You had a son and sadly, he drowned.
This year.
His friends started a GoFundMe page.
My daughter took everything.
The reason I'm here today is not because of the GoFundMe.
That's exactly why she's here.
Shh!
It's always been about the money.
This is Judy Justice.
Carol Crane is suing her daughter, Jessica Crane...
for personal items and money from a GoFundMe fundraiser.
Court come to order. All rise.
Have a seat please.
Hello, Judge. Case 2119, Crane versus Crane.
- Thank you very much. - You're welcome.
Well, Mrs. Crane, this is a very sad case. This is your daughter.
Yes it is.
And I don't know how many children that you have
but I know that you had a son who was in medical school
who was... how old, 25 years old?
Thirty. Thirty.
Sounds as if he was a popular young man
who's in an outing with friends
and sadly, he drowned.
Yes, he did. Saving two women.
Just a second. And that happened when?
That happened July 29th of this year.
This is what the case is about.
His friends in his memory
started a GoFundMe page.
Correct.
And there is approximately
$40,000 in that GoFundMe page.
There was. Yes. I said approximately.
Yes, it was.
And your daughter is, for want of a better word,
in charge of that Facebook page,
- GoFundMe proceeds. - Correct.
And it is your claim that is the next of kin
because he died without a will,
you are entitled to
some or all of that Facebook Page.
It doesn't even matter about the GoFundMe funds.
I mean, that would be nice in a perfect world.
But my daughter took everything.
From the day my son passed.
When they found his body at the river,
the coroner gave her the keys to his truck
and she went to his apartment and emptied it.
So I didn't get my chance to be Josh's mom for the last time.
I didn't get to empty his apartment.
I can't cure that, Madam.
No. No. - I can't cure that.
And you can't put any sort of a value on anything
that your daughter might have taken from that apartment
- because you don't know what was there. - Correct.
So I can't help you with that.
In a perfect world, maybe she would've gone with you
- to the apartment, but you didn't. - Correct.
Based upon what I read, you were not there during the search
for your son or the discovery of his body, is that correct?
No, I was at home. OK.
And your daughter was there?
Yes she was.
And I assume that you were close to your brother?
Absolutely close to my brother.
Just curious what prevented you?
You were notified that your son was missing.
What prevented you from going there?
My daughter was at the house the day Josh went missing
and we had my car torn apart.
Um, she left after they called her
and I--I definitely would've hitched a ride but I didn't have a vehicle.
Your Honor, I got-- Shh shh. Just a sec.
Did you say she was at your house? Yes, she was.
Well then, why didn't you go with her?
They didn't call till after she had left apparently.
And rather than come back and get me--
You mean she left to go some place else?
She left to go home.
Yeah, we were working on my car.
She left to go home and she got a call from Search and Rescue.
I hadn't been answering my phone. Just a sec...
Oh, well that's a different story. You hadn't been answering your phone.
It wasn't as if nobody called you.
No--no, she didn't. She didn't call.
It wasn't as if nobody called you.
Did somebody call you?
Right, from Search and Rescue. Yes.
Somebody called you? - Yes.
OK. Mrs. Crane, this is your problem
if your son passed away without a will,
and I'm sure that somebody else may a professional has told you that,
the legal professional has told you that.
If your son passed away without a will
depending upon the laws in your jurisdiction,
you as his parent
might be construed as next of kin
and any property that he owned at the time of his death
- would transfer to you. - Right. Correct. Yes.
He didn't own the GoFundMe page at the time he died.
No, he did not. So you don't get it.
- OK. - Any part of it.
- OK. - Your Honor, she already received funds
from the GoFundMe as well.
Just a second. The people that set up the GoFundMe page
I assume were classmates of your brother's?
Yes. They were his other fourth-year medical students that
had reached out to me and asked if they could--
Don't tell me what they asked you.
They set up a GoFundMe page.
Do you have the paperwork for the GoFundMe page?
Yeah. I'd like to see it.
OK, so they raised $39,287.
Correct. OK.
Is there anything that is in writing
that makes you either the beneficiary of...?
The organizer of? Would you do me a favor?
Look it up. Underneath the photo.
It does say that I am the beneficiary listed on there.
Thank you.
- You're Jessica? - I am.
OK. "...is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Jessica Crane."
Mm-hmm. - That's her.
That has changed.
Initially it was for Joshua Crane
- and with the legal rami-- - Just show me.
It's never been for-- - Show me. Just a second. Just a second.
- Mrs. Crane. - Yes.
It wouldn't make any difference,
but I'm willing to look at something that originally it was on behalf of...
Right. - ...somebody else.
