-[dramatic music playing]
-[audience exclaiming] Please be seated. -[Jerome] Hello, Your Honor.
-[Judge Lake] Hello. [Jerome] This is the case
of Morris versus Thorpe. Thank you, Jerome.
Good day, everyone. [audience] Good day. Mr. Morris,
you're here because you say, certain facts have come
to light, that make you believe
that you the fathered one of Ms. Thorpe's twins,
and not the other. You claim a botched
home DNA test separated you from your daughter, London,
and you intend to rectify that issue today,
is that correct? -Yes, Your Honor.
-[Judge Lake] Ms. Thorpe, you say Mr. Morris's claim
is ridiculous, and that he very clearly
fathered both of your twins, Paris and London. And you say Mr. Morris's efforts
to go behind your back blew up in his face,
and you intend to clean up his mess today, is that correct? -Yes, Your Honor.
-[Judge Lake] So Mr. Morris, what do you mean
you're the father of one twin, -and not the other? Explain.
-Exactly how it sound, um... Originally, I was believed
that both of them was mine. Over time,
certain circumstances made me feel like
neither were mine. <i> And then, after that,
different things happened</i> <i> that made me believe
just London was.</i> We've examined this issue
completely in this courtroom,
and we do know it's possible for a man to be the father
of one... of two fraternal twins,
so we do understand that. And that's basically
what you're claiming today? -Yes, ma'am.
-[Judge Lake] Twins <i> with two different fathers.
Now that would be shocking.</i> -[audience exclaiming]
-Please take me back now, um... to your relationship,
Ms. Thorpe. You're saying that you know
he is... the father... -[Thorpe] Yes, Your Honor.
-...of both twins? -Yes, Your Honor.
-[Judge Lake] Explain. Um... I was seeing another guy
at the time that me and Twan was talking,
but the time matched up to Antwan being the father
of both of my kids. Before anything,
we were friends, so I don't even understand
why he's even putting me through this. I told Antwan that I want to be
in a relationship with him, and he turned me down
because he was still in love with the mother
of his other child. -[audience exclaiming]
-So... [chuckles] So, when that time happened,
I got upset, and I started messing
with another guy. -[audience exclaiming]
-[Morris chuckles] Okay. And this was after you
were already intimate -with Mr. Morris?
-Yes, Your Honor. So, you went
into the tit-for-tat, "If he don't want me... I'll go be with somebody else.
He's with somebody else, -I'll go get somebody else."
-[Thorpe] Yes, Your Honor. [Judge Lake] Did you keep
having sex with Mr. Morris? I did. Yes, Your Honor. So, Ms. Thorpe, at some point, you find out you're pregnant.
Take me to that day. Um... I went to the doctor for, like,
just a regular check-up. Um... She came,
and then she told me that I was pregnant. He was very happy,
seemed like he was very happy -about the situation.
-[Morris] I was-- I was ecstatic. I was very,
very happy, like I... I went all out,
I bought two of everything. It cost a lot,
it was bassinets here, strollers there,
car seats, um... Moved her
into a family member house... during her pregnancy, tried to make her
as comfortable as possible. -She hungry every day...
-[audience laughing] ...I gotta feed her. -That's the least you could do.
-[audience laughing] [Morris] Yeah. [chuckles] [Morris chuckles]
But I was there, I was picking out baby names,
you know, just ready -for the whole ordeal.
-You were there? -[Morris] Yeah.
-Were you there for the birth? [Morris]<i> Yes, ma'am.
I was the first one to get</i> <i> to see them and hold 'em.</i> <i> She was in a lot of pain,</i> <i> and they was in an NIC Unit.</i> -[audience exclaiming]
-They was only three pounds. But it was amazing, though.
It was... We spent the next two,
uh, couple months inside the hospital.
I was there every-- every moment, every day.
Outside of work, I was there... nursing them back to health. So were you--
you were committed? Of course. So Mr. Morris,
when do you get doubtful? Honestly, just one day,
I was in a local drugstore and out of the blue,
I know this sound crazy, but this DNA... test was just sticking out, and, like, everything else
was just, like, black. I'm like, "What the... a test?"
So I bought it. Just like that. I didn't doubt on-- not one bit,
but I went back to the house... without Imani's, uh, knowledge,
and inside the test, it was a thing
where you get three samples, one for the father,
one for the child, and one for the child's mother. But, of course, she didn't know,
so I swabbed myself, Paris, <i> and then, I used the one
for the mother</i> <i> -on the other child.</i>
-Your Honor, he told me he don't even know
which child he swabbed. N-- no. I don't know which... child ended up being tested
'cause I only tested one. I called the DNA place after, and I kind of explained
the situation. And she said,
if I got results back at all, then they collected two
separate DNAs from what I sent in. She said,
if it was completed wrong, or didn't have enough
or whatever, then it would have came back NA. [Judge Lake] Okay.
