03x59 - Runaway Groom

[bunniefuu]

-[Judy] You started to plan a wedding.
-Yeah.

-He broke up the engagement.
-No.

I wanted to talk to her about a prenup.

The mom came in, started blowing up on me,
saying how dare I make her daughter work,

how dare I make her daughter pay rent.

And is that when the wedding
was called off?

Yes.

Don't get involved
if your daughter's getting married.

It's none of your business.

[narrator]
This is Judy Justice.

[theme music]

Maria Gonzalez and her son, Noe Ramirez

are suing Maria's daughter's ex-fiancé,
Michael Cortes,

for wedding costs and
vandalism to Noe's car.

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

Have a seat, please.

Case #3108, Gonzalez/Ramirez
versus Cortes.

-Thank you.
-You're welcome.

-[Judy] You're Miss Gonzalez.
-Yes, I am.

-[Judy] This is your son.
-Yes, Your Honor.

-That's your daughter.
-[Maria] Yes, Your Honor.

[Judy] Your daughter and Mr. Cortes
were engaged to be married.

-[Maria] That's correct.
-[Judy] How old is your daughter?

-She's 28.
-[Judy] And you, sir?

-Twenty-seven.
-[Judy] How did you meet?

We had met on a dating app,
back in October, 2020.

Okay. And when did you become engaged?

It was sometime in 2022.

It might've been around April.

Did you give her a ring?

I did.

Your Honor, they were engaged
since September of 2022.

That sound better?

I believe so, yes.

[Judy]
This is what the case is about.

Miss Gonzalez, it is your claim
that wedding plans started to be made.

You were paying for the wedding.

And he broke off the wedding and
broke off the marriage, future marriage.

And you believe he is responsible
for the non-refundable deposits

that you've put down on venue,
and maybe music,

flowers, I don't know what.
That's part of your claim.

You, sir, are her son, her brother.

And it is your claim that Mr. Cortes
vandalized your car.

[Noe]
Yes, Your Honor.

Mr. Cortes denies
that he vandalized your car.

So, I will hear your proof
with regard to that.

Mr. Cortes says that there is
some property...

Your harassment allegations
don't reach the level of harassment, sir.

But you claim that they have
certain property that belongs to you.

Yes. And I do have a text message
from Kristen Ramirez

stating to one of my friends
that she has my property,

and has refused to give it.

Oh. So, that will make my job much easier
when I get to your counterclaim.

Okay. So, Miss Gonzalez,
you started to plan a wedding.

What happened was, they came in and
they spoke to Kristen's father and myself.

They announced their engagement.
And so, we congratulated them.

We said we would pay for the majority
of the costs.

But we did have some things
that we wanted them to pay for.

That's okay.

So, at the time,
I wasn't too familiar with Michael.

And so, just as precaution,
I did ask him,

if he would be okay,
if he broke off the engagement,

that he would reimburse for the venue.
Because the venue is something

that is not always reimbursed...

-Did you have that discussion with her?
-No.

I can't tell you how many weddings
that I've made, Miss Gonzalez.

Children, grandchildren.
Made and paid for.

I have never had that discussion
with any of the future spouses.

If you break it off, you have to
reimburse me for down payments.

Never. Never.

Just the way that he was acting,

it made me feel like
I needed that reassurance.

I don't believe you, actually, at all.

Because if I, as a mother...
You have two children?

Yes, I do.

If I had certain reluctance
about, either the character,

or the commitment that
one of my children's future mates had,

it wouldn't be about returning my money.

I would sit down with my daughter
and say, you know,

I'm not getting a great feeling
about this guy.

I have a feeling he's gonna slip.
And if I had a feeling he was gonna slip,

and if you wanted
to extract that promise from him,

-you should've put it in writing.
-Right.

Because it doesn't make sense to me
based upon my own personal experience.

That that's not the way
a new marriage starts.

By the way, if it doesn't work out,
you're gonna pay me back for this, right?

Right. Well, my means are limited, so...

-[Judy] So are his.
-[Maria] Yeah.

And so, what we did was,
we had an agreement.

-We asked...
-[Judy] Just a second. Show me.

-We had a verbal one.
-Show me. Show me.

I'm telling you, I don't buy it.
But I'm gonna listen to him.

-I'm gonna listen to any proof you have...
-Okay.

See any proof that you have where he
committed to paying for the wedding

in the event that
he broke off the engagement.

[Maria]
Yes, Your Honor.

