03x22 - Foster Child's Fire Damage

[bunniefuu]

You were living there.
You were paying rent.

Correct.

There was a fire in the house.

Everything I've ever owned
was in that house.

So these are items that you said
you should be reimbursed for.

Body oil moisturizer for thirteen dollars.

You think that they're going
to reimburse you for that?

It's not happening.

[announcer]
This is Judy Justice.

[theme music playing]

ex-boyfriend'sex boyfriend's
parents, Jodie and Robert Denniston,

for insurance money after her property
was destroyed in a fire.

[Bailiff Rasco]
Court come to order. All rise.

Have a seat, please.

Hello, Judge. Case 3055.
Rogers versus Denniston.

-Thank you.
-You're welcome.

All right, Miss Rogers, let me see
if I understand what your position is.

You were in foster care
for a long period of time,

and at some point,
you met the defendant's son,

and became involved
with the defendant's son.

In what year was that?
And how old were you?

In June of 2019.
I had just turned 18.

And I assume that you either decided to
or you had aged out

of the residential foster care system,

and you were invited
to live in the defendant's home.

-Yes, ma'am.
-And you lived in the defendant's home

from June 2019 until when?

Until October of 2021
when the house fire occurred.

What were you doing between 2019
and 2021?

As in occupation?

What were you doing?
Were you in school?

Were you working?
What were you doing?

I was doing full-time school, and then
I had a couple of jobs here and there.

What full-time school?

I was in school to become
a social worker for foster youth.

What months were you in school and year?

August 2019
all the way up until now.

Okay. And who
was paying for your school?

Uh, the state of California.

Are you almost finished with a degree?

Yes, ma'am.

What school?

I'm going to Stanislaus State
in Turlock.

Is that where you were going to school
when you were living with them?

I went to a junior college with them,

and then halfway through living with them,

I switched to Stanislaus State,
which is a four-year.

Were you receiving housing subsidies
from foster care

or just tuition for school?

The last three months, up until I turned


And how much we receiving
from the state as a housing subsidy?

I only got a thousand dollars
three times.

Did you use that housing subsidy
to give any portion

of that money to the defendants?

I used a portion of it.

They had requested
$150 a month.

Starting when?

Starting October 2020.

They started requesting $100 a month
to pay for PG&E gas, electricity.

And did you pay it?

Yes.

-Is that correct?
-Yes.

This is the lawsuit.

There was a fire in the house,
and it is your claim

that $6000-worth
of your property was destroyed.

-You had no renter's insurance.
-Correct.

And it is your claim
that the defendants used receipts

that you had given them
to put into insurance

and they were reimbursed by insurance for
your claims, but never gave you any money.

-Correct.
-That's what the case is about.

My first question is, how do you know
they were reimbursed for your claims?

I had submitted any and all receipts
for the insurance company

in September of 2022.

I had broken up with their son
in December of 2022.

So, a couple of month time span, I knew
that they were moving into their house

about two weeks after the fact
that I had broken up with their son.

So, after they had moved into their house,

after everything was
refurnished and rebuilt,

that's when I knew that
they had gotten paid out.

Well, I'm just asking you,
do you have any information

from the insurance company
that part of the claim,

such as bills
that were in your name,

that that part of the claim
was actually paid to the defendants.

I had a Google doc form

that the Dennistons
had sent me a little bit ago,

and it was just some stating

that this is how much they think
that I deserve from the fire.

I believe I "deserve" is the correct word.

Maybe I could take a look at that.

And then I also have all the receipts

and everything that I had
submitted to the Dennistons.

And I may look at that too,
but I would like to see

the first document that you discussed.

-There was actually two documents
-Okay.

-that they had sent me.
-I'd like to take a look at 'em.

What's this truck money?

That was on a separate case,
Your Honor.

What do you mean
It was on a separate case?

We, or I, had filed
with Small Claims Court

two separate cases
against the Dennistons,

one against Mr. and Mrs. Dennison,
one against their son, Brycen Dennison.

"What's the truck money?"
is my question.

I had "boughten" him a truck
and then we had totaled the vehicle,

and he so had owed me money on it.

But I allowed him to get a different truck
with the reimbursement from the insurance.

What happened with that case of the $3300?

It still hasn't got paid to me yet.

-What?
-It still has not gotten paid.

Have you gone
to court with it?

No, not yet.

Are you scheduled to go to court?

