You may be seated. Hello, Your Honor. Hello. This is the case of <i> Latta v.
Nevills/Coleman-Nevills.</i> JUDGE LAKE: Thank you, Jerome.
Good day everyone. AUDIENCE: Good day. Mr. Nevills, you are here
today because you claim you are literally stuck
between two women at war, your mother, Mrs. Latta, and your wife,
Miss Coleman-Nevills. Now, you admit
you have serious trust issues with your wife, and you say your mother
is only making things worse. Now, Mrs. Latta, you are
Mr. Nevills' mother. You argue you're suing
for the results of a paternity test
on your granddaughter because Mr. Nevills' wife
became pregnant while he was away. LATTA: Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: Okay, now,
you say you believe that Miss Coleman-Nevills
cheated, and he's not the father
of 2-year-old Nevaeh. LATTA: <i> That is correct,
Your Honor.</i> JUDGE LAKE: <i> All right.
Now, Miss Coleman-Nevills,</i> you say Ms. Latta needs
to back off because you're almost certain her son
is your daughter's father. Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: So, Ms. Latta, explain to me,
why are you so doubtful? Your Honor, Mr. Nevills
and Mrs. Coleman-Nevills was on a breakup. Jessica moved in
with another guy and shortly after that, she went to jail for 30 days. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) And soon as she got out,
she came straight to my son, and two weeks later
she says she's pregnant. So, in my mind,
I'm saying, Your Honor, there's no way Nevaeh could be
Mr. Nevills' daughter... JUDGE LAKE: Okay, so I think
that begs the question, how pregnant was she
in two weeks? Your Honor, her and my son
was nowhere near each other. (AUDIENCE MURMURING) She was seen on Facebook with another guy,
kissing him. She even got his
name tattooed on her body. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) As if, Your Honor, my son didn't mean
anything to her. You got another guy's name
tattooed during a break? Yes. (AUDIENCE GASPS) What, were you in love
or something? JESSICA:
Nah, I did it out of spite. Oh. (AUDIENCE MURMURING) A spiteful tattoo... We were still communicating
at the time. Yeah. Now, you know that's about
crazy, right, Miss Nevills? 'Cause that's on your body! (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) So, wait. Fill me in.
What's going on here? So, you're in a marriage... JESSICA: Yes. But truthfully,
you're here in court. When he was away, were you
sleeping with other people? I mean, we were
on a break, and... So, we were able to do
whatever we wanted to. It was a mutual agreement. Okay, so, you're on a break, and you've agreed to it. It's paternity court,
so during that break, were you sleeping with
other people without using protection? One other person. One? (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) Okay, so now, Mr. Nevills, were you at the hospital
when the baby was born? Yes. Yes, I was
from the beginning of the time she was born
all the way to now. JUDGE LAKE: When your wife
told you she was pregnant, did you believe
the baby was yours? <i> Yes, I did.</i> JUDGE LAKE: <i> You had no doubts?</i> <i> I had no doubts in my mind.</i> JUDGE LAKE: <i> Were you aware
that she had slept</i> <i> with someone else
while you all were on a break?</i> Yes, I was. JUDGE LAKE: But you still had
no doubts about... I had no doubts at all. When the baby was born
I suggested a DNA test, and Mrs. Coleman-Nevills said
that would be a good idea. So, Your Honor, that made me
think even more she have doubts that that is my son's child. So, Mr. Nevills,
do you have doubts now? There are somewhat doubts
from her admitting... Admitting that she'd had
sex with guys. She's cheated on me
in the past with multiple guys without having any remorse or any type of feelings
about cheating on me. So how have
these doubts played out in your relationship? I feel very doubtful
when I look at her... JUDGE LAKE: You do? Sometimes, it's like
I see other people, so I'm like I'm not
sure if that's... Wait, hold on. You say when
you look at your daughter, you see other people? Explain. You mean in her features? In her features... Sometimes I look,
like maybe she looks like me, or then maybe she don't. <i> Or maybe the ears or the eyes.</i> JUDGE LAKE:<i>
So you're desperately</i> <i> trying to pick
out a connection.</i> A couple of things about her
that's similar to me. And when you say you
see other people, are you familiar with
the facial features of anyone else that
your wife slept with on this break? Yes. So has anyone ever told you you wife was cheating
on you or... Yes, ma'am, it was... Um, a couple... Maybe a couple
years back when I was walking
through my neighborhood a guy stopped me and said, "Hey, aren't you Dominique?"
