01x53 - Teen Drivers and Collisions and g*ns... Oh My!

[bunniefuu]

[Judge Judy] Your car gets clipped
at an intersection,

slams up against a divider,
and is totaled?

- Yes.
- He ran because he was scared

to get into trouble.

Was there a g*n in the car?

Oh, no, no, no, no.

Was there a g*n in the car?

That I do not wish to say.

I don't give a rat's
behind what you wish to say.

[announcer] This is Judy Justice.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Bradley Anderson
and his 16-year-old daughter, Wynter,

are suing Courtney Schultz
and her 17-year-old daughter, Jayden,

for car damages
resulting from an accident.

[Kevin] Court come to order.

Have a seat, please.

- Hello, Judge.
- How are you?

Case number 1134, Anderson versus Schultz.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

- Mr. Anderson, this is your daughter.
- Yes.

[Judge Judy] And you're here
as a nominal plaintiff

because you are the owner of the car
that was involved in an accident

with the defendant's daughter.

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] You were not present.

You were not present at the accident.

There were other passengers in the car,

but you're merely here
as owners of the vehicle.

- Right?
- Yes.

[Judge Judy] So I'm gonna start with you.

Tell me your first name.

Uh Wynter Anderson.

Wynter, what was the date
of this accident?

Uh July 27th, 2020...2021.

What time?

Around 6:00.

- [Judge Judy] 6:00 PM?
- Yes.

[Judge Judy] Who was in the car with you?

Uh my friend, Alana.

Where had you been?

Uh we were just up by the mall,

shopping around Target and driving home.

And you're how old?

I'm 16.

Ever been in an accident before?

No.

[Judge Judy] What kind of car
were you driving?

Um a 2013 Chevy Cruze.

- Is that the family car?
- No.

[Judge Judy] Was that car
purchased for her?

Yes.

- When?
- [Brad] March of 2021.

[Judge Judy] Do you remember
how much it cost?

Five thousand nine hundred dollars.

[Judge Judy]
Is there an outstanding loan on the car?

No loans.

Okay. Your first name is?

Jayden.

[Judge Judy] And how old are you, Jayden?

Seventeen.

[Judge Judy] And who are you in the car
with on July 27th, 2021?

My boyfriend, Jackson.

- [Judge Judy] Is that this person?
- [Jayden] Yeah.

[Judge Judy] Anybody else in the car
with you?

[Jayden] Nope. Just us.

- [Judge Judy] You were driving?
- [Jayden] Yes.

[Judge Judy] Boyfriend
in the passenger front seat?

Yes.

[Judge Judy] Where were you coming from?

His hair appointment, downtown.

Where had you been before that?

His house.

[Judge Judy] What time
did you get to his house that day?

[Jayden] I was living there with him.

So we had been there since the day before.

How long had you been living
with him at his house?

[Jayden] We had been there
for about a month.

[Judge Judy] Who's we?

[Jayden] Just me and him
and his foster mom.

[Judge Judy] Who were you living with
before you lived with him?

I was living with a family friend.

Where did you get this car from?

[Jayden] From my mom.

[Judge Judy] When?

Um, I think she had brought it to me
the day before.

- Day before what?
- [Jayden] The day before the crash.

We were just using it.

[Judge Judy]
What were you borrowing it for?

So that we could go
get Jackson's hair done the next day.

[Judge Judy] Okay.
Prior to that, you didn't have the car?

- [Jayden] No.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

The next day, his haircut appointment
was what time?

We got done at 3:30, and it took three
and a half hours, so noon.

- And you were finished at 3:30?
- [Jayden] Yes.

Where did you go from there?

I believe we went to...

[Judge Judy] Just a second. Just a second.

Stand up.

Your first name is?

Jackson.

[Judge Judy] Stand over there.

After your hair appointment
was over at 3:30, where did you go?

Um we were just in town driving around.

Was 'boutta head back to my house.

[Judge Judy] You were just driving around.

Don't look at anything. Look over here.

- Right here.
- [Jayden] Sorry, ma'am.

[Judge Judy] 3:30. Think carefully.

