<i> This is</i> Couples Court
with the Cutlers. This is the case
of Noriega versus Goodwin. You all are all living together,
engaged, and have a brand-new baby.
But you believe that Mr. Goodwin <i> -is cheating?</i>
-Yes. [Judge Dana] And would you share
with the court what is at stake
if you find out, in fact, he is cheating? [Noriega] Well, we have
a seven-month-old daughter. So, in order to get answers,
I needed to come here, because in order for us
to get married, I need answers. -So, you have a brand-new baby?
-Yes. Yeah.
Are you stressed? I'm stressed,
but more emotional. More curious
as to what's going on, cheating-wise
and stuff like that. I just need answers, basically. Mr. Goodwin,
she says that you're cheating. She says
you're with other women. She thinks. It's all
because of what she thinks. And it's all because of what
other people has told her, and not from
what she's ever seen, or, you know,
like, any evidence that she has. Like I tell her all the time,
I love Ms. Noriega. I loved her
since I first met her. So, when you first met her,
what was it you liked about her? Actually, when I first met her, I was-- I was just walking
into work, and she asked me about some yellow watermelons,
and I was just like, "What?" -[audience laughing]
-I was like, "I'm from Chicago. We don't sell that type of stuff
up there." I'm like,
"You gotta ask somebody else." So as she was leaving, I was
standing at my little register, and I was just like, "Dang. I
didn't even ask for her number." So, like, she sent her friend
back in there to ask for my number
to give to her. And then from there,
like, that's when it, like, it all started. But, Cutler, it makes me wonder, it's like, okay, we have
this cute little couple. They're really cute. And so you got to wonder,
what has brought you to the point where you believe
that he's cheating? What have you seen? We ended up
living together after that, maybe about a year or later so,
when actually I was pregnant. I first got pregnant. Um, I had a friend of mine. It all started
when I noticed the looks. She would look down at him like she knew
what was in his pants. Like, what he was packing,
basically. What does that look like? -The look.
-Right. So-- [Judge Dana] Oh.
So, she was doing -the up-and-down thing?
-The up-and-down look. But kind of with that smile,
like, "Yeah, -I know what that is."
-Yeah. I know. -[Judge Keith] Okay. All right.
-[Judge Dana] All right. But she wasn't necessary staring
at his crotch, was she? [Noriega] No, she was.
She was, Your Honor. -Oh, she was?
-Yes. I brought it up to her,
and she said that I was crazy. That I was seeing things.
That I was just basically crazy as could be, basically. She would definitely
dress around with barely covering, barely crop tops, booty shorts,
and he would stare at her back, -so it's not like it's just--
-[stammers] Wait-- Lie. What part of this?
She was dressing that way, -or you were eyeballing her?
-The part about me eyeballing her.
First of all, I am not, like-- Do y'all--
Do you not see her? -[Judge Dana stammers] She--
-She is beautiful. And her friend, like-- No,
that's not even my cup of tea. So I'm not gonna even sip
from that cup. So, like, no. That didn't happen
from your view? [Goodwin] Never in my life. Okay. So let me ask you this
about the friend. Did you ever see them
actually doing anything that made you go, "Hmm"? Um, well,
there's a couple other things. They would go outside, together,
and you could hear them laughing -through, you know, inside.
-[Judge Dana] Yeah. And when I go out there,
complete silence. Awkward silence,
like I missed something. When I ask, you know,
"What's funny?" -"Nothing. Nothing." Every time.
-Lie. -Lie.
-Every single time. -Another lie.
-So you walk and they're like... -Just like that. Like that.
-[Judge Keith] Like nothing
was going on? Like... [Noriega] Yup. So all of that made you think,
"Okay, these two, -something's going here."
-Yes. Then, shortly after that, she
had found out she was pregnant. She blocked me. Can't get in contact with her
to this day. Are you having any concerns
that that child -might be Mr. Goodwin's?
-Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. Wait. [laughs]
This is the first time. -[all hooting]
-Wait. This-- Are you serious? Mr. Goodwin, the question
that everybody wants to know is, -did you sleep with this girl...
-[Goodwin] No. -...and is it possible...
-No. -...that this baby is yours?
-There is no way possible on this God's green earth that that--
the kid she's carrying -could have ever been mine.
