You may be seated. Hello, Your Honor. Hello. This is the case of <i>
Sissom v. Riley and Taylor.</i> Thank you, Ron.
Good day everyone. AUDIENCE: Good day. JUDGE LAKE:
What stands before me
is a case of babies having babies. <i> Teenagers.</i> <i> This is upsetting.</i> With that said,
Ms. Sissom, you and your
teenage daughter Destinee are here to prove that
Anthony Taylor is the father
of your daughter's 8-month-old son,
Osiris, is that correct? Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: Ms. Riley,
you stand before me claiming that
you are 100% positive your son is not
the child's father and have insisted
on a DNA test from the moment
you heard Ms. Sissom was pregnant, is that correct? Yes, Your Honor. So, Ms. Sissom,
how certain are you that Anthony
is the father? I'm 2000% certain,
Your Honor that Anthony is the father
of Osiris. JUDGE LAKE:
And you are emotional already. MARILYN: Yup.
I have a grandson that's eight months old. He needs his father. I lost my dad
when I was two, so, I know what it's like
not to have a father, but I'm not here
because of me. I'm not here because
of Destinee. I'm here
because of Osiris. JUDGE LAKE: <i> Destinee
you truly believe</i> Anthony is
this child's father? Yes, Your Honor. You've changed
the course of your life by having this baby. Yes, Your Honor. Did your mother know you were having sex? DESTINEE:
No, Your Honor. When I would call Destinee
on her cell phone, she just say,
she's at her friend's house. So, that's what...
That's what I was believing. BRENDA: She was sneaking
at my house. She was coming
over here lying, conniving, and saying... I have a 14-year-old
daughter at home. She would sneak in over
to our house. She would come in over
there to see my daughter. That's a lie,
Your Honor. BRENDA: That's on...
I was going... How are you gonna tell me
it was a lie? MARILYN: Because,
Your Honor... You didn't... They was having sex
in her house. You didn't even care
where your daughter was at. What type of parent
is she if she knows... You didn't care where
your daughter was at. She told them... You're gonna say... She told them... Hold on. Hold on. BRENDA:
You didn't even care. Hold on.
Let's get some order. (GAVEL POUNDING) She does not care... JUDGE LAKE:
Let's get some order, ladies. MARILYN:
She knew there was... I can't... Ladies. Ladies.
The greatest part about this is,
you all saying
the same thing, blaming the opposite child. They had a plan! Destinee was gonna say, I'm going over to visit
my friend. That's right. JUDGE LAKE:
That's your daughter. Right. JUDGE LAKE:
But really the whole time she's having sex
with your son. BRENDA: Yes. JUDGE LAKE:
That's both of them... ...teenagers having sex. BRENDA:
My point exactly. JUDGE LAKE:
That's the plot. BRENDA:
And I didn't know. That's the plot,
so the reason why we're here is to get down
to the bottom of, if this child
is really your grandchild, because I know
you wanna know that. Yes, ma'am. JUDGE LAKE:
Now, Destinee, before I go further,
was my summation of the plot correct? Yeah, Your Honor. MARILYN: Mmm. JUDGE LAKE: Thank you. BRENDA:
Your Honor, I see her walking
with another guy. My son is in school. This is before Destinee
would say anything about she was pregnant. Next thing I know,
I find out and she, oh, my son
come telling me that she told him
that she pregnant. How is that? You...
(STUTTERING) So... BRENDA:
You just came around two weeks ago
and he was messing with another girl
at that time. You saw Destinee walking
with somebody else. Yes, another guy. So, you never
even thought that Destinee was having sex
with your son. BRENDA:
No, I didn't. Because you just thought Destinee and her group
of friends were friends
with your daughter. BRENDA: Yes. JUDGE LAKE:
Now, to Mom, Ms. Sissom, you know it
was Ms. Riley's house where she's going to have... MARILYN:
Mmm-mmm. You don't know. She just saying,
"I'm going over my friends." That's all I know. That's where I am. MARILYN:
That's all I know. So you don't even know about Anthony? No. JUDGE LAKE: You think
your daughter's a virgin? MARILYN: She was a virgin
when she met Anthony, so therefore, yes, it's Anthony's
baby and... No, it's not. That's what we're here for,
to get this DNA. BRENDA:
He's not my grandbaby. Okay. Don't claim him.
