She still gets to you.

Right.

Huh, that doesn't get to you?

No. Hmm?

Come on. Like that? That
wouldn't get to you? No.

Really? How about
that? Come on, Nick.

I know it does.
All right, all right.

Are you jealous of Maria now?

(CHUCKLING) Is that
what's happening here?

Really? That's
where you're going?

Wait, what are we
talking about here?

Just you, Nick! Hey.

No, no, no. Just drop
the rock. Settle down.

No, no, no. We've just all seen
you. We've all seen you lose it.

The whole squad room heard you
yelling at your wife on the phone.

Okay, I'm just saying... Listen,
Paula Martin has the right

to choose whether she
presses charges or not. All right.

Okay? 'Cause some of
us don't want to be victims!

She doesn't want
to be a victim! Hey!

Ah!

(GLASS SHATTERING)

(ROLLINS LAUGHS)
NICK: You know what?

(LAUGHS) Sorry.

I'm gonna do what A.J. Martin
should have done and walk away.

Hey.

(GROANS)

(DOOR OPENING)

A. J. Martin's actions
constitute behavior

that we cannot
and will not tolerate,

from either current
athletes or retired players.

The league wants to send a message
and send it very loud and clear.

Never ever is there an excuse

for domestic violence
or child abuse.

I'll take your questions.

This guy's got no friends left.

Yeah, so she gets tarred, too?

Yeah, talk about brutalization.

I mean, how is this
fair to Paula Martin?

This video being
played over and over.

It's the worst
night of her life,

for our entertainment?

You're preaching to the choir.

But he did hit her, Amanda.

All I know is you can't save
somebody that doesn't want to be saved.

Trust me, I've tried.

Nick agree with that?

Nick thinks he can save
the whole wide world.

(CHUCKLES)

Listen, I've learned two things
in my 15 years here at SVU.

One, is you can't take
this job home with you.

I'm working on that.

Two, is you can't take anyone
from this job home with you.

Okay.

I just want you to take
care of yourself, okay?

I hear you, Fin.

I hear you.

A.J. and Paula are two good
people who love one another,

but they both grew up in homes
where disputes got physical.

I mean, this is learned
behavior they're trying to change.

I see. And have you ever witnessed
an incident that troubled you?

They both told me separately that
their behavior has troubled them,

so they're working on finding
positive ways to communicate.

You were at their
recent wedding?

I performed the ceremony.

They did wait to get married,

but these two have been
committed to each other for 10 years.

They're raising a wonderful son.

Theirs is a solid, loving,
Christian marriage of equals.

Thank you, Reverend.

A marriage of equals, Reverend?

That's right.

Even though he out-earns
her by a hundred times?

Don't you think that might
make her dependent on him?

REVEREND: He
depends on her as well.

Make their home,
raise their child.

The majority of the time
you've spent with the Martins

has been in counseling? I
see them in church as well.

But you weren't in
the garage that night.

Have you been with them when
Mr. Martin has been drinking?

REVEREND: Drinking is another
issue that they are working on.

Is it fair to say that you don't
know how Mr. Martin acts

towards his wife when they're
not on their best behavior?

I have never witnessed anything

other than a genuine
love for each other.

RAFAEL: Reverend,
as a moral man,

what did you think of the video

that shows Mr. Martin
clearly punching his wife?

I didn't watch it.

Is that because Mr. Martin's
lawyer advised you not to?

Objection. RAFAEL: Withdrawn.

Nothing further.

I love my wife. She's my life,

the mother of my son.

I will always regret that night,

but I swear to God I
didn't intend to hurt her.

COUNSELOR CALHOUN:
That video may seem damning.

And you know the prosecutor
is going to use it against you.

Can you tell the jury why
you decided to testify today?

Paula has had the strength to
sit in this courtroom every day.

I am filled with such humility,

admiration, and
such deep gratitude.

(TAKES UNSTEADY BREATH)

If she can be brave
enough to sit in here,

I can be brave enough, too.

I want to take responsibility.

I want to teach my son
what it means to be a man.

COUNSELOR CALHOUN: Thank you.

RAFAEL: Mr. Martin, do you believe
that teaching your son to be a man

means teaching
him to tell the truth?

Yes, I do.

Yet, on the night
of the incident,

you told the police that your wife had
slipped and fallen, which was untrue.

