This is Couples Court with the Cutlers.
This is the case of Barker vs Davis.
You all have been married for six years
and you actually dated for 20 years before that.
Yes, your honor.
Yes.
So you've been together a total of 26 years.
Yes.
Yes, your honor.
BARKER: Yes, sir.
Okay, you have five kids together.
Okay, Ms. Barker, why have you brought your husband to court today?
I believe that my husband is cheating,
I have my divorce papers.
If I found out that he's cheating
DAVIS: I'm not cheating.
I'm leaving him.
Wait, so you already have your divorce papers drawn out?
BARKER: I'm ready, yes.
You're ready?
I'm ready.
I'm not cheating.
If it comes out that he's cheating
the papers get filed.
I'm leaving him.
KEITH CUTLER: You're gone?
Gone!
I'm fed up. I'm tired.
DANA: You have hit the wall.
Hit the wall.
I haven't been cheating, and I love her.
And we don't have to get a divorce. We can work this out.
It's a misunderstanding somewhere.
I love her.
There is a misunderstanding, but I want to make sure you understand this.
DAVIS: Yes, sir.
She has got divorce papers in hand.
You realize what's on the line here today?
Yes, your honor.
DANA: A quarter century of life together.
My life with her. Our life together.
And you say you have been faithful.
DAVIS: Yes, your honor.
BARKER: He's lying.
I'm a good man.
I take care of my family and I take care of her.
How are you living? What's it like in your home right now?
We don't even sleep together.
DANA: How long has this been going on?
Sometimes I sleep in the bed
and he sleeps on the couch, or he sleeps on the couch
I sleep in the bed, I don't want him touching me.
How long have you not wanted your husband not to touch you?
It's probably been about six good months.
Six months, maybe a year.
Six long months.
He don't come home at night.
So, is it safe to say the passion of your marriage is gone?
It's gone.
It's not gone.
It's gone.
The past is not gone.
In my heart, it's gone.
All right, so, when you say the passion is gone
there was a point you had passion.
A lot of it.
What was it like when you were in love?
And passionate about each other.
Everything was great. We would do things together.
He would bring me gifts home.
He would wine and dine me.
He would always tell me he loved me, how beautiful I am.
I don't get that no more your honor.
I don't get that no more.
It's changed.
It ain't the same.
So what did you love about him?
BARKER: I loved everything about him.
When we first met, I met Bernard
at a club, I brought him home with me.
and he never left.
He stayed. He's been with me ever since.
To be honest, he's been with me ever since.
What club is that? Were you going fired up and you know
you just... They just ended here.
Yeah, you go to a club and you find somebody
and 26 years later, you're still with them.
I was a love club we had met up in and I had brought him home
and we'd been together ever since.
It was good, you know, in the beginning.
I love you. I love her.
You don't love me. I don't feel loved.
You say I don't come home, I won't come home to nagging.
Who wants to come home to nagging?
I want to come home to being loved.
Well, maybe I wouldn't nag if he'd come home. He don't come home.
All right, so we've got a circle going.
You don't want to come home.
He don't come home.
And when you come home, you nag him.
He came here one morning, your honor.
I was so upset and I was so mad.
He had came in, jumped straight in the shower.
I go to the shower
he got a big passion mark on the right side of his neck.
She did the passion mark.
And that's what he said. You honor, I don't suck on his...
I don't suck around his neck, your honor.
So you're telling that he had a hickey?
A hickey? On his neck?
Yes, your honor. Yes.
DANA: And you say you didn't do it?
I didn't do it.
All right.
DAVIS: Well, you did.
Who else did, your honor?
Mr. Davis?
That's what we're asking you.
DANA: I'm trying to understand that.
You tell us who did it.
She's the only one that I'm loving, in my heart. I am her husband.
It says, follow your lead.
She's not following my lead, she's just going past, disrespecting me.
Why would I follow his lead
when I done caught this man in the bed with my family member.
(CROWD GASPING)
Misunderstanding again.
Your honor, please let me tell my story.
So we get into an argument.
Instead of us butting heads, I like to take a walk
and walk it off, you know?
So I take a walk, I stay gone for about an hour, maybe an hour and a half, two hours
I come back after calming down
I got to my bedroom to see where Mr. Davis was
I check in my kids' room, Mr. Davis is in my bed with my family member.
In his boxers, your honor.
KEITH: Hold on, Ms. Barker...
He tells me that she can't get at me.
