01x107 - Rescue Dog Drama

[bunniefuu]

- You rescued a dog.
- Yes.

At that time, she said, "Hey, let
him stay with me, we're family."

She's not in the state to do it.

She's using drugs.

She was drunk every other night.

Where is he?

Where is it?

No, I'm talking now.

- I didn't pick up anything.
- Put him outside.

[announcer] This is Judy Justice.

Don't lie.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Saebreena Lilley
is suing her former stepmother,

Yvonne Rebouche for military
memorabilia

and the return of a Rottweiler.

[Kevin] Court come to order.
All rise.

Have a seat, please.

- [Kevin] Good morning, Judge.
- [Judge Judy] Good morning, sir.

Case number 1123, Lilley versus
Rebouche.

- Thank you.
- You're welcome.

[Judge Judy] Ms. Lilley, this case
involves the custody of a dog.

Correct, Your Honor.

The defendant is your former
stepmother.

Are you divorced yet?

Um, the divorce
is still in process, ma'am.

Okay. So she is still legally
your stepmother

but was married to your father.

You're in the military?

As of two weeks ago, I am officially
a veteran, Your Honor.

You were in the military, for how
long?

Yes. Uh, five years.

- [Judge Judy] What branch?
- Marine Corps.

And where were you stationed?

I was stationed
in Camp Pendleton, California

for the first couple of years.

From when to when?

Uh, from 2017 until 2019.

And then?

I was stationed
in, uh, Camp Mujuk, South Korea.

From when to when?



Sometime while you were in
California,

is California where you live?

No, ma'am. It's Texas.

While you were stationed in
California,

according to your complaint, in 2018,

you rescued a dog, an elderly dog.

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] How old?

At that time, we were unsure
and we're still unsure to this day.

We would...we were guessing
around eight to eleven.

- In 2018?
- [Saebreena] Yes.

- [Judge Judy] And it's a male dog?
- Correct.

- What kind? Rottweiler?
- Rottweiler.

Tell me where you got him from.

It's dog rehabilitation center

and it's located in Escondido,
California.

They pretty much rehabilitate dogs
that are on death row.

Rocky was one of them.

So you rescued him from there,

- in what month in 2018?
- [Saebreena] March.

[Judge Judy] Who were you living with
at that time?

At that time, I had government
qu...quarters assigned to me.

Was...the dog's name is Rocky,
right?

[Saebreena] Yes.

Rocky was living with you
in government quarters.

So I had government quarters
assigned... oops, sorry.

That's either a yes or a no.

No.

Where was Rocky living
starting in March of 2018?

Rocky and I were both living with
James,

who was the founder of DRCK9.

Well, you had government quarters
but you weren't living in them?

- Correct.
- And you and James were a couple?

No. I volunteered a lot at the
shelter.

Um, and so he offered me a room,

volunteered, did a lot of the work,

and I essentially
got to live there for free.

And when did you do
your Marine Core work?

Daily. So I would work, you know,
during the day, 8:00 to 5:00

and then from 5:00 to about
midnight,

I was doing the dog shelter.

And I assume that that situation
existed

until you were deployed

- to South Korea.
- Correct.

In what month were you deployed
to South Korea?

I left for South Korea June 2019.

[Judge Judy]
So at that point, you had Rocky

from March of 2018 to June.

June what were you deployed?

I left June 13th.

[Judge Judy]
So a year and a couple of months,

- Rocky was in your custody.
- Correct.

Between March of 2018

and June of 2019,

did you always live with Rocky
at the shelter?

Yes.

[Judge Judy] Now, tell me what
happened

when you were deployed to South
Korea.

So I had gotten my orders.

In what month did you get your
orders?

I received orders October 2018.

So at that time in October of 2018,

you would have the dog

- for just a few months?
- Yes.

[Judge Judy] When you knew
you were gonna be deployed in June?

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

So what did you do with the dog

to make preparations
for your deployment and when?

So, uh, because I was already
living with James

and he is the founder of the shelter
that I had rescued him from,

so I made the boarding preparations,

he was going to continue living
with James,

because that's where
he was comfortable with.

Um, when I brought up the plans
of me going to...

[Judge Judy] Hold on. Hold on one
second.

So you said he was...he was going
to continue to stay with James

because you said
he was most comfortable with him?

Most comfort...he was already
comfortable

- in that environment.
- [Judge Judy] Comfortable.

He was comfortable in that
environment.

