Please be seated. Hello, Your Honor. Hello. This is the case of<i>
Dupree v. Flagg.</i> Thank you, Jerome.
Good day, everyone. AUDIENCE: Good day. Ms. Dupree, you're here
because you say if you cannot resolve
your paternity dispute your 13-year relationship
with the defendant
is on the brink of ending. You are here
to prove that he is the father
of your four-month-old twins, Sky and Skyler. And you're hoping
to save your family. Is that correct? DUPREE: Yes. Mr. Flagg, you say,
you were devastated when just four days ago,
the plaintiff confirmed
your suspicion. She cheated on you
with an ex during the time
of conception. You claim your family's
future is at risk, and state
you plan to leave her
if the DNA results prove you are not the twins'
biological father. Is that correct? Yes. So, Ms. Dupree... Is he or is he not
the children's father? DUPREE: Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: He is? Yes, he is the... JUDGE LAKE:
You're positive? Yes. We have been together
for 13 years, off and on
from high school. And we had practically planned this whole thing. And he stayed with me
for like eight months,
out of my apartment. So we have been together,
and all we did is basically... Play house the whole time. So, high-school sweethearts? DUPREE: Yes. And you all were
living together
at some point? Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE:
And so when these children
were conceived, did you live together? DUPREE: Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: You did? And you say you know
he's your children's father? Because of what,
the amount of time
you spent together? Yes. Also I had two
miscarriages through this... We, we planned it
and... All of a sudden
when I am pregnant,
you wanna say that that you are not the father. Mr. Flagg, so you have been
with this woman
since high school? Yes, Your Honor. And so when you find out
she is pregnant... FLAGG: When I first found out,
Your Honor, I was happy. JUDGE LAKE:
You were? (UNDER HIS BREATH)
Damn. Take your time. This is what this is about,
we are trying to get
to the truth about the twins
and their paternity. JUDGE LAKE:
So when you found out... Did you initially have
that feeling like,
"I'm going to be a father"? Or did you feel like, "I might be a father." I have felt like,
I might be the father... Did he express this feeling
to you when you told him
you were pregnant? Yes, Your Honor.
But, uh... He, uh, he was telling me,
I was pregnant. I didn't even know
I was pregnant. You know what I'm saying?
During around my
birthday time, October 15, he was like,
"You're pregnant. "You don't need
to be partying,
you don't need to be acting "like that because
you're pregnant." And I didn't believe him. I just, you know what
I am saying? I wouldn't believe him
until I took the test
and that's when I found out. DUPREE:
He's the one
who told me that he was having
the morning sickness
and... And sleeping
and eating. He told me... (AUDIENCE LAUGHS) So you were having
the pregnancy symptoms. Yes, Your Honor. 'Cause...
Yes it is kinda strange,
but... No, you hear about that.
That the men feel
the symptoms as well. So, so, you started
feeling symptoms
of pregnancy. Yes. JUDGE LAKE:
And you said to her... "I think you might
be pregnant." FLAGG: Yes. So why wouldn't you believe
they were yours? FLAGG: Because I had doubts, Your Honor, I have found out
the real truth like, like
two days ago. So tell me what you heard
two days ago? What did you hear exactly? Well, Your Honor,
she had told me the truth
about her ex-boyfriend. She did? FLAGG: Yes. What did she say? She had told me
she was, uh... Sleeping with him. (AUDIENCE GASPS) JUDGE LAKE:
She was? Yeah. And I was, I was...
Yeah I was mad. I had to calm myself down. And just go outside
and just... Just cool my head and... So just two days ago you found out that she had slept
with her ex. Now let me ask you this, was it the during the window
of time when your twins
were conceived? Yes, ma'am. Is that true,
Ms. Dupree? No, I told him that
'cause I was mad at him. We was arguing at the
time about whether he
was the father or not. So you just told him. 'Cause we was arguing
or whatever and I was trying
to get back at him because he cheated on
me and I was trying
to get back at him. He's the one who has been
cheating, Your Honor. So out of revenge
you just told him "I cheated on you
with my ex." DUPREE: Yes.
Your Honor. So, Mr. Flagg,
when did your doubt begin? FLAGG: Well, Your Honor, I was on my way home
to her, right? One day.
I'm coming home,
I'm happy. I step in the house... The whole house smelled
like sex, Your Honor. (AUDIENCE GASPS) Oh. And so when I am going
towards the bedroom, her hair messed up. I wanna hear this story. DUPREE: Look around the
house, everything's straight, but, when I got me my, uh... To the bedroom,
like on the side of the bed... There's some shoes. AUDIENCE: Oh... Some shoes? Yeah.
So... I'm looking at the shoes,
they don't look like
my size. Your Honor, I'm looking at
my size of shoes, so... I go inside like this. These are my shoes.
They are an
eight and a half. These are not my shoes. AUDIENCE: Oh. These are 11 or 13 size. (AUDIENCE GASPS) You saw some big shoes
next to your bed? Yes. And clearly,
if you're a size eight,
they aren't your shoes. I don't wear a size 11, 12... Your Honor,
I wear a size eight,
eight and a half... So you see these shoes... I had asked her, "Whose shoes are they?"