Jackson, you went
and had your hair done...

- [Jackson] Yeah.
- ...for three and a half hours,

from 12:00 to 3:30.

That's a long time.

Doesn't even take me that long
to get my hair done

and I'm about five times older
than you are.

- So at 3:30, you left the hairdresser?
- Right.

[Judge Judy] And it was you
and your girlfriend?

Yup. Correct.

[Judge Judy] Not yup. That's a yes.

Yes.

[Judge Judy] She was driving

because she had borrowed the car
from her mother

just for the purpose of taking you
to the hairdresser.

Yeah. Correct.

[Judge Judy] So, after the hairdresser,

was your girlfriend supposed
to return the car to her mother?

Yeah. We were headed that way,

headed towards the camper

and then headed back out towards my house.

Headed towards?

Hermantown where we live.

You were going to return the car to her?

- Yeah. Yeah.
- [Judge Judy] What...yes.

What time were you supposed
to return the car to her?

I wanna say like 5:00-ish.

[Judge Judy] So, after the hairdresser,
where did you go?

[Jackson] To the camper.

- [Judge Judy] To the camper?
- Yeah.

[Judge Judy] What camper?

Where her mom stays.

[Judge Judy] Her mom stays in a camper.

So you went to her mother's house?
Is that on the way to her mother's house?

- Is that where the accident happened?
- Yes, ma'am.

[Judge Judy]
But the accident happened at 6:00

and you were finished at 3:30.

Is that what the police report indicates
that the accident happened at 6:00?

Um, the police report actually says 7:50.

Um the time on my phone said 6:17,

but they could have issued it
later than that.

- So around 6:00, 7:00.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

So what I wanna know was
what were you doing sort of in between.

You didn't go right back to the camper.

You went someplace else.

We didn't have a certain location
that we went to.

[Judge Judy] You were just driving around?

Yes, ma'am.

- Did you speak to anyone else?
- No, ma'am.

[Judge Judy]
You didn't go to anyone else's house?

No, ma'am.

So the only people in the car
according to you, Jackson,

between the time her mother dropped
the car off at her house

and the time of the accident,

the only two people in the car were you
and your girlfriend?

No. We was with a friend too.

[Judge Judy] Ah. And...

Jackson, now you're getting to it.

Now you're getting smart.

Now the smart part of Jackson is,
is hitching up, right?

Yup. Correct.

Been here a long time.

Now, you had a friend in the car.

When did you find this friend and where?

- Um...
- [Judge Judy] Um is not an answer,

- Jackson.
- Picked him up.

- Where did you pick him up?
- [Jackson] His house.

- Him and his girlfriend.
- Shh.

At what point in the day
did you pick your friend up in the car?

Before or after
your hairdresser's appointment?

[Jackson] Before.

So, in the three hours
that you were getting your hair done,

your girlfriend was with your friend?

No, Your Honor.

It's gonna get more complicated, Jackson.

Do you understand that?

Yes, Your Honor.

Okay. It'll all come together, folks.

Just hang in there.

So let's go back, Jackson.

Where did you get your friend from
and what time?

His house.

And, to be honest with you, ma'am,
I don't have a certain time.

Was it before
or after you had your hair done?

Before.

So then if it was before
you had your hair done,

your friend had to be hanging around
with your girlfriend

for the three and a half hours
that it took to have your hair done.

Yes. We did not drop him off though.

What do you mean you didn't drop him off?

[Jackson] He left. He got picked up.

[Judge Judy]
He left from the hairdresser shop?

Yes. And got picked up.

Okay. Now what was his name?

That I do not wish to say.

I don't give a rat's
behind what you wish to say.

You picked him up at his house,

which means someone
had to have contacted him.

You had to contact him

or he had to contact you
via your cellphone.

So that means you have his number
and he has yours.

And it would be on your cellphone
from that date in July.

What was his name?

His name is [...].

What's his phone number?

That's in your phone.

- I...
- [Judge Judy] Take out your phone.

I just recently got a new phone.

[laughing]

[Jackson] Like...

[Judge Judy] Now, it's gonna all come
together to everybody.

