01x73 - Magnet Madness/Wellness Center Controversy

[bunniefuu]

[Judge Judy] Beware,

accident looking to happen.

This piece flew off
and damaged their car.

I can't recall.

Actually we took a picture.

I can't confirm or deny
that I was there.

[Tina] You can see him driving.

[announcer] This is Judy Justice.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Tina and Chad Fellows

are suing business owner
Andree Mock for car repairs

after his sign hit Tina's vehicle.

[Kevin] Court come to order, all rise.

Be seated, please.

Hello, Judge.

Case number 1145,
Fellows versus Mock.

- Thank you, Kevin.
- You're welcome.

Mr. Mock, what kind of business
do you have, sir?

I do power washing
and leaf blowing bag,

as well as snow blowing.

[Judge Judy] Do you have
a regular car or a van that you use?

I have a...I have a truck.

[Judge Judy] And you have signs
on your truck.

- [Andree] Yes.
- [Judge Judy] And on April 9th, 2021,

you had signs on your truck
that were magnetic?

[Andree] I don't recall.

At that time, I...I may have.

But since then,
I have went to...to stickers. So

Okay, but you did have magnetic signs
on your truck.

At some point, uh, yes.

[Judge Judy] And you had those signs
on both sides of your truck?

- Correct.
- How large are they?

[Andree] I'd say about 18 by 12 inches.

And those signs say the name
of your business?

- Correct.
- [Judge Judy] And they say

the telephone number,
how to contact you?

- [Andree] Correct.
- [Judge Judy] So you're advertising.

- [Andree] Correct.
- [Judge Judy] Do you remember the date

in April when this incident happened?

According to?

- According to them.
- [Andree] I don't.

- [Judge Judy] You don't?
- No.

[Judge Judy] But do you remember
at some point on or about April 9th,

you checked and you were missing
one of your magnetic signs.

At some point in April, yes.

[Judge Judy] And that's because
according to Mr. and Mrs. Fellows,

they're driving along and one of those
magnetic signs from your car

went flying off your car
and hit the mirror of their car,

damaged their mirror,
they want you to pay for the mirror.

That's what this whole
geschichte is about, right?

And they don't look like crazy people,
and you don't look like a crazy person.

So, at some point, what they did,

according to their complaint, Mr. Mock,

is they drove up...
'cause they're on a highway,

and they drove up next to your car

and they wrote down the number
from the magnet that hadn't flown off.

So far, correct?

- Actually, we took a picture.
- [Judge Judy] Took a picture?

- Great. Can I see it please?
- [Tina] He has a magnet

on the other side, too. Yes.

[Judge Judy] Yeah, great.

A photograph makes it so much easier.

I got it. This is your sign, sir?

- [Andree] Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Great.

[Tina] And you can see him
in the picture, as well.

[Judge Judy] Yes.

- Got it. Okay?
- Okay. Uh-hmm.

[Judge Judy] And, so that's how
they got your information.

- [Andree] Okay.
- And then they called you?

Not immediately, no.

But at some point,
they did make contact with me.

[Judge Judy] Okay.

And after you say
that you were startled

by something flying off
and hitting the mirror,

which could've been
much more dangerous,

these things that [indistinct]
and dangerous.

Everybody should be on alert,

they can fly off.

Beware, accident looking to happen.

You examined your car
and what did you find?

We found that there was a piece
on the mirror that was broken.

I have a picture of that as well.

- [Judge Judy] I'd like to see it.
- Here it is.

And I would like to say the reason
we didn't call right away,

um, when I have a chance.

[Kevin] Here, Judge.

[Tina] You can see the magnet
that's stuck in the mirror there.

Oh, gee whiz.

[Andree] Your Honor,
may I see those as well?

- [Judge Judy] Absolutely.
- Uh-hmm.

Absolutely. [chuckles]

And we had emailed these
to the defendant, Your Honor.

Did you ever see them?

And we exchanged emails
as far as that goes.

