You may be seated. hello, your honor. Hello. This is the case of<i>
Gynild v. Hardin.</i> Thank you, Jerome. You're welcome. Good-day everyone. AUDIENCE: Good-day. Ms. Gynild, you and your sister agree that the man you've
known to be your father
is denying paternity. Yes. Yes. JUDGE LAKE: Yet you disagree
about why you've
come to court today. One of you is hoping the DNA
test will prove he is
your biological father, the other is hoping to learn
he is not. Now Mr. Hardin, you argue that you've been buried in child support
payments totaling more than $90,000 for two daughters you
don't believe you fathered. Furthermore, you claim that
while involved with
their mother you caught her in several
compromising situations
with other men. You believe it's
understandable why you've
always had doubts. So Ms. Gynild, first
just explain to the court when's the last time you saw
this man. Mr. Hardin actually came
to our house in Minnesota, and with his two sisters. And which we all just spent
the day together and the last I recall I was
eleven-years-old, and my sister Kiera was 10. JUDGE LAKE: 11? Uh-huh. And you're 26 now? Correct. 15 years ago was the last time
you saw him? SHANEYCE: Correct.
He would always say
he was going to come see us, and he never did.
He would just always lie
and that was it. I wanted this man,
so bad, in my life. I played basketball,
I ran track, all my friends had both
mom and dad there.
I had my mom. I wanted him...
I watched through my window,
watched raindrops fall, and he wasn't there.
He told me he was coming. I waited, and waited,
and waited. He never showed. HARDIN: Your Honor,
their mother didn't allow me
to come around at all. There's no way that
I would not want to be around
my daughters, Your Honor. SHANEYCE: You're lying
right there. I asked for a paternity test from day one and, Your Honor, I've always
doubted because I used to
catch Ms. Gynild with several different men
during the course of
our relationship. I would actually come in and see men running
out the door I actually caught Ms. Gynild
after I had to go out of town
for a funeral. My first daughter was
six-weeks-old. I came in from out of town
for my aunt's funeral. I came home early to find
Ms. Gynild gone.
Another lady was in the house. She threw the baby in my arms
and ran out the door,
Your Honor. Specifically, though,
I mean, there's specific
windows of conception. Why is it you doubt
that Shaneyce, your oldest
daughter, is yours? What specific thing happened? They were nine-years-old
before she said that I was the father. JUDGE LAKE: Well look, when
you found out she was pregnant did you think
the baby was yours? There was possibility,
Your Honor, but I... JUDGE LAKE: You only felt
there was a possibility? Yes, because she had slept
with two of my friends prior to that. HARDIN: I found that out... During the time Shaneyce
was conceived? HARDIN: Shaneyce had already
been born six weeks. So between that time
I waited, you know? I didn't want to, you know,
deal with the situation
so I got away from her. Then, about a month later,
we got back together, and then she tells me that
she was pregnant with Kiera. So, all right Mom,
I want to hear from you. Ms. Gynild, please step up
to the witness stand
and have a seat. Thank you for being here. Now, Ms. Gynild,
you've got two
beautiful girls. And Mr. Hardin is saying that each time you told him
you were pregnant he doubted whether or not
he was their biological father because you had been
unfaithful. Were you
unfaithful? I was dealing with somebody
prior to us getting together, and, like I said,
prior to us getting together. He was also in
a relationship and when I first got pregnant he was excited about it. He also, like I said,
had another woman pregnant. She was pregnant
a month before me. But more importantly,
were you sleeping with
anyone else during the time, let's first deal with
Shaneyce, your oldest child, were you sleeping with
anybody else during that
window of conception? When we first got together,
no, but prior to that I... Like I said, I was with...
I was with somebody. So there is... Yes. So there is a possibility. TERI: Uh-huh.
And I told him that. So she told you, point blank,
that there could be
someone else. She did not tell me.
A friend of mine told me,
Your Honor. TERI: Yes, I did. A friend of mine actually
brought it to my attention. He actually told me that
she had several different men that she had been engaged with
over that time. JUDGE LAKE: So is that true? No. Mmm-mmm. But you do admit that there's
at least one other possibility as it relates to your
first child, Shaneyce? TERI: Yeah. JUDGE LAKE: There could be
one more person. Yeah. Yes, could be. Okay. Shaneyce,
did you know this? SHANEYCE: Yes. So you do know this? Mmm-hmm. Okay. Who's on
the birth certificate
for Shaneyce? TERI: Just me. JUDGE LAKE: No father listed? No. JUDGE LAKE: How about Kiera? Nothing. So you're paying
child support though. HARDIN: That's correct. You say you owe almost $90,000 between the two girls? So if you're not on
the birth certificate how did
he end up being named father and responsible
to pay the child support? I was told from the state of Minnesota that
when they approached him
in Indiana that they were going to
give him papers to sign,
or whatever. He said he felt he was
the father and he didn't need
to sign no papers, but he signed some document,
but nobody knows where
that document is. What? Mr. Hardin, did you sign
any documents? Just like, I never signed any
parental documents, no
birth certificates, nothing. I was issued a court order
because I was late for court
in the initial court date. And they ruled as default. JUDGE LAKE: Explain that. They actually took my
truck driver's license,
Your Honor. I was a semi-truck driver.
