People's Court: 7-17-12

You Gave Me A Stroke!

Du-en and Latisha are cousins. When Du-en needed help, Latisha was there for him. She had her own family to take care of, yet she let Du-en move in with her. Latisha became the payee on his social security checks as a requirement of his medical condition. Du-en is bi-polar and is on medication. He admits that he talks a lot and definitely proves it in court. One night, Du-en had a friend over and Latisha's friend was also visiting. They were all sitting in the livingroom. Latisha's friend was watching television and Du-en was talking to his friend. He said he was not interested in the show that was playing. Why not go into another room to talk? Latisha's friend asked him to be quiet. Unfortunately, Du-en got into an argument with Latisha's friend. Latisha asked them to calm down. The situation escalated. Latisha told Du-en to move out since he was a bad influence around her children. She cannot tolerate stress. When she is in a stressful situation, she can become dizzy and then she can have a stroke. This has happened two times to her. Well, it was about to happen again. She was starting to get dizzy and she passed out. She said that when she came to, she was in the hospital. She had a small stroke. Latisha was kept in the hospital for three days. So, why are we in court? When Du-en's check arrived, Latisha cashed it and kept the money. She felt that she deserved it for everything her cousin put her through. She had no right to keep the money. She has to pay it back. This is a very sad situation because she was the only one who was there for Du-en when he needed help. She let him move into her home and he did not behave properly. Latisha has her children to think of. She should not have allowed him to move in and disrupt her life. The stress he caused her affected her health. Du-en regrets his behavior and says it is not worth it to lose the support  of his cousin. It is a shame that it worked out this way. We need to rely on others in our times of need. It is unfortunate that Latisha is so soured by this experience, she says she will not help anyone in the future.

The Dog Ate The Paperwork!

Vilma and Reynold bought an Akita puppy from George. They took the puppy to their vet and was told the puppy had entropion. This is a condition where the eyelids grow inward. Sometimes the puppies grow out of it and sometimes they need surgery. The vet said they should wait and see what happens. When the condition continued to get worse, the dog needed the surgery. The vet said the dog should not be used for breeding. When Reynold bought the puppy, he planned to breed him. He paid $2200.00 for the puppy and was looking forward to recouping some of his money. This is not responsible, but that is another story for another day. Reynold said he contacted George and wanted his money back. He claims George agreed to give him half of the money back. Of course, nothing is in writing and George denies this. George seems to deny most of what was said. George says he could not understand Reynold because of his accent. He understood well enough to sell him the puppy. Why behave this way? Why make up such unbelievable answers? Just tell the truth! He should not be selling puppies, he is not a responsible breeder, he calls himself a hobbyist. Again, another story for another day. This is about the sale of the puppy. Reynold's family is love with the puppy and has no plans of letting him be returned to George. The surgery is done to repair the entropion and now the akita is diagnosed with hip dysplasia. Again, George is contacted. And again, George does not have recall of the conversations. He tells Reynold to take the dog to his vet. This is done and the vet agrees that the dog should not be used for breeding. Reynold says that George is telling him to breed the dog. George does not remember any of this, thank goodness the vet records are available. What is not available are contracts, there is no paperwork. Where is the paperwork? The dog ate it! This is an amusing moment, since the Akita is in court and he is big and beautiful. Obviously, he is big enough to reach papers on the table! There is some laughter about this, as we think about the infamous dog ate my homework excuse. The bottom line is that unless Reynold is willing to give the dog back, he cannot get the purchase price back. He is entitled to the money spent on the surgeries. This works out well, since Reynold's family would never give the dog up. They are in love with him and would give Reynold away first! George is not happy about this decision. In the hallway, he says something about intricate decisions and living things and continues on his way. He really needs to stop breeding dogs. He also needs to be more respectful towards people. No one deserves to be insulted and treated in a demeaning manner. This beautiful Akita has a wonderful and loving home. He will continue to be a family pet and not a stud dog.

We Admit We Damaged The Carpeting!

LaToya and Mark are suing their landlord for their security deposit. They think the landlord did not give them proper notice to withhold the security deposit, so they are suing for double the amount. The landlord is able to prove the notice was sent out to meet the requirements of notification. They will not get double back, will they get anything back? Can the landlord prove that she can keep the entire security deposit. She shows the Judge pictures of the carpeting. There is no visible damage. LaToya and Mark are honest. They remember their babysitter doing something that caused the damage to the carpet. I give them so much credit for being honest. It shows character. The landlord also is asking for payment for cleaning the apartment. She is able to prove that this was a necessary cost. She is not able to prove the money she spent on a new floor in the bathroom was justified. The Judge rules that a portion of the security deposit is to be returned to LaToya and Mark.The landlord can only keep the amount for the carpet and the clean-up costs. She is lucky that LaToya and Mark were so honest. In the hallway, the landlord says she will take batter pictures next time. LaToya and Mark leave the court feeling the right thing was done. They still got back more than the landlord wanted to give them. I am so glad to see honesty in court. LaToya and Mark have set a really good example for how people should behave in court and in life.