I actually seen the...
the picture of...of...of me

but I did not see the other ones

and as I was attempting to receive
counsel myself,

as far as those goes, I asked...

...them to, uh

- actually...
- That's your sign in their mirror.

And we actually have the sign.

- [Judge Judy] That's a piece?
- We have the piece of the sign as well.

- [Judge Judy] Oh. Kevin, could you...
- [Andree] So I asked them to send me

- these pictures
- Just a second.

Would you show that to Mr. Mock,

while you're there
so you don't have to make two trips.

Got it?

- Yup.
- [chuckles] Okay.

So you see, they come prepared.

- [Andree] Right.
- Judy] Great.

So, these are the photographs
of your sign in their window.

This is clearly your sign.

It looks like it.

[Chad] You can see the little
tree match to the picture.

[Judge Judy] I...I see it.

Of course he sees it.

Okay. And how much is this going
to cost to fix the mirror?

He's responsible for that, he knows that.

The written estimate we finally received
from the dealership

where I bought the car was $726.11.

- I have an estimate.
- May I see?

- What kind of
- [Tina] And I also do have a reason

that we had an initial different price,

um, so it was kind of a long saga.

[Judge Judy]
And what year car is it?

It's a 2020 Subaru Crosstrek,

my very first brand new car I ever bought.

[Judge Judy] [indistinct]
mirror assembly, glass and trim.

[Chad] Which it has the blind spot
sensor in the mirror.

- [Judge Judy] Yeah.
- That's why it's so expensive.

[Judge Judy] So you're entitled
to have a perfect mirror.

You don't have to have it fixed
and polished up,

it's a brand new car.

[Judge Judy] Okay. Now you're gonna
tell me why you waited

and why you gave him a lower estimate?

[Tina] So, when it first happened,
of course we didn't know.

We're driving, you know,


I got...we're past that already.

- [Tina] So didn't know it was damaged...
- We're...we have...

we have confirmed liability.

- Okay.
- Do you...do you understand that?

We have confirmed liability.

This came off of your car, you're liable.

Period.

Based on the dates
that they gave you, I...

- [Judge Judy] Period.
- ...can't confirm or deny that...

- [Judge Judy] I...just a second.
- ...that I was there.

[Judge Judy] [chuckles] You don't have to
confirm or deny.

[Andree] Or what date they came.

That's what I'm here for.

That's what they pay me
all this money for.

- [Andree] Right.
- [Judge Judy] I'm telling you,

there are two parts of a civil case,

whether you're responsible for something

and if you are responsible for it,

what the damages are.

That's the two parts of a civil case.

They've already, in my judgment,

met their burden to show
that on the 9th of April,

this piece from your car

on the other side flew off

and damaged their car,

so liability is finished.

I...have something to say. So April 9th,

can you ask them to confirm at what time?

Because I'm a...I'm a...
I'm a school teacher as well.

- So I own my own business
- [Judge Judy] Listen to me.

You're in the car, sir.

You're in the car.

Right. So my magnet
did fall off the car

but that doesn't necessarily state

that my magnet came in contact
with their car

and that's just not...uh, I mean,
I...I don't...I think it's not

[Judge Judy] Mr. Mock,
I don't care what you think.

If you're a school teacher,
I'm worried for the kids.

I've explained it to you
very carefully, Mr. Mock.

I've explained it to you.

This, plus this,

plus this, establishes your liability.

- Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] Period.

The only question is damages.

Now, in this case, the car is a new car.

If the mirror was at all damaged,

they're entitled to have a new mirror.

- And which I tried to do.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

- Just a second.
- Okay. Go ahead.

[Judge Judy] So what I've said to you is

two parts, liability, damages.

How do I know for sure,

it was your sign that came off your car

that they retrieved from their mirror

that looks exactly like your sign
on April 9th.

How do I know that?

I know that because it's common sense

and the law is not supposed to be an a*s.

Teach that to your children.

- That's right, thank you.
- [Judge Judy] Okay?

So the question is one of damages.

