You may be seated. Hello, Your Honor. Hello. This is the case of<i>
Barlow v. Winslow.</i> Thank you, Jerome.
Good day, everyone. AUDIENCE: Good day. Mr. Barlow, you say
your eight kids
look exactly like you, but the defendant's son,
Jabril, looks nothing
like you. And that's because
you're not his father. And you know who is,
am I correct? Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: Ms. Winslow,
you stand in court stating that Mr. Barlow is your son's
biological father, but also say if he's not, there's a good reason for it. That's correct, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: So Mr. Barlow,
tell us why you doubt Jabril and who you believe
his real father is? Your Honor, I doubt
these things due to the fact that during the time
of Jabril's conception I was away. You understand? He wasn't away
that long, Your Honor. He was around enough
for us to conceive. Whilst I was away,
you understand, I believe she was sleeping
with the landlord. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING) JUDGE LAKE: You do? BARLOW: Yeah. And that's not possible,
Your Honor. Why do you believe that?
What evidence do you have? Did you hear something? BARLOW: Whilst I was away,
I would call all the time, 'cause I got a long
past of infidelity. I got a long history
of infidelity. WINSLOW: A very long history. BARLOW: And so,
when I went away, she said, "Payback's a..." (AUDIENCE LAUGHS) Okay. Let's use
appropriate language. BARLOW: That's exactly
what she said. WINSLOW: I never stated
that, Your Honor... So, now, I go away... WINSLOW: I've never
stated that. Whilst I'm away,
I'm calling and stuff. She says, "Yo, you callin' me,
he here, call me back." Your Honor, the landlord
was there at the house... So you're saying
when you would call,
the landlord would be there and she'd tell you
to call back? BARLOW: Yeah! He was doing his landlord
responsibilities. BARLOW: So why hang up on me
when I'm paying
for the phone call? Because he needed
my undivided attention to see what's going on
with the house. JUDGE LAKE: So, Mr. Barlow, clearly, if the landlord
is going to repair something
in the apartment, he has to be in the apartment.
So if she says, "I'm gonna call you back
because the landlord is here," isn't that because she wants
to make sure he's fixing
the right thing? I'm calling at 10 p.m.
and he there. JUDGE LAKE: Oh, you call
at 10:00 and he's there. Yeah. He there. JUDGE LAKE: The landlord's
at the house at 10:00 p.m.? Yeah, and he's putting
together beds and stuff. You know why,
Your Honor? Putting together the beds? BARLOW: Yeah. You know why, Your Honor? Because he doesn't
have contractors. He does things
in a three-story
building himself. He doesn't have
a hired contractor, he's doing everything himself. So if he has to come
at 10:00 at night to fix the water
that's leaking from my roof, with three children
in my house, then that's what
he's going to do. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) Mr. Barlow said he was there
fixing some beds. Okay, now,
when I'm in the house, I'm pregnant
with Mr. Barlow's baby. I can't put bunk beds
together. I can't put the entertainment
center together. <i> So, yeah, if Mr. Barlow's
absent and he can't do it,
who else is going to do it?</i> Okay listen,
this man's running a business. Now you got to pay me $2,500
for rent, right? So for what reason do I say, "Okay, you ain't got it,
just give me $300"? This is what happened,
when I moved into
this apartment building I had got duped
by a crooked person. The landlord that I
was supposed to move
into the house in, I paid him $2,000. Okay, what I went to do
is get my lights turned on and they told me that the
place that I was trying
to rent wasn't even rentable. Therefore, I'm driving
around in a U-Haul with
no place to go. I come across the landlord
and I tell him, "I have no
money, "I just gave my $2,000
to a landlord that was crooked
and I can't even "move in the house." BARLOW: Ask her
about the furniture. So what he says to me is,
"Okay, since you don't have
anything right now "and I see you with your three
children in a U-Haul truck, "you can move in
without giving me anything. "And when you get
the deposit back from
the previous landlord, "then you can start
paying me." So Mr. Barlow, your point was he may have been interested
in her or something. Because instead
of the $2,500 that was... Who gonna take $300? JUDGE LAKE: He just took $300? Yeah! A man who felt sorry
for a single mother. Hold up, I'm taking $300
from you out of $2,500. "I'm a business man now.
