This is the case of <i>
Vaught v. Lindsey.</i> Thank you, Ron.
Good day everyone. AUDIENCE: Good day. Ms. Vaught you say your ex-boyfriend
Mr. Lindsey abruptly ended your
relationship due to
paternity doubts. But today you want
to prove he is your
daughter Shelby's dad. VAUGHT: Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: Mr. Lindsey,
you say the plaintiff,
Ms. Vaught, has committed paternity fraud. You claim she deceived
you into believing that you fathered
her daughter but today, plan to prove
you are not her father. Yes, Your Honor. Additionally, you
are counter suing for
a lie detector test to determine the extent
of Ms. Vaught's infidelities. Is that correct? Yes, Your Honor. So, Ms. Vaught, well, the stakes are
pretty high today. VAUGHT: Yes,
they are, Your Honor. Explain. I wouldn't place
a baby on someone that I didn't know. Like, didn't believe
was her father. You get what
I'm saying? I have two previous
kids before him and my children both
have the same father. And if I felt in
my heart that he wasn't the father or
if I was to second guess of him being
the father I would have told
him from the door. What was the nature
of your relationship? We were good. Like, he was my best friend
at the beginning. Our relationship
started going
south because he felt like she
wasn't his due to something... Hearsay. JUDGE LAKE: What happened
Mr. Lindsey? She says you
all were good,
good friends. <i> Were you in
a relationship?</i> <i> Were you just dating
or were you committed?</i> No, we was good
friends. We was in
a relationship. Everything was
going good. Today, I feel like she got...
She too friendly. She too friendly
to me, man. Too friendly. Too friendly? VAUGHT:
Too friendly? Everybody,
her cousins
her brothers... Your Honor,
he has the nerve. JUDGE LAKE:
Oh, too friendly
with different guys. Exactly,
Your Honor. Okay. How long were you
all seeing each other? About two and
a half years. Two and
a half years! Sleeping together
without protection? Yes, we were. JUDGE LAKE: For two
and a half years? All the time.
All the time. We was on and off for
two and a half years? She's not telling
the truth. We was on and off... No, he went away for six months of the
two and a half years. And we still
was on and off. Your Honor,
when we first met everything was going good.
We was going good. Then, little stuff started
popping up with her. JUDGE LAKE:
What popped-up? Her talking to peoples,
some stuff popped-up... She can't have
a conversation
Mr. Lindsey? She can have
a conversation... Your Honor... But how many
conversations
with males? JUDGE LAKE: So, I want
to know specifically what was it about
these conversations
that troubled you. All right, we going to
start off with this one. Somebody was in her,
I don't know what they
call it, her little Instagram. I guess they were
supposed to be knocking
on her windows. How somebody knocking
on your windows when you're supposed
to be talking to me? So, wait
a minute now, you said somebody that
was on her Instagram was knocking on
her window? LINDSEY: That's what
the message says. JUDGE LAKE: Oh,
what did it say? It said,
"I'm going to be at... "Knock on the
right window." She was telling the person
to knock on the right window. This was the address
to her house. Oh, so she was giving
somebody her address and telling them to
knock on the window. And you saw this? LINDSEY: Basically,
it was a booty
call to me. That right there,
that has nothing, honestly,
to do with it, because it was...
