You may be seated. Hello, Your Honor.
This the case of<i> Torry,
Henderson v Goodson.</i> Thank you. You're welcome. Miss Torry and Miss Henderson,
you have both entered
the court today with cases against
the defendant, Mr. Goodson. You have joined together
because you, Miss Torry, claim the defendant is
denying he is the father
of your two kids. And Miss Henderson, you state Mr. Goodson
refuses to take responsibility for your four-year-old
daughter. HENDERSON: Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: You have
both asked the court to
award paternity tests and enforce his
financial obligations
as a father. Now, Mr. Goodson,
you claim Miss Torry
has admitted that she cheated on you
in the past, and she is also not confident
that you are the children's
biological father. GOODSON:<i> Yes.</i> JUDGE LAKE:<i> Although you are
actually hoping the test
proves that you are.</i> Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: Okay.
Additionally, you state Miss Henderson slept with
you and your cousin in the same time frame,
and therefore,
you can't be sure... HENDERSON: Which was a lie. ...her daughter is yours. Please, tell us
about your story. My story is that
I went on a chat line
one day, and I met his cousin
on the chat lines. JUDGE LAKE: Mmm-hmm. And he know that so far,
when we met on the chat line, I was just looking for
a friend, someone to
hang out with on, you know, a regular basis,
and smoke and drink. JUDGE LAKE: Mmm-hmm. So, one day he came... (AUDIENCE LAUGHING) ...to pick me up
in a white car,
a white truck. Put up the music
all loud and what not,
or whatever. He in the back of the car,
looking at me like, ooh,
he wanted me or whatever. So, we went to go take some
drinks or what not, listening
to some music. They recording music,
they rapping, and I'm singing on
their songs, having fun. Mmm-hmm. So, after that night
was over, he dropped me
back off at home. An hour later,
he come calling me, like,
"What's up, baby?" I'm like, "Who is this?" He like, "This is Chubby.
You all remember doing it
in the back of the car?" I'm like, "That ain't why
you calling me." He like,
"...I think you cute." Okay, watch the language now.
I know you giving it verbatim,
but, you know, it is court. Okay, I'm sorry.
He like,
"Shoot, I think you cute." I'm like, "Okay,
that's what's up," and then
we just got to talking. The next thing I know,
he like, "Shoot, baby,
can I come see you?" I'm like,
"Yeah, you can come
see me. What's up?" So he came to see me in
a stolo, which they call,
down in Saint Louis, is a stolen car. So he come
picks me up in a stolo. Oh. And I'm getting dressed
or whatnot, and I'm looking
out the window, and he like,
"Yeah, boo, I'm outside." Next thing I know, here come
the police lights. "Freeze!
Get out of the car!" HENDERSON: I'm like, "Really?
You came to pick me up
in a stolen car?" What? HENDERSON: Really great. I don't know
nothing about that. JUDGE LAKE: Wait a minute. JUDGE LAKE: You don't know
nothing about it? I don't know nothing... I believe it 'cause one day
his mama said he stole
her car to come and see me. GOODSON: Oh...
(LAUGHS) Okay, this is, uh... (AUDIENCE LAUGHING) I can't believe you sitting
up here talking about he came to pick you up
in a stolen car. That's what he came to
pick me up in. I didn't ask him what he was
going to pick me up in, but he came to pick me up
in a stolen car. I'm about to
go out the door to go
get in it, like a dummy. That's cause she wanted to
get away from my cousin,
so I had to go... Why would you talk to her
if you know your cousin was
talking to her? 'Cause he don't care. No, because she left
my cousin for me. JUDGE LAKE: So... TORRY: What you calling her? JUDGE LAKE: Listen.
I want to get past
the stolen car. I want to move forward because
obviously, this relationship
heated up from, "That's what's up,"
"Yeah, whatever,"
"Yeah, so..." Whatever. Whatever's going on. We was young, dumb. JUDGE LAKE: So, it heated up,
you all became involved
sexually. Sexually. After he got out
of jail for stealing the car,
he called me. He called me, like,
"Can I come see you?"
or what not. And I'm like, "Yeah."