Yes. But I know now
that that was wrong.

Now that the video has been
made public and you're on trial?

I was trying to
protect my family.

You mean yourself?

I want to talk about this
moment. (REMOTE CLICKING)

Your testimony, under oath,

is that you did not
deliberately strike your wife.

I put up my hand to stop
her. It was a reflex action.

So, it's her fault?

I did not intend to hurt her.

Then why didn't you call 911?

Because she came
to in a few minutes.

RAFAEL: You were
a professional athlete.

You are aware of the potential
dangers of losing consciousness,

even for a brief time, and
yet you chose to ignore that?

I made a judgment call.

You made a judgment call?

To punch a woman in the face,

to drag her unconscious body across
a garage and attempt to get out of there

before anyone could find out?

Objection. How dare
you. I love my wife!

I have no doubt that
you do. Your Honor.

It's a cross-examination,
Ms. Calhoun. I'll allow it.

Did you love her here...
(REMOTE CLICKING)

when you were manhandling her?

How about here?
(REMOTE CLICKING)

When your fist
connected with her face.

Or did you really love her
here? (REMOTE CLICKING)

When you were dragging her
limp body like a bag of garbage,

with no evident concern.
Objection, please!

All right, Mr. Barba,
time to move along.

He opened the door, Your Honor.

But if this is how Mr. Martin
shows he loves his wife,

then I'm done.

Before we bring the
jury back in from lunch,

are you prepared for your
closing argument, Ms. Calhoun?

Actually, Your Honor, I would
like to call one last witness,

Paula Martin.

Your Honor, approach?

This witness
was not on the list.

Mrs. Martin only
now decided to testify.

She saw her marriage and her
husband attacked. She wants to defend.

She has been sitting in
this courtroom the entire trial.

She lives with the defendant.

Whatever she heard in court,
she's already heard at home.

(SIGHS) I'll allow it.

Hey. How's it looking?

Seven women on the jury,
domestic violence... You know the drill.

Okay, so at least two
of them will be looking

to blame her and excuse him.

Next problem, Calhoun
sandbagged me.

She's putting
Paula on the stand.

When? In two hours.

What do you know about her
and that relationship? (SIGHS)

We did our due diligence.
Good. Talk to me.

When my husband
says he loves me,

it's the truth.

I was drunk that
night. I was jealous.

I was going after him.

He put his hand up to
stop me, and I went down.

Is it your testimony that your
husband is not abusive toward you?

Yes. 100%.

COUNSELOR CALHOUN: And that
night was a private, personal interaction

between two passionate people?

Absolutely.

If anyone thinks that
I'm sitting here right now

because I'm afraid of A.J.,

it's not true.

You don't know him. I do.

He is a gentle, good man.

He doesn't deserve this.

Our family doesn't deserve this.

COUNSELOR CALHOUN:
Thank you, Mrs. Martin.

Thank you for being
here, Mrs. Martin.

This must be difficult for you.

I'm fine.

Yes. Always, right?

Excuse me?

Everything is always good
and fine in the Martin house.

(SIGHS) It is.

I'm not gonna replay
that video for you.

I'm sure that you've
suffered through it enough.

Thank you.

I would just like to ask
you a few questions

about your
relationship with A.J.

PAULA: Okay.

You met him about, uh, 10
years ago when you were 21?

Yes. And he was 35,

toward the end of
his playing career?

And is it true that
you had not had

any significant
relationships up until then?

I mean, I've... I've had
boyfriends in the past.

But nothing that serious.

It's okay to answer
truthfully. Your Honor?

Get to it, Mr. Barba.

Is A.J. your first
serious relationship?

He's the love of my life.

Still is.

RAFAEL: It must have
seemed like a fairy tale.

You moved in with
him after a few months

and you had A.J. Junior a few
years later? A few years, yeah.

RAFAEL: You were a lifestyle
reporter for the local TV news,

but, uh, you gave
that up, didn't you?

I did. Willingly.

How many close friends
do you have besides A.J.?

I'm close to my sister. To
the other retired players' wives.

RAFAEL: When's the last time
you went out with a male friend,

or your girlfriends, or even just
your sister without A.J. being there?

Is it fair to say your life revolves
around A.J. and your son?

I'm proud of that. I'm happy.

Even when your
husband yells at you?

He doesn't yell at me.

