Please be seated. Hello, Your Honor. Hello. This is a case of <i>
Autry v. Martin.</i> Thank you, Jerome,
good day, everyone. AUDIENCE: Good day. Ms. Autry, you say
the defendant is taking
advantage of your son by pinning a baby on him. And you have physical proof
that her two-year-old
daughter, Skylah, is not your grandchild,
is that correct? Yes, Your Honor. Ms. Martin, you claim
that the plaintiff
is a monster in law and is denying
your daughter only because
she doesn't like you. You need help,
and hope to get some
once the results are revealed. Is that correct? Yes, Your Honor. Ms. Autry, why do you feel
Ms. Marin is taking advantage
of your son? Well, she entrapped my son
by marrying him, by giving him things
like money, clothes, car, you name it,
she gave it to him. And she just wants
a man to call on 'cause she's
nothing but an old tramp. JUDGE LAKE: Wait...
Wait a minute now. Let's use respectful language, I wanna understand this. You say she entrapped him
but she's given him money, she's doing this
for what end? What does she want? 'Cause she want
a man of her own. JUDGE LAKE: She want
a man of her own? Yes, ma'am. MARTIN: Ms. Autry, really? Why would you
say that, Ms. Autry? 'Cause you do, Ms. Tramp. See, Your Honor,
this is what I'm saying. Let's be respectful. I don't like her. Look, you don't
have to like her but you can use
respectful language. You're not the mother
of my grandchild. Where I'm from,
they call me Queen DNA. So until I get a DNA test
to prove that's my grand-baby, I am not accepting the
responsibility for no baby
that's none of mine. But she will claim her
at first though, Ms. Autry. All right, hold on, let me
come to you, Ms. Martin because I wanna
understand this. She says
you entrapped her son. Did you do that? MARTIN: No, Your Honor. Were you buying him cars
and all this things giving him money
and all of this? He did the same
for me in return. You'll have no doubt
if I had to do
the same thing in return... (BOTH ARGUING INDISTINCTLY) He did the same thing,
Ms. Autry. No, he didn't. He didn't
even have a job. Yes, he did. Yes, he did, Ms. Autry,
you know this. Well, how he get the money?
'Cause he ain't had no job. Okay, let's talk one at a time
so we understand this. What was the nature
of the relationship between you
and Ms. Autry's son? That's my husband. Oh, that's your husband? My husband. JUDGE LAKE:
So he's still your husband? MARTIN: Yes, Your Honor. I got a phone call
that you're getting married
down the street from my house. I was on my way walkin' down
to stop the marriage and my friend saw me...
(SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY) MARTIN: She tried to stop
the wedding, Your Honor. (SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY) Ms. Autry,
I missed all of that. (AUDIENCE LAUGHING) JUDGE LAKE:
Okay, wait a minute. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING FAINTLY) And, look, you can't
talk that fast,
then turn to the side. I can't even read your lips. I felt like
I was at an auction
or something I went. Oh, that was like, "What?" Okay. I was raising my hand. What, you was about to bid? Yeah. (LAUGHS) No, really,
explain to me
what's going on. I got a phone call that she
was getting married down
the street from my house. So I got out of my bed
and I start walking down the street to where
she was getting married at. A friend saw me walkin'
and she offered
me a ride. How did you find out
she was getting married? Someone called me
and told me... Your son didn't tell you? No, he didn't tell me. He didn't want me to know... He did, Your Honor. 'Cause he know
I would have stopped it. Okay. And you got that call,
you were in the bed
and you did what? I got up, I got dressed
and I started walkin' up
the street and my friend saw me walkin'
and she said,
"Where are you goin'?" And I said,
"To stop this wedding." So she gave me a ride
and she dropped me out. So, I'm out there
trying to stop the wedding and they take her... She's crazy. ...to another location
where they can get married. Oh, you have to move locations
because of Ms. Autry? She's crazy, Your Honor. Yes, that's exactly
what happened. So what happened?