- [Tina] Okay.
- Now you were going to tell me,

Ms. Fellows, without any drama,

and without any hearsay,

why it took you time to call him.

- Okay.
- And why you initially gave him

a lower estimate.

[Tina] Okay. We were on our way
to our church meeting

so when we got there,
we saw the damages.

So, the next day,
we called Germain Subaru

and my husband tried to explain
over the phone what the part was.

At that time, the person thought
that they knew...

[Judge Judy] Don't tell me you see you...
now you're telling me hearsay.

Okay. They said...
they said it's [indistinct]

And you can't...you can't do that.

- You can't do that.
- [Tina] But, um, I'm just trying

to explain why with the hesitation.

- Okay.
- So they have shown...

- So he had...just a second.
- ...it was a $20 part.

You keep trying to talk
faster to me, Ms. Fellows,

but what I'm telling you
is whether you talk faster or not,

I'm not paying attention
to what you're saying

- that involves hearsay.
- All right.

Now, if what you're telling me
is that the first time you took the car

into Germain Subaru
which is where you purchased the car

and they gave you this estimate,

it was the first written estimate
that you got,

I accept that.

Don't tell me, "I...because my husband
spoke to somebody on the phone,

they described what the problem was,

they gave him an estimate of..."

You can't do that.

- Okay.
- [Judge Judy] That's hearsay.

- [Tina] Okay.
- [Judge Judy] So, the next day,

you took it into Germain Subaru, okay?

And you called the defendant.

So that would've been the 10th or 11th.

[Tina] The first time we called him,
I left him a very detailed message.

- [Judge Judy] What day?
- [Tina] He did not...

- He never called me back.
- What date?

What date?

April 10th.

Did you not call her back?

[Andree] I did not receive a phone call

nor a voicemail from, from, from her.

[Judge Judy] Okay. Then I don't have
to deal any further with this case, sir...

Then you have to pay for new mirror...

- [Andree] No.
- [Judge Judy] ...$726.11.

[Andree] Now, after that, we did have
a conversation over the phone.

[Judge Judy] Okay.
Well after that, let's be clear.

She said she left you a detailed message.

- [Andree] Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] Whether you received

that message and decided to blow it off,

I don't know.

But I guarantee you that the next
communication,

she initiated.

- Yes, Your Honor.
- [Judge Judy] Right?

- [Andree] Correct. Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] Right.

And the next communication,

you did answer the phone
or you called her back?

[Andree] No, I answered the phone.
I believe so, right?

- Yes.
- Is that...yeah. Uh, yeah.

- [Judge Judy] Yes.
- [Andree] Uh-hmm.

[Judge Judy] And the two of you spoke.

- Right.
- [Judge Judy] Is that when she gave you

a lower estimate?

I don't recall but she did give me details

about her taking pictures
and, um, my magnet.

Did she tell you she took the car
into Germain?

[Andree] I...I can't...I can't recall but...

[Judge Judy] Then I'm gonna go back
to what I said five minutes ago.

Judgment for the plaintiff
in the amount of $726.11.

- Ma'am?
- Thank you, Your Honor.

Uh, the first initial estimate was $240...

We're done.

We're done, Mr. Mock.

We're finished.

Do you understand?
Do you understand?

- Two things, just pay attention
- [Andree] And I also...

...and what you have to teach
your students if you're a teacher is

when something happens,

that is more your fault

- than somebody else's fault...
- [Andree] To be liable.

[Judge Judy] ...what you're supposed
to do is take responsibility...

- [Chad] Correct.
- [Judge Judy] ...and not stand here

and say, "Well, I'm not
a hundred percent sure

that it was the 9th,

whether that I had the decals on,
I'm not exactly sure."

And then she calls you,
leaves you a detailed message,

you don't call her back,

she has a repair estimate from Germain.

- They are a reparative
- [Andree] May I see that?

[Judge Judy] Absolutely.

And I've...I've...
I've tried to call this guy

and he hasn't returned my phone calls.