-Yes, ma'am.
-When?

On the 29th of this month.

And that case is not against
the Dennistons, that's against their son.

Yes, ma'am.

-That's you?
-Yeah.

Okay. This says,

"This makes everything final
and done with this payment"...

We're not talking about the truck.

"$2803.17."

That's what you said
that her items were worth.

Correct.

Did you pay her that?

Uh, no, because she did not
agree to that amount.

Just a second.
But that's what you offered her.

$2803.17.

Correct.

In June, you ordered things online
and you had shipped to you

a body oil moisturizer
for $13.

This happened in October.

You think that they're going
to reimburse you for that?

-Uh...
-That's not happening.

I want you to get your act together.

That's not happening.

[theme music playing]

[announcer]
Lillian Rogers claims

her ex-boyfriend's parents,
Jodie and Robert Denniston,

owe her money from an insurance claim

after their home was destroyed
in a fire.

What is this "broken items"...
"Hole in the wall,

being paid with washer and dryer
that we didn't take out of the house.

They were Rob's sisters and given
to their son for use.

Value of at least"...
What is that?

That's regarding the second case,
Your Honor.

-I was being...
-That has nothing to do...

All I want to know is this whole document
that you gave me

has to do
with a lot of other stuff.

Correct.

I was the mediator
between the two of them.

Okay, but the $2800
was for the fire damage.

Correct.

-For the receipt for the fire damage.
-Correct.

And all of this other stuff
has to do with the truck.

-Yes, ma'am.
-Okay.

Well, then, if you add $2800
to the $3300 for truck money,

that's what you're suing for here.

No. No, ma'am.

Um, I ended up going ahead and printing
out all the documents and all the receipts

that I had produced to the Dennistons

regarding the fire contents money,
and I had added everything up.

And then I also had their spreadsheet that
they had into their insurance company

that has my name as well as everybody else
in the household's name on it.

Okay, was any of the property
that you lost...

reimbursed to you
by the state of California?

No, ma'am,

-Nothing?
-No.

What was the date of the fire?

October...

-First,
-First.

-2022
-'21.

'21

Well, in June, you ordered things online

and you had shipped to you
a body oil moisturizer for $13.

This happened in October.

Do you think that
they're going to reimburse you for that?

-Um...
-That's not happening.

I want you to get your act together.

That's not happening.

So, what we were told
from the insurance adjusters

was any and all receipts that we had,
and I only had online receipts,

unfortunately, due to the pandemic.

-What?
-I only had online receipts

due to the pandemic.

Oh... That...
What I'm telling you is...

So, I was told to produce
any in all receipts I had

of everything that we had
in the house, regardless

if it was two toothpicks or...

-Well, that's not happening.
-...a mattress

That's not happening.

Not happening.

There was a fire in the house,
Miss Rogers.

-Yes.
-The insurance company

paid for the family to go to a hotel.

-Yes.
-Is that right?

Did you contribute to that?

I paid my rent.

For how long?

I continued paying it until we left

-While you were in the hotel.
-Yes, ma'am.

-Is that right?
-Yes. She paid the 150.

How did you come up with the figure
of $2800?

Um, it was in one
of the insurance documents.

It had listed in red on that form
that she gave you

the depreciation of value.

I had added a bunch of those items

that she showed you
on that first document

that had Lily's name on it.

It came to that amount
minus the depreciation amount.

And then that was the actual cash value,
is what they actually paid us.

May I see that in writing?

It will make my life a lot easier
and I don't have to...

It's a huge document
that I have on my email.

-That's okay.
-Okay.

-Did you share that document with her?
-Did I share it? No. With, no.

Okay, I'd like to take a look at it.

Where are you living now, Miss Rogers?

Where are you living now?

I'm living, technically, in a barn
right now, but it's a pre-furnished barn.

And then to add clarity,
I would like to mention that...

Hmm?

I said, to add clarity,

I would like to mention that
as far as my knowledge is,

the Dennistons,
they had replacement insurance,

which means that the depreciation value

didn't matter as long as they went
and purchased the same item

and then brought back receipts
to the insurance company.

-Well, that may be them, not you.
-Absolutely.

That may be them, not you.
You're not insured.

You sound like a smart gal.

You were living there.
You were paying rent.

There was no negligence,
as it was, that caused this fire,

-I would assume.
-No, ma'am.

