You may be seated. Good morning,
Your Honor. Good morning. This is a case of<i>
Pierce v. Covell.</i> Thank you, Jerome.
Good day, everyone. AUDIENCE: Good day. Mr. Pierce? Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: You are summoning
your ex-fiance, Ms. Covell, for a paternity test to prove that
her one-year-old son
Julien is not your son? That is correct, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: You claim
Ms. Covell deceived you into believing you were the
father and it was not until
Julien was six months old when she finally confessed
that she had cheated and
you may not be the father? Correct, Your Honor. Now, you're suing for
fraudulent misrepresentation. Am I correct? Correct, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: Ms. Covell, you
admit that you cheated around
the window of conception but you still say
you have no doubt Mr. Pierce
is your child's father? Yes, Your Honor. All right, so Ms. Covell,
how do you feel about being
dragged into court today? I am a little upset.
I want to prove that
he is the father. I want to show him
that I have been
telling the truth. I know
I made a mistake. But I have been paying for it
every single day since
I have told him. So, Mr. Pierce? PIERCE: Yes, Your Honor. You believe this was
truly necessary because you have
doubt, am I correct? Correct, Your Honor. I just... You know,
it's happened to me
in the past before. Um, and I just have
this doubt and it's
killing our family, it's killing the relationship
I do have with the kids. And... It's...
It hurts. It truly hurts. I can see that
it really does. And you have
an older child together and this is destroying
your family. Correct, Your Honor. Uh... And it's happened
to me before. I mean... (CLEARS THROAT)
Going back 10 years ago. You know, I've had
the same thing happen to me. I had a lady
get pregnant. (CLEARS THROAT)
A young woman get pregnant.
I was 18 years old. But she told me
at the time that
it may not be my child. But I still was a man,
stepped up to the plate,
went to all the appointments, went to the birthing,
and still took care
of that kid, and at six months old, me and
the mother weren't together,
we were separated. She wanted child support.
Six months old, they forced me to do a DNA
test. I said no, because the
child looked exactly like me. As you can see, this child
looks nothing like me. (CLEARS THROAT) And with the other child,
like I said, it was a
spitting image of me. It came back negative. JUDGE LAKE: And you now feel this, this history could
repeat itself? Correct, Your Honor.
I don't want... And destroy your family. You've called off
your engagement. Correct. We, uh, when I found out
I just had to call it off. I mean, there's no
sense in really trying
to go for a marriage because it's not true. How do you feel when
you hear Mr. Pierce say
these things, Ms. Covell? It really hurts me. Um, I know
I made a mistake at one time, um, we were both going through
an emotional rollercoaster
at that time period. I made a mistake one time.
I understand that my son looks
nothing like him, but he looks identical to
me when I was a baby. PIERCE: <i> You don't see
no color in that baby.</i> JUDGE LAKE: <i> Take me back.</i> I want to understand
how you uncovered and discovered
that Ms. Covell was cheating. Well... (CLEARS THROAT)
Around Valentine's Day, around her birthday,
we got engaged. I proposed to her.
She was pregnant
with Julien at the time. And, uh... (CLEARS THROAT) It was after he was born,
you know, we were going
really good. And, I don't know
what came over me,
but I was just like, "You know, we are doing
really good right now.
We're, whatever. "If there's anything
you got to tell me, "you know, let's get it out
in the air right now. "I am not going to get mad
because we are so, in
a good place right now." It was like, you know,
here's your free pass. She told me, you know,
that she had cheated
on me back. (CLEARS THROAT) You know,
I can't remember the exact
month that she cheated on me. And I lost it, I mean,
I started crying.
I was very upset and I asked her,
I was like so was it
around the same time? You know,
is it possibly his? And so, Ms. Covell,
why did you finally come
clean in that moment? Why not say
something before? Um, from day number one,
I had been wanting
to tell him. Uh, my conscience
was eating at me,
it was killing me. But because we were
in such a good place, I didn't want to ruin
everything that we had. So, that was my perfect
opportunity. I didn't want
to continue lying. He asked me directly. So
I wanted to make sure that
I told him the truth. I told him. I tried to
tell him the whole story
in one night. He wasn't having it. So,
it took about three days for everything to
finally unfold, and for me
to finally tell him yes, it was about
the same time period, as when I got pregnant
with my son. PIERCE: Why wouldn't you
tell me before? COVELL: You are right.
I should have told you sooner. When you know
what he's named after? I should have told you sooner. Who he's named after? I should... I should have told you
from day one. You are right. I should have
but I was really scared. You know,
that's kind of disrespectful
to my whole family at the same time, I mean... I was scared
of losing my family. That's a family name
that he's got. COVELL: I was afraid of losing
my family if I told you. My plan was to
honestly never tell you. But I couldn't
deal with it. PIERCE: What kind of woman... PIERCE: How can you not
tell somebody, like... I couldn't. I... I couldn't deal with it.
My conscience wouldn't let me because... Is that fair to him? COVELL: <i> No.
