Waching daily Apr 4 2017

French author Francois de la Rochefoucauld said,

"You shouldn't reject those with vices,

only those without virtue."

Hello and welcome to<i> Case Closed.</i>

Rochefoucauld is one of my favorites.

He goes straight for the jugular.

Let's begin our first case.

Please bring out the litigants.

You can't pay for past mistakes forever.

You have to focus on the present.

Some mistakes have grave consequences.

It's easy to ask for forgiveness

once the damage is done.

Hello and welcome.

Ana, you're the plaintiff.

Who is Janeth, why are you suing her,

and what do you demand to resolve this case?

Sure.

Janet is my ex mother-in-law.

I'm asking for custody of my daughter,

who I lost because of this woman

who's done the impossible to keep her from me.

I'll explain how I lost custody of my daughter.

When I was 14, I met Mateo, my daughter's father.

He was 18.

I was having a lot of problems at home.

My dad hit my mom.

I didn't know what to do. I was frustrated.

I felt safe with Mateo, though,

so I decided to move in with him to feel better.

He was a drug addict.

He did acid and cocaine.

He said that if I did it I would feel better

and so I started doing it.

At 15 I got pregnant with my daughter.

I thought she would be happy and support me,

but that wasn't the case.

She rejected my daughter

and wanted me to have an abortion.

I was afraid for my life and my daughter's.

I spoke to Mateo and told him we had to move.

We rented an apartment,

which was where I continued to get high.

I tried to stop, but it was really hard.

-While pregnant? -Yes.

One night Mateo went into the bathroom

and was taking a long time.

I was worried so I knocked on the door,

but he wouldn't answer.

I opened the door and found him on the floor

foaming at the mouth.

I didn't know what to do. I was afraid.

What do I do? Do I call the police?

By the time the police arrived, it was already too late.

He was dead.

I was frustrated and didn't know what to do.

He died of an overdose.

Yes.

When the police arrived, they found drugs

and ran a blood test on my daughter.

There were traces of cocaine residue in her bloodstream.

Because of that I was sent to prison.

I was in there for a year.

I underwent therapy to get better.

My daughter was all I could think about during therapy.

I wanted the best for her.

I wanted to see her and I couldn't.

She was my motivation to keep going.

The government had custody of her,

and when I got out of prison

they saw I was better and gave me my daughter back.

I had lost our old apartment, so I went to a shelter home.

There, they helped me find a job.

I saved up enough to rent a room

and I moved there with my daughter.

One day we went to the store

and I put my daughter in a shopping cart.

She was three years old. She'd never done this before.

I was looking at clothes

and also paying attention to my daughter.

In less than two minutes, I heard people screaming.

There was a commotion.

I turned around and my daughter wasn't

in the shopping cart anymore.

I was desperate and looking for her all over the store,

but couldn't.

When I went outside, I found her on the floor.

She'd been hit by a car.

I didn't know what to do then.

When I got to the hospital

they told me she had a broken leg.

When I saw this woman there

I thought she'd hug me and be supportive,

but all she did was insult me.

I was frustrated at the moment

and we started arguing.

I was so upset that it turned into a fight.

She called the police, they came,

and she pressed charges.

She managed to take custody of my daughter

and now she wants to take her to Mexico.

She doesn't have papers.

If she goes to Mexico, I won't see my daughter.

She's all I need. She's my motivation.

I have proof here that I don't do drugs anymore.

I work and take care of everything.

Come here.

So the Department of Children and Families

gave her custody of your daughter.

How long has she had her?

Two years.

Have you been able to see your daughter

during that time?

Yes.

How often?

Every 15 days.

For how long?

Two hours, but she has to be present.

Supervised visits.

So every two weeks

you spend only two hours with your daughter

under her supervision.

How does your daughter behave during that time?

She's happy.

She hugs me and calls me Mommy.

She calls you Mommy.

What does she call her?

Nothing.

She calls me Mommy too.

-No, she doesn't. -Yes, she does.

You can go back now.

This letter is recent.

It says that this patient is continually undergoing

random drug testing

and they've all come back negative so far.

This says you're clean.

That's just so she'll get custody.

It also says you've undergone psychological evaluations

and that it's been determined

you are fit to care for your daughter.

Okay, great.

So you're saying that she wants to take your daughter

to live in Mexico.

Got it.

Janeth, how do you respond?

Ma'am, I can't allow you to give this young lady custody.

I have evidence.

I only have temporary custody,

but I want to stay with her and adopt her.

Ana is a bad woman and she can't be with her.

She's a drug addict.

Due to her negligence, my granddaughter was run over.

My granddaughter is also sick now because of her negligence.

Plus, I also have evidence stating

that my granddaughter is hyperactive.

I don't doubt that a child born under...

It's her fault.

Your son contributed to this as well

because he was also a drug addict and he was the father.

Yes, but he just needed support.

If she would've supported him...

I'm sorry, but he was 18 and she was 14.

He was the adult.