Mr. Davis, you're shaking your head, no.
Did you have sexual relations with one of your wife's family members?
No, sir. Honestly, no sir.
How did this happen?
Working third shift
that morning, I was cleaning up in the kitchen, just getting all the the chores out
in some kind of way, I dozed off and I woke up and she was under me.
When I woke up
Ms. Barker came in the room going crazy on us
and I just woke up out of my sleep, I didn't know what was happening.
Hold on, no, no wait.
Hold on. Please, please.
Go ahead, go ahead.
When you say up under you...
What is that?
Up under, beside each other, just...
She was up under.
DANA: Was she leading you on?
Your honor
No, she was laying beside me.
she was up under him.
Okay, what did you say?
He called me there. He said
he fell asleep
and when he woke up, she was there.
She's wearing sexy
little pajama pants and a sexy little spaghetti shirt.
DANA: Wait, hold on.
He's in his boxers, your honor.
And I went crazy.
And I said I'm destroyed.
KEITH: And what did you say?
Pulled her out, tried to pull her out but she wouldn't leave.
I just lost it, your honor. I lost it.
You didn't even hear his explanation?
DAVIS: No.
I didn't have time to hear it.
Because I lost it.
What now? Under you?
Hold on, did you ever ask your family member about this?
So I have a cousin that passed away. Rest in peace.
Before she passed away, she told me
that the other pet explained to her
that she felt so bad because she had slept with...
with my kid's father. He was my kid's father before he was my husband.
And it was a declaration.
Your honor, please listen to me your honor.
After I married this man
this is when it all comes out that they did have intimate sex and...
He keep lying to me though. "I haven't had sex with her."
"We didn't do anything," but I've seen it with my own eyes.
DANA: All right, hold on.
Was it that one time that they got together?
I believe it was more, your honor.
When we have family functions and stuff
they real friendly.
He made her a statement.
Made a statement to her.
"When is you gonna make me some more of that good tuna fish?"
And we're still talking about the stuff in the can, right?
That ain't the tuna I'm talking about
but that's the tuna he loving.
That's the tuna he loving.
I can't get over it, your honor. I need to know.
So this instance with the family member, it was before your wedding, right?
Do you still believe he's cheating now?
I still believe he's cheating, your honor.
Okay, so why do you think he's cheating now?
Okay, so
one morning, Bernard did not come home.
I ended up going to Bernard's mother house.
That's always his excuse, I was at my mother's house.
But I had already been at your mother's house, baby.
Since 4 o'clock that morning, waiting.
You wasn't there. He wasn't there.
Something said, walk down the street. I walked down the street
here come Mr. Davis
coming up another little street, coming on around the corner.
I say, "Mr. Davis, where you been at?"
He say, "I was locked up. I had been in jail."
I said, you're lying, I done caught them people all night.
Were you in jail?
DAVIS: No.
Okay, where were you?
The casino.
Okays.
So you were at the casino till 6:00 a.m?
Yes, that was my thing.
When we argue, and we get into it, I'm leaving.
I'm staying out. I don't wanna do it.
There's a misunderstanding somewhere.
So, Ms. Barker, you have brought a witness.
Yes.
Would the witness come to the podium please?
Would you please state your name for the court?
Hello your honor, my name is Alexa Lewis.
So what do you know about this relationship?
I just know that Sandra
goes above and beyond as a wife. Period.
And do you believe that Mr. Davis is cheating?
Yes. I seen Mr. Davis at one of the local strip clubs
I went out with one of my friends one night.
I look up, and I see Mr. Davis
and one of the strippers going to the bathroom your honor.
She's lying.
In the bathroom, your honor.
And she wasn't just going at the same time, he was going back there?
I mean, he a man and she a woman, so you know...
DANA: They actually went in together?
They was together, like, hand to hand, like...
So it wasn't that they were walking, they were holding hands?
Yes, ma'am. And they went into the restroom.
Did you see how long they stayed?
They stayed in the restroom
for about...
I know it was a long time because like six songs went by
so probably like 30 minutes.
It was probably at least 30 minutes, your honor.
You know, I gotta ask you. I got my home girl, we like this.
I would expect her to knock on that bathroom door and say, "What's up?"
Or be at the bathroom door and be like, "Dude!"
Tell me you knocked on the door and said, "What's up?"
No. No, I didn't, your honor.
When I got home that night
you better believe I woke her up and addressed her about what I'd seen that night.
