Please be seated. -Hello, Your Honor.
-Hello. This is the case of<i>
Murry v. Lee.</i> Thank you, Jerome.
Good day, everyone. -[audience] Good day.
-Ms. Murry, you are here today
to get Mr. Lee to stop denying
that he fathered your 14-month-old daughter,
Winter. You demand he man up and own up
to his responsibility after today's DNA test. -Is that correct?
-Yes, Your Honor. Mr. Lee, you had a one-night-stand
with Ms. Murry before her pregnancy, but claim she later confirmed she was not pregnant by you. You admit to one night, but state she had multiple men and there's no way
you are her child's father. -Is that correct?
-Yes, Your Honor. I'll start with you, Ms. Murry. Tell us why
you opened your case today. Well, basically, Your Honor, Mr. Lee is a deadbeat. He has not done anything
for Winter-- That's ludicrous.
I have six other kids. -Exactly.
-And I am not the father
of her baby. She wants this
'cause she's trying to
pin this baby on me, 'cause she knows I'm a good guy -and I'm a good father.
-You're not a good anything. You're a deadbeat. -You barely take care of
them six kids that you got.
-[audience exclaiming] So... [Judge Lake]
And Winter's 15 months and you're saying that
Mr. Lee hasn't done anything -for...
-He has not done nothing. -Not one thing.
-[Lee] I have my reasons. -[Judge Lake] So how often does
Mr. Lee see Winter?
-[audience cooing] [Murry] He's only
seen Winter once, when she was about
six months old. -One time?
-[Murry] One time. -In 15 months?
-Yes, ma'am. [Judge Lake] So all of this because you're
denying paternity, Mr. Lee? Yes, I have multiple reasons
on why. And, uh, basically when she sent me the video of, um, her
taking the pregnancy test,
she said, "So y'all won't think
I'm lying." And she peed on the stick
and sent it to me. -And I was like, "Y'all?"
-Basically, I said so nobody won't think
that I'm lying -about being pregnant.
-[Lee] But who's "Y'all?" -Who's "Y'all?"
-I said so nobody won't think I'm lying about being pregnant
because everybody know that I was not trying to have
any kids, ever. So, to get pregnant was
a surprise. -And this is your child.
-And in your mind, because you said "Y'all,"
that means more than one person a.k.a more than one father? Yeah. And she's admitted that, so, I don't even know
how we're here. -She's blatantly told--
-I know why we're here, because she look like
your twin. -[Lee]<i> You can't...</i>
-[Judge Lake]<i> Okay. Hold on.</i> <i> I do want to figure out</i> how we got started in this. -[Lee] Okay.
-How did you all meet? I met Mr. Lee at the club. I used to be a dancer,
and he was my customer for about ten years. So that's really how I met him.
He was infatuated -with Showbiz.
-[scoffing] That's a lie. But once he got to know Dmeki, he did not like me.
And he's taking it out -on an innocent child.
-[Judge Lake] But he was
your customer -for ten years.
-Yes. -[Lee] Don't lie. Don't lie.
-[Judge Lake] Mr. Lee, tell me about this woman
you fell for. Was it... Ms. Murry or was it Showbiz? [Lee] First of all,
I've always known Dmeki, and I was never
obsessed with her.
I ducked her for years -because of things like this.
-Ducked who? -I knew she was full of drama.
-You didn't know
anything about me. [Judge Lake]
But were you her customer? -Whatever that means.
-Yes. -Whatever that means.
-You came to the club-- You came to the club
every week and tipped me, yes. -How does it go
from giving you a tip
-[audience exclaiming] to ending up in the bed
with you? I was in a relationship. When that relationship ended I decided to give him a chance, and I ended up pregnant, -so, and now we're here.
-Don't lie. Even when she had a boyfriend,
we was keeping contact. Yeah, because I was
trying to keep
our business relationship cordial and cute. Just so that you could
keep coming to the club. Oh, you were luring him in
for these tips. -As he would call me,
I'm a finesser.
