Please be seated. -Good morning, Your Honor.
-Good morning. -This is a case of<i>
Lewis v. McAlister.</i>
-Thank you, Jerome. -Good day, everyone.
-[audience] Good day. [woman] Good morning. Mr. Lewis, you say
you've always known the defendant is your father, and say his paternity denials
are mere excuses as to why
he was not there for you. You hope today's results
put an end to this
44-year-old mystery, -is that correct?
-Yes. Mr. McAlister, you claim
that years of doubt have given you reason
to believe that you
are not his father, -but you may know who is,
is that correct?
-Yes, Your Honor. You are ready
to prove your case today. Mr. Lewis, how has Mr. McAlister's denial
affected you? Well, growing up in
South Central Los Angeles, you know, uh, it was tough
not having a father there, you know, knowing that
you have one, you know, uh, just different things that
went on through my life that, you know, not having
a man there to answer
different questions, you know. Um, it made things
a lot tough... A lot tougher for me
coming up, you know, -but thank God
that everything worked out.
-[audience exclaim] So, Mr. McAlister, do you hear -Mr. Lewis's testimony?
-Yes, I do, ma'am. [Judge Lake] It was
very difficult growing up,
knowing he had a dad, -but that he was
nowhere to be found.
-Yes, ma'am. Why is that? Were you doubtful
all of these years? Yes, ma'am. And the reason
why I was doubtful is because I heard maybe three or four
different versions of who the dad was, and that put doubt in my mind, and, um, I would just
like to know
before I leave here what the actual truth is. So, Mr. McAlister,
can you tell the court, what was the nature
of your relationship
with Mr. Lewis's mother? Me and Ms. Lewis, we attended
the same high school together, and I knew her
as a casual friend, however, the young lady
I was dating at the time, we either had our differences
or whatever, and somehow me and Mrs. Lewis hooked up for an evening, -and uh...
-[audience exclaims] -Mmm-hmm.
-[Derrick McAlister]
never talked to her -from that point on.
-[audience exclaims] So what did you hear about
the relationship, Mr. Lewis? Well... Well, my mama was...
you know, because
the type of woman she was, she didn't wanna allow
the turmoil from that affair interfere with my life. -But as of when
we had to move on--
-What did she say specifically? She let me know
who he was as a father, she had a picture of him. She gave me this picture,
you know what it is,
you know... [Judge Lake] So was this some
defining moment in your life when your mother said to you,
"I wanna tell you
who your father was...", or was this always just... No, it was clear, yeah. -[Judge Lake] It was clear?
-It was clear, yeah, when I found out, yeah,
what she told me. And so,
when you got this picture and you had the name, did you ever say,
"I wanna look for him,
where is he?" [Lewis] Yeah,
at that point of my life, I definitely
wanted to know
who he was. I was roughly,
probably a junior
in high school, so I had a lot of things
going on, that I had already made it
that far without a father, so, I mean, it would have
been nice to know who he was, but at that point I still
had business to take
care of, so it was... You know, it's kind of
a bittersweet situation, I wanted to know,
but I was kind of, you know,
moving on with my life. So she gave you
the picture of him -when you were in high school?
-[Lewis] Yeah,
at that point, yeah. -[Judge Lake] Okay.
-Mmm-hmm. -So, Mr. McAlister...
-[McAlister] Yes, ma'am. All of this time, Mr. Lewis says
it wasn't until high school that he even got a picture -of you from his mother.
-[Lewis] Mmm-hmm. All this time you never knew
you potentially had a son? -No, ma'am. Um, I...
-[audience exclaiming] I traveled to Los Angeles
back in '81, and I ran into a relative
of the family, and this individual
told me that, um, their relative had my son. And, um... I got the information
and I called Mrs. Lewis, and I asked her, "Do we need to talk
about something?" And she said, "No." I said, "What about your son,
what's going on there?" I heard X-Y... She said his dad is dead. -I said, "His dad is dead?"
-[audience exclaiming] -[McAlister] She said,
"Yes, his dad is dead."
-[audience exclaiming] So then at that point
you figured the mystery had been solved, maybe this family member
was wrong, "I do not have a son"? [McAlister]
Yes, Your Honor. Um... I also heard that
it could have been -my first cousin, Michael--
-[audience exclaiming] -And...
-[audience exclaiming] [woman] Whoa! Unfortunately, I don't know. I also heard that,
as I said that a family member told me
there was someone
from the location, the city that I stayed in, and then I also heard
from the mom that he died. -So those are
four different versions, so...
-[audience exclaims] As I said, before I leave here I just felt that
it's just important
that I know for sure. [Judge Lake]
Where are you getting
all these versions from? [McAlister]
The young lady
that I was dating back during this time, she was the first one
that brought it
to my attention because she knew me very well, she knows I'm
an accountable man, she knew what my morals were. I used to look down on men that would not be
supportive to their son, and for me to happen to
possibly fall into
that category, that was something
that I was not trying to do, and if that was the case, I wanted to correct that
and make the best of it. And that's one of
the reasons why, -me being a man
trying to stand up.
