02x12 - Truck Fight

[bunniefuu]

He says that you pulled a g*n.

- Did not.
- Yeah, you did.

- No, I didn't.
- Sure you did.

Prove it. You can't.

Don't be mad at me.
Don't be mad at me.

- I'm not. I love you.
- Okay, good. Thank you.

[Narrator]
This is Judy Justice.

[opening theme music plays]

[Narrator] Michael Grinager is
suing truck mechanic Sean Antell

for a truck engine and repair costs.

[Kevin] Court come to order. All rise.

Have a seat, please.

Hello, Judge. Case number 2022,
Grinager versus Antell.

Thank you.

Mr. Grinager, how long
have you and the defendant been friends?

I've known Sean probably
maybe three or four years now.

From where?

He lives about three blocks
away from me.

I've met him through another friend

that told me he worked
on his vehicles before.

He did mechanical work?

- Yes.
- What kind of business are you in?

Construction, you name it.

- Anything construction.
- And you have a couple of trucks?

- Yes.
- How many?

I have one commercial vehicle,
and then I just have a Chevy Avalanche.

The commercial vehicle,
would you describe it to me?

That's the one he was supposed to work on?

- Yes.
- Describe it to me, please.

- It's a 16-foot box truck.
- How old?

- A '97.
- 1997?

- Yes, ma'am.
- It's as old as Sarah.

[All laughing]

And I suppose it needed a little work.

- Yes.
- And you took it to your friend?

- Yes.
- Did you drive it over there

to his house two or three blocks away?

Did you have it towed over to his place?

We had to have it towed over there.

- It was operable before...
- [Judy] But you had it towed?

- Yes.
- Yeah.

And what month and year
did you have it towed there?

I believe this started in June of 2020.

And, Mr. Antell, you looked at it

and you determined
it needed a new engine?

Well, I looked at it... actually,
I did some work prior to that.

The intake manifold gasket
in... was...

- You mean before June of 2020?
- Yes.

And then the truck was running?

- Then he took back...
- Running very crappy.

Running very... so it was not
running well even after you fixed it.

After I put the intake gasket in,
I had it started. It made the same noise.

We decided to put an engine in it.

Okay, so it wasn't working
after the initial work you did on it?

- No.
- Decided to put an engine in.

And how much was it to work on the engine?

He gave me a little bit of money here,
a little bit of money there.

- It was not all in one lump sum.
- How much did he give you?

It was a hundred here once,
a hundred twice,

a couple different times, you know?

- How much money did you give him?
- Eight hundred.

How much did you quote him
for the whole job?

- A thousand.
- So he gave you 800.

And according to the papers
that Mr. Grinager filed,

he also purchased an engine.

- Yes.
- And this was in June of 2020?

I didn't get the motor at my house
until like... trying to think.

It was in the winter.
It was in December.

- Of 2020?
- Yes, 2020, yep.

Do you have the date
that you purchased the engine?

Yes.

- What was it?
- January 7th, 2021.

Okay, so the truck sat
on his property for six months?

- Yes.
- Before you got the engine,

- which was needed to fix it.
- Yes.

He said it was the intake plenum.

Was that in June of 2020?

Yeah, that's when it began.
That's the whole...

Okay. When did he tell you that
you needed an engine? In what month?

- Do you recall?
- That was in January.

So the truck sat there and sat there,
and finally you told him that

it needed a new engine, but it
was already sitting there for months?

I told him, like,
two or three months prior to that.

Okay, so it was sitting there
for three months or four months?

- Yes.
- And he'd already paid you the $800?

He gave me a little bit
here and there, yes.

But he already paid you
the $800 towards the thousand.

So this is what the case is about.
The truck has never been fixed.

He doesn't have the engine anymore.
He scrapped the engine, according to him.

So you want what you paid for, the engine?

- Yes, Your Honor.
- First of all, Mr. Antell said, well,

he worked on another truck for you,
a smaller truck,

and so that ate up the $800,

and you didn't come for the engine,
and finally he just sold it for scrap.

