02x77 - One-Wheel Whammy and All Bets Are Off

[bunniefuu]

You collided with her car
on the driver's side.

Yes, Your Honor.

He had cut through the intersection.
He was not in the walkway.

I just went like around here
and through this crosswalk.

- In the crosswalk?
- Yeah, I was in the crosswalk.

- You know when they're telling a fib?
- How?

When their mouths are moving.

[announcer]
This is Judy Justice.

[announcer] Karri Cargill is suing
Joseph Simonett for car damage,

after Joseph's 15-year-old son
hit Karri's vehicle.

[Kevin]
Court come to order. All rise.

Have a seat, please.

[Kevin] Hello, Judge.

- [Judy] Good morning.
- Case 2138. Cargill vs. Simonett.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

Ms. Cargill,
you and the defendant's son

had an accident
while you were driving your car,

and Mr. Simonett's son
was driving his electric scooter.

It was like a skateboard,
a one-wheel skateboard.

- Tell me your name.
- Jacob Simonett.

Describe this vehicle
that you were riding on.

It's got two spaces for your feet.

It has one in the back, one in the front.

No, try to look at me.
I'm trying to see you.

- Trying to... pull like this.
- It has one in the back...

...one in the front,
and there's big wheel in the center.

And you put your feet in either side,
and it balances,

and you ride it kind of like a skateboard.

- I had a feeling you might need it.
- [Judy] Oh, I actually have a picture...

of myself riding on one of those.

- [spectators laughing]
- For about 30 seconds.

We bought it for one of my grandchildren
years ago, but it's motorized.

- Yes.
- It has a motor.

- It's electric.
- And how fast does it go?

Tops at about 17 miles an hour.

- Seventeen?
- Yes.

That's pretty fast.

Are you required
to drive that on the street,

where pedestrians walk,
or where cars ride?

On the sidewalk, with pedestrians.

- Sidewalk?
- Yes.

- Do you drive it on the sidewalk?
- Yes, I do.

- Do you ever drive it in the street?
- I do not.

Now, you're going to tell me what happened
on the date of this incident,

which was August 17th.

- This year, yes.
- OK.

Yes, I was, um, going south, after work,

and I was going, um, crossing through
the intersection. I had the green light.

Is there a chart?

- Yes.
- I'd like to see it.

Yeah, I was crossing the intersection.

- [Judy] You're the blue car.
- I'm the blue car, and I had the green.

I was going, and Jacob had cut through
on the red into the green

and slammed into the side of my car.

He had cut through the intersection.

So he was in the street
where the cars travel.

- Yes.
- Not on the sidewalk.

- Right. He was not in the walkway.
- OK.

Jacob, I want you to walk up to that sign

and show me where you were
when you and the plaintiff collided.

I was about right here.

- You were in a crosswalk.
- Yeah.

I was in the crosswalk, coming through,
and about right here.

OK. Jacob, is that what the police report
is going to indicate?

- That you were in the crosswalk?
- I don't know.

Well, I assume that there is
a police report. Is that correct?

Police report's going to tell me
where the debris was, I assume.

The debris is either going to be
in the crosswalk,

or it's going to be in the street.
Where do you think it's going to be?

Some of it was in the street.

Show me the street
that you're talking about.

Uh, about like right here.

No. Put your finger on it.
Don't go around where it's...

- About right here.
- Right there.

That would be in the middle, right?

That would be in the middle of the street,

where the cars travel,
not in the crosswalk.

- Yeah.
- Yes.

- It's easy.
- [Joseph] Sure.

- How old is he?
- 15.


of those who were 15.

- You know when they're telling a fib?
- How?

When their mouths are moving.

- [laughter]
- [Joseph] He's a pretty good kid.

All of my kids are pretty good kids.
But, you can always...

You can usually tell.
Is this your first? Only?

Both, first and only.

First and only?

Oh, well, he'd probably had
some experience with that anyway.

- A little bit.
- Little bit?

OK, and this happened
at what time during the day?

I believe it was about four...
a little after four, 4:30.

- So it was light out.
- Yes.

You collided with her car
on the driver's side.

Yes, Your Honor.

[Judy] OK.
On the door of the driver's side.

The fender.

- Fender?
- Yes.

- Side fender?
- Yes, side fender.

OK, not the front of the car.

Uh, the front fender of the car.

Front fender of the car on the side?

I'm talking about
it was the side or the front.

- The side.
- Side?

So you collided with her,
'cause cars don't move sideways.

Yes.

He could have been
quite seriously injured.

Yes, he could.

