♪♪
Ms. Flanigan is still Ms. Flanigan.
She still hasn't changed her last name
like she promised to.
I'm not paying another red cent
until she get her last name changed.
[ Cheers and applause ]
We immediately started to just do bets.
In fact, sir, we have a bet
on the outcome of this trial as well.
[ Laughter ]
If you didn't cut your hair for,
say, two months --
I mean, the normal person --
Steve: If I went two months,
my TV career would pretty much be over with.
[ Laughter ]
Hey, it's a big world out there,
and it's filled with people that just don't see eye to eye.
See, that's where I come in.
See, I ain't got a law degree,
and I'm way too fly to wear a robe.
But this is where common sense presides -- in my house.
Court is now in session.
[ Chuckles ]
-- Captions by VITAC --
All rise for the Honorable Judge Steve Harvey!
[ Cheers and applause ]
Steve: I appreciate that.
Alright.
Okay. Let's get started.
This is the case of
Raquel Flanigan vs. Julius Brown.
Raquel is suing her husband, Julius, for $4,825
for a dream honeymoon
that he promised her.
Julius claims he's already shelled out
thousands of dollars for his wife,
and he's not spending any more.
Let's start with you, Raquel.
You got 30 seconds to state your case.
Judge Harvey,
I need your help with getting my husband, Julius, to pay me
the $4,825
for my dream honeymoon
that he promised me
if I accomplish my list of goals.
Now, I more than doubled what he required of me,
and he still hasn't held up his end of the deal.
And quite frankly, I am tired of hearing,
"I'm working on it."
[ Laughter ]
Julius, your turn. You got 30 seconds to respond.
Mr. Harvey, I'm here because
I did promise my beautiful wife
a great experience of a honeymoon,
but I had no idea
I was going to be paying all of this money
for her to do all of her goals.
And at the same time,
she still hasn't legally changed her last name.
So therefore,
I feel like the honeymoon
is actually for Mrs. Brown.
So until she changes her last name...
[ Spectators "Oh" ]
...she's not getting a honeymoon.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Mrs. -- Mrs. Flanigan.
Okay.
[ Chuckles ] It's going to be a good one right here.
[ Laughter ]
Raquel, how did you all meet?
Well, I actually met Julius, Mr. Brown,
about four years ago at the gym.
I actually was meeting a mutual friend there.
And when I arrived,
to my surprise, Julius was there.
So I almost felt like I was ambushed.
They -- They set me up.
But, you know, in a normal setting,
you know, I would have been upset,
but he was fine.
[ Laughs ] So, um...
you know, I was okay with it.
45 minutes go by, I'm about to leave.
It was about 5 minutes. Then next thing you know --
No.
Then the next thing you know,
I see this beautiful being walking through.
I look, I'm like, "Damn," like...
[ Laughter ]
And you know I had to step back
and I'm, "Daaaamn." Yeah.
So we exchanged information,
and we met at the gym several times after that.
And, you know, we were just working out,
meeting as friends.
Finally, he actually invited me on a real date.
He asked me to go to a wedding with him.
So, you know, I was excited.
We went to the wedding, and it was just --
it was like love all over the place.
And I looked over at him,
and he looked over at me,
and I didn't see a friend anymore.
I saw someone that I was interested in
and I wanted to be with beyond the gym.
She jumped my bones, Your Hon--
I did not. I did not. She jumped my bones, Your Honor.
And so [Chuckles] he eventually asked me
to be in a relationship with him.
And I said yes.
So, about six months after that,
Mr. Brown asked me to marry him.
In six months? My man.
Yup. [ Chuckles ] Wait a minute, we have a video.
[ Cheers and applause ]
[ Laughter ]
That right there, Your Honor,
was, like, the happiest day of my life.
It happened a little fast, but, you know,
I know what I wanted.
She knew what she wanted. I did.
And we knew we was going to work together
and make this work and just build something.
She the one.
She is the one.
She will always be the one. Thank you.
[ Cheers and applause ]
That's my wife. I love her.
Based on that statement right there... Yes.
...you better have a good case, lady.
[ Laughter ]
And I do. 'Cause when men say that out loud,
other women go, "Oh, that's what I want."
[ Laughter ]
How soon did you start planning after he proposed?
The day he asked me.
After I proposed, Your Honor,
that morning, I get up,
and she -- she had a whole board drawn out.
She had -- She had everything.
I mean, she had everything done.
And I'm like, "Man, hold on."
What was on this board?
He was my Prince Charming,
so it was only fitting to have a princess wedding.
