03x101 - Claws and Disorder and Wedding Pitfalls 101

[bunniefuu]

[Judy]
You take the dog to a groomer

-and there's an accident.
-Mhm.

I was always happy with the results,

but this day, it kind of
turned into a nightmare.

His activity has declined.
He's not the same.

His mobility isn't the same
because of the incident that they caused.

You're not an expert.

It's because of the accident
that they caused.

-Get me a vet.
-[announcer] This is Judy Justice.

[theme music]

[announcer] Ktina Jones is suing her
former dog groomer, Diana Torres,

for vet bills and damages
from negligent dog grooming services.

[Kevin]
Court come to order. All rise.

Have a seat, please.

Case 3141, Jones versus Torres.

-Thank you.
-[Kevin] You're welcome.

[Judy] Ms. Jones, you have a dog
that you alleged was injured

when you took the dog into the defendant's

-grooming place of business.
-Correct.

You've used the defendant's
facilities before?

-Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] She's groomed your dog before?

-What kind of a dog is it?
-I have a Maltese. He's three years old.

[Judy] And how long have you been
taking it to the defendant's store?

[Ktina]
Maybe two years now.

-[Judy] How often? Is it a male dog?
-Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] How many times a year
do you take him to be groomed?

I try to take him for a haircut every...
between, like, every eight weeks,

because I groom him in between,
with baths and things like that.

And you've never had a problem?

-[Ktina] No, not...
-Before?

-...with them, not up until this day.
-[Judy] Do you do the grooming yourself?

Myself or my other groomers,
whoever she books.

Because we have a booking system,
so she either calls

and whatever groomer has an availability
will book the dog under the groomer.

On the day in question,
were you the groomer for the dog?

I wasn't at the beginning,
but at the end, I was the...

I'm the one who finished
the groom, correct.

-Was that after the dog was injured?
-[Diana] Correct.

-Yes, after the dog was injured.
-Who was the groomer?

[Diana] A groomer... a seasoned groomer
that we had.

[Judy] What was the date of this visit
where the dog was injured?

It was November 22nd, before Thanksgiving.

-Did she ask for a specific groomer?
-No.

[Judy] What kind of a license
do you need in order to groom dogs?

[Diana] In the State of Texas,
you do not need a license.

Now, why don't you tell me what happened

when Ms. Jones brought
her dog in to be groomed?

You say you finished the grooming.
How did you start the grooming?

So, the dog was dropped off
and we initially take the dog in,

check in, and she'd let us
know what she wanted done.

-Who did you expect to groom your dog?
-Ms. Diana.

-[Judy] Had she usually groomed your dog?
-[Ktina] Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] Now, she dropped
the dog off November 22nd.

-Yes, ma'am.
-It was a pretty crazy, hectic...

-[Judy] Doesn't matter. Doesn't matter.
-...day before Thanksgiving. Uh-huh.

-[Diana] Okay.
-[Judy] Keep going.

[Diana] He was matted because the dog
hadn't been seen two months prior.

Ms. Jones... she said
she's been a customer for two years,

and only has come in six times,
which we have documented.

And every time she would come in,
we would either need to do a neatening up.

-[Judy] Listen to me.
-Mhm.

He started working on the dog
and then he cut the dog.

The dog got bathed. And then when he was
grooming the dog, it was almost done.

The last part that he had to do was
remove a mat from underneath his leg.

And which was where the...
where the incident happened.

Well, it was more than
just an incident, Ms. Torres.

-The dewclaw got cut.
-[Judy] Correct. And that's a big deal.

-Yes.
-What did you do after you...

'cause then you looked at the dog
'cause the dog probably yelped?

-Yeah. The dog...
-[Judy] Yes. You...

We were in a grooming salon...
in a grooming room.

[Diana] So I was grooming my dog
and I heard the dog yelp.

So I looked up and I ran... I walked over
there and I pressed... applied pressure.

