<i> This is</i> Couples Court
with the Cutlers. This is the case
of Canady versus Goodwin. You all have known each other
for ten years, but you've been together
as a couple for four years, you're living together, but this relationship
is not going any further until you get some answers
here today, is that right? -Yes, Your Honor.
-[Judge Keith] All right. Tell us what's on
the line here today. Well, I believe
that he is cheating, and that he is taking complete
advantage of our relationship. We have been together
for four years today. -[Kayla] And-- Today.
-Oh, today is your anniversary? -[Kayla] Today.
-[Judge Dana] Wow. [Kayla] And I am
wanting to find out if he is cheating or not, so, we know where to go
with this relationship. So, Mr. Goodwin,
this is not a great way to spend your four-year
anniversary standing here being accused
of cheating. How are you feeling? I'm just ready to prove
my innocence, basically. Like, I love her,
I wanna be with her. She's a good mother to my kid. And she take care of him
real good, she's real good to me. This is the woman I wanna be
with the rest of my life. So, I just wanna prove
my innocence. -[audience awes]
-[Judge Keith] So, this is all just a misunderstanding? Yeah. Yes. Ms. Canady, what was it like
in the beginning, when you all first met? Oh, it was great.
I was head over heels when I found out I was pregnant
with our son. I mean, it was probably
the best day of my life. [audience awes] And it changed over the years.
It's just not the same. Okay. So, what was he like
in the beginning, and what's he like now? Well, he was
more attentive to me, our sex life was a lot better, and he was just
a totally different man. When I say that I mean, like,
he wasn't hiding things, he wasn't doing sneaky things,
and now he is doing all of that. [Judge Dana] All right.
Well, those are the key signs,
Mr. Cutler. So, when you say
he's being sneaky, I mean, those were like warning
signs that you started to see? -Yes.
-What were those? Well, he would say that
he was going to get a beer, and he would be gone
for several hours at a time. And how far is the store
from where you live? How long -should he have been gone?
-[Kayla] Oh, only five minutes. -Okay.
-Five minutes from our house. [Judge Dana] I was gonna say
how many beers does he get? -Exactly.
-[Judge Dana] Okay. Okay. Very friendly
with female co-workers... too friendly.
Also that he would just stay gone
for long periods of time. [Judge Dana] All right. Mr. Goodwin where are you going
to get these beers? It should take you five
or ten minutes to the store and you coming back hours later. I mean, I probably might just
ride around a little bit, -been a couple corners and...
-[Kayla] He's lying. -...and I come home. I just...
-[Kayla] There's no way. -[Antonio] It's nothing really.
-[Judge Keith]
It's nothing really? -[Antonio] It's nothing really.
-You're not doing anything -inappropriate?
-[Antonio] No. [Judge Dana] But here's
the thing, Mr. Cutler, when those warning signs
start popping up, women start figuring things out. -Like what's going on.
-[Kayla] It's women's intuition. So, when the warning signs
popped up, what did you do? Well, it all started one day
when I picked him up -from lunch on work.
-[Judge Dana] Okay. [Kayla] I seen a text
come through his phone, that said, "You could leave
me a cigarette." But it was underneath
a man's name. I said, you know, "Who is this?" He was, like, "Oh, it's just
a male co-worker." -Okay.
-[Kayla] So, I ended up blocking that number that day. The next day I went
into the blocked inbox... and it was messages
that said, "Hey babe." -[audience exclaims]
-"Good morning, daddy." "I guess we're not meeting up
at the hotel this weekend." And I have those messages
right here. -Ron, would you please get that.
-Yes, Your Honor. All right.
So, these are messages you found in his phone? [Judge Dana] Let me make sure
I got this technology correct. You blocked the number and the messages
go to a blocked folder -is what you're calling it?
-[Kayla] Exactly. [Judge Dana] And that way
you can see what's going on
with that number just directly? -[Kayla] Yes.
-[Judge Dana] And these are some of the messages
you've seen? [Kayla] That is correct,
Your Honor. All right. So, she says, <i> I mean,
you could have came back</i> <i> by to feeling on this blank.</i> -[Judge Keith] Right.
-We know that it's... -Her private-- Yeah.
-...her private parts. And so, not only is she inviting him
but she's saying, -you've done it before.
