You're living in a house with his still wife.
Yes, ma'am, I am.
So, I walk into the house, uh...
Don't look at her.
He comes storming down the stairs, coming to beat me up.
Look at me.
I'm getting sympathetic with her, I just want you to know.
This is Judy Justice.
Frank Adomitis is suing his wife's boyfriend,
Willy Albrecht for filing a false police report and harassment.
Court, come to order. All rise.
Have a seat, please.
Case #2068, Adomitis versus Albrecht.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Mr. Albrecht, I'm gonna start with you, sir.
Yes, ma'am.
You are the current live-in boyfriend of the Plaintiff's ex-wife?
Soon-to-be.
Of the Plaintiff's wife.
Correct.
Mr. Adomitis's complaint is
that as a result of you making a call to the police,
he was defamed when you said that he was trespassing.
It was a false call to the police
and he wants to be compensated to the tune of $2,500.
That's what the case is about.
So, in order to make this whole thing in context that that I understand...
How long have you been living with Mrs. Adomitis?
Since June of '21.
How long do you know her?
Since January of '21.
Have you ever been married?
Yes, I have.
When, and for how long?
Previously, to April of this year, I was married 15 years.
So, you were married when you moved in with Mrs. Adomitis?
- Yeah, legally. - Legally.
Did you own your own home?
- I did. - With your, then wife.
Correct.
- Did she stay in the house? - She did.
Does she have a boyfriend?
Yes, she does.
Do you like him?
No, I do not.
Does he live in the house?
Not at this time.
Did he ever?
Yes, he did.
And you didn't like it.
No, I did not.
So, I want you to understand that there is maybe, a reason
why the Plaintiff resents you living in a house that he owns
with his still wife, and you're living there. Do you understand?
I do.
'Cause you sort of have the same situation. You're kindred spirits.
Just a minute. Actually, you're kindred spirits.
Except, my 15-year-old son also lives with this young man.
Well, that's all right, but you understand why he might be annoyed.
- I do, but... - Okay.
So, now, understanding all that, I want you to tell me,
because I'm not totally sympathetic with you, sir,
because if you and your wife are divorcing,
you're entitled to move on with your life,
and so is she entitled to move on with your life.
Where do you live? You live in an apartment?
I live in a condominium.
Okay. How long have you lived in the condo?
I've lived... When we separated, uh, March of 2021.
And who do you live with?
I currently live with my old...
No-no-no. Who do you live with, is the question.
My older son.
- And how old is he? - Nineteen.
And how many bedrooms are in the condo?
- Two. - And what about you? Have a girlfriend?
- Yes, I do. - Ever stay over?
My house? No.
- Do you ever stay at her house? - No.
- Does she live with her children? - Yes.
- And is she divorced? - Yes.
- And she stayed in the house. - Yes.
You see how all these things go? It's just...
It's just as the world turns. It's just what happens.
Been there. Understand it all. Can either make it hard or difficult.
Who pays the mortgage on the house?
Paid off.
Okay. So, you have one teenage child, your wife has the other.
Yes.
And how close is the judgment to divorce to being finalized?
Not close.
Not close. Is that for financial reasons or custody reasons?
Financial.
Have to do with the house?
Yes.
Okay. How much is the house... I'm just... fleshing this out.
Probably because I'm a little bit of a yenta.
Behind this... Behind this purple robe is a little bit of a yenta.
You know, with the housing market and being a CPA,
you know, it's hard to say, but I would say somewhere...
Why don't you give Sarah the address of the house
and we'll tell you what this estimate is.
[muted], California.
While she's looking that up, tell me when you and your wife purchased it.
2006. August of 2006.
And during the course of the marriage, were you employed all the time?
A hundred percent.
And what about your wife?
A hundred percent.
So, you were both employed and both contributed to the house.
- Fair statement? - Yes.
Great. Okay.
It's, uh, four bedrooms, two and a half baths.
This estimate is $552,000.
And just for my own curiosity, what's the rub about the house?
- The rub about the house... - Come on, it's simple.
The rub about the house is she's-she's now went in
and spent an ungodly amount of money on fixer upper, after I moved out,
and went into a massive amount of debt. The house was fully paid off.
And she's now in massive debt. She's put in fixer upper...
No-no, don't look at her, look at me.