- [Jackson] I got it.
- Okey-dokey. Say nothing else.

My boyfriend left the scene

because he had a potential warrant
for his arrest.

[Courtney] That's not...he ran
because he was on probation

and he was scared to get into trouble.

[laughing]

- [Courtney] That is why...
- Just a second.

I'm not finished.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Bradley Anderson
and his 16-year-old daughter, Wynter,

claimed Courtney Schultz

and her 17-year-old daughter, Jayden,
owe for car damages

after Jayden ran a red light
and hit Wynter.

By the way, what did you think
you had a warrant out

for your arrest for on July?

- I did not have a warrant.
- [Judge Judy] What did you think...

just a second. That's not my question.

What did you think
that you had an outstanding warrant for

on the date of the accident?

Ma'am, I did not think
I had an outstanding warrant.

- I have no idea...
- [Judge Judy] Okay. Just a...

just a second.

Your last name is?

- Schultz.
- [Judge Judy] Ms. Schultz,

do you take any psychotropic medication?

I take what?

Psychotropic medication...

- [Courtney] No, but...
- ...for mental illness.

- No.
- [Judge Judy] No.

So, you don't suffer from delusions?

- [Courtney] No.
- Who wrote the answer to this case

and swore to the answer in this case?

Who did? Did you or did you daughter?

Wrote the answer...

[Judge Judy] The answer.
Well, who signed it? Let's see.

Let's look at here and see who signed it.

Just who signed that?

[Jayden] That was before we...

- I asked you a simple question.
- [Courtney] We both signed it.

- [Judge Judy] Both signed it.
- Yup.

You both read English, I assume.

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

They went over it...they went over it
with us.

[Judge Judy] I don't care
what they went over.

That's a quarter of a page.

So you read it, you signed it,
and you swore to it.

Now...so I wanna know who wrote this.

- Neither.
- [Judge Judy] You or your daughter?

Well, somebody had to say
who wasn't suffering from delusions.

Oh, it was your...the daughter who wrote it
because it says,

"My mother's 2017 Nissan Rogue
was destroyed.

My boyfriend and witness

had a potential warrant
out for his arrest." [laughs]

- [Jayden] That...that...
- Just a second.

That's what she said.

So when the person who wrote this said,

"My boyfriend and witness had
a potential warrant out for his arrest,"

that's not saying he had some sort
of a communicable disease,

that's not saying he left his dog home

or he left the light on
under the chicken, whatever.

I mean, I would never say that
that my boyfriend left the scene

because he had a potential

- warrant out for his arrest.
- [Courtney] That's not...

- that was misunderstood.
- Just...misunderstood by whom?

Yes. He ran because he had...
was on probation

and he was scared to get into trouble.

[laughing]

- [Courtney] That is why...
- Just a second.

I'm not finished.

Okay. So now you're traveling,

and your car gets clipped
at an intersection.

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Makes a turn,

goes across to another lane,

slams up against a divider,

- and is totaled.
- Yes.

[Judge Judy] And it is your statement
that you had a green light.

- Yes.
- Now, you're the driver of the car.

And now it's gonna all come together.

And you say you were minorly distracted...

- Yes.
- ...because somebody

left a g*n in your car.

- That's...
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

That's what it says here.

You can't make this up.

You were temporarily distracted

because somebody whose last name
he doesn't remember

but whose address he knows,

whose phone number he knows,

which he can't tell me
because he got a new phone.

- That's not how they communicated.
- [Judge Judy] Just...

that's not what you communicated.

[Jackson] That's not how we communicated.

Was there a g*n in the car?

I said that's not how they communicated.

[Judge Judy] Just a second.

Was there a g*n in the car?

Yes. I said there was.

[Judge Judy] Okey-dokey.

And at the accident,

when the cars came to a stop,

Jackson took off.

And you say she was the one who ran
through a red light.

But you say you were minorly distracted

because there was a g*n in the car

that you and your boyfriend just saw

that there was a g*n in the car
and you were shocked.

Now, where was this g*n?

[Jayden] It was in the backseat. Jack...

