02x15 - Wedding Planner Problem

[bunniefuu]

You're a wedding planner?

Yes.

And the police arrived at this wedding

because you booked it at a venue
that wasn't allowed to have a wedding.

I told her to postpone her wedding.

No, that's not what she hired you for!

She hired you to plan her wedding.

[narrator]
This is Judy Justice.

[theme music playing]

[narrator] Wedding planner
Terra Gordon is suing her former clients,

Beatrice Jackson and Nicholas Smith,
for the balance of a wedding contract.

[bailiff]
Court, come to order. All rise.

Have a seat, please.

Case number 2030,
Gordon versus Jackson/Smith.

-Thank you.
-You're welcome.

-Miss Gordon, you're a wedding planner?
-Yes.

You called her to plan a wedding
that you were having in Las Vegas?

Yes.

-[Judy] This your husband?
-Yes.

[Judy]
The wedding was scheduled for what date?

April 30th of '22.

Your lawsuit against the defendants
is for the balance of a fee

that you say is due and owing to you.

Ms. Jackson and Mr. Smith
are counterclaiming

for a whole bunch of things.

They said that, not only didn't they get
everything that they paid for,

that you selected the venue,
and they were ejected from the venue

because they weren't allowed to
have a wedding there or serve liquor.

So, what was your fee
that you quoted the defendants,

and how much of that fee did they pay?

My fee for planning the wedding
was $4,000.

And that $4,000...
Was that fee reduced to a contract?

Yes, it was.

-[Judy] I'd like to see it.
-Okay.

Ms. Jackson, this your first wedding?

-Yes.
-[Judy] And yours?

Yes.

[Judy] Okay. Your total fee was 4,000
and a deposit of 2,000.

-Did they give you a deposit?
-Yes.

[Judy] Okay, so they signed an agreement
to pay you $4,000.

How much did they pay you, in total?

In total, for our planning fee,
they paid...

No, in total, how much did they pay
your company?

$2,000.



[Terra] Correct.

So, how our company is set up is
we're set up

as an affordable payment plan
for a wedding.

So, we set up our clients
on a payment plan.

So, they also pay the expenses
of all of their wedding through us.

[Judy]
So, you have to send them an invoice

for what it was that you spent
for the vendors?

-Correct.
-[Judy] Okay.

And then also,
the default of that contract states

that if they missed payments,
they have breached the contract.

That's why we're here.

Each of you is accusing the other
of breaching this agreement.

You say that they didn't finish paying you
what they owed you, and they say

you didn't furnish the services to them
that they signed up for, for the wedding.

They gave you $2,000, and the wedding
was supposed to be held where?

The banquet hall.

Did you send them a deposit?

No. Because at that time,
she had not paid enough money...

[Judy] Just a second. The answer is no,
you had not sent them a deposit.

No.

[Judy]
Had they sent you the deposit of $2,000?

They sent me the deposit
for our planning fee, yes.

[Judy] I'm talking about
for your planning fee, $2,000.

-Yes. Yes.
-[Judy] And how much was the deposit for?

Fifty percent of 16,000,
which was $8,000.

And where is the invoice for that,
that you sent them?

I don't have that invoice because
she was not able to secure the venue.

[Judy] I read it, and from what I read
in your complaint,

the original venue that you secured,
according to you,

was rendered unavailable
because of a broken pipe.

That was the second venue.
We went through three venues.

The first venue, she lost that venue
because she could not keep up

with the payments and
did not submit money for a deposit.

The second venue was the RnR Event Center.

That venue she lost
because a pipe broke in the venue,

-and then I was forced...
-[Judy] Okay, just a second.

-RnR...
-Event Center.

[Judy]
And when was that taken?

That was booked on March 11, 2022.

And I do have the invoice for that.

-And how much was it?
-$2,250.

[Judy] Okay, that's much better
than 8,000.

Okay, did she put in a deposit?

The deposit was made
from the monthly payments

that she makes towards her wedding.

Show me invoices
that you sent her every month.

Yes, I have that.

[Judy]
Well, I'd like to see them.

This is the statement of the account.

