Please be seated. Good morning,
Your Honor. Good morning. This is the case of<i>
Fisher v. Meyer.</i> Thank you, Jerome.
Good day everyone. AUDIENCE: Good day. Ms. Fisher, you say, you thought you found
the perfect older man to start a relationship
and family with. But after having
your first child and getting pregnant again,
you claim he abandoned you and denied he fathered
your second child Xavier.
Is that correct? Yes, Your Honor. Mr. Meyer, you contend, Ms. Fisher
was a serial cheater who had numerous liaisons with different men
during your relationship. You say, you and the plaintiff were not even together
when she conceived her child and there is absolutely no way
you are Xavier's father. Is that correct? Yes,
Your Honor. So, Ms. Fisher, you say, Mr. Meyer abandoned
you and your kids? FISHER: Yes, ma'am. Explain. After our having
our first son together, we lived together
for about three years. We found out that
after the new year, we were gonna
have a second son. Him knowing that, he decided he didn't want
anything to do with me. I ended up leaving... Living with
another family member, just to better our lives. We were doing
a switch off back and forth, watching our son together and after that, we got
into a lot of disagreements, just arguing a lot... Turned into him
not coming around at all. JUDGE LAKE: And so, Mr. Meyer, Xavier is nine months old.
You say you haven't done anything because Xavier
is not your child. No, Your Honor.
That is not my child. JUDGE LAKE: Explain
your position to the Court. We were not together when
she got pregnant with Xavier. She's cheated
on me multiple times. I came home, I found
my mattress flipped over. I've came home, I found
multiple people in my bedroom. JUDGE LAKE: I wanna
be clear, so you all were
in a relationship. MEYER: Yes, Your Honor. You say this is
your second child. Right, Ms. Fisher? Yes. JUDGE LAKE:
So, you have an older child? FISHER:<i> Yes,
I have
a three-year-old son</i> <i> who's almost
four years old
this year,</i> named him
after Michael. So, he has a Junior. No, it wasn't... She wouldn't
even name him "Junior." She named him
"The second." Well, my son is
"The second."
That's the same thing! I wanted it
to be Junior.
She wouldn't let me... JUDGE LAKE: Okay... I think she knew
it wasn't my son, that's why
she wouldn't do it. Cause you gave
him "The second"? So, she named him
"The second" instead.
Yes, Your Honor. So now you doubt
your older son, too? Yes, I don't believe
he's mine, Your Honor. If he thought
for some reason that one of these
children were not his after three years
of having the first one, would you not take
a DNA test from... MEYER: I asked you
how many times
about a DNA test? How many times
I asked you? I don't know, Mike.
You tell me. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on.
Hold on. I wanna
understand this. You all were
in a relationship, living together
during the window of time when Xavier
was conceived? Yes. JUDGE LAKE: Mr. Meyer, when you found out
Ms. Fisher was pregnant, did you believe
instantly this wasn't
your child? I had serious doubts
this is my child right when
she told me. So, take me back
to the day she told you
she was pregnant. What happened? Well, she explained to me
and told me she was pregnant. At that time before that, we were kind of
on and off. We were fighting constantly. I don't think we were
really together at that time. I hear...
I know she is with other guys. I really didn't think
this kid was mine at all. There was a chance
the kid was mine. The dates didn't add up
when she told me. She constantly
changed her due dates. Just nothing make sense
added up. And so, Ms. Fisher,
when you got pregnant, you told him
you were pregnant, why? Because you thought,
this is great we're having our second baby? Your honor, yes,
I was excited to find out a couple of days
after the new year of 2016 that I was gonna be
having another child. We had a house. We both were
working at the time. Everything was okay. One night,
I find him crying in bed and ask him, "What's wrong?" He asks me
to not be around him anymore. But I'm trying
to figure out why because we're
having another child. We already have one. He was not around for any
of the doctor's appointments for the second child, so he would not know
a due date in the first place. MEYER: Obviously,
the kid's not mine. You tricked me once,
you're not gonna trick me
again. Second of all, you couldn't... JUDGE LAKE: Okay, listen.
