02x16 - Sister vs. Brother

[bunniefuu]

Did you sell her computer?

I actually gave it away.

Who died and left you boss?

She asked me to sell it for her.

Then you don't give it away.

Let me tell you something, sir.
You look like a very nice guy.

- I would unload her as fast as I could.
- Oh!

[Narrator] This is Judy Justice.

[Narrator] Alyssa Beaulieu is suing her
brother, Jordan Thompson,

and his girlfriend ,Carmela Turchiarelli,
for personal belongings.

[Bailiff]
Court come to order. All rise.

Be seated, please.

- Hello, Judge.
- How are you?

Good. Case number 248.
Beaulieu versus Thompson, Turchiarelli.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

- How old are you, Ms. Beaulieu?
- I'm 31.

- [Judy] You have two kids?
- I have three children.

[Judy]
Three. How old are they?

I have a ten- year- old daughter

and, uh, two, uh, sons
that are four and five.

What kind of work do you do?

I stay at home with my children.

[Judy] And how long
have you been staying at home?

Since, uh, my first son was born.

- [Judy] So for five years?
- [Alyssa] Yes, my first son.

[Judy]
And what had you done before?

Housekeeping. And while
I was pregnant with both my sons,

I did do beets... beet harvest.

[Judy] There came a time,
sometime I think was it last year,

that you needed a place to stay?

- Yes.
- [Judy] 2021

- Yep.
- Why?

Uh, September 29th of 2020, um,

me and my boyfriend had broken up,
so I had stayed in a shelter.

Is your boyfriend the father

- of either one of these two children?
- Yeah. Yup.

All of my children have the same father.

Uh, me and him
had broken up at the time,

and I left from where
we were staying at the time.

Our living was West Fargo
to, uh, the YWCA.

Right away, uh, homeless shelter.

And I was there for, like, six months?

And during that time, I had met Carmela.

And me and her became friends.
And I had introduced her to my brother.

And then, um, I moved
away for a little while in April,

and I came back, mm,
like, the end of May.

- Where did you move to?
- [Alyssa] I went to Texas.

What's in Texas?

- [Alyssa] A friend.
- Where did you meet him?

Uh, here in Fargo when I was 14 years old.

So what brought you to Texas?

That's where he was living,
and he told me if I wanted to come

live with him there, I could.

You didn't have a job in Texas?

- He did.
- You.

No, I did not.

And from when to when
were you living in Texas?

I left April 15th,
and I was there until, like...

- [Judy] Of 2021?

[Alyssa] Yeah. And then I moved back
beginning of June kind of?

And then, um...

- Beginning of June of the same year?
- Yes.

- So you stayed there for three months.
- Yeah.

- [Judy] And you moved with your children?
- Yep. All three of them?

[Judy]
"Yup" is not an answer.

Yes, all three of
my children I moved...

So you took them out of school in April?

- My daughter.
- Took her out of school in April.

- Yup, I did it in...
- "Yup" is not an answer.

And we moved...

[Judy] You took her out
of school in April to go to Texas,

to live with a
friend that lasted two months.

- The fact is you took your daughter
- [Alyssa] Yes.

...out of school.

I'm just fi... trying to figure
out who I'm dealing with.

Yes, because I had nowhere to live.

Well, there's a big place betw...
Where do you live and what state?

- Minnesota.
- [Judy] In Minnesota?

- Yeah.
- Well, there's a big difference

between Texas and Minnesota.

And also there's only
two months between April,

when school is still in session,
and June, when it's over.

Yes, I know this.

Yeah, you know...you know this.
You're aware of this.

- Yes.
- [Judy] Okay.

I set this up because I really want
to find out what I'm dealing with here.

Now I sort of know.
In any event, you had no place to go.

Your brother contacted you,
you contacted him,

and he invited you to come live with him.

- Yes, he did.
- [Judy] All right. That's what he did.

You and your three children?

No, just me and my two boys.

So you were going to live
with your brother

and his girlfriend with your two children?

- Yes.
- [Judy] You got there when?

- October.
- Of 2021?

- Yes.
- [Judy] Case is relatively simple.

