Hello, Your Honor. Hello. This is the case
of<i> Marsh v. Reed.</i> Thank you, Jerome. Good day, everyone. AUDIENCE: Good day. Miss Marsh. You and your mom have
demanded the defendant, Mr. Reed, appear
in court today. Because you say he
denies your one-year-old
daughter, Tamari only when you deny his desire to have
a relationship with you,
is that correct? Yes, Your Honor. Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: Mr. Reed,
you claim that Miss Marsh
has confessed to you that you may not be
Tamari's biological father and you believe
she's trying to trap you into a relationship with her,
is that correct? Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: So, Miss Marsh,
are you using Baby Tamari
to trap Mr. Reed? Mr. Reed knows
me and him are... Not gonna be
in a relationship I've moved on since Mr. Reed. I just want him to
take care of Tamari. And so, Mr. Reed, you say you don't
believe Tamari... Oh, she's so adorable! Is your
biological child. (MARSH CHUCKLING) JUDGE LAKE:
You don't believe that? No, I don't, Your Honor. Where'd you meet? REED: We met... In Columbus, Ohio.
But I lived in California. JUDGE LAKE: Okay. I had just turned 18. JUDGE LAKE:
Okay, so you met in Columbus, Ohio. REED: Yes. So you all started dating? REED: No. I flew back
to California. It was a... It was a long-distance
relationship, Your Honor. So you were in
a long-distance
relationship online? Yes, Your Honor. So, at what point does
this relationship turn into a
sexual, physical relationship. When I relocated
to Columbus for work. MARSH: Your Honor, um... Taurence wrote me
on Facebook telling me that
he was coming for me. Like, coming to be
in a relationship with me. MARSH: And then,
when he get there, REED: Your Honor, that was... MARSH: Everything
was going good... But he was acting
like he was mad because I had a...
I had two kids before him. That was before she... WALKER: If he didn't come for
a relationship with the child. Why did he,
my granddaughter's third...fourth birthday.
Third or fourth birthday. He didn't mind. The whole birthday. The whole birthday. The shopping,
the birthday party. Everything. Spent $1,000. On toys. What man does that? And didn't spend another
$1,000 on her birthday party. Me. JUDGE LAKE: Wait a minute. You, you... Threw a birthday party for her older child. REED: I love children. I love children so I threw
a birthday party for her...
Her oldest daughter, yes. All right, so... In your mind, was this
a relationship or... She knew I was dating
other women. I never knew he was
dating other women. On Taurence's birthday, he asked me to go on
a trip with him to a resort with his family. When we get to Missouri, two women pop up
at the hotel room. And he said,
"This is my wife." And I said, "It's over." Your Honor,
on the way to the... (SHOUTS) What? REED: Your Honor,
I told her... Hold on, hold on now. I told her I was taking
her to meet my wife. I was planning on... I'm a Muslim, so I was
planning on having four wives. He's a fake Muslim,
he's a wannabe Muslim. Well, let me understand this. JUDGE LAKE: Miss Marsh... Man you'd been
dating and seeing relocated to your town. MARSH: Mmm-hmm. Says, "We're dating. I wanna
take you on a vacation." Yeah. We have a time share
in Missouri. WALKER: It doesn't matter what it is,
you took her out of town. And so you get to Missouri, and he says, "Let me
introduce you to my wife?" Or did I say that
before we got to Missouri? No, no, no, no. I didn't tell you before
we got to Missouri? No. JUDGE LAKE: Wait a minute,
I have never heard of a man taking a woman on vacation
to meet their wife. MARSH: Exactly! Exactly! And then when we got
there, Your Honor, the girl... They was asking me
like, "How do you know him?" I'm like,
"How do you know him?" She just met him. JUDGE LAKE: The wife? Yes. (MARSH LAUGHS) She was the prospect. Just like Danielle was. MARSH: I said,
"You know what?" I'm gonna go back home.
I have people in St. Louis that could take me home.
He said, "You're not
going nowhere." The reason I got
upset is because her
and the other person ruined my birthday. MARSH: We got a... (LAUGHS) They ruined my birthday. Mr. Reed, you ruined
your own birthday. WALKER: You ruined
your birthday. Mr. Reed. No, you ruined my birthday. No, you ruined your birthday. I just wanted to go home. Probably so.
Bringing both...
