You may be seated.
Hello, Your Honor.
Hello.
This is the case of Sissom v. Riley and Taylor.
Thank you, Ron. Good day everyone.
AUDIENCE: Good day.
JUDGE LAKE: What stands before me is a case
of babies having babies.
Teenagers.
This is upsetting.
With that said, Ms. Sissom,
you and your teenage daughter
Destinee are here
to prove that Anthony Taylor
is the father of your daughter's
8-month-old son, Osiris,
is that correct?
Yes, Your Honor.
JUDGE LAKE: Ms. Riley, you stand before me
claiming that you are 100% positive
your son is not the child's father
and have insisted on a DNA test
from the moment you heard
Ms. Sissom was pregnant,
is that correct?
Yes, Your Honor.
So, Ms. Sissom, how certain are you
that Anthony is the father?
I'm 2000% certain, Your Honor
that Anthony is the father of Osiris.
JUDGE LAKE: And you are emotional already.
MARILYN: Yup. I have a grandson
that's eight months old.
He needs his father.
I lost my dad when I was two,
so, I know what it's like not to have a father,
but I'm not here because of me.
I'm not here because of Destinee.
I'm here because of Osiris.
JUDGE LAKE: Destinee you truly believe
Anthony is this child's father?
Yes, Your Honor.
You've changed the course of your life
by having this baby.
Yes, Your Honor.
Did your mother know
you were having sex?
DESTINEE: No, Your Honor.
When I would call Destinee on her cell phone,
she just say, she's at her friend's house.
So, that's what... That's what I was believing.
BRENDA: She was sneaking at my house.
She was coming over here lying,
conniving, and saying...
I have a 14-year-old daughter at home.
She would sneak in over to our house.
She would come in over there to see my daughter.
That's a lie, Your Honor.
BRENDA: That's on... I was going...
How are you gonna tell me it was a lie?
MARILYN: Because, Your Honor...
You didn't...
They was having sex in her house.
You didn't even care where your daughter was at.
What type of parent is she if she knows...
You didn't care where your daughter was at.
She told them...
You're gonna say...
She told them...
Hold on. Hold on.
BRENDA: You didn't even care.
Hold on. Let's get some order.
(GAVEL POUNDING)
She does not care...
JUDGE LAKE: Let's get some
order, ladies.
MARILYN: She knew there was...
I can't... Ladies.
Ladies. The greatest part
about this is, you all saying the same thing,
blaming the opposite child.
They had a plan!
Destinee was gonna say,
I'm going over to visit my friend.
That's right.
JUDGE LAKE: That's your daughter.
Right.
JUDGE LAKE: But really the whole time
she's having sex with your son.
BRENDA: Yes.
JUDGE LAKE: That's both of them...
...teenagers having sex.
BRENDA: My point exactly.
JUDGE LAKE: That's the plot.
BRENDA: And I didn't know.
That's the plot, so the reason why we're here
is to get down to the bottom of,
if this child is really your grandchild,
because I know you wanna know that.
Yes, ma'am.
JUDGE LAKE: Now, Destinee,
before I go further, was my summation
of the plot correct?
Yeah, Your Honor.
MARILYN: Mmm.
JUDGE LAKE: Thank you.
BRENDA: Your Honor,
I see her walking with another guy.
My son is in school.
This is before Destinee would say anything
about she was pregnant.
Next thing I know, I find out and she,
oh, my son come telling me
that she told him that she pregnant.
How is that? You... (STUTTERING)
So...
BRENDA: You just came around
two weeks ago and he was messing
with another girl at that time.
You saw Destinee walking with somebody else.
Yes, another guy.
So, you never even thought
that Destinee was having sex with your son.
BRENDA: No, I didn't.
Because you just thought
Destinee and her group of friends
were friends with your daughter.
BRENDA: Yes.
JUDGE LAKE: Now, to Mom,
Ms. Sissom, you know it was Ms. Riley's house
where she's going to have...
MARILYN: Mmm-mmm.
You don't know.
She just saying, "I'm going over my friends."
That's all I know.
That's where I am.
MARILYN: That's all I know.
So you don't even know
about Anthony?
No.
JUDGE LAKE: You think your daughter's a virgin?