On October 29,
after the fire,

-you bought an iPhone Pro Max...
-Yes.

-...for $1200.
-Yes.

So, from my understanding
of the house fire,

the only thing that burned down
was the garage.

However, there is fire damage.

There's firemen damage...

I want to know
what happened to your phone.

-Smoke damage.
-You've got your phone?

Yes. So, as far as the smoke damage,
any "electronicals"...

No, no, no.
What happened after the fire?

Mm-hmm.

-On October first.
-Yes.

-You moved into a hotel?
-Yes.

Did you use your phone between
the time of the fire and October 21?

That's either a "yes" or a "no."

-Yes.
-Okay, then you had no right to buy

another phone for $1200.

Yes, ma'am.
So, according to the insurance agency,

as well as the firemen
and the police department,

anything electronic
within the house,

the stove, phones, computers,
anything else...

Not happening for you.

-It's not happening for you.
-Anyway.

I don't have to see it.
I just made up the difference.

-Yeah, I just made up the difference.
-I also have a list of items.

I went through enough of this
to see where we're at.

And she did receive money from the state.

My daughter, who is here in court,
was a witness to her

receiving gift cards from the state.
from social services to replace her items

that were lost in the fire,
such as clothing.

Did you receive any
gift cards from the state?

No, ma'am.

I assume you were friends
while she was living there.

Yes, ma'am.

Tell me your first name.

Kaeley.

Tell me about what you know
about receiving gift cards from the state.

So, the social worker
came over to the house

and was giving her a gift card to...

It was either like Kohl's or JCPenney,
one of the sorts,

which Lily then...

Just a second. Did you see
the amount of those gift cards?

I did not see the amount.
No, ma'am.

Easy. What was
the amount of the gift card?

I did not receive any gift cards.

Was a social worker at your house?

Um, the only time she's
ever visited the house,

which it was in, I believe,
August of 2021.

That's the only time
she's ever been to the house.

When we were living in the Airbnb,

the social worker did come
after the fire had occurred.

She came over and then...

Do you remember what the name
of the social worker was?

I do not.

Sit down. Stand up.

-I get a little bit leery
-Yeah.

when bills are padded

and there were one, two,
three, four phones.

Are these items that you listed?

[theme music playing]

[announcer]
Lillian Rogers has accused

her ex-boyfriend's parents,
Jodie and Robert Denniston,

of owing her money
from an insurance claim.

Jodie and Robert say they tried to pay
Lillian but she is being greedy.

Tell me your first name, please.

-Brycen
-Brycen.

Did you, while you were still living
with Miss Rogers in the hotel,

or thereafter, after the fire,

did you discuss with her any subsidy

that she received as a result
of the fire from the state?

-No.
-When, for the first time,

did you ever hear about these gift cards?

It was when the the lawsuit was filed.

She never told me about any of that.

-She never did.
-No.

And neither did your sister.

-No.
-Good. Very good.

Sit down. Thank you.

Okay. Just show me, would you,
for a moment, what you're referring to

with regard to the depreciation
value of the items.

-The depreciation value?
-Yeah.

-Oh.
-and how you got to the $2800

which I think is probably reasonable.

It's on that big file
that's downloading

if I may, Your Honor.

So, everything that I had in receipts,
right there. is just everything

that I had purchased online,
not talking about anything

that I've ever purchased from
within the home for the Dennistons

for myself, anything in-store.

Me and Kaeley Denison,

we were quote-unquote "shopping buddies,"
and we'd go shopping every single week.

-I don't care.
-All of our...

-All of our...
-All I'm telling you is

I looked at one major charge.

There were charges for $13
for hand moisturizer and toothpaste

-that go away.
-Yes, ma'am.

You know, you used them up,

but you had no reason to go to Apple

to buy a new phone for $1200
and a service plan.

The fact that
an insurance company person

indicated to you
that if there was a problem,

and if there was smoke,
you can replace electronics,

it doesn't mean
they're going to pay for it.

And until you can produce evidence for me,
and there's nothing here,

that you put in claims
for $6000 and they got $6000,

which you cannot establish
in what you gave me.

-I, uh...
-Do you understand?

-But...
-I get a little bit leery

-Yeah.
-when bills are pad...

-To me...
-Yeah.

When bills are padded,

especially, when these people
took you into their home.

You lived there two-and-a-half years.

