History Recap / LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnitS10E20Crush

A young girl by the name of Kim Garnet (Carly Schroeder) is found to have been beaten up by someone after falling down some stairs. It is soon discovered that she had been texting nude photos of herself over her phone. ADA Samantha Copeland (Melinda McGraw) indites her on pornography-related charges to force her to admit who is beating her up, but Kim refuses to reveal who it is. Later, she is attacked again, this time being left with a black eye and a broken arm, and shuts down completely during the trial, forcing Judge Hilda Marsden (Swoosie Kurtz) to find her in contempt and lock her up for the night.

Benson calls Stabler's daughter Kathleen (Creator/AlisonSiko) to try and talk some sense into Kim and convince her to testify as to who is beating her up. Thanks to Kathleen's encouragement, Kim reveals who attacked her, leading to his (Creator/AlexanderNifong) arrest by SVU, and it seems that the case is closed as ADA Copeland prepares to drop the pornography charges.

A young girl by the name of Kim Garnet (Creator/CarlySchroeder) is found to have been beaten up by someone after falling down some stairs. It is soon discovered that she had been texting nude photos of herself over her phone. ADA Samantha Copeland (Creator/MelindaMcGraw) indites her on pornography-related charges to force her to admit who is beating her up, but Kim refuses to reveal who it is. Later, she is attacked again, this time being left with a black eye and a broken arm, and shuts down completely during the trial, forcing Judge Hilda Marsden (Creator/SwoosieKurtz) to find her in contempt and lock her up for the night.

** Believe it or not, there have cases of teens getting into trouble with the law for Child Pornography as a result of sexting. Thankfully, no child has ever suffered any disproportionately harsh penalties (like imprisonment) for such acts, due to court recognising that the law is designed to protect children, not persecute them. In fact, there has been [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller_v._Skumanick at least one case]] where an AmoralAttorney (Skumanick) once threatened to charge several girls with child pornography (in reality, they only produced images of themselves) if they didn't agree to six-to-nine-month educational program. Whilst most of the girls and their families agreed, the parents of girls instead sued Skumanick and won when the court decided that the Attorneys actions were unjust.

* BettyAndVeronica: Kim Garnet is in a TriangRelations with her JerkJock abusive boyfriend Steve Walker (Veronica) and her not-so-secret admirer and thespian Ethan Morse (Betty).

* {{Truth In Television}}[=/=]{{This Loser Is You}}: Happens in the episode when dealing with teenage rape victim Kim Garnet, who had been going through and continues to go through a ''serious'' TraumaCongaLine. In order to silence her, the people who want to protect her rapist try and get her arrested, and she winds up getting sent to a privately owned juvenile detention facility. It turns out that Judge Marsden who sent her there was a crooked judge, who gets paid to send as many kids there as possible because they get more money that way. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_for_cash_scandal This has happened at least once]]. [[spoiler: Thankfully, they manage to get the rapist, and anyone who was involved ends up either dead or in jail.]]

* BastardBoyfriend: Turns out Steve Walker is indeed the one who is hitting Kim Garnet.
* BettyAndVeronica: Kim Garnet is in a TriangRelations with her JerkJock BastardBoyfriend Steve Walker (Veronica) and her not-so-secret admirer and thespian Ethan Morse (Betty).

* DiscOneFinalBoss: Kim Garnet's unknown attacker (later revealed to be her BastardBoyfriend Steve Walker) is initially the episode's VillainOfTheWeek. He's arrested in the episode's third quarter, and then Judge Marsden immediately shows her true colors and becomes the episode's FinalBoss.
* DomesticAbuse: Most of the episode is getting Kim Garnet to tell the authorities on who's harming her. It's her BastardBoyfriend.

* JerkJock: Kim Garnet's BastardBoyfriend Steve Walker is a member of their school's swimming team.
* MistakenForCheating: Kim Garnet accidentally sexted Ethan Morse, much to her BastardBoyfriend's dismay.

* AbsenteeActor: Creator/RichardBelzer (JustForFun/JohnMunch) and Creator/TamaraTunie (Melinda Warner) sit this episode out. Creator/Michaela[=McManus=] (Kim Greylek) is also continued to be credited despite already leaving the cast.

* HollywoodLaw: Kim's arrest and conviction were obvious cases of malicious prosecution. It would be one of the rare open and shut cases. More info can be found [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit here]]

* RippedFromTheHeadlines: Based on the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_for_cash_scandal Kids For Cash Scandal from Pennsylvania.]]

* CallBack: When talking to Kim Garbet, Kathleen mentions her prison time [[Recap/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnitS10E3Swing from earlier in the season]].

* AbsenteeActor: Creator/RichardBelzer (JustForFun/JohnMunch) and Creator/TamaraTunie (Melinda Warner) sit this episode out. Creator/Michaela{=McManus=} (Kim Greylek) is also continued to be credited despite already leaving the cast.

* AbsenteeActor: Creator/RichardBelzer (JustForFun/JohnMunch) and Creator/TamaraTunie (Melinda Warner) sit this episode out. Creator/MichaelaMcManus (Kim Greylek) is also continued to be credited despite already leaving the cast.