MARILYN: She was a virgin when she met Anthony,
so therefore, yes,
it's Anthony's baby and...
No, it's not.
That's what we're here for, to get this DNA.
BRENDA: He's not my grandbaby.
Okay.
Don't claim him. You ain't claimed him in eight months.
Don't claim him now.
Y'all ain't did nothing for him!
I've been taking care of this baby.
They don't do nothing for him.
That's a lie.
They don't do nothing for him.
Sure, I don't.
JUDGE LAKE: All right.
Because it's not my grandbaby.
And at the end of the day,
you're not...
Ladies. Ladies. Ladies.
MARILYN: My daughter had...
Ladies!
Ladies. Ladies, ladies.
You're saying Ms. Sissom,
your daughter had big dreams for her life.
MARILYN: Yeah, she did.
Dreams to do what?
My daughter is a senior this year.
She was going to college to be a pediatrician
and a lawyer, now she cannot do that
because she has Osiris...
BRENDA: Oh, like my son didn't have dreams.
Oh, excuse me, Your Honor,
she has Osiris to take care of.
Oh, wow.
So she cannot do that now.
JUDGE LAKE: So basically, right up under your nose,
they plotted this plot, pulled it off
and now we're all here.
Yup.
JUDGE LAKE: And sometimes, that's what kids do.
And I'mma keep it real, with all the phone,
and cell phone have, and we got,
and all of these communication, Ms. Sissom,
it ain't never a day in this world
your daughter shouldn't be able to tell you
spend a night over a friend's house.
What friend, who's their mother, where's the number?
I'm calling.
BRENDA: Yes, I know, right?
(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)
I want... I'm telling you this.
BRENDA: Yes!
JUDGE LAKE: No, I'm telling you.
Now, Destinee, where were you and Anthony having sex?
In her house?
Yes.
While Ms. Riley was home?
DESTINEE: Yes, Your Honor.
She knew I was there because I get off work.
And Anthony would be like, my mom says you can come over.
And I say, okay. I will go over there...
BRENDA: She's not...
...I will come...
I will come in, say, "Hi, Ms. Brenda."
She say, "Hi." We go upstairs.
I spend the night, she don't say nothing about it.
You spend the night at their house?
(BRENDA YELLING)
Yes, Your Honor.
In Anthony's bed?
DESTINEE: Yes, Your Honor.
BRENDA: I...
AUDIENCE: Ooh.
JUDGE LAKE: Well, wait a minute, Ms. Sissom,
where did you think she was?
MARILYN: Over her friend's house.
Her daughter is another friend.
I even asked Destinee,
does she knew you was having sex in her house?
You know, what Destinee told me, Your Honor?
She say, "Yeah," because she told him.
"I hope y'all using condoms." She say, she...
Destinee say, she gave Anthony condoms.
BRENDA: What?
AUDIENCE: Oh.
What type of parent is that?
What?
MARILYN: That ain't no parent.
Let's get to the part where you find out she's pregnant.
How did you find out?
I hadn't my period.
I ended up throwing up.
Anthony say, "You should go to the hospital
"'cause I think you're pregnant."
I went and they said I was pregnant.
When I found out, I went to her house
and when I walked through the door
and I have my papers, she say,
"Let me guess, you're pregnant."
I said, "Yes."
So she called her husband and said,
"Well, Destinee's pregnant,
"but we don't know if it's Anthony baby or not."
At first, Anthony, he didn't want Osiris,
he said, "We might... We just... We should wait."
And then, he was washing dishes,
he was like, "We should just wait to have a baby,
"'cause I'm not stable,
"like you got a job but I don't. And I don't wanna...
"I don't want you to be the only one taking care of him."
So we go upstairs, we talked more about it,
and he said, "You know what?
"I don't feel safe in the streets,
"so I think you should have my child
"just in case if I leave this earth.
"You can have something to remember me by."
(VOICE BREAKS) Anthony has so many people
that was after him.
That wanted to hurt him.
And that's why he wanted me
to have his baby.
BRENDA: Oh, my God.
So, I can have something to remember him by.
(SCOFFING)
And there was so much he didn't tell his mom...
BRENDA: You good. (CONTINUES SCOFFING)
...that she don't know.
Okay, so, Mom,
how did you find out your daughter was pregnant?
