01x117 - Friendly Car Crashing; Friends No More

[bunniefuu]

She was in an accident with your car?

Yes.

A couple days after the accident,

she was dodging me and not answering
my phone calls and my text messages.

She had a valid driver's license,
correct?

I was to take my driver's test.

Um...

That didn't answer my questions.

You're a big girl.

You don't have a license,
you don't drive a car.

[announcer] This is Judy Justice.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Monica Brown
is suing her former friend

Vivian Cummings for car damages.

[Kevin] Court come to order.

Have a seat, please.

Hello, Judge.

Case 1076, Brown versus Cummings.

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

[Judge Judy] Ms. Brown, you know the
defendant for a long time. You

rekindled a relationship with her,
a friendship with her more recently.

And subsequent to rekindling
this relationship with her,

according to what I read,

there was a period of time
when you lived together.

- You moved into her house.
- No. No, Your Honor.

That's been misquoted.

I was staying over there
to get back and forth to work.

I wasn't physically living
in her home. I had a...

[Judge Judy] But you were sleeping
there?

- Yes, yes, yes.
- To get back and forth to work?

- Yes, yes, yeah.
- And while she was getting

back and forth to work,
she didn't have a car

and you were driving her.
You work different shifts,

according to your complaint,

and then finally
allowed her to use a car...

- Yeah.
- ...that was a second car f-for you?

- [Monica] Yes.
- [Judge Judy] One that you were

saving, according to I think what I
read, for one of your kids?

Yes. The car had
already been paid off, Your Honor.

[Judge Judy] Okay. And you were
saving that older car.

You had a different car
but you were saving that car

- for I think your daughter?
- My daughter, yes.

[Judge Judy] Ms. Cummings
asked if she could use that car.

Give me the month and year
when she was using the car.

June 2021.

[Judge Judy] And she was using it
to get to and from work. Whatever.

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] That is not a

problem. She had a valid driver's
license, correct?

No, ma'am.

[Judge Judy] You didn't have a
license?

- No, ma'am.
- Really?

[Vivian] No, ma'am.
There's been...and also...

- [Judge Judy] Just a second.
- Okay.

Why were you driving the car
without a license?

I had just went and had took
my driver's test, Your Honor.

Had passed it. And then November...

I mean, I took my written test,
and then November,

I was to take my driver's test.

Well, but that doesn't answer my
question.

[Vivian] I'm trying answer your
question, Your Honor.

On July the 7th, the reason that I
was driving the car,

Monica Brown was taking me
to my orientation training

at the facility
that both her and I work at.

She volunteered on July 7th,

told me the night of July 6th,

"You just take yourself.
I don't have to get up."

- [Monica] That's a lie.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

- That didn't answer my question.
- [Vivian] Your Honor, I was drive...

- You're a big girl.
- I know. I know.

[Judge Judy] You're a big girl.
You're not 12.

- [Vivian] I know, Your Honor.
- You don't have a license,

- you don't drive a car.
- [Vivian] That's right.

You're right.

[Judge Judy] Were you driving
this car before July 7th?

- No.
- Is that right?

That is correct.

[Judge Judy] On what day was the
accident?

- July 22nd.
- [Judge Judy] Not the 7th?

No.

Am I mistaken?
What...did anything happen on July 7th

or wasn't I hearing that right?

[Whitney] She said
she volunteered on July 7th,

told me the night of July 6th,

"You just take yourself.
I don't have to get up."

[Judge Judy] Okay. But what does
that have to do with July 22nd

when you were involved in an
accident?

When I got into the car accident
um...

- That wasn't July 6th or July 7th.
- [Vivian] No.

[Judge Judy] So you drove the car
before you had a license...

- [Vivian] Yes.
- ...before the accident?

- Yes, ma'am.
- [Judge Judy] The answer was yes.

Yes.

Did you know she didn't have a
license?

- No, did not, Your Honor.
- [Judge Judy] Well,

she says that you were supposed
to take her someplace for the test,

some sort of tests on July 7th.

- What kind of test was it?
- I got recently hired

at the company that she works at too,
Your Honor.

- I was going through the training.
- Oh, the training?

- [Vivian] Uh-huh.
- But had nothing to do with driving?

It was orientation at our job, Your
Honor.

[Judge Judy]
Okay. But who cares about the 7th?

The accident didn't happen till the


- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

Did you ever tell her
you didn't have a driver's license?

- Yes. I told her this, Your Honor.
- [Judge Judy] Tell me.

