You may be seated. Hello, Your Honor. Hello. This is the case
of<i> Hunt vs. Tinsley.</i> Thank you, Jerome. You're welcome. Good day, everyone. Mr. Hunt, you have
petitioned the court
for a paternity test to prove that
you are not the father of Ms. Tinsley's
three-year-old
daughter, Jaziya. JAMARCUS: Yes, Your Honor. LAKE: You say that
she is a gold digger and that your relationship
with her was brief... JAMARCUS: She's a gold digger. No I'm not. No I'm not. LAKE: ...and purely sexual. Furthermore, you claim
that the defendant has
defamed your character and she is claiming you're
the father of her baby only because you are
a successful rapper
in your hometown. Yes, Your Honor. JAME'E: Not at all.
Not at all. Now, Ms. Tinsley, you state
that you could care less
about Mr. Hunt's rap career, or his money and that
your only concern is that your daughter
grows up with a father. Yes, ma'am. You admit that you were
confident another man
was her father, until a previous DNA
test proved otherwise. But, now, there's
no question in your mind that Mr. Hunt
is your daughter's
biological father. JAME'E: Yes, ma'am. No. LAKE: All right, now,
Mr. Hunt. Why would
Ms. Tinsley claim
you're her baby's father if you are so sure
you're not? Your Honor, I'm more... In my city,
where I'm from... JAME'E: He's nothin'. I'm like the hottest
rapper around, not to
be sounding cocky, you know, tooting my horn. But I'm on radio,
I do shows for any major
acts comin' to the city, I'm doing my thing.
She's a groupie. She's a groupie. No I'm not.
I'm far from a groupie. She's got nothing
going for herself,
she's dead broke... Broke? I keep a job! She's comin' at me for,
lookin' at dollar signs, she sees dollar signs
basically. He's dead broke! She sees dollar signs... LAKE: All right,
wait a minute now, obviously you all met
and liked each other
at least for one night... So, let's hear about that. No! No! (AUDIENCE CHEERING) Let's hear about that. How did you all meet? On Myspace a long
time ago, a while ago. And then we originally met
in person like in '08. No, Your Honor, that's
not how it happened. JAME'E: Yes, it did. I found out about this on... I met her, yeah, okay,
a few years back, but I only hooked up
with her one time. That's a lie!
We had sex several times. LAKE: Only one time? One time. JAME'E: We had sex
several times, Your Honor. JAMARCUS:
And several other guys. What about them? I'm single! I don't got
no man. I ain't married. Now, this was just
a one-night-stand
kind of thing? She's a jump-off,
Your Honor,
she's a groupie. That's what she do. I'm a jump-off,
I'm a groupie
all of a sudden? I found out about this chick,
when she came
to me with the baby. I found out about it
on Facebook,
over at my mother's house. JAME'E: That's a lie,
Your Honor, that's a lie. JAMARCUS:
I was on the Internet, I was
scrolling down the newsfeed, I seen it on the Internet,
she put my picture,
she took my picture... JAME'E: I sure did.
After he put statuses
about me on his Facebook. JAMARCUS: ...puts it
next to her daughter and put,
"You are the father." This is on the
Internet, Your Honor. JAME'E: So? So?
I sure did. LAKE: Wait a minute... JAMARCUS:
This is three years later too, now, let me get this right,
Your Honor, I've been incarcerated
and everything, this is three years
later now. Because I thought
another man was her dad. And I tested him
and it came back
negative, okay? And you are
the next possibility 'cause I was messin'
with you around
the time I got pregnant. Are you serious? Yes, I'm serious. No, this is wrong. Let's recap this... You claim that
you had a one night stand
with Ms. Tinsley. Yes. Ms. Tinsley,
you contend that you had sex
more than one time. Yes, ma'am, we sure did.
At least... No more than five. LAKE:
It was a sexual relationship
that was ongoing? No, it was like over... JAMARCUS: What kind
of drugs are you on? ...a couple of months' period.
And I'm sober. But what you also admit to
is that you were having sex with someone else
during that very same time. Yes, ma'am, I was single.
And I was kind of doing me, but if I was so much
of a slut, I would have
five, six, seven kids
by seven different men. I got two children
by two different men. So message me
what you're talking about. I'm not one of those men. LAKE: Ms. Tinsley,
you tested one man... JAME'E: Yes, ma'am. ...that you thought was
your child's father. JAME'E: My ex-boyfriend. Yes, ma'am. 'Cause that was your
boyfriend at the time. No, not at the time.
