03x84 - Cat Scratch Tales and Feline Feud

[bunniefuu]

I had finished the piece,
and when I woke up in the morning,

the painting had clearly been
clawed up by the cat.

You chose to go there.
You knew that there was a cat there.

I was assured the cat would not
be able to get up on the counter.

Why didn't it go in a closet?

I don't know.

[mocking] "I don't know."

[narrator] This is Judy Justice.

Artist, Tara Rule, is suing
Timothy Reedy

for property damage
due to his negligence.

[Kevin] Court come to order. All rise.

Have a seat, please.

Case 3136, Rule vs. Reedy.

-Thank you.
-You're welcome.

Ms. Rule, are you an artist by profession?

Yes.

Is that how you earn a living?

Yes, Your Honor.

Any other job?

Your complaint is this...
you allege that the Defendant,

with whom you briefly dated,

is responsible for the loss
of a piece of artwork

that you had done on commission.

That's correct, Your Honor.

So let me get a little background.

You were commissioned to do,
according to your complaint,

a painting for whom?

A photographer that I know.

They were going to use it
as like a background piece

for, I don't know, some kind of
photography thing he was doing.

I don't know exactly
what it was for, but...

Had you ever done any work for him before?

-No.
-And you were given certain instructions

-by this person.
-Correct.

You agreed on a price which was...

$4,000.

And according to your complaint,
he gave you...

-It was a he, correct?
-That's correct, Your Honor.

-He gave you $2,000 to begin the work.
-Correct.

Then you were almost finished with the
work, and he gave you the other $2,000.

That is correct, Your Honor.

And you have proof of those payments
with you to show me.

-I do.
-May I see them, Kevin,

while we're continuing with the case?

And I'd like you to tell me
during what period of time

you did this work.

The initial conversation that I had
with the client was on December 1st,

and I actually ended up finishing
the piece on December 9th.

-The incident happened...
-Just a second.

-Sorry.
-You finished the painting on the 9th.

So it took you about a week.

Yeah. Correct.

Okay. When were you supposed
to deliver the painting?

Or was he going to pick it up?

I was going to drop off the painting
to him on February 1st.

During what period of time were
you and Mr. Reedy dating?

Not for very long.

From approximately the 21st of January

until the incident.

Which happened on...?

The 1st of February.

Now you can tell me what happened.

I had finished the piece, and...

May I see it, please, by the way?

Yeah. Certainly.

I assume you sent...
you have photographs of it...

I assume you sent it to the purchaser.

Yes.

-Beautiful.
-Thank you.

It's an oil on canvas?

That's correct. It's oil. Mm-hmm.

Go ahead.

I had finished the piece and I had brought
it over to the Defendant's house

because the Defendant lived
closer to the client.

On the 1st?

The day before.
I was spending the night.

Okay. So you arrived
at the Defendant's home.

Tell me what kind of home he has.

-An apartment with a roommate.
-How big?

-Small. Two bedroom.
-Go ahead.

The Defendant has a cat.

She's a kitten,
so she's a little bit rambunctious.

Had you spent the night
at the Defendant's before?

That's correct, Your Honor.

-You had?
-Yes.

How many times?

Maybe about six or seven times.

And the kitten had always been there?

That's correct, Your Honor.

Okay. Go ahead.

I had some concerns about the kitten
getting into the painting upon arriving.

It wasn't something I really thought about
too much until I got there.

So the Defendant and I decided to put
the painting up on a counter

because the kitten can't really
get up on the counter.

There's a bunch of stuff on the counter.

So we figured if we put it
kind of further back,

the kitten would not be able to get to it

and that would keep it
protected overnight.

-I don't know...
-Why didn't it go in a closet?

I don't know.

[mocking] "I don't know."

I don't know, Your Honor.

Seems to me that
if you really wanted to protect it,

you would put it in a closet.

The closets that I was aware of
were blocked off by items.

You mean there were things in the closet.