I say, "Yeah." "You go with Jessica Coleman?" I say, "Yes." Um, he started
describing her, (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) Areas only... Specific things
that I would know that no one else should know. So, are you still
sleeping with different people,
Miss Nevills? No, ma'am. As soon as we got back
together, it was done. JUDGE LAKE: So do you
know this person your mother-in-law is
talking about? Yes. Did you sleep with him, too? Yes, but that
was protected. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) So, now, hearing this,
Ms. Latta, that she admits to sleeping
with someone else, but the guys that you're
accusing her of sleeping with, she did sleep with him,
but she used protection. It could possibly be
somebody else... How are you feeling right now? (SIGHS) I'm feeling that... JUDGE LAKE: More doubtful
or less doubtful? Um... More doubtful. I want this connection. I really do. But, my son, he only calls me
when he need things. And it's like she's keeping
him away from me. He never calls,
"Mom, how're you doing?"
or anything. JUDGE LAKE: Okay. I think it's time
for the results. Are we ready? LATTA: Yes, Your Honor. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) Thank you. JUDGE LAKE: These results
were prepared by DNA Diagnostics and
they read as follows. In the case of <i> Latta v.
Nevills/Coleman-Nevills</i> when it comes to 2-year-old
Nevaeh Nevills, Mr. Nevills, you are her father. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) JESSICA: I told you. I told you. I never lied. JESSICA: I love you. JESSICA: Give me a kiss. Feel relieved? Feel better? A lot better. I feel... I feel like
a fresh new start. It is a fresh new start,
Your Honor. Now we can begin
that tighter bond. JUDGE LAKE: You were very
honest in this courtroom. And look, everybody
makes mistakes, but I appreciate your candor. You admitted that you had
slept with somebody else. And they had doubts, and quite frankly,
those doubts were valid. But now that
the doubt is gone, we've got the results, we know that beautiful
Nevaeh is... You're all family. Right? JESSICA: Exactly. Now can you begin
to try to trust one another and have that brand new start
your husband spoke of? Yes, Your Honor. I think that would be
wonderful for this
beautiful little girl, and she really, really
does deserve it. I wish you all
the best of luck. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) Take care of that little girl,
all right? Court is adjourned. You may be seated. Hello, Your Honor. Hello. This is the case of<i>
Richardson v. Kimball.</i> Thank you, Jerome.
Good day, everyone. AUDIENCE: Good day. Miss Richardson, you say
you are here today to prove to the defendant,
Mr. Kimball, that he is
the biological father of your 2-year-old son, Brian. RICHARDSON: Yes, Your Honor. You claim he has done nothing
for the child and you're hoping today's
results name him as the father so he will finally step up. Yes, Your Honor. Now, Mr. Kimball, you feel your doubts
about paternity are more than justified as you know Ms. Richardson
was sexually active with other men at the time
Brian was conceived. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) So, Miss Richardson,
please tell me, how did you meet and become
involved with Mr. Kimball? I was about eight and a half
months pregnant
with my first son, and he lived
across the street. Um, I was clean from drugs, about 18, 19 months
at the time. And, um, I relapsed after
that amount of time, and him and I, from there,
started a relationship. We used for a while,
just as friends, and then we ended up
in a relationship, a sexual relationship. So just for the record,
you both are clean now? Yes. Okay, and that's great.
Good, good. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) And so you were together
in a relationship. You both were doing... KIMBALL: We both were using.
We were running the streets. With the lifestyle we lived,
you know, I mean, we had... We had to do what we had to do
to get drugs at that time. You were living the lifestyle
of a person addicted to drugs. KIMBALL: Yes. But we've been clean
for 18 months now. JUDGE LAKE: That's wonderful.
That's wonderful. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) So during that time when
your child was conceived, <i> were you having sex
with other people?</i> No, I wasn't doing anything.
I had gotten out of rehab and I had this whole plan
to be with him. And so, before you went
into the rehab, was Mr. Kimball the only
person you were intimate with? RICHARDSON: He was in jail. Yeah, but when I was in jail about right before
she went to rehab, she was staying at
another guy's house. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) And she went to rehab with the
gentleman... With the guy. They went to rehab together. So, you thinking she's
intimate with this person, she could be pregnant
by anyone. Yeah, she denies being
intimate with that guy, but I believe otherwise. JUDGE LAKE: All right. So, Mr. Kimball,
you have this doubt in the back of your mind? Yeah, I have doubt. I mean, when I got out of jail I was with her,
turned to pregnancy. You know, we lived together. I took care of the baby, <i> but I just had doubt because
he has blond hair, blue eyes,</i> <i> I have brown hair, brown eyes,</i> <i> and the baby looks
just like her,</i> but that's the reason
I have concern and doubt. And plus, 'cause of the
lifestyle, that was the past. All the stuff she used to do
when she was using drugs, but just 'cause of that
lifestyle we were living, I might've had a doubt that she could've been
sleeping with somebody else. All right. He looks like me.