The reason I'm here today is not because of the GoFundMe
Your Honor, that's exactly why she's here.
It's the money-- Shh.
It's always been about the money.
All right, how are you going to pay the note on a $14,000 truck?
I plan on returning to work.
This incident has taken my job, believe it or not.
- Actually, I don't believe it. - Your Honor, I work three jobs--
Just... shh. Just a second.
Actually, I don't believe it.
And later today...
What kind of narcotics were found inside the vehicle?
It's alleged that it was a-- No it's not alleged.
Th-this is a police report.
I'm asking you, what kind of narcotics were found in your car?
Carol Crane claims her daughter Jessica Crane
is wrongfully keeping her son's property
and money from his GoFundMe fundraiser.
This is your complaint. Yes.
"I'm suing the defendant, Jessica Crane in the amount of $10,000.
for my portion of my deceased son's GoFundMe account...
His vehicle-- ...and personal items
including my son's guitars and his vehicle."
Correct. OK.
Now you're not looking for his GoFundMe account?
I never really was, 'cause I never knew the law on GoFundMe.
I tried to find out and speak to someone about it and get legal advice
and I could never find anyone.
Well, it's very easy.
He didn't own this property while he was alive
so you have no title to it.
If they said that they're starting a GoFundMe page
in the name of your son to be
for the benefit of animal rescue,
you wouldn't have any control over that.
No, that meant for his funeral costs.
Which I also paid for, Your Honor-- Just a second.
It says-- just a second. "On behalf of Jessica Crane."
Right. "On behalf of Jessica Crane,"
just for my own curiosity I'd like to know.
Your son was buried at some point?
He was cremated. He was cremated.
And I have the receipts. I paid for his obituary, his cremation.
OK. So what I'm asking you is
there were no serious funeral costs?
- No-- - I got everything donated on my--
Just a-- - That's not true as well.
Just a second. I'm asking you, Mrs. Crane,
did you pay anything for your son's funeral?
- No. - OK. That's all.
So it's not as if you had any outlay of money for this.
You know what I find sort of troublesome?
I find troublesome that his friends
cause that sometimes happens, it's human nature,
you feel so badly about something, you want to do something.
And probably the easiest thing to do is to raise money.
And the easiest thing for probably these people who are in their 20s and 30s
is to start a GoFundMe page.
I mean, it just would seem to me if they wanted to do
a scholarship for him at the school,
if they wanted to do something else--
This is for those people out there who are watching who are GoFundMe people.
I've seen some of the more ridiculous ones.
You know, and there are good-natured people out there
who see these things and will donate $5.00 and $10.00.
"Oh my goodness. They need funeral costs."
Well, in this case, there were no issues.
And almost all this money, $40,000 is left.
What are you gonna do with it?
So, there's a couple things that I planned on doing with it.
It's why the money has been sitting in account.
I just want the people who donated this money
to know what you are going to do with it.
It's not for you to buy anything for yourself...
- Your Honor. - ...that's-- that would be ridiculous.
That's not what was in their minds. So I want to know who I'm dealing with.
Your Honor, after all of Josh's expenses were paid for
which I paid for using that money, I am very close with the Dean at UC Davis,
um, who is a good friend of my brother's as well.
And they have talked about setting up a scholarship fund for my brother.
And I was going to donate a portion of that money back
if UC Davis decides to set that up on his behalf.
And then I also wanted to set up scholarship funds for my sons,
who my brother was very close with.
So what you're telling me is, you're gonna give a little to UC Davis
for a scholarship in his name and you're going to use
some for your two sons for their education.
Absolutely.
Well, that's really not what it was intended to do.
I'm just telling you it was not what it was intended to do.
I mean, at the end of the day, that's how GoFundMe are set up.
People can set them up for an intended purpose,
Can be used for anything. And then? And then?
Well, I-- but I'm just telling the people out there.
Before you spend money on a GoFundMe page,
make sure it's going to go to a place where you want it to go.
And for the intended purpose you want it
which is to somehow celebrate the life of this young man
that was cut short so tragically.
And it would seem to me, Mrs. Crane,
you don't have to do anything
because they made you the beneficiary of this money.
But it would seem to me that a standup person
would take whatever is left of that
and create a scholarship in his name at UC Davis
which is where he went to school.
I can't order you to do that but I'm just telling you
and everybody else out there
make sure if you have a good heart and a good spirit
you know where your money is going.
OK. So you're not entitled to any of the money.
Now did you take your brother's guitars?
I cleared out my brother's entire-- Shh. Just a second.
- Yes, Your Honor. - Just answer... answer the question.