Listen, listen. I'm trying
to understand the issue as it relates to Xavier. You're saying,
you tell him you're pregnant and his response is, <i> "I don't want anything
to do with the child."</i> FISHER:<i> Yes.</i> JUDGE LAKE:
Why is that your response? What information
do you have which leads you to believe she was even sleeping
with somebody else? What proof, Mike? As I said... All right, my neighbor told me some guy was
crawling out the window. Who was that?
Who crawled out the window? I would like
to know myself. Oh, well, you were there
obviously, I mean... JUDGE LAKE: Wait a minute. Your neighbor told you someone was crawling... MEYER: My neighbor said, "Hey, was your house
broken into?" I'm like, "I don't know."
Why would my house
be broken into? He said, "I seen somebody
crawling out of your window." I said, "Really?"
I go running over
to my house, nothing's gone
or anything like that. I can only assume
it was the guy she was messing around
with, no one took nothing. Was there anyone
crawling out the window,
Ms. Fisher? I definitely
object to that considering the
neighbor that we have
is an older woman. Our houses
are connected evenly. You cannot see
any windows from the viewpoint
of the neighbor
two houses down. What else? Let me tell you
about the biggest fight
we've ever had. This should be
something, yeah. Okay. MEYER: Okay,
I'm having a bad day. I'm working at the time.
We work in the same place. I had to work a double,
I was sick and
not feeling good. I finally get off work. I call her.
She's picking me up. I didn't have
a car at that time. I wasn't driving. I'm calling
and calling and calling. She doesn't answer
the phone. I'm upset.
I start walking. She comes to pick me up. She's clearly
had sex with somebody. Clearly? MEYER: Yes, visibly. She had something
in her hair.
It was not gel and it was not shampoo. (AUDIENCE GASPS) JUDGE LAKE: Okay. You believe
there were bodily fluids in her hair? MEYER: Yes. For use of better
words, yes. We haven't heard
that testimony before. Is that true, Ms. Fisher? No, Your Honor. This self-made bum standing next to me... MEYER: Bum? Has given every excuse not to take care of
any of his children. I don't wanna
skip over the story because the real truth is... This is a story that is... This is what
his doubt is based on. Were you with someone else? She admitted she cheated
on me that night. She was so messed up,
and partying all night, I'm guessing
she didn't understand
or remember that. This night is a product
of his imagination. Probably more than one guy. I'm frustrated,
I'm over-worked. I'm tired. JUDGE LAKE:
The night in question... That night never happened to where he asked me
those questions. And there never was
an instance when you...
Your hair was all over... MEYER: Nobody tell the rest
of the story. (CHUCKLES) So, if Xavier's been here
for nine months, <i> you say you've been
doing this on your own,</i> <i> he's not helping at all.</i> FISHER:<i> Absolutely.</i> JUDGE LAKE:<i>
Explain that to the Court.</i> He didn't wanna show up
to the birth for Xavier. He didn't wanna
sign the birth certificate which forced me to give
my second son my last name after his first son
has his last name. Find his real father. One month later,
I show up to his doorstep after I honked outside. Come outside.