But, yet, "you didn't just give me
the other $2,200, "but I'm buying
your furniture." WINSLOW: He didn't buy
any furniture. "Giving your son a bed. I'm
giving you a refrigerator." What furniture did he buy? (OVERLAPPING ARGUMENT) What furniture did he buy? Ms. Winslow, just a second. A living room set,
a kitchen set. Oh, like once again,
the bed that he put together. You understand
what I'm saying? So you say he's down there, he's over there doing a lot
of manly duties. Yeah, but how about this?
I'm away and over 80 times... No exaggeration,
over 80 times, I call and I'm like,
"Yo, what's up, babe?" "Hey, I can't talk right now."
Click. And so I call right back. WINSLOW: You know what? "Hey, you know what? "We can't talk right now."
Click. "Hey, yo, I got the landlord
here, da, da, da, da..."
Click. JUDGE LAKE: You said
over 80 times. Over 80 times! You called and she basically
just hung up on you. Yeah, hang up on me.
When I came home one time... WINSLOW: He calls
to hold the phone. He calls to try to see
if he can hear noise
in the background. I'm at home with three boys. Who cares? I don't have time
for him to hear... "Let me hear
who's in the background?" "Be quiet.
Let me see what's goin' on." That's his own insecurities
because of his past and all the cheating
he has done on me. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) He expects it, because, I haven't cheated on him. You know what the real problem
is, Your Honor? Mr. Barlow didn't know
what the landlord looked like, so when he finally saw
the landlord, he was like, "Oh, I thought
the landlord was old." When he found out
he was around our age, that's when his
insecurities came in. I came home one time.
I just popped up one time, they crossing the street,
I think the dude's a stranger 'cause I ain't
never met him yet. And so they walking across
the street and I'm like, "Yo." I approach all of them. "Hey, what y'all doing
with this stranger? "What you doing
with my children?" They're like, "He ain't
a stranger, he the landlord." BARLOW: They got ice cream
and sodas. (LAUGHS) BARLOW: You know
what I'm saying? WINSLOW: It was
a hot day, Your Honor. And then, I come home another
time, they playin' football. You know what I'm sayin'?
They playin' ball. He always at the house,
for what? That's a very nice landlord. Yeah, he's very nice. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) He's very nice. Mr. Barlow, you say you feel like this baby
doesn't look like you. Man, he look like this dude. <i> Only reason I can't tell you
they got the same hair color
is because he baldheaded.</i> My son obviously
has African-American features. However, he doesn't look
like me or Mr. Barlow. So what you're saying is
your son is very fair-skinned. JUDGE LAKE: <i> Oh,
he's a beautiful little boy.</i> And so you feel like
when you look at him though, you don't see any resemblance? No, he ain't me. He doesn't look like me
or Mr. Barlow. So now,
that leads me to believe the only way that this baby
is not this man's child is if he's not mine. I believe something
happened at the hospital and it would devastate me,
Your Honor, I have a strong
connection with my son. Now, if this boy isn't my son, that means
not only do I have to find out who he actually belongs to, but then I have to find out
where my biological child is. This is a first
in this courtroom. JUDGE LAKE: You're saying,
that you question whether or not you're
this child's mother. WINSLOW: (SOBBING)
Yes, I am. And this is really upsetting.
You're serious? Yes, I'm serious. Because every day
when I go somewhere, whether
it's the grocery store, wherever we go,
the doctor we went to, a place where my kids are
jungle gym jumping, and then a woman,
a Hispanic lady sat there,
she was like, <i> "Is he Hispanic?
Is he mixed or something?"</i> I researched,
I did a research online.