We weren't even really talking in that nature
at that time. So for him to
throw that up... Because we
really began being serious in
about March of 2014. So, he's talking
about something when he was
away in New Haven. That's what he's talking
about, Your Honor. So, Mr. Lindsey, besides
her on Instagram and you see her
telling somebody to
knock on the window, what else? She told me the baby
wasn't mine. What was I
supposed to do? VAUGHT: Your Honor,
I said that out of anger because for him to say... 'Cause he was saying
to me, Your Honor, "Oh, I don't feel that's
my baby. I don't feel
that's my baby." Why would you say that
when I'm loyal to you? And I have been
110% with you. I don't lie to this
man about nothing. And if I felt Shelby
was not his, I would have
told him. And, Ms. Vaught,
I have to tell you like I tell every
other young woman
in this courtroom, once you
ring the bell you can't
un-ring it. And I understand... Once you say that,
it's a statement that even if
you take back they can't forget it. It automatically
creates doubt. Okay, Your Honor,
so, if he says that's
not his daughter for me to kick him out... I don't feel like
it is my daughter. ...of my house. Is that an issue? I don't feel like
it is my daughter. Because I'm not
going to have you still around here... The dates
don't add up. How is it my daughter? The dates add up. I know the day
I got pregnant 'cause it was
New Year's... Mr. Lindsey... What are you saying,
the dates don't add up? Explain. The dates don't add up. If the baby
was conceived in September,
that would mean
December, February, we would have
had to be together. We wasn't together
on them days. What is that
Mr. Lindsey? This is a calendar
right here. JUDGE LAKE: Ron,
will you hand that
to me, please. It will show you that
the dates don't add up. It don't make
sense to me. VAUGHT: Your Honor,
please... You have a
calendar here, sir? Yes, ma'am. He went over
and above. JUDGE LAKE:
Show me what it is (CHUCKLES) I never seen him
play with a tablet for
the sake of my life. But now he got
a tablet all of a sudden. You see where
it say December
and January? I was away.
I wasn't even... We live in
different towns. I wasn't even in
the same town. You were away when? I came back, February she talk
about how she's pregnant. How does that
add up? He was away... JUDGE LAKE: So,
you're saying I'm not... if you count back
nine months your contention is
that she conceived somewhere in the
December-ish area. VAUGHT: New Year's Eve... And you were away
with your family,
out of town for two months. Exactly, ma'am. And you didn't
get back to town and you all
didn't get together
till February? So, you feel like
the conception
doesn't add up. LINDSEY:
It doesn't add up. VAUGHT:
I know my body. I know when I was pregnant.
I'm not gonna lie to this man. At the end of the day,
we were together New Year's Eve
of 2014 bringing it in. I just got out of work,
bought some alcohol and we went.
I came home and we had
passionate love-making. With who? So, I don't
see how... What do you
mean, "With who?" You say, you assert that
you all were together New Year's Eve. VAUGHT: Yes, ma'am. Yes, Your Honor. And so, that
would have been
December 31st <i> that would have been within
the window of time.</i> VAUGHT: <i> Exactly.</i> And so Mr. Lindsey, you're
saying that's incorrect. That you were
not with her? I was not there. I don't know who
she got me confused
with somebody. VAUGHT: Do you see,
that's disrespectful,
right there. Because if we were
together two and
a half years how could you
open your mouth and say something
like that. JUDGE LAKE: And that
hurts your feelings. It does, because
I love this man. He know I love him. So, for him to act like
that to me right now... If you felt like that
you could have walked
and did your business. You not chained
to be with me. <i> So, my thing is,
if you felt like that</i> you should have
let that be expressed don't sit around
wasting my time, wasting my love
and energy on you. I'm a daddy's girl,
at heart, so, why would
I want my daughter not
to know her father? And my thing is, I'm going to be
a woman about it. If I was cheating
on you and I thought
she wasn't your baby... Listen, Mr. Lindsey,
Mr. Lindsey. But you told me
you cheated on me. You told me,
I don't know... No, I said... Girls go through
hormones and stuff when
they're pregnant. Pregnancy. Pregnancy. I don't know if
she'd just be saying it just
to be saying it. And I said I
cheated on you? And when I
was pregnant? You said, "Oh, I'm going
to cheat on you." Oh, because he cheats
on me, Your Honor.