It lists all the invoices that
she was sent on a monthly basis.

So, she paid you the $20,000
that was invoiced.

Her wedding cost a total of $23,681.

No-no, that's not what I said.

Opening balance was zero.

Invoiced $20,451.57.

Paid $19,356.57.

-That's what this says. Uncross your arms.
-Correct. Correct. No, that's correct.

[Judy]
Okay, so she paid for every... Now...

No, she didn't pay for everything
because, as I just stated,

-her wedding cost a total of $23,651.
-[Judy] Shh! No!

Let's go back to... Because
I see that we're not getting anywhere.

Before her wedding,
before anything happened,

before she said, "I do,"
and before he says, "I take you,"

she paid practically $20,000,

which was your original estimate
and her budget for the wedding.

Just a second.
That's either a yes or a no.

Before the wedding, your original budget

that you were given by the defendant,
I read the papers,

was $20,000.

-So, and as I... Mm-hmm.
-[Judy] Just...

That's either a yes,
I read the papers, or a no.

-Yes, that's the budget
-Okay.

she stated she would like to stay around,
but however,

in planning a wedding, you cannot give
an exact of how it's gonna cost.

[Judy] I didn't say...
I didn't... Madam...

Pay careful attention to me.

I've made 16 weddings.
I've had 16 event planners.

I know exactly how it works,
and I know exactly

that you can't always predict
to the $100 or $50,

or sometimes $500, how much more
the wedding is going to cost.

It never costs less.
That's not what I said to you.

I said, by the time the wedding
took place, she had paid the vast majority

of the original amount that she said
she wanted to spend for the wedding,

-and that is accurate.
-[Terra] Correct, yes.

She said she wanted to spend 20,000.

She gave you over 19,000.
Did that include your fee?

-No, it didn't.
-[Judy] Just a second.

So, the answer is no. That's what
she wanted to spend exclusive of your fee.

Correct.

Now, of your fee, she gave you
an initial deposit,

or they did, of $2,000.

So...

-[Judy] That's either a yes or a no.
-Yes. Yes.

-Yes. Yes.
-[Judy] She gave you $2,000.

-Did she ever pay you the other $2,000
-[Terra] No.

for the fee? And the rest of the expenses
that you want

are the additional expenses
over and above the $20,000 that...

Stop shaking your head.

Over and above what she originally said
she wanted to spend.

[Terra] Correct.

Now, I'm going to get to what happened
just about a week before the wedding.

Okay.

[Judy] You had booked a place.
She had paid for the place, $2,250.

-Yes.
-[Judy] And that was at RnR.

According to you,
something happened at RnR.

-Stop shaking your head, it's annoying.
-I'm sorry.

[Judy] Something happened at RnR.
What happened at RnR and when?

Correct. The wedding was scheduled
to happen on April 30th.

-I was in...
-Just tell me what happened at RnR.

I was informed by Rico, the owner,
sitting on that side,

that a pipe had busted and the venue

would no longer be available for usage
on her wedding day.

[Judy]
And on what date was that?

It was around the week before her wedding,

or two weeks before her wedding, sorry.

Date.

I don't have the exact date.

[Judy]
You own, manage, or what, this RnR?

I'm the owner of RnR Event Center, yes.

-[Judy] Okay. Tell me your last name, sir.
-Cox. C-O-X.

Do you remember having a conversation
with the plaintiff about the venue?

-Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] Do you remember when it was?

March 25th of 2022.

Can you tell me what you said to her
and what she said to you?

We had a conversation, I'm like,
"Hey, problem with my venue.

I had a pipe that busted.

I won't be able to host her wedding,"
well, the reception, I should say.

So, I informed her, I can
put her in contact with other venues

that I may know,
or I could send her back the deposit.

She asked for the deposit back.

I sent the deposit back,
probably within the hour.

How much was the deposit? $2,250?

-[Rico] No, ma'am.
-How much was it?

It was $1,125, which was half.

-[Judy] So, 50%?
-Yes, ma'am.

-So, you sent her back the deposit?
-Yes, ma'am.

