This is Couples Court With The Cutlers...
This is the case of Jones v. Haskel.
Is that correct?
Yes, Your Honor.
And you all have been in a long-term relationship
for 10 years, on and off?
Yes, Your Honor.
And you all met at the bus stop,
so, it's really been on and off, correct?
Yes, Your Honor. (LAUGHS)
Yes, Your Honor.
So, tell me, why have you brought
Mr. Haskel here to this court?
Absolutely, Your Honor.
I brought him here today... I mean, we've been together for 10 years.
I just wanna know at this point right now,
is he still dealing with his daughter's mom,
and is it, like, other people in our city?
Since he got a little fame recently.
JUDGE DANA: Ah!
And I wanna hear what you're here for.
I'm here to prove to Ms. Jones that I'm here for love
and that it's not what she believes in her mind.
You claim you're being faithful?
GERALD: Yes, I am very faithful.
I love her, and it's unconditional.
JUDGE KEITH: And you think she's being paranoid?
Very. It's like I can understand her paranoia,
because I am becoming famous.
And it's, like, the groupies.
(CLEARS THROAT) But it's like...
JUDGE DANA: Famous, like what?
I'm an R&B singer.
Okay.
So, you know, it's like...
So, you're blowing up?
Yes, ma'am.
Your Honor, I would love to see him out here,
doing what he does best,
but at the same time, it's not paranoia.
I feel like he knows.
He knows he's been doing it.
So, what's on the line here?
Everything, everything. My sanity.
My family. We have two kids together.
JUDGE DANA: So, your family,
your relationship is on the line
depending on what happens here today?
BETTYLEE: It really depends on these results. I need them.
Because I know that I might have to walk away.
Mr. Haskel, do you want her to walk away?
I don't, and that's why I'm here
to basically clear the air.
We've been together for 10 years.
So, it's not been a strong 10 years, perfect...
JUDGE DANA: You're not required to be perfect.
Because we've been together 35 years total,
and we haven't been perfect.
GERALD: Okay.
But we've been faithful.
You don't expect me to be perfect, do you?
No, I don't expect you to be perfect.
All right, but I am perfect.
You're perfect for me.
I'm perfect for you? All right.
BETTYLEE: So cute.
You're perfect for me.
Yay!
JUDGE DANA: But you have to be in the game.
And once she loses that faith in you,
all that other stuff doesn't even matter.
Well, let me ask you this.
You all met on a bus stop.
BETTYLEE: Yes.
Tell me about those days
when it was fresh and new, and lovely.
We met at the bus stop. I was there, cold,
he offered me his coat, which I thought was cute,
'cause I'm like, "You know I am a big girl.
"I can't fit that coat."
But he gave it to me anyway.
So, we got on the bus together, we talked,
and, like, we exchanged numbers,
so, when I give him my number, he didn't have a phone,
he didn't have a pen, like, he remembered my number.
And it took me about an hour and a half to get home
from where, you know, his drop-off point was.
And as soon as I got in the house, he called.
And it just felt really good.
Like, those were the good days.
Like, stuff like that.
That wasn't a player move, was it?
When you gave her your coat
so she'd have to see you again. Was that it?
It was just to get on the bus, 'cause I knew the bus
was gonna be another 45-minute wait.
So, I refused to let her stand in the cold
around a gentleman.
'Cause, see, I've done that, you know.
You know, you visit someone, you leave something with her
so you have to come back and...
Yeah, I've...
(STUTTERS) I know that player move. I just wanna make sure...
Okay, I don't remember that player move.
Who was that player move with?
See how well it worked?
See how well it worked?
Whatever, man.
All right, so, after you all decided
"We're gonna be us," what did that look like?
It was fun and it was constant.
Like, we always saw each other,
we talked every day, all day.
And he enjoyed how loud I was and how much attention I get.
'Cause I don't seek it, I just get it. (LAUGHS)
And he just always made me smile,
he always made me feel special.
I always felt important to him, so.
JUDGE DANA: So, I mean, it was good.
But something happened, 'cause you're here today.
So, tell me about that.
