Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series)

Net Worth (2017)

Mariska Hargitay: Lieutenant Olivia Benson

Photos 

Quotes 

• Dominick Carisi Jr. : Any word?

  Odafin Tutuola : No. Stop asking.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : All right. It's just, you know, Sergeant Tutuola's got a nice ring to it. Hey, what is a ten letter word for "bad luck"?

  Olivia Benson : [entering]  Misfortune.

• Rafael Barba : Okay, so Eli's self-interested coke dealer witnessed the rape.

  Olivia Benson : Okay, so he's not a perfect witness.

  Rafael Barba : Even if he's telling the truth, he's practically useless.

  Olivia Benson : So... let's use him outside the courtroom to gather more evidence.

  Rafael Barba : You think he's willing to wear a wire?

  Olivia Benson : I think he's willing to wear a clown suit. This guy is so afraid of going to prison, he'll do anything we want.

  Rafael Barba : Worth a shot.

• Olivia Benson : So this job offer... is a payoff, is that what you're saying?

  Zoe White : Call it whatever you want, but it's a really good deal. They're gonna pay be $5 million a year for four years. I can't say no to that.

  Olivia Benson : Zoe, listen to me.

  Zoe White : No. Hold on a second. I did everything right. I came forward, I told the truth, I even took on Eli Colton, and where did it get me? What happened? They almost decimated my career. My future.

  Olivia Benson : Zoe, I know that this is hard.

  Zoe White : The thing is that it's always going to be hard. Whether or not I testify against Eli, whether or not he goes to prison, the pain and everything that I just endured is never gonna disappear. So I have two options. I can either be a poor and careerless victim or I can be a wealthy, employed victim. That's it. I prefer the latter.

• Olivia Benson : He's clearly trying to buy him off. I mean, the guy asked for 500,000 and he counters with a million? The jury's gonna see right through that.

  Rafael Barba : I'm not so sure. Eli's too smooth. He never took the bait. Every time Harry pressed him, he denied any culpability.

  Olivia Benson : What are you saying, that you don't want to use it?

  Rafael Barba : We can play this audio for the jury and let them decide if Eli's lying, but we need something more definitive.

  Olivia Benson : Like what?

  Rafael Barba : Like Eli's banker, Roger Littrell.

  Olivia Benson : We tried. He won't cooperate. Eli is his golden goose. That guy is not talking.

  Rafael Barba : Not without the proper motivation, anyway. These guys are all motivated by one thing.

  Olivia Benson : Money.

• Amanda Rollins : Check this out.

  Odafin Tutuola : Two rich white men having dinner. That's not exactly news worthy.

  Amanda Rollins : That is Eli and David Potter, CEO of Sullivan Davis.

  Olivia Benson : That's the company that just made Zoe that ridiculous job offer.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Now, legally, this doesn't prove anything.

  Olivia Benson : No, but it does confirm what we suspect. Eli cut a deal to run his business through Sullivan, and in return, Sullivan funnels some of that revenue to Zoe.

  Amanda Rollins : Yeah, to keep her quiet.

  Odafin Tutuola : Gotta love Wall Street.

  Amanda Rollins : This is a payoff. It's a bribe. We can't just let them get away.

  Olivia Benson : I'll call Barba, see what our options are.

• Olivia Benson : We're on your side.

  Zoe White : Thank you. Either everybody at work has no idea what's going on or they're not acknowledging it, but it's making me feel real alone.

  Olivia Benson : You're not. I promise.

• Zoe White : I respect your passion, lieutenant, but you need to respect my decision.

  Olivia Benson : I do respect your decision, Zoe. And I've been doing this for a very long time, and testifying can be a crucial part of the healing process.

  Zoe White : I'm sure it is. For some people. But I am a deal maker. I make decisions based on fact, not feeling. I analyze the pros, the cons, the opportunity costs.

  Olivia Benson : I get it. I get it. So using your leverage against Eli to extract a premium deal makes you feel like a winner, not a loser. And bankers are different. You think differently, and you may heal differently, but a payoff... money for silence, never healed anyone.

  Zoe White : Okay. Let me be clear. I do not want to give Eli a pass. I would love to see that pig go to prison and get everything that he deserves. But like I said, I'm a pragmatist, and right now, based on all the data and information that I have in front of me in this moment, this is the best decision.

  Olivia Benson : If you take the money, Zoe, Eli wins. He avoids prison. And he victimizes you all over again, and... he steals your dignity one last time. But maybe I'm not the best person to talk to you about this.

  Zoe White : Excuse me?

  Olivia Benson : [opening her office door]  Come on in, Kate.

  [Kate enters] 

  Olivia Benson : Zoe, this is Kate. She used to work at Cromwell Moore.

• Zoe White : So Eli's under arrest? It's official?

  Olivia Benson : Oh, we arrested him last night of first-degree rape. It turns out that Cromwell Moore records everything. There is footage of your conversation with Roger the morning after the assault and him typing on your computer later that afternoon.

  Zoe White : So it was Roger who sent the phony e-mail to Eli.

  Olivia Benson : Sure looks that way.

  Zoe White : They have cameras in our office? That's really creepy.

  Olivia Benson : It certainly is, but it gave us the evidence that we need to move forward.

• Amanda Rollins : Zoe White and Kate Tompkins, junior bankers both sexually assaulted by Eli Colton, and they both worked under Roger Littrell, Eli's go-to banker.

  Odafin Tutuola : And chief fixer. Ten to one he's who snuck into Zoe's office and sent that e-mail. He's got way too much to lose if Eli goes down.

