Please be seated. Hello, Your Honor. Hello. This is the case
of<i> Crawford v. Liggins.</i> Thank you, Jerome.
Good day, everyone. AUDIENCE: Good day. Mr. Crawford, you say
as a young man, you were not ready
for the responsibility
of being a father and denied paternity
of Patricia Liggins. After 35 years of living
with denial and regrets, you are here with your sister to prove Ms. Liggins
is, in fact,
your biological daughter. Is that correct? Yes, Your Honor. Mr. Crawford, you say
you've lived for years with regrets
and unanswered questions. Tell me about that. I'm here to right my wrong and try and prove
that she's my daughter. She does not believe
you're her biological father, and yet, you're still here to right your wrongs,
because you believe you are. Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: All right.
Ms. Crawford, this is truly eating away
at your brother. MS. CRAWFORD:
Yes, it is, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE:
How has it been
for your family? It's been kinda up and down, because, for a long time, we didn't know
anything about it, and once he got
in touch with her, I realized that it was
eating away at him. I knew her mom. <i> We grew up together.</i> <i> Grade school.</i> I believe she's ours, too. JUDGE LAKE: You do? Yes, ma'am. It's been 35 years. Right. You haven't seen Ms. Liggins? MR. CRAWFORD: No, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: Are you ready
to see her today? Yes, ma'am. Jerome, please escort her in. JEROME: Yes, Your Honor. JEROME: Hello. Hi. I'm gonna have you come
with me. Got to go
right up here. Left side. JUDGE LAKE: Ms. Liggins,
thank you so much
for being here. Thank you. You have doubts Mr. Crawford is
your biological father. Is that correct? Yes. JUDGE LAKE: Explain. Well, um, I would have to say
he's not my father because I've never
heard of him in my life, it's been 35 years, no one in my family,
not even my Aunty Linda, so I'm surprised that
she's here saying
that he's my father. My mother, not once
has she ever mentioned him. <i> I've talked to my great aunt,</i> no one close to me
has ever heard of him, because I grew up, um, with knowing that
another man was my father. This is really
eye-opening to me. More than anything,
it's hurtful. Too much time has gone by, um, in and out
of foster homes, not knowing
who my father is, and then, now,
you're telling me
this man is my father. It's... It's just too much. It is really a lot
that I'm feeling right now. I'm trying my best
to be composed, but this is...
This is extreme. (AUDIENCE MURMURING) When is the first time
you even heard about
Mr. Crawford? Last year, my aunt
and my little sister, they were at a, um, I guess some type of barbeque,
or what have you, and they called me
on the phone, and I'm thinking, like,
this has to be a joke. So my aunt gets on the phone,
she's like, um, "Do you wanna hear...
Do you wanna hear
from your dad?" I'm like, "My dad? What dad?
Who is that?" That name, that type
of terminology, doesn't even exist to me. So, I get on the phone, and this gentleman,
he gets on the phone, and he's talking to me. More than anything,
I'm thinking it's a joke, 'cause my aunt,
she's real fun-loving,
she's outgoing. I'm like, "Okay, this has
to be a joke. "Stop playing with me." So, I'm kind of like
torn between emotions,
don't know really, <i> don't know what to feel,</i> <i> so I'm talking to him,</i> <i> and then his sister
gets on the phone,</i> and I'm talking to her,
she's telling me, like,
you know, "We're gonna make
this up to you, "everything is
going to be fine..." I'm 35 now. I've been living my whole life
without a father, and I'm okay with that,
but for you to come to me now, why now? Why not years ago? Why now? I really don't understand.
I'm kinda lost for words. (AUDIENCE MURMURING) This sounds
absolutely incredible. Thirty five years, and you
get a call out of the blue. Yes, ma'am. Ms. Shaw, as you
listen to your niece, she almost can't believe
that you're on this side
of the aisle saying you believe
Mr. Crawford is her
biological father. Yes, Your Honor,
and first of all, I told China
about her father. That's a lie. I've never heard
of this man in my life. I'm not gonna lie to you,
Your Honor, 'cause I know
I'm in a court of law. I've told China
about her father. They told her
her father was dead. That's why she didn't
pursue to look for him. MS. LIGGINS:
No, I was told that another man was my father
my whole life. No, I know who her daddy is. Ms. Shaw, were you around when her mother dated
Mr. Crawford? Yes, ma'am, I was. JUDGE LAKE: And so you
remember that courtship? Yes, ma'am, I do. (AUDIENCE GASPS) And that's why
you're so convinced he is your niece's
biological father? MS. SHAW:
Yes, ma'am, I am. MS. LIGGINS: She's about
the only one that's convinced, because I'm not convinced. I've never heard of this man
in my life until last year. <i> So, I don't know
where all of this</i> <i> is coming from.
And why is it now?</i> <i> Why not so many years ago?