He came to see me again,
but this time it with his Caucasian homeboy
and his son. And so, I hopped in
the van with them,
we went to their house. Did you check
the registration? No. (LAUGHS) I didn't
check the registration. (LAUGHTER) So, we went to go kick it
or what not, and we all got
drunk, again, and smoked, again.
And that was the first time
we first had sex. After that, we was
having sex for a year,
unprotectively. Did you have sex with
me and my cousin, though? No, I never had sex
with your cousin. Unprotected sex. Okay. Unprotected sex, for a year,
before we broke up. When we broke up... The only reason we broke up
was because he called me
on the phone, saying he'd been
getting some sex from
some other female. He called to tell you? HENDERSON: He called
to tell me. I'm like, "Really?"
Like I'm supposed to just
sit here and listen to it. Did you call her to
tell her this? No, Your Honor,
I didn't even know
me and her was supposed to be together,
you know what I'm saying? JUDGE LAKE: Oh, you thought
you all was just kicking it... I thought, yeah... HENDERSON: You were having
unprotected sex with me. Hoping that I don't
get pregnant, for a year. GOODSON: Excuse me,
Your Honor. I just feel like,
you know, say, at the time, <i>she's a little bit older than
me, whatever, so I liked
that she was older,</i> and she was... And you lied about
my age, first of all. Listen, I never lied
about her age. Oh, my God. But like I was saying,
she had a little bit of money,
I didn't have no money. I couldn't work at the time.
I was a little bit younger. So you know what I'm saying?
The money what kind of got me
into liking her, and well... That's all?
That's all it is between me and her. GOODSON: I really kind of
wanted the money and a little bit of...
You know what I'm saying.
You know? So, what I'm still trying
to understand is, even if you didn't think
you were in a committed
relationship, what woman... You know, you're
sleeping with this woman, you're in some type of
sexual relationship. Wants to get a call from you
saying that you're having sex
with somebody else? TORRY: I mean,
he did me the same way. GOODSON: She never got a call. You never made that call? No, ma'am. JUDGE LAKE: Okay. So he's saying that's a lie. HENDERSON: He don't remember
what happened. From time to time, I mean,
I have done that with... All right. So, Miss Henderson,
you're pregnant. And you say
to yourself, what? I'm pregnant, then it might
be his, because at the time
that I was with my boyfriend, <i>I was messing around
with him.</i> Key word, boyfriend.
I wasn't even around. You was around, you always
around. You just was over
at my house last month. So, Mr. Goodson,
do you believe you're
the father of this child? I mean, it possibly can be. But your statement
of the court says
it could also be your cousin. GOODSON: Yes. Yes. JUDGE LAKE: I'm almost afraid
to ask, but the boyfriend
is not the cousin? No. JUDGE LAKE: Okay. Let's bring your cousin in,
Mr. Thomas. Jerome, if you could go
get Mr. Thomas, please. Sure. Thank you for joining us,
Mr. Thomas. How you doing? Now, Mr. Thomas,
we need to understand, what was your relationship
with Miss Henderson? It was just like a friendship,
one-night thing,
you know how it be. Some nights. HENDERSON: Oh, my God. JUDGE LAKE: I'm gonna
need you to repeat that. THOMAS: I just said... A little louder. Like a one-night thing,
you know how it might
be some nights. You might get drunk, be with
somebody. Might turn you on,
it just happens. Right, and it was
I turning you on. JUDGE LAKE: Okay,
so it was a one-night stand. Yes. JUDGE LAKE: So,
either you or your cousin, Mr. Goodson,
is the father. Yes, ma'am. JUDGE LAKE: Thank you
so much, Mr. Thomas.
You may have a seat. Miss Torry,
let me go to your story. Basically, me and Charles
have been talking
for some years now. I met him through my cousin,
cause she was dating one
of his people. And he said he was looking
for somebody to talk to. And basically, I was in
a locked-up facility where I could only
come out on weekends. And we end up having
sex during the weekend. And ever since
I had my son,
he been denying him. JUDGE LAKE: Mr. Goodson,
just tell the court... What is going on? Well, me and Andrea...
I liked Andrea very much, but I felt like
she lied too much.
She lied... I don't lie. She'd tell me something,
but she didn't tell me 'til
six months later, or whatever. But then six months later,
it's in the past or whatever,
so... Okay, wait. Back it up.
Or whatever. What is whatever?
