- 1 day ago
law and order svu s27e16
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00:05In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous.
00:11In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are
00:15members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit.
00:19These are their stories.
00:40Hey! What the hell? That's my car!
00:43Hey, don't get any closer!
00:44Look what you did!
00:45He said stand back!
00:50What is it?
00:55Police!
00:59Don't move! Put your hands in the car!
01:05Are you alright? Do you need an ambulance?
01:08No. I'm okay.
01:09What happened?
01:10Uh, I just came out and found him messing up my car.
01:14Any idea why?
01:16I mean, I guess that.
01:24I take it you're Zach?
01:30I just think it's important to believe victims.
01:33Well, I couldn't agree more.
01:36But are you saying that you're a victim?
01:38I'm saying when people speak up, nobody listens.
01:40I'm listening.
01:41Margo, I'm all ears.
01:42I know. You're gonna say what everyone else says.
01:44What was she wearing? Was she drinking?
01:46Okay, Margo, please.
01:46Just yes or no.
01:48Were you a victim of sexual assault?
01:51You see? You're not listening.
01:54Look, this all got out of hand.
01:56Nobody intended for anybody to get hurt.
01:58Yeah, kind of hard to buy that when you show up with a baseball bat, Harrison.
02:02Margo said it was just a precaution.
02:04What else did Margo say?
02:06That it's important to take a stand?
02:09And it is.
02:11And that we should believe women.
02:12And I do.
02:13You always do what Margo tells you.
02:14She's very, very smart.
02:18And she cares about the world.
02:20And justice.
02:23And she's smart.
02:25And she told you that Zach was a rapist?
02:29I am not a rapist.
02:31I don't even know what they're talking about.
02:34You've never met either of them?
02:35No.
02:35A couple days ago, I started getting all these DMs on my socials.
02:40They found my work email.
02:42Total strangers saying I raped somebody.
02:44Zach, what I need you to focus on is why they'd get this idea about you.
02:48Man, I don't know.
02:51They're crazy.
02:52You know, mistaken identity.
02:54I don't even know who's saying I did that.
02:57Margo, this is not a trick question.
02:59It's yes or no.
03:01Is the victim a friend of yours or not?
03:03What if she's not?
03:04Do we have to be besties?
03:06Oh my God.
03:07You don't have to be anything.
03:08I don't know how to get through to you.
03:11I cannot move forward with this investigation until I have a name.
03:19Who is this victim you are avenging?
03:23Like a name?
03:25Yeah, exactly.
03:26Like a name.
03:27I don't actually know her real life name.
03:30I never met her.
03:31You never had one conversation with her.
03:34No, but it doesn't matter.
03:35What matters is we found her rapist and you didn't.
03:37Okay, Margo.
03:39I need you to give me something to investigate.
03:41Just one thing.
03:42It could be anything.
03:43I need you to give me one thing.
03:53Her name is Jaded Ember.
03:55She's a VTuber on Twitch.
03:58Like a virtual streamer.
04:01I don't expect anyone to believe me or help me.
04:04I just wanted to say it out loud.
04:06The guy who raped me is going to get away with it.
04:09But maybe someone who's going through something like this,
04:12maybe they'll hear me and have a different ending.
04:15I don't know.
04:16It would be awesome if this helped someone.
04:19Otherwise, what's even the point?
04:22I mean, you'd have to be crazy to ignore that.
04:26How could we just not try to help?
04:57How could we just not try to help?
04:58I think he's casing the houses until the occupants leave.
05:25So I'm assigning an additional unit to Sector David.
05:28Questions?
05:30All right, then let's focus on quality stops and good collars
05:34and make sure your body cams are up and running.
05:36Be professional, respectful, and everyone comes back in one piece.
05:40All right, thanks. Dismissed.
05:45Not one officer checking their phone. They must like you.
05:48Well, there may or may not be a rumor going around
05:51that anyone not paying attention to the role gets zero OT.
05:54You're laying down the hammer.
05:56Guess I'm a natural.
05:59I don't like this.
06:02There's nothing to like. It is what it is.
06:04Yeah, but can I still be mad for you?
06:08Uh, shoot. I got a, uh, budgeting meeting coming up,
06:11but tell Griff if he double parks in front of the precinct again,
06:14I'm going to have his ass towed.
06:21I'm not going to lie.
06:22That interview from last night kind of broke my brain.