I don't know whether that's true
or not and I don't care.

You told her that the name
of your business

was Inner Movement Wellness,
a professional corporation?

[Veronica] Okay. I told her
I needed an expert to help me

- because it was very...
- No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no,

no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[suspenseful music playing]

[announcer] Tina and Chad Fellows
claim business owner

Andree Mock owes for car repairs

after his sign hit Tina's vehicle.

[Judge Judy] Now, all you have to do sir

is either you have an expert here

or you have for me something

that is the cost price of a new mirror

for a 2020 Subaru automobile.

I don't have to have
that evidence, you did.

And if you wanna dispute this, do it.

You can't tell me I tried to call him
and he didn't call you back.

- That's ridiculous.
- [Andree] Your Honor.

We're done here Mr. Mock.

- It's a ridiculous
- [Kevin] Court is adjourned.

- [Andree] It was
- [Judge Judy] It's...you are taking

- a ridiculous position.
- [Andree] It was $240 at first...

We're...we're finished.

- [Kevin] Court is adjourned.
- Outside.

With the one we got over the phone,

the person didn't understand

what part we were talking about.

It...it went from $20 to $240, to $250.

And so then they gave the...
the cost for just the part,

the final estimate was for the parts
and labor, everything.

It's like a, uh, a $500 difference
between the two estimates. So...

And we wouldn't have had to go that far

if I didn't have to take him to court
and get that evidence.

This is the first time
I've ever seen those pictures.

So, if that would've been the,
uh, the case back then...

It really was his.
I mean, we took the picture,

you can see him in the car
when we took the picture.

I definitely would've took
the responsibility

and accepted the fact that I was...that...

that...that my magnet did that damage.

And we were not trying to inflate the cost
or anything like that.

It was just an honest thing
of going back to the dealership

and getting that complete estimate.

[Sarah] So that case reminded me
of a lesson I learned from my father,

which was, "If it's more your fault
than my fault,

just take ownership,
take responsibility,"

and that came after I got into
an accident on the highway

where someone hit my car

and I came home and said to dad,

"Dad, it wasn't my fault.
It wasn't my fault."

And he said, "Hold on, hold on.

Is it more your fault than my fault?

Because I was at home watching a movie.

So, would you say that I have to deal
with this or you have to deal with this?"

And I said, "You know what?
You're right."

And I think this is a good case of that,
is even if it's not your fault.

- Intention.
- [Sarah] It's not your intention...

It's not your intention.

[Sarah] ...you still need
to take responsibility.

[Judge Judy] Listen [indistinct] it

may not be your intention,

but the damage was your fault.

You chose to put on these magnets
instead of decals

but they can be dangerous

and if they damage
somebody else's property,

like here, there's no question
of liability.

- [Sarah] Yeah.
- The question was damages

and it's a brand new car,

they're entitled to have
a brand new mirror.

- I agree.
- [Judge Judy] That's it.

Your father's right.

Case number 1147,
Sanchez versus Sharif.

All parties, please step forward.

[announcer] Veronica Sanchez

is suing tax preparer Darlene Sharif

for the cost of legal document services

and the loss of revenue.

Ms. Sanchez, what kind of business
were you starting?

I was purchasing a chiropractic
and acupuncture business.

Were you purchasing it from someone
who had an existing practice?

[Veronica] Correct. The existing practice
was a chiropractor

and I am an acupuncturist,

so I had to purchase it
from a chiropractor.

And was the chiropractor retiring?

Chiropractor was leaving the state.

So in effect,
you were taking over his lease.

[Veronica] No, because
since I'm an acupuncturist,

and they're a chiro,
I did not purchase the business.

I was purchasing the goodwill
so I started a brand new lease.

What was the name of her...
the business?

[Veronica] Her business was called
Inner Movement Wellness,

a Chiropractic Corporation.

How much did you pay her
for the name Inner Movement Wellness?

[Veronica] I paid $220,000.

And you signed a new lease
with the landlord?

