03x117 - E-Skateboard Smash-Up and Marijuana Missteps

[bunniefuu]

You were riding on a skateboard?

He did not fully stop at the stop sign.
And that was when he hit me with his car.

And you know it's pitch black
and you know you have no lights.

- It was dark. Yes.
- "Maybe I'll stop and let him go."

- That ever cross your mind?
- I assume he would've stopped.

Well, then you're dumb. Then you're dumb.

- [announcer] This is Judy Justice.
- [theme music]

Sebastian Perez-Isaza is suing fellow
student, Samarth Patel, for damages,

after being hit by Samarth
while riding his electric skateboard.

[Kevin]
Court come to order. All rise.

[Judy]
Have a seat, please.

Judge, case 3155 Perez-Isaza versus Patel.

- Thank you.
- Welcome.

Pronounce your last name for me. Isaza?

- Perez-Isaza.
- [Judy] Okay.

- Now, you were riding on a skateboard.
- I was.

- [Judy] Motorized skateboard?
- Yes, Your Honor.

- And how much did you pay for it?
- I paid $300 for it.

- [Judy] So it was a used one?
- It was a refurbished one.

[Judy] And it is your claim
that the defendant ran a red light

and hit you while you were riding
on your skateboard,

- correct?
- A stop sign.

- [Judy] Stop sign?
- Yes.

- [Judy] And you were not injured?
- I had a scrape on my hand.

- [Judy] Okay. You were not...
- Not severely.

[Judy] Not severely injured. You have
no medical records, hospital records?

- No.
- [Judy] Doctor's reports? Okay.

- And the skateboard, was it broken?
- [Sebastian] Yes, it was.

[Judy] So, at best, if your skateboard
was broken and you were not injured,

then the most damage you had
was $300 for your skateboard,

if it was incapable of being repaired.

- Would that be a fair statement, sir?
- Yes.

[Judy] And that was if you were
in the right with regard to this accident?

- Yes.
- And it is your position, Mr. Patel,

that you did stop
at the stop sign that was there.

- Yeah.
- [Judy] That you did in fact stop.

You asked him if he was okay.
He said he was.

You exchanged information
and you were then called back by police

to return to the scene
because the plaintiff...

- I was actually called back by Sebastian.
- [Judy] Okay.

- Somebody have a police report?
- Yes, I do.

[Judy]
I'd like to take a look at it, please.

When... you called the police

after you had already exchanged
information with the defendant?

- Yes.
- [Judy] They have a police log here.

It says, "Male was hit
by a vehicle in a hit-and-run."

- Is that what you reported to them?
- Yes, Your Honor. Yes.

[Judy] Well, you know
that that was not true.

This wasn't a hit-and-run
because he stopped...

- [Sebastian] Yeah.
- ...and you exchanged information.

Is that correct?

I did not tell the police that it was a
hit-and-run. That's what they report in.

Well, that's what it says
here in the police log.

- Yes.
- [Judy] And then it says,

"Subject didn't get the plate." Okay.

So, Mr. Isaza, you wanna tell me
what time of the day this happened

and the date, please?

This was September 24th, 2023 at 8:00 PM.

- [Judy] So it was dark out?
- It was dark. Yes.

[Judy] And your skateboard
doesn't have headlights?

- No, it does not.
- [Judy] No.

I want you to go over to that photograph,

which is a photograph of where
the accident, I assume, took place.

And I want you to show me
where you were riding.

I was riding coming down
from the sidewalk through the crosswalk.

- [Judy] Mhm.
- [Sebastian] And that's where I was hit.

- [Judy] Mhm.
- [Sebastian] At the stop sign.

You're allowed to ride a motorized
skateboard on the sidewalk?

Yes. Under Texas law
with electric skateboards,

you can ride on sidewalks
and in bike lanes.

Step back. It is your claim
that the defendant was driving

- and went right through the stop sign?
- Yes.

Do you know
the speed limit in that area, sir?

On the main road connecting
to the stop sign, it is 40 miles per hour.

On the road coming into the stop sign
where he was driving, it's 20.

Show me.

I do not believe I have a picture
of the speed limit sign.

- I have a picture, Your Honor.
- [Judy] I'd like to see it.

Absolutely right. It's 20 miles an hour.
Sir, Mr. Isaza, what you're telling me

is that the defendant
did not stop at the stop sign,

but was driving
at 20 miles an hour and hit you?

