Please be seated. Hello, Your Honor. Hello. This is the case of<i>
Dallas v. Stewart.</i> Thank you, Jerome.
Good day, everyone. AUDIENCE: Good day! Ms. Dallas, you have dragged
the defendant, Mr. Stewart, into Court today to prove that he is the father
of your newborn son, one-month-old Lamar. You say you are shocked
that he's denying that he's baby Lamar's
biological dad, especially since
you discovered he's the one leading
a double life. Is that correct? Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE:
Mr. Stewart, you claim that it's Ms. Dallas
who's been far from faithful, and you believe that
baby Lamar's dad could be any one of
multiple men. So, Ms. Dallas, take us
to your relationship
before you found out about Mr. Stewart's
alleged double life. Um, I met Cedric,
well, Mr. Stewart in June of 2016. JUDGE LAKE: Mm-hmm. <i> I was out having
breakfast with my friend,</i> <i> probably around six o'clock
in the morning.</i> <i> And...</i> He walked up to me, or whatever,
offered to pay for, uh, my breakfast
or whatever. After that,
we exchanged numbers, and from there
we hooked up a couple of times,
or whatever. So, first, you're
just dating casually DALLAS: Yeah. Okay. DALLAS: And, um... We always had to get a room you know, and I used to
ask him, like, you know, "I'm tired of renting a room,
you know. "You know, could we
go to your house?
You said you have a house. "You own it."
And he was like, "You know, I have
unwanted company there." So I'm like,
"Unwanted company?" I'm like, uh, "You got
a girlfriend?" He like, "No." I'm like, "You have
a baby mom there?" He like, "No." I'm like, um... "You got a wife?"
And he was like, "Yeah." (AUDIENCE GASPS) Like, you know
what I'm saying? So... <i> And that's when he proceeded
to tell me, like,</i> <i> oh, they are separated,</i> <i> they are going through
a divorce.</i> JUDGE LAKE: So, Mr. Stewart... CEDRIC: Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: Did you
meet Ms. Dallas, date her casually,
have sex with her, and finally
only later tell her that you were married? It didn't quite go like that. JUDGE LAKE: How did it go? You know, it didn't come up. You know, I felt like
it didn't come up,
like, you know. How did it not come up? CEDRIC: It didn't. That's relevant information.
Is it not? Yeah, true that. Yes. Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE:
So you were basically out
acting like a single man. No. I wasn't acting... Yes. Yes. Yes, Your Honor. (AUDIENCE LAUGHS) I'm just glad
you just went on ahead
and told the truth. CEDRIC:
I had to think about it. JUDGE LAKE:
Okay. So were out there
acting like a single man, but you were married. Yes, Your Honor. Were you getting
a divorce then? I wasn't in...
No, I didn't have it filed, but in my head, yeah,
I was getting a divorce. (AUDIENCE LAUGHS) In your head. JUDGE LAKE: That means
you were still married. CEDRIC: Yes. JUDGE LAKE: Moving on. (WOMAN LAUGHS) So... How often did you
see one another if you're married with
your wife living in your home? CEDRIC: Oh, that's it.
Every day. Every day. Every day. DALLAS: Every day. Every day? DALLAS: Yeah. Every day he will
come over there
when he get off work. Only time he probably
went to his house when he wanted to go
change his clothes or
put on his work clothes JUDGE LAKE: Mr. Stewart, during this time,
were you still intimate
with your wife? No. Not at the time, like... He lying. We were... You know, like. I don't know how to
put it, but it's like... We were living together, but <i> we were having problems
of our own, you know.</i> JUDGE LAKE:<i>So, Ms. Dallas,</i> once you found out
he was married, did you have second thoughts
about dating a married man? Yes, I did have
second thoughts, but once everything started
hitting the floor, like, I... I was already pregnant. You know what I'm saying?
