Please be seated. Hello, Your Honor. Hello. This is a case of<i>
Luper v. Downs.</i> Thank you, Jerome.
Good day, everyone. AUDIENCE: Good day. Miss Luper, you say
you thought the defendant was a respectful,
church-going family man who turned out
to be anything but. You claim that after
giving birth to your twins
Brayleigh and Bishop, Mr. Downs denied fathering
your babies. Is that correct? Yes. Your Honor. Mr. Downs, you say
Miss Luper carried on
a secret relationship behind your back
up until she found out
she was pregnant, and there is no way
you are the father
of her twins. Is that correct? Yes, Your Honor. Miss Luper, you thought
you found the perfect
church man. Yes, Your Honor.
I did. JUDGE LAKE: Explain. I found
the perfect family man. But I soon found out
that that wasn't the case. When we first met,
Mr. Downs was amazing. He went to church,
one day he offered me a ride. And as soon as we talked...
Like, our music, our taste,
everything. We just vibed.
It was great. Then we ran into some problems.
He went through my phone, and I did have
a lot of open doors. Oh, wait, hold on.
Let me get that metaphor. ROBINIESHA: Okay. Open doors, so you still
had other relationships that you had
not quite cut off. Absolutely. This was two weeks
after we started hanging out. So, we weren't
in a relationship.
We weren't together. So, I did still have open
relationships with other men while I was beginning
a relationship with Mr. Downs. So, Mr. Downs, take me
to the day you saw her phone. What was going on?
How did you
even have her phone? I was at her house, and just
something told me to pick up
the phone, and I did it. And I'm looking
through her phone.
I'm like, "Okay." And I bring it to her
and I'm seeing messages
from other dudes and all this other stuff,
so I'm like, "What is this?" What kind of messages
did you see from other guys? Messages of just trying
to, you know, hook up
with her and like... You know,
stuff like that. Is she accepting
the advancement? Yeah. Yeah. JUDGE LAKE: Oh, you are? Yes, Your Honor.
I was in the process
of closing those doors. No, you don't close the door
by saying, "Yeah,
we can have sex." That's opening the door. Yeah. And in this case, creating
a revolving door of doubt. So, how soon after Mr. Downs
went through your phone did you find out
you were pregnant? Maybe two weeks later? Uh, yeah.
We moved really fast. We, like, had
a wedding date
in two months. The relationship
changed tremendously, though, after he went
through my phone. Our vibe was different,
we weren't hanging out as much. When I found out
I was pregnant, I called him
and he didn't even answer. That's where we were at. So, how did he ever find out? I sent him a text message. He was really
nonchalant about it. But once I did get pregnant,
he was amazing. Cedric rubbed my feet,
rubbed my belly, he would get up at 2:00 a.m.,
go get me ice
and hot Cheetos. He would take me to every
ultrasound appointment
if he didn't have work. Like, the pregnancy was good. We moved out of
my two-bedroom apartment. We got a four-bedroom house. Like, it was good. I want to know
what did you send in this text? I just sent him a picture
of the pregnancy test. And what was his response? I don't remember
his exact response, but I just remember him being,
like, nonchalant about it. I was at work. Yeah. So what did you say back? CEDRIC: Okay. Like, I said, "I've been
through your phone. I mean,
what do you want me to do? "You want me to jump with joy?" Oh, so your okay was already
riddled with doubt because of what
you saw on the phone. CEDRIC: Yes, ma'am. I mean, what would you
want me to feel? I mean, after I found this out, ain't no way I'm gonna sit here
and do no backflips or nothing. So, how does it get
to the point where you
just leave the "Okay" to hot Cheetos
and rubbing bellies
and doing that? How does it get to that? I got three other children
outside of these two
we're here for today. I ain't never, ever
turned my back
on none of my kids. I've been for all of my kids
since day one. I just felt like, me as a man,
and the way I've been
obligated to my other kids, there's still a chance
that they're mine, so I'm not gonna build
this whole little case
upon my doubts and I'm still gonna be there
until we find out what's what. So I was still gonna
be there by her side
until we figure it out. That's commendable. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) And so take me to the birth. We know you were very present
during the pregnancy when the twins were born. ROBINIESHA: As soon
as they brought
Brayleigh into the room, the first thing he said was,
"Do you guys
do DNA tests here? "I've never had a kid
come out that light." <i>That's the first thing he said
when he'd seen her.</i> But he did go see my son
and he did say that
he looked like him. So, when you saw Brayleigh,
you had questions instantly. You didn't feel like
you could be her father. I mean, I know
it don't really matter
about the complexion and stuff, but like I said,
all my kids favor me
just extremely. You know what I'm saying? And I looked at Bishop.