-[applauding] And you heard that Mr. Lewis's mother potentially slept
with your cousin, Michael? [McAlister] That is correct. [Judge Lake] And Michael -is deceased?
-Yes, ma'am. And so,
what's so fascinating is, as I look at the court papers, I see that Mr. Lewis's
full name is, Jermaine -Michael...
-[McAlister] Hmm. -[Judge Lake] Lewis.
-[audience exclaims] [McAlister] I never even
looked at that like that. And Michael is your cousin's
first name? -That is correct.
-[audience exclaims] So, Mr. Lewis,
I have to ask you, have you ever heard anything
about Mr. McAlister's cousin or your mother potentially
having a relationship with him? Never. If you want more episodes
of Paternity Court Make sure to subscribe
and click on
the notification bell. So, tell me about life growing up without a dad. -I mean, you stand here now...
-[Lewis] Mmm. -You are, um, you know,
such a respectful young man...
-Thank you. -...uh, but...
-Mmm-hmm. ...what was life like? It was...
It was tough, you know. And, uh, I mean, growing up, you know, I think that I... I gravitated to football because there were
opportunities to get in the gangs,
being in South Central
Los Angeles. My mother,
she protected me 'cause I'm sure there
was opportunities
that she let him know. That's why when she told him, and I'm not sure
if she did say that, but I can see my mother
if she did say he was dead, it was to protect me because we had already moved. Things were...
You know what I'm saying? When he didn't show up
and do what he was
supposed to do, and she knew that, she couldn't...
She had to move forward. Single mother,
you know what I'm saying? She had to do
what she had to do. [McAlister] If a woman
is pregnant, they would let the father know. She's never told me
that she was pregnant by me, she's never told me
that I was his father till today. When I finally found out
about that there was a possibility here, I reached out to him and I told him that
I was gonna be coming
to Los Angeles, and I would like to meet him. -Me and my ex-wife
was going on vacation and we--
-How old was Jermaine then? -[McAlister] He was 16
at the time.
-Okay. And, um, we met
and everything and, you know, I just wanted
to get to know him, I wanted him to get to know me. Well, I have to ask you this, why, if you
were told definitively -that his father
had passed away...
-Mmm-hmm. -...by his mother...
-Mmm-hmm. ...why are you now
making these gestures, trying to connect
with this young man? [McAlister] Because of
a credible friend of mine that I dated for years, told me that there was a gentleman
that was looking for me, saying that I was his father. And my thing is,
whoever's looking for me that's saying that
I'm their father, I need to talk to this person, so that's what I did. My thing is, again, before I...
Like I said, before
I leave here, within myself,
I just need to know the truth. This is such a mystery. So, at the point
when his mother said
his father's passed away, -you move on?
-Right. Ten years later
someone you're dating, and someone you trust,
someone you... -You know, you feel like
wouldn't lie to you says...
-Yes, ma'am, that's right. -"There's a young man
saying you're his father."
-Yes, Your Honor. [Judge Lake] So then
you revisit this issue that you had put to bed
for 10 years because you thought
the door was closed. However, directly
to the son this time. The first time
I reached out to the mom. The second time I find out
that there's a young man
looking for me, so I reached out
directly to the son. So when he reaches out,
Mr. Lewis, what do you think... Do you remember that day? -Yeah, I remember it.
-[Judge Lake] What happened?
Take me back to that day. Um, it was bittersweet because I totally felt that he came around because
things in my life were good, you know, me playing football, I had scholarship offers, and it's like I heard
more from him in that span than I heard in the 18
or 16 years of me living. So, that's why things to me
kinda seemed fishy, like,
all of a sudden, now that you see
that you have a son
and he's doing well, now you're
picking up the phone. Because, like I said,
where we're from, it's tough for us
not to know who... You know, it's really tough, 'cause it's such
a small community, you know, and I believe in my heart,
I know my mother
wouldn't lie to me, when she told me
who he was. I'm sure he knew, that's why he didn't quit -continuing to try.
-[audience applauding] You know what I'm saying? And then, since we...
We go back with names. My brother's name is, something Jermaine something, his son. So why would he name his son middle name, Jermaine, my name, -if he didn't know?
-[audience exclaims] I'd like to hear
from your witness. Please stand, ma'am. State your name for the court. Damenica McAlister, Your Honor. Ms. McAlister,
what relationship are you to Mr. Lewis? That's my brother,
I'm his sister. [Judge Lake]
And you are also... [Damenica McAlister]
Mr. Derrick's daughter. [McAlister] Mmm-hmm. -[Judge Lake]
Mr. McAlister's daughter?