[Judy]
Did you receive the deposit, Miss Gordon?

Yes, I did.

The wedding wasn't until April 30th.

So, you had plenty of time.
Well, not plenty of time.

You had time to look for a new venue
or else they'd have to change the date.

Which I did.
Correct, and they found a...

Shh!

What venue? You can sit down, Mr. Cox.
Thank you very much.

What venue did you select
and had you ever used them before?

No, I had not. I never worked with
a challenge budget like this for a venue.

If you don't like the budget,
don't take the gig.

Yeah, I won't.

[Judy]
And that's where the reception was held.

But that venue was not allowed
to have this kind of party.

I was not aware of that
until the day of the wedding.

-[Judy] That's your problem.
-Mm-hmm.

That's not their problem.
They hired you as an event planner.

-They did, and they got a wedding.
-[Judy] Just a second, they...

The wedding went the entire time.

The wedding was not closed
until after the wedding had already ended,

so they used the venue regardless.

-[Judy] Okay. Miss Gordon.
-Mm-hmm.

It's your job as the event planner,

which is what I don't understand
you being here.

Mm-hmm.

[Judy] It's your job as the event planner.
They don't live in Las Vegas.

[Terra] Mm-hmm.

[Judy] That's your job to ensure
that the place that you select

is a venue that's capable
of performing the duties

that you outlined in your contract.

Which means they serve food,
they're allowed to serve liquor,

they're allowed to dance,

they're allowed to host an event,
of how many people?

It was supposed to be 120, but all of
my guests didn't get their invitations.

-[Judy] Okay, so over 100 people.
-[Terra] Actually, Your Honor,

it wasn't that they were not allowed
to have the wedding there.

They were allowed
to have the wedding there.

What they were not allowed to do was,
the business was not allowed to operate

after a certain time, and that is
what the business owner produced to us.

[Judy]
Just a second.

You want to show me a contract that
you signed with that business owner?

-Miss Gordon?
-Yes. Yes, I do.

Yeah, I would like to see the contract
that you signed with this business owner.

Sarah, just for my own information,
would you look up this venue, please?

-[Sarah] Yeah.
-Tell me what you find.

Sure.

Miss Gordon, this space
was a little less money

than the previous space
that you had selected.

Correct.

-[Judy] $500? $700?
-Yes.

And that's because they were
not providing all of the things

that the original event place
was providing.

[Judy] Was this event space that
you booked, at the end of the evening...

I don't want to use the word "raided,"
closed by the police?

That's either a yes...
Did the police arrive at this venue?

Yes, they did.

Okay, and what time did
the police arrive at the venue?

They arrived at 9:30.

[Judy]
Is there a police report that anyone has?

No.

And how many parties have you done where
police arrived at the end of an evening

or during the course of an evening in the
two years that you've been in Las Vegas?

Never.

And the police arrived at this wedding
not because

anybody was creating a disturbance.
There weren't shots fired.

Well, no, that is, that is why.

You may say to her, "I don't know
anything about the venue."

But that's your job. You're
supposed to know about the venue.

When I told her in the first place
that she needed

to postpone her wedding,
that was my professional advice.

No! No, that's not what she hired you for,
to tell you to postpone her wedding.

[theme music playing]

[narrator] Wedding planner
Terra Gordon claims her former clients,

Beatrice Jackson and Nicholas Smith,
owe for the balance of their wedding.

Beatrice and Nicholas are countersuing
for breach of contract.

Okay. Police arrived at this wedding
not because

anybody was creating a disturbance.
They weren't shots fired.

[Terra]
Well, no, that is, that is why.

They initially had a report because...

[Judy] Well, I don't know that.
If you can show it to me...

-I'd be more than happy to look at it.
-I don't have the police report.

-[Judy] The police showed up...
-May I bring my witness up, please?

[Judy]
For what reason?

Because she can attest to
the altercation that took place prior,

which is why we were
even brought up on the radar,

because the other businesses
in the vicinity

of where the business takes place
had complained.

There was a lot of altercation
back and forth outside of the event

because she refused to sign
the agreed-upon payment plan

to continue payments after the wedding.