You paid a nominal rent.
You bought an awful lot of stuff,

which means that you spent your housing,
the $3000

that you were supposed to spend in...
and I don't know what other monies

you were getting from the state

because you had to get some money to live.

No, ma'am.
I had aged out of foster care

and I was not eligible for any benefits
outside of foster care

besides the last three months
of me turning 21,

and by that point I had to re-buy
all of the items I've ever had

because everything I've ever owned
was in that house.

I know the feeling.

I'm just saying I know the feeling.

We lost everything
in our home too.

So, that's where that
$3000 went to.

It's still downloading.
What document I do have is her list.

An itemized what was hers,
what was a gift, and what was not,

and that's what has the
totals on the bottom.

-[Robert whispers] Depreciation list.
-[Jodie] No, I don't have that. It was...

[Jodie]
It was, like, 2000 pages long, with a...

Could you explain to me...

I'm just curious...

why are there four items here for iPhones?

That's what she's claiming,
that she had bought all those phones.

That's the list that she had given me
of items that she had receipts for.

There were one, two, three, four phones...

-on this.
-No, ma'am.

I only had turned in the receipts
for Brycen Denniston and I's phone.

However, on our account, there was
the other two phones within the home.

-It was still within the home.
-Just a second.

-They got it wrong.
-Just a second.

Are these items that you listed?

Those are the items with the receipts
I had produced to the Dennistons. Correct.

So these are items that you said
you should be reimbursed for.

Not me, personally,
because I didn't buy two of the phones.

Which two did you buy?

I only bought the first two.

The two expensive ones
for $2500.

-Yes.
-Goodbye. $2800...

which is what they offered you...
that's what you're getting.

Good. Goodbye.
We're done here.

[Bailiff Rasco]
This court is adjourned.

I'm glad that I was
awarded something.

It is unfortunate because
I did lose everything

that I did have in the fire.

But it's okay because we can
always rebuild and renew

and everything else in between.

I still feel like
we didn't owe her anything

because she didn't have
a runner's policy

and she wasn't
on our homeowner's,

but I agree.

I was alone
in the house with their son,

and it was a pretty
scary experience.

Thank goodness
that a couple of us were home,

so not everything in the whole
house was tarnished.

They were able to keep a couple of their
personal items, so that was really nice.

I'm a little hurt.
I opened up my heart, my home.

My family are just good-natured
and to have this happen.

It's just... It's heartbreaking.

They absolutely did
help me out,

and I do appreciate them
for everything.

Unfortunately, there's a backstory
to everything, of course.

I'll still continue to help people.

It's our good natures,
what we do is human beings.

But there's her side, his side...
her side, his side, and the truth.

And what's right is right
and what's wrong is wrong,

and not giving me
my portion is wrong.

She's just
a greedy little brat.

Entitled.

At the end of the day,
If they're keeping my money,

Isn't...
they're trying to be greedy?

It seemed like the defendants were...
really cared for the plaintiff

allowed her
to move into the house,

had a good relationship,
didn't even charge her any rent

until they decided
that they had adult children

that should start
contributing to the home,

and they included her in
with their own children

in the responsibilities
to pay a nominal amount of rent.

So, It's always tough
in situations like that

when we see plaintiffs such as this one,

suing people who you and I
look at as their saviors.

They gave you a warm place to sleep.

They fed you.
You had a roof over your head.

You know, all of these things.
They lost everything too in the fire.

I don't think that they were unreasonable.

She went with them
to the Airbnbs and the hotels.

Afterwards,
they didn't leave her out on the street.

So, I couldn't imagine suing somebody
after all of that unfolded.

It's probably probably had to do
with a very bad breakup

-of the relationship
-Sure.

that they had with the son.

But I think the bottom line lesson
is if you have things that are valuable

and if you are a renter,

and even though
she was paying a nominal amount of money,

-it still rent.
-Sure.

Renter's insurance,
especially if you have very little,

is very inexpensive,
and you should have it.

-Yeah.
-And young people don't think about that.

Until it's too late, usually.

Right. You've rented once.

Once. And even I, you know,
I was ignorant to the fact

that you should have renter's insurance,

and I was lucky that
nothing like this happened.

But having now seen the different
scenarios that can unfold.

Definitely, in the future, I'll get
renter's insurance anywhere I rent.

-Smart.
-Yeah.

[announcer]
Have you been cheated?



[theme music playing]