Bringing 'em... Ain't nobody ruined
your birthday but you. JUDGE LAKE: Mr. Reed... I should have went myself. Wait a minute. How far
into this relationship
did this happen? He was down there for a month. JUDGE LAKE:
And then this happened? Yeah. In your mind,
was this your boyfriend? MARSH: Yes. In my mind,
he was my boyfriend. Your Honor, no. He was talking about
being with each other. Your Honor, no. We've been talking about
being with each other
since I was 18, Your Honor. Your Honor, no.
Because she got upset at me because I was down
there two weeks before
I even seen her. He tellin' me,
he in...he love me... I was down there two weeks... And all kinds of stuff.
He wanted to get married. What's wrong... I didn't know nothing
about him wanting four wives. Really? I didn't. Really. Come on, Miss Marsh.
Cut it out. So you...so you're... It's your testimony,
you informed her
of your desire. Yes, it is. MARSH: He's lying. My mother even said it. She's like... My mother
addressed to her... His mother said
after I had Tamari... When my mother
addressed to her, she's like... She's like, "Miss Marsh,
my son told you." "You knew my son was...
Wanted four wives." Then I told his mother... Now his mother supposed
to be a Christian? When his mom said that... No, my mother's
a Baptist. Okay, listen, listen. REED: Wow! You got your... Let Miss Marsh testify. Go ahead. MARSH: When his mom... His mom...
We were downtown talking and his mom was like,
"I thought he told you
that he wanted four wives." I said, "No, your son didn't
tell me. He tricked me." So, it's a difference. Your Honor, I can't... I didn't know about
no other wives
until I got to St. Louis. Your Honor, how could
I trick a grown woman? Miss Walker, was it your understanding Mr. Reed
was your daughter's boyfriend at that time? Yes. JUDGE LAKE: You thought your
daughter was dating a man. He seemed to be a nice man. He gave the birthday
party for the older child. Yes. I mean, he came on
to be a very nice person. I didn't see
the other side of him until she announced
that she was pregnant. I didn't see... 'Cause... He came on to be
a very nice, strong person. And Miss Marsh, when...
You're tears right now. What are you feeling? You just feel... It's like, I've been
knowing him since I was 18. And this really hurt. This hurt. (SNIFFLES) And he wanna
go travel state to state to have different
babies and... Make... And find another wife. And he get these
women involved. And they write me. They tell me
what he tells them. His mom tells me
what he tells them. Like he got everybody
thinking something different. When he...
When he in love. MARSH: With me. So what happened
when you found out
you were pregnant? Tell the court. So, I found out
I was pregnant, I called up Mr. Reed,
'cause I felt sick. So, we went to the store
and got a whole bunch
of pregnancy tests. Then we went to the pregnancy
center, we got a ultrasound. MARSH: And then,
later on, he had left. To go console a girl
in California that was
having a miscarriage. Um... You knew this? REED: Yes. MARSH: I knew afterward. She knew this young lady
was down there. In Columbus, Ohio,
when I was down there. Actually, no.
I didn't know... Okay, so, me and him
continued our relationship from after his birthday,
'cause he did all
this apologizing. I'm young, like,
"Okay, he's fooling me." MARSH: You tellin' me
what I wanna hear. So, Mr. Reed
was driving a nice car, so, the police
pulled us over. That's when I found out
about the other lady. Because what happened? MARSH: He told
them his address and he said he lives
with his girlfriend. JUDGE LAKE: Okay,
and how old are you? Um, I just turned
26 last year. And how old are you, Mr. Reed? I'm 40. JUDGE LAKE: Okay. (AUDIENCE GASPS) JUDGE LAKE: So you come
and got this young girl. And you sold her
a whole bunch of dreams. REED: I didn't
sell her nothing. MARSH: And I believed you... She's told...
She's talking about
what I'm doing. But she have numerous men. REED: Yes, you do. Yes. Are you serious? REED: Come on now. MARSH: Come on
now, come on now. Don't do that, baby. Don't do that, baby. Really? You didn't
have a dude... Don't do that... You didn't have a man
when I came to Columbus? MARSH: Your Honor,
me and a guy... We had broke up
two months prior to him coming
down there. I broke up with him
for Taurence. That's what she claims. Mr. Reed. That's what she claims. I've been wanting
to be with him
since I was 18. REED: But she steady
texting him and calling him. They steady...
There's drama and... I never was texting
or calling him. We met him at the BMV
and that was the last
time you heard of him. REED: Yeah. But wait, what
I don't understand is, is the baby
is just a year old. You said you met him
when you was 18. MARSH: Yeah. So you've been running around
with this, dealing with this for all these years? REED: No. Your Honor, No. I didn't know
he was like this. I'd never
stayed in Ohio. REED: We didn't start
working on a relationship MARSH: Like I said, he... At least six, seven
years afterward. After you met. REED: After we met. Okay, so then you started
a relationship. That's when we start
a relationship. MARSH: But I thought... But she already knew... REED: California...
