01x56 - Hijacked Packages/Fighting and Forgiving

[bunniefuu]

[Judge Judy]
Your apartment was burglarized?

Jewelry mostly.

She lives right next to me.

You're ridiculous.

You're a scammer.

She doesn't like me.

She's...never did like me.

I don't even know him.

Just a second.

It's just ridiculous.

I'm sorry.

This is silly.

[announcer]
This is Judy Justice.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Gildardo Ortega is suing
his neighbor, Rachel North,

for stolen packages and punitive damages.

[Kevin]
Court come to order.

Have a seat, please.

Hello, Judge.
Case number 1181, Ortega versus North.

- Thank you, Kevin.
- [Kevin] You're welcome.

[Judge Judy]
Mr. Ortega,

- you and Ms. North are neighbors?
- Correct.

- [Judge Judy] You live on the same floor?
- Correct.

[Judge Judy] How long
have you been living in your apartment?

[Gildardo]
Since January of 2021.

Where did you live prior to that?

[Gildardo] Uh, I lived in
a neighborhood in West Hollywood,

with a roommate not too far involved.

- [Judge Judy] For how long?
- [Gildardo] Maybe a couple months.

Not a whole lot.

[Judge Judy]
Where were you living before that?

[Gildardo]
I didn't really have an address.

What does that mean?

I didn't have a home.

- [Judge Judy] So you were homeless?
- Yeah.

[Judge Judy] So, you were homeless
for a long period of time?

- For two years.
- [Judge Judy] Then you moved in,

you had a roommate for a couple of months.

- Mm-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] And then you moved in

- in January 2021 to an apartment.
- Correct.

[Judge Judy]
Who found you the appointment?

Can you look at me?

- Look in my direction.
- [Gildardo] Yes, ma'am.

It's just something
that happened in court, that's all.

I can't really talk about that part.
[chuckles]

[Judge Judy]
Well, some things become important.

Now, who was paying the rent
in your apartment?

I was.

[Judge Judy]
From what source of employment?

- I got a settlement.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

How long have you been
living in your apartment?

Seventeen years.

[Judge Judy] In the 17 years that you've
been living in the apartment complex,

- have you ever been arrested?
- [Rachel] No.

- [Judge Judy] How old are you?
- I'm 46.

How many times
have you been arrested in your whole life?

In my whole life, one time,
when I was in college.

For what?

[Rachel] I tried to help break up
a fight that my friend was in.

- [Judge Judy] Not since college?
- Correct.

[Judge Judy] Now Mr. Ortega,
it is your claim that the defendant,

who's been on your floor for 17 years,

- is a thief?
- Correct.

[Judge Judy]
And you claim two different things.

You only have proof of one alleged theft,

and that was I believe in May...

- [Gildardo] May 20th of 2021.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

So May of 2021,
you're going to show me proof

that Ms. North stole something from you.

Yeah, I have it right here.

I'd like to see it.

- What do I do here?
- [audience laughing]

Okay. Now,
clearly that's from your Ring thing.

Yes.

And I wanna show this,
Kevin, to the defendant,

because I don't know what it shows.

[Rachel] Okay.
So that was me leaving my apartment

with a bag, or a package, or something.

I didn't realize I ordered so much stuff,
but because I'm defending myself,

I found that I've ordered over
a hundred packages

- on Amazon and Bloomingdale's.
- [Judge Judy] Mm-hmm.

I have to return those things
if they don't work out.

No, what I'm asking you is,
you say that that's your bag.

- Yeah.
- [Judge Judy] The white bag.

I'm walking out
of my apartment with my own bag.

- [Judge Judy] Okay.
- So your doors are close...

very close together?

[Rachel] I have a photo
to show you how close they are.

- I'd have to walk by his door.
- [Judge Judy] I'd like...I'd like...

Before we get to that,

- let me have that back.
- [Kevin] Yeah.

[Judge Judy] To make sure
we'll be looking at the same...

[Gildardo] Your Honor,
I also have pictures if you needed

of her taking that stuff in large...

I did not take anything from him,
Your Honor.

[Judge Judy]
Okay.

Listen to me, Mr. Ortega.

