He said, "I can do magic." He's a liar, man!
He goes up on stage, grabs the microphone.
Picks three of the ladies out of the crowd.
He says, "Y'all about to see some panties disappear."
[ Laughter ]
By all her friends' opinions. And -- And all of her frien--
You don't know all my friends.
All your friends that have ordered a cake.
Again, again, again -- We doing the hand.
You all ain't honoring this here.
What happened to this ring?
I had befriended the person on Instagram
who he was talking to.
Damn, Cleveland.
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 ]
♪♪
Okay. Uh, let's get started.
This is the case
of Josh Rutgers
vs. Theo Kruger.
Josh, aka "Clownie," is suing Theo for $1,782 for refusing
to pay him for his professional clown services.
Theo claims Josh ruined his event
and is countersuing him for an unpaid bar tab
and loss of revenue in the amount of $2,000.
Okay, uh, let's start with you, Josh.
You have 30 seconds to state your case.
Judge Harvey, I'm here seeking $1,782.
$1,000 of that
is for my reputation that he damaged.
$415 of it?
I held up my end of the bargain.
And I went, and I did his show.
$100 I need for the roach motel
that he was supposed to pay for.
Hey, 600 miles round trip, Your Honor.
$267 for travel.
And he said he was fitting to pay me,
and he ain't paid me none of it.
All right, Theo, it's your turn. You have 30 seconds to respond.
Your Honor, I came to court here today
to stop this clown from impersonating a clown.
Everything we talked about on our agreement
over the phone, he didn't provide.
So, I'm countersuing for $2,000 --
$420 for a bar tab, $730 for lost revenue,
and $850 for future events that I want to hold.
But yet I know that these people
are not gonna return to my events.
Okay. Well, we got a lot to unpack here.
All right, we're going to start with you, Josh.
Clown -- You can call me "Clownie," Your Honor.
No problem, Clownie. I got you.
Thank you, sir.
Clownie [chuckles] tell me how this all got started.
Well, I got a phone call from this man here.
He was referred to me by somebody I known a long time.
Uh-huh.
He told me he was running an event,
and he wanted to bring me as a hype clown.
I'm not a child-friendly clown, not a fam--
I don't do birthday parties.
The first thing we discussed was what I do
and do not do within my duties as a clown,
because clearly --
and I'm dressed real nice today for this.
But clearly, I'm not a child-friendly --
That's a fact. That's a fact, Your Honor.
He was not dressed like that.
Okay, hold on one second.
When you called him, what were you asking of Clownie?
I asked for a clown to show up in clown attire.
That's not what he came in.
He came in a T-shirt and some jeans
and some damn "Bobo" shoes.
That's about it.
And his hair and makeup.
Your Honor, I was wearing these pants.
I was wearing everything except I put on --
I went -- for this is court, man.
Okay, step out and let me see what you got on.
Yes, sir. I put on my jacket.
I had a different T-shirt,
but it was not appropriate for court.
Let me see what you wore that night.
This was you at the party.
Okay, so what type of event was this?
It's adult, 21 and older, no kids allowed.
Okay. You got alcohol there?
It's -- Yes, sir. Oh, yeah.
Oh, okay. What -- What was the agreed price?
It was $350.
Do you agree with that, Clownie?
For three hours, yes, sir.
There was $100 more added, too,
'cause I stayed longer than the three hours.
He agreed to it. Longer than three hours.
It was $350 for the evening, sir.
That was the discussion.
10% up front, the rest at the end of the night.
So, you got 10% upon arrival.
Yes, sir. Yes, Your Honor -- $35.
So, you got $35.
$35, right.
Okay, was there any other thing that he was supposed to give --
Yes, sir. The hotel. No, sir.
Per diem. No, sir.
Uh-huh.
He told me I could drink all the beer I could drink.
Anything else?
Travel money -- $267, 44 1/2 cents a mile.
I still cut him a break.
You think it's funny. I cut him a break. It's hilarious.
Wait a minute. Wait, wait. Hold on. Stop.
All right.
Let me. Let me. It's 300 miles each way?
Yes, sir. 600 miles round trip.
That's five hours.
Yes, sir, in the middle of the night,
on good faith, without a dime paid to me.
Without no deposit.
No, sir.
Oh, I got you, Clownie.
Normally, I charge $500 for that $350.
Okay? Okay.
Because of where he came from --
The reference?
Yes. Yes, Your Honor.
Yes, sir.
In my mind, I'm like,
"Hey, I get in good with this new promoter,
boom, boom, boom."
Right.
So, now, let me bounce over to you.
Tell me why you don't owe him for...
Not a dime, Your Honor. No, no, no.
...the three hours.
You don't owe him for the hotel.
No, sir.
