This episode appears to be based on the following rape cases:
- The 1989 Young Soo Koo case. Soo Koo, a former Doctor and northwest Indiana gynecologist who once practiced in the south suburbs of Chicago until he was accused of injecting a woman with Valium on March 30, 1989, and then raping her while she lay on an examination table. After testimony from seven other patients who alleged that Koo engaged in improper sexual conduct with them, ranging from off-color remarks to sexual intercourse, he was found guilty of rape and sentenced to a maximum of 20-years in prison.
- The 1982 Ivan C. Namihas case. Namihas was a former doctor and Tustin gynecologist who was accused of about 50 instances of alleged sexual abuse of his patients and was the worst case of sexual abuse by a physician in California history. During his trial in 1982, it was discovered that he had sexual and medical misconduct dating all the way back to 1962.
- The 1989 Kimble McNair case. McNair was a formerly licensed physician specializing in obstetrics and gynecology in the state of Nevada, In 1989 he was convicted of six counts of sexual assault and sentenced to four consecutive and two concurrent life sentences.
When Captain Don Cragen says that Dr. Merritt belongs to the "Marquis" club, he is referring to the Marquis de Sade, who was a nobleman, politician, philosopher, and writer in 18th century France. De Sade was a "libertin." A libertine was considered devoid of moral and sexual restraints. Libertines did not believe in morals or the law. Libertinism is a extreme form of hedonism. Libertines believed that the pursuit of physical pleasure was the only worthwhile thing in life: they felt that they were entitled to do whatever they wanted, to whomever they wanted, whenever they wanted. De Sade's name is the basis for the term "sadist." He is best known for his extremely graphic and highly controversial pornographic novel "The 120 Days of Sodom." It tells the story of four wealthy male libertines who resolve to experience ultimate sexual gratification in orgies. To do this, they seal themselves away for four months in an inaccessible castle in the heart of the Black Forest with a group of 36 victims, mostly male and female teenagers that they abducted from local villages. They engage four female brothel keepers to tell the stories of their lives and adventures. The women's narratives serve as an inspiration for the sexual abuse and torture of the victims, which gradually mount in intensity and end in the victims' slaughter. Due to its extremely graphic content, the novel went unpublished for almost 200 years, and it is still banned in a number of countries. A film based on the book was made in the 1960's, but it wasn't released at the time because it was deemed "too shocking" to be published by the government of the country it was made in. It remained banned until the early 2000's.
In an effort to minimize Elizabeth's Olivet's prestige on the witness stand, Defense Attorney Melnick always refers to her as Miss Olivet. D.A. Stone, on the other hand, advances her standing by always calling her Dr. Olivet.
Beth Dixon has played 3 different roles over the course of the series:
- Episode 3.6 Helpless (1992) - Nicole Simon.
- Episode 13.4 Tragedy on Rye (2002) - Mrs. Dolan.
- Episode 16.4 Age of Innocence (2005) - Pam Lamar.