Inconclusive? -Yes, ma'am. Or say just--
-All right. So you send the results in,
and, of course... how did they come back? -Zero percent probability.
-[audience exclaiming] [Judge Lake]
But you do understand that you didn't even use
the swabs right. I was just, uh-- I don't know.
Like I said, so-- -No, you don't.
-[Morris] I don't, I didn't. You may-- no, I mean,
the truth is, you don't,
you're making something up. But, like,
everything was just confusing, -so...
-It was. -[Morris] And I was lost.
-[audience laughing] [Morris] That's why
we're here today. And it is. If you want more episodes
of Paternity Court Make sure to subscribe
and click on
the notification bell. [Judge Lake] Ms. Thorpe,
so what happens after he gets
these results back? He comes to you and tells you
he did it? No, Your Honor.
I was at work at the time, he actually text me and told me
that the DNA test came back, and that the twins were not his. At the time,
I didn't respond automatically, because, like I said,
I was at work. So he end up getting very upset
and end up posting it all over social media,
and telling everybody. [audience exclaiming] [sighs] He posted it
all over social media and told everybody
that the DNA test came back, <i>and that the kids were not his.</i> -[audience exclaiming]
-[Thorpe] So-- [Judge Lake]
Did you also post, Mr. Morris, that you didn't do
the test properly? [audience laughing] No. -I know you didn't.
-[audience laughing] All right. So now, you got it
all over social media, that these aren't my babies,
I've done a DNA test, and these aren't my babies,
and you lying. That's basically
what he's saying? Yes, Your Honor. When I called and said,
the results... I got a response that was, like,
she knew, she had just-- When I said, "I got a test done
on the twins, they are not... mine." And her response was, "Oh." Oh! Your Honor, on my defense,
I was at work at the time, I wasn't able to respond the way
that I wanted to respond. -So--
-When I got the, "Oh..." I was... -"You knew?"
-[Judge Lake] Right. -[Morris] Yeah. I was...
-[Thorpe] But that's no reason to put it on Facebook, though,
Your Honor. -[Morris] And I...
-Yeah. I know, that is no reason -to put it.
-[Morris] At the time, I was more so
on the hurt than... -You were being a drama king?
-[audience laughing] -[Morris] Yeah. Yeah.
-Yeah? 'Cause that's dramatic. -[Morris] Uh-huh.
-Because the truth is, that's not just about you
or her, that's about the babies. <i> So this whole thing blows up,
you leave,</i> and don't come back
for almost 18 months? -[Morris] Yes, ma'am.
-What makes you get back in touch with Ms. Thorpe? I honestly was asking--
asking around about... how they was doing,
or what they was looking like. <i> Family members and friends
started to say,</i> <i> "You sure they're not yours?"</i> And they--
I had got sent a picture... of my youngest daughter now, <i> and it was side by side
with London.</i> <i> I feel like
they look just alike.</i> -They're the same age.
-Oh, you had two women pregnant -at the same time?
-Yes, ma'am. -[Judge Lake] Oh, you. You--
-[audience gasping and laughing] You on team "too much"
all the way around. [audience laughing] All the way around. -[Morris] Yes, ma'am.
-So-- so you had another baby by another woman
at the same time-- The same reason
when I was telling Imani why I couldn't be
in a relationship with her, because... I was
in a long-time relationship with someone else. -We was on a break then.
-[audience exclaiming] -But--
-But not that-- not too much of a break, 'cause you obviously
had sex with her. -[Morris] Yes, Your Honor.
-[Thorpe sighs] [Judge Lake]<i> Is that baby yours?</i> [Morris]<i> Yes.</i> [Judge Lake]<i> And then you also
had twins with Ms. Thorpe,</i> <i> same time, maybe? You think?</i> [Morris]<i> That's the twins,
and that's my youngest.</i> [Judge Lake] So when you see
the babies, you feel like you see
a resemblance between London
and your youngest? [Morris]<i> Yes, Your Honor.</i> [Judge Lake]<i>
But you don't believe you see</i> <i> a resemblance between Paris
and your youngest?</i> [Morris]<i> Not as much.</i> But the reason I'm...
saying Paris... on that test, the test still came back,
uh, results. If I'm believing one might be,
then one still can't be. 'Cause you're going back to your call to the lab,
and them saying that if your test
is inconclusive, the results come back
inconclusive? -Yes, ma'am.
-[Judge Lake] Or N/A? -Yes. Yes, Your Honor.
-Which, in your mind, means, at least for one of them, <i> you're
not the biological father?</i> [Morris]<i> That's the only
explanation.</i> All right.
