Please be seated. -Hello, Your Honor.
-Hello. This is the case of<i>
Campbell v. McCier.</i> Thank you, Jerome.
Good day, everyone. [audience] Good day. Mr. Campbell, you
are here today because you say
your ex-girlfriend is nothing but a conniving,
gold-digging cheater... -[audience gasps]
-...whose goal is to pin her nine-month-old son
Legacy on you for her own personal gain, -is that correct?
-Yes, Your Honor. Miss McCier, you
say Mr. Campbell is a compulsive liar who's denying
your son out of spite because you no longer
want to be with him. You claim to know
exactly when and where your
son was conceived and you intend
to prove paternity today, -is that correct?
-Yes, Your Honor. So, Mr. Campbell, you say she's a gold-digger. -[audience murmurs]
-Explain. You Honor, ever since
I met Mariah all she ever did
was take, take, take from me. Your Honor, once
I ran out of money, she left me high and dry. I'm just here today to prove that this is not my son
so she can get out of my life. And, so, you don't believe you're the father not one bit. -Your, Honor--
-And you believe this Miss McCier just feel
like she got her one. -Your Honor, I think a...
A fish on the hook, Your Honor.
-She's trying to... -[Judge Lake] That's what
you think you are.
-Yeah. -That's another lie.
[chuckles]
-Yeah, Your Honor. -So, that's not true,
Miss McCier?
-Not at all. Tell me you say
you know for certain Mr. Campbell is
your child's father. We were in a relationship and we stayed together and we was together
every day. -All right.
-[Campbell] Your Honor, I went through phone on numerous occasions
and I see her talking to different men
inappropriately and it is, is outrageous. How can I trust somebody
who talks to different men, who sends their pictures
to different men, explicit pictures
to different men... -[audience gasps]
-...and you expect me
to think we're in an exclusive relationship. Any proof of this? -That makes no sense.
-Any proof of this? You know it's the truth. This is part
of your habitual lying. -You know it's
the truth, Mariah.
-Not at all. [Campbell] One day
she went out and I saw her
in her bra and panties in a room with another man. -When I came to the house...
-[audience exclaims] ...I came to come get some stuff
and when I came to that house, there was a random car
sitting in that driveway. I came and I knocked
on that door and I see her almost half naked
in there with another man and the man is sitting
on the edge of the bed, -but she has
a whole different...
-No, he was sitting on a bench -and I had pants on.
-Oh. -[audience chattering
and laughing]
-You know that's a lie. Your Honor, that is a lie. -He was sitting on
the edge of that bed...
-No, he wasn't. -He was sitting on a bench.
-...and he was afraid,
he was terrified... -He was not terrified.
-...when he see me
walk in that room. -[laughs]
-[audience chuckles] Miss McCier, you laughing,
so it's true? [McCier] Well, I was... I didn't have a shirt on.
You're right, <i> but it was hot
and I was pregnant.</i> <i> He's a full married man.</i> We've been friends
for six, seven years. Like, it's was
nothing like that. He came in the house,
so it wasn't like I was trying to hide anything. I let him in. -Did you say he was
a full married man?
-[Campbell] Married man... Your Honor, she is
known for sleeping -with married men.
She is known for that.
-[audience exclaims] She is known for being
a home wrecker.
She is known for breaking up happy homes. That's the type of person
that she is, Your Honor. 'Cause she says I'm
the compulsive liar, but no, -she is the compulsive liar.
-You're definitely
the compulsive liar. She is the compulsive liar. You say Miss McCier
was at her house with her shirt off
with another man
and she admits it. So you come in there
and what happens? Your Honor,
I come in there and she tells me
there's nothing going on. So, I say, "Who you got
back there in your bedroom?" So, when I come
back there to the bedroom, um, she's got a little
smirk on her face and he's sitting there
with his head down -'cause he's afraid
to look up.
-[clicks tongue] -He afraid to look up.
-Why do you keep insinuating that he was scared of you? -[audience chuckles]
-You are little. Why wouldn't you be? -[laughs]
-[McCier] Nobody's
scared of you. -He was terrified.
