Miss Chandler,
you and your boyfriend,
Mr. Hilliard are suing his sister
and mother for
defamation of character. You claim... (SOFTLY) Wow. JUDGE LAKE: ...they are
spreading malicious rumors regarding the paternity of
your son, Brandon Jr. You are seeking
the results of
a paternity test to prove that your
baby is indeed
Mr. Hilliard's son. <i> You are asking
the court for damages
in the amount of $500.</i> Is that correct? Yes, ma'am. JUDGE LAKE: Ms. Jackson, you and your mother state
that you have evidence
that will definitively show Brandon Jr.'s not
your brother's child. Today, you are here to
prove Miss Chandler's
case against you is without merit, and that your brother
has been manipulated
and deceived. Now, usually I would
start with the plaintiff, but I have got to
ask the defendant
in this situation... What do you know about Miss Chandler? Annie has always, like,
gone to the race track, and she talks to
guys on Facebook, texting guys and... She has a lock
on her cell phone so that my brother
can't see her phone. She's cheated
on my brother. He stayed at my house
with his kids, and... JUDGE LAKE: Now, what
proof do you have of that? She's admitted it to me. No, I have not. You slept with that guy
at your house. You left Brandon and
the kids at my house... We were not together. We were not together. Okay. Okay. Who's this guy
you're claiming that
Miss Chandler slept with? A friend of a friend
that I know of, and she started
talking to him. And next thing I know,
she tells me... ANN CHANDLER:
No, we were talking, and it was after me
and Brandon broke up that I started
talking to him. And yes, I slept
with him one time... But Brandon still had... While we were... While we were broken up,
so that should not even
be brought up. GINA JACKSON:<i> Well, Brandon
still was thinking that</i> <i> you guys were
getting back together.</i> CHANDLER: And you
should not be talking about me
sleeping around. (AUDIENCE GASP) Um, what I do with
my life is my business. Three babies,
three baby daddies. (AUDIENCE REACT) I've got three babies
with the same man. Okay, we'll see if
that's true, won't we? We will. Yep. JUDGE LAKE: Any other
specifics for me? A guy that she
lived next door to, she started dating
him when my brother
went to California. With his sick son. AUDIENCE: Oh! He broke up with me,
and I dated him for
three days. You seem really
into what's going
on with them. It's my little brother. I... What's it to
you, really? I mean, he is
his own man. He's... Might have made
his own choices. It's my brother, you know.
She is... From day one,
I've seen that
she's used him. She holds those
kids over his head
all the time. <i> She says, "Well, if you
don't pay me this much,
you're not seeing your kids."</i> CHANDLER: I worked
since the first day that me
and Brandon got together. I worked.
I was independent. And what are you doing now? That's why...
I'm working. Okay, that's why you're gonna
quit your job and take his
money every month, right? I got a job.
That's why you
and your mama decided that I was
a bad person because I took... And I don't even know why you're over there
talking in the first place. CHANDLER: I took
Brandon away, and I'm independent,
and I took care of him
for four years. JACKSON: All you do
is give in to her. CHANDLER:<i> For four years.</i> JACKSON: So, what you've
done for four years,
you gave in to her. Four years,
I took care of him. No. Yeah, you do.
What have you
done to us? To our family? He chose his family,
me and his kids. And your mother,
your father, your brother... I'm sorry, my family
have been more a family to him than
you guys have. Excuse me? My family took him in
whenever you guys turned
your backs on him because he chose me. We didn't turn
our back on him. He turned his
back on us. When he chose me. Okay. Because of you. CHANDLER: He chose me
and his kids... Ms. Hilliard,
step to the podium if you'd like to add
something to this. KATHY HILLIARD: Yes, ma'am. He chose me
and his kids. What would you like to
say, Ms. Hilliard? Do you feel like your
son chose Miss Chandler
over you? Yes, I do. (SOBBING) I feel that... (VOICE BREAKING)
We were robbed. No. CHANDLER: You guys
have always been able to
come around. (SOBBING) You chose not to. You guys could come around,
but you didn't want to. You're the one
that told me, "I don't need a family.