You ain't claimed him
in eight months. Don't claim him now. Y'all ain't
did nothing for him! I've been taking care
of this baby. They don't
do nothing for him. That's a lie. They don't
do nothing for him. Sure, I don't. JUDGE LAKE:
All right. Because it's not my grandbaby. And at the end
of the day, you're not... Ladies. Ladies. Ladies. MARILYN:
My daughter had... Ladies! Ladies.
Ladies, ladies. You're saying
Ms. Sissom, your daughter had big dreams
for her life. MARILYN:
Yeah, she did. Dreams to do what? My daughter is a senior
this year. She was going to college
to be a pediatrician and a lawyer,
now she cannot do that because she has Osiris... BRENDA: Oh, like my son
didn't have dreams. Oh, excuse me,
Your Honor, she has Osiris
to take care of. Oh, wow. So she cannot
do that now. JUDGE LAKE: So basically,
right up under your nose, they plotted this plot,
pulled it off and now
we're all here. Yup. JUDGE LAKE: And sometimes,
that's what kids do. And I'mma keep it real,
with all the phone, and cell phone have,
and we got, and all of these
communication, Ms. Sissom, it ain't never a day
in this world your daughter shouldn't be
able to tell you spend a night over
a friend's house. What friend,
who's their mother,
where's the number? I'm calling. BRENDA:
Yes, I know, right? (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) I want...
I'm telling you this. BRENDA: Yes! JUDGE LAKE:
No, I'm telling you. Now, Destinee, where were you
and Anthony having sex? In her house? Yes. While Ms. Riley
was home? DESTINEE:
Yes, Your Honor. She knew I was there
because I get off work. And Anthony would be like,
my mom says you can come over. And I say, okay.
I will go over there... BRENDA:
She's not... ...I will come... I will come in, say,
"Hi, Ms. Brenda." She say, "Hi."
We go upstairs. I spend the night,
she don't say
nothing about it. You spend the night
at their house? (BRENDA YELLING) Yes, Your Honor. In Anthony's bed? DESTINEE:
Yes, Your Honor. BRENDA: I... AUDIENCE: Ooh. JUDGE LAKE:
Well, wait a minute,
Ms. Sissom, where did you think
she was? MARILYN:
Over her friend's house. Her daughter
is another friend. I even asked Destinee, does she knew
you was having sex
in her house? You know,
what Destinee told me,
Your Honor? She say, "Yeah,"
because she told him. "I hope y'all using condoms."
She say, she... Destinee say,
she gave Anthony condoms. BRENDA: What? AUDIENCE: Oh. What type of
parent is that? What? MARILYN:
That ain't no parent. Let's get to the part
where you find out
she's pregnant. How did you find out? I hadn't my period. I ended up throwing up. Anthony say,
"You should go
to the hospital "'cause I think
you're pregnant." I went and they said
I was pregnant. When I found out,
I went to her house and when I walked
through the door and I have my papers,
she say, "Let me guess,
you're pregnant." I said, "Yes." So she called her husband
and said, "Well, Destinee's pregnant, "but we don't know
if it's Anthony baby or not." At first, Anthony,
he didn't want Osiris, he said, "We might...
We just... We should wait." And then,
he was washing dishes, he was like,
"We should just wait
to have a baby, "'cause I'm not stable, "like you got a job but
I don't. And I don't wanna... "I don't want you
to be the only one
taking care of him." So we go upstairs,
we talked more about it, and he said,
"You know what? "I don't feel safe
in the streets, "so I think you should
have my child "just in case
if I leave this earth. "You can have something
to remember me by." (VOICE BREAKS)
Anthony has so many people that was after him. That wanted to hurt him. And that's why
he wanted me to have his baby. BRENDA:
Oh, my God. So, I can have something
to remember him by. (SCOFFING) And there was so much
he didn't tell his mom... BRENDA: You good.
(CONTINUES SCOFFING) ...that she don't know. Okay, so, Mom, how did you find out
your daughter was pregnant? She told a family member
and they told me, went to the doctor,
pregnant. I broke down...