You don't owe him for travel.
No, sir.
And you don't owe him any per diem?
No, sir.
We never talked about per diem.
I never talked about hotel. Pbht!
I've never put no one in a hotel, gave him per diem.
And there was no extra hours that he was gonna be there.
When the night started, I had to leave him alone.
I had a lot of things, a lot of irons in the fire.
You didn't leave me alone. I'm trying to get situated for everything going on.
One of the patrons come up to me.
They say, "Hey, listen, man, we're outta here."
I said, "What's going on? It's kind of early."
Says, "Well, listen, man.
I'm not coming here and spending my money
when I have my woman being disrespected."
I said, "Hold on, man. I'm not doing nothing to nobody."
He said, "No, that blankety-blank over there."
So, they left.
So, maybe 10 minutes later someone came up and said,
"Hey, man, what is this?" And they handed me a balloon.
And it was just an elongated balloon,
like you just blew up a balloon.
I said, "It looks like a balloon."
He said, "No, man.
Your boy over there said it's a butterfly."
I said, "A butterfly?"
He said -- I said, "It's just a long balloon."
He said, "You got to wait. It's in a cocoon, damn it."
[ Laughter and applause ]
Hey.
I said, hey.
No, no, no. Hey, let me finish my story.
♪♪
Someone came up and said, "Hey, man, what is this?"
And they handed me a balloon.
And it was just an elongated balloon,
like you just blew up a balloon.
I said, "It looks like a balloon."
He said, "No, man.
Your boy over there said it's a butterfly."
I said, "A butterfly?"
He said -- I said, "It's just a long balloon."
He said, "You got to wait. It's in a cocoon, damn it."
[ Laughter and applause ]
Hey.
I said, hey.
No, no, no. Hey, let me finish my story.
Hey.
Yeah.
Man, I've been doing this for years.
Oh, hey.
[ Applause ]
Your Honor?
It's a cocoon.
[ Laughter ]
You got to wait on it!
[ Laughter ]
I'm hiring you.
I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't do it.
All right, okay. I'm sorry.
Okay, so here we go.
So, now you're getting several complaints about him.
Yeah.
How do you rectify these complaints?
Do you do anything? So, I came over to him.
I say, "Hey, Clownie, man,
obviously you don't know how to do balloons.
Here's your dang caterpillar or butterfly, whatever."
I said, "What -- What can you do, man?
Can you do something else?"
He said, "I can do magic."
No, I didn't!
Man, let me see this magic, right?
He's a liar, man.
So, I said, "Do some magic, man."
He goes up on stage, grabs the microphone.
"I'm gonna need some participants.
How about you, you, you?"
Picks three of the ladies out of the crowd.
One's security's girl.
I'm like, "Ah, might not have been too well.
Hope this dude don't do nothing crazy."
He said, "Y'all about to see some panties disappear."
I immediately ran up there, grabbed him.
I said, "Hey, man, we ain't having that.
Let's -- Let me talk to you."
That's not how it went.
As I'm walking him, I see smoke.
I say, "Hey, man, are you smoking?"
"Nah, I ain't smoking."
I said, "Man, you got a lit cigar in here?
I told you no smoking."
"I ain't smoking!"
I said, "Your cigar is smoking, man."
"But I ain't smoking."
I wasn't smoking. I was holding a lit cigar.
Hey, guys. Come on.
That's not smoking. No.
The deal with the -- what he called a caterpillar, okay?
The butterfly.
There's confetti in the balloon.
I blow the cigar smoke into the balloon.
I tie it.
You pop it.
It gives an effect, okay?
I told him, I said, "Pop it one time."
We did pop it.
That's what he said, "How about I pop you one time?"
No, he did start saying all that.
Your Honor, no. I never said that, Your Honor.
As a matter of fact -- Steve: Okay, fellas, fellas.
You were hiring with different expectations.
Hey, are you all being entertained right now?
[ Spectators murmur ]
See? Well, everybody but him.
But, Your Honor -- I mean -- I mean --
If you had -- Turn the music on.
Hold on a minute. He said, "Is everybody entertained right now?"
The dude said, "No."
He said, "Well, everybody but him."
No, I mean -- Look. He's laughing right now!
So, but now you're a hype clown.
Can I -- Can I explain? Explain hype clown to me.
Well, number one, I never told that gentleman
that I did balloon animals.
I said, "I do balloon art" -- big difference.
Big difference. Yeah.
What is balloon art? Okay?
Y-Your Honor, what -- what ended the night for me and him,
I said, "Clownie, do me a favor.
Go get undressed. Come back in.
Have you some drinks. Enjoy your time."
At that moment, he grabbed me.
He said, "I don't break clown!"
I said, "Hey, hold on, man. What are you doing?"