I have a family." CHANDLER: That's right. Yeah. 'Cause you turned
your back on me. Attacking me, coming
to my house to... Trying to, like,
take my stepson. Then why don't you
keep that tater-trap of
yours shut? (AUDIENCE REACT) CHANDLER: I'm sorry,
but whenever you got something to say to me,
I'll come 10 times worse. (SIGHS) JUDGE LAKE: Do you feel like they've kept your
grandchildren from you, too? KATHY: Yes, I do. CHANDLER: I have always
asked you to come over <i>and see your grandkids.</i> <i>You said, "Those aren't
my grandkids."</i> I haven't told you that. Okay, that's why you
called him a... (INAUDIBLE). HILLIARD: You told me that. A punk. You told me that
he'll never be a part of you, even if this test
comes back that he's
your grandson, right? I never said that. You and Gina. You and... Yes! JACKSON: Oh, no! BRANDON HILLIARD: Yeah. No, I told you that
I would still be his aunt whether it was
his or not. All right, let's have
some order in the court, because I'm trying
to understand
this situation. It seems like everybody is very emotional,
and this has hurt
all of you. I don't want my
kids to do without
their grandparents or their family. Mr. Hilliard,
I have to ask you. JACKSON: Okay. Did you ever
have any doubts? I did. The reason why was,
after the first time
we had sex... I don't understand how
can you, like, know that you're
pregnant 24 hours after. CHANDLER: Okay,
I know it's weird. Yeah, uh, tell me that. I know it's weird,
but I knew I was pregnant. And I was right.
I knew that it was a boy, and I knew both of
my kids were... JUDGE LAKE: And so, 24 hours
after you guys were together,
you look at him and say, "Honey, I'm pregnant." Actually, it wasn't
24 hours. JACKSON: But how does somebody who's a virgin can sit here
and say she knew
she was pregnant? I was a virgin.
Me and Brandon, our first time was
February 9th, 2009. I know the date. Right after
we had sex... I know. ...I knew I was pregnant.
I don't know how. Mr. Hilliard, when
she said that to you,
what were you thinking? What the hell? (LAUGHTER) How's that possible? JUDGE LAKE: I asked
you to be honest, and you were. Okay. How's that possible? CHANDLER: But
I didn't tell him that I was pregnant
for another two months. No, she waited... She waited until
he was in California
with his sick son to call and say that she is
pregnant, mysteriously. I didn't want to tell
him until I had proof. Why do they have so much suspicion
about you? Their problem is,
I took him away from them. I was a woman,
and I took care of my man. That's so not my problem. You can have Brandon.
Honestly, you can. I took care of him,
and he did not
need them no more. Let me clarify.
You are his sister, right? JACKSON: Right. JUDGE LAKE: Okay,
I wanna understand from you. Why is it so bad that he... Your brother is dating
Miss Chandler? What is it? CHANDLER: 'Cause
I'm a real woman. AUDIENCE: Oh! I know how to satisfy
and take care of my man. I'm sorry you can't do it. That's why you just
recently slept with
his best friend, huh? Uh, first off,
we were broken up. Second, whatever I do
while we're broken up is none of your business,
so you need to stay out of it. So, don't call me, telling me about
guys you're sleeping with. CHANDLER:
Why don't you pay attention
to your own life? 'Cause it ain't as
good as mine, I'm sorry. JUDGE LAKE: Uh, that
was a mouthful. AUDIENCE: Oh! Mr. Hilliard? (LAUGHTER) Did you believe
that she slept with
your best friend? Oh, no. I did. No. Oh! Well, you won't
have to wonder... That was only
a couple of weeks ago.
We were broken up. That was recently. JUDGE LAKE: You all do
a lot of breaking up! When are
you all together? CHANDLER: Because of them. Because of them.