Why today?</i> JUDGE LAKE: Mr. Crawford,
that is a good question. Why has this... Why has this taken so long? Why it took so long? Her mom and I,
we went together, <i> we was out celebrating
on the Fourth of July,</i> and we ended up being together. One time. After that, I haven't
seen her mother
anymore until she had a baby
carrying around, and I said,
"Who's baby is this?" And she said, "Yours."
And I said, "I don't think so." (AUDIENCE GASPS) Oh, so you're saying you... You were intimate
with her mother. MR. CRAWFORD: Right. But you all weren't in
a committed relationship. No, we weren't. You weren't boyfriend
and girlfriend. No, we was not. JUDGE LAKE:
So, this was just like... A get-together. Okay. So, you had
a sexual encounter. Yes. After that, I ain't got... Going to work on
a cruise boat out of town, so I didn't hear nothing else. If you want more episodes
of Paternity Court Make sure to subscribe
and click on
the notification bell. MS. CRAWFORD: Her mom and I, we kinda hung out
in the neighborhood. Um, I actually remember China at two or three months,
I think she was. She brought her
to the house. Yes, she did. But the part that... That lost me, she never told me that that was
my brother's baby. As friends,
she was calling me, asking me will I watch
her baby for her. And I did. Not knowing that
her and my brother
had any dealings at all. <i> And I'm just as sorry
there's this 35 years...</i> It's absurd to me, too. Ms. Liggins, as you listen
to this testimony, I see that it really... It really hurts.
This is just horrible. This is a horrible situation.
(SOBBING) This is every reason why we have to be careful
of the choices that we make. We cannot...
People get hurt by this. (SNIFFLES) Yeah. Oh, God. This is...
Oh, God. (SNIFFLES) Oh, God. I'm just...
I'm just here for answers. I... I mean, yeah, I don't have anything against
this gentleman here. He seems like a nice guy. I just don't want
to get my hopes up.
I'm just torn. I wanna ask you, Ms. Shaw, if you knew this,
even back then, and you say,
"I knew this was his child," what prevented you, or why did you decide,
not to ever tell your niece? Your Honor, I told China. You never told me this. I don't know why would
you even sit here and lie? The first time I found out
was last year. I would have reached
out to him myself if I heard about him.
Why wait now? People keep secrets
all the time, and secrets,
you need to speak up. Closed mouth doesn't get fed. You have to talk about things. You can't just keep things
to yourself. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) Ms. Shaw... MS. SHAW: Yes, ma'am? You said you knew when Ms. Liggins' mom
and Mr. Crawford were seeing one another. Yes, ma'am. So you remember when
your sister got pregnant. You remember when she saw him. Well, I don't know
when she got pregnant, I know when
she did the wild thing. (AUDIENCE WHOOPING) Right, I...
How do you know that? MS. SHAW:
I was in my house. JUDGE LAKE:
And what happened? (AUDIENCE LAUGHING) MS. SHAW:
She asked me if he
could spend the night. It was during the
Fourth of July weekend. You're saying Mr. Crawford
and your sister were intimate in your house. I'm quite sure they were,
'cause the door was closed. You ain't doing nothin',
what's the door doing closed? (AUDIENCE LAUGHING) So, Mr. Crawford,
do you remember being intimate
with Ms. Liggins' mom at Ms. Shaw's house? Yes, Your Honor. (AUDIENCE CHEER) Did your sister
ever say to you, "I was intimate
with Mr. Crawford, <i> "and now I'm pregnant
with his baby"?</i> Yes, I asked her, "What's wrong
with you? Are you pregnant?" I said, "You're out here
throwing up and doin'
a whole lots of sleeping." I said, "What the problem is?" She say, "I'm gonna
have a baby." Mmm. I say, "Well, what...
Who the daddy?" She said, "Eddie."
I said, "Eddie who?" She said, "Eddie Crawford,
Jessica's brother." I said, "I knew it." (AUDIENCE LAUGHING) I said... Okay, but you guys knew it,
but no one ever told me. And so what was life like
growing up without a father? Oh, I had to create this... Bold personality. I called myself
"Lion-Hearted Liggins," because I have to put on this shell. You know, like,
I'm just by myself, you know, strong
and determined and being my own father. You know,
trying to find my way. You know, making mistakes and not having that man
there to tell me, like, "Okay, oh,
he isn't good for you." <i> You know, so I'm just</i> <i> trying to figure
life out on my own,</i> <i> on my own, so it's been
very, um, heart-breaking.</i> You know, sometimes
I would be so confused, I'd see other people
with their dad, like, "Man, I wish I had that." Then I'll just have to, like,
pull myself up by the straps and just keep it moving, like,
"Oh, well, it is what it is." I just began to accept things
for what they are. And then, now, last year,
I'm still kinda like, taken aback by this. I'm thinking,
"This can't be real. "They're just
making up something." I don't think they were
ready for you, baby. But why? I'm like,
"I don't have any money, "so I don't know
why he's reaching out to me, "like, why do you want me
to be his daughter?" Because I don't have
anything for him. I can't offer him anything. So, why? That's sad. MS. LIGGINS: This is just
all wrong, so we need answers. Yes, Mr. Crawford? A year ago, when I first
started talking to her, Linda ran into
my sister and I. She didn't see me at first. She seen my sister and said,
"You have a niece." And, she said, "I've meant
to call her for y'all." That's the first time
I started speaking
with her. And, like... MS. LIGGINS: Right, and
he would text me every day. She'd call me five times... MR. CRAWFORD:
I started texting her. JUDGE LAKE: You did
from the moment... From that day till now. He would text me
every day. I kinda like,
got irritated by it. Till now. Like, dude. (AUDIENCE LAUGHING) Every single day
he would, like, text me, and I'm like, this dude
keep texting me every day. So then, I just was like,
"Okay, let me give him
a chance. "He seems like a nice person." What would he text you and say? MS. LIGGINS: He would say,
"Good morning," I'd be like, "What's up, Pops?" you know. Trying to see how it feels
to even say that. You know? Oh, yes. MS. CRAWFORD:
But I also want
to say this to China if you will receive it. I lived in a house with my brother, and I didn't know. So... My heart goes out to you, because you're the one
that did most of the suffering with these years. But I also want you
to recognize I knew your mom, and he's my brother,
and I didn't know. I just... I wanna help her.