06:25Yeah, I feel like I know less after talking to them
06:27than I did after reading the two-sentence police report.
06:29I had to cut Zach loose. He said he'd stay in town.
06:32Yeah, we got nothing to hold him on.
06:33What'd I miss?
06:34A whole lot of questions.
06:35Okay, so I found the rest of that clip from Jaded Ember's Twitch site.
06:39She's got a ton of fans on GameCast.
06:41Mostly live streams herself playing video games,
06:44but here's the part of the video where she talks about being raped.
06:46I was in therapy when it all came back to me.
06:49It's so crazy how your brain can just forget things that are, like, too traumatic.
06:54But I can feel him pressing down on my neck, telling me to relax.
07:00I could hardly breathe.
07:02I couldn't scream.
07:06I don't know.
07:07This sounds crazy.
07:08I hope you guys believe me.
07:11So it's a recovered memory.
07:13Yeah, for someone who won't reveal their identity, it's tricky.
07:16Did she identify her rapist?
07:18No, nothing.
07:19No name, no details.
07:21But our vigilante Margo claims that her detective skills are so incredible
07:25that they have cracked the case.
07:27Zach is also a gamer.
07:28He's got a big following on Twitch.
07:29He and Jaded Ember were dating, but Zach claims they never met, only online.
07:35They had a big public, ugly breakup about a year ago.
07:38Her fans just jumped to their own conclusions.
07:40This seems real thin.
07:42Well, how many of her fans think that he's a rapist?
07:44No, most of them.
07:45So he could be looking at more of her fans, tracking him down and harassing him, or worse.
07:50So let's get a subpoena for her identity.
07:52That way, if she makes a complaint, we have something to investigate.
08:00April Diesel.
08:01Uh, yeah?
08:02You're Jaded Ember.
08:05What's this about?
08:06We're from Special Dickens Unit.
08:07Can we talk to you for a second?
08:10I don't recognize them.
08:13Yeah, I know, Zach.
08:14He's a dick and a terrible boyfriend, but you didn't rate me.
08:18Well, thanks for clearing that up.
08:20How bad was it?
08:21Is he okay?
08:22He was shaken up, but he's fine.
08:25You made some pretty serious allegations on that live stream, and we are sorry that that
08:30happened to you, and we would like to investigate.
08:33No.
08:35I know that it sounds kind of weird that I'm saying I was raped, but I don't really remember.
08:40And I know how crazy that sounds, but it's not crazy.
08:44So, April, it's very common for victims to block out significant details from their assault.
08:51Right, but I only remember bits and pieces, and I don't want to be, like, quizzed on everything.
08:55You said you remember this while you were in therapy.
08:57Can you talk to us more about that?
09:00I, I don't think I can.
09:02What do you mean?
09:04I was on a psychedelic.
09:05Okay.
09:06It was a clinical trial for PTSD.
09:11It's this drug called patryptomy.
09:14Okay.
09:15Now, I really shouldn't have said anything.
09:17Like, I know how it sounds.
09:19Nobody's going to believe me.
09:20We're here because we think that there is something to investigate.
09:24There's not.
09:26I don't remember enough.
09:28You won't be able to find him.
09:29Let us try.
09:34So, the clinical trial has been over for almost a year, and the drug is being tested for the
09:40treatment of PTSD, anxiety, depression.
09:43And April, I had no memory that she saw it before taking a, uh, a hallucinogen.
09:47No, she doesn't.
09:48But it's, it's not a hallucinogen.
09:50It's not like LSD or DMT.
09:52It activates serotonin receptors, increases prolactin, which boosts about every happy hormone you can think of.
09:59And this makes you recover memories or invent them?
10:03Look, I got to ask you.
10:05Are you sure that this assault actually happened?
10:08We don't know yet, but April believes that it did, and now so do a lot of internet warriors.
10:15We're just, we're trying to get to the truth.
10:18All right, look, even if April recalls details, you're going to need a lot more than that.
10:22The issue here is that she wasn't aware this crime happened before taking a psychedelic.
10:26Even if this treatment is gaining legitimacy?
10:29No, it doesn't matter.
10:30People v. Hughes.
10:31People v. Tunstall.
10:32Both of these cases evaluated memories that were recovered through hypnosis, and the courts have repeatedly found that testimony needs
10:39to be supported by pre-hypnotic recollection, okay?