-[Judge Dana] Okay. Why would I put myself
in that type of situation? -[Judge Dana] Okay. All right.
-There's all types of STDs -and everything--
-[Judge Dana] No. You ain't got to say no more.
We get it. We got it. I am not that type of person,
at all, like-- [Judge Keith] All right.
So, Ms. Noriega, do you have any other reason
to believe that he's cheating on you now? Um, yes, I do actually. [Judge Dana] All right.
Tell us about that. Um, well, it happens to be
a coworker of his at his old job. And, um, I woke up one morning,
his phone was going off, ding, ding.
So I'm like, "All right." So I checked his phone,
and it's a message. It says, "Can we not be inappropriate
at work? Let's keep it professional
at work." -[audience exclaiming]
-[chuckles] [Judge Keith] Okay. Did you have a conversation
with Mr. Goodwin -about this particular text?
-[Noriega] Yes, I did. [Judge Dana] And what did--
and what did you say to him? Um, we spoke about it,
and he denied ever flirting or having any-- No. That's not true. I denied-- -[Judge Keith] Hold on. Let me--
-[Judge Dana] Hold on. -We'll get to you in a minute.
-We promise. Has anything else happened
at work with him? -Yes, messages.
-[Judge Dana] Messages. -Other messages. Yes.
-Okay. Tell me about that. Um, there were other messages
I found in his phone, several, and one of them
was with someone else. -[Judge Dana] You have those?
-[Noriega] Yes, I do. Ron, would you get
those messages from Ms. Noriega? You spend a lot of time
in his phone, don't you? [audience laughing] -You feel me?
-Yes, I do. [audience applauding] All right.
So you found this text message -in his phone, right?
-[Noriega] Yes. [Judge Keith] And it's from
another woman, and it says, "You miss me?" [Judge Dana]<i> And she says,
"I miss that eggplant emoji."</i> -[audience exclaiming]
-[laughs] Yo. [Judge Keith] And Mr. Goodwin, "I wanna blank you so bad
when you talk to me like that. You still didn't give me
a time." [Judge Dana] "I'll be
in our parking lot at 6:30. You gone meet me there?" [Judge Keith] "Yeah.
Let me get moving now." [audience exclaiming] That's not even how I text. All right. So, news to you, huh? News to me. -I have more down here.
-[Goodwin] What? You found this other text
in his phone, and it says, "Work Wife," and... [Judge Dana] It says,
"I bought you food for lunch because we know
she didn't pack your lunch." [Judge Keith] "I'm having you
for lunch after." [Judge Dana] "I'm on my period.
I can do something else." [Judge Keith] "Having me
for lunch instead?" -[Judge Dana] "Yeah. Droplets."
-So you found these
in his phone? [Noriega] Yes. And Mr. Goodwin, I presume, you don't know anything
about these? -No. No. No.
-[Judge Keith] Okay. All right. If you are sending
these kind of texts back and forth
with your coworkers, yes, -you are being inappropriate...
-No. [Judge Dana] ...number one.
And number two, these are not
just friendly flirts. This is straight up flirting.
This is-- this-- -[audience applauding]
-[Judge Keith] Thank you, Dana. [Judge Dana]
I understand why Ms. Noriega thinks you're cheating,
if she's finding these in your text messages. So, yeah, I understand
why you're concerned. -I know why you're angry.
-Thank you. [Judge Keith] Do you have
any other reason to believe
that he's cheating? Our sex life. [chuckles] -No sex life?
-Your sex life? -[Noriega] Yeah.
-What about it? [Noriega] It's declined, a lot. We used to go five times a day. -[woman] Wow!
-[Judge Keith] Five times a day? [Noriega] At least. [laughs] -Well, they young, Cutler.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah. [audience laughing] Now, it's every other day. Maybe twice, three times a week,
if I'm lucky. Whoa. Lie. [Judge Dana] Okay,
you're saying it's less? [Judge Keith] Which part?
[chuckles] The five times a day or the three times a week? The two to three times a week,
if she's lucky. -[Judge Keith] Okay.
-[Judge Dana] Okay. -Is it more less or than that?
-[Goodwin] It's more than that. It's more than two
or three times a week? -Yes.
