03x40 - Love, Loans, and Laid to Rest and Baby Shower Drama

[bunniefuu]

-So, you were at the park?
-She came up to fight me.

That is not true.

It seems as if somebody
was kicking somebody.

That was me. I kicked her.

-It was your fault.
-Yes, ma'am.

I love a person
who tells the truth all the time.

[narrator]
This is Judy Justice.

[theme music playing]

[narrator] Bailiff Cassandra Britt
is standing in for bailiff Kevin Rasco,

and law clerk Alexei Mentzer
is sitting in for law clerk Sarah Rose.

Honesti Butler is suing her former friend,
Walterria Flowers,

for the cost of a car and stolen property.

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

Have a seat, please.

[Cassandra]
Good morning, Judge.

Case 3074,
Butler versus Flowers.

Thank you.

[Judy] Ms. Butler, how long have you
and Ms. Flowers been friends?

We became friends around

-the summer of 2022.
-[Judy] How?

We both lived in South Carolina
and then we both moved to Jacksonville,

so it's kinda like we were just friends.

Did you see each other often before you
decided that you wanted to buy her car?

Um, yes, ma'am. We used to...

She used to come
and pick me up all the time.

And then I used to see her
around the town that we lived in

before we moved back to Jacksonville.

-[Judy] You didn't have a car?
-No, ma'am.

-[Judy] Did you have a driver's license?
-Yes, ma'am.

-Did you ever have a car?
-[Honesti] Yes, ma'am.

-What happened to it?
-I wrecked it.

-You broke it. [chuckles]
-Yes, ma'am. [chuckles]

How did... How did you do that?

It was my fault.
It was a failure to yield.

-Oh, so there was a crash?
-[Honesti] Yes, ma'am.

-[Judy] It was your fault?
-Yes, ma'am.

On what day did you have
a conversation with Ms. Flowers

about purchasing her car?

It was December 12th.

-[Judy] Of 2022?
-Yes, ma'am.

-What kind of car was it?
-It's a 2010 Chevy Malibu.

-When did you purchase it?
-It was 2021. March 2021.

[Judy]
And why were you getting rid of it?

Because I had another car, and...

I was getting another car too, so...

[Judy]
How much did you pay for it?

[Walterria]
I paid $8,000.

Alexei, would you look up
a 2010 Chevy Malibu?

Yes, ma'am.

A two door, four door?
I don't even know how many doors.

[Walterria] Um, four door.

How many miles did it have on it
when you purchased it?

It was, uh, 130.

Now, interesting,
because a year later you agreed

to sell the defendant that same car,
for how much?

I agreed to sell it to her for 4,500.

-But I was selling it as is... Okay.
-Just a second.

Go back.
We're gonna get to "as is" in a second.

-[Walterria] Okay.
-That's not the final price you agreed on

-with her based upon these records.
-[Walterria] No, ma'am.

-What was the final price you agreed on?
-[Walterria] It was 4,000.

-[Judy] Is that right?
-No, ma'am.

-[Judy] It was 3,500.
-Yes, ma'am.

So, the ultimate price that you agreed
to sell the car for was $3,500.

-No, ma'am, it was 4,000.
-[Judy] Show me.

-Show me 35.
-[Honesti] Hang on.

[Alexei] Private party, fair condition,
between 6,000 to 7,800

-for fair condition.
-6,000 to 78?



-Thank you.
-You're welcome.

Okay, well, it was 4,000.

But because of things wrong
with the car, you said,

"I'll take off $500
from the original price,"

because there were more things
wrong with the car

than she originally thought.

Is that was happened?

-Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] Okay.

Well, it sounds to me, even at $4,000,
you got a pretty good deal.

[Honesti] Yes, ma'am.

Because of what Alexei has told me
about the current value of the car,

which is the low-end 6,000,
and at 3,500,

even I would buy that car.

It's a great...
It was a great value.

This is what your case is about...

It is your claim that
you made all but $100's worth

-of the payments on the car.
-Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] And then the defendant,
unbeknownst to you,

came to your house at night
and repossessed the car.