10:42They're absolutely going to apply that here.
10:44So, this is dead in the water?
10:45You can use this statement to ID a suspect, but then you're going to need independent evidence.
10:50You're going to need a confession.
10:51Well, you know, it's a clinical trial.
10:52They've got to have records, so maybe there's more details on the session.
10:55Those are not going to be admissible.
10:56But it's a very good place to start.
10:58We'll see if I can get permission from April to talk to the therapist.
11:05Protriptamine is both plant-derived and chemically stabilized, making it more compatible with our brain chemistry than most psychedelics.
11:11And the vast majority of our participants, they no longer meet the diagnostic criteria for PTSD.
11:19I won't be going back to traditional treatment again.
11:22So, it's a miracle drug.
11:24I know it all sounds a little kooky.
11:26Pop a pill, listen to music, lay down in a dark room and see what feelings come up.
11:31But we have seen what it can do for people.
11:34Which one of you treated, April?
11:36We both did.
11:37At the same time?
11:39Is that typical?
11:40Well, it's protocol and necessary.
11:42I mean, the sessions can bring up strong, sometimes difficult emotions and can last hours.
11:47What were you treating her for?
11:48PTSD.
11:49At the time, we believed her symptoms, hyperarousal, numbness, hypervigilance, all stemmed from growing up in an unstable household with
11:57an alcoholic mother.
11:58Think it's possible it actually stemmed from sexual assault?
12:01Obviously, we don't know if we're certain, but whether or not an event happened is unimportant.
12:05Seems it would be very important.
12:07Detectives, we're not in the business of investigating the accuracy of a memory or catching criminals.
12:13We are in the business of healing.
12:15We explore the meaning behind the memory.
12:17True or not?
12:19Yes or no?
12:21You think she was raped?
12:22No.
12:23I don't.
12:25I pulled her session files.
12:28Take a look yourselves.
12:30I trust that you protect both April and our work.
12:46Dr. Severson, you got a minute?
12:48Uh, unfortunately, no. I'm late for an appointment. Sorry.
12:51We'll walk with you.
12:52Then maybe you could tell us what you wouldn't say up there in front of your partner.
12:56Uh, there's really not much more to say.
12:59That's fine.
13:00We'll just ask more questions, widen the net, involve a lot more people.
13:04You know, that won't impact the clinical trials.
13:06Nah, because you know what pharmaceutical companies really love?
13:08Police investigations.
13:11Look, I'll start by saying I don't mean to disparage my colleague.
13:15I have a lot of respect for Dr. Catmull.
13:17He's worked in psychedelics a long time,
13:21which may be the reason he's a little too invested in pushing protryptamine over the finish line.
13:26And if it gets stalled, all that research money goes down the drain.
13:30It's not about the money. It's about helping people.
13:32Jonah wasn't wrong to question recovered memories in any setting.
13:36Sometimes they're metaphors.
13:39But he didn't give you the whole truth.
13:42April has a history of using psychedelics.
13:44About five years ago.
13:46It wasn't revealed in the initial interview.
13:48It came out in therapy.
13:50But that should have disqualified her from the study.
13:53Why didn't it?
13:54Because she's a success story.
13:56Jonah wanted it in.
13:58So what does that have to do with her memory of being assaulted?
14:03Jonah omitted the time period when April was using.
14:06When she was meeting a lot of men and blacking out on a regular basis.
14:11You think that's when this happened?
14:13I can't say for sure it was a rape, but...
14:16Something happened to that girl.
14:28April is trying to put together a list of the men that she dated five years ago, but...
14:33Her memory's spotty.
14:34Can you remember who you dated five years ago?
14:36Well, we are not talking about me, thank you very much.
14:39What do we got?
14:41Combing through dating app matches and cross-checking names of databases.
14:45Liv.
14:48No psychedelic is a magic bullet.
14:50For this writer.
14:51For others, it's the new frontier for mental health medicine.
14:55Some studies say psychedelics can assist in memory recall, but others say that it impairs it.
15:00But I have a psych professor at Fordham who had a section on how psychedelics affect the brain.
15:04She can break it down for me.
15:06Go ahead, go talk to her.
15:10So how does protriptamine make you remember things?
15:13It's more that it modulates the brain's fear response.
15:16Our brain protects us from traumatic memories, and a psychedelic, like protriptamine, can allow you to recall those events with
15:23less shame and judgment.