She told a family member and they told me,
went to the doctor, pregnant.
I broke down... I have a nervous breakdown.
I have to be in the hospital for two weeks.
JUDGE LAKE: Oh, my goodness.
I had to be because my baby having a baby.
'Cause you wasn't being a parent.
During the pregnancy...
MARILYN: No, you the dumper.
...Is Anthony with you?
Yes.
JUDGE LAKE: Did he came to appointments with you?
Yes.
And when the baby was born
was he at the hospital?
DESTINEE: He was there.
BRENDA: Yes, we were all there.
He cut the cord.
MARILYN: Anthony was there.
He cut the cord and everything.
She even came without nobody inviting her.
Came where?
MARILYN: To the house, Brenda,
don't say you didn't.
BRENDA: Wait a minute.
Because they ask, why...
Me and Destinee have her...
(INDISTINCT CLAMORING)
...escorted out of the house by security.
Being born...
We sure did.
One at a time. One at a time, ladies.
...grandbaby being born, in her rule,
unselfish, disrespectful self,
she comes in there, I'm in the waiting room.
She sent the guard in there and tell them
lying, and said, I'm threatening her.
I sure did.
And I need to be removed.
So I never had my joy to see
was that my grandson.
MARILYN: I sure did.
So, I don't feel this is my grandson.
MARILYN: Do you wanna know why?
So, you've been saying all this time
Anthony is the father of the child?
You've been consistent. Anthony's participated
in the birth?
Yes, he is.
JUDGE LAKE: The day of the birth come...
(BRENDA YELLING)
JUDGE LAKE: No. Hold on.
I'm getting to that part.
BRENDA: Okay.
So, Ms. Riley, you and your daughter come up
because you say since they're saying
it's Anthony's baby, "This is my grandchild,
"let me go up there for the birth."
BRENDA: Right.
She has me removed at the hospital.
So she can get my son to sign this.
MARILYN: No.
This is the birth certificate.
My son ain't old enough to be doing all this.
You believe she had you removed
from the hospital strategically
because they wanted to coerce your son...
BRENDA: Right.
...into signing the birth certificate.
BRENDA: I know, Your Honor, right to date.
MARILYN: One of her famil members threatened us.
So, yes, I did because my daughter ain't
for her to go through this with her she young.
I tried to call this woman and talk to this woman...
No, she didn't.
...like a woman when she was pregnant.
So don't stand up here and tell her that's a lie.
No, you didn't!
JUDGE LAKE: Calm down.
You're a damn liar!
Ladies. Ladies, ladies.
(INDISTINCT CLAMORING)
(GAVEL POUNDING)
JUDGE LAKE: Ladies. Hold on.
Let's just calm down.
I'm trying to get your point,
and now I get it from your perspective.
Because you feel like
in the moment you came to the hospital,
you could have deferred at least the part of it
where he signed the birth certificate
and took legal responsibility for the child
until you could get the DNA
that you have been talking about.
Yes, ma'am.
JUDGE LAKE: Got that side.
Ms. Sissom, the mothers
have been going back at it and it has gotten so negative,
and so volatile that when your daughter
was in the hospital having the baby as a teen,
you didn't feel comfortable to bring the energy
that Ms. Riley brings into the hospital world.
Right.
JUDGE LAKE: Now,
I'm ready to hear from Anthony.
Ron, please escort Anthony into the courtroom.
I think I got it.
Whoo!
(AUDIENCE CHUCKLING)
JUDGE LAKE: Anthony, we have had a heated
court session today concerning Osiris.
Look at me when I'm talking to you.
Do you believe you are Osiris's
biological father?
Yes, I do.
You do believe that?
Yes.
And tell me why.
Because I picked Destinee
and I took her virginity
and I felt like
I was getting into a lot of trouble
and things that was happening.
And I felt like
I needed another person that,
like, got me like my blood
and, like, I didn't wanna have a baby
but as in, like, the things that I was, like,
going through and, like,
by my cousin dying and everything goes,
it's like, I wanted a baby
because I feel like one day
it was gonna be time
for me to die, and I wanted,
like, I wanna... (VOICE BREAKS)
I wanna just like another seed in this world.
So, I decided to have a baby.
JUDGE LAKE: And I believe you're telling the truth.