Yes, ma'am.

-[Judy] You say you only owed her $100.
-Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] Defendant says you owed her seven,
but I think she's

relying on the $4,000 figure,
is that right?

Um, yes, ma'am.

[Judy] Okay.
So, that's where the discrepancy is,

and you took the car back.

Yes, ma'am, I did.

Part of that had to do with, I gather,
the two of you having an argument.

-Yes, ma'am.
-Um, we fought.

The two of you having an argument,
I'll get to that in a second,

-'cause you have a counterclaim.
-Yes, ma'am.

You want the money back
that you put into the car.

Well, not actually what I...
Just what I paid for the car

and also the belongings
that was in the car.

Okay, let's get rid of the belongings.

-She did have some stuff in the car?
-Yes, ma'am.

-[Judy] And you have it with you?
-Yes, ma'am, I have some of it with me.

Like her debit card
and her purse that she had in there.

-Okay, and what about the iPad?
-She never had an iPad in there.

-[Judy] Okay. Okay.
-I took a picture of everything.

[Judy] Cassandra,
would you go over there, please,

take all of that stuff
and move it over to the other table.

[Walterria]
Here you go.

-Those cards belong to her?
-[Walterria] Oh, this is my ID.

[Judy] Okay. So now, you want back
what you paid for the car.

-Yes, ma'am.
-The defendant says you didn't finish

paying for it, she had every right
to repossess it.

-Let's take care of the car first.
-[Honesti] Yes, ma'am.

-[Judy] How long did you drive the car?
-From December of 2022

-to... May of 2023.
-[Judy] The beginning of December?

-No, ma'am.
-Around the middle, like...

-My first payment was on the 12th.
-[Judy] All right, so... Okay.

When did you repossess the car?

Um, I got it June 4th.

So let's make it January,
February, March, April, May...

-So, you had the car five months.
-Yes, ma'am.

-[Judy] And you have the car now?
-Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] So, she owed you really 100 bucks
when you took it back.

-Who paid the insurance on this car?
-Everything was still in her name.

So she paid for the insurance,
is that right?

Did you have insurance on the car or not?

-Um, no, ma'am.
-[Judy] No.

Let me understand this...

She's driving around
with a car that's in your name

-that doesn't have insurance on it?
-Yes, ma'am.

-Where is the car now?
-It's parked in my yard.

-[Judy] Where's the title to it?
-I have it.

[Judy]
I'd like to see it.

And you repossessed the car
just a few months ago, is that right?

Um, no, ma'am. June...

-June 4th. Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] June.

-[Judy] Well, that's a couple months ago.
-[Walterria] Oh, okay.

Wait...

Where's the back of this title?

I just sent it as evidence,
I don't have the title with me.

But that's the title, it's in my name.

Have her sign this.

You're signing over the title
to the car for her.

Sign it over. I'll notify it.
Sign it over to her.

We're gonna give you the $100
that she owes you. Sign it over to her.

You do understand, Ms. Flowers,
you came here to court today from where?

-Jacksonville, Florida.
-[Judy] And you want to get home, right?

Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] And you got an appearance fee
for coming here?

Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] Right. All that's being withheld
until you sign the title over to her.

-Do you understand?
-Okay.

[Judy] Great. Okay.

So now, you're gonna have
five days to get your car.

[Honesti]
Um, Your Honor...

And I'm-I'm awarding her
on her counterclaim...

You got your property back.
I'm awarding her on her counterclaim.

So far, $100
'cause that's what you owed her...

on the car.

And it was done a few weeks ago.

The car is there. Within five days
with a Marshal go and pick up your car.

Do you understand?

Okay. Within five days of today's date,
she's coming to pick up the car

with a Marshal.
Don't do anything to the car.

Because you're not getting any cash
until she has the car.

-Okay. Got it.
-Got it? Perfect.

We was at the park first,
which I can pull up the video

and show you
we was at the park first.

I did not hit her first.