GERALD: Well, it was rough for me, 'cause, I ain't gonna lie,
I knew that with me coming into a relationship
with studio hours and inconvenient time frames,
it's gonna be a whole lot.
Do you believe that?
I wanna give him a chance, but a cheater is a cheater.
It doesn't matter how much love you have and offer somebody,
if it's not stopping you from doing something to hurt me.
Mr. Haskel, you know, you sound like a smooth talker
and I get that...
BETTYLEE: Definitely that, Your Honor.
If you were...
Definitely that.
(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)
Yes.
And I understand that, but, you know,
if you were that smooth...
JUDGE DANA: You understand that?
I understand that.
Whatever, man.
GERALD: There you go. That's right. That's right.
But if you were that smooth of a talker,
you wouldn't be here.
So, Ms. Jones, what went wrong in this relationship?
Well, after a while, it just got to a point
where it wasn't making sense
that he was keeping them hours,
six, seven days a week.
And then it was like,
I just started getting really suspicious.
I would tell her, "Look, babe, I'm on my way home," right,
but guess what?
In the process, I'm not driving,
so, the person that's driving,
they wanna stop and drop XYZ off...
So, you didn't have your own transportation?
Right.
Okay.
I called his mom's phone one day (LAUGHS)
because, at the time, he was using his mom's house phone
as our means of communication.
And I called her phone one day,
a woman answers the phone.
No, it was not his mom.
Oh!
This young lady was telling me,
while I'm explaining to her
that I'm the mother of his child,
she's like, "No, I'm his girlfriend."
(AUDIENCE GASPS)
Yes.
What is your explanation for that?
It was my mother's friend.
JUDGE DANA: It's your mother's friend?
Attracted to me.
Attracted to you.
Right?
Because you got it like that.
GERALD: See my potential.
So, she figuring, "Okay,
"yeah, let me tell this girl that's calling for you
"that I'm his girlfriend."
Hopefully, for her to fall back,
so she could take her place.
Your Honor, in the midst of this conversation
that we were having,
when she was telling me that she was his girlfriend,
I was having her call other women
that she was informing me was calling the phone
on other occasions.
They were saying, "Yeah, you know,
"we're more than 'friends.'"
And all that stuff. It was just a mess.
How many women are we talking about?
BETTYLEE: Three.
Three different women?
Not including the young woman
that answered the phone.
So, a total of four?
Four women.
to basically clear the air.
Did you ever find out if there was something going on
with woman number one?
Oh, oh!
Definitely found out
stuff was going on with woman number one.
As a matter of fact...
Tell me about that.
...they have a child together now.
(AUDIENCE GASPS)
Yes.
Okay, so, this child's been born
during your 10-year relationship?
BETTYLEE: Yes, ma'am.
And it's his baby?
It's his baby.
All righty.
I didn't wanna admit it
because I was, like, you know...
No, I don't know.
No, we really don't.
You said you didn't wanna admit it because...
I was weak to the...
JUDGE DANA: You were weak to the flesh.
Yeah, I was weak to the flesh and I fell victim,
and we had unprotected sex and one thing led to another.
But that was the only occasion that I actually engaged in.
You only had sex with her one time?
JUDGE KEITH: With woman number one?
Fortunately, she got... She had my beautiful daughter,
so, you know...
So, what's going on with you and your ex?
I had a night with her, you know it,
then our daughter came.
So, it's like I have to be a father to my child
but a relationship with you, we don't have to have.
JUDGE KEITH: But, Mr. Haskel, look, you're a singer, not a dancer.
You're dancing around this issue, big time, okay?
(AUDIENCE CHEERING)
Yes, Your Honor. Get him.
I sung into the wrong song that night. (CHUCKLES)
Apparently.
GERALD: Yes, I did.
And I was being the bad guy.
JUDGE KEITH: So, Ms. Jones,
I see you brought a witness with you.
JUDGE DANA: She can come forward.
Thank you.
Would you give the court your name, please?
Ayonia Allen.
I'm Ms. Jones' best friend.
Okay, what do you know about this situation?
This particular situation,
you know my birthday was in February...
JUDGE DANA: Okay.
