Man Denies Paternity After Begging Mother to Have Child (Full Episode) | Paternity Court

Please be seated. Hello, Your Honor. Hello.

This is the case of Cherpes v. McQueen. Thank you, Jerome.

Good day, everyone. AUDIENCE: Good day. Ms.

Cherpes, you claim you and your grandmother have been given no choice but to drag the defendant into court today because you say he moved away and abandoned your nine-month-old daughter Aryah. You believe that the DNA results will prove that he is her biological father and you demand he stops running from his responsibilities. Is that correct?

Yes, Your Honor. Mr McQueen, you claim that Ms. Cherpes' relationships with multiple other men is what drove you away and you believe that today's result will prove baby Aryah's father is another man.

Is that correct? Yes, Your Honor. So, Ms.

Cherpes, tell me, what has Mr McQueen done for your daughter so far? He has bought her one box of diapers and like, two things of wipes. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) So, she's eight months old, nine months old.

Pretty much nothing? Yep. And I can see that that really hurts you.

You're very angry about that. Yes. Tell the court.

It's hard because, I don't know, I didn't ever see it like this. How did you see it? CHERPES: Like he had promised.

JUDGE LAKE: And how was that? (SOBS) Definitely not like this. I had moved out to go live with him and we had actually planned on having her.

And everything went downhill from there. Mr McQueen. MCQUEEN: Yes, Your Honor.

So, have you done anything for this baby besides just these diapers? Yes, Your Honor, I actually have. What have you done?

The first day I met her, I brought her diapers. The third time she let me see Aryah, I also brought her diapers and wipes. And the last time that I was trying to see her before I did leave the state of Michigan, I dropped of clothes and boxes of diapers and three packs of wipes to her grandmother.

So you don't believe Aryah is your biological child and you're saying you still stepped up anyway to the best of your ability? Yes, Your Honor. What is your position right now?

You have doubts. Yes. Explain to the court.

I have doubts because I didn't have her full attention. When we were together, she had. .

. Was more interested in getting other men's attention than mine. So, tell me.

What was the nature of your relationship? Were you committed? Were you boyfriend and girlfriend?

Yes, we were committed. Yes. So, you were boyfriend and girlfriend in a committed relationship.

MCQUEEN: Yes. You were boyfriend and girlfriend, Ms. Cherpes?

Yes. Mr McQueen? Yes.

On our porch, I asked you if you wanted this baby and that this baby was yours. And you just told me yes, that you wanted the baby and you wanted this family, and now, you're standing here. Explain yourself, please.

How did it change? MCQUEEN: Yeah. It changed because I wanna know if it's mine or not.

CHERPES: The only reason you're questioning me is because you were unfaithful. MCQUEEN: I was unfaithful, yes. And so, you caught him cheating on you.

CHERPES: Yep. And is. .

. How did this lead to the paternity question? I mean, if you say you were faithful, he cheated on you, that still has nothing to do with Aryah's paternity.

It's because he doesn't trust himself, so he thought it was all right, so he assumes I thought it was okay to be cheating on him. So you're saying because he was out there doing the wrong thing, he thinks you were as well. Yep.

While you were not. No. How did you find out he was cheating?

I set him up. Not necessarily "set him up. " I had told him I was going to my dad's for about four days.

I had only went there for a few hours. And I told my dad that I just had this weird feeling and as soon as I pulled in the driveway, I just instantly knew. And he came to the window, looked out, and I told him to unlock my door.

He had unlocked it but stood in front of the door to where I couldn't open it all the way, and he was like, "You're gonna be mad. " And I played dumb. I heard her talking.

So you open the door and someone was there. Yep. JUDGE LAKE: What happens from there?

I asked him to make her leave and they were both smirking at me the whole time like it was a joke. And I had. .

. I did not at all, Your Honor, think it was a joke. I had my three-year-old daughter with me, too.

So I didn't want confrontation in front of her and I ended up kicking him out and took him off my lease the next day. Do you believe, at the end of the day, he thinks you're cheating because he's the one who's cheating? Yes.

Mr McQueen, is there truth to that? Are you just out there doing the wrong thing and you think she is, too? What evidence do you have that she's even cheating?

I have heard numerous times and have seen her phone from the corner I view of walking by that she is getting attention of other men, she's getting money from other men while I'm working 12 hours a day, six days a week, trying to support our family. What did these messages say? I'm not too sure.

