You may be seated. Hello, Your Honor. Hello.
This is the case of Mask/Muriel v. Redmond. .
. Thank you, Jerome. Good day, everyone.
AUDIENCE: Good day. Mr Muriel, you and your sister have petitioned the court to order a DNA test to prove that you are not the father of the defendant's 18 month old son, Zedrian. You have always believed you are not the father and are hoping the court grants you the test.
So, you can prove your case. Is this correct? Yes, your Honor.
Ms. Redmond, you say you are tired of being a single mom, you didn't make this baby by yourself and state there is no reason for a paternity test because the plaintiff already acknowledged he was the father by signing the birth certificate. Is that correct?
Yes, Your Honor. So, this court must decide through testimony if there is enough evidence to order a paternity test. Let me start with you, Mr Muriel, why is this DNA test so important?
Well, Your Honor, first of all I'm a young entrepreneur. I'm 22 years old and I'm looking to expand my brand and with this lady here going ahead and putting a child on me is like stopping me from leaving and going to do what I wanted to do. So I'm like really stuck and I need answers.
'Cause that's not my child. And so you say that this young woman is, "Putting a child on you. " You signed the birth certificate.
MURIEL: Yes. . .
REDMOND: Your Honor. . .
JUDGE LAKE: No, no, what. . .
No, no, the point is this. When you were at the hospital, did you believe the child was yours at the time? No, no.
. . You did not.
And so, you got this opportunity and it was time to sign the birth certificate. You went and did it why? Because I felt very pressured like everybody sitting there looking at me as far as her family.
. . REDMOND: But his mom was there.
His mom was there telling him the baby looked just like you. Ain't no denying this baby. JUDGE LAKE: Was your mother present at the birth, Mr Muriel?
No. REDMOND: Yes, she was. MASK: No, she wasn't and neither was I.
. . Yes, she was .
. . or I would have never.
. . His mom was there when I got suited up to have my C-section.
JUDGE LAKE: Okay, so listen. Mr Muriel. REDMOND: Zedrian Sharard Muriel, you chose that name.
Not me. MURIEL: You chose that name. You put his name.
. . Your name as his middle name.
Mr Muriel, hold no, hold, now and the child also has your last name. REDMOND: Yeah. And do you understand what being the legal father means?
MURIEL: Yes. You do? So, you now know that once you sign it under the law, you are that child's father.
Even if you are not his biological father, you're still the legal father. Okay. And then you would have to if, depending on if I order this paternity test if we have enough evidence, you know, that is something you'd have to deal with in your home state but this is something you should know.
And this is the part that gets me because young people, you all so busy engaging in adult activities but you don't know adult laws and facts. MASK: I told him that before and I told him. .
. REDMOND: But that's why. .
. REDMOND: You were calling while I was in the hospital like, "Nephew, nephew, "why didn't you name him Sharard? "Nephew.
" That was you. JUDGE LAKE: So, you're saying people were acknowledging this child. Lies.
REDMOND: Yes, she called me, talking about "Nephew, why did you name. . .
" And then his nieces and nephews, her kids were asking him "Why did you name him Zedrian and not Sharard? " And because I wanted him to have his own name. But I let Sharard put it as the middle name.
MURIEL: I didn't choose that, I just let it. . .
I just did it all right. I didn't choose at all. I didn't pick no names.
He didn't choose the first name. I chose the first name, I made that up when I was about three months pregnant. I have that.
So my point is this, you are trying to present enough evidence to warrant me ordering a paternity test. Correct. And what I'm trying to figure out.
. . Where are the doubts?
I mean as it stands right now, it's like you were in the hospital, you signed a birth certificate, you said you did it because you have doubts. Now I need to know proof of that doubt. I wasn't even here.
. . JUDGE LAKE: Mr Muriel.
. . Yes, and I believe she was with other people.
JUDGE LAKE: Okay, you say you weren't even there. Give me the facts surrounding that. You weren't there.
I wasn't there. I was here in Atlanta, Georgia trying to pursue my dream. JUDGE LAKE: All right.
Hold on, I want to figure this out. 'Cause you saying you here, you're there. And he was here New Years' Eve.
JUDGE LAKE: Listen. Let's try to figure out the actual date of conception. REDMOND: Okay.
Zedrian's date of birth is what? September 15th. .
. September 16th. .
. She don't even. .
. See. .
. I got the year and the date mixed up, okay. Why does your brother know my son's birthday, if that's not his baby?
Why did he sign my birth certificate and give the middle name if it's not his? The question is after he signed it. If they stick firm with.
. . (BOTH ARGUING INDISTINCTLY) JUDGE LAKE: Ladies, ladies.