So, she's fixed up the house after you moved out.
- Correct. - And?
- It's not a problem... - Just a second.
So, what's the problem?
There is no problem with the house. Meaning that, you know,
we're still debating who's actually gonna end up with the house.
We haven't decided.
You know, whoever wants to be in the house buys the other one out.
Exactly.
For $260,000.
Correct.
Okay? It would seem to me that would be easy.
- I think so. - Okay.
Now that I've satisfied the yenta in me, I'm getting back to the case.
All right, you called the police. This incident, according to what I read,
Mr. Adomitis, happened on November 5th.
Correct.
You went to the house to pick up your son.
Correct.
Okay. Was that a meeting that had been arranged before?
I have visitation every two weeks.
Every two weeks, when?
Every, every other weekend.
Well, so you... was this a weekend?
Yes, that was one where I was gonna go pick him up.
Okay. Had you spoken to him?
- Yes. - And so he was expecting you
to come at a certain time.
- Absolutely. - What time?
Approximately, we had arranged, about 7:15. That... 7:15, 7:30 that night.
Okay. And you had visitation fixed by the court.
And you had been enjoying that with your son for a period of time?
Correct.
Okay. What happened when you got there at 7:15?
Well, on that particular visit, my wife had taken his key to the house.
- And I had... - No-no-no-no.
I told you, don't look at her.
Oh, okay, sorry, sorry. Uh, okay.
I'm getting sympathetic with her, I just want you to know that.
- Okay, okay. - 7:15,
you went to pick up your son. And you were annoyed
because your wife had taken your son's key away from him.
Correct.
And you thought your son should have his key 'cause he was 15.
- Correct. Yes. - And?
- So, at that particular time, I-I... - No-no, don't look down.
Okay, look at you. I had went into the house,
I had never been in that house since I moved out, and so I wanted...
How did you get into the house?
The house, the door was open.
Okay. The door isn't wide open, you mean it was unlocked.
- Unlocked. - Okay.
Let's not say the door was open, the door was unlocked.
Door was unlocked. You don't live there anymore, you live in a condo.
- Correct. - Okay. Did you ring the bell?
- No. Yes. - Knock at the door?
Nobody an... But there's a bell. There's a bell.
- There was a bell. - There's a bell.
- Yes. - Didn't ring the bell.
Opened the door. Knocked, opened the door.
- Yes. - Your house. I own half of it,
I'm going to ask my wife a question.
- Yes. - Keep going.
Walked into the house. At that particular time,
she is sitting there with my son. At that particular time,
she... I asked her... I asked her to get a copy of the key,
and we became into an argument.
She didn't want me to have a copy of the key.
And I tried to explain to her without a copy of the key,
he can't get in the house if I drop him off at odd hours
and you don't have to be home. So then, she got upset.
At that point, then, uh, I never met Mr. Albrecht before this time,
he comes storming down the stairs. Mr. Albrecht is then,
I think Mr. Albrecht's coming to beat me up.
He is storming down the stairs. I've since learned that Mr. Albrecht...
Just! Just pay careful attention to me. So far, you're in the wrong.
Okay.
- Let me just tell you. - Okay.
- So far, from a legal perspective, - Right.
and a common sense perspective, you're in the wrong.
- I'll explain why in a second. - Okay. So, I walk into the house...
- We got past that. We got past that. - Okay.
So now, you want a copy of the key.
- And she says no. - For my son.
I don't care if you want to give it to your parakeet.
You're not entitled to a copy of the key.
- Okay. - Let's start right there.
And let's start with my first point is, if you're going there to pick up your son
- for a pre-arranged visit, - Yes.
you don't walk into the house. You have a 15-year-old son.
A 15-year-old son has a phone.
I tried to call him, yes.
Oh, you tried to call, and what happened?
He said he was there, that he said...
Ah, bup-bup-bup, be very careful what you say to me.
- Okay. He was... - You called your son.
I called my son. Be ready to go. He said, okay, I'm ready to go.
That was at about seven o'clock.
Yes, approximately.
What do you mean, "yes, approximately"?
It was probably on my way to pick him up. So, when I come up there,
- I call him on the phone. - He's ready to go.
- Yes. - So, you walked in.
- You had no right to enter the house. - Did not know that.
Well, you had no right to enter the house. You knew that your wife changed the locks.