You understand that I'm
not particularly sympathetic.

I'm not asking you to be.

I'm letting you know I'm not particularly
sympathetic for the following reason.

Mm-hmm.

[Judy] Somebody plans a wedding and
has a budget of $20,000, plus your fee.

So that's, say, $25,000

that they either put together
or are saving up for a wedding,

first for each.

A week before the wedding,

something happens with the venue
where the wedding could not be held

at the venue of their choice.

They're relying on an out-of-state
wedding planner, that's you,

to find a legitimate venue
that is licensed to have an event.

When they get to Las Vegas
on the date of the wedding,

you present them with a new contract.

No, that is not true.
That is where you have it incorrect.

Just a second. When did you give them,
because you said

that the problem which caused
the police to come...

-I have text messages, too.
-[Judy] Just a second. I don't...

Before I selected the very last venue,
she was on FaceTime with me,

looking at the venue with me,
because I informed her,

I've never worked with this venue,
I don't know anything about the venue.

I told her that the best thing for her
is to postpone her wedding.

She was already behind in payments.
This is her third venue...

[Judy] Just a second,
she paid you almost the entire $20,000.

-She paid it in March! In March.
-[Judy] Shh!

Doesn't matter.
She paid you almost the entire...

Thirty days before her wedding.
That's what you're not hearing.

I-I'm not looking at you.

[sighs]

Before her wedding,
she paid you almost the entire amount

of the $20,000 that she originally
gave you as a budget before the wedding.

If you look at the contract, it says
that you're gonna make monthly payments

so that we can adequately
plan your wedding.

You booked me back in 2021,
almost a year before your wedding.

The wedding was to be planned
over the course of that year.

The initial venue that I have worked with,
that I know is reputable,

she ended up not paying the deposit
on time,

so they had to move forward
with another date.

After that, I didn't get any payments
from her until March,

when she got her tax return.

And then, at that time,
I was forced, with less than 60 days,

to try to find another venue,
in which I did,

-which was RnR Event space.
-Put, put it down.

And then, a pipe busted
in that event space.

And then, I was forced
to find another venue for her.

I told her back in January,
the top of the year,

"You need to postpone your wedding,"

before invitations went out,
before all of that.

When she was having troubles
with her payment plan,

I advised her, as a professional, "I think
you should postpone your wedding date."

[Judy] You may talk a lot, but
the bottom line is you're the expert...

Uncross your arms.
You're the expert...

[Terra]
Well, if I'm the expert,

she should listen to the expert
in the beginning.

You're trying to talk over me?
You're trying to talk over me?

No, I'm not.

Good. So, you're the expert.
She's out of town.

The reason that she selects
a wedding planner in Las Vegas

is because you're supposed
to know whether or not the venue

that you recommend is able to
take care of the party you book.

You may say to her, "I don't"...
Uncross.

You may say to her,
"I don't know anything about the venue."

But that's your job. You're
supposed to know about the venue.

When I told her, in the first place,
that she needed to postpone her wedding,

that was my professional advice.

No! No, that's not what she hired you for,
to tell you to postpone her wedding!

She hired you to plan her wedding,
not to give her advice.

-Yes, and she also...
-[Judy] You're trying to talk over me.

That doesn't happen.

That doesn't happen.

You have to understand,
there are certain things that you did.

-Okay.
-[Judy] You got out the invitations.

That's a great thing.
I assume you got a DJ.

That's great. All of those things...

The wedding itself, to me,
was problematic.

If my wedding ended with the police
coming to the venue

and it turned out that the venue
was one where you weren't allowed

to have that kind of an event,
I would be annoyed.

The contract clearly states that.

I don't care what it states.

[Beatrice]
That's not what the police officer said.

-Shh.
-I'm sorry.

[Terra] And you know because you have
a police report for both of them? No.

[Judy]
I don't care what it states.

You started to tell me before
that the reason the police came there

is because there was an altercation

about you giving her another contract
on that date,

and there were words outside
and people were complaining,

-other people who were in the...
-[Terra] No, that's not what I said.