-[Judge Keith] Okay, -but there's been a decline?
-Yes. Okay. So, you admit
there's been a decline? -Yes.
-That's the first thing -he's admitted to today.
-Yeah, I noticed. -[audience laughing]
-So, is the issue of the decline the fact that you think he's-- he doesn't love you as much, or that he's sleeping
with other people? -Why do you think
there's been a decline?
-It's more than just that. I had, um, ex of mine, and he would go out
and cheat with other women, and had performing issues
because of that. And this is what I'm seeing
in this new relationship. -[Judge Dana] Mr. Goodwin.
-Yes. You admit there's been a decline
in your sex life? -[Goodwin] Yes.
-Okay. Why? [chuckles] It's like--
it's embarrassing to say, 'cause I'm a male.
And, like, I have, like-- I have, like,
an erectile dysfunction problem. Like, I'm 24 years old,
and I guess, I've-- like, I've probably getting it
from, like, smoking cigarettes and stuff like that.
And, like, they say that can be a leading cause,
like stress. It's not-- it's not just
because that I don't love her or anything like that.
It's like-- it's, like, with the stress. And then, like, anytime we,
like, may have a disagreement, or argument,
like, I step outside and, like, smoke, like,
two or three cigarettes. And then, like,
later on that night when everything is fine and we want to get intimate,
like, I have-- unfortunately, I have, like,
male performance issues. [Judge Keith] Yeah. But-- But you have a new baby,
so there was a point -where you were functioning.
-[Goodwin] Exactly. But I wasn't smoking cigarettes
as heavy until, like, after. [Judge Keith] All right,
and Ms. Noriega, you aren't buying that? -No. Not at all. [chuckles]
-[Judge Keith] You don't? -You're seriously thinking...
-[Noriega] Clearly not. ...that whatever decrease it is, it's because he's getting it
somewhere else? Definitely somewhere else,
'cause it ain't with me. [Judge Keith] Yeah.
I don't know about ED. I mean, I know what it is.
I know people get it. Uh, I'm not that familiar with people getting it
at your age. And so, to help us understand
this issue, we have invited a friend
to the court, an expert to come and talk to us
about ED and its effects. And so, at this time,
the court will call Dr. Eddie Richardson, Jr. Ron,
would you please escort him in? [audience applauding] -[Ron] Dr. Richardson.
-[Dr. Richardson] Thank you. [indistinct chatter] Dr. Richardson,
how are you today? -I'm well, thank you.
-It is good to see you. [Dr. Richardson] Absolutely.
Thank you. All right. We have been talking
about this couple and their issues
in their decreased sex life. -He's 24 years old.
-[Dr. Richardson] Mm-hmm. [Judge Keith] All right.
So the first question is, can someone of his age
have erectile dysfunction? Well, any sexy, mature male
can have erectile dysfunction. But the likelihood of someone as young as he,
having erectile dysfunction, is probably a stretch. 'Cause most of the time,
erectile dysfunction usually shows up
around the age of 40. He's talked about the smoking
and stress at some point. What factors can lead
to erectile dysfunction? When we look at someone
of his age, and that young, you have to look
at several factors. And what the literature
actually says, is that as younger people have it, it's usually a psychogenic
or interpersonal issues that they actually have.
There are also organic, and there's also medicines
that can cause it as well. Smoking can be a cause.
Also, hypogonadism is a cause. Or low testosterone.
Uh, medicines, as I said. Now,
the literature actually says that smokers have
a 51 percent chance of having ED.
And non-smokers and ex-smokers have a 20 percent chance
of having ED. Now, did you do any tests
on Mr. Goodwin? I certainly did, Your Honor.
Uh, I actually-- And there's good news
and bad news for Mr. Goodwin. His testosterone was 671. -The top end of normal is 939.
-[both] Okay. [Dr. Richardson] So he's at
the high-end of normal. -Okay.
-[Dr. Richardson]
The not-so-good news for him is that if he does have
erectile dysfunction at his age, it's probably gonna be
on a psychogenic level. It's gonna be his focus,
or the arousal, or performance anxiety
is the other reason why he wouldn't be having it. So, something other than
a physical reason? Yes. My evaluation of him
and with the lab work I did, he is a healthy
24-year-old male. So, when you say psychogenic
or psych-- -Is that what you said? Psycho--
-Yes, ma'am. Psychogenic. [Judge Dana] It would be,
you know, -to use a layperson's term,
it's in his head.