- Yes.
- During that time,

that brief time
that you w-were with the dog,

there is some suggestion in your
complaint that the dog was sick.

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] When was that?

I can look through the vet records.

I believe it was June 2018.

So a few months after I had adopted
him, he needed surgery.

- And did you do that?
- I did.

Did the vet, when the vet did
the surgery on Rocky,

- estimate his age?
- Yes.

They estimated it
at about eight to ten years.

So they stayed in the range
that we were already at.

And that's in 2018?

- Correct.
- So, now Rocky might be



- I would say so.
- [Judge Judy] Just asking you,

do you know the lifespan of a dog

of Rocky's size?

Rottweiler? You check that for me,
Sarah.

From my knowledge, it could be
anywhere from 11 to 16 years.

Some can go longer,
some don't make it as long.

- How many?
- From Rottweiler HQ,

it says that they live
eight to twelve years around

is pretty good for a big dog.

- A larger Rottweiler.
- That's from Rottweiler...

- Uh-hmm.
- Okay.

So, Rocky's sort of coming

- to the end of his term.
- Yes.

So right now we're at the point
where you're going to South Korea,

you certainly can't take the dog
with you to South Korea.

I want you to tell me
how the dog segues

from the person who runs the shelter,

who said he would keep him

because you felt
as if he were more comfortable there

to your then stepmother's house.

So, when I had, uh, started
making all my plans,

uh, Yvonne and my dad were asking
about what are you...

what am I gonna do with Rocky.

At that time, I told him
he's gonna stay in California,

I'm gonna board him there, it's
easier,

I already know what the plan's
gonna be.

And I know that he's gonna be
taken care of.

At that time,
Yvonne had offered and she said,

"Hey, let him stay with me.

We're family, let's keep it
in the family

so if something happens,
he's already here."

After, you know,
some thought, deliberation,

and speaking with her and my dad,

uh, I did agree and I said,
"Okay, I'll be able to get him

as soon as I come back
and I have a place of my own

that I can bring him home."

You know, obviously if I don't have
somewhere to take him, I can't get

him. So she had offered and then I
let her know

if you have any requirements
as far as money,

if you need vet bills, food,
whatever it is,

please just let me know and I will
pay it.

Um, she said, "Nope, this is what
stepmothers are for.

Don't worry about it. We're good."

And then I continuously offered to
pay for her services,

you know, throughout the time
that he, he was with her.

And I have that evidence
if you'd like to see it as well.

[Judge Judy] Sh...just.

So you brought the dog
from where you were to Texas?

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Month and day

that you left Rocky at your dad

and your stepmom's house,
I want the month and the day.

June 8th.

[Judge Judy] Did you stay there with
him?

I did stay there for a few days

and then I went to go visit
my grandparents before I'd left

and I thought it'd be a good
opportunity

to make sure it was gonna be
something that worked.

Um, and then I was gone
for two or three days

and then I came back,
and then I left for South Korea.

But the dog consistently remained

in your father and stepmother's home

- after June 8th of 2019?
- Yes.

And the dog remains
in that same place today?

Yes.

It appears from the vet records,
in any event,

since you've been gone, that he's
been very well taken care of.

Well, I would assume that she would

because that was our agreement,
Your Honor.

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

I don't assume anything.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Saebreena Lilley

claims her former stepmother,
Yvonne Rebouche

refuses to return her Rottweiler

and her military memorabilia.

Okay. Other than the brief moment

that you saw the dog in 2021

when you went to the house
unannounced,

you have not seen the dog since the


- Correct.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

Between June 19th, 2019

and when you were discharged
two weeks ago,

I want you to tell me
other than that brief visit,

when was the last time you had
communication with the defendant,

that you can show me.

- That I can show you...
- From show... from South Korea.

April 27th.

- May I see it, please?
- [Saebreena] Yes.

Um, it's at the bottom there.
Uh, we had tried calling each other.

[Judge Judy] What is April 27th?

I don't see any message there.

It cut off. Um...

Well, I-I don't do cutoff messages.

When was the last message
that I could see between...

Then it would be the one above that,
Your Honor.

Okay. And that was December of 2020.

[Saebreena] Yes. Um, Your Honor, if
I...

[Judge Judy] Shh. Okay.

You're communicating with her

December of 2020

which was the last communication you
have that you can show me.

And your stepmother at that time,

were you still together with your
husband?

No, ma'am.
We separated in September of 2020.

[Judge Judy] Okay.
And I assume that you knew

that your s-father and stepmother
had separated.