I seen more of Bishop
in me than Brayleigh. And at the same time,
like I said, I know there's
another man been involved. And there's part of me
that wanted to accept it and then there's part of me
that had my doubts in the way I feel like I was,
I guess, in a way, led on that I just couldn't come
my way to terms
accepting both of them or, you know, either which one. But, like I said, the reason
for Bishop is like I said, he just favored me,
so that kind of deterred me from
questioning him. Miss Luper, did you tell
anyone else that they potentially
could be the father
of these beautiful twins? One person. JUDGE LAKE: You did? Yes. Not during the pregnancy. During my pregnancy,
I was sure
that it was Cedric's. Twins run in his family. We were together
the whole time. The timeline,
everything just added up. After I had the baby,
I posted Brayleigh on Snapchat. And the other guy, who,
the messages he'd seen, wrote me and sent me
a picture of his daughter and told me, "I believe that
that's my daughter." Wow. So you posted
a picture of Brayleigh <i> and the other man you were
having sex with
wrote to you and said,</i> "I think this is my daughter." Correct. Correct, Your Honor. Excuse me, Your Honor. And another reason,
like I said, you know, that I even have
any kind of this doubt
because, like I said, when she first told me
that she was pregnant, I asked her, I said, "So,
are you for sure, for certain
that I'm the only man "that you had
unprotected sex with?" And she very,
very quickly told me, "Yes, you are
the only one." So... Even with that being said,
I'm just like this. This is two weeks
into us dating, and I'm not using protection. How in the world
did this guy before me
manage to be, you know, so clean
and safe, using protection, if you didn't even
hassle me about it
in the first place. You didn't hassle me either,
for the record. It's not like you ever asked me
to use a condom. But when I started out,
did I use it? Cedric, we've never used
a condom in our lives. (SIGHS) Who's on
the birth certificate? Nobody. Well, the hospital birth
certificate says that the twins
were born to us, but I never ordered
an official birth certificate. He never signed
a birth certificate. I was at work. I would have
definitely put my name on it. ROBINIESHA: You were
at work, and just... You were at work... You have
three other kids. You know. Before you leave a hospital,
you need to sign
a birth certificate. He never asked me
about a birth certificate,
he never signed... His cousin took us home
from the hospital. If he wanted to sign
a birth certificate, he could
have asked me to do it. Bring it out.
I can't... I didn't even sign
the birth certificate. Did you not sign the birth
certificate, Mr. Downs, because you
really had a doubt? As me being a father,
like I said, I've never had to deal with any suspicion
of any of my other kids. So, I've never had to
go through wondering, "Okay, well, am I going up here
to see somebody else's kids?" Or, "Am I gonna support her
for her and her
other dude's kids?" 'Cause he needs to be here
if that's the case. But, at the same time, I talked to Robin
about a situation, too. That hospital that we
had those kids in? I also lost two of my other
babies in that very same room
that she was sitting in. Hmm. And I told her, it's hard
for me to deal with that. To sit here and think about... Every time I walk through
that hallway in that hospital, that's the first thing
that goes through my mind. It's me losing
my other two daughters. You know what I mean? So... So you were avoiding
and dealing with more
than one issue... CEDRIC: Yes, ma'am. ...at that time. And I think it's honest,
and I appreciate your honesty when you say you were
running hot and cold. Because we see that a lot
in paternity situations. But from your standpoint,
Miss Luper, you're saying, "Well, you've been here
through the whole pregnancy,
where are you now?" Yeah. I think once
the twins got here, everything just got
worse between us
on the paternity situation. Obviously, 'cause we can
actually see them. JUDGE LAKE:<i> So, Mr. Downs,
do you feel like you could be
the father of one twin</i> <i> and someone else
be the father of the other?</i> CEDRIC:<i> Yes, ma'am.</i> With Bishop, I felt
a much bigger bond with my son. Like, every time I see him,
when we video chat, his face just lights up
when I'm talking to him.
