You may be seated.
Hello, Your Honor.
Hello.
This is a case of Mora v. Platt.
Thank you, Jerome, good day everyone.
AUDIENCE: Good day.
JUDGE LAKE: Miss Mora, you opened your case to prove that
the defendant Mr. Platt, is your three year old daughter, Anaya's biological father,
in hopes that he will acknowledge her
and finally sign her birth certificate.
Is that correct?
Correct, Your Honor.
JUDGE LAKE: Mr. Platt, you say you refuse to be legally responsible for a child
you seriously doubt is yours, is that correct?
Yes Your Honor.
JUDGE LAKE: Ms. Mora, explain
why having Mr. Platt on your daughter's birth certificate
is so important to you.
Okay, Your Honor.
Um, it's important to me, you know what I'm saying,
my daughter deserves to have her father
on her birth certificate, you know what I'm saying?
I've come from a broken family.
Um, my dad was never in my life.
He's not on my birth certificate either.
And my daughter deserves the best,
you know what I'm saying? This is why I'm here today.
'Cause I'm gonna make sure that his name is gonna be on the birth certificate.
Because you have no doubt he's the biological father.
MORA: No doubt in my mind, Your Honor.
But you do have doubt, Mr. Platt?
PLATT: Yes Your Honor.
Explain.
Before we even met...
Like she was, um, living with somebody else at the time.
So when you met her and you'll start talking,
she was living with somebody else.
Yes, ma'am.
JUDGE LAKE: Okay, well, come on.
Let's state the facts.
So how did your relationship begin?
We met on...
A little website...
You know what I'm saying, I was with my ex,
I explained to Mr. Platt
that I was with him, I lived with him.
He was like, "Okay, cool,
"We're gonna talk, whatever," he agreed to it, you know what I'm saying.
And we ended up meeting up.
We went for a walk in the park.
You know what I'm saying, and, um...
From there, it had like...
We ended up going like every...
Maybe every weekend or every other weekend.
And it led from there.
And then you all started a relationship?
Yeah, after my ex...
JUDGE LAKE: You broke up with the other guy.
After about a month, yes.
So at that point you moved out of the house with the other guy.
MORA: No, I was still living with him.
Yes I was still living with him.
And were you intimate with the other guy and Mr. Platt
at the same time?
Not at all. Not at all.
'Cause we get a lot
of people that come into this courtroom,
and say that they were broken up.
So they couldn't get pregnant...
That's why I have a doubt, you know what I mean...
And I understand that.
She would always go back and forth...
You kept going back and forth between the two men.
Mr. Platt and then the ex.
Right, right, Your Honor.
JUDGE LAKE: Back and forth.
Some point you realize you pregnant?
Are you living in the house with the other man,
when you realize you were pregnant?
Still, maybe for about like two weeks.
And once the two weeks was up,
I ended up moving in with my mom.
So you find out you pregnant?
When you find out you pregnant, do you tell...
Who do you tell?
I told him first obviously because I was living with him.
What?
MORA: I took...
But were you having sex with him?
No not at all.
She was still in love with the dude obviously,
but she'd just kind of like go back and forth.
So when she told you she was pregnant
what was your response?
Well I was shocked and stunned at the same time...
JUDGE LAKE: How did she tell you?
Well she just called me and was just like
"Well, I wanted to let you know I'm pregnant."
After like early November.
It was late November Your Honor.
I mean he was cool with it.
For maybe at least like...
The first three months, he was cool with it.
And he would come to my mom's house.
And this is why I say,
right after I found out I ended up moving in with my mom
because he was there.
Mr. Platt was there?
MORA: Yes.
Mr. Platt, you were present during the pregnancy?
And the birth?
Not at the birth.
No I was not.
I was like there for the beginning of like three months.
So now, why weren't you there at the birth, Mr. Platt?
It's because he was there.
He was at the, uh...
JUDGE LAKE: Who was?
He was present at the hospital.
He was I mean...