I know she did lie to me, and actually, she did tell me she was going to her father's to do laundry and instead, I actually found out that she went to another man's house and spent the night. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) Is that true, Ms. Cherpes?

Yes. So you did. You went to another man's house and spent the night?

Yeah, because he had brought a woman to our house. So I, to kind of avoid the fighting, I had left, yes. And so you find out he's cheating.

Is this before or after you had this episode where you go to the house and there's another woman in the house with him? This was before. So before.

. . It's been numerous occasions.

It wasn't just once. Your Honor. .

. There's been about three girls in my house, yes. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) Now, at the point you realized you were pregnant, what happens?

We were excited, actually. And then, about two weeks after I'd found out I was pregnant, that's when I caught him cheating on me. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) JUDGE LAKE: Two weeks after?

CHERPES: Yep. JUDGE LAKE: So you find out you're pregnant and you're supposedly a happy couple. CHERPES: Yep.

You're happy about the baby coming. He assures your mother he wants this child. CHERPES: Yep.

JUDGE LAKE: And then, two weeks later, he's cheating. CHERPES: Yes. I'm mad at Mr McQueen because the responsibility is falling on me and her, my husband.

It should be his responsibility for the baby, not ours. JUDGE LAKE: How is the responsibility falling on you? 'Cause she's.

. . They're staying with us.

I'm the one who cares for the baby when Mommy can't. She's been doing really good. But there's times she's one person, and she's by herself, so, you know, I've had to step up to the plate.

I don't understand this. I guess I'm just. .

. Older generation or something, but I don't understand how a father can do this to their child, 'cause I know she's his baby. She was so happy when she got pregnant because they had planned it, and he knows that.

And then, now, he's doing this. WOMAN: Wow. Why?

I mean, I don't understand it. So, Mr McQueen, did you plan to have Aryah? Yes, we did plan on having Aryah.

So, now she's here. What's the problem? The problem is that, when I was at work, she was doing what, I don't even know, talking to all these other men during all of this, and this was, you know, not okay with me, so.

. . She was talking to men or she was sleeping with men?

I don't know. I was working 12 hours a day, six days a week. It's all in his head.

All of it. JUDGE LAKE: You say you planned this baby, you were excited for this baby. Two weeks later, you were making babies with somebody else.

What is going on? That I didn't have her attention no more, and she was trying to get the attention of other men. How?

How? She was texting other men, she was going to see other men, she was using me, like. .

. Using you for what? Using me for a place.

. . I didn't need to live with you.

I was living with my dad. Yeah, and I took you out of there so you didn't have to put up with the bad situation. I could've stayed there.

To what? Put her in a worse one? That was not the plan.

It takes two to tango. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) All right. So, we've established that Mr McQueen wasn't up to no good.

But I wanna know about you. Were you getting back at him? Were you saying, "You know what, "I'll just talk to some other people "since he's on the phone and he's texting Jessica "and he's sleeping with women.

" No, I was talking to my. . .

I have guy friends. I'm allowed to have friends. So you have guy friends.

Yep. None of whom you've been intimate with? No.

A week after I left my house, she moved her ex-boyfriend in, the one she was getting money with before. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) A week after that, I heard she was sleeping with another man and then, three weeks after that, she chose another one. And if I was.

. . Who, what are their names?

Let's, I mean. . .

If, you know, I was the child's father, then why did she refuse me to come to the delivery room because she had another man there. 'Cause you were arguing with me about her last name and I had informed you that I'm not arguing while I'm having our child. MCQUEEN: But yet, there was the same man that you were getting money from when you were living with me and we were together before Aryah was born.

And he was there. Yeah, as a support system. I have friends.

Mr McQueen, is this other man named Glen Gerber? No, it is not, Your Honor. 'Cause this court has identified a man named Glen Gerber who Ms.

Cherpes was intimate with. That would be the man she stayed the night with when she told me she was at her father's, doing laundry. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) Is that true, Ms.

Cherpes? Yes. So you told him you were at your father's house doing laundry, but really, you had spent the night with another man.

Yep. That man is Mr Gerber. Yes.

And he's in our courtroom today. He's at court and I'd like to hear from him. Jerome.

Will you please escort Mr Gerber in? Yes. Go up to the witness stand right next to the judge.

Thank you so much for joining us, Mr Gerber. Yes, Your Honor. I'd like to ask you.