You know what I'm saying? He knows my face,
he knows who I am. And Brayleigh does, too,
to an extent. But it's just something
about my son
and when I see him, it's just like,
we connect. And you feel this
because the twins
are fraternal twins, right? ROBINIESHA: Correct. So what we do know
that it is possible for fraternal twins
to be fathered
by two different men. So knowing this,
this adds to your belief that potentially you're
the father of only one. Yes, ma'am. JUDGE LAKE:
This is fascinating. And so how has this
affected your ability
to bond with the children? I know you say
when you see your son,
he lights up. Are you feeling like
you don't want to get close
to Brayleigh because you don't think
she's yours? And you're trying
to form a relationship with... How are you
treating the children? I mean, when I had
flown to California, she had got me out there
to go see the kids. And, I mean, like I said,
we had a good time. I bonded with both of them. But, like I said, it's just
something about my son that makes me feel like that
that's the one that's mine. JUDGE LAKE: So you are
fully broke up,
and you went to California. Yes, ma'am.
She up and left. Oh, yeah.
I left to California. You did? ROBINIESHA: Yes. Why did you
leave for California? For several reasons. I was
unhappy with our relationship
at this point. And we're gonna
have to be back
with his mom. Like, if I'm gonna have to be
back with somebody's mom, and they're, like, gonna be
uncomfortable with me, I'll take it from my mom,
not yours. I just felt more comfortable
going home. I was unhappy
in the relationship. Like, it wasn't working. So you went back home? ROBINIESHA: Correct. CEDRIC: Your Honor? Yes, sir. I just feel like that she knew
more than she was telling me
from the jump. And you got a man that's
at least trying to stick by
and see it through. I mean, why would you just up,
and just out of the blue, didn't call me, didn't text me,
nothing. I was at work, Your Honor. And this is the thing. Usually, when I'm at work,
I get text messages,
phone calls. "Hey, baby, what are you doing?
We miss you. We love you."
Da, da, da, this and that. I didn't
get nothing one day. And I just knew
something was wrong. So, I get to my house
and there's nobody there. <i>My kids are gone, she's gone,
and the first thing on my mind,</i> because my door's
is unlocked too. Right. CEDRIC: So,
I'm thinking somebody
that came in my house, anybody could've done something
to my kids, my girl. So, I'm like,
"Man, what's going on?"
So, I'm calling. And I'm blowing this phone up,
and I don't get no response. And I'm really
starting to get worried. And so my cousin gives me
his phone. He's like,
"Here, use my phone." Soon as I call,
she picks up the first ring. I'm like, "What are you doing?
Where are you at?" "Oh, I'm with a friend." I'm like, "You're not with
no friend, you're gonna tell me
where you're at with my kids." And then she told me
"Oh, your kids?