And I told my groomer assistant,

"Hey, can you call...
Pedro, and tell him what happened?"

Because in order to take the dog
to get seen from any vet,

we need consent from the owner
because we can't just take a dog...

-[Judy] Right.
-...to the vet.

-So...
-[Diana] Pedro ended up calling Ms. Jones,

let her know what happened, so we can get
approval that we could take the dog there.

-What did they tell you when they called?
-[Ktina] When he called me,

he told me that there had been an incident
and Ace was in animal hospital.

He never once asked me, "Was it okay?"

-He told me...
-[Judy] No, no, no, no, no.

I just want you to tell me
what you were told about the dog.

He told me that he had
a accident and he had been cut.

His nail was cut off too short.
He told me it was the dewclaw,

which I wasn't familiar with
the actual medical term of a dewclaw,

so I began to look it up.

During the phone call, we stayed
on the phone for eight minutes.

He informed me that it wasn't a big deal.

I asked him "Was he in pain?"
Was like, "What's going on?"

He said "No, he didn't even notice."

-So from my understanding, he...
-[Judy] Now, just a second.

-So then they took the dog to the vet?
-[Ktina] He was already at the vet.

When he called me
he was already at the vet.

Great, which is responsible thing for them
to do. So they took the dog to the vet

-and he was cared for?
-Right.

And then when he came back from the vet,
you finished the grooming?

No. So, the...

[Judy] You finished the grooming
before you took him to the vet?

No, I finished the groom after Ms. Jones
had brought the dog back from the vet.

Because the vet gave her
care to take care of the wound

during the Thanksgiving holiday.

And they told her what she needed to do
in order to take care of the injury.

[Judy]
Okay. So now, they've acted responsibly.

They've taken the dog
to the vet immediately.

-[Ktina] Mhm.
-They contacted you.

-Did you get a vet bill?
-Correct.

How much?

[Ktina] So I wanna say the first
one was, like, maybe 144.

The second one was probably 120
or somewhere, just ballparking it.

Did you pay for the vet bills?

Yes, we paid for the bill
and we comped the groom.

[Judy] Just a second.
So they paid for the vet bills?

-[Ktina] Mhm.
-[Judy] And they also, according to her,

she just volunteered that they did
not charge you for the grooming?

Right.

[Judy] So they acknowledged that
it was their fault that the dog got cut

by comping the grooming
and paying for the vet bills?

-Right.
-[Judy] So far,

you've done everything appropriately.
What are you suing her for?

-[theme music]
-This is nonsense.

This doesn't support your argument
that the dog has problems related to that.

It said, "Could be from a lot of things."

I won't know.
But they did say it could be a infection.

Well, I don't know.
Well, I'm not a mind reader, madam.

-[laughs] Yes.
-[Judy] I can't fill in the future.

[announcer]
And later today...

[Judy] He was supposed to pay for the
mortgage. Why are you going after her?

Because the original... with them,
when they were buying the home,

I don't think that it was
just him paying the mortgage.

-If he got...
-I don't care what you think.

[theme music]

[announcer] Ktina Jones claims her
former dog groomer, Diana Torres,

owes for vet bills and damages
after her employee injured Ktina's dog.

-I don't know what you're suing for.
-So his activity has declined.

He's not the same. His mobility isn't the
same. His daily activities that he do,

-he doesn't do it like he used to.
-[Judy] Like what?

His running, him playing at our apartment.
He have, like, this ramp that he jump up.

He's not able to jump up as high.
He don't jump off things

-as high as he would before.
-Well, that's a good thing.

[Ktina]
And he always holds up his foot.

So he's, like, his daily
activities, his mobility,

he don't run as fast,
and he will hold up his foot.

-And?
-[Ktina] And that...

and I think it has stemmed... and vets
have confirmed that it has stemmed,

from the incident of him
cutting off the dewclaw

because it wasn't correctly removed.

And not only when they cut it off,
it became infected.

So they treated it.
They gave me antibiotic.