I loved Cedric. You know, and... He was telling me, like,
"I'm going to divorce,
we're gonna have a house." You know, "Oh, this,
we're gonna raise our
son together." You know. I was believing him because
that's all I had to do, was believe him. You know. So he had you
high of the promises and drunk of the dreams. DALLAS: Yeah. It was all... DALLAS: Right. It was flowing. DALLAS: Right. JUDGE LAKE: All right, now,
listen, this is... This is what happens. (CHUCKLES) Okay. JUDGE LAKE: When you're
a married man out there trying to probably
keep this young girl... And... DALLAS: And get his wife too. And have your wife too. CEDRIC: Yeah. <i> But...but at some point
you found out</i> <i> you were pregnant
and that will sober you up.</i> Yeah, I thought, I thought
everything was gonna be okay. And I when I found out
I was pregnant, Cedric was happy or whatever. JUDGE LAKE: Oh, you were? DALLAS: Yeah. So you were genuine... Even though you were
still married to your wife, you were happy your
mistress was pregnant. Yes. JUDGE LAKE: Do you have
any other children? Yes. JUDGE LAKE:
You do. How many? Three. JUDGE LAKE:
With your wife? No. (AUDIENCE GASPS) We have no kids in common. But you have three children
from previous relationships. CEDRIC: Yes. JUDGE LAKE: How long
have you been married? Ten years. (AUDIENCE MURMUR) JUDGE LAKE:<i>So you
found out about this baby</i> <i> and you were happy.</i> CEDRIC:<i>Yes.</i> But you didn't have doubt
at that time if you were happy. CEDRIC: No. No. He started beginning
to doubt so-called my associate
was telling him and his wife that I was sleeping around
with multiple men when I conceived Lamar. Someone that knew you. DALLAS: Yeah. They started giving
you information. Yeah. DALLAS: Yeah.
But it was the same friend that sent him naked
pictures of herself to...to him... (AUDIENCE GASPS) Telling him that that I was,
you know, sleeping around
with somebody else, so why will she say that
she want to sleep with you? Did the friend send you
naked pictures, Mr. Stewart? Yes, Your Honor. (AUDIENCE MURMURS) But... JUDGE LAKE: So don't you
believe that would discredit? Yeah. I just... JUDGE LAKE: What she... Yeah. That was...
But that was, like... That's one of my doubts,
you know what I mean? JUDGE LAKE: That's just one? Yes. JUDGE LAKE:
What's your other doubt? Well, the other
doubt was, like, when he got here,
he don't look like me. <i> He got... Look at his hair,
he look mixed.</i> DALLAS:<i>He don't look mixed.</i> CEDRIC:<i>He look mixed.</i> DALLAS:<i>All babies
come out with fine hair,</i> and I'm pretty sure... JUDGE LAKE: So at what point
did you have to come clean with your wife
about this baby? DALLAS:<i>I told her.</i> CEDRIC:<i>I sent her a picture
of the script.</i> DALLAS:<i>Because when me
and Cedric was supposed to
be together,</i> Roberta sent me
a picture of her, him and Cedric in the bed. Cedric has my name
tattooed on him. JUDGE LAKE: What? She sent me a picture... She sent me a picture
of him and her in the bed,
naked together. His wife sends
a picture to you of them in the bed. Yes. And he was sleep... And she was
taking the picture. She sent it to me,
and the time... JUDGE LAKE:
After you're pregnant. No, she didn't know
I was pregnant. We was in the hospital
at the time all this
was going on. <i> And I found out
I was pregnant.</i> <i> And I sent her a picture
of the pregnancy test, right.</i> JUDGE LAKE:<i>Oh, you sent
his a wife a picture</i> of the pregnancy test. CEDRIC: Yeah. Yeah. Yes. CEDRIC: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. JUDGE LAKE: Jerome,
I want to hear from his wife. JEROME: Okay. Please escort Ms. Stewart
into the court room. Got it. Good morning, Ms. Stewart, thank you
for joining us today. This testimony is troubling. Yes. Very troubling. And it was not true. What part of the testimony
do you disagree with? ROBERTA: How they met. Cedric met her online. Okay, and so you
believe he was actually
looking for... ROBERTA: Exactly. JUDGE LAKE: ...a relationship
outside the marriage. ROBERTA: I don't say...
I wouldn't say a relationship,
but...relations. JUDGE LAKE: Relations? Exactly. Do you believe
Ms. Dallas knew he was married
from the beginning? I wouldn't say she knew
from the beginning, but she knew very, very early. JUDGE LAKE: And you do know
that is for certain? She called me. JUDGE LAKE: And said? She was... She was
just saying, like, "Are you and Cedric
still together?" And... Oh, I never called you
and said that, Roberta. She say, "Are you and
Cedric still together?" It's not needed to even lie. I have receipts
that I brought to prove... JUDGE LAKE: Okay, let's see.