He hit the side of the car,
and he flew up onto the hood,

and then kind of rolled
across the hood, hit my windshield,

and then fell onto the ground.

And when I stopped, he jumped up,
appeared at my window,

apologized, and then asked me
if I was OK.

What did he say?

Just said he was sorry,
and then he asked me if I was OK.

And then I asked him if he was OK,
and then he asked me if I was OK...

So far is that right?

- Yes.
- OK.

I was very impressed by that he was
more worried about me than anything else.

I moved my car out of the road,
onto the side of the road.

There was an EMT
that was across the street from us,

and he came over and assessed him,
if there was any more damage.

Got some road rash, things like that,
but he was not seriously hurt,

at least that we noticed at the time.

- Do you have the police report?
- I do.

I'd like to see it, please, Kevin.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

One witness said
that he was right next to you,

and that you went past him,
and that the light was red.

His light was red,
which is why he was stopped.

That's what I'm reading.
"He did say that his light was red

when the kid
initially passed in front of him."

Did you get a copy of this police report?

I've seen it, yes.

Explain to me...
would you put on this again,

and leave that one on,
because that's the version that I believe.

Would you walk over there and explain
to me what "cut the corner" was?

What you were doing?
Talks about "cutting the corners."

So I want you to understand.
I believe that.

Based upon what I'm reading here,
I believe that.

So now I want you to show me
how you cut the corner.

So I was coming to this one,
and I went through,

ended up going here,
I was going through the sidewalk.

I just went like around here,
and through this crosswalk.

What's "cut the corner"?

I cut the corner here, right there.

You mean just that little space
is what you're talking about?

- You cut the corner?
- Yeah, I went from about here to here...

I want you to understand
I believe that you were in the street.

I believe you were in the street,
not in a crosswalk.

So let's run through that again.

Would you please
show me what "cut the corner" was?

I went through here,
and I came here and I cut here.

- So right there I cut the corner.
- OK.

- He is a nice boy, Mr. Simonett.
- [Joseph] Thank you.

[♪ dramatic music plays]

You know what my father told me
when he gave me my first car?

I think I was 17.
It was like a tank.

He said,
"Because if you get in an accident,

I want you to be surrounded
by 4,000 pounds of steel."

[announcer]
And later today...

[Judy] Your claim is that you won
a whole bunch of money

in some gambling thing.

I just want you to tell me
how much you won.

- Before taxes or after?
- Both.

[♪ dramatic music plays]

[♪ dramatic music plays]

[announcer] Karri Cargill claims
Joseph Simonett owes for damage

after his 15-year-old son hit Karri's car

while riding an electric skateboard.

OK. The police determined that,
based upon the eyewitness testimony,

that the pedestrian Jacob is at fault,

and believed to have crossed
the intersection

before having the right of way.
The vehicle had the green light.

In any event,
do you have photographs of your car?

This happened in August, and you
were called to the scene by your son.

- Is that right?
- Correct.

And you got there and you noticed

that he is a little banged up
but, thankfully, OK.

He was in an ambulance when I arrived,

but shortly after, yes,
he did walk out of the ambulance.

He suffered some injuries,
which I have pictures of,

if you'd like to see them.

I'm sure he was banged up.
He had bruises from falling off of...

From being launched from the vehicle
after the collision. Correct.

OK. You know, he was really lucky
that she wasn't going faster.

Correct. Could have been much worse.

We were thankful for his health
in the outcome of the incident.

You're right. OK, can I see
an estimate to fix your car, please?

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

- What kind of a car do you have?
- [Karri] A 2015 Equinox Chevy.

- You had full coverage on the car?
- Yes.

- But with a thousand-dollar deductible.
- Yes.

So, if you put this
through to your insurance,

you have a thousand-dollar deductible.

- Yes.
- Right?

Anything else you want
to tell me, Jacob?

- No.
- You still ride one of those things?

It's broken. I don't...
I didn't get a new one, no.

It was destroyed in the accident.

You know what my father told me
when he gave me my first car?

I think I was 17.

He bought me the oldest, ugliest car.

But it was like a tank.

All my other friends were
getting these nice, cute little cars.

And this one was like an old person's
tank Cadillac or something.

You know, we're talking 50 years ago.

And I said, "Why do I have
to have this car?

Everybody else has cute cars."

He said,
"Because if you get in an accident,

I want you to be surrounded
by 4,000 pounds of steel."

[spectators laugh]

That's pretty much the lesson
that I've sent out there.

Four thousand pounds of steel.

One and only,
surrounded by lots of steel.

Judgment for the plaintiff
in the amount of $1,000.

- Thank you, we're finished.
- [Kevin] This court is adjourned.

