Speaker A
Please be seated.
A man seeks paternity confirmation for his two children after his partner admits infidelity and a text reveals doubts. A DNA test on another man shows 0% probability.
Key Takeaways
- Infidelity can create lasting doubt about paternity and strain family relationships.
- A DNA test excluding one man does not by itself prove another man's paternity or rule out others.
- Paternity doubts carry serious emotional weight, affecting a parent's bond with children and self-worth.
- Hurtful statements during conflicts can intensify emotional harm in disputed parentage cases.
What the video covers
- Mr. Benning appears on Paternity Court after his partner Ms. Bodine admitted cheating, raising doubts about whether he is the father of their daughter Robyn (two years old) and son Jermaine Jr. (six months old).
- Mr. Benning describes a close bond with Robyn, saying she reminds him of his late mother, who died when he was 14, and that he always wanted a daughter.
- Mr. Benning recounts learning of the pregnancy with excitement, especially when they learned the baby was a girl.
- Ms. Bodine admits to cheating but insists Mr. Benning is the biological father of both children.
- During Robyn's labor, Mr. Benning received a text from another man claiming paternity, but he continued and signed the birth certificate.
- Ms. Bodine submitted a DNA test showing a 0% probability of paternity between her and the other man, but Mr. Benning argues this does not rule out other possible fathers.
- Mr. Benning says the doubt is constant, including text messages and calls from people claiming to be the father, and that arguments often involve hurtful comments about his paternity.
- The judge emphasizes that questioning someone's paternity is deeply hurtful and asks Ms. Bodine to understand its emotional impact.
- The episode concludes with the case framed as a paternity proof hearing to determine whether Mr. Benning is the father.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
Hello, Your Honor.
Speaker A
Hello.
Speaker A
This is the case of Benning v. Bodine.
Speaker A
Thank you, Jerome.
Speaker A
Good day, everyone.
Speaker A
Mr. Benning, you recently appeared in Couple's Court, and it was confirmed that the defendant cheated on you.
Speaker A
This infidelity has caused questions regarding your two-year-old daughter Robyn and six-month-old Jermaine Jr.'s paternity.
Speaker A
Although you are hopeful that both are your children, you now have doubts. Is that correct?
Speaker A
Yes, Your Honor.
Speaker A
Ms. Bodine, you claim you are certain the plaintiff is Robyn and Jermaine Jr.'s father and have evidence to support your claim. Is that correct?
Speaker A
Yes, Your Honor.
Speaker A
So, Mr. Benning, tell me about your relationship with your daughter Robyn and how these paternity doubts are affecting you.
Speaker A
Well, first off, Your Honor, my mother passed away when I was 14 years old.
Speaker A
She was my best friend. We spent every waking moment together.
Speaker A
And after she died, it left me hurt, and I always wanted a daughter, and I promised I was going to take care of her and treat her like my mother took care of me.
Speaker A
Oh, that's wonderful.
Speaker A
So I've always stuck by with that.
Speaker A
So having a daughter has been so important to you?
Speaker A
So important. I waited.
Speaker A
Aw!
Speaker A
And tell me about that relationship.
Speaker A
Um, you know, we are so close. She's goofy, and she always... She loves Daddy.
Speaker A
She's a daddy's baby. We love to play, chase each other around. Goldfish is our snack. We love Goldfish.
Speaker A
"It's our snack." I love how you said that. And what else?
Speaker A
Um, I mean, I've just always been there, always been there, no matter where I've been needed.
Speaker A
I'm always there for her.
Speaker A
And, so tell me about the day you first found out she was pregnant.
Speaker A
Well, when she first came home and told me she was pregnant, I was excited, especially when we found out that it was a girl.
Speaker A
That's something that I've always wanted. That hyped me up, and I couldn't ask for anything else.
Speaker A
That's my world.
Speaker A
So, Ms. Bodine, Mr. Benning says he was so excited when you told him you were pregnant.
Speaker A
At that time, did you know there could be any other possibility?
Speaker A
No, Your Honor.
Speaker A
I admit, I did cheat, um, but, for certain, he's the father. We was together while I got pregnant with Robyn, and I know for certain he's the father.
Speaker A
It actually happened during labor, Your Honor.
Speaker A
I was in the hospital sitting across from Kayla, and she was pushing this baby out, and I received a text from a guy telling me to leave the hospital because that's his baby and he needs to be there.
Speaker A
What?