This drama split
our family apart. You do a lot of drama. No, you and him
broke up because of you. This drama
split us apart. Not because of me. Because, four years
of this... (INAUDIBLE). How can you
be with somebody? (GAVEL POUNDING) Let's use proper
language for the court. I know you're upset. But four years of this
split us apart, because we can't
even go a day... JACKSON: No. ...without arguing
about them. I cannot be with him
and be a part of them. They have hurt me
way too much. JUDGE LAKE: I want you
to look at me and tell me
right now. CHANDLER: I tried. No, you ain't. Why do you think
they dislike you so much? Because I'm a woman,
and I took care of him. I took him
away from them. It's how they feel. What, are you
his mommy, too? Uh, I was a better... I could probably
be a better mom
than you would ever be. You don't sit up
with him 24-7 while he was sick,
recovering from the hospital that he was born at. Okay, I didn't give
birth to him, but... That's part of
being a mommy, dear. One thing she's
not claiming to have
done for him, right? (LAUGHTER) JUDGE LAKE: Okay, now... What is that
a picture of? This is a picture of
all three of our kids. JUDGE LAKE: Mmm-hmm. <i>And the reason
I had my doubts</i> <i>is because Junior,</i> don't look like
the other two, really. <i>These two look like me.</i> CHANDLER:<i> I'm sorry,
all my babies look adorable.</i> The baby looks like you,
the other two don't. Uh, first off, Bella, Junior and McKenzie
all look like their dad. JUDGE LAKE:<i> You've
expressed to the court
that you do have</i> genuine doubt
about at least one
of your children. Yes. CHANDLER: And you see this. (PAPER RUSTLING) This is a picture
of my son and Brandon whenever
they were babies. JUDGE LAKE:<i> So, that's
Brandon Sr. as a child,
and there's Brandon Jr.</i> CHANDLER:<i> The same smile,
the same nose.</i> <i>They have the same hairline...</i> JACKSON:<i> They look
nothing alike.</i> CHANDLER:<i> They look alike.</i> JACKSON:<i> No.</i> Nope. They look alike. I'm sorry, but whenever
the DNA test comes back, I'll show you.
I'll laugh at you. Okay. 'Cause you all are fools for not claiming that
little boy right there. JACKSON: I have
claimed him. Really? Yes, I have! Then why are you
here today? Then
why are you here... To find out if
you're a liar. Do you feel like
Miss Chandler uses your grandkids as pawns? Yes, ma'am. Just to get
whatever she needs
out of Brandon. Give me specifics. Well, for one thing... I don't think so, 'cause
there's nothing I need that I don't already have.
I got three beautiful kids, and they love me, and
I don't care what you say. KATHY: I know one thing... CHANDLER: I have never... ...and it's better to shut up
before I give it to you. (AUDIENCE REACT) CHANDLER: I have never...
I have asked you to be there for my kids. And you refused. You asked me nothing! Have you ever been
there for a Christmas? The only thing you have... Have you ever been
there for any holiday? Our mama always invited you... The only thing
you asked me was to stay the hell
out of your life. My mom had... After you
called my son a little punk. (GAVEL POUNDING) Let's calm down.
Let's calm down, ladies... (OVERLAPPING DIALOGUES) I can't understand
any of you when all of you
are talking. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) Now, Ms. Hilliard. Yes, ma'am. Is there anything,
and you know,
I have a little boy, and I know how
a mother loves, loves, loves their sons. Is there
any of this that... Where you feel that
maybe you've lost him, and that's what
really bothers you? Probably, mainly, yeah. The closeness we had... JUDGE LAKE: You were close? JACKSON: We were all close. We've always been close.
I've always looked out for
my little brother. (SOBBING) Every girlfriend
Brandon's ever had, I've always tried to
be friends with them. I've always tried to... Being friends with them... Can you please... ...hold on a minute? Shut up, you witch! (AUDIENCE WHOOPING) JUDGE LAKE: Miss Chandler... What, you troll? Sound familiar? Troll! Troll. JUDGE LAKE: Miss Chandler. Troll! Miss Chandler, give them
a chance to speak. I don't look like a troll. You know, everything
from your position is that
you're a real woman and before you,
he didn't even
have a life! But I've got
two women here that say they love
him very much, and I
need to hear from them. What was your
relationship like? Very close. (MAN IN AUDIENCE COUGHS) We were very close. My kids were my life. I stayed at home
until they were 16. Then I worked. Up till then,
I'm all they knew. CHANDLER: I'm sorry, but I want better things
for my kids in life. I'm not gonna stay here
and live off of the state,
and not go work. JUDGE LAKE:
But Miss Chandler,
you gotta give her this. She raised the man
you're with now. So, you gotta give
her some credit. I understand that, but, she... So, give her credit
for that, at least. Her problem is... I give you credit for that,
but her problem is that
I work for my kids. JUDGE LAKE:
Now, I wanna get to, uh, the defamation of
character suit that
you've brought as well, Miss Chandler,
against Ms. Jackson
and Ms. Hilliard, because you say that
they're all around town... What comes around
goes around, dearie. I have never
said anything about
you on Facebook. Really? No, but you have me. CHANDLER:
I said it to your face. Is it true that you've
been around town basically telling everyone
that Miss Chandler's
children are not your son's? CHANDLER: Admit it.