15:24For me, psychedelics weren't so much about memory.
15:28I just felt very connected and present.
15:32You've done psychedelics.
15:33I might have had a crisis of faith or two that required some highly classified trips to Oaxaca a few
15:39years back.
15:40You're not going to turn me in, are you?
15:41I know.
15:42The DEA is on its way.
15:43It wasn't a clinical trial, of course.
15:46She was a lovely woman, luckily.
15:48You're very vulnerable in that state.
15:50I'm glad to see the practice is becoming more regulated now.
15:54There have been problems?
15:55It's not just protriptamine.
15:57Sex abuse is a known problem with psychedelics.
16:00Even the naturally occurring ones, like ayahuasca or psilocybin.
16:04Hmm.
16:05All those happy hormones, they mess with your personal boundaries.
16:09They trick you into thinking you're okay with things when you're not.
16:14Which is why there's two therapists, to make sure nobody crosses the line.
16:19The first time, I was totally freaked out.
16:22Okay.
16:23I didn't sleep at all the night before, and I got there.
16:27I took the pill and, like, immediately fell asleep.
16:31Oh.
16:31And I woke up.
16:33I felt like I understood what love meant.
16:42Wow.
16:43Not like being in love, but just how everything and everyone is all one.
16:52It's hard to describe.
16:55I know, I probably sound nuts.
16:57No, it sounds kind of, um, incredible.
17:01So when did you remember the assault?
17:05The third time.
17:07Okay.
17:08They had me put an eye mask on, and it makes things a lot more intense.
17:14It felt so vivid.
17:17This strong feeling of violation.
17:21I actually feel it happening in my body.
17:25I was crying.
17:26Did you tell your therapists?
17:28One of them was sitting with me.
17:30He was rubbing my back and my legs, holding me.
17:33Was that a common practice for your sessions, the physical touch?
17:40Yeah, I guess so.
17:42Okay.
17:42It's just, that's, that's quite unorthodox for a therapist to, to cross that boundary.
17:50What happened afterwards?
17:52I went home.
17:53Mm-hmm.
17:55And I still feel it in my body the next day.
17:59Soreness between my legs.
18:01My throat, like somebody had choked me.
18:05They said it wasn't unusual for the brain to convince the body that it had really happened.
18:12And in my experience, the opposite is true.
18:19Um, it's the body that doesn't lie.
18:25And your body was telling you that you had been violated.
18:32And I think that you were.
18:35But not five years ago.
18:39Have you considered that maybe you were assaulted during, during your session?
18:58For a long time, I felt really good about the therapy.
19:03It changed my brain.
19:05It made me more open, optimistic.
19:11And now it just feels like it got rotten.
19:16Like, I'm too sick to be fixed.
19:19It's not true.
19:21You're not too sick to be fixed.
19:25They took advantage of you when you were vulnerable.
19:31And now they're gonna pay.
19:43Okay, so if the sessions always had two therapists, what are we thinking?
19:47Both of them did it?
19:49One of them did it while the other watched?
19:51Or they weren't always together all the time.
19:53April doesn't know who was there because she had a mask over her eyes.
19:57Well, we both know for a fact they're willing to lie to cover it up.
20:01Catmull fudged the session notes.
20:03Severson sent us on a wild goose chase looking at five-year-old hinge matches.
20:07Catmull has an MD and a PhD.
20:09He's been big in the psychedelics communities since the 90s.
20:12He's a real cheerleader for its benefits.
20:14He's got no complaints against them.
20:16He did a ton of research papers on protryptamine therapy.
20:19And I looked into Catmull's financials.
20:22He's got significant investments in all of this, okay?
20:26If protryptamine gets distribution, he will make a lot of money.
20:30Hmm.
20:32Severson's a Psy-D.
20:33He's new to the psychedelics game.
20:35He still has a private practice.
20:36He specializes in complex trauma, PTSD, EMDR.
20:40No complaints against him either.
20:41He and Catmull started working together two years ago for Serolite Pharmaceuticals,
20:46the parent company's based in Japan.
20:48The U.S. division developed protryptamine and is running the trials.
20:51Okay, well, these clinical trials often record their testing.
20:54So, I mean, maybe there's video of these sessions.
20:57Let's see.
20:59Who's Judd Flannery?
21:01Catmull wrote all of his papers with the guy.