She walked up to me because...

In the video you're gonna hear my friend
saying, "Turn around, turn around."

She hit me...

May I see your video
where she hit you first?

[theme music playing]

[narrator] Honesti Butler claims
her former friend, Walterria Flowers,

owes for the cost of a car
and stolen property.

Walterria is countersuing for the balance
of the car and an as*ault.

Now, let's get to your counterclaim.

I've already given you
the remainder owed on the car,

which is $100.

But now, your counterclaim
is about an as*ault.

-Tell me when this as*ault took place.
-Um, it took place on June 3rd.

And what day did you retrieve the car?
Just for my memory.

Um, it was June 4th. Well, it was, like,


-Okay. So, it was right after this fight.
-[Walterria] Yes, ma'am.

Okay. So,
why don't you tell me what happened?

Um, me and her, after, you know,

we got into the little argument
about the car,

I blocked her on everything
and I just told her what she owed me.

So, she proceeds to threaten me,
saying she would be at my house

in my car, her and her cousin.

-So, me and my... Yes, ma'am.
-Can I see what you're talking about?

Did she tell this to you
on the phone or in texts?

-In text messages.
-[Judy] I'd like to see the texts.

Um, I have a voice recording
of her saying it.

[Judy] Oh, yeah,
I'd like to see... That's even better.

Even though I'm deaf, it's even better.

Now, is this argument,
by the way, why you're looking for it,

this argument was about
the balance due on the car?

Um, yes, ma'am.

It was something before that,
but then it led to the car.

-I guess it's the service in here...
-You don't have service.

If you don't have service on the phone
so I can hear it, I'll look at the texts.

[Walterria]
Okay. Okay. Right here.

Okay, yeah, that's it.

-Thank you.
-[Cassandra] Mm-hmm.

Okay. So I... Before I read these,
I gather from the plaintiff

there was an incident
that preceded June the 3rd.

Yes, ma'am.

Okay, and tell me
on what date that incident was.

Okay. June 3rd we got into this...

Well, I know what happened on June 3rd,
but that was about the car.

Oh, no, ma'am, it was earlier that day

that we was talking about
whatever happened.

[Judy] Okay, well,
why don't you tell me about that.

Okay, um, so it was something
going around on social media

about people being behind
a fake page or whatever.

So, I was exposed on a fake page,
she was exposed...

-[Judy] On a fake...?
-A fake Snapchat or something.

It was something like people saying
bad stuff about people on Snapchat.

-So...
-Do you understand that?

Uh, no.

[Walterria]
Okay, so, it was, um, someone...

I thought it was a...
you know, a younger thing

and I just didn't understand it,
so that's...

-[Walterria] Okay, someone... Okay.
-Explain it to him.

[Walterria]
Someone made...

-You know Snapchat, right?
-Yes.

Okay, someone made a Snapchat that
nobody knows, like, who it belongs to.

They posted pictures of me on there,
saying, you know, bad stuff about me.

They posted something about her, also,
and about my baby's father

and, you know, other people.

So, Honesti texted one of the girls

that they thought it was behind it
and told them that it was me.

By me and her still being friends,
I was lost, like,

why would you text someone
that's not even friends with you

saying that it was me?

So, she said, um...

And I have it in a text message...
I mean, in the evidence.

She says that, um...
"And if I did said it, what?

Y'all shouldn't be behind
fake pages anyway.

Y'all too grown for that.
Keep me out of it."

So, I said, "To solve all that,
just pay me the money you owe me.

To make it fair, just pay the money
you owe me for the car.

And I sign over the title,
and we have nothing else to talk about."

Then I blocked her. So then,
she gets on Instagram and text me

and made a voice message about,
"Oh, I don't owe you such and such.

I'll be at your house when I get off
in your car, or whatever, to fight."

So, we uh, me and my friends
was at this park called Lonnie C.,

and Honesti came out there
and went live,

was on Facebook Live,
and I have the video,

uh, and was saying all kinds of stuff
on the Live about me towards me.

