- Rafael Barba: His lawyer's invoking the First Amendment?
- Amanda Rollins: He claims he was trying to cure her, and the victim does, too.
- Rafael Barba: The victim?
- Dominick Carisi Jr.: Yeah, she admits that she was raped, but she doesn't wanna press charges because she thinks the guy did it for the right reasons.
- Olivia Benson: None of that matters. Ann didn't consent. It was rape.
- Dominick Carisi Jr.: Right, but if she really believes that what he did was curative...
- Rafael Barba: Even if you buy into this demented doctrine, a patient has the right to refuse care at any time.
- Dominick Carisi Jr.: Of course, but I'm just saying that given her religious beliefs, all right, it's more than possible that this kid's defense attorney is gonna lather that up into consent.
- Rafael Barba: Yeah, I agree. So we've gotta help Ann see the light, so to speak.
- Odafin Tutuola: And how do we do that?
- Rafael Barba: Use your imagination. Religion has been used to justify everything from genocide to the war against Christmas. I'm sure we can twist it in our favor for once. Just get her on our side.
- Olivia Benson: Lucas has a right to counsel, but he's already confessed to my detectives.
- Reverend Gary Langham: There is nothing to confess to.
- Dominick Carisi Jr.: Excuse me?
- Reverend Gary Langham: Lucas had curative intercourse with Ann Davenport. It's his right under the First Amendment.
- Odafin Tutuola: His right?
- Reverend Gary Langham: It's an expression of his and Ann's religious beliefs.
- Olivia Benson: Okay.
- Odafin Tutuola: Look, I'm no preacher, but I know the guy in the sky isn't down with rape.
- Olivia Benson: Yeah, well, neither is the State of New York. And regardless of his religious beliefs, Lucas is guilty of sexual assault, so he won't be going anywhere.
- Reverend Gary Langham: Well, then I will see you in court.
- Ann Davenport: I try to put all this in God's hands, to have faith. But God's law and man's law say two different things. And how do I know what's right?
- Olivia Benson: Maybe you don't need to know. Maybe... maybe you just need to tell the truth.
- Ann Davenport: The truth. That... that I have feelings for Lydia or what Lucas did?
- Olivia Benson: Both.
- Ann Davenport: But my lust is a sin. It's...
- Olivia Benson: Ann, God made you the way you are. What Lucas did, do you really think that God would condone that? He hurt you. You know, I believe in God, too. And I'm not sure what He has in store for me or... or for you. Or for anyone, for that matter. But... but what I am sure about, regardless of religion, is that what Lucas did to you was wrong.
- Ann Davenport: [breaking down into tears] Yeah, I know.
- Cheryl Davenport: I'm pleading with you, Lieutenant. Don't make my daughter testify. She will be shunned by the church, our community. This is a private matter.
- Olivia Benson: No, it's not anymore. A crime has been committed. So now, unfortunately, this is a public matter.
- Cheryl Davenport: I don't understand. Why are you making her do this?
- Olivia Benson: I only asked your daughter to tell me the truth. And she told me that that's something that she valued.
- Cheryl Davenport: The truth is Lucas Hull tried to save her soul.
- Olivia Benson: The truth is that your daughter was sexually assaulted.
- Odafin Tutuola: So Ann can't tell us who attacked her or she won't?
- Olivia Benson: Well, it's obvious she's traumatized. It's possible that the perp threatened her.
- Odafin Tutuola: Or she had sex with a boyfriend and don't want her girlfriend to know.
- Olivia Benson: I'm not getting that.
- Odafin Tutuola: Reverend, huh? What'd he have to say?
- Olivia Benson: That they're not in Kansas anymore.
- Dominick Carisi Jr.: So this kid is, uh, basically confessing. But in his mind, he forced Ann to have sex with him to save her soul from going to hell.
- Olivia Benson: Okay. Keep him talking.
- Dominick Carisi Jr.: All right. Also, Ann's parents are here.
- Rafael Barba: I can imagine what that was about.
- Olivia Benson: These people really think that nothing criminal happened.
- Rafael Barba: Never underestimate the power of faith. Regardless of where it's placed.
- Rafael Barba: Let's go over Ann's testimony one more time. Make sure she's consistent.
- Olivia Benson: Okay.
- Rafael Barba: You know, he said/she said/God said, you don't want God to get the last word.
- [checking his phone]
- Rafael Barba: Spoke too soon. Defense filed a motion to dismiss based on First Amendment protections.
- Olivia Benson: So they're saying that rape is okay if it's done for religious reasons.
- Rafael Barba: Huh. I don't remember reading that in the Bible.
- [last lines]
- Olivia Benson: So, Ann, what will you do now?
- Ann Davenport: I have some cousins in Denver I'm gonna stay with. Figure things out.
- Olivia Benson: Good.
- Ann Davenport: I'm definitely not coming back to New York anymore.
- Olivia Benson: And what about your parents?
- Ann Davenport: They're not ready yet. Maybe they will be one day.
- Olivia Benson: You know, things get better. They get easier with time.
- Ann Davenport: And with faith.