What did you say?

The night before her wedding,
I explained to her...

I wanna know what happened
on the day of the wedding.

That's what I'm about to tell you.

-Just a second.
-Can you let me finish so I can...

No. I want you to go... Because
I have a limited amount of time

and I'm getting very old.

I thought what you said to me,
and you're gonna read this back,

is that the reason the police
were drawn to the venue

is because of the arguments outside.

Correct.

Let's read that back.

-[Terra] That's what I just...
-Shh!

[Judy]
That was on the date of the wedding.

Correct.

-You got married?
-[Beatrice] Mm-hmm.

And you're happy?

-And you had people at the wedding?
-Of course, she got a free wedding.

-Ohh!
-$20,000 ain't free.

You're almost done. Do you understand?

You're almost finished.

Go ahead.

"We were brought up on the radar
because the other businesses

in the vicinity where the event took place
had complained.

There was a lot of altercation
back and forth outside of the event

because she didn't agree
to sign the payment plan."

Okay, so the reason that you said,
let's go back,

that the police came to the venue
and then shut it down

because it wasn't allowed to be used
for what it was used for

was because there were altercations
about this second contract.

No, that's not the contract
we were having an altercation about.

-That's what I'm trying to explain to you.
-[Judy] Oh, just a second.

On the day of the wedding, Miss Gordon,

did you present her
with a new contract to sign?

That's either a yes or a no.

Yes, I did, but not for the venue.
That's...

It's not for the venue.
I didn't say it was for the venue.

Okay, yes.

On the day of her wedding,
did you present her with a new contract?

-The answer is yes.
-Yes.

[Judy] You said you had
discussed that with her the night before?

-[Terra] Correct.
-[Judy] And... Uncross.

Oh, sorry.

And the night before,
did she agree to sign?

-Yes, she did.
-[Judy] Just a second. A new contract?

-[Terra] Yes, she did.
-[Judy] Okay.

And the new contract provided for what?

The new contract that
she was supposed to sign...

Provided for what?

Provided for the remainder balance
of the $23,681

that her wedding actually cost.

Because she had only paid $19,000.
You have the sheet, so I don't have...

-I have it. $19,356.57.
-[Terra] Correct.

So, since she had only paid that amount,
and the total expenses for her wedding

-were $23,681.
-[Judy] Okay, so what?

[Terra]
So, the night before,

she agreed to make a payment plan
with me to extend her payments

beyond her wedding date
to pay off this balance.

And is that what she agreed to
on the phone?

-Is that what you're saying to me?
-Correct.

-[Judy] She agreed with you...
-She agreed if we...

[Judy] Shh!

She agreed on the phone to pay you
the additional $3500 or $4,000,

and she agreed to pay it over time?

-Correct.
-[Judy] And that was Friday night.

-Correct.
-And then she got to the wedding?

Correct.

And at what point did you present her
with the new contract?

At what point in the event?

Upon her arrival to the reception venue.

Now, what happened when
you got to the reception venue?

You'd already gotten through the ceremony,
so you're already married.

What time did you get to the reception?

So, the reception
was supposed to start at 5:00?

It was supposed to start at 5:00,
but when we got there,

she wasn't even done decorating.

All of my family stayed outside
for another hour,

including my grandmother and my grandpa.

-We waited in cars. Okay.
-[Judy] Shh! Just a second.

-It was supposed to start at 5:00.
-At 5:00.

This venue that I have here,
someplace, you have it?

I think it was supposed to start at


Okay, thank you.
Was it supposed to start at 5:30?

Yes.

[Judy]
What happened at 5:30, Miss Gordon?

I presented her with the contract
and then she refused to sign it.

Her guests were waiting outside
because she was refusing to sign it.

When she refused to sign it,
because our agreement was

she was gonna sign the agreement
before we started the reception.

When she said that she did not
want to start the reception,

I responded and I said,
"We will pack all of this up

and my staff and I will leave because now
we're not being paid for our services."

What time did the police arrive?

I'm telling you, I would be furious

if I spent $20,000 for a wedding

and my evening ended
by the police having my guests leave.