I want you to tell me exactly
what it was that you allege

that she took from your apartment,
that was in the white bag.

- For that date...
- [Judge Judy] No, no, no.

Look at me.

Yes, ma'am.

[Judge Judy]
What was it in the bag that you allege

she took from the front of your apartment?

Uh, an order that I had from Macy's.

I bought some stuff from Macy's,
jewelry mostly.

Just a second.

[Gildardo] Here's the date and everything
that shows that it was delivered,

and it was a lot of jewelry
and I never got that back.

I even made a complaint with Macy's,

and they were kind enough
to send some of it back,

which was nice, but not all of it.

[Judge Judy]
What do you mean, you made a complaint?

[Gildardo]
I filed a complaint with Macy's. I...

That you didn't receive your merchandise?

Yes, that's correct.

- And Macy's responded...
- [Gildardo] To...yes.

They've responded with me having
to file a police report which I did.

- [Judge Judy] And did you do that?
- I did.

- [Judge Judy] I'd like to see it.
- [Rachel] Nobody contacted me

about a police report.

[Judge Judy]
I'd like to see the police report.

[Gildardo]
Yes, ma'am.

[Rachel]
Your Honor, I have video evidence...

- [Judge Judy] Shh.
- Okay.

[Gildardo] That's evidence
of me submitting the police report...

No, no, no, no, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

You filed this report on March 25th.

That's correct ma'am.

[Judge Judy]
March, April, May.

You just told me that this alleged theft

- happened May 20th, 2021.
- That's correct, Your Honor.

[Judge Judy]
So how do you show me

a police report that you filed in March?

[Gildardo] Your Honor, I did that
because a lot of my packages went missing.

- [Judge Judy] Oh.
- A few of them.

[Judge Judy] I only wanna see
what you filed after May 20th.

Um, I've called the police
and no one showed up because, um...

- [Judge Judy] Okay.
- ...it's not a life-threat emergency.

[Judge Judy] All right, forget it.
We're done...we're done with May 20th.

How can that be, ma'am?

[Judge Judy]
Now...we're done with May 20th.

- But then I wouldn't have justice and...
- You have no proof.

- I do have proof...
- We're done.

There's video footage in that.

I just saw the video.

- [Gildardo] And then there's the...
- I asked you...

There's my Macy's confirmation
that it got delivered on that day, ma'am.

- [Judge Judy] That's okay.
- Yeah.

[Judge Judy]
And you filed a complaint to Macy's...

- Yes.
- ...that you never received it,

and they resent it?

- Yes. They resent it, but then...
- [Judge Judy] Yeah, that...that's a yes.

What? She took other packages as well.

[Judge Judy]
That...that's a...well, I don't know that.

- Show me...
- [Rachel] Your Honor, I don't...

- [Gildardo] Yeah, yes.
- Here's your iPad.

Show me she took other packages as well.

- Sure.
- [Rachel] I didn't take any of his...

Shh. Just...

Okay. [laughs]

- [Gildardo] I also have...
- [Judge Judy] No, no, no.

- [Gildardo] ...complete [indistinct]
- Shh, no, no.

- Show me...
- [Gildardo] Yes, ma'am.

Show me...

That's her, and taking...

- [Judge Judy] Just...don't tell me...
- ...more stuff in trash bags.

[Judge Judy]
Don't tell me.

- She does that...
- I take my garbage out, Your Honor.

- Yeah, that's not just that.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

- There's boxes in that.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

And there's also a box there,
she swiped it.

[Judge Judy] Mr. Ortega...Mr. Ortega,
the other part of your complaint

is that your apartment was burglarized.

It was.

[Judge Judy]
And it was burglarized on what date?

October 27th, 2021.

And she lives right next to me,
and she wouldn't even call the police.

- I didn't have any knowledge of this.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

- You were there talking with them.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

Okay. Uh, it's just ridiculous.

I'm sorry.

This is silly.

I'm a busy lady and he's wasting my time.

October 27th, 2020,

your apartment was burglarized.

That's correct.

[Judge Judy] And you believe that
the defendant was somehow responsible.

- Yeah.
- [Judge Judy] Look at me.