Take the baby out of the car. I physically
make this man hold his own child
for the first time thinking that,
hopefully, he would feel some sort
of guilt in his heart and know that
this is his child when he looks at him
in his eyes. He refuses to see that. So, standing there
holding our baby, he cries, asking, "I would just rather
you not come
around anymore." I didn't wanna
take the baby. You know,
this kid's not mine. I don't wanna
see him or hold him. You know, she's trying
to pass me off. So, I take the kid... You can look clearly,
see the kid doesn't look
nothing like me. But she said
you started crying. I was sad about seeing
the other son Michael,
I mean... Even though
the kid's not mine,
I miss the kid to death. She wants to
make it sound like
I'm some low-life bum. I took care of that
kid better than
any person in the world. I was a good dad
to Michael
for the whole... What, two-and-a-half,
three years
I was there for him. JUDGE LAKE:
Wait, wait, wait. FISHER: Your honor... You were saying
you were really upset. It wasn't over not
being there for Xavier
when he was born. I know Xavier's
not my... (SCOFFS) So, you are
100% positive Xavier's not your child. Yes. Your honor,
he used to do
a lot for his first son. Now he does
nothing for his children. It's 'cause I found
out that my first son
wasn't mine. I mean, do you know
how that feels? That's some dirty
stuff there, really. This reason of belief
is strictly because my second son has
blue eyes and lighter hair. MEYER:<i> We're both Mexican.</i> <i> Yeah, the kid's got blue eyes.</i> <i> He's clearly lighter.</i> FISHER:<i> My grandmother
has red hair and blue eyes.</i> (INDISTINCT) Listen. Listen. Listen. In this courtroom,
children come in all colors. All shape, sizes. It doesn't... Listen. If we could
base paternity on that, this courtroom
wouldn't be needed. JUDGE LAKE:
I wanna understand, Mr. Meyer, did you hear
anything else that would make you feel like this child could potentially
be someone else's
biological child? Oh, yeah, I haven't
even started saying
about the stuff I heard from multiple people. What did you hear? Well, everybody said that... First, it started off as, "Are you sure those
kids are yours?" They didn't want to, really,
tell me upfront the truth. Then it's like, "I don't think
them kids are yours," and multiple people
tell me this. JUDGE LAKE:<i>
So, multiple people would
come up to you and say,</i> <i> "I really don't think
those kids are yours."</i> MEYER:<i> I had a random person
come up to me...</i> I'm in the park with Michael,
we're playing. Some random lady
comes up to me and says, "I know Sirena,
that's not your son." I was shocked. I didn't know
how to respond to that. I mean, like, how do you
respond to somebody that comes up to you and says,
"That's not your son"? Why would they come up
to you and say that? I have no idea to this day. She was out of town
for the week. I don't know. JUDGE LAKE: Do you know
who this woman is, Ms. Fisher? No, Your Honor, because
I've never left that house. Not only for one day
but not especially for a week. So, I know for a fact... MEYER: Not true at all. You claim... She was
at her mom's or wherever. What do you mean
you never left for a week? My mother lives in Cincinnati. The time of me
living in the house
for three-and-a-half years, she visit us three times,
total. One being the birth of Michael
and two other visits. Well, who knows
what guy she was with
for a week. But I was taking care
of your son that I thought was mine. JUDGE LAKE: Well, what
is going on here, though? I really wanna understand this because it's like
you're in a relationship, you're living together, and there's so much mistrust. I didn't intend to be
in a relationship with her
from the very beginning. I didn't want
a relationship with her. I clearly told her
when we first met, I didn't want
a relationship with her. JUDGE LAKE:
So, wait a minute. You tell her
you don't want
a relationship but you end up in one? MEYER: Yes. All right, and
then you have one child, and that child's
named after you, and you continue... I thought we had a... You continue
sleeping with her, then, potentially,
have another child. You're in
a relationship. MEYER: Yeah. What I'm trying
to figure out... Did you decide
to date a young woman and now,
you just don't trust her because you just
feeling like she hasn't
had a chance to live or to date and
that she's out doing things that, you know,
young people do. What is it about
what she's doing? She's a compulsive liar.
She lies about everything. JUDGE LAKE:
You believe she's lying? Oh, yeah. JUDGE LAKE: And what
type of lies have you
caught her in? I couldn't count
how many lies
I've caught her in. I mean... Wow. What did she lie about? Well, what she's doing,
where she's at. All kinds of things.
I mean... As in,
he's referring to when I leave to go
to my grandmother's house for a couple hours
to visit. I'm not allowed
to do that without him. Not allowed?