There's not... I mean, your father
has light eyes, my entire
family has blond hair, my youngest son
has white hair. JUDGE LAKE:<i>
So when you see your child,</i> <i> and you feel Mr. Kimball
is denying,</i> or not admitting or owning up to the fact that he's
his child as well, how does that make you feel? I mean, he's been there
through everything with me. He even... He left the town
we live in now, and moved five hours away
with me to my family. We, you know...
We were always... Me and him, you know.
We were in and out of
detox so much they... The staff there called us
Bonnie and Clyde. And now it's like, um... Because you were like a team. Yeah. Now it's like... Everything I do is wrong. "What are you doing?
Where are you going?" You know? Even going to church is, "Well, what do you do there?
Who do you see there?" Are you serious? Come with us!
Can we be a family? (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) I want the baby to be mine,
but I just have the doubt. You know what I mean?
People, my family have said, I mean, they believe in their
hearts they want it to be mine but they say it don't
look like me. RICHARDSON: <i> It doesn't.</i> JUDGE LAKE: <i> If he is your son,</i> <i> you wanna be in his life,
I'm sure.</i> KIMBALL: <i> Yes.</i> And do you want a relationship
with Miss Richardson? Uh, yes. I think
we can, in the future. I mean, right now I'm trying
to get myself straight. JUDGE LAKE: Absolutely. But maybe later
down the line. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) And if the results
unfortunately say he's not your biological son, what do you plan to do? I haven't really thought...
I thought about it, but if he's not my son, he's probably be devastated
'cause he knows me
as his father. JUDGE LAKE: <i> He does. He does.</i> RICHARDSON: <i> Yeah.
Yeah, that's Daddy.</i> So you have a bond with
this beautiful little boy. KIMBALL: Yes. That's your son,
you're his daddy, and you're just living
with that doubt. Yes, Your Honor. And it's now eating away
at your relationship, and it's still
eating away at you? Yes, very much. I don't know if I could be
his father still if I'm not his father. Wow. Miss Richardson, I can tell
this is really, really hurting you. I just don't understand.
I mean... The person who he thinks
that I was with was seven years
younger than me. I had nowhere to go. He was nice enough to
let me stay at his house. I mean, I just watched
somebody get his face beat in with a wooden stick and his eyeball hanging out
and his arm broken... He knows all the stuff
that happened to me. It was horrible. He thinks I was
having fun on the street. And I wasn't.
I wouldn't have went to rehab.
I had a free apartment... If I was having fun,
I wouldn't have went to rehab. Yeah, but you used to
lay on the couch with him. So what? I wasn't
having sex with him. He's as old as
my little brother. You went to rehab with him. but they say it don't
look like me. There seems to be a lot of
issues between you. If he was his father,
he doesn't feel... Anyway, he doesn't feel like
it's his responsibility to have to support. That's how he is.
So it wouldn't matter. He just feels like
it's his right to come in my house
and go through my stuff, go through my phone,
do what he wants, come and go as he pleases,
eat my food... It wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't, I know that. I've been supporting
this baby since day one. No, you have not! No, you have not.
My mother has. You've got what,
rent receipts? From the tax money
that was mine? You wouldn't have even got
the apartment if I didn't
pay for it. Your DSS couldn't afford it. You got it with the tax money
that was rightfully mine. And I even furnished
your whole house. I got you a couch, TV... JUDGE LAKE:
Okay, let's, let's... It was old stuff
from our last apartment. Let's use respectful
language in the courtroom. Sorry. I think the only way we're
gonna be able to move forward is to get the results and, uh, I think it's time.
Jerome, the envelope, please. These results were prepared
by DNA Diagnostics and they read as follows. In the case of<i>
Richardson v. Kimball,</i> pertaining to 9-month-old
Brian Kimball III, Mr. Kimball, you are Brian's father. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) I'm happy that
I'm the father. Because I'm the only one
he knows as his father. So now it can ease my mind,
and I feel a lot better now. And I can go on loving him
the way I have. Good. Good. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) Miss Richardson, does
it feel good finally to have those results done for
Mr. Kimball's sake? So that he can get past
whatever his doubts were? Yeah, I hope it changes
stuff a little bit. We have resources for you that are gonna help you
continue to... Think about how you can
overcome each and every day. It's a daily thing. And we wanna help you
do that. All right? Okay. Thank you. We're very happy you got the
answers you wanted today. We're wishing you
the best of luck, and I'm so, so proud
of you both. Keep up the great work. Keep the faith and
just keep going! Right? (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) Court is adjourned.