"I don't break clown."
I said, "Come on. We gotta go."
So, I walked him outside.
He don't break clown.
That mean he don't come out of character.
Your countersuit is for $2,000.
Yes, sir.
You have over here
a $420 bar tab --
4 shots at $7.
Nah, nah, nah, hold on.
6 shots at $7.
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.
Two rib-eye dinners for $35.
Hold on.
One sirloin dinner,
six shots,
two more rib-eye dinners,
six more shots,
six more shots.
We borderline alcohol poisoning now.
Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Thank you!
When I was trying to escort him out,
the bartender, she grabbed me.
She says, "Hey, this is that man's tab."
I said, "Hold on. How -- What are you talking about
six shots, seven shots?"
I go, "What?"
She said, "Hey, they got some shots.
They got some shots."
So, he was handing out shots like it was --
like -- like they were free.
And I'm guessing dinners, too.
So, that's how it ran up such a big tab.
All right, how did you come up with the $730 lost income?
People were leaving, Your Honor.
Like I said, I had two couples come up to me.
Another gentleman come up to me saying he's being "belligerent."
And those people were drinking. They were eating.
I don't know how many people left.
He was just running people out is what he was doing.
Okay. That's how I rounded up with $730.
And now you have $850 punitive damages.
I'd like to hold another event.
Well, I was trying to do them at least every other month.
I know a lot of these people are not gonna come back
because they feel I'm associated with this gentleman.
Oh, yeah. Yeah, okay, okay. Oh, okay.
Clownie?
Yes, Your Honor?
What have you made there, sir?
I'm gonna make him a balloon animal, with your permission.
Ain't no way in the world I'll stop this.
May I approach and present it to him politely?
No. No, that ain't gonna be good.
Can you give it to him for me?
'Cause it's a hat that could sit right on his head.
Hey, man.
Well, no, but look. Hey!
No. Hell, no!
Man!
Well, no, but look. Hey!
It's a unicorn! It's a unicorn!
Your Honor, this is what I had to deal with.
That's a unicorn!
Your Honor, it's a unicorn.
[ Laughter ]
Mr. Harvey?
Hey, homey, that was a good one.
[ Applause ]
I wouldn't do it.
All right, okay. I'm sorry.
All right, so let me -- Okay, so here we go.
Your suit is for $1,782 -- $415 for unpaid fees.
I got $100 for lodging,
$267 for mileage, and $1,000 in punitive damages.
What are your punitive damages for?
My punitive damage is the worst thing of this whole thing.
This man made a complaint, okay?
He sent some pictures of me with a cigar and a beer
to the association
and got me indefinitely suspended from the association.
And I cannot even appeal that decision
for a minimum of 365 days.
If this would have stopped at just the money,
we'd probably not be here.
Your Honor, everybody knows Judge Steve Harvey
is a fair, honorable, reasonably minded --
Everybody know that.
Yes! Everybody.
Yes. [ Applause ]
Let me see this letter.
"Your license has been indefinitely suspended,
effective immediately.
Cease-and-desist order relating to Clownie" -- wow!
Yes, Your Honor -- indefinitely suspended,
revoked, cease and desist.
Cannot use --
Based on him sending a photo in
of you smoking?
He also knew -- that picture with that cigar?
He knew that that technically
is a violation of a clown's oath.
Mr. Theo?
Yes, sir.
I take it that this is true.
Your Honor, when he showed up,
he pulled out his wallet,
unfolded a business card, handed it to me.
It had an e-mail on it.
I sent a letter, and all I did was state
what happened, why I didn't pay.
I thought it was going to him.
Who would have thought there's a real clown association,
and he's part of it?
I've heard enough. I've reached a verdict.
Amen.
[ Cheers and applause ]
You know, I got to tell you, fellas.
I think that Clownie is the clown that he claims to be.
I do think, Theo, you assumed that most clowns
juggle, magic tricks, and balloons and all like that. Yes, sir.
But I think he's an adult clown for adult parties.
You wouldn't want him around your kids.
No.
So, with that being said,
I cannot award you punitive damages.
I just can't do it. I don't know nothing.
Understand.
I will deal with this bar tab in a moment.
For the plaintiff,
I do think that this man is owed his money
for driving down there and performing.
Thank you. Thank you.
Now, do I believe he got a couple complaints?
Probably.
It was a balloon probably involved.
[ Laughter ]
You know, somebody took it the wrong way,
but he stayed the entire time.
So I think he's owed that.
I also think he's owed for lodging
because there's no way a person gonna drive that far,
perform all night, be expected to drive back.
I also think he's owed mileage.
Now, Theo sent a letter to what he thought was to just him,
but if he thought it was to just him,
why did you submit the picture?