Outside of the closet.

You couldn't get into a clothing closet?
Where did you put your clothes?

You spent six or seven nights there.
Where do you hang your clothes?

I would put them in a reusable grocery bag
and leave them on the floor.

Okay. Great. Go ahead.

So I don't know exactly what transpired,

but something happened
in the middle of the night

where the Defendant moved the piece...
I guess to get something...

and placed it on the floor
kind of propped up against a wall

and didn't put it back on the counter.

And when I woke up in the morning,

the paper that I had on the outside
of the painting to protect it

had clearly been clawed up
by Nina the cat,

and the painting itself was torn.

And you returned the money.

I did. I talked to the...

-Just a second.
-Sorry.

-You had to return the money.
-Yes, that is correct, Your Honor.

What did you do with
this painting by the way?

I actually destroyed it,

and I used the wood frame
for something else.

Do you want my version of events?

-Mm-hmm.
-Oh.

I mean, it's basically the same,
but I didn't move the painting.

I didn't touch the painting.
I never touched it.

-It was on the counter.
-It was on the counter.

Anybody have a photo of the counter?

No, I don't have a photo.
I have a photo of my cat.

No, I don't care about the cat.

You don't care about my cat?
She's a good cat.

I care about the cat.
It's not that I don't care about the cat.

I'm not engaged with the cat.
Other than the fact that it's a kitten

and that it destroyed the painting,

I'm not interested in seeing
a picture of the cat.

Why do you think it's his responsibility?
It's your responsibility.

He doesn't have any responsibility.

Well, Your Honor...

You're a big, grown-up person.
You want to protect your work?

You leave it in the car,
lock it in the trunk, put it in a closet.

Why is it his responsibility?
Maybe his roommate moved it.

And even if they did,
it's their apartment.

It's your responsibility
to keep your property safe.

First of all, may I just say that
the Defendant and I had conversations

about the fact that he did,
in fact, move the painting.

-Okay.
-And that it wasn't his roommate.

But furthermore, the discussion
that I had with the Defendant was like,

"I'm concerned about the painting."

He was, I thought, sharing that concern,

and it was assured to me
that nothing would happen to it.

While at his home, he's responsible

-for his cat.
-No, he's not.

No, he's not. You're responsible
to take care of your painting.

You know that he's got a kitten,
that the kitten was rambunctious.

So then you all said,
'Where can we put this

so that the kitten can't get it?'

Well, having been a cat person
at one time in my life,

they can get anywhere.

[narrator] And later today...

When we were at the emergency vet,
I had forgotten my wallet.

And he huffed and puffed
and was not very happy

-that he had to...
-I don't care.

Happy, happy.
He paid the vet bill.

-Yeah.
-He paid the vet bill.

[narrator] Artist, Tara Rule, claims
Timothy Reedy owes for property damage

after his cat destroyed her painting.

[Judge Judy]
You brought it into the house.

He didn't assume a bailment
of that painting.

I didn't want to leave it in the car.

You're a guest.

If you didn't want to leave it in the car,
it was your choice to go to his...

Listen, Ms. Rule, you know
that he's got a kitten.

You've been there six
or seven times before.

I believe the word she used
was "rambunctious."

She did. "Rambunctious."

That the kitten you knew
was rambunctious.

You also knew that the kitten had claws.

You knew that sufficiently.
So you said to yourself,

"Gee, where can we put this
so that the kitten can't get it?"

Well, having been a cat person
at one time in my life,

they can get anywhere.
How old is this kitten?

About six months.

Six months... they can get anywhere.

I had a cat whose name was Shirley
along with about four other cats.

But Shirley was a yenta.

You know what a yenta is?
A busybody.

Liked to get in everybody else's business.

And her joy when she was a kitten...
maybe six months old...

was jumping up on soffits
and watching everybody.

Watch the other cats, watch me.
It was spooky.

But you know kittens can do damage, madam.

