He repossessed it.
-You want your deposit back.
-Yes, ma'am.
-Did you have an accident with it?
-No, ma'am.
I received it like that.
[Garrett] There was a lot
broken on it, though.
And I feel like I should
at least get reimbursed for that.
I don't care what you feel.
[announcer]
This is Judy Justice.
[theme music playing]
[announcer] Lucas Shires is suing
his former friend,
Garrett Baker, for a motorcycle
deposit and breach of contract.
[Kevin]
Court come to order. All rise.
Have a seat, please.
Case 3135. Shires versus Baker.
-Thank you.
-You're welcome.
[Judy] Mr. Shires, how long
have you known Mr. Baker?
From now, I wouldn't be able
to give you a time,
but from when I bought the bike,
probably about four months.
[Judy] It is your claim that
you purchased a bike.
-A motorbike or a dirt bike?
-[Lucas] Motorcycle.
-[Judy] From Mr. Baker.
-Yes, ma'am.
[Judy] You gave him, when you
purchased it, a $2,000 deposit.
[Lucas] Yes, Your Honor.
And you were supposed
to make your first payment on...
[Lucas] November.
-November 1.
-[Lucas] Mm-hmm.
-[Judy] Of 2023.
-Mm-hmm.
[Judy]
The total purchase price was how much?
-$3,400.
-Where did you get the 2,000 from?
Um, I have, recently...
Uh, my apartment burned down,
so, I had some GoFundMe money,
and then, also, I had money
from a new job I just started,
-since...
-[Judy] Okay, just a second.
-Sorry.
-[Judy] Let's go back.
-Your apartment burned down.
-[Lucas] Mm-hmm.
-"Mm-hmm" is a "yes."
-[Lucas] Yes, ma'am.
That's an apartment
that you lived in alone?
Mm-hmm. Yes, ma'am.
[Judy] That was a rental.
[Lucas] Yes, ma'am.
Where did you go
after your apartment burned down?
I was living with my mom
for a few weeks.
-[Judy] And then?
-[Lucas] And then I moved in
with my friend,
moved into his house.
Okay, so, you went back
to live with your mother.
-[Lucas] Mm-hmm.
-"Uh-huh" is not an answer.
Yes, ma'am. Sorry.
And when did you start
this GoFundMe page?
Um, I was not
the one that started it.
-I was...
-[Judy] Who did?
-My aunt.
-What did she start it for?
My insurance ran out
in the apartment two weeks before.
I thought I had insurance,
but I didn't.
-So, you didn't have renters' insurance.
-[Lucas] I did not.
[Judy] Okay, so, it was to replace
the items that you had lost...
-Yes, ma'am.
-...in the apartment.
-Mm-hmm.
-[Judy] Any furniture, clothes...
-Is that what it was for?
-Mm-hmm.
And how much was raised
on the GoFundMe page?
A little under $3,000.
[chuckling] So, of the $3,000,
good-hearted, good-natured people
gave you,
to replace the items
that you had lost
so you could
continue to live,
you bought a motorcycle.
Not all of it. I would say...
-[Judy] Well, you took...
-I probably...
$2,000 of it.
Two-thirds of it.
-[Lucas] Well, I...
-And you put it down on a motorcycle.
I'm sorry I didn't say more.
In the bank statements I have,
I started a job.
And I bought the motorcycle, like,
a couple of months after
my apartment burned down.
So, I probably used
around $2,000 on clothes
and to help me get back up on my feet.
So, I have bank statements
from being paid for my job.
Around $1,400 I pulled out
for the bike.
So, yeah, the remainder $500 cash
would've been, yes, from the GoFundMe
and then August.
First payment on the motorcycle
was due November 1st, 2023.
You did not make
that payment.
No, ma'am.
[Judy]
And the defendant repossessed your bike.
-Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] But it wasn't your bike yet,
because he retained the title
until it was fully paid.
-You want your deposit back.
-Yes, ma'am.
And you had the bike a total of,
I think, about four weeks.
-Is that right?
-Yes, ma'am.
[Judy] Mr. Shires, in the four weeks
that you had the bike,
did you have an accident
with it?
-No, ma'am.
-Did you ever tell anyone
that you had had some sort
of an accident with the bike?
-No, ma'am.
-[Judy] Is it your testimony
that when Mr. Baker
repossessed the bike,
it was in the same condition
as it was when you got the bike
four weeks before?
