'Law and Order: SVU' Star Mariska Hargitay Testifies Against Cop Charged with Sexual Assault Case
"Law and Order: SVU" actress was called to testify for maintaining interactions with a sexual assault victim. No statements from Hargitay yet about the case.
"Law and Order: SVU" actress Mariska Hargitay, who plays Lt. Olivia Benson in the series, was questioned by New York City Police District (NYPD) Internal Affairs Bureau detectives after allegations of a rape victim against two real-life police officers.
The incident happened in January 2013 when two cops allegedly took the victim drinking after she was interviewed. The officers who were accused of the crime are Officer Lukasz Skorzewski and retired Lt. Adam Lamboy. The two called on Mariska Hargitay to the stand last week to testify.
Hargitay had "interactions" with the victim
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The two cops maintained that the "Law and Order: SVU" star maintained interactions with the victim. Reports said that according to the court papers, Hargitay, along with the cast of the series "Law and Order: SVU" interacted with the woman. There were also reports that the victim and the actress met and may have talked about the incident.
According to a city law department lawyer, officers from Internal Affairs spoke with Hargitay after the incident was reported. It was also revealed that the woman and Hargitay also corresponded through emails.
Meanwhile, the victim's lawyer, Christopher Galiardo, is against Hargitay's testimony, saying that this is "prejudicial" to his client.
A summary of the January 2013 incident
According to reports, the two cops went to Seattle to interview the woman about her allegations. After the interview, the three decided to go on a bar-hopping spree which lasted for 10 hours. And after this event, Skorzewski and Lamboy persuaded the woman to return with them to their hotel.
The woman said that she slept alone in the bed of Skorzewski until 10 a.m. Skorzewski then went into bed with her and fondled her.
Cop sues victim for $2 million
Detective Skorzewski has sued the victim for $2 million. He claimed that the ongoing Manhattan federal court lawsuit has affected his career and reputation. Peter Brill, lawyer to Skorzewski said that his client is looking forward to his day in court. He said that the cop will prove once and for all that he was slandered.
Representatives of Hargitay did not respond to requests for comments, according to reports.
"Law and Order: SVU" new season updates
Season 18 of the longest-running crime drama series on TV will return on September 21 and this season will bring a lot of headaches to Lt. Olivia Benson.
First, she will be held responsible for the death of Chief Dodds' son. Next, she will be struggling with her relationship with Captain Ed Tucker as Elliot Stabler plans to return. Finally, she will have worries working in the field while keeping with her responsibilities as boss.
