You may be seated. Hello, Your Honor. Hello. This is the case
of <i> Chatman v. Hayes.</i> Thank you Jerome.
Good day everyone. ALL: Good day. Ms. Chatman, you and
the defendant have
an older child together, but you've brought him
to court to prove your
2-year-old son, <i> Maurice Hayes Jr. is his.</i> CHATMAN: <i> Yes, Your Honor.</i> JUDGE LAKE: You claim he was
excited during your pregnancy, named your baby, but now denies him,
because he has a new
girlfriend. Yes. JUDGE LAKE: Now, Mr. Hayes, you say you've always
doubted paternity of
Maurice Jr. Yes. And you're just trying
to do the right thing, by signing the birth
certificate, but you now say
that he is not yours, and you want the
plaintiff to change
his name, when the paternity test
proves he's not your junior. Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: So, Ms. Chatman, tell us why do you
feel Mr. Hayes needs to just step up
and be a father? Because, if he can take
care of somebody else's
child, why can't he take
care of his own child? (APPLAUDING) JUDGE LAKE: And,
so you submit today that he's taking care
of someone else's child. CHATMAN: Yes, Your Honor. But, not doing anything
for the child he fathered
with you. CHATMAN: Not Maurice Jr. Explain. He's not doing nothing
for Maurice Jr. He barely does for Mariah,
like for instance, on Christmas,
he brought Mauriah
five presents. <i> Didn't bring Maurice Jr.
nothing.</i> JUDGE LAKE: <i> For Christmas?</i> CHATMAN: <i> Yes.</i> JUDGE LAKE: <i> Nothing?</i> CHATMAN: <i> Nothing.</i> Is that true, Mr. Hayes? HAYES: No ma'am, she's telling
lies, Your Honor. I bought actually
six gifts, I gave him one
and gave her five, and I held both of them
and gave both of them hugs. But, you clearly have
doubt around Maurice Jr. HAYES: Yes ma'am. JUDGE LAKE: Tell me about
that doubt. The only reason why I have
doubt is because when I was
asking her if she's pregnant, she was like, "No." And I got a piece of
letter in the mail, saying that she
was pregnant. But, she also still
was in denial, so, when I'd say she
was like four months, and my mother asked,
"So, was she pregnant?"
She says, no, she's not. So, I still was like,
"Okay, how you not
pregnant?" And I got a letter
in the mail. So, why all this
confusion? I don't know, because
she was talking to
another guy, and I guess she was
scared to tell me
about it. I don't know. Ms. Chatman, why all this
back and forth? "I am pregnant.
I am not pregnant." Because, yeah, true enough,
I told him I wasn't pregnant, because I just had
Mauriah, for four months. So why be that way? She was only four months. And I was pregnant again,
so I didn't know. I didn't know if I wanted
to keep him, to be honest,
or what. So, we talked about it
and we got back together. So, he came back. CHATMAN: Yes. After he found out
you were pregnant? CHATMAN: Yes. Did it seem as if
he accepted the pregnancy? He went to every doctor
appointment that I had. Since we got back together... HAYES: Just a minute... (APPLAUDING) I had no symptoms,
I had none of this. In your mind,
your baby's on the way. Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: You're at the
hospital, the baby's born. Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: You decide,
"I am signing the birth
certificate." Yes, Your Honor. You didn't think at that
moment that you needed
a DNA test? You didn't have a doubt? HAYES: She told me that
it was my baby. And I took responsibility
and moved back in. That's when I started
having doubts when he
came home, but when I was holding him,
I was telling her
that I am not the father, I never had symptoms,
you know, I never felt
any type of weight. What symptoms were you
suppose to have? (CROWD LAUGHING) Like, you know,
cravings, I gained weight. When your girlfriend
was pregnant the first
time, you gained weight, but this time, you didn't
have the same symptoms. You didn't eat,
you didn't have
any cravings. No ma'am. And you believe, it was because
it wasn't your child. Yes, Your Honor. Well, that's a first, Jerome. (CROWD LAUGHING) CHATMAN: Okay I have... Definitely they first
time I've ever heard that. I have something
for you. JUDGE LAKE: Yes, I'd like
to see that evidence. Jerome, will you
hand it to me, please? What is this, ma'am? In the state of
Tennessee, once you sign the
birth certificate... HAYES: And that's what
she's using against me. CHATMAN: <i> They tell you,
that once you sign the
birth certificate,</i> <i> it voids off DNA
paternity testing.</i> JUDGE LAKE: <i> So, this is
a pamphlet.</i> CHATMAN: <i> Yes, ma'am.</i> It says, "For your child's
sake, establish paternity." CHATMAN: Yes. And it's basically, and entire pamphlet
with passages highlighted, that talk about the issues
you need to consider, as it relates to paternity,
signing a birth certificate, and if you have doubt,
how you should not
sign the birth certificate. It says, "Parents should think
carefully before acknowledging
paternity. "If either of you do
change your mind, "you have 60 days to
rescind the acknowledgment
in writing. "If either parent has
any doubts about who
the father is, "no forms should be signed." I was just trying to be
a good guy. Your Honor, that's all. Your Honor? JUDGE LAKE: You're
acknowledging you saw
this pamphlet? Yes ma'am, she explained
all of it to me. I was just trying to
be a good guy. Two weeks! He said he waited
until the baby was two weeks, to say the baby
is not his. That paper says 60 days.