Let's be real. When you go
tit-for-tat... VAUGHT:
He goes worse. ...you end up in
a situation where you don't
trust one another. So, all of
this mistrust it just fuels
the doubt. It does. It's just growing
and growing. 'Cause he's sitting there,
he's dead serious he's just like,
"I don't know
if this is my child." And if he doesn't
know, Your Honor, my thing is, why
you stay around
for so long? Like, why build a
relationship with me, making it seem like,
oh, we're just going to be this happy
family, like I have... I never agreed
to that. You never agreed,
I get so crazy,
Your Honor, that Mr. Lindsey here
now he never agreed... So I'm standing
here lying... Your Honor... ...in front of you
just to make
myself look good. Well, let's talk
about the lying. Let's talk about
the lying. Because Mr. Lindsey requested in
his counter suit a lie detector test. Because he's
convinced that you are
lying about other
infidelities. And, Your Honor,
he's doing that
from hearsay. JUDGE LAKE: <i> We have
administered that test
and I have the results.</i> <i> Ron, may I have
the envelope?</i> Thank you. Ms. Vaught, you met
with a licensed
polygraph examiner. Yes. Before I read these
lie detector results what do you believe
we will find out. The truth. That's all it is. That's what the point
of the test was for. To tell the truth. Ms. Vaught,
you were asked
"Did you have "sexual contact with
the man who sent you "an Instagram message
about which window
to knock on?" You said "no". The lie detector
determined you were being
deceptive. What does
that mean? (EXCLAIMS) That I was lying? That means
you was lying? JUDGE LAKE:
Not telling the truth. I was lying? That's what
that means. Accept it.
You was lying. Okay, Your Honor. Ms. Vaught,
you were asked "Did you have sexual
contact with the man "who sent you messages
calling you 'sexy' and 'boo'?" You said "no". The lie detector
determined you were being
deceptive. (EXCLAIMS) So, you failed
both questions of the lie
detector test. That's a lie,
Your Honor. I know I didn't
cheat on this man, 'cause I feel like
this, Your Honor, I give Shelby nothing
but respect and everything,
in every way. <i> I don't treat this
man no type of way.</i> He feels like that
because of something
somebody say. LINDSEY: I got the results,
I got no more to say. You got the results? The results speak
for itself. Unless you argue with
the lie detector, man. I feel like you're
doing this because you wanted to make
it seem like I'm this
bad person to you. You make it
seem like that. I didn't take the
lie detector test
and fail. Mr. Lindsey...
But he won't
submit to one. Why won't he
submit to one? I'm not certain
that Mr. Lindsey would pass a lie
detector test either,
Ms. Vaught. VAUGHT:
Thank you,
Your Honor. Thank you, Your Honor. Your Honor, how
can you do that? Uh, excuse me... VAUGHT: Thank you,
Your Honor. I have my
own opinion. VAUGHT: Thank you,
Your Honor. And I believe that. I am not certain
you would pass a lie detector test. VAUGHT: He wouldn't. What I am certain of is his infidelities unfortunately have no
bearing on the paternity as it relates
to Shelby. VAUGHT: You're right. You're right. That's why we
keep focusing and that's why he
asked those questions because he
wanted to see were you involved
with or sleeping with anyone else
during that time. VAUGHT: I never slept
with anyone. And he knows that.
I told him... How do I know that? The lie detector says
something different. I told him,
I told him... Okay, we were... Now I really got
to know the time. I don't know, I really
don't know what's
going on now. Did you have sexual
contact with either
one of these gentlemen? You failed both,
you failed both answers. I never had no type
of sexual contact that's what I'm saying. Look at my
beautiful baby. How could he sit here
and deny her. She's everything
of him from the head
to the nose. All she has of me
is my cheeks. A family member
said just the other day "Oh, she has a gap
like somebody in the family." If he felt,
Your Honor, that Shelby wasn't
his, why would you
give her your name? Why would you sign
the birth certificate? Your Honor,
when I was in labor, he was at work. Okay? He ran 10 blocks
up the street, made sure he stopped
at the gift store to get me a balloon,
teddy bear and a flower. That's just being
a good guy, though. Okay, being
a good guy. That's being a good guy. That's being a good guy? JUDGE LAKE:
Wait a minute... Mr. Lindsey, no, no,
wait a minute. Wait a minute.