-[Judge Keith] And come back by. [Judge Dana] Come back by
and get some more of this. All right. Then she writes. [Judge Dana]<i> "GM, daddy" or
good morning, daddy. "Hey babe."</i> -She writes again. So--
-Okay. So, Mr. Goodwin? You got this woman talking about "Come back by feeling on my..."
you know what. And "Hey, babe." and
"Good morning, daddy." And... See, she-- A friend of mine
at work gave her my number, and, like, I'm not--
I was talking a little bit, but it was nothing more
than that, but she was trying to make
it more than that, and I kinda, like,
backed off a little bit and just left it alone,
because... Okay, but Mr. Goodwin,
here's the problem... it's one thing to invite you
to come feel it, it's another saying
come back and feel it. Which means, you felt it before. And not only did he
feel it, it felt good. -Yeah.
-'Cause she wants you to come back and do it again. So, have you gone by
and felt it? See, it-- -[Judge Dana] That's a yes.
-Let me explain-- Oh. [laughs] I mean, it was--
It wasn't nothing-- it wasn't nothing major
like that, it was just... [audience exclaims] You're just being over friendly? Because she says you're a little
too friendly at work, that's you being
a little extra friendly? I mean-- I guess, yeah. Right now, looking at this, if your forehead
had a billboard on it... it would just say, "Cheater." -Exactly. Exactly.
-[Judge Keith] Right. So, it seems like work,
it seems to be a place where he is doing things -beside working.
-Exactly. [Judge Dana] Or he's
over working work... -Right.
-...either way. Is there anyone in particular
you're concerned about? Well, there's a old friend,
co-worker... that he came home one day
from work telling me that he ran into somebody
that he hadn't seen in years, and that they were
working together. The next day I went to pick him
up from work and he asked me to give the girl
a ride home. Okay. So, this is a friend from the past,
who's now -working with him again?
-[Kayla] Yes. -[Judge Dana] All right.
-[Judge Keith] Okay. And, when she got
into the vehicle with us she was very awkward,
she wouldn't really speak to me and she was just mainly
talking to Antonio. [Judge Dana] So, she using
your gas and not talking to you? -Exactly.
-[Judge Keith] Well, but she didn't know her, I mean, she knew him-- I--
Think about it. -Think about it.
-[Kayla] I mean-- It's an old friend of his, she doesn't know her,
never met her, so, obviously more of her
conversation is gonna be -with him, that makes sense.
-Oh, no. No, no, no, no. Because if you are a woman
that knows that person's boyfriend, husband,
lover, whatever, you're not gonna be acting
funny, like, "Yeah. Anyhoo, -so, blah, blah, blah."
-She didn't say that, she didn't say that. She just
said she talked more to him, and that conversation is gonna
be about, "Hey, how you doing? Have you seen so and so? Remember the guy
we used to hang--" I mean, it's all gonna be about -reminiscing. There's gonna...
-[Judge Dana] All right. ...be more conversation
with him than her. Well, Mr. Cutler, let me just--
This is woman's intuition. -Nah, don't hand me that.
-Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. -We'll get it for real.
-[Judge Keith]
We're falling back -on that?
-I-- Falling back-- -Falling back to woman--
-That's a thing, man. You know it's a thing. -When you can't explain...
-Okay, let me... -...something.
-...let me. No, no, no, -no, no.
-When you can't explain -something.
-Let me show you. Let me -show you. Ms. Canady?
-Yes. [Judge Dana]
Was it like I described or is it just she was just
talking to him and not to you? [Kayla] No,
it's as you described. It's just I think that... -Boom!
-...out of respect she should've-- -No. Uh-uh. Uh-uh.
-[Kayla] Exactly. [Judge Dana]
She was disrespectful. -She was not respectful.
-[Judge Keith] Okay. All right. -Exactly.
-Watch this. Mr. Goodwin... [Judge Dana] Oh, boy. Was this woman-- was she
completely ignoring her or was she just talking
more to you, because you all have
more in common -and she's an old friend?
-I worked with her. And I met her at work.
So, it was just-- we were just conversating,
you know. -[Kayla] Friendly.
-[Judge Keith]
So, what you're saying -is I'm right?
-[Antonio] Yeah, you're right. -Boom!
-[Kayla laughs] -[audience laughs, applauds]
-[Antonio] I'm telling you... [Judge Keith] Yes. Mr. Goodwin, I know you're
not saying I'm wrong, though? -He didn't say you're wrong.