* * {{Truth In Television}}[=/=]{{This Loser Is You}}: Happens in the episode when dealing with teenage rape victim Kim Garnet, who had been going through and continues to go through a ''serious'' TraumaCongaLine. In order to silence her, the people who want to protect her rapist try and get her arrested, and she winds up getting sent to a privately owned juvenile detention facility. It turns out that Judge Marsden who sent her there was a crooked judge, who gets paid to send as many kids there as possible because they get more money that way. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kids_for_cash_scandal This has happened at least once]]. [[spoiler: Thankfully, they manage to get the rapist, and anyone who was involved ends up either dead or in jail.]]

* EvilAllAlong: Helen Marsden appears to be just a stern judge at first, then it's revealed that she's so DrunkWithPower.
* EvilRedhead: Judge Helen Marsden, [[DrunkWithPower a power hungry]] HangingJudge who is mostly OnlyInItForTheMoney.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: In her introduction scene, Judge Helen Marsden is adamant of making an example out of Kim Garnet despite her being technically the VictimOfTheWeek.

* HangingJudge: Judge Helen Marsden just loves sending juvenile offenders to her cousin's facility. Mostly for the money, but also due to the display of power.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Samantha Copeland regrets her decision to prosecute Kim Garnet for producing child pornography after seeing how corrupt of a judge Helen Marsden really is.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Helen Marsden provides incarcerated teenagers for her cousin's juvenile facility in Ohio. She also provides for her [[TheMole moles]] in the public records office.
* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: Helen Marsden blatantly abuses her position as judge.

* SmugSnake: When things are going her way, Helen Marsden is [[SmugSmiler visibly confident]]. Put her in a compromising position, however, she's prone to VillainousBreakdown.
* WhamLine: "The defense's motion is denied." And just like that, Judge Helen Marsden is revealed to be the episode's FinalBoss.

A young girl by the name of Kim is found to have been beaten up by someone after falling down some stairs. It is soon discovered that she had been texting nude photos of herself over her phone. ADA Samantha Copeland indites her on pornography-related charges to force her to admit who is beating her up, but Kim refuses to reveal who it is. Later, she is attacked again, this time being left with a black eye and a broken arm, and shuts down completely during the trial, forcing Judge Hilda Marsden to find her in contempt and lock her up for the night.

Stabler calls in his daughter Kathleen to try and talk some sense into Kim and convince her to testify as to who is beating her up. Thanks to Kathleen's encouragement, Kim reveals who attacked her, leading to his arrest by SVU, and it seems that the case is closed as ADA Copeland prepares to drop the pornography charges.

However, Judge Marsden overrules Copeland, and to Copeland, Benson, and defense attorney Pond's shock, Marsden charges Kim with felony-level pornography charges and sentences her to one year at the Wellsburg Correctional Facility for Juvenile Sex Offenders. Kim erupts in an emotional breakdown as she's dragged away, thinking that Pond, Benson, and Copeland betrayed her.

With Mangini's support, the SVU set up their trap with having Stabler pose as a father asking Marsden to drop the hammer on a young boy that took his girl for a joyride that nearly got her killed, even paying her a nice bribe to further sweeten the deal and lure her further into the trap. At the trial, it is revealed that Captain Cragen is playing the father of the boy involved in the case, Huang as the defense attorney, and Copeland as the prosecuting attorney, while Kim's friend Ethan plays the defendant. After Marsden falls for the ruse and delivers her ruling on the matter of bail, after she bangs her gavel to adjourn the hearing, the trap is sprung, and Elliot and Cragen put on their badges, while Huang assumes his duty as an FBI agent, and place Marsden under arrest for numerous charges, including state charges of false imprisonment, official misconduct, and bribery, and federal charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States government. As Stabler slaps on the cuffs and escorts Marsden away, she argues that she has the nerve to do what is right and that the police does nothing about it, but her accusations fall on deaf ears as her former bailiffs open the doors to allow her to be taken away, and Marsden can only trade a final, infuriated glare at Copeland, who smiles smugly back, before Huang and Cragen take her away to be punished, while Stabler congratulates Ethan on his performance.

* HateSink: Judge Marsden. Her habit for sentencing juvenile delinquents on trumped-up felony charges, only caring about what she gets paid for each defendant. Everything about her makes her among the most despicable judges in the franchise.

* ControlFreak: Judge Marsden would do everything in her power to lock up mere juvenile delinquents on trumped-up felony charges and get paid by her cousin for each convict locked up in his facility.

With Mangini's support, the SVU set up their trap with having Stabler pose as a father asking Marsden to drop the hammer on a young boy that took his girl for a joyride that nearly got her killed, even paying her a nice bribe to further sweeten the deal and lure her further into the trap. At the trial, it is revealed that Captain Cragen is playing the father of the boy involved in the case, Huang as the defense attorney, and Copeland as the prosecuting attorney, while Kim's friend Ethan plays the defendant. After Marsden falls for the ruse and delivers her sentence, after she bangs her gavel to end the case, the trap is sprung, and Elliot and Cragen put on their badges, while Huang assumes his duty as an FBI agent, and place Marsden under arrest for numerous charges, including official misconduct, bribery, and federal charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States government. As Stabler slaps on the cuffs and escorts Marsden away, she argues that she has the nerve to do what is right compared to the bleeding hearts of the others, but her accusations fall on deaf ears as her former bailiffs open the doors to allow her to be taken away, and Marsden can only trade a final, infuriated glare at Copeland, who smiles smugly back, before Huang and Cragen take her away to be punished, while Stabler congratulates Ethan on his performance.

!!This episode contains examples of: