03x73 - Renter's Stabbing Standoff

[bunniefuu]

You, sir. You had a big fight
because you weren't paying rent.

She got crazy. Punched me
in the face and I fell in the chair,

into the glass.

She started picking up the glass
and stabbing me with it.

That's not true.

He has pictures... bleeding.

I was trying to grab the chair.

Before or after you stabbed him
with the glass?

The chair actually collided with
the mirror, and the mirror broke.

I don't believe a word of that.

[narrator] This is Judy Justice.

[theme music playing]

[narrator] DeAndre Benton is suing
his former roommate, Chauncey Rayford,

for personal belongings,
lost wages, and an as*ault.

[Kevin] Court come to order.
All rise.

Have a seat, please.

Hello, Judge. Case 3119,
Benton versus Rayford.

-Thank you.
-You're welcome.

[Judy] Mr. Benton, it is your claim
that the defendant,

-who rented a room in her home to you...
-Yes, ma'am.

...assaulted you,
disposed of your property.

Correct.

[Judy] And because of all the turmoil,
you missed time at work.

Yes, ma'am.

-[Judy] You want $7,500.
-Yes.

[Judy] That's what you're asking for.

Then it says that you assaulted her.
She had lost wages.

She had pain and suffering
as a result of this as*ault,

which I assume took place on the same day.

-Yes.
-Correct.

Okay. How did you find the room
in Ms. Rayford's home?

It was on a roommate app.
Like, Roomster to be exact.

[Judy] On what date did you find the ad?

[DeAndre] June 15th.

[Judy] And where was it located?

Atlanta, Georgia 30311.

[Judy] So that was in June.
And you looked at the room?

Yes, ma'am.

And what was the rent?

It was negotiated to be 750.

[Judy] $750 a month?

Yes, ma'am.

What kind of work were you doing then?

[DeAndre]
I was working fast food at the moment.

[Judy] When did you move in?

July 15th.

[Judy] July 15?

15th, yes, ma'am.

[Judy] And how much rent did you pay
for the month of July?

[DeAndre] This full amount, $750.
I paid 250 to hold the room

and 509 for the remaining balance.

[Judy] In the month of August, tell me
what rent you paid her and when.

I did give her...

Look at me.
Be very careful with me.

I want you to be very careful with me.

How much rent did you give her
in the month of August?

I didn't give her anything.

How much rent did you give her
in September?

She wasn't there.

[Judy] How much rent did you pay anyone
in September?

I paid her a portion of the rent.

[Judy]
What do you mean, "A portion of the rent"?

It was my understanding
that you owned this home.

-Yes, Your Honor. That is correct.
-No, she didn't own the home.

[Judy] Just a second.

She didn't own the home.
To my knowledge,

she wasn't even supposed to be
renting out the home to have rooms.

Just a second. I'm just asking you...
you're now living in somebody's house.

[DeAndre] Mm-hmm.

[Judy]
And you agreed to pay $750 a month rent.

-Mm-hmm.
-[Judy] "Uh-huh" is a yes.

-Yes.
-[Judy] And you paid no rent

for the month of August.

That was because when
I did come into the home on the 31st...

I moved in on the 15th
like I communicated to you.

On the 30th,
my belongings was outside the home.

I had to sleep outside like an animal.

Okay. What about in September?
You were still in the home in September.

Yeah, I was still in the home in September
and went through the same issue.

-[Judy] Just a second. You were still...
-And it was...

You're not gonna talk over me.
You were still in the home in September.

-Mm-hmm.
-[Judy] Not "uh-huh."

-That's a yes.
-Yes.

[Judy]
You were still in the home in September,

and how much rent
did you pay in September?

I paid her $500 in September.

[Judy] Just a second. In September,
you paid her $500?

[DeAndre] Yes.

[Judy] Okay. October?

[DeAndre] Nothing was paid.

[Judy] After that, you paid no rent.

No.

[Judy] Okay. Where are you living now?

I live with a friend now.

That's a lie.

That's a lie. We just checked.

-Yeah, I do. I used to before I moved.
-Okay. Well, just a second. Just a second.

[laughing]

"Stupid" is not here, sir.

