Please be seated. Morning, Your Honor. Good morning. This is a case of<i>
Robinson v. Fuller.</i> Thank you, Jerome. Your welcome. Good day, everyone. AUDIENCE: Good day. Mr. Robinson, after
a 12-year relationship
with the defendant she confessed that
your three-year-old
son, Brandon Jr., may not be your
biological child. Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: Now you say your
engagement to Miss Fuller is broken off and your
heart is in ruins... Yes, Your Honor. <i> ...because of
the possibility,</i> <i> you may now lose
your son too.</i> Yes, Your Honor. AUDIENCE: Aw! Miss Fuller, you admit
that you were indeed
sleeping with another man at the time Brandon Jr.
was conceived. Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: Furthermore, you
acknowledge you hid your
doubts about paternity from Mr. Robinson. Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: Additionally,
Mr. Robinson, you are
asking the court to award you $100 to pay the fee to
change Brandon Jr.'s
name if indeed the results reveal
you are not his father and you have to
move on without him. Yes. Yes, Your Honor. So, Mr. Robinson,
how did you find out Brandon Jr. may not be
your biological son? It was maybe, uh,
six months... Six months... My
son was six months, <i> we had to separate
because we had to move.</i> JUDGE LAKE: <i> So you all
were in a relationship.</i> BRANDON: <i> We were
in a relationship.</i> JUDGE LAKE: <i> Baby was...</i> What? Born? BRANDON: Born. Yup. And we were living together. And six months in... Six months in
we had to move, we fell on some
hard times, okay. JUDGE LAKE: Okay. Respectively we moved
back to, I moved
back to my mom's, she moved back to
her mom's, okay. The day that it happened,
it just so happened to be a birthday
party also, okay. I take him to
the birthday party. Later on after the party
is over I drop him off
at his grandmother's where I thought
Miss Fuller
would be, okay. When she didn't come down,
that was fine, it was okay. I just dropped him
off to his grandma.
The next day comes and I, um, call,
no answer. So I'm like, "What's
going on?" I'm like "Okay." So another day pass,
I'm calling all day
the next day, no answer. I'm like
"Now, what's going on?" So, maybe a day or so I'm
starting to get these phone
calls but they're private. But I'm not answering them,
but the private phone calls
are coming like every hour, on the hour. So finally, you know
after so many private
calls in a row for so many days,
you know you pick...
I picked up the phone and she's on the line,
she's like "Hey, I'm
about to be at Tower City, "I'm about to be...
Can you meet us there? "Uh, me and Brandon." At first I'm mad I'm
like "No." I hang up
she called back, and, um, you know
I get on the phone
or whatever, had to get
myself together. You know, gather my thoughts
get myself together. And I was like
"Uh, okay I'll meet you." But really I was thinking
about, you know, my son. So how did you
find out that Brandon Jr. may not
be your son? When did you
get that news? He asked me when
I contacted him, if... If Brandon was his. So wait, when you
were calling from
the private number all those days and you
finally got through he asked you on
the phone, or he said, "Meet me and I want
to talk about this?" We... He asked me
on the phone. He was mad at me. And he was upset,
he was wondering
where we had been that whole week,
and um... He, um, asked... JUDGE LAKE: Where were
you that whole week? I had left to go be with
the guy that I thought... That... Could be
his father. (AUDIENCE GASPING) JUDGE LAKE: So,
let me ask you this. What got in your mind, to where when she
finally called you from
the private number, it was, "Is Brandon Jr.
my son?" How did you come to
that realization that
that could be an issue? Why would you
just disappear? AUDIENCE: Mmm. Where'd you go? He started looking like
the other guy to me when he was six months.
I have a picture. AUDIENCE: (GASPING) JUDGE LAKE: Jerome,
may I see that please? Uh, to me he
just didn't look. JUDGE LAKE: So why... Okay, now the pieces
are coming together. He didn't look like neither... Pieces are coming together. He didn't look like... He didn't look like
neither one of us
to me at the time. And that's why
the disappearing
act happened because you just... He... I was feeling guilty. My conscience was
getting to me, and I couldn't, like,
look at him every day. And... (SNIFFLING) And I lied to him,
like, all this time. Like, I'm sorry.