-[Ktina] They gave me what I need.
-[speaks indistinctly]

[Judy] Now, just a sec. They took
the dog to the vet. You went there.

-You authorized that. They paid for it.
-Mhm.

[Judy] I'm still trying to figure out...
They've done the right thing with the dog.

-[Ktina] Right. Yes.
-They were negligent,

and that's why they paid for the vet bill.

And because of the incident,

because of the accident
of them cutting off his dewclaw,

it has caused damages that's
gonna last him a longtime.

[Judy]
I don't know that.

-You have a vet here to tell me?
-[Ktina] I have...

-I have, yes, I have...
-Shh. Listen to me. Listen to me.

-You are not an expert.
-I'm not.

[Judy] Right. What you're talking about
is a diminished life because of this.

His activity is different.

So all I'm hearing is he can't jump up
and he can't run as fast as he used to.

And it's because of the
accident that they caused.

[Judy] Just a second. You want
$10,000 for your dog's disability?

He needs additional treatment, so...

Get me a vet to tell me what kind
of additional treatment he needs.

I have it here,
and I have highlighted as well.

-[Judy] Okay. I'm gonna take a look at it.
-[Ktina] And the credible source is here...

No, no, don't give me
a whole bunch of stuff.

-Okay.
-[Judy] Just give me

-what I asked you for.
-This.

[Judy] It says, "If the nail looks normal
and is not grow..." This is from the doctor.

Wait, and from Penn Vet.
Actually, they're pretty good people.

"There is no evidence of redness
or swelling or pain in the area,

this could be something
not related to the nail.

Other causes of decreased mobility
could be neck or back pain.

There is also a potential that he
could have an infection of the bone

that the nail grows out of, and the only
way to determine that would be an X-ray."

Is that what you want me to read?

-Right. And I have...
-[Judy] Who cares?

-Who cares?
-[Ktina laughs]

I have another documentation
here from a credible source.

-[Judy] Just a second.
-Mhm.

If you tell me that you have other
documentation, I'm gonna look at it.

Otherwise, this is nonsense.
This doesn't support your argument

that the dog has problems related to that.
It said, "Could be from a lot of things."

And the thing is with the... I won't know.
But they did say it could be an infection.

Well, I don't know.
Well, I'm not a mind reader, madam.

-[Ktina laughs] Yes.
-I can't fill in the future.

But I need an X-ray
in order to determine that.

[Judy]
Then get one.

And I need the funds from
the people that caused the incident.

No, no, no, no, no.
Pay for the X-ray and then sue her,

if it turns out that the
problem with his foot

has to do with an infection of the bone.

Listen, it's an unfortunate thing,
you take the dog to a groomer

and there's an accident,
which sometimes happens.

I've taken dogs over the years to groomers
and there have been minor mishaps.

It seems to me like these groomers
did the responsible thing

by immediately addressing the dog,
calling you, taking the dog immediately,

closing down shop, whoever it was,
right before Thanksgiving,

taking your dog to the vet, paying for it.
And of course saying,

"Please, we're not charging you
for the grooming. This was our fault."

You're talking about something that might
or might not happen in the future.

-This has affected him.
-Zero.

-[Ktina] This has affected him.
-A zero.

And I'm a dog lover.
They did the right thing.

And so far, I don't have
any expert except you that says,

"My dog can't jump on and off the
furniture," a bit of a blessing...

-[courtroom laughs]
-[Judy] ..."and doesn't run as fast."

-Because of the incident that they caused.
-[Judy] They...

-I have documentation.
-[Judy] Just a sec. No, you don't have a...

-From vets.
-[Judy] No, you don't.

Not that I saw. Not that you gave me.
You don't have any documentation.

None of this happened
until they cut off his dewclaw.

-If it's incorrectly removed...
-[Judy] Ms. Jones. Ms. Jones.

Ms. Jones, they did the right thing.
You are not able to be compensated

for what might happen to the dog
in the future because of this incident.

