Why did you lie about your age?
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
I'll be 65 in a couple months.
Girl, you fine!
They insisted on me driving their car.
Because it's a better look
when she's going to pick up the kids.
Pull up in the Benz.
Pull up, get the kids in that.
Don't make her pay it.
No, no, don't -- don't get gracious now.
No, I'm not being gracious.
No, no, no, no! I just said if you say something now,
you wasn't gonna get nothing.
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 Deana Wright vs. Jordan Teklay.
Deana is suing her ex-boyfriend, Jordan,
for $10,000 in an unpaid loan and stolen items.
Jordan says his ex Deana
only wants payback because of their breakup
and is countersuing for cash and jewelry
in the amount of $3,700.
Steve: Let's start with you, Deana.
You have 30 seconds to state your case.
Judge Harvey, I am here today
suing my ex-boyfriend, Jordan, for $10,000.
It's money that I loaned to him
and money that he stole from me.
I didn't steal anything. I didn't steal anything.
He's a liar. He's a thief.
He's conniving, he's manipulative,
and he preys on older women.
Listen, I don't -- I don't want
an apology at this point.
I just want every single penny
of the money that he owes me.
[ Laughter ]
Jordan, your turn. You got 30 seconds.
The only reason why I'm here today
is because she's bitter
that I broke up with her and ghosted her.
What? That's the only reason.
Oh, okay. Right. And when you're in a relationship,
you don't count the gifts. If we're counting gifts,
that's why I'm countersuing her for $3,700.
Because I lent her $3,000.
You -- As cheap as you are,
you haven't loaned me a penny, Jordan.
You are in court. How are you lying? I lent you $3--
Hold on. I'm not lying. I'm telling the truth.
Listen to me. Okay, but listen to this, though.
I'm gonna allow you to talk... Okay.
...tell your story.
I'm gonna allow you to talk, tell your story.
This is Nancy, our bailiff.
She doesn't have a gun,
but we will threaten to shoot you.
[ Laughter ]
Okay. Let's start with you, Deana. How did you all meet?
We met on a dating app. We were vibing.
Everything was cool. We exchanged phone numbers.
We had a nice first date.
What dating site did you all meet on?
[ Sighs ] BlackPeopleMeet.
You know...
If you want to, you know,
stay in a certain lane, you know...
You're white and you want to go on there,
I'm just telling you...
[ Laughter ]
Okay, So go ahead.
So we went on a first date,
which was absolutely fantastic.
We connected on so many levels.
You know, we like the same music.
We like watching sports, specifically basketball.
And everything was well
until I caught him in a zillion lies.
Okay, hold tight. Hold -- Hold.
Now, Jordan, what was it about her
on the dating site that attracted you?
It seemed like she was very extroverted,
that I could take her to a basketball game,
concerts.
She doesn't like to sweat,
so we don't work out together, but...
Well, I wanted to sweat doing something else,
but he didn't want...
He wasn't into that. That's not -- Ha.
That's not --
He said -- He said I was too loud.
No, no, no, no, see --
She's very loud in bed. She's very loud.
[ Spectators murmur ]
Most people loud.
Yeah, exactly.
How long before this turned into a relationship, Deana?
So, listen, I read your book --
"Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man."
And I waited those 90 days.
Okay.
We were together for just shy of two years.
Oh, you've been together for a while.
So, for a while, yeah. Oh, okay.
But the whole time,
I was being manipulated and bamboozled.
Okay. Why did you lie about your age?
Listen, I have a 43-year-old son.
I have a granddaughter who's 11.
How old did you think I was? Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
You never told me how old Jared was.
Wait a minute. Wait. Hold, hold, hold.
You have a 43-year-old son? I have a 43-year-old son.
Can I ask you how old you are, ma'am?
I'll be 65 in a couple months.
Girl, you fine!
[ Cheers and applause ]
She looks fantastic. She looks great.
How old are you? 32.
But he told me he was in his 40s.
Now, on the dating site, you have a profile.
Yes. I thought he was a firefighter and a teacher.
[ Chuckling ]
I was -- I was a volunteer firefighter.
Many years prior to that, though.
Yeah. Where?
Exactly. No, hold up. Where?
In Madison, Wisconsin, where we met.
In Madison, Wisconsin? Mm.
That's a major city. Exactly.
Where do they have volunteer firemen in major cities?
Oh, you drinking now.
Yeah.
Boy, that water right there, whoo-hoo.
Let me tell you something.
Let me tell you something, man.
That's a dead giveaway.