(SNIFFLING) JUDGE LAKE: So, when Brandon Jr. started
looking like the other guy what did you say
to Brandon Sr.? FELICIA: I didn't really say
anything, like we were
struggling at the time <i> so we had to move
and I didn't want to
go back to my mother's</i> and I just thought... At the time I thought it
was a better move for me, and it wasn't. So the truth is,
while you all started
struggling financially and all this was
going on, you all
trying to figure out where you gonna live,
deep down inside <i> you're looking at your
baby going, "He does not
look like this man.</i> <i> "He looks like
the other man."</i> FELICIA: <i> Yes.</i> But you kept the whole
relationship a secret. Hence, the private number. (AUDIENCE GASPING) And all the while,
Mr. Robinson, you're bonding with... Oh, yeah. This baby is
named after you. BRANDON: Oh, yeah! It's your son. Sleeping on my
chest at night. Uh, just everything.
I mean, I barely move. AUDIENCE: Aw! I mean, you know like
I would sleep like this... Real quiet,
real move... Real... JUDGE LAKE: I know that move. And it just...
He just would
lay on my chest and he would sleep. FELICIA: He's the only guy my son... My fa...
My son knows as a father. BRANDON: So that's my son. So, that's my son,
that's all. If he ran in this...
In here right now, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy." (JUDGE LAKE CHUCKLES) He just gets so excited
every time he sees me. I have pictures, if you
would like to see. JUDGE LAKE: You do. Okay. With us bonding. Jerome, please pass that evidence
up to me. Here. All that. Yeah, that's my guy.
(CHUCKLES) AUDIENCE: Aw! <i> That's the first time
I held him and fed him.</i> So you love this child.
This is your son. BRANDON: Oh. And until he's
six months old you have absolutely
no idea... None, Your Honor. None. ...that he potentially
couldn't be your son. Oh, no way... No way
that I would ever have
thought that, Your Honor. That he wasn't mine. Now this is his
birth certificate here. You put your
name on here? Yes, I signed it. <i> That boy changed my life,
Brandon changed my life.</i> <i> I was on my...</i> AUDIENCE: Aw! I was on my way to... (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) <i> I was on my way to
some bad things.</i> When he was born, it's
just like I gotta stop. Brandon Jr. is three now. BRANDON: Three. So you spent the next
two and a half years continuing to bond. Yeah. Yeah. And then we had
a fallin' out. Like serious
fallin' out. Uh, she got on...um,
social media on my phone, okay, but didn't close it.
Forgot to close it. So, I'm sitting
on the couch, I'm about to jump
on my Facebook
but I'm looking at post... My social media
or whatever, I'm
looking at post like, "Wait a minute,
this ain't mine,"
you know what I'm saying, so instantly I get
kind of nosy, you know what I mean?
And I start going
in inboxes. Reading inboxes.
So I'm reading
these inboxes, but she sent
the one, uh, message to the guy and I
guess that's when she went
to go live with the guy, saying that... JUDGE LAKE: Okay. ...he didn't look anything
like me and that she
needed his help. You saw a message
that basically said the baby doesn't look
anything like Brandon Sr... Right. <i> ...so I need your help.</i> BRANDON: <i> Need your help.</i> JUDGE LAKE: <i> And how old was
Brandon Jr at that time?</i> BRANDON: <i> One and a half.</i> Bout to be two in like
the next month. So this was almost a
year and a half later. Yeah. JUDGE LAKE: Does that
open the wound again? Definitely. It did. JUDGE LAKE: So what happened? (STUTTERING)
I got upset, okay. Well, actually I sat
down on the couch at
first and I was like, "Mmm," so I handed her
the phone I was like
"Read this." So she reading it,
you know, she kinda of got...
Got a little look
on her face or whatever. And I... I got up
after that and, um,
I went to the washer and I started taking
clothes out the washer and out the dryer
and all of that stuff, and I was like, "Get out!"