I did not know at that time she had changed the locks
'cause the door was open. I had not been back...
No, listen to me. You went there because... Mr. Adomitis,
You have to be a two-process thinker, sir, before you give me a lot of bologna.
You knew that your old key didn't open the house.
Otherwise, you would've said, your mother took away your key
I'll make you another key from my copy.
True.
True, of course, it's true. So... You know.
And later today...
I wasn't allowed to live with my dad and step-mom
'cause they moved into a 55 and over neighborhood.
When?
Um... They...
Just... If you tell the truth, you don't have to have a good memory.
Frank Adomitis claims his wife's boyfriend,
Willy Albrecht, wrongfully called the police while visiting his own house.
Okay. If you needed a copy of the key, to a house that you partially own,
Yes.
You would've had a key to the house.
Correct.
You didn't need a copy to make because you would've had one.
So, you knew that your old key didn't open the house.
Otherwise, you would've said, your mother took away your key,
I'll make you another key from my copy.
True.
True, of course, it's true. So... You know.
So, he called the police and he said you were trespassing.
No, he didn't say that at all.
What did he say?
He said he told me I was trespassing. Then, he called on the phone,
and when he was on the phone with the police department,
he is telling them that I am now committing domestic violence.
Now, that is a very serious charge.
I mean, we can debate about my access to the house,
but when you call the police and say that I'm committing domestic violence,
which is a crime in the state of California,
that's a game-changer. So...
I want to ask you a question, Mr. Adomitis.
When you walked into the house and you saw your wife and your son,
I want to know, when you walked in, uninvited,
True.
your first words were, I want a copy of the key.
That's what you said, you said, I want a copy of the key.
Would you read that back to me, please, Whitney?
"At that particular time, I asked her to get a copy of the key,
and we became into an argument."
So now, you're in an argument and you're a trespasser.
Your case is dismissed. Goodbye.
Goodbye.
- Okay. - This court is adjourned.
Very, very shocking.
She's absolutely correct, as she usually is.
I had no idea this was gonna blow up into World War III.
He's all about winning. He didn't get his way, he was throwing a tantrum.
I feel that he's trying to do whatever he can to keep me out of the picture.
He lives by his own rules.
He, uh, just simply wants me out of the way so he can take over.
Let the courts decide.
It's always so unfortunate when people divorce.
I mean, the story is, this... I could've written this script
without even listening to the people. But they have two teenage boys,
fifteen, nineteen years old. One's chosen to live with the father,
one's chosen to live with the mother. Clearly, the son said to him,
- mom took away my key. - Mm-hmm.
She clearly took away his key for a reason.
Mm-hmm.
I didn't even want to get into what the reason was,
but clearly, she took away the key for a reason.
Otherwise, she doesn't look like an unreasonable person.
Her boyfriend doesn't look like an unreasonable guy.
And he was flexing his muscles. And the fight is over the house.
Because I gather that's the only real asset they have.
Point of contention.
Unfortunate when people don't realize
that they have to love their children more than they hate each other.
So true.
Case #2069, Hastings versus Cammer. All parties, please step forward.
Ryan Hastings is suing his former roommate,
Payton Cammer for a security deposit, personal belongings,
and filing a false restraining order.
Mr. Hastings, you and the Defendant were roommates?
- I'm not quite understanding... - Yes, correct.
Clearly, whether you were roommates or in a relationship? What was it?
It was just roommates.
When did you start to be roommates?
In September of 2020.
Did you know each other before?
- Yes. - How?
We were just friends that met at a party and hung out often.
- Starting when? - Um, that was in...
December of 2019.
And what made you decide to room together?
We were both looking for a place to live. So, um, since we both needed that,
we found this apartment together.
- Two bedrooms? - Correct.
- And you moved in with animals. - Correct.
I understand from the complaint.
- Cats. How many? - Yes.
- I had two. - I had two.
I didn't ask you anything yet. You had two.
And Miss Cammer had two. Any other animals?
No.
So, you started to live together during COVID.
Correct.
- Were you working? - Yes.
- Was Miss Cammer working? - Yes.
What was the rent on the apartment?
It was $1,365.
And you each paid half.
Correct.
So far, correct?
Was everything okay in 2020? September, October, November, December?
As far as rent?