- Rafael Barba: Man plans, God laughs.
- Olivia Benson: No, there's nothing funny about Reverend Gary. Or rape in the name of religion.
- Paul Davenport: We're taking our daughter home. We need to deal with this our way.
- Olivia Benson: I... I understand that, sir. But we are in the middle of a criminal investigation and we would very much appreciate your cooperation.
- Cheryl Davenport: It's the police, Paul. She needs to stay, right?
- Olivia Benson: Yes, that would be helpful.
- Cheryl Davenport: I'm just worried about Ann. Regardless of why this happened, she was traumatized. I wanna make sure she's safe.
- Amanda Rollins: So do we.
- Ann Davenport: What's gonna happen to Lucas?
- Olivia Benson: He committed a crime, Ann. We... we can't just pretend it never happened.
- Evan Braun: The church to which both Lucas Hull and Ann Davenport belong holds firm in its belief that homosexuality is sinful and that curative intercourse is the appropriate remedy. Therefore, there was tacit consent.
- Rafael Barba: This argument is ridiculous.
- Evan Braun: All religion is ridiculous to the non-believer. That's the basis for religious discrimination. In both Cantwell versus Connecticut and Hobby Lobby...
- Rafael Barba: Neither of those cases involved a rape. Reynolds versus U.S. ruled that the First Amendment protection did not entitle a person to act on their religious beliefs in a way that violated the law.
- Evan Braun: Yeah, but this is not true in People versus Moua, a 1985 case.
- Rafael Barba: It's not precendent, Your Honor. And the judge in that case handed down a reduced sentence. He didn't nullify the crime based on a religious argument. But if you'd like to plead this out, my offer's still on the table.
- Evan Braun: In the eyes of the Lord, the ultimate judge, my client is innocent. So I refuse to let Lucas plead guilty.
- Rafael Barba: Well, with all due respect to the Almighty, His laws are meaningless when it comes to sexual assault.
- Officer Rachel Ortiz: Vic's name is Ann Davenport. 18, part of a visiting church group fom Hunter, Indiana.
- Olivia Benson: Okay. And she said that she was sexually assaulted in her room.
- Officer Rachel Ortiz: No, actually, her friend said that. Lydia Banks, also 18. She's the one who called 911.
- Odafin Tutuola: Okay, we're gonna need security footage from the hallway and the elevator, key card entry logs, the works.
- Olivia Benson: So, Ann, can you tell me what happened?
- Ann Davenport: I'm... I'm not really sure.
- Lydia Banks: You were raped!
- [Benson looks at her in surprise]
- Lydia Banks: Look, she was raped. She would never let a man have sex with her. She is... she is a lesbian.
- Odafin Tutuola: How do you two know each other?
- Lydia Banks: Um, well, we grew up together. I, um... I got out of Indiana when I turned sixteen. We did stay in touch, but tonight's the first time I've seen her since I moved to New York.
- Odafin Tutuola: Okay. So what'd you guys do tonight?
- Lydia Banks: Um... well, we had a drink. It was just a soda at the... at the bar. Um... and then we went back to her room. Um... and then the chaperone knocked on the door, said it was 11:00; it's lights out. And Ann, she snuck me her room key so that I could come back and we could... we could hang out.
- Odafin Tutuola: How much later?
- Lydia Banks: It was, like, maybe a half hour later. And, you know, I thought everyone would be asleep, so I went in and Ann was crying. And she said that she had been raped.
- Odafin Tutuola: She used that word?
- Lydia Banks: Basically. I mean, she said "He made me. My virtue is gone." What does that sound like to you?
- Ann Davenport: I would never have sex with a boy.
- Olivia Benson: Because you're a lesbian.
- Ann Davenport: No. No, I'm saving myself for marriage. I'm a virgin. Or I was.
- Olivia Benson: Okay, so what Lydia said before...
- Ann Davenport: I'm not. I mean, I have feelings for Lydia, but I would never act on them. That's a... that's a sin.
- Olivia Benson: Honey, I need you to listen to me. If you didn't want to have sex with that boy, that's rape.
- Amanda Rollins: I found something else. The church's bank statements. Lucas said he was paid a monthly stipend of $200.
- Olivia Benson: Yeah, that was for, you know, maintenance, chores.
- Amanda Rollins: Maybe, sure, but I found... I mean, I found disbursements for $200 for half a dozen other kids, going back years.
- Dominick Carisi Jr.: Lucas did say he wasn't the only kid living there.
- Rafael Barba: If we can prove that any of the other boys working for Gary got paid for curatively raping someone, you've got sex trafficking.
- Amanda Rollins: Yeah, but we can't. Not without their cooperation.
- Olivia Benson: Well, Gary doesn't know that. He doesn't know what Lucas told us.
- Rafael Barba: Asset forfeiture laws are very strong under sex trafficking.
- Olivia Benson: Do you know what the most frightening part of all of this is? It's that the reverend actullay believes that he's doing the right thing.
- Rafael Barba: Yeah. So do his congregants.
- Olivia Benson: Which is even more frightening.