[ Spectators murmur ]
I think, man, that it was sent to the clown association
that damaged this guy, and he can't work.
But the bar tab -- $420 because you drank not 34 shots,
but you had about 6.
But all them women got shots.
Everybody ate a little dinner.
You was big boss Willie in there.
Oh, you was in there clownin', baby.
And I want to tell you something.
If I ever, ever throw an adult party, you gonna be my man.
[ Cheers and applause ] 'Cause, dude...
And I don't want you to show nobody that butterfly balloon
until I'm standing right there.
[ Laughter ]
My verdict is for the plaintiff for $1,782,
minus the entire bar tab of $420,
which leads to your final settlement
of $1,362 for the plaintiff.
That's my verdict. And that's the way I see it.
♪♪
The fact that Judge Harvey loves my butterfly balloon trick
is just another testament to what a genius he is.
Miss Mary thought that since she invited me to the party
that I would come to the party and bring the cake.
Why would I invite her to my party?
Whoa! That's what I think.
Whoa-oh-oh!
[ Cheers and applause ]
All right. Uh, let's get started.
This is the case of Mary Ekene vs. Alyncia Nelson.
Mary is suing bakery owner Alyncia for $630
for a birthday cake that was never delivered,
plus the cost of a replacement cake.
Alyncia says she made the cake
and it's not her fault that Mary didn't come claim it.
Let's start with you, Mary.
You have 30 seconds to state your case.
I am here today suing Miss Nelson for $630 --
$350 for a cake that was never delivered to me.
And $280 for a cake
I had to go on the day of my birthday
all the way to Lake Charles, Louisiana,
to pick up myself.
Wasting my time, it's wasting my energy.
It just wasted everything, and I'm sick of it.
All right, Alyncia, you have 30 seconds to respond.
I'm here, but I feel like I shouldn't be here.
Miss Mary ordered a cake. She paid for it. I made it.
We never discussed delivery.
She didn't pick it up.
And I have so many emotions behind
the assassination of my character, my business...
Really?
...and everything by Miss Mary.
No.
Okay, well, Miss Mary, what birthday was this?
This was my 40th birthday party.
Oh, big 4-0?
Big 4-0. Yeah! Yeah.
So, I wanted to have the big shebang, you know?
So, through word of mouth, I heard about Miss Nelson.
I love to support small businesses, okay?
So, she sent me a mock-up of what the cake will look like.
I loved it.
So, I sent her my address where the cake will be delivered.
You asked for my address.
Therefore, my assumption is you're going to deliver my cake.
Okay. Alyncia, what -- what's your take on this whole thing?
That Miss Mary just simply cannot read. See?
On my invoice --
That's what -- That's what I'm not gonna do.
When I sent the invoice in...
We're not gonna do that. ...it clearly says on the invoice...
We're not gonna do that. ..."Before you pay,
make sure you read and you understand."
Make sure you know how to put out an invoice... Miss Mary paid for a cake.
...with the proper understanding. It didn't say deliver.
Delivery says that it's an added charge.
Okay, hold on. Okay, hold on.
Yeah, 'cause I'm talking.
Okay. All right, let's take a look at that.
It says, "Terms and conditions. Please read carefully.
By paying this invoice,
you acknowledge and agree to all terms below.
Your order will be ready for pickup at the time
that has been discussed from the shop.
Delivery is available
for $20 within 15 miles.
Yes, sir.
Miss Mary, did you read that part?
If there was a fee to where I could have paid for delivery,
I would have paid that fee.
But now it's about the principle.
And you want to show me an attitude?
Then this all could have been avoided.
Well, hold on now.
Where did the attitude come from?
The night before, I called her
to make sure the cake was done.
When I asked her, was my cake going to be delivered,
she simply stated, "No."
I said, "Why is my cake not going to be delivered?"
She said, "You didn't pay no fee."
I said, "I wasn't aware of a fee."
Then that's when the attitude --
Now, hold on right here. Yes, sir.
Do you remember this conversation as is?
No, sir.
I didn't speak to Miss Mary until the day of her party...
That's not true.
...when she called me with so much attitude,
screaming and hollering
about why her cake wasn't delivered.
Okay, hold on.
You called the shop the day before,
and you talked to someone.
Yes, sir.
Who could that have been?
My niece is there most days, and it could have been her.
Okay. Now, we talked to somebody the day before.
Now tell me what that conversation was.
When she said, she stated she couldn't deliver my cake,
I said, "You know what? Forget about it."
Because at this point,
everything should have been done.
I just want a refund.
"I can't give you a refund. The cake is already made.
I stayed up all night making your cake,
so I'm gonna give you your money back."
Stop right here. So, the cake was made?
Yes.
So, you -- you're aware that the cake is made?