No, as far as the living arrangement.
Oh, um, in 2020... Yeah.
We just had mini squabbles but overall, we were just fine.
I'm going to ask you the same question. 2020, everything okay?
No.
What happened in 2020?
It was emotional warfare since I moved in with him.
There was arguments with everything,
even simple things, like cleaning the dishes.
Just non-stop. I was terrified of him, living with him.
I couldn't bring anything up without it being an argument.
Okay. So, prior to moving in with Mr. Hastings,
where did you live?
With my parents.
How old are you?
I'm 21.
Is this the first time you had an apartment?
- Yes. - And how far away
were your parents from this apartment?
About like ten minutes.
If you were terrified, you should've moved home.
I wasn't allowed to.
You weren't allowed to because?
Because my, um, I just... I wasn't allowed to live with my dad and step-mom
'cause they moved into a 55 and over neighborhood.
When?
Um... they...
If you tell the truth, you don't have to have a good memory.
They moved in a little after I moved into my apartment.
I moved into my apartment to prepare for them moving out.
I just don't want to hear drama.
If you had fights over who's gonna clean the dishes and who...
I don't want to hear "terrified" unless you're terrified.
And if you're terrified, and you're 21-years-old,
you go back to where you came from, to your parents' house.
If you're terrified. You may not have liked it,
but that's just kid drama. So, squabbles in 2020.
Your lawsuit says that she disposed of your belongings,
she filed a restraining order. - Yes.
As a result of the restraining order, you were evicted from the apartment.
Yes.
It was a false restraining order. You hired a lawyer
- to appeal the finding of the judge, - Yes.
that you had harassed her
because the restraining order was based on harassment.
- Yes. - May I see a copy of it, please?
I have a copy of the restraining order.
Of the order, or what it was based on?
It has the whole thing. It says what it was based on.
May I see what she has? It doesn't look like it tells what it was based on.
You do a write-up of what it was based on.
On the front page, in a little box, it has a little description of what happened.
Okay.
So, the judge who heard this case, and I'm assuming
everything in this write-up is true. On the above date,
which was the 7th of September, 2021. On the above date and time,
"Defendant and Plaintiff engaged in a verbal argument
over household chores. The Defendant then made comments to the Plaintiff
the he would go crazy on her and raised his fist.
The Defendant stated this multiple times and started shaking in anger,
causing the Plaintiff to be in fear for her life.
And you had a hearing on this?
Yes.
You had a hearing on this, you told this to a judge.
I want you to tell me what you told the judge,
or did you tell the judge anything?
I told the judge that I, uh, was raising my voice,
but I was standing a good amount of distance away from her at the time.
And that I was shaking because I wasn't being listened to.
And that was it, there was no, uh, physical, uh, interaction there.
Only verbal interaction.
Did the judge say to you, how would you describe shaking in anger
'cause you weren't being listened to?
I was shaking just because I was angry, I was trying to keep my composure.
Well, that would frighten me.
Ryan Hastings claims his former roommate,
Payton Cammer owes for a security deposit
and personal belongings.
Payton is countersuing for rent and emotional distress.
Now, tell me, did the judge say to you, how would you describe shaking in anger
'cause you weren't being listened to?
Can you repeat that question, please?
I don't know how you were shaking.
I was shaking as in, like, um, I was shaking just...
because I was... angry. I wasn't being listened to.
I was trying to keep my composure, so I was just shaking.
Well, that would frighten me, actually.
I don't know whether I'd put you out of your house, but that would frighten me.
Mr. Hastings, where are you living now?
I just moved into a new apartment.
- With whom? - Myself.
- Better? - Yes. And my cats.
Perfect. Yourself and your cats. Great.
Now, I'm gonna tell you, Mr. Hastings, if that happened to me,
with a man who was larger than I was, that might frighten me
if you appeared out of control. So, I'm dismissing
that part of your complaint which seeks damages for a false restraining order.
- Okay. - What you actually just testified to me.
And I took everything that she said in her complaint against you.
I didn't even have to ask her. I wanted to know what you told the judge.
- Of course. - Then,
it was a reasonable issuing of a protective order.
Just to make sure that it appeared to me, what you were testifying to
was that she couldn't tell the difference whether you were composing yourself
or whether you were out of control. Okay. So it was...