But they incorrectly removed his dewclaw.

[Judy] They did,
and they took responsibility for it.

-[Ktina] They didn't.
-Goodbye. Your case is dismissed.

-[groans]
-[Kevin] This court is adjourned.

[theme music]

-I'm very disappointed.
-I think that she made the right decision.

-Justice was not served for my dog.
-It was about money. She wanted money.

I need to get X-rays.
I would have to get exams,

I would have to basically
spend more money,

and they should be held
accountable for that.

I've taken our dogs
over the years to groomers

and I remember once one of them was cut,

-I was furious.
-Mhm.

[Judy] You know, they can't
explain to you how it hurts.

-They can't explain.
-[Sarah] Mhm.

It's an accident. You're dealing
with an animal that's moving around.

But I think that the defendant in this
case was a perfectly responsible person.

Yeah. Paid for the vet bills,
took it to the vet right away.

Like she said it was
the week of Thanksgiving.

I'm sure that it was very busy
at the groomers but still...

-She closed it up and she...
-[Sarah] ...Closed it up

-and took it to the vet.
-Yeah.

-Called her right away and paid for it.
-[Judy] And paid for it.

And didn't charge her for the grooming.

So, you know, what more can
you do when there's an accident?

And she also said that
the plaintiff, from the vet,

brought the dog back to the groomer
to be finished grooming

Yeah. So clearly the dog was in
a better state after seeing the vet,

-well enough to finish a grooming.
-The grooming.

-[Sarah] Exactly. So.
-Right.

-I think the ask was a little high here.
-[Judy] I do, too.

Case 3153, Cortez versus Perez.
All parties, please come forward.

[announcer] Elizabeth Cortez is suing
her son's ex-fiancée, Janeces Perez,

for an unpaid loan and mortgage payments.

Ms. Cortez, Ms. Perez
is the former fiancée of your son.

-I assume that that's your son?
-[Elizabeth] Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] And while they were a couple,
and they are no longer a couple,

they did the very foolish thing
of purchasing a home together.

Yes, Judge.

[Judy] And it is your claim that Ms. Perez
owes you for some money that you laid out

in order to prevent the house
from being foreclosed

when mortgage payments
were not forthcoming...

-Yes. Correct.
-[Judy] ...from either of them.

-[Judy] That's what the case is about?
-Yes.

-What's your last name, sir?
-Cortez, Your honor.

[Judy]
Step up with your mother.

So I have a few questions. When did
you and Ms. Perez start being a couple?

We started dating sometime
around January... 2015.

-[Judy] When did you become engaged?
-Around August that same year, Your Honor.

And when did you purchase this house?

It would've been September
of 2020, Your Honor.

[Judy] How much was the house
when it was purchased?

It was 275,000.

-How much of a mortgage?
-It was 275,000, Your Honor.

[Judy] So you didn't put
any money down on the house?

-No, Your Honor.
-[Judy] Now, at that time,

-you and Ms. Perez were living together?
-Yes, Your Honor.

[Judy] And I assume you had made plans
to budget yourselves as a couple?

[Edward]
Correct.

[Judy]
How did you and Ms. Perez split expenses?

[Edward] She was responsible for the
bills, so... electricity, things like that.

[Judy]
Hold, just a sec. Utilities?

-[Edward] Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] What else?

[Edward]
Maybe groceries every once in a while.

-[Judy] Anything else?
-No, Your Honor.

[Judy] Utilities and groceries?
Were the utilities in her name?

-Yes, Your Honor.
-And what was your responsibility?

I told her I was gonna
take care of the mortgage.

[Judy] Just a second. So she was
paying the utilities and the groceries.

[Edward]
Yes.

[Judy]
And you were supposed to pay the mortgage?

-Yes.
-You lived together until when?

It would've been February or March.
March 1st, 2023.

-[Judy] And she left the house?
-Yes, Your Honor.

[theme music]

-He was living there?
-Correct.