21:04And then it looks like they stopped around the time Severson came into the picture.
21:09Wonder what split him up.
21:10Yeah, let's find out.
21:16Dr. Catmull and Dr. Severson are some of our finest researchers.
21:20Jonah has been with it from almost the beginning.
21:22Uh-huh.
21:22Since they paired up, their sites consistently report the best patient scores.
21:26Why?
21:27Well, have you ever had any complaints about either of them?
21:30No.
21:31What kind of complaints?
21:32April DSO recovered a memory of being sexually assaulted during one of her sessions.
21:38We are looking into the possibility that she was assaulted during that session.
21:45That's not possible.
21:47April, are you sure?
21:49Yeah.
21:49She was so pleased with her treatment outcome.
21:51So, are these sessions recorded, Ms. Fuentes?
21:55Yes, but given how sensitive the content is, I can't turn anything over without a patient's permission.
22:02Well, I can help you with that.
22:04This is April's consent.
22:05And you should have a digital copy of that in your inbox.
22:11I can't give you anything without a subpoena.
22:14All right, we will get a subpoena.
22:17We'll be back.
22:20Save the world.
22:21As long as you have a court order.
22:26Either you guys ever take that online quiz where you put in how many times a year you visit your
22:30parents,
22:30and then it tells you how much time you got left with them before they die?
22:33Hard no.
22:34I used to calculate how much closer I was to death working at a job I didn't care about so
22:37one day I just walked.
22:39All those years in medical school to work in a bike shop?
22:42My dad would have throttled me.
22:43Well, I've never been happier.
22:45Hey, don't get me wrong.
22:46I love helping people.
22:47I just hated everything else.
22:50Including Catmull?
22:52You know, I thought I was so lucky when he asked me to be his research partner.
22:55Didn't take long to realize he didn't care much about the science.
22:59Has he been arrested?
23:01Why do you ask?
23:03Dude's a druggie.
23:04I caught him swiping pills from our inventory.
23:06I reported him to my supervisor at Sarah Lane.
23:08She said they'd handle it internal.
23:10But they never did.
23:10I don't know.
23:11But there's definitely this mentality over there that nothing can stop the momentum, you know?
23:15You ever see him act inappropriate with a patient?
23:18You mean like sexually?
23:20No, but I wouldn't put anything past that guy.
23:22A shrink with no empathy.
23:24That's wild.
23:26And one time I asked him why I got into psychedelics.
23:27You know what he said?
23:28Hmm.
23:29That's where the money's at.
23:31Judd Flannery was a fresh graduate.
23:33He was incompetent and incapable.
23:35That's why I ended the relationship.
23:37Like, for all I know, he stole the meds.
23:39You think we're on the hunt for some pills that went missing two years ago?
23:43We're way beyond that now, Jonah.
23:44This is about what you did to April.
23:47What are you talking about?
23:48Get her vulnerable and compliant, assault her, and convince her it was a hallucination.
23:53What?
23:53Are you saying that I'm...
23:54You raped your client.
23:55Yeah, that's what we're saying.
23:56Absolutely not.
23:56The only question is, was it a tag team situation with you and your partner, or was it all his
24:01idea?
24:04I leave the session sometimes.
24:07I know I'm not supposed to.
24:10Austin.
24:12Austin encouraged me to take breaks.
24:13Sure, sure, sure, sure.
24:14It's always the other guy, isn't it?
24:16I can prove it.
24:17I have videos.
24:18Everything we sent to Serolite.
24:19I've got copies.
24:22Have you watched them?
24:27Because you had a feeling you knew what was on them, didn't you?
24:39Let go.
24:40No, don't touch me.
24:44No, no.
24:44I know.
24:46I know.
24:51I know.
24:52I know you mean this.
24:53No.
24:54No.
24:54Please don't.
24:55I can't read.
24:57I can't read.
24:59No.
24:59I know.
25:01I know what it means.
25:03Stop.
25:03You're going to get your thighs for me.
25:05Stop.
25:06Stop.
25:07OK, that's enough.
25:09There might not be enough there to prove rape, but we absolutely have him on sex.
25:15We're still going through all the videos, but Liv, we've already found two other women Severson did this to.
25:23Got him.
25:26Three crisis calls this morning, all before 10 a.m.?
25:29I think I deserve this.
25:31Dr. Severson.
25:32Hello.
25:32Detectives.
