It's one o'clock in the morning, and you're on your way home.
And...?
I seen, like, a dog. I swerved.
You go into a house.
She went through two walls. What were you drinking?
Two beers. The dog that I swerved to hit,
she seen the dog as well.
[announcer] This is Judy Justice.
[♪ dramatic music plays]
Whitney Shepherd is suing motorist
Rachel Velasquez for property damage.
[Kevin] Court come to order. All rise.
Have a seat, everyone.
Hello, Judge. Case 2098, Shepherd versus Velasquez.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
Okay, Ms. Velasquez, I'm going to start with you
because the case is unusual and the case really starts with you.
- You were driving your car. - Correct.
And had an accident on the 13th of February of this year.
- Right. - Tell me about it.
I was going west on...
- You were driving? - I was driving. I was driving.
First, at what time did this take place?
It happened about one a.m.
- Where were you coming from? - From my sister's home.
- Anybody else in the car with you? - No.
What day of the week was February 13th?
That was on a Saturday.
So you were at some sort of a gathering at your sister's house?
I was at my sister's house, yes.
How many people were at the gathering?
There was just about maybe ten of us.
And what time had you arrived at your sister's house?
Saturday at midmorning.
- Did you have dinner there? - Yes.
Any alcohol served all day?
Yes.
- What kind? - Just a beer.
Just a... beer.
- I wasn't there. - [chuckles] A beer.
My invitation got lost in the mail.
What were you drinking?
I, uh, drank two beers, but again, mind you,
This was, and... it was at the afternoon.
Just a second. So you had two beers?
Yes.
Now, you get into the car, it's one o'clock in the morning,
and you're on your way home. And...?
Let's hear what happened.
Okay.
Traveling from your sister's house, maybe I'll make this easier for you.
How far a distance is it from your sister's house to your house?
About twenty minutes.
And how far into the trip did this accident occur?
Like fifteen minutes.
- And tell me about the accident. - Okay, so, I was about to...
I seen, like, a dog or something in the street.
- So, as soon as I seen it... - Just a second.
So it's one o'clock in the morning, you see something in the street.
That's what you said.
Okay, well, it was... it was something, but it turned out to be a dog.
- So what did you do? - I swerved to not hit the dog.
[Judge Judy] Swerve to not hit the something,
[defendant] But it was a dog.
[Judge Judy] Well, we're going to get to how you know that.
So you swerved to avoid hitting the something,
and you went into a house, went over a fire hydrant.
The fire hydrant actually...
when I hit the fire hydrant, the fire hydrant pushed me into the house.
Fire hydrant, water.
And you went into the house.
The force of the fire hydrant didn't send you into the house, madam,
unless you're telling me that the fire hydrant went
and the water was such force that it pushed your car into the house.
Which I won't believe. Do you understand?
So you swerved to avoid something in the road
and were clearly going at such a speed
that you went right into a house.
Did you go through the wall of the house?
- That's either a yes or a no. - Yes.
And that's what this case is about, because Ms. Shepherd
is a renter in that house,
and she says that everything of value that she had
was destroyed because of the water and inundation.
And your automobile insurance company
paid the owner of the house for the damage to the house,
but did not compensate Miss Shepherd for any of her property
that was destroyed.
- That's what the case is about. - Right.
[Judge Judy] So now this dog becomes sort of interesting.
- You have a dog? - I do.
Now, you say that you swerved to avoid a something
that you subsequently said was a dog.
Now, you're in the house because that's where the car is.
I assume that they had to get you out of the car,
or did you get out of the car on your own?
Yeah, my car was not in the house, but I didn't--
I was out of-- I was out of the car. I got out by myself.
Do you have photographs of the house?
- [plaintiff] I do. - I'd like to take a look at them.
Oh, that's pretty much in the house.
[plaintiff] Yeah. She went through two walls.
[Judge Judy] Yeah. Do you know how much money
your insurance company paid out to the homeowner?
- Five thousand. - [Judge Judy] Five thousand?
- Is this your car? - Yes.
And this is where it landed?
- Yes. - Okay.
Now, you got out of the car, and what did you do?
I got out of the car. My sister, she was there-- she was there, too.
What do you mean your sister was there too?
She was following right behind me
'cause she's the one, Louise-- she had seen the dog that--
the dog that I swerved to hit, she seen the dog as well.
[laughing]
I'm talking to you.