It was my ex-boyfriend, we were still kind of
messing around though. All right, so it's the,
"Go back to the ex"
kind of thing? JAME'E: Yes, ma'am. Okay. He turned out
not to be the father. Yes, ma'am. And then, prior to him,
before even the blood test
came back, I told Jamarcus,
I said, "Jamarcus, if the blood test
comes back negative
with my ex-boyfriend, "you're the next
possibility." "Cool, cool,
everything's cool." Then people
started finding out
what was going on, that's when he thought
he was a big rapper, which he ain't making
no noise. JAMARCUS: Lies. You're local,
you're not even on... Lies. LAKE: So, Ms. Tinsley
hold on, hold on one second. How did everybody
start finding out about it? I ain't gonna lie,
I wasn't parading around
the whole city, but I told
a few of my friends,
I sure did. JAMARCUS: Your Honor,
she waited three years. I went to jail
for two years, she waited three years,
she waited till after
I had a buzz in my city and I'm on the radio
and opening for major acts, and then she came
to me with this baby. JAME'E: I cannot
believe this man. She's trying to put a baby
on me after she's seen
that I'm doing things. I'm moving places,
I'm going around. This is what fame
does to people!
It changes people. Let me ask you this... Why would you come to
me three years later then? Because I thought
my ex-boyfriend
was her daddy! Why would you wait three years
till after you see that
I'm doing things though? Why didn't you write
to me when I was in jail,
visit me... I did write you!
Put it on God! You can't... That I didn't write you! We're blaming God now? I wrote him
when he was in jail! Come on, I never got
any letter or anything. Boy, don't lie! LAKE: Wait a minute!
Wait a minute! You said your ex-boyfriend
is the person you thought
was the father. When did you get
the DNA test from him?
How soon? It was a couple
of years later
when we got into it. He demanded a test,
so I got it. And then it came
back negative, but he still loved my
daughter, he was still
helping my daughter. Still to this day
I can call him, he'll send me some money,
Western Union, if I need it. LAKE: So, but now, Mr. Hunt, clearly you understand
the answer now as to why she was
a tad bit tardy
on the request. Your Honor, she's a groupie! JAME'E: I'm not a groupie! Your Honor,
she's showing up at... I told you I open
for major acts, she's showing up
at the club with this baby
on her arm, Your Honor. JAME'E: That's a lie,
Your Honor. She shows up at the club
with this baby on her arm... Never seen this in my life! I never came to the
club with my daughter! She's showing up
at the studios. (GAVEL BANGING) Okay, let's get some order.
I want to hear this
from Mr. Hunt. JAME'E: He's lying. She came to the club
with the baby? Your Honor, I kid you not,
she came to the club with
the baby on her arm, yellin', "You are the father,
this is your baby! "Why aren't you taking
care of your baby?
You're a deadbeat dad." I cannot believe
what I'm hearing. So, that didn't happen?
Ms. Tinsley, you never... I never had my
baby at the club! Not only the club,
Your Honor,
she's come to the studio, I'm leaving out the studio,
with me and my friends
and my partners... We're leaving out, she's showing up
at the studio
with this baby, Your Honor. JAME'E: He agreed to do
the blood test, why'd you agreed
to do it before then? What made you change
your mind, Jamarcus? LAKE: So, Ms. Tinsley,
you're saying that
there was a time when he agreed, flat out,
I'll take the blood test. Yeah, he agreed to it,
and they was gonna cut off
my welfare check if I didn't get nobody tested. So wait, let me understand,
was this about
the welfare check? Or the welfare of your child? Were you coming after him
and trying to figure out
who your child's father was because the court
demanded you do it? Or was it because you
truly wanted to know? I really wanted to know.
Both, kind of, to be
honest with you. JAMARCUS:
She inboxed my mom,
Your Honor. Yes, I sure did 'cause
I wanted her to know
what's going on, 'cause he sure
wasn't gonna tell her. You inboxed her where? On Facebook. I need to hear from Ms. Moore.
Ms. Moore, please stand. Please tell the court. Your Honor, I received
an inbox in my Facebook from a person that
I had no idea who they were. And what that
message said to me is, "My name is Jame'e.