She just told me that you said to her,
at some point,

I will pay for your non-refundable stuff
if something happens.

Tell me your version of it.

So, what she said is not true.
So, what happened was,

on the night of October first,
I had gone to her house

to speak to Kristen,
my girlfriend at the time.

I wanted to talk to her about a prenup.
My witness here...

Just a second. You wanted to talk to her
about a prenup why?

Prior... well, earlier in the year,
Kristen made demands towards me,

saying she wanted to buy a house

but she only had $200
in her savings account and I had $40,000.

So, she was expecting me
to make the down payment.

And at the time, I had savings,
I had two cars, I have a Master's Degree.

Um, she was kinda expecting me
to provide for her.

And at the time, I did not feel
that was fair.

You mean, that you were gonna
use your cash to buy a house.

Yes.

That was going to be in both your names.

-Yes.
-And you wanted a prenup

so that you would get whatever
you put into the house, out of it.

Is that what you're telling me?

Yes, because at the time, she...

was pretty much telling me
where we had to buy the house.

-It had to be within a certain...
-[Judy] Just a second.

Would you sit down a minute
and let your sister stand up?

[Noe]
Yes, Your Honor.

-[Judy] You're Kristen.
-Yes, Your Honor.

Okay. Kristen, I want you to tell me
about this house business.

You had no money.

I don't have savings, but I have a job.

-But you don't have money.
-Mm-hmm.

You don't have savings. He had savings.
You were living with your parents.

You discussed with him buying a house?

We did in the future.
It wasn't about buying a house.

We had to have some form
of living situation when we get married.

That was the expectation.

And that's what my mom discussed
with him, too.

Was that it wasn't him needing
to buy a house then and there

and in a certain area. We just needed
to be able to live somewhere

because we're getting married.
How are we gonna live in, like...

-Well, you work, you just told me.
-[Kristen] Mm-hmm.

And he works. So, you find an apartment
and you each contribute to the rent

-and the expenses.
-Yeah.

Is that what the intention?

Yeah. And we're both
on the lease agreement and I did pay half.

Or I paid as much as I could.

Did you live together?

We lived together. And then,
my brother also, um...

offered to be on
to kind of help with costs, too.

-So, it was...
-Kind of helped with costs,

you mean, he lived there.

He also, took up the spare bedroom.

[Judy] Well, that would be a yes.
He lived there.

-Yeah.
-So, I have a copy of the lease.

It's myself, Maria Gonzalez
and Kristen Ramirez.

At the time...

-[Judy] Okay, so, you're on the lease.
-Yes. I co-signed for him

because he was hesitant in getting
and securing housing.

We had less than two months, Your Honor,
for the wedding.

And I was very truthful with him,
and I told him,

you cannot live in our house.
You need to secure housing.

That was our agreement in the beginning,
that you would be responsible for housing.

I never said anything about buying a house
or anything. It's just...

You've gotta... You've gotta butt out
of your children's business.

You have a 28 year old daughter.
What're you giving him instructions for?

Because, Your Honor,
he wasn't doing anything.

He had a room...

[Judy]
But that's... Well, that's up to her.

-Right.
-[Judy] That's not up to you.

I mean, your daughter's almost 30.

Why is that up to you
when she's got a fiancé.

She's gotta figure out
what she's gonna do with him.

What did you have to do with that?

When we were discussing the wedding,
we did say these were the expectations.

You were to have a place for them to stay.

It didn't matter where
they were going to stay.

I never said anything about
you have to buy a house,

or you need to get an apartment
or anything. It's just a stable place...

What other expectations did you
indicate to him that you were expecting?

That he pay for the wedding license
and that he pay for his clothing.

That's the only thing that we asked.

You mean, for the license and
for his clothing for the wedding.

-[Maria] Exactly.
-Okay.

He left a note that said,
I'm sorry,

with his wedding ring
on the pillow on the bed.

Fine. I would too. Don't get involved
if your daughter's getting married.

And I wouldn't do it
if your son's getting married either.

It's none of your business.

[theme music]

[narrator] Maria Gonzalez and
her son, Noe Ramirez,

claim Maria's daughter's ex-fiancê,
Michael Cortes,

owes for wedding costs.

Michael is countersuing for the return
of property and personal threats.

Okay. You were telling a story,
and let's get to it rather quickly

because... What day is it today?
Wednesday?

Something about sushi for lunch
on Wednesday.

[chuckles]

So, you went to the house
to discuss a prenup.

-[Michael] Yes.
-And what happened?