[ Laughter ]
And he told me that he was
on a championship basketball team at his college.
Okay, stop right there.
[ Laughing ]
I never said that.
Now, I'm pretty sure this woman
didn't just dig up "championship basketball team."
So what did you tell her about the basketball?
I play on a basketball team.
You didn't never say you had won a championship?
[ Laughter ]
I said the team won a championship, yeah.
Yeah.
I found out that he was a teacher's aide
because I have friends that work
for the school district.
Well, teacher's aides is good.
Teacher's aide is good, but it's not a teacher.
If he would have just told me
he was a teacher's aide, that's cool.
But that's not what he did. He lied about everything.
Go and get a drink. Go ahead.
[ Light laughter ]
What do you -- What do you say about all this?
It was never my intention to hurt her.
I did embellish some things.
But I want a family. I want kids.
What am I gonna do with someone
when their eggs are poached...hard?
Like, I can't...
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What'd you say?
What am I gonna do with someone
when their eggs are poached...hard?
Like, I can't...
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What'd you say?
I want a family.
You have a family You lied
and told me you didn't have any kids.
You have a daughter. My man, listen to me.
Hold on one second.
Play back what he said to me.
What am I gonna do with someone
when their eggs are poached...hard?
Oh, that's what you said.
[ Spectators murmur ]
[ Chuckling ] Hey, man.
You don't see the hole you digging?
He has a daughter. He said he had no children.
I found out he has a daughter.
I never said I didn't have any children.
Yes, you said, "I don't --"
And when Father's Day came, I said,
"Oh, well, too bad you're not a dad.
I can't buy you a Father's Day gift."
And you're like, "Oh, I am a dad." "What?"
Yeah, but I never said I wasn't a father.
Oh, you a dad, but you not a father.
No.
Crowd is starting to turn on you right now.
"We don't believe it." Right.
"He ain't taking care of nobody but his damn self, Steve."
Yeah. See?
Now I'm starting to get the feeling why we here now.
See? 'Cause you're suing for $10,000.
Now let's talk about these gifts.
You know, in a relationship, you buy each other gifts.
He's a sneakerhead.
I bought him several pairs of sneakers.
I bought him a watch. I bought him a wallet.
I bought him fishing gear.
I bought him all kinds of stuff.
Let me tell you what he gave me.
My first birthday -- nothing.
My first Valentine's Day -- zero.
He said he doesn't celebrate.
So the next year,
what he gave me for Valentine's Day...
I'm honestly embarrassed to say it.
What did you give her?
I gave her some lottery tickets,
like, some scratch-offs.
[ Chuckles ]
I ought to bust you in your damn head.
Before you do that, I...
Yeah. Okay, well, let me take my hand off of it.
I gave her a $700 gold bracelet
and -- that she absolutely loved.
First of all, I went with you to the store, Jordan.
You're lying again. It was $200. Here it is. No, it was --
No. No, it was -- There, you can have it.
I don't wear it anymore. There's no sentimental value.
Keep it.
Okay, so now your countersuit is for what?
$3,000 that I loaned her
when I won some money at a casino, and, uh...
You gave her this money? $3,000? Yes.
I didn't get a penny.
Listen, I loaned him $3,700 to get his car fixed --
He needed an engine in his beat-up car --
as a loan.
Now, he'd paid me $300 of it back.
Yes, he did. And then on top of that,
I don't know whether he stole my credit card...
That's not true. That's just... ...or whether he broke down the numbers.
But $5,000. He was paying his own bills on my card.
Okay, so hold on. So you submitted...
Yes, I have. I have documentation. ...some documents to the court.
Let me take a look at these. Yes.
This is an auto bill. Yes.
The auto bill is for $3,761
of money you gave him to repair his car.
I went there and paid for it by check.
Okay. What else are we here for?
And we're here for the $5,000 he paid for --
like, a new phone, energy bill,
gas and electric bill.
So we got about $8,761.10.
So you used the credit card?
Yeah. You did?
I mean, I wouldn't use her card without, like --
I'm not trying to go to jail. I would never do that.
Nobody tries to go to jail.
Deana, out of this $5,000 that's on this credit card
and this $3,761 you paid on the car,
how much has he given you back?
He gave me $300 back on the $3,700 loan
to fix his car. That's it.
So you did give her $300 back on the $3,700?
On the engine, yeah, because I wanted to pay her back.
There was never an agreement to pay her back. Yeah.
Now, I got $8,461.
You're in here for $10,000. Yeah.
Where's the other $1,600?
