- You're a musician. - That is correct.
You make music videos.
Yes, I have a video production company.
Do you advertise making videos?
Absolutely not. I haven't done a music video in almost ten years.
I still don't understand how you make a living.
This is Judy Justice.
Edmond Haye is suing videographer, Ramsey Hill,
for breach of contract.
Court, come to order. All rise.
Have a seat, please.
Hello, Judge. Case #2057, Haye versus Hill.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
Mr. Haye, you're a musician.
I'm a songwriter and I sing song. I don't play the instrument, Your Honor.
That's music.
Yes, ma'am.
Mr. Hill, you make music videos.
Yes, I have a video production company.
For how long, sir?
Since 2006.
You have employees?
No.
- Just you. - Yes, ma'am.
Do you have a place of business?
Yes, I work at my home.
- So, your place of business... - Is the residence.
You have a studio in the residence?
No, we do not.
Where do you record this music?
Most of the time we do it on location,
but I haven't done a music video in almost ten years.
When you say you have a video business, you haven't done music videos.
Right, yes.
You have done what kind of videos?
Well, we've done a small film.
We have a 3D full-length original animation that we do.
We also have a network that we show podcasts on.
We have a health and fitness show.
And we was working on a reality TV show and an entertainment news show.
I still don't understand how you make a living.
Working on, you know, thinking about, being in this business myself,
that doesn't produce any income. How do you earn a regular income?
Oh, I have a regular nine-to-five job.
Oh, okay, now that's where we go.
- Yeah. - So, your nine-to-five job is what?
Right now, I'm an insurance agent.
Do you advertise making videos?
Absolutely not. The only reason I did this was as a favor...
Just... Well, you didn't do it for a favor because you were charging him.
No, the only reason I accepted to do the video,
was because a friend asked me to meet with him.
I understand that. But you weren't doing him a favor,
because you were charging him.
No, I was doing the friend a favor. I wasn't doing him a favor.
Right.
Mr. Hill...
If somebody says, listen, I have a friend who wants to make a video.
I know you've got a set up in your house where you could do that,
or you do it on location. Would you like to be introduced to him?
And you say, sure. That doesn't mean you're doing him a favor.
So, you haven't made a music video in ten years, you're an insurance agent.
And you met with Mr. Haye on what date?
I'm not really sure... - On what date, Mr. Haye?
We met sometime in early April, late March.
- Did you have a written contract? - Yes, ma'am.
And that was to make certain videos.
I'd like to see the written contract, please.
This lawsuit seeks a refund of the money that you gave to him
because the entire contract was not fulfilled. That's what the case is about.
That is correct.
Okay. So, there is a full and complete agreement.
Is this the only agreement there was in writing?
- That's the one for that one. - That's the one for what...
For that particular item. There's another one here.
Well, that's what I wanted to know. There's one to produce three videos.
- That is correct. - Okay.
Is there another written contract?
He said this is not a contract.
Well, but I'm asking you. Is there another written contract
that you're relying on, because he was supposed to make three videos.
And the cost of the three videos was $1,500?
Three thousand dollars.
And then there was an additional agreement...
For the live performance, of which he demand $1,500 from me
Okay. Ssh, just a second.
That's not correct.
Just a second. So, it is your claim that in addition to the $3,000,
$1,500 of which you paid to him. Correct?
Yes, ma'am.
There was a subsequent contract afterwards for an additional item.
I'd like to see that.
For the live performance on May 1st.
Okay. You wanted to do something live on one of his radio stations or...
Mr. Hill...
No, I'm gonna read this.
Okay, ma'am.
Okay. Let's deal with the easier one, first.
Did you receive the $1,500 for this contract?
Yes.
And that was for a live performance on one of your outlets.
Right.
And that was to take place on May 1st.
May 1st.
And did it, in fact, take place?
No.
Did it, in fact, take place?
Not at all.
Well, so then, he gets his $1,500 back. That's one.
Thank you, Your Honor.
I'm not asking you anything.
There's nothing else that you have to tell me about that. Right?
- Yes. Yes, ma'am. - You paid him $1,500.
You didn't do a live performance, so you get your $1,500 back.
Yes, ma'am.
Now, with regard to the three videos. You've given him a total now of $3,000?
Fifteen hundred, Your Honor.
How much did you pay him on this?