Originally, at the time, me and Kristen
agreed that we wanted to do a prenup.

And this was something that she discussed
between myself and my dad a year ago.

At the time, Kristen was the one
who wanted the prenup.

[Judy]
Because she was going to inherit a house.

-Yes.
-What house were you going to inherit?

I just want to correct that I did not
discuss a prenup with his father

-when we discussed...
-[Judy] No, just... fine.

You discussed it, just the two of you.

It was between us and my therapist.

There was a break-up, Your Honor,
in February.

-And it was between them.
-[Judy] Okay.

We're gonna forget
about these wedding costs.

I could see the handwriting on the wall
a long time ago. You should've too.

-Your Honor, I...
-[Judy] So, tell me... Forget it.

It's not happening.

I do have messages
that he was offering his Mercedes

for payment for reimbursement
for the wedding.

I do have three.

I'll take a look at that.
Would you mind telling me

what happened when you went to the house
to talk about the prenup?

That's what you were in the middle of.

Yes. So, we had discussed
about wanting to do a prenup,

and we agreed. And then,
about 20 minutes later, the mom came in

to the apartment,
started blowing up on me, saying,

how dare I make her daughter work,
how dare I make her daughter pay rent.

How dare I force her to sign a prenup.

[Judy] Okay. Kristen,
you remember that discussion?

-[Kristen] I was not...
-Just... Do you remember the discussion?

Yes.

Just answer my questions.
It's very easy.

Things are common sense.

You were having a discussion with him
about a prenup.

Originally, you wanted a prenup because
of an inheritance that you anticipated.

What inheritance did you anticipate?

I anticipated my father
giving me a house.

And is that what started
the prenup discussion?

No.

[Judy] Did you ever discuss that
with him?

No. Not 'til that night.

I'm talking about that night.
Do you remember that discussion?

Yes.

Did your mother come in during the course
of that discussion, at any time?

We went to his apartment,
uh, to our shared apartment.

-It was when she came in.
-[Judy] Who went?

Me and my mother. He had left our house
to the apartment.

So, he went to the apartment and
you and your mother went to the apartment.

And do you recall what your mother
was indicating to Mr. Cortes

as regard to the expectations she had,
or the two of you had,

with regard to what he was going to do
to take care of you?

-Yes.
-[Judy] And what did your mother say?

She sat him down and she said
that the way he had been acting

up until this time was not acceptable.

That it was originally stated
that if he was having cold feet,

we gave him multiple times,
if he wanted to postpone the wedding,

that he could.
And he kept saying no,

I want to keep going
with the wedding date.

Even after we had broken up and
he wanted to come back.

And my mom reiterated to him

that he was supposed to pay for the venue
if he forfeited the wedding.

And she was discussing with him
the verbal abuse

that she saw, she witnessed,
leading up to this event.

Because he knows
I have really bad anxiety.

And that she did not like seeing him
use that against me

when it came to me driving;

when it came to me trying
to find a better job.

When it came to, like,
trying to provide for the family.

I tried my best as much as I could.

And that's what she discussed with him
on that night.

It had nothing to do
with all these expectations.

It was just, I needed help
being able to speak for myself

because... I don't know if you can see,
I'm shaking,

Like, I need help sometimes,
in order to help myself.

And that's what she was here for.

He wasn't buying it. You understand?
It's too bad.

You said you had proof in writing
that he somehow,

some place, agreed to pay
for the deposits that you had.

I'd like to see what proof you have
of that.

-Yes, ma'am. This... Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] Just show me.

Don't show me anything other than that.
Just show me that.

Yes, ma'am.

-The first one is a letter...
-[Judy] Just a second. Who wrote this?

-[Maria] Michael Cortes.
-[Michael] No.

He wrote it.

[Maria] Yes.
And he left it in my mailbox...

[Judy] "October 13, 2020.
Pay for the down payment for a home

for me and Kristin. Both names on it.
I would be putting down $40 or $50k.

If we have kids, it'll go to them.

To compensate for the wedding,
I would be willing

to financially support Kristen
if she needs to focus on herself.

Whether it's bills or rent,
I would be willing to help.

In addition, I would pay
for a new wedding."

-I don't know what that means.
-Your Honor, I never wrote that letter.

-This?
-[Michael] Correct.

I never wrote it
or signed any letters.

He placed that in my mailbox.

Kevin, would you go over with this?
Give him this pen.

And I want you to write the following:

"I don't want to throw away."

Okay. That's all.