-[Lee] Yeah. [Judge Lake] So, I want to find out
the first time
you all were intimate. How did that happen? Well, it was after the club. She texts me. -I came over.
-[Murry] I didn't text you. I came over, you know. And unfortunately, you know, I broke the golden rule. -You broke the what?
-[Lee] The golden rule. -"The golden rule"?
-[Lee] Yes. What's the golden rule? You never-- You never use
the stripper's condom. -Never. I did that.
-It was not mine, Fabien. -It was yours.
-[Judge Lake] Oh. -Oh, the golden rule is...
-[Lee] Yes. You never use a condom that the stripper gives you. Yeah. You bring your own.
And I can't... -Did you know
that rule, Jerome?
-No, but it's good to know. [Murry] Nobody knows
that rule but him. Nobody know that rule but him. -That's... That's...
-[Murry] He just made that up. Did anybody else out there
know that rule? -Somebody help him--
Oh. Okay. Thank you.
-[audience] No! -You made that up yourself.
-Well, I mean,
to prove my point, she tampered with the condom. I ain't tamper with anything.
Why would I, when I never wanted to
have kids in the first place? [Judge Lake] But you do admit you had consensual sex
with Ms. Murry. -Yes.
-So, why are you saying there's no way you could be
Winter's biological father? Well, because after that,
I would follow up with her weeks... You know, for like, weeks. You know, I was asking
"Hey, has your period came?" You know, I was--
I was on her about it. -Oh, you were nervous?
-[Murry] Oh, you
was actually... -Yes, I was. Yes, I was.
-You was trying to keep
up with my relations 'cause you was trying
to get me pregnant. So, Mr. Lee,
let me ask you this. How did you find out
she was not pregnant? Well, like,
a couple of weeks after that, I texted her and she was like, "Hey, you can stop bugging me,
my period came." Just like this.
She told me that. [Judge Lake] All right.
So you submitted
those text messages to the court.
Let's take a look. So from Mr. Lee it says <i> "We talk about it tonight."</i> <i> Ms. Murry, you respond
"Tell me now."</i> <i> And then you respond to her,
"Rather talk about it
face to face."</i> -What's "tbh"?
-To be honest. [Judge Lake]
Oh, "To be honest." Okay. Ms. Murry, then you say "What's the topic, though" <i> "You not being pregnant.
Laugh out loud."</i> <i> And then, Ms. Murry,
you respond</i> <i> "I'm not. I had my period
last week, son."</i> -That's the message.
That's the message.
-That was after-- -That's the message.
That's the message.
-That was after the first time we had sex. The second time that we had sex
we did not use a condom. [audience exclaims] I had sex with her
unprotectedly the second time because she had already told me
she was already pregnant. So I'm like,
you can't get pregnant twice, I'm at the clear, you know. -What are you-- Wait.
-It was like three weeks later. -So how am I gonna be pregnant
after the first time?
-[Lee] The second time-- Wait. The text messages
have already said -that she told you
she wasn't pregnant.
-Exactly. No, but this was--
This was, like, afterwards. This was... It was afterwards. How many times
can you get pregnant
in two months? -[Murry] Exactly.
-That's what I'm saying, but she had already told me
she wasn't. -The second time--
-So, how long after she told you
she was not pregnant, how long after that did you
sleep with each other again? Like, two weeks. [Judge Lake] So wait a minute. You meet up again,
have sex again,
you don't use protection. And you claim,
that's because she said she's already pregnant. -Yes, ma'am.
-But you didn't have
any proof of that. -[Lee] I didn't
-All right. But see, the thing about it is
I always thought stripper was honest people
'cause they get naked
for strangers. So I always took her word,
'cause I thought
she was honest. But I'm a schemer though,
so why would you take my word? But-- Right.
And you just testified -that you broke
the golden rule...
-[Lee] Yeah, I did. -[Judge Lake] By taking
a condom. So...
