01x75 - Friends with Benefits Fail Part 2

[bunniefuu]

He used your debit card?

Yes.

I need proof.

There's something here
that has to do with men.

I have no idea.

They're male enhancement pills
'cause he's impotent.

That's not true, Your Honor. [laughs]

Well, then, you stayed with the wrong guy
for a couple of months.

[announcer] This is Judy Justice.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Previously on Judy Justice.

It says, "In June, I woke up
and there was a random girl

in my house at 2:00 in the morning.

Joseph came into my room,
he put a g*n to my head and said,

"Don't ever tell me who I can have over.'"

This is this whole story
you made up with your sister

because you did try to get
a restraining order against him.

There's nothing there about your sister.

Just...don't say anything
that's gonna make you look stupid

because I'm a pro at that.

The police refused
to put him off the property.

- That's a yes?
- [Marinda] Yes.

[chuckles]
Now we see it's all coming together.

I was in a good mood.
I'm getting in a better mood.

[announcer] And now, the conclusion.

Marinda Conway has accused
her former friend with benefits,

Joseph Ethier, of withholding her property

and using her debit card
without permission.

Joseph says Marinda filed
a false restraining order against him.

So then your sister went to court

and filed for a restraining order

and she alleged to...let me guess,

in the restraining order
that he put a g*n to her head.

- Is that what you did?
- Correct.

[laughs]

In order to get him off the property?

- Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

Ultimately, that restraining order
was dismissed, am I correct?

Correct.

[Judge Judy] But did you in fact
for a period of time,

between the time it was dismissed

and the time you filed it
get him off the property?

- Yes, it had a move out order.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

Of course, because the judge said,
based upon what you wrote,

that he put a g*n to your head,
that he was a threat to you,

so you and your sister

- managed to get him off the property.
- Right.

[Judge Judy] And because you didn't
show up for the restraining order hearing

or because the judge heard the hearing
and dismissed it, it was dismissed?

Correct.

Oh, I'm still in a good mood.

I'm so glad.

[Judge Judy] So I only have a couple
of questions for you, sir,

now that my job is made easier

'cause I know
who I'm dealing with on this side.

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] And I know a little bit

about whom I'm dealing with on this side.

There are a couple of easy parts
to this story now

that we understand the characters here,

- who want from you, like, $9,000.
- [Joseph] Yeah.

You took her car?

No, I did not take her car.

Do you know who took her car?

- Yes, I do.
- [Judge Judy] Who did?

My ex-girlfriend.

[Judge Judy] And the ex-girlfriend
was also a girlfriend

when you were sort of
friends with benefits

- with her in March or not?
- [Joseph] No.

We split up.

- [Judge Judy] You had split up?
- That's why I rented the house.

And your ex-girlfriend's name is?

[...]

[Judge Judy] And the car was impounded.

Do you know
when your ex-girlfriend took the car?

No, I do not.

Did you give the police that information?

No, I did not. And I never spoke
to the police about a car.

[Judge Judy] How did you find out
that your car was in impound?

I came in on my flight
from Oregon on July 1st,

I went by the house, my car was gone.

I thought maybe it got towed
until I called the city

to see if it got towed.

They said no, it didn't get towed.

I tried calling Rick several times
until...for the next two days,

I called him to see if maybe
he had the car for some reason.

He never did answer my call,
and in July 4th,

I reported the car stolen.

July 24th, his ex-girlfriend got ahold me.

Facebook messaged me, said that...

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

Don't tell me what she said to you.

If you have it in your phone,

- I will look at it.
- [Marinda] Okay.

So he says
that his ex-girlfriend took the car.

So now I'd like to see what you have
from her in your text messages.

- I don't have a whole bunch of time
here. - [Marinda] I know.

- Well then...
- I'm trying to...

I don't know how to spell her name.

[Judge Judy] Well, listen to me.

It is your allegation
that the defendant took your car.

- [Marinda] Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] Without your permission.

- [Marinda] I have a sworn statement...
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

...from the person
that he took the car to,

- saying that he brought the car there.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

- When the cops found it.
- [Judge Judy] I need proof.

- If you have a police report...
- [Marinda] I do.

...I will read a police report.

Here you go.

- And then I have the conversation...
- Shh.

Okay.