25:33This isn't the best time.
25:34Is it ever?
25:35Get up.
25:36What on earth are you doing?
25:38Arresting you, Doc.
25:39What?
25:39Here.
25:40Enjoy that.
25:48So I'm going to start with the obvious question, which is, did you forget that you were being recorded, or
25:55did you just not care?
26:00Captain, I can see how this might seem strange if you're not versed in this therapy, but that's what this
26:08therapy looks like.
26:09You assaulted her.
26:10I comforted her.
26:12A person who's taken protriptamine needs reassurance.
26:15They need someone there to hold them together, both mentally and physically.
26:20I have to stop you for a second, because you can't just sit there and pretend that we didn't see
26:26clearly what is on this video.
26:28You don't have the context.
26:30Are my methods unorthodox?
26:32Absolutely.
26:33But the use of touch, so long as it's non-sexual, has been very effective.
26:38You call that there, non-sexual?
26:40Yes.
26:40Yeah?
26:41Do you know what that word means?
26:43Nothing that has transpired between my clients and myself has ever been sexual.
26:47Well, not for me.
26:49I don't derive any benefit or pleasure from these sessions.
26:54Yeah, well, neither was she.
26:55She was in tears.
26:56She said, no, stop, multiple times.
26:59And if I told a surgeon, no, don't sew up that incision you just made, would he stop?
27:05I think I get it.
27:06So what you're saying is that sometimes when a person is feeling vulnerable, right, they just want to be held.
27:14Exactly.
27:15The level of this therapy is so intense, you have to experience it to understand.
27:22I think someone like you would benefit from it, Captain.
27:29Well, that is, uh, so kind of you to think of me.
27:32Um, where was Dr. Catmull during all of this?
27:37Uh, I don't recall exactly. He may have been on a break.
27:40The other two patients that got your special, uh, hands-on care, where was Dr. Catmull for those?
27:47I would have to check the video.
27:48He wasn't there. Every single time.
27:53Honestly, you're real smart, doctor.
27:58You're smarter than me.
27:59You're smarter than most people who sit in that chair.
28:03I mean, creating your own hunting ground, and then hiding behind a clinical trial, and then having your victims sign
28:11up for it themselves.
28:12That is, um, that is brilliant.
28:16Regular genius.
28:17But you're no different than every other predator.
28:22You know that.
28:24And now everyone else will, too.
28:27Because we have it all on video.
28:35Captain Curry!
28:38Executive Officer, look at you!
28:40Eyes on the ranks.
28:40Thanks, Chief.
28:41Here for CompStat?
28:42Yeah, my first one.
28:43You're gonna not be late.
28:45Hey, I'll catch up with you.
28:46Griff!
28:49Hey, Captain. Wow.
28:51You're all dressed up.
28:52Yeah, well, CompStat meeting, so I had to drag this thing out.
28:55A little, uh, field trip to the records room?
28:58Uh, yeah.
28:59Yeah, Cap asked me to pull some old case files.
29:01Thinks we might have a repeat offender.
29:03Hmm.
29:04I didn't hear anything about that.
29:06Yeah.
29:07Well, hey, we miss you up there.
29:08I gotta go.
29:14Hey, I just, uh, arranged Severson, and you're not gonna believe this, but he pled to the entire indictment.
29:19You're kidding.
29:20The judge gave him 15 years.
29:22For three rapes?
29:24Look, Amanda, I'm not upset about this, and you shouldn't be either.
29:27In this case, in no way, it was gonna be a slam dunk.
29:30The video was inconclusive.
29:32Uh, even if April and the other two victims were ready to testify, they were in an experimental
29:36treatment program that was always gonna be tricky with the jury.
29:39To be honest, I'm surprised this lawyer didn't want to go to trial.
29:42Oh, my God, he's protecting aesthetic.
29:45From what?
29:46Scrutiny.
29:48Look, Severson is a creep.
29:50He's a predator.
29:52But he is a true believer in his therapy.
29:55And he'll take the head so his company doesn't.
29:56And Sarah Light had all the videos of Severson.
29:59They knew what he was doing.
30:00And they did nothing?
30:02And it's despicable, but unfortunately, they don't have a duty to...
30:05So they get off on a technicality?
30:06Come on.
30:10Don't, don't, don't look at me like that, all right?
30:11For once, I'd like to be able to stay within my jurisdiction when it comes to you, Liv.
