Casey Novak's Tragic Law & Order: SVU Departure Explained

Casey Novak (Diane Neal) was a long-time cast member of Law & Order: SVU with some memorable and intense storylines, and her character was written off the show in a suitably dramatic fashion. Law & Order: SVU has the notable claim to fame of being the longest-running show in Dick Wolf's extensive TV universe. For 25 seasons, the ensemble cast of SVU has investigated hundreds of horrific sex crimes in the New York City precinct and even after it seems like they've seen the worst, another criminal comes along to shock them.

But it isn't just the detectives and police officers who have the goal of apprehending the city's worst. There are dozens of people who want to protect the innocent just as much as the NYPD does. The District Attorney's office and the ADAs on Law & Order: SVU have a particularly critical role in the series, and each brings a different energy to the show when it's their turn in court.

Casey Novak Was The Assistant District Attorney In Law & Order: SVU

Novak Was A Fierce Prosecutor From Harvard

Casey Novak is an ADA who was with the Manhattan DA's office since 2001 after she graduated from Harvard. She first appeared in season 5, episode 5, "Serendipity" and is the third-longest-running ADA in the franchise and the only female ADA to appear in five complete seasons across Dick Wolf's shows. Novak is young, fierce, and ambitious and when she jumps from white-collar crime to the SVU, she's set on making her mark on the department, no matter whose toes she steps on.

After getting some advice from Captain Don Cragen (Dann Florek) about working as a team, Novak softens up in season 6 onward but continues to be a formidable prosecutor. The crimes Novak investigates often deeply affect her, and she takes her job incredibly seriously, with a much higher success rate than her contemporaries in cases she prosecutes. Novak is tough on the criminals she encounters and provides a look into how a ferocious defender can sometimes be a necessity when it comes to these disturbing crimes.

Novak Left SVU After Being Censured For Violating The Brady Rules

The ADA Returned In Seasons 12 And 13 For Guest Appearances

Despite her adherence to the law, Novak made a critical error that cost her her job. In the season 9 finale, "Cold", Novak violates the Brady Rules, a real-world set of disclosures that say prosecutors must disclose evidence or information to the defense. As Cornell Law puts it,

"[This] includes any information favorable to the accused which may reduce a defendant's potential sentence, go against the credibility of an unfavorable witness, or otherwise allow a jury to infer against the defendant’s guilt."

In this episode, Novak was prosecuting a corrupt police officer who raped two 14-year-old illegal immigrants, killing one of them. Novak discovered evidence that would have helped the defense. As Novak saw it, she found something that would help the officer get away with his crime. So she declined to tell the defense. And that's breaking the Brady Rules.

Novak's mishandling of the case leads the DA to stop pressing charges, allowing the officer to walk. It's implied Novak is disbarred for her actions and in season 10, episode 2, the new ADA Kim Greylek (Michaela McManus) confirms this. However, Novak later returns for five episodes in seasons 12 and 13 for small arcs where she reveals she was censured, with her license suspended for three years.

This departure from Law & Order: SVU feels like it was a long time coming for Novak. The sexual cases involving minors always seemed to affect her particularly hard and, in this case, she simply couldn't stomach handing over a piece of evidence that would free someone she saw as a monster. Her arc makes a case for the dangers of playing outside the law and how short-term gains can end in long-term losses.

What Diane Neal Has Done Since Leaving Law & Order

Neal Also Started Her Political Career In 2018

Though Casey Novak remains the role actor Diane Neal is best known for, after leaving Law & Order: SVU, she continued to find work on television as well as taking some surprising career paths. In 2010, Neal appeared for the first time as CGIS Special Agent Abigail Borin on NCIS, a recurring role she would continue in after her departure from Law & Order: SVU. She would remain in the NCIS franchise, appearing as Borin in NCIS: New Orleans for a few guest-starring roles.

She continued to appear in recurring roles on several other notable television shows, including Suits, The Following, and Blue Bloods. In 2013, Neal was in a car accident and suffered injuries that she revealed caused her to step away from the world of acting (via AP News). However, in 2018, she ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in New York's 19th congressional district as an independent but received only 1% of the vote.