- For the videos? - Yes.
I gave him $500 up front, to start off on that project.
And then... That's on the 21st. And then, I gave him $1,000
by the 27th, I think, for the three videos, that's $1,500.
So, you gave him... The three videos were supposed to be $3,000.
And then, you gave him $1,500.
Yes, ma'am.
Okay. How many videos were produced for you?
One.
Is it accurate that one video was produced for Mr. Haye?
Yes.
And it was done on a particular date.
Right.
- And you gave him that video. - Yes.
On what date did you give him that video?
It was a week before the 31st.
Did you do any work on the other two videos?
No.
Okay. Each video was supposed to cost $1,000.
Yes.
Dollars.
And you received one video.
Yes, ma'am.
And you paid him $1,500, so far, as down payment on three.
So, you have $1,500 that you believe is coming back to you
from that amount of money,
in addition to the $1,500 that I've already given you.
No, the $1,500 covered the first video.
It wasn't a breakdown like he's trying to make it, into three videos.
No, the $1,500 was the cost, was the full cost for the first video.
Does it say that in here?
- He's not giving you more money back. - No.
He's not giving you more money than you gave him.
Do you understand? He's giving...
Your Honor, may I say this, please?
You can say whatever you want to say.
And later today...
Well, you have a defense for not paying rent for those three months,
which you clearly occupied her premises.
Who wants to tell me why you didn't pay rent?
Edmond Haye claims videographer, Ramsey Hill,
breached their music video contract.
Kevin, would you please ask Mr. Hill to show me where, in this contract,
and I may have missed it, that $3,000 was to be paid for three videos,
Right.
but the first one cost half, cost $1,500.
All I want you to do is to show me, in that contract, where it says that.
If it says that, then Mr. Haye gets back the $1,500
from live music performance that...
The music video production one, $1,500.
Just a second. Can I see it, please?
Yes, it does. Mr. Haye, that's exactly what it says.
It says music video, the first production is $1,500.
Okay, ma'am.
And you got one produced video. Correct?
Correct, ma'am.
Well. And you're absolutely right. What?
So, the reason why I'm suing for the extra $1,000, Your Honor,
is for the live performance that he didn't perform.
I had to hire two other persons...
That's not his problem. He didn't perfom...
He didn't do the live performance.
- You're getting your money back. - First of all...
He's not giving you more money back.
He's not giving you more money than you gave him.
- Do you understand? - Your Honor. Your Honor.
May I say this, please?
You can say whatever you want to say.
He's not paying for you to do another live performance with other people.
He didn't perform pursuant to the contract.
And you're getting your money back because he didn't perform that contract.
With regard to this contract, he performed pursuant to this contract.
You get nothing. It's easy.
For the music, correct? For the videos, correct?
For the videos. He produced one, and one was $1,500.
That's what this contract says.
The contract is about making three videos, Your Honor.
If you want to look at it? Do you want to see it?
Have it shown it to you?
No, I'm asking pertaining to what he says.
He says it's pertaining to just one for the $1,500.
It says, it's clear,
"Music video number one production $1,500."
Number one, which means, there's two more need to be done.
Correct. But the first one... Just a second.
The first one was $1,500. He could have very easily said,
Mr. Haye, "production number one, $1,000, production number two..."
He explained it like you just said to me, and he wrote that in words.
for that purpose.
This is what the court is bound by, sir.
Not what he may have explained to you, because you cannot modify,
in the law, a written contract by oral communications
between the parties. It's in writing.
If you wanted him to write "production one, $1,000,"
then you would've said write production one,
- that each video was $1,000. - But Your Honor, I...
- This is not an argument, sir. - I'm not arguing, Your Honor.
Good, because that's what it says.
The contract speaks for itself. On the initial contract,
he has to give you a refund of $1,500. On this contract,
he produced number one video for which you paid him $1,500.
That's what the contract calls for. We're done here, thank you very much.
This court is adjourned.
Well, it's a fair decision.
There was no breaching on my end of the contract.
It would never have been any money if he'd have kept things on course.
How did I breach the contract when I'm here getting money for the contract?
I'm not working with anybody like that anymore.
You cannot have an oral modification of a written contract.
So, I think it's a good lesson for people signing written contracts,
that if you don't agree, or you have a different understanding
than something that's listed in the contract,
don't let the other person just explain it away in the moment.