So, you know, I had
the winter wonderland princess wedding planned out,
an ice princess.
Let me see this picture we got.
[ Spectators murmur ]
Oh, you've got the Riding Hood winter princess.
Yes. [ Chuckles ] [ Laughs ]
So, who paid for this wedding?
Um, my King. [ Chuckles ] [ Clears throat ]
Oh. So we're here why?
With this fairy-tale wedding,
there is a honeymoon that comes after.
So we were going to go to Jamaica
and have this honeymoon
that would have been the end to my fairy tale.
However, COVID, all of a sudden, came along,
and we were shut down.
Now, right after that, it just goes downhill.
I gained a lot of weight,
and I was a complete miserable mess.
And so I felt like I wasn't myself.
And I knew if I wasn't myself to me,
that this fine man right here,
I wasn't who I was to him, either.
Look at her. She looks amazing.
[ Applause ]
[ Chuckles ]
But... [ Chuckles ]
[ Laughter ]
But that actually... What?
...that didn't happen right away, though...
What? ...Your Honor.
You better come up with something right now,
'cause I'm telling you -- It did. No, I'm coming.
I'm getting there. I'm sorry. This man done made two statements.
He did. And right now, everybody on his side.
And I understand that.
[ Cheers and applause ]
But, Your Honor, I was huge.
So this is what actually motivated me
to come up with this list of goals
that was going to actually get me
to being back to the person that I was when he met me.
He said, if I accomplished five things from off of the list
by January,
that he would give me my dream honeymoon.
Which is?
I wanted to go to Saint Lucia.
Do you have the list? I do.
I actually brought it. Let me see the list.
Start date -- 8/21.
And then you got 'til January
to make it happen. Yes.
Alright. Lose 50 pounds or more.
Go back to school.
Assist with the family members
in business.
Have a baby.
Get hubby a work van.
Publish and write a new book.
Start a YouTube page.
Make new friends.
Uh, current --
Current friend count, 0.
'Cause you ain't got none. Uh...
Don't run on the curb
in the car.
[ Laughter ]
Ooh, that's a good one. Which she does a lot of.
Ooh, I'mma give that to Marjorie.
That's a good one.
[ Applause ]
Become a better cook.
A meal shouldn't still be raw.
[ Laughter ]
Receive honors
and/or award at my graduation.
12 -- Go on our honeymoon.
If you complete 5 by 1/22,
and as promised,
Julius will provide the funds
for our honeymoon.
Wow. Yeah.
Julius, did you know about this list?
Yeah, she brought it to me.
And so, I'm like,
"Okay, cool, babe. Alright. That'll work."
Okay. So we agreed to this?
I did agree to it.
Okay, so tell me where we at.
So, I got to work. Yeah.
I was supposed to lose 50 pounds.
I lost 65 pounds.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Wow.
Oh, so you was killing it.
Yeah, she was killing it.
Yes, I lost the weight.
I became an R.N., and I...
[ Cheers and applause ]
...I graduated with honors,
and I-I learned how to cook.
He would sneak off to his mom's house for dinner,
and, you know, I didn't want that
to continue to happen. Hold, on, hold on, hold on.
You sneaking over to your mama's house to eat?
[ Laughter ]
Well, you know, I had to go check on my mama.
I was just checking on her.
I might have been checking on my mama...
He said he wasn't hungry. ...a little more than usual.
Yeah. But... [ Stammers ]
Yeah. I got him a work van
for his business,
and I started driving
a little bit better, too.
He wasn't finding marks on the tires anymore
from running on the curb.
Thank you, Jesus. Thank you.
See?
[ Chuckles ]
He required me to have five done by January,
But as you see here -- And you completed 10?
10. Double.
Which two did you miss?
The only two that I missed was
my honeymoon that I was promised
that I haven't had yet,
and having a baby,
because I planned on conceiving
on the honeymoon.
[ Laughter, applause ]
The plaintiff has made a comeback.
[ Spectators cheer ]
Julius, you got a little situation now.
I didn't know I was going to have to shell out
all of this money for everything.
I got a breakdown of all of the costs
that was accumulated from the wedding on.
The wedding was $24,000.
Okay, now, the school payment --
$11,000 bill
that had to be paid in two days.
I pay it.
Then we got $2,000
because she had to pay for her test.
Okay, got it.
She said, "Once I graduate,"
can she get a new car?
I'm like, "Okay, yeah. We can go get you a new car."
Now, we go to the dealership.
She pick out a $90,000 Benz.