Hmm. Yeah, you wrote it.

This is a very nice letter.

I don't know why you'd deny writing
this letter. It's a very nice thing.

He does not say
he's gonna pay for a wedding.

He said he would pay for another wedding.

[Judy]
No, a "new wedding."

-On the text messages he sent...
-Just a second.

Now I'm gonna read the text messages.

This is nothing except
a very nice letter from him.

No. It doesn't say here
that he's gonna pay for a wedding.

He wants to make it work out.
He would love that so much.

"I can offer my Mercedes
as the front bumper is fixed,

and valued at $10,000.

I would be willing to do couple's therapy
with Kristen,

pay her bills and do everything I can
to make it right.

Only if this is what Kristen wants.

I'll even sign contracts
so we're all on the same page,

but I understand you don't want me
in her life.

And if she feels the same way,
I want my pictures taken down tonight."

So, this does not support your argument.

"If you're not going back to me
because of the money,

I can give the Benz, it's worth $10,000."

-What's that about?
-I'm not too sure, Your Honor.

-Can I ask you a question, Mr. Cortes?
-[Michael] Yes.

These emails suggest to me
that you were very much in love

-with the Plaintiff's daughter.
-[Michael] Yes.

-And you wanted to make it work.
-Yes.

And how did it not work?
What happened?

The night of October first,
when the mom blew up on me,

she made all these threats towards me
about legal action, physical harassment.

And is that when the wedding
was called off?

[Michael]
Yes.

He says that I threatened him.
I did not...

Whether you threatened him or not,
you went there with your daughter.

I did.

And at that point, after this discussion,
after these emails,

which I see... because he clearly
felt strongly for your daughter.

That's when the wedding was called off.

-[Maria] Yes...
-He didn't walk away.

-[Maria] Yes, he did.
-I don't think so.

He left that day.
That night, after our discussion,

he took everything out of the apartment
and he left, Your Honor.

He left a note that said, I'm sorry,

with his wedding ring on the pillow
on the bed.

[Judy]
Fine. I would, too.

Don't get involved
if your daughter's getting married.

And I wouldn't do it if your son's getting
married either.

It's none of your business.
Stay out of it. Keep your nose out of it.

You can sit down now.

Stand up.

-Noe.
-[Noe] Yes.

You were living in the apartment
with Mr. Cortes,

that your mother co-signed for

when your sister was supposed
to get married and...

blah, blah, blah.
You went to live with them?

Yes, Your Honor.

You say that something happened
to your car.

On what date did something
happen to your car?

It was the 27th of November.

Of October, not November.

[Judy]
Don't speak. That's your problem.

You get too much involved
in your adult children's business.

I do have a receipt
from the wedding venue.

They said that even if she were to cancel,
well, the accommodate with rescheduling.

So, it's not like she's out of
all her money.

She's just gotta find another groom.

[theme music]

[narrator] Maria Gonzalez
and her son, Noe Ramirez,

are accusing Maria's daughter's ex-fiancé,
Michael Cortes,

of refusing to pay for deposits
after their wedding was cancelled.

Michael is countersuing for the return
of property and personal threats.

-Okay. November 27th.
-Yes, Your Honor.

When had you seen your car
prior to seeing it damaged?

That morning. I have pictures right here,
if you'd like to see them.

I would, but first tell me
what the nature of the damage was.

It was a "U" scratched into
the trunk of my car.

And my back right tire was slashed.

And what evidence do you have that the
Defendant had anything to do with that?

We don't make enemies.
Like, we don't have enemies.

He's the only person...

Is what you're telling me,
you have no evidence

to support your accusation
that he keyed your car?

We do now have video footage though.

I didn't ask you for video footage.
I asked you for any evidence.

Somebody saw it; he admitted it.

No, Your Honor.

Then you don't have a case.
You understand that, right?

-Yes, Your Honor.
-What did he owe you $1,000 for?

The $1,000 was for the damage
to the car.

Did he ever acknowledge
that he would give you $1,000?

-No, Your Honor.
-Oh, then he doesn't owe you anything.

Okay. I can deal with that.

Quickly, I have a counterclaim.

The counterclaim says
that they have property of yours.

What property do they have?

Kristen Ramirez had sent a text message
to one of my friends

claiming that she has my property.
I don't know exactly what all she has.

-She's refused to talk to me...
-[Judy] Just a second.

You can sit 'cause your case is dismissed.

You actually understand that
because you have no proof

that he caused any damage to your car.
Kristen, stand up, please.