You are right and
that's why I am here today.</i> PIERCE: <i> But when it comes
to another person's life,
another...</i> Knowing what I have
been through before. I always thought you
would be the one girl that
wouldn't do that to me. You know,
now that you did it... (AUDIENCE CLAPPING) What else? What else
can I believe? I am sorry. I said I am sorry a million times.
I have said I am sorry. And I can't say it enough. I just want to prove my point. Well, the biggest sorry,
we'll find out today. If that's right.
That's the biggest sorry
you can ever tell me. Yup. That's why
I am here. Mr. Pierce, Ms. Covell,
I want to understand
the timeline, okay? PIERCE: Yes, Your Honor. So... And I hate to bring up painful
memories, but that's how
we get to the truth. Little Julien,
when was he born? May 13th. JUDGE LAKE: May 13th. So, this is, uh, here. Explain to the court
about when you had that moment where
you fell short and cheated. It was in September.
I don't remember
the exact date. Um, I had just lost a baby. JUDGE LAKE: Early September,
middle September? It was early September. JUDGE LAKE: All right. JUDGE LAKE: Well... PIERCE: I thought
it was in August. COVELL: Uh-uh. I told you,
the beginning of September. Did you say the end of August?
Beginning of September? COVELL: Somewhere
around that time. Okay. That could take us back in here. COVELL: Okay. So, you cheated
right around here. If you count the months,
that's looking like the window
of conception. COVELL: Yes, Your Honor. I mean it seems
like you both love
each other deeply. How did you end up
in the arms of another man? Um, after I lost
that baby, um, he was very supportive
on and off while I was
in the hospital. I didn't feel like he was... PIERCE: I was there. COVELL: I didn't feel like
he was there for me. You say you were there.
You might have been there
physically but not emotionally. PIERCE: You know... You were not there. And the other guy was
asking me, you know,
"Are you okay? Have you, you know,
we missed you at work." You know, he...
It felt emotionally like
he was more there for me and when we hung out
the one time, just one thing led to
another and it got to be... How do we know that's
the only time though? Can anybody just
say any couple of words
to make you feel good? Go ahead and take
the lie detector test. It was only
a one-time thing. And I want a lie
detector test. I mean, even after the baby,
if he does prove to be mine,
how do I know that it's not happened
any other time? I mean, you are
the queen of being late. (CHUCKLES) PIERCE: You always... Okay. You work five minutes away
from home and every day
there's something. "Oh, I had to take
this person home. Oh, I had
to stay and finish this. "Oh, we got busy.
I had to do this." I do my job. Okay, but... I make sure that
my work is done. When you're five minutes away
and every day you come home
at a different time. And you cheated with one
of your ex-coworkers. How do I, how am I
not to think that, that time that you were
coming... Or, "working"... Do I not ever bring
time punch slips home? If you ever have a question... Not all the time,
I don't... I don't want the... Because I understand. Time slips. That's not... I shouldn't have to
feel that way. I shouldn't
have to feel like I have to... COVELL: You are right.
You're right. You shouldn't. See a time slip to... JUDGE LAKE: Mr. Pierce. Like I said I messed up
one time and I've paid for it every
day of my life since. So Mr. Pierce, basically,
this mistake has not only led you
to question Julien's paternity but also to question your
entire relationship. PIERCE: Correct, Your Honor. Meaning... PIERCE: 'Cause I always
thought that you know, she was the good
girl. She was never going
to do this to me, knowing what happened. And once that
happened, what else can
I really believe? That was the worst thing
that could happen to me. And so therefore, in addition
to the DNA test you request
today, you are also requesting
a lie detector test. Correct, Your Honor. (AUDIENCE CLAPPING) JUDGE LAKE: <i> We have in fact
administered that test</i> and the results will
be revealed shortly. You have this beautiful baby. When you look at this child,
what are you thinking? Every time I look at him,
it kills me. AUDIENCE: Oh. It was only
a one-time thing. I want to show you a couple of
pictures here, Your Honor,
that I brought for evidence. I'd like to see that. Jerome,
will you hand it to me? First off, this is
my baby picture. Then, this is
Julien's baby picture. Okay. PIERCE: <i> And I have cropped
them here together.</i> <i> And you can see them
side by side, like, every time
I look at them, I have...</i> How can I... You're right, though. He doesn't look like
you, he looks identical to me. I understand that and I don't
want to take it out on him. But, if it cannot be 100,
how can I not every time
I look at him? JUDGE LAKE: So, Mr. Pierce,
this is a picture of... PIERCE: <i> That was me
at about six months old.</i> All right. So we are looking
at you at about six months. PIERCE: Correct. And then now... PIERCE: You can see the
complexion, the dark hair, I mean... This next photo is? PIERCE: Julien. Julien. At six months. You can see that
he's blond as can be, his... You know,
my daughter... I'm only half Mexican, but my
daughter, you can still see
all the Mexican in her. She's got dark hair.