I didn't find out until October.

- Who told you?
- Uh, my dad.

[Judge Judy] Did he tell you
that he had left the house?

- Yes, he...
- Yes is the answer.

And that when he left the house,

- he left Rocky with your stepmother?
- Yes.

[Judge Judy] So, it really wasn't
your father taking care of Rocky,

- it was really your stepmother.
- [Saebreena] Yes.

- And that was the agreement.
- [Judge Judy] Just a s...

and the emails that were exchanged
back and forth clearly suggest

that even after your father
and your stepmother are separated

and you knew that,
that you were perfectly comfortable

with her having the dog

because at the end, he's fat

but I don't know why
he follows me everywhere and you...

he's basically human
and then y-your stepmom says,

"Okay, Saebreena.
It's 12:30 over here

and I have to get up in the morning.

I'm sleepy, so you have a goodnight,
I love you."

And then you respond, "Good night."

So that was the last communication
you had

between December and June.

So a six-month period elapsed
without any communication.

Do you wanna tell me why?

So at that time, um,

I wasn't able to come home
because of COVID.

COVID...I was in South Korea,
so we were the first wave, um...

Tell me why there was no
communication.

I have a text to kinda show
what I'm saying...about to say.

She started getting kinda finicky.

Uh, when we would talk, she would
kinda turn it against, uh, my dad

and she tried to throw my dad
under the bus.

At that point,
I had no control over the situation.

I couldn't do anything about it
at the moment.

So, I just kinda kept it
light and positive

throughout the rest of the time...

I would just like to see those
messages,

light and positive.

Anything after December of 2020.

[Saebreena] So these are our
conversations

and then these are Facebook posts
and comments.

- [Judge Judy] Okay. Great.
- So they're separate.

Thank you.

When was the last time
you saw the dog?

The day that I left for South Korea,
June 13th.

Okay. This is a post,

December 9th, 2020.

And you say,
"Hi. I'm coming home for Christmas."

- [Saebreena] Yes.
- [Judge Judy] That was you.

"I miss Rocky a ton and want to take
him for a few days while I'm home.

I'm not too sure on the dates,

but I can let you know
over the next few days."

December of 2020,

- did you come home for Christmas?
- [Saebreena] Yes.

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] The answer is yes.

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

What date did you arrive home
in December of 2020?

December 16th.

[Judge Judy] Where did you go?

I went to Fort Worth, Texas.

[Judge Judy] Who lives there?

My sister and my nephew.

How long were you home?

I was home for about 28 days.

In the 28 days, did you see Rocky?

- Unfortunately...
- [Judge Judy] That's a yes or a no.

- No.
- Did you make an attempt

- to see Rocky?
- [Saebreena] Yes.

[Judge Judy] Tell me what attempt
you made to see Rocky

because I'm seeing,
"I'm formally inviting you

to spend one night or a day
with me and Rocky, the three of us.

Of course you can take him
for a day or two."

So, um, I had driven down to Houston,

uh, to go see him 'cause that's where
he's located now,

um, and then my aunt passed.

It was sudden, and so I had to recoup

and put all my efforts
into being there for my family.

Okay. You came home for the holidays

on December 16th.

Correct.

[Judge Judy]
On what date did your aunt pass?

I could not tell you that
at this time.

- But you didn't go and see Rocky?
- [Saebreena] No.

- And you were home for a month?
- Correct.

[Judge Judy] Uh-hmm. Okay.

And you and your husband separated

- in September of 2020?
- Yes, ma'am.

[Judge Judy] Okay.

Do you have Rocky's vet bills with
you?

- [Yvonne] Yes, ma'am.
- I'd like to see them.

It's not including his cost
for dog food.

- It's just his vet bills.
- No, no, I'm just...

I just wanna see
how he's been taken care of.

[Yvonne] Yes, ma'am.

What kind of pain was he having?

Arthritis pain, ma'am,
most Rottweilers get arthritis

- in their hind legs.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

I'm gonna tell you the only thing
that disturbed me, Ms. Lilley,

about your complaint.

Because as far as I'm concerned,
this is about the custody of a dog

that you haven't seen
in almost three years,

who was an old dog,

and whose time on this earth is,
you know, finite,

you never know.

Right now, he has arthritis and he's
being treated for his arthritis.

You did say, however, that you
showed up in the summer of 2021,

I don't know when,
at Yvonne's house to surprise her.

