Equal Rights

"Equal Rights"
←	L&O, Episode 12.18	→
Production number: E2221 First aired: 3 April 2002
	th of 456 produced in L&O
←	th of 456 released in L&O	→
	th of 1271 released in all
Written By Terri Kopp Directed By James Quinn

Plot

The DA's office believes that an abused wife hired her brother-in-law to kill her husband. The defense claims that the woman suffers from battered wife syndrome for her husband "repeatedly beat her," but was is it a case of self-defense or revenge?

Cast

Main cast

• Jerry Orbach as Detective Lennie Briscoe
• Jesse L. Martin as Detective Ed Green
• S. Epatha Merkerson as Lieutenant Anita Van Buren
• Sam Waterston as Executive A.D.A. Jack McCoy
• Elisabeth Röhm as A.D.A. Serena Southerlyn
• Dianne Wiest as Interim D.A. Nora Lewin

Recurring cast

• Leslie Hendrix as M.E. Elizabeth Rodgers
• J.K. Simmons as Dr. Emil Skoda
• Bob Dishy as Defense Attorney Lawrence "Larry" Weaver
• Elizabeth Norment as Judge Arlene Brewer

Guest cast

• Karen Young as Leslie Cooper
• Angelica Page as Georgina Woods
• Brian O'Neill as Russell Woods
• Jeremy Blackman as Anthony Cooper
• Harry Danner as Kenneth Gray
• Helen Coxe as Tara Johnson
• Kenneth Ryan as Jeff Dreisner
• Lawrence Kopp as Peter O'Mann
• Michael McKenzie as Justin Brenner
• JoAnna Rhinehart as Angela Harkin
• Magaly Colimon as Lisa Schneider
• Ronald Wyche as Carl
• Jay Russell as James
• John Wojda as Hank
• Rob Grader as Jerry
• Terry McCrossan as Bobby
• Nelson Landrieu as Jake Holcomb
• JoAnna Beckson as Neighbor
• Peter Napoliello as Victor
• Lenore Harris as Defense Attorney Molly Kochan
• Stephanie Cannon as Karen
• Gayle Scott as Celia
• Harlin C. Kearsley as CSU Technician
• Chris Fischer as Uniform Cop #2
• Mike Lisenco as Foreman
• Phillippe Vonlanthen as John Cooper (uncredited)

References

• Everson Technologies

Quotes

Briscoe: We know one thing; he was a cigar smoker. We found this in his coat.

Green: That's a Montechristo Series 7. It's Dominican, it's rare and very expensive so people try to counterfeit them. So they put a second band, underneath the first one, that has a registry number.

Van Buren: Oh, so we can trace it.

Briscoe: Hey, it's always a plus when your vices payoff. [As he points at Det. Green]

Background information and notes

• Goof: The episode scene card days and dates match up to 2001, not 2002.

Episode scene cards

1	2	3
Holcomb's Cigars 5 Wall Street Court Thursday, February 8	Dreisner Investments 163 Church Street Thursday, February 8	Hudson River Waterway Ferry Thursday, February 8

4	5	6
Securities and Exchange Commission 12 Federal Plaza Friday, February 9	Everson Technologies 45 West Broadway Friday, February 9	Chambers of Judge Arlene Brewer Wednesday, February 28

7	8	9	10
Rikers Island Correctional Facility Wednesday, February 28	Supreme Court Trial Part 60 Monday, March 26	Rikers Island Correctional Facility Tuesday, March 27	Supreme Court Trial Part 60 Monday, March 30

Previous episode: "Girl Most Likely"

"Equal Rights" Law & Order Season 12

Next episode: "Slaughter"