And she's like, "It don't matter,
don't... Just leave it alone." I am like,
"What do you mean,
leave it alone?" JUDGE LAKE:
It doesn't matter? Yeah. Did you say
it didn't matter, Ms. Dupree? When he saw these shoes
and said, "Whose shoes..." Yes, Your Honor. So he did see the shoes? Yes, he did. JUDGE LAKE:
There were big shoes. They were big shoes. And they were by the side
of the bed? Yes. And they weren't his. They weren't his, Your Honor,
they was my friend's
boyfriend, because they both came over. (AUDIENCE GASPS) So, so, this boyfriend
was by the bed? Yes. No, I have a one-bedroom
apartment. The bathroom
is inside my bedroom. They both took a shower
at my house because they were
just visiting and
staying with me. So her boyfriend didn't have
enough time to go home, drop her off and go home
and get ready for work so she asked me, if he can
get ready for work there,
I said, "Sure." So, he came, took a shower,
he put his working boots on
and left his shoes there. Why not tell this story
and say don't worry
about it? FLAGG: Then, Your Honor... That's true. I should have told
him but it was... (AUDIENCE CLAPPING) JUDGE LAKE: I mean,
let's just be honest. (AUDIENCE CLAPPING) DUPREE: Yes. If it is that innocent,
and it's no big deal, then it's "You know,
so-and-so's boyfriend
was over here, "and he changed
before he went to work
and these are his shoes." Why are they by the bed? I just ain't moving them
and she didn't move them. AUDIENCE: What? What? Two days ago, Mr. Flagg,
she told you she had slept with her ex? Yes. JUDGE LAKE:
And so... Is he a bigger guy
that would have bigger
shoes like that? Well, I never met the man,
Your Honor. FLAGG: So... Do you know
what he looks like? FLAGG: No, I really don't. But, I did ask her can I smell her, uh... (AUDIENCE GASPS) (AUDIENCE LAUGHS) I am just going to say
that I just understood
the testimony and not have you repeat that. So, you... Asked to smell her body. Because you felt like
the house smelled like sexual intercourse
had taken place
imminently. Yeah. Did she allow you
to do that? FLAGG: No. (AUDIENCE LAUGHS) JUDGE LAKE: Okay. So then that led you
to believe, what? She was cheating,
Your Honor. Ms. Dupree, what was going on?
Did it smell like sex... Yes, it did, Your Honor. It did! (AUDIENCE GASPS) From my friend
and her boyfriend! So then why was your
hair messed up? 'Cause I came in
and I went to sleep. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) Wait, but you said
it's a one-bedroom apartment. Yeah, I went to sleep. FLAGG:
But, Your Honor. They were in the shower. When they got in the shower? DUPREE:
Yes. I went to sleep. You went to sleep
in the same bed... No, they weren't in my bed.
No, they weren't in my bed. Your Honor, she had told me she admitted, to tell me,
that her boyfriend was there. Her ex-boyfriend was there. So, did you admit
that your ex-boyfriend
was there that day? Yes, I admitted
because when we
was broken up I did let him come visit. (AUDIENCE GASPS) And you did have sex with him? No, I did not
have sex with him. I just told him that
because I wanted to get
back at him, because of the all times
he cheated and came in... When around my birthday, when I broke up with him
and asked him
to work on our family, two days later he has sex
with a girl and... Some girl and he had the smell
all over his face, and he smelled like sex. So... So, I told him
I had sex with my... There's too many smells
in this case. (AUDIENCE LAUGHS) I, uh, uh,
uh... Jerome, there's just some
testimony that I wish
I didn't have to hear. (AUDIENCE LAUGHS) Ooh!
Okay. Your ex-boyfriend did come
to the house? Yes. But, you say you didn't
sleep with him. No... But something
is not adding up. Don't you agree, Jerome? JEROME: I agree. Something is very smelly. (ALL LAUGH AND CLAP) There were large shoes
by your bed, you admit
the house smelled like there was sexual intercourse
going on. But, you said
your boyfriend was there. But, you say that
wasn't true... Because you were just getting
back at him for cheating
on you? Yes. JUDGE LAKE:
Oh, okay. Mr. Flagg, how soon after
this incident did she say she was pregnant? It was like one month later. JUDGE LAKE:
One month? Yes. So the next...
A month later
she says, "I'm pregnant"? DUPREE: Yeah. And you're remembering
the shoe incident... Yes. Do you remember
how far along you were when you told him
you were pregnant,
Ms. Dupree? Yes, almost two months. JUDGE LAKE: So, you were
just two months? Yes. So you're thinking
as you look back
through the dates. Two months?
That's about the time that this whole thing
went down with the house and the smell
and the shoes? Yes. (AUDIENCE LAUGHS) So, now that the babies
are here... Who is stepping up?
Are you, Mr. Flagg? FLAGG: Yes, I will step up. 'Cause... You will
or you have been? I've been...