30:23We can't charge Sarah Light criminally.
30:27But we can try to shut him down.
30:37Sonny, gotta say, shutting down an entire corporation because a one bad apple doesn't sit well with me.
30:44Sir Light seems to be getting some good results out of this drug.
30:47Well, I have no issue with protriptamine, psychedelics in general, when they're handled appropriately.
30:51But what I do have an issue with is poor oversight and not paying attention when a doctor assaults his
30:56patients.
30:56And that man is going to prison.
30:58But that does nothing to solve the underlying issue.
31:01Look, their complete lack of oversight has created the perfect conditions for this to happen again with another doctor.
31:07I'm not saying we don't take a look, but shutting down the company could shut down the entire pursuit of
31:11this treatment.
31:12But if you do nothing, then patients are going to stay vulnerable.
31:16Look, listen.
31:18How about this?
31:22Cross-designate me.
31:24Let me take it on.
31:35She said both doctors would be in the room at all times for my protection and theirs.
31:40And did Ms. Fontes have you sign a consent form for your sessions to be recorded?
31:45I did.
31:46They said it was for the study and no one else would see them.
31:49And I'm assuming that you did not consent to either doctor lying under a blanket with you and touching your
31:55body.
31:55No, absolutely not.
31:57And did Ms. Fontes or anyone else from Serolite Pharmaceuticals ever reach out to you about what was on your
32:04recorded video sessions?
32:06No.
32:07Even after Dr. Severson was arrested for sexually assaulting you?
32:10Not a word.
32:11Thank you, Ms. Dieso.
32:13No further questions, Your Honor.
32:14Ms. Restad, your witness.
32:16Ms. Dieso, what you endured at the hands of Dr. Severson was reprehensible.
32:22And I don't want to put you through a long list of questions, so I'll be quick, alright?
32:25Okay.
32:26I really just have one.
32:28Did this therapy help you?
32:32I don't know her.
32:35I was assaulted.
32:39Raped.
32:40I know.
32:41But that's not what I'm asking.
32:43You had been treated for PTSD.
32:45Is that still your diagnosis?
32:47He's a monster.
32:48I don't disagree.
32:49He is.
32:50And, according to your post-clinical trial follow-up, your PTSD is, medically speaking, no longer present.
32:57So I'll ask again, did it help you?
33:08When I wake up at night, I feel like I'm being choked.
33:13Feel hands on me.
33:15Feel him on top of me over a year later.
33:19I think about what would have happened if Dr. Severson hadn't done this to me.
33:22What that life would have been like.
33:24I'll never know.
33:27I just don't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else.
33:40Ms. Fuentes, your company has safeguards in place to prevent sexual abuse, correct?
33:45Yes, we do.
33:46For example, you require two therapists to be present for the entire duration of every session.
33:53Correct.
33:53And you also require that each session be recorded on video.
33:56Yes.
33:57But that didn't really stop Dr. Severson though, did it?
34:01We were horrified by his criminal actions.
34:05But to say that one bad actor is indicative of our entire company is false.
34:10Right, because you know for certain that there was only one bad actor.
34:13You got the videos, right?
34:15So if anything inappropriate had happened, you would have seen that.
34:21You do record every session, don't you Dr. Fuentes?
34:26Yes.
34:26And have you ever seen a therapist leave a session when they weren't supposed to?
34:31I never saw that.
34:32No?
34:32And all those videos?
34:34That's astonishing.
34:35I mean, how many hours would you say there are?
34:37There's gotta be thousands.
34:39Yes.
34:39And approximately how many hours of those sessions did you watch?
34:44I haven't had an opportunity to review.
34:46You never watched the videos that you require for the purpose of protecting your patients?
34:51Me personally?
34:53No.
34:53Okay, not personally, but who does?
34:56You have to understand, we keep the videos as records.
34:59We simply don't have the manpower to review that much footage.
35:02We're a research-focused entity.
35:04Whose primary purpose should have been to keep your patients safe.
35:09And if you had done your job, then you would have seen three women,
35:13the very people that you were supposed to protect,
35:16be assaulted by one of your doctors.
35:18Isn't that true?
35:21Yes.
35:23Nothing further.
35:25On Miss Fuentes, you may step down.
35:32Both counsel approach.
35:44Ms. Rhett said, if things keep going the way they're going, I'm inclined to rule in favor of the Attorney
35:49General's office.
