Please be seated. Hello, Your Honor. Hello. This is the case
of<i> Williams v. Smith.</i> Thank you, Jerome. Good day, everyone. AUDIENCE: Good day. Mr. Williams, you say
you knew Ms. Smith 24 years ago, when she was
a promiscuous party girl. You are furious that,
after a chance meeting
20 years later, she is now claiming
that you fathered
her adult daughter, Alexis. Ms. Smith, you say there is
no doubt Mr. Williams is the father
of your daughter and you told him as much
24 years ago when he chose to ignore you. You say the plaintiff
is claiming ignorance in order to make himself
look better, but you intend to
prove him wrong today. Is that correct? Yes, Your Honor. Mr. Williams, why do you
say it's impossible you are the father
of Ms. Smith's daughter? Your Honor,
it is highly impossible that I'm the father
of Ms. Smith's daughter for the simple fact
that... She was a party girl
back in the day. Ms. Smith was
very promiscuous. But at that time
we were just partying we were having fun,
enjoying life, you know,
we were young... How are you
enjoying yourself? We was never
in a relationship
or anything, we would just hook up
after a few drinks and stuff, you know, we'd probably
go back to my place whatever was presentable. And, uh, we'd have sex,
and stuff, but, you know,
other than that, yeah... There was nothing...
We were never in
a relationship. That's the bottom line. Well, you say
it's impossible you can be
her daughter's father, but from what you
just described... No... It sounds like
it is possible you could be
her daughter's father. No, hold on. Let me show you
something here. You brought
some evidence? Oh, I got some evidence. Okay. You know why? Because I practice
safe sex. Oh! That's why
it's impossible. Oh, you're saying
that you used protection... Yes, I used protection. When you slept
with her? Yes, I did.
Yes, I did. All right,
so that's good. So, now, Ms. Smith, when you were having
that sexual relationship and having a good time, did you use protection
every time? No, we didn't. No, we did not. That's a lie. That's a lie. Your Honor,
no, we didn't. This girl lies a lot. This young lady lies a lot. He did not use protection. He knew I was
in another relationship. I never... And I did call him
and told him there's a possibility
Lexy could be his. I did tell him. No, you didn't. And then, a couple
of years later, I didn't see him no more. I didn't see him no more
till Lexy turned, what, 24? You knew, you knew
where I stayed at... No, I didn't... Yes, you did.
Yes, you did. No, I didn't... Yes, you did... JUDGE LAKE:
So, what happened
three years ago? She was with some friends
of mine, partying, she... Like I said,
party girl... And, um... Three years ago,
still partying? Three years ago...
I was not partying
three years ago. Three years ago,
I was in a church. Changed my life
and everything. So, I don't know he...
No, I don't. Still partying...
She may not, now, but that's how I found out
about the baby. About this young lady
who's supposed to be
my daughter, from some friends of mine. So, wait a minute.
Back in the... VIRGINIA: No, I told you. Back in the day, you were never informed
that she was pregnant... I was never told about
she was pregnant. She never told me
anything until, like I said, friends
of mine came and told me. They said, "You know
somebody named
Gin and Juice?" I'm saying,
"Gin and Juice?" Gin and Juice? Yeah, who in the hell
is Gin and Juice? And some other guy
said, "Virginia." I said, "Virginia? Yeah,
I know a girl named Virginia, "you know, that I dated
back in the day." Well, she said
she got a baby from you. I said,
"Well, Virginia lying. "I don't have
no child from Virginia." Ms. Smith, was that you,
"Gin and Juice?" Yes, Your Honor.
That's the name they used
to call me, yes. Okay. I won't ask no questions, that way you don't
have to tell me no lies. I'm not gonna tell you no lie. All right. So, I won't ask
why they called you that. But, anyway,
Mr. Williams, three years ago,
you start hearing rumors. Rumors about
I had a child, yeah. Then, we saw each other
on the bus. At that time, this was...
Around about that time, too. And, she was telling me that, uh, "Your daughter
wanna talk to you."
Something like that, there. I said, "What do
you mean, my daughter
wanna talk to me? "Who is you talkin' about?"
I'm still trying to figure out
who is she talkin' about. I still didn't know
no name, or nothing. And so she gave me
a number saying, "Call me." So, okay, I called her. Ms. Smith, did you
run into him on the bus? I met him on the bus,
and he asked me,
"How my daughter doin'?" I said, "She's doin' fine." When Lexy got back here
in Orlando, to move back, he came to my house
to see Alexis
a couple of times, to my house. No. One time. More than one time, twice. And then, me and Derika
came out this past December.
That's twice. And how did the visit go? DERRICK:
Um, we, um, talked. <i> I said, "Well, your mama
say I'm your father.</i> <i> "But your mama lie a lot."
And that's what I told her.</i> But she stood there saying,
"Well, you the daddy." No, I'm not the dad.
I'm not your daddy, baby. So, you came all the way
over there to tell her that you were not
her biological father? I had to look at the child.