JUDGE LAKE: Your ex came to the hospital, when you had the baby?
I talked to Mr. Platt the day before I had my daughter.
He was thinking that it wasn't his baby.
The other guy didn't show up until seven o'clock that night.
He stayed the three days in the hospital with me.
And he also knew,
that he was not the father and he said right then and there.
"I don't care if I'm not her father,"
"I'm still gonna be here for her."
And still to this day he is.
She's three years old.
PLATT: "Still to the day he is."
You'll don't understand what she's saying
"Still to this day he is."
But she said that he's not supposed to have no ties to her.
I don't. I don't...
PLATT: Don't keep lying to me then.
MORA: No he wasn't willing to step up.
And take that place.
You know what I'm saying, so another man did.
I stepped up for the past year and a half and she still letting the dude see her.
Like it doesn't... Do you see her?
It doesn't make any sense.
MORA: No.
And I've been doing great at everything...
You say for the past year and a half. Well, she's three.
What happened to the first...
'Cause the first year and a half, I told you, like,
I fell back, I fell back on that because...
Like I'm not gonna deal with the drama.
What was the drama?
With me and... Me and dude that she was with before.
So it was like...
Why would you have friction with the other guy?
Why are you all even at the same place at the same time?
Because, like, she would invite me over at the time
and then I would still go over there.
Wait a minute now! This is sounding ridiculous.
Why are we acting like this guy is like, he's like...
He's like a ghost just lurking around all the time.
I mean, no really. I mean, he's coming around for a reason.
You all are entertaining him.
Mmm-hmm.
PLATT: That why, you know, that's why I'm sick and tired...
Like I didn't know she was doing that to this day.
She didn't want to say Dad to him. And say stuff like that, and say that stuff to me.
Like that hurts my feelings, you know.
Who does she call Daddy?
MONA: Like she calls Mr. Platt Dad.
Because the other guy was gonna have him and his family...
Were throwing her a party.
And I didn't know anything about this. I found out...
The other man and his family threw your daughter a birthday party.
MONA: They threw her a birthday party.
Without you?
Without me even knowing anything.
PLATT: Supposedly, and she was with her the whole day.
No.
MONA: Your Honor, I was at work.
Jerome, this don't even sound right.
PLATT: She was with him the whole day.
MONA: I was at work.
So how was I supposed to know?
PLATT: You know what I mean.
This don't sound right.
And then it happened again.
MONA: No, it don't sound right because I'm telling him.
I was at work so how was I supposed to know.
No.
Who does she think this other guy is?
What does she call him?
She calls me the dad. And then sometimes it's him.
She calls him by his name, Your Honor.
Like she goes wishy washy. Oh, no.
Oh, no, now she said that the other day.
No.
She... The other day she did.
On Monday.
She said that.
The other day she did, Your Honor.
The other day she called the other guy Dad?
MONA: And that's why I was freaking out.
At this point she's probably confused.
Naw, yeah.
I mean, let's be honest, she's just confused.
MONA: Right.
PLATT: Yeah.
How much time do you spend with her, Mr. Platt?
Well, I... I work Monday through Friday.
JUDGE LAKE: Don't stutter now.
No, I'm not stuttering.
You been talking...
How much time do you spend with her?
Well, they been staying with me off, uh, basically off and on for a year and a half.
And I spend all the time. I got her, you know... Like she wasn't working...
JUDGE LAKE They've been living with you off and on for the year and a half.
Well, basically almost a year and a half.
But I been stepping up. And I was getting her gifts and diapers and all that.
You know, I've been doing everything and my rent
and everything else on top of that.
Lights and everything...
At the same time you would do you part.
You would take care of her. Yes, I give it to you, you stepped up.
But at the same time every time you would get mad you would deny her.
Because she would get mad at me cause I couldn't discipline her.
And like she still does it to this day, like, "Oh, well, don't be doing this..."
Because I feel like, you know what I'm saying, until...
She saying it's my, my, my.