Why did he not write mail? (APPLAUDING) JUDGE LAKE: Very good
questions, Ms. Chatman. Mr. Hayes, why didn't you
rescind your acknowledgment, if you felt in two weeks
that the baby really didn't
look like you, and you don't remember
having the symptoms? (CROWD LAUGHING) Because, when I went to
juvenile court they said I had
to get a DNA. I had to pay for a DNA
and I didn't have no
job at the time. What is this about,
"I am just trying to be
a nice guy?" Because, it doesn't matter
if you're a nice guy in
the hospital, but then you're a no show
guy after you leave. (APPLAUDING) JUDGE LAKE: What's the point? You're right.
You're right, Your Honor. CHATMAN: I have something
for you. JUDGE LAKE: What else do you
have, Ms. Chatman? He's saying this is not
his son? What is this, ma'am? It's a Facebook post
that he posted off
his page, about his son. HAYES: That was the first
little boy I had with her. That's the one that died. That's December
the 11th, 2012. That's the baby
that died. That's 2012. "God blessed me
with my son yesterday." CHATMAN: If he died that day, why did you say,
"God blessed me with
my son yesterday." JUDGE LAKE: <i> This post
says, "God blessed me
with my son yesterday."</i> <i> Did you write this?</i> Uh-uh. I don't remember
writing nothing like that. I have something else
for you, ma'am. JUDGE LAKE: Yes. (CROWD LAUGHING) CHATMAN: Here you go, um... What else do you have,
Ms. Chatman? It's a picture
of Maurice Jr. He claimed that he
didn't have that
Facebook. Oh, yes he did,
because there goes his
nametag then and right there. JUDGE LAKE: <i> He's here?</i> CHATMAN: <i> Yes.</i> JUDGE LAKE: <i> And you tagged...</i> CHATMAN: <i> Maurice...</i> Maurice Hayes, here. CHATMAN: Yes. JUDGE LAKE: On the picture. And what you're saying
is that this is the same
Facebook name that's used on the
previous text. "Maurice Playareese Hayes." CHATMAN: Yes, Playareese. HAYES: Yes, Your Honor. HAYES: Your Honor, the only
reason why I just really
had doubts was because when she
asked me over to her
dad's house, after she left,
I had seen another guy
coming out of the house. So, when I walked
in to the door,
I explained to her, I asked her,
I said, "Who is that guy?" She said, "That's
my daddy's friend." I said, "You dad don't
hang around with young dudes." So she said, "Oh,
they just work together,
it ain't nothing." But, the whole time it was
the same guy that's currently
calling my phone, and telling me, "Hey,
uh, your baby mama,
this and that. "Your baby mama
this and that." I said, "Hey,
how did you get
my number?" JUDGE LAKE: What's this
and that? He was saying that,
uh, he's the daddy,
and... I am trying to see
my son and she won't
let me. And, you know, I had
met him one time
at the barber shop, and then when we
started talking, he was showing me
Facebook messages, where Kecia had
inboxed him saying,
"Come get your child." Why you didn't
bring him? I ain't go to bring
nothing, you already
known what was going on. But, Ms. Chatman,
did you tell another
man through Facebook to come and get
his child? I never told another
man to come and get
his child. And the day that
he's talking about, he came over and saw
that guy in my house, he brought her with
him over there. So, Ms. Chatman, whether
or not he was your boyfriend, at that point, was there any other
possible father, is what I am trying
to understand. I was talking to the
guy that he was
talking about, but not around the time
that the doctor said
that I conceived. No. So you were intimate
with someone else. Yes. But, you're saying
that wasn't during
the window of conception. No ma'am. So, you do understand, why he could have a doubt,
but you're saying his dates
are off. CHATMAN: I understand. She used my
mom's phone, to talk to other guys. CHATMAN: I sure did... I never said
nothing about that, I ain't know
what was going on
with it, I just left it alone.
