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| “ | You're such a loser. Such a damn loser. | „ |
| ~ Dorning cursing his father Harold after Harold exposes his crimes |
Robert Dorning is the main antagonist of the Law & Order episode "Menace". He is a greedy shoe factory owner who burns it down for the insurance money and then has a woman killed after she finds out what he did.
He was portrayed by Christopher Cousins, who also portrayed Ted Beneke in Breaking Bad.
Early life[]
Robert owned a stake in a mortgage company that was struggling financially after he was turned down for a loan, which he had planned to use to buy the business. Fearing bankruptcy, he decided to burn down his father Harold's shoe factory for the insurance money and hired arsonist Dave Randall, aka "Randall the Candle", to do the job. He and Harold, who had no idea what his son had done, used the insurance payout to buy the mortgage company, where Robert employed his father. Unbeknownst to Robert, however, Harold's former secretary Karen Whatney saw him moving his personal effects out of his office the night before the fire and deduced that he set it.
Six months later, Whatney told Harold what his son did and threatened to go the police unless he paid her off. Harold did not believe her and told her to leave, and then told Robert about what she said. Fearing that he would eventually be exposed, Robert contacted Randall to hire someone to kill her, using money he withdrew from the company by forging his father's signature on two payroll checks.
Randall hired his former cellmate, petty criminal "Crazy Mike" McDugan, who killed Whatney by crashing into her car on the Brooklyn Bridge and chasing her off the ledge, causing her to fall to her death.
"Menace"[]
During their investigation of Whatney's murder, NYPD Homicide Detectives Lennie Briscoe ands Rey Curtis briefly question Harold and Robert, with the latter feigning shock. The detectives eventually arrest McDugan and Randall, but Executive Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy and Assistant District Attorney Jamie Ross become convinced that the elder Dorning paid them to kill Whatney after examining his financial records and finding several irregular cash withdrawals - unaware that Robert had made them.
McCoy and Ross tell Robert that the D.A.'s office will seize his business as the proceeds of a crime unless he testifies against his father. Robert lies that Harold confessed to him that he burned down the factory and that he had used company money to hire McDugan and Randall. In return, Robert gets immunity from prosecution; he also hypocritically asks McCoy to give Harold "consideration" for a lesser sentence.
Later that day, Briscoe and Curtis arrest Harold for arson and murder. Robert tells Randall and McDugan to leave town, but the latter is arrested before he can flee and tells McCoy and Ross everything he knows about the conspiracy.
McCoy and Ross invite Robert to sit in on what he believes is plea bargain for Harold. To his surprise, however, they reveal to Harold that he paid Randall to burn down his factory and McDugan to kill Whatney, proving it by producing checks on which he forged his father's signature to withdraw the money. He pleads with his horrified father not to say anything, but Harold nevertheless tells McCoy and Ross that Whatney had told him about the arson, and that Robert had said he would "handle it". Defeated, Robert curses his father as "a damn loser". Harold later asks McCoy to show Robert leniency, but Robert is nevertheless sentenced to life in prison.
External links[]
- Robert Dorning on the Law & Order Wiki