Speaker A
I am in labor, like literally in the hospital, and I receive a text telling me that the child I'm waiting to come isn't mine.
Speaker A
And so you get the text and you know who it's from?
Speaker A
Yes.
Speaker A
What do you do? You can't say anything to Ms. Bodine while she's in labor, can you?
Speaker A
I just kept going, and I signed the birth certificate.
Speaker A
So you just kept going through the entire experience?
Speaker A
I pushed through it. I wanted my daughter, and I wasn't going to let anybody take her from me.
Speaker A
So even though you have the doubts... You had to know... I mean, you had to feel the doubt at that time?
Speaker A
Yes, it started to sink in, but I fought through it.
Speaker A
But you were just too excited, and you said, "I'm not going to let anybody steal my joy today"?
Speaker A
Right.
Speaker A
So, Ms. Bodine, this other man sent a text to Mr. Benning while he's by your side at the hospital.
Speaker A
How do you know this other guy is not the biological father?
Speaker A
'Cause, Your Honor, I stood up and did the woman and the mother thing I had to do and got the other guy tested.
Speaker A
Oh.
Speaker A
So you had a DNA test on the other guy already?
Speaker A
Yes, and he wasn't the father.
Speaker A
And you submitted those results to the Court?
Speaker A
Yes, I did, Your Honor.
Speaker A
All right.
Speaker A
The results read that the probability of paternity between you and this other guy is 0 percent.
Speaker A
Yes.
Speaker A
So he was not the father?
Speaker A
No, he wasn't 'cause Jermaine is the father.
Speaker A
All right.
Speaker A
So, Mr. Benning, you go... You still build the relationship, but you still have a doubt?
Speaker A
Yes, quite a few.
Speaker A
First off, that DNA test doesn't mean anything because of the fact that she's cheated on me with more than one person.
Speaker A
Oh.
Speaker A
There could be other guys out there. That's just one, you know?
Speaker A
Now that's the plot twist.
Speaker A
As well as, Your Honor, any time that something is wrong, I'm also reminded, "Oh, you're not her father." As soon as we start to argue, "You're not her father."
Speaker A
You do... You say stuff--
Speaker A
But if you need something, I'm her father.
Speaker A
You say stuff to hurt my feelings. Why can't I do it to you?
Speaker A
But I haven't told you you're not the parent of your kid.
Speaker A
You can't! I pushed them out.
Speaker A
Okay.
Speaker A
So you're just going to stab me in the back and tell me that I'm not the father of the kid that I take care of.
Speaker A
This is why we're here today, to prove it.
Speaker A
Let's prove it then.
Speaker A
Okay, let's prove it then.
Speaker A
She looks just like your mom.
Speaker A
Mr. Benning, I do want you to explain to Ms. Bodine, because I feel like Ms. Bodine, you're, you know...
Speaker A
To say someone is not the father of a child, now that's a little below the belt.
Speaker A
That's not just hurting somebody's feelings. That's ruining somebody's life.
Speaker A
And I want you to tell her what that feels like, so she can understand.
Speaker A
What does that feel like when she says that to you, Mr. Benning?
Speaker A
That little girl right there is my mother come back to be with me.
Speaker A
And she looks like your mother. And when you tell me she's not mine, it feels like you're taking my mother away from me again.
Speaker A
She's your... Look at them. Look.
Speaker A
They're twins.
Speaker A
She's beautiful.
Speaker A
They are.
Speaker A
They do look a lot alike.
Speaker A
So, Mr. Benning, explain what the doubt feels like, having to live with it every day.
Speaker A
Yeah, I had to change her diaper and look at her and play with her, and she's calling me "Daddy," and there's something in the back of my head saying, "She might not be."
Speaker A
You know, there's a text message on my phone saying, "She's not yours." There's people calling me on my phone saying, "I'm her dad."
Speaker A
You know, it's constant. It's just constant and--
Speaker A
Well, this is why we're here to prove it.
Speaker A
After a certain time, you can't just ignore it anymore. It just keeps happening.
Speaker A
It's hard to ignore.
Speaker A
Very hard.
Speaker A
Why are all these people calling Mr. Benning saying the child isn't his?
Speaker A
I don't know. I cannot control what other people say.
Speaker A
I know what I'm saying, and I know what I prove.
Speaker A
So you have your daughter or not?
Speaker A
I'm here to prove today that you're the father.
Topics:paternity courtDNA testpaternity disputeinfidelitycustodyfather and daughterrelationship dramacourt TVfamily conflictpaternity testing