Until he lets me prove to him that he is the father.
I feel like he shouldn't discipline her.
So you're saying if you deny her you don't get to discipline her.
MONA: Yeah.
What is the problem with him being involved in her life
as her father if you believe he is?
What is that?
Good question, Your Honor, that's a good question.
This is unacceptable.
And I have pictures, you know, sometimes in the beginning I had...
She looked like... I have like she would look like.
JUDGE LAKE: What are those pictures?
PLATT: Oh.
Oh, here are all of them.
Let me see all the pictures.
What is this?
That's when she was, um...
In the beginning, I was doing a comparison, like she has my nose.
Step up to the monitor and describe what you are looking at.
PLATT: She has my cheeks, but as far as in the eyes, like, she has her eyes.
And the next picture she's starting to change a little bit.
Like she has my ears still, but...
Her eyes looks like the other guy's eyes.
Right here they look slanted. They look slanted.
And his eyes... His eyes are like that. (LAUGHS)
His eyes are like that.
(GIGGLES)
Then right there is like her eye...
Her eyes are changing again so now it look like my eyes again.
And then...
(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)
And then her chin has her chin now.
(MONA LAUGHS)
I'm like...
JUDGE LAKE: You just confused.
Yeah, I'm confused.
Honestly, as my Granny say, "Bless your heart."
Yeah, no, I feel the same.
Uh, bless your heart. Bless your heart.
You just blowing up pictures, just trying to make something, um...
Ms. Mora, what is going on here?
I mean, let's be honest.
The man is doubtful...
Mmm-hmm.
JUDGE LAKE: Because you've got this relationship that's just ongoing with this ex.
And you know... And look, I'm a tell you something,
that's that boomerang effect.
Because you met her while she was in a relationship with somebody else.
Yes, I told her. I said a lot of it, I know it is, you know, my fault.
You know, I... She had this social media site...
I just hit reply and then I started going along with it.
Just thinking it wasn't gonna be like that because
I wasn't even doing no settling down at that time, or wasn't trying to.
And then...
Right, you were somebody else's girlfriend.
Now you think somebody's with her.
They wasn't even boyfriend and girlfriend, really.
They was just living together.
But basically he would...
Your Honor, since day one since I found out that I was pregnant
and even after I had her.
Not once have I ever told him, "You're not the father."
I've always told him, "You're the father and I'm telling you,
"and I know for a fact that you are."
And he didn't.
JUDGE LAKE: But listen.
Why is this guy still around?
Why is this guy picking up this baby, throwing birthday parties
for this child with their family?
Whose family is invested in somebody else's child like this
that has moved on with another man and had a baby?
That's what I've been telling her.
JUDGE LAKE: It just doesn't make any sense.
(AUDIENCE APPLAUDS)
JUDGE LAKE: And I am all for loving children.
I'm big on a village.
But this village is a little weird.
(AUDIENCE LAUGHS)
JUDGE LAKE: He's confused. I can see it in his eyes.
I mean, even this little smile he does as he's kinda laughing...
But, Your Honor, but I know the other dude is not the father
because we've had so many miscarriages.
And our last miscarriage was right before Anaya
and I lost that baby when I was five months.
I was already in the second trimester.
So you were sleeping with this other guy?
MONA: No. Well, before that.
JUDGE LAKE: So, let me understand, in your court papers what you
stated and what you're stating now is
when you were with the other guy and you were attempting to get pregnant
you could never... You would have a miscarriage?
MONA: Right, Your Honor.
And there were multiple miscarriages?
MONA: Yes.
JUDGE LAKE: So how may did you have?
Um, seven.
AUDIENCE: Oh.
Seven?
Oh, my goodness.
So this particular evidence is definitely interesting and intriguing.
I wanna learn more about it.
So I've called upon an expert I'd like to hear from. A Dr. Tosha Rogers.
Jerome, can you please escort her into the court room.
She's a medical expert and OB/GYN from Atlanta Premier.
I'd like to ask her a couple questions.