No, you don't know me, "but I used to mess
around with your son, "and you are
the potential grandmother
of my daughter." I'm blown away
at this point. So my response
to that was, "Let me talk to my son first,
but I'm going to give you
the benefit of the doubt." Because I'm a woman
before anything else. And I've been a woman
far longer than
I've been a mother. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) Okay. I know what it is
to have to raise a child
with the father being absent. And the catch-22
to all of this madness is, I'm not raising
mamma's boys,
I'm raising men. And if he is the father then he's gonna
step up and do
what needs to be done. But the fact, the fact,
I'm gonna give you facts. That's what I want to hear. JUADALYN:
The fact of the matter is I've already drawn
my conclusion
about this young lady, when she inboxed me and after she told me
that somebody else
had been tested, and here you are
coming at me
three years later, my first impression
was that she's a whore. How am I a whore? LAKE: Let's use proper
language in the court, okay? But I've been single
many times, Your Honor, but I didn't sleep
with multiple men
because I was single. And I'm not telling her
how to handle her business, but if that's her choice,
all I'm saying is strap up 'cause you could come up
with more than just a baby. JAME'E: Okay. You could come up
with more than just a baby. But I do wear condoms. We're testing for DNA,
but we might need
to test for STDs! JAME'E: I don't got no STDs! Okay. Doing all of that
I ain't got no STDs! What I'm saying... (BOTH ARGUING INDISTINCTLY) (GAVEL BANGING) JAME'E: Okay! Okay! (ARGUING CONTINUES) LAKE: Order! Let's get
some order in the court! Ms. Tinsley,
I will say that
Ms. Moore waited patiently while you gave your account, I've asked her to give hers,
I need you to let her speak! JUADALYN: Thank you. Please. Here's my thing,
in order to deal
with that baby, I've got to deal
with this mother. And the things that
I've seen on Facebook, because I don't
know her personally, there's always an argument
with other women... JAMARCUS: Groupies. "Stay out of my business!" Because I got haters! "Why is everybody
hatin' on me? "Why is everybody worried
about my baby daddy,"
you know? And I'm lookin' thinking,
"Who does this?" What makes you a mother
is setting up a fine example. Why do you think
she is saying, your son
could perhaps be the father? Because, like I said
initially, Your Honor, I'm a woman
before I'm anything, and I know we can be
some of the most scandalous
creatures on the planet, I wasn't always 50!
I've been 20! And I know that when you
see dollar signs, and you struggling,
you'll do whatever
you got to do! JAME'E: He don't even
got money! You don't know what he has! He ain't making
no noise, he ain't got
no record, nothing! All right, she says
he's not doing anything,
he's doing major things. And clearly, she must've
gotten a buzz that
he's about to get that deal, 'cause why are you
showing up
three years later? Listen, I don't know nothing
about no record deal. He ain't signed
no check yet, I haven't even heard
none of that till I see it. As far as
three years later... JAMARCUS: Google it. Because it took me
that long to find out that the potential father
that I thought was, was not. That's what made me
come after Jamarcus. Because I was messing
with him around that time and my daughter
does look like this man. JAMARCUS: This does not
look like me, Your Honor. JAME'E: This is not
about his money! I never asked Jamarcus
for a dime! This does not look
like me, Your Honor. JAME'E: On my daughter,
I have never asked
this man for anything! I'm trying to understand, as a mom
that loves her child, why do you make that move? Why do you post her picture
alongside this man's picture without confirmation
that he's the father? Why post that
on your page? JAMARCUS: Why? Why do that? Because it's not just
making your child
the subject of speculation, but also your credibility, because, truthfully,
what mother does that
with their child's picture? Oh, don't try to make me
seem like I'm a bad guy! I'm a good mother!
