Please be seated. -Hello, Your Honor. -Hello.
This is the case of Shands v. Hollis. Thank you, Jerome.
Good day, everyone. [audience] Good day. Ms.
Shands, you appear in court today because you are devastated that your first love and the person you lost your virginity to -is now denying your 15-month-old son A'iden. -[audience] Aw. You say once you prove to the defendant that he is the father, you hope you two can finally be a family.
-Is that correct? -Yes, Your Honor. Mr Hollis, you are here with your mother, and you both testify that Ms.
Shands is a pathological liar, and you both don't believe you fathered her son, but claim to know who did. Is this correct? [both] Yes, Your Honor.
I've read through the court file, and this is a classic case of babies having babies. I'm gonna start with you, Ms. Shands, tell the court what do you want to accomplish today?
Today, I would like to accomplish that Amir is the father of my child. He has been in my baby's life ever since my baby has been three months. He's my first love, my first kiss, my first everything.
And today, I just want to know the truth about. . .
I want to prove to him that he is the father of my child. And so, Mr Hollis, tell the court why you say she's a pathological liar. I've caught Desire cheating so many times, -like, it don't make no sense.
-[Shands scoffs] Like. . .
Like. . .
It's just. . .
After middle school, like, when we hit high school, everything was going great, like, her freshman year. But after that, like, when we had got into that one argument, we broke up. And then that was that.
And she started messing with my homeboy, and she started messing with multiple people. Your Honor, me and his. .
. was close friends once before. They was, but they-- [Shands] He used to come back and tell me that, Mr Amir, he was messing with one of my friends.
-[Hollis scoffs] -[audience exclaim] [Charmekia] I don't understand that. We both were young at the time. -We both were young, so.
. . -Both of y'all are young now.
[Shands] Yeah, we still are young. We still are young. But.
. . But I thought it was cool to go mess with one of his friends because he had slept with one of mine.
We both had made a mistake. -No, no. -We both made a mistake.
-That's not how it is. -All right. All right.
This is really what went on, all of them would be at my house every weekend. His friend, that's the other guy that she messed around with, and they would be there all the time. And I was there one weekend, I was off, and she was going to the store, she said, um, "Come on, best friend.
" But that's supposed to be his best friend. "Come on, best friend. Let's go to the store.
" I said, "What? " I told him, I said, "Why do that? " I said, "He your best friend now he her best friend, too.
" [Hollis] I knew about the whole best friend thing, but, like, now that they've done slept around on me, like, I don't know, like. . .
They probably were doing it then, back when they were best friends. -[Charmekia] I believe they was. -No.
-No. -I believe they was. -[Judge Lake] Oh, God.
-I told him they was. All right. This is exactly why y'all need to be just out playing a sport, learning a craft.
[applause] Yes. This just sounds about silly. So, you have revenge sex with one of his friends.
-And did you use protection? -No. [audience exclaims] And then, how many times did you have sex with this friend of his?
Multiple times. -[audience exclaim] -[Judge Lake] Multiple times. But were you also still being intimate with Mr Hollis?
-Well, we had broke up. -We had broke up. When me and his friend had an affair, we wasn't together.
We was not together at all. [Judge Lake] An affair? [laughter] So, eventually, you find out you're pregnant.
Take me to that day. She. .
. My godmother, she. .
. We used to be on the porch, like, just. .
. When she was doing people's hair, we used to be on the porch. She was like, "You pregnant.
You pregnant. " I used to be like, "Stop jinxing me. Stop jinxing me.
" And one day I went to the clinic and I found out I was five-months' pregnant. -Five months? -[Shands] Five months.
[Judge Lake] So, you didn't even know enough about your body to know you were pregnant. So, you find out you're five-months' pregnant, what happens? Who do you tell?
Um, well, first, I told his friend, because that's the person I was going with at the time. We ended up going out. [Judge Lake] So, the friend you cheated on him with, and the next thing you know, y'all end up-- Excuse me, Your Honor.