Yes.
After speaking with her at that point,
I did not want to do business with her anymore.
Okay, hold on, hold on, hold on.
Somebody told you that the cake would not be delivered?
Yes. Yes, sir.
Did they tell you why it wouldn't be delivered?
They said I didn't pay the "delivery fee."
And how much is the delivery fee?
$20.
So, Judge Harvey --
We got a $350 cake.
[ Laughter ]
All we need is $20 more.
Judge Harvey, don't you think
if I would have known it was $20,
I would pay $20 to have my cake delivered?
Well, now you understand the absurdness
that's flushing over me right now.
So, now, you're the cake-company owner?
Yes, sir.
You got a customer that's about to go and do something.
Why would you not just take the cake over there?
Because I --
When I spoke to Miss Mary, it was the day of her party.
I was headed to Houston.
If I had been there,
I'd have delivered the cake for Miss Mary.
My niece doesn't drive, doesn't have a car.
So, delivery was just not --
it wasn't gonna happen that day.
Oh, okay. What she could have done was picked it up.
She called me with an attitude because she says the cake...
Why would I... ...was supposed to be delivered at 2:00.
But what I have in my notes
is to have the cake ready by 2:00 p.m. for pickup.
So...
We all know what that means.
Okay. Yes, Your Honor. So...
She knows. She'd have done it to you.
Then you kept talking.
So, when you did it to her, she gonna keep talking.
Y'all ain't honoring this here.
You're supposed to honor the hand.
Right.
We're not doing that today.
I understand.
Y'all ain't honoring this here.
You're supposed to honor the hand.
Right.
We're not doing that today.
I understand.
So, now, what's the discussion
that you all are having when you all talk?
She's screaming and hollering on the phone.
"My cake wasn't delivered. Alyncia, where's my cake?!
My cake was not delivered."
"Miss Mary, you didn't pay for delivery.
Your cake is at the shop, and it's ready for you."
I have A-1 customer service.
I have never had these issues before.
Mm-hmm. If she hadn't have talked to me that way,
I might would have tried to call my mom or anybody.
"Can somebody go bring this cake to this woman
'cause I don't want all of the extra that's coming with her."
And it's been a lot coming with her -- a whole lot.
She honored the hand. I like that.
How many people work for your cake company?
Just one.
With great reputation and service? Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
In her opinion.
By all her friends' opinions, as well.
I want to insert that. And all of her friends.
Some friends. You don't know all my friends.
All your friends. Some friends.
All your friends that know me.
So, just go ahead and leave that out.
All your friends that have ordered a cake.
All your friends that have eaten everything.
We doing the hand. Again, again, again, some friends.
Including you, including you. You don't know all my friends.
You are unprofessional. Hey, ladies? Ladies.
Ladies, no. No, no, no, no. And you're not all your business.
No. One at a time.
Steve: Okay, so now.
Do you have a picture of the cake, finished product?
This look like what you ordered?
Yeah.
So, she made the cake, and the cake was ready by 2:00,
day of the party?
Yes, sir.
That's a fact.
Now, what caused this cake to not get to your house?
Because it's all about customer service.
Customer service?
Yes, it is. Yes, ma'am.
Customer service.
At this point, I don't want the cake.
Oh, you don't want the cake now. Because of the point.
And I paid you $350...
You paid $350.
...of my money, okay? $350, your money.
I'm a mother of two small kids, okay?
I'm supporting your business.
It is your job to make sure that cake was delivered to me.
Point, period.
I believe that Miss Mary thought
that since she invited me to the party
that I would come to the party and bring the cake.
Whoa!
That's what I think. Whoa-oh-oh!
[ Spectators murmur ]
She didn't say that, but that's what I think.
She was crazy.
Well! Did you RSVP to the party?
No, sir.
Why would I invite her to my party?
We have a mutual -- We have mutual friends.
Again, stop, stop, stop, stop. She invited everybody to the party.
Stop, Miss Nelson. We all work in the same building.
You're delusional. You're delusional. Miss Mary invited everybody.
Oh, you all work in the same -- Oh, here we go.
New information.
New -- New information.
"We all work in the same building."
So, when you got the recommendation
for her to make the cake,
you had seen her, and you had mutual acquaintances.
Yes, sir.
She's brought a picture of a beautiful cake in here.
It look like she know what she's doing.
I want a cake.
Not from her. Yes, I do.
Well, not one from her.
I do. Yeah, I want a cake right here, 'cause see.
I'm gonna pay the $20 delivery fee.
I'm gonna get the cake.
Now, in this suit, you're asking for a $350 undelivered cake
[chuckles] and $280 for a last-minute cake.
Yes, sir. What -- What is that?