I don't care. To my father's... Do you believe
he's just being
possessive, Ms. Fisher? FISHER: Absolutely,
because I was young, naive. I'm tired of doing
this on my own. I want help. I need help. I put him on
child support, specifically, so that when he would
decide, eventually, one day to get employed
after a year and half, so that he can weasel his way
out of not paying. I'm gonna have it set aside,
because being 32 years old, I, in the back of my head, believe that
you'll not stay unemployed the rest of your life
and if you are, that goes hand in hand
with self-made bomb, as I referred to earlier. JUDGE LAKE: And so, because <i> he is not on Xavier's
birth certificate...</i> MEYER:<i> I got my own house.</i> These results
really do matter. Yes. JUDGE LAKE: Because you
want him to support and be responsible
for supporting Xavier as well. Because it takes two
to tango, Your Honor, yes. Yeah, you tango
too much, so find his father. JUDGE LAKE: And so,
I just want to be clear. Ms. Fisher,
is it your contention that you've never cheated
on Mr. Meyer throughout this relationship? That is exactly
what I'm telling you eye to eye, Your Honor. Wow. And you will not
catch me in a lie because there's
no way around the truth. That's the truth. And even during the time
when you all were off, when you were broken up, you weren't sleeping with
anybody else during that time? Your Honor,
we were not broken up in between
the times of when we had gotten in a relationship
up until I was 21 years old. Not true at all, Your Honor. You say that's not true? No. There was days we'd break up for a couple of days
here there, a week here. There was multiple
times we broke up.
She's... JUDGE LAKE:
And did she get missing then? Or did you feel like
she was sleeping
with someone else during those times? She probably was.
At the point we broke up, it didn't matter to me,
I mean... If you not gonna
be with me, go do what
you wanna do. That's fine. You know... (FISHER SIGHS) And he may be in
reference to a time where I stayed with my
grandmother during Christmas and I had to stay
with her for
a couple of days because he was getting verbally vulgar with me
a little too much and I couldn't
take it anymore, so I needed time
to myself and I took
my first son with me to go stay
with my grandmother. JUDGE LAKE:
So, Mr. Meyer, if you are Xavier's
biological father, are you willing
to step up to the plate? Oh, absolutely. I know there's
no chance that I'm his father but if I was,
yeah, I'll take care of him,
of course. JUDGE LAKE:
You are convinced, you are not this
child's biological father? I know I'm not
his father, yes,
Your Honor. The sad part,
Your Honor, is that he has convinced
his self that these kids
aren't him in denial, of fear
of dealing with reality. He'll not put up
with the responsibility of taking care
of any of his seeds. All right, well,
in light of all of this, I think it's time
for the results. Jerome. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) Thank you. These results were
prepared by DNA Diagnostics and they read as follows. In the case of<i>
Fisher v. Meyer...</i> When it comes
to nine-month-old Xavier Fisher... JUDGE LAKE: In the case of<i>
Fisher v. Meyer...</i> When it comes
to nine-month-old
Xavier Fisher... It has been determined
by this Court, Mr. Meyer, you... Are the father. No way. You have anything you
would like to say
to your son? I feel terrible
right now. And I will be
taking care of him. Would it be okay
if he saw Xavier
in my chambers? Yes, Your Honor. JUDGE LAKE: Mr. Meyer,
would you like
to hold your son? Yes, please. I will meet you
in my chambers. Court is adjourned. I want to alleviate
another level of your doubt. My staff also
tested Michael and I just want
you to know that he is also
your biological child. Okay? Would you like
to see both of your
beautiful boys? Yes. JUDGE LAKE: All right. Hey, fellas. Hey. (CRYING) It's okay. Hi. (MICHAEL CHATTERS) How's that feel, Mr. Meyer? It feels good and I mean, knowing he's mine,
I just... Sorry for being away
from you, little guy. I'll always be around you now. FISHER: Michael. You know who
this is next to me? You know who that is? It's your dad. Dad? You know, I'm Dad? Remember, I used to
pick you up every day when you was little? (XAVIER CRIES) You lived with me. We were always together. I know this is upsetting
for you now, but we are starting and this is a place
we're gonna grow from. Okay? (CRYING)
