Opinion ID: 2165031
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Plaintiffs' Case.

Text: At trial, the plaintiffs called LaShawn McCloud, who is Mignon Cooper's daughter and co-plaintiff. Ms. McCloud testified that George Cooper was Mignon Cooper's father, as her birth certificate states. Although, under the plaintiffs' theory of the case, George Cooper was Ms. McCloud's grandfather, she testified that he had been her legal guardian and that he had taken care of Mignon Cooper's children when their mother was incarcerated. Ms. McCloud described George Cooper as being like a father to us. Ms. McCloud testified that her mother was raised by Pearl Cooper, but she claimed no other personal knowledge of her mother's relationship to Pearl Cooper and George Cooper. The plaintiffs also introduced a Certificate of Live Birth of Mignon Kathleen Cooper. The certificate, signed by George T. Walker, M.D. on October 27, 1947, reflects that Mignon Kathleen Cooper was born on October 21, 1947 at 69 O Street, N.W. in Washington, N.C. The father is identified as George Cooper, aged 35, born in Wilmington, N.C. The mother is identified as Kathleen Hayes Cooper, aged 34, also born in Wilmington, N.C. There is an imperfect circle around the word Cooper, and the judge found that some entries in the document appear to be in different handwriting from other entries. The birth certificate also contains an entry stating that there were three other living children born to the mother. Dr. Walker's certification states that the information for the document was provided by Kathleen [Hayes] Cooper. [9] At the conclusion of the plaintiffs' case, counsel for the defendants made an oral motion for judgment, noting, inter alia, that Mignon Cooper had not testified on her own behalf and that there were serious discrepancies in the birth certificate. The judge denied the motion without comment.