And that's when she came up to fight me.

-Like, at the park.
-Your Honor, that is not true.

-Yes, it is. I have the evidence...
-Okay... Did you...?

-Yes... [chuckles]
-[Walterria chuckles]

-Rumors were being spread, but...
-On the Internet?

On the Internet.
No one knows the source of the rumors.

And then there were some allegations
that maybe it was the defendant

-who was the source of the rumors.
-Right.

Said it's not true. Escalated.
And then started live-streaming a fight.

-[Walterria] Right. She did. Um...
-[exclaims] Whoo! Okay.

-You have the live stream?
-[Walterria] Okay.

-Okay, so we just hit the play.
-Yeah, on both of them.

Oh, my God.

[Cassandra]
You can hit that play button right there.

[Honesti on recording]
Liar, you a lyin'...

I got all the messages and don't call me
about no $700 because, b*tch,

I will be at your house
when I get off work.

h*, don't play me. I don't owe you
no $700 and you know I don't.

You better find you
somebody to play with.

b*tch.

[Judy]
Works and plays well with others.

Isn't that a check-off sign's place?

Okay, tell me what happened
when you met with each other.

I was at the park already,
me and my friends, the witness, um...

[Judy] What were you doing at a park?
How old are you?

-[Walterria] I'm 21.
-[Judy] What do you do for a living?

-Um, I'm in nursing school.
-How old are your children?

Eight months and two years old.

-Who do you live with?
-Just me and my boyfriend, we got a house.

[Judy]
Boyfriend the father of these children?

Yes, ma'am.

And you were at the park
with your friend with your children?

Oh, no, ma'am. It was just me,
my friend, and my other friends.

-They always have stuff at the park, so...
-Where were your children?

Well, one was in South Carolina and
the other one was with her grandmother.

Which one was in South Carolina?

[Walterria]
My two-year-old.

Who was in South Carolina?

I'm from South Carolina,
so my family is there.

-Who was the baby with?
-[Walterria] Oh, her godmother.

-[Judy] Why?
-Because she...

We just send her down there occasionally
to be with her godparents.

Okay, so you were at the park.
You went to the park.

No, ma'am, that is not true.

I was with my friends and my cousin,
and they had a graduation party.

My friends was there.
We went there after work.

We was at the park first,
which I can pull up the video

and show you we was at the park first.

They came to the park afterwards.
I did not hit her first.

She walked up to me because...

In the video you're gonna hear my friend
saying, "Turn around, turn around."

She hit me.

And I don't understand how it's as*ault

because as they're breaking up the fight,
none of the people I was...

May I see your video
where she hit you first?

I'd like to see that.

Okay.

That's terrible.

I don't understand it when women fight.

I can't understand when men fight either,
but you sort of expect it of them.

But I never understand how women
can do physical contact

with other women in anger.

All right, let me see what she's got.

[theme music playing]

[narrator] Honesti Butler
has accused her former friend,

Walterria Flowers,
of taking her car without permission.

Walterria is countersuing,
claiming Honesti assaulted her

after taking the car back.

She's gonna show me a video, Ms. Flowers.

-Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] And her video, according to her,

let me just get this straight,
is going to show you hitting her first.

-No, ma'am, it's not.
-[Honesti] It's not. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.
It's not gonna show her hitting me first.

But it's gonna show me walking
and my friend is going to be saying,

"Turn around, turn around."

When I turned around and, basically,
I dropped my phone, she hit me.

And that's when we went to fight.

But that's not going to be on the video.

You're kinda going to see it a little bit.

[Judy]
All right, I'll take a look at it.

[Honesti] Okay.

A little bit
is better than nothing, usually.

You have also things
that you want me to see on your phone?

-[Walterria] Yes, ma'am.
-Would you get them up, please, so...

-Oh, it's up there. Yes, ma'am. Okay.
-[Judy] Oh, yeah.

Thank you.

I have the fight right here.

Um, the sound is right there.
I already turned...