-[Judge Lake] He was terrified. -He was terrified.
-[laughing] [Campbell] Let's get
that right. Jerome, are you
terrified of Mr. Campbell? -[shivers]
-[all laughing] Y'all think that was a joke. -That's not a joke.
-[Jerome chuckles] Oh, my God.
Whoo, we gotta laugh to keep from crying
sometimes. So, you had heard
that she would be -with married men.
-Yes. Okay, and then you believe
one of them could potentially be Legacy's biological father. -[Campbell]<i> Yes, multiple--</i>
-[McCier]<i> I know
when I conceived.</i> <i> -Multiple people.
-I know when I conceived.</i> [Judge Lake]
So, you say you know -when you conceived?
-Yes, Your Honor. How do you know this,
Miss McCier? Because in September of 2017, Hurricane Irma hit.
At that time... -[audience laughs]
-...we were staying together and it was...
It was a tree blocking my driveway,
I could not go nowhere. We were stuck in the house,
there was no electricity and all we did
was make a baby. -[audience applauding]
-[Judge Lake] So... [audience murmuring] What? You say there
was nothing to do... Nothing else to do. -...except make a baby.
-Make a baby. -We was in there.
-That's a lie, Your Honor. -That is a lie.
-So-- There was not tree
blocking that driveway because I left
multiple times -during the hurricane.
-Yeah, from the mailbox. -I left...
-From the mailbox. -I didn't drive over a tree.
-From the mailbox. -I didn't drive
over a tree, Your Honor.
-You didn't drive, period. You don't even have a car. -You was a bum when I met you.
-[audience exclaiming] Who? I was? [McCier] I put your
bags in my house. I moved you in
with me and my kids. Because I had money
and that's all you want. -You wanted my money.
-You got so much money,
but no stability. Sounds real...
Sounds like a person -I want to pin a baby on.
-Because... No,
you was taking... You took everything from me. -Okay.
-So, Miss McCier, I want to be clear... That was the week
you say you conceived and you remember it
because of the hurricane? -Yes, Your Honor.
-Let's see if we
can confirm that. So, first, I wanna look up
the date of this hurricane -to see if you know
what you're talking about.
-[audience laughs] That we can find out. "Hurricane Irma hits as a Category 4 storm on the morning
of Sept 10, 2017, knocking out power to more than
6.8 million people." So, that was
around September 10th. So, Mr. Campbell... Do you remember
that hurricane? Yes, I remember
that hurricane. Do you remember
the storm in Miss McCier's bed? [audience laughing] Yes, Your Honor. I do...
I do remember that. Yeah. [Judge Lake] Okay. [Campbell] I do remember. But the conception time,
it doesn't add up, Your Honor. Why doesn't it
add up to you? Explain. She told me she got pregnant
around the end of September, <i> -not the beginning.
-Lucky for you all</i> I have
my conception calculator and we can get down
to the bottom of that, too. We don't play games
in this court. [audience exclaims] [Judge Lake] So, give me
Legacy's birthdate. June 15th. -June 15th, 2018, Your Honor.
-Of 2018. [Judge Lake]<i> All right,
and if you'll hit calculate,</i> we see that
the window of conception would be approximately
September 20th to September 24th and the date of intercourse would have been
somewhere between September 17th
to September 24th. It's not like
we didn't plan this baby. We... He wanted
another child, we talked about it,
we made him, and now he want to deny him
'cause he don't have no money. He don't want to
take care of him. I do everything for my son. I ain't got no money
'cause you took it all. [audience laughing] [McCier] You don't
give me nothing.
You done bought two packs of diapers. -He's nine months.
-You taking it till this day. -That's $40.
-She's a gold-digger,
Your Honor. -I'm a $40 gold-digger.
-She doesn't care about me having... Your Honor, she don't
care about me having a relationship with him.
She cares about me giving her money.
Now she's trying -to get my parents...
-I really think I'm the link. She's trying to get money
from my parents now. -Oh.