[Judy]
He was supposed to pay the mortgage.

She continued with her end of
the deal and maintained the utilities

even though she wasn't there. Don't you
see a problem with your thinking?

[courtroom laughs]

[theme music]

[announcer] Elizabeth Cortez claims
her son's ex-fiancée, Janeces Perez,

owes for an unpaid loan
and mortgage payments.

[Judy] How long did you stay
in the house after she left?

November the 3rd, Your Honor,
of 2023, is when the house sold.

And you were in the house
up until that time?

Yes, Your Honor.

[Judy]
So you were in the house seven months?

[Edward]
Yes, Your Honor.

[Judy] Who paid the mortgage
during those seven months?

I paid up until June, Your Honor,
and I lost my job.

So my mom was helping me make the
payments between June and November.

-[Judy] You asked her to do that?
-Yes.

[Judy] When did Ms. Perez
remove her name from the utilities?

-When did you...
-I never removed them

-until the house was sold, Your Honor.

-Did you pay the bills for the utilities?
-Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] Okay. Mr. Cortez, is it correct
that Ms. Perez paid the utilities

-until the house was sold?
-Yes, Your Honor.

-And you didn't pay the mortgage?
-Yes, Your Honor.

-[Judy] That's also correct?
-Yes.

[Judy] So it was you who defaulted on the
agreement that you had with Ms. Perez?

-[Edward] Yes, Your Honor.
-Okey-dokey.

-We're getting that straight, right?
-[chuckles] Yes.

[Judy] Now, the house was sold
November of 2023. For how much?



And Ms. Perez, did you realize
any cash from that sale?

[Janeces]
Yes, I did, Your Honor.

-[Judy] How much?
-20,000.

[Judy]
And did you realize any cash from that?

-Yes, Your Honor. The same.
-[Judy] 20,000. Let's go back.

-So now we understand what the game is.
-Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] It is your claim
that Ms. Perez owes you $10,000.

-Correct.
-Explain it to me.

[Elizabeth]
On February the 1st,

she reached out to me letting me know
that she received a foreclosure letter.

Well, that was a foreclosure notice
because your son didn't pay the mortgage.

[Elizabeth]
Correct.

-[Judy] Okay. You understand that?
-Yes.

-[Judy] They had an agreement.
-[Elizabeth] Yes.

[Judy]
She kept up her part of the agreement.

-Well, the agreement...
-[Judy shushes]

-Okay.
-[Judy] Don't tell me the agreement.

-This is the couple's agreement.
-[Elizabeth] Mhm.

-She was to pay utilities and food.
-Yes.

[Judy] And he was gonna
take care of the mortgage.

She maintained the utilities.

I don't know about the food when she moved
out, probably didn't pay his food bill.

But he didn't pay any of the mortgage.

-You understand that?
-He paid up until June.

-[Judy] Of 2023?
-Correct.

[Judy] So when did you get
a call from her, on what date,

that the mortgage was behind?

-February the 1st.
-I thought he paid until June of 2023?

[Elizabeth] No. Your Honor,
he was behind on the payments.

-Oh, that's not her fault.
-[Elizabeth] Which caused...

-That's his fault.
-[Elizabeth] Right.

Which caused the foreclosure, okay?

So she reached out to me
to see what I could do.

So I went over to their home
on February the 1st

and we sat down
to come up with a game plan.

I told them I would loan them
the money to stop the foreclosure,

'cause she was concerned
about her credit being ruined

because she needed school loans.

What was the foreclosure
amount at that time?

It was 14,243.

-[Judy] So you paid that?
-Yes, ma'am.

[Judy]
Did you get that back from him?

-I got half of it.
-[Judy] Shh.

Why didn't you get the whole thing?

It was his responsibility to pay
for the mortgage, not hers.

He came out with $20,000 in cash.
You're out money.

He was supposed to pay for the mortgage.
Why are you going after her?