JEROME: To the witness stand.
DR. ROGERS: Okay.
JEROME: Right next to the judge, watch your step.
DR. ROGERS: Okay.
Hello, Doctor.
How are you?
Very well. Thank you so much for joining us today.
No, problem.
Um, we are here, um, discussing a paternity issue
relating to, um, beautiful Anaya, 3-years-old.
And as part of the testimony,
our plaintiff, Ms. Mora talked about, in a previous relationship having suffered
seven miscarriages with, uh, her particular partner.
Can a man's sperm... Or is a man's sperm...
Or how does it play a role in miscarriage?
Okay.
Um, yes, it can, 100%.
Um, especially if we have early miscarriages.
Early miscarriages are usually due to chromosomal abnormalities.
If it's what we call a fatal mix then a miscarriage will ensue.
So yes, it can.
But it's been seven miscarriages, likely,
um, there would be a problem where
where dad would have to get what we call karyotyping
to take a look at his genetic breakdown
to see what is happening, um, with him.
So is it anything to do with the timing of the miscarriage?
When did you miscarry?
For the first six, I miscarried, um, at three months.
And this is why, um, on the last one, one the seventh one
I thought, okay, I lasted up until five months,
I'm gonna be able to carry this one.
And after like a couple of months
or maybe like a couple of weeks after five months
I miscarried, I just...
I... I had to go to the emergency room. I was in so much pain.
They had to do a D and C and they told me that my daughter passed away.
(AUDIENCE SIGHS)
I'm sorry to hear that, I'm so sorry.
So, Doctor, what I'm trying to get is a clear understanding
or the difference of miscarrying
in the first trimester, very early on
and the fast that she carried this baby to almost to five months.
How does this exclude this other gentleman as a possibility, or does it?
I cannot. I cannot exclude him as possibility.
JUDGE LAKE: Okay.
We cannot say it was impossible
unless we would know that there was a type of genetic disorder.
Unless Dad had been evaluated
or what we do "karyotype" evaluation.
JUDGE LAKE: Okay.
So there's no 100% certainty to say that he can't be the father of the baby.
JUDGE LAKE: Okay.
So after hearing this testimony, Mr. Platt, what do you think?
Like, I don't know the proof of how many miscarriages,
you know, like, I'm not saying I don't believe her but
I'm saying there's still always gonna be a possibility or, you know, of anything.
And this is why we're here today.
And I'm gonna show him that I was telling him the truth the whole time.
All right, well, let's go to the results. Jerome.
Here, Your Honor.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
These results were prepared by DNA Diagnostics and they read as follows.
In the case of Mora v. Platt
When it comes to 3-year-old Anaya Mora
it has been determined by this court
Mr. Platt,
you
are the father.
I'm sorry.
JUDGE LAKE: You can stand together if you'd like.
I told you.
I'm sorry.
We've gone through so many arguments (SOBBING)
because that he didn't think that she was his.
And I would tell him every time, "She's yours."
And he just denied it.
JUDGE LAKE: Three years?
Three years.
JUDGE LAKE: Three years.
This beautiful little girl has not gotten the benefit
of having the full love, attention, protection
dedication, support, presence, of her father.
Now that name can go on that birth certificate.
AUDIENCE: Mmm.
It's right here.
JUDGE LAKE: How do you feel in this moment, Mr. Platt?
She's a beautiful little girl.
I feel really...
More... More calm and more at ease.
You all as her parents,
because that's what we've decided today.
You need to set a course for her life.
A direction where you work together, co-captain.
Do you understand?
We'll need no third mate in the picture giving directions too.
(STAMMERS) I'm serious. Do you understand?
Yes, Your Honor.
JUDGE LAKE: So you've gotta clear that part of your life up, Ms. Mora.
Mr. Platt, I want you to continue to step up
and embrace your daughter the way you should.
Do you understand?
Yes, ma'am.
JUDGE LAKE: I wish you the very best of luck.
Court is adjourned.
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