-Certainly.
-That's your responsibility.

That's not his responsibility.

You chose to go there.
You knew there was a cat there.

You put the painting up on something.

I mean, even if you put it over...
turned it over

so that it was face down
if the cat scratched it,

it may or may not have gotten...

But I don't understand why you think
it's somebody else's responsibility

to take care of your property.

Well, respectfully, Your Honor, it...

it's because we had the conversation
about, you know...

I was assured the cat would not be able
to get up on the counter,

-and he moved it to keep it safe.
-Oh, come on.

I wanted it there for...

If you were there six or seven times,
you've seen the cat up on the counter.

I've never seen the cat
on the counter, Your Honor.

Well, then you weren't looking
carefully enough.

I was assured by the Defendant that
the kitten could not get on the counter.

It's your responsibility.
It's not his responsibility.

Your responsibility to take care
of your own things; not his.

Your case is dismissed.
We're finished.

-[Kevin] This court is adjourned.
-Thank you, Your Honor.

-[Kevin] This way, please.
-Thank you.

She's the judge, so I kind of
have to respect it.

I guess she decided right.

I think things could have definitely gone
better with the Defendant.

She was really upset.
She was asking for the $4,000.

And I was like, "Dude, what?
I don't have that kind of money."

I certainly felt a bit disrespected.

Of course I feel bad about it,
but at the same time, it's like

I don't have that kind of money.

He said kind of what the judge said,

which is, you know,
it should be my responsibility

and I should have artist insurance.

Oh, we don't talk anymore.

We're not seeing each other anymore.

It's a cat.

You do know that there was a time
in my life where I was a cat person.

I do know this.

Lasted for about a year,

which time we sort of accumulated...

Mm-hmm.

I think five or maybe six cats.

Yeah. With a son who was very allergic
to cats at the time, I think.

Well, I wasn't sure
whether he was allergic, or...

-You were testing a theory.
-I was testing a theory.

Yeah.

And then my whole immune system
broke down.

And then you became allergic to cats.

I became allergic to cats.

But I remember Ziggy, Zoey, Zooky,

Spike, Diva, and Shirley.

Wow, what a pack.

What a pack. And that Shirley
was a real nosybody.

[laughing]

While everybody was eating, she would wait
and make sure everybody ate,

and then she came down by herself.

She said, "All right, it's my turn.
I want to eat alone."

So they had personality.
But they do jump around,

and they can get wherever they want to get
when they're six months old.

Yep. Accidents happen.

She's a talented lady.
That was a beautiful painting.

It was.

Case 3125, Halstead vs. Furst.
All parties please come forward.

[narrator] Paul Halstead is suing
his ex-girlfriend, Kayla Furst,

for the return of a cat
and money from an online fundraiser.

Mr. Halstead, for a brief period of time,

you and the Defendant were a romantic item
and lived together for a short period.

Yes, that is correct.

From what I read from your complaint,
you met on a dating app in February 2022.

Uh, yes.

And how much thereafter
did you move in together?

I would say maybe
like three or four months.

So maybe in June?

That sounds accurate.

Now, when you met in February 2022,

did you have the two cats
that are at issue in this case?

So actually I had three cats,
which I do still all have.

Just a second.

We're gonna do this my way.

February 2022, you had three cats.

Correct.

What were their names?

We have Dumpling...

When was Dumpling purchased?

Purchased July 24, 2018.

Before you knew the Defendant.

Yes.

And you don't deny that.

No, ma'am.

And the other cat? Next cat.

Bellatrix. We purchased her
the year before.

So it'd be 2017 in approximately November.

-Okay. Also before you knew her.
-Yes.

-Third cat?
-Is Weegee.

She was purchased July 2020.

-Also before you knew the Defendant.
-Yes.

Did you have any cats
prior to February 2022?

I did not.

So this is what the case is about.
It didn't work out.

You moved in together June 2022,
and you moved out on what date?

It would be middle of October
of last year.