Because the original with them
when they were buying the home,

I don't think that it was just him
paying the mortgage.

-If he got...
-I don't care what you think.

That was their arrangement.
He would take care of the mortgage.

She would take care of the rest of the
bills. And he failed to pay the mortgage.

For whatever reason,
he failed to pay the mortgage,

whether she knew
or whether she didn't know.

He made $20,000 on the sale of the house.

If you helped out with the foreclosure of
$14,000, that was his responsibility.

Why don't you get that back from him?

But I also paid the mortgage
and that also...

-[Judy] Just a second.
-Yes.

[Judy] So you paid 14,000
and what months did you pay the mortgage?

From June to the end of October.

-[Judy] She wasn't living there.
-[Elizabeth] Correct.

-[Judy] He was living there.
-Correct.

[Judy]
He was supposed to pay the mortgage.

She was supposed to pay the utilities,

even though she wasn't using the utility,
she continued with her end of the deal

and maintained the utilities
even though she wasn't there.

Don't you see a problem
with your thinking?

Not really because I had an agreement
with both of them. I'm not...

[Judy] I don't care whether you had
an agreement with both of them.

I'm telling you they had an agreement.

He can't make money
and have his mother out money.

I paid back a total of $13,000,
Your Honor.

[Judy]
Your mother says that's not enough.

In any event, I stand unconvinced
that she owes you any money.

But we met on the 1st and she agreed
that she was gonna pay me half.

[Edward]
We struck a new agreement with her

so we could save the house,
save the credit.

-[Judy] Just a second.
-Yes, ma'am.

Show me where you have
an agreement with her in February,

obligating her to pay you half of whatever
you paid off for the mortgage in February.

-It was an oral.
-[Judy] That's too bad. He got $20,000.

-So does she.
-[Judy] That's all right.

She paid her part of the expenses.
Don't you follow that?

Now, I thought I also saw
that you paid credit card?

[Janeces] Yes. That was for the
furniture... it was appliances.

Because after we bought the house, his
credit went down. My credit was still up.

[Judy]
So the appliances and furniture

-were put on your credit card?
-[Janeces] Yes.

-Did you pay for that?
-Yes.

-[Judy] Is it paid off?
-Yes.

Okay. Do you understand? That was their
agreement. He can't profit from that.

Sounds to me as if she did everything
that she was supposed to do

even after she moved out.

She's already paid her half,
for everything, as per their agreement.

And he got money.
So, how much did you pay your mother?

-13,500.
-[Judy] Good. You should pay her the rest.

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

-Your case is dismissed. We're done.
-[Kevin] This court is adjourned.

[theme music]

I still think she owes 'cause it was
between me, and her, and my son.

Nothing to do with the original agreement.

Well, I think she was fair.

She understands that this chapter's
closed and now I can put this behind.

She agreed to pay me
and she should have kept her promise.

-He maxed all my credit cards, literally.
-I'm gonna pay her back.

Do not buy with another man
that's gonna be with a fiancée.

Make sure you're married for real.

Another great example of why
you don't buy big purchases

with someone that you're not married to,
especially a house with a mortgage.

I felt bad for the mother
because she did bail out her son

and his financial responsibility.

However, he had his own agreement
with his then girlfriend/fiancée

and he didn't hold up
his end of the bargain.

-So, you had come...
-And she paid.

She did. She paid her half and she paid
what she was supposed to.

She paid for the appliances.

And I think there was also some credit
cards being maxed out after the fact,

that she was responsible for and was
not countersuing for. She just paid it.

I think what happened was she took
whatever that money was that she got...

-[Sarah] The profit. Mhm.
-...the profit.

-And paid that...
-Paid off her debts.

-[Judy] Paid off her debts.
-It was responsible.

And he didn't have any debts.

Well, he didn't except for
to his mother for bailing him out

and that's who she should be going after,

-not the ex-fiancée.
-Right.

[announcer] Are you having
a family dispute?

[theme music]