-You broke "the golden rule." I don't even understand how
that makes any sense. -[Lee] Yeah.
-[Murry] We was both
being reckless, Your Honor. I can admit that.
Because after my breakup, I went through a phase
where I was just really
whiling out, but I know that
he's the father. -This is-- He's her father.
-How? -[Judge Lake] Wait. So--
-[Murry] Because y'all look
just alike. -It look like you had her,
it don't look like I had her.
-So, when you say, Ms. Murry, -you were whiling out...
-Yeah. Does that mean that you were sleeping with
more than one person? You were sleeping with
other people besides Mr. Lee? It was one another person. -[audience exclaims]
-[snickers] [Judge Lake] So now, let me try to understand this. When do you believe
you had sex with Mr. Lee
the second time? You said, the first time was -March the 3rd?
-[Murry] Mm-hm. -And when was the second time?
-It was March the 30th. -[Judge Lake] March 30th?
-[Murry] Mm-hm. [Judge Lake] All right. So when did you have sex
with the other guy? It was probably,
like a week before that. -So, around the third week
in March?
-[Lee] Probably. -[Murry] Mm-hm.
-[woman in audience] Wow. So, wait. I want to
take a look at a calendar so we can outline this. So, the blue indicates the day you had sex
with Mr. Lee. March 30th. The green outlines when you had sex
with the other man, which was March 22nd,
23rd and 24th. So, Ms. Murry,
is this calendar correct? I mean, it weren't
that many days, but... [Lee snickers] It was around that time, yeah. -But it weren't that many days.
-[Judge Lake] All right. -Well, I'm trying to figure out
a window of conception.
-[Murry] A window, yeah. So, is that the window? -Yes, ma'am.
-[Judge Lake] All right. So, now, let's go to
the conception calculator and see how to figure out what our window of conception
would be. When is Winter's birthday? -When was she born?
-December the 21st. So, December 21st.
Let's put that in. If you put in
December 21st, 2017, <i> calculate... Okay.</i> -<i> So there's sex
likely between...</i>
-[Murry]<i> Oh. Okay.</i> March 24th and March 30th, -which is a window of time.
-[Murry] Mm-hm. [Judge Lake] But if we go back
to the calendar, that is the same window of time -where you were intimate
with both men.
-[Lee snickers] [Judge Lake] So, Mr. Lee, You see, you fall
in the window of conception. Yeah, allegedly. -[Judge Lake] Do you remember
that second time?
-[audience laughing] -It was April the 3rd.
Uh, it was April the 3rd.
-[Murry] It was not April. How do you know it was the 3rd? Because I was
hosting a party that day. And after my party, that's when I hit her up,
and she came. April the 3rd. You hit me up after the club
that Thursday night when I left and I came to where you were... And we had sex
and I got pregnant. Ms. Murry,
did you ever tell the other guy
you were pregnant? -Yes.
-You did.
And what was his response? I mean... I mean, he's still
relevant in my life, but... He's not... He's active with Winter,
they takes pictures together. [Judge Lake] Oh. Winter takes multiple pictures
with multiple guys, -so, I don't know
what's going on.
-Don't do that. Don't do that. -Don't do that.
-But that's the truth. -We're here--
I'm here to speak my truth.
-Don't even try to do that. Well, hold on. She's 15 months. -Is she calling anybody
"Daddy" or "Dada"?
-[Murry] No, she knows "Mom." She knows her mama. She don't know
nothing about no Daddy. <i> Look at that.
That's your child.</i> <i> Quit playing my baby.</i> -[Lee sighs]
-[Murry]<i> Mm. Yeah.</i> <i> Well, we're gonna find out.</i> [Judge Lake] So, are you going
based on looks? The window of conception?
I mean, -why are you so certain?
-No. The window of conception. And even after I told Mr. Lee that it could've been
another possible father, he told me that if she wasn't his, I owe him a baby. -Who says those type of things?
-[audience exclaims] -[Judge Lake]
Owe somebody a baby?