- I do.
- [Judge Judy] You believed that

the defendant was somehow responsible.

- I do.
- [Judge Judy] What your belief is,

is irrelevant in a court

- unless you have proof.
- I'll show you proof, ma'am.

[Judge Judy]
That the...shh, that the defendant

was somehow responsible for the burglary.

I'm assuming,
for the sake of this question,

that your apartment was burglarized.

It was.

- Show me the police report.
- That's all I got, ma'am,

because I called the police
when that happened,

because she wouldn't do it,
knowing that she's there.

- Why, why am I supposed to? I didn't...
- [Judge Judy] Just a second...

She's my neighbor, she's so close by.

- She could've done that, at least...
- Oh, my God.

You're ridiculous.

[announcer]
And later today...

There's a word called condonation.

It means that if something happens
and you had a big fight,

and then you get together,
and you snuzzle together,

and you sort of make-up,
we don't go back into history,

that's not what courts are for.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Gildardo Ortega
claims his neighbor, Rachel North,

stole multiple packages from his doorstep.

[Judge Judy] Now, I'm assuming
for the sake of this question

that your apartment was burglarized.

- It was.
- [Judge Judy] Good.

I'd like to see the police report first.

Kevin, you can return this to him.

It has to do with March
before the last theft.

Yes, ma'am.

Just show me the police report
with regard to 10/27/20.

Well, this says that somebody
has been arrested

for the burglary of your apartment.

I assume for the burglary
of your apartment?

- Yes.
- And that if the defendant is convicted,

you may be entitled to restitution.

That's not a police report,
let's understand that.

That's just a notice
that somebody has been arrested.

Mr. Ortega,
you had to have filed a police report?

- I did.
- Show me the police report.

[Gildardo]
That's all I got, ma'am.

Because I called the police
when that happened,

because she wouldn't do it,
knowing that she's there...

- Why, why am I supposed to? I didn't...
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

She's my neighbor, she's so close by.

- She could've done that, at least...
- Oh, my God. You're ridiculous.

[Judge Judy]
Just a second.

No...it's not a nice thing
to do to a neighbor.

- [Judge Judy] Is what...
- You're a scammer.

- [Judge Judy] Mr. Ortega?
- Right.

Is what you're suggesting,

because Ms. North is your neighbor,
it was her responsibility...

- It's not.
- [Judge Judy] ...to call...

just a second, to call the police?

Is that what makes you think
she was involved in this burglary?

No, ma'am. But she also didn't need
to be involved in our other neighbor.

She...he obviously goes to her,
she's walking by as well, and...

- Who?
- ...that's the person...

- [Judge Judy] Can I see...
- ...you know...yes, ma'am.

[Judge Judy] Can I see
what you're talking about?

Here you go.

[Kevin]
It's a video.

Push...

[Gildardo]
So that's one of our neighbors.

[Judge Judy] There's an elderly person
there with gray hair.

- [Gildardo] Yes.
- That's not her.

Your case is dismissed, Mr. Ortega.

- You have no case against Ms. North.
- [Gildardo] No, ma'am. That's unfair.

You do it...you do it again...
you do it again,

she's gonna sue you for defamation,
do you understand?

- That's not right. That's not right.
- [Judge Judy] Do you understand?

I don't care
what you think is right or not.

I lost my [indistinct]

- [Judge Judy] You have...you need proof.
- No.

She doesn't like me, she's...
never did like me from my [indistinct]

I don't even know him.
I don't even...we've...

Because I was homeless.

Maybe that's why,
and I move to an upscale neighborhood.

We're done. We're done.

- Court is adjourned.
- He's a scammer.

I'm thrilled. I mean, he's ridiculous.

He's a scammer
and she saw right through it.

- I don't think it's fair.
- I've had packages stolen,

everybody's had packages stolen.

I don't even wanna live there
because it's so horrible to live there.

I'm not a criminal, I'm not a thief.

And she's gonna be stuck
with me I guess for a while.

[Sarah] That plaintiff seemed
a little off to me in his explanations,

and even in the suggestive video footage.

Something just felt off.

[Judge Judy] But there was certainly
no proof she was involved in any...