So now I have a report that
you made of the stolen vehicle that says

that you don't know who took the car.

Right. I didn't know who took the car.

And this is the page...maybe
she deleted her account before...

- [Judge Judy] Just a second.
- ...coming here.

[Judge Judy] Just a second.
The only thing that I'm entertaining now

is getting the car out of impound
and what it'll cost you

- to get the car out of impound.
- Uh-hmm.

[Judge Judy] And in order to do that,

I have to determine if he took the car
in retaliation

or for whatever reason or if he importuned
somebody else to take the car.

Did you tell your girlfriend
to take the car?

- Never.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

Your ex-girlfriend to take the car.

So now you have exactly 30 seconds
to produce proof to me,

'cause that's why we're here today,
that's one of the allegations.

- And this.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

- This is the impound bill.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

Just a...I just wanna see proof

that he was the person who took your car.

[Marinda] Okay.
So here's the Facebook messages from her.

And another one, he's giving me
the address after [indistinct]

[Judge Judy] Just a second. I wanna see...

This is from the guy that...
where he took the car to,

where the cops found the car,
it's a statement from him saying that...

I don't read a statement from anybody.

Okay. And then here's the impound fee.

[Shani] Find the other thing.

[Judge Judy] All right.
Your ex-girlfriend's name is [...]?

Yes.

[Judge Judy] Are you sure that
you don't want to acknowledge to me

that you had something to do
with getting her car impounded?

I had nothing to do with it.

That you never drove her car
off the premises?

Never drove...no, I did not.

[Judge Judy] Did your girlfriend
drive the car off the premises?

Apparently, she did.

- [Judge Judy] No, not apparently.
- Yes.

Were you in communication with her?

That's either a yes or a no.

Yes.

Listen, it was by your choice
because you slept with him there.

My mistake was sleeping with him.

Well, just a second. It was your mistake

- because you slept with him there.
- Right.

Never gonna figure out
this whole scenario.

I'm really getting a zha-zha
in my head as a result of it.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Marinda Conway has
accused her former friend with benefits,

Joseph Ethier, of withholding her property

and using her debit card
without permission.

Joseph says Marinda filed
a false restraining order against him.

Okay. On what date
were you in communication

with the now ex-girlfriend?

Um, here and there ever since...

[Judge Judy]
Here and there and everywhere?

- She's...
- Did you discuss with her the car?

- No.
- Who's [...]?

He's a friend of mine.

Tell me what he had to do
with this car, sir?

Apparently,
the car was found on his property.

Where he lives
in an apartment complex or...

Now, he's your friend?

- [Joseph] Yes, he is.
- Yes.

You're gonna pay the impound fees, $330.

Okay. Uh-hmm.

- And [indistinct] when I got the car...
- [Judge Judy] Yeah, don't speak.

- Don't...
- It had a cracked windshield.

- [Judge Judy] Don't...listen.
- My stereo was pulled out of it.

[Judge Judy] Listen.
Did you take his stuff?

- No.
- [Judge Judy] Did you take anything

that belongs to him?

At some point,
did you take it and then give it back?

- When I didn't...
- [Judge Judy] Question,

did you take it and give it back?

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] That's all I asked you.

You took it and you gave it back.

But it was
stuff that I gave him that I took.

Who cares?
Once you give something, that's a gift.

- [Marinda] Right. Right.
- You can't take it and give it back,

and then take it and give it back.

You took his things.

That's not true...

- I didn't ask you anything.
- [Joseph] Okay.

[Judge Judy] Now what property
did you take of hers

that you were holding onto as a result
of this stupid seat situation?

What I did was withheld her stuff
from her that she left in the house.

[Judge Judy] Where is it?

It's still...yeah,
I left it in the house when I left.

What stuff?

[Joseph] Uh, her clothes,
everything she left in the house.

- [Judge Judy] It's still there?
- [Joseph] It's...was still there,

I have a video of, uh, documentation
of when I left the house.

[Judge Judy] Okay.
What is it that you claim that he...

He took the whole house,
everything in that house was mine.

He took the whole house.
And more than anything,

I just want my videos back of my kids

and, um, videos back of my ex,
because he's passed away.

And that's all that we have.

I don't care if he keeps my stuff.

I want the videos back.

[Judge Judy] Okay.