I said um that weekend had came,
and...

[Judge Judy] What weekend?

Oh, uh the weekend of July 7th.

That weekend had came.

I don't know
specifically the date that was.

[Monica] The 3rd and 4th would be
the week before the 7th

which was a Wednesday.

- [Judge Judy] 7th was a Wednesday.
- [Vivian] No. I'm talking about

afterwards 'cause I done took myself
to work that week.

And that Friday came and I'm trying
to...

[Judge Judy] Would you please
tell me when you told her

- you didn't have a license.
- The 7th...I mean, on that Friday.

- On the Friday uh.
- The 9th.

[Vivian] The end of the week.

But you were using the car all
week...

- [Vivian] Yes.
- ...without a license?

[Vivian] Yes.

[Judge Judy] And you didn't tell
her?

Yes.

[Judge Judy] So, I'm actually
amazed

about a lot of things now in this
case.

You see how things
get sort of turned around?

Because she was in an accident
with your car on July 22nd,

your insurance company paid you
out...

- [Monica] Yes.
- ...for the car?

Yes.

[laughs]

[laughter]

[Judge Judy] The accident
must not have been her fault

or an insurance company paid you.

I don't...actually I don't understand.

They paid me out, Your Honor, but
they didn't pay me the full amount

- of my vehicle.
- [Judge Judy] Okay. I don't care.

How do you allow some...
I don't even know what...you know,

if the insurance company...
I'm going to tell you this right now.

- [Monica] Uh-hmm.
- If the insurance company

that paid you out
and she was driving the car

and she had no license,

so you let an unlicensed driver
drive your car,

they would have disclaimed on your
policy.

They're gonna come after you
for all the money they paid you.

You wanna find the quickest exit?

- Do you understand?
- Yes, I do.

[Judge Judy] Well, when you filled
out the claim...

you had to have put in a claim.

Did you say that you were driving
the car?

No, Your Honor.
They spoke with Vivian on the phone.

[Judge Judy] Oh, well, what driver's
license did you give them?

No. I spoke with the agent.
I told him I did not have no license.

That Monica Brown voluntarily gave me
her car on July the 7th.

What insurance company is it?
I'm just curious.

- Progressive.
- [Judge Judy] Progressive?

So Progressive paid on a policy
where you allowed an unlicensed

driver to drive your car and have an
accident?

That would be a first for me.

You had no business
driving with a suspended license

that looks to me,
based on this police report...

- Yes, Your Honor.
- ...you had a prior conviction for.

Yes, Your Honor.

We're done.

[announcer] And later today.

[Judge Judy] Did Ms. Harris
give you the money to pay the fine

so that you could get
your license reinstated?

She did. Um she loaned me
the money and I was...

- [Judge Judy] Okay. Great.
- Okay.

That's it. Perfect. So easy.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Monica Brown claims
her former friend, Vivian Cummings,

wrecked her car in an accident.

Vivian is countersuing for
harassment.

[Judge Judy] Okay.

So Progressive paid
on a policy where you allowed

an unlicensed driver to drive your
car and have an accident?

That would be a first for me.

Your Honor, that's why I was trying
to get in contact with her

and to speak with her
about the insurance company

because my insurance company said to
me

that in order for them
to pay me out the money,

they had to speak with Vivian first.

And so I was trying to reach her,

but, uh, a couple days after the
accident,

she was dodging me and not answering
my phone calls and my text messages.

Until I randomly ran
into her into the mall

and I said,
"Did my insurance company call you?"

She said, "Yeah." I said,
"Well, what did you...

what did y'all talk about?"
She said, "Well, I told him

that I will call him back
'cause I was busy."

I said, "Vivian,
you can't do such a thing like this

because this is an accident
and this is my insurance company,

so therefore I need to know
what's gonna happen next,

if they're gonna drop me,
if they're gonna pay me out,

or what's gonna happen?"
So she said, "Okay. Okay.

I'll get with you, friend.
I'll get with you in a minute."

[Judge Judy] It sounds to me,
just sounds to me...

- Uh-hmm.
- ...as if you were aware

that she had no license.

I was not aware, Your Honor.
If I knew she had...

hadn't had license, I would've never
let her drive my car.

I wouldn't think
that you would let somebody

who was unlicensed drive your car

'cause that would be actually
foolish.

- Exactly.
- [Judge Judy] But the insurance

company paid you on the policy and
you, I assume,

had both liability
and collision or just liability?

- Full coverage, both.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

- And they paid you the value.
- [Monica] Uh-hmm.