- Correct. I...I have the lease, yes.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

But now instead of Inner Movement
Wellness, a Chiropractic,

it's Inner Movement Wellness
and Acupuncture,

A Professional Corporation.

Were you represented by an attorney

in this $220,000...

- Yes.
- ...negotiation?

Yes.

[Judge Judy] And the name
of that attorney was what?

[] Lee.

[Judge Judy] How much did you pay Mr. Lee?

We together paid him $6,000.

[Judge Judy] When?

[Veronica] June 7th.

- [Judge Judy] Of this year?
- Correct.

[Judge Judy] And you signed
the lease when?

[Veronica] June 1st.

[Judge Judy] Now, you retained
the defendant to file papers for you

so that you could start to do business

as Inner Movement Wellness,

only you had to change it
to an acupuncture.

Is it a corporation or an LLC?

Um, the, the acupuncture board says
it has to say,

"a professional corporation."

[Judge Judy] Okay.
And when you hired the defendant...

she's not a lawyer,
she just prepares papers.

[Veronica] Well, she had done
my son's nonprofit.

- And you know she was not a lawyer.
- [Veronica] Correct.

- [Judge Judy] Mr. Lee was your lawyer?
- Correct.

[Judge Judy] So, she was supposed
to file to get papers for you

so that you could start your business.

So I can open up a bank account
and start my business, yes.

On what date did you make
initial contact with her,

- with regard
- On or about, um, May 3rd or 4th

but I went into her office
on May 7th and...

[Judge Judy] Okay.
This is what your case is about.

We're gonna go step-by-step.

Went into your office on May 7th,

you signed the lease on June 1st.

- [Darlene] Correct.
- [Judge Judy] You say the paperwork,

because of her negligence,

was delayed several months

so that you paid rent for June and July.

Did you ever get the paperwork
from the state?

- [Veronica] Yes, I did.
- On what date?

[Veronica] June 30th,

I received a workable S corp,

but to this date,
I don't have a DBA, to this date.

[Judge Judy] Just a second.

So, her work got you the paperwork

that you needed to work by June 30th.

[Veronica] But she had promised
to expedite it.

She didn't promise to expedite it.
Madam, it's COVID.

Nobody is working.
You can't even get a license plate.

So, what you're suing for is the return
of what you paid her, right?

Despite the fact
that you got your paperwork.

- [Veronica] Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] And for your potential

lost income for a month.

[Veronica] Actually, I'm only asking
for just three days,

not the whole, uh, month of June.

She's not paying you for that.

- [Veronica] Okay.
- Just understand this.

She's not paying you
for your potential lost income.

[Veronica] Uh-hmm. Well,
I paid three times the normal going rate.

My accountant was gonna do it for 800...

[Judge Judy] Listen, you can't tell me
what your accountant's gonna do it for.

- [Veronica] Well, no, it's a going rate.
- You can't...just a second.

And you can't tell me
what the going rate is,

- we don't have experts here.
- [Veronica] Well I...I Googled it.

[Judge Judy] What I'm...
I don't care what you Googled.

What I'm telling you is,

if you can establish
some sort of negligence on her part

and it has to be a serious negligence,

most you can get is
some sort of a refund from her.

- [Veronica] Well I tried to
- If she...don't, don't speak.

Just listen.

Because she got you
what you asked for.

- [Veronica] Uh-hmm.
- She got you the ability

to work in a business

in a relatively short period of time.

Now, the only thing
that I want you to show me

is you filled out paperwork on May 7th.

- [Veronica] Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] I would like to see

the paperwork that you filled out
with her in the office

because you say that,
because of her negligence,

- that paperwork came back once.
- [Veronica] Uh-hmm.

- It came back three times.
- Okay.

Well, it came back three times.

So let me see what you filled out
the first time.

- Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] No, no,

don't give me three letters.

I wanna see what you filled out with her.

May I see that, please?

So you went to her office
and you told her

that the name of your business was
Inner Movement Wellness,

A Professional Corporation?