Mr. Antell, were you very busy
during this period of time?

Not really, no.

Well, could you tell me why it
took three months for you to tell him

that he needed a new engine?

He knew after I put the plenum gasket
back on, I called him on the phone.

- What month?
- They had 'em in November.

- Right before Thanksgiving.
- Well, that's...

So, the end of November.
So you had the truck since June?

June, July, August, September, October.
You had the truck six months.

- Could you tell me why?
- Why? I had problems with it.

I couldn't get the bumper off.
I couldn't do none of that.

Well, but that's your responsibility.
You undertook a job.

Yeah, I took the job because he
was supposed to help me, and he never did.

He was supposed to help you
put in the new engine?

Help me get the bumper off, and then I had
problems with the City of Brooklyn Center.

No, no, no. He was supposed to help
you get the bumper off

because you couldn't get the bumper off,
you couldn't do the engine.

Is that what you're telling me?

- Yeah, 'cause it was rusted solid.
- [Judy] Okay. [shushing]

I assume, I've read your papers,

I assume this is the mechanic
that you say helped you work

on another car for him
that you gave money to?

- Yes.
- Okay, so that's why he's here.

- Yep.
- Okay.

In what month and year
did you fix this other car?

January...

- [Judy] Of 2021?
- Of 2022.

So, in January 2022,
the truck was where?

- The Avalanche?
- The big one.

At his house, at Michael...

[Judy] And he brought you another truck?

- Yes.
- Which other truck did he bring you in...

The Chevy Avalanche.

The big truck,
the commercial truck,

- is now back at his house?
- Yes.

And it went back to his house because

- they were going to tow it from the city?
- Yes.

And you say in January,
he then brought you a different truck?

- Yes, of 2022.
- That you worked on?

- Yeah. Completed it.
- Just a second.

- Do you recall that, sir?
- No, it's not exactly how it went.

Did you, in January of 2022,

did you bring him...
you had the big commercial truck

back at your house
'cause it had to be moved.

- Yep.
- You hadn't gotten your $800 back...

- Nope.
- ...and he still had the engine.

- Yep.
- In January of this year.

- Yep.
- So, "yep" is not an answer.

- Oh, sorry.
- "Yes" is an answer.

So, why, sir, under those circumstances,
would you bring him another car to fix?

- You have a driver's license?
- It's currently suspended.

How long has it been suspended,
Mr. Grinager?

Uh... about a year now.

Now why is that?
Have you had accidents in the past? Yes.

- Yes.
- Yes, serious ones. Yes.

[theme music plays]

[Narrator] Michael Grinager
claims truck mechanic Sean Antell

owes for a truck engine and repair costs.

Sean is countersuing, claiming Michael
filed a false police report against him.

Now, you hadn't gotten your $800 back...

- Nope.
- ...and he still had the engine.

- Yep.
- In January of this year.

- Yep.
- So, "yep" is not an answer.

- Oh, sorry.
- "Yes" is an answer.

So, why, sir, under those circumstances,

would you bring him another car to fix?

Because then I had
absolutely no transportation.

I... you know, I needed something
to work.

Just a second. You have a big truck.
You had a little truck.

So, the big truck is now immobile,
it's at your house,

and the only working vehicle
that you had, needed work on it?

- Yes.
- So you brought it to him?

- Yep.
- Not "yep." That's "yes."

- Yes.
- And he worked on it?

- Yes.
- Because it was inoperable?

No, it was operable,
but he told me that...

[Judy] Not "he told you."

You didn't bring it to him
because "he told you,"

- you were having trouble with it?
- Yes.

What kind of trouble
were you having with it?

Uh, there was a grinding...

Oh, well that's a big deal.
"Grinding sound."

Yes.

What parts did it need?

Well, he told me it was the transfer case.

- Did he fix your truck?
- Eventually. But it was the rear end.