-I'm pretty aware of that.
-[Judy] "Stupid" is not here.

So now you're a squatter in a place
where you're paying no rent.

And you live with him?

No, ma'am. I have my own place.

[Judy] Oh, good.

'Cause he doesn't live with you.

He's living in a place
where he doesn't pay rent.

He moved in and stopped paying.

[Chauncey] Mm-hmm.

I'm not finished with you, either.

Do you understand?

-[DeAndre] Yes, I understand.
-Very good.

So if you understand, you weren't
living outside like an animal,

and you've been living for

August, September, October, November,
December, January, and February...

seven months in a place
in which you pay no rent.

Well, can I ask a question?
How am I supposed to pay rent

when I had several eviction notices
and she wasn't there to show up?

Then leave! [laughing] Then leave!

[DeAndre]
I mean, you're saying "leave," but...

You are a squatter!

-She told me I didn't have to...
-[Judy] You're a squatter.

Well, if she told you
that you don't have to,

then the two of you
are in collusion here.

I'm not talking about her, ma'am.

[Judy] Who told you
you didn't have to pay?

The judge, because... I didn't say
the judge didn't say I had to pay.

The judge said
I did not have to leave.

That she didn't find a reason to evict me,

'cause she didn't show up
and provide her evidence.

I'm just telling you, you're a squatter!
You don't pay rent!

Everybody else here pays a mortgage,
pays a maintenance.

You moved in and you became a squatter.

And I don't care
what some other nitwit said to you.

-You're a squatter.
-[all laugh]

[Judy] So you get zero for the rent,
for your property.

I'll get to the as*ault in a minute.
I read your answer.

When did you purchase the house?

Uh, June...

-[Judy] June of what?
-2021.

What was your mortgage?

The first year
from June when I moved in, in 2021,

it was 1575 a month.

For the mortgage.

[Chauncey] Correct.

June of 2022, it increased by $40
and went to 1615.

In what month
did you stop paying the mortgage?

September of 2023.

Why?

[sighs]

You're a squatter!

Do I look like a squatter?

You live in a place that's not yours.
You're not paying rent.

You're a squatter.

Yeah. For people that
don't try to pay rent.

At least I was trying to pay the rent.

[laughing] Listen, I try to make a baby
every once in a while,

but I'm 81 years old.
It doesn't happen.

[all laughing]

[theme music playing]

[narrator] DeAndre Benton claims
his former roommate, Chauncey Rayford,

threw away his property
and assaulted him.

Chauncey is countersuing
for property damage

and says she was the one assaulted.

Now, in what month did you stop
paying the mortgage?

Well, uh, to be
completely honest with you...

[Judy] Yeah. I don't want you
to be dishonest with me.

You have to be honest with me
because I know everything.

Yes, ma'am. I got laid off.

I was okay just living off of savings
for a few months.

Things got hard.

Just a second. You got laid off
from what job where?

Carvana. And this was November of 2022.

[Judy] All right, so you've already been
laid off for a year.

And you're telling me
you paid your mortgage until September?

Yes, ma'am.

I was doing anything I could
from an app called Instawork.

Okay. So then you stopped
paying your mortgage in September.

Yes.

[Judy]
And when did they foreclose on your house?

[Chauncey]
October 23rd was the day that I was told

that myself and DeAndre needed
to be out of the house.

I just asked you a question. They
foreclosed on the house in October?

[Chauncey] Yes.

[Judy] Where did you go?

I had to move back with my mother
in the state of Missouri.

I lost everything...
my job, the home, my dog.

Okay. So now the bank owns the house.

[Chauncey] Yes. Correct.

And he's been squatting in that house
since October.

[Chauncey] Yes. He will not leave.

Get outta here.

Now, I've listened to what she just said.
Just about the ownership of the house

and when she turned it back to the bank.

You said in your brief questioning before

that she didn't own the house.
She was a renter.

Yeah. I wasn't supposed to be there
in the first place, and she knew that.

-I wasn't even aware of that.
-That's not true.

[Judy] Just a second. If she owns
the house, you can be there.

She doesn't own the house.

[Judy] She doesn't own it anymore.

