Please be seated. Hello, Your Honor. Hello. This is the case
of<i> Jackson v. Hightower.</i> Thank you, Jerome.
Good day, everyone. AUDIENCE: Good day. Ms. Jackson, you have
always believed Mr. Hightower
was your father but claim he disappeared
out of your life
when you were six, and denied paternity. After reconnecting with him
on the phone two months ago, you opened your case to prove what you have always known. That he is
your biological father. Is that correct? BRITTANY JACKSON:
Yes, your Honor. Ms. Jackson,
it has been almost 20 years since you've seen the man
you believe is your father. Are you ready to see him? Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: Jerome, please escort him in. Wanna go over...
Go right up here on the left. JUDGE LAKE: Ms. Jackson. Yes, Your Honor? You say you've always known
Mr. Hightower is your father. Yes. Please explain. My mom told me a while back
when I was younger
that he was my father. And I also have memories
of him coming around
when I was a little girl. Please tell the court
what you remember. I remember going
to the mall sometimes
to meet with hi, and sometimes
him coming over
to my house and just sitting in the car
and watching me play
in the front yard. Mr. Hightower? Yes, ma'am. Did you have a relationship
with Ms. Jackson's mother? Yes, I did. Tell the court
about the nature
of your relationship. Me and her mother, had a relation, and we was intimate
for like about six months. About 35, 40 times. After that... Kind of broke off after that. JUDGE LAKE: Okay. And so Ms. Jackson says you are the man
she was always told was her biological father. Did you know about her? Yes, I did, um... But at the time there was other individuals involved
so that's why I have doubts that I'm not the father. We did, um, you know... I asked her a couple of times
if we could have
a paternity test and that didn't fall through. And so there's been a question
of paternity in your mind
from the beginning. Yes, ma'am. So much so that you even
requested a DNA test. Yes, ma'am. But unfortunately,
it was never administered. No. When her mother got pregnant,
what did she tell you? I seen her two months,
she was two months pregnant, at the time that I saw her. But at that time,
her ex came back
into the picture. So, the dates that she was telling me
just didn't add up. You realized that the
window of conception pointed more towards her ex
than it did to you. That's correct. What did she tell you? She told me that
I was the father. She did? Yes. Can I say something? JUDGE LAKE:
Yes, you may, Ms. Jackson. Actually, he was going
to the doctor's appointments
with my mom, too. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING) You were? Yeah. Never happened. I don't know why her mom
would tell her that. I don't think
she lied to me. I never ever went to an appointment,
doctor's appointment 'Cause at the time I was in a relationship. Alright. And so, what did she tell you
about the relationship
she had with Mr. Hightower? She told me that him
and her, they weren't really
in an actual relationship but they did mess around
quite a lot and that he couldn't tell everybody else
that him and her was in
relations or messing around. But, at the end of the day,
she knew definitively that
he was your biological father? Correct. Mr. Hightower, when was the first time
you saw Ms. Jackson
as a baby? She was two years old. And under what pretense? Why is it you saw her?
How is it you saw her? I seen her because,
always in my mind, I thought, you know,
maybe it's a possibility. At that time I went
and picked her up, me and Mrs. Hightower,
picked her up then we took her to the mall,
went to the mall. So, at that point
I just left it like that. I don't remember him
picking me up
and taking me to the mall. I remember my mom
taking me to the mall, and I do remember her,
the lady. JUDGE LAKE:
So, you remember
meeting Mr. Hightower? Yes, I do. Yes. As a child? What are your memories? I remember he used to
come over to my house. We used to go to the mall,
you know, eat lunch
or something. Once upon a time
he used to stay at night
at my house. And the last time I saw him,
when I was about six years old, he told me that
he was gonna buy me
a bike for Christmas, but he disappeared
and never came back. Did you say that to her,
Mr. Hightower?
You were gonna buy her a bike? No, ma'am. And never came back? No, ma'am. I never...