- Yes.
- Square on?

[Sebastian] Yes, Your Honor.
Not at 20 miles per hour.

I believe he probably slowed down,
but he still rolled the stop sign.

[Judy]
Oh, now you're saying what he did was,

he slowed down but didn't completely stop

because if you were hit with a car
going 20 miles an hour head-on,

you would've been
seriously injured, right?

Yes.

[Judy] So he was not going
at this reduced speed of 20 miles an hour.

You say he actually slowed down
but not totally stopped.

- Yes.
- [Judy] That means that you saw him.

I did.

[Judy] So why don't you
start this story again, sir,

because you know,
I'm a little skeptical of your story.

- You understand that?
- Yes, Your Honor.

[Judy]
Because we're talking late at night

and we're talking about you
riding a skateboard with no lights.

We're talking about the defendant
who had his lights on because it was dark.

So that if you're coming down the road,

- you can see a car coming.
- I did.

[Judy] Well, all that
you left out of your complaint, sir,

- you understand that?
- Yes, Your Honor.

So why don't you start this story
from the beginning?

You're coming down.
You're riding your motorized skateboard.

It's dark, and you see headlights
coming from the direction

from where you're going to cross
the street in a pedestrian crosswalk.

- Yes, Your Honor.
- And?

[Sebastian]
Um. I see him coming down.

I assume he would've stopped since
I had the right-of-way with the stop sign.

But while I was crossing the stop sign,
that was when he hit me with his car

and it launched me off the board
onto the hood of his car.

Then I fell back down onto the pavement.

After the accident, the defendant asked
if I was okay. We exchanged numbers.

He left. And then I called the police
for my own safety to make a police report.

For your own safety. Why?

I was advised by my parents that it would
be a good idea for legal reasons and...

[Judy]
Well, A, you weren't injured.

B, nothing happened to your skateboard
'cause you rode it home.

Afterwards,
I did not ride my skateboard home.

You carried it home?

[Sebastian]
My brother came and picked me up.

The skateboard
was crushed under his front tire.

[theme music]

You think he saw you because there was
a light somewhere on the street?

Yes.

[Judy] What you're processing is,
I can either stop my skateboard

and wait a second
to make sure that I can cross safely

or just plow ahead and go like this,

- "Good luck to me."
- [courtroom laughs]

- [announcer] And later today...
- When we first saw the flashing lights,

Kamryn was very hysterical
in the front seat.

She started spraying perfume,
like trying to roll the windows down,

- airing everything out as one would...
- [Judy] Just a second.

The only reason you do that is because
you've been smoking marijuana, right?

- Yes, Your Honor.
- Was everybody smoking marijuana?

[theme music]

[announcer] Sebastian Perez-Isaza
claims fellow student, Samarth Patel,

struck him with his car

while he rode his electric skateboard
through an intersection.

Now, you came back
and spoke to the police?

Yes, I did, Your Honor.

[Judy]
Because the plaintiff had called them

and given them your information...

- [Samarth] Yes, Your Honor.
- [Judy] ...which you had given to him.

Were you given a citation
for that incident, sir?

No, Your Honor.

[Judy]
And did you stop at the stop sign?

[Samarth]
Yes, I did, Your Honor.

[Judy] Well, let me hear your version
of how your car hit him.

- [Samarth] So I was going down...
- You can go up there and show me.

I was going down Facilities Way,
which is just right down this way.

I had stopped. As you can see,
he was coming down from this way.

I did not see him coming.
It was very dark, pitch black.

He had no reflectors or headlights.

And he basically rode a skateboard
into the front of my car.

No, he can't ride a skateboard
into the front of your car, sir. [laughs]

That's impossible.
You know, I'm not very good at physics.

- Well...
- But coming from the side, he did not...

[Samarth] To be more specific,
I stopped completely and...

And then you proceeded.

[Samarth] I did proceed, but when he was
coming down and getting into the sidewalk,

my car was at a complete stop.

He then was about here maybe
when my car was at a complete stop,

and he hit the front of my car.

Your vehicles, his skateboard
and the front of your car, collided?

- Yes.
- [indistinct sound]

Anything else you wanna tell me?

[Sebastian]
He did not fully stop at the stop sign.

When he came to the stop sign,
he rolled the stop sign

and seemed like he was taking
a right turn. And that...