Did you have a sexual relationship with Ms. Cherpes? At one point in time, yes.

And so, how did you all meet? Online. And it quickly developed into a sexual relationship or.

. . She was a single parent, I was a single parent.

It was, kind of, just getting to know each other, to begin with. So, was it an intimate relationship? Yes.

At one point, yes. At one point, it was. How often were you intimate?

Not very often at all. Do you think there's a chance that you could be Aryah's biological father? I do not.

I didn't see or hear much about the baby nothing's ever been said to me about being the dad until now. So, Mr McQueen, you're saying that Mr Gerber's testimony that he was also intimate with Ms. Cherpes further validates or fuels your doubt.

. . Yes.

. . .

as to what she was doing. . .

Yes, Your Honor. . .

. while you were working. MCQUEEN: She also told me on Facebook that I was not her father and that said man that was giving her money and was at the delivery room, was her father.

(AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) Did you say that, Ms. Cherpes? Did you say someone else was baby Aryah's biological father?

I may have agreed with him, yes. (AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) What do you mean "agreed with him? " He made the assertion and you said that's true?

He wasn't there anyway. I was doing it on my own, regardless of who was the dad. Your Honor, I asked her for a DNA test from day one.

And she's refused me up until this point. CHERPES: I never know where you're at. So, Ms.

Cherpes, tell the court. What has this been like, as a young woman raising this child on your own? CHERPES: It's hard because she's not my only kid.

(AUDIENCE EXCLAIMS) JUDGE LAKE: How many children do you have? I have two children. I had my own house.

I was living in the house that we had originally gotten together. And I struggled for the whole year to keep it. I was working 12-hour shifts, going to school, I was talking Aryah to school every day with me.

And where were you at, Nate? MCQUEEN: I was trying to get my life together so I can. .

. But why didn't you think of that before you wanted this baby, then? Why didn't that come into play first?

I did. No. Yes, I did.

Because she did not realize that I was working my. . .

No, you didn't. Tail end off. Because why are you saying that now?

You had the baby. You should've known ahead of time, to have gotten yourself together before you impregnated her. You're gonna dip it?

Pay for it. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) I worked every day. Do you think your daughter's gonna care about you being gone and working on yourself or the time that you spend with her?

I don't get to choose when I wanna be a mom. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) Mr McQueen, Ms. Cherpes' statement is true.

It's not a matter of convenience, when it works for you, when it doesn't work for you. You said to this court you planned this baby. And you do understand that it could be your biological child.

MCQUEEN: Yes. Why not be more present? Because me and her don't get along and she's refused me.

. . This isn't about us.

Be an adult. This is for her. .

. You refused me. .

. . .

. not you and not me. .

. . .

numerous times, to even see her. You tried to make me choose between my other child and her when I know my other child is mine 100%. I just tried to take Aryah to you, to go see you, but I couldn't because your baby mama was there with your son.

Like you can't. . .

It's always about you. All right. There's only one thing to do at this point.

Let's get the results. Jerome. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) These results were prepared by DNA Diagnostics and they read as follows.

In the case of Cherpes v. McQueen, pertaining to whether Mr Gerber or Mr McQueen is the father of eight-month-old Aryah Cherpes, it has been determined by this court, the biological father is Mister. .

. McQueen. CHERPES: See?

(AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) You are the father, Mr McQueen. Thank you, Your Honor. Where do we go from here?

Back home and I'm there 100%, Your Honor. Thank you. Yes, I'm tired.

JUDGE LAKE: I can tell she is just that. For eight months, she's had to fill in your shoes. And my husband's disabled and I'm taking care of my mother with Alzheimer's and then, I have the baby because he wouldn't step up and it's his child, and I knew it.

Well, I'm sorry. Thank you. I really am.

Thank you. So, now that we have the truth, let's do something about it. Your blessing, and only blessing in this now, is that at eight months, she really won't remember this.

Yes. And you have to take that blessing now and run with it, meaning you gotta step in there, and you've got to make sure she understands that she has a father and you're there for her. Let's try to clear the slate now.

We've counseling and resources for you. I want you to try to figure out how to co-parent, how to do the right thing by this beautiful baby, and most importantly, how to raise her to be the healthy, happy child she should be, with both parents in her life. Do you understand?

Yes, Your Honor. I wish you all the very best of luck. Court is adjourned.

MCQUEEN: Thank you. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDS) Stay seated.