I stayed in California,
I stayed in Chicago, I stay in Ohio. And Cincinnati. REED: So she already know... JUDGE LAKE: Okay,
wait a minute. And you have girlfriends
in all these places? I have companions, yes. And do you have companions
in all these places? Yes. (AUDIENCE GASPS) Did you accept
during that time that she was carrying
your child? Yes, I accepted it but... I didn't... I wasn't for
sure it was mine. He don't want
responsibilities. Responsibilities? I'm the one
taking care of her now. JUDGE LAKE: You accepted it... (WALKER EXCLAIMS) The only time...
The only time I don't
take care of her, when we're not together. You don't take care
of a child only if
they're with the mother. REED: First of all,
we're not even sure that the child
is mine. I'm just doin'...
I'm just doing
my job as a man. Oh! Oh, your point is, is if I'm gonna be
in a relationship with you, I'm gonna take care
of your children,
and your children. REED: The whole
package, exactly. But this child, you say you have doubt. Yes. JUDGE LAKE:
All right. Miss Marsh, what would you like to add? MARSH: Your Honor,
when we were together, he didn't even
take care of her. Wow. Who pay your bills? Every time a bill due,
he would leave. And go to...
And go to Chicago. WALKER: And
I'm a witness to this. I'm a witness to this. Like, I'll be... Like, "Oh, my gosh.
What am I going to do?" (INDISTINCT ARGUMENT) Your Honor, but they said
I threw the baby a party. He disappeared. I threw 'em two grand. That was a whole year ago. All right, one at a time.
One at a time. So, at the point
you inform him you are pregnant... What happens? Like,
does he support you
through this pregnancy? Was he at the hospital
for Tamari's birth? BOTH: No! MARSH:<i> He got
back with the girl,</i> <i> that was in Missouri.</i> At the end of their
relationship, I guess she
was stalking my Facebook. So, she screenshotted
him a picture of Tamari, he wrote me on Facebook,
like, I wanna see my daughter. WALKER: Mmm-hmm, he sure did. JUDGE LAKE: Did you
send that message? Yeah, I went on Facebook
and said I wanted to see her. Your daughter. He said, "My daughter." And at this time... JUDGE LAKE: All right. So what's interesting is that
the Court also uncovered
this on Facebook. REED:<i> Yeah, that...
That was like...</i> JUDGE LAKE:<i> So someone
posted a picture of the baby,</i> REED:<i> Exactly.</i> JUDGE LAKE:<i>
And said, congratulations</i> <i> on your new baby.</i> And Mr. Reed, you responded... "Don't be too quick
to say that." That's how I felt. MARSH: But wrote me
that same day. I don't know for sure. So what is your
doubt exactly? Because you have not
testified to this. REED: Because every time
she get angry with me, the first thing
she do is say, "You're not the father." "This other gentleman's
the father, that she was
sleeping with." That's my doubt. JUDGE LAKE: Miss Marsh. When you're angry with him, do you tell him
this is not his baby? Because he's always
trying to do something... JUDGE LAKE:
But that's yes? Answer the question. Yes or no? JUDGE LAKE:
But that is, yes? And it only happened once,
that I told him that. Three times, you just
told me last time. It never happened three time. Women just don't
seem to understand that's a bell
you can't unring. If you looked at him and said,
"This is not your child," in an argument, there's gonna be doubt there. That's just the way it goes. MARSH: But, Your Honor. I never asked...him... Or the guy that I had
one night with... I never...
And I ended up being
in a relationship with... The other guy. I never asked neither
one of them for nothing. Did you inform both of them
that they were both
potentially the father? Yes, I did. But
the conception date
match up to Mr. Reed. JUDGE LAKE: Let me grab
my conception calculator. Tell me,
when was Tamari born? MARSH: April 15th. All right, April 15, 2016. MARSH: 2016. If we hit "Calculate," <i> the conception date
would be July 18th</i> <i> to July 23rd, 2015.</i> You're saying, you were
not with this other guy. JUDGE LAKE: Until when? August 1st. JUDGE LAKE: Until August 1st. Quick, huh? (SCOFFS) Move on fast. MARSH: Well at that time,
Mr. Reed was doing so much, with all these different
women that I was like... I went out with
my best friend and one thing led to another,
we always liked each other, and it happened,
and I let him know. JUDGE LAKE: So you told him,
"Look, there was another guy." It was a situation,
but I assure you, you are Tamari's
biological... MARSH: They started
stalking each other,
him and the other guy. Your Honor, I ain't
never stalked another
man in my life. JUDGE LAKE: So,
Tamari is one year old. MARSH: Mmm-hmm. Yes. JUDGE LAKE: How much
of a relationship have
you had with her, Mr. Reed? REED: Well, I stayed
with Miss Marsh for
the last what... Seven months? So now, you back
staying with her? REED: Nah, I left. I made you leave. Whatever. She made me leave. It don't make no difference.