Where were you when your son needed support?

I was working.

I didn't know what was going on until after.

That's why my granddaughter was born that way.

Then you shouldn't point fingers because you weren't

such a great mother either.

She was pregnant, though.

She should've known not to do drugs.

Your son did drugs, he was 18,

he moved a girl into his house...

She moved in herself.

She was just a girl and he was the adult!

Why are you burying your head in the sand?

You were always insulting me,

saying I was with other men so he'd dump me.

Listen, the first time they took away her daughter

while she was in prison...

She was in prison for two years.

One year.

You had an entire year to ask for custody,

adopt your granddaughter, and take care of her.

You could've maybe avoided the second problem.

I get that, ma'am, but I wasn't doing well.

I was very depressed.

This took a big toll on me. He was my only son.

I was depressed, but now that I'm better...

You couldn't take care of your son

because you were working and then you couldn't adopt

your granddaughter because you were depressed.

I'm just summarizing your testimony.

She did drugs!

You have a temporary custody order

as the minor's guardian.

That's why I need full custody of her.

She's better off with me.

Why would she be better off with you?

and why do you want to take her to Mexico?

I'm in a stable relationship.

We have better opportunities in Mexico.

My parents are over there.

They're going to help me take care of my granddaughter.

She needs special care.

-She needs her mother. -I'm fully committed.

Who has witnesses?

-I do. -I do.

Hello.

Hello, ma'am.

What's your name?

I'm Aaron.

You're here on the defendant's behalf.

Yes.

What's your testimony?

I've been dating Janeth for three and half years.

I work in the oil industry.

I was recently presented with a huge opportunity

to go work in Mexico and make a lot more money.

Since I've known Janeth, I've gotten very close

to her granddaughter.

I love her as if she were my own.

Right now I think we're the right people

financially and in terms of maturity to raise her.

How is your relationship? It seems you're younger.

Is he younger than you, Janeth?

Yes, but...

How much older are you?

Seven years.

What is your relationship like?

Good.

We have problems like any other couple.

We have a good relationship.

That's why we're the best candidates

to adopt my granddaughter.

Let's bring out the plaintiff's witness please.

May I?

Thank you.

Bring out our experts as well, please.

Dr. Carolyn Maldonado and Dr. Geysha Menendez.

Good afternoon.

-What's your name? -Laura.

Laura, you're here on the plaintiff's behalf.

Correct.

What's your testimony?

I'm Janeth and this man's neighbor.

Ana is a friend of mine.

She's gotten very close to me.

I think what worries me most is the child.

This is intolerable.

I'm speaking as a mother. I have two small children.

I'm sorry to say this, Janeth,

but I've heard so much screaming

that I decided to record them.

I live right next door

so one day I recorded them from over the fence

and I have evidence of the situation.

Let's check it out.

<i> I don't care about the kid!</i>

<i> Don't talk back!</i>

<i> I'm going to slap you!</i>

<i> I don't care!</i>

I can't have my daughter there, ma'am.

You guys get along so well. How sweet.

I see how close you are to the girl

and how you see her as your own.

It was a moment of frustration.

If that's how you act in a moment of frustration,

that means you've got that inside you.

We had a fight like any other couple, ma'am.

Does this happen often?

Quiet!

Does this happen often?

Yes, ma'am.

I'm not only worried about Ana,

who's exceptional, and has proven it,

I'm worried about Ana's daughter.

She comes to play with my kids

and I'm worried for them too.

I'm sick of my kids hearing all this shouting.

Alright, great. Thank you.

That's the evidence. We have to accept it.

Dr. Maldonado, let's talk about babies...

In cases like these,

are they born addicted to drugs and alcohol?

Yes.

When it comes to cocaine, it can be very destructive.

Cocaine is a very powerful vasoconstrictor.

Inside the womb, it can cause detachment of the placenta,

premature birth, underdevelopment,

and they are born with erratic mood changes.

They cry a lot and may have low oxygen levels

in their blood.

The major problem is that babies don't have

the proper enzymes in their bodies

to process cocaine.

Even a minimal dose is very powerful in a child.

Not only because their bodies are smaller...

Their systems aren't developed enough to process

or eliminate it.

Doctor... these two prospects are... not safe for this child.

I'm not only concerned about the drugs this child

was exposed to, but also the environment

in which this child is being raised.

-Very important. -Extremely.

My ruling.

First of all, parents have a constitutional right

to raise their kids.

Obviously, a parent who's not fit

or who puts their child at risk

will not be considered for custody.

However, I think this girl has proven her fitness.

If she had a little more support

from the people around her, it would be much better.

I think you and your daughter deserve to be together.

I think you've learned some hard lessons

and you know that the third time's the charm.

Compared to the situation on this side

and the chances of this girl growing up

in a dysfunctional home with someone who fights

and mother who couldn't take care of her own son...

I'd rather the girl be with her mother

than with her paternal grandmother.

I rule in your favor.

You get full custody. That's final.

Case closed.