She never did.

Well, show me proof of that.
Okay. That I'd like to see.

Were you renting with an option to buy?

-Yes, ma'am. With an option to buy.
-[Judy] Oh! I got it now.

He's absolutely right.
You were not the owner of the house.

You were a renter
and you had an option to buy.

Correct. And I was gonna do so...

Shoulda, woulda, coulda.

You two people
actually deserve each other.

Because what you suggest in your papers

is that you ran into hard times
and you let the bank take the house.

Well, you didn't let the bank do anything
because you didn't own the house.

You were a renter
and you stopped paying rent.

Isn't that right?

That is correct.

[Judy] Right. So as far as I'm concerned,
you both deserve each other.

I don't know who
you're not paying rent to.

Somebody owns this house.

And they've been probably trying
to get you out of the house

for a very, very long time.

The person that owned the home
came to the home

and said she was already far behind
before I even moved in.

That's the whole reason why...

Who cares? What are you doing in a place
where you're not paying rent

and you're not supposed to be there?

You're a squatter.

Do I look like a squatter?

You are one!

You live in a place that's not yours.
You're not paying rent.

You're a squatter.

Yeah. For people
that don't try to pay rent.

At least I was trying to pay the rent.

[laughing] Listen, I try to make a baby
every once in a while,

but I'm 81 years old.
It doesn't happen.

[all laughing]

All right, I wanna hear something
about this as*ault

that happened when you were
both living in this place

that belonged to someone else
and neither one of you was paying rent.

She was paying it.

Just... who are you?

I'm her witness.

Were you there
when this as*ault took place?

Yes, I was.

[Judy] Okay, then I'll hear you
after I hear them.

Now, what is the date
of this alleged as*ault?

-October 10th.
-[Judy] October 10th?

Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] And you were still living there
not paying rent.

As of September and October,
she was still living there.

-Yes, ma'am.
-Tell me what happened.

I came outside out of my room.

She was already being aggressive
about the not paying rent.

And I've already been trying
to be communicative with her.

Not true.

[Judy] I don't want to hear you.

-I'm not speaking, Your Honor.
-[Judy] Who is?

-Me. I'm sorry. Okay.
-[Judy] Out!

Then you're done.
That way. Out.

[sighs] Lord.

-Go ahead.
-[DeAndre] Um...

-Basically, um...
-[Judy] I don't want to hear "basically."

I want to hear to the best of your
recollection on October 10th, 2023.

You were both in the house.
You were in your room.

She got crazy.

Basically, long story short...
she got crazy.

I tried to come inside the house
and sit in the chair.

The lady pulled the chair from me.

I have the pictures and everything of it.

Pulled the chair from me...

[Judy] Which lady?

This one right here.

[Judy] Pulled the chair out from
under you. You tried to sit down.

-Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] And...?

Pulled the chair out from me,
punched me in the face,

and I fell in the chair into the glass.

She started picking up the glass
and stabbing me with it.

-[Judy] And...?
-[DeAndre] I had to call the ambulance.

The police came.
It took 45 minutes.

May I see the police report, please?

Did you ever speak to the police,
Ms. Rayford?

-That day?
-[Judy] That day.

No, ma'am. I ended up leaving because...

[Judy] Okay. Just a second.
Don't tell me "because."

The police have memorialized
what they saw on the 10th,

and they saw him with multiple wounds
on his body.

Some were bandaged and some not.

You were not in the house.

This person, I assume,
is your girlfriend.

-Correct.
-[Judy] Okay.

So the two of you were in the house.
After this incident took place...

whatever the incident was...
the two of you left.

-That's correct.
-[Judy] He called the police.

I'm not sure what he did.

[Judy] Well, you didn't call the police.

[Chauncey] No. I did not.

[Judy]
No. Now, so from you I would like to see...

I have...

When you left the house... ran out
of the house with your girlfriend...

I assume you went right
to an emergency room or something

as a result of the lacerations
that you say you sustained

as a result of this fight.
So I'd like to see those records.

I did not go to seek emergency treatment
because I didn't have any insurance.

I just bandaged it up by myself.

Well, where did you run to?

To go and get bandaged.