Yes, I have. I have been stepping up. DUPREE: You're Honor,
no, he have not. He has not did really
nothing for my kids. The only thing he bought
was the car seats. I did the whole baby shower. He only...
He came, he came
with one case of diapers, a blanket for each baby some socks for, um,
each baby, the face rags,
and maybe two, three
outfits. And since we have been living together,
he's just been buying diapers, and that's it. When I was pregnant,
he told me to buy
the big stuff and he was going to buy
the little stuff. And he won't do
nothing. And I can see that hurts you. And yes it do... And when I...
He was like,
"You need to get a job." So, I got a job
and I asked him
to watch them. And I come home,
he just leave them
wet. JUDGE LAKE:<i>
So, you submitted
video evidence to the court.</i> DUPREE: <i> Yes.</i> JUDGE LAKE: <i> Here it is.</i> JUDGE LAKE:<i>
You say he just ignores
the babies.</i> <i> This is what it looks like
when he is supposedly
taking care of the babies?</i> DUPREE:<i>
Yes, Your Honor.</i> JUDGE LAKE: <i> Mr. Flagg...</i> I mean, you got
two twins. Are you somehow unconsciously,
even if it's not on purpose, are you trying not to bond with these babies? Before I had kids, I was with this other woman. I am going through
the same thing
like with this woman. JUDGE LAKE:
What do you mean? I had another, uh,
paternity test with, with
another kid. You had another
paternity situation? FLAGG: Yeah. With another woman. FLAGG: Yes. When she said,
"The baby ain't yours." I'm like, "I can't, I can't
do this no more." And I can see that,
it really hurt you. I love those babies. It's just that I always have
doubts, just like, <i> is it mine?</i> <i> I am really sick
and tired of going through it.
I really am.</i> JUDGE LAKE: And I can see
the tears in your eyes 'cause this really
bothers you. This is what this is about. I really love these kids
and I really want to marry
Ms. Dupree. And you're just so worried
that if they are not your
children, it's the end of a 13-year
relationship. And again it will be
three children you thought
in your lifetime were yours. And then ended up not being. DUPREE:
No, it was four. JUDGE LAKE: Ms. Dupree... Do you worry that he will
walk away from this? If the twins are not his
biological children? We had two miscarriages
before this. JUDGE LAKE:
You did? Yes, and that hurt. That's hurting and... It's just like God just gave
me this blessing of two, and I always wanted kids
and that hurt. And when he denies my kids,
that makes me feel like, he don't even care. And it just hurt.
And I just... Wanna get it over with
and for his family to know. JUDGE LAKE:
It's all right, sweetheart.
I know. Both of you have
been through so much. Miscarriages, paternity situations
that didn't turn out
the way you want. It's very emotional... It's just like... My daddy wasn't there. So I don't want my kids
to grow up without a father. 'Cause I didn't have one.
I don't want them
to go through that. I want my, you know, for him
to raise his son to be a man. I could raise my daughter
to become a woman. I don't want them
to go through
what I have been through. JUDGE LAKE:
You have been through a lot. And I understand how important
these results are to you both and to the children.
So... There is so much riding on these results today. DUPREE:
Yes, Your Honor. Are you ready for them? Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE:
Because the twins
are fraternal we of course tested
each child. All right? These results were prepared
by DNA Diagnostics and
they read as follows. In the case of<i>
Dupree v. Flagg,</i> when it comes
to four-month-old twins, Sky Dupree Flagg, and Skyler Dupree Flagg, it has been determined
by this court... JUDGE LAKE:
Mr. Flagg, you... Are their father. (APPLAUSE) JUDGE LAKE:
Congratulations, Mr. Flagg. You happy? FLAGG:
Yes, I am very happy. And I probably want to do,
uh, something else too. What would you like to do? Angie? I love you. Thank you. I mean... I'm so nervous... (MUMBLING) FLAGG: Okay,
I love you. You're my anything
and everything. I would do anything
for you. I would run across the world
for you. Oh, man. ALL: Aw... Will you marry me? Aw... (SOBBING)
Yes. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) (LAUGHS) Well, I have to say after such a stinky start... (ALL LAUGH) This ended up... (APPLAUSE) We came out
smelling like roses, I will say it that way. (AUDIENCE LAUGHS) And that's a good thing. And I don't mean to, to,
to rain on the parade, I am a straight shooter
and I want to counsel
you both. That this is
the beautiful part. Getting engaged
and professing your love,
Mr. Flagg. We've got to back that up
with the actions. And today
is such a fantastic day because not only do you
now know you have
two beautiful twins, you all have decided
to start a life together
as a family, and give them everything
you never had. If you both decide that you are going to remain
committed to it, you can't do anything
but win. All right? BOTH:
Yes, Your Honor. You are such
a beautiful couple. I wish you
the very best of luck. You know,
we are family around here. So, I want to see
some wedding pictures. All right? And take great care of those
beautiful babies, all right? Yes, Your Honor. Court is adjourned. (APPLAUSE)