I said, "Man, that's not a car. That's a spaceship."
[ Laughter ]
I'm not -- I'm not paying $90,000 for -- What?!
So I got her a Jeep.
It was $26,000.
It's a nice Jeep, 4x4.
You know, all of that -- all of that good stuff.
I have nothing, Your Honor.
[ Stammers ] Even after that,
it's like, I am broke.
[ Laugher ]
I am broke.
Broke.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Your Honor...
♪♪
Brown: I have nothing, Your Honor.
I am broke. You see that?
[ Cheers and applause ]
I am broke.
Broke.
Your Honor...
[ Spectators cheer ]
Even after all of that,
Ms. Flanigan is still Ms. Flanigan.
She still hasn't changed her last name
like she was supposed to
and like she promised to.
So I'm not paying another red cent
until she get her last name changed.
[ Cheers and applause ]
And that's it.
Well...look like Mr. Brown back in business.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Despite all of those things that he has done for me,
that I am extremely grateful for,
that has absolutely nothing to do with our contract
about me accomplishing my goals
and going on our honeymoon.
And then, with my last name, I will do it,
but we got married right around COVID.
The License Bureau, DMV,
everything was closed down.
We were working nonstop.
So it's a timing thing that affected that.
Babe, you could have got
your last name changed last week.
But Julius, this is about the agreement that we made
for me accomplishing five things. I've reached a verdict.
[ Cheers and applause ]
This man adores this woman.
This woman adores and respects her man.
That's clear.
So it boils down to an agreement.
He's proud of her.
She accomplished double what she said she was going to do.
That's a person with some willpower and some guts.
They don't make that every day.
[ Applause ]
Excuse me. That's a bad girl right there.
Yes, it is. Now, I know
that probably ain't politically correct,
but whatever. Woman: But it's true.
I've been to H.R. so many damn times.
Let's -- Let's go again.
Oh, I said it, yeah.
I'm all for women's rights.
I think women should get equal pay, equal everything.
I think whatever men get, a woman ought to get.
I think you deserve more than me half the time
for half the stuff you put up with.
But I don't really care nothing about that.
I'm old school.
If you gonna be my wife and I'm gonna be your man,
then you're gonna take this name right here.
Now, if you don't want this name right here, that's cool.
That's cool. Go on about your business.
But if you agreed to do it, you should be held to it.
And all this thing, it was COVID and all this here,
well, hell, while it was COVID,
you was getting a degree,
losing 65 pounds,
you was buying work vans, you started a YouTube page,
you made some new friends,
you ain't run up on the curb with the car no more,
you learned how to cook,
you went and got an honors award and all that here.
You did all that during COVID.
Damn it, get your name changed.
Thank you. Thank you.
I'm ruling for the plaintiff with the stipulation
after the name has been changed.
[ Cheers and applause ]
I'm awarding you $10,000 to go on the honeymoon
and go make a damn baby.
That's my verdict.
And that's the way I see it.
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
When was the marathon?
Like, 10 years later.
Five.
You trained five years for $40?
[ Laughter ]
♪♪
[ Cheers and applause ]
Alright, here we go. Let's get started.
This is the case of
Mike Siebenaler vs. Rick Tietz.
Mike is suing his childhood friend, Rick,
for $540 for reneging on two bets.
Rick claims Mike lost, and therefore,
all bets are off.
Let's start with you, Mike.
You have 30 seconds to state your case.
I am here today
to sue my friend for more than 40 years
for the collection of two unpaid bets.
He has come up with flimsy excuses
for not paying them,
and I am looking today for a Bro Code ruling
on a football bet and a marathon bet... [ Scoffs ]
...to put these issues to rest.
Rick, it's your turn. You have 30 seconds to respond.
I'm here because I'm getting sued
by one of my best friends.
[ Laughter ] I have known --
I mean, seriously, I don't owe him nothing.
I don't owe him a dime, and I'm not paying him.
Tell me about this 40-year friendship.
In third grade, I moved into a house
two blocks away from Rick,
and we immediately became friends.
We would -- We would build forts together.
We tried to build go-karts. Wow.
We played a lot of sports and board games and stuff.
But we immediately started to just do bets.
They were 25, 50 cent bets.
Can you jump over that bush?
Can you chug a gallon of milk faster than me?
Uh, things like that.
And we've been doing these bets --
Well, we still do these bets.
So, tell me about this first bet, Mike.
On New Year's Eve, Rick said,
"Let's do a big bet because it's a new year,"
and we bet $40,
and he came up with the idea
that I can't run a marathon.