They always say... You came there, sat there,
ate with us and everything, and jiggled with us
and talked. Yeah... And you asked me
could you stay over there for that night,
and I told you, "No." Get it right. I was gonna be close with you
because I'm not
that kind of a person. Hold on. Hold on.
Alexis, I wanna hear
from you. Was this the first time
you were ever told that Mr. Williams was
your biological father? Uh, besides, well, the day
that they seen each other
on the bus. Until then, you had
never known Mr. Williams was your biological father? Only heard his name
one time. In your life? Yes, ma'am. Who did you think
your father was? I called my granddaddy
and my uncle, "Daddy." Okay. So how did you feel
when you finally heard you were gonna meet
your biological father? Happy. You did? And you felt happy? I was excited. I'm sorry we had
to go through them, but... Ain't no...
There's no possible way
you'd be my child. So, wait a minute,
Mr. Williams, before you get
to that conclusion, I want to hear from Alexis. I mean, you're...
At this point, you've never had
an opportunity
to meet your father. How did that visit
go for you, when he came to visit? I was excited. I enjoyed the time. Um... (SNIFFS) Um... (SNIFFS)
We talked... Take me back to that day
and tell me what happened. Um, I was coming home
from work, and my mama told me
that my daddy wanted
to see me and talk to me. I said, "Okay." When I got there,
he was already there. Um, we hugged, we talked,
laughed a little bit. Um, we had dinner. Not one time did he say
he wasn't my father. So, you felt like,
in that moment, your daddy
had come to visit you. Yes, ma'am. Did you feel a connection
like he was your dad? Yes, ma'am. DERRICK: I didn't want
to hurt the child's feelings. We all have feelings,
and I just couldn't hurt
her feelings. I couldn't hurt my child,
her child,
anybody's child's feelings. Just saying,
"Oh, well, I'm not
your Daddy," you know... But since it got
to this point, I'm telling her now
that I'm not your father. The bottom line,
I'm not your father. From one parent to another,
um, I don't think <i> that this is my child,
and I'm adamant
about that doubt.</i> JUDGE LAKE:<i>
So, Ms. Smith,
I wanna know from you.</i> Why did it take you 21 years
to tell your daughter who her father was? DERRICK:
That's what I wanna know. Me and her talked,
and I told her, I say, "It's possible this person
might be your daddy,
or this one..." It must be that one. JUDGE LAKE: When did
you tell her this? I told Lexy...
She was young. I talked to her,
then I just let it went by 'cause at the end of the day,
I took care of 'em, anyway. I got four kids.
I took care
of all four of 'em. Four kids which she claims... I'm not dependent
on no man. Don't know their daddy. No, sir. There you go lying again. I'm not lying. I figured that it was
Mr. Williams or...
Yes, I did. Figured, and knew? Figured if it was
Mr. Williams or somebody else. Are there any
other options, ma'am? Besides Mr. Williams. There's one more. DERRICK: There you go. JUDGE LAKE: All right. Just one more. There you go. We need to get
to the bottom of this and find out if
it's my child or not, which I don't think,
I know it's not my child. It's not my child
for the simple fact... What woman,
in their right mind, waits 21 years, then bring
someone like this, lady. That's foolish,
that's ludicrous. I wasn't gonna run around
trying to find you! You knew
where I was... It don't matter. She got her...
She had her mama.
She had her mama. She's my concern. This is what
I'm worried about
right here. Right, but, Mom, listen. You cannot deny
the part you've had
to play in this. Let's not just put it off
on Mr. Williams. You're right... What you did for 21 years... I ain't puttin' nothin'
off him. Mmm-hmm. You basically got off
with just saying, "Your father's
one of two men." And, I mean,
she's standing here now, God bless her, and
she's saying, you know, "My uncle and my grandfather
gave me the love I need. "My mother loved me,
so I didn't grow up..." Because I hear a different
story more often than that. I hear, "I grew up
my whole life wishing
I knew who my father was." And, "Everybody else
in school had a father "but I didn't have a father,
and that bothered me." The fact that she's saying,
"I got the love
that I need," is a beautiful thing, but at the same time, Mom,
you had this information. And it still was hard, but... DERRICK: I think... Mr. Williams, after you reconnected
with Ms. Smith and Alexis, Alexis met your daughter. DERRICK: Mmm-hmm. And your daughter's
name is Derika. My daughter's name
is Derika. JUDGE LAKE:
She's actually
in court today. I'd like to hear from her. Jerome, will you please
escort Derika Williams... JEROME: Yes, ma'am. Into the courtroom. JEROME: I'm gonna
have you go up
to the witness stand... Right next
to the Judge. Hi, Ms. Williams. Good morning, Judge. Thank you so much
for joining us today. As you know, we are
talking about the paternity as it relates to Alexis. DERIKA: Right. And we understand that you
are Mr. Williams' daughter. Yes. And I would like
to hear from you personally what you feel as it relates
to the paternity of Alexis. Do you believe Alexis is
your biological sister, that you share a father? DERIKA:<i> I do.</i> DERRICK:<i> No. Look at
the two of them.</i> <i> Just look at the two
of them. They don't
even look alike.</i> So, I do believe
that Alexis is my sister. We look just alike.