[Judy] And when did you come back
to the house?

I did not. I was...

-Just a second.
-That was my last day.

[Judy] So that was your last day.

-Okay. So now...
-That's a lie. She did come...

I would only return when he was not there
to collect my things.

Oh, so you did...
Just a second. So you did go back.

I had a feeling I was right.

[Chauncey]
He would not be there when I would return.

I have text messages
of me asking my neighbor

to let me know when he's not there
as well. I have photos.

I'm gonna look at both your photos,
and then you're gonna tell me

your version of what happened.

-Yes.
-[Judy] Because there's no question

that he was injured,
because the police memorialized that.

I assume he has photographs as well.

Now I want you to tell me
your version of what happened.

I was working from home.
He was already up that morning.

Uh, and he was the one being loud.

He was sitting at my workstation
and I kept asking him politely

to move so that I can go ahead
and start working.

He refused to move.

He told me he had a right to sit
wherever he wanted to in the home.

Now, mind you, he's never...

Just a second.
Did you pull the chair out from under him?

I have a big problem with you,
because I know that he's a squatter,

but you led me to believe

that you had to give this house
back to the bank

as a result of his not paying rent.

Yes, ma'am.

Yes, and that was not true.

[theme music playing]

[narrator] DeAndre Benton has accused
his former roommate, Chauncey Rayford,

of throwing away his belongings
and assaulting him.

Chauncey is countersuing,
claiming DeAndre damaged property

and assaulted her.

Okay. Did you pull the chair out
from under him?

No. He was not sitting at it
at that time.

I was trying to move myself.
He had walked outside the front door.

And as he did that,
I was trying to grab the chair,

and he ran towards it and sat in it.

And that's when
the chair actually collided

with the mirror, and the mirror broke.

[Judy] And then...?

And then he proceeded to pick up
pieces of glass...

and I have the photos
of my injury right here.

-That's a lie. Oh.
-[Judy] I don't want to hear you.

He also damaged my work equipment.
I had just started that job July 17th.

I lost my job on Friday, October 13th
because he damaged my computer.

I have a police report
that I filed because...

[Judy] I'd like to see it.

When I did return to the home after,
you know, stitching myself up...

You didn't stitch yourself up.

I did go and get bandages.

[Judy] You didn't stitch yourself up.

Well, okay, the wrong verbiage.

Okay. Yeah.

-This is what I submitted online.
-[Judy] Just a second.

I asked you for your police report.

-[Chauncey] Yes.
-Period.

-Okay. It's right here.
-[Judy] Show it to me.

This is what I have filed online.

After communicating with my job...

Just a second. This on the 12th.
You said this happened on the 9th.

It did happen on the 9th, Your Honor.

[sighs]

[Chauncey] And what I did was,
I was in communication with my employer

to see what they felt was best because...

[Judy] What does she do for a living?

She was a shift manager.

[Judy] She still work?

-[Chauncey] Yes, she works.
-Well, why wasn't she paying rent?

We don't live together.
She had her own place.

Interesting. Okay.
You wanted to say something to me?

Yes. That's actually a lie.
As far as me assaulting her,

I never once touched this lady.
I never once disrespected her.

I never once raised a hand at her
or tried to, like, physically harm her.

She was very aggressive,
very disrespectful.

That's not true.

[Judy]
Okay, can I see photographs, please?

Can I see her photographs, please?

Um, my wrist was also injured.
That's my arm.

And her toe.

These are the injuries
that you're showing me?

The toe injury is Marvias, my partner.
And the arm, that's me.

I don't buy the photos, ma'am.

I have the scar right here.

Yeah, I don't buy that photo.
This photo is a result of this date?

No. It all happened the same day
that we're referring to.

Why are you showing me
a picture of her toe?

Because when the glass broke
and it was flying,

somehow her toe got cut.

-That's not true.
-[Judy] Just a second.

What other evidence do have to show me
with regard to this injury

that took place on that day?

That was mainly what I took.

The police told me to take pictures of it
because they already had her on file

from a previous incident
of putting her hands on me.

If she put her hands on you before,
why didn't you move?

-That's not making any sense.
-Shh! Shh!