And even if your rationale
weren't necessarily truly indicative
of what your future is,
I respect and I honor the fact
that you are honest enough to say
what was really going on in your mind
and why you would make this decision.
My son, he's been through a lot.
His dad and his life left him
when he was about six years old.
All I ask, Your Honor, was for the DNA.
That's all I ever wanted to know
so my son can have a life.
JUDGE LAKE: But now that he's testified
that he truly does believe
he is Osiris's biological father,
does that change your mind?
No.
JUDGE LAKE: Destinee, we're gonna go to the results soon.
And... But before I do,
when your mom talks about you wanting
to be a pediatrician
and a lawyer
and you having these huge dreams for your life,
why would you engage in an activity
that would produce a child
that would give you such
huge responsibility in this world?
When Anthony first asked me,
can he take my virginity, I said no.
But I just felt like
I have loved him in my heart.
So, why not do anything that makes him happy?
JUDGE LAKE: Baby.
And this is nothing against Anthony
'cause he seems like a lovely young man.
DESTINEE: He is.
You don't give up your life
and the possibilities
for your future
and everything you can be
just to make somebody else happy.
AUDIENCE: That's right!
You first have a responsibility to yourself,
to make yourself happy.
Just because somebody asks you
to do something for them,
you have to consider
whether that's in your best interest.
Do you understand?
Yes, Your Honor.
JUDGE LAKE: We're here now. Osiris is here now.
You all are kids.
You all know what in the world you're doing.
The rationale is so irrational,
it's scary.
I get the reason.
But the immaturity
and the lack of understanding
in which you approach this entire situation,
you all, we got to do better.
And truly, we still don't know
definitively if this is
his biological child.
Are there any other
possible fathers until I get these results?
No, Your Honor.
Ron, the envelope, please.
RON: Yes, ma'am.
In the case of Sissom v. Riley/Taylor,
when it comes to eight-month-old
Osiris Taylor,
it has been determined by this court...
Mr. Taylor,
you...
Are his father.
(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)
(CHEERING)
Brenda, now,
And you still ain't
gon' get to see him now.
Now I told you.
You're taken care over there.
DESTINEE: Oh, I got nothing to...
MARILYN: And I gon' keep taken care of.
And at the end of that, that is my grandson
I'm still gon' take care of.
You can't stop me.
I'm... Oh, I bet I can.
This is about the most ignorant stuff
(GAVEL CLATTERS)
I'd have seen in here in a long time.
Sit down. Sit down.
Ms. Sissom, you sit in that chair.
Ms. Sissom, sit down.
(MUTTERING)
And Ms. Riley, have a seat.
This is just ignorant.
Don't you dare.
Come over here, Anthony.
Sit down.
You lose.
You all are just... This is shameful!
(SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)
And in this moment,
just when I thought these kids
have pulled off a plot
against both of you all
to defy their mothers' orders
and to do what they shouldn't be doing,
I see why they had opportunity.
These children have come in here
whether they made a mistake or not,
they have spoken from their heart
of why they did something.
The most irrational,
immature reasoning ever
but it's their truth.
That's how they got here.
And I'mma keep it real, too, Ms. Sissom.
The way Destinee just popped off
with her little dance
after I announced the result,
that was so ignorant.
And then you followed up
and showed me where she learned it from.
Come on with this.
The boy's sitting over here talking about
he wanna leave a seed in the world
'cause he don't understand the possibilities for his life.
And you all arguing back and forth
with one another instead of encouraging
and empowering these young people.
I'm furious.
(GAVEL CLATTERS)
Your daughter's putting her dreams,
opening her legs trying to get a dream up
between her legs instead of having a dream in her mind
and you wanna argue with this woman
across this courtroom.
Come on, now.
Now, you all had made me crazy.
You all think you are crazy?
I'm crazy for these kids and this baby.
You ain't gonna do this to this child.
(APPLAUSE)
BRENDA: Sorry, Your Honor.
Anthony, in your 17 years,
your young life, you able to talk more mature
than two ladies in this courtroom today.
There's a purpose on your life.
There's something you're called to do.
You just have to figure out what that is.
Him.
And the same goes for you. Do you understand?
I wish you all the very best of luck.
Yes, Your Honor.
Court is adjourned.
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