-[laughs] -He just said I was right.
-Uh-huh. So, have you find out anything
else about this co-worker? Well, then,
like the next day I found messages between the two
in his phone. She started calling his phone, so, I answered the phone. And I asked her, I said,
"Hey, you know, what's going on with you and Antonio,
like, are you guys, like, more than friends, is there,
like, are you guys sleeping together
or what's going on?" She told me that,
he's been pursuing her, and was telling me what color
my bed sheets were. [audience exclaims] -Was she right?
-She was-- Yes. And she was implying that they had had sex
in my bed, slept together, while I was six months pregnant
with our child. [audience exclaims] I mean, that's a like
a red, you know. [Kayla] A big red flag.
Yes. -This is happening!
-Yes. Mr. Goodwin,
why would this co-worker say this to your girlfriend? No, no. That's not
the right question. What do you mean,
it's not the right -question?
-The right question -is-- No, no, no.
-It's the question I asked-- The right question
is how did she know what your bedroom looked like? -That's the question.
-[Kayla] Exactly. Well, I mean, -it was just-- I mean...
-He had a lot to say then, -but nothing to say now.
-What? Why would she do this, why would
this co-worker do this? [Antonio] Because I think
she was just mad because I really wasn't paying
her no attention, I wasn't trying
to talk to her no more, it was-- I mean it was just--
We was, I'm not no more but, you know, what I'm saying.
It was-- -Yes, you are. Yes.
-[Judge Keith] Okay. -She wanted something more...
-[Antonio] She wanted something -more and I wasn't giving...
-She saw you were happy... -...it to her.
-...in this relationship. -[Kayla] Exactly.
-[Antonio] And she was trying put her little two cents in, and get in there,
and it really wasn't happening. [Judge Keith]
And she was just trying to hate? Yeah, basically,
at the end of the day. -Hater's gonna hate, right?
-[audience laughs] Hater's gonna hate, -is that what you're saying?
-Yeah, hater's gonna hate. So, you don't see
the sign brighter, -that you talked about?
-It's bright, but I'm trying to give him
the benefit of the doubt. Innocent until proven guilty. -[scoffs] All right. Okay.
-Right? -Uh-hmm.
-Right? [audience laughs] Okay. So, based on
that what other proof do you have, Ms. Canady? Well, earlier this year,
he was out all night. What happened was he said,
he was going to drop a family member off
at eleven o'clock at night. And I woke up,
it was eight o'clock and he was not home. [Judge Dana]
Eight o'clock the next morning? Yes, ma'am.
So, I kept calling his phone, it was going to voicemail,
like he had it turned off. -[Judge Dana] Okay.
-So, he finally comes in the house
at ten o'clock in the morning, and tried to tell me,
his phone was dead. And then,
when I checked the phone, I also seen messages
from a female named Melissa. [Judge Dana] Okay. And the messages say,
"Come to the club." [Judge Dana] Oh. And you submitted that message
to the court, -is that correct?
-[Candy] I did. Okay. Let's take a look at that. [Judge Keith]<i> So, at 12:49 am,
Melissa Ecker writes,</i> <i>"Going to the club, come there."</i> [audience exclaims] And that was the same night
he's out all night? -Yes, Your Honor.
-[Judge Dana] So, now you think something happened
with this woman -or somebody else?
-[Kayla] Yes. I went -to her Facebook page.
-[Judge Dana] Uh-huh. And I seen pictures of his
old co-worker and Melissa. So, I believe
that it was all a cover up and that that was his old
co-worker friend that sent that message
for them to meet up at the club. -[Judge Dana] So, oh.
-[Judge Keith] Okay. So, she had a went around? -[Kayla] Yes.
-Okay. -That's pretty elaborate.
-That is elaborate. All right.
Elaborate is all, yeah. [Judge Keith]
Mr. Goodwin, you got
these women going through hoops and everything else
trying to get to you. I don't-- Your Honor... I seen 'em,
we was at the place, I seen 'em.
It was hi and bye. I didn't even see the other-- I seen one person there,
just her right there. And I said hi, bye,
and that was about it. I just don't think
it's just a coincidence that this message was sent
on the same night that he was gone until
ten o'clock in the morning. -And that--
-[Antonio] It was really sent? -'Cause I ain't--
-[Kayla] But it's just not a coincidence,
there's just no way. [Judge Dana] There's just no way -that this happened?