The research is right here. JUDGE LAKE: Let me see that.
What did you research? And 28,000 babies have been switched
at the hospital, and find out later on
that their parents aren't their
biological children. Let me be clear,
you pulled up research and this is research
that talks about the fact that there are
about 28,000 babies that get switched at birth
in the hospital. WINSLOW: In the hospital. Every year. WINSLOW: Every year. Now sometimes that's temporary
but sometimes, permanently. Sometimes, I mean,
I just want to know... JUDGE LAKE: And you have
so much doubt. Not just surrounding
the paternity, but also as to whether or not
you're the child's mother because everywhere you go
people are asking you... Everywhere I go,
everywhere I go. BARLOW: If I'm the father. It's like, it's so unfair
because they're treating
me like I'm a kidnapper. It's really not funny,
it's not a joke. I'm gonna take a moment.
I wanna look through
my paperwork and make sure I have some
answers before we go
any further. Do you understand? Yes, Your Honor. So give me a moment.
Court is adjourned... JEROME: All rise. ...until further notice. (GAVEL BANGING) JUDGE LAKE: We're back
in session in the case of<i>
Barlow v. Winslow.</i> You've claimed this child
could've been
switched at birth. Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: So I needed to go
back to my chambers.
I needed to do some research. I needed to look
through the results. I had to find the maternity
portion of the results. So that I could confirm
whether or not you are in fact Jabril's mother. These results state that the probability
of maternity is 99.99999... (LAUGHS) (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) JUDGE LAKE: ...percent. JUDGE LAKE: You, Ms. Winslow,
are Jabril's mother. WINSLOW: <i> Thank you,
Your Honor. That's all
I needed to hear, Your Honor.</i> JUDGE LAKE: <i> And I can see
you're truly relieved.</i> (WINSLOW LAUGHS) It's a weight lifted off
of my shoulder. JUDGE LAKE: So, Mr. Barlow, you truly believe
that there is another reason why the child
doesn't look like you. I believe
that was just an excuse. Like I said,
excuses are only good
for those who'll use them. If he's not yours,
he was switched at birth. You understand
what I'm saying? WINSLOW: Do you think
I would play with something
like that, Your Honor? That's something serious,
that's hurtful. I have been living
with this, as I stated,
since he was born. I have cried
to my mother about this. Soon as my son was born,
the landlord came to the house
to see the baby. JUDGE LAKE: So what does
the landlord look like? Your Honor,
the landlord is Columbian. And when you go places
people say the baby
looks Hispanic and Mr. Barlow is convinced
that it's the landlord's baby because he's Columbian? WINSLOW: That's correct. And I have never
cheated on this man. I've been with this man
for 11 years, off and on. Throughout the whole time
I've been with him, he has not only had twins
on me, but triplets as well. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING) So it's not like,
it's just like
a little simple thing like he hasn't done anything
to me, he has done the most. Yes, as a woman,
I stand here with my backbone and I've accepted
all of his wrongdoing. And I still love him to death, to the bottom of my heart,
so why would I wait... Excuses are best for those
who use them. You understand
what I'm saying? Mr. Barlow, are you serious? Positive. You believe this landlord
has a little bit too much
of a presence in your life. Man, he had too much
of a presence in their life. I was always away. He had a presence in our lives
because he wasn't there. There'd be times
I'd sit there... WINSLOW: He calls
the baby "son." ...and I talk
to my baby... Yeah. So you do call Jabril
your son? WINSLOW: He does! He signed
the birth certificate.
I have proof right here. JUDGE LAKE: And Jabril
calls you his daddy? BARLOW: Yeah, he say Da-Da. He can say "papa, <i> padre."</i> <i> You know, he can say
a lot of Spanish stuff.</i>
(LAUGHS) WINSLOW: No he does not,
Your Honor. That's not being
funny, Your Honor. He does not speak Spanish,
he does not. You know what I mean, like... You saying the child
speak Spanish, too? (LAUGHS) Yeah, like... (AUDIENCE LAUGHS) Your Honor,
he doesn't speak Spanish. My son talk baby talk,
like normal babies. Normal. JUDGE LAKE: What's
the evidence you were
going to present? And I'll say...