Come on. I don't. CHANDLER: You told me... Ms. Jackson,
you tell me the answer. So, have you
been saying it? Yep, I have. I ain't said nothing
to a little kid. Me and my friends have. Are you kidding me? KATHY: No, I'm not. Okay, Kathy, keep lying. While you were
talking over me... Sorry. ...you missed the fact
I got the information you wanted confirmed. Ms. Jackson just said
that she was around town, talking about you
and saying that... Yep. JUDGE LAKE: ...your kids
were not by Mr. Hilliard. Mmm-hmm. I already knew that. HILLIARD: We all heard
about what you were doing
on Facebook. Somehow. So, what are
your damages? Their family has turned
their back on my kids. KATHY:<i> No, you turned
our backs on your kids.</i> CHANDLER:<i> No.</i> HILLIARD: No. And it hurts me because
I know who I am. And I wish that they
know the real me,
but they never tried to even get to know me. I tried. Gina, sitting there... I go into your house
to see the kids... CHANDLER: Hush. Shut up. ...and get the police
called on me? CHANDLER: Anyway... KATHY: Really? Your husband called
the police on you 'cause I pushed you
out my door. AUDIENCE: Oh! That's why. KATHY: When was this dream? Anyway, saying
that you're my friend and telling me that,
or telling people that my kids aren't Brandon's,
and saying that I'm a whore. That's not a friend.
I don't know what kind
of friends you have. JUDGE LAKE: All right. But that's not a friend. Okay. JUDGE LAKE: I've heard enough. The court has
two things to rule on. Uh, the defamation
of character suit and also the DNA results. Um, I'm gonna start
with the DNA results. Jerome, do you
have the envelope? I do, Your Honor. Jerome, do you
have the envelope? I do, Your Honor. (PAPER RUSTLING) CHANDLER: Just wait.
When it comes out that
my son's his, I'm gonna laugh
in your face. And if it comes back
that he is Brandon's, I'll personally apologize. There you go. (OVERLAPPING DIALOGUES) You want to shut up? Thank you, mom. (AUDIENCE APPLAUD) In the case of
Brandon Jr., <i> Mr. Hilliard,</i> your wait is over. You are the father. CHANDLER: Thank you. Yes! Now apologize. I'm sorry. HILLIARD: Yes! Come on. No, apologize.
You, too, Kathy. That's your grandson
that you've been denying
for four years. That's your baby. Yeah, now I want
to see my baby. I have never
kept him from you. Don't even try it. I have never...