Please share your thoughts in the comments. Thank you for joining me.

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.

-William James

People's Court: 7-16-12

I Want To Live In Peace!

Today we meet Jane and John. They are neighbors in a 4 family townhouse. Jane and John share a common wall. They have also share a love-hate relationship. Their children have played together and they have exchanged gifts at Christmastime. Yet John complains about where Jane parks her car and when her yardwork is done. Jane consults her neighbors when she decides to relocate her trashcans. She says she is trying to keep the peace. John says she parks down the street when she should park in her own driveway. Also, John has issues when Jane's landscaper decides to spread pesticides during a barbeque. There were people and food outside and he thought it should be done at a different time. There is a tense moment in court when John finds the need to describe the landscaper as Mexican. Why does he think this is necessary? It does not endear him to anyone. This case is not about the petty squabbles these two have had through the years. It is about the siding that John decided to put on Jane's portion of the house. He had the exterior of his house renovated and extended it to include Jane's house. The additional siding makes his house look bigger than hers. She wants the siding removed and the stucco replaced on the first level and siding replaced on the second level. This is not an entirely reasonable request. According to an estimate Jane has provided, this job will cost $4000.00. The Judge says this is an overinflated estimate. The siding on the second level does not have to be replaced, it can be painted. The siding on the first level needs to be removed and the stucco replaced. The Judge rules that this should cost $1500.00. In the hallway, John says he still loves Jane and wants to get along. Jane tells us coming to court is not about the money. She wants to live in peace. I do hope they can work out their differences. Living so close to someone is a delicate situation. When you do not get along, it can create so much tension. Everyone should feel comfortable in their own home. 

It Is Time To Put On Your Big Girl Panties!

Jessica and her Aunt Genese are in court suing Chanelle. Chanelle is Jessica's friend. Jessica received a very large amount of money on her food stamp card. She offered the card to Chanelle, but did not specify how much she could use. When Chanelle returned the card with no money left on it, Aunt Genese was upset. Jessica did not care. Jessica does not seem to worry about anything. She is smiling and happy and does not want to sue Chanelle. Her aunt has no legal right to sue. Genese tells us that Chanelle promised to pay back part of the money. Chanelle admits this and then adds that Jessica told her she did not have to pay anything. So she decided not to give Genese any money. Genese is not happy about any of this. She wanted Jessica's food stamp money. It seems everyone wants the food stamp money except Jessica. The Judge tells Jessica it is time to put on her big girl panties. I do not think Jessica understands that the Judge is telling  her to grow up. She needs to take responsibility for what is going on around her. She has a two year old son and needs to be a good parent. The Judge tells Genese she has no right to sue and since Jessica is not pursuing a case against Chanelle, the case is dismissed. Also, Chanelle has a counterclaim against Genese for harassment. This is dismissed also.  Genese was not harassing Chanelle by asking for money that was promised. Aunt Genese did not know that Jessica told Chanelle not to give her any money.  In the hallway, Aunt Genese says Jessica will learn from this. I hope she does learn and realize that her actions have consequences. She needs to provide for herself and her son. Chanelle tells us that she does not have hard feelings towards Jessica. Why would she? Jessica did not even want to be here!

Tow The Car To My House!

Dwight was in a car accident and needed his vehicle towed. He wants everyone to believe the car was to be towed to his house. The tow/repair company towed the car to their yard. An insurance adjuster needed to  see the car. When they find out the insurance company is not going to cover the cost, they bill the owner for the tow and storage fees. Dwight claims he wanted the car back right way. Why does he wait a month to get the car? When he goes to get the car, the bill is over $1,000.00. By the second month, the bill is over $3000.00. The Judge tries to find out why Dwight waited so long. He keeps saying the same thing - I wanted the car towed to my house. Okay, we get it, unfortunately, the car was not brought to his house. Why did Dwight wait so long to get it back? There were delays by the insurance adjuster, there was snow during the winter. Are these reasons to wait a month and then call the police? There is never a clear answer about the timing. We are very clear that Dwight says he wanted the car towed to his house. He did not sign a release at the scene of the accident authorizing the car to go to the tow/repair company's yard. Although, it does make sense that a car that is totaled is not left in a private driveway. Dwight can not prove the repair company did anything wrong. He is responsible to pay the tow and storage bill. The good news for Dwight is that it is not the amount the tow company is asking for. He is found responsible to pay $580.00, not the $3000.00 plus that the tow company is asking for. He also is going to get his car back. I hope this is what he really wants! You know what they say, be careful what you ask for, you might get it! In the hallway, the manager of the repair company does not understand why they did not get paid for the entire time they had the vehicle. The Judge explained it in detail. Yet another person who is not listening in court. There are rules and the Judge is there to enforce them.

Please share your thoughts in the comments. Thank you for joining me.

Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.

-Unknown source