Episode 6: Cut
54-year-old Nora Hackett is found dead in her hotel bathroom, covered in bruises and incisions from a recent plastic surgery operation. Detectives Fontana and Green find that Nora was taking the painkiller Demerol to help her recover from the procedure. "It's an accident," declares Fontana. "She's sick, doped up, passes out and hits her head."
Nora - better known as bestselling author Corinne King - had made repeated calls to her surgeon, Dr Alvin Lawrence, the afternoon following her operation. Lawrence dismissed her calls as typical behaviour. "Nora was a worrier," he tells the detectives. The cops pursue another lead when they learn that the author was overheard arguing with her ex-agent in her hotel room shortly before she died. The agent is currently suing Nora for a share of her multi-million dollar book deal, but he denies he threatened her.
Suspicion falls back on Dr Lawrence when the ME reports that Nora died from a fatal combination of Demerol and antidepressants. Nora should not have taken antidepressants prior to her surgery, and she should have declared them on her admittance form. At the clinic, Lawrence insists that Nora made no mention of the drug. "I never would have given her Demerol had I known," he says.
Not entirely convinced, the cops take Nora's medical records away for testing and soon discover that the form has been altered to delete her declaration that she was taking antidepressants. "Something was erased and then written over," says Green. It looks like Lawrence initially missed this crucial detail - then tried to cover it up. The case against him builds when his secretary reveals that he refused to take Nora's calls, even when she reported feeling unwell. "He said he was busy and he'd get back to her," she says. "He never did."
However, at best, this proves Lawrence is guilty of falsifying records - not of murder. McCoy suggests it would be better if Lawrence were prosecuted by Nora's family in a civil case, but Southerlyn disagrees and goes on the hunt for further evidence of his malpractice. She starts with his ex-business partner, who slams Lawrence as "reckless". "In some ways he's a great surgeon," says Dr Stuart Barton. "But he takes great risks." Barton then reveals that he personally advised Nora to seek psychiatric help before embarking on what would be her fifth surgery. But Nora refused and went to Lawrence, who agreed to operate.
Southerlyn goes on to uncover a string of lawsuits and health code violations committed by Lawrence - yet he continues to practise. An indignant Branch decides that McCoy must take the case - even if he has a tough job proving that the surgeon is guilty of criminal negligence. "He's already been sued, Jack, and apparently it didn't get his attention," Branch says. "I want this office to serve notice that we're not going to tolerate this sort of thing!"
As the trial gets underway, the defence lawyer, Erica Gardner, privately urges McCoy to drop the case. "Are you really convinced he belongs in jail?" she asks, pointing out that, either way, Lawrence will lose his licence and be bankrupted by the pending civil case. Despite his misgivings, McCoy feels he must prosecute to the bitter end, only to be stunned when Lawrence himself shows up at his chambers in a state of distress. "I can't believe this is happening to me! I can't go to jail. My patients love me!" he cries. Will McCoy be moved by pity to drop the charges?
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The longest-running drama on American television tackles crime and justice from a dual perspective, quizzing suspects in the streets of New York and negotiating the complex prosecution system.
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