Furious.

[theme music playing]

[narrator] Wedding planner Terra Gordon
has accused her former clients,

Beatrice Jackson and Nicholas Smith,

of refusing to pay
the remaining wedding balance.

Beatrice and Nicholas claim Terra booked
an ill*gal venue for their reception.

So, what time did the police arrive?

The police arrived at 9:30.

[Judy]
And did the police tell everyone to leave?

[Terra]
Yes, they did.

[Judy]
And told everyone that they had to leave.

They arrived and they told me
that everyone had to leave.

Whether they told you or whether they told
them, they said the place had to be clear.

Yes. Correct.

And that was an hour before
the termination of the event.

So, at the end of the event was...

The event was supposed to end at 10:30.

Police arrived at 9:30.
That's according to you.

That's an hour short of the event time
she was supposed to have at the venue.

No, the event was supposed to end at 9:30.

This is her timeline of events
that was supposed to...

No, this is the contract.

That's the time
that I have the venue, too.

I have to clean up.
The agreed-upon timeline is here.

The wedding was supposed to end at 9:30,
giving me an hour to clean up.

[Judy] I'll take a look at what you have,
I'm just telling you

that this is the signed contract
that says...

That's between me and the venue

because they were giving me
an extra hour to clean up.

That doesn't say that in here.

Because I booked it for a timeline.

I booked it from 5:30 to 10:30.
I outlined everything that takes place.

[Judy]
Just a second.

It ended at... The last song of the night
was at 9:30.

And she went through the last song.

We made it through the last song
of the night on time.

Could I take a look at that?

I just can't wait till it's my turn.

Well, the last song of the night
was supposed to start at 9:30.

Yes, and it started earlier because we
made it through and she was done dancing.

And by the time the police came,
it was just mingling and dancing going on.

So, she had made it through
her entire wedding reception

is what I'm trying to state.

Yes, Mr. Cox?

Hey, Your Honor, I'm back.
That's not true.

The police actually came at 9:00 and...

[Judy]
Were you there?

-I was the DJ.
-[Beatrice] He was the DJ.

[Judy]
You were the DJ?

-Yes, ma'am.
-That didn't get paid.

-Don't... Don't speak.
-[Nicholas] No, he got paid. He got paid.

-So, the police arrived at 9:00?
-That's correct.

[Judy] And what happened
when they arrived, Mr. Cox?

By the way, did you know them
before the wedding?

-No, ma'am.
-Did you know her before the wedding?

Just conversation that we had
via Facebook or telephone.

-No, he did not know me prior to...
-[Rico] So, no.

I'm not speak... I'm not talking to you,
I'm talking to him.

-She booked your services?
-Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] And how much were your services
for the night?

-My DJing services were 500.
-[Judy] Were you paid?

No, ma'am.

What happened when the police arrived?

[Rico]
The police came, asked everyone to leave.

Do you know anything about this
venue space where the wedding took place?

-Yes, ma'am.
-Tell me about it.

[Rico]
It's a storefront.

So are a lot of the venues in Las Vegas.

Your case is dismissed.

Do you understand?
This is not a free-for-all.

As far as I'm concerned, you got
almost exactly what her budget called for.

And I have one vendor that wasn't paid.

Because she didn't pay. It's clear.

Well, how do I know that
you paid the other vendors?

At least I know one vendor that you
didn't pay, and she paid almost $20,000.

They got paid because... [scoffs] Okay.

I have two things. I have one vendor,
that's here, that wasn't paid.

You were paid almost $20,000.
The balance part of it is for your fee.

-Part of it is for...
-My fee was not... [groans]

Are you saying that part of this money
that you're suing for,

this $4,000, was not part of your fee?

The 4,000 that I'm suing for
is part of my fee.

[Judy]
Of course, that's what I said.

So, part of that money was for your fee,
and part of it was for vendors.

I have one vendor here
who says he wasn't paid.

Well, I have receipts from other vendors,
if you'd like to see.

No, I just... I know you had
a lot of vendors, but you didn't pay him.

He's the only...

I didn't pay him
because she didn't pay me.