-That's exactly what it is. -She's trying to get
stuff from my parents.
-Your mama don't even like you. -[audience laughing]
-[Judge Lake laughing] Your Honor, I have
some, um, photos
and some evidence-- Please come across
to the plasma and present your
evidence to the court. [McCier] Wow.
Four men. <i> Your Honor, clearly I am not
the father of this child.</i> Over the course
of our relationship, Mariah has sent me
multiple pictures with four different men
holding this child. -Four different men...
-[Judge Lake] Really? ...and she cannot deny that. -Yeah, I can't.
-Can you? -[Campbell] Your Honor--
-Four different men
holding the baby? Yes, Your Honor.
Sending the pictures to me and in all those pictures
none of them was me. So, are you 100% sure
that I am the father
of this child? <i>But you're sending me pictures
of somebody else</i> <i> -holding this child.</i>
-[audience murmuring] Just random men
that she's had
sexual relationships with. How do you know
I had sexual relations? -That's an assumption.
-Because they're laying
in your bed. -That's an assumption.
-They're holding your son. -Sound like...
-[Judge Lake]
They're in the bed? Yes. One man was
laying in the bed
right next to him and she got up
while they were sleeping and she took
the picture, right, and sent it to me. -[audience gasps]
-Why are you taunting him with pictures?
Now, that's immature. Well, I was trying
to get back. He don't do nothing
for him, I'm upset, so, yeah, I try
to send him something that makes him feel
some type of way. Maybe he'll want to do
something for his son, -'cause he--
-But-- -He only--
-But you see that only
makes him doubt more... -[McCier] Hey...
-...and not do
something for his son. You see that now, don't you? I mean... I get it
somewhere in
your mind you're like, "I'm gonna hurt him
and show him this picture," but that only
makes him doubt more. That plan backfired.
Okay, what's next? Your Honor, one day
I went through Mariah's phone and I seen a man
texting her a message saying, "Hey, what's up
with my baby?" <i> And I read it saying,
"My baby?"</i> I thought it was my baby. I'm confused now... -[McCier] You're lying.
-...and you can't deny that. No, you're lying. In this during the cou...
During the time -she was still pregnant
with the baby...
-[audience gasps] ...and he was asking her
how she was doing -and she was--
-You wasn't even there
my whole pregnancy so how could you say that? When you came back around
he was already two weeks old. <i> He's lying.</i> -[Campbell]<i> Okay, and I went
through your phone...
-He's lying.</i> -...after that fact.
-You never was with me. You never was with me.
You never was with me. Not one day of my pregnancy. Not one. All right, so, I'm gonna
get to that briefly. So, what is your other
piece of evidence, sir. Your Honor, a friend
of the family contacted me and they told me
that Mariah had got
a DNA test done with another man
to see if he was
the father of her son. I'm confused. I'm supposed
to be the father 100%. <i> Why are you getting
a DNA test done</i> <i> with another man?</i> [McCier]<i> That's
definitely a lie.</i> -See, a compulsive liar.
-That's definitely a lie. No, that is not
no compulsive lie. -I never did that.
-Okay. -Your Honor, that's all
the evidence that I have--
-I don't have no doubts, so there'd be
no reason for me -to test another man.
-All right, so you've got pictures of four men
with the baby, you've got
a text message that says, -"What's up with my baby?"
-You got a whole
bunch of lies... And then you hear
she had a paternity test -with another guy.
-Yes, Your Honor. [McCier] Full of lies. -Full of lies.
-[Judge Lake] All right. -You may step back
over to the podium.
-Full of lies. So, obviously,
Miss McCier, -you disagree with this.
-Yes, 100%. Are any of these
pieces of evidence true? One man and a baby maybe, but another man and the... Definitely the paternity test, definitely a lie. So, you've never
had a DNA test... -No, Your Honor.
-...with another man
pertaining to Legacy. 'Cause there's no other man.
There's no problem...
We'll see. So, Legacy
is nine months old. What type of relationship do you have with the baby,
Mr. Campbell? Your Honor, all I do is... All we do is FaceTime.