Just a second. "Eventually," did he fix...
take your hands out of your pockets.

- It was both.
- Did he fix the truck?

The second one, the smaller one,

the one that you needed
for transportation?

Yes, eventually, yes,
he did put in a rear end.

Okay. Did you pay him for that?

- Yes, ma'am, I did.
- How much did you pay for that?

- $300.
- How long did he have it?

- Oh, he did that within about a week.
- Two days.

- Hm?
- Two days.

[Judy] Okay. So, it took you two days.

- Yes.
- Did you give him a bill for that work?

I didn't give him nothing.
Just a word of mouth.

He says that he
gave you $300 to fix that car.

- Did he give you $300 to fix that car?
- No, he did not.

- Okay. Do you have...
- Six hundred altogether.

Just a second. Would you please
show me any proof that you have

that you gave him $300 to fix that car.

I don't have proof of the money
that I gave him,

- I just have the receipt.
- He doesn't got it.

[Shushing]

Okay.

I just have the receipts for the parts
that I bought for the vehicle.

He first said it was the transfer case.
I buy a transfer case.

- It doesn't matter. He's working, so...
- Yeah, but I paid him to do something.

He took something, a part of the truck,
that wasn't even the problem.

- But yet I still paid him for it.
- But I... this I don't understand.

Quite honestly, I don't understand, sir.

And then I paid him for the rear end, too.

- I don't understand a couple of things.
- Okay.

If I'd been disappointed by a workman,

as you clearly were, from June 2020

until January 2022,

'cause they hadn't completed
a job for you

despite the fact
that you purchased the part,

I wouldn't call that same mechanic back.

I wouldn't call that same plumber back.

I wouldn't call
that same electrician back,

because I'd had
a bad experience with them.

So it confounds me as to why
you would take another vehicle

to him if you were
so dissatisfied with his work.

- Understandable.
- Want to answer?

Yeah?

Well, so why?

Well, like, I was in, you know,
a tight spot, and I...

- really couldn't...
- What kind of tight spot were you in?

- Where do you live?
- I live in Minneapolis.

Minneapolis? That's a big town.
There are lots of mechanics there.

There are lots of auto repair,
truck repair.

Yeah, but I really financially
couldn't afford a, you know, legitimate...

[Judy] Well, that's what happens
when you deal with a legitimate.

But I don't understand why
an otherwise intelligent man would

take his only semi-operating vehicle
to the same person

who had his truck for a year
and didn't fix it.

Listen, what did you do with his engine?

- I scrapped it.
- Okay.

Don't be mad at me.
Don't be mad at me.

- I'm not. I love you.
- Okay, good.

Thank you. When did you scrap it?

The end of April of 2022.

Did you give him any notice
that you were going to scrap his engine?

No, I did not. There was a false
police report made against me.

- Okay.
- I have the case number

- and the officer's number.
- Okay, just a second.

So you retaliated,
because that's your counterclaim,

that he filed a false police report,
as a result of which,

in the false police report said that
during the course of a heated argument

about this truck,
that he says that you pulled a g*n,

- and...
- Did not.

- ...filed a police report.
- [Michael] Yeah.

- No, I didn't.
- He did.

[Shushing]

- Prove it. You can't.
- [Judy] Mr. Antell.

And that's your counterclaim,

that he filed this false police report
and nothing ever came of it,

except you were embarrassed
by being questioned

by the police in front of family members.

- Yes.
- And as a result of that

false police report,
you threw away his motor.

- Yes, ma'am.
- Okay, well, you can't do that.

That you can't do. How much
did you pay for the motor, sir?

Six hundred and ninety, plus I paid
$100 for delivery of the motor.

- I'd like to see the invoice for that.
- I got the invoice for the motor,

- but not...
- That's all I need.

Okay.

Thank you.

So, Mr. Antell,
so that we're clear, you have

to understand you can't get even
by selling somebody else's property.

- What did you do?
- I didn't sell it, I gave it away.