Let me see... ...that she was met online, and not just by Cedric. So, Ms. Stewart, you're claiming that what
you've present to the Court
are messages which indicate she was
not just entertaining
you husband. But multiple men. JUDGE LAKE:
But multiple men. Yes. CEDRIC: That is not true. Well, I definitely see plenty of interaction between
Ms. Dallas and... ...various men. Those inboxes are
what they send me. You don't see nothing
that's me sending
nothing back to them. I can't help when nobody
send me on Facebook
or whatever they asking me. JUDGE LAKE: So, Ms. Stewart,
you believe that Ms. Dallas
was having sex with multiple men... ROBERTA: Exactly. ...in addition
to your husband. Exactly. JUDGE LAKE:
And that's why you doubt that this child is your
husband's biological child. ROBERTA: Exactly, JUDGE LAKE: Ms. Dallas,
were you intimate
with anyone else around the time
baby Lamar was conceived? No. Anybody else? No, not at all. JUDGE LAKE: Does Mr. Stewart
have a relationship
with baby Lamar? Yes. Did... He participated
in doctor's appointments? He...he was there? DALLAS: Yes. JUDGE LAKE: And at
the birth, he was there? Yes. JUDGE LAKE: Did he sign
the birth certificate? DALLAS: Yes. (AUDIENCE GASPS) So, Mr. Stewart, why would you sign the birth certificate <i> if people have been
telling you</i> <i> that she was also sleeping
with other people,</i> <i> and you had doubt?</i> CEDRIC: Guess I had
been there so long. You know what I mean? She got other kids.
You know what I mean? I got a relationship
with them. You know, so I wouldn't
just be gone. JUDGE LAKE: Wait a minute,
now you're standing
next to your wife and you're telling me
how you're gonna be there
for your mistress. I'm getting confused. Who are you actually
with right now? Who are you with? Yes. Who are you actually
with right now? Who are you with? Cedric? Lakeitha. JUDGE LAKE: So, you and
Ms. Dallas are together? Yeah, we live together. JUDGE LAKE: You live together? CEDRIC: We don't
live together, we... We kinda, you know. JUDGE LAKE: Well, what's that? (AUDIENCE LAUGHS) You know what I mean. We don't live together, but... We lived together,
but we go back and forth.
Like she moved out. And... You know what I mean? Today. Are you all divorced
or still together? ROBERTA: No. Legally we're still married. We're still married. Ms. Stewart, what do you want? Do you want this
marriage to work? Are you... I... Roberta knows Roberta
has to do for herself at this point. Cedric has three children
of his own that he has neglected to take care of her children. DALLAS: No. That's not true
'cause me and him take
the baby over to... And my other kids...
Daughter and son... Lakeitha...
Lakeitha has four children... No, Roberta, you not going to
do him like that to try to say he don't
do for his kids. Lakeitha has four... No! I've been with this man
for 14 years. I know. DALLAS: Okay, and I've been
with him the last past year. ROBERTA: You haven't
been with... And... It doesn't matter. (INDISTINCTLY YELLING
OVER EACH OTHER) (INDISTINCTLY YELLING
OVER EACH OTHER) JUDGE LAKE:
Ladies, ladies, ladies. Ladies, ladies, ladies. And then Lakeitha
also told him that she has
all her children
two months early. DALLAS: No, I did not. That's why the timing
did not add up. No. ROBERTA: Did Lakeitha
not tell you that? (CEDRIC SPEAKING
INDISTINCTLY) Did Lakeitha
not tell you that? Did Lakeitha not tell you
she have her kids
two months early? No, you told me. DALLAS: No, I did not, right. You told me she said that. So what's this issue
about the timeline, though? DALLAS: Because I'm...