Because as we've seen, that doesn't hold up in court.
And your rights are gonna be really limited
to what's in that written agreement. So, it's important.
- People should know that. - Yeah.
Case #2053, Johnson versus Blue. All parties, please, come forward.
Roshell Johnson is suing her sister-in-law, Monique Blue,
and her brother, Antonio Blue, for unpaid rent and window blinds.
Miss Johnson, the Defendant is your brother.
That is correct.
- And as Co- - Defendant, your brother's wife.
You had a home that was located in what state?
California.
Several years ago, you decided to move out of state. I think, to Arizona?
Yes.
And at that time, you discussed with your brother and his wife
renting your home. You entered into a lease with them.
- Was it a two-year lease? - Yes, ma'am.
- And it was a written lease. - Yes.
- Do you have a copy of that lease? - I do.
I'd like to see it, please.
That's the two year, and I also have a six month.
- You want the... Okay. - No. Just the first lease first,
'cause I'm old and I can only absorb a certain amount of facts at one time.
It's a pretty straightforward lease. It's a lease for 24 months,
starting the first of July, 2019 and terminating on July 1st, 2021.
$1,600 a month rent. There's a small security deposit,
and all the other terms and conditions are rather standard.
Your complaint says that when you went to the state of Arizona,
ultimately, you ascertained that your health coverage,
your lifetime health coverage was not covered in the state of Arizona.
You decided you wanted to move back to California.
You don't even have to give a reason why you want to move back to California.
You can move back to California, into your house on July 1, 2021.
You understand that.
Yes.
Great. And you came back to California on what date?
I don't recall the exact date, but I also extended a six month.
I understand. When did you come back to California? In March?
That's what you said here, I think, in March.
Okay, right now, I don't recall...
I think in March of 2022, is when you ultimately came back
because they vacated sometime in the beginning of March.
- Yes. - No.
I came back prior to that. I stayed with my son for a year, until...
- Until the lease was up. - Yes, ma'am.
- Your son lives in California? - Yes, Beaumont, California.
Now, I'd like to see the extension of the lease for six months.
Okay, so, you acknowledge, Mr. and Mrs. Blue,
that the six month extension that you both signed,
- terminated on December 31st. - Yes.
Did you vacate the house on December 31st?
No, we hadn't found a place yet.
That's not her problem, that would be your problem.
Did she give you permission to stay beyond December 31st?
On what date, sir, did you close on that property?
I can't remember, offhand.
We're not talking about so long ago.
February 7th is listed as the closing date.
That sound familiar? That's what it says.
Yes.
Well then, you had three weeks to move in.
Roshell Johnson claims her sister-in-law, Monique Blue,
and her brother, Antonio Blue, owe for unpaid rent and window blinds.
Monique and Antonio are countersuing for harassment and invasion of privacy.
Okay. Did she give you permission to stay beyond December 31st?
No.
So, you stayed beyond December 31st. Were you there in January?
Mm-hmm.
- Uh-huh is not an answer. - Yes.
- Were you there in February? - Yes.
- Were you there on March 1st? - Yes.
- On March 2nd? - Yes.
- On March 3rd? - Yes.
What day in March did you move out?
March 5th.
Did you pay rent in the month of January?
- No. - February?
- No. - March?
- No. - Okay.
- That's what she's suing for. - Right.
Well, you have a defense for not paying rent for those three months,
which you clearly occupied her premises.
Who wants to tell me why you didn't pay rent?
She told us in the beginning... We were supposed to buy the house.
We did numerous renovations to her house, we cleaned it up.
And when we first moved in, July 1st, it wasn't move-in ready.
I don't care. Not only did you live there,
you executed a second lease for another six months.
You lived there from the beginning of the lease up until March 5th.
Which is three months beyond when you were supposed to be there.
I'm waiting for a defense for not paying rent.
For July, 2019, when we first moved in, the house was hideous.
She had stuff in every room. We weren't able to move our stuff in.
- Did you live there? - Yes, we had nowhere else to go.
I don't care. You had a choice. If the house wasn't in move-in condition,
you break your lease, but you don't say at the end of the lease,
by the way, when we were there two-and-a-half years ago,
the house wasn't ready for us to move in, it wasn't in condition that we like.
We lived there anyway. So, that's not an excuse
for not paying rent at the other end. Anything else?