- What did they pay you?
- Forty-one hundred.

- Yes, 4,100.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

I'm gonna look at the policy
but what was your deductible?

- Five hundred, I believe.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

So, at most, you're $500 in the hole.

But I wanted the difference, Your
Honor.

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

Okay.

[Judge Judy] 'Cause I'm not so
sure you didn't know

she didn't have a license. And

it's a good lesson because if you
let somebody else use your car,

you should say to them,
"Can I see a driver's license?"

Yeah. And I didn't think that she
would be

that old to lie to me about a
license.

[Judge Judy] Please. Just a second.
I don't care what you think.

I don't...no. You didn't ask her.

There's no question that either
you knew or you didn't ask her,

because if you would asked her
and she said, "I don't have one,"

then you wouldn't... not let her use
your car.

And if you asked her and she showed
you somebody else's driver's license,

you would have said that to me,
so you didn't ask her.

I asked her, Your Honor.

[laughs]

Okay.

[Monica] I have text messages
in my phone where I...

[Judge Judy] That's okay.
She's not giving you any more money.

You let an unlicensed driver use
your car.

You're very lucky that the insurance
company paid you out on the car.

- I was confused about that as well.
- [Judge Judy] Now, do you...

do you have an accident report
that indicates

that this accident was not your
fault?

Your Honor, no, I do not.

[Judge Judy] All right.
Do you have an accident report?

- Yes, I do.
- I'd like to take a look at it.

Who was arrested at the scene?

- No one was arrested that I know of.
- [Judge Judy] D1...

They took me immediately to the
hospital.

[Judge Judy] D1 was arrested for DWS.

Here.

This is the county DWS.
See if you can find out what that is.

Driving while suspended.

[Judge Judy]
So were you taken into custody

for driving with a suspended license?

No. No, ma'am.

[Judge Judy] D1 one was arrested
for DWS, prior conviction.

I wasn't arrested, Your Honor.
I was in the hospital.

[Judge Judy] Did you go
to court on this case?

Yes. September 1st.

What happened
when you went to court on this case?

[Vivian] I have to go back on the


[Judge Judy] Uh-huh. So I have a
claim, Ms. Brown,

and you want sort of the difference
in money. You wanna get

your daughter a new car, a better
car. The other car was paid off.

I suggest you find her a car for
$4,000 for what the insurance company

gave you. And next time
if you let somebody use your car,

make sure that they have a license.

You, Ms. Cummings, have a
counterclaim.

- [Vivian] Yes, ma'am.
- Which I am dismissing.

And I'm dismissing your counterclaim

because you had no business driving
with a suspended license

that looks to me,
based upon this police report...

- Yes, Your Honor.
- ...you had a prior conviction for.

Yes, Your Honor.

We're done.

You're not supposed to drive
without a driver's license.

Driver's license is not hard to get.

You take a written test.
You take a driving test.

And if for some reason
your license is suspended,

and it has to be I think
probably a serious reason

because I know my age,

my driver's license
has never been suspended.

Now I know her really well.

She's been a driver for a while

and she's hit a couple
of stationary objects,

but she's never had
her driver's license suspended.

Now I'm gonna turn over to
Whitney.

Who's been driving for 20 years?

Twenty years.

[Judge Judy] Ever have
your driver's license suspended?

- Never.
- What about you, Kevin?

- Never.
- Never.

- Are you getting where I'm going?
- I understand, Your Honor.

Okay. So this is what you don't do.

This is what you don't do.

You don't come to a court

when you've done the wrong thing

and ask the court for help.

Courts are really not interested
in helping people

who don't do the right thing.

So you find your daughter a car
for $4,000.

We're done here.

[Kevin] Court is adjourned.

The defendant lied to me
about having a driver's license.

I told Monica Brown that I had just
passed my written test

and that I would be taking
my driver's test in November.

She called me and she told me
she had been in an accident.

Within six days of the accident,

she then filed a law suit, so you
tell me where is the friendship at?

She deceived me and she used me.

That's all she's after. She's greedy.

[Sarah] Yeah, thanks a lot for
throwing me under the bus out there.

Well you never know who's watching,

but if your rates go up, I'll cover
it.

Oh, thanks. That's reassuring.

Case 1063, Harris versus Wilson.

All parties please step forward.

[announcer]
Terri Harris is suing her stepsister,

Andrea Wilson, for a loan
and the cost of a vehicle.

Ms. Harris, Ms. Wilson is your
stepsister?

- Yes.
- How?