Case involves your claim that
they have property that belongs to you,

and they have a cross- complaint
that they probably would not have brought

but for the fact that you're suing them.

'Cause I think that they're
just happy that you're gone.

You moved in with them in October of 2021

- and paid no regular no regular...
- No.

Regular rent.

The agreement
between me and my brother was to

buy food for the house and
to give him money when I can.

- [Judy] Okay. Now, you weren't working.
- [Alyssa] That's what we talked about.

Now you weren't working, so how
are you going to buy food for the house?

I was on assistance
through Minnesota, so I got, um, SNAP.

- So you got food stamps?
- Yes, and then I, uh, had child support.

Well, I was on child support,
but I wasn't getting the money.

I didn't start getting money until
February of 2022,

and that's when I start...

- giving him money every so often.
- [Judy] Just a second.

In October of 2021,
you were not getting child support.

No.

- You were getting food stamps,
- Yes.

which you said you would share

- with your brother, who lives...
- Yup.

[Judy]
Not yup is not an answer.

Who lives with his
girlfriend and how many children?

- We have no children.
- [Judy] No children at all?

- We have dogs. [chuckles]
- [Judy] That's fine.

So you were sharing
some of your food stamps

with your brother and his girlfriend.

All of my food stamps went to the house.

- Well, that's where you were living?
- Yup. Yes, it was.

Yes. That's where you were living,
with your two children.

- Yes.
- Okay. What kind of work do you do, sir?

- I'm currently unemployed.
- [Judy] And what does your girlfriend do?

Uh, she works for a cleaning service.

Okay. Now, there came a time that you got

a substantial amount
of money from the government.

What month and year was that?

Just this past April.

How much did you get from the government?

It was taxes. Um...

What kind of taxes?
You haven't worked in five years.

It was the child tax credit,
and I did work

- when I moved back from Texas.
- [Judy] No, no.

You told me
you hadn't worked in five years.

I want to know what you got money
from the federal government for.

That's what your brother says,
and I was curious.

That's why I asked you
the questions about working.

- [Alyssa] It is...
- So don't make it up...

[Alyssa] It slipped my mind.

- [Judy] What?
- I'm sorry.

- I...I did housekeeping.
- [Judy] That doesn't slip your mind.

I did housekeeping, laundry, in a hotel

when I moved back
from Texas with my mother.

- Month? Month?
- June.

You worked from June 2021 until...
We'll find out.

Until like mid...mid June, because
I did not have a...

babysitter for my children.

[Judy]
So you worked for a couple of weeks?

- Yes.
- How much money did you get

from the federal government
in April of 2022?

Like $11,000 from the
government for childhood credit.

So you've got $11,000, not from working.

Not that it slipped your mind...

because two weeks may slip your mind

'cause that's what you worked,
if you worked at all.

$11,000. You got childcare credits.

How much did you get
for each of your three children?

I only filed for two of my children.

How much did you get for the two boys?

I believe... 3,000 for each of them?

That's 6,000. Where's the other five?

That came to me, um,
for the stimulus checks

because I did not
receive the last stimulus check.

They said that my boys did not
receive, like, the refund

that was coming to them
for the stimulus, too. So that was all...

So your boys got stim...
Let me... let me understand...

Let me understand why this country is...

in such a fiscal morass today.

So you got $3,000 for child care credit
for each of your children,

and the other $5,000 came because
you went to an accounting firm

and they said,
"Well, you should have gotten

- stimulus money for your boys."
- Yes.

And you missed that,
so we're gonna put in for it.

So they sent you another five
or they sent you...

They sent it all together on one.

Okay. All together on one.

So that you had
plenty of time to go and take care of.

- Yes.
- [chuckles] Right.

Uh, your judge, I actually have
proof of how much she did get.

Now, when you got this $11,000,

that $11,000 was supposed
to help get you through

- Covid.
- Yes.

Paying your bills, paying for rent,

- buying clothes for your children.
- I did.

[Judy]
So you got this money in April of 2022.

$11,400. Okay.

And then you went on vacation.

In what month and year
did you go on vacation?

April of 2022.

So the minute you got the money,
according to you...

I start looking for a vehicle.