We act alike. We have the same
personalities, like... Just... She's all sad
and stuff. Just look at us. It's just a connection
we have, it's... I really do believe
she is my sister. I know that there is
some doubt, or, you know, maybe some things
didn't go right back
24 years ago, and, you know, her mom
didn't tell her everything.
But when I called her, I let her know
who I was, that I was Derrick's
daughter, and that I wanted
to get to know them, and see if it was,
if they were my family. And ever since the beginning
they've been there. Well, since we,
I found them.
Or we found... When did you find them? After they met
on the bus, my dad was calling
Ms. Smith, and she wasn't
really responding. I think that she had,
maybe, gone to hospital
or something. Um, but,
when I called her, she actually answered,
and I told her who I was, and, um, that I wanted
to get to know Alexis. And we exchanged numbers,
and ever since then... DERRICK: I gave you
the number to call her, 'cause she gave me... Her...
Alexis wanted...
Gave her number, and I gave it to you and told you to call
and talk to her 'cause like I said
she's not my child, and that's the bottom line. Your Honor, you can look
at the photos and tell there's something there.
Something. DERIKA: Yeah. ALEXIS:<i> You see
the cheekbones,</i> <i> the eyes...</i> JUDGE LAKE:
And so, why do you think
your dad does not believe... Your momma got
those cheekbones. Alexis is his
biological daughter? Well... Due to... Apparently, Ms. Smith
was promiscuous. And also, when we did
go to her house, um, because Alexis
did do my hair one day. I came down to Florida. Had some family... DERRICK:
Christmas Eve, last year. This past year. DERIKA: And, um... She did my hair,
and we were talking
with her mom, and she did say
that she didn't let
any of her kids know, let the dads know
that she was pregnant, when she actually
got pregnant. So, you know,
who does that? I don't know... I... So, Alexis, you and Derika have formed
a real sister bond. Does that feel good? Yes, ma'am. Does that make you
even more nervous to find out whether or not
he's your biological father because it places at stake whether or not
you truly are sisters? Yes, ma'am. It makes me nervous.
Got butterflies, but... What have you learned
about Mr. Williams
through your sister? He loves her a lot. He cherishes her. That's my baby. JUDGE LAKE: And you
say that with tears. That's my baby... And why does that make
you feel like that, honey? (SNIFFS) 'Cause I never had that. (SNIFFS) And that's something
you want as well. Yes, ma'am. And you deserve. Yeah, well, I ain't gonna deny
she deserves to know
who her daddy is, but... Hey... It's... Need to find
who the daddy is, then. Well, one thing
about this courtroom, if you find the courage
to walk through those doors, you gonna leave out
with the truth. That's what we do here. That's why we're here. I think they look alike
in the face a lot. He tries to deny it. We don't look
nothing alike. This whole area right here. Especially when they smile,
like... (LAUGHS) They look like twins.
Look at her momma cheeks.
She's got big cheeks. I don't know... I guess
he's viewing out of... JUDGE LAKE: Listen. Listen. Mr. Williams, you have been
adamant that you are not Alexis' biological father. But you have also said
that you participated in the type of activity that leads to making babies. Well, yeah, yeah. (DERIKA LAUGHS) And therefore, I believe,
we have heard enough. And I'm ready
for the results. Jerome. These results were prepared
by DNA Diagnostics and they read as follows. In the case of<i>
Williams v. Smith,</i> when it comes to
24-year-old Alexis Smith... It has been determined
by this court... Mr. Williams... Yes, ma'am. You... Are not the father. There you go.
I rest my case, Your Honor. Look, oh... You are not the father. Can I give her a hug? If she will allow you. Look here.
I'm sorry... But, hey... It's out of my hands now.
Only God can help you. Your Honor,
I know who her father is. I know who he is. Well, what the? Everytime I said it,
she says this isn't him. I know who the other guy is. You do? VIRGINIA: And I do. Do you know
where he is? Yes, ma'am. Alexis, do you know
who this man is? You don't have to say
who he is, but do
you know who he is? You do? I... I don't... I don't believe it. But you don't believe
he's your biological
father either? Why, honey? We don't got no bond.
(SNIFFS) We've got nothing in common.
We barely talk. This other man? Your mother was honest
with you and told you
this could be your father too? She told me about him, but I don't see it. You don't see it? Alexis, I know you
were hoping, and I know,
I'm sorry, Derika, I know you all
had formed a bond, and you still have
that bond. DERIKA: I know. ALEXIS: Okay. JUDGE LAKE:
So, now, where do we
go from here, family? I think, Mr. Williams,
Ms. Smith, they've gone on
to live better lives. And now, they're able
to better help you find the missing puzzles
of your life. You are worth it.
It is not your fault. And you deserve
to have answers
to these questions. You understand me?
Okay. Yes, ma'am. We have counseling
and resources for you all. Please take advantage of it. I wish you all
the very, very best. Court is adjourned.