-[Dr. Richardson] Yeah. [Judge Dana] One question I
think probably Ms. Noriega has, what if he's having
sexual intercourse with another person? Would he be able
to come home that night, or the next day, and perform? Would that have an impact,
as well? Men recover pretty quickly, and he should be able
to recover. But if he is over-exhausted,
overused, then, yes, -he needs recovery time.
-[Judge Dana] All right. -Thank you, Doctor.
-Thank you. Appreciate it. -Absolutely.
-[Judge Keith] I think we kind of got a good idea
of what's going on. -Or what's not going on.
-What's not going on. And what the evidence
is showing us. She believes he's cheating. And if she finds out
that he's cheating, the relationship is over. -[Noriega] Yeah.
-That fair? You look nervous, Ms. Noriega.
What's going through your head? [sighs] Just a lot.
My family, basically. I want my family to be together.
One home, with both her parents. -[audience murmuring]
-[Judge Dana]<i> Okay.</i> [Judge Keith] There's a lot
on the line right here. -Right?
-Yes. -[Judge Keith] Mr. Goodwin,
you agree?
-Yes, I do. Are you ready
to hear these results? -[Goodwin] Yes.
-[Judge Dana] All right. Well, this court has done a full
and complete investigation. And at this time,
the court will call certified polygraph examiner,
Kendall Shull, to determine, is he cheating? -Ron, would you escort him in?
-[audience applauding, cheering] [Ron] Kendall Shull. -Mr. Shull, how are you?
-[Shull] Great, Your Honor. -How are you?
-I'm good. Mr. Shull,
you were with the FBI -for 30 years. Is that correct?
-Yes, Your Honor. You headed
the polygraph department -for the FBI?
-I did. [Judge Dana]
You have a masters in -polygraph examination?
-[Shull] I do. [Judge Dana] And you have
your own business in Knoxville doing PI work and polygraphs.
Is that correct? That's right, Your Honor. And you had an opportunity
to conduct a lie detector test on Mr. Goodwin, is that correct? -[Shull] Yes, I did.
-[Judge Dana] All right. You asked Mr. Goodwin, "During your relationship
with Ms. Noriega, have you had physical,
sexual contact with anyone other than your girlfriend,
Ms. Noriega?" -What was his response?
-He said, "No." What did
the lie detector determine? [Shull]
The lie detector determined that he was being truthful,
Your Honor. I saw a big sigh of relief. But we do have
one more question. You asked Mr. Goodwin, "During your relationship
with Ms. Noriega, have you had
sexual intercourse with anyone other than Ms. Noriega?" What was his response
to that question? He said, "No." What did
the lie detector determine? The lie detector determined
that he was being... -truthful, Your Honor.
-[audience cheering] [sighs] I did not expect that
at all. -[Judge Keith] All right.
-Surprised. [Judge Keith]
I saw a big sigh of relief. I can tell
you are utterly relieved. -[Noriega sighs]
-This is huge for you. -You got to work at it.
-[Judge Keith] Mm-hmm. [Judge Dana] And part of that
is trusting and leaving baggage from old relationships
outside your relationship. And the other is, doing things
that make folks feel valued, and that they know
that they're the only one. Now, I know you said
those weren't your texts. I think they are. If they aren't,
keep it that way. If they are,
straighten up and fly right. You're gonna have
to put in the time to reassure her
so that she knows she's it. You, on the other hand,
you're gonna have to do some things
and give him some space, and let him be the man
he wants to be for you. Y'all got to let each other
be great. Does that make sense? -Yes.
-All right, love. And you'll know
when you have achieved that when she has
no doubt in her mind. When you could
come home from work
and she's not wondering, "Okay, what's he been doing
at work all day?" But this starts with you... and it also starts with you.
You all doing it together. And to help you do it together,
we have a counselor. We want you to talk to him
when you leave here, so he can tell you
how to make those first steps. As we say in this courtroom,
don't cheat yourself out of a chance for a happy
and a healthy relationship. Court is adjourned. [audience applauding] [dramatic music playing]