Yes, ma'am... Except for, maybe,
tires got worn down a little bit,
but they were already
really bad tires.
[Judy] So, the only damage
was the tires.
Yeah, but I received it
like that.
Okay. Mr. Baker says he repossessed it
because you were late with your payment.
He went to get it
and you gave him $50.
Well, may, I say, um,
he said I could be late.
I called on the first,
when I was in Kentucky.
[Judy] What were you doing in Kentucky?
I was, uh, visiting family.
-[Judy] Why?
-It was just a family trip.
My aunt and my mom rented
a cabin and they wanted me to tag along.
And I tagged along
and I was just visiting my aunt.
Okay. And you called him
and told him
-that you were gonna be late.
-He texted me on the first.
-He said, "Yeah."
-[Judy] On the first. "Where's my money?"
He just said, "Yo."
So, I called him and told him
about where I was.
I did say on the phone call,
I did say that I would...
If he was upset
and wanted to be paid today,
I would have my aunt
send the money digitally.
And I said, but it would work best
for me if I paid him in cash
when I got back into town in a few days
and worried about it then.
[Judy] And what did he say?
He said, "Call me when you
get back into town."
And that was all
that was in that phone call.
Okay, and when did you get
back into town?
-On what day?
-[Lucas] I got back into town
November 2nd, November 3rd,
in the middle of the night.
Okay, and what happened next?
Um, I woke up on the third
around 1:00 PM.
And as I woke up,
I was in my pajamas.
I hadn't texted Garrett
at all or anything.
And I'd woken up,
and as I woke up,
I went to the living room
and I saw Garrett was in the driveway
with his... another motorcycle...
and, um, he was walking
up to the door,
so, since I saw him,
I went to the front door to answer
and I answered the door
-and, um...
-Be careful. Let's go very carefully
and very slowly,
Mr. Shires.
You answered the door...
So, I answered the door
and he asked me,
uh, if I would like
to go riding on my motorcycle.
He asked me where
my motorcycle was
and asked if I'd like
to go out on a ride
and said it was a nice day.
And I explained to him that
the motorcycle was at my work currently
and the keys were stuck up
in Columbus
so I couldn't go riding.
What was it doing
at your work?
It was just sitting there.
So, what it is
is my keys were on
some keys that got totaled,
and, so, they totaled this car
and moved the keys to Columbus,
and, so, I didn't have
the key to the bike
for, like, two weeks,
or a week or two.
-And so...
-Go through that slowly again.
Now, I would like to see
the photographs
that you say
were damaged,
because at this point,
you owe him $2,000.
-I don't think I do.
-Well, I don't care what you think.
What you think
is irrelevant.
[announcer]
And later today...
This game, what's it called?
-Ding-dong-ditch.
-Ding-dong..?
-Ditch.
-Would you explain to me
what "ding-dong-ditch" is?
-Ding-dong-ditch is where...
-Look at me.
[theme music playing]
[announcer]
Lucas Shires claims his former friend,
Garrett Baker, owes for the cost
of a motorcycle
after he wrongfully
repossessed it.
Garrett is countersuing, claiming Lucas
damaged the motorcycle.
The key to the motorcycle...
Was on my car keys
that I had at the time
and the car got totaled.
And, so, they moved the car
to Columbus
since it was totaled.
And they wouldn't...
They asked me
if I wanted to get my keys
off the totaled car's keys.
So, they were stuck in Columbus
for a week till I could go get them.
Did you tell that
to Mr. Baker?
-[Lucas] Um, yes.
-[Judy] That you didn't have keys to it
and the bike was sitting
at your workplace.
Mm-hmm. Yes, I told him
that in person
and over texts
after that date.
[Judy] I'd like to see the texts.
Right there.
[Judy] On what date, sir,
did you repossess the bike?
November 3rd, ma'am.
Now, I would like to see
the photographs that you say
were damaged
because, at this point,
you owe him $2,000.
-I don't think I do.
-Well, I don't care what you think.
What you think is irrelevant.
I have no idea
what these pictures are.
There is no way I have any idea
what these pictures are.
Um, that's the side of the motorcycle
all scratched up.
I have no idea what this is.
Can I see a picture?
-Um...
-[Judy] Did you take a picture?
Those were the pictures I took.
-I could show you off my cellphone.
-That's what I want.
I would like to see the whole bike.
Do you have a picture of the whole bike?
I have a picture of the bike
from when I had it.
It's not damaged at all.