It doesn't matter. By disposing of,
let's make it disposing of.

When you say you scrapped it,
you mean nobody gave you $10 for it?

- Not a dime.
- Okay.

Then you can't give it away
in retaliation.

Why not?
It was in my possession.

- No, because you took...
- Try to put me in jail

- for not something I didn't do.
- Just a second.

I'm speaking. I'm... I'm speaking.
[Shushing]

You cannot sell someone
else's property in retaliation

for them doing something to you,
when you have legal recourse.

Your legal recourse is to come here

and file a case...
you did it as a counterclaim...

and say, "He filed a false police report
against me, that I was using a g*n."

So, that's what you do.

The response to that isn't,
"I'm going to sell his property."

That's not your response.

You know,
when I used to sit in family court,

I had young people, one of whom
was selling drugs for a very long time.

Heavy drugs. Kid, you know,


And he had six or seven priors
for selling heavy-duty drugs.

And I tried that case, and there was
no question he was selling drugs.

And his lawyer's argument
at the disposition stage of that case was

he was selling drugs
because his grandmother died.

I said, "You know,
I lost all my grandparents,"

and I was close to my grandparents.

I did a lot of things.
I grieved, lost my appetite for a while.

I was sad, but I didn't sell drugs.

So, when somebody does something to you
that you believe is against the law,

your responsibility is,
you file a case against them.

- Right.
- You proceed legally against them.

You don't take it out in another way,

you know, because that
doesn't make a civilized society.

Just doesn't. That makes
sort of a vigilante kind of thing.

So, you shouldn't do that.
So, you have to pay him for his engine.

Now, as far as
the second piece of your case is,

the $800 that you gave him,
I have no idea how much it was to fix

your second car,
but he did, in fact, fix it.

And since you had no particular
agreement with him on how much it was,

and according to you,
you couldn't deal with someone...

you didn't have the funds
to deal with someone who was...

I think the word was legitimate.

- [Grinager chuckles]
- Legitimate.

That's a problem
that I can't resolve for you.

Now, let's get to this argument
and his counterclaim.

The argument that you had
was over the truck?

The light truck? Yes.

- Any truck. I don't care what...
- Yes.

I'm not a truck girl myself.

I like four-door, comfortable sedans.

And this argument
took place on what date?

Why don't you tell me, Mr. Antell,
because this is your counterclaim.

- It was the end of April.
- End of April of 2022.

- Yes.
- And the police were called?

- No, ma'am.
- Yes, the police were called.

They showed up at my place.

No, the police report is 7/25/22.

- [Sean] 7/25/22?
- May I see the police report?

[Michael] Yes, ma'am...
or, your Honor.

That's a lie.
Because it was April.

I'm going to look at it.
Just a second.

Yeah. Time of occurrence,
April 22, 2022. It was April.

- Yeah.
- Yes, I got him.

You don't need a truck.
You don't need a car.

You have no driver's license.

No, ma'am. Me and my son,
we work construction together. He drives.

Do you know how old I am?
Do you have any idea how old I am?

You think that I believe that?
He's only going four miles an hour.

[Spectators laughing]

[Theme music plays]

[Narrator] Michael Grinager
is accusing truck mechanic Sean Antell

of wrongfully selling his engine
and threatening him.

Sean claims Michael accused him
of flashing a g*n he never owned.

Now I'm going to look at it.
Just a second.

Yeah. Time of occurrence,
April 22, 2022. It was April.

- Yeah.
- Yes, I got him.

[Michael laughing]

- You have a driver's license?
- It's currently suspended.

How long has it been suspended,
Mr. Grinager?

Uh...

- About a year now.
- What were you doing driving a vehicle?

I wasn't. They were towing
the vehicle with a tow chain.

[Judy] I understand that.
But you drive a vehicle, sir.

I was steering the vehicle.

What does that mean?
You were steering the vehicle?

- Driving it.
- The vehicle...

