Nov 10, 2009 6:29 pm US/Eastern
Battle Between Ex-Stripper & Priest Goes To Court
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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Father David Dueppen gave depositions, admitting he had relations with the former stripper, but he also says he was lied to.
CBS
The story of the priest, the stripper and the baby went back to court Tuesday; now the two main players are being told to stay away from each other. A hearing in family court addressed and eventually dismissed the allegations of domestic violence in the case.
Former exotic dancer Beatrice Hernandez sought a permanent restraining order against former parish priest David Dueppen, who was last assigned to St. Maximilian Kolbe Church in Pembroke Pines and who is also the father of her child. He wants custody of their daughter, while she wants him to stay away and pay child support.
Hernandez claims he choked her during an argument over paternity and child support. Dueppen denies those allegations.
In court Tuesday morning, the two saw each other for the first time in months. They sat across from each other but rarely made eye contact.
Hernandez got emotional when she talked about the day Dueppen allegedly choked her.
"I don't know for how long he was choking me. I thought he was going to take my tongue out," said Hernandez. "When he finally let go, I was like lost and that's when I grabbed the cell phone and I called the Archdiocese."
Then a courtroom bombshell concerning their relationship went off.
Dueppen and Hernandez were initially together from 2003 to 2005, but Dueppen's attorney Nicolas Barry said it was Hernandez who tricked Dueppen into getting back together.
"The motivation which is being portrayed here is that the sweet little innocent victim is being preyed upon by David Dueppen and at the end of this case, and I think I have evidence to show that it's exactly the opposite," said attorney Nicolas Barry.
Barry said Hernandez duped Dueppen into getting back together by lying to him in 2006, claiming to have given birth to his son. But there was no baby boy.
Hernandez denied that she told Dueppen she had given birth to his son, but the attorney broke out a tape recorder and a voice mail message from Hernandez telling Dueppen he had a son.
"Of course you're a father. We have a baby Dave," the voice on the tape recording stated.
There was no baby boy. But Dueppen said the only way he could find out whether the story was true was to get back together with her.
"I essentially had to have a sexual relationship to find out whether I had this son named David," Dueppen testified Tuesday.
The judge was shocked and asked for clarification, saying she did not understand why he would have to have a physical relationship to learn the truth.
"It's the control that she had over me," Dueppen claimed. "Whatever, basically, her demands were, I complied with them."
Dueppen eventually fathered a child with Hernandez. They had a daughter. Her name is Marilyn Epiphany Hernandez.
The domestic violence charges have been dismissed; both sides have agreed to stay away from each other while a joint custody agreement can be worked out.
An emotional Dueppen said he is preparing a room for Marilyn. "I want to make sure I'm ready for her when she comes in. The crib's ready. I just want to make sure I have the right foods that she wants to eat," he said. "
Dueppen and Hernandez met seven years ago while she was dancing in the VIP Lounge at a Porky's strip club under her stage name Lisa.
Tuesday's hearing came just one day after
CBS4's Jim DeFede exclusively obtained a videotaped deposition of Father Dueppen taken last week as part of the ongoing custody dispute. They mark the first public comments made by the Catholic priest since his affair with Beatrice Hernandez became public in August.
Click here to read more about Dueppen's deposition.
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