Yes, she's got blue eyes,
but she's got the dark hair. She's got the complexion,
you know what I am saying.
It's, everything is right. The man she cheated with was
white. That looks completely
like a white baby. I mean... JUDGE LAKE: That's what I was
about to ask you. What does the gentleman
you cheated with look like? He is white. He is white.
He does have blonde hair. Um, but blonde hair also runs
in both sides of our family. He looks nothing like me. And
I am not saying he's not mine. But how can I not think that?
Every time I look at him,
I don't see me. (APPLAUSE) (CLEARS THROAT) So now, what's your
relationship been like since
all of this has transpired? It's not there. It's just been
going downhill ever since
this has happened. We bicker and fight
all the time and just... And so this marriage,
ultimately, is in jeopardy
because of this situation. Correct. I have took back the
ring and everything, just
because I can't do it. I mean if the results come
back that he's not mine, then I don't think
we could save the
relationship. Period. So the stakes are
very high. Ms. Covell, how has Mr. Pierce
acted towards Julien? Um, life has turned
upside down, completely. Um, throughout the day,
he tries to be a good daddy,
tries to play with him. Um, I am not even
allowed to work third
shift anymore because when he wakes
up in the middle of the night,
Allen doesn't want... That's not completely right.
Third shift, I mean, we have already said...
I have worked the third
shift at her work, I know that you can sneak off,
do whatever it is... You have told me it's because
of a personal level that you
cannot watch Julien. If I work third shift you
don't have a problem as long
as I have a sitter for Julien. But he has his older sister
that plays with him and
keeps him occupied. Allen doesn't want to
look Julien in the eyes. That's what it
comes down to. I spend every day with him. You don't like to look at him
in the eyes. That's... Is it that painful,
Mr. Pierce? PIERCE: Yes. You know and we...
Every time I look at him,
I just... It's a reminder. You know, I want to be able to
look at him and see me,
not see a question mark. It's a beautiful thing to know
that this matters so much to
you as a man, as a father. I don't want to be
a bad dad. It's just... You know, I realize
I am hurting him,
affecting him by not developing that more
personal bond but sometimes
you got to be greedy and think about how can I
be happy knowing that and feeling that way, to be
happy for my daughter? You got to be happy
with yourself to be happy
for your kids. And so when those moments
where maybe you're
pulling away, my concern is maybe
he feels that pull. And I don't want him to feel
that. I don't want to take it
out on him. He's never done
nothing. It's not his fault. I mean, that's the worst thing
that can happen. I am not the girl that he
really now believes
that I am and thinks that I am.
I am not that girl. JUDGE LAKE: Listen, everything
that's happened in the past or thus far obviously
hasn't solved the problem, because you are
here today. COVELL: Yes. PIERCE: Correct. I have the results for you. The lie detector results and
the paternity results. (AUDIENCE CLAPPING) I would like to get the
paternity results first.
Jerome. These results were prepared by
DNA Diagnostics and they read
as follows. In the case of<i>
Pierce v. Covell,</i> pertaining to one-year-old
Julien Pierce, JUDGE LAKE: It has been
determined by this court, Mr. Pierce, you are Julien's father. Yes! (APPLAUSE AND WHOOPING) Great news, right? Thank you, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE:
You are so welcome. (EXHALES SLOWLY) I am sorry. I really am sorry for
putting you through all this. I am sorry too
and hopefully we can just
move on from here and build back to
what we had and what we
can have. (APPLAUSE) I also have
the lie detector results. Because your concern was
that this was not just
a one-time thing, that potentially
there were more lies,
or instances of cheating, and at this point this has
warped your sense of security
in the relationship. Correct, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: Are you sure
you would like to hear
the results? I might as well go back
with no regret. JUDGE LAKE: All right. I mean... Ms. Covell met with
a licensed polygraph expert and she was asked,
"Ms. Covell, "have you had sexual
relationships more than once "with the man
you cheated with?" You said, "No." The lie detector determined
that was the truth. (WHOOPING AND APPLAUSE) Ms. Covell, you were asked if
during your relationship
with Mr. Pierce, had you had sexual relations
with any other man besides
the one you admitted to. You said, "No." The lie detector determined
that was the truth. (APPLAUSE) I love you. I love you too. I am sorry. Sorry. (CRYING) Can I get my son please? JUDGE LAKE:
You absolutely can. I would like to say to you
both I am so happy that I was
able to deliver the news that you both wanted
and I hope these questions, having these questions
answered, Mr. Pierce, will help both of you
repair your relationship
and move forward for the sake of
your family. You have a beautiful
little boy. I wish you
the very best of luck. Court is adjourned. (APPLAUSE) I am just so happy
that we could finally
get through this even though he don't look
like me, he still looks
like his beautiful mom. So I get to see
that every day. I am just glad
there's no more question,
no more anything. That you should be able to
look at him, play with him,
hold him. Do everything like
a normal dad. Just like
you did for Kai. I will.