Okay, so the night before
the one-year anniversary of my mom's death,
I went in the cabinet where we kept some of her jewelry,
which he knew that was in there.
And guess what? It was gone.
I'd never take... And a few months prior to this,
in his wallet that he left at my house,
there was a receipt for a pawnshop.
Now, I knew he always goes to pawnshops.
I never -- That's just not true.
That is true. You stole my mother's jewelry. Where's the receipt?
I would never. That's just so low down.
Yes. Yeah, you did. I would never do that.
No one was in that house but you.
I did not take any jewelry from her. That's just not --
Yeah. So how did jewelry come up missing?
I don't know.
I can't answer that because I don't have it.
It's not in my possession. I didn't take it.
What did you pawn? Nothing.
[ Laughing ]
Boy...[ chuckling ]
Nothing. Noth--
Listen to me.
The last people that give you money
for nothing is the pawnshop.
So when I asked you, "What do you have a receipt for?"
And you say, "Nothing," is 'cause you can't think
of nothing you can tell me right now.
And that stuff was priceless.
That was my mom's jewelry.
Come on, man. What did you pawn?
I didn't pawn anything.
That's what you gonna go with right there?
You would call me from that pawnshop all the time.
That's not -- That's just not true.
That's not true. Yeah. Yeah.
Everything you said is a little shaky.
I ain't saying you lying...
[ Sighs ]
[ Quietly ] I'm not lying.
I'm ready to deliver my verdict.
Regarding your countersuit,
you're saying you gave her $3,000.
It's just kind of hard, man,
when you ran down the list of so many untruths
to get to this one glaring piece of truth
that everybody supposed to all of a sudden believe.
I think you misled this woman. Yeah.
Now, the bracelet for $700, she gave that back.
But you forgot that she went to the store with you.
Yes.
So you're countersuit for $3,700 is out.
Dismissed.
Now, Deana,
you've done a wonderful job of maintaining your age, lady.
Even Jordan is clapping right now.
He know he struck gold.
This boy ain't got no business with you.
And if you really had have read my book,
"Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man,"
I have a section in the book that said
women should stop having 2-foot-high fences
around their yard
because everybody can hop over that fence,
dig up the dirt and go on about their business.
I know for a fact that you gave this man $3,761 as a loan
because he paid back $300.
I also know that he charged $5,000 on your card.
98% of everything he said --
There's been a lot. Go ahead. What?
70%.
You think that's good?
You standing here saying 70%
of everything you said is a lie.
What good is the 30%?
You can't be this dumb.
[ Laughter ]
You 32 years old, boy.
See, if you was really 40, you wouldn't have said that.
Do you have any savings, son?
No.
You have no way of paying this woman back, do you?
No.
I am going to pay this woman out of the court's pocket,
but I'm going to say something to you, young man.
If this was my sister, I'd kick your ass.
I really would.
I rule for the plaintiff for $10,000.
That's my verdict.
And that's the way I see it.
♪♪
I did not leave my stuff like this.
Frank, how did her stuff get damaged?
Um, I have no clue.
If my mama asked me, "Steve, how did that get broke?"
and I go, "I don't know, Mama,"
I get back hand immediately.
Steve: Alright. Thank you all.
Let's get started.
This is the case of Lillie Jones
vs. Frank Mosley and Stephanie Mosley.
Lillie is suing her former employers, Frank and Stephanie,
for $4,850 for unpaid wages
and damage to her personal electronics.
The Mosleys say they don't owe Lillie
and are countersuing her for $5,662.58
for destroying their family car.
Steve: Ah, let's start with you, Lillie.
You have 30 seconds to state your case.
I'm here today, Your Honor,
because I am suing for the amount of $4,850.
I was a live-in nanny for the Mosleys.
We had an agreement. $2,400 per month.
I was supposed to be there for six months.
But my money started getting funny,
so they owe me for $3,600 in lost wages
and $1,250 for a broken laptop and monitor.
Okay, Frank and Stephanie, it's your turn.
You have 30 seconds to state your case.
We did hire Lillie
to be a live-in nanny for six months.
She only did four months of the job.
And before she left, she damaged Stephanie's car.
The damages came to $5,662.58,
which we are countersuing for.
Alright. Well, let's start with you, Lillie.
Tell me, how did you become their nanny?
Lillie: Through a mutual friend.
He said, "I have a friend that does
strategic planning for nonprofits and companies."
So let me introduce you. And so he introduced me to them.
And as we were working, we started to,
you know, FaceTime and talk and get to know each other.
And then they stated they needed some support
with the kids and things.