And [Chuckles]...
Wrong. ...the rules were I don't have to win it...
Wrong. ...I just have to finish it.
You had to f-- And it has to be a real marathon,
not 26 laps around the block or anything.
So I signed up for a real marathon.
A real ma-- 26.2 miles.
Yeah. 26.2.
And it's all the more impressive... For $40?
...because I've never had a runner's physique, Your Honor.
Did he run the marathon?
He walked.
Okay.
[ Laughter ]
As a matter of fact, there was no finish line
when he went "across" the finish line.
The race was over.
[ Laughter ]
What color is the sky in your world?
What time did you get? Let me ask you a question.
What time did you get? What color is the sky? Hey, let me ask you a question.
Excuse me. I got -- I got some --
Oh, let me ask you this question.
You made the bet in New Year's Eve.
When was the marathon?
June. Like, 10 years later.
Five. Five years later.
He needed time to, you know, get in shape.
You gotta train for a marathon.
You trained five years for $40?
[ Laughter ]
You could have went to DeVry by then
and came out as a computer engineer.
[ Laughter, applause ]
So five years later, you sign up --
I signed up with him.
Even though it wasn't part of the bet.
Right. For moral support.
Now, tell me what happens at this marathon.
So I ran it, and I never saw Rick again
after, like, mile two or so.
He was up further ahead than I was.
So I finished it, not knowing that he had quit
halfway through.
So I ran the whole course, and when I finished,
the finish line was all still set up.
It was not. And in -- in fact,
the time thing was still up.
So when I crossed over it,
I had some friends who met me at the finish line, too.
We went and got a couple of beers.
Then I went and turned in my time chip.
They verified that I had crossed all of the intervals.
And I asked, "Was I the last one?"
And they said, "Oh, no, there were hundreds after you."
So I wasn't even the last one on the course.
He's saying I did it after the course was over.
The marathon acknowledges that there were more people. How long did it take you, Mike?
It took me six-and-a-half hours.
No. Wow! No, it did not.
They give you something for finishing, don't they?
They gave me a Finisher T-shirt and a medal,
which I brought with today.
Let me see the picture.
There's a -- Yeah.
[ Spectators "Oh" ]
You have this with you?
I do.
There's the Finisher shirt.
And it says Finisher, and that's the medal.
And here's the medal.
Well, he finished.
No, he didn't. When I turned in my time chip,
This is what I was handed by the marathon official.
You were not handed anything by the marathon official.
How did he get it, Rick?
How did he get the medal and the T-shirt?
He called them up and said, "I finished the race."
He called them and begged them to give him a shirt
because we had this bet.
[ Spectators groan ]
The year -- We went down
to the gift shop when we got there.
They still had shirts from the year before.
What gift shop?
They have stuff for sale in the lobby
when you get down in the big stadium.
Now, let me ask you a question. They got --
They got creams to put on your nipples
so they don't bleed.
They go creams to put on your, you know?
Gotta slow down, Rick.
You threw me off with the nipple cream.
[ Laughter ]
Did you finish the marathon?
I stopped at approximately 20 miles.
My knees gave out, so I had to go see medical help.
Yeah. I got nothing to say. I've never ran a marathon.
I don't have the desire. It's not easy.
I'm not going to make it. I'm not gonna --
I know I'm not going to make it because I'm not going to start.
[ Laughter ]
You have a witness with you.
I do, regarding the marathon.
Okay. Can you come up to the witness stand?
Therese: Absolutely.
Yes, ma'am. Okay.
And, ma'am, what's your name?
Therese.
Theresa, what's your relationship to Mike?
Friends with Mike and Rick.
Oh, all of you are friends?
-We're all friends. -Yes, mm-hmm.
Okay. So, now, tell me what you know about this.
So, I was their cheering section.
And Rick actually quit at mile 12.
And -- Who is -- Where are you guys getting this from?
Truth hurts sometimes.
See, you said 20 earlier. It was mile 19 or 20.
I don't remember exactly.
It was 2006.
It was 12, Rick. It was 12.
It was not 12.
So, you were waiting there.
But did he finish?
He did. He crossed the finish line.
He did not.
Did other people cross after him?
Yes, they did. He was not the last person.
Wasn't last? No.
There were hundreds of runners after Mike came through.
-Wow. -My man.
Thank you very much. You can return to your seat.
Thank you. Rick, agh.
Right now, we got $40 for this marathon.
Rick: Yeah. So now, Rick, what's the second bet for $500?