I have a nervous breakdown. I have to be in the hospital
for two weeks. JUDGE LAKE:
Oh, my goodness. I had to be
because my baby
having a baby. 'Cause you wasn't
being a parent. During the pregnancy... MARILYN:
No, you the dumper. ...Is Anthony with you? Yes. JUDGE LAKE: Did he came
to appointments with you? Yes. And when
the baby was born was he at the hospital? DESTINEE:
He was there. BRENDA:
Yes, we were all there. He cut the cord. MARILYN:
Anthony was there. He cut the cord
and everything. She even came
without nobody inviting her. Came where? MARILYN:
To the house, Brenda, don't say you didn't. BRENDA:
Wait a minute. Because they ask,
why... Me and Destinee
have her... (INDISTINCT CLAMORING) ...escorted out of the house
by security. Being born... We sure did. One at a time.
One at a time, ladies. ...grandbaby being born,
in her rule, unselfish,
disrespectful self, she comes in there,
I'm in the waiting room. She sent the guard in
there and tell them lying, and said,
I'm threatening her. I sure did. And I need to be
removed. So I never had
my joy to see was that my grandson. MARILYN:
I sure did. So, I don't feel
this is my grandson. MARILYN:
Do you wanna know why? So, you've been saying
all this time Anthony is the father
of the child? You've been consistent.
Anthony's participated in the birth? Yes, he is. JUDGE LAKE:<i>
The day of the birth come...</i> (BRENDA YELLING) JUDGE LAKE:<i>
No. Hold on.</i> <i> I'm getting
to that part.</i> BRENDA: <i> Okay.</i> So, Ms. Riley,
you and your daughter
come up because you say
since they're saying it's Anthony's baby,
"This is my grandchild, "let me go up there
for the birth." BRENDA: Right. She has me removed
at the hospital. So she can get
my son to sign this. MARILYN: No. This is the
birth certificate. My son ain't old enough
to be doing all this. You believe
she had you removed from the hospital
strategically because they wanted
to coerce your son... BRENDA: Right. <i> ...into signing
the birth certificate.</i> BRENDA: <i> I know, Your Honor,
right to date.</i> MARILYN: <i> One of her famil
members threatened us.</i> So, yes, I did because
my daughter ain't for her to go through
this with her she young. I tried to call this woman
and talk to this woman... No, she didn't. ...like a woman
when she was pregnant. So don't stand up here
and tell her that's a lie. No, you didn't! JUDGE LAKE:
Calm down. You're a damn liar! Ladies.
Ladies, ladies. (INDISTINCT CLAMORING) (GAVEL POUNDING) JUDGE LAKE:
Ladies. Hold on. Let's just calm down. I'm trying to
get your point, and now I get it
from your perspective. Because you feel like in the moment you came
to the hospital, you could have deferred
at least the part of it where he signed
the birth certificate <i> and took legal responsibility
for the child</i> <i> until you could
get the DNA</i> that you have been
talking about. Yes, ma'am. JUDGE LAKE:
Got that side. Ms. Sissom, the mothers have been going back at it
and it has gotten so negative, and so volatile
that when your daughter was in the hospital having
the baby as a teen, you didn't feel comfortable
to bring the energy that Ms. Riley brings
into the hospital world. Right. JUDGE LAKE: Now, I'm ready to hear
from Anthony. Ron, please escort
Anthony into the courtroom. I think I got it. Whoo! (AUDIENCE CHUCKLING) JUDGE LAKE: Anthony,
we have had a heated court session today
concerning Osiris. Look at me
when I'm talking to you. Do you believe
you are Osiris's biological father? Yes, I do. You do believe that? Yes. And tell me why. Because I picked Destinee and I took her virginity and I felt like I was getting into
a lot of trouble and things
that was happening. <i> And I felt like</i> I needed another
person that, like, got me
like my blood and, like, I didn't
wanna have a baby but as in, like, the things
that I was, like, going through and, like, by my cousin dying
and everything goes, it's like,
I wanted a baby because I feel
like one day it was gonna be time for me to die,
and I wanted, like, I wanna...