You bought a car?

I was... I start looking for a vehicle.

[Judy]
So you started to look for a car.

Now you've been without a car for a while,

- but you started looking for a car.
- Yup.

[Judy] And also in April,
you asked your friend,

your brother's girlfriend,

if she would watch your two children.

Me and her had a discussion before April.

You didn't go
until after you got the money?

Yes.

You knew you were getting
the money before April

because you were going to apply for it.

- [Alyssa] Yes I did.
- Yes!

But when I got the... thing where
it said I was getting the money back,

it didn't say that much.

$11,400. So you decided to go on vacation.

Where did you go?

I went to Colorado.

- Where in Colorado?
- Up in the Denver area.

[Judy]
How did you get there?

I was with a friend and they drove.

- [Judy] Male or female friend?
- Male.

So you went with a male
friend to Colorado for how long?

[Alyssa]
I was there for a week.

[Judy]
What does this friend do for a living?

I'm not really sure.

You don't know
whether this friend works or not?

I met him last year and I kept in contact
with him throughout the whole year.

And then we just got back in
contact, uh, February

of the beginning of 2022.

And you don't know
what he does for a living?

I'm not really sure
what he was doing for work.

Okay.

You have no right to
give away any of her property.

Whether you think somebody
deserves it more than she deserves it

- [mumbles]
- [Judy exclaims]

Hey, that doesn't require an answer.
I'm telling you what the rule is.

[Narrator]
Alyssa Beaulieu claims her brother,

Jordan Thompson, and his girlfriend,
Carmela Turchiarelli,

owe for the value of
her personal belongings.

[Judy]
Okay, so you went away for a week,

and according to what I read,
you made arrangements with your friend,

your brother's girlfriend,

to take care of your two children

and you agreed to pay her
$400 for the week.

Yes.

[Judy] And then
you went away for the week in April.

- Did you come back after a week?
Yes, I did.

On what date did you return?

- The Saturday right before Easter.
- [Judy] Date.

- April 19th, Your Honor.
- [Judy] And then what happened?

- I came home and I...
- [Judy] April 19th?

Yeah. I came home on April 19th

and I talked to
my brother and Carmela.

I stayed at the house for a little
while because my boys were not there.

[Judy]
What a little... what a little while?

I stayed at the house for maybe two hours

and, uh, got all my stuff into the house

and my boys were not there.

So I believe I went to my sister's house

and to my mother's house

- and I did not know where my boys were.
- Just a second.

If your two boys weren't in the house...?

I had asked them where they were.

You asked them where you were
and they told you it was a secret?

No, they... I asked them
where my children were

and they said that
they had went with their father.

So you knew where they were!

When I got home, I knew where they were.

I didn't know that they had
left previous to me arriving.

[Judy] Yeah. When you got home from being
away with a new friend in Denver

and you said, "Where are my boys?"

Duh. "Where are my boys?"
They're with their dad.

So you went to your sister
and mother's house and then what happened?

And then, um, the next morning,

we left to the cities and...

- "Next morning"?
- [Alyssa] On Easter Sunday.

On Easter Sunday. Who's "we"?

Me and the friend.

What friend?

My friend that I went to Denver with.

So you went where?

- Uh, Minneapolis.
- How far a ride is that?

Four- hour drive.

You didn't intend to stay over there?

No. We were going to go visit some
of his friends and then come back,

um, but I... next thing I remember
was waking up in the hospital.

And I contacted my brother
when I did...

[Judy]
You have the hospital records?

No, I do not. I contacted them...

[Judy] You have... Just a second.

- You have an admission record?
- No.

Do you have a bill from them?

- No, because I...
- Ju...

I don't get billed.

Of course, you get bills.
When you leave the hospital,

they say either "You owe us
this amount of money..."

That's what you get when you're
discharged from the hospital.

You may not be able to get
hospital records,

but it would
certainly be interesting, madam,

for me to know what the next thing I knew

after you were going with
your friend to the cities

to see some of his friends,

you don't know anything until
after you wake up in a hospital.

- As soon as I woke up,
- [Judy] Wouldn't you be concerned?

I contacted my brother.