You got out of the car and...
My sister-- I went to go walk to get my sister,
and we waited for the ambulance to get-- to get there.
- For whom? - For me.
- What was wrong with you? - I had three broken ribs.
Where did you wait for the ambulance?
Um, right in front of the house.
Now tell me about the dog.
The dog, I... right when I...
right when the car came to the stop, I seen the dog run back into the yard.
[Judge Judy] Yeah. So... [soft chuckle]
You're crashing into the front of the house.
Your eyes are in front of you.
You're crashing into a house.
You take down the whole wall when you crashed into the house,
and what you're telling me is you crashed into the house,
and out of what kind of vision...?
You went through a wall.
How did your eyes get to the backyard?
You swerve. You go into--
Either you swerve because there's something in the road,
or you swerve because you weren't paying attention,
or you swerve because the beers that you had
were too late in the day.
Whatever the reason that you swerved,
but now you're facing the inside of a house.
I want to know at what point you saw a dog run to the backyard.
Well, the-the car wasn't-- I didn't hit head on.
It was on the side. It was on the-- on the-- the left side--
The right side. It was on the right side.
So, when I hit, everything went to the right side.
I didn't hit it straight on, head forward.
This is your car.
[defendant] I didn't-- I did not hit straight, head on.
[Judge Judy] This is your car.
So you're telling me your car was damaged before?
- No, ma'am. - Okay.
Now I'd like you to tell me, Ms. Shepherd,
I'm sure you have a list of things that were destroyed.
- You did not have renters insurance? - I did not.
And what happened when you submitted a claim
to Ms. Velasquez's insurance company?
Absolutely nothing.
- They never even got back to me on it. - Okay.
I'd like to see proof that your insurance company
paid the owner of the house.
- I don't have that on me. - You have your insurance card here?
- Yes. - Good, I'd like to see it.
Did you make a claim?
I did. I did. The day on February 14th.
Who owns this car?
- I do. - What kind of car were you driving?
- It's a 2017 Honda Accord. - Did they pay to have your car fixed?
- No. - Did they cover it at all?
You had a $500 deductible for collision. Did they pay for your car?
- No. - You have medical records?
- No, I didn't bring them. - Did the police respond to the location?
- Yes. - Were you given a blood alcohol test
or a breathalyzer test at the scene?
- No. - Do you have a police report?
- I do. - I'd like to take a look at it.
Okay. Arrived at the scene at 2:30 in the morning.
(reading) "This was determined to be a solo vehicle crash
with minor injuries involving an impaired driver."
That impaired driver would be you,
because she wasn't driving her house.
Now, Ms. Velasquez, not good form when the police reports--
Do you see the police report?
- Have you seen the police report? - Yes.
Okay, so you know the police report found
that you were impaired at the time of the accident.
It also indicates that the police officer immediately after the accident,
questioned you on a gurney in the hospital.
That was immediately after this happened. I'm going to read what it says.
"Party one, Velasquez, was riding her Honda
at 55 miles per hour while under the influence."
It says at the time of your statement, party one, that's you--
states, "She attempted to turn left
because she was heading to her mother's house,
but did not recall how she crashed."
I certainly don't see anything about a dog here,
only an impaired driver.
And then later you told this police officer
that you admitted drinking three beers earlier at home.
Police officer said he asked you
whether you felt the effects of alcohol drinks,
to which you replied yes.
"The officer conducted a limited number of field sobriety tests
at the hospital, which Party One failed to perform.
Party One's subject to signs and symptoms of intoxication."
- And you were placed under arrest. - No, ma'am.
Yeah. "I placed Party One"-- that's you-- "under arrest for DUI."
[♪ dramatic music plays]
This police officer determined that you were drunk,
and this police report has absolutely nothing
about a dog causing the accident.
It has you saying, "I don't know what caused the accident."
Yes.
[announcer] And later today...
I don't understand what the issue is.
She paid for the tickets. You did not.
- But you used the vouchers. - I did.
Well, then she's entitled to be compensated for what she paid.
I mean, I don't know. This is not rocket science.
Am I missing something here?
[♪ dramatic music plays]
[announcer] Whitney Shepherd claims motorist Rachel Velasquez
owes for property and water damage
after Rachel's car ran over a fire hydrant
and crashed into Whitney's home.
Something just came through my house.
My house exploded.
I'm stuck in here.
I don't know what's going on.