But I'm like "Leave Brandon, "because you gotta work
tomorrow anyways and it was
my day to keep him anyway." "No, no, no." But I'm
putting the clothes
outside the house. All right, so you putting
her clothes outside the house. Yeah. But we had some
neighbors outside, okay. JUDGE LAKE: Okay. Well, so we... So
it spills from in
the basement to outside. So we're outside and we're
yelling, screaming back
and forth at each other. Well, I'm doing most
of the screaming, you know what I'm saying
and yelling or whatever. And, um, the neighbors
called the police. JUDGE LAKE: All right. We had a domestic
disturbance out of that. So, why were you still
talking to this guy where he would
find these emails? FELICIA: I met the guy
a long time ago,
like years ago, and we started
seeing each other and I still... I dunno,
I just still kept talking
to him or whatever, but it was off and on
for about eight years
or whatever. Around the time... It was on for how long? It was like eight years
off and on, but it
wasn't like we... Eight years off and on? FELICIA: Yes. (SCOFFS) AUDIENCE: Ooh! Oh! Until what time? Um, it's around the time
I got pregnant with
my son, that's when I... So, my son is like...
I wasn't supposed
to have kids. Um... What do you have? Miracle, hmm. What do you have there? A calendar. A calendar.
Jerome, please. I wasn't supposed to
be able to have kids. So my son was like
a miracle baby. So this is a calendar... This is a calendar that
indicates the years <i> you've been with
Mr. Robinson.</i> The second page of
what you presented here indicates in 2004 <i> you meet the other
potential father.</i> FELICIA: <i> Yes, Your Honor.</i> JUDGE LAKE: <i> Then you have
a little break in 2005,</i> <i> 2006 you reconnect with
that other potential father</i> <i> and you're with him all
the way through 2011.</i> It was more like...
When we were getting in... When we were
getting into a...
When he put me out that's who I would
kick it with, that's
who I would call. And during the time of
conception you were with
this other guy as well. FELICIA: Yes, Your Honor. Mr. Robinson, I can
tell by the look
on your face you did not know this. (LAUGHING) Oh, no, Your...
Not at all, Your Honor. So, what was
your understanding of the relationship
with the other guy, because there's a lot
of blue going on up there. AUDIENCE: Yeah. No, understanding,
Your Honor. I didn't think there
was another guy. No way. So this is your
first time figuring
that out right now. Yes, Your Honor. Yes. (AUDIENCE GASPING) Yeah. Mmm-hmm. JUDGE LAKE: Okay. Mr. Robinson, do you
now feel like there's even more of
a chance Brandon Jr. is not
your biological child? I mean, yeah.
Eight years, Your Honor. I'm so confused,
look, um, but no I feel like... JUDGE LAKE: That's
understandable given the circumstance... Yeah. ...and the information
that's been presented in court today.
