The plot combines three separate news stories. The elevator attack mixes Solange attacking Jay-Z in 2014 and football player Ray Rice hitting his then-fiance Janay Palmer in that same year. The part about the racist team owner is based on then-Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling.
Kelley Missal who plays Karla is the older sister of Catherine Missal who played Emily in Friending Emily (2012).
Henry Simmons guest stars as a basketball player nicknamed "The Shark"; he was also a main cast member of the legal drama Shark (2006) for most of that series's run.
This is the second time Teri Polo has guest-starred in Law & Order Special Victims Unit.