Very carefully.

[Joseph] Uh-hmm.

Because, you know,
I'm an equal opportunity ab*ser.

[Joseph] I understand.

And everything in the house was mine

- because I was living there.
- [Judge Judy] Shh. Just a second.

So was he.

Not by my choice.

[Judge Judy] Listen, it was by your choice

- because you slept with him there.
- [Marinda] Right.

My mistake for sleeping with him.

[Judge Judy] Well, just a sec.

It was your mistake
because you slept with him there.

I mean, he wasn't a trespasser.

Okay.

Never gonna figure out
this whole scenario,

I'm really getting a zha-zha in my head
as a result of this.

She wants her stuff.

- Did you throw it away?
- No, I did not.

[Judge Judy] So that means
that you still have some of it?

[Joseph] I don't have any of it
when I left the premises.

I left it in the house.

When I got thrown out of the house,
I had 15 minutes to get my stuff.

So, the cops let me go get my stuff, I
left,

my friends went back to get
what they could of mine.

And they left everything of hers.

- [Judge Judy] Just a second.
- But they took everything.

[Judge Judy] So is what you're
telling me, that friends of yours went in.

Yes.

Asked your friends to go in and get stuff.

My stuff.

[Judge Judy] Well, they took other stuff.

- [Joseph] No, what they took...
- They took the whole house.

[Judge Judy] Don't.

[Joseph] Okay. While they were doing it,

we were doing the Duo video chat
or whatever,

and I was pointing out to them
what to take and what not to take.

And then I have a video document
everything that was left in the house,

which is on my phone.

And it's all her stuff.

[Marinda] I have pictures of the house
when we came into it.

It was completely emptied off.

I have pictures of the house
before I left there.

- [Joseph] Uh-hmm.
- And pictures of my stuff in the room.

And then when we got entry into
the house and it all being emptied up.

What?

[Shani]
He took the blinds off the windows.

I mean, he left it bare.

[Judge Judy]
Let me explain something to you.

It's very hard when people
start out by lying to me.

- Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] To have any sympathy

whatsoever for them.

The person who started out lying was him.

No, the people starting out lying was you.

- No, it wasn't.
- [Judge Judy] Oh, yeah.

You want me to read you what you wrote?

- Uh-hmm. I guess my...
- [Judge Judy] In your complaint?

You want me to read you the first line?

[Marinda] Um, I have my timeline
of everything going down.

No, no, no. No, just...I'm gonna read you

what you swore to in your complaint.

I've read it to you before.

And it bears no reasonable resemblance

to the story that just came out
here today.

Absolutely none.

So with what you're saying to me,
and now you can sit,

if what you're saying to me
is the only thing

that you're interested in are the tapes,

and pictures, and photographs,

which are irreplaceable that were taken,
he doesn't have them.

- Yes, he does.
- So I can't place the value on them.

I have his friend Bobby was the one

- who went and picked up my stuff.
- And my door that got kicked down.

I don't want you to speak.

[Marinda] I have a recorded statement
from his best friend,

saying that he...that he paid him
to go clean out the house,

- I have it recorded on my phone.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

Just a second. What I'm telling you is
if what...your complaint is

that you want money
for the storage of the car

and getting it out of impound,
that you're gonna get.

- And the value of my accounts.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

That, you're gonna get.

The next thing that you complain about

are things that were taken out
of the house.

- Yeah.
- [Judge Judy] The things that you told me

- that you really want are memorabilia.
- [Marinda] Uh-hmm.

- Yeah.
- Tapes.

He says he doesn't have them.

He's lying.

[Judge Judy]
Well, he may be lying, so were you.

I don't know.

The final thing that I have to deal with
are debit card charges.

So now I want you to show me

what you claim he took out
from your debit card.

- He made online purchases.
- Just a second.

- [Marinda] He never had my debit card.
- Just a second, just a second.

I always physically had it.

But he took a picture of my debit card

and then made online purchases
from my debit card.

All I'm asking you is to show me.

[Marinda] This right here.

Show me that he made
online purchases from your debit card.

- [Marinda] Okay. There you go.
- I just need proof that he made...

Here in July...
I found out about it in July.

[Judge Judy] Just a second.
Does anything that you are giving to Kevin

demonstrate that he used your debit card?