May I interject and just say that the restraining order was, uh, repealed
and remanded, saying that the court did not find sufficient evidence
to impose the order, and...
Whether it was or not, I just...
I don't care what an... I'm not sitting as an appellate court.
I'm sitting as a trier of fact for the first time in your civil action.
And what you told me, in my judgment, was sufficient for a judge to say,
you know, I don't want to preside over an assault case or homicide case.
This guy says he was shaking, she says he was shaking in anger.
You say I was shaking to try to maintain my composure.
Well, I'm not gonna worry about them. Let him go find someplace else to live.
Which is what he did. So, I think that that's reasonable.
Money owed for the return of security deposit.
Now, he was put out of the apartment. He put in security deposit.
Correct.
And he was put out of the apartment. How much security deposit did he put in?
$682.
Are you still living in the apartment?
- I am. - Okay.
When he moved out of the apartment as a result of this restraining order,
was there any damage in the apartment that he caused?
No.
Then you have to give him back his $682.
Because any damage that would've resulted since he moved out
would be your damage. Okay? That's fair enough.
$682, that's your security deposit, sir. Return of belongings.
Okay. So, when you were told that you had to vacate the apartment,
tell me what belongings you left in the apartment
which you think she still has which belong to you.
I do not believe she has anything left... Anything of mine left in that apartment.
Well, what do you think she owes you for?
I am seeking the money for those items because they were thrown away.
What items?
Um, so I had a bed...
Just a second. You had a bed and there was a major flea problem
in the apartment as a result of your cats.
- Correct. - Okay, she threw away the bed. What else?
Okay. Um, there was a Nintendo Switch.
Do you know what that is?
Nintendo Switch? I never found that. I believe he took that the night with him.
Okay, she didn't have it, she didn't throw it away. What else?
I also had a hookah that was in there.
- A what, a hookah? - Yeah.
- Do you have his hookah? - No.
Go. What's next?
Um...
Okay. If you have to think about it that hard, sir, we're finished.
She owes you back your security deposit, that's $682. You have a counterclaim.
Most of it is nonsense. Your counterclaim for emotional distress. Forget that.
The only one emotionally distressed, usually, in this room is me.
Money owed for the month's rent, for a final month's rent. What is that?
He didn't pay the month of September. He was late on it.
- The month of September. - That would've been the $682.
Was he there in September?
Um, September 1st would've been the day the money was due.
No. When did he vacate the apartment as a result of your restraining order?
September 7th. The night of the mistake. But he was late on rent often.
$682, that's what he gets as he gets his security deposit back.
Your counterclaim's dismissed. We're finished. Thank you very much.
- Thank you. - This court is adjourned.
I don't really disagree with anything. Everything went perfectly,
the way I would've hoped it went.
I'm glad I got my security deposit back,
but I could've definitely been compensated for the items that I lost.
I mean, he got a little money out of it but way less than he thought he would.
It's a good day.
Sometimes I can get anxious, but I would not hurt anybody physically.
I hope he gets some help.
Me and my cats are the best trio.
You know, I remember, from a very early period in my life when I started college,
that I wasn't really good at having a roommate.
I think you must've passed that on to me.
That's... I did.
Especially one that you don't love. You know, it's hard enough
to live with somebody that you love. You know, they get irritated.
She said they fought over dishes and not doing the dishes. Well, you know,
you've lived with us, so you know I have that argument all the time,
- but I love him. - Yeah.
It's very hard to deal with somebody's schmutz that you don't love
You gotta be careful and pick someone you really think,
and cross your fingers and toes.
Actually, Sarah, I don't think you should pick anybody.
I think what you should do, if you can, is live in a shoebox, by yourself,
- if that's all you can afford. - Yeah.
You know how many roommate cases we've done just in the last couple of years?
All with stress and aggravation intertwined, immensely.
And that's without romance involved.
I mean, this young man, who looks like a perfectly reasonable young man,
and very honest, said, he told the judge that he was shaking.
I said, well, describe to me what you were doing, and he shook.
That was a little out there.
She was getting under his skin. There's no question,
she was getting under his skin.
Middle of COVID, everyone's inside.
You could tell she was getting under his skin, she was terrified.
A little dramatic.
Yeah, a little dramatic.
- Anyway, I think it ended okay. - Yeah, ended well.
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