-No. Well, you know,
we get these stories, we get your story.
We get your story. But today, we're gonna
get Melissa's story. -Melissa Ecker is here.
-[audience laughs, applauds] Ron, would you bring her in? Would you state your name,
please, for the record? Melissa Ecker. And Ms. Ecker,
what is the nature of your relationship
with Mr. Goodwin? [Melissa] Well, I have known him
for about 20 years. My friend-- Or, yeah,
my old friend, his old co-worker, me and her were also friends
for about 20, 25 years. [Judge Dana] Okay. All right. Did you send this message
that we have right here, that was submitted to the court
that says, <i>"Going to the club, come there?"</i> No, she would use my phone
to contact him. [Judge Dana] All right.
So, did you see him at the club -that night?
-Yes. -[Judge Dana] Okay.
-We went to the-- It's a private club,
so, you have to either know somebody or be invited in and at the end of the night, you know, we all ended back
at the same place -and they were in her room.
-What? So, is it your testimony
here today, that Mr. Goodwin was cheating
with this old friend? -Yes.
-[Kayla] Wow. [Judge Dana] Because they were
back at your place... -[Melissa] Yeah.
-[Judge Dana] ...and they went -to a room together.
-Wow. And I'm assuming two,
three o'clock, four o'clock in the morning, -what would you do?
-Did you see Mr. Goodwin the next morning? I seen him leave out the door. [Judge Dana]
And about what time was that? Eight, nine o'clock maybe. Exactly.
And he came home at ten. -Makes perfect sense.
-[Judge Dana] Did your friend-- Yeah. Well, it matches up.
Did your friend tell you anything afterwards? Well, of course, yeah,
I mean, she's had -a really good night.
-[Judge Dana] What did she-- And Mr. Goodwin,
I'm standing here, I'm watching your body language. Have you been cheating
on Ms. Canady? -I made a mistake.
-[audience exclaims] -Is that a yes?
-Yeah, yes. Okay. Tell her what happened. We was at the club,
we was drinking, and whatever, kicking it,
and having fun and... we ended up back at her place. That's just so nasty,
I just don't understand, like, how could you do that? How many times
has she been to your place? The house you share
with Ms. Canady? 'Cause this woman has told her
about your sheets in your house. That was, like, oh--
I mean, that was, like, one time, just once. [Judge Dana]
Oh, so, now we up to two? [Judge Keith] So, one time
at the house and one time at the club? -[Judge Dana] And that's it?
-That's it. -[Judge Dana]
I don't believe you.
-I don't. [Judge Dana]
I do not believe you at all. Well, I know
you don't believe him, that sign is flashing
very bright on his head now. The question is, what do you wanna do
with your relationship? I really don't know.
I just-- I wanna-- I want a fresh start in my life,
like, without him a part of it. Because he has done this
for so long, and so many years, it's like
it's never gonna change. -He doesn't really love me.
-[Judge Dana] Okay. You have taken back
your strength. Tell him what that means to you? It means everything to me,
I finally feel free that I know the truth,
that you've been a cheater for all of these years. Like, I believe that everything
that you've-- that I've thought that you've
done that you've done it. -And it breaks my heart.
-Now, and honestly I haven't done, like,
as much as you think I did a lot of stuff and I really haven't did,
like, a lot, a lot of stuff. -But Mr. Goodwin.
-[Kayla] Excuses. Look, you've done enough.
And here's the thing-- Yeah, I admit it,
I've done enough, but I mean, I'm not-- it's--
we not all innocent here, y'all acting like I'm just
a big bad wolf, -and it's just not all me.
-[audience exclaims] [Judge Dana] Here's the thing.
I-- You... You. You told him to kick rocks,
take care of you, take care of your baby. -That's all I'm gonna do.
-[Judge Dana] Okay? All right. Because I don't have
enough time to talk to this, -right here.
-[Kayla] No. -There's not enough time.
-[Judge Dana]
There's not enough time. But I-- but as we say
in this courtroom, don't cheat yourself out of an opportunity
to have a happy... trust-filled relationship.
Court is adjourned. -[gavel bangs]
-[music playing]