I had to find someone at the last minute
all the way in Lake Charles, Louisiana,
to make me a cake on the day of my party.
Wait. Where was the party?
It was in Beaumont.
In Beaumont, Texas?
Yes, sir.
You found somebody in Lake Charles, Louisiana,
which is... three hours away?
Yes, sir.
Ooh, you mad. [ Laughter ]
Thank you.
Do you have a picture of the cake?
Yes. You look like the cake.
[ Laughter ]
Did you send the cake maker a picture of your outfit?
No.
You didn't? I didn't.
Girl, she killed it.
That's got "Nigeria" wrote all over it.
They did this the last minute?
Last minute.
She had great customer service.
She was very sweet, very just everything.
But she didn't deliver the cake.
She drove to go get that cake.
She could have drove to come get my cake.
Wait, wait, hold up.
She had good customer service.
Okay, wait. Hold up.
What time was the party?
7:00 p.m.
What time did you take off for West Lafayette?
Like 2:15.
You get down there. It's 4:00, 4:15, 4:45.
Mm-hmm.
So, she made the cake while you was on the phone?
[ Laughter ]
After I got off the phone with Miss Nelson that evening,
I called her.
Oh, the day before.
Yes.
Oh!
So, you decided the night before
to get a different cake company?
Yes, sir.
Because of the conversation you had with her niece?
Yes, sir.
How old is your niece, by any chance?
16.
Oh, she's 16. Yes, sir.
Oh, see. Beautiful, little girl?
Maybe don't quite, you know...
No, she's pretty smart.
Yeah. But she could read, though.
Yes, she can read.
She can't read.
But my niece can read.
[ Laughter ]
Then, clearly, she read there is a $20 delivery fee
to be delivered within a 15-mile radius.
Yes, sir. Okay.
No, 'cause why would you leave a 16-year-old
to take care of your business while you're away?
Well, because she has a small business
that you like to support.
Yes.
So, we're getting close to finding out
what really happened.
It's -- I'm the birthday girl!
Why should I have to go out and get a cake, do decorations,
make phone calls, do this?
She needs a team of people to cater to her
on her birthday.
That is not me.
Um...I've reached a verdict.
[ Cheers and applause ]
We have two people that are right to a degree.
She did everything she said she was gonna do.
She made the cake. The cake was ready.
It's beautiful. She liked the cake.
Now let's move over to the plaintiff.
You called the day before.
You got into an altercation, probably with her niece.
I think you had already made up your mind
that this was the perfect cake for you.
So, the next day when you called,
she could not have rectified this no matter what.
I think that you had a really nice birthday party
that cost you $630 worth of cakes.
You look beautiful.
And the purple and the gold are almost -- Oh, girl, it just --
It just warmed my whole heart.
Are you married? No.
You gonna get married after the men see this picture
on this thing right here.
I'm telling you right now.
You're gonna have men
looking for you all up and down this coast.
So, you got to look at the bright side here
'cause you ain't fitting to get no money.
So...
[ Laughter and applause ]
I'm gonna dismiss the suit by the plaintiff for $630,
and everybody go home and have cake.
[ Cheers and applause ]
That's my verdict.
And that's the way I see it.
♪♪
Erron had moved us to Richmond Heights.
Stop! Richmond Heights?!
Stainless steel, everything.
Whoo! Hoo-hoo!
In the words of my daddy,
y'all in tall cotton.
[ Laughter ]
[ Cheers and applause ]
Uh, with our next case, uh, let's get started.
This is the case of
Erron McClain vs. Ilene Pryor.
Erron is suing his ex-fiancée Ilene for $3,400,
the cost of multiple engagement rings.
Ilene says he's the reason they never married,
so she's not responsible for him being out of pocket.
Uh, let's start with you, Erron.
You have 30 seconds to state your case.
Judge Harvey, I'm here to sue my ex-fiancée for $3,400
for three engagement rings that I purchased for her.
We are not married.
I have nothing really to show
for the relationship but my children.
And I-I feel like I deserve that money back.
[ Spectators murmur ]
Ilene, it's your turn.
You have 30 seconds to respond.
He did give me three engagement rings.
But he proposed.
And once you give an engagement ring,
it's now my property.
And it is a gift. We did not get married.
So I don't believe I owe him anything.
This is gonna be interesting. I've never heard this before.
This is three engagement rings.
Erron, how did you all meet?
We met at work.
We worked at the Cleveland Clinic.
Y'all from Cleveland?
Yes. Mm-hmm.
Oh, Cleveland -- that's my hometown, man.
Cleveland made me.
[ Applause ]
You know, we spent a lot of time together at work.
I saw her coming and going, smelling good, looking good.
[ Laughs ]
And I finally had mustered up the courage
to say something to her. Yeah.
