Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series)

Cold (2008)

Joanna Merlin: Judge Lena Petrovsky

Quotes 

• Donna Emmett : DNA is the rock on which the People built their case. They don't have a credible witness.

  Casey Novak : Cecelia Cruz's immigrant status has nothing to do with her eyewitness testimony.

  Donna Emmett : And yet they've placed more emphasis on biological evidence, which I discovered was compromised.

  Judge Lena Petrovsky : Is that true, Miss Novak?

  Casey Novak : No, the evidence was tested by lab protocol.

  Judge Lena Petrovsky : Then where are the reports? Because I don't have them.

  Casey Novak : Incomplete. They're not finished.

  Donna Emmett : And the dog ate my homework.

  Casey Novak : I will turn everything over as soon as it is done.

  Judge Lena Petrovsky : See that you do.

  [to Ms. Emmett] 

  Judge Lena Petrovsky : And the conspiracy?

  Donna Emmett : Detective Lake perjured himself. He was told that the sample was too degraded for testing by the evidence intake officer.

  Casey Novak : Who's not a DNA expert. If it's so degraded, how did we find two separate profiles?

  Donna Emmett : I think you want to win so badly, you'd plant the evidence and frame my client.

  Casey Novak : Oh, the O.J. defense. That's original. Good for you.

• Donna Emmett : [to Lake]  You call the lab to move the evidence. What were you told by the desk officer?

  Chester Lake : That I needed a boss to request it.

  Donna Emmett : Was that all you were told?

  Chester Lake : I don't recall.

  Donna Emmett : You weren't told that the evidence was too degraded and contaminated for testing?

  Chester Lake : No.

  Donna Emmett : Objection. Your Honor, I call for an immediate mistrial. There's a serious cover-up going on here and I have proof that this witness perjured himself and the prosecution violated Brady.

  Casey Novak : Your Honor, that's ridiculous. No one lied. Counsel is accusing my office of conspiracy in front of the jury just to score points.

  Judge Lena Petrovsky : Enough! In my chambers now.

• Donna Emmett : [to Cecelia]  When did you become a U.S. citizen, Miss Cruz?

  Casey Novak : Objection. Irrelevant.

  Donna Emmett : Witness veracity, Your Honor.

  Judge Lena Petrovsky : [to Cecelia]  Answer the question.

  Cecelia Cruz : You don't understand. We didn't have the money for amnesty then, but I've been trying ever since.

  Donna Emmett : In other words, you're here illegally. You went to school here, you saw doctors here, made money here, but you paid no taxes here.

  Casey Novak : Is there a question or is Counsel just going to pontificate?