Um, I went to the mall, of course,
to get me some outfits, you know,
jazz up for my birthday.
And I go to the, um, little food court in the mall
and I see Mr. Haskel and this lady
and this child.
They were together like they were a couple.
You know?
JUDGE DANA: Okay.
JUDGE KEITH: What does that look like?
Yeah, that was my question.
What does that look like?
That looks like this...
JUDGE KEITH: Holding hands?
Yes, but that's not
your girlfriend.
GERALD: She's lying, Your Honor.
JUDGE KEITH: Were you holding her hand?
Truth be told, I had...
Please.
Yeah.
We want the truth be told.
I was watching my daughter at my mom's house. Um...
JUDGE DANA: Wait a minute, wait a minute.
I don't want all this pre-stuff.
I want to know, were you sitting in the food court
holding hands with your baby's mama?
No, ma'am.
JUDGE KEITH: Did your hands touch?
Probably from my daughter to her,
as connecting her, getting my daughter's hand.
JUDGE KEITH: In the process of maybe touching your daughter,
your hand may have accidentally touched
your baby mama's hand at the very instant...
From her vision.
...Ms. Allen saw you?
From her vision.
From her vision?
I have double-double vision. I don't miss nothing.
JUDGE DANA: All right.
I was at work one day
and then I went through my phone,
and I had a message on Messenger.
She wasn't my friend, so I had to accept it.
So, when I opened it, she sent me a picture
of my one-and-a-half-month-old son
and his father laying in her bed.
(AUDIENCE MURMURING)
I have something if I could show this to you.
Ron, would you grab that, please? Thank you.
Oh, I can't wait to see this, truth be told.
Please.
Thank you.
This is the text messaging
between the other woman and myself.
This is a picture, at the bottom, of my son
and his father laying in her bed,
with the caption, "Add this to the collection."
Like, the collection you have on Facebook?
I guess.
JUDGE DANA: That's bold.
I guess.
JUDGE KEITH: All right, Mr. Haskel,
this isn't paranoia, this is photographic evidence.
This was my first time. 'Cause I had to...
I was forced to have my son this particular day.
Did you have a relationship
with the woman's bed you're laying in
right there in the picture?
GERALD: No, Your Honor.
Because I'm a performing artist,
she figured, "Listen, he's one of the best,
"so, let's accommodate him. He had..."
I had my son with me.
So, she just let you lie in her bed...
Yes, that's it. Late night hours.
JUDGE KEITH: Mr. Haskel...
You don't even have words for this.
(AUDIENCE LAUGHING)
And let me just tell you,
it takes a lot to shut this down.
To just get it where it can't make a sentence,
it can't pull a word out of the hat.
JUDGE KEITH: I don't know what to make of this guy.
I mean, I...
This is just a series
of misunderstandings.
That's it.
He is the unluckiest guy in the world.
Witnesses, you know...
(AUDIENCE LAUGHING)
Where witnesses see you
holding hands with someone else,
it's really not that, it's something else.
JUDGE DANA: And let me just say this,
it looks bad.
Yeah, it does.
It smells bad.
But it's not.
But it is bad. It is bad.
You just roll that around in your head.
Now, you have a counter-suit
for some damaged goods,
is that correct?
Yes.
Tell me about that.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Well, she went to work early that day,
but she knew that I had studio hours, like,
it wasn't even those long studio hours.
It was only a 45-minute session.
I needed to lay down some quick tracks or whatever.
So, she came home from work,
but when she came home from work,
she has a different attitude
about approaching me leaving the house.
And as I'm getting dressed, I'm finished, I look up,
she's like, "Where you 'bout to go?" I said,
"Baby, you know I got 45 minutes to drop this track
"and I'll be right back," you know.
My phone gets to ringing and my ride's outside,
so she stopped me from going out the front door,
so, I immediately go through the living room
and go through the back door.
She's chasing me, stopping me from going out the back door.
So, I'm juggling back and forth
from the front to the back door.
Finally, I made it out the front door, right,
jumped in my ride... Boom!
So, I'm on my way, drop down the studio go to studio,
lay down my tracks.