So you lived together for approximately
a year and a half.

Yes.

And when you split, it is your claim
that the Defendant took your cat Dumpling.

Yes.

And that not only did she
take your cat Dumpling,

but at some point after...
either after or before...

she started a GoFundMe page

for what you categorize
as future surgery for the cat.

Yes, ma'am. That's correct.

And people actually gave you money
for this future surgery

-for the cat. Yeah.
-Yes, they did.

How much money did they give you?

Um, it was approximately $383.

You want your cat back and any money that
she collected from the GoFundMe page.

That is correct.

That's what the case is about.

Yes.

Okie-dokie.
Well, the money you don't get.

Oh, no, that's 100% fine.

[chuckles] The money you don't get.

I can't think of a theory
where you would be entitled to the money.

But let's talk about the cat.
Let's talk about that... how that happened.

Tell me, Ms. Furst, about the breakup.
When did that occur

and the circumstances surrounding
you taking his cat?

Yes, so this would've been October...
early October.

Um, I already had...
kind of throughout my head...

I already started a breakup letter
due to, honestly,

that lack of communication
within the relationship.

Okay, good. I'm not a therapist.

-Yes. Yes ma'am.
-I'm a lawyer.

He had the cat in question,
I believe, since 2018.

That is four years before he met you.

They were under my care for the entire
year and a half we were together.

Who cares? That doesn't make it your cat.

[narrator] Paul Halstead claims
his ex-girlfriend, Kayla Furst,

is wrongfully keeping his cat.

Kayla says he agreed to give her the cat.

Okay. Go ahead.

I had come home from work one evening to...

What evening?

I'm not sure of the date at this time,

but it was within the first week
of October.

-Okay.
-And then from there,

when coming home,
I saw Halstead on the couch

to, then, Dumpling barely coming out,
dragging herself over to me,

when she then collapsed in front of me.

From there, I went into hysterics
and I had questioned Halstead

if he even noticed her
and her state that evening.

And he said no.

I then frantically kind of went around
and I asked him to

please take me to the emergency vet,

to where I finally got there with her.

Just a second. Did you go together
to the emergency vet?

Yes, we did.

So you went together to the emergency vet.
Who drove?

I did.

Okay. Did she remain in the emergency room
or did she go home with you that evening?

She went home with us.

Then what happened?

The lack of empathy he had
and the fact that

when we were at the emergency vet,
I had forgotten my wallet,

and he huffed and puffed and was
not very happy that he had to...

I don't care. Happy, happy.
He paid the vet bill.

Yeah.

-He paid the vet bill.
-Yes.

Let us move on. Do you remember,
by the way, how much the vet bill was?

It was $1,700.

So he paid $1,700...

Yes.

...to have his cat seen
in the emergency room.

-Yes, ma'am.
-Okay. Keep going.

That is when I decided
I no longer wanted to be...

-You no longer want to be with him.
-Yes.

Fine. Good. And...?

And for the lack of empathy
that he had towards her,

I asked if I may keep the cat while
he kept his other cat within the time.

And he did agree... that I have in text...
that I was allowed to

keep her throughout this breakup.

Okay. I'd like to see the text.

Here's one.

What was the rest of your message?
"Paul, I hope you're doing okay."

"I wanted to talk to you
about something important."

"I've been" thinking about...
"doing a lot of thinking."

That was the start of the breakup letter
I had to send him.

Okay, but his message
did not follow this.

That was exactly my thought
of how confusing it was.

Well, it's very confusing to me.

Yeah. That's exactly what he sent me

after I sent him a very elongated,
very kind letter.

I don't know what it says. Did you allow
her to keep your cat Dumpling?

I did not.
So I actually have the response text.

-May I see it, please?
-Yes.

That doesn't sort of make sense.

This one says,
"Okay, you can keep Dumpling."

And I "will send you $400 later."

This one says, "You can't.
I'm taking both cats with me."