[Judy] I'll see your picture
and I'll see his.
Whole bike.
Okay. Now, do you have
a picture of the whole bike, sir?
[Garrett] Yes, ma'am.
This is the day you got it
or when?
Um, they're spread.
Uh, the middle photo is the day I got it.
The bottom and top are...
within that month,
probably a couple of weeks after.
-[Judy] Okay.
-I have a video.
I could show you.
It's half of the bike.
I'll take a look and see.
Those are useless.
I would assume that you'd have
a picture of the whole bike
to show me damage.
I have no idea
what that is.
[Garrett] I also have
individual pictures in there
of everything
that was damaged up close
that you could see
way more clearly.
No, that doesn't help me
at all.
There is a picture here
of the Kawasaki bike...
that looks just fine.
You didn't know
what you were showing me.
You were showing me a lot of junk,
but the bike is there.
-It's intact.
-Yeah, I mean, it wasn't like...
-The bike is there. It's intact.
-[Garrett] Yeah, it was intact.
Yeah, you're showing me tires
and broken pieces.
I don't know what you're showing me.
[Garrett]
There was a lot broken on it, though.
And I feel like I should at least
get reimbursed for that
because I feel like it would be
the right thing to do, honestly.
I don't care what you feel.
You can't go and take his bike
if he's two days late
and he's already given you
two-thirds of the purchase price.
Judgement for the plaintiff
in the amount of $2,000.
We're finished.
Thank you very much.
[Kevin]
This court is adjourned.
I feel pretty disappointed.
I feel like I should've been reimbursed
for the damages
on the motorcycle.
I did legally repossess it.
I'm happy with what happened today.
I'm so glad I was able
to get my money back
'cause I really needed
a vehicle at the time
and I felt like it was
all thrown away so fast.
There were scratches all over it.
Handlebars were bent.
And the tires... Needed new tires
and the headers were bent.
Just a bunch of little things
were messed up with it.
I didn't wreck the motorcycle.
No, there was no damage.
When it was at my work,
it was perfectly fine
underneath that cover.
Probably not riding together
or talking anymore.
Our friendship was ruined
whenever he stole the bike back.
I mean, after I bought the bike,
I offered to buy it in full.
If there was damages, I wouldn't
have wanted the bike back in full.
Why would I want
to pay for it still?
[Judy] You know, sadly, the only thing
I took away from this case was
the GoFundMe page.
Yeah, we've run into it
a lot this season
-with the GoFundMe pages.
-Not just this season,
since it started.
And there had to be
a perfectly reasonable,
logical and thoughtful purpose
in starting a GoFundMe page.
Mm-hmm.
You know,
people who are really in distress,
maybe, and that was the only avenue
to get some money to help them.
-Sure.
-But as with anything that's good,
people will always
find a way to scam it.
-Yeah.
-And you know what it does, Sarah?
It muddies the water
for all the people
-of good will.
-People who wanna do good.
-Yeah.
-People of good will say,
"Oh, this poor kid.
He lost all of his stuff.
-I'll send him 50 bucks."
-Mm-hmm.
"I'll send him $10."
But knowing that there's
no guarantee
of what that money
is gonna be used for.
Yeah, but they do it
of a generous nature.
I can't believe how many
generous people there are in this country.
-I know.
-Clearly not rich people...
-Mm-hmm.
-...to whom it doesn't matter.
No, but they really think
they're giving to a good cause,
-something that's...
-Something that's necessary.
The description in the GoFundMe
pulls at their heartstrings
or something,
and then you find out
he went and bought
a motorcycle instead.
Or went on a vacation
to the Bahamas.
-Yeah.
-Or didn't really have cancer.
-Sure.
-Or it...
-It's a slippery slope.
-It's just such a shame
that there are so many
evil people
who will take advantage
of a good thing.
Case 3127.
Olson versus Motile.
All parties,
please step forward.
[announcer]
Sandra Olson
is suing her neighbor,
Ashley Mutile,
for property damage caused by Ashley's
ten-year-old son.
Miss Olson, it is your claim
that the defendant's son,
who is ten years old,
damaged your front door.
Yes.
[Judy]
And while the defendant acknowledges
that her son damaged
the front door,
she says he has an excuse.
-Is that correct?
-Yes.
Okay. What's your son's name?
Kaiden Timothy.
Kaiden, you wanna
come up here, please?
I want a chair here.
Okay. Kaiden?