- And how many guitars did you take? - Three.
Where are they? - They're at my house.
Now. I don't have to do this.
- Would you like one of your son's guitars? - Very... yes. Very much so.
Would you like one of your son's guitars?
Do you have any of your son's guitars?
- None. - Your Honor,
my mom has a long history of substance abuse.
She's boughten gifts for me in the past
and she's pawned them off and I would like to keep them in my family.
So that's where they stay.
So that's why I have possession of them
because I don't want them going to a pawn shop.
I was told I could visit one of my son's guitars at her home.
Who? Who do you-- Just a second.
- Do you play guitar? - No, I just want it because it's my son's
and I've bought three of his guitars for him.
None of these guitars were purchased by her.
They're very expensive guitars my brother purchased.
I can't order her to do anything.
I'm just asking her whether she would give you one of the guitars
and she said no.
The next thing we have here is...
a vehicle.
Now tell me about the vehicle.
So Josh didn't have a lot. He was a fourth-year medical student.
He has a truck, a Toyota, a 2019 Toyota Tacoma
that he still owes about $14,000 on.
I have that here. $13,841.76 cents on.
Uh-huh.
And at the time, his truck was at the boat launch
where they found him.
So when I met with the sheriffs,
they gave me possession of the keys.
They found his keys on his body and they gave me his keys.
So we brought the truck up to where we live in northern California.
Took the truck up there and it's been kept in storage
until this is all sorted out.
I personally wanted to keep the truck.
I have the means to finance the truck in my name.
I have the means to make a payment.
She does not have the means to make a payment.
She doesn't have a job. She doesn't have a driver's license.
She can't provide insurance for it.
I mean she has driving--
That's not particularly relevant.
There's $14,000 left on it.
Are you employed?
- Um, I was until-- - Just the same.
The answer is either yes or no. Are you employed!?
No. All right.
How are you gonna pay the note on a $14,000 truck?
I plan on returning to work.
This--this incident has taken my job, believe it or not.
Actually I don't believe it. Your Honor, I work three jobs.
Just... shh. Just a second.
- Actually. I don't believe it. - OK.
So the answer is if you can't afford
to make the payments on this truck
and the only thing that's gonna happen is it's going to be
repossessed by the bank.
Have you been making payments on the truck?
- I have not made a payment. - Who is the finance company?
Credit Union.
Where is the truck currently stored?
Give me the address.
I don't have an exact address.
And later today...
You don't understand something, sir.
Even though she was high on drugs
and passed out in her car
and you were not at fault.
It's not windfall day.
That's ridiculous. And I'm not stupid.
Carol Crane claims her daughter Jessica Crane
is wrongfully keeping her son's property
and money from his GoFundMe fundraiser.
I wanna see the paperwork on the loan.
OK, Sarah, when we finish with this case, call credit union.
Advise them who has the truck.
Let 'em go repossess the truck.
We're finished here. Your case is dismissed.
This court is adjourned.
I had an addiction problem and she's just angry.
She's angry at me and I've tried to make amends.
I've tried to get this better and she won't have it.
My daughter got away with taking absolutely everything
and she wasn't entitled to it.
I think that if there's any lesson to be taken away,
aside from the fact that you're not supposed to fight.
You know, when you lose somebody
so young and so vital.
The one innocent party is the credit union
who loaned him the money to buy the truck.
She's been hiding the truck now for five months
hasn't made a payment on it.
The right thing to do is for her to turn that truck into the credit union.
'Cause I can't control that.
Except that I can advise the credit union where she is and who she is,
that she has possession of the truck and they should go and repossess it.
Anyway, it's all very sad.
Before you donate money to a GoFundMe page
make sure you know where the money is going.
I think that that's the takeaway from this.
Case 2161, Shahin versus Larry.
All parties, please step forward.
Shimal Shahin is suing his neighbor,
Sabrina Larry for car damage
after Sabrina hit his vehicle and a house.
Mr. Shahin, tell me where you live.
I live in Moorhead, Minnesota.
And on September 8th of this year
you parked your relatively new car
that according to you you got a week before?
No, Your Honor.
"I had just purchased a Sequoia a week before."
No, actually it's not-- it's not the new car.
I mean it's an old, it's a used car,
but it's... I purchased it maybe a year before that.
Not exactly a week. OK,
so it's not a new car and you didn't purchase it a week before?
- No. - But you parked it in front of your house.
Do you have a photograph of the car?
I do. I'd like to see it.
And to see your claim that the defendant, Ms. Larry,
while under some sort of influence of some sort of substance
was driving her car, had an accident,
hit your car and caused it to move...
twenty-five feet and it was damaged?