Come home, I had some gym clothes I had to wash
so I was gonna play basketball later that week,
so, boom, I go dig in my bag.
Next thing you know,
my clothes are bleached, like...
All, right, hold on, did you bleach his stuff?
Yes, Your Honor.
(AUDIENCE LAUGHING)
I'm not mad at you.
(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)
JUDGE DANA: Let me just...
Mr. Haskel, if that's all she's done to you,
in light of everything,
you kind of got off cheap, brother man.
I'm just saying, okay.
Tell me about that, why did you bleach his clothes?
I felt like...
He bleached his own clothes.
Like, all his fame,
and all his desire to get out here,
and be in the spotlight.
He didn't wanna be there for me when I needed him to.
So, I figured, you don't need no clothes,
you don't need nothing,
you need what you have on at the studio,
and you'll be good in life.
All right, and, Mr. Haskel, you said in your court papers
that the value of the clothes that she bleached was $200.
Is that correct?
Yes.
JUDGE DANA: Okay, Mr. Haskel,
we will rule on the counter-suit in a moment.
But first, we need to get to the love suit.
JUDGE KEITH: Ms. Jones, you said you believe
he has been cheating in this last year.
Mr. Haskel, you said you have not been cheating
in this last year.
No, I haven't.
I know I haven't been cheating.
Okay, in order to get to the bottom of this,
the court has engaged the services
of licensed private investigator,
Todd Redding.
Ron, would you please escort Mr. Redding
into the courtroom?
RON: Yes, sir.
(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)
Mr. Redding, how are you?
Fine, Your Honor.
In this case,
you had a polygraph examination
performed on Mr. Haskel, is that correct?
That's correct, Your Honor.
Mr. Haskel was asked,
has he had sexual intercourse with his ex-girlfriend
since July 2016?
Is that correct?
That's correct, Your Honor.
And what was his response?
Your Honor, his response was "No."
JUDGE DANA: What did the lie detector show?
TODD: Your Honor, his response was "No."
JUDGE DANA: What did the lie detector show?
There was a significant response to the question
which indicates deception.
It was cold when they give me that test.
And I told them...
JUDGE KEITH: Wait.
It was cold when they gave you the lie detector test?
Yeah, it was cold at that time. It was cold.
Darling, how are you feeling?
How I knew I would feel.
Is it your worst fears being confirmed?
(CHUCKLES) It is.
Mr. Haskel?
It looks bad.
It is bad. It doesn't look bad, it is bad.
This doesn't look.
I mean, we moved from paranoia
all the way over to...
Yeah!
...deceptive results from the lie detector test.
Can you admit to her
that you have not done what you've been telling her,
based on this?
I mean, this is your chance to tell the truth.
The truth is...
I did do it.
Hallelujah!
(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)
Just tell the story.
Tell the story.
I did do it. I apologize, sweetheart.
From here on out,
I promise to dedicate
our time...
JUDGE DANA: Okay.
You know what? Apologies are easy.
They're a dime a dozen.
The hard part is saying,
"I am committed to you in this relationship,"
and then doing it.
Can you do that? That's what she needs.
(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)
Ms. Jones, what do you plan to do?
I don't know. I need some time.
'Cause I can't give you an answer right now.
I'm really hurt, but I know how I feel about him,
and I know what our family
and my relationship with him means,
so, I just need a little bit of time.
JUDGE DANA: Okay, so, we still have to rule on the counter-suit.
You admitted, here in court,
that you poured bleach on his clothes.
Yes, Your Honor.
And you said the value of it was approximately $200.
You're not disputing that either, are you?
No, Your Honor.
It breaks my heart
to make the ruling I'm gonna have to make.
But you cannot destroy other folks' property,
even in anger.
Our ruling is for the defendant for $200.
JUDGE KEITH: If she takes you back,
you cannot continue to hurt her.
Woman to woman, me and you, you absolutely deserve better.
Thank you.
(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)
And as we always say in this courtroom,
don't cheat yourself out of a chance
for a great relationship.
Court is adjourned.
GERALD: Thank you, Your Honor.
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