I hope she is ours. Okay? I want to let her know where she came from. And like she say,
she don't know why this going on,
'cause she ain't got no money, we don't either,
but we got some love. And that's all it takes.
And that's all it takes. (ALL APPLAUDING) I'm very... And I see that
makes you emotional. Yeah, it does. JUDGE LAKE: Because
you feel like you've... You can feel her pain. I feel like if she's his,
I let her down, too. I should have known. Mr. Crawford, during that time, you testified that you
denied it was your baby. <i> When she said,
"This is your baby,"</i> <i> you said, "No, it's not."</i> I did not,
you know, to think about me having intercourse
with her on July, and they said
she was born in January. Didn't add up to me. MS. CRAWFORD: But we learned
that she was premature, so she wouldn't be
on the roscoe of conception. MR CRAWFORD:
So, it's a possibility
she might be mine. So we're hoping to find out. She and I talked,
and I said, "Don't trip off nothing. "We gonna find our DNA
to tell us the truth." And I have that truth for you. MS. LIGGINS: Thank you. MR. CRAWFORD:
I appreciate that. I do. (ALL APPLAUDING) I don't want to make you wait
one moment longer. You've been through
so much, Ms. Liggins. Jerome, may I have
the envelope, please? (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) Before I read the results,
Ms. Liggins, your hopes. Are you hoping today
that Mr. Crawford
is your biological father? (SIGHS) It would be nice, but I've
already created this shell. Like, just accept it
for what it is. So, I don't want to
get my hopes high, you know, and if he's
not my dad, I have to
go back to living how I already was living,
without a dad, so I'm just gonna say
he's not my dad. MS. CRAWFORD: But if he is, we're coming
through that shell. Come on. MR. CRAWFORD:
Shell will be broken. MS. SHAW: Hell, yeah. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) These results were prepared
by DNA Diagnostics and they read as follows. In the case of<i>
Crawford v. Liggins...</i> When it comes to 35-year-old Patricia Liggins, it has been determined
by this court... Mr. Crawford... Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: You... Are not the father. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIM
IN DISAPPOINTMENT) MR. CRAWFORD: Man. MS. SHAW: It's all right. (SIGHS) It's all right. JUDGE LAKE: I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Ms. Liggins. MS. SHAW: Can I hug you? (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) We're here for you. Okay? Look at me. I knew a lot
about your mom. And I'm sorry.
I didn't know, either. Okay? Come here. (SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY) I'm still gonna call you, okay? I'm sure you would. (BOTH LAUGHING) MR. CRAWFORD: Okay. It is what it is. I would like to say that
I truly appreciate... We do this
each and every day here. We don't always see people
approach these situations with so much love
and so much grace from the outset. (SIGHS) This is truly extraordinary. And even though
I wasn't able to give you the result you all
wanted or even thought to be true, that what you received
in spite of all that was the love of a father. And that kind of love
that you never have received
throughout your life. You say you never
knew that kind of love. In this disappointing moment, there is a blessing in it. You had that, and you still
have the possibility of it, because Mr. Crawford has said he'd like to remain
a part of your life. I don't know the results
before I read them,
and I don't think... There are times in this
courtroom where, honestly, I, mmm, just look at the envelope,
and I'm just like, "Come on." MS. LIGGINS: Right. (ALL CHUCKLE) Come on, Lord. Right. But we have to know
He has a plan bigger than ours. That's right. That's right. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) So Dr. Jeff is there
waiting for you all. Please take a moment
and take advantage
of the counseling and the resources we have, because it's important.
This is not easy. No, it's not. This is life,
but you are strong, and you will get through it. I wish you all the very best. Court is adjourned. (BANGS GAVEL)
