Please be seated. Hello, Your Honor. Hello. This is the case
of<i> Haralson v. Smith.</i> Thank you, Jerome.
Good day, everyone. AUDIENCE: Good day. Mr. Haralson, you admit
to having a one-night stand with the defendant whose name
you didn't even know
19 years ago. You claim you are the victim
of paternity fraud and now you are more
than $20,000 in debt for a child
you don't believe is yours and have never met. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING) Is that correct? Yes, Your Honor. Ms. Smith, you claim
the plaintiff is your daughter, Ta'laah's biological father, and the result
will prove it today. Is that correct? Yes, ma'am. Ta'laah is here. MS. SMITH: Yes. Mr. Haralson, are you ready to see her
for the first time? Yes, Your Honor. Jerome, will you please
escort her in? Yes. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING) You couldn't even look at him
when you came in? TA'LAAH: Mm-mmm. (SNIFFLES) Is it too painful?
What do you feel, Ms. Smith? It's emotional 'cause
I ain't never seen him before. I still can't look at him. I don't wanna be crying. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING) You can look at me. Okay? Okay. Okay. (CHUCKLES) Please take me back to the time
in which you met. We had just moved to Detroit. And my sister, she had moved in
with a friend,
so we went over there. We had a visit. We were sitting,
drinking and talking. We would stop
on the steps for a minute, we went upstairs and had sex
and that's what it was. (AUDIENCE LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) That's what it was. So it really was
a brief encounter. Yes. Right. And then, see,
after that everybody
split ways. And, Mr. Haralson, you'd say
you didn't even know her name. No... MS. SMITH: He knew my name. I knew his nickname. I didn't know... You know what I'm saying?
We only knew nicknames from each other,
like, what people called us. You know, we didn't
know each other. So how did she tell you
she was pregnant? I didn't know about
the pregnancy. I only knew when the baby was here. MS. SMITH: So I didn't
tell ya'll I was pregnant
in the beginning? No. How... How could you? Cause we were staying
in the same area. No, when she came back in the picture or in town,
or wherever she was from, she'd seen my mother and... I didn't never leave. She seen my... I left... I didn't never leave.
Okay. So how you gonna put... So you left town? MR. HARALSON: Yes,
I left town. After this sexual encounter
you left town. How you gonna put it on me... Right. JUDGE LAKE:
All right. And the next thing
you hear is what? Well, I come back to... Her telling my mother
that I have a child. And so was Mr. Haralson
the only man you were
having sex with at the time? Yes. TA'LAAH: That's not
what you told me. MR. HARALSON: That's not true. Yes. That's not true. Yes. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING) JUDGE LAKE: Ms. Smith? MR. HARALSON: Not true. TA'LAAH: Yeah. Ta'laah, you say
that's not true? Mm-mm. She said she was talking
to somebody else. She said after her and
my daddy... Around the time her and
my daddy had sex MS SMITH: Well that ain't the
same with all of them. she was talking
to somebody else. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING) 'Cause we wasn't
in no relationship. It was just
a hit it and quit it. We wasn't in a relationship.
We just had sex
and that's what it was. We both were
in and out of town. JUDGE LAKE: But... But, no... With all due respect,
there are many people alive
here on this earth who are products
of hit it and quit it. MS. SMITH: Right. It is. So, that...
That's just reality. It is. It is. It is. How did you even find out
you were on child support? When I started working, um, it just started coming
out of my check. But in 2001, or 2002,
is when I noticed money started
coming out. So you've never got a summons
to appear in court? No. You know why I didn't,
because I didn't have
a address. I was not in town. How, how he got
on child support,
how he told me was after they had sex or whatever, he said it was around
his birthday,
he was under the influence and supposedly Momma stole his ID
and his Social Security card and went to put him
on child support. When she went to go put him
on child support she gave them
the wrong address, so, therefore, he never
received no child support
from her. JUDGE LAKE: Wait.
Hold on, hold on. No. That's not what it was. Really? Wait, hold on. You're saying Mr. Haralson
told you that story? TA'LAAH: Yes. Mr. Haralson, what,
what story is that? A stealing of the ID, what? I know for a fact,
she stole my ID
and my Social Security card. And she told me... How you know for a... She told me she stole it. I didn't tell you
I stole nothing. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING) If you didn't know
his real name... You only knew the nickname. MS. SMITH: Mm-hmm. How did you find out
his full name to put him on child support? Cause people... The people,
where we were staying,
where he'd been upstairs for, I don't know, how long, how long he'd been
living upstairs
from the people downstairs, they knew his name. And so when she went down
and followed this process at the point she gave
your name and address there should have been
a letter of summons sent,
something to tell you to appear in court
for a DNA test. MR. HARALSON: Mm-hm. You never got that? No, I didn't. Explain. Cause I wasn't in...