- What date?
- [Alyssa] I'm not sure.

I don't remember exact dates.

I mean, you have three children.

What do you mean you don't know what date?

I don't know the exact dates, [mumbles].

But I did contact him as soon as
I was able to

- because I did not have my own phone.
- [Judy] I mean, don't you...

Don't you see how
irresponsible this whole story is

- [Alyssa] Yes.
- for a person who has three children?

- Yes.
- How totally irresponsible it is.

And what is sad about it
is you appear to be an intelligent person

who just seems
to go from one place to another

based upon, well,
"I used to know him in Texas.

I used to know him in Colorado.

I used to know him here.
I'll leave my two boys with Carmela."

And we...we don't have no children,
so we're taking care of her children,

while she's out running around
doing whatever.

[Judy stammers] I didn't ask you anything.

Okay.

I can actually... visualize the picture,
and sadly, so can you.

What date did she finally contact you
after she disappeared again?

So after Thursday, after Easter Sunday.

[Judy] Thursday after Easter Sunday.
So that's the...

[Sarah] The 21st of April...

...is the Thursday after Easter this year.

it was actually Monday the 25th.

- We got records of it...
- That's when I came home.

I don't care... I just want to know
when you showed up again.

I contacted my brother and I
let him know what had happened.

And then he was a-asking
about our father.

Like, I was supposed
to go pick up our father.

I don't care.

Now let's get to the lawsuit.

Now that I understand the
characters that I'm dealing with,

it is your claim that your brother
and or his girlfriend

took some of your property,

didn't give you all your
property that you should have had,

because they finally said,

"We've had enough of you
and your shenanigans.

Goodbye." Good idea!

I did not start leaving the house
until that April.

I was in the house
the whole time with my boys.

I've asked them maybe
to watch them overnight

a couple of times, but that's it.

I don't care.
They had enough of you.

You didn't pay rent.
They could say to you,

"Goodbye. We tried to do our best,

you took advantage of us. Goodbye."

Now, that being said,
you stayed with them for how many months

and didn't pay them any rent,
any utilities?

How many months, you and your boys?

- Four.
- [Judy] Four months.

[Alyssa] Because I start
paying my brother in February.

- [Judy] Paying him what?
- Money. I gave him money.

- No, I don't want no, "I gave him money."
- [Alyssa] When I got enough.

Rent. I know...

I know that at your age, maybe you
think you're too young.

- We didn't agree upon a state of amount.
- [Judy] Maybe you're too young.

They either rent the house they
have a mortgage on the house,

they have things that they have to pay...

We did not agree upon a...
a set amount for every month.

- We did not agree upon...
- [Judy] Well, don't you think

you should agree on
a certain amount every month?

- [Alyssa] But we did not.
- You just came into $11,000.

And it was actually way more
than four months.

[Judy shushes]
You just came into $11,000.

You've been living off
somebody else's largess.

You just came into $11,000
that I gave you,

Or they gave you.

But you certainly didn't work for.

So you say to at least the
person who you're staying with.

"Listen, I'm going to give you
a couple of hundred dollars a month

just to cover my share
of the expenses,

because you're two people
and we're three."

I gave him $400 when I got my taxes.

As soon as I got it, I gave him money.

Did you pay Carmela
for watching the children?

- Yes, I did.
- [Judy] $400?

- Yes.
- [Judy] Okay. Did she pay you?

- Yes.
- [Judy] She says...

in her complaint
that you sold a computer of hers.

She says you felt that
she owed you more money

because you actually watched the children
for a longer period of time

than the week
that she paid you for

when she was...
doesn't remember where she was.

Did you sell her computer?

I actually gave it away.

[Judy]
No, I don't believe that.

Oh, I did.
And it's not even her computer.

[Judy] Well, why would you give it away?
That's just spiteful.

Because it was family and...

[Judy]
What do you mean it was family?

- It was family.
- I am not your family.

[Carmela] Sure. It was...

I don't want you to speak.
You have no right to give her things away.

It wasn't hers
and I have proof right here.

[Judy] Whose was it?

[stammers] Who knows?
I guess her friend's?