(VOICE BREAKS) I wanna just like
another seed
in this world. So, I decided
to have a baby. JUDGE LAKE: And I believe
you're telling the truth. And even
if your rationale weren't necessarily
truly indicative of what your future is, I respect
and I honor the fact that you are honest
enough to say what was really going on
in your mind and why you would make
this decision. My son, he's been
through a lot. His dad and his life
left him when he was about
six years old. All I ask, Your Honor,
was for the DNA. That's all I ever
wanted to know so my son
can have a life. JUDGE LAKE: But now
that he's testified that he truly
does believe he is Osiris's
biological father, does that change your mind? No. JUDGE LAKE:
Destinee, we're gonna go
to the results soon. And...
But before I do, when your mom talks
about you wanting to be a pediatrician and a lawyer and you having these
huge dreams for your life, why would you engage
in an activity that would
produce a child that would give you such huge responsibility
in this world? When Anthony
first asked me, can he take my virginity,
I said no. But I just felt like I have loved him
in my heart. So, why not do anything
that makes him happy? JUDGE LAKE: Baby. And this is nothing
against Anthony 'cause he seems like
a lovely young man. DESTINEE:
He is. You don't give up
your life and the possibilities for your future and everything
you can be just to make somebody
else happy. AUDIENCE: That's right! You first have
a responsibility
to yourself, to make yourself happy. Just because
somebody asks you to do something for them, you have to consider whether that's
in your best interest. Do you understand? Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: We're here now.
Osiris is here now. You all are kids. You all know
what in the world
you're doing. The rationale
is so irrational, it's scary. I get the reason. But the immaturity and the lack
of understanding in which you approach
this entire situation, you all,
we got to do better. And truly,
we still don't know definitively if this is his biological child. Are there any other possible fathers
until I get these results? No, Your Honor. Ron,
the envelope, please. RON: Yes, ma'am. In the case of<i>
Sissom v. Riley/Taylor,</i> when it comes to
eight-month-old Osiris Taylor, it has been determined
by this court... Mr. Taylor, you... Are his father. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) (CHEERING) Brenda, now, And you still ain't gon' get to
see him now. Now I told you. You're taken care
over there. DESTINEE: Oh,
I got nothing to... MARILYN: And I gon'
keep taken care of. And at the end of that,
that is my grandson I'm still gon'
take care of. You can't stop me. I'm...
Oh, I bet I can. This is about
the most ignorant stuff (GAVEL CLATTERS) I'd have seen in here
in a long time. Sit down. Sit down. Ms. Sissom,
you sit in that chair. Ms. Sissom, sit down. (MUTTERING) And Ms. Riley,
have a seat. This is just ignorant. Don't you dare. Come over here,
Anthony. Sit down. You lose. You all are just...
This is shameful! (SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY) And in this moment, just when
I thought these kids have pulled off a plot against both of you all to defy their
mothers' orders and to do what
they shouldn't be doing, I see why
they had opportunity. These children
have come in here whether they made
a mistake or not, they have spoken
from their heart of why they
did something. The most irrational, immature reasoning ever but it's their truth. That's how
they got here. And I'mma keep it real,
too, Ms. Sissom. The way Destinee
just popped off with her little dance after I announced
the result, that was so ignorant. And then you followed up and showed me
where she learned it from. Come on with this. The boy's sitting over here
talking about he wanna leave a seed
in the world 'cause he don't understand
the possibilities
for his life. And you all arguing
back and forth with one another
instead of encouraging and empowering
these young people. I'm furious. (GAVEL CLATTERS) Your daughter's
putting her dreams, opening her legs trying
to get a dream up between her legs instead
of having a dream in her mind and you wanna argue
with this woman across this courtroom. Come on, now. Now, you all had
made me crazy. You all think
you are crazy? I'm crazy for these kids
and this baby. You ain't gonna do this
to this child. (APPLAUSE) BRENDA:
Sorry, Your Honor. Anthony,
in your 17 years, your young life,
you able to talk more mature than two ladies
in this courtroom today. There's a purpose
on your life. There's something
you're called to do. You just have to
figure out what that is. Him. And the same goes for you.
Do you understand? I wish you all
the very best of luck. Yes, Your Honor. Court is adjourned.