There's an indication here there was a...
Shh, listen to me. If she put her...

That's the only place
that I could afford at the moment.

But you weren't paying anything.

You weren't working.
You weren't doing nothing.

I'm done. You're finished.

You have a counterclaim.
Your counterclaim is dismissed.

You, sir. You had a big fight with her

because you moved in
and you weren't paying rent.

You hadn't paid rent since July.
So if she's annoyed with you...

there's absolutely no basis for her
to put her hands on anybody...

but you got into a scuffle that day.
Did you damage her computer?

No, sir, I didn't.

[Judy] I believe that you didn't
damage her computer.

-I didn't...
-[Judy] Shh. Listen to me.

I believe that the computer
may have gotten damaged

during the course of this fight
where you and your girlfriend were there.

-Right. After...
-[Judy] Just a second. Just a second.

You and your girlfriend were there.

See, I have a big problem with you
because I know that he's a squatter,

but you led me to believe that you had
to give this house back to the bank

as a result of his not paying rent.

That's what you led me
to believe in your answer.

-Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] Yes, and that was not true.

When somebody tells me something
that's not true,

I find their testimony
always a little suspect.

Do you understand?
He was injured.

There's no question he was injured
with shards of glass.

Police saw the injury,

and he has pictures... bleeding...
on that date.

That's a result of what happened
that you did to him.

And you may have been angry.
Was your friend angry as well?

Because you both ran off.

This is what happened, okay?

Sure. I'd like to hear you
try to tell me what happened.

The laptop was not damaged
due to the scuffle.

He was already banging on it,
and then he poured Pepsi on it.

I had to...

[Judy] Did he pour Pepsi on the computer

before or after you stabbed him
with the glass?

No. This is before.

I don't believe a word of that.

-[Chauncey] Ma'am, this is the truth.
-I... um, no...

-I literally walked outside...
-Can I say something?

...so I could get some help.
I had to call my girlfriend...

No. You don't call your girlfriend.
You call the police.

-Every time the police have been called...
-[Judy] Just a second.

...they have not helped me.

Your girlfriend's not gonna help you.

You're trying to talk over me.
Your girlfriend's not gonna help you.

I had no family in Atlanta.

On the day of the incident,
the police were wondering,

like, where was she so they can get...

[Judy] Don't tell me what the police
were wondering, sir.

You haven't paid rent in a place
for seven months.

Are you still working fast food?

Yeah. I'm working now.

Did you tell me initially
when I asked you a question...

and we can have Whitney read it back...

when I asked you where you were living,
you said you were living with a friend.

-Yeah, because I...
-[Judy] Just a second.

You were living with a friend,
but that's not true

because when we tried to contact you,
the contact address that you gave us was...

That's how I knew you lived there
and that you weren't telling me the truth.

Do you understand?

Yeah. I said I recently moved...

No. Yeah, no, you didn't say that.

I recently have moved from that location,
from that home.

[laughing] Goodbye.
Your case is dismissed. So is yours.

Goodbye. You deserve each other.

[Kevin] This court is adjourned.

I wasn't squatting.

He only paid to move in,

and I didn't get anything
after that month of July.

Well, how am I supposed to pay rent
if I was told I could be there?

Because that's what Gen Z babies do.

Squatters tend to have more rights
than the landlords, it seems, these days.

I mean, he moved in,
he paid one payment to move in

and hold the spot,
and never paid again after that.

And like you said,
has been there for seven months.

-She didn't pay...
-She was not honest about...

you know, in the papers
it was a little bit unclear...

or actually it was very clear,
just inaccurate...

that the reason that she had
to leave this place

was solely due to him not paying rent.

She made it seem like she had
to give it over to the bank

due to some lack of payment.

'Cause she lost her job and...

Exactly. So a lot about the lost job,
a lot about all of this, but...

I mean, I just wonder who's paying
utilities on the house now.

He's been living there for seven months.
It's owned by the bank now, I believe.

Yeah, I think it's owned by the bank.

And I don't think they're paying
for his water and heating.

-Well, somebody's paying for them.
-Someone.

[narrator] Are you a victim of an as*ault?

.

[theme music playing]