The second bet -- I bet Mike
that I could kick a 30-yard field goal.
For $500, you could kick a 30 --
Well, here's the thing.
I didn't think Mike was going to take me serious.
[ Spectators "Oh" ]
What? Come on, man.
Y'all been betting since kids. This ain't --
Yes, and he's been trying to weasel out of bets --
Okay, okay, tell me what happened
with this 30-yard field goal.
I kicked a 30-yard field goal, and Mike says that I didn't.
He accepted the bet.
And I said, "I will give you one year to practice."
And one year later, I showed up at his house
with a football and a tee, and I said, "It's go time."
We went out to a field and we kicked the football.
Man, y'all got time for this. This is amazing.
And there's a photo from that day, a still shot.
He practiced running for five years for $40.
This is sheer gold right here.
So, now, you're at his house. It's go time.
Have you been practicing, Rick?
No.
[ Laughter ]
So, we get to the field.
We set up at the 30-yard line. He misses.
I said, "Fine, try again.
I'll give you a dozen chances." He missed them all.
So then he walks up to the 20, and he made it.
And he said, "There we go. I won."
I said, "How do you win?"
He said, "Well, there's 10 yards between the goalpost
and the end zone. That counts.
Therefore, I kicked it 30 yards."
And I said, "No. The bet was whether or not you could kick it
from the 30-yard line." No.
So that's the technicality that he's trying to weasel on.
I got some evidence on that one.
Oh, well, let's that.
Yeah, let's pop that up. This is beautiful.
-Let's see it. -[ Speaking indistinctly ]
[ Laughter ]
Aw. [ Buzzer ]
[ Laughter ]
That's very accurate, Your Honor. Is that what happened?
That's how that happened. Okay.
I thought you had a video of yourself kicking a field --
It's a cartoon.
[ Laughter ]
You done came to court with animated evidence.
We didn't have a camera with us. We didn't have a camera --
But you showed yourself missing the field goal.
[ Laughter ]
♪♪
[ Buzzer ]
[ Laughter, applause ]
You done came to court with animated evidence.
We didn't have a camera with us. We didn't have a camera --
But you should yourself missing the field goal.
[ Laughter ]
[ Buzzer ]
[ Laughter, applause ]
What's the second one say?
Oh, we got another one?
Mike: He's on the 20. Oh, now you done moved it up to the 20.
He's on the 20.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Is that what happened?
He made it from the 20, yes.
But the bet was whether
he could do it from the 30-yard line.
No, it wasn't. The bet was I could make a 30-yard kick.
So, nobody's paid the 500 bucks?
No. We're relying on you, sir.
You're relying on me.
In fact, sir, we have a bet on the outcome
of this trial as well.
[ Laughter ]
[ Applause ]
These dudes right here done bet
on the outcome of this trial.
Yes, sir. This is crazy.
Yes, sir. I've reached a verdict.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Let's start with this $40 bet for the marathon.
I ain't never seen nothing like it.
$40 to put your health on the line
to run 26.2 miles.
Rick, he finished the marathon.
He got a badge, a medal, and he got a witness.
He finished the race.
[ Applause ]
Rick gets one year to practice a field goal of 30 yards,
but he's got a loophole because he said,
"I said I was going to kick a 30-yard field goal."
You add that 10 on it,
Rick kicked a 30-yard field goal.
See, we all got loopholes here.
My ruling is for nobody.
Woman: What?
[ Applause ]
Even though he deserves the $40 for finishing,
'cause he did, and you deserve the $500
for kicking a 30 yards of field goal, 'cause you did.
But because you all are loophole specialists...
[ Laughter ]
...I've decided to do something special here.
Come on, let's set it up.
[ Spectators murmur ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
You have 60 seconds on the clock.
Whoever scores the most points would win.
But if I pick the winner and he wins,
you both can walk out of here with something.
[ Spectators "Oh" ]
Let me just tell you this right here.
You're betting for $1,000.
[ Cheers and applause ]
So, gentlemen, if you would, step over here, please.
[ Cheers and applause ]
When Mike presses the start button,
it'll start for everybody.
We ready? Yeah.
Ready? Go. [ Whistle blows ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
Spectators: Five, four, three, two, one!
[ Buzzer ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
[ Spectator chanting "Slick Rick" ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
Steve: Well, gentlemen, here's what happened.
Because you won the contest,
Mike walks out of here with $1,000.
[ Cheers and applause ]
And you walk out of here with $1,000.
$1,000 for everybody.
And that $1,000 ought to last a long time
'cause y'all making $40 bets.