[Judge Judy] Okey-dokey.

Now, you're driving along.

Boyfriend is in the passenger seat.

You're driving.
What made you look in the backseat?

I didn't. Jackson looked in the backseat
to grab a sweater

- and realized that it was back there.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

Jackson, you looked in the backseat
for a sweater.

- Yup.
- [Judge Judy] Yup?

- In July?
- Yes, ma'am.

- In July?
- [Jayden] In Minnesota.

- In July?
- Yes, ma'am. I live in Minnesota.

- [Judge Judy] In July?
- Yeah.

[Judge Judy] In July at 6:00,
you looked in the backseat

- for a sweater.
- Yes, Your Honor.

- [Judge Judy] Did you find a...
- That's what I'm telling you.

Just a second. Did you find a sweater?

- Yes, I did.
- [Judge Judy] Good.

And the g*n was under the sweater?

Yes, Your Honor, it was.

[Judge Judy] So that had to be
your friend?

It was his girlfriend's g*n.

[Judge Judy] Just a second.

Well, the girlfriend wasn't in the car.

- Yes. She sat there.
- She...

The girlfriend wasn't in the car.

You said nothing about the girlfriend
being in the car.

You said you only picked up one friend
from his house.

That's what you said.
You gotta get your story straight.

You just didn't listen.
You cut him off before he could finish.

Mrs. Schultz.

[Courtney] I'm not happy
about the situation.

- [Judge Judy] Mrs. Schultz.
- Yes, ma'am.

[Judge Judy]
You have to understand something.

If you continue to make excuses for her
and her poor choices,

this is where you're gonna spend
the next 20 years,

before a judge.

Do you understand?

It may be in situations like this.

It may be because you're gonna have
to take care of children.

For a lot of other reasons,

but if you continue
to make excuses for this

and believe this nonsense,

then you're gonna be
before people like me,

probably much nicer,
but before people like me

who are sitting here in a robe
for the next 20, 25 years.

Is that what you want?

Obviously, that's not what I want.

[Judge Judy] Obviously not.
That's what you want. So...

But I also know what...when I got
the phone call right away,

what was told to me,
when I was told what happened.

You have to understand something,

when her mouth moves she's lying.

- When her mouth moves, she's lying.
- All right.

She took your car the day before.

It's probably
your only means of transportation.

You lent her the car for the sole purpose

of taking the boyfriend for a haircut.

Is that correct?

And so she could use it
for whatever they were gonna do.

I trusted her with my car
and I still trust her with my car.

That's terrific.

- If she was gonna lie to me...will she...
- [Judge Judy] Just, just listen. Just...

Why would she lie to me
about there being a g*n in the car?

I mean, uh, they told me that.

[Judge Judy] Why would she lie to you?

Because there were witnesses
that called the police,

that's why she would lie to you.

Can I see the police report, please?

- [Wynter] Yes.
- I...I'd like to see it, too, please.

- I've not seen it.
- Yeah. Neither have I.

I tried to get it and it wasn't ready.

So, I would like to see it myself.

What I'm telling you
is if you continue to listen

to stuff that doesn't make sense,

A, you said to me there wasn't
an outstanding warrant for his arrest.

Maybe, it was a probation violation.

- Okay. Probation violation.
- [Courtney] Yeah.

Probation violation isn't something

- that you're born with.
- [Courtney] No.

[Judge Judy] You're not born
with a probation violation.

- [indistinct] though.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second. You're not...

you're not born
with a probation violation.

A probation violation means
that you've been convicted of a crime

and placed on probation as a sentence.

And if you're in a car
and there's a g*n in the car,

that's a violation of your probation
in most jurisdictions.

- Understood.
- [Judge Judy] Do you understand?

So, you understand that
your 17-year-old daughter

is with somebody who's on probation.

My boyfriend to be exact.

[Judge Judy] Oh, just a second.

- Who's on probation for...
- [Courtney] Right.

- ...conviction.
- [Courtney] Correct.

And is in a car, your car...

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] ...with a g*n,

brought there,
he says by a friend's girlfriend.