-[Kaiden] Yes.
-[Judy] You're ten.
Yes... Your Honor.
-You know who I am?
-Judge Judy.
[Judy] Did you ever watch me
on TV?
-No?
-
-Does your mom?
-My mom does.
[Judy] Your mom does.
So, you catch it every once in a while.
So, you know how important it is
to tell me
everything
that I ask you a question.
To be 100% honest.
-Yup.
-[Judy] Right?
-Yes, Your Honor.
-You go to school?
-[Kaiden] Yup.
-What grade are you in?
-Fifth grade.
-[Judy] How do you do in school?
I'm always on task
and I'm always doin' good.
Good.
Now, do you remember, Kaiden,
August of last year
when you were out
with some of your friends?
-Yes.
-How many friends were you out with?
It was five or six, probably.
-Were they friends of yours?
-Yeah, they were neighborhood friends.
Were you just out walking
or riding a bike?
[Kaiden] Riding a bike.
Were you all riding bikes?
Yeah, they were all
riding bikes.
[Judy] There's a game, a kid's game,
what's it called?
Ding-dong-ditch.
-Ding-dong...?
-Ditch.
Ding-dong-ditch? Would you
explain to me what ding-dong-ditch is?
-Ding-dong-ditch is where...
-Look at me.
Ding-dong-ditch is where
you kick or you knock on a door.
-On a stranger's door?
-[Kaiden] Yeah.
On a stranger's door,
and you ride your bike away
or run away.
Doesn't it seem fair
that you're responsible
instead of someone who caused
no damage to their own property?
-Not for $2,000.
-[Judy] I don't care
if it's $2,000
or $20,000.
That's what it cost her
to put in a new door.
[theme music playing]
[announcer]
Sandra Olson
claims her neighbor,
Ashley Mutile,
owes for door damages
after her ten-year-old son
kicked Sandra's door.
Okay. So, you know
about this game.
-Yeah.
-[Judy] And you knew about this game
-back in August.
-Yeah.
-Had you ever played it before?
-No. I just learned of it.
Did any of your friends play it before
that you saw?
No, I never seen them play it.
They just told me it's called
ding-dong-ditch.
Well, when they said,
"Let's go ding-dong-ditch,"
you knew what they meant.
Yeah, I knew what they meant,
but I never...
How did you know
what they meant?
'Cause I seen a video
on YouTube.
[Judy] So, I want you to tell me
exactly what you did.
You were riding your bike.
Did you hit the door with your bike
or did you hit the door
with your foot?
I hit the door with my leg.
Where was your bike?
My bike was parked
in the road.
[Judy] Okay, and you walked up
to this door.
[Kaiden] Yup.
And you kicked it.
Kicked it gently.
[Judy] Kicked it gently.
-Kicked it gently.
-And then what did you do?
I went back...
I went back home.
[Judy]
So, you got on your bike and rode...
Back home.
-Ride it back home.
-Back home.
Okay, now, the lady
who owns that door,
she didn't see you,
so, one of your friends
-ratted on you.
-Yup.
There you go. Do you know which
friend of yours ratted on you?
It was a girl
that ratted on me too.
-[Judy] A girl.
-A girl.
Now, when you got home,
who was home?
My mom and then
I just went back outside.
Just a second. You went home
because you had done this ding-dong...
-Ditch.
-Ditch.
You knew you did
something wrong, right?
-Yup.
-[Judy] Did you tell your mother?
-No.
-No.
I just went back outside.
[Judy] So, you went home,
went in the house.
-Yup.
-Stayed there for a little while.
-Yup, like five...
-Just a second.
So that in case somebody
followed you, you were home.
-Nobody followed me.
-[Judy] I know.
But if you went back outside,
what did you go back outside to do?
I just went back to the lady's house
and then the cop saw me.
Oh, so, you went back to her house.
Were the other kids there?
The other kids, um,
they told me that
they told on me
and the police saw me.
Okay. You can go back.
Okay. Now, I'd like to see
pictures of your door
and what this
lightly damaged door looks like.
I don't think it was kicked
lightly, Your Honor.
No, no. [laughs] That's not
what I'm saying, Miss Olson.
I was being facetious.
No. That's not a lightly
damaged door.
And when you heard this noise,
you went out and looked at the door
and you called the police,
is that right?
-[Sandra] No.
-What'd you do?
I asked the children
that were on their bikes...
[Judy]
"Who did it?"
[Sandra]
"Who did this?"