And I was like, "Hmm, okay, y'all in Georgia?"
Well, I thought about moving to Georgia anyway.
So I said, "Hmm. This might be okay."
Where were you living before? I was living in Virginia.
Okay. Mm-hmm.
So I came down, and it was really nice.
You know, they were cool, but the agreement was
$2,400 a month and $1,000 relocation.
Now, for this $2,400, what was gonna be your duties?
I was to, like, make sure snacks, breakfast and dinner
was good for the kids. The little one, lunch.
How many children? Two.
Okay. Mm-hmm.
Boys, girls? Boys, mm-hmm.
Two -- Oh. How old are they?
7 and 15, I believe.
Whoo. I know.
So now let me go to you, Frank and Stephanie.
Is this what the agreement was?
Yes, it was. Yes. It was really me.
I talked to Lillie every day, FaceTime,
while she was in Richmond. I was in Atlanta here.
She stated she wanted to get to Atlanta.
So what I was doing was giving her
an opportunity to get here and giving her
a soft landing so she can move.
Was there an actual agreement for her to be a nanny?
Yes, sir. It's been submitted to the court.
Steve: Alright. Let me see that agreement.
Lillie: I submitted it. Mm-hmm.
This letter, 2021, $2,400 a month.
I see that.
$1,000 in relocation assistance.
Then the following responsibilities --
household chores, transporting kids,
preparing meals, assist with homework projects.
Oh, yeah. See, I was tutoring as well.
Because, see, I taught high school
before I came out here, honey.
So I could provide a lot of assistance.
Oh. Okay. Yes, sir.
So now, how did the first month go?
So the first month was real good.
I brought my car down.
Now, I was willing to drive my car.
They insisted on me driving their car
that's 20 years old.
What kind of car was it, Frank?
It was a 2001 Mercedes ML 320.
Okay. Oh, that's that, like, kind of like a minivan, like.
Yes. What kind of car did you have?
I have a 2015 Jeep Patriot.
But you wanted her to drive your car.
Stephanie: Well, we didn't insist.
We don't want her to worry about...
So you provided her a work vehicle. Right.
Because it's a better look when she's going to pick up the kids.
Pull up in the Benz.
Maybe. Not necessarily.
I mean, he said, "Maybe." You said, "Not necessarily."
I know how men think. I'm sorry, ma'am.
I'm just -- For men, it's a better look
when you go pick up the kids,
have a Mercedes emblem on the front.
For you, that didn't mean nothing, but me and Frank...
Okay. Okay.
You know, you need that circle with that thing in the...
Pull up, get the kids in that. Right.
So now, Lillie... Mm-hmm.
...first month goes well.
So what happened in March?
Of course, I got paid on the 1st and the 15th.
Right? Uh-huh.
So the middle of March, I'm like,
"Okay, I ain't got paid yet,"
but I also knew that there were visitors coming
and they were preparing the house
for visitors to come.
Frank: My parents was coming down.
Now, my parents come down every football season,
so they normally come August
and they leave around Christmas.
That's every year they come watch my son play football.
And they showed up a little early.
They came through in April,
and actually, they're still here.
Your parents are still here?
-Yes. -Mm-hmm.
My wife said, "Yes."
No, we love it. We love them.
You want -- You want to say you love them one more time?
I love them.
Yes. Really.
Yeah.
Frank: After my parents got here...
They still here.
Mm-hmm.
But that's when things changed with us and Lillie.
How so?
Well, Lillie's living
in 1,500 square foot of the basement.
She has an apartment down there.
But hold on. Mm-hmm.
You gave her the basement. Indeed.
Stephanie: Yes. Okay.
Nobody's complaining about this.
No one said, "Oh, Lillie,
my parents are coming. You got to leave."
Okay. My parents --
They stayed in the family room on the first level.
But you said the problem started when my parents came.
Explain.
Well, we're on the second level.
Lillie's in the basement. Everyone has their space.
When you put my parents in the middle area,
the space shrinks in the house. Yes.
It won't -- Let me tell you -- Mnh-mnh, judge, you know.
It was a little tight, but when the parents came,
I had to run a little bit more errands
because everybody wanted to eat something different.
You're working for instead of four people, six people.
The entire house.
That is not true, Your Honor.
So now you're saying
she didn't do nothing for your parents.
Frank: No. No.
How old are your parents?
My dad is 72. My mom is 69.
72-year-old people want something.
What they want is good fried chicken.
And that's why when my mom cook,
Lillie was the first one at the table.
That's right. Every day.