And, you know, now
that the baby is here, now she's trying
to wonder why, you know, I am not
stepping to the plate, because you don't have
so many guys in the picture. CHATMAN: Okay. I don't know what to do. What about Mauriah?
You barely do stuff
for her. You said if I can't
go get one, don't
do for the other, so I just left
both of them alone. I bring shoes and clothes
every time I get paid. Here's the witness,
right here. Every time
I get paid, I bring shoes and clothes. WEBB: This is how
she gets all the shoes. She stopped me in my tracks. All right, let's get
this clear. Let's get this clear. She had Pumas.
We buy her Jordans. Pumas and Jordans... White
Air Force 1s. Black Air Force 1s... I never saw no
white Air Force 1s, or black Air Force 1s,
and the ones that I did I bought it by
my pocket. All right, there's
nothing that gets on
my last nerve more than people talking about
what designer shoe a baby has and they don't even have
a daddy! (APPLAUDING) I don't care about
the shoes! It's about finding out... HAYES: Exactly. Whether or not
you are Maurice Jr.'s
father. WEBB: He been there for her. He barely do... JUDGE LAKE: I wanna
hear from her. I wanna hear from her.
Ma'am, please stand up
to the podium. JUDGE LAKE: Your name, Ma'am? WEBB: Jennifer. Jennifer? Webb.
Ms. Webb. WEBB: Webb. JUDGE LAKE: And you are now
Mr. Hayes'... Baby mother. JUDGE LAKE: You're his
child's mother? Mmm-hmm. And you all are in a
relationship now? What do you know about
the paternity of
Maurice Jr.? One day, when I had
Maurice's phone, I guess the guy she was
messin' with was supposed to
be the baby daddy, whoever. He texts the phone and
says, "Can you tell your
baby mama, can I see my baby?" It was a long
paragraph. It was telling him
about he was messing
with Kecia then. Kecia wasn't going
to her daddy's house, she was going to the club,
leaving the club, going
to his house. That's when he text
to the phone. Oh, he was texting
Mr. Hayes directly? This is my first
time hearing about it. Saying, "I would like
to see my child." And he was talking
about Maurice Jr.? WEBB: <i> Yes ma'am.</i> CHATMAN: <i> This is my first
time I'm hearing about this.</i> JUDGE LAKE: <i> And so,
when you saw this text,</i> did you confront
Ms. Chatman? Yes ma'am,
yes ma'am. JUDGE LAKE: What did you say? I called, I said,
"How did the guy
get my number?" She said, "I don't
know. I don't know!" So, I don't know
what him and Kecia
had going, but, you know,
I'm just trying to get
to the bottom of it... But, when's the last time
he's seen your children? She won't let him.
Because of the baby. Thank you. Thank you. "If you can't get one,
you can't get the other." JUDGE LAKE: So, Ms. Chatman,
you've created a condition, that he cannot see Mauriah,
the older child, unless he also takes
Maurice Jr. Yes, because he will
come and give Mauriah things,
take her, but leave him with
broken promises. WEBB: He had doubts. It don't matter.
Why's he promising, "I'm gonna come back
and get him, I'm gonna
come back and get you," (SPEAKING SIMULTANEOUSLY) Well what he lying
for, though? Mr. Hayes, you admit that
you've made the effort to see
your daughter, because you are sure
that she's your biological
child? But, you leave Maurice
Jr. behind... HAYES: Yes, Your Honor. Because you are doubtful
about his paternity? HAYES: Yes, Your Honor. And, you also have made
the mistake of telling
Maurice Jr. you were going to come
back for him, and never
show up, because that's how you
get Mauriah. Yes, Your Honor. What evidence do you have
that you'd like to show
the court? I can give you... JUDGE LAKE: Jerome,
may I see that, please? Saying if I can't get... This is a copy of a text
log that says, <i> "Not her today.</i> <i> "I'm cumm to get
her tomorrow.</i> <i> "I got something
to do today."</i> Mmm-hmm. Yep. JUDGE LAKE: You write back,
Ms. Chatman, <i> "Her or them?"</i> CHATMAN: <i> Yes.</i> JUDGE LAKE: <i> And then,
you write back,</i> <i> no, you write back,
"Her."</i> Yes. JUDGE LAKE: And then,
you write back, "You might as... "Might as well
forget about it. "Bye." CHATMAN: Yes. Because you're serious. Yes. JUDGE LAKE: If he's not coming
to get both children, then he can't see
either one. Yes. Is it fair, though?