"I just spend over $1,700 on Dumpling

who," you say,
"I supposedly don't care about."

"I do not want any of the furniture.
You can keep it all."

Okay.

So you moved.

Yes.

Okay. What makes you think
you have any right to this cat?

Um, just because I have taken care of her.

When Halstead and I first got together,

he wanted to get rid of
all three of his animals,

and I took them into my home
where I actually didn't allow pets.

Shortly after that, he did move in with me

while he continued
to commute to D.C. for work,

while I took care of them all week long
besides, you know, the two days that he...

He had them since 2018.

He had the cat in question,
I believe, since 2018.

That is four years before he met you.

Yeah, and I didn't want him
to give them away to,

at the time, his late wife's roommates.
And me taking them in,

they were under my care for the entire
year and a half we were together.

-Who cares?
-Yeah.

That doesn't make it your cat.

That makes the cat
a cat that was living with the two of you.

Yes, ma'am. And with that being said,

when Halstead did come home
to retrieve his belongings,

he had taken everything out of the closet,

took one cat and left Dumpling,
and accused me of stealing her

when he had taken all of the other cats'
medications needed and left Dumpling.

So from our conversation
of being able to keep the cat,

I wanna see... I wanna see that.
This isn't a conversation.

Neither is what he gave me.
This isn't the conversation.

This is just a line
that starts someplace

that has a question before it.

"Okay, you can keep Dumpling."
It's not the way you start a letter

that you write to somebody after
she's just written you a goodbye note.

That's not the way it starts, so...

Unfortunately, it is
the way it starts, ma'am.

It was mind-boggling to myself
that everything that I have written here...

Just a second. In this text,
he says he wants Dumpling back.

Yes.

That he's just spent $1,700 on it.

That is his demonstration
of his commitment to the cat.

Which came first... this or this?

Um, the one prior. But unfortunately,
I don't have any evidence...

Just a second.
You mean this one was first?

Yes, ma'am.

And this one was second.
And this one he says,

"I'm coming to get my cat."

Which he did not take.
He took the one cat and left Dumpling.

And we did have a verbal agreement.

Unfortunately, I don't have any proof
or evidence of that.

Anyway, he's not getting any money,
but he's getting his cat back.

Sir, I will prepare an order,
Mr. Halstead.

You may take it to your local marshal,

and you may go and pick up your cat
if you wish. Do you understand?



You have five days in which to do that.

If you don't accomplish that in five days,
the order will read

that the cat reverts back to the Defendant
and will be titled in her name.

-Do you understand?
-Gotcha.

-That's reasonable?
-100%.

Very good. That's the judgment
of the court. We're finished.

Thank you very much.

[Kevin] This court is adjourned.

I respect her decision,
but it's just unfortunate

we couldn't get to the neglect he had
for Dumpling herself.

So happy.

She was supposed to have surgery
for a herniated disc that she had

as well as be on asthma medication.

I pretty much have the surgery that
she was talking about lined up for her,

'cause I was feeling optimistic
that I would win.

He decided to provide that care
for his other cat and not her.

I pretty much have her
going in next month,

so I'm super excited, honestly.

I hope he does the right thing.

Honestly, I'm just happy for Dumpling
to be back with her sisters.

So I'm super excited, honestly.

Well, at least someone
finally took our advice

and didn't buy an animal, living thing,
have a baby, buy a car

when they were together but not married,
so this is relatively simple.

I think people get a strong affinity
for either the children or the animals

or things that they care for
over the course of a relationship

that then when it all,
you know, comes to an end,

they feel like they have
some legal right to those things

that they tended to
throughout their relationship.

But it was pretty easy.
He came with the three cats.

You took care of them and did all
the dirty work while you were together,

but that doesn't make them your cats.

Yeah, not your cats.
And he took care of them for four years.

Yeah. Before she even came along.

-Easy. They should all be that easy.
-If only.

[narrator] Have you been cheated?