That's the only thing I agree with
'cause it's good.
I like that good fried chicken, honey.
[ Laughter ]
72-year-old people want something.
Frank: What they want is good fried chicken.
And that's why when my mom cook,
Lillie was the first one at the table.
That's right. Every day.
That's the only thing I agree with
'cause it's good.
I like that good fried chicken, honey.
[ Laughter ]
You know... Steve: Your mama can cook.
We all agree on that right there.
But now you got to admit, she worked for y'all.
I cannot imagine they ain't asking her to do nothing.
See, it's called implied, okay?
So implied duties.
When you go in the laundry room,
if all of y'all stuff is in there, do you think
I'm gonna put it somewhere else... Come on.
...put the kids' laundry in there,
then put it back? No.
So I'm gonna go on and switch it over
from the washer to the dryer.
I like the way you said it was implied.
Frank: That's true.
But that ain't what you're complaining about.
Let's talk about what
you should have gotten paid.
February, $2,400,
$2,400, $2,400,
and half of May was only $1,200
because you left early. Mm-hmm.
Everybody agreed to that. Yes.
I want to see the wages that was received.
Let's put this chart up.
We got $2,400 in February.
Yes.
In March, you got $1,200.
Yes, sir.
April, you say you got $1,200.
Mm-hmm.
April, we had a conversation with Lillie. Mm-hmm.
Said, "Listen, we're gonna pay you $1,200 this month.
We will make it up on the 15th..."
Of May. "...of May."
Lillie wasn't there the 15th of May.
No, she was gone.
She was gone about the 7th of May.
Right. Now, in May,
you should have gotten another $1,200.
You said you got zero.
Well, let me tell you, I got zero,
but Miss Stephy, she felt bad
'cause she knew he didn't --
He was supposed to pay me that money.
She did give me a little bit of money,
but that was just from her.
He had nothing to do with it.
How much? I think about $700.
And that $700 -- Which now
we're gonna have to go to divorce court about.
Now, we good, we good.
She didn't tell me anything about the $700.
Oh, she didn't tell the $700.
Because she was, you know...
She knew.
Well, but, see, here's the deal.
I've been married 34 years now to 3 different people.
Oh.
Well, I have a lot of experience with the wife
doing something that the husband don't know about.
Sometimes women see something getting a little bit
out of hand, and we a little stubborn sometimes.
And our woman will step in and go
before you put your foot all the way in your whole mouth.
"Let me come in here and save a little bit of something."
Yeah. 'Cause I think there is an agreement
that was only $1,200 paid in April.
We are in total agreement of that. Frank: Yes.
So that's a whole nother month.
So we are short somewhere. Right.
Now, there's one other thing -- damaged items.
What about this computer?
Lillie: When I left on the 15th, I told them,
I'm gonna leave my electronics there
until I get my apartment squared away,
and I'll come back for my big electronics
because I wanted to get everything in place.
Okay. When I got back, my stuff
was in my laundry basket by the first floor.
That looked like that with all that tape.
So I think he broke in and trashed it,
then used that black electric tape
to try to, you know, fix it up.
But then my laptop had been dropped.
And if you look, you put the cord in,
it won't stay in.
So I can't connect to the Internet. You see it?
Uh-huh. I got you. It won't stay in.
I did not leave my stuff like this.
Frank, how did her stuff get damaged?
Um...I have no clue.
Now, see, Frank, listen to me.
See, I've been -- I've been a guy a long time.
If my mama asked me, "Steve, how did that get broke?"
and I go, "Um, I don't know, Mama"...
Mm-hmm.
...I get back hand immediately.
Right.
Because that hesitation, Frank,
you and I both know...
Um...I have no idea. Okay.
Now, come on, Frank.
Somebody broke her computer.
A recording studio is in the basement,
and I do have people come in and record.
Oh. So it is people in the basement.
It could have got broke by them.
I'm not gonna say it didn't.
I'm saying I didn't do it,
nor did I do that tape job.
Somebody did.
I believe you.
Now let's go to the countersuit for car damage.
Tell me about that.
If you look, it just looks like a flat tire.
The estimate I'm gonna show you
is damage way beyond that.
How much did you say these repairs were?
$5,662.
And we have an estimate of that?
We do. Let's see the estimate that you submitted.
The date on this is 3-30-2022.
Mm-hmm.
Y'all got hired in January of 2021,
left in May. Right.
This car was damaged a year ago.
Mm-hmm. Show me the value of the car.
Mm. Value of the car is $1,200.
This is a 20-year-old car. Right.