So you're watching
all this happen on your skateboard,

- is that what you're telling me?
- [Sebastian] Yes.

I wanna tell you something.
I think that those things are dangerous.

Yes, Your Honor.

[Judy] He's riding in a 3,000-pound
car that has lights and so you saw it.

And I would say to myself,
under those circumstances,

if I were dumb enough
to ride a skateboard, which I am not,

"Self, I've got a little tiny board here.

That's a 3,000-pound vehicle
and it's dark.

And my little board doesn't have
headlights, so I'm not sure he sees me.

Maybe I'll stop and let him go."
That ever cross your mind?

He didn't see you but you saw him.
That's what you're telling me.

- Am I right?
- Yes, Your Honor.

[Judy] So why does you think
that that makes you a plaintiff?

Because I had the right-of-way
with the crosswalk.

Pedestrians have the right-of-way
and he should have...

- [Judy] You weren't a pedestrian.
- [Sebastian] ...fully stopped.

[Judy]
You were on a motorized vehicle.

So what I'm telling you
is you saw him coming

and you know it's pitch black
and you know you have no lights, right?

But there is a lamp post next to the
sidewalk, lighting up the sidewalk.

- And I believed he saw me.
- You mean all that went through your mind

when you're seeing his car
coming down the street?

You think he saw you because there was
a light somewhere around the street?

- Yes.
- [Judy] Well then, you're dumb.

Then you're dumb.
Because what you're processing is,

I can either stop my skateboard
and wait a second

to make sure that I can cross safely

or just plow ahead
and go like this, "Good luck to me."

- [courtroom chuckles]
- [Judy] Which is what you did.

And to me, you gotta say, "Thank you,
good Lord, that I wasn't seriously hurt."

Not sue him. "Thank you, good Lord.
I'm gonna use my brains the next time.

If I'm riding a skateboard
and there's a 3,000 pound car coming,

and I have no lights, and it's dark
outside, I may have the right-of-way,

but if I..." if I, or if one of my
grandchildren, I would hope,

are walking and they have
the right-of-way but it's pitch black,

and they're not wearing reflectors
all over their body,

I would stop at that corner
to make sure the car stopped.

You don't think that that's a good idea?

Okay. Be thankful Mr. Isaza
that you weren't seriously injured

and that all you suffered
was the skateboard.

Next time, be a careful rider
when you ride a motorized vehicle

that has no lights or reflectors.
Goodbye. We're done.

- [Kevin] This court is adjourned.
- [theme music]

When he was coming,
I didn't see him at all,

because it was dark
and he came out of nowhere, basically.

I tried to slow down a bit, but by...
the speed I was going,

by the time I was at the crosswalk,
it would have been too late.

Not to ride skateboards
in areas they shouldn't be ridden in.

I'll be a lot more careful at night
especially, since I'm harder to see.

Yeah. Obviously,
I'm happy he's okay, so...

Yeah. I'm glad I wasn't seriously injured
by the accident, but I'm glad I'm here.

- So these are my thoughts.
- [Sarah chuckles] Okay.

- Judges are only people.
- Mhm.

- We all bring our life's experiences...
- [Sarah] Mhm.

- ...to whatever job we do.
- Yeah.

[Judy] And my life experience with people
who ride motorized skateboards...

[Sarah]
Mhm.

...on the sidewalk
where people are walking...

- Yeah.
- [Judy] ...is they don't understand

that as between the pedestrian and you
when you are riding a motorized vehicle...

- [Sarah] Mhm.
- ...they have to watch out for you.

Yeah.

[Judy] Well, this seems
like a very nice young man.

He's nice, he's a college kid.
He seems respectful.

He seems lovely. He wasn't injured.

- Next time, be smart.
- Yeah.

[Judy] You're gonna ride a skateboard?
Be a defensive skateboard rider.

- Agreed.
- [theme music]

Case 3167, Pehle versus Moore.
All parties, please come forward.

[announcer] Kamryn Pehle is suing
her former friend, Ashlyn Moore,

for bail money she loaned to Ashlyn.

Ms. Pehle, it is your claim
that the defendant owes you $600

which was half the amount of bail
that you paid for her

when she was arrested for speeding.

And during
the course of this traffic stop,

drugs were found in the car
on her possession, is that correct?

- Yes, ma'am.
- [Judy] Okay. And this happened when?

This happened on August 1st
around 9:45 AM.