I used to drive trucks
before this came about. They took my truck driver's
license, my livelihood,
Your Honor, saying that I'm the father of
these two beautiful
young ladies here, Your Honor. So because you were
late to court you were named the father
by default? By default.
That is exactly what happened. JUDGE LAKE: Default judgment? Your Honor, I begged for
a paternity test.
I petitioned the court. I am 25 and 26 years old.
You had all this time
to do it. You should have did this
way back when. There's no doubt
you should have did this. I did it immediately. Why didn't you...
Why are you letting us
call you "Dad" when you doubted this whole time? No, you don't understand. No, I don't understand,
so explain it. I'm trying to explain it
right now. Last year we went
to court about this. I begged the court to please
give me a paternity test. You took me to court last year
to modify your child support
payments. It's all about
the money. The money. That's all it is. When you started paying
child support payments, that's when you wanted
DNA tests. You didn't have
none of this before. I was garnished from day one. Your Honor? JUDGE LAKE: So listen,
let me ask you this,
Mr. Hardin. Yes, Your Honor. So you requested
a paternity test. HARDIN: Yes, Your Honor. HARDIN: Several times. You weren't granted one
by the court. HARDIN: No, Your Honor. But you never just personally asked Ms. Gynild,
or even asked your daughters
to take one? Unavailability. I didn't have
the funds, basically. I told him I'd pay for it. HARDIN: I wanted to get... I told him I'd pay for
a DNA test and he did not
want to take it. Never happened.
Never happened, Your Honor. JUDE LAKE: So do you
remember her asking? Never happened, Your Honor. So Ms. Gynild, do you remember
your daughter saying that, "I'll pay for it,
I want to know"? They've talked to him. We've talked about it. This is our only time
that he's denied us. We're just now
hearing about this. We went our whole life...
He's been calling us
our Dad. He's been saying he loved us,
he missed us,
he wants to see us. He's never, in our whole life,
denied us, until now. Your Honor... Your Honor, I'm right over here,
and I'm right over here. I'm right in the middle. I don't know. I've never
actually denied them. I'm right in... Yes, you have. I haven't.
I have never denied them.
I'm right in the middle, because I don't know. You did,
over their entire life, allow them to regard you
as their father,
their daddy. No. I told them that there's
a possibility that I'm not.
They knew that. SHANEYCE: That's a lie. You understand that
these two young ladies thought you were
their father, right? To a certain extent, yes. He's only denying us because
of the back pay
and child support. He wants to find a way out
to not have to deal with
that at all. That's the only reason. So how did you get so far
behind, Mr. Hardin? I'm sorry, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: How'd you get so
far behind on the support? Almost $90,000 in
back child support. Because I basically wasn't
aware of the law. I was naive
to the law, Your Honor. I did not know that
I could file motions, and... Well, you know, ignorance
of the law is never an excuse.
You know that? Yes, Your Honor.
I found that out the hard way. And their mom... (INDISTINCT) Their mom actually told me
that they weren't mine,
actually. TERI: What? Also, too. No. I never did. HARDIN: She told me that. Never did. HARDIN: She came out of
her mouth with... My mom, the whole time
been telling you... When did she tell you? She told me that she wanted me
to contact the other fellow
that she used to date, that may be a possibility. No, I never did say that. HARDIN: She gave me his number
and she said that, basically, she doesn't know,
and they might not be mine,
period. So Ms. Gynild,
you said there were other men
in each situation. Were any of those other men
contacted as it relates to
support and paternity and... No. Because I don't believe... Did you ever think of having
a DNA test with those men? No, 'cause I don't... I don't believe that they are. Well belief and possibility
are two different things. TERI: I understand. You can believe in
a possibility, and then you cannot believe
in a possibility. Right. But it doesn't change the fact
that it's a possibility. You're absolutely right. And if we come to find out
that he is not the father then I will take that matter
into my hands, my own hands. Your Honor, this is why
I'm 50-50, because after she
started seeing those checks, she was more than happy.
She's still more than happy. Up until last year she got
money all the time. Every time I work she got
paid, Your Honor. I get $100 a month in arears. All my money.
Yeah, but last year you was
getting over $500, $450. No, I wasn't. I had to go to court to get it modified $400 for two children. That's when I found out
the law, Your Honor. You're worried about
$100 here, $100 there.
That doesn't matter. We don't want your money
no more. My mom raised us
our whole life,
and she did everything to provide for us.