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Fine.

Don't hand me a whole bunch of papers.

Take a pen, point out, where he...

I already did. They're circled.

Perfect.

That's June and I have July here.

And then some of the items
I found in the house when I gained entry,

which was a tool bag
that he bought from Home Depot for $389,

I have that receipt here in my phone.

- [Judge Judy] Okay.
- Some combat boots

that he bought [indistinct]

Nine dollars for some...shh.

Amazon, debit purchase, $54.

Doesn't say for what.

Amazon purchase,
which I assume was delivered to the house.

- That was in June.
- Uh-hmm.

- Were you still living together...
- I left the house in June.

- [Judge Judy] Shh.
- June 6th.

You left the house June 6th.

And those charges started happening

- June 8th.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

When did you return to the house?

- [Marinda] I never did.
- [Judge Judy] After June?

I returned there August 5th.

[Judge Judy] Oh.

[Marinda] And I have a picture
of the tool bag I found.

There was a $389 tool bag bought
from homedepot.com, shipped to the house,

that was in the house
when I gained entry into the house,

which I took from the house.

- And then...
- Just a second.

So you took it from the house?

- Yes, uh-huh.
- [Judge Judy] Okay. Just a minute.

I don't think that the courts
are supposed to be abused...

- I am...
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

You had a choice.

You had a choice not to commit fraud
by lying to the court,

because the three of you were involved
in this ever-crazier arrangement.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Marinda Conway claims
defendant Joseph Ethier

used her debit card without permission
and threatened her with a g*n.

Joseph claims the restraining order
against him was dismissed.

- Well, both of you made charges on this.
- No.

[Judge Judy] Both of you
made charges on the debit card.

I don't buy anything online.

[Judge Judy] However, I have to
ask you this question, Mr. Ethier,

there's something here that has to do
with muscle men.

- What is that?
- [Joseph] I have no idea.

No idea whatsoever.

They're male enhancement pills
'cause he's impotent.

Uh, that's not true, Your Honor. [laughs]

Well, then you stayed
with the wrong guy for a couple of months.

- I never, ever charged any...
- [Judge Judy] Just...

- Okay.
- [Judge Judy] Is what you're telling me,

'cause nothing says that
it was shipped or that you ordered it.

- Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] Unless you can show me

other than the fact
that you circled things that say...

I got my whole year history here,

I don't...I'm...I don't buy online.

I don't buy anything on Amazon.

And I have, um,

- Home Depot recorded statement...
- [Judge Judy] Okay. So...

...from them saying
that everything did get shipped,

I recorded my conversations with my bank,

saying that everything was shipped
and they reversed the credit.

- I have it all recorded.
- I don't wanna listen to the bank.

- That's still hearsay, madam.
- Uh-hmm.

I wanna see proof that you have,

that he used this debit card.

[Marinda] Okay. So he bought...okay, so...

- Just not...just proof...
- [Marinda] On that bank statement,

there is a Home Depot charge for $389

and he bought this tool bag with
that I took from the house,

and I have the receipt
from Home Depot right here.

[Judge Judy] Okay.
Now, you now have that item.

- That's correct.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

Tell me about that item.

That is what my witness is for.

The item that she's speaking of,
the tool bag,

was his tool bag
that she stole out of my truck.

She broke into my truck and took his...

- [Judge Judy] Just a second.
- Uh-hmm.

Who purchased it?

[Joseph] I don't know. It wasn't me.

- And it wasn't him.
- [Judge Judy] What...

I've got her several times accusing...

It happens to be the same one...

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

[Joseph] I have...I have her accusing
three different people of using her card.

Me, him, his girlfriend,
and then back to me again.

- Well, that's possible.
- [Joseph] Yeah.

But these tools were purchased
at Home...listen to me.

Yes.

The tools were purchased at Home Depot.

[Joseph] Right.

[Judge Judy] She took the tools
that were in the house,

she...so they must've been a lot of tools,
either in the house or in the truck.

- Just the tool bag.
- [Judge Judy] But she paid for them.

No, ma'am.

These were his existing tool bags
that she took.

- No, this was a brand new tool bag...
- These, these...okay.

that I have the receipt for.

- They even gave me a picture of it.
- [Judge Judy] I'd like to see it.

I'd like to see it.