If you got an estimate for $5,663...
Lillie: It would be a total loss, wouldn't it?
...a flat tire totaled the car.
[ Laughter ]
I ain't never heard that before.
Child...
I have reached a verdict.
Y'all know good and well
this woman ain't responsible for that car.
I'm dismissing your countersuit.
Let's just do that.
Now, we're looking at $5,500 received
with a total expectation of $8,400,
which leaves a balance of $2,900.
And then I got the damage to the monitor
and the computer at $1,250
for a total of $4,150.
My ruling is for the plaintiff in the total of $4,150.
Hallelujah!
That's my verdict.
And that's the way I see it.
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
The kids do have something to do with it
because the kids are an extension of the parents.
No, listen to me.
The next one of y'all say something,
you're gonna leave out of here without a quarter.
Steve: Okay, so let's get started.
This is the case of Bill Carter and Lauren Carter
vs. Jennifer Thompson.
The Carters are suing their neighbor Jennifer
for $5,000 to replace the mailbox they say she destroyed.
Jennifer claims the couple was impossible to deal with
and is countersuing for $3,007.94.
Alright. Let's start with you,
William and Lauren Carter.
You have 30 seconds to state your case.
Hi, Mr. Harvey. Well, my husband and I
are here today because our neighbor
Jennifer Thompson destroyed our mailbox.
We're suing for a total
of $5,519.50 for the mailbox,
$1,170 for time and expenses of us
having to spend 18 days to go back and forth
to the post office to pick up our mail,
because the mail will not get delivered
without a mailbox. Bill: Right.
And then the rest of it is for slander.
Okay. Jennifer, your turn.
You have 30 seconds to respond.
Well, I'm here because I'm not responsible
for that mailbox. Ah--
After I bought, paid for it to be repaired and installed,
and then they refused it.
I'm countersuing for $3,007.94.
$300 for an overdraft fee,
$104.94 for security cameras I had to place,
$420 for my brake light that they broke
out of my car. What proof you have?
And the rest is for $2,180 for harassment.
Ooh, yeah. You just making stuff up nowadays.
Ohh.
A lot of money for mailbox.
First, it's not just any mailbox.
I call the homeowner's association.
Homeowner's association
gives me the telephone number
of the people that they contract
to install the mailboxes.
They say to me
that the mailbox costs $519.50.
Okay.
I know. It's a lot for a mailbox,
but that's what happens when you live
in a homeowner's association.
Alright. Explain this to me.
At my house, I have security cameras.
And that's how I caught her.
She drives like a maniac down the street.
Okay. Do we have the video?
You can see my mailbox
laying in the middle of my driveway.
Right behind -- Hold on, hold on.
Let me see this in slow-mo.
Bang!
There's her -- There's her rearview mirror right there
that she came back and picked up.
Miss Jennifer, is that you in the car?
Yes, it is. And I admitted that.
I have no problem taking accountability for hitting it.
Oh, you hit the mailbox. I did.
Oh. I even came back and told Bill I hit it.
That was after... You were not coming back.
Oh, hold on, hold on, hold on.
Sorry. Hold on.
Right after you hit the mailbox, tell me what happened.
I was running late for an appointment.
I've been unemployed, just secured employment.
My employment was contingent upon me
getting to this appointment. I was in a rush.
I went to the appointment because if I missed it,
I'd lose my job.
Single mother. I take care of four kids
and I'm my mother's caregiver.
I couldn't miss it. So you gonna hit my mailbox...
and go to your house and come back?
I said, "Alright. On my way home,
I will go ahead and let them know it was me."
Nobody was out there.
Not Bill, not his wife. Nobody was there.
If that was the case, we would have spoke
when I picked up my rearview.
Can I be the voice of reason?
Uh...
Can I be the voice of reason?
Plaintiffs ain't usually the voice of reason
'cause you the reason we here.
Exactly right, we're here. Right.
So -- so -- it's gonna be hard for you,
but just hold on. Let me get to it. Okay.
About how long is it before you come back?
Jennifer: About an hour and a half.
I pull up on the side of the house.
I see him standing on the driveway with the phone.
I say, "My name is Jennifer Thompson.
I am responsible
for the damage to the mailbox."
Stop right here. Do you remember that?
Yeah. That happened just like that?
Yeah, just like that. Now, go ahead.
I said, "Let me know what the cost is for the damages.
I don't mind covering it."
I gave him my name, my number.
He already told me he knew where I lived.
"I got you on camera." Thank you.
"Good thing you stopped, young lady,
because I sure was about to send the cops to your house."