And none of them
spoke out.
So, then, I had to call
the police
and they took pictures
of my door.
And I got an incident report.
[Judy] Somebody, unfortunately,
or fortunately,
ratted out on your son.
There really is no explanation
or excuse for doing that.
-It's vandalism, right?
-Yes.
[Judy] Okay. And since
you're his parent,
as between you
and the plaintiff,
the financial responsibility
for fixing his damage
isn't with her,
it's with you.
[Ashley] Correct.
-[Judy] Okay.
-I do have something to add.
-[Judy] Okay.
-So, in my defense,
my son is only ten years old.
Um, I don't know how
his little foot
can make that much
of a damage to that door.
He was in a situation where he was
getting bullied by the other kids.
-[Judy] I don't know that at all.
-Yup.
Certainly, "A,"
he didn't tell me that,
and if you believe
that his actions
were a result of being
forced to do what he did,
then you can sue
the parents of those people
that you think
forced him to do what he did.
It sounded to me like
a very voluntary act
by a ten-year-old who was aware
of what the prank was,
who did it, and, then,
because he did it,
he ran home... which is
what a ten-year-old would do...
got in the house for a minute,
didn't tell you anything,
and then figured,
"Well, now I'll go back outside,"
and he went back
to where he had done it,
because that's where
his friends were.
And that's when he saw
the police.
And that's when everybody said,
"That's him. That's the one who did it."
Is anything that I'm saying
damaging to you?
They egged him on
to kick that door hard.
-[Judy] How do you know?
-Because I was told that by...
You can't tell me anything
that you were told.
-It's in the police report.
-[Judy] Then I'll take a look at it.
-Okay.
-And can I also see, please,
the bill for fixing the door?
Okay. It's in yellow.
Egging on and bullying
are two different things.
Oh, well, the police came
and spoke to you.
The police said that you agreed
to take care of the door
because your son admitted
to damaging the door.
-Correct, but...
-[Judy] Okay, that's all.
-Okay.
-How much did you pay to fix the door?
It's a custom door, so,
I had to pay $2,307,
which I'm still paying for,
-[Judy] So, you had the door fixed?
-Yes.
[Judy] So, there's this situation
between someone who is totally innocent
and who has been forced
to spend money,
which she clearly can't afford because
she's paying this door off by the month,
and you, who are his parent.
Doesn't it seem fair
that you're responsible
instead of someone who caused
no damage to their own property?
-Yeah, but...
-[Judy] Of course.
Not for $2,000.
I don't care if it's
$2,000 or $20,000.
That's what it cost her
to put in a new door.
-So...
-[Judy] You're an intelligent woman.
Sandra never reached
out to me either.
You mean she never
contacted you?
The conversation we had
after the police officer was there...
-Yes.
-[Ashley] My son apologized
for the incident that happened.
I never heard back from her
ever since that day.
She never reached out to me
to tell me how much the door cost
or what the damages were.
-[Judy] Just a second. Is that correct?
-At all.
No, I contacted her.
I said I would need restitution
for that door.
And she said
she was unemployed.
And we had a nice conversation.
Okay, so, is that the initial conversation
that you had?
You said you were unemployed
-or was that...
-Yeah, at the time. At the time, yes.
I was unemployed.
[Judy] Okay, are you working now?
-Yes.
-Great. $2,307.
Judgement for the plaintiff.
[Kevin]
This court is adjourned.
-The decision was made.
-It was honest and fair.
I'm sorry for what...
I made an awful decision.
I think he's an okay kid.
-No more ding-dong-ditch.
-No hard feelings.
Do you know that I think he was
absolutely an adorable little boy.
He was, and he even said,
you know, "It was a bad decision.
I wish I could have made
a different one."
But, you know, he's ten, so,
at least he can recognize that.
I thought he was intelligent
and truthful.
And there was no excuse
like there was in the answer...
-Uh-huh.
-...that he was being bullied.
-Mm-hmm.
-Clearly not bullied.
-You may be egged on.
-Pressured or egged on.
You may be egged on
at ten years old.
But more and more courts
are saying
parents are responsible
for the acts of their children.
-As they should be.
-Even sometimes
criminal acts
of their children
if you fail in parenting.
I don't think that this mom,
it was failed parenting.
I think that he's a good kid.
-Just a bad choice.
-It was just a bad choice.
Yeah, I agree.
[announcer]
Want justice?
[theme music playing]