Yes. She offered to give us the last month rent that we were there for free.
- The last month? - Right, and I have the papers.
I'd like to take a look at that. But you owe three months.
Three months? We moved out March fifth.
I don't care, you were there March first. That's the month.
Okay.
Did you indicate to them that you would give them a month off the rent?
- No, ma'am. - She says that you did.
- I would like to see her evidence... - No-no, ssh!
No, she agreed to waive the final month's rent
for the period of April 1st, 2022
to May 2nd, 2022. You were gone in March.
Right.
And your lease, for some reason, she agreed to waive rent
for a month that you weren't there. She didn't waive January, February or March.
She agreed to waive it April 1, 2022 to May 2, 2022.
That's no evidence that she waived any rent.
We moved out on March 5th, why do we still owe her for March?
Because you were there in March.
Okay.
If she was using the premises as a rental premises,
and you were leaving at the end of February,
then she would have been able to rent her premises beginning March 1st.
You don't move out until March 5th, the beginning of March,
that means she needs a couple of days, or any landlord would need
a couple of days to put the place in order and re-rent it.
They wouldn't be able to re-rent until April. So you were there.
Is there any reason you stayed until March 5th... Just a second.
You didn't let me finish the question. Is there any reason why
you didn't move out the last day in February and instead stayed into March?
'Cause our house wasn't ready yet.
What do you mean, it wasn't ready?
It wasn't ready to move in there yet.
What was wrong with it? Where did you move?
Victorville, California.
To what kind of property?
We bought a house.
Okay. When did you buy the house?
It closed January something.
So, you bought the house in January.
When you inspected the house that you bought,
did you buy it furnished or unfurnished?
Unfurnished.
Did you have furniture in the Plaintiff's house?
Yes.
You'll give her the address so she can check.
- Yes. - Great.
Sarah, just look it up for me, please?
On what date did you close on that property?
February?
No, don't...
On what date, sir, did you close on that property?
It's probably in the record.
I can't remember offhand.
We're not talking about so long ago.
Is there an address?
February 7th is listed as the closing date.
Two-seven. So, the house became yours on February 7th.
That sound familiar? That's what it says.
Yes.
Well then, you had three weeks to move in, to get it ready.
- Yeah. Mm-hmm. - Okay.
All right, fine. So, you owe her three months rent at $1,600 a month.
What about the renovations we did to her house?
Who cares?
I live in a place for a couple of years and I make changes to the place
that I find make it more comfortable. There's nothing in this lease agreement
that says that she has to reimburse you for things that you did.
And this is not a rent-to-buy agreement, this is a straight tenancy agreement.
We were supposed to buy her house.
There are agreements that are rent-to-buy, that list what the rental is,
and what the ultimate purchase price will be,
and whether or not you can deduct the rent that you've paid,
or a percentage of it from the total purchase price,
or whether you cannot. This is a straight rental agreement.
So, if you made improvements in the house, if you painted it,
if you put in new carpeting to make it more comfortable for yourself,
you don't get reimbursed for that because there's nothing in your lease
that requires her to reimburse you for any improvements that you make in the house.
You're bound by the four corners of the contract that you signed.
Well, what about how the conditions that we moved in?
- That... - Well... Yes, by living there
for two-and-a-half years without, I assume,
unless you can show me, without, I assume,
a written complaint to her. Do you have that?
- Do you have a written... - She was...
- No-no-no. I asked you... - I have pictures.
$4,800, judgment for the Plaintiff. We're finished.
Thank you. Your counterclaim's dismissed, it's ridiculous.
My mother's deceased. It would actually hurt my mother to see us in court today.
And that's my only regret, that I had to do that.
We're done.
The bottom line is, I am back in my house.
So, I have a thought about that case, because going through college,
I think the first time I saw a lease was my sophomore year.
So, when I moved off campus, and my dad, luckily enough, was there
to help me look over it and sort-of teach me what a lease was,
what the different sections meant, what I should really be looking out for.
So, in my mind, it would make sense for colleges to offer
a basic life-skills course to teach young, incoming freshmen
how to read a lease, how to negotiate on your behalf.
Did they off that class at all to undergraduates?
It seemed specified to business students or closed off to certain majors.
Just to have some guidance would have been, I think, really helpful.
I think it's a smart idea.
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