Your sister is the person who stole your money?
And the police were called?
She told me that I can use her card.
You're telling me that after she called the police,
she still gave you permission to use her card?
Yes, Your Honor.
[laughing]
Well, you're not gonna end up well here, do you understand that?
[narrator] This is Judy Justice.
[theme music playing]
[narrator] Jada Maxwell is suing her sister,
Valistasia Maxwell, for unauthorized bank account charges
and property damage.
[Bailiff] Court come to order, all rise.
Have a seat, please.
Hello, Judge. Case 2191,
Maxwell versus Maxwell.
- Thank you. - Mm-hmm.
- Miss Maxwell, this is your sister? - Correct.
- Older? Younger? - Younger.
[Judy] The two of you decided to take an apartment together.
- [Jada] Correct. - [Judy] When was that?
August 27th of 2021.
[Judy] Were you both on the lease?
No, ma'am, just me.
How long did you live together?
It was about six to seven months.
When did your sister leave, what month?
Um, she left at the end of June of 2022.
- [Judy] June of...? - 2022.
Miss Maxwell, was it your arrangement that you would split the rent?
No. I would pay a portion of the rent, not split it even.
[Judy] Well, tell me what a portion was.
The first month I stayed there, which was September only,
I didn't pay anything.
And October through November, 200,
and then, after that, it was 400.
But how much was the rent?
Nine-fifty, I believe.
[Judy] And how many of you lived in the apartment?
Just us two.
Well, why weren't you paying half the rent?
- [Valistasia] I slept on a couch. - [Judy] Oh. Is that correct?
That is correct, Your Honor, except for the agreement.
The agreement was that she would keep the apartment clean
and pay half the rent and utilities.
[Judy] Well, why would she pay half the rent if you get the bedroom?
It was her agreement. That was just...
No, I'm just saying, that doesn't sound reasonable to me.
If she got the couch and you got the bedroom,
why would she pay the utilities and half the rent?
Well, it wasn't...
The rent itself was like...
She gave me what she could, but that was just our agreement.
I bought the couch big enough...
- All right. All right. Uh, nonsense. - ...so that she would be able to use it.
Okay, this is what the case is about.
You claim that she stopped paying any money towards the apartment,
and you threw her out.
And when she left, she damaged some property,
and then she charged some money
on either your credit card or a debit card.
My debit card.
[Judy] Did you ever give her your debit card?
[Jada] There was only one time
when I handed her, with permission,
to use the credit card at a gas station.
- That's not true. - [Judy shushes]
- You had a physical debit card? - [Jada] Yes, Your Honor.
Okay. And the one time
that you let her use it,
I want you to tell me when that was, and what that was for.
It was within the time period of her living in the apartment.
We were at a gas station and I was filling up.
She went inside the gas station to purchase something
because she didn't have money at the time.
And that was it.
That was the only time that I recall
ever giving her permission to use my card.
[Judy] Okay. She moved out of the apartment
in June of 2022,
and I understand it was not an amicable process
- and the police were called. - Correct.
- [Judy] Who called the police? - I did.
- Why? - [Jada] My dad gave me advice
and he said that I should call the non-emergency escort
so that they can watch her, make sure that she actually leaves
when she was asked.
[Judy] And what day in June was this?
I do not recall the date.
[Judy] You don't have a police report or a number?
Uh, not for that. They didn't give me
a police report for that.
Did they give you a police report for something else?
[Jada] I have the police report for the fraud.
- Oh. I'd like to see that. - [Jada] Yes, Your Honor.
Because it is your claim that she used the information
from your debit card,
and withdrew a lot of money
- from your debit card. - [Jada] Correct.
So you reported this to the police on August 25th?
- 24th. - Is says reported...
- [Jada] Okay. - ...8-25.
How much money did she take out of the account?
At the time of that, it was only estimated about 10,
but once the July statement came out,
I was able to add up more
and it was nearly 14, 15 grand.
[Judy] May I see it, please?
[Judy] How did you get her banking information?
- [Valistasia] I had to call them. - [Judy shushes]
How did you get her banking information?
I don't have her banking information.
[Judy] Well, you took money out of her account.
You acknowledge you took money out of her account.
I only took money out when she gave me permission.
[Judy] No, no, no. You acknowledge
that you took money out of the account.
I've read your answer.
How did you get her account information?
She gave me her card on multiple occasions.
You mean, after you moved out, she gave you her card?