It blossomed into a nice relationship.
So, how was this relationship in the beginning?
It was really good.
Erron was older. He was funny.
He was handsome. He is handsome.
[ Laughter ]
I'm a bigger girl, so I've been, like, a little shy.
Erron came to me. I thought it was godsent.
Well, we in here for engagement rings.
Tell me about the first engagement.
We decided that we wanted to take it
to the next level, you know, because Ilene got pregnant,
and we wanted to do it the right way.
So, I said, you know, we are both raised in a church.
What church you all go to up there?
I was raised in a Calvary Apostolic Assembly.
And what about you?
Olivet Institutional Baptist Church.
Olivet? Yeah.
The big church.
That's my home church, yeah.
Oh, man.
That's little church you at.
[ Laughter ]
It's a historical church, but let's not downplay --
Well, yous have a little church. Ain't nothing wrong with it.
It's got a little storefront.
That's all it was, 200, 300 people.
Judge Harvey, we might have been --
You was the usher. You was in the choir.
Yep. [ Laughs ]
I was. I was.
Go ahead, though.
I'm all right with that. Go ahead.
Okay. Things were going well.
And so, I went out. I bought the first ring.
Uh-huh.
We got a picture of this ring?
It was $1,100.
You didn't get the right size?
[ Laughter ]
I gave the ring to her before it was sized.
Oh, you gave it to her when she was pregnant?
Yes.
Thus explains the swelling.
Did you have to wear it like that the whole time?
Not the whole time.
So, what happened to that first ring?
This is the ring that I believe got tossed out of the window
while we were in the vehicle together.
I simply lost the first ring.
I think I dropped it in a drain.
And I did come to Erron, and I told him about it.
Okay, so now let's move on to the second ring.
So, the second ring, we were at dinner,
and he just got down on one knee and proposed.
It was a surprise. He was doing really good.
I had no idea.
Now, you have one child right now?
No, we have our second child for the second ring.
And so, what happened?
We were doing great, but then his behavior changed.
He started coming home at different hours.
It would get later and later.
And then eventually he stopped coming home.
[ Spectators murmur ]
Well, that is not 100% accurate.
Like, I always came home.
Well, hold on now. Hold on now. Okay.
You know, we all eventually come home.
[ Laughter ]
Now, we talking about at night.
I eventually spent the night out a couple of times.
[ Spectators murmur ]
Let's go to you, Ilene.
Okay, all right.
What's happening with these nights out?
Obviously, he was talking to somebody.
So, now, you out, Erron, and it ain't going good for you.
Had dinner been cooked at home during those moments,
when I got home,
I probably would have came home in those moments more often.
[ Spectators murmur ]
I gotta eat. Okay.
This is -- This is the thing.
Ho, ho, ho, ho. Let me save you.
You ain't got no friends back here.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Now, it's -- it's some men, a couple of men in here,
the young ones, that don't really know nothing.
You know, he was hungry. He was hungry.
[ Laughter ]
We have the second ring.
Oh, that's -- Whoo!
How much was this ring?
$800.
Okay. So, now, what happened to this ring?
I had befriended the person on Instagram
who he was talking to.
[ Spectators murmur ]
So, she had pictures up of them being out on the city.
[ Laughter ]
Oh, man!
[ Laughs ]
Damn, Cleveland.
Judge Harvey...
Yeah?
I know I was wrong.
I know, man. Okay.
Just came down here to just, you know,
just man-to-man, just look at you and go,
"Hang in there, 'cause --
'cause -- 'cause we just on the second ring."
[ Laughter and applause ]
Ilene, what we do with the second ring?
Out of anger, I took it off my finger,
and I let the window down, and I threw it out the window.
Oh, that's the one that got threw out the window.
That's the second ring, yes.
Oh, that's the second. That's the second ring.
Okay.
You lost the first one,
then we threw the second one out the window.
Yes, he was there to witness that.
Now, where in Cleveland did you throw this ring out the window?
We was around 55th and St. Clair,
around the Chinese --
Oh, 50. Oh, you -- Oh, you -- Oh.
Yep.
Oh, I know good and well you ain't get that ring back.
No, we did not. We didn't. We didn't.
I grew up on 112th. I went to school on St. Clair.
What high school did you go to?
I went to Euclid High School.
Euclid?
Yeah, yeah. Hey, let's not -- Let's not get it twisted.
All my people are back in Euclid,
you all remember Steve saying that.
Euclid ain't -- I went to Glenville.
They know who we are.
Oh, yeah, Glenville.
I-I know that. I know that.
You don't want this.
Hey. Hey, hey. You don't want this.
Hey, we -- I will...
I grew up on 112th. I went to school on St. Clair.
What high school did you go to?