Let's get down to the bottom of this. Zedrian was born September 16th, 2015. Mmm-hmm.
Right, if you hit calculate, the window of conception would be December 18th through December 23rd of 2014. The question I need answered is where were you between December 18th and December 23rd, 2014. REDMOND: You know what, time-out.
I don't know where he was on them dates particularly I'll give him that. He could have been wherever he wanted to be 'cause that's where. .
. JUDGE LAKE: So it is your testimony that you don't know where he was December 18th through the 23rd. But by the 26th he was here.
'Cause we went New Year's Eve shopping, together. We were at the same New Year's Eve party together. JUDGE LAKE: Is that true?
I don't need a. . .
He don't smoke, he don't drink. REDMOND: Doesn't mean you weren't at that party. I don't.
. . He be at the club with you too.
MURIEL: . . .
just like the other dudes. It's like the other dude you got caught with. I'd like him to get his closure and his sister to be quiet.
So, I would love for you to do this today, Your Honor. Please do. Before I give my judgment as to whether or not there is enough evidence to order a paternity test.
I want to hear more facts that relate to the doubt in this case. She got caught with a whole other dude that she's saying she was at her friend's house. This is what happened from the beginning of the story.
I'm in my city, Lansing, Michigan, riding around. Pull up to one of my boys' house, I leave there, I see her vehicle in a neighborhood she's never in. You know, so, I pull up my car in back to wait, basically I watched.
I sat and watched whose house she was about to come out of. 'Cause I don't know whose house this is. I'm trying to figure it out.
And she wasn't answering the phone. And she wasn't answering the phone or text messages. So, I pull up behind her once she comes out and get to the car.
And I'm like "Whose house is this? "Whose house were you just at? " She says some girl's name.
I said all right, go get her. Show me, show me who you talking about. She's like, "No.
. . " I'm like, "No?
" All right, I go get her myself. We weren't together, I didn't have nothing to do. MURIEL: So, no, no, hey, look.
. . So, I say I'll go get her myself then.
So, she gets in the car, did a fast turn around and skirted off. Okay, there's something going on there. So, I knock on the door.
A dude answers the door. So, Ms. Redmond said she was there to visit a girl.
But you know that there wasn't a girl in there. There was no girl. Where she at?
So, this is the issue, you all are. . .
The issue is one minute she says, "He's the dad," one minute she says that he's not. . .
He's trying to live his life. That's their issue. That is getting caught, right there.
One minute, one minute. . .
That's you on Snapchat, saying "Look, it's Zedrian playing with his dad. " With the same guy, she got caught at the house with. REDMOND: Time-out.
Time-out. JUDGE LAKE: Hold on. .
. JUDGE LAKE: Hold on, Ms. Redmond, hold on.
Now, Ms. Mask has. .
. Hold on. Ms.
Mask has asserted that you were on Snapchat talking about someone else was Zedrian's father? Never! MASK: "Zedrian playing with her dad.
. . " Never.
"Zedrian's playing with his daddy. " "Look at, daddy and the kids. " I mean.
. . Am I going to get a chance to answer or are you going to answer for me?
Girl, you don't even know my Snapchats JUDGE LAKE: I would like to hear a response, I would like. . .
Like I was saying. Um, yeah, you right, it's been a year and a half my son is like you said 18 months old. I don't even talk to him no more.
Why are you pulling up to any house that you see my vehicle at? What business do you have? Were you on Snapchat with a video saying.
. . No, time-out, time-out.
MASK: She's lying. Did I ever say "Look at him with his dad"? No, I've never.
I don't believe I've ever posted him and the guy I was talking to. Did he catch me riding in the car with him? Yes, that guy was the guy I was talking to.
And I had to pick my son up from daycare. I'm a single mom. I don't have time to.
. . Wait, wait, wait.
. . So, now we're in court and you're saying "Did he catch me riding in a car.
. . " With a guy?
Yes. The same guy. JUDE LAKE: "With a guy, yes.
" Is that the same guy, when he went up to the house and opened the door. Mmm-hmm. But this is the person you believe is Zedrian's father because you say there is a striking resemblance.
You said when you open that door. It looked just like. .
. Yeah, yeah. .
. Guess what's the reason he said why he was my son. He said.
. . "Oh, that man is light skinned.
"That's probably your baby daddy. " Oh, I can name a few of y'all that light skinned I guess, they all my baby daddy in here. (AUDIENCE LAUGHS) Because there is more than just one person light skinned.
JUDGE LAKE: But this is the point. . .
She has told me I'm not the dad multiple times. This is the point. .
. She told you, you we're what? I'm not the father, why would she say that?
When did she say that? She said it throughout the whole period of him being born. Talking about "You're not the dad anyway.