- Yeah.
- ...burglary or a theft

of packages of his.

And it's not a crime
to walk in and out of your own apartment.

[Judge Judy]
Your apartment.

But he's got it fixed in his mind,

and that's frightening
to live next to that.

Yeah.

Case number 1173, Berban versus Main.

Please step forward.

[announcer] Julia Berban
is suing her ex-boyfriend, Jacob Main,

for a broken window, broken ignition key,

towing fees, and a refund of rent.

How long have you known Mr. Main?

Uh, I met him in 2019.

[Judge Judy]
When did you start to date?

Oh, gosh.
It had to have been August of 2019.

[Judge Judy] In August of 2019,
who are you living with?

Uh, my mother.

[Judge Judy] And the dates
actually become important

because this sounded like a love affair

- that was volatile.
- Mm-hmm.

[Judge Judy] But there was a lot
of fighting and forgiving,

and I have to see whether
the fighting part is something

that courts get involved with

when I have a feeling in between a lot
of the fighting was a lot of forgiving.

Where were you living
Mr. Main in August of 2019?

[Jacob] I was living in Paso Robles
with my now ex-wife,

- shortly after I moved in to my father's.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

So from the house
that you shared with your now ex-wife,

- you moved in with your father.
- Yeah, shortly afterwards, yeah.

[Judge Judy] And when did you move
in with your father?

Probably August of...later in August.

Did meeting the plaintiff
have anything to do

with precipitating your divorce?

- Probably.
- [Judge Judy] Okay. That's fair.

Did there come a time in August,

or sometime thereafter,

when you moved into
Ms. Berban's mother's house?

- [Jacob] Right.
- [Judge Judy] When was that?

- October or November.
- [Judge Judy] Did you pay any rent?

- No, ma'am.
- [Judge Judy] And you shared her room?

Yes, ma'am.

[Judge Judy]
You stayed there from when to when?

[Jacob] November to maybe June, July,
something like that.

- [Judge Judy] A long time.
- Yeah.

[Judge Judy]
Did you have any problems

when you were living
in her mother's house?

[Jacob] No,
not until the very last week or so.

[Judge Judy]
Why don't you tell me what happened

the very last week or so in June?

That's part of the complaint.

[Jacob]
Me and Julia were arguing,

and I think her mother,
kind of, caught wind of that

and didn't really like that and so she,
uh, kicked us out I guess you could say.

- [Judge Judy] Is that right?
- [Julia] Yes, ma'am.

[Judge Judy] When Ms. Berban's mother
asked you to leave,

- you moved in with your father.
- [Jacob] Yes.

[Judge Judy]
And you moved in with him with his father?

Uh, for a short time, yes, ma'am.

[Judge Judy]
That was in June of 2021.

- Uh, yes, ma'am.
- [Judge Judy] Yeah? Okay.

So then let's deal
with this incident quickly

that happened in April,
which is before June,

while you were living
at your mother's house.

Don't look at your document...look here.

If you tell the truth,
you don't have to have a good memory.

Not that I'm particularly interested
in what happened in April,

because then we had a subsequent May,
and June, and July.

Why don't you tell me
what happened, quickly?

[Julia] Me and Jacob were arguing,
and I locked the doors,

and we went outside,
because I didn't wanna argue inside.

So I realized I had locked myself out
without the key.

So I went and I climbed
through my bedroom window,

so, uh, to get access to the house,

and as I was closing the window,

he slammed it back open and it shattered.

Had the situation resolved?

No. No, it hadn't.

[Judge Judy]
Well, what were you going inside for?

[Julia] To unlock the door,
the front door, to get back in.

- [Judge Judy] To let you both back in?
- [Julia] Right.

[Judge Judy] So the situation
had somehow resolved,

because you went outside

so that your mother
wouldn't hear you yelling?

Yes.

[Judge Judy] Am I getting this right...
uh, you know,

you keep saying yes,
but am I getting this right?

[Julia]
Yes.

I'm trying to create a visual for myself.

Now, how did the window break, sir?

She slammed it close and I put my hand out
to kind of brace for it,

and it really just bounced off my hand

and went to the other side
of the window sill

and broke on the other side
of the window sill.