...moving at four miles an hour.

I don't care if it was running backwards.
I just asked you.

You have no license,
because according to the police,

you having a driver's license
would be "inimical to public safety."

That's what it says here.
Now, why is that?

Have you had accidents in the past? Yes.

- Yes.
- Serious ones? Yes.

Okay. You don't need a truck.
You don't need a car.

You have no driver's license.

No, ma'am. Me and my son,
we work construction together. He drives.

Do you know how old I am?
Do you have any idea how old I am?

You think that I believe that?
It's only going four miles an hour?

[Spectators laugh]

I will set the rules
of what it is that means driving.

You go five miles an hour,
it's really not...

He lives three blocks away from...
We were just...

- I don't care.
- ...towing it down...

I don't care whether
you were in the kitchen

- and he was in the laundry room.
- [laughing]

And when you spoke to the police,
Mr. Grinager,

there were two other witnesses,

and you would not give them
last name

or contact information
for either of them, is that right?

That's what it says here.

- Unless it's calling the police liars.
- I didn't know his last name.

And you wouldn't give them your son's name

- because you say he doesn't like police.
- And that I want to make straight.

That is not true.

I would not tell a police officer
my son doesn't like police.

"It should be noted that Grinager
stated that Michael Jr.

would not give a statement
because he didn't like police.

- Right, that's not true.
- As well as Grinager would not give...

- ...a phone number for Michael Jr."
- My little brother's a police officer.

I'm just telling you... I'm reading you...

- I know, I'm sorry.
- ...what you handed me.

- It's your evidence.
- Yep.

- I'm sorry.
- Okey dokey.

Did you make an application,
Mr. Grinager,

for any sort of
protective order against him?

- No.
- [Judy] No.

You were advised by the police
that you could do that if you wanted to?

- No.
- Interesting.

[Michael]
Yeah, that report is interesting.

It was you, your son,
and this person Kyle

who were present, and only Mr. Antell,

is that right,
when this confrontation took place?

- Yes.
- And according to you, you got out

of your truck and you started walking
towards him aggressively.

- That's according to you.
- That's not...

- He's 40 feet away from me.
- No, no, no, no, no. According to you...

I'm reading you
what your police report says, sir.

Yeah, but he...

I'm reading what your police report says.

Based upon what you told the police
at the time, back in April.

It's not entirely correct.

"Grinager stated that he started
advancing towards Antell.

Grinager also stated that he called
Antell "you... [muted]"

while he was walking towards him.

It should be noted that Grinager stated,"
and this is all on body cam,

"that he was walking
towards Antell aggressively.

Grinager stated that Antell
then pulled what he described

as a black handgun
out of his sweatshirt pocket.

He described it as black and silver trim.

He stated that he did not point it
or say anything, just showed it to him,

to make you aware
that he was carrying."

And after the police interviewed
both of you

and confirmed the two people
with you were out

and you were walking
and confronting him aggressively,

called him names, and could not confirm
the fact that he had a g*n,

took out a g*n, not pointed it to you,
just showed you that he had it,

they decided to do nothing.

That's what you're telling me?
That's what this report says?

Yeah. They didn't validate it as a threat.

They did not validate it at all.

- Right.
- Okay. So, Mr. Antell...

- Yes?
- What happened after that report is

that police officers came
to your house to ask you about that.

- Yes.
- Right.

And you said... related practically
the same thing that Mr. Grinager did

to the police, that he approached you,
that he called you a name,

that he was aggressive.

You said all of that,
but you said you did not have a g*n.

- That's right.
- Okay.

And this is not meant to hold you
criminally responsible for anything.

Mr. Antell, have you
ever had possession of a g*n?

- No.
- [Judy] Ever in your life?

- No.
- Did you ever purchase a g*n?

- No.
- In your state,

in order to purchase a g*n legally,

do you have to go through a process,
or is it a carry state?

You got to go through a legal process.

- You have to?
- Yes.