So, I want you to figure out,
by a friend's girlfriend.

Now, I've had a lot of passengers
in my car.

I'm 78 years old.

I've had a lot of passengers in my car.

You?

- You?
- Yes.

- [Judge Judy] You?
- Yes, ma'am.

I bet you if I ask all of us
who probably have a combined age of 200,

whether they ever had a friend
who left a g*n

in the back of their car under a sweater.

Yeah, you should know
what's in your vehicle...

- [Judge Judy] Yeah.
- ...at all times,

- and that I've...
- [Judge Judy] What I'm telling you is,

if something doesn't make sense,

even though you may love her

when you remember...what's his name? [...].

When you remember his last name

and the name of his girlfriend,
you can raise your hand.

Otherwise, I don't wanna see the hand.

I don't wanna hear you anymore.

That's what happened.

They know that that's what happened.

You ran. There were witnesses.

Now, I'm reading the police report.

You can sit down
unless you raise your hand

and if you raise your hand,
the only reason you're raising your hand

is if you remember [...] last name
and his girlfriend's name.

- May I ask you a question?
- Don't. I'm reading something.

Don't speak.

Your daughter who when her mouth moves,

you have to find it's suspect
told... it wasn't her fault.

Did you tell the insurance company
that the plaintiff ran a red light?

Those were not my words, no.

You know, now I know
where she gets it from.

[suspenseful music playing]

[announcer] Sixteen-year-old
Wynter Anderson has accused

seventeen-year-old Jayden Schultz

of running a red light
and crashing into her car.

[Judge Judy] Now, just so that you know,

the police interviewed a witness,

because this is not per her statement,

because there were witnesses to this
that called the police.

Right. It was right downtown.

[Judge Judy] There were witnesses
that called the police on 7:27.

Schultz, that would be her,

was driving through the intersection
at Mall and Maple Grove Road.

She had a solid red light at the time
she drove through the intersection,

per the witness' statement.

Schultz while in the intersection
hit Anderson who was driving.

Anderson had a solid green light.

No injuries were reported at the crash.

Other criminal charges were found
for a passenger in Schultz's car.

- That would be he.
- [Courtney] Right.

[Judge Judy] And those charges
were possession of a g*n.

That's false.

[Jayden] No, the charges
were probation violation.

- And they were dropped.
- Yup.

Because the person
who had the g*n in the car claimed...

- [Jackson] It was [indistinct]
- [Jayden] Claimed it.

[Courtney] ...claimed their g*n and said

- that they weren't his.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

I don't know any of that.
It doesn't say any of that in here.

So, if that's the story,
I don't know any of it.

All I know is he ran with the g*n.

- [Judge Judy] He ran...
- I mean, he's on probation.

- ...with the g*n after the accident.
- [Courtney] That was...

- and that was really dumb.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

And from what I hear
in both the complaint and the answer,

your daughter was taken out of the car,

- placed in the back of a police car.
- Yes.

[Judge Judy] I assume
until they got the name of Jackson...

No, until they detained him.

- They knew who it was.
- [Judge Judy] Hmm?

They knew who it was.

They just put me in the back of the car
until he was found and detained.

Just a second.
How did they know who he was?

- Because she told them.
- Because I told them who ran.

Because you told them who he was.

I mean, that's kinda what you do
when the police ask,

"Who just ran out that car?"

[Judge Judy]
Well, they wouldn't have actually cared

if he was just a passenger in the car

unless somebody said that he was running
away from the car with a g*n.

- I mean, when there's another...
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

...bystander chasing after him,
I'm pretty sure.

You know, I'm listening to you.
It's hysterical.

Aren't you listening
to what always somebody else's fault?

Yeah, she's telling the truth.
She told the police...

[Judge Judy] Aren't you...oh, my God.

[Courtney]
No, I don't think it's hysterical.

- This country is in such trouble.
- [Courtney] I think [indistinct]

[Judge Judy] We are in such...

Do you think I'm happy about this?
My car is totaled.

We are in such trouble.
They paid you for your car.

- Excuse me?
- [Judge Judy] Did your insurance company

give you any money for your car?