  Olivia Benson : So we have a billionaire predator with a thing for young, beautiful bankers. Problem is we can't prove it because the other victim recanted and signed a non-disclosure.

  Odafin Tutuola : What else do we have on Eli?

  Amanda Rollins : Nothing that'll stick. It's still Zoe's word against his.

  Olivia Benson : Okay, so let's get warrants for his office, computers, and his apartment.

• Dominick Carisi Jr. : Hey, lieu. You see this? The Ledger did an expose on the "fabulous life" of Eli Colton. Look who made a cameo,

  Olivia Benson : "Fabulous friend Zoe White sunbathing at Eli's Hamptons mansion." Wow. Eli's team is pulling out every trick in the book.

• Zoe White : I was raped.

  Olivia Benson : Okay. I'm very sorry to hear that.

  Zoe White : Yeah. Um, I... I don't know how this works, so...

  Olivia Benson : No worries. We're just gonna take it one step at a time. Do you have any idea who did this to you?

  Zoe White : Yes.

  Olivia Benson : Okay.

  Zoe White : [noticing the New York Ledger on Benson's desk]  Him.

  Olivia Benson : Eli Colton?

  Zoe White : Yeah. King of Wall Street.

• Zoe White : I ended up in his bedroom. He wanted to show me his watch collection. Anyway... um... he kissed me, and I... I did kiss him back. You know, we were having fun.

  Olivia Benson : Of course. So, Zoe, just tell me exactly what happened, okay?

  Zoe White : A few minutes later, he tried to take my dress off. I told him I did not want to have sex. But he... he threw me down on the bed, and, uh... and I tried to push him off. I tried so hard to get him off of me. I screamed, but he just covered my mouth.

  Olivia Benson : Okay. Do you remember anything else? Any other details?

  Zoe White : Yeah. Staring at his stupid $4 million watch on the night stand. I just watched the hand go around and around 'till it was over.

  Olivia Benson : Okay. Did he say anything when it was over?

  Zoe White : Yeah. He winked at me and said "I hope you had just as much fun as I did," and then he jumped in the shower.

  Olivia Benson : Okay. And what time was this?

  Zoe White : 3:05 a.m.

  Olivia Benson : Have you told anybody about what happened?

  Zoe White : Yeah, I did. I told my boss, Roger, this morning.

  Olivia Benson : Okay.

  Zoe White : And he told me to think it over.

  Olivia Benson : Think it over?

  Zoe White : His exact words were "Be careful. It's never easy to kill the king."

• Kate Tompkins : I'm not sure what there is to talk about. I recanted. I told the police it was consensual.

  Olivia Benson : Kate, we're not here to judge you. Okay? We understand how complex and how emotional these cases can be, believe me.

  Odafin Tutuola : We just want to know what happened that night with Eli, because we think he did it again.

  Kate Tompkins : I'm sorry to hear that. But I can't talk about it. I signed a non-disclosure agreement.

  Odafin Tutuola : Oh, he wrote you a check, huh?

  Olivia Benson : Fin.

  Odafin Tutuola : Hey, I'm just talking straight to her, okay? I know this is your life, but we have another victim, and I think she deserves justice.

  Olivia Benson : Look, Kate, we're not asking you to go public, but we do need your help. We're just trying to figure out what happened.

• Rafael Barba : Two businessmen having dinner doesn't prove a damn thing.

  Olivia Benson : For ten years, Eli's only bank is Cromwell Moore, and then right before he's about to go on trial on a rape charge, some firm, out of the blue, offers a 26 year old kid, who makes 300 grand a year, $5 million. Are you kidding me?

  Rafael Barba : I know, but we can't prove it. The paper trail is clean. From the outside, Sullivan Davis offered Zoe White, a talented young banker with impeccable credentials, a lucrative contract. There's nothing incriminating about it.

  Olivia Benson : Okay. But rape is still illegal, right?

  Rafael Barba : Liv.

  Olivia Benson : So we'll call her as a hostile witness.

  Rafael Barba : We can do that, and we can look like fools.

  Olivia Benson : I know. I know.

  Rafael Barba : I know that this is hard to accept, but it is her life. Her decision.

  Olivia Benson : She's not making a decision. The girl is being extorted!

  Rafael Barba : Does she feel that way? Maybe this job, this money, will help her heal. Will give her closure.

  Olivia Benson : I don't believe that for a second. And neither do you.

  Rafael Barba : Of course not. So let's go find another way to bury this prick.

• Zoe White : So what's next?

  Olivia Benson : We indict Eli and he goes to trial.

  Zoe White : Which means I have to testify.

  Olivia Benson : Yes.

  [noticing Zoe's expression] 

  Olivia Benson : Zoe, what's going on? I thought this was what you wanted.

  Zoe White : No, I... I do. I do. It's just that it's... it's complicated.

  Olivia Benson : How so?

  Zoe White : I met with the head of of the M&A group at Cromwell the other night, and he suggested that I transfer to Brussels. That it would be good for my career.

  Olivia Benson : They're retaliating.

  Zoe White : I know, but... I was offered a very lucrative position at another firm. Sullivan Davis.

  Olivia Benson : What does that have to do with this?

  Zoe White : One of the conditions is that I keep a low profile.

  Olivia Benson : [realization dawns on her]  They don't want you to testify. Because of Eli.

• Rafael Barba : Maybe this job, this money, will help her heal, will give her closure.

  Olivia Benson : I don't believe that for a second. And neither do you.

  Rafael Barba : Of course not. So let' go find another way to bury this prick.