And you were going where?

[Kamryn] We were headed to see
my friend Kendra in Gulf Shores.

- [Judy] Who was driving?
- [Kamryn] Ashlyn.

- [Judy] Who's car?
- A rental truck.

[Judy] And you were stopped
on August 1st for speeding?

- Yes, ma'am.
- Were you issued a citation for speeding?

Yes, ma'am.

- [Judy] Did you pay the citation?
- Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] And when you were stopped for
speeding, did the police conduct a search?

[Ashlyn] Yes. After he had told me
that he smelled some marijuana on us,

and he waited about 15 minutes to,
like, get his dog.

[Judy]
Did he order you out of the car?

- [Ashlyn] Yes, ma'am.
- [Judy] Everybody?

I was pulled out about


- [Judy] You were pulled out first?
- [Ashlyn] Yes.

- And searched first?
- Mhm.

[theme music]

We had a verbal agreement
that if I took the blame for everything

that she would pay half of my bail.

[Judy] If they found one joint
in your pocketbook,

they would have arrested you.

And you were smoking
and driving at the same time.

So what was there to take blame for?

But you could have k*lled them
and other people too. That was foolish.

[theme music]

[announcer] Kamryn Pehle
claims her former friend, Ashlyn Moore,

is responsible for bail money
she loaned to Ashlyn.

Now, was the marijuana found
on your possession?

- Um, I...
- [Judy] That's either...

that's an..."um" is not answer.
You've been very crisp so far.

So was the marijuana found on your person?

- No, ma'am.
- [Judy] Where was it?

- [Ashlyn] It was in the truck.
- [Judy] Where in the truck?

[Ashlyn] I believe it was in my bag
and also in the center console.

- [Judy] In... just a second. What bag?
- [Ashlyn] My purse.

[Judy] It's not your claim that anybody
but you put it in your purse?

No. So it was yours.
Now, were you searched?

- Yes.
- [Judy] Was anything found on you?

- No, ma'am.
- [Judy] Was anything found in your purse?

- No, Your Honor.
- Was your witness searched?

- [Kamryn] Yes.
- [Judy] Was anything found on her person?

- Was anything found in her purse?
- No, ma'am.

[Judy]
So the only marijuana that was found

was found in Ms. Moore's purse
and in the console of the car?

Yes.

- [Judy] Is that the middle console or...?
- Yes, ma'am.

- [Judy] The middle console?
- [Kamryn] Mhm.

So you were taken into custody because in
the state that you were driving through,

- marijuana is not legal.
- Yes, Your Honor.

[Judy] The plaintiff
says that your bail was $1,200

and that she went to the bank, and took
out the money, and bailed you out.

Yes, Your Honor.

[Judy] And you paid her back
$600 of the $1,200.

So tell me why you don't owe her the rest.

So when we were pulled over, initially,
when we first saw the flashing lights,

Kamryn was very hysterical
in the front seat.

She started spraying perfume,
like, trying to roll the windows down,

turn the air on,
airing everything out as whenever...

[Judy]
Just a second.

The only reason you do that is because
you've been smoking marijuana, right?

Yes, Your Honor.

[Judy]
And was everybody smoking marijuana?

- Yes.
- Including you?

- [Ashlyn] Yes.
- But you were driving.

Yes.

[Judy] Well, that's actually no different
from having a bottle of Tito's

and drinking while you're driving.

- Is that your mother?
- [Ashlyn] Yes, Your Honor.

[Judy] Of course it's your mother.
It's one face.

What did your mother say to you
when you told her the story?

She was very disappointed in us obviously.

[Judy] Did she tell you
how dangerous she thought it was

for you to be smoking grass
while you were driving a car?

- [Ashlyn] Yes, she did.
- [Judy] And that it's your fault.

Yes, Your Honor.

[Judy] Well, your car,
your speed, your marijuana.

- Your marijuana?
- [Ashlyn] Yes, Your Honor.

Now, you have 30 seconds to tell me
why you don't owe her the other $600.

We had a verbal agreement
that if I took the blame for everything,

that she would pay half of my bail.

[Judy] Well, you were
to blame for everything.

[Ashlyn] If I took blame
for everything that was in the car. Yes.

It doesn't matter whether you took blame
for anything that was in the car or not.

If they found one joint
in your pocketbook,

they would have arrested you.

And you were smoking
and driving at the same time.