(SPEAKING SPANISH) He'll go straight to
the light switch
and try to turn it off. (BARLOW LAUGHS) That's great. There's nothing wrong
with a child being bilingual. BARLOW: It's not. But you saying it
makes you feel like... It's hereditary. WINSLOW: It's not.
It's not hereditary. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMING) No, it actually isn't. BARLOW: Okay. (AUDIENCE LAUGHS) Um, anyway, the evidence you
were going to present. The birth certificate,
Your Honor, that Mr. Barlow
so gracefully signed. So Mr. Barlow,
this is your name... BARLOW: <i> Yeah.</i> <i> ...listed as the father
on the birth certificate.</i> BARLOW: <i> Yes, it is.</i> JUDGE LAKE: So even if you
didn't believe it... I was there during
the delivery. I was there to sign
the birth certificate because there's no way
for me to say "This is not my child."
I got nine children! And out of those other
eight children there have been spots
in their life that I missed. And I said,
"If this child is mine, "I will not miss
one single day." There's no "if." (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) WINSLOW: There's no "if,"
Your Honor. And I was there. Even there when I was there
signing that, I told her, and she could tell you, "After this, we'll get a DNA
test and we'll be fine." But we left that alone. JUDGE LAKE: But you understand
that by signing
this birth certificate, you're considered to be
this child's legal father. (LAUGHS) I am his legal
father right now. JUDGE LAKE: Yes, you are! You know what I am saying? But what I am saying
is you're also
still questioning whether or not
you're his biological father. And this shouldn't be
a question, Your Honor. He knows that this is his son. BARLOW: Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: So if I open
the results and it is determined
that, in fact, this landlord or someone else
is Jabril's biological father, you understand, because you
signed the birth certificate, you are still considered
the legal father
and you'll be responsible financially to support
this child? BARLOW: Yes, Your Honor. <i> We got home, the landlord
was there looking at the baby.</i> WINSLOW: That's not true. When you came
home from the hospital? That's not true. Yeah, he was right there
in the kitchen. To collect rent. Whatever, that you
wasn't paying. How was he there to collect
it, if I wasn't paying any? WINSLOW: Your Honor,
this man is foolish. Trust me, if I was sleeping
with the landlord, I wouldn't have had to
scrape up that rent money. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) (BARLOW LAUGHS) And I believe
because she was that's the reason she didn't
have to scrape it up. You know what I'm saying?
"Hey, yo, give me that,
that's fine, thank you." (LAUGHS) You know? I'm tired of talking
about the rent money. I want to talk about the
paternity, I am ready
for the results. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) These results were prepared by
DNA Diagnostics and they read as follows. JUDGE LAKE: In the case of<i>
Barlow v. Winslow,</i> as it pertains to
20-month-old,
Jabril Barlow, it has been determined
by this court, Mr. Barlow, you... ...are the father. WINSLOW: Thank you, thank you. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) Thank you.
Thank you, Your Honor. So the bottom line
is you are the mother and you are the father. And ultimately, you two have got
to get past all of this that you've brought
upon yourselves, because sometimes
when you live in confusion, you can't grow. You can't build. But a child needs
to grow up in a family that is healthy. And all this questioning
and talking about one another, I mean, you don't even know
if you're the child's mother. I mean, this is
how crazy it got. There was so much doubt
in your house, you had people convincing you
you weren't the mother. (AUDIENCE LAUGHING) WINSLOW: That's true,
Your Honor, I did. You all have
a beautiful baby boy. I want you to grow together. BARLOW: Thank you. Take care of him. And make sure he has
the upbringing he deserves, healthy and happy. Are we clear? BOTH: Yes, Your Honor. Good luck to you.
Court is adjourned.