[Judge Judy]
Is that what was happening?

No, um, I had...I had almost closed it
and he grabbed it,

and he slammed it back open.

I was gonna go
unlock the front door to let him in.

[Judge Judy]
Now that happened on April 4th.

When you were at your mother's house,
did you share the same room?

Yes, we did.

[Judge Judy] Did you share the same room
from April 4th, 2021

until June 22nd, 2021?

No. No, we didn't.
He went back to his dad's house.

You discovered that he was cheating on you
and you were angry?

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] So you went into his house?

And I cut up some, uh, some of the clothes
that I had bought.

[dramatic music playing]

[announcer] Julia Berban
claims her ex-boyfriend, Jacob Main,

owes for a broken window,

broken ignition key, and a refund of rent.

[Judge Judy] Okay.
So after the April 4th incident, he left?

Correct.

- [Judge Judy] Is that right, sir?
- Yes, Your Honor.

[Judge Judy] Between April 4th
and June 22nd,

how many nights
did you spend at his father's house?

Probably five or six.

[Judge Judy] So I actually don't care
what happened with the window,

neither do courts.

There's a word called "condonation."

It means that if something happens
and you had a big fight,

and then you get together
and you snuzzle together,

and you sort of make-up,

we don't go back into history,
that's not what courts are for.

June 22nd, "Jacob informed me
that his dad was moving,

and did you wanna move into the house?"

Yes, he offered.

[Judge Judy] And it sounded like
a reasonable idea to you,

you were still in like with each other?

- Yes, Your Honor.
- Still hoping to make it work.

So according to what I read,
your father was supposed to move out,

you were supposed to move in,
and split the rent with him?

- Correct.
- And you gave him $350 in rent.

Three hundred and ten.

[Judge Judy] Did you ever move into
his father's house with him?

- No, I did not.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

You said there was an incident in July,
on the 26th of July.

Do you wanna tell me
what that incident was?

[Julia] Sure.
We were in Lemoore, California,

and we were arguing and...

- [Judge Judy] Where?
- [Julia] In my car.

I had pulled over
into a...a Best Buy parking lot, uh,

because I needed to get away from him,
just to cool down.

And when I got out,
I saw him reach for my ignition,

and then I got back in the car,

and noticed that
my ignition key was broken.

He didn't admit to it
but, I mean, it was broken.

So it cost me, um,

$414 to replace from the Mercedes
dealership in Fresno.

And also since my car was in an ill*gal,
uh, parking stall, it was towed.

[Judge Judy] So you pulled
into a parking lot,

parked in an ill*gal spot,
key was broken out of the ignition,

and the car was towed,
and you want him responsible for that?

[Julia] Yes, because I was...
I wasn't able to move my car

because my ignition key was broken.

[Judge Judy] Was July 26th
the last time you saw each other?

No.

When was the last time
you saw each other?

[Julia]
About a month afterwards.

- [Judge Judy] Where was that?
- [Julia] At his dad's house.

- [Judge Judy] So you went there?
- Yes. Yes, I did.

What time did you go over there?

- [Julia] I would say about 6:00 p.m.
- [Judge Judy] Tell me about that visit.

[Julia]
He had promised to pay me

for all the...
all of the things that he owed me for,

and so I went to his house
because I didn't have his number.

[Judge Judy] Okay. What happened sir
when the plaintiff came to your house?

[Jacob]
I mean, what happened with that was,

she pulled in the parking lot,
and she got out of the car,

so I reached over to turn the ignition off
and it's not like a key,

it's like a chip
that you put into the thing,

and it just...it broke off.

So I said I would pay, you know, for that,
it was my fault,

but before that, she broke into my house,

and then destroyed all my clothes.

[Judge Judy]
Now, you've just acknowledged to me

that you did break off whatever key was...

Whitney, did he say, "It was my fault?"

I thought he said, "It was my fault."

- Which is a good thing.
- [Jacob] Unintentionally, but yes.

[Judge Judy]
Unintentionally but it was your fault?

- [Jacob] Right.
- [Whitney] Yeah, he said,

"I would pay, you know, for that.
It was my fault."