[Terri] My father has been dating
her mother for about 30 years.

[Judge Judy] So she's not legally
your stepsister?

- [Terri] No.
- [Judge Judy] It is your claim

that you've been made a loan to her
at one point in February...

- Correct.
- [Judge Judy] ...of this year,

and that was in order to have her
driver's license reinstated.

Correct.

[Judge Judy]
And then there's a car purchase.

- [Terri] Yes.
- [Judge Judy] And the car

- is in your name.
- Yes, ma'am.

[Judge Judy] But it is your claim
that it's in her name

but you paid for the majority
of the car and the... there was

an agreement that as soon as you got
your license back,

she would turn the title over to you
and she would pay the difference.

The difference.
Or put my name on the title.

- Either/or, and she did neither.
- [Judge Judy] Okay. Okay.

Tell me about this loan, this
initial loan

to get Ms. Wilson's license back.

[Terri] Um she needed $1,400

to get her re... license reinstated
in California, of course.

- [Judge Judy] When was that?
- [Terri] In February, 2021.

[Judge Judy] Okay. Ms. Wilson,
why had your license been suspended?

Um I got a ticket and I didn't pay
for it.

- What kind of ticket?
- [Andrea] I was driving

without um insurance and
registration.

And is that the only reason
that your license was suspended?

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] And that ticket,

what you're telling me,
increased to $1,400?

- Yes, it did.
- [Judge Judy] Did Ms. Harris give

you the money to pay the fine

so that you could get
your license reinstated?

She did.

Tell me the circumstances of her
giving you the money.

Um, she loaned me the money and I
was...

- [Judge Judy] Okay. Great.
- Okay.

That's it. Perfect. So easy.

- Did you ever pay her back?
- I basically gave it...

gave her a piece of it.

When you start to get jittery in
your testimony, it's usually suggests

to me that you're making it up as
it's going along.

[theme music playing]

[announcer] Terri Harris
says her stepsister, Andrea Wilson,

is responsible
for the cost of Terri's car.

Now she loaned you the money in
February.

- Did you ever pay her back?
- I started to pay her back.

[Judge Judy] When did you start
to pay her back?

[Andrea] After she gave me
the money in March,

I basically gave it...
gave her a piece of it

um at the end of...

So far you...listen to me.

So far you're doing fine
because when you do fine,

you tell the truth.

When you start to get jittery in
your testimony, it's usually

suggests to me that you're making it
up as it's going along.

She loaned you $1,400 in March.

When and in what denominations, if
ever,

- did you pay her back?
- I paid her back 200 then I...

- [Judge Judy] When?
- Uh the end of March.

Did she pay you $200 the end of
March?

- Yes, ma'am.
- [Judge Judy] Great.

So now we're down to 1,200. Let's go.

- That was it.
- [Judge Judy] That's it.

So you owe her twelve, on that loan?

Well, that was an easy part.
Now let's get to the car part.

Tell me about the car, Ms. Harris.

On March 22nd, um I was in Vegas.

We moved to Vegas
to stay in Vegas since June of um...

- [Judge Judy] Together?
- Yes. In 2021.

- So in um...
- [Andrea] 2021.

[Terri] ...March 22nd of 2021,

she was down in San Diego
and she had got her license back

and we needed a car for the household

because the car
that we had in the household,

- it broke down.
- When you say the household,

- the two of you living together?
- Yes.

[Judge Judy] Was there
anybody else in the household?

Her son.

[Judge Judy] Okay. And how old is
he?

Six.

[Judge Judy] Okay. So you needed a
car.

- You didn't have one good car.
- [Terri] Yes. That's correct.

- Okay.
- And so, at the time, I did not

have my license because it... because
of an issue in Nebraska, so I...

- Okay. So you didn't have a license?
- [Terri] No.

But she got her's reinstated,

so, when she was down in San Diego,

um we needed a car for the house.

She had $2,500.
She went looking for a car.

Found the Honda Civic, 2003 Honda
Civic, and um called me on the phone

and let me know how much it was or
how much she needed.

I proceeded to Cash App um her
$2,000,

and then I Zelled the rest,

which is $1,17-75 to the car...

to the place for the um car.

And then I also uh Zelled $825

um to the car place
for the warranty for the car as well

so she could purchase the car
and drive it back to Vegas.

- [Judy] How much was the car?
- The car in total was...

No. How much did you pay for the car?

It's...on here it says $6,875,
but that's...

[Judge Judy] Six thousand.

Kevin, could I have that, please?