[ Laughter ]
My ruling is for the plaintiff and the defendant
for long-lived friendship and long-lived betting.
My verdict is for both of y'all for $1,000.
Thank y'all for coming. Thank you.
And that's the way I see it.
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
Yeah.
♪♪
The little man look a lot like his daddy, don't he?
Yes. And he ain't fitting to be a model.
[ Laughter ]
Your Honor, what you trying to say?
Ain't nothing wrong with you,
but you ain't no damn model.
[ Applause ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
Let's get started.
This is the case of Robert and Cheyenne Thomas
vs. Rose Tyson.
Robert and Cheyenne are suing her grandmother, Rose,
for $3,000 for sabotaging their son's modeling career.
Rose claims they're the ones responsible
for costing their son his gigs
and is countersuing for $4,500 for babysitting.
Let's start with you, Cheyenne and Robert.
You have 30 seconds to stat your case.
Sure. Well, Judge Harvey, we are here today
because enough is enough.
Our two-year-old son is a model,
and my grandmother here has stepped out of line.
Multiple times. It's ridiculous.
And she altered his look.
So we are suing her for $2,400 in lost modeling opportunities
and $600 for pain and suffering, A.K.A., her attitude.
Okay, Ms. Rose, it's your turn.
You have 30 seconds to respond.
I'd just like to say that I am shocked and devastated
that my granddaughter, Cheyenne,
would bring me to court.
I owe her nothing,
and I'm countersuing them for $4,500
for a babysitting fee for a year,
because they don't appreciate all the hard work
I've done for them keeping their baby for no charge
and just being the best great-grandma you can have.
Okay. Like I was to her.
I was the best grandma.
[ Applause ]
Ms. Cheyenne, let's start with you.
Your son's a model.
Cheyenne: Yeah. So, um -- There he goes.
[ Laughs ]
At the age of one,
I decided to enlist him into modeling opportunities.
This was during the height of COVID.
Unfortunately, I was laid off from work,
so I wanted to keep myself busy.
So I decided to snap some photos of him,
send them out to some agencies across the city.
And luckily enough, an agency took an interest in him.
And at the age of two,
he booked his first gig with Ralph Lauren.
[ Spectators "Oh" ]
Yes. [ Laughs ]
That's our little man.
[ Applause ]
And everyone on set loved him.
I mean, even the hairstylist, she loved him.
She couldn't keep her hands out of his hair.
So that was validation enough for us to get, you know,
this feedback from these professionals
stating how adorable
and how much potential our son has.
But, obviously, you're upset
with your grandmother about something.
Oh, absolutely.
So, what is it?
We asked her not to cut our son's hair,
and she decided to do so anyway.
Okay. So, why are you suing for $2,400 in lost wages?
So with this opportunity here, he was paid $200.
So you multiply that by the 12 months of missed opportunities
that he had -- because they loved his look.
They said he's perfect the way that he is.
Her cutting his hair --
Okay. Hold on, hold on, hold on.
Let's bounce over to you. Ms. Rose.
I believe... Uh-huh.
...that my great-grandson, Cayson,
has the potential to be a model.
But as he got older, his hair texture changed.
It was no longer the little baby hair
you saw on that picture, okay?
One day, we go to the store, I'll put a hat on him.
I always put a hat on him to hide his hair
because I'm embarrassed.
I'm in the store,
he takes the hat off and he throws the hat.
I look at his hair,
part is matted, part is sticking out.
He had little lint balls in his hair, wild hair.
Everybody's looking at him. Yeah.
I rushed out of that store so fast.
I said, "I have to do something."
I bought hair cream, curly cream,
I bought detangler.
I washed his hair, I shampooed his hair.
He let me do all this, so he must know
his hair was in trouble. He did not cry.
[ Laughter ]
No.
[ Applause ]
Now, I went and I trimmed the hair.
No razor or any -- Okay, do we have a picture of the trim?
Rose: Yeah. Do we have a before?
Look, there it is. Look. Okay.
Cheyenne: That's a big difference,
Judge Harvey.
Robert: I also told Grandma
I wanted to be
on a hair-growth journey with my son.
You wanted to be on a hair-growth journey...
Yeah. ...with your son?
Yeah, growing my hair with my son.
Let me -- Let me -- Let me drink that for a minute.
[ Laughter ]
[ Applause ] Yeah.
I like that, Robert.
You know, I ain't never heard that before.
Okay, so go ahead, Robert.