What she's saying don't matter. When she was going out with my friend, she was still sneaking around with me anyway because I felt like he did it to me, so, y'all together, I'm finna gonna do what I got to do. Okay, yeah, that did happen as well.
[Judge Lake] So, you were sleeping with both boys at the same time? -Yes, ma'am. -[Judge Lake] All right.
You find out you're pregnant, you tell the other guy first, what was his response? Well, he was happy. He was happy.
And so, you also tell Mr Hollis? I told him, like, not as soon as I got pregnant. He ended up finding out on the streets.
-I found out by myself. -But I end up telling him. I end up telling him, and I end up.
. . I guess he end up telling his mom as well.
And I was telling them that it's a possibility that it can be him or the friend. I never told the friend that it can be a possibility with another guy. I only told his mother that it can be a possibility with another guy.
And why did you make that choice? -I don't know. -Because she knew what she was doing.
She knew what she was doing. If you want more episodes of Paternity Court Make sure to subscribe and click on the notification bell. Ms.
Shands, when you give birth, who was with you? The friend was with me when A'iden was born. -In the hospital?
-In the hospital. -In labor. -[Judge Lake] In labor.
[Charmekia] And I sent my mom there because I knew there was a possibility that my son could be the dad as well. He favored my son when he was born. [Judge Lake] So, wait.
And, so, Mr Hollis, you just didn't want to be there or you felt like you weren't invited? Oh, I was never invited. Anything I found out about the baby, I found out by myself.
I didn't even know she was in labor. I had to find that out. I was walking out of fourth period, somebody came to me and said, "Desire had her baby.
" [muttering incoherently] I didn't even know she was in labor. I didn't even know she was in a hospital. I didn't know.
. . Like, when she first got in labor, I ain't know.
So, Ms. Shands, if the other guy was at the birth, why are you now saying Mr Hollis is the baby's father? Because, like, he.
. . My baby look, have more features of him than the other guy.
-Yes, he does. -More features? He don't look nothing like the other guy at all.
I, um. . .
I FaceTimed her and told her that it looked like my. . .
I said, um, "A'iden looks like Amir. " -And what did she say, Mom? -"It's a possibility.
" [Judge Lake] So, you admitted that it was a possibility? Yes, Your Honor. I did admit that it was a possibility.
Okay. So, from that point, when you decided the baby looks more like Mr Hollis, does the other guy sign the birth certificate? No, he didn't have his ID at the time, that's why he didn't sign.
He wasn't intending on signing. [Judge Lake] At what point do you just say, "You know what, I don't think you're the father, I think Mr Hollis is my child's father? " Do you ever have that conversation?
Do you ever just come clean? -With the friend? -[Judge Lake] Yes.
No, I never even talked to him about it. So, to this day, the other person doesn't know that Mr Hollis could be A'iden's biological father? He hears it off the streets 'cause everybody on the streets telling him that the baby look like A'iden.
"The baby look like Amir. The baby look like Amir. " He think it's his child.
But in his mind, he's running around the streets saying, "This is my baby. " They're beefing over it. Him and my son is beefing over it.
-Beefing over it? -Yeah, they got into it. [Hollis] We got into it a few times, Your Honor.
Like, it's not no beef. . .
Ain't no beef with me no more, like. . .
I let the whole thing go. Like, the whole thing. I can't tell.
You writin' songs about it. -What you mean? -He made a song, Your Honor, and it specifically says, "'Bout a year ago, I fell in love with a thot.
" -That's what it says. -[audience exclaims] And I can see that you didn't appreciate that, Ms. Shands.
No, it hurted me, like, when I heard the song at first. Especially the first song. .
. I forgot how. .
. I forgot how it started, but he put my name in it, the friend name in it, but he erased it and changed it to a whole different. .
. Different words. And then, he came out with the.
. . [Judge Lake] And we have some of the lyrics to that song.
[Judge Lake reading] [laughter] It just keeps getting worse. [Hollis] Worse. Oh, Ms.
Your Honor. And there was another, a video that went viral. It went viral.
He made a little song, it got me and his picture in the background. It got me and his picture in the background. He said, "You better not trust her.