Give me specifics. I mean, she'd go cheat,
like, she'd go mess around
with somebody... JUDGE LAKE: Have sex
with someone. Yeah, have sex with someone,
and then she... JUDGE LAKE: Oh, is that
what "whatever" is? Yes. Oh, okay. Okay.
Okay, now I get it. Whatever. He's lying. Always lying. JUDGE LAKE: Continue. Basically, she'd call guys
in my face, or whatever, and I used to call
girls in her face, like, to make her
just mad, or whatever. So one day I called, I got on
her phone one day and I called
this dude on her phone. At the end, a dude
answered the phone.
He was, like... We exchanged some
words with each other. And then he was, like,
"Yeah, this is my son..." That's why I said...
"Yeah, this is my son." JUDGE LAKE: Okay,
watch your language. I'm sorry. He like, "Yeah,
this is my son," so... That what really
kind of made me
wonder about her... JUDGE LAKE: So,
you were in a relationship. Yes, Your Honor. And you say she was
doing whatever, which means cheating,
and then some other guy... ...gets on the phone
and says "That's my son." Yes, Your Honor. TORRY: He did that to
make him mad. JUDGE LAKE:<i> So, this was all
a part of game you were
playing, Miss Torry.</i> Right, but I didn't
know that he was
going to say that. But I also asked her
for a DNA test when
we left the hospital. He ain't never signed
the papers, so what
you talking about? Did anybody? No. Those children
deserve to have that
empty space filled. I know that, 'cause I had
the same thing growing up
with my own father. So I know how it feels. And knowing how it feels,
you understand the importance of today, and being
in this courtroom, right? Yes, ma'am. You have two kids that you
claim he's not taking care of. Right. JUDGE LAKE: Why do you
think he's denying? TORRY:<i> Because look at him!
He always... I don't know.
He got insecurities,</i> he's been saying
I've been cheating ever
since we met each other. JUDGE LAKE:
Were you cheating? No! I even got his name
tattooed on my neck. Like, how can you cheat
on somebody like this? That's his name
on your neck? TORRY: Yeah. GOODSON: I also
got your name on me,
so tell them that. Yeah, he got
my name on him. So... But you don't trust him as far
as you can throw him,
and you don't trust her. When he was messing with her,
he was messing with me. Right, and now
she's pregnant.
This might be his baby. Right. Hold up. (AUDIENCE GASPING) I don't know nothing
about that, Your Honor. HENDERSON: I bet you don't. He lying. He lying. Okay. Now, Mr. Goodson,
I want to go to your mother. JUDGE LAKE:
Please stand, ma'am. Thank you. JUDGE LAKE: Absolutely.
Thank you for being here.
Now, Miss Anderson, please tell me whether or not
you believe these children
are his. First of all, I don't want
him to be like his dad,
first of all. His dad got 17 kids,
okay, and I'm here... JUDGE LAKE: Seventeen? Seventeen kids, okay? I'm here to stop my son
from going through all that. Precious, I don't know about
her. I know the baby, and I
think to myself, it's mine. I think the grandbaby's mine.
Charles, he need to
keep his... Privacy in his pants.
You know, first of all. You don't think your son
is making good decisions. Not at all. He's not
making no good decisions
with his life, at all. First of all,
we gonna start
with these babies. ANDERSON:<i> When we bring
babies in the world,
then we got problems, hear.</i> <i> 'Cause we got little kids
that need a dad.
That's what I'm trying to...</i> (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) ANDERSON: ...teach my son,
to be a good dad. You know what
I'm saying? And that's why
we're here today, to see
if these kids are his, but we can take care
of these kids. Not me,
I'm a grandparent. I'm supposed to just be
here as a grandparent. But him, I want him to be
a successful father. You know. And as a parent,
I feel sorry for these girls
right here, because I'm quite sure
they knew what they was
dealing with, when they dealt with him,
okay, 'cause first of all,
he don't have a job. (AUDIENCE LAUGHS) We know. I want you to take this
opportunity, Miss Anderson,
and look at your son, and explain to him why
you're here with him. He know why I'm here.
He know exactly why
I'm here. He thinks it's a joke.
See how he laugh?