Does he yell at your son?

He doesn't yell,
he raises his voice

because he wants A.J. to listen,

to behave because he loves him.

The way he loves you?
COUNSELOR CALHOUN: Objection.

Rephrase. When A.J.
raises his voice at Junior,

how does that make you feel?

What does it matter?

Mrs. Martin,

when you see the
look on your son's face,

how does that make you feel?

You don't know
what's right for me,

what's right for our family.

RAFAEL: I know it's not healthy
to stay in an abusive relationship,

Do you? Don't you lecture
me. I'm not leaving him

and I don't care what
any of you have to say.

Any of us?

Have you heard this from your
sister, maybe? Or other girlfriends?

Is that why you've
lost touch with them?

No. No one said that.

Do you realize that you
just looked at your husband

before answering that
question, Mrs. Martin?

Are you that worried, even in
open court, about how he'll react?

No! Is that why you lied

repeatedly to the police about
what happened that night?

Why you keep insisting
that it's your fault

that he knocked you unconscious?

Don't look at him.

Mrs. Martin, he
can't answer for you.

You need to answer for yourself.

I don't want to lose him!

I don't want to lose my family.

Why is that wrong?

What gives you the right?

Just leave us be. Please.

I rarely think this,

but I actually feel sorry
for the D.A.'s office.

The incredible pressure they're
under to show they're proactive, to show

they're politically correct.

And while domestic violence is a
scourge that should not be tolerated,

this case is not that.

This is a case of a
misunderstanding

between two passionate people.

This is a private matter.

This is not a test case.

Paula Martin loves her husband.

She absolutely did not
want to press charges.

If you convict A.J. Martin, you
will be tearing a family apart.

You will leave Paula Martin
without a loving, supportive husband.

Leave their son, A.J. Junior,

without a father.

Is that what the
judicial system is for?

To destroy families?

I don't think so.

And I don't believe any
of you think so, either.

Ladies and gentlemen, this case
and your decision are important.

We saw the video, we heard
his excuses, her denials.

You may be asking, how is it
any of our business to interfere

in another couple's marriage?

We don't know what goes
on behind closed doors. No.

But we do know...

We do know that as a
society, we have evolved

beyond the idea that
women are property.

That what they feel, what
they experience, doesn't matter.

And by hitting Paula,
by knocking her out,

A.J. Martin is saying
she doesn't matter.

He showed gross disregard
for her safety, for her very life.

Now, she has a child with him,

she loves him.

Convicting her husband
may not be what she wants.

But to not convict him is
plainly and simply wrong.

It sends a message

that it is okay to be a
bully in your own home.

To control, to intimidate, to
physically injure your spouse.

This is not okay!

We must not stand
by, and by our silence

say that it is acceptable
to look the other way.

Physical violence against
another human being is a crime,

even if she is...
just your wife.

(SIGHS)

Hey.

Hi.

Liv, what's the word with Barba?

Biting his nails or whatever
it is that Barba does.

You know, the jury's now questioning
whether or not the video was doctored.

And they're trying to
find a reason to acquit,

they know it doesn't feel right.

And sending the two
of them home does?

That boy growing up in fear?

I just think A.J.'s
learned his lesson.

You do?

I don't.

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We have, Your Honor.

JUDGE: What say you?

On the charge of
reckless endangerment,

we find the defendant guilty.

(SPECTATORS MURMURING)

JUDGE: Antwan Jarrod Martin, you are
remanded to Rikers pending sentencing.

COUNSELOR CALHOUN:
But, Your Honor...

JUDGE: Members of the jury,
we thank you for your service.

(GAVEL BANGS)

It's okay, A.J.
It's gonna be fine.

I'll see you
shortly... Antwan...

but you need to go with
the officer now. PAULA: A.J.

PAULA: A.J...

A.J.?

(CRYING)

What do you think
he's looking at?

He'll get the
minimum, two years.

Sends a message.

(CAMERAS CLICKING)

I hope you're happy.
REVEREND: Paula, let's go.

I lost a husband,
my son lost his father.

Paula, you deserve better
that that. So does your son.

(YELLING) What the hell do
you know about it? I was happy.

I was fine! Me and my son,
we were just making it work.

It was my choice and
you took that away.

You think A.J.
was beating me up?

What do you think you did?

(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)

We did the right thing.

I know.

(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)