- [Andrea] Here's the contract.
- [Kevin] Okay. So...

- [Judge Judy] Thank you.
- [Andrea] The bill.

[Judge Judy] Okay. So it was really
$5,800

because in addition,
you bought a warranty.

- Correct.
- So you paid 3,157...

- Correct.
- [Judge Judy] ...for the car.

- And the car is in her name?
- Correct.

[Judge Judy]
And you have possession of the car?

- Yes, ma'am.
- And you paid the rest,

so it looks like you each paid
just about half for the car.

- Yeah.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

And now you're no longer living
in the same household?

- No.
- [Judge Judy] Since when?

[Terri] Since she took
the car back on June 3rd.

- [Judge Judy] Do you have a license?
- Yes, I do.

[Judge Judy] And you have a
license?

Yes.

[Judge Judy] Okay.
So tell me what you want me to do.

[Terri] She stated in text message
to either pay her the money

that she put on the car
and she would give it to me.

And I told her that I had the money
to give her for the car

and she proceeded to say that she
didn't wanna do that deal anymore.

That her son needed the car
more than I did

and because the title is in her name,
that she was going

to take it and not give me anything,
until later.

She said, "I'll make payments." And

- I haven't received anything yet.
- [Judge Judy] Can I...can I see...

can I see that, please?

- These last at the center.
- Okay. Thank you.

[Judge Judy] Okay. Well, you didn't
give her $5,000 for the car.

Well, no, that was just off
the top of my head, but no...

- [Judge Judy] Well...
- After everything with the warranty

and the car insurance,
it totaled out to more than 5,000.

Yeah. Well, I don't care
about the warranty

and I don't care about the car
insurance.

You each paid about half of the car,

about three thousand dollars for
this car.

And she owes you 1,200 from the loan.

I don't feel like I should owe her
that.

[Judge Judy] I mean, I gather that
you were living together

- as a couple.
- Yes.

And each of you put in about half

for the car and the title is in your
name.

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Well, don't you think

that it's reasonable
that if you wanna keep the car,

you give her the $3,000

or half of the money
for the car that she put into it

if you wanna keep it?
You've just purchased it in February.

Yes. But I don't believe
I should give her the money back.

- Why?
- [Andrea] Because from June of last

year until she got her in...her
inheritance in February,

I paid for everything,
when it came to rent, food,

- basically everything.
- Well, that's all right,

but there was never
an agreement with regard to that.

That was something you chose to do.

I don't know what...how else you
divided...

you divided taking care of your son,

I don't know how you divided meals,

- we don't get into that with...
- Uh-hmm.

...people who are not married

because there are
really no courts for that, yet.

So what you have to look at
is whether or not it's reasonable.

And it sounds to me as if,
between the two of you,

it was the understanding
that this car will be used

for the both you
and each of you pay for around half.

It wasn't supposed to be for a family
car. It was supposed to be for me.

[Judge Judy] How many
other cars did you have?

[Andrea] The car that broke down
that she was talking about

is the car that w-belonged to me.
That was my car.

What I'm asking you is,

there was only one car in your
household.

If one broke down,
then there was only one car.

- Uh-hmm.
- That would be a yes?

- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Is that a yes? Okay.

All right. Let's make this simple.

You already acknowledged
you owe her $1,200.

- You wanna keep the car?
- Yes, I do.

[Judge Judy] All right.
You have to pay for it.

As you said you would in here.

Forty-two hundred dollars. Judgment
for the plaintiff. We're finished.

- Thank you very much.
- Thank you.

[Kevin] Court is adjourned.

I'm glad that I, you know,
was able to get some money back

and move on with the situation.

I shoulda won, but, you know...

But I think we'll build
and move forward and get past this.

She's the bitter ex-girlfriend.

No more car loans. I learned my
lesson.

I'll have a contract this...next time.
[laughs]

[Judge Judy] Perfect example.

There are courts
that deal with marital property,

and there are certain rules.

These two people were in a
relationship.

They're not married.
Their relationship didn't last.

And if you're supposed to share
something,

I know it's not romantic but write
it out.

That would be my best information.

Seen too many south stories
of people not married,

that don't have a plan.
And when you don't have a plan,

it's in the hands of the courts to
try

and determine what's equitable and
fair.

And the...and the courts
don't wanna deal with it.

- No.
- [Judge Judy] No.

There are no rules set up.

- Anyway, writing.
- [Sarah] Writing.

[announcer] Have you been cheated?


[theme music playing]