I'm big. <i> You know, they was going off
the measurement of my belly.</i> <i> I just started to show when
I was, like, eight months,</i> really getting a round belly
and stuff, or whatever. But the measurements
was still off. But the ultrasound
was right on point. So, wait a minute. You all have
so much information, you all have had
so much conversation. I only... JUDGE LAKE: The women have
all the facts, and I can't get a straight
answer out of Mr. Stewart. For real, I figured
I'm being straight here. JUDGE LAKE:
No, you're not. You really aren't. You said you gonna get on here
and make me look like a fool because you didn't wanna
be with Lakeitha. You're making
yourself look like a fool. I'm not... We're going here
about paternity. You're trying to tell
her life story. ROBERTA: We're telling
the truth. We're here to tell the truth. That's what we're here for. We're here to see why would
you question a paternity if you had no doubts? You question a paternity
on the reason you met her. You had questioned the
paternity when she first... When she first told you
she was pregnant, you asked for a DNA test. And Lakeitha
also told me, "I'm gonna give him
a paternity test." Right, we agreed on that
before even got... When we thought
I was pregnant. Made him agree to do
a paternity test. CEDRIC: Yeah, we sure did. Both of the women,
you all have been in touch, you all have had
conversations, you all basically know
exactly what's happening here. And you know
he's playing you all. Yeah. But you still standing here
getting played. That's what I'm trying
to understand. Why? (APPLAUSE) And you're arguing with
one another, but nobody's holding
him accountable. ROBERTA: Oh, I hold him
accountable for everything... DALLAS: No, she don't. ROBERTA: Let me tell you this,
Your Honor. DALLAS: No, she don't. ROBERTA: I did not
marry Lakeitha,
I married this person. DALLAS: Right, so why try to
harass me? My issue... My issue is
with Cedric, not Lakeitha. The only issue I have
with Lakeitha is, okay, if we have women
out her like you, what marriage is gonna last? If you know you're sleeping
with a married man, no marriage is gonna last because they know they can
go to her, her, or her. Hold on now,
Ms. Stewart, it's just
your husband's doing. He's just... He told me before
you came in the court room. I said, "Were you out
acting like a single man?" He said, "Yes." That's it. Because when a married man
acts like a married man, it ain't nothing
Ms. Dallas can do. She didn't know how. ROBERTA I don't think he knows what a married man
should act like. JUDGE LAKE:
And that is the point. Because you're saying
he doesn't... You don't even think
he knows what he's supposed
to be doing. He's made his own lane, and he's right smack dab
in the middle of both
of you all's neighborhoods. And he's just going
back and forth. So, Mr. Stewart, if baby Lamar is
your biological child, are you planning to have
a life and a relationship
with Ms. Dallas? Yes. And if he is not your biological child,
what then? I probably go on my own.
Don't need nobody. JUDGE LAKE: Ms. Stewart, what is Mr. Stewart,
your husband, what is he saying to you
right now? Ms. Dallas is saying, he's saying to her,
"We're going to have a house,
we're going to do this..." Cedric is telling me
he's just trying to see
if this is his son because if this is his son, he's going to court
to ask for full custody of his son. Right. JUDGE LAKE: Is he saying that
he wants to be with you? Yeah, he... He...
He even said that.
He was like, "This could make us better
as a whole." I'm like... I said,
"I don't wanna raise
nobody else's child.' I have text...
I have receipts... ...where he says that "I thought you was gonna
help me raise him." I said, "Cedric, I don't have a problem with
helping you raise your son. "But I'm not going to be
in the middle of... "You wanna be with her today, her tomorrow and
me the next day." Right. I'm not gonna be
in the middle of that. JUDGE LAKE: All right, well... The only way
we're gonna move forward
in this situation is to get the results.
Jerome. CEDRIC: Yeah. Well, that's new. These results were prepared
by DNA Diagnostics, and they read as follows. JUDGE LAKE: In the case of<i>
Dallas v. Stewart,</i> when it comes to
one-month-old Lamar Stewart, it has been
determined by this Court... Mr. Stewart, you... ...are the father. Yay, I told you, baby.
I told you. (APPLAUSE) And I got no reason to lie. So, listen, Ms. Dallas,
I see you are in tears
because... I go through so much with
him and his wife. You don't understand.
(SNIFFLES) Yes. I go through so much. And you will continue
to go through... DALLAS: But I'm not
trying to go through that. I'm not trying to go through
that no more. JUDGE LAKE: Listen. This is what happens.
And I'm not saying... DALLAS: I had to prove... Listen, Ms. Dallas. What I'm here to ask you all, as we look at this
beautiful baby, he's here now, he's your son... DALLAS: And he look like him. (CHUCKLES) JUDGE LAKE:
And...and look... It is not my place to tell you what to do
with your life, but what I am saying,
Mr. Stewart, if you don't make a call, your son is gonna grow up amidst this level of
toxic behavior. And I'm talking to you because I can see that these
two women will go on until Kingdom come,
arguing back and forth about, "What Cedric gonna do?
What Cedric gonna do?" I'm so sick of
hearing your name. (ALL LAUGH) I really I am. All right. JUDGE LAKE:
Because the thing is,
they argue about you but you aren't doing anything. Ms. Dallas still loves you, and you can go run up
over there and have
more and more babies. But if you still gonna be
married to your wife, why would you put
children though that? So you gotta
get yourself together. All right? CEDRIC: Yes. This isn't healthy.
Let's get some help now, let's figure this out.
For you all, and most importantly,
for the children. I wish you all
the very best of luck. CEDRIC: Thank you,
Your Honor. The court is adjourned.