There is a car in my house.
Oh my god.
They hit the fire hydrant.
They went through... through my house. I no longer have a house.
Okay. Did you receive a citation?
No, I did not.
- You didn't? - No, ma'am.
- Really? - No.
Well, then you want me to assume that the police officer
said that he placed you under arrest--
and I can understand why they didn't remove you from the hospital--
that you were subsequently given a citation,
but you had to receive some sort of citation from the police,
madam, unless you have medical records
which indicate that the blood that they drew
indicated that there was no alcohol in your system
because this police officer determined that you were drunk.
And this police report has absolutely nothing
about a dog causing the accident.
It has you saying, "I don't know what caused the accident."
Yes.
- Okay. Miss Shepherd? - Yes.
The defendant is responsible for the damages done to your property,
and so I've seen the extent of this damage done to the house.
Were you able to stay in the house subsequent to this crash?
- No. - Where did you go?
I got relocated to Corona. I'm renting a room in Corona.
And had you been renting the whole house?
Yes, yes.
- For how long? - Ten years.
- And what was your rent on the house? - $715 a month.
And in the ten years that you lived there, you accumulated all your stuff?
Well, that and time before I lived there. But, yes.
- But for ten years. - For ten years.
Were you able to take any of your furniture?
I got three pieces of furniture, which included my mattress.
- It was okay? - It was okay.
Okay.
And I got, uh, an armoire
that is ruined at the bottom from the water,
and a dresser that was ruined from the water.
The rest of the furniture in the house, did it belong to you?
- It did. - Okay.
So you had table, chairs, eating.
Table and chairs, no couch.
It was a small house, four-- 457 square feet.
What about your clothes?
I have not seen my clothes since the day the accident happened.
Did the water infiltrate the house as a result of the fire hydrant?
Yes. I was trapped in that house for four and a half hours.
Me and my dog were trapped in the house for four and a half hours.
My dog was in bed with me, sleeping.
When you left to rent this room, did you take anything with you?
Well, the night the accident happened,
when I was trapped for four and a half hours,
I-I was hiding because the fire hydrant was
throwing big rocks onto the roof,
and I thought the whole house was coming down.
But I kept coming out and filling a backpack
with things my grandchildren had given me
and pictures of my grandchildren.
I didn't even think to take clothes or anything out.
And you went right there to someplace where you were relocated?
- Or did you go to a relative's? - Yeah, I was relocated immediately.
It was red-tagged, and it took 68 days to get a yellow tag
so I could hire a company.
Do you know how much the landlord got for the damage on this house?
She had insurance, and she's rebuilding right now.
- So she had her own insurance? - She had her own insurance, yeah.
Okay. Ms. Velasquez, there's no question in my mind
that your mind is fresher at the time of the incident
than it is months and months later
when you've had a chance to reflect on why an accident is not your fault.
You were questioned by police officers immediately after the incident.
You responded, actually, to the police officers
and told them what happened,
and told them that you crashed and you didn't know why.
The police officers observed your demeanor.
They determined that you were operating a vehicle
under the influence of alcohol.
I don't know whether you have insurance or not.
I don't know whether you had insurance on the date of the incident or not,
but by your careless and reckless behavior,
you've turned this lady's life upside down.
She had a little life in a little house
where she had all of her property,
and you've turned her life totally upside down.
She has nothing, and you're responsible for that.
So if you had no insurance
or if the insurance disclaimed, that would be your problem.
Judgment for the plaintiff in the amount requested, $10,000.
We're finished.
- Thank you, Your Honor. - [Kevin] This court is adjourned.
I think it was the correct decision,
as it really could be the only decision.
I remember seeing the dog run through,
and-- but, yeah, it was just-- it was an accident.
I thought my house exploded, and I was in a house
that was going to come down with my dog.
Luckily, I didn't hurt anybody.
I think anybody who would drink and drive
isn't willing to take responsibility for their actions.
You know, sometimes you're the windshield
and sometimes you're a bug.
- Sometimes you're both. - As in this case.
That's really a trick. I have no idea what that insurance is.
A lot of fine print, I'm feeling, was probably the issue.
Yeah. But I cannot imagine if it was legitimate insurance.
And she had legitimate insurance,
except that she's got a $10,000 maximum on any sort of collision,
so I know what it is.
I actually feel sorry for that lady, don't you?
Me too. Everything in 500 square feet, in a home that she's built.