I wasn't in the States. I was, I was gone. And so at that point
you pretty much missed
the court date? Yeah, I missed
all of the court dates. So what we do know is that
if you miss a court date you're gonna be named
the father by default. MR. HARALSON: Exactly. And now you're $20,000 in debt because you did not
show up to court and this debt
is all for a child you don't believe
is your biological child. See, but the thing
about that is I've tried throughout the years
to get DNA tests and she just wouldn't
cooperate with that. He didn't wanna pay for it. He wanted me to go half.
I'm not paying for half. I know she's mine. (AUDIENCE LAUGHS) I know she mine. If you want more episodes
of Paternity Court Make sure to subscribe
and click on
the notification bell. I think this is
an important time... MS. SMITH: It is. As we begin to talk
about all of the things
that were happening. All this time you were
growing up without a dad. Mm-hmm. <i> And what was life like
growing up without your dad</i> so much so that
when you walked in here,
you couldn't even look at him? At the end of the day,
there was nobody
like your real dad. And I just never could like,
really, like, connect with any other male because
like they really
wasn't my dad or whatever. Tell me about your childhood.
What was it like? It was rough all the way up
until like five
or six years ago. JUDGE LAKE:
When you say it was rough,
what do you mean? Like, we wasn't stable. We was always moving around
over to everything. Five years ago I had a son... (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING) And I'm not saying
that was because of, like, stuff my mama did
or because we weren't stable. But she just let me do... No, you chose... She just let me do
whatever I wanted to do. What you wanted to do. That's what it was. And you felt like
you had no boundaries,
you had no stability. I can see the tears
in your eyes that upsets you
that you didn't have that. Yeah. I mean, cause I wouldn't
have had a baby so young I wouldn't have
to grow up so fast. I wouldn't had to do
none of that if... if my mom was just, like,
sit your tail down somewhere, or if I had a dad,
he'd be like, sit your tail
down somewhere, you know, and tell me what to do,
what not to do. And... That's one thing,
I've had dialogue back and
forth with her since she was 14, I think 15, when she
contacted me on Facebook <i> saying I think
you might be my father.</i> So, Ta'laah, tell me
about that search. I mean, I think you said
that so beautifully, too. And I haven't, I don't think
I've heard any, you know,
young person come into this courtroom
and express it in that way, that they just wish they had
a father or a mother to tell them to go
sit down somewhere. Because you hear
so often children... It seems as if they resent
when their parents
parented them. And I hear you now... Saying that you wish
you had that. That that could have been
life-changing for you... For someone to tell you
that's enough, you need to come in
at a certain time,
have a curfew, you don't need
to be out with him. (SNIFFLING) You wanted that kind
of parenting. (STAMMERING) MS. SMITH: If she had it... But you shoulda told me,
stay my butt at home... You had it. You had it. Oh, I didn't have a home,
I forgot. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING) I heard that. And that's okay for you
to speak your truth. I've, I've always
asked my mom, she could tell you,
I've always asked her
who my daddy was. She never gave me
a different name. She always says
that was Raymond Haralson. He had like two pages there. And, so I mentioned
both of them, I was like, I think you're my dad,
I think you're my dad. It was like 2014.
He say, is your mom Kwaina? I was like, yeah, why? And then the conversation
just went from there. So, Mr. Haralson,
when you get that message, and you see it's Ta'laah
and she's saying
I think you're my dad you ask her,
is this your mother? MR. HARALSON: Yes. JUDGE LAKE:
What do you do next? Well, basically
I'm just making sure she... But how can he ask
if he's her daddy?
He didn't know my name, so. How can he ask her that? Is your mama this?
And you didn't know my name. And we ain't never speak
outside that day. MR. HARALSON: This is... This is what, three years ago? I've been paying her
child support for since 2001, oh, I know your name. Yes, you do. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) You didn't know
he was paying child support? No, I didn't know...
I didn't know he was
paying child support until couple of years ago. MS. SMITH: What? And so you never feel like
you benefited
from that child support... Girl, you got the car.
You've been giving the money. You got a car and I ain't never
had a car. Yes, I did, a couple years ago. Couple of years ago. 'Cause I... My mama had my child support,
you had a car. Yeah. Cause it was
and I took it. Yeah. So what are you
complaining for? (SNIFFLES) I ain't complaining.
I'm just saying I didn't know
who was paying child support until couple of years ago
cause if he has
to pay child support, you're supposed to support
the child with child support. JUDGE LAKE:
She got a right to complain. She has a right to complain.