-It's clear.
-[Judy laughs]

She didn't pay me enough money
to pay her venue.

I just... I have here proof of how much
every item in her wedding cost,

which exceeded the $19,000 that she paid.

Clearly, she owes more money.
It's... That's the facts of the matter.

She owes more money
toward her wedding costs.

She's countersuing you
for ruining her wedding

because you booked it at a venue
that wasn't allowed to have a wedding.

She's got a counterclaim
for far more than your claim.

Bottom line is,
she picked a wedding planner,

she picked a venue, she tacitly approved
this change of venue,

both of you had to at the last minute,
but you did that

relying on the wedding planner
to find a venue

that was capable to hold the event,
and it wasn't.

It wasn't. That's your job.

Your job is to find an appropriate place

so that the police don't raid a wedding
a half-hour before it's over.

That's not the way a wedding
is supposed to end.

So, what I want you to tell me is...

You're suing her for $4300.

How much of that $4300 is your fee?

$2,000.

-And you didn't pay him?
-[Terra] No.

So, that's 23, 24
minus 500 you didn't pay him.

-Because you have to pay him.
-I pay him.

Part of it was to pay him.

I'm deducting it.
I'm not paying you for your fee.

-[Terra] Okay.
-You booked the wrong space for your fee.

So far, I have 1825. Other than the DJ,
who else didn't you pay?

I'm very clear.

Other than the DJ... He's gonna tell me.
The DJ is gonna tell me.

Other than the DJ,
who else didn't you pay?

Mr. Cox, could you stand up, please?
You seem to want to tell me something.

And since you didn't know
either one of these parties,

I'm gonna let you tell me.

Do you know any other vendor,
other than you, who wasn't paid?

The bartender also was not paid.

-[Judy] Bartender?
-That's correct.

-[Terra] Which is his wife.
-That's correct.

I don't care whether it was his wife
or not, it was the bartender.

Right, but what I'm saying
was the bar was included.

How much were you supposed to pay
the bartender?

The bar and the bartender came with him.

He offered to do the bar and to DJ
because his pipe busted.

So what I'm saying is, he said,

"I'll bring my bar
and I'll do a cash bar."

Meaning that...

Oh, well, that's...
Because a bar you can't have for $500.

-So, we'll do a cash bar.
-[Terra] Right, he was doing a cash...

Correct.

-[Judy] Did you do a cash bar?
-Yes, ma'am, I did.

Okay. So, you made some money
off the cash bar?

-Yes, ma'am. Mm-hmm.
-[Judy] Yes, of course. Got it.

Now you can sit.

So, what you paid him was $500
for both...

-And 150 for the bar.
-[Beatrice] 650 total.

That's what he charged them
outside of the wedding.

This is a very easy case for me.

You were paid almost $20,000.

I wasn't paid anything. I was paid $2,000.

And I would feel doubly furious
if on the day of my wedding,

as a new bride of an hour,
the event planner said to me,

"You can't go in
unless you sign this contract

modifying our first contract."

The contract was not to modify...

Your case is dismissed. We're done.

-Okay.
-[bailiff] This court is adjourned.

So is your counterclaim.

There are some things that I realize that,
you know, I could have done better.

Basically, ten days before the wedding,
add additional $4,000 on top of 20,000.

That never happened.

It was just her way of just trying to
come up on more money, in my opinion.

At the end of the day,
she had got her wedding.

I'm actually sometimes surprised
at professionals,

like this woman who is an event planner,
has a reputation.

She was almost fully compensated
for this event.

And the wedding was,
if it were my wedding, I would say,

"You know, it's ruined
by having the police shut it down."

Yeah.

-We had a wedding a month ago.
-Mm-hmm.

What would you think
if the police showed up?

You would not be happy
if you paid any amount of money

to a professional and had that happen.

I really thought it was outrageous.

The whole thing was just tacky,

waiting outside the venue
when she got there from the ceremony,

and before she could go in,
she had to sign the contract.

That's really not what you do
as a professional.

-Bad business.
-Bad business.

[narrator]
Want justice?



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