- That's what
- Okay.

I told her I needed an expert to help me
because it was very...

[Judge Judy] No. No, no, no, no, no, no,

no, no, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no.

It went directly to Ms. Sanchez?

- [Darlene] Yes, it did. And she
- [Judge Judy] Well, can I see it?

Does somebody have it?

I do have this but since
she was going through

a third party, LegalZoom,
which I could've done myself.

[Judge Judy] Listen, you have
to understand something.

I don't care.

[announcer] Veronica Sanchez
claims tax preparer

Darlene Sharif owes for the cost
of legal document services

after making several mistakes.

[Judge Judy] Now, you have to understand,

- this is what it's all about.
- [Veronica] Uh-hmm.

[Judge Judy] You tell her
what the name of your business is.

- This is a business
- But if she's a...

but if she's an expert and is supposed
to be able to help somebody

who doesn't know anything about this,

she's also supposed to guide me

- and she didn't guide me correctly.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

So, Ms. Sanchez, you told her
that the name of your business...

- because you bought for $220,000.
- [Veronica] Uh-hmm.

[Judge Judy] Inner Movement Wellness.

- Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] A Professional Corporation.

- And I also .
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

Actually, what I find fascinating is

you bought the goodwill
of a chiropractor

- who had been in the same location.
- Uh-hmm.

And you bought that goodwill

and the chiropractor did not have
an acupuncturist there.

There is an acupuncturist there.

Did that acupuncturist
come with you?

The acupuncturist continues
to work there, yes.

- With you?
- Yes.

[Judge Judy] How many people
work there?

I have 11 employees.

[Judge Judy] How many did you bring
with you?

- [Veronica] None.
- [Judge Judy] They were all there?

Yes.

Oh, now, I got it.

So, Ms. Sharif, did you get anything back
from the state

with regard to this application?

For the fictitious business name?

- [Judge Judy] Yes.
- No, it goes directly to my client.

[Judge Judy] It went directly
to Ms. Sanchez?

[Darlene] Yes, it did.

- [Veronica] And she
- Well, can I see it?

Does somebody have it?

Did they not accept it?

What is the current name of the company?

To answer your question
to the best of my ability,

on June 30th, I did get the S corp

and I do have

this but since she was going through
a third party, LegalZoom,

- which I could've done myself.
- [Judge Judy] Listen, listen, uh,

you have to understand something.

- I don't care.
- [Veronica] Okay.

If what she went through was LegalZoom

or any other app

that gives lay people an opportunity

to fill out paperwork

and if she decides to be an intermediary

between you and LegalZoom

or you and somebody else,

that's her business.

And if after it's all over, you say,

"Well, I could have filled out the same
paperwork so I want my money back."

- That doesn't happen. [laughs]
- No. That was

- [Judge Judy] That doesn't happen.
- That's not why I want my money back.

[Judge Judy] I don't know what you want.

You filled out these papers

and you have to show me
where she did something wrong.

Seems to me somebody
who's paying $220,000

for a practice keeps the same lawyer,

if they want a lawyer.

If you wanna do it on the cheap,

you do it on the cheap.

How much did she charge you for this?

She charged well above and beyond

[Judge Judy] No, don't chatter.

Twenty-six hundred dollars.

[Judge Judy] Okay.

So she charged you almost half of that

to get you the paperwork

to operate as a business

that sounds penny-wise
and pound-foolish to me.

The reason I'm short with you
is you got what you paid for.

You got the paperwork
and if my feeling is correct,

it may not be,

you're annoyed because you could've
done the same thing through LegalZoom.

That's not why...

Now I'm gonna see.

That's not why...
it's because she promised

expedited service and it took months.

You, you...no, it didn't take months

because once you fill it out and file it,

somebody's gotta look at it.

Now let me see the first letter.

No, don't give me three pieces of paper.

[Veronica] [indistinct]

[Judge Judy] Give me the first letter
that you got from them,

which is what she said you got

and initially you said you did not.