"I'll take him to his real dad. " You were there in the beginning. It wasn't until she stepped in his ear.
It wasn't until she stepped in his ear that he started denying it. It was three weeks. .
. No, it was Christmas time that he started denying my son. And that's when she came up from Atlanta for Christmas.
JUDGE LAKE: All right, so listen, listen. I've heard enough testimony. In light of what's going on here and the testimony I've heard, there is clearly enough evidence to order a paternity test in this particular case.
And I'm going to do so for Zedrian. Because we need to get down to the bottom of this. So, after I adjourn court.
You all are going to go directly to the laboratory and undergo DNA testing. Let's do it. Submit to it.
And we will return back to this court room for the results. Are we clear? REDMOND: Mmm-hmm.
Court is adjourned. I feel like I have very much so proven my case. I'm excited for the DNA test.
I'm ready to get this thing going, so I can move forward in my life. I'm glad she did that. I need them to zip it up.
I need him to step up and his family to shut up. So that we can all just move on and my son can have a dad and a mom. And I ain't gotta be both no more.
I can make it by myself. I'm excited she did this. We are reconvening in the case of Mask/Muriel v.
Redmond. In our last court session I found that there was sufficient evidence to warrant the ordering of a paternity test. Since that time, you have submitted to DNA testing and I have those results here for you today.
Before I go to the results, is there anything anyone would like to say? Yes, Ms. Mask.
I just want to say that he is a good person. That is why he signed that birth certificate. Because he's like, you know, "There's all these woman here "and I'm just going to do the right thing.
" And if he is the dad, then we'll make up for any lost time or money or anything. Anyone else? Yes, Ms.
Redmond. Really all I want is him to step up and his family to step aside. He is the parent here.
He needs to be making decisions on his own like I have been doing. I mean, yes, I have support. But, I mean, I don't have an option I've been doing it.
So, all I want is him to step up and his family to step aside and let him do that. Stop steering him. .
. He's grown. Let him make his own decisions on how to be a dad.
Don't keep trying to play dad, 'cause you're not. You're not mom and dad, you're aunt and grandma. We mom and dad, let us do ours.
And you guys just fall in. JUDGE LAKE: Well, listen, I mean, his sister is nodding affirmatively and we have not yet established, whether or not he is Zedrian's biological father but there's truth to both sides. You know, you all are young.
But if you bring in children into the world you have to grow up and you have to be parents. At the same token. I have a brother I know what it means to be a sister.
I just have one brother, I'm very protective over him and he's my big brother. I mean so you get. .
. And I support her supporting him. Exactly.
So I think this an important moment. When you both acknowledge what the other side feels. But, I just want to make it very clear that he's a good man, period.
He's doing his thing as an individual. He is a good individual. But he's not being a good dad that I need him to be.
I don't care. . .
I address, you are a good individual. You're doing your thing. (CLAPS) But I need you to be a good dad too.
I need both. JUDGE LAKE: Let's get the results. These results were prepared by DNA Diagnostics and they read as follows.
In the case of Mask/Muriel v. Redmond, when I comes to 18 month old, Zedrian Muriel. .
. It has been determined by this court, Mr Muriel you. .
. Are the father. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) You are Zedrian's father.
Okay. JUDGE LAKE: How do you feel? I feel good.
I feel okay about it, you know. . .
I'll do what I need to for him. And that's really it. It's a huge responsibility.
Oh, yeah. That's the only reason why I wanted him to get the test because a child is, oh, serious. Yes.
It's not nothing to be running around like pretending you are the dad, one month you are the dad and next minute you're not. So, now you know for a fact even if she gets upset and says it or. .
. Which she shouldn't anymore. .
. When's the last time you saw your son? Like, I believe, like a month ago.
JUDGE LAKE: Just a month ago. We're hoping that we won't wait another month. We hope that we won't let things go for months at a time.
Um, Ms. Redmond your testimony has been proven in court today that he is Zedrian's biological father. But this is not going to come together like a little beautiful Tiffany box with the bowl.
My mother always told me every battle isn't worth the fight. (AUDIENCE APPLAUDING) And you. .
. Look. As a parent.
. . As a parent, of a beautiful baby who now you know this is the father, but you all have had some issues, what I'm say is, there may be those times that things don't go the way you expect.
But think about in your mind. Is this battle worth the fight? We have counseling and resources for you all.
This baby is just too beautiful. And I hope you understand how much he's counting on you. Right?
Right. He's gonna see the world through the lens of the glasses you provide for him. Right?
Yeah. So, is that going to be foggy and gloomy or is that going to be clear and bright and beautiful? It's a choice and it's your decision.
And I wish you the very best of luck. Please take advantage of the counseling we have for you. Court is adjourned.