Alright, so I told Grandma I wanted
to grow my hair with him, because when I was younger,
I always had to get a buzz cut or shape up,
and I just didn't like that because I was confined.
So now I was like, you know what?
I'm going to give him the freedom
and the opportunity to express himself through his hair.
Let me bounce over to you, Ms. Rose.
Please bounce over to me.
Yes, ma'am.
[ Laughter ]
Robert never told me not to cut his hair.
I asked Cheyenne, "What are you going to do with his hair?"
She go, "It's fine."
She did not tell me, "Don't cut his hair
because Robert want to grow his hair with him."
She never said that.
So first of all, he just told a fib.
Okay, now, go ahead, Robert. You want to say something.
Your Honor, prior to this, I believe
that Grandma never really liked me at first.
Well, let's clear it up. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Ms. Rose?
No, I never liked --
Well -- No, no, no. Okay.
See?
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
You know, prior to this, I believe
that Grandma never really liked me at first.
Well, let's clear it up. Rose: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm
Ms. Rose.
No, I never liked --
Well -- No, no, no. Okay.
See?
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
No, no, no, Judge. I'm -- I'm --
It's alright. Well, we got that out the way.
No, no. Judge, Judge.
We ain't got to keep going down that alley. No.
That alley got cleared up right away.
So, she had a problem with you from the beginning.
You felt that.
You were 100% correct.
I mean, normally -- Normally, Your Honor,
you have to deal with a concerned mother
or an overprotective father,
but I got stuck with a snooty grandma.
[ Spectators groan ]
Well, now. Well, let's talk. I got --
Now, Ms. Cheyenne, how would you
describe your grandmother as a person?
I love my grandmother,
but she's very bold and outspoken.
Did she take care of you? Yes.
Did she raise you the right way?
She -- Yes. I'm asking you a question.
Did she teach you good morals and values?
Oh, my gosh.
Who did her hair for this picture?
Rose: I did.
How long was it before you all confronted her
about the haircut?
I confronted -- we con--
Yeah, it was about a month. So --
And that's when you brought up that
you wanted to be on the hair journey?
No, I've been brought that up. Mnh-mnh, mnh-mnh, mnh-mnh.
Right, but did anybody ever share the hair journey?
Yes, Your Honor, yes. No.
And I also sent her a text.
Rose: No. Here's the text. Let's see.
"Did you cut Cayson's hair? Again?"
"No, girl, it's been a while."
[ Laughter ]
Did you tell your grandmother,
"Do not cut Cayson's hair because his father" --
who has every right, Robert,
to go on a hair journey with his son --
"and we don't want to mess with that?"
Did you ever convey that to your grandmother?
Yes, sir. Oh, my gosh.
When?
After we noticed and confirmed that she did cut it. Mm!
Now, we're a little after the fact now.
When she approached you with this concept,
what was your thinking on that, Ms. Rose?
I say, what was I supposed to do when I take him out
and he looked like a lost child
that I just picked up off the street?
And come on. Now, you gotta know, hair uncut --
If you didn't cut your hair for, say, two months --
I mean, the normal person. If you don't cut their...
Yeah. ...for two months --
It's alright, Ms. Rose.
No, no, no, no.
Ms. Rose, listen. It's alright.
No!
No, Judge. I'mma tell you something.
Ms. Rose, let me tell you something.
If I go two days without shaving,
it start to look a little different.
Oh. If I went two months,
my TV career would pretty much be over with.
[ Laughter ] Yeah.
When did you know
that this haircut had hurt his modeling career?
When we were submitting him for castings
and we weren't getting any callbacks from anyone.
The only change that took place was his haircut.
So you're assessing that you lost how much in this suit?
$2,400. $2,400, lost modeling income?
Yes. At $200 a shoot?
Yeah. You're saying, every month,
you would have gotten booked?
Yes, because that's typically,
like, the amount of time that it takes.
How many times has your son been booked?
Once.
[ Spectators murmur ]
$600 for pain and suffering. Mm-hmm.
Let me hear this.
Her attitude, the jokes.
I mean, the constant disrespect. [ Scoffs ]
It honestly hurts my feelings
because it's like she's unsupportive,
and that hurts when we're just trying to strive for greatness.
Let's talk about this countersuit,
this $4,500 for unpaid babysitting.
I kept him for free.
I gave him my blood, my time --
everything that a grandma can give,
the same thing I gave her.
Uh-huh. And I said, "You know what?
Since they don't appreciate me,
then maybe I should get paid for all of this time."
I'm not a day care, you know, whatever.