I mean, think about it. You signed the birth
certificate. HAYES: You're right,
Your Honor. The child has your name. Yes, ma'am. What's the harm in just
picking him up? CHATMAN: He force denying it. (APPLAUDING) HAYES: There's too many
dudes in the picture. I'm not taking no
child that ain't mine,
Your Honor. I'm just being real.
I work too hard for
my little money. Listen, all this about
"I just wanted to be
a good guy," what happened to that person? That just wanted to be
a good guy? (APPLAUDING) I stepped out of
her life, Your Honor,
for a simple fact, because she left one
night and said, "Maurice, can I go
to the club?" I said, "Yeah,
you can go." Left me there with
Junior and Mauriah. Woke up the next
morning, she wasn't
there. Hopped in the car,
going to look for her. She over at another
guy's house. You know... When I came to the door,
knocked on the door, Kecia in there with
some dude. I heard, "Oh, eh, well, eh,
you don't need to
be here, man. "This ain't that." So, I said, "Man,
I don't want no
confusion." HAYES: She... Listen, we can tell that
the relationship, didn't have an ounce
of commitment in it. I'm just trying to
understand his doubt. What other information,
evidence, do we have, that relates to the
paternity issue? Do you have something, ma'am? CHATMAN: Yes, ma'am. What is it?
Jerome, will you
pass this to me? It's a Facebook post
he made, in his name,
right there,
Maurice Hayes, the time y'all was
broke up, when you
put that picture, JUDGE LAKE: <i> So, this one
says, "Daddy time with the
kids.</i> <i> "Gotta love them."</i> WEBB: That was in
my house, they won't
tell you... CHATMAN: You wasn't there! That's what's up.
That's good!
Damn right! All right, ladies,
watch your language
in the courtroom. I've heard enough,
I am ready for the
results. Jerome, please hand me
the envelope. (APPLAUDING) And please stand between
the plaintiff and defendant
for these results. I don't want anybody
getting out of hand. Let's stay composed. These results were prepared
by DNA Diagnostics and they read as follows. In the case of<i>
Chatman v. Hayes,</i> as it pertains to
2-year-old Maurice
Hayes Jr., it has been determined
by this court, Mr. Hayes, you are not the father. (CROWD GASPING) Thank you, Your Honor. CHATMAN: That's fine, he can
have his money back. That's fine. WEBB: But you took him
through all this? Yes I took him through that,
but did I not say I was
with somebody else, though? Did I not say that?
Not with nobody else, but... WEBB: Oh, you didn't say that. (CROWD GASPING) You funny, Kecia. Before we start getting
silly to save face, the point is it's
not his child. CHATMAN: Okay. He'd been through all
this, the man's got
tears in his eyes. Mr. Hayes, you're very
emotional. What are you feeling? She kept me from seeing
my daughter for so long. CHATMAN: You're right. (SOBBING) And, just put me
through so much. (SOBBING) I ain't seen my
daughter in two or
three months. And like, it really
gets to me, because that's my baby
and I'd do anything
for her, but she said if I can't
get one, I can't
get the other one. But, here it is today,
I am not the father, like I said before. You all have got to figure
out how to work through
this now. You have a child together,
Mauriah. Is this other gentleman
the only other possible
father? So, he is Maurice Jr.'s
biological father? Yes. What I'm trying to get
to is that this is madness. It is, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: And, let me be
clear, now that we've
determined in this court, that you are not in fact
Maurice Jr.'s biological
father, that's not going to
automatically cut you
off from responsibility for that child support,
because you signed
the birth certificate. So, what I am saying is
this doesn't end today. The truth has come
out today, but this isn't the end,
this is the beginning. Yes. JUDGE LAKE: Do you understand? This court has resources
for you, we will help you get
through this. Take advantage of it,
the truth is out. Now, do something
positive with it. Court is adjourned.