[Judge Judy]
Four hundred and fourteen dollars.

Okay. What happened a month later?

You went to his house at 6:00 and?

[Julia] I waited for about 20 minutes
and I saw him walking up,

and I said, " Hey, do you have any money
that you can pay me

for the things that you broke?"

And he said, "No, no,
I'm not gonna pay you for any of that."

- [Judge Judy] And?
- [Julia] And so I said,

"Well, that's, that's not right,"
um, and then I left.

[Judge Judy] Did you go to his house
and cut up some of his clothes?

- No.
- All of my clothes.

No, I did not.

[Judge Judy] Did you ever discuss with him
the fact that his clothes were destroyed?

[Julia]
I did, but it was in December.

- Just a second. The answer is you did?
- Yes.

[Judge Judy] When did you discuss with him
that his clothes were destroyed?

I don't agree that I cut up
all of his clothes,

but the incident that he's referencing
happened in, uh, January 2021.

Tell me what happened.

[Julia] Uh, I discovered that
he was cheating on me,

and so I went into his house.

I didn't break in.

You went...
discovered that he was cheating on you?

- And you were angry?
- [Julia] Yes.

[Judge Judy]
So you went into his house and...

And I cut up some, uh,
some of the clothes that I had bought.

Tell me what you cut up.

[Julia] An Alabama shirt
that I had bought him, um,

a pair of pants that I paid for,
and some underwear, that's it.

[Judge Judy] What was the discussion
that you had with him

with regard to replacing
the value of these items?

There wasn't any discussion about it.

Well you said
there was some sort of discussion

- that you had about the clothes?
- [Julia] Yeah.

Well, he just accused me of cutting up,
uh, all of his clothes,

but we didn't agree...
we didn't talk about me replacing it.

What did she cut up?

[Jacob]
Everything.

Where did she leave it?

Right there in the middle of the floor.

- [Judge Judy] On what date?
- [Jacob] Two weeks after maybe.

Two and a half weeks
after she paid the 310,

and then decided not to move in.

Well, that hissy fit's gonna cost 310,
'cause that's part of your lawsuit.

You can't go into his house
and cut up his clothes. That's a no-no.

And you sir have already acknowledged
that you owe her for the broken key.

It was an accident but your fault?

Indeed.

[Judge Judy] And I've already decided
that there was condonation

with regard to the window incident.

Which, after the window incident,

which I don't really understand
why you would wanna go out of the house

to have an angry discussion,
when you could do it privately

inside the house,
'cause your mother wasn't there,

so I'm not following that whole thing,
but afterwards you made mofki pofki

for a couple of months,
so I don't care about the window.

But the $414 you acknowledged
that you owed her,

the $350 you did pay for rent,
you never moved in.

You're still living there
with your father,

you can't cut up his clothes,

judgment for the plaintiff
in the amount of $414.

We're finished. Goodbye.
Good luck. Have a happy life.

[Kevin]
Court is adjourned.

She stole my phone
and really had nothing on it.

His phone, I...I saw his phone.

- And then she kept arguing.
- Uh, he denied it.

Could've settled it out of court, I guess.

[Judge Judy] You know,
the concept of condonation

was a term that was originally, I think,

taught to us
in the context of being married.

[Sarah] I think
there might be some hesitation

about teaching this idea in law school,

just because if courts don't get involved
in those minor issues

while they were still cohabitating,

I think they can circumvent wrongdoing

and not take accountability if they say,

"Well, we slept in the same bed
after that incident happened."

So courts won't even look at that.

You don't want to discount
the negative interactions

that people have living together
or not but...

we can't get involved in every squabble.

[Judge Judy] It's sort of interesting,
because in one respect,

you are saying wrongdoing
is being rewarded.

As long as you're sleeping
in the same room.

[Judge Judy] As long as you're sleeping
in the same room.

But, if it were...

- an important enough incident,
- Yes.

there is some a*usive behavior
that is important when you have that,

and you break the relationship,
and you pursue a remedy,

I think that remedy
has to be taken seriously.

Mm-hmm.

[Judge Judy] Common sense,
that's what the law is supposed to be.

Supposed to.

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