Thank you for your testimony. You can have a seat.
WITNESS: Thank you.
All right, Mr. Davis, were you at the strip club?
No, sir.
So you were not at the strip club?
No, sir.
All right.
I don't know why she would say that
unless she was trying to get with me or make something happen.
What do you think? I mean, I'm honest.
There are reasons for everything.
All right, Mr. Davis, let me say this.
After you've already been accused of being with your wife's family member
I'm not sure you want to use as a defense
that your wife's friend wants to get with you also.
I don't think you want to go there.
That's right.
That's right, your honor.
The big picture is, I'm telling the truth.
He's lying, your honor.
KEITH: You're telling the truth?
That's the big picture.
But here's the thing, your wife is absotively, posulutely not buying it.
Just the big day. I'm waiting.
And we don't deserve to get the voice for our misunderstanding.
All right.
Ms. Barker. Mr. Davis.
DAVIS: Yes.
We're getting ready to find out if it was a misunderstanding.
And then you could have asked if... Your honor...
She don't hold my last name.
Quiet.
This court is getting ready to find out
DANA: If it is a misunderstanding.
Yes, ma'am.
In order to get to the bottom of this
the court has engaged the services of a licensed private investigator
Mark Henry.
Yes, your honor.
Ron, would you please escort him in?
RON: Mr. Henry.
(CROWD CLAPPING)
How are you, sir?
Good day, your honor.
How are you?
I am well, thank you.
Good to see you.
Good to see you again.
You had a member of your team
get Mr. Davis a polygraph exam, is that correct?
MARK: Yes, your honor.
DANA: Okay.
Mr. Davis was asked a series of questions, is that correct?
That is correct.
All right.
Mr. Davis was asked
since August 2011
have you had sexual intercourse with anyone
other than your wife?
What was his response to that question?
His response was no.
What did the lie detector determine?
The lie detector determined that he was being deceptive.
WITNESS: But I want in, your honor.
KEITH: Ms. Barker
(CROWD SYMPATHETIC)
I'm just done. I'm done with the marriage.
It's over. I'm done with it. It's over.
26 years is a long time.
DAVIS: That ain't the truth.
I'm done.
DAVIS: I love you baby.
I'm hurting so bad. I'm done.
DANA: Mr. Davis.
I knew he was cheating.
Hold on. Mr. Davis.
DAVIS: Yes.
DAVIS: Yes.
You say you love her.
The lie detector indicates that you are being deceptive.
But I wasn't. I'm serious.
I wasn't.
Here's the thing.
You're in court today.
Because your wife, the woman you say you love
believes that you're cheating.
Well, I haven't.
I haven't cheated on her.
Mr. Davis was asked
have you had sexual intercourse
with any of your wife's family members?
What was his response?
His answer was no.
DANA: What did the lie detector determine?
The lie detector determined that he was being deceptive.
KEITH: Mr. Davis, you're shaking your head no.
DANA: Ms. Barker...
DAVIS: No, sir.
What's going through your mind right now?
I'm just ready to go file my papers.
I'm done, it's over.
Stop crying.
It's over.
This is a 26 year relationship.
KEITH: There's a lot on the line here.
There are five kids involved
you all have this history
marriage.
You know, I think this is one that
we want to talk about a little more in chambers.
So we're gonna ask you to come back to chambers
and court is adjourned.
DAVIS: Yes.
(HAMMER HIT)
Ms. Barker, Mr. Davis
we thought it was important
because of your history, we know what having that history is and how important it is.
And we don't want y'all to throw that away.
unless you really, really, really
think about this, and want to try to talk to you and let you know
some insight from our standpoint about how you can save your relationship.
Here's the deal. There's no love without forgiveness.
Honestly, I didn't have sex. No, I didn't.
Honestly, I don't believe you, so...
I don't believe you.
If you're gonna rebuild this trust
you've got to stop finding yourself in positions
where it looks like you're doing something you're not doing.
But you've got to be in it to win it.
Yeah. I am.
But it's got to be more than words, Mr. Davis.
It's gotta be more, it has to come from here.
You talked about the heart.
Here. That's where you love.
Show her that.
But at the end of the day
you all have a hard decision to make.
And we have resources here
we want you to take advantage of them
counseling, so that y'all can move forward together
but even if you move forward separately
you've got babies. You all got to co-parent.
And there's still got to be a level of trust there.
We wish you all the best.
Thank you for coming back with us.
Thank you.
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