I said, "There's no need to do that.
I'm taking accountability. It was me."
Hold.
Voice of reason.
Lauren: I say, "We need a police report."
So the police come down and officer says to us,
"Would you like me to cite her
for hitting and run, failure to notify,
and leaving the scene of an accident?"
And I said, "No. She said she'd pay."
Bill already spoke to her. Right.
So what we just want is the police report,
you know, so that we are covered. So we have a backup.
Okay, I got it.
Where are we at now?
Next day, Global Home Construction --
who are the people that they contract
to install the mailboxes --
made it clear to me that because of COVID
that they were having a manpower shortage
and it would take them anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks...
That's a lie. ...probably six weeks to get it installed.
What did you do with that information?
At about 6:30, I sent Jennifer a text message
and let her know what the cost of the mailbox was.
You had -- You sent her a text message 'cause... Absolutely.
...she has given you all her contact information.
She gave it to Bill. I communicated with her
because Bill said, "Lauren, you communicate with her
woman to woman." They females...
"It'll be easier..." Keep you out of it.
Keep him out of it. Right. Right.
He don't want to be in it.
I'm the voice of reason.
You're the voice of reason.
I am the voice of reason.
Mm. Mm. We have the texts?
Yes, sir. Let's take a look at the texts.
"My name is Lauren Carter.
The total cost of replacement is $519.50.
Are you aware that you do not need a police report
to have your insurance cover the cost.
Please advise how you plan to proceed."
She replies by saying,
"No, I wasn't aware I didn't need a police report.
I should be able to give you the funds
in the next 2 weeks." Correct.
And then you said, "2 weeks from now
is Friday, December 3rd."
Correct.
So you're just assuring
that she understands what the two weeks is?
Correct.
So we have, right now, an agreement.
You agree the mailbox is $519?
$519.50.
Do you agree that the mailbox is $519.50?
I agree. They chose the most expensive mailbox.
That's exactly the same one we got!
That you destroyed!
My mailbox didn't jump in the street.
Nancy: No, no, no. Hey. We're not gonna have this. No.
Do we have a photo of the mailbox?
That's the mailbox.
Lauren: That's a $519 mailbox.
That's a nice mailbox.
Thank you. And it had an elf hat on it.
Does that look like the mailbox you hit?
It does. It does.
Okay, so now December 3rd gets here.
What happens?
I reach out on December 2nd
when I see my check pending in my bank account.
Okay.
I see that I do not have the full amount.
So I reach out and I say, "I'm sorry.
I'm aware that I've agreed
to pay this amount on December 3rd.
Would it be okay if I give you $250 out of this check..."
That is not at all what she said.
"...and settle the remainder in the next two weeks?
Can we work out an arrangement?"
is what I asked.
And then she got belligerent.
No, I didn't. Really?
Okay, so did she -- Did you get
a phone call from her the day before?
Lauren: No, she sent me the text message
and it said, "I'm not paying."
Jennifer: No, it didn't.
"You gonna get it when I give it to you."
Oh, that is a bold lie.
No, wait a minute. Hold, hold.
Did she -- Did you get a phone call from her the day before?
Lauren: No, she sent me the text message
and it said, "I'm not paying."
Jennifer: No, it didn't.
"You gonna get it when I give it to you."
Oh, that is a bold lie.
No, wait a minute. Hold, hold.
Okay, we have the text. December 3rd...
Then put -- Please show it.
Steve: This is what it says.
You do recall this text, though?
Absolutely. You can't tell me --
Why you gonna wait till the last day?
No. Okay.
You hit my mailbox.
I've been waiting for two weeks.
Okay, I understand. It's no problem.
So your response was...
That's right.
After you got this text, what did you do?
I reached out to Global Home Construction,
purchased the mailbox, set up the replacement,
set up the discarding of the one that was broken
so they didn't have to worry about any of that.
Let me see that information.
Payment method -- $519.
[ Bill speaking indistinctly ]
Who is the shipper to?
She paid them instead of paying us.
So now when did you find out about her ordering the mailbox?
After we already got it replaced.
He said to me, "I'm gonna call up Lorenzo."
I got a friend that has his own company.
Who can put the mailbox in
because he puts mailboxes in all over the place.
Okay. He's a legit contractor.
I told him, "This is what they told us it's gonna cost us.
You get it done, I'll pay you the exact $519.50."
Show me this receipt.
Now, where did Lorenzo get the mailbox from?
I looked it up on Home Depot.
They thought they had a mark.