Okay. So, you have to understand,

this came to you on June 1st,

which means it took somebody
in Los Angeles County...

'cause this was sent in right away.

- Right.
- [Judge Judy] It took them...

- Uh-hmm.
- ...almost a month...

- Uh-hmm.
- ...to read it and respond to you.

- June 1st.
- [Judge Judy] And that's...just a second.

Just a second. That's not her fault.

- No, I agree.
- [Judge Judy] No, no, no. Great.

[Veronica] But had she done it right?
Had that been right,

I could've started then right there.

[Judge Judy] Shoulda, woulda, coulda.

- [Veronica] Uh-hmm.
- If my parents had been taller,

I may have been taller
than five feet tall,

- that's a possibility.
- [Veronica] And she [indistinct]

[Judge Judy] My brother is five foot nine.

I could've been five foot nine
and he could've been five foot tall.

That's a shoulda, woulda, coulda.

[Veronica] But also to promise expedited
service when somebody's, like,

struggling to purchase a business
and keep things going, you know.

Ms. Sanchez,
you have absolutely no case.

You were up and running for business
on June 30th,

according to you, is that correct?

Yes.

Now, the thing
that you don't have is a DBA,

which you have not received yet.

Well, so far you have something pending
with the Department of State,

- I assume
- Yes.

[Judge Judy]
...and that's doing business as.

- [Veronica] Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Listen,

I'm gonna tell you this.

If you hire somebody else,

and they're able to, during this time,

when people are not in state offices,

if you hire somebody else to get your DBA

and pay them,

you're free to come back to me and say,

"She was supposed to get me the DBA."

- Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] And she didn't,

- for whatever reason
- [Veronica] Uh-hmm.

[Judge Judy] ...I had to hire
somebody else and pay them.

Then I'll talk to you.

- [Veronica] Okay.
- Right now she has paid...

- Okay.
- [Judge Judy] ...to get you up

- and running in your business.
- [Veronica] Uh-hmm.

[Judge Judy] You have 11 employees
who have been working for you

for almost four months

as a result of this work that she did.

- Exactly.
- [Judge Judy] She got you

what you needed to conduct
your business.

[Veronica] But not timely.
But it wasn't timely.

- [Judge Judy] Goodbye, we're done.
- And it wasn't complete.

[Kevin] Court is adjourned.

Just unfortunate
during these COVID times,

when mom and pops
are trying to do their best.

I tell you, I really,
really worked hard on her case.

That we still have people
that wanna take advantage

and charge high prices.

But she's just...
was very persistent and...

And, uh, overcharge and under-deliver.

I'm sorry that she's unhappy.

And, um, waste people's time.

Judy Justice, she did me well.

[Judge Judy] You know, I actually
came away with two things.

I think that the plaintiff
was unreasonable.

The process was completed,

enabling her to work in less than 60 days.

That would be a reasonable period of time,

- even if it wasn't for COVID.
- Uh-hmm.

[Judge Judy] The defendant
enabled her through her work,

nobody else's work,

to hire and employ,

and make a living
within seven weeks of their meeting.

[Sarah] Yeah.
Almost impressive during COVID

- that it got done in that [indistinct]
- [Judge Judy] Almost impressive.

So she's being unreasonable

and I honestly believe

that her issue was that she could
have done the same thing

and filled out the same forms

as the defendant did for probably $200,

and the defendant charged her
either $2400 or $2600.

[Sarah] Yes [indistinct]

[Judge Judy] So, she felt as if
she was being scammed

because she could've done it herself.

- Well, that's on you.
- [Sarah] Yeah.

That's something you wanna look
into before you...

- Engage.
- [Sarah] ...before you...into...

before you engage with someone
for their services.

[Judge Judy] Engage somebody. Right.

And she knew she wasn't a lawyer

because according to her,

- she had done work for the family before.
- [Sarah] Uh-hmm.

[Judge Judy] I was unsympathetic.

I could tell. [chuckles]

[announcer] Are you a victim of a scam?



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