you and Mr. McNulty ever live
together?
>> Yes. We did.
>> Judge Judy: From when to
when?
>> We lived together from
September 1st to November 12th.
>> Judge Judy: Of last year.
>> Yes, of 2016.
>> Judge Judy: But that was
after your daughter was born.
>> Yes. That's correct.
>> Judge Judy: I'm talking about
prior to her birth.
>> No.
>> Judge Judy: And at the time
that she was born, were you and
the defendant still dating?
>> No.
>> Judge Judy: When did you stop
dating?
>> In September of 2015.
>> Judge Judy: Your complaint
indicated, in the first couple
of lines, that Mr. McNulty did
not know he had a child due to
some -- you used the word
"mix-up" -- for the first four
months of her life.
>> Mm-hmm.
>> Judge Judy: Was that a mix-up
because there was someone else
who was originally named as the
father?
>> There was.
I was dating someone.
>> Judge Judy: Okay, so, there
was someone else who was named
as the father.
And what prompted you to take
another step towards finding
that Mr. McNulty, who actually
had a paternity test, was the
father of the child?
>> He contacted me asking for
it -- paternity test.
>> Judge Judy: Is that right?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Why?
>> Honestly, it was crazy how I
found out about it.
I just found out through a
picture online, and I saw that
the child looked like me.
And I just kind of had this
crazy hunch that it might be
mine, so I contacted her and got
the paternity test done and --
>> Judge Judy: Just a minute.
When you contacted her, where
was she living?
>> It was Lafayette, Indiana,
which is about an hour and a
half from me, almost two hours.
>> Judge Judy: With whom?
>> Her sister.
>> Judge Judy: And in what month
was that?
>> Can't tell you exactly.
I want to say it was around
September.
>> Judge Judy: So you're talking
about September of 2016.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Now, when you
found out that this little girl
was yours, according to what
I've read, you invited her to
come to move into your house.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Why?
>> I invited her to be closer to
my daughter.
And I told her that she could
live with me until she got on
her feet, found her own place.
I just -- Honestly, I wanted to
be closer to my daughter.
And I just wanted to be friends
with her, a co-parent.
>> Judge Judy: Do you have any
other children?
>> I do not.
>> Judge Judy: Do you have any
other children?
>> No.
>> Judge Judy: And I assume you
didn't have your own place to
live.
>> Not at the time, no.
>> Judge Judy: When you moved
into Mr. McNulty's house -- You
have a house?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: How many bedrooms
are in the house?
>> Three.
>> Judge Judy: Your daughter had
one bedroom?
>> Correct.
>> Judge Judy: Did you have the
other?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: And Mr. McNulty
the third?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: So you were
living there as two parents of a
child.
You were not a couple.
Is that a fair statement?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
Now, an incident occurred in
September, wherein you claim
that Mr. McNulty damaged your
car, took your cellphone, and
threw your property out.
>> He threw some of my
belongings out, not all of them.
And it was in November.
>> Judge Judy: Would you like
to explain to me, Ms. Russell,
why this man who actually
tried -- at least on the
surface, tried to do everything
in an appropriate fashion,
contacted you to find out
whether he had a child, bore the
expense probably of a paternity
test, found out that this was,
in fact, his child -- And you
were, for all intents and
purposes, homeless.
You didn't have your own
residence.
He invited you to come to stay
in his house, your own bedroom,
because he wanted to -- He uses
the word "co-parent."
He wanted to be closer to his
child.
You want to tell me why he would
do such dastardly things?
You want to tell me what
happened in November?
>> I did pay for the entire
paternity test.
I also was living comfortably at
my sister's.
I had my own room.
>> Judge Judy: Well, then why
would you go to his house?
>> 'Cause I thought I was doing
the right thing and letting my
daughter's father be in her
life.
>> Judge Judy: She can be in his
life many, many ways.
>> He wanted us to be closer.
And he gave us this dream of
being a happy family.
And little did I know, until I
moved in, that he was not the
person I thought he was.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
Let's move on to November.
Tell me what happened.
>> So, he came home.
>> Judge Judy: What date?
>> It was November 12th, I
believe.
He came home inebriated with a
girl for the third time, and we
had an agreement that he would
not bring home women while we
were living there for the safety
of our child and for respect.
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
When did you make this
agreement?
>> After we decided we weren't
going to have an intimate
relationship.
>> Judge Judy: Right.
In what month was that?
>> That was September.
>> Judge Judy: Okay, so, shortly
after you came in.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
Tell me about the conversation.
>> Conversation after he got
home that night?
>> Judge Judy: No.
The conversation where he said
that he would not bring women
home to his home, even though
you weren't his girlfriend, you
weren't involved in a
relationship.
Tell me about that conversation.
>> Our conversation was out of
respect for each other and for
our daughter, unless we were
serious about people and until I
moved out with our daughter,
that he would not bring girls
home.
>> Judge Judy: Is that correct?
>> No, ma'am. It's not.
>> Judge Judy: Well, you
hesitated for a moment.
You want to tell me why?
>> Yes -- because she wasn't
actually a girl I was seeing.
It was more of, like, a friend
that I've known for a long time.
And she took it as a girlfriend.
And that's --
>> Judge Judy: Okay, now, when
you came home on November 12th,
do you remember that day?
>> Yes, I do, 'cause -- I don't
remember if it was November
12th.
I remember it was Veterans Day
'cause I was in the military
with a couple buddies of mine.
And usually my buddies will take
me out on Veterans Day.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
Did you come home drunk?
>> I wouldn't say drunk.
I was a little -- I was
inebriated.
I'll admit that, yeah.
>> Judge Judy: Do you remember
what time you came home?
>> It was about 2:30.
>> Judge Judy: In the morning?
>> In the morning, yes.
>> Judge Judy: And there was a
woman with you.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
So, let's hear what happened.
>> That was the instance of one
of three women throughout the
process of living together he'd
brought home.
>> Judge Judy: That's okay.
It's his house.