What do you mean your kids? "You didn't sign
no birth certificate." I said, "So a piece of paper
makes me a father now?" That this
is what we're doing? How old were
the children then? Maybe a month? JUDGE LAKE: Miss Luper,
I gotta understand this. Today, you stand
before the court saying
you are certain Mr. Downs is the father of your twins. But your actions
during this time don't seem to indicate
that you're trying to keep him
connected to the children. <i> I mean, you say,
"I'm unhappy
in the relationship."</i> <i> But you're saying,
"This is their father."</i> ROBINIESHA: Mmm-hmm. Why up and leave and go
clear across the country? ROBINIESHA: I felt like
I had no other option
at that time. I felt like
I had no other option. JUDGE LAKE: But you believed
he was their father. Yes. And since that time... I didn't know if this
was going to be
a permanent decision, I didn't know if I just
needed to breathe, I just knew at that time
I don't wanna go with you. I don't. Where do I have to go?
Nowhere. I had nowhere
to go in Kentucky. The only place I had
was 3,000 miles away. I just delivered twins. Like, I had two babies
and nowhere to go.
That's how I felt. JUDGE LAKE: Right. I had to do what's best
for me and my children,
regardless. You could have made
those decisions to make us have a home,
to make us be happy. And they would
not have went this way,
but you didn't. So I left.
I felt that was my only... I was four weeks
after I delivered twins. That's where
my head space was. That's what I thought
was the best option. You were in survival mode. ROBINIESHA: Thank you. Fight or flight,
and I was done
fighting with him. I want to understand
from you, Miss Luper, 'cause this is the part
I really don't get. What are your hopes? You'll still live
thousands of miles away. But you're here in court
saying, "You are
these children's father." Do you want to put
your family back together? Do you want to try
to work on this? What do you want today? I actually have no idea
what the plan will look like if these results do come back
that he is the father. I do not know what
the plan will look like. But I'll never keep
those kids away from him. This was never like, "I'm
snatching your kids, you're
never gonna see them again." I flew him to California.
I paid for him to come
to California to see his kids. He's an amazing father. I'm never gonna
take that away from him. But I needed to go. We can figure out a plan, we can figure out something
that will work for both of us to where he can see these kids.
That's not a problem. I just don't know what
that looks like right now. JUDGE LAKE: That's fair. It's how you really feel. ROBINIESHA: Mmm-hmm. I think we're in a place now
where only the truth is gonna help us
move forward. Mmm-hmm. And I have that for you. Jerome. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) The results. (SIGHS) JUDGE LAKE:
We have two children, and paternity is in question
for both. And because they are fraternal, we do know that
they could be fathered
by two different men... Mmm-hmm. ...so we have
two different results. These results were prepared
by DNA Diagnostics, and they read as follows. JUDGE LAKE: In the case of<i>
Luper v. Downs,</i> when it comes to 5-month-old
Brayleigh Downs, it has been determined
by this court, Mr. Downs, you are not the father. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIM) (PAPER RUSTLES) (SIGHS) JUDGE LAKE: The next result
reads as follows. In the case of<i>
Luper v. Downs,</i> when it comes to 5-month-old
Bishop Downs, it has been determined
by this court, Mr. Downs, you are not the father. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIM) (SIGHS) JUDGE LAKE: I'm very sorry. (ROBINIESHA SNIFFLES) Miss Luper, do you know
who the children's father is? Yep. CEDRIC: But I've been here
since the whole time, though. (ROBINIESHA SNIFFLES) I'm not a bad guy. I want to give you
a moment, Mr. Downs.
I know this was hard. And I know this was not
the result you wanted today. And this is difficult, but the children really are
the reason why we're here. CEDRIC: Yes, ma'am. JUDGE LAKE: They both
carry your last name. Yes, ma'am. JUDGE LAKE:<i> You are not
on their birth certificate.</i> <i> At some point,
they will wonder where did I
get the last name "Downs"?</i> They know I'm their daddy. JUDGE LAKE: But the question
then becomes do you want to
continue to be in their life? I do. JUDGE LAKE: Miss Luper,
you've got two beautiful
children, you've got a man
who loves the children. I hope you will continue
to allow him to be
in their lives, but I also hope for their sake that you will reach out
to their biological father and speak with him and give him the opportunity
to do the same for their sake. We have counseling
and resources for you both to help you all
through this moment. I wish you all
the very best of luck. Court is adjourned.