Wait a minute. I still bring her
something to eat. That don't mean nothing. No, no, no, but I'm
going to have to agree
with Ms. Vaught I mean, if you have
a child and you don't
know the child's yours, you don't stop by
for the teddy bear,
the balloons and flowers. I'm not going to lie. I'm not going to lie. If you felt like she wasn't
your baby... She persuaded me
into thinking that
the baby was mine. Matter of fact,
she persuaded me... Okay, one at a time. She persuaded
me into giving
the baby my name. VAUGHT:
I persuaded him? I got a petition
to change the name
if that's not my child. JUDGE LAKE:
Let me see that, Ron. You are just so
articulate now. He is just so
into everything. Your Honor,
Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE:
He's bringing out all
the stops in court today. When the results
come out that he's
her father I would love for
him to keep this up so we could build
and get better,
because I love him. (LAUGHING) 'Cause I love him. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) VAUGHT:
No doubt in my mind,
I want to be with him. Keep this up,
this is professional. I want... And you know what
I mean, because... JUDGE LAKE: I do. From where we're from,
being in that area people mistake you
as a criminal, a hoodlum. And he's not that.
I know the potential. 'Cause I love this man.
I still want to be with him. I hope this will make
him realize I'm always
going to be here and I love you
and when it comes out
that she's his daughter we can work it out,
because there's no reason I don't want
to be with him. So, this petition
he presented is basically a request
to change Shelby's name, if in fact, she is not
his biological child. He wants his
name, Lindsey, <i> off the birth certificate.</i> LINDSEY: <i> Shelby too.</i> <i> Don't forget Shelby.</i> VAUGHT: <i> Okay, excuse m</i>■<i>
Your Honor,</i> her middle name
is Renee, right? Your Honor, every
female in his family has Renee
as their middle names. So, if you really felt like
it wasn't your daughter why would you
give her that? No matter what,
if it ain't mine, I want... I don't want
her with my name. I'm 110%. What the issue is...
Hold on. (BOTH SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY) Hold on. Hold on.
The issue is this... The issue is there's
absolutely no trust. Oh, from... You don't believe
anything he's saying I don't. He don't believe
anything you're saying. And the truth is,
I want to know where do
you stand? She says she
loves you. How do you feel
Mr. Lindsey? Are you willing to
work on the relationship if in fact Shelby is your
biological daughter? Or are you ready to
walk away if she is not? I want to raise
my daughter with
her mother. At the end
of the day. So, if Shelby
is my daughter we could attempt. But, you know, got to gain
a little trust, this time, <i> because right now
it ain't working.</i> And if she's not your
biological daughter,
then what? (LINDSEY SCOFFS) We're going to have
to go our ways and get out of
each other's life. If she's not
my daughter, why would I stay? All right, then that
means the stakes
are higher than ever. VAUGHT: I respect that. I'm ready for
the results. VAUGHT: Let's go. Thank you. These results were prepared
by DNA Diagnostics and
they read as follows. In the case of<i>
Vaught v. Lindsey</i> when it comes
to 9-month-old,
Shelby Lindsey, it has been determined
by this court Mr. Lindsey, you... Are the father. (APPLAUDING) VAUGHT: Thank you,
Your Honor. I'm so happy.
Can I have that,
please? Can I have that? Oh, you want to put
this up in the house? Yeah.
I sure am. You're going to put
this on the refrigerator. If it helps him
remember. I can only imagine
what it feels like for nine months you
have a beautiful baby It hurts. and people are
questioning you, It hurts. questioning the baby. The father won't
be fully attached. Constant arguments. It is stressful enough
having a new baby, but having a new baby
with the stress of everyone
doubting you and the father
of the child denying that
the child is his, that's a lot. You two obviously
love one another but you don't
trust one another. Now, if you want to climb
up out of that you gotta do the work. And that's getting
back to the basics. The basics in
relationship, communication,
trust, respect, commitment. Now, we have counseling
and resources for you all and I want you to
take advantage of it. And figure out how you're
going to work this out. No, you don't have
to be together. But I think both of
you really want to try. But you gotta get those
chips off your shoulders. And you've got to be
willing to be vulnerable and you've got to be
willing to start over. Are you willing
to start over? Yes. Are you willing
to start over? I'm willing to try. JUDGE LAKE:
That's all we need. That's a beginning. The fact that you
know for certain you have this
beautiful little girl. She loves you both. And she's counting
on you both. Start there. And there's no limit
to where you can go. All right, I wish you
the very best of luck. Court is adjourned.