She comes to the wedding, and what do you say
at the wedding? They didn't even get to do it. She jumped into another car
and they took it out clear. MARTIN: We left. So you all left
your own wedding venue and moved
to a different location? MARTIN:
She's crazy, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: But you all
ended up getting married
on that day anyway... Yes, Your Honor. ...in another location? Did your whole wedding
party follow you?
No, I'm serious. Yes, they did. With Ms. Autry
trailing behind?
I don't get how that works. I had no choice
and I had no car. If I had a car, I would have
right on behind them. And there wouldn't have
been no waiting. She's crazy, Your Honor. So you've never cared
for Ms. Martin? It ain't so much
that I never cared Ms. Martin, it's just that she had been
very disrespectful... She's the same way. I mean, what did you
want me to do? You disrespect me
all the time. Well, you came into my home
and disrespected me. But you
disrespected me first. Oh, no, no,
no, no, no. You kept disrespecting me. You did. You came to my house... You never show any respect. Wait, one at a time,
I wanna hear how this started. Ms. Autry, you said...
Go ahead. She told me
that she was pregnant, and I told her she was not,
'cause my son had been gone
for a while, he came back and she said that she
hadn't been intimate with him
when he was at home. And I went to the hospital
where she was. I was at the hospital
because I told her that's not my grand-baby,
she's having the baby early, and I wanted a DNA test. MARTIN: I wasn't in labor,
I was actually in pain. It was false labor. Okay, it was false labor,
so you came up there and you told her
"This is not my grandchild,"
and what else did you say? I told the lady at the desk
came in and I was talking
to her, like... MARTIN: She was probably
saying that he wasn't
the father. Well, my son is not
your baby father. Yes, he is. JUDGE LAKE: Hold on,
I want to know
what happened at the hospital. So once you came in... How'd you have the baby? JUDGE LAKE: Hold on. Once you came in,
you were in pain. Ms. Autry said,
"This isn't my child." Somebody came in and said
"If you keep acting up,
we're going to put you out." What happens, Ms. Martin? They put her out. (AUDIENCE LAUGHING) So you didn't stop acting up? No. MARTIN:
She's crazy, Your Honor. What was she doing? She was acting crazy. She was out in a hospital,
saying, "That ain't none
of my son's baby." "That ain't none
of my son's baby,
you're lying, you're lying." So, Ms. Autry,
you said "That's not
my grandchild" instantly? AUTRY: Yes. She don't
have the toes like my son. His toe's crossed,
his big toe is here. It crawls over like that. And I have proof, Your Honor,
that it's not his baby, 'cause our toes don't do that. Yes, they do, Your Honor. He doesn't have the eyebrows
that me and my son
and my daughter have. She's two.
They haven't grown yet. I mean, they growin'. You're acting like the baby
supposed to come out
with full blown eyebrows. You act like she's supposed
to come out with
full blown eyebrows. AUTRY: She do. MARTIN: No, she doesn't. MARTIN: He did. All right. So, this evidence... Ms. Autry,
you say the baby's toes
don't cross over. MARTIN:
Look at the right foot. JUDGE LAKE:
That little right one
is kinda hedging over, though. MARTIN: Yes, exactly. It's got to be fully cross? AUTRY: Yes, ma'am. She's only two.
I mean, give it time. The toes got to grow.
Let them develop first. AUTRY: She's got them
big old toes. MARTIN: She has toes
like Ms. Autry as well. They have little feet. My toes? Do you wanna
see my toes, Your Honor? MARTIN: My daughter
has feet like her family. Ms. Autry has small feet,
and so does my baby. Well, the baby
doesn't have crossed toes. And what else is your doubt? Doesn't have the eyebrows. Don't have the eyebrows.
My son has girly eyelashes and she don't have
those either. MARTIN:
They haven't grown yet.
She's only two. MARTIN: Let her develop
in her own way. I mean... JUDGE LAKE: When you look
at this beautiful baby, you just don't feel
like this is your grandchild? You don't see the resemblance. Are you saying this,
Ms. Autry...