I'm not there no more. So she knows you as Daddy? REED: Yes. JUDGE LAKE: So wait a minute,
does Tamari recognize
him as her dad? She says, "Hi, Dada,"
every time she see him. WALKER:
And he was good with her. And why would you go
stay over there seven months? And you didn't know... REED: Because I was... Because I was trying
to do the right thing. JUDGE LAKE:
But if somebody's... If you really believe
somebody's trying
to trap you you don't walk
right on up into the trap. Exactly. Really? JUDGE LAKE:
So now, Miss Marsh. What if for some reason,
he is not Tamari's
biological father? MARSH: It would hurt, but I know
that's his daughter. Like my baby look...
She's light-skinned but
she look just like him. And you believe this
is her biological father. I have the answers for you. Okay. WALKER: I'm ready for 'em. These results were prepared
by DNA Diagnostics. And they read as follows. JUDGE LAKE: In the case
of<i> Marsh v. Reed,</i> when it comes
to one-year-old <i> Tamari Marsh,</i> it has been determined
by this court... Mr. Reed. You... Are not the father. (AUDIENCE GASPS) REED: Now, I feel
like the goofy. I done went
through all this. And, all the time... All the time, I'm
believing she knew this. I didn't flew all
the way down here... JUDGE LAKE: Listen... REED: To look like a goofy. And you should feel... JUDGE LAKE:
But no, listen... Hold on. Hold on, Mr. Reed.
Hold on. Hold on. Hold on now. Now, Mr. Reed, you were
perfectly fine when
she was one of many. Now you got a problem
'cause you was one of many. REED: No, I don't have a... No! No! No! JUDGE LAKE: Let me tell you
something. I don't have a problem
with it at all. Let me tell you something. It doesn't feel good
when the shoe is on
the other foot. So obviously, Miss Marsh, there is someone else. It's... I know
who the father is. Is it the person
that you talked about Yes, it's the person
I'm talking... JUDGE LAKE: Does he wanna be
a part of Tamari's life? Um... Well he has... Ten kids, so... He has how many? He has 10 other kids. (AUDIENCE GASPING) (REED CHUCKLING) So the man has 10 other kids? Okay. (SIGHS) Ugh, all right.
This is where we are. You can't undo it now. All right?
You can't undo it. JUDGE LAKE:
This entire situation. It can define you
or it can refine you. You got two choices. And I apologize. JUDGE LAKE:
She said she apologizes. I heard her. And so, can you just say... Now, what's that about? REED: I heard her. I'm cool. I won't address
that, because... The truth is, Mr. Reed, I believe no matter
what I say, you're gonna leave out
here on a soap box like somebody
did you wrong. But... JUDGE LAKE: (SHOUTING)
No, no, no! Nope, nope, nope, nope. You thought you was
weaving a web of wives, but you got a web of lies. And now, you got
caught up in it. Now, you are not
the biological father, but part of this mess, you've got to understand
as a 40-year-old man,
you made. And so, in that moment, she was grown enough
to say she apologizes and you guys can
talk about it later. Oh, I'm wasting your time? You gotta go be with
another one of your wives? Your fake wives? JUDGE LAKE: Huh? You
gotta go to another state? It's possible. JUDGE LAKE: You gotta
go to another state? One more... Another one
of your fake wives? Or you got another
paternity case? Don't play with me. REED: No, I don't
have another... Don't play with me. It's possible. JUDGE LAKE: There you go,
there you go. Don't play with me 'cause
I see what you're doing. But that's all right.
Miss Marsh? Take care of that baby. Oh, she will be. JUDGE LAKE:
And I pray that you don't be out here
halfway allegedly making
any more. I wish you the best of luck. MARSH: Thank you, Your Honor. Court is adjourned. (AUDIENCE CHEERING)