Okay. Were you ever arrested
for carrying a g*n?

No.

Well, other than your statement that
he showed you that he had a g*n

- and how far was he standing from you?
- About 40 feet.

[Judy] Forty feet away.

And you saw him take something
out of his sweatshirt pocket?

He didn't remove it out of his pocket.

He removed his hand covering it.

- What does that mean?
- It was in his pocket.

He was wearing a hoodie.

How do you know it was in his pocket?
What do you have, x-ray vision?

No, my son seen it because his car,

his vehicle,
was right alongside his vehicle,

so my son seen it.

And then, when he got back in his car,
and pulled up another 10 feet,

and got out of his car,
turned around and said,

"Yeah, bring it, bring it,"
and a few expletives,

and then pulled his hand
out of his hoodie pocket

and revealed the handle of the g*n.

Just a second. So, you're saying
at that time you saw it?

- Yes.
- You saw it, not your son, 40 feet away?

- [Judy] Not some 40 feet away.

- That's a lie.
- But you saw...

He reached in and grabbed it
and put it in his sweater,

because when he got
back out of the car to face me

is when he decided
to show me he had a g*n.

Okay. Were you out
of your truck at the time?

Yes, I was standing beside him.

Okay, so you were out of your truck.
And what about your son?

- Was he out of the truck?
- Nope.

- He was in. What about Kylie?
- He remained in the truck, too.

He was the one in front pulling the truck
that I was steering,

and he was following behind.

- It was a little convoy.
- And Mr. Antell was by himself.

Yes, he was driving down
the street in the opposite direction.

Mr. Antell, I am not satisfied,

quite frankly,
and cannot make a determination

whether or not you had a g*n
or what appeared to be a g*n

or what appeared
to be something in your pocket,

or whether you even
moved your hand in your pocket

to demonstrate
maybe you had a weapon.

I don't find that the acts
that you allege that he committed

by filing this false police report

is something that I can justify

giving you a financial award for,

because I'm not so sure that you
didn't have something in your pocket.

- I didn't have...
- I'm not sure.

In any event, Mr. Antell,
you owe him for the engine

that you discarded in a pique.

You can't do that.
Cost of the engine was $590, right?

$590. Judgment for the plaintiff.

- Ma'am, ma'am. Your Honor.
- We're finished.

[Kevin] Court is adjourned.

I was kind of in a hard spot.
I needed my truck fixed.

- Try to push me and push me.
- I trusted him.

Ha ha. It didn't work today. I won.

Truck is inoperable,
it's sitting in my backyard.

I worked for what he gave me.

So I really couldn't afford,
you know, like I said,

a legitimate shop or a mechanic.

- I've never owned a p*stol.
- Yeah, he's lying.

Basically, if I'm going to fight,
I'm going to fight with my bare hands.

You know, don't do anything
without any receipts.

Our friendship is... is through.

You know, it's really hard
when you have two difficult people.

But there was something about what
he said that had the ring of truth to it.

- Mm-hmm, very honest.
- A directness,

and I'm really not convinced.

- Were you?
- No. I wasn't either.

- That he had a g*n?
- It could have gone either way.

And while I believed
his outburst of innocence,

I couldn't imagine
making something like that up.

But maybe that's just me.
So it was really difficult.

I don't think I could have made
a determination either way either.

Yeah, and I think the answer is,
here, if you can't make a decision

one way or another,
it's not supposed to be a guess.

- It's supposed to be by some evidence.
- Yeah.

But you can't sort of take the law
into your own hands.

And if he filed a police report,
"I'm going to scrap his engine,"

that's inappropriate.

But with regard to
the $800 that he paid him,

there's no question,
he worked on the other truck.

Even if he didn't have a license
to drive it.

And the plaintiff didn't have
a license to drive it anyway.

And, Sarah, didn't he say,
"I needed one functional vehicle?"

We'll have to get Whitney to read it back.

[Judy] Yeah, I think so. Thanks.

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