Overall, I'm happy.

She had some fault due to hitting
a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

It was surreal, like out of the movies.

Your heart stops, and all you can do
is look for the car keys in panic

and get there as fast as you can.

I'm so glad that he was OK.

I remember just flying through the air
and then I was on the ground.

I got right up.

- Be very careful.
- Count your blessings...

and enjoy every moment that you have
'cause things could change in an instant.

I know these electric scooters
and skateboards are very popular,

but, even before this case, I tried
to look up any rules, laws, regulations.

There are a few, for electric motorbikes
and things like that,

but far fewer
than I would expect for a machine

that can go up to 17 miles
an hour, when you're 15.

I think that you're right. I think that,

since those things
have become so popular,

there really have to be enforced rules.

And parents... and this is
a very nice father and son...

I've seen kids weave in and out of cars.

It always looked like an accident
waiting to happen.

Yeah, and this one could have ended
in a real tragedy.

He was lucky, and his father
knew he was lucky.

Case 2124. McPherson vs. Hall.

All parties, please step forward.

[announcer] Gerald McPherson
is suing his ex-girlfriend, Natasha Hall,

for money she received
during their relationship.

- Mr. McPherson.
- Yes?

- How old are you, sir?
- Forty.

- What kind of work do you do?
- Home caring.

Independent, or do you work
for a company?

Home care agency.

- For an agency?
- Yes.

- How long have you been working for them?
- About a year now.

But I've been doing home care
for about three years.

Prior to working for them, the past year,
and you're still working for them.

- Mm-hmm.
- Is that right?

Was there a period of time
when you were unemployed?

Not more than maybe, three weeks,

but since I've known Ms. Hall...

No, I don't want to know about Ms. Hall.

No, I'm saying,
I'm telling you my employment.

Since I've lived in her residence,
I've always worked.

- I've worked at the zoo, Census Bureau...
- No, no. [shushes]

- Don't try to think ahead of me.
- OK.

There was a period of time in 2020,

according to you,

that you became homeless
and were living in a shelter.

- Yeah. That...
- [Judy shushes]

And that was in what month in 2020?

In June. I...
so, if I can explain the situation.

I was living in a house that
a slumlord wasn't doing the repairs,

so I ended up forcing his hand,

him selling the property,
and the new landlord...

Could you look at me
when you're talking?

Sorry. The new landlord and my other ex...

they kept the property. I moved out.
I went to a shelter

because I didn't want
nothin' to do with her, or with...

- You're talking about her?
- No, ma'am.

Well, then don't keep pointing to her.
I'm asking you...

I'm just pointing in general,
I'm not pointing at her.

- You actually pointed to her.
- I'm sorry.

When you were in the shelter,
were you employed?

- Yes, for the Census Bureau.
- OK.

Doing the census.

I was actually out in the field
knocking on doors.

So, you were not working
in home health care.

- You were a census taker.
- At that time, yes.

And did you have a child living with you?

- Yes.
- Well, not in the shelter, no.

I could not have
my daughter in the shelter.

- How old is your daughter?
- 10.

- And where is her mother?
- She's deceased.

Where was your daughter living
when you were in the shelter?

- With my mother.
- Is she living with you now?

- She's been with me since June.
- In a new apartment?

Yes. I moved in August 1st.

- She goes to school from your apartment?
- Yes.

OK. In 2020,
you became acquainted with Ms. Hall,

when there came a time
shortly thereafter...

- Uncross your arms.
- I'm sorry.

There came a point shortly thereafter
when you moved into her home.

In August, yes.

- Of 2020.
- Mm-hmm.

And you remained in her home
until what month and year?

August of 2022.

And in what month and year
did you regain custody of your daughter?

June of 2022.

So there was a period of two months
when you and your daughter

lived in Ms. Hall's home.

You could say that, but...

I'm saying that 'cause I just
asked you a question about timeline.

No, because me and Ms. Hall was going
through our dispute about this money,

my daughter was staying with my grandma.

I only brought my daughter there
on certain occasions.

When I say you regained custody
of your daughter, was that a court order?

- Yes, I have it right here.
- [shushes] Just a sec.

Was the child removed
by court order from your custody?

- It was removed because the house...
- Don't tell me "because."

Yes. It was removed.

- And look...
- Yes, yes, yes.

I have lots of things to do today.

- OK, I'm sorry.
- Child was removed from your custody.

Because I didn't have
nowhere to live at the time.

Was the child removed from your custody

before you moved into the shelter?

She was removed
because I was in the shelter.

Did you take her to the shelter?