35:50Your Honor, I would-
35:51However, I also understand that Serolite Pharmaceuticals is at the forefront of a breakthrough medication that has the potential to
36:00change the face of mental health treatment.
36:03Perhaps under the right leadership.
36:05Hold on, Your Honor.
36:06The Serolite board would not object to removing Miss Fuentes from her position as CEO, Your Honor.
36:11In that case, I'd be inclined to deny the Attorney General's application to shut them down.
36:16Your Honor, respectfully, I disagree.
36:19Three women have been victimized on Serolite's watch.
36:21Victimized by Dr. Severson, who's out of the picture.
36:23Did SVU find any other instances of therapists abusing patients?
36:28No, they did not, but the potential for abuse is there.
36:31And unless we shut them down until real changes are made, it'll stay there.
36:36I admire your passion, Mr. Creasy, but I don't think you've made your case.
36:40You're welcome to take an appeal.
36:43Step back.
36:55Well, you went down swinging, Sonny, I'll give you that.
36:58Yeah, well, thanks for the spot on the team.
37:01Anytime.
37:02Take care.
37:03Well, you warned me that we were punching above our weight.
37:06Yeah, I did.
37:08Well, you're not going to give me the I told you so speech?
37:15When I was a kid, my mom had an abortion.
37:20Nearly killed a Catholic heart.
37:21I mean, the baby would have been born with all kinds of problems.
37:24All this information came out about this antidepressant that she was using off and on.
37:30I remember this fancy lawyer, he came to our house and he wanted her to join a class action lawsuit.
37:36Told us that hundreds of babies had been born with birth defects because of that drop.
37:41What did she do?
37:43Class action was denied certification.
37:46Case never went to trial.
37:47Well, my mom, she couldn't afford to file an individual claim, so...
37:53So that was that.
37:58Carisi Severson is behind bars.
38:02Removing Fuentes is definitely going to shake things up.
38:06You didn't really lose this case today.
38:10Look at you with the pep talk.
38:13Usually I'm the one telling you that we did all we could.
38:15Well, people change.
38:28What's this?
38:29A few files that you missed.
38:31This one was a killer.
38:33So the witness turned out to be a fabulous.
38:36Just makes up a whole bunch of details.
38:38And then...
38:39And then the whole case fell apart at trial.
38:41Captain, I can explain what's going on.
38:42So I don't know why you're pulling my old cases.
38:45I suspect it's because somebody told you to.
38:48So you go ahead, Griff.
38:50You look into anything you want.
38:53Because I don't have any secrets.
38:56And whatever mistakes I've made, and I'm sure there have been a ton.
39:01I stand by.
39:05Wait.
39:08Look at this.
39:09What is that?
39:11It's from a shooting in a bar in the Upper West Side in 2001.
39:16Look at it.
39:17Involving a Lieutenant, Jimmy Griffin.
39:24And Detective Katherine Tynan.
39:28Yeah.
39:29You're right.
39:30I was tasked into looking into your old cases.
39:32Okay?
39:34And I used that as cover to dig that up.
39:43What are you planning on doing with this, Griff?
39:48I'm gonna find out the truth.
39:51And I'm gonna give that to the commissioner.
39:56What?
39:56I don't care what happens to me.
39:59I don't care what happens to my dad's legacy after this.
40:04Legacy?
40:05Like, what the hell does that even mean?
40:06I mean...
40:10Tynan.
40:11I mean, you know this Tynan.
40:13She's been there for me.
40:16Through some very hard times, okay?
40:23I cannot take any of this anymore.
40:28I gotta know.
40:29I gotta know.
40:30Gotta know the truth.
40:32This is gonna blow everything up.
40:41Are you ready for that?
40:46No.
40:51Are you?
41:24I don't care what happens to me.
41:26I don't care what happens to me.
41:27I don't care what happens to me.
41:27I don't care what happens to me.
41:29I don't care what happens to me.
41:30I don't care what happens to me.
41:31I don't care what happens to me.
41:31I don't care what happens to me.
41:32I don't care what happens to me.
41:33I don't care what happens to me.
41:33I don't care what happens to me.
41:33I don't care what happens to me.
41:33I don't care what happens to me.
41:35I don't care what happens to me.
41:36I don't care what happens to me.
41:38I don't care what happens to me.
41:40You
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