You know where I live. What do you feel? (SNIFFLES) I love that
little boy either way. And I am personally sorry
(SOBBING) for the hell I've
put you both through. (BOTH SOBBING) Come on, come on. (LAUGHTER) KATHY: Come on for what? (LAUGHTER) I apologize, but you
ain't touching me. See, that's why. I try being nice to you... Get away from me. (GRUNTS) AUDIENCE: Oh! JUDGE LAKE: Oh, that's nice. Ms. Cherpes, you claim
you and your grandmother have been given no choice
but to drag the defendant
into court today because you say he moved away
and abandoned your nine-month-old
daughter Aryah. You believe that the DNA
results will prove that he is
her biological father and you demand
he stops running from
his responsibilities. Is that correct? Yes, Your Honor. Mr. McQueen, you claim that
Ms. Cherpes' relationships with multiple other men
is what drove you away and you believe
that today's result will prove baby Aryah's father
is another man. Is that correct? Yes, Your Honor. So, Ms. Cherpes, tell me, what has Mr. McQueen done
for your daughter so far? He has bought her
one box of diapers and like, two things of wipes. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) So, she's eight months old,
nine months old. Pretty much nothing? Yep. And I can see that
that really hurts you. You're very angry about that. Yes. Tell the court. It's hard because,
I don't know, I didn't ever
see it like this. How did you see it? CHERPES: Like he had promised. JUDGE LAKE: And how was that? (SOBS) Definitely not
like this. I had moved out
to go live with him and we had actually
planned on having her. And everything went
downhill from there. Mr. McQueen. MCQUEEN: Yes, Your Honor. So, have you done
anything for this baby
besides just these diapers? Yes, Your Honor,
I actually have. What have you done? The first day I met her,
I brought her diapers. The third time
she let me see Aryah, I also brought her
diapers and wipes. And the last time
that I was trying
to see her before I did leave
the state of Michigan, I dropped of clothes
and boxes of diapers and three packs
of wipes to her grandmother. So you don't believe
Aryah is your biological child and you're saying you
still stepped up anyway to the best
of your ability? Yes, Your Honor. What is your position
right now? You have doubts. Yes. Explain to the court. I have doubts
because I didn't have
her full attention. When we were together,
she had... Was more interested
in getting other men's
attention than mine. So, tell me.
What was the nature
of your relationship? Were you committed?
Were you boyfriend
and girlfriend? Yes, we were committed. Yes. So, you were boyfriend
and girlfriend in a committed relationship. MCQUEEN: Yes. You were boyfriend
and girlfriend, Ms. Cherpes? Yes. Mr. McQueen? Yes. On our porch, I asked you if you wanted this baby
and that this baby was yours. And you just told me yes,
that you wanted the baby and you wanted this family,
and now, you're standing here. Explain yourself, please. How did it change? MCQUEEN: Yeah. It changed because
I wanna know
if it's mine or not. CHERPES: The only reason
you're questioning me is because you were
unfaithful. MCQUEEN: I was
unfaithful, yes. And so, you caught him
cheating on you. CHERPES: Yep. And is... How did this lead
to the paternity question? I mean, if you say
you were faithful,
he cheated on you, that still has nothing to do
with Aryah's paternity. It's because he doesn't
trust himself, so he thought
it was all right, so he assumes
I thought it was okay
to be cheating on him. So you're saying
because he was out there
doing the wrong thing, he thinks you were as well. Yep. While you were not. No. How did you find out
he was cheating? I set him up. Not necessarily
"set him up." I had told him
I was going to my dad's
for about four days. I had only went there
for a few hours. And I told my dad that
I just had this
weird feeling and as soon as
I pulled in the driveway, I just instantly knew. And he came
to the window,
looked out, and I told him
to unlock my door. He had unlocked it
but stood in front
of the door to where I couldn't
open it all the way, and he was like,
"You're gonna be mad." And I played dumb.
I heard her talking. So you open the door
and someone was there. Yep. JUDGE LAKE:
What happens
from there? I asked him
to make her leave and they were both
smirking at me the whole time
like it was a joke. And I had... I did not at all,
Your Honor,
think it was a joke. I had my
three-year-old daughter
with me, too. So I didn't want
confrontation in front of her and I ended up
kicking him out and took him off
my lease the next day. Do you believe,
at the end of the day, he thinks you're
cheating because he's
the one who's cheating? Yes. Mr. McQueen,
is there truth to that? Are you just out there
doing the wrong thing and you think she is, too? What evidence do you have
that she's even cheating? I have heard numerous times
and have seen her phone from the corner
I view of walking by that she is getting attention
of other men, she's getting money
from other men while I'm working
12 hours a day, six days a week,
trying to support our family. What did these messages say? I'm not too sure. I know she did lie
to me, and actually, she did tell me
she was going to her father's
to do laundry and instead,
I actually found out that she went
to another man's house
and spent the night. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) Is that true, Ms. Cherpes? Yes. So you did. You went
to another man's house
and spent the night? Yeah, because he had brought
a woman to our house. So I, to kind of
avoid the fighting,
I had left, yes. And so you find out
he's cheating. Is this before or after
you had this episode where you go to the house
and there's another woman
in the house with him? This was before. So before... It's been numerous occasions. It wasn't just once. Your Honor... There's been about three girls
in my house, yes. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) Now, at the point
you realized you were pregnant,
what happens? We were excited, actually. And then,
about two weeks after I'd found out
I was pregnant, that's when I caught him
cheating on me. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) JUDGE LAKE: Two weeks after? CHERPES: Yep. JUDGE LAKE: So you find out
you're pregnant and you're supposedly
a happy couple. CHERPES:<i> Yep.</i> <i> You're happy about
the baby coming.</i> <i> He assures your mother
he wants this child.</i> CHERPES:<i> Yep.</i> JUDGE LAKE:<i> And then, two
weeks later, he's cheating.</i> CHERPES:<i> Yes.</i> I'm mad at Mr. McQueen because the responsibility
is falling on me and her,
my husband. It should be his
responsibility for the baby,
not ours. JUDGE LAKE: How is
the responsibility
falling on you? 'Cause she's...