He think it's a joke. JUDGE LAKE: So tell him. It's not a joke, Chubby. ANDERSON:<i> We dealing with
babies. Just trying to see
if you their dad, okay?</i> Don't play.
We ain't here
to play, okay? You, Drea,
you know about him. ANDERSON: You had
two kids by him,
and I told you... I told you from
the first baby,
that I helped you, helped you raise.
Okay? I made a mistake. ANDERSON: Yeah,
you made two mistakes. Mmm-hmm. He wasn't even helping you
with the first one! ANDERSON:<i> He didn't even
have a damn job!
So why would you have two?</i> And then on top of it,
I go get you a pill
that we paid $50 for, and you take back? And had a second baby?
Come on now, Drea. GOODSON: I told her... Chubby, you told me to
take them back. You shut up.
You shut up. (APPLAUSE) Okay, you shut up. When I see y'all on
the internet, all three of
y'all baby mamas... Okay, all three of y'all,
all on the internet... That's when you start
claiming her as being
your grandchild. ANDERSON: ...arguing over
a man that don't even have
a damn job. And making all
these damn babies, like you crazy
now that you got
another one in there. Right. JUDGE LAKE: What about
your son here, cause... You know what, he ain't
no angel either, baby. Or is he just
not thinking? He's not thinking. When he say it not his,
you gonna believe him? ANDERSON: Point-blank...
What you say? When the next baby pop up,
you gonna say, "Oh, I believe if
he say it ain't his?" ANDERSON: No. We gonna go get a paternity
test. We ain't gonna go all
through no four years... But did I not say I was going
to get a paternity test,
but then you said, "Don't put him on
child support. I got you. "I'm gonna take him,
I'm gonna make him
take care of your baby." And that's what I meant.
Exactly what I said. When you called me
and told me that you was gonna put
him on child support, I said, "Would you
give us time?" He don't have nothing,
quit having all these damn
babies by him, 'cause he ain't
got nothing. JUDGE LAKE: All right,
I have heard enough now. We gonna go to
the results of these
three children. <i> And now, Miss Henderson,
you are pregnant right now,</i> and you may be returning
to this court to see who
the father of this child is. Yes. JUDGE LAKE: Okay. ANDERSON: Oh, my God. Jerome, can you hand me
the envelope? Here you go. ANDERSON: I'm all with this.
I can't wait. These results were prepared
by DNA Diagnostic. In the case of<i>
Torry v. Goodson,</i> when it comes to two-year-old Charles III, Mr. Goodson, you are the father. I knew that. I knew that
any damn way. In the case of<i>
Torry v. Goodson,</i> when it comes to
four-month-old Dreion, Mr. Goodson, you are the father. Ha! Come on. Let's go to Miss Henderson's
results. Jerome,
do you have the envelope? Yes, I do. Here you go, Your Honor. TORRY: You gonna
take care of your kids,
sugar? HENDERSON: No. Let's get married. In the case of <i> Henderson v. Goodson,</i> and whether or not you, Mr. Goodson,
or your cousin,
is the father, it has been determined that
when it comes to four-year-old
Lazeyja, Mr. Goodson, you are the father. ANDERSON: Yeah. ANDERSON: Okay. JUDGE LAKE: Whoa. I don't think I have to say
much, cause your mother
has said it all. (CHUCKLES) Mr. Goodson,
I don't know if you
think this is a joke, or whether you just
haven't grown up
enough to understand what it means to be
a man and a father. I'm gonna make a change
from this day forward. What you gonna do? Gonna help
your kids? That's what I want
you to do as a parent. That's why I brought
you here, Chubby. You gonna come and give
her a doll on her birthday. JUDGE LAKE: Now listen... You know what... JUDGE LAKE: Before you
all start condemning him, I must say that
two young ladies... I have to agree with
Miss Anderson, sitting up, running around with
a guy with no job,
and nothing to offer, you're not
protecting yourself,
even if he's too stupid to know he needs to put on
a condom, you all need to be
smart enough to know. And you do know it.
So the kids are here.
What are you gonna do? You gonna step up to
the plate? And get it right?
For the kids? You don't want your kids
standing in this courtroom
before me 15, 20 years from now,
do you? You don't want that.
You don't want this for
your kids, do you? BOTH: No. Get it together.
Court is adjourned. (CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)