Well, that was a big surprise, you
really came there to pick up the dog,

- you hadn't made any...
- I did not.

- [Judge Judy] You did not...
- That was not the plan, no.

Okay. Well, I suggest that to you

because you said, y-you know,

she was getting sort of not herself
on the phone

after she and your father separated,
so you just sort of kept it light.

That is what...

Yes.

So one would suggest,
if things weren't great,

you would've given her a heads up
that you were coming,

you hadn't seen her in three years,

that would be a fair statement,
and it's just common sense.

But then, I look here and you say,

"He looked horrible.

He was overweight."

Well, I'm looking at the vet records,

and Rocky's vet records don't suggest

- that he was massively overweight...
- [Saebreena] I have the...

...because I see that in 2019,

he weighed a hundred six
and a half pounds.

In March of 2021,

he weighed a hundred and fourteen
pounds.

Most people would be sort of happy
with that kind of weight gain,

so it wasn't that the dog
had become obese.

I don't know how much a Rottweiler
weighs.

Well, for a Rottweiler his size
and his stature,

he should be between 95 and 105
pounds.

Well, all I can tell you
was when she got the dog,

he was 106 pounds,

which means according to what
you just told me, he was overweight.

[chuckles] So that was the only thing
in your complaint

that actually caused me some concern,

that he was not being cared for.

But quite frankly,
I look at these medical records

and he was regularly seen at the vet,

he had regular toenail trims,

he was taken for treatment
for his arthritis,

and it appears, from the vet records,

in any event, since you've been gone,

that he's been very well taken care of.

Well, I would assume that she would

because that was our agreement,
Your Honor.

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

I don't assume anything.

Seeing your sister was more important

than going to spend a week
with your dog.

[Saebreena]
That's not the case, Your Honor.

She was using drugs
and she was abusing alcohol.

I can't be around that

- as an active duty Marine.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

That's baloney.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Saebreena Lilley

has accused her former stepmother,
Yvonne Rebouche,

of wrongfully keeping her Rottweiler
and neglecting him.

She also claims Yvonne refuses
to return her belongings.

Okay. All I know is,
I have to make a judgment today.

A judgment as to whether
because of your actions,

and I say this because
I understand your position,

but because of your actions,

I confined a scintilla of evidence

that you abandoned the dog to her
care.

Because quite frankly,
I think it would be cruel

to uproot him from where he is now,

where he's been for three years
without you,

and put him in a new place

with a new owner

for the last sliver of his life.

I actually think it would be cruel.

A really good mother
would not want that to happen.

I agree, Your Honor, except she's
not in the state to do it.

She's using drugs, she's...she was
drunk every other night,

like, that's why I stopped talking to
her 'cause it's hard to talk to her.

And then on top of that, I get maybe
the vet records show one thing,

but I saw him in my...
like, with my own eyes.

He has fat lumps, like,
he has three or four fat lumps

around his abdomen and on his back.

A dog gets old and gets sick.

This dog is on the tail end

of the spectrum of life for a large dog.

I mean, I'm not a vet,

but I've had dogs
that are at that stage in their life.

He's getting around,
he's being treated for arthritis,

but they get tumors, they get sick.

Right now, he knows your home,

you don't know where he came from
before

and what kind of abuse he had
before you rescued him.

You rescued him.
He was with you for a year.

Then he hasn't seen you in three
years.

[Saebreena]
It's been two years, Your Honor.

[Judge Judy]
Actually, more than two years.

Two years and eleven days,
and I can prove that as well.

No, it's not two years and eleven
days.

You said you left in June,
we're now, tomorrow...

It had been two years...

[Judge Judy] Tomorrow we start
October.

...and eleven days
when I saw him that night.

Uh, not that night.
I'm not talking that night.

I'm talking about
since he's lived with you.

That's almost two and a half years.

And that's a long time
in th-the span of a dog's life

that just has a little sliver left,

and what I'm suggesting to you is

the tough position that I'm in
because, is the dog yours?

Technically.

Did the fact that you came home
for a month

and fail to see this dog

that you want now to uproot from its
home,

suggests to me as a fact-finder

that at that moment,

seeing your sister and seeing your
family

was more important than going to
spend a week with your dog.

That's not the case, Your Honor.

I was active duty military, and from
what I'd heard and what I'd seen,

she was using drugs
and she was abusing alcohol.

I can't be around that
as an active duty Marine.

[Judge Judy] Just a second.
That's baloney.

That's not what you told me a moment
ago.