She doesn't let me see him. -[McCier] Lie.
-All she ever do
is ask me for money. Every time I do try
to come around, I have to bring something. I can't never just come
empty-handed. Your Honor, -we have a strictly
FaceTime relationship.
-What have you brought him? -What have you brought him?
What have you given him?
-I beg her, "Can I see him?" -I beg her.
-And when I bring
him around, what happens? -When I bring him around,
what happens?
-I break down, Your Honor. When I bring him around,
what happens? Two seconds into the visit
you're in my face trying to figure out
who I'm with and what I'm doing.
You don't worry
about your son. -That is not your concern.
-That is a lie. -That's a lie.
-No, you're a liar. The only reason you deny him
is 'cause I don't want to be with you no more
'cause you're a cheater. -That is a lie.
-That's why. -I told you
on multiple occasions...
-Whatever. ...that we do not have
to have a relationship. -All right.
-That's not what you
were saying last night. [audience exclaiming] What did he say last night? Last night he was saying
how he wanted to be with me and he loved me and he just want
to be a family. [audience murmurs] -And, so, were you
together last night?
-Oh, no. -He was with his girlfriend.
-What? [audience gasps] Why are you looking
like that, Mr. Campbell? -I'm confused.
-Oh! -I don't remember...
-Oh! I don't remember
a lot about last night. -It's kinda blurry to me...
-I bet. ...and, um, I don't remember
what happened last night. -You don't remember
crying at the door?
-So, you... You don't remember
crying at my door and banging
at my window? Okay. I don't remember
doing all that. -[audience chuckles]
-Okay. Something's goin' on,
Mr. Campbell. You have come
into this courtroom, <i> you over here
proving your case,</i> you got exhibits,
you got specifics and now all of a sudden,
I ask you about last night... -and you pleading the Fifth.
-Your Honor-- I did... I might have said
a few things to her. -[exclaims]
-[audience gasps] But me crying at the door,
now, that's just... That's going overboard
and I-- So, you haven't cried before? [audience chuckles] -I have cried before. Yes.
-[laughs] Okay. -So, we know this happened.
-[Judge Lake] All right. Listen, we've had fun,
we've laughed through the pain and the confusion, but there's something
odd going on, and even though
you've got the girlfriend, you all have got too much
going back and forth, Legacy's nine months old. This is important, you all. It is. Yes. [Judge Lake]<i>
This precious baby
is going on one.</i> <i> You know,
I think it's important</i> that we figure out
where we are so we can figure out
how to move forward. Jerome, I'm ready
for the results. [audience applauding] These results were prepared
by DNA Diagnostics and they read as follows. In the case of<i>
Campbell v. McCier</i> when it comes to
nine-month-old
Legacy McCier... It has been determined
by this Court... Mr. Campbell... You... Are the father. You are the father.
That is your beautiful baby. Why does it make you
feel so emotional? Because she won't let me
be in his life. Like, she hates me so much. That's why I cry because... Like, I wanna be
in my son's life, like my dad was in my life. Like, why can't I
be there for him? Why can't he not know me? Why do you want to have
multiple men around him? You sending me pictures
of other men holding him. That's destroying me
mentally. Stop lying
and playing victim. You know why
you're not in his life because you aren't
worried about him. -You send pictures
with a whole bunch of money...
-You know what I... -...but you can't
send no diaper.
-You know I love my son. I'm not trying to hear
what you got going on. And I wanted
this DNA test just so... -I'm willing to do more now...
-[clicks tongue] ...now that I know
for 100% fact that
this is my son. -Well, you have to do more.
-Yes. You all have gone
back and forth. It has been explosive
at times, entertaining at others,
to be honest with you, but raising a baby, it ain't no show. It's work. That's why
we have counseling and resources for you,
because at the end of the day Legacy needs his dad. I want you to talk
to Dr. Jeff and let's... Let's turn on
channel Cooperation and let's see
where we can
go from there. Okay? I wish you all the very best. Court is adjourned.