Where she's comfortable. She was comfortable in...
- No, exactly. - And she has nothing.
And I didn't see a whole bunch of remorse there.
Nope. Me either.
Case number 2033,
Broussard/Fierro versus Stigney.
All parties, please step forward.
[announcer] Tammi Broussard and Catherine Fierro
are suing 21-year-old Alesha Stigney
for travel vouchers and harassment.
Whose son was it who was living with the defendant?
My son.
Broad strokes, what I get from this--
- Is that your son? - Yes, ma'am.
Your son became involved, according to you, with the defendant?
She has one child with your son and one child with someone else?
Yes, ma'am.
When I gather, there was a time that everybody was happy living together.
And I believe it was your brother who was getting married in Las Vegas?
Yes, ma'am.
And the defendant at that time was put in charge
of ordering the plane tickets for everyone to go,
but the defendant was told to use someone else's credit card.
- And who is that? - That's Catherine Fierro.
- That was Ms. Fierro? - Yes.
- Ms. Fierro is whom? - I'm the fiancée to her brother.
In any event, the wedding did not come off as planned in Las Vegas.
Parties did not use the flight tickets that you had booked
with someone else's credit card?
Correct.
And you were given travel vouchers, and that's what they're suing for.
They want their travel vouchers.
That's it. So I just have a few questions. It's not a very difficult case.
When you booked the flights for everyone, how many tickets did you book?
It was myself, my 4-year-old.
The infant was a lap, so she would not count.
- And your boyfriend? - At the time, yes.
- [Judge Judy] Yes. - And then it was also Tammi Broussard,
her daughter, and that was all.
Whose credit card did you pay for those tickets with?
- It was Cat's. - That's you?
- Yes. - And did you pay for those tickets?
They were put on my credit card, yes, they were, Your Honor.
Did you in fact pay for them, is my question.
- Yes. - I'd like to see proof
that you paid for their flights,
and if you have, the following month's bill as well.
Did you ever receive a credit for those flights?
- No, I did not. - On your credit...
I did not know what happened until I asked the, um, son,
the flight, the airline, to send me this.
- I'd like to see it. - Here you go.
[Judge Judy] Because it's still on your credit card?
- Yes. - Okay.
Okay, so you received vouchers, according to this,
that totaled little over a thousand dollars.
- Yes. - What did you do with them?
- I did use them. - Just a second.
- You didn't pay for the tickets? - Correct.
So my question is, why didn't you turn the vouchers over
to the people who actually paid for the tickets?
[♪ dramatic music plays]
You booked the tickets but didn't pay for them.
Wedding got canceled because of COVID.
You got vouchers for what she paid for,
and you used them without any agreement.
What is the issue here? Am I missing something?
[♪ dramatic music plays]
[announcer] Tammi Broussard and Catherine Fierro
claim 21-year-old Alesha Stigney
owes for travel vouchers and harassment.
Now, did you discuss the vouchers with her?
I did not meet her until, I believe, early February,
when we left Las Vegas to go to Minnesota.
And shortly after meeting her, the day that we got there, um,
she called my fiancé, uh, asked if we could watch the baby.
- No, no, no. You ca-- - But we did have a discussion about it.
Only a discussion with you. I don't want to hear about any conversation.
Okay, well, I did-- I did bring it up with her.
Well, I'd like you to tell me what the discussion was.
Well, when we came to walk the-- to watch her baby for the first time,
she went to show me the baby's room, where the diapers were,
where the wipes are, and she was running around looking for wipes.
And I said, um, "I don't want to seem rude,
but you do have the vouchers, correct, for the wedding?"
They were specifically meant for my wedding.
And she said she didn't really have time to talk about it.
She was going out for the weekend, to Rochester,
to go out and have fun with her, so she just left very quickly.
Then we watched the baby a second time,
and I decided to leave a little bit early to get to the house to watch the baby.
And when we arrived, she was out the door.
So she did not want to talk about the vouchers.
That's sort of speculation.
- Yes. - I don't understand what the issue is.
She paid for the tickets. You did not. But you used the vouchers.
- I did. - Well, then she's
entitled to be-- to be compensated for what she paid.
Your Honor, she also posted on Facebook trying to sell the tickets.
Well, I mean, I don't know. This is not rocket science.
Am I missing something here?
You booked the tickets but didn't pay for them.
Wedding got canceled because of COVID.