I take care of my kids! I don't care
what he's talking about,
I'm a good mother. And I'm not gonna have you,
him or his mamma
tell me anything different. Let's get
one thing straight! I'm not here to
judge you as a person. There's not a person
in this room, including me,
that has not made a mistake, a bad decision,
done the wrong thing,
or hurt somebody! What I am here to judge
in order to get to the truth,
Ms. Tinsley, are your actions! Because the actions
are the evidence. When you post
a picture of a man that you think might be
your child's father alongside your
child's picture, you're not just putting
that father at risk, or exposing his
personal business, you are exposing your child! That's my point! And that's what I'm
questioning in this moment! And asking you,
why is it that you
made that choice? It was just to get back
at him for putting what
he put on his page! He put it in his page first! Another thing I need
you to understand along
with everyone else is... All this Facebook posting
and texing all your
business out in the air! You cannot get mad
if later you are judged
on those actions, when you put them out in the
universe for everyone to see! I know. No one would
know your business
unless it was out there! And so, it's not
just the fact
that you posted it. I'm trying to get
behind the reasoning! Now the truth that
I will take is, you said,
"I did it to get back at him." But what I'm saying to you is,
and let's keep it really real, you didn't have
to go that route,
for your child's sake! That's the point! I know you're defensive
'cause this is difficult
for you, and that's why we're
about to get to the results
for everyone involved, because I know that this
is a very difficult thing. But I wouldn't be
the woman that I am
if I didn't tell you that! Jerome, the results please. LAKE: Jame'e,
what's the matter?
Talk to me. (SOBBING)
I don't want nothing
from him, dawg! For real, like,
real talk, man. I never asked him
for nothing! He's calling me a groupie!
I've never even... ...stalked him
or did none of that! I'm a groupie now
and all 'cause he's wow. That's messed up, dawg,
because we was cool
before all of this happened. Listen, you love
your children. And you love
this child regardless... She loves being a groupie! No, no, no.
Mr. Hunt, let me speak. Look at me! That child is counting
on you to be strong
and pull it together. You made a mistake,
so did everybody
else in here before. It's not how you fall down,
it's how
you get back up again! Now, I want you
to get back up! Not be so worried
about getting back at! Do you see the difference? Yes. So, I know you say
that you've never asked
Mr. Hunt for anything, it upsets you
that he's calling you
these names. But, ultimately,
just tell the court what is it that
you want from this? You just want your child
to know who their father is? Yes, ma'am. I don't
want nothing from him. My mamma left me
in the hospital
when I was born. I actually didn't even
grow up with my mamma,
I grew up in foster care. So, for me to have a daughter
and then she don't
know who her daddy is, is like, pitiful.
I need to figure out
what's going on, man. Mr. Hunt, what would you
like to know in terms
of if the child is yours? If she's mine,
I'm gonna take care
of my daughter. That's exactly
what I wanted to hear. If she's not mine,
I would appreciate
an apology... I do owe you an apology
if she ain't yours. LAKE: All right, I think
it's time for the results. Our results today were
prepared by DNA Diagnostics. And per the report in the case of<i>
Hunt vs. Tinsley...</i> In the case of<i>
Hunt vs. Tinsley...</i> When it comes to
three-year-old Jaziya... Mr. Hunt... You are... Not her father! JUADALYN:
Thank you, Jesus! Yeah, well, thank you.
Thank you. (CHEERING) Okay, I'm sorry, Jamarcus. Good luck to you,
Jame'e, on finding your
daughter's father. JAMARCUS:
Thank you, Your Honor. LAKE: Ms. Tinsley... Are you okay? You okay? I'm still gonna do good!
I'll take good
care of my daughter. She'll be straight regardless.
I'm her daddy. This may be embarrassing,
this may not be the way
you wanted this to turn out, but I don't want you to be
deterred from finding out who your daughter's
father is. But I want you
to go about it in
a more respectful way. And keep things private
until you know the results,
you understand? Yes, ma'am. Don't let the anger
or the shame or resentment
of any guy, stop you from finding out
who her father is, because she deserves that,
are we clear? Yes, ma'am. I wish you the best of luck. I know you're
gonna do good things.
I see it in your eyes. I know we had
a little moment today.
You okay? Hold your head up.
We've all made
some bad choices. LAKE: See? Now that's
another woman in the room
encouraging you. JUADALYN: Keep your head up.
There's nothing to be
ashamed of. Pick yourself up,
dust yourself off
and keep it moving. LAKE: And on that note... Court is adjourned.
Amen to that. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) I know it was a tough day. (SNIFFLING) And I know those
weren't the results you were expecting
nor you wanted. Just pitiful, man,
for real. You said some
touching things
about your childhood, while you were
in that courtroom. And I know you've
been through a lot. And I'm happy that
you're making sure that your children
don't go through
what you've been through. No, they won't. I'm here for you.
I'll be checking in on you. Okay. Good luck to you. Give me a hug.
It's gonna be all right.