- No... - [Judy] Shh. Shh.
Yes.
Do you understand? You're not going to end up well here.
Do you understand that? Because if she called the police,
if she called the police to watch you, to escort you out of the house,
there is no question that she did not thereafter
give you permission to use her credit card,
or her debit card.
That doesn't make sense.
- She... - [Judy] Do you understand...
Do you understand the chronology of what I'm saying to you?
- Yes, Your Honor. - [Judy] So if I were to believe you,
the only time you used her credit card is when you were still there.
And that prior to...
June of 2022.
That's incorrect.
My grandmother passed away
in August, August 9th of 2021,
and she was my legal guardian until the age of 18,
so I was under her account as a beneficiary.
So, when she passed, I got the money.
[theme music playing]
[narrator] Jada Maxwell claims her sister,
Valistasia Maxwell, wrongfully took money
from her bank account and damaged her property.
There is no question that she did not thereafter
give you permission to use her credit card,
or her debit card.
That doesn't make sense.
- She did... - [Judy] Do you understand...
Do you understand the chronology of what I'm saying to you?
- Yes, Your Honor. - [Judy] So if I were to believe you,
the only time you used her credit card
is when you were still there,
and that was prior to...
June of 2022.
- That's incorrect. - [Judy] Just a second.
So, you're telling me that after she called the police
to escort you out of the apartment,
she still gave you permission to use her card?
Yes, Your Honor.
[laughing]
I still went over to her apartment until July 15th.
[whispers] For what?
- I had my stuff there that I was... - [Judy] Just to gather your things.
Things, and she let me use her card,
multiple occasions, to get some of the furniture that she let me have.
And she told me that I can use her card.
When was the last time you visited with your sister?
- July what...? - July 15th.
[Judy] And when was the last time you used her card?
July 16th.
[Judy] What did you use her card for, July 16th?
Rent.
Between what periods of time did you use her card?
Give me the dates.
Since September of 2021
until July 16th...
September of '21.
And what was it for in September?
She would send me to the store,
or if I was already at the store,
in her car, she would tell me to use her card or something like that.
She would pay me to...
[Judy] How much did you spend on her card just for you?
Just for you? Not not for joint...
Not send her to the store, "Here's my card."
I have it here.
[Judy] Tell me how much you spent on you.
I'm not sure
of the exact amount.
[Judy] Did the police contact you in regard to the fraud?
No.
- [Judy] They never did? - No.
The police report, do you name your sister
as the person who stole your money?
[Jada] Yes, Your Honor.
There is a... The bank told me, um...
[Judy] No, don't tell me what the bank told you.
The bank doesn't tell you anything.
Would you show me here...
maybe I'm missing it...
where you report the person
who took the money out of your account?
[Jada] That is the only document they,
when I went down to the station, that they gave me.
Um, when I went to actually make the file,
uh, she just asked me a couple questions, who I thought was...
No, no, don't ask... Don't tell me what somebody else asked you.
Yes, Your Honor.
Did you report to the police
that it was your sister
who fraudulently took your money?
I did, but the police, eventually, they cut it off,
because I was going to pursue small claims.
They told me that they are no longer needed...
Small claims? Why were you going to pursue small claims?
How much money do you th... How much money does she have?
[Judy stammers] Miss Maxwell,
let's get it together.
[quietly] Let's get it all together.
Okay?
You were not going to pursue small claims,
because you knew that in small claims,
you would end up with zero.
- Um, at the time, I didn't understand... - [Judy] You knew that.
what everything meant, which is why I tried
calling a bunch of people, and I spoke to, like, um...
No, I just want to know why, at this point,
because the bank gave you back some money...
- [Jada] Correct. - How much money
did the bank give you back?
I have it here. It was about, um,
4900, nearly five grand.
[Judy] Okay. And they gave you back
almost $5000.
I'd like to see the communication
with the bank.
- [Jada] Um... - With the bank, as to...
I mean, if you are alleging fraud...
- [Jada] Right. - If you're alleging fraud,
and you say that you had all of this money
- taken out of your account... - Correct.
Okay, then, there's no reason why the bank,
if you were alleging fraud,
and they found that there was fraud,
why wouldn't they return all the money?
Because they have a policy that,
within the three months, the first,
they can only go up to the first three months,
and because I didn't, I didn't realize sooner,
they can only up to that three months.
So, they were only able to give me back within,
the transactions within those three months.
Is this a savings account or a checking account?
It was beneficiary.