That doesn't matter.
It was in her possession.

- It was in our possession.
- Well, it was. She left it with us.

- When she left.
- [Alyssa] I left it at the house.

No, no, no. That you may
think is in your possession.

She asked me to sell it for her.

- [Judy] What?
- She even asked me to sell it for her.

- But it was not in your possession,
- [Judy] Just a second!

- it was in my room.
- Madam!

[Carmela] Yes.

If she asked you to sell it for her,
then you don't give it away.

- Well, she...
- [Judy stammers]

- She... [sighs]
- If she says,

"Sell my computer for me,"
then you sell it.

Then you don't say, "I can't sell it,
so I'm just going to give it away."

I gave it to one of the kids in the family

that I thought could use it way more
than her trying to use it

to bail out her friend from jail.

- That's not...!
- And she owed me a whole bunch

- more money.
- Who died and left you boss?

Well, me and my... and the house,
because it was our house.

- [Judy] Can I ask you a question?
- Yes.

- You met her in a shelter.
- Yes.

How long have you lived in that
house that you're currently living in?

August of 2018, to be exact.

Before that, the lease was in my name.

What part of
"I don't want to hear you..."?

So you moved into his house.

- Yes.
- Right. So it's not your house.

- [Carmela] Well...
- It's his house.

And since you're not his wife,
you're his girlfriend... for now.

You have no right to sell
or give away any of her property.

Whether you think
somebody deserves it

more than she deserves it.

- You're...
- [Judy stammers]

Hey, that doesn't require an answer.
I'm telling you what the rule is.

Oh.

- You wanted them to sell your TV,
- Yes.

jacket, and all of this is so that
you can get him out of jail?

- Yes.
- [laughs]

[gasps]

[Narrator]
Alyssa Beaulieu has accused her brother,

Jordan Thompson, and his girlfriend,
Carmela Turchiarelli,

of wrongfully selling her belongings.

Jordan and Carmela claim Alyssa gave
them permission to remove her property.

Now, you have no right to
go into somebody else's bag.

If they gave you instructions
and you accepted those instructions,

"Please sell my computer for me."

Which is what you just said.
Isn't that what she just said?

It is what she just said.

Yeah. "Sell my computer for me."

And you decided not to sell it,

but just to give it to
somebody else in the family

who could better benefit from it?

You got to pay for the computer, period.

- [Carmela] She owed me money.
- Period!

- I have the evidence.
- [Judy] Just a second!

- Okay.
- Just a second.

- Okay.
- That's a different story.

Carmela, let me tell you something,
Sir, you look like a very nice guy.

You look like a very nice guy.
I would unload her as fast as I could.

Oh!

- I'm just telling you.
- Wow.

I'm just telling you
because first she says "I gave it away."

Let's understand what she says.
First she said, "I gave it away."

Then she said
"She told me to sell it," right?

- Yes.
- Then she said,

I gave it to somebody who I thought

could use it better than she was using it.

Now, I'm going to ask you,
Kevin, to go get the two pieces of paper

that she wants me
to review that she owed her money.

And then I'm going to go back and explain

to your lovely Carmela...
listen to me, sir.

- I'm listening.
- Who I would think twice about.

Well, I don't see
anything about a computer here.

I see that you wanted them
to sell your TV...

- Yes.
- jacket... and all of this

is so that you can get him
out of jail.

- Yes.
- [laughs]

[shudders]

I didn't see anything about the computer.
I see the TV, I see a jacket...

Here. It's right here.

[Judy] Just a second.

It's not the ones you gave me,
but I'm glad you gave that to me

because I have some indication
that she did in fact,

ask you to start selling stuff, because

this is the same person
that you went to the cities with.

- Yes and definitely...
- [Judy] Yes.

When you forgot where you
were and woke up in a hospital.

- Yes.
- [laughs]

- [mumbles]
- Mm- hmm.

Okay. "Found someone who
wants that digital graphic computer.

So can you put it in the
living room or by my door?"

So you were going to
sell your digital computer?

- Yes.
- [Judy] Was it his computer?

It was, but he had given it to me.

- So you wanted to sell it?
- Yes.