She has a right to speak her piece because
she's the one that has lived
with this all this time. And to have to have the courage
as a young girl to reach out
to a grown man and say I think
you're my daddy, that's a lot. <i>What was it like when
you connected, when you finally
got to talk to him?</i> We just like,
connected or whatever. 'Cause I, when we would have
phone conversations, like, our phone conversations
would be like
really, really long. We would talk all the time
and, like, we would just have
so much in common and, like, it was, it wasn't weird,
you know, it wasn't awkward. And like, I would always
be like, Daddy, this, Daddy, that...
he'd be like,
don't be calling me that. Oh, you would call him Daddy
and he said
don't call him that? Mm-hmm. He'd say don't know. He'd say, I'm not saying...
He was like,
I'm not saying you is, but just, you know,
I don't want you to get used
to calling me Daddy and I won't be your daddy. Wouldn't that be bad?
You know what I'm saying? She'd be calling me Father
or, well, Daddy all this time. Then we find out it's not,
so I said just don't get used
to calling me that. I said I just wanna find out
the truth regardless. You know what I'm saying? JUDGE LAKE: And so have you
built a relationship together? Yes. Definitely. You have? Mm-hmm. You talk? MR. HARALSON: Yes. A lot. Deep down in her heart
she believes I'm her father and even if I tell her
don't call me that
she still would call me that. JUDGE LAKE: Mmm. Sure is. (MS. SMITH CHUCKLES) JUDGE LAKE:
Because you do believe
he is your dad. Have you prepared yourself,
Ta'laah, if it doesn't
go your way? I mean, your mom, you say
your mom was honest, she
was talking to someone else. Have you prepared yourself? What if he's not
my biological father? Then I'm gonna look at her and say who it is. Cause, I mean, after...
If he's not then I probably
won't worry about it cause I'm gonna be
20 years old... I just wouldn't see
the point, but... Twenty years old
is still very young, honey. And I want to tell you
there is no time frame on the feelings that
you have related to wanting to know your father. Trust me, I see people
each and every day.
Fifty, sixty years old, still wanting to know
and there's nothing
wrong with that. So I just want you
to understand. I wouldn't want to know
if he's not because I don't like opening up
to people, like, I have a wall,
and he could tell you, I have a wall, uh... I don't even wanna, like,
let him out of the way yet
till I find out. And I'm not trying to
start over with somebody else.
That's just not gonna happen. JUDGE LAKE:
That's hard for you. She's not trying
to go past me. I understand
why you have the wall. And, Mom, I know this has been
not an easy day for you as well but I see the tears
in your eyes
because you do care. Mm-hmm. Crazy. You do care. What are your hopes today
as a mother? I hope she is his. And what are your hopes today,
Mr. Haralson? I just want the truth. JUDGE LAKE:
Well, I think I've heard
sufficient testimony and I think it's time
we get the truth. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) Jerome, may I have
the results, please? Thank you. You're welcome. These results were prepared
by DNA diagnostics and they read as follows. "In the case
of<i> Haralson v. Smith..."</i> "When it comes
to 19 year-old Ta'laah Smith, "it has been determined
by this court... "Mr. Haralson... "You... Are the father." (ALL APPLAUDING) You found your father, Ta'laah. We did it, honey. You made it. (SNIFFLING) Thank you, Dad. Thank you. You're good.
You did it, baby. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) (INDISTINCT CONVERSATION) Ta'laah, would you like
to go down and stand
with your dad? Now I wanna ask you something. 'Cause when you came
in the courtroom you said
you couldn't look at him. Can you look at him
for the first time? (TA'LAAH LAUGHS)
(AUDIENCE LAUGHS) Oh, honey. You can cry, too. (LAUGHTER) And so can you look
at your daughter? Can you look
at your little girl? She's been through a lot
to get to this point, Dad. I'm proud of you. Now we go, leave here
and do what we gotta do. Okay. I'll try. And it's important as her dad
that you step in now.
You've been a provider, but now be the protector. I plan on it. JUDGE LAKE:
For a young woman,
your father is your hero. So as she said,
when she said I'll try what she was saying was
these walls I've built
are so strong I don't even know
how to bring 'em down. Right? Mm-hmm. And you can prove to her
in this moment there's nothing
that can keep you away... Again. And, Mom, you gotta
give him room to do that. Yes, ma'am. JUDGE LAKE:
So we have counseling
and resources for you. I want you
to take advantage of it and I want you
to start the healing process because I want Ta'laah
to have the feeling of love from both parents. And for your child to have
the love of both grandparents. Phew. You're a granddad. MS. SMITH: Granddad. (LAUGHS) (AUDIENCE CHUCKLES) I am just finding out
I'm a grandfather. JUDGE LAKE: All right. (MS. SMITH CHUCKLES) Well, that's what we do here. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) That's what we do here. All right, I wish you
all the very, very best.
That was beautiful. Court is adjourned. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) (GAVEL BANGS)