They're staying with us. I'm the one who cares for
the baby when Mommy can't. She's been doing
really good. But there's times
she's one person, and she's by herself, so, you know, I've had
to step up to the plate. I don't
understand this.
I guess I'm just... Older generation
or something, but I don't understand
how a father can
do this to their child, 'cause I know
she's his baby. She was so happy
when she got pregnant because they
had planned it,
and he knows that. And then, now,
he's doing this. WOMAN: Wow. Why? I mean,
I don't understand it. So, Mr. McQueen,
did you plan
to have Aryah? Yes, we did plan
on having Aryah. So, now she's here.
What's the problem? The problem is that,
when I was at work, she was doing what,
I don't even know, talking to all
these other men
during all of this, and this was, you know,
not okay with me, so... She was talking to men
or she was sleeping
with men? I don't know. I was
working 12 hours a day,
six days a week. It's all in his head.
All of it. JUDGE LAKE:
You say you planned
this baby, you were excited
for this baby. Two weeks later,
you were making babies
with somebody else. What is going on? That I didn't have
her attention no more, and she was trying
to get the attention
of other men. How? How? She was
texting other men, she was going to see
other men, she was using me, like... Using you for what? Using me for a place... I didn't need
to live with you. I was living with my dad. Yeah, and I took you
out of there so you didn't have to put up
with the bad situation. I could've stayed there. To what?
Put her in a worse one? That was not the plan.
It takes two to tango. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) All right.
So, we've established that Mr. McQueen
wasn't up to no good. But I wanna know about you. Were you getting back at him? Were you saying,
"You know what, "I'll just talk to
some other people "since he's on the phone
and he's texting Jessica "and he's sleeping
with women." No, I was talking to my...
I have guy friends.
I'm allowed to have friends. So you have guy friends. Yep. None of whom
you've been intimate with? No. A week after I left my house,
she moved her ex-boyfriend in, the one she was
getting money with before. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) A week after that,
I heard she was sleeping
with another man and then,
three weeks after that,
she chose another one. And if I was... Who, what are their names?
Let's, I mean... If, you know,
I was the child's father, then why did she
refuse me to come to the delivery room because she had
another man there. 'Cause you were
arguing with me
about her last name and I had informed you
that I'm not arguing
while I'm having our child. MCQUEEN: But yet,
there was the same man that you were getting
money from when you were living
with me and
we were together before Aryah was born. And he was there. Yeah,
as a support system.