A moment ago, you said you went to
your sister's house,

you were going to see the dog,
and then an aunt died suddenly,

and that's why you didn't see it,
so that's a lot of chatter.

And it's a difficult place
for you to be in,

but I think you have to find
another rescue dog.

According to what I've read here,
you really need a dog

that you wanna train
to be a service kind of animal.

And if that's something
that happens in the future...

[Judge Judy] Just a second.

I'm talking now.

We've outtalked this case.

I said to you, I have to find a hook

on which I can hang my hat

so that I don't remove a dog

that has spent the vast majority
of its adult life

with this person.

That home is the home that he's known
for the longest

and I'm comfortable
finding that hook with,

you came home for a month

and you were in the same state,

and you didn't go and see the dog.

I don't care what the reason was.

If I'm in the military
and I have a child

that I haven't seen in two years,

the first stop that I'd make
is to that child,

not to my sister, not to a boyfriend,

and you were home for 28 days,
and you did not.

So, you can't have the dog back.

- That's my decision.
- What about my military memorabilia?

[Judge Judy] Medals. Medals are
yours.

No, that's not all my memorabilia.

I'm saying about $300 worth of
pictures, there's a Texas sign

- with Lilley on it.
- [Judge Judy] Would you...

- just a second.
- That's with her dad's stuff.

[Judge Judy] Would you return...

do you have anything else

- that belongs to her?
- No, ma'am.

- Where is it?
- [Judge Judy] Don't...

Because I didn't pick up
anything...

- Put him out.
- [Dewey] ...and you said I did.

- Put him outside.
- [Kevin] Sir, sir.

- Step this way.
- [Judge Judy] Put him out.

- [Kevin] Step this way.
- [sighs and clears throat]

Don't lie.

Then make a left at the end.

Do you have anything else
in your home?

- I do not.
- [Judge Judy] Uh, if he...

I'm sorry about him.

Ma'am, a moving company picked up
all of my husband's belongings,

which also had the big Texas board
with the L in it,

which actually was a present
from her older sister

- to me and my husband.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

But your husband's moving company

- picked that up?
- [Yvonne] Yes, ma'am.

I saw it the night that I went to go
see Rocky. All of my stuff

- is still in her house.
- That was in June?

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

The moving company
that moved your husband's stuff out,

- when did that moving company come?
- I believe it was August.

[Judge Judy] Okay. Did you ask your
father

where your stuff was?

He went through it, I went through
it.

[Judge Judy] No, no.
So the answer is yes.

Do you know what she's talking about?

- [Yvonne] Yes, ma'am.
- What is she talking about?

Her older sister made me and her dad
a Christmas gift one year

and it's a big sign of Texas with a
big L in the middle of it.

- Is that what you're talking about?
- [Saebreena] And...

Just...

With additional items, Your Honor.

[Judge Judy] What additional items?

I have two picture frames
from boot camp

and then I have a glass-framed,

uh, frame that has, like,
etchings in it.

- Do you have that?
- No, ma'am.

[Judge Judy] Was that sent to her
father?

- Yes, ma'am.
- [Judge Judy] Talk to your father.

We're finished here. Thank you.

[Kevin] Court is adjourned.

It does, it hurts me very much

'cause she's my stepdaughter,
and I do love her.

I just feel like she's not ready
for this dog,

and he's on his last leg,

he's basically not going to make it
another few years.

I feel great about it,
about Rocky being with me.

[Sarah] That was a bit of a stretch
there,

- that decision.
- [Judge Judy] You're right.

And I guess it's because

I really think that a loving dog owner

would not, at this stage
of the game of the dog's life,

which is the endgame, want to change,

f-for the next six or eight months,
or maybe a year,

what this dog, who's probably had
a very traumatic life anyway,

has been through, by taking it away

from really the only home it's known
for almost three years.

But for the fact that she had come
home for that month,

December, a year ago,

and didn't make her way to see the
dog for whatever reason,

gave me that little hook, you know.

I really think that, you know,
ownership of another living creature

would take some responsibility.

You have to take into consideration

that absence of emergency
a dog should have,

a pet should have a permanent home.

- Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] Anyway, I know

but I agree with you.

[Sarah] I agree with the decision,
though.

I think dogs have rights in this
court,

- and it would be cruel...
- [Judge Judy] Well, they should.

- They should.
- ...it would be cruel to uproot him,

so good decision.

[announcer]
Are you having a family dispute?



[theme music playing]