-Lies. Lies. -You want to have
a baby with me.
-Lies. Don't lie. Your Honor, -can I speak--
Can I speak, Your Honor?
-You want a baby by Showbiz, -but you don't like Dmeki,
that's what it is.
-Can I speak, Your Honor? We're here because she told me I would rather
you be the father than him, because he only
deals with his kids if he's dealing with the ma. -So she said, I only want--
I really want you to be--
-You like that too, though. I'm like, you can't--
It's not about
who you want to be the father, it's about
who's actually the father. And you're actually the father,
and you actually
don't do anything -for her.
-And she's
talking about obsession, she's obsessed with me. -Boy, you ain't nobody.
-Why do you say that? She wants me to save her,
and I can't save her. -You can't save--
I don't need saving.
-I can't save you. Saving for what? -Saving for what?
-I can't give you
the family image you want. -I don't need no family image.
-[Judge Lake] Oh! She has a great upbringing. She has a great family
around her, like,
I don't need that. Ain't no nobody trying to be in
no relationship with you, how many times
have I told you that? How many times
have I told you that, Fabien? -I don't want to...
-And I don't want to be
with you. I don't want to be with you.
I don't want to deal with you. But you were the one
talkin' about moving
to Florida, when I first told you
I was pregnant, though. Oh, okay. Well, one of 'em
got to be lying. -[audience laughs]
-Him. Somebody's frontin'. [Murry] He lyin'. [Judge Lake] So,
what are you hoping for,
Ms. Murry? I just really want
Mr. Lee to step up and be involved
in Winter's life. She don't need
anything financially, she's very well-taken care of, but she needs
that fatherly love. I grew up in a house
with my father. So, she deserves it as well if you only live
40 minutes from us and you only seen
this baby once. That's a-- That's a disgrace. And what are you hoping for,
Mr. Lee? Well, I'm hoping for closure. And, um, I just want her
to stop bashing me, because if she's mine's
I'm gonna take care of her. But I wasn't finna
take care of a child
that I knew wasn't mine. All right. Jerome, I'm ready
for the results. [audience applauds] These results were prepared
by DNA Diagnostics... And they read as follows. In the case of... <i> Murry v. Lee...</i> When it comes to... 15-month-old Winter Murry... It has been determined
by this court... Mr. Lee, you... -Are the father.
-[audience applauds and cheers] [Murry whooping] -That's what your baby say.
-[Lee snickers] Your baby
like to say... [whooping] -[Lee snickers]
-[Judge Lake] Now... -[Murry] Now what?
-It has been
determined by this court that you made a baby
with Showbiz, so it's time for some lights, -camera and action...
-[Murry] Thank you. [Judge Lake] As a Dad. Look at that baby. Look at her. She's beautiful.
She looks just like you.
Fabien, really? -You're really trying--
-[Judge Lake]
She's a beautiful little girl, she's 15 months old, she's missed out on 15 months
with her daddy. That's your baby. And from the testimony,
I understand that you have many children. But I know one thing. You don't have no business
up in nobody's club giving nobody no tips, you need to tip these children. -[Murry] Yeah.
For child support.
-This money. Okay. Now,
that's the real talk. You haven't seen your baby in eight, nine months. And, like, when I asked
Ms. Murry, who does she call daddy
and she has to say "Well, she don't know no daddy,
she just knows mama." That's not fair to her. There's active men in her life. -No, he's not. You don't know.
-[Judge Lake] Well,
you know what? No, no, no. Listen. Ms. Murry.
Ms. Murry. Ms. Murry.
Let it go. Don't act like somebody else
can take your place. You're her father, you made her, and now you're gonna have to
take care of her. So I want to arrange
an opportunity right now if it's okay with mom.
I want you to
see your little girl when we leave this courtroom, and I want you to
start building a bond with her. And even if
you don't have no good sense, try to do the right thing
by the child... Before somebody
up there visitin' her at the strip club and then she's before me
20 years later. Court is adjourned.