I don't, you know,
I don't recall any of those things
like that. I did go over there,
but never stayed
the night Just like I said,
at that time I was married. I couldn't stay the night
at somebody else's house. And I never promised a bike. I think things weren't going
right between him and her But I do remember him
staying a night. And you say at that time
you were married
and you had a wife, and your wife is here
in court with you today. Ma'am would you please stand
and step up to the podium? Your name, ma'am? Lisa Hightower. JUDGE LAKE:
Do you remember
meeting Brittany? I do and she was two years old. We picked her up, and we took her to the mall. I don't know how
she remembers me, 'cause that's the last time
I seen her. I mean, I've seen her
other times, but it was when she was two and three. It's a good memory. If you want more episodes
of Paternity Court Make sure to subscribe
and click on
the notification bell. Well, I will say this
about children, when there is a memory embedded in their mind like, "This is one of the
only few times. "I've seen the man I believe
is my father," some children
just don't forget that. We hear that all the time
in this courtroom. Yeah. Children remember
those things. And I see that that... (CRYING) What are you feeling, Brittany? I'm mad because
I shouldn't even have to
go through all this, you know? It shouldn't happen
20 years later that you decide to come
and find me. If you believed that
I was your daughter then, you would've put in the effort
to get the DNA test to find out
and not miss parts of my life. And what was it like
growing up without him? I mean, um... I was always loved, you know. Your Honor, I tried
on several occasions
to go and get the DNA test, but her mother
never followed through with the DNA. I have a total of 14 kids. And all my kids... (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING) All my kids know each other. So, there would be no reason
for me not to do the same
with her. When I was 18,
I was an adult, right? So, I could've made
my own decisions You know,
it didn't have to be... I'm 24 now. What she's saying,
Mr. Hightower, she doesn't believe you put
enough commitment
and effort towards being a part of her life
and finding her. DNA test or no DNA test,
I mean, honestly, if you believed
she was your daughter, then why not just... Well, Your Honor,
I didn't believe that
she was my daughter Because there was
two other gentlemen that was in her mom's life
at the time. But Ms. Jackson, your mother
has maintained,
she has said to you, Mr. Hightower
is your biological father,
is that correct? She's always
told me that, yeah. She's never wavered? No. So, did you start searching
for Mr. Hightower? Yes. When I was about 15, I would look on the
social media websites and try to Google
and find people that's
related to him, but it never
was successful. JUDGE LAKE: And so
you would search and search? Mmm-hmm. But you never found him? No. And then eventually
I just gave up. And then you gave up? And so, how did you
reconnect with him
a couple of months ago? One day I received
a friend request from, I believe,
one of his daughters. And I knew it was his daughter
because she had the
same last name as him. And so, she continued
to send me a message
and say, "I think you might be
my sister." And I just was like, "Okay." And then, so she asked,
"Can he have my number?" And I told her, "Yeah." And then he called my phone
and he said to me that he
wanted to do a DNA testing. What was that
first conversation like? What did he say
when you talked to him? About how he had doubts of me being his daughter, and his reasons why. And then how did you feel?
