Paula Haggerty is a former caregiver at the cult Foundation of Knowledge Expansion. She was easily manipulated by Dr. Garret Lang and his "cloning" cult due to her rebellious daughter Carrie running away from home and disappearing since that day. When Lang promised to "clone" and "return" Carrie to Paula, she became the watchdog and teacher of girls Lang kidnapped just to impregnate them and sell their babies to grieving couples as part of the scam.
Paula was tracked and arrested for the kidnappings of the girls and her role in the murder of Samantha Tassler, one of the girls held captive Lang tortured to death when Samantha threatened to report the cult. Paula was adamantly resistant in the law's efforts to prosecute Lang while still under his manipulation. When she was confronted with the discovery of the report on her daughter Carrie, the team extended more sympathy to her and brought a girl she bonded with, Jessica Morse, to turn on Lang on the stand, which Morse convinced her of when she said she still cared about her like she was part of her family.
Paula's testimony against helped to put him away for his part in the death of Samantha. In exchange, Paula was vacated of charges and released on her own recognizance. (SVU: "Perfect")