Curtis Benson

"Call me Curtis, Jack. This is California."

―Curtis Benson

Curtis Robert Benson is a character in L.A. Noire. Benson is the Vice-president of California Fire and Life, and is also on the board of directors of the Suburban Redevelopment Fund. Curtis is later revealed as one of the main antagonists during Cole Phelps' time on Arson and Jack Kelso's time as an investigator for California Fire and Life and the District Attorney's Office.

Biography[]

Background[]

"Deal with it, Jack. Do your fucking job. Do I have to do everything?"

―Benson, irritated at Kelso's lack of commitment to make Lichtmann accept the money

Benson was turned down for position of company president by his employers in Sacramento, instead he was made vice-president and sent to Los Angeles because it was considered a "backwater" city. As a result, Benson ached for a chance at payback at the company. He became part of the Suburban Redevelopment Fund and played a pivotal part in the scheme. Benson established the insurance agreement with Elysian Fields, that would provide a considerable amount insurance money for the houses, due to the land value of being situated along the freeway. Benson also had the burned down houses inspected, investigated and had filed reports that protected Elysian Fields from liability, and to cover up the intended fraud.

Events of L.A. Noire[]

When Lou Buchwalter, an Elysian Fields policy holder, died from an accident at one of the housing development sites, Benson offered Buchwalter's beneficiary Elsa Lichtmann a $20,000 insurance settlement to silence her. However, this would trigger the eventual downfall of the Suburban Redevelopment Fund as the settlement aroused the suspicion of Cole Phelps. Phelps convinced Lichtmann to ask Jack Kelso to investigate Lou's death, to see whether there were any ties with the conspiracy, Phelps suspected this was being carried out by the Suburban Redevelopment Fund. Benson pressured Kelso to make Elsa accept the settlement and to close the matter, however, Kelso investigated and discovered indications of the conspiracy and Benson's involvement.

After being recruited as an investigator for Assistant District Attorney Leonard Petersen, Kelso stormed into Benson's apartment demanding answers about the Suburban Redevelopment Fund. To add to Kelso's outrage and disgust, he even discovered that Benson was a pedophile having an affair with a 12-year-old girl named Page Franklin. Kelso found the insurance agreement as well as Benson's personal shares of stock in the Suburban Redevelopment Fund. Benson however, refused to reveal the true extent of the conspiracy only cryptically saying "the stakes are much higher". Kelso however, warned Benson that he'll more than likely end up in jail for his involvement with the SRF.

Benson later warned Leland Monroe of Kelso's investigation, so Monroe put a price on Kelso's head to end his research before any damning evidence came out to light. However, Kelso and Phelps eventually exposed the truth of the conspiracy. Though it is never specifically stated, it is implied in the game's final mission that Benson was arrested along with Monroe because of his dealings in the SRF, as well as for his relations with Franklin.

Case Appearances[]

Homicide[]

The White Shoe Slaying (Newspaper)

Arson[]

Trivia[]

Benson approved of and signed an increased premium for Lester Pattison's life insurance document, as seen in the traffic case A Marriage Made in Heaven.
Golf seems to be a hobby of his.
Benson owns Apartment No. 2 at 740 North Mariposa Avenue.
Benson may own a Cadillac V16 Convertible, as one spawns outside of his apartment during A Polite Invitation.
He is the only character being interviewed by his staff.