No. I was not allowed to, because
there was no male and female sections...

So at that time, did she go
and live with your mother?

- Of course.
- Was that by court order?

No, it was... I... [stutters]

- Brought her to your mother?
- Yes.

May I see the court order
that involves custody, please?

I'm not getting an answer from you.

This is the court order and this is...

These two forms.

Thank you.

- That court order is the current one.
- Shh!

OK. So the child was placed

with the Commission of Social Services
in Pennsylvania.

Mm-hmm.

And the child was placed
in Kinship Foster Care,

which is a program
that I am very familiar with,

with the child's paternal grandmother.

So, in June of this year,
the child was returned to your custody.

At some point,
in August of this year,

is when you and the defendant
separated and you left the house.

This is your claim...

your claim is that you won a whole
bunch of money in some gambling thing.

What kind of gambling thing?

[♪ dramatic music plays]

I don't want to go back
to the Year Gimmel, sir.

All I want you to do is tell me
how much rent you were paying her.

To be honest, I had to...

I don't know,
I want you to be dishonest with me.

[♪ dramatic music plays]

[♪ dramatic music plays]

[announcer] Gerald McPherson
claims his ex-girlfriend, Natasha Hall,

wrongfully spent the money
he gave her for rent.

Your claim is that you won
a whole bunch of money

in some gambling thing.
What kind of gambling thing?

I want you to look at me
when you talk, not at the papers.

No, I was gonna...

In what kind of gambling thing
did you win money?

- I bet it on 25 games.
- What 25 games?

- NBA, college, hockey...
- OK. And you bet... where?

On FanDuel.
It's an app called FanDuel.

- OK. And y-you won?
- Yes, 25...

I don't understand the whole thing,
I don't want to learn the whole thing.

I don't care about the whole thing.

I just want you to tell me
how much you won.

Before taxes or after?

- Both.
- OK.

Thirty-six thousand,
seven hundred and seventy-two...

forty-two dollars,

and after taxes $26,889.

On what date?

So I won the bet on the 28th,
it came into my account...

- Twenty-eighth of what?
- January.

- Of what year?
- This year.

And you had been living
with Ms. Hall for two years.

- Prior, yes.
- OK.

And you were working,
according to you, all of that time.

- Yes.
- OK, good.

- Were you paying any rent to Ms. Hall?
- Yes, ma'am. I have receipts.

Yes, I wanna see those.
How much rent were you paying?

So, when I met Ms. Hall...

I don't want to go back
to the Year Gimmel, sir.

All I want you to do is tell me
how much rent you were paying her.

To be honest,
I had to pay half her rent...

I don't know, I want you
to be dishonest with me.

Half her rent is, like, $425,

and she had me pay half the gas,

and half the electric,
and half the cable.

- Her rent was $425?
- No, it was $850. I had to split it.

- $850.
- We were paying half and half.

- Ms. Hall?
- Yes, ma'am.

- What kind of work do you do?
- I do customer service.

And who else lives
in the apartment with you?

- My children.
- How old are they?

- 14 and 13.
- How large is the apartment?

It's a two-bedroom.

- And the total rent is $850?
- Yes, ma'am.

- There's no subsidy involved?
- No subsidy at all.

- OK. And you have a lease?
- Yes, ma'am.

How much did you charge, if anything,
Mr. McPherson as rent?

- $425.
- That doesn't quite sound fair, does it?

Did she make a figure
with you of $425?

I paid more than that.
I paid $425. That's half of the rent.

I paid half of the electric
and half of the Internet bill.

There are four people in the house?

- Yes.
- [Judy] Right?

Well, we're the only two paying...

Shh! Why was he
paying for half the rent?

Oh, my children don't work,
and his child didn't work either.

His child wasn't with you.

The child came with us in June,
but she had visitations on weekends.

I don't care if she had visitation.
Your children live with you.

- Yes.
- They don't have to work.

They're your children.
They're not his responsibility.

OK. I just wanna know
where everybody's head is at.

There came a point, Ms. Hall,

when Mr. McPherson
gave you $6,000 in cash.

- No, not in cash.
- Check.

No. One was...
both of them were wired.

One was directly wired
into her Bank of America account...

Wait. Just a second. When?

The first transaction was on July...
I mean, January 31st.

- The second transaction...
- January 31st of?

This year. And the second transaction
was the next day, February 1st.

$12,000 total.

Do you acknowledge, Ms. Hall,
receiving $12,000 in your account

from Mr. McPherson,
or do I have to look at his records?

I do not acknowledge.
He gave me $6,000 and $4,500.

$6,000 and $4,500, Mr. McPherson.
Does that sound right?