Yes.
And the damage to the car was the rear bumper?
Yep. Not "yep." "Yes" is the answer.
Yes, Your Honor. Yes is the answer.
OK. Mrs. Larry, what time did you have your accident?
At 9:00 or 10:00 AM
On the eighth? - Yes.
Where were you coming from?
Uh, the grocery store.
Where were you going? - Home.
What kind of drugs had you taken?
I was taking Benadryl, prescription medication.
Um, that's--that's all I had. That's what I took.
Can I see the police report? You remember hitting his car?
No.
You remember the police coming to where your car stopped?
No. No. I don't remember the police coming.
Like-- What, did the police come?
They did? Yes. And you don't remember that?
I don't remember that.
Were you taken to a hospital?
- I was. - You have the discharge notes
from the hospital? I... do.
I'd like to see it.
What kind of narcotics were found inside the vehicle?
It's alleged that it it was a--
No, it's not alleged. This is a police report. I'm asking you.
What kind of narcotics were found in your car?
They said that they found a round blue pill
that had an "M30" on it. That's what it stated.
Sarah, do me a favor. Sure.
Look up under illegal drugs, "M30."
So, M30's imitate Oxycodone obtained from a pharmacy
but when sold on the streets the pills routinely contain fentanyl.
Look up this name.
Percocet. You smoke Percocet?
Not that I know. How do you smoke Percocet?
That's the only thing you remembered.
You didn't remember the accident?
"Patient remembers smoking Percocet pill
just prior to allegedly passing out and crashing her vehicle."
That's what they say from your doctor.
Yeah, that's what they're-- That's what they're saying.
That's, well that's what they're saying.
"The history is provided by the patient.
The history is limited by condition of the patient.
History is limited because the patient does not remember
the actual automobile accident.
Remembers smoking Percocet pill
just prior to allegedly passing out and crashing her vehicle."
You think the doctor made that up?
And they just so happened to have found this blue pill
in your console in your car?
That's what they are saying.
OK. You actually know you could have killed yourself.
Yeah. OK.
And you don't remember anything about it cause that's what you told them.
You don't remember anything about anything after you smoked the little blue pill?
Which is what they said. So your car was moved.
- That's the damage to your car? - Yeah.
Sir, can I see the estimate for the damage please?
I think-- - You gave it to me?
Yeah. - OK. Great.
Have you had the car fixed?
Just the back tail light that I had to put it on.
I was trying to fix it, but don't have any money to do it.
Sarah, look up please. Would you?
- I'm looking it up right now. - Oh, great.
Thank you.
Oh, it's a 21-year-old car.
It's got 226,000 miles on it.
How much did you pay for it, sir?
I paid ten.
We're not gonna spend seven to fix it.
That's how much it costs.
You'll find somebody to do it less.
Well, now I am without a car.
You're not without a car, sir.
You put on the taillight so that you could drive it.
This car is not not drivable.
That car was dragged. That back axle, it shakes.
I can't drive it on the highway. Between two and $5,000.
You paid too much for the car, sir.
You don't understand something, sir.
Even though she was high on drugs
and passed out in her car
and you were not at fault.
It's not windfall day.
If you can buy the car for $2,000,
buy a old 22-year-old car for $2,000.
She's not paying you $7,000 to fix a $2,000 car.
That's ridiculous.
And I'm not stupid.
Do we understand each other? Now between...?
$2,500 and $5,000
based off of a 250,000-mile 2002 Toyota sedan.
So you have to find somebody who's gonna fix your car for $3,000, sir.
That's a $1,000 more than you could buy it for.
We're done here. Judgment for the plaintiff.
This court is adjourned.
I would remember if I hit a car and I didn't.
She ran into my car, run into a garage.
I--I know exactly what I took
and it definitely wasn't narcotics.
That area that I was living in,
it's a really bad area.
A lot of drugs are going on over there.
I'm very, very lucky. I'm very blessed.
Like she said, I could be dead.
Just the audacity of some Plaintiffs to come in here
with a almost 20... no over 20, 22 year old car
with 275,000 miles on it.
And I looked it up and I even priced it on the positive end.
The private party value, not a trade-in and so forth.
$7,000. He was comfortable asking the court
for a car that's not even worth $7,000
- for a back panel. - Yeah, buy a new one.
He was lying when I said, "How much did you pay for the car?"
$10,000. That's ridiculous.
And he just bought it, he said a year ago.
In the papers, he said he bought it a week before.
So either it was a week or a year.
- Either way, not for $7,000. - Not worth $7,000.
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