And you say,
"I'm not giving it to you

until you pay me
what you owe me for child care."

Because you felt as if she
should pay you more money

because you watched the
children longer than a week.

And there's a couple of other reasons.

- She owed me...
- And, whatever... and a pair of shoes.

I don't care anything about that.
Do you have a bill for the computer?

- [Alyssa] Yes, I do.
- I'd like to see it.

No, I don't like this
because the date was changed.

The date the order was placed,
it was April 18, 2022.

So this is not a legitimate...
it may be a legitimate price,

but it says auto placed on April 18, 2022.

You want to take a look at that?
Because that's phony.

Somebody changed that.
No, somebody changed it.

- Okay.
- [Judy] Do you understand?

- Yes.
- When did you get it?

- I got it in April.
- [Judy] I don't believe this.

Take a look.

When did he go to jail?

- The 25th of April.
- Of what?

Of April.

And you left on vacation for...
with him when?

A week before Easter. So...

Uh, I'm not really sure.

A week before Easter, Sarah.
What's the date?

The week before Easter,
the previous Sunday would be the 10th.

- April 10th.
- [Judy] April 10th.

- And you were away for a week?
- Yes.

And then you don't
remember where you were?

No, that was the second week.

- That was the second week?
- Yes.

I was in Colorado for the full week,
and I came back the day before Easter,

and then, um, I left on Easter Day.
And then I...

[Judy] And...and when did you
get this computer? [chuckles]

You see, that's what I'm asking you.

When did you... Could you possibly
have gotten this computer if the bill...

- This is dated the 18th.
- Of April.

Which I believe they said
was the day she came back.

When could you have
possibly gotten it from him?

I ordered it for him.

I paid for it, and then he gave it to me.

Listen, I suggest you
both get your acts together.

You get nothing from your brother.

Just consider yourself very, very
lucky that...that he took care of you

and that he let you come into his house.

I would suggest you not do it again,
and maybe she'll get smart.

She has three children.
She'd like to raise them together.

She should get a [whispers] job.

Find a way of making a living,
figure it out.

Because you made three children,

they have a right to
a certain amount of stability.

- And they all are stable.
- That's not stability.

- That is stability.
- [Judy] Get it together!

Ah, well...

Sometimes you can't get through to people.

They're that kind of thick.

And that's why we are where
we are in this country.

- Do you understand?
- [Jordan] Yes.

Think twice. I know you
tried to be a good brother.

- Yeah.
- Think twice about doing it again.

- By the way, does your mother work?
- Yes.

[Judy] And that mentioned
something about a father.

What kind of work did your father do?

- I don't really remember.
- He was a logger.

[Judy]
Both your parents work.

- Yes.
- [Judy whispers] Good.

Evidently, it didn't rub off.
Thank you very much.

Your case is dismissed,
as is your counter- claim.

[Bailiff]
This court is adjourned.

- I'm okay with it.
- She was a friend,

and I love her children.

And really, it wasn't about her.
It's about the kids.

He won't talk to me because of her.

- You need a job. You need to...
- Change.

Change. Something
needs to change with her.

I don't really care.

Hopefully, she does figure it out.
The kids deserve it.

He deserves it.
He's a good brother.

You know, that case takes
me back to my family court days,

Mm- hmm.

And I only have one
observation other than the fact that

what should be
society's frustration with this,

which is once you have children,
you have the responsibility,

your sole responsibility is to make
sure that your children are taken care of.

You have to say,
"Listen, my social life takes a backseat.

Everything else takes a backseat.

But I have three little kids,
and they are my priority,

so I have to do whatever
I can to put my life in order."

And she clearly
has priorities all messed up.

I agree. I think I can
understand and empathize

with those women who are parents

who can't provide
a stable environment for their children

and temporarily leave them with
a mother, a father, a family member

while they can provide for
a stable environment.

Go get a job, go try and find
constant housing. But it blows my mind.

I can't empathize with leaving
your children with family

to take care of
and then not doing anything

to put yourself
in a position to care for them.

In a better... in a better place.
You're right.

- I don't have to worry.
- Unfortunate.

[chuckles]

[Narrator] Want justice?