The only thing you have to play
is the play button.

Okay, while she's looking for hers,
I'm gonna take a look at this.

[indistinct chatter]

Oh... Get up, girl. Get up. Get up.
Y'all get up. Get up, girl. Get them up.

[Judy]
Who's the one on the ground?

I'm on the bottom. She's on top of me.

Hold on, let me pull her shirt down.

[unintelligible] Reset.

Get up, get up, get up.

Get up, get on...

[Judy]
That's terrible.

Hold on now, reset.

[Judy] I don't understand it
when women fight.

-Y'all where the... Reset, y'all.
-[Judy] It's just so...

[unintelligible]

Hold up. Man, they strong as...

[unintelligible]
Pull their head, pull their head.

I can't understand when men fight either,
but you sort of expect it of them.

But I never understand how women
can do physical contact

with other women in anger.

I can't understand it.
Not in anger, either.

All right, let me see what she's got.

[unintelligible]

Anything?

Turn around.

You got somethin' or not?

[unintelligible]

You got some?

[unintelligible]

Bye.

b*tch, she better come out here.

-[unintelligible]
-[Honesti] Oh, my God.

Give me the phone.
[unintelligible]

All right, b*tch be coming right here.

What the...?

Oh, my God.

b*tch.

Get up, girl. Get up. Get up.
Y'all get up. Get up, girl. Get them up.

[unintelligible]

Hold on, let me pull her shirt down.

Get up. Get up, get up, get up.

Mm-mm.

Looked to me like there were times
in that video when she was on top

and times when you were on top.

I never got on top.

[Walterria] She got me in the face and all
while I was down.

-I was never on top.
-Just a second.

Just a second.
Were you wearing the red pants?

-Pajamas. Yes, ma'am. That was me.
-[Judy] Yeah, you were in the red pants.

Right.

I'll take a look at your pictures.

It seems as if somebody else
who was in that mob,

and it was hard to tell,
was kicking somebody.

Your Honor, that was me.
I kicked her.

We were fighting and her witness,
she jumped me in the fight.

And she actually hit me in the head.

I love a person who tells the truth
all the time, right?

Thank you.

Oh. Okay.

Ladies shouldn't fight.

You shouldn't be
in the same place together

if you're not getting along together.

You don't go to the park together.

But this was a fight.

Looked to me from that video is...

that you were both
willing participants in that altercation.

So, I'm dismissing your counterclaim.

With the exception of the $100
that she owes for the balance of the car.

So in this case, the car is transferred
permanently to the plaintiff,

with her payment of $100.

Your counterclaim for as*ault
is dismissed.

You have two children.
Do you have kids?

-No, ma'am.
-[Judy] Okay, well...

Don't fight. It's not ladylike.

All right, we're done. We're done.

[Cassandra]
Court is adjourned.

It was not a bad car. It is now,
because I don't know what she did to it.

But it is not a bad car. But I'm
just glad she got it back out my hands.

I took good care of the vehicle.

I got it fixed multiple times,
and almost $27,000...

I meant, $2,700
into getting the car fixed.

It's just messed up, like,
drivable and everything.

She told me that she reported it stolen
since it was in her name.

But she actually had kept a spare key

and she came to my yard at like 3:00 a.m.,
I believe she said,

and she just drove off with it
while I was sleep.

I guess because she's immature
and some people just do immature things.

We are no longer friends.

I think what we saw in there
was two women square up,

get into a fight.

Obviously, no one wants to see it.

A terrible result.

But you play stupid games,
you win stupid prizes.

And the court is not going to step in
and figure out what happened here.

Yeah, you're right. You're right.

People generally shouldn't fight.

I always find it unnerving
when I see women

who are supposed to be
triple-process thinkers, all women,

but especially somebody
with two young kids.

Take yourself out of harm's way.
Don't put yourself in harm's way.

But if you do, don't ask...
You're right.

Don't ask the courts for help.

-Absolutely.
-Thanks.

[narrator]
Have you been cheated?



[theme music playing]