Let me just ask you this. Are you saying this because
you just don't care
for Ms. Martin or are you saying this because
you really have doubt? I really have doubt. Okay. If that's my grand-baby,
I would take her and love her the way I do the other six
that I have. You don't do that to
the other baby like that
that I have. Well, I did at first
till I find out she
was mine too. They call me Queen DNA. I'm going to do
a DNA test on every baby
that my son had. Oh, they call you Queen DNA
because you're going to do a DNA test on every baby
your son had? Yes, ma'am. I thought I was
Queen DNA, Jerome. (AUDIENCE LAUGHING) Guess not. Anyway, So, Ms. Martin,
has your husband
accepted the baby, or does he have doubts? No, he doesn't have
any doubt. It's her. It's her. She hasn't even
tried to bond with the baby. So of course
you're gonna think
she's not sure. She haven't tried to
bond with her. I had to have my own
DNA test to make sure. She's two years old. But she's not my son's.
Look at her eyebrows. Have you ever asked her
"Will you watch Skylah, "will you take care
of Skylah?" MARTIN: Yes, Your Honor. Your Honor,
if they go to the club, they get to pay
to get in the club they got to pay
for their drink, they gotta pay me
to babysit. But that's not why.
That's not why. I heard that. That was... That's on
the weekend. I asked her during the week
so that I could work. (BOTH ARGUING
INDISTINCTLY) But what you said was you was gonna help me
with her. She said she was gonna help. No, I did not say that. If I get a DNA test. I said if you gave me
$50 a week,
I would watch her. Wait, you said, Ms. Autry,
you gonna give her a discount
of $50 a week? AUTRY: Yes, ma'am. As long as she can prove with DNA that,
that's your grandchild. Yes, ma'am. Alright, I'd like to hear
from your witness.
Please stand, ma'am. State your name for the court. Rebecca Cooper, Your Honor. Ms. Cooper, you are
Ms. Autry's daughter. Yes, ma'am. Look at her eyebrows. (AUDIENCE LAUGHING) Look how old she is though. My daughter's
two years old. She's 30. So, there's
a big difference there. JUDGE LAKE: <i> So, do you believe
this beautiful baby, Skylah
is your niece?</i> COOPER: <i> She is</i> <i>
my brother baby.</i> I was there when she was born.
That's my baby. And you have
a very close bond with her? Yes. ma'am. Every week. AUTRY: She love babies. COOPER:
That's my brother baby. I mean, if your daughter's
bonded with her and your son
said that's his daughter, what is your problem? 'Cause you told him
it was none of his. (SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY) Let's get to that.
You told him, your husband,
that this was not his child? Yes, Your Honor.
I was trying to hurt him. He left me to go be
with another woman. And I was trying to hurt him
like he hurt me. JUDGE LAKE: Let's be clear, did you sleep
with another man? Yes, Your Honor. You did. Prior to him coming back
into my life. Yes. August 2013, and he came back into my life
in 2014, June. And she was already pregnant. JUDGE LAKE: Alright. Is there any chance that man
could be Skylah's
biological father? No, Your Honor. Yes. No. Alright, well,
that man is in court, today. Jerome, I'd like to hear from
him. Will you please escort
Mr. Gaut into the courtroom? We're gonna have
you go up to the witness
stand right next to the judge. Mr. Gaut, thank you
for joining us today. We're here discussing
the paternity of baby Skylah and I have to ask you,
do you believe you are
Skylah's biological father? Yes, ma'am. You do? Yes, Your Honor. That's her ex-boyfriend.
My daughter. JUDGE LAKE:
Wait a minute, now. Ms. Cooper, this is your
ex-boyfriend? Yes, Your Honor. AUDIENCE: What? That was a mistake,
Your Honor. So, Ms. Martin, you slept
with your sister-in-law's
boyfriend? Yes, Your Honor. Now who crazy, Your Honor? That was before, Your Honor. That was a mistake. How did that happen? Well, my husband... No.
When my husband was away,
Your Honor, he was, you know,
doing a lot of different
things with other women. And I was emotional. So, you all aren't
together anymore? COOPER: No, ma'am. I believe she's my brother's
daughter because she looked
just like my other niece. My brother said
that's his child so that's
what I'm going with. JUDGE LAKE: Hold on
but Mr. Gaut said he believes
he's the biological father? MARTIN: He's crazy.