[Judy] What is that?
When somebody passed, and you get money.
[Judy] Explain that to me.
I'm just... I don't understand what a beneficiary account is.
Um, my grandmother passed away
in August, August 9th of 2021,
and she was my legal guardian until the age of 18,
so I was under her account as a beneficiary.
So, when she passed, I got the money.
So, you were living with your grandmother?
- Correct. - [Judy] Okay.
And what was the benefit package?
- [Jada] What do you mean? - How much did you get
as a beneficiary?
It was about 50 grand.
On what date?
[Jada] I'm not sure when it was processed,
but the... It was opened...
Payments started, of October of 2021.
- Or transactions started. - [Judy] I don't understand
what a beneficiary account is.
Who paid the money? Who paid this $50,000?
My grandmother. She would put money in there
so if something were to happen to her,
they money would go to me, or whoever she listed.
Your Honor, it's a type of savings account.
In simple words, a beneficiary bank account
is a type of saving account, in which the funds are transferred
to somebody else after the account owner passes away,
directly to the beneficiary.
Okay. This has nothing to do with you receiving benefits
- through your grandmother. - [Jada] No.
This is an account that your grandmother set up for you.
Correct.
Now, is that grandmother also her grandmother?
Yes, Your Honor.
[Judy] Did you have a relationship with your grandmother?
Yes, I did.
Did she only set up the one account?
I'm not sure, but I wasn't the only one that received money.
What about you?
Nothing.
Okay. So, how much is left in that account now?
Uh, the account is closed out.
- By whom? - [Jada] The bank.
After a certain... Once it goes under a certain amount,
they send you a check with the rest of the money.
[Judy] How much did they send you a check for?
It was about $200.
Well, who spent the $50,000?
I made transactions throughout the time period as well.
Okay. What did you buy with $50,000?
I just... I just basically used it.
- What does that mean? - I... I wasn't responsible with it.
I'll be honest about that.
Did you know that your sister had this $50,000 amount of money?
I didn't know she had that much, no.
- [Judy] Did you know she had any? - Yeah.
Did you know where it came from?
Yes.
[Judy] You have here,
July total: $3,148.14.
What does that number represent?
All transactions that were confirmed to be her,
added up, total.
You can't use her credit card after you're not speaking to your sister.
[theme music playing]
[narrator] Jada Maxwell has accused
her sister, Valistasia Maxwell,
of taking money from her bank account
and damaging her property.
Now, what did you buy with $50,000?
I just... I just basically used it.
- What does that mean? - I wasn't responsible with it.
I'll be honest about that.
Did you know that your sister had this $50,000 amount of money?
I didn't know she had that much, no.
- Did you know she had any? - Yeah.
- Did you know where it came from? - Yes.
- Are you working? - Yes.
- What kind of work do you do? - I'm a cashier.
[Judy] And what about you?
I currently work at Chipotle and I also Uber on the side.
When was the last time you saw your sister?
[Valistasia] July 16th.
Or... I'm sorry. July, um...
July 20th?
[Judy] Are there any charges here,
after July 16th of 2021 ?
Yes, Your Honor. I actually gave that up already.
In the top, it says "July". It's written on there.
Just a second. I'm gonna give this back to you.
- [Jada] Yes, Your Honor. - Find any charges
that were made after July 16th.
It after July 16th, was the last time you saw your sister?
No contact. We didn't have contact.
[Judy] So, the last time that you saw her was in July.
Correct.
You have here,
July total: $3,148.14.
What does that number represent?
That is, uh... That's the...
All transactions that were confirmed to be her,
added up, total, in just the month of July.
- [Judy] Were there any...? - [Jada] Yes, yes.
[Jada stammers]
- Were there any charges... - There were quite a few.
...after, in August?
Or was July the last amount of money that she took out?
In August, the card got cut off, so there were no more.
[Judy] Okay. So, that the most
that she incurred on the card in July was $3,000?
Correct, Your Honor.
[Judy] And she left on July...?
She was kicked out at the end of June.
- [Judy] The end of June? - Correct.
- Yes. June of 2022? - Correct.
And that was with a police escort?
- Correct. - [Valistasia] No.
[Judy] Police watching you?
They left and I was still in the apartment.
- But they were there, they were called? - Right.
[Judy] Okay. Now, what property
do you allege that your sister damaged?
Because that's the second part of your lawsuit.
[Jada] It was a couch.