Miss Fuller. Yes, Your Honor. How do you keep
an 8-year
affair a secret? I mean, like... JUDGE LAKE: Go ahead and talk
to him cause I can see... I'm sorry. BRANDON: I understand... I am so sorry that
I did this to you. That's my baby,
you hear me? (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) 'Cause if he's not the father
like it's just going to be
me and him I feel like. And now your baby
has bonded with
Mr. Robinson. <i> I mean, he considers
him his daddy.</i> FELICIA: <i> Yes.</i> So, hate to bring him up, but how are you explaining
all this to this other guy? Does he know that... I mean... ...Brandon Jr. could
potentially be his
biological child? Yes, he knows. If he is his
biological father does he want to be
a part of Brandon
Jr.'s life? I wouldn't want him to
be a part of his life. 'Cause he's not like
the type of guy that
you just want to raise your kid
or you know. He's just the kind you
just want to go to his
house every time you get in an argument with
your boyfriend. At the time, yes. JUDGE LAKE: So the truth
is with this mistake you could lose
a good man, and your son could
lose a great father. FELICIA: Yes, Your Honor. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) JUDGE LAKE: Well,
Mr. Robinson. Yes, ma'am. Do you want to still
be in a relationship
with Miss Fuller if in fact it's determined
that he is not... Your Honor, a relationship
as far as what, like our
friendship that we have or... JUDGE LAKE: No, I mean
a relationship. Together? No. She broke up
with me, okay. We were supposed to
get married in July, okay. AUDIENCE: (GASPING) So, when Miss Fuller
told me, you know, that she didn't want to be with
me anymore or whatever,
I said, "Fine," but there is no
coming back. When you decide, okay,
"Hey, I've sowed my
royal oats, "I'mma come back
and, you know, be with you." I won't be there like... FELICIA: But that's not why I broke up with you. But I will always be there. Yeah, I would love... JUDGE LAKE: Why did
you break up? I did it for myself, I did
it because I need to learn
how to love myself more instead of trying to build a
relationship with somebody BRANDON: Amen. and I'm not loving
myself, I'm loving you more than
I'm loving me. Like that's not right,
I need to build myself up. JUDGE LAKE: Mmm-hmm. So that's why I
broke up with him. It wasn't because of
I wanted to be with
somebody else like, I just felt like I need
to get myself together
and my life together. JUDGE LAKE: Yes. For my son. BRANDON: Respect that. JUDGE LAKE: Understandable,
Miss Fuller. Now, Mr. Robinson
I want to ask you this, in your petition to
the court you indicated you were also requesting
that the court award
you $100 because if Brandon Jr.
is not your biological child you want his name
to be changed. Yeah. Uh. You know what?
I'm gonna be honest
with you, Your Honor. That was said out of
anger, okay, you know
at the time, but... Are you withdrawing
your petition because you haven't
quite decided yet and it's something you
would like to revisit
at another time? Uh... (SIGHS) Uh, I... (STUTTERING) I don't want to
change his name. I don't want to
change his name. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) Everybody know him, Brandon, Brandon.
Everybody call
him Brandon. Brandon. Little BB
you know... You can't just take
that away from him. So, with that said, Jerome I think it's time
we go to the results. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) These results
were prepared by
DNA Diagnostics and they read as follows. That he wasn't mine. JUDGE LAKE: In the case of<i>
Robinson v. Fuller.</i> As it pertains to
the Paternity of
Brandon Robinson Jr., Mr. Brandon Robinson Sr., you are his father. (AUDIENCE CHEERING) Yeah, man! Well, I don't even have
to ask you how you feel. Oh, man, you know. (AUDIENCE CHUCKLE) This... This... Well,
now my son say, uh... He come to me now,
he'll be like "Daddy, this is
the best day ever,"
you know he always... (JUDGE LAKE CHUCKLES) Best day ever, so. JUDGE LAKE: (CHUCKLING)
I love it. This ranks right up there, finding out that
you know... (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) Phew. JUDGE LAKE: How
you feel Miss Fuller? I'm relieved. I'm happy. JUDGE LAKE: We have
to understand. Jerome, how many times
do I have to say it? But it never gets old,
you cannot see council
under the cover. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) This is the perfect
opportunity to begin again. Now, in that
new beginning the first thing you
have to do is exactly
what you spoke about, learn how to love yourself
more than you do. Amen. Because that's going
to effect the choices
you make in life. You understand? Yes, Your Honor. If you don't feel
you're worth it, you're going to keep making
the wrong decisions and you are
worth it, all right? Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: I wish you all
the very, very best of luck. Thank you, Your Honor. Thank you, Your Honor. I'm so happy. Jerome, I love this
news, don't you? JEROME: Great news. Best... This is the best
day ever, right? (BRANDON CHUCKLING) Congratulations,
court is adjourned. When I first heard
the news I felt great. It was great.
Beautiful feeling.
Wonderful feeling. Son, say best
day ever! (CHUCKLES) Best day ever! I apologize for everything
that I put you through. I been forgiving you. I just hope we could
continue our friendship and raise Brandon together. Okay. We got it.
You know that.