Like you didn't do
not one thing... Thank you. She got my checks every job
I worked, so I don't know
where that comes from. (ALL YELLING SIMULTANEOUSLY) What is that you have
in your hand, Mr. Hardin? Your Honor, I have evidence
showing where my driver's license
was suspended. Jerome,
will you hand me that please? Where the garnishments
off my checks,
and everything, Your Honor. JEROME: Here you go, Judge. KIERA: That's what that was. HARDIN: Garnishments
off my checks,
my truck driver's license. TERI: I never got
any of that money. Never. HARDIN: You got it all. No, I never did! So, I do see... HARDIN: It's right there. The order for child support,
evidence that his checks
are being garnished. It's right there. KIERA: Garnishment
going where? It's right there. So Ladies, I have to ask you
this though, listening to
this testimony. You know, this is... It's complex
in the sense it... Mr. Hardin,
the man you believe
to be your father, he says, "I always had a doubt
because I knew your mother
had slept with someone else." Your mother is on the witness
stand saying there is
a possibility that he may or may not be
their father, "Because I did sleep with
someone else." So you then
can understand what... Even though, look.
After he let you believe he's
your father and didn't show up.
That's wrong. But you have to then
acknowledge that his doubt is real because... Of course, and I do. Yeah. And I do. I do. JUDGE LAKE: Okay. Your Honor, this... SHANEYCE: I acknowledge it. Your Honor,
this particular situation
has not only destroyed my life, it has destroyed
our relationship. You're looking like
the good guy right now. If you look at me, David,
we look just alike. If you look at my sister,
you guys walk just the same. Don't sit there... (ALL YELLING SIMULTANEOUSLY) JUDGE LAKE: That's
a great point that... I look like your oldest
daughter that you were
tested for, with... That's a great point
that Kiera said.
If you look at them... KIERA: We sleep with our
eyes open. All three of us do. TERI: Shaneyce walks like him. Your Honor, I'm actually
hoping that they are my daughters so we can just get past this,
but at this point
I just don't know. JUDGE LAKE: So when you look
at them you see a resemblance
as well? HARDIN: There may be
a resemblance. JUDGE LAKE: Just "may be"? HARDIN: There may be
a resemblance.
I'm not for sure. Do they look like any other
man that you know
she was with? Yes. Yes. I'm 25 years old now.
There's been lie, after lie,
after lie, after lie. I'm through with the lies.
I grew up. I'm over it. So Kiera,
you're hoping that he's not. Exactly. You know if I... And I will go search for a man
that actually wants
to be my father. There's men out there
that want to be a father. He didn't want
that responsibility
growing up. He missed out so much on me.
So much. He missed out on both of them,
on everything. JUDGE LAKE: Mr. Hardin,
what are your hopes today? Your Honor, my hope today
is, initially, just to
find out if... SHANEYCE: That you're not
our dad. If I am the biological father
of Kiera and Shaneyce. I love them, you know? I know that they're
feeling hurt and I didn't want to bring
them here today with this. And I see tears in your eyes. And I'm not feeling good
about it at all, you know? I've been hurt the whole
entire time. TERI: No you haven't. I just want a better
relationship, and I actually just
would like to know. That's been the big question
the whole entire time. Let's go to the results then.
I think it's time. Jerome? JUDGE LAKE: These results were
prepared by DNA Diagnostics
and they read as follows. In the case of<i>
Gynild v. Hardin,</i>
when it comes to Shaneyce Gynild, Mr. Hardin, you are her father. TERI: Told you. I told you.
I told you. I told you. 26 years. I told you. (SIGHING) I told you. All these years it's you
and I've been told you. All these years I told you
that was your kid. (SNIFFLING) Phew. TERI: Now what? Wow. Really. I'm happy. Are you really? HARDIN: I'm happy. you are her father. In the case of<i>
Gynild v. Hardin,</i> when it comes to
Kiera Gynild, Mr. Hardin, you are her father. TERI: I told you. TERI: I told you. I told you. HARDIN: All right. All right. I'm so sorry. I am so sorry. (STUTTERING) I... Like I say,
I'm devastated. Now look, KIERA: You see him look
at me in my eye? No, you listen. I will fix this. JUDGE LAKE: I'm watching you. I see tears in your eyes
for your children. You're their Daddy. Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: Now that doubt
that's kept you away from them
for 20 something years, is gone now. Yes, it is. Do not wait for them
to call you. You call them. I will be there.
They don't even have to ask
me. I will be there. And don't let me find out
you left them,
or your grandchildren, sitting somewhere watching
the rain fall. HARDIN: It will never happen. (LAUGHING) It will
never happen. JUDGE LAKE: Waiting on you
to call. Judge Lake,
it will never happen. JUDGE LAKE: Are we clear? Yes ma'am. Yes, Your Honor.
Yes, Your Honor. Court is adjourned. (GAVEL BANGING) I want to apologize to you for basically not thinking that
these beautiful young ladies
that you gave me are mine. Okay? I had doubts,
and I'm very sorry.