[Marinda] Okay. So here's the receipt.

[Joseph] If she has a receipt,
I mean, she paid for it, right?

- [Marinda] Right here.
- Don't talk.

[Marinda] There's the receipt,
and then the next picture over

is the tool bag I got from the house.

And this happens to be the same tool bag
as in my receipt.

- [Judge Judy] And you took it?
- I did.

Do you have any use for a tool bag?

[Shani] She was gonna give it to the...

- [Judge Judy] Did you...
- [Shani] ...cops for evidence.

I tried to give it
to the cops for evidence.

- Just a second.
- [Marinda] Yeah.

Don't speak.

This isn't a dance.

And then, um, on my other account,

there was $953 in purchases,

and one of them is
for a Plenty of Fish dating site

that I asked Plenty of Fish
to investigate it and it was his profile.

[Judge Judy] Just...okay.

$841.

That includes the two things that I find
over there that were in fact yours, sir.

And the $330 for the towing.

Judgment for the plaintiff,
we're finished.

- Thank you.
- What about my other accounts?

- [Kevin] Court is adjourned.
- All the...

You should be very lucky
that I'm awarding you anything.

I'm gonna tell you why.

You used the court
to get him out of the house.

- Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] With a false allegation

because you couldn't get him out
of the house otherwise.

- Yeah.
- You're very lucky that you got a penny.

Do you understand?

I don't think that the courts
are supposed to be abused

- like that.
- Uh-hmm.

- [Judge Judy] When housing court is a...
- I [indistinct]

[Judge Judy] Just a second.

You had a choice.

You had a choice not to commit fraud
by lying to the court

and telling them that something happened
that was violent that didn't happen

because the three of you were involved
in this ever-crazier arrangement.

So what I'm telling you
is you're lucky you got a penny.

We're done here now.

- Okay. What about my...
- We're done here now.

Court is adjourned.

Step this way, ma'am.

Well, I don't believe
she should've been awarded anything

because I never stole her car,
never, never bought a tool belt.

She stole that from me out of my truck.

That's about him
committing fraud on my account,

stealing my car, kicking over my house,

and just being a nuisance, really.

As far as I know,
she went out and purchased it,

and had something, you know,
use it as evidence against me or whatever.

But other than that, yeah,
I think it's a lot better than $9,000.

Of course he's gonna deny that.

I never had a firearm,
never pointed a g*n to her head, never.

I don't know, I don't know g*ns,
I don't know what kind of g*n it was.

You know, 'cause it was at my head

and it was...it was at night
and lights weren't on.

I mean, she said she left the next day.

If I were to put a g*n to her head,
I thought I...you know,

if that were me,
I would've left immediately,

you know, and press charges, right?

I don't know.
I don't know anything about a .22

or I don't know anything about g*ns.

Because she kept calling police
to try to get them...

to get me out of the house when, you know,

I have my rights and stuff,
so they couldn't do it, so...

And, you know, I mean,
it...I'm just glad he's gone.

Uh, judge saw right through her.

It's time to protect myself
and I got a bad picker.

[Judge Judy] That case was exhausting.

I could tell you were confused
from start to finish.

It was just so convoluted and...

- They know what happened.
- Uh-hmm.

But because it's so bizarre.

They tried to tell another story.

It was so confusing
when I in fact read the complaint

and the answer, and so inconsistent
with what they were telling me.

Almost every line.

Almost every line.

[Judge Judy] Almost every line.

And, you know,
you get to a point where both parties

are trying to obfuscate the truth

that you actually lose interest.

The primary thing that actually irritate

and has always irritated me
is when you abuse the court system

- to get something done.
- Uh-hmm.

[Judge Judy] To get it done illegally
in order to expedite it.

You're willing to sign a document
that says, "I've been duly sworn, depose,

and says he put a g*n to my head,
etcetera."

Somebody looks at that and say,
"Oh, my goodness.

We're gonna put you out of the house.

We're going to prevent you
from seeing your children."

When it's used a mechanism
rather than the truth,

so she is very lucky...

[Sarah] Yeah.

...that she got any money.

That and when they try
and use that same court to their benefit,

the same court that
they had just scammed to get their way.

- Right, right.
- [Sarah] Yeah.

[announcer] Want justice?



[theme music playing]