No, I still owe on my car
that I don't have.

No, no, no, no, no.
That's not what I asked you.

I said did your insurance company give you
any money?

Don't show me a paper.

- [Judge Judy] I'm asking you...
- I'm showing you the insurance paper.

...did your...I asked you a question.

They did not fully cover my car, no.

[Judge Judy] I didn't ask you fully.

I said did your insurance company give you
any money for the car?

Um, they gave the bank money
because I had a loan on it.

[Judge Judy] So, your insurance company
gave you money

for the car to pay the...

I don't care
if you don't have a car anymore

and I don't care if you still owe money
on the car.

You'll think twice
about giving your daughter a car

to use and having this sort of mess,

but what you did was
you listened to the story

and when your insurance company called you

- and asked you what happened...
- [Courtney] I called them...

...your daughter...your daughter

who when her mouth moves,
you have to find it's suspect.

Your daughter told them
it wasn't her fault.

So, while you had...

- while you had liability...
- Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Back up. My insurance did not say
it was not her fault

and she didn't say it was not her fault.

We told them exactly what happened

- and waited for the police report.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

You told them exactly what happened.

Did you tell them that she ran a red...

- because what you say here is she...
- I was not there.

- [Judge Judy] I'm asking you a question.
- I wasn't there.

[Judge Judy] Wait until I finish.

Who spoke to the insurance company,
you or your daughter?

- That would be you.
- I did...I did and they...

then they talked to her.

You spoke to them first.

- You're the insured.
- [Courtney] Of course. Yes.

[Judge Judy] Very easy to find out.

That's why we have phones.

Did you tell the insurance company
that the plaintiff ran a red light?

- That's either a yes or a no!
- [Courtney] I...

those were not my words, no.

I said there was...my car was
in an accident.

- Period.
- [Judge Judy] Oh.

I was not there, so I cannot honestly say,

whether it was her fault or her fault.

- I wasn't there.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

You know,
now I know where she gets it from.

It didn't skip a generation.

Did you in fact speak to your daughter

and did your daughter tell you
that the plaintiff ran a red light?

She just told me there was an accident.

[sighs] Judgment for the plaintiff
in the amount of $5,900.

We're finished. Thank very much.

- Okay. Out.
- [Kevin] Court is adjourned.

It is what it is
and we just have to deal with it.

I'm happy with the verdict.

I definitely uh had my attention
somewhere else at the time.

Well, she bought the car herself

and I'm happy
that she's gonna get compensated

for the car that got destroyed.

Just wasn't thinking I guess

and I took off at the accident.

Like, the second after the crash,
just when I opened the door to get out,

I saw someone run away
and I was like, oh, this is not good.

I'm glad she's gonna be able
to get her car fixed.

Uh it was scary spinning around,

but everyone was okay, so...

[Sarah] I think that case could be
a great lesson to parents

because I know that parents
love their children

and they want to give them cars
and vehicles,

and see them thrive and succeed.

But I think that
until your child shows you,

not just love,
but shows you concrete evidence

that they can handle
an adult responsibility,

such as driving a car,
having possession of a car,

I think parents should really think twice

before they do things
for their children out of love,

that they may not be ready for
mentally, emotionally, you know...

My interesting take away from that case
was not so much

that the mother believed her daughter

and her daughter clearly
it was...clearly it was a story.

I don't know his last name.
I don't know his girlfriend's last name.

The g*n was in the back seat.
He took off from the front seat.

This... whole lot of nonsense.

But the daughter was just a carbon copy
of her mother.

- Yeah.
- [Judge Judy] That's...you know,

very often I have cases where parents
wants to believe their children.

That's what you wanna do. You want...

you know, you wanna say
they did the right thing.

- This mother didn't care...
- Yeah.

[Judge Judy] ...because that was her MO.

- As my grandmother used to say...
- [Sarah] [indistinct]

Yeah, apple don't fall far from the tree.

It's true. You have to set a good example

- if you want your children to succeed.
- [Judge Judy] Right.

[announcer] Want justice?


[theme music playing]