So what was there to take blame for?

I mean, the fact that these two idiots
were smoking too seems ridiculous,

but you could have k*lled them
and other people too. That was foolish.

She says, Ms. Pehle, that you had
an agreement with her, which if you did,

I'm prepared to enforce,
that you would pay the half the bail.

- That is not true, Your Honor.
- [Judy] Okay.

Well then, why don't you tell me
how it came about that you paid the bail.

Okay. So once she got arrested,
I was freaking out.

- We went to Walmart.
- [Judy] How did you get to Walmart?

Taryn drove the rental truck.

[Judy] So she was smoking
with everybody else.

We had not smoked that day yet.
I do not believe.

You mean...

- [Kamryn] Yeah.
- The officer smelled it on your clothes?

- Mhm.
- [Judy] Well, that's possible.

Unlikely but possible.

Okay. So she drove
a little bit high to Walmart.

And?

I was on the phone with her sister
and her sister's boyfriend.

I believe her mom was there,
and they were basically pressuring me.

[Judy] No, no, no, no.
Did you speak to her mother?

[Kamryn]
I did not.

[Judy] Okay. So you can't tell me what
anybody else said to you on the phone.

Okay. Now, I want you to tell me
what arrangement you had with her

or she can tell me

if you don't think that you had any
arrangement with her to pay half the bail.

We did not have
any arrangement to pay half the bail.

[Judy] Okay. Now, let's have it,
Ms. Moore. Tell me when it happened,

who was on the phone,
was it in person or not, let me hear it.

It was in person.

As we were getting pulled over, we knew
that we were going to get searched.

Whenever he walked up to the car
to take my license and registration,

he stepped back
and was waiting about ten minutes

until he got his backup driver
and the drug dog to search the car.

As we were saying that, I stated,
"You know, he's gonna find something.

Obviously, we have stuff in this truck.
He's going to find it."

- And we all agreed, yes.
- No, no, no. That's conclusion.

- Okay.
- [Judy] "I said to her..."

while you were all panicked, 'cause the
cop pulling you over for speeding

and you know you're gonna get searched,
and you're the driver of the car.

And if you hadn't been smoking that day,
well, which I don't believe,

then you wouldn't really worry
about the smell of marijuana in the car.

So I wanna know,
as this event is unfolding,

you got... [imitates sirens]
lights, pulling over.

Then you're having, "So by the way,
I'm gonna take the blame for everything

but you have to promise, you..."
is that what you want me...

- Yes.
- [Judy] ...to believe happened?

Okay.
You have any proof of that to give to me?

- No, ma'am. It was a verbal agreement.
- [Judy] Okay.

Judgment for the plaintiff in the amount
of $600, your problem. Do you understand?

Maybe your mother believes that nonsense,
but I don't believe that nonsense,

because at the time
a cop pulls you over in a car,

and you know you're speeding
and you know you have drugs in the car,

and you know you're in trouble,

what you don't say
to the other people in the car is,

"Listen, if I get arrested for all this,
we're gonna share the bail."

That doesn't even go through your mind.
So nice story, nice trick.

- It never happened. Goodbye. We're done.
- [Kevin] This court is adjourned.

[theme music]

I think that it's very upsetting
that she didn't believe my story

as it was a true story.
I wouldn't have lied.

She lied about the agreement.
We did not make any agreement.

- She did owe me all my money.
- It was all of ours.

Her family was trying to pressure me
into bailing her out

and told me
I'd be a bad friend if I did not.

First of all, don't take the blame
for everybody's stuff ever

and pick good friends.

- Pick better friends.
- Pick better friends.

I have a big problem
with all those after interviews.

For starters, as a mother, to say your
only two pieces of advice for you daughter

who just went
through this entire legal proceeding,

sat in jail for 12 hours, and your only
two pieces of advice to her were

"Never take the blame
for everybody and pick better friends."

And people are really ignorant,
but everybody knows that

- you should never drive when you're high.
- Never drive when you're high.

That is pretty much a blanket,
everybody knows that, rule.

- No excuse for that.
- [Sarah] No excuse at all.

And I think her parent should
probably adjust her priorities

and her advice to her daughter
to make sure it doesn't happen again.

- How about taking the car?
- Yeah. Or not renting the car for her.

- Right. Or that's better.
- [Sarah] Mhm.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

[announcer] Want justice?


[theme music]