Jennifer, when you ordered this mailbox,
did it ever arrive?
Yes. No, it did not.
They came to install it on December 12th.
A young lady from the manufacturer
reached out to me.
She said, "I have the contractors there,
but Miss Carter has told them
to get the [bleep] off her property."
That is so... Yes, she did.
If they came out there on the 12th,
they would have seen
there was a mailbox standing there.
There wasn't one there yet. Yes, it was.
The mailbox was installed on the 4th.
Okay, guys, stop. Steve: Wait a minute.
Wait a minute, wait a minute. One at a time.
There's a $1,170 part to this lawsuit
for time and gas.
In relation to your house, where is the post office?
The post office is really close.
It's about maybe 5 or 10 minutes
away from the house.
Okay. But I work in Gainesville,
so that's an hour drive for me to get to work.
I had to leave early to go get to the post office
before they close.
Did you ever think to just drive
from your house to the mailbox?
It still don't make a difference.
It's still taking my time regardless.
Still taking your time? Yes, sir.
10 minutes versus an hour. It don't make no difference.
Gotcha. Okay.
Now let me go back over to you.
You're counting for $3,007.
This is hilarious.
$3,007.94.
$300 for overdraft fees.
I had to overdraft to buy that.
That's why I was asking,
"Could we set up an arrangement?" Wow.
You got $107 for security cameras.
I go out to check my car.
All the way across the back window is dog feces.
Your Honor... Mm.
So -- But now, are you saying that the plaintiff did this?
I'm saying she is the one that has a large canine
that she makes sure she walks by my house
every chance she gets.
I just think that that is the most ridiculous thing.
I do, too. Who would do that?
She's pulling stuff out of the air at this point in time.
I don't have any issues with any other neighbors.
I can't even respond to that.
Who would walk over... I got you, I got you.
[ All talking over each other ]
Listen, listen. ...type of person
that's gonna go down there and do that.
Bill, listen. Yes, sir.
Let's talk about the car taillight.
My right taillight is knocked,
like somebody cracked it.
I put on the camera.
You have a photo of that? Okay.
That was the day that I bought the camera
that sits in front of my house.
And this last one is $2,180 for harassment.
Harassment. Okay, got it.
Now explain the $3,310.50 for slander.
That's what you just heard.
All the gobbledygook you just heard.
I'm not gonna come down there and break your taillight.
I drive a $100,000 Audi.
You think I'm worried about your car?
Obviously you were.
You were completely concerned about a little bit of $500.
[ All talking over each other ]
You know what? I've done heard enough of this now.
I'm not gonna do that.
I've heard it. I've reached a verdict.
This is what I'm gonna do. Okay.
And I'm telling you, I'm doing this begrudgingly.
How old are your children?
14, 12, 9, and 8.
How old are your children?
19. And I have twin boys who are 17.
Are any of your sons aware of what's going on?
Yeah. They still play with her son.
Yeah. They play basketball together.
They come in my home and play basketball.
I still allowed them kids. Why would I do that?
The kids ain't got nothing to do with this.
The kids do have something to do with this.
I don't turn that child away.
No, listen to me. Don't nobody else say nothing.
The next one of y'all say something, you're gonna leave
out of here without a quarter.
I promise you. You will.
So you need to listen to me.
The kids do have something to do with this
because the kids are an extension of a parent.
But they somehow, in y'all's ignorance,
then found a way to see they way to still be friends.
Lauren: Oh, yeah.
But you know what?
They mama and they daddy and they mama can't work it out
over $519.
And both y'all work.
Look, man, I can't award you none of your suit,
because legally, I can't do it.
Alright.
I'm gonna award you the plaintiff $519
for your mailbox, but I'm not gonna let her pay it.
Don't make her pay it.
No, no, don't -- don't get gracious now.
No, I'm not being gracious. Let me tell you why.
No, no, no, no. Because...
No, no, no. ...she never...
I just said if you say something else,
you wasn't gonna get nothing.
So now you fixed that.
'Cause I asked you that.
See, y'all...
You know, this is the first time
I actually got mad in here,
because what we're talking about,
we shouldn't even be talking about.
Doggone it.
I know you didn't mean to say it.
I'm going give you the $519 anyway.
But you know what I'm gonna do for you, little sister?
Because you down the street and you're struggling.
I really believe you tried to do the right thing.
I'm gonna award you harassment $2,180.
[ Cheers and applause ]
That's my verdict.
And that's the way I see it.
I got my $519. I'm good.
That's all I wanted in the beginning. Mm-hmm.
♪♪