Before I take a look at the text
that he has,

what property, if any,
do you have that belongs to him?

-Um...
-[Judy] Um is not an answer.

Let's go. What property do you have
that belongs to him?

I believe he left a birth certificate
at my house.

-Where is it?
-It was in the safe in my room.

So, you have his birth certificate.

-[Kristen] Mm-hmm.
-What else?

I'm not too sure
what else he left in there.

He's the one that put them in the safe.

[Judy] He says he has a list,
which I will look at,

that you sent to someone,
of items of his that you have.

And I'm asking you,
before I look at the list,

what other items of his
do you have?

Other than that, I have no idea.

Okay. Now, I'll see
the document you're referring to.

She's gonna give you back
your birth certificate.

Okay, I have it.

It's gonna be this message.

So far, I don't see what it is.

Right. It's not listed in there. She
just acknowledges that she has my stuff.

She kept it vague...

She's gonna give you back
your birth certificate.

It was sort of misleading, sir.

Yes, Your Honor.

Now, we're gonna get back to one other
little thing that's gnawing at me

before I finish this case.

So, with regard to your belongings,
she's going to return to you,

within five days... Make sure it's sent
and doesn't get lost in the mail.

-Do you understand?
-Yes, Your Honor.

Any papers that she has in her safe,
including your birth certificate.

-Do you understand?
-Yes.

Now, I just want to get
to this Mercedes Benz.

What was the Mercedes Benz
that you were offering for, sir?

"I can turn over the Mercedes Benz."

I want you to tell me
something I can believe.

[Michael]
Your Honor, I'm not too sure.

I do have a receipt
from the wedding venue,

uh, that I emailed. They said
that even if she were to cancel,

she is... well, they accommodate
with rescheduling.

So, it's not like she's out of
all her money.

She's gotta find another groom!

I mean, she could always
throw a birthday party.

[Judy]
No, she can have another groom.

You still haven't given me something
that I believe with regard

to the Mercedes Benz.
You mentioned it several times.

To be honest, Your Honor,
I'm not too sure.

Well, you know, I usually don't like
to split the baby in half,

but it seems to me as if
there is some evidence

that you agreed to participate
in the event

that something happened with the venue.

And I don't necessarily think
that you are 100% responsible

for the break up of this relationship.

I think that there was a lot of problems
and interference on both sides.

How much was the venue,
the non-refundable venue cost?

Seven thousand, fifty dollars.

-[Judy] Okay. Mr. Cortes.
-Yes.

While it's usually not my practice
to leave anybody happy

that comes into my courtroom.

I like when everybody is miserable
when they leave.

Yes, Your Honor.

But she had $7,000 worth of expenses
as a result of this wedding.

And I actually think that it's fair
that you each pay half of that.

So, I'm issuing an order for $3,500
for the Plaintiff.

She's going to return all of your papers
and documents that she has.

This case is now over.

[bailiff]
This court is adjourned.

The mom made all these threats
and harassments towards me.

And that's exactly why I left the wedding.

He's not man enough
to be my daughter's husband.

This is a woman that I was gonna
spend the rest of my life with

and she let her mom ruin the relationship.

I feel that God gave us a blessing

in removing this piece of trash
out of our lives.

I want to move on with my life.

So, as long as they can get out of my
hair, I'd be happy with that.

There is someone better
for my daughter out there.

[Judy] I tell you, that was very sad, not
legally sad, it was a socially sad case.

Because I think he really,
legitimately cared for her.

I mean, the letter that he wrote,
and he clearly wrote it,

I don't know why he denied he wrote it.

A little forensic testing out there
of your own.

Yeah, right. A little... you're right.
You're right, a little forensic testing.

I don't know if that's
particularly kosher, but it looked right.

-But it was a really kind letter.
-Yeah.

He did, in fact, talk about the Mercedes.
This was before he left.

He said, I don't want there to be
this fighting back and forth

because evidently, it was clear that this
was not the first breakup that they'd had.

And it was very sad. I think that she,
actually, cared for him a great deal.

-Mama!
-Too many hands.

Mama got in the way.
She was trying to be very protective

of her daughter, who clearly
has an issue or two.

But she was clearly trying
to be protective and...

Went a little overboard.

Listen, if I were a young guy,
and he's actually a year younger, I think,

than his ex-fiancée,
I would be worried about that lady

-being in my life.
-Oh, yeah. Forever.

Yeah.

[narrator]
Have you been cheated?