You got vouchers for what she paid for,
- and you used them... - Yes.
...without any agreement.
What is the issue here? Am I missing something?
- I don't think so. - Would you tell me?
Yes. So, back last year, I have the agreement.
It was sometime, I think, June or July.
Tammi moved to Minnesota, or to Austin.
Don't go off on a tang-- Listen to me.
Her apartment is in my name because she couldn't put it in her name.
Okay.
So they said because later in February,
Cat had now moved into Tammi's apartment with Tammi.
- That is in my name. - Okay.
As a thank-you, they had said that they did not want
the vouchers back that I could use,
and they also said that they were not able to use them
before they expired in October of this year.
- That is not true, Your Honor. - What do you mean, "They said"?
Those are two people.
Yes, Tammi and Cat.
I had ran into Cat at Walmart sometime... late March, I think it was,
after me and the-- Roman had broke up.
- Whatever his name is. Roman? - Roman.
[Judge Judy] "Roman and I broke up."
I'm still trying to figure out why you didn't
give her the vouchers when you got them.
We were still together, me and Roman.
We were planning on taking a trip this year.
What difference does it make?
Were you supposed to pay for the tickets to Vegas?
- No. - Was that your agreement,
that somebody else was going to pay for them?
They agreed that they'd pay for them, yes.
- Is that right? - To come to the wedding.
Not to go anywhere else, just to the wedding.
To come to the wedding. But the wedding was cancelled.
- Yes. - Correct.
And we did not speak at Walmart about anything about those.
What I have here are two charges,
one for 320 and one for 538.
Is that what you spent on the tickets?
- Yes. - And, ma'am...
I have something from June 18th on Facebook
where she was trying to sell them on Facebook, and I had, um...
I actually, Ms. Broussard, don't understand why you're here.
I'm here because there's also a harassment.
We have a police report regarding that.
- Okay. - As well as she...
Okay, so with regard to your claim,
she owes you $858 for the tickets?
- Yes. - So that judgment is taken care of.
- You can have a seat. - Thank you.
The other part of the claim is for harassment.
Do you want to tell me when this harassment started?
I assume it was after your son
and the defendant terminated their relationship.
And if you indicated that you had a police report,
I'd like to look at it.
Yes, ma'am. Here is the police report.
And actually, it, um, the harassment had started...
Just one second.
As far as this police report you gave me,
the only thing that's complained about here,
really, from your end initially, was the fact that
your son's tax money was put in her bank account by mistake.
It was something entirely different,
because he doesn't have the evidence that he needs with that.
I'm telling you what the document is
that you handed me as evidence of harassment.
And the document that you handed me as evidence of harassment,
the focal point of it is, last week, his--
that's his-- tax return got deposited.
Alesha withdrew all the money from the account,
and this included $1,500 from the tax return
and a thousand dollars that was in the account.
That was the crux of your complaint against her.
Well, that's not harassment.
Well, the harassment had started on April 27th,
which is, like, a month after those two had broken up.
It was a really nasty thing.
I don't know, like it says in there,
I don't know if it's coincidental, but she sped through a red--
or a yellow light, almost hit me once.
Her boyfriend had been a total nuisance in my parking lot,
blowing the horn.
Listen to me very carefully.
If you feel as if you are the subject of harassment,
file for a protective order.
Do you understand?
- Yes, ma'am. - Okay, good.
The defendant owes your co-plaintiff 858.
- Thank you. - [Kevin] This court is adjourned.
I was very nice to them, and they just disregarded all of that.
She's very upset because my son no longer dates her.
There was drugs involved
where she couldn't get an apartment on her own.
I pay my own rent. I pay my own bills. I just have bad credit.
And it's not even a drug-related thing.
I was nice and put their apartment in my name, and that didn't matter to them.
She's a thief. I mean, those tickets were meant for my wedding,
and she used them for something else.
Doesn't matter if you're nice or not. Give it back.
I wish they were all that simple.
[laughs] Yeah, I mean, from reading the papers,
I could tell there was some more conflict than I think we got into,
but none of that underlying conflict between any of the parties
had anything to do with the facts of the case,
that she used someone else's credit card.
She received a benefit that she did not pay for,
- and they were entitled to it. - Easy.
- Yeah, easy. - Easy.
[announcer] Are you a victim of a scam? - Go to JudyJustice. - TV.
[♪ dramatic music plays]