So you get back in touch, and you then let
Ms. Thorpe know, "Okay, I believe I'm the father
of one twin, <i> 'cause everybody's telling me
that this is my child."</i> [Morris] I didn't tell her
that exactly, I was just trying to check up
on the girls. And she... said, you know,
I could see them, <i>and that's why I've been around
for the last two years.</i> [Judge Lake]<i> What kind
of relationship do you have</i> <i> -with the twins now?</i>
-[Morris]<i> Great.</i> [Judge Lake]
They call you daddy? -No.
-They're four? -They call me Uncle Twan.
-[audience exclaiming] -Uncle Twan?
-[audience laughing] -Yes.
-Boy, you about crazy. You just got too much going on. You done gone through
all this only for the children
now call you Uncle Twan? I didn't tell them to. [Judge Lake] Oh,
you told them to, Ms. Thorpe? No, Your Honor.
They just developed that because... he's been--
he's been around since day one, so with him being around
so much, they asked, was... Twan their dad?
But I told them... -[chuckles] I told them no.
-[audience exclaiming] -This is a mess.
-[audience laughing] This is a-- you know what?
It started off messy, the middle was messy,
the end is messy. You all should be ashamed. These babies
four years old, sitting up. [audience applauding] [Judge Lake] Really? To be four years old,
and have to sit up and ask two grown adults,
"Is somebody my daddy?" Babies got more sense
than the mama and the daddy. [audience applauding] [Judge Lake] Why, Ms. Thorpe, would you look
at these two girls, and you say you know for certain Mr. Morris
is their biological father, why would you tell them no? Because we wasn't for sure at the time,
I didn't want them... So you aren't sure?
You aren't sure? I mean, at the time,
I didn't feel like I was sure, so I didn't wanna tell them,
to have them call him. And then he wasn't even around,
so I-- So wait a minute,
who else could be their dad? [sighs] The other guy
that I was talking to. So you really don't know
if he's the dad or not? I feel like he is. -[audience exclaiming]
-Oh, Lord. A feeling, a feeling, a feeling. We're not talking
about feelings. We're talking about facts. Do you know for certain
if Mr. Morris is your twins'
biological father? -It's a--
-[Judge Lake] Yes or no. Do you know for certain? -No, Your Honor.
-[Judge Lake] There. -[audience exclaiming]
-You all just been circling around this doubt, circling
around this dysfunction, circling around all
of this confusion. Trying to raise these babies? <i>What's that little game you play
when you little?</i> What's that one
where the music play, and you just be running around? -Musical chairs.
-Musical chairs. That's what it feels like. Like you all just
running around, and then when the music stop, y'all just jump
to a conclusion that work, just jump down on it,
and sit down on it for a while. Then the music play,
and you all just get back running around again. One of them might be calling
their daddy "Uncle Twan". [audience exclaiming
and laughing] Jerome, give me the envelope,
I'm about so sick of this. [audience applauding
and cheering] Don't even make any sense. These results were prepared
by DNA Diagnostics, and they read as follows. [suspenseful music playing] There are two sets of results because they
are fraternal twins, so we tested each twin
individually, of course. This first result is for...
Paris. In the case
of Morris versus Thorpe... when it comes to... four year old Paris Morris... it has been determined
by this court... Mr. Morris... you... -are not the father.
-[audience exclaiming] [Judge Lake]
Well, you were correct there. You are not Paris's
biological father. [audience speaking indistinctly] [Judge Lake] Ms. Thorpe,
you don't look surprised. [suspenseful music playing] The next result is for London. [suspenseful music playing] In the case
of Morris versus Thorpe... when it comes to four year old
London Morris... it has been determined
by this court... Mr. Morris... you... -are not the father.
-[audience exclaiming] [Judge Lake] Ms. Thorpe,
somewhere inside of you, you knew this was
a very real possibility, I can see your reaction. Who is their father? The other guy I was talking to. When I told him I was pregnant,
he stopped talking to me. [audience exclaiming] So this makes sense. So you went with the guy
with the best reaction, you went with the guy
that was building nurseries, you went with the guy
that was going to doctor's appointments,
and you went with the guy that was gonna support you
through this. These twins, they need... you to step in,
and make that call again. They deserve to know who their
father is, definitively. I want to try to get this man
in this courtroom, so we can determine
once and for all if he is the twins'
biological father. And if there is
another possibility... maybe in some ways, it's good you called him
Uncle Twan. You know, maybe in some ways, the universe just worked
that right on out, because now, they just think
he's an uncle and they don't think he's their daddy,
'cause he's not. Right.
And they got my last name. And they have your last name. Uncle Twan's last name.
I can't wait to hear -y'all explain that to them.
-[audience laughing] Wish you the very best.
Court is adjourned.