-Yes. Tell me about the first time
you met Mr. Lewis. [Damenica]
I was very young, and Mr. Lewis
was in town visiting, and I remember
my father telling me that it was a cousin
that was visiting initially. Later, after Mr. Lewis left
and went back to LA, my father sat me down
and told me that that was my brother, and he wanted to know
how I felt about having
an older brother. [audience exclaims] Do you believe
he's your brother? Absolutely, without
a shadow of a doubt. I don't have any doubt... -[Judge Lake] All right.
-Your Honor. [Judge Lake] Thank you
for your testimony,
you may be seated. -So, Mr. McAlister,
if you had very real doubt...
-[McAlister] Mmm-hmm. ...why would you sit
your daughter down and say, "This is your brother,
you have a brother"? Actually, Your Honor,
in the beginning when it was told to me, after I got with Jermaine,
and he said I was the father, I accepted it. I just took ownership of it because I knew I had been
with his mom one time. However, the rumors
that were told to me, by the mom
never saying anything to me, and Jermaine is correct that I named my son, Jermaine. I named his middle initial,
Jermaine, because I remember hearing
that that was his name, and I didn't wanna
forget that name. -However, as we--
-[Judge Lake] Wow! -[audience laughing]
-[McAlister]
That's the reason why I named my son that. However, as, I mean, this is a 40-year deal here, and the reason
why I'm here today is because, one of the times
I had a conversation
with Jermaine not long ago, and he tells me,
"Well, you know,
the thing that hurts is the bitter pill
that you don't think
you're my dad." And I had never told him that. But once he put that out there, I couldn't lie. I said, "Yeah, I did,
and I do have my doubts." And I never knew anything
about a football scholarship
or anything, he was 16 years old. The young lady only told me
that he's a good young man and he's playing football. The rest of the stuff
that he's saying, -I had no idea--
-[Judge Lake] Oh, listen, I... And you know what,
Mr. McAlister, the truth is,
I can almost believe that. Absolutely. I mean... [Judge Lake] I mean, look,
a football scholarship -is really not gonna
do anything for you.
-[McAlister] Absolutely. -So, I mean, but, but, I...
-Absolutely. Absolutely. I do understand how this young man could have
a completely different
perspective -as to what was going on...
-[McAlister] Absolutely. ...and why you weren't around -than you did.
-[Mr. McAlister] Mmm-hmm. Absolutely. But, look, you have
four different stories -that have been told to you.
-Absolutely. [Judge Lake] In this courtroom
that's what doubt is made of. Mmm-hmm. And the biggest part
of that doubt is -making that call...
-[McAlister] Mmm-hmm. ...and his mother saying
his father's dead. Many people
would have been, like, "Well, I don't know
why he's saying that, -because his mother said
that his father passed away..."
-[McAlister] Absolutely. "...so it's not me." So, the fact that
you then re-entered it makes the mystery... It's so layered... This is truly fascinating. I think the only way
we're really gonna
move forward and understand
how we really got here, is to get the results. -Jerome,
I'm ready for the results.
-[audience applauding] These results were prepared
by DNA Diagnostics, and they read as follows. In the case of<i>
Lewis v. McAlister,</i> When it comes to 44-year-old,
Jermaine Lewis, it has been determined
by this Court, Mr. McAlister, you... are the father. [audience applauding] Thank you, Your Honor. What are you feeling
in this moment, sir? I feel grateful and gratitude
that now I know the truth. If I had known he was my son, a fleet of elephants
wouldn't have been able to
keep me away from him. [audience applauding] What do you feel, Mr. Lewis? -[Lewis] Um...
-Can you tell your dad. I mean, it's... [stammers] I'm willing to do,
you know, whatever it takes, we can definitely try
to make it work,
you know, but, uh, I mean, I'm...
I'm a different person -because of my situation,
you know...
-Absolutely. ...with what I've
been through, so... And, uh, I can't
apologize for that, you know,
for what I've been through... -[McAlister] Oh, you have no...
-You know. As far as I'm concerned
you have no apology, you were the innocent person, there's nothing for you
to apologize to about. [audience applauding] [Judge Lake] I have to say this
before we go, I want you to understand, because I feel the wall
that you've put up, and I see why you did it. You know,
I say this all the time, you either become the father
you never had, or you become the father
you never had. -[Lewis] Right.
-[McAlister] Mmm-hmm. And you became that father you never had. [Lewis] Okay. And, Mr. McAlister, I want you to understand
that these walls that
Mr. Lewis has built, -they're for a reason.
-[McAlister] Yes, ma'am,
understandable reasons. -I know that he's my son now.
-[Judge Lake] Good. And I'll be consistent
with him as my son. [Judge Lake]
That's what we wanna hear, and we have counseling
and resources for you. We hope that you all
will start the process of getting to know one another and connecting as family with the entire family, and we wish you
the very, very best. Doctor Jeff
is waiting for you all. I hope you open up
and really talk about
what this means to you, and how you
take those first steps with courage and commitment... -All right?
-Thank you very much,
Judge Lake. Court is adjourned.
