Raúl Esparza: ADA Rafael Barba

The Newsroom

ADA Rafael Barba

Harold Coyle: I hope you know what you're doing.
Deputy Chief William Dodds: It's good to see you, Harold.
[Coyle leaves, and Barba approaches]
Deputy Chief William Dodds: Good luck. Careful what you wish for.
Olivia Benson: [Dodds leaves] Now what?
Rafael Barba: I file a motion to include the testimony of the four other victims. The defense files a motion to exclude.
Olivia Benson: You know the other women are pursuing a civil case.
Rafael Barba: I do. I already asked for the depositions. Hope to hell the judge agrees that they show pattern, or we're looking at a he said/she said with a man who has no compunction about lying.

Olivia Benson: Everybody at "HNT" knows about Coyle, but nobody's willing to talk about it.
Deputy Chief William Dodds: Okay, par for the course.
Rafael Barba: I was hoping for at least one corroborating witness.
Olivia Benson: Well, we have Heidi's story, and once she came forward, she's been consistent.
Deputy Chief William Dodds: What about texts? E-mails to Coyle? Any change after the alleged assault?
Olivia Benson: Well, there's no communication saying "Why did you rape me?". And there's certainly nothing from him to her.
Deputy Chief William Dodds: What about the timeline?
Olivia Benson: She got to work at 6:00. She was in with him from 6:20 to 7:10.
Rafael Barba: Behind closed doors with no witnesses.
Olivia Benson: Somebody else was there. Coyle. Look, I think it's time for us to get his side of the story.
Rafael Barba: With no evidence for leverage?
Olivia Benson: He doesn't know that. And he's notoriously paranoid.
Deputy Chief William Dodds: Okay, we'll talk to him. Together.
Olivia Benson: You don't think that I can handle it alone?
Deputy Chief William Dodds: I do. But I want him to know how seriously NYPD is taking this.

Rafael Barba: [his motion to include has been denied] Not the ruling I was hoping for.
Olivia Benson: So where does that leave us?
Rafael Barba: With two witnesses. Heidi Sorenson and George Thanos.
Olivia Benson: Is that enough to go to trial?
Rafael Barba: If I'm willing to go out on a very high, very shaky limb.
Olivia Benson: I assume that's a "yes"?
Rafael Barba: Damn right it is.

Rafael Barba: [Benson is on the witness stand] You were seated next to Ms. Sorenson. In your experience as an SVU, Lieutenant, what can you tell us?
Olivia Benson: She was triggered. She was traumatized. In my opinion, she exhibited symptoms of a victim of sexual assault.
Rafael Barba: But when you tried to follow up, she refused to speak to you?
Olivia Benson: No, she had an emotional reaction and then she backed down, which is not uncommon.
Rafael Barba: Two days later, she did disclose that Harold Coyle had assaulted her?
Olivia Benson: Yes.
Rafael Barba: Thank you. Nothing further.

Deputy Chief William Dodds: 1PP got a call from Steven Turner at "HNT". You're investigating Harold Coyle on assault charges?
Olivia Benson: It's very preliminary.
Deputy Chief William Dodds: Who's the complainant?
Olivia Benson: It's really very preliminary.
Deputy Chief William Dodds: Okay. That's what Turner said. Your detectives are basically throwing spaghetti at the wall.
Rafael Barba: All due respect, I hope you're not advising we stay away from "HNT"?
Deputy Chief William Dodds: Of course not. A powerful, bombastic news organization with a penchant for suing law enforcement, who go after enemies on Twitter, and who have friends in the current administration...
Olivia Benson: I hear you.
Deputy Chief William Dodds: If you have reason to believe there are individuals in such organizations that may be guilty of sexual assault, of course you have to investigate. Just have a damn good reason.
Olivia Benson: I hear you, Chief.
Deputy Chief William Dodds: I'll leave you two to it.
Olivia Benson: [Dodds leaves] So, happy to be back at work yet?
Rafael Barba: After that? Almost makes me miss suspension.

Dominick Carisi Jr.: All right, so we got four women, all former "HNT" employees, with credible stories of harassment going back fifteen years.
Rafael Barba: Okay, good. What's the bad news?
Amanda Rollins: They're all allegations of misdemeanor assault, from over two years ago. Outside of the statute of limitations.
Rafael Barba: Except for Heidi's rape, which is a he said/she said.
Amanda Rollins: And one allegation of attempted rape. Alana Reed, twenty years old. She quit right after the incident.
Rafael Barba: Tell me she went to HR.
Dominick Carisi Jr.: No, but she was George Thanos' assistant, and he already hates Coyle.
Rafael Barba: And this gives him one more reason.