- And it was, um, $1100. - [Judy] What? Well...
And I have pictures of the aftermath of when she was kicked out,
and what the state of the apartment was left in, including the couch.
Just show me the couch.
If she damaged your couch, let me see it.
I can't see what the damage is to this couch.
Um, it shows better in other pictures.
[paper rustling]
[Judy] No, I don't see damage,
I just see a lot of dirt.
Um, under the cushions there was mold,
and then there's a picture that shows, uh, two cigarette burns
that her friend left.
Would you return these to the plaintiff, please?
A lot of dirt. Okay.
Anything else?
Thank you.
You can't use her credit card after you're not speaking to your sister.
- I don't believe she... - I didn't, Your Honor.
[Judy] Yes, you did. $3148.
I did not spend $3000.
Kevin.
These are July's statements.
[Judy writing with pen]
[finishes writing, sets down pen]
Here.
I think one of those things is yours.
The bottom document.
[Judy] Okay. Anything else?
Judgement for the plaintiff in the amount of $3,148.
We're done here. Thank you very much.
[Bailiff] This court is adjourned.
There was a lot more to show,
but I'm glad I got something back, she took a lot from me.
I don't see how you can decide
I made a transaction with my name written in pen.
...and caused a lot of downfall after the fact.
She's just mad, I guess. I'm not sure.
I almost ended up homeless,
I almost lost my job because of this.
I didn't cause any damage, no.
I was very hard, I didn't wanna...
I didn't even want to press charges 'cause she's my sister.
Nothing. They pulled up, they said that I had to leave,
and I said, "No, I already paid my portion,"
and then they said, "Okay," and they left.
No, she was kicked out prior to that.
My friend did do that, I can say that, but like...
She's just lying.
I didn't damage anything.
At this point, I just...
I don't believe her, I don't trust her, she took advantage of me.
Hopefully, we can just dead it, but I don't know.
So I'm just glad that I was able to get something back,
so I can continue to get back up on my feet.
- One day at a time. - I'm hoping for an apology.
- Some remorse. - Who knows.
After I confronted her and she admitted to it,
she ignored and cut everybody out.
She didn't even say she was sorry.
- She didn't speak to me. - I don't know.
You know, it's a little bit easier now
to commit fraud using someone's credit card,
even if you only had access to the physical card
for five seconds.
It's long enough to take a picture of the back,
and put all the information into the DoorDashes,
the Ubers, all the accounts,
and if you don't check carefully,
you may not notice for a couple months.
So, I mean, I've been a victim of fraud in that way,
and I know it can be very stressful
trying to deal with the credit card company.
And especially, when it's your sister.
I mean, my sister better think twice before using my credit card.
Do you know... Generationally, I have a problem.
It's actually my problem, because...
I'm used to writing out a check, I have a checkbook.
I write out the check,
I deduct the check from my balance.
- I know what is... - How they taught you in 4th grade...
- Absolutely. - ...to balance a checkbook.
You want to make a deposit in a savings account,
we were taught, you brought $2.00,
you put it in a bank account.
In the bank book, every Friday,
your teacher stamped it, $2.00,
that's how you save money.
And the fact that you can walk into a store,
and take your phone, and go like that...
- [Sarah] Yep. - ...and charge it...
[Sarah] And who knows whose information is on there.
...is all frightening to me.
It all sounds as if it's going to collapse around me.
But everybody,
I think everybody who's under 50 uses that.
- Probably more than 50... - Yeah.
- ...'cause my children are actually 50. - [Sarah chuckling]
It's hard to come to terms with that.
But they all use their...
- Online banking. - Online banking.
- Yeah. - I still don't have my banking online.
- I... I know. - I still do...
- I still call them. - [laughs] Yeah?
They say, "It's her again on the phone."
[both laugh]
You know you can do this online now right?
[Judy] Yeah, yeah.
- Anyway, that's it. - [Sarah] Well, keep doing it your way,
and hopefully we don't get ruined by our way.
[Judy] Yeah, fingers crossed.
She seemed like a decent young woman, the plaintiff.
You know, it's sad.
Her grandmother saved, probably all of her life,
so that her granddaughter had a little nest egg of $50,000,
- and she blew through it. - Yeah.
Blew through it.
Unfortunate, but I appreciate the honesty.
And it was honest. Put money in trust.
- Heh. That's my advice. - Yeah.
[narrator] Are you having a family dispute?
Go to JudyJustice.tv.
[theme music playing]