People's Court Blog-10 3 2012-Wednesday

Ashley And The Lost Friendship

Two friends move in together. Ashley and Christine have been friends for eleven years. Now the friendship is over for good. This is a real shame. What is the cost of an eleven year old friendship? Well, it turns out it is $532.58. This is the cost of the utility bills that Christine did not pay. When these two young women entered into a rental agreement together, they agreed to split the utility bill. Christine paid her half for a few months and then stopped. Why did she stop? Christine claims that she did not feel safe in the apartment so she stayed with her boyfriend. Her defense for not paying her half of the utility bill is that she was not there to use the utilities. Agreements do not work this way. The Judge explains that as long as she had the ability to live in the apartment she was responsible to pay her share. The more important issue here is that this longterm friendship has now ended, Ashley seems very happy to get the money for the utility bill and does not seem to mind that the friendship is over. What a shame! A friendship is something to be valued and not thrown away! Both of these young women will go on with their lives and will most definitely make new friends. Unfortunately you can never replace a friendship that started in the 9th grade. Don't you agree?

Sondra And Her Really Small Mouth

Sondra is suing Ronald, her dentist, for $1567.00. This is the cost of new dentures that Ronald made for her. Sondra explains that she has a very small mouth. She explained this to Ronald and he assured her he could make new dentures that would fit her. Ronald made the dentures for Sondra and she was not happy with the fit. She returned to him 5 times for adjustments. At the last visit, Ronald told her there was nothing more he could do for her. Sondra decided to chalk it up to experience and walked away. A year later she met the nurse from the dental office. The nurse asked Sondra if she was wearing the dentures. Sondra told her that she could not wear them. The nurse said she never liked the forms he used for the molds. This is the reason Sondra decided to sue a year after purchasing the dentures. Sondra should have pursued this sooner. Also, Sondra did not go to another dentist to get an opinion on the dentures. There is no proof that the forms might have been incorrect or the dentures were not fit properly.

Sondra does not recover her money for the dentures. At the end of the case, Ronald offers to continue to help her. Sondra says she will not return to him, she does not want to give him another chance. That is a shame. Ronald is offering, Sondra should take him up on it. What does she have to lose?

Brenda And The Cancelled Skit

Brenda is suing Vinel and Lois for $914.00. These women belong to a fraternal organization. They were participating in a fundraiser that helps kids with their college fees. Part of the fundraiser included a competition of skits. Brenda wrote the skit, organized the rehearsals and was looking forward to participating in the competition. On the night of the fundraiser, Brenda's guests were told the skit was cancelled. Vinel was in charge and decided to cancel the skit. Brenda wants to be compensated for her time and effort for writing and putting on the skit. Brenda needs to review the definition of a volunteer. There was no promise of payment, whether the skit went on or not. It is true that Brenda was embarassed by the last minute cancellation, but you do not get compensated for embarassment! Brenda needs to make sure everyone agrees on terms of payment before she gets involved in a project! What do you think?

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

Stay Updated - Subscribe

Faith is taking the first step when you do not see the whole staircase.

~Martin Luther King Jr.

People's Court Blog - 9 19 2012 - Wednesday

Thank you very much to Carly from WeShouldntSing for the special guest blog on Tuesday.

I hope you had as much fun writing as I did reading.

I look forward to future guest blogs!

Ashley And The Stolen Check

Ashley is suing Ryeisha for $950.00. The two girls go to high school together. They have been friends for about a year. Ryeisha asked Ashley to cash a check for her from her uncle. Why couldn't the uncle cash the check? Ashley did not ask. She deposited the check and took out the money from the ATM to pay Ryeisha. She could not take the money out all at one time due to withdrawal limits. It took her three days to take out the $950.00 to give the money to Ryeisha. Soon after this, Ryeisha gave Ashley another check to cash. Ryeisha found a blank signed check at school. She picked it up, put her name on it and gave it to Ashley to cash.

What were these two girls getting themselves involved in? The school called Ryeisha's mom and told her there was video surveillance of Ryeisha picking up the check. They called Ashley and told her not to deposit it. She had already deposited it, but had not withdrawn the money yet.

The money she is being sued for is from the first check. Ryeisha says they split the money, Ashley says she gave all of the money to Ryeisha. Neither girl is telling the truth. It is very difficult to figure out what the truth is. There are text messages between the two girls, but even these messages do not make it clear how they split the money. The  Judge rules in favor of Ashley. Neither girl was innocent and hopefully they both learned from this experience.

Crystal And Her Kenneth Cole Coat

Crystal is suing a nightclub for $299.00. This is for the cost of her Kenneth Cole coat. Crystal went out for a night of fun with her friends. She made it very clear in her written answer to the complaint that she does not "do" clubs. The club's policy is that everyone check their coats. When a commotion occurred in the club, Crystal decided to leave. Crystal does not "do" commotion! The line was very long for the coats, so she asked if she could get her coat the next day. This is because she obviously does not "do" lines! Even though the claim check clearly states the club is not responsible for items left on the premises, she believes it is okay to leave her coat. When she returns to the club six days later to get her coat, they do not have it. She also does not have her claim check, but they let her look at the two coats that were there. Neither coat is hers. Crystal leaves and comes back with her husband and the claim check. Did she think her coat was going to materialize? The club manager offers her a bottle and a table. Crystal wants the money for her coat. The bottle they are offering her cost $300.00. She should have taken them up on their offer. They have no legal obligation to pay her for the coat. The statement on the claim check is very clear. The Judge finds in favor of the club. Crystal is not happy and believes one of the employees is wearing her coat. Crystal should have waited in line for her coat, it is time to "do" lines!

Darren And The Custom Made Pool Cover

Darren is suing Brian for $1396.41. This is for the cost of a custom pool cover. Brian is the friend of a friend. Darren is nice enough to help Brian clean the pool and get it ready for use. Brian asked Darren to order a cover for his pool. After Darren measured the pool, he called Brian and gave him two choices for the cover. Brian called him back and told him he wanted the one with the warranty. He very clearly knew that Darren was ordering the cover. Brian decides to go online and order a cheaper cover. Why would he do this? He leaves a message for Darren that a friend of his gave him a cover for the pool. Why does he lie? Brian is very unclear about the entire situation. He says he had three days to change his mind and then he says he did not have a contract. Which is it? Well, the Judge clears it up for him. He has to pay for the pool cover. Now he will have a custom made pool cover when the cheap one rips! 

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

Stay Updated - Please Subscribe!

A day without sunshine, is like, night.

~Steve Martin

I would like to apologize for the delay in this blog. Life has given me a few unexpected twists and turns. I am back now. Thank you for being patient. Again I would like to thank Carly from WeShouldntSing for her guest blog. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did!