Now you're 24... How did you feel? JACKSON: When I did talk to him
it felt like we kind of
connected, you know? JUDGE LAKE: Okay. It's interesting though
that he found you. Mr. Hightower, what was happening
that after all these years one of your children reaches out to Ms. Jackson? My life, that I was living
back in the past I changed my life I turned my life over to God. So I felt that there was
closure that I needed. So, I asked my daughter if she can find her so I can reach out to her
because that was a chapter of my life
that I wanted to close. One way or the other,
I wanted to find out. Mmm, so, you had been living
with this all these years
as well? LADDIE HIGHTOWER: Yes, ma'am. And as you began to
strengthen your faith, you knew that there were
parts of your past that
you had left open. And you wanted to make sure you closed things
the right way... Yes. ...and if she was
your daughter, to be a part of her life. And if she was not, to know that for certain
and make sure that
she did as well. Yes, ma'am. So, what was that
first conversation like
for you, when you finally spoke
with Brittany? For me, it was
a good conversation. I, you know,
enjoyed having a conversation. She told me about her kids,
I asked her how she was doing. She said, you know,
she had four kids, and she was with the same guy
in high school, and I was,
you know, proud. And then, that's pretty much
how the conversation
when I told her, you know, that I wanted to do a DNA
and she was okay with that
and she said yes. And were you relieved
when he said yes? Yeah. And what else did you feel,
Brittany? Like a sense of relief
because I finally got to
talk to him and I haven't seen him
or talked to him ever since
I was younger. So, you know,
it actually felt kind of good. So, as you look at him
and he's here in court, what do you wanna say? Is there something you... You've had years to
think about this man. This man that everyone has said
is your biological father. And you've been confused
about where he is, why he wasn't in your life. What would you like
to say to him right now? I've always lived in Sacramento I never went anywhere else. Why didn't you try harder? JUDE LAKE:
That's a question,
Mr. Hightower. Like I said,
I was going through things in my life that I needed to
take care of me before I can take care
of another child. Plus, I did attempt to do several DNA tests
with her mom, which made me
believe that she wasn't my child,
because if she was my child, I feel that her mom
would've put forth the effort
in the beginning to go through with the DNA, especially when I'm telling her
that I'll pay for the DNA test. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING) So, by that it made me lose that, "Oh, yeah,
that's real good possibility
that that's my child." That made me to believe that
something ain't right. Because, like I said, again, she was involved
with two other men that could be her
biological father also. But your mother has
never told you, Ms. Jackson,
about two other men. Am I correct? No. You admit Ms. Jackson's mother
did tell you, you were
the father when she got pregnant. She said it was you. So, Brittany, before we go
to the results I want you to talk to the court
and Mr. Hightower about
what your hopes are, and why this is so
important to you. I feel like I have the
right to know, you know if he is my
biological father or not. If he is, I would like to have,
you know, a relationship
with him. And I would like
my kids to know
who their grandfather is. And, one day,
I plan on getting married, and if he is my dad,
I would like for him to
walk me down the aisle. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING) Like every girl wants. And there's nothing
wrong with that. It's those little things every little girl wants. You know, every little girl
wants to have a relationship
with her dad. If he is my dad. I'm happy you were
able to say that, honey. Because I know
that's hard for you. But it's important
that you say that. Right. And it's okay to acknowledge
the hurt you've felt. I have the results for you. Jerome? JEROME: Yes. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) Here you go, Your Honor. These results were prepared
by DNA Diagnostics, and they read as follows. In the case of<i>
Jackson v. Hightower,</i> when it comes to
24 year old, Brittany Jackson, JUDGE LAKE:
It has been determined
by this court Mr. Hightower, you... Are not the father. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING) He's unfortunately,
not your biological father
after all. Can I give her a hug? No, thank you. Oh, okay. You're just not ready,
but that was lovely. This is very difficult. I thank you for
attempting to support
this beautiful young woman. And it's not over,
it's not completely
behind her, yet. But we at least have gotten
to one step in the truth. And thank you for being here
and being willing to confront
that time in your past. And I hope it has given you
some closure as well. Yes, ma'am. We have counseling
and resources for you. I wish you all the very best. Court is adjourned. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) Brittany... Come up here, honey. Listen, you got yourself
to this point. You have now literally, walked out
of a 24-year-old lie. Yeah. Right? You've been carrying it
all these years. You don't have to
carry that part anymore,
right? And don't be afraid
to ask your mother the questions you need to ask
to see if you can get
more answers. And if you can do that, then we will help you do
what you need to do,
alright? And until that time
you be a good mother, be a good partner, and raise your family, and teach your children
the importance of truth,
right? I wish you the best. You're gonna be just fine.