She probably told
him to say that. So, me and him crazy? MARTIN: Both of y'all crazy. So, Mr. Gaut, how did you get
a notion that this could be
your child? Because we had sex
unprotected. You had sex unprotected
and you believe it was in the
window of conception. Yes. MARTIN: No, it wasn't. Did she ever tell you,
you are the father? Once, when we
was on the phone. JUDGE LAKE: When you were
on the phone? Yes. What did she say? Uh, you know, she just tell me
it's a possibility the baby
could be mine. She could be.
Look at his eyebrows.
Look at her eyebrows. Only thing wrong with him,
he got a lazy eye. MARTIN: She doesn't...
She doesn't look like him at all. AUTRY: Nothin' wrong
with it, Your Honor. She doesn't look like him,
Your Honor, no. Do you know Skylah?
Or do you have a relationship
with Skylah? No, Your Honor. No. You don't? But in your heart
you been thinking, "I'm this
child's biological father"? Yes, Your Honor. MARTIN: She told him
to say that. I slept with him
in August 2013,
Your Honor. My husband, when he came back
into my life, that was
June 2014. You was already pregnant. I wasn't. Yes, she was. No, I wasn't. (BOTH ARGUING INDISTINCTLY) She showed her sonogram. It was like a little pea,
about that tiny. And the baby is not
gonna be that tiny. I need help, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE:
You say you need help. I need help. I need help with my kids. Well, don't look this way,
'cause I'm not having
any of that. She's not mine. JUDGE LAKE: <i> You say plainly</i> <i>
"I need help."</i> You mean, financial help?
Emotional support? Emotionally... Child care? Everything. MARTIN: She has other siblings
that she wants to be around. They wanna be around
their other siblings. And this is like the glue. JUDGE LAKE: So, Ms. Autry
is the glue that
bonds everyone? MARTIN: Yes, ma'am. JUDGE LAKE: And Skylah
is not welcome
and that hurts you? Yes, Your Honor. So, do you invite Ms. Autry
to Skylah's birthday? I invited her to
the birthday, yes. She came, but she sat
way across the room. When I get a DNA test
to prove that Skylah
is my grand-baby, I'll fit her in like the
rest of 'em. But if I gotta babysit,
then I still gotta get paid. MARTIN: That's not true. I'm not no free daycare. She doesn't care for me. That's what the real
problem here is. I think, honestly,
at this time, we've... We've heard enough and I can
see how we've arrived
in this place. The question now is,
how do we move forward? And I think we do that
with the results. Jerome? The envelope, please. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) JUDGE LAKE: These results were
prepared by DNA Diagnostics
and they read as follows. In the case of<i>
Autry v. Martin,</i> pertaining to whether
Mr. Martin or Mr. Gaut is the father of two year old,
Skylah Martin, it has been determined
by this court, the biological father is... Mr... Martin. MARTIN: I'll take that
for $200, Your Honor. I told you. I told you. You are the grandmother,
Ms. Autry. MARTIN: I need your help. Can I get an apology? AUTRY: No. I do apologize to Skylah. But not to her. I'll accept that. AUTRY: And I will have
Skylah at my house. At the end of the day, you all are a family through these children. No. I'm Skylah's family. No, the point is,
you're family through
the children. Well, no cause it's your
daughter-in-law. Your son's
still married to her. As long as she accept my child
'cause that's what
it's all about. I don't care. You all, whether you want to
acknowledge it or not,
it's your son's wife. You gonna have to learn
how to deal with one another for the baby. The way you treat her mother will be a direct reflection
in her own mind and in her
own heart of her worth. If you don't value the mother, you cannot
expect her to believe
she's valuable. It's just about respect
and decorum. And you all can do that. I want you take advantage
of the counseling
and resources. And I want you to take care
of that beautiful little girl. Thank you, Your Honor. I wish you all the very best.
Court is adjourned.