I went to Euclid High School.
Euclid?
Yeah, yeah. Hey, let's not -- Let's not get it twisted.
All my people are back in Euclid,
you all remember Steve saying that.
Euclid ain't -- I went to Glenville.
They know who we are.
Oh, yeah, Glenville.
I-I know that. I know that.
You don't want this.
Hey. Hey, hey. You don't want this.
Hey, we -- I will...
[ Laughter ]
I know you ain't threatening me with some boys off Euclid.
Hey, hey.
"Euclid High"?
Yep, yep. Yep.
Boy...I'm...
You're gonna make me rule against you.
You finna lose your --
Don't do that. Don't do that. Don't do that.
All right, let's go.
What's happening with the relationship at this point?
Obviously, I'm in love with him.
He's -- He's the father of my children.
So, I was back and forth with him,
knowing that he possibly could still be talking to somebody.
And then I ended up pregnant.
Now you're pregnant a third time.
Mm-hmm.
He didn't believe the pregnancy at first
because he was still messing with the other girl.
We weren't together at that time.
Well, now, Erron, this is a health-class question
I'm about to ask you now.
[ Laughs ]
If you weren't together, how did your little sperm...
♪ Traveling down the trail
Well, it wouldn't have --
♪ And wiggle, wiggle, wiggle all the way up to the trail ♪
[ Laughter and applause ]
♪ Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle ♪
♪ And the sperm just -- whoop! -- it's in ♪
At what point where y'all wasn't together
did that health class...
I'm not talking about when the child was conceived.
We weren't in a relationship together.
Okay. So, you all weren't living together?
No, we were not. Correct, correct.
What happened after that?
When it was time to deliver, he --
that's when he proposed again.
My man.
Okay, let's see the third ring.
[ Spectators murmur ]
Whoo-hoo-hoo!
How -- How much was this ring?
The ring -- That ring? I paid $1,500 for.
This the "Oh, I'm so damn sorry."
[ Laughter ]
Now, how are you feeling at this point?
So, of course I said yes.
Do you move back in?
It was great.
I had came home from the hospital,
and Erron had moved us to Richmond Heights.
And I had came home to keys.
Oh, man.
Stop! Richmond Heights?!
Stainless steel, everything.
Boy? Yep.
Whoo! Hoo-hoo!
In the words of my daddy, y'all in tall cotton.
[ Laughter ]
So, you done moved out to Richmond Heights.
But Erron was still messing with this woman.
So...
Yes.
So, yes, Erron gave me my keys, and Erron left.
[ Spectators murmur ]
I ain't gonna drag you no more, Erron.
You -- You pretty much getting pulled back.
You ain't even on the buggy no more.
The horses are just dragging you across the cactus.
So, now tell me what happened to the third ring.
So, this time I get a little smarter, and I say, "You know what?
I'm gonna see how much this ring is worth."
[ Applause ]
So, that one, I did pawn it.
I did get money. Oh, you pawned it?
Yes.
So, now, we got three rings here.
Yes.
First one is for $1,100.
Second one is for $800.
Third one is for $1,500.
Now, what makes you feel entitled to the rings?
I paid for them.
I really do feel like that money
is owed to me despite my infidelity,
which I know I was wrong for.
[ Spectators murmur ]
Your dude is over there clapping for you.
He -- You got -- You got one person in here
that's on your side.
The rest of the men in here know that you're on fire right now.
I can feel it.
Now, there is a law in Ohio
that says, "Gifts given in contemplation of marriage
are returned to the donor..."
Oh, wow.
"...or giver if the marriage does not occur."
Oh, wow! Oh, my gosh.
So, you see, you have the law on your side...in Ohio.
[ Laughter ]
Clearly, we are not in Ohio.
[ Cheers and applause ]
So, therefore, I have reached my verdict.
If -- If you wanted to say something to her publicly,
what would you say to her?
I would say, like, truly I apologize again.
Aww!
I-I know I was wrong for all of the stuff that I did.
I apologize for bringing you here.
Um, and -- and I-I do wish, you know,
I wish that we could get it right together.
Do you love this woman?
I do.
I think you do, too, man. People get it right.
One day he gonna get it right.
Just got to take some time.
You just got to make him crawl.
Mm-hmm. He ain't a bad guy.
Yeah.
I dismiss your suit for $3,400.
That is completely thrown out.
That's my verdict. And that's how I see it.
♪♪
I really do care about Ilene, and being in this courtroom
brought a lot of those feelings and emotions back.
And I-I couldn't hold it back because I do truly love Ilene.
I mean, I have a good feeling
about me and Erron moving forward.
Erron is a really good guy.
He's an excellent dad. He's just had some hiccups.
And I just need to know that he's committed to me
and the boys.