She gonna come back to me. " Your Honor, first of all, that was after the fact. .
. She made a video about me first while I was at school, so. .
. Made a video? They be making videos about each other.
-She made one of me first. -No. This is insane.
I mean, really, I'm sitting here. . .
I feel like you two need to be going to detention. . .
-[audience agreeing] -. . .
not to Paternity Court. I mean, just listening to the stories, the grammar alone. .
. [cheering, applause] . .
. is just about to take me out. You know, really and truly, Your Honor, the reason why I really want this over with to find out if A'iden's his or not because, like I said, him and the boyfriend was beefing and all of that.
And I don't need him getting killed over nothing like that. That's how his father lost his life and I'd hate for that to happen to him. And see, you know, Mom, I appreciate your honesty.
And I understand. I'm a mom of a boy, and I get the fear. [stammers] What's so scary is at the end of the day, you're just kids, but you're making people because you're engaging in adult activities, sex.
And now you're getting yourself caught up. Mr Hollis, what kind of relationship do you have with A'iden? Hmm.
It's a real strong relationship. Like, I got attached, like, real fast. I can't even.
. . He love me, like, every time I come around.
So, you have a real bond with this baby. Ms. Shands, has this other guy developed a relationship with A'iden as well?
Not as really. Like, when A'iden see Amir, they have a little thing like. .
. [grunts] at each other. Like, they do it.
. . Like, every time he see him, like.
. . He can get on FaceTime with Amir, and he'll be like.
. . [grunts] But every time he be with the other guy, he, like.
. . He don't really be studyin' him.
He never showed the. . .
The attention that he showed to Amir that he shows to the other guy. And, Ms. Hollis, I mean.
. . You say you tried to back off, but I can see in this picture, you've got the grandma face all over you.
[all laugh] So, you've fallen in love with the baby as well. Yeah. I just don't.
. . You know, I don't want to find out later on that, you know, I'd rather just get it over.
If it is, it is, if it isn't, it isn't. But I'll still love him. [Judge Lake] I can see that.
[Charmekia] Mmm-hmm. -It just brings tears to your eyes to see him. -[Charmekia] Mmm-hmm.
A'iden is the child. He can't make no decisions for himself. You know, this not his fault.
[Judge Lake] No, it is not. -Ms. Shands.
-Yes, Your Honor. And as you've stated earlier, you really want to be with Mr Hollis. -Yes, Your Honor.
-And you want to raise A'iden with him. Yes, Your Honor. But the truth is, you have absolutely no clue who A'iden's biological father is.
All right. Well, we have the results, and I think that's the only way we're gonna figure out how we move forward, is to get the truth. -Jerome, may I have the envelope?
-Yes, Your Honor. Here you go. These results were prepared by DNA Diagnostics and they read as follows.
In the case of Shands v. Hollis. .
. When it comes to 15-month-old A'iden Shands, it has been determined by this Court. .
. Mr Hollis, you are not the father. I see tears in your eyes, Ms.
Shands, because I know how desperately you wanted Mr Hollis to be A'iden's biological father. Their family's formed a bond with your son, but unfortunately now, we know the truth. You're a beautiful young woman, but I do not like the way you've been operating, or you, Mr Hollis.
None of you. And maybe you don't have anybody. Listen, sometimes you don't have that person to just sit you down and say, "No!
That's not what you do. " And you get yourself. .
. That's what I don't like about all this little social media stuff. You post something, and then everybody, -"Yeah, girl.
" "Yeah this. . .
" and all this "yeah". -[Charmekia] I hate it. And they will "yeah" you straight to mediocrity.
[audience agreeing] And you will not realize your potential as a young woman or a young man listening to these people online try to legitimize this nonsense track you on. I want you to desire better for yourself. I want you to desire a future for yourself and your child.
I want you to desire that you finish your education. Desire that you go to college and make something of yourself. Desire that you want to live your dreams.
-Do you understand me? -Yes, Your Honor. [Judge Lake] Focus on those desires and leave the rest of it alone.
I wish you all the very best. Court is adjourned.