I said, "I'm going to charge them
what a grandma would charge, $100 a week,"
you know, something like that, because I enjoy
being with Cayson, he keeps me busy,
and I just love loving on my great-grandchild.
So I said, "I'll give them a special rate."
So, your $4,500 is about $100 a week. Yes.
How many days a week? Five days a week.
Did you ever, like, maybe teach him the ABCs?
He knows his ABCs, he know how to count,
he know his colors,
and I potty trained him before he was two.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Oh, I think I've heard enough.
The interesting dynamic here
is between the granddaughter and the grandmother.
I think what ended in here was when you chose him as your man.
She didn't really too much care for him,
so you got to draw a line in the sand
'cause that's your husband and you're supposed to. Cheyenne: Mm-hmm.
And if that make Grandma a little bit tight,
Grandma just have to be a little bit tight,
'cause that's how it go.
So, you did the right thing.
But it don't erase what Grandma is
and what Grandma has always been.
She been there.
[ Applause ]
I hate that she cut his hair for your reasons,
but I understand her cutting his hair for her reasons.
But, see, you're saying it hurt the modeling career.
But when I ask you for the modeling career,
he been out one time.
$200, you assume that every time the photo go out,
it's supposed to come in,
that would have gave you $2,400 a month.
I do really wish it worked like that, but it just don't.
At the same time, Ms. Rose...
Yes.
...I think if they had told you...
Mm-hmm.
...that Robert wanted to have
this moment with his son
and go on this hair journey,
I think you'd have cut it anyway.
They would've had to -- They would've had to braid it or something.
I know. I know, Ms. Rose. Come on.
But, see, you didn't really care for Mr. Robert in the beginning.
No, I like him now, though. You like him now?
Okay. Well, she like you now, Robert.
See right there?
[ Applause ]
I like him now.
Wait. I got a family photo.
Let me see this family photo that they got.
[ Spectators "Aww" ]
You know why I think she like you right now, Robert?
'Cause you're not only taking care of her,
you're turning out to be an outstanding father.
Would you say that, Ms. Rose?
Yes, yes, yes. He's outstanding an father.
Yes.
So I think what then happened, Mr. Robert,
you earned her respect.
Yes. I think she cut his hair
thinking she was doing the right thing.
Thank you. But it messed up the plans.
Well, sometimes our kids don't get to be
what we want them to be.
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Sometimes our kids going to end up
being what they supposed to be.
Yes. Yes. And it might not have nothing to do with modeling.
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. And he a cute little baby right now,
but I can't tell you how many cute little babies
is ugly as hell right now.
[ Laughter ]
Whoa.
[ Applause ]
That ain't gonna be this one.
Robert, have you ever been a model before? No.
See, the little man look a lot like his daddy, don't he?
Yes.
So this is really where he headed.
And he ain't fitting to be a model.
[ Laughter ]
Your Honor, what you trying to say?
Ain't nothing wrong with you,
but you ain't no damn model.
You a good-looking dude.
I ain't cute. I've never been cute.
Come to terms with that.
[ Laughter ]
Wrap your arms around it.
Yes, yes, yes.
Everybody not fitting to be cute.
Your little boy may not be a model growing up,
but that's alright because he'll be a fine man
just like his father is.
You see what I'm saying?
Yes.
I've reached a verdict.
[ Cheers and applause ]
I'm dismissing your countersuit for $4,500.
Okay. Only because you love that grandbaby.
Yeah, true. And you'd have done it without a dollar before.
True, true. And the only reason you countersuing
is 'cause you suing. True.
Now, for the lawsuit of $3,000 --
$2,400 in lost modeling income and $600 pain and suffering --
I'm not going to give you $2,400 for lost wages
'cause you only made $200 in the whole modeling career.
So there's no way anybody can know that you were guaranteed.
Unless your contract was signed and in place
with his hair to look a certain way
and then she cut it, I'd owe you the money.
So I'm going to dismiss your lawsuit for $2,400
for lost modeling income,
and ain't no pain and suffering.
[ Laughs ] This called life, y'all.
[ Applause ]
Y'all should have never been in here.
We just learned something new, though.
Grandma Rose really do love Robert... Yes.
...because Robert has been a hell of a father and a good man.
You, young lady, Ms. Cheyenne,
know good and hell well she's all you got sometimes.
Now, get over there and tell your grandmama you sorry
for bringing her down here to court,
and you gonna have to go to church with her and sit there.
[ Cheers and applause ]
That's my verdict,
and that's the way I see it.
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
♪♪