I have friends. Mr. McQueen,
is this other man
named Glen Gerber? No, it is not,
Your Honor. 'Cause this court
has identified a man named Glen Gerber who Ms. Cherpes
was intimate with. That would be the man
she stayed the night with when she told me
she was at her father's,
doing laundry. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) Is that true,
Ms. Cherpes? Yes. So you told him
you were at your father's
house doing laundry, but really, you had
spent the night
with another man. Yep. That man is Mr. Gerber. Yes. And he's in
our courtroom today. He's at court
and I'd like
to hear from him. Jerome. Will you please escort
Mr. Gerber in? Yes. Go up to the witness stand
right next to the judge. Thank you so much
for joining us, Mr. Gerber. Yes, Your Honor. I'd like to ask you. Did you have
a sexual relationship
with Ms. Cherpes? At one point in time, yes. And so,
how did you all meet? Online. And it quickly
developed into
a sexual relationship or... She was a single parent,
I was a single parent. It was, kind of, just getting
to know each other,
to begin with. So, was it
an intimate relationship? Yes. At one point, yes. At one point, it was. How often were you intimate? Not very often at all. Do you think
there's a chance that you could be
Aryah's biological father? I do not. I didn't see or hear much
about the baby nothing's ever been said to me
about being the dad until now. So, Mr. McQueen, you're saying
that Mr. Gerber's testimony that he was also intimate
with Ms. Cherpes further validates
or fuels your doubt... Yes. ...as to what she was doing... Yes, Your Honor. ...while you were working. MCQUEEN: She also told me
on Facebook that I was not
her father and that said man
that was giving her money and was at
the delivery room,
was her father. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) Did you say that,
Ms. Cherpes? Did you say someone
else was baby Aryah's
biological father? I may have agreed
with him, yes. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) What do you mean
"agreed with him?" He made the assertion
and you said that's true? He wasn't there anyway.
I was doing it on my own, regardless of who
was the dad. Your Honor,
I asked her for a DNA test
from day one. And she's refused me
up until this point. CHERPES: I never know
where you're at. So, Ms. Cherpes,
tell the court. What has this
been like,
as a young woman raising this child
on your own? CHERPES:<i> It's hard
because she's not
my only kid.</i> (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) JUDGE LAKE:
How many children
do you have? I have two children. I had my own house.
I was living in the house that we had originally
gotten together. And I struggled
for the whole year
to keep it. I was working
12-hour shifts,
going to school, I was talking Aryah
to school every day
with me. And where were you at,
Nate? MCQUEEN:<i> I was trying
to get my life together
so I can...</i> But why didn't you
think of that before you
wanted this baby, then? Why didn't that
come into play first? I did. No. Yes, I did. Because she did not realize
that I was working my... No, you didn't. Tail end off. Because why are you
saying that now? You had the baby.
You should've known
ahead of time, to have gotten
yourself together
before you impregnated her. You're gonna dip it?
Pay for it. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) I worked every day. Do you think your daughter's
gonna care about you being gone
and working on yourself or the time that
you spend with her? I don't get to choose
when I wanna be a mom. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) Mr. McQueen,
Ms. Cherpes' statement
is true. It's not a matter
of convenience, when it works for you,
when it doesn't work for you. You said to this court
you planned this baby. And you do understand
that it could be your
biological child. MCQUEEN: Yes. Why not be more present? Because me and her
don't get along
and she's refused me... This isn't about us. Be an adult.
This is for her... You refused me... ...not you and not me. ....numerous times, to even see her. You tried to make me choose
between my other child and her when I know my other child
is mine 100%. I just tried to take Aryah
to you, to go see you, but I couldn't because
your baby mama was there
with your son. Like you can't...
It's always about you. All right.
There's only one thing
to do at this point. Let's get the results. Jerome. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) These results were prepared
by DNA Diagnostics and
they read as follows. In the case of<i>
Cherpes v. McQueen,</i> pertaining to whether
Mr. Gerber or Mr. McQueen is the father of
eight-month-old
Aryah Cherpes, it has been determined
by this court, the biological father is Mister... McQueen. CHERPES: See? (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) You are the father,
Mr. McQueen. Thank you, Your Honor. Where do we go
from here? Back home and I'm there
100%, Your Honor. Thank you.
Yes, I'm tired. JUDGE LAKE: I can tell
she is just that. For eight months, she's
had to fill in your shoes. And my husband's disabled
and I'm taking care of
my mother with Alzheimer's and then,
I have the baby because he wouldn't
step up and it's his child,
and I knew it. Well, I'm sorry. Thank you. I really am. Thank you. So, now that
we have the truth, let's do something
about it. <i> Your blessing,
and only blessing
in this now,</i> is that at eight months,
she really won't
remember this. Yes. And you have to
take that blessing now
and run with it, meaning you gotta
step in there, and you've got
to make sure
she understands that she has a father
and you're there for her. Let's try to clear
the slate now.
