On a routine clinic visit, a police detective, Michael Tritter, is seen by House. Tritter observes House taking Vicodin for his pain and blames this for House's being rude and a bully. Tritter, believing doctors should be more responsible while practicing medicine, decides to take it upon himself to take legal action to free House of his addiction by launching an investigation into suspected drug abuse. The investigation slowly involves Cuddy, Wilson and House's diagnostics team, with Tritter using extreme measures to get information. House, being forcibly weaned off Vicodin to take a deal where he would keep his medical license, goes to extreme lengths to manage his pain by stealing Oxycodone from a cancer patient of Wilson's who had just died, giving Tritter what he needed to bring House to trial. At the pretrial hearing, the Judge decides House is not a danger to society and that his pain management for his leg is not as serious as Tritter made it seem. This conclusion is reached when Cuddy manufactures evidence and perjures herself to keep House out of jail.