No, it's not right,
and I'm gonna show you.

OK. Let me see your bank record.

Let us assume... let us assume
that it's $6,000 and $4,500

that he gave you in this year, 2022.

- Yes, ma'am.
- Is that correct? OK.

Let us assume for the moment
that you are correct.

- Because you're suing for $6,000.
- Yes.

- Right?
- Yes.

'Cause the first initial $6,000
was eight months' rent.

- That I'm not suing for.
- Let us assume that you are correct...

that he gave you $6,000 and $4,500.
I'm taking you at face value.

In January and February of 2022.

- Yes, ma'am.
- What was the money for?

- That he gave me?
- Yes.

- The two different amounts of money.
- Sure, yes.

- There's a $6,000...
- Mm-hmm.

...and a $4,500.

$4,500 was for me
to pay my car note off, and...

- Hey, just a second.
- Go ahead.

- Why would he pay your car note off?
- He said he wanted to.

Oh, no. That's ridiculous.

- Ms. Hall, let me just check.
- [McPherson] So, can I say something?

[shushes] No.

He even wrote that on there,
"For your car note."

No, you said, "In January, he won a bet
and cashed it out a few days later.

He gave me money via Cash App
to catch up on his rent,

and as a thank-you
for helping him out."

I don't see anything here
about "Gift for car note" in your answer.

So he gave me the money for the car note,
and as far as the Cash App money,

he gave me money
lots of times, so, yes...

- No, I'm talking about the $6,000, madam.
- Yes.

Let us assume he gave you $4,500
to pay off your car note.

- That's what you said.
- Correct.

What's the $6,000 for?

The $6,000 was for us to move.

- For who to move?
- Me and him.

- Show me.
- The $6,000?

Yes. Show me that there's proof.
He says he gave you the money

according to his complaint
to hold for him.

- [McPherson] Yes. We...
- [shushes] Just a second.

Yeah, February 3rd he gave you $6,000.
This just says he gave it to you.

- Yes.
- And?

And he told me to hold it
so we can move.

Well, you didn't move.

- No, she didn't move.
- Shh!

Just a second.
He told you to hold it...

- Yeah.
- ...for him so that you could all move.

- No. He told me...
- So who could move?

So me and him
and our children could move.

- Well, that's what I just said!
- I apologize.

- "So that we could move."
- Correct.

- But you didn't move together.
- Correct.

So you have to give him
his money back. That's simple!

- Thank you, thank you, thank you.
- Shh. Just a sec. That's simple.

If you say he gave you the money
so that the two of you could move,

and that event never took place,
but he, in fact, moved out,

you owe him $6,000.

- But then he agreed...
- That's... just a second.

That's an easy. OK. Do I have
to deal with anything else?

Money for lost wages, rent, utilities...
Forget it.

He paid all of that with the $4,500
when he paid off your car note.

Come on, let's get it together.
Lost wages.

What are the lost wages for?

Well, then, I had to take off from work
because of the PFA.

I had to take off from work to go file
at the court and things like that.

But... and the rents missed of,
uh, him saying it's $6,000.

He didn't pay rent.
He didn't pay all of his rent.

He paid off your car note.

You owe him $6,000. Your counterclaim's
dismissed. We're finished.

- Thank you very much.
- OK.

[Kevin]
This court is adjourned.

Well, I don't agree
with the judge's decision.

I don't think I owe him the money.

That's what women do.

Because he gave me a gift
and he didn't pay rent.

- I also spent two grand on her in gifts.
- What's done is done.

I'm taking a break from women
for quite some time now.

So, I'm glad that the plaintiff's daughter

didn't have to go
into the larger foster care system

and was able to stay
with plaintiff's mother.

But I was curious that,
if this was a temporary slip-up

and he wasn't going to be
permanently without housing,

why wouldn't he go with his daughter
to his mother's house?

I was surprised
you didn't ask him that question.

- You're right.
- [Sarah laughs]

You're right.
That's a curious question.

To me, it just seemed like it
might have been a better situation

to crash at your mom's house
with your daughter for a while.

I'm not sure whether
I have that whole story

because they continued the child
in care for a period of time...

at least for almost two years...

because he didn't have custody of her

while he was living with the defendant.

Well, one easy part of the case
was that he was owed his $6,000 back.

- That's all we had to deal with.
- Yes, that was easy.

Once she got her hands on that $6,000

and he was no longer in the picture...

- ...it was hard for her to give up.
- Yep.

[♪ dramatic music plays]

[announcer] Have you been cheated?


[♪ dramatic music plays]

[♪ end theme music plays]