1
00:00:00,033 --> 00:00:01,100
You buy half a cow.

2
00:00:01,166 --> 00:00:02,300
-Right.
-No.

3
00:00:02,367 --> 00:00:05,934
I'm sure he had intentions of
buying the cow, but he didn't do it.

4
00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:07,300
You texted him,

5
00:00:07,367 --> 00:00:12,200
"I will do whatever I can
to get you your money back."

6
00:00:13,300 --> 00:00:14,266
He never bought it.

7
00:00:14,333 --> 00:00:17,967
Nah, you're full of baloney.
Or full of cow meat. One or the other.

8
00:00:18,033 --> 00:00:20,934
[announcer]
Today on Tribunal Justice...

9
00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:24,000
[opening theme music plays]

10
00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:45,367
This case was filed
in Mort Myers, Florida.

11
00:00:45,433 --> 00:00:48,166
Judges, this is case #1058
on the calendar

12
00:00:48,233 --> 00:00:50,934
in the matter of Vo versus Delgado.

13
00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:53,400
Parties have been sworn in.
You may be seated.

14
00:00:53,467 --> 00:00:56,600
Thank you, Byrd. Mr. Vo,
you are the Plaintiff in the case.

15
00:00:56,667 --> 00:00:58,467
-You are a contractor.
-Right.

16
00:00:58,533 --> 00:01:01,600
You know the Defendant because
he does work on several of your jobs.

17
00:01:01,667 --> 00:01:03,333
-He is a plumber.
-Correct.

18
00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:07,433
And there came a time when Mr. Delgado
was in need of some money, of a loan.

19
00:01:07,500 --> 00:01:10,633
He asked if he could borrow $3,500.
You agreed.

20
00:01:10,700 --> 00:01:13,400
-But you had him sign a promissory note.
-Correct, yes.

21
00:01:13,467 --> 00:01:16,066
The terms of the promissory note
were what?

22
00:01:16,133 --> 00:01:18,934
Standard, no interest.
Payable within 60 days.

23
00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:23,200
Okay, so, when you say standard, usually,
a promissory note has some interest.

24
00:01:23,265 --> 00:01:24,133
Right.

25
00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:26,400
But yours was
a zero-interest promissory note...

26
00:01:26,467 --> 00:01:27,467
I tried to help the guy.

27
00:01:27,533 --> 00:01:29,834
And it was for a short period of time
for 60 days.

28
00:01:29,900 --> 00:01:31,400
-Right.
-[Adam] You lent him that money,

29
00:01:31,467 --> 00:01:33,900
-and he did not pay you back.
-No, he didn't.

30
00:01:33,967 --> 00:01:36,667
And what he was saying was
that was not a loan.

31
00:01:36,734 --> 00:01:38,967
but it was an advance on work.

32
00:01:39,033 --> 00:01:40,233
-Is that correct?
-Correct.

33
00:01:40,300 --> 00:01:44,200
You also gave him $2,500.
And what was that for?

34
00:01:44,265 --> 00:01:46,866
-Oh, half the cow. Yes.
-[Adam] For half a cow?

35
00:01:46,934 --> 00:01:49,233
[Adam] So, according to your complaint
that I read,

36
00:01:49,300 --> 00:01:52,700
the Defendant is involved in
purchasing whole cows,

37
00:01:52,767 --> 00:01:55,400
you have been doing it for awhile.
You purchase the cow,

38
00:01:55,467 --> 00:01:58,433
you have it butchered and
you freeze the meat

39
00:01:58,500 --> 00:02:01,700
and you use the meat for yourself and
your family over a long period of time.

40
00:02:01,767 --> 00:02:02,633
Correct.

41
00:02:02,700 --> 00:02:05,433
According to your answer, Mr. Delgado,
that's not what happened.

42
00:02:05,500 --> 00:02:07,367
-No.
-No. He said what?

43
00:02:07,433 --> 00:02:08,567
He never paid the money?

44
00:02:08,633 --> 00:02:14,033
No, no. He didn't like that there wasn't
the amount that you hang the cow at.

45
00:02:14,100 --> 00:02:18,433
But everybody knows that cow shrinks
when you hang it for two weeks.

46
00:02:18,500 --> 00:02:20,433
Well, when you say everybody knows...

47
00:02:20,500 --> 00:02:22,867
Well, most people know.
Most people know.

48
00:02:22,934 --> 00:02:25,333
I would challenge you on that,
but that's not what's really important.

49
00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:30,233
What is important is that, your position
is that you never received the $2,500

50
00:02:30,300 --> 00:02:32,433
-and you don't owe him that money at all.
-No.

51
00:02:32,500 --> 00:02:37,166
Let's start now, with the $3,500
that, uh, that you did loan.

52
00:02:37,233 --> 00:02:41,200
Was there anything in writing
that outlined the terms and conditions

53
00:02:41,266 --> 00:02:45,734
of that loan. Because you said
it was a loan, interest free.

54
00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,033
And according to what you,
Mr. Delgado, was saying

55
00:02:48,100 --> 00:02:50,533
is it was nothing that you were gonna
pay back immediately

56
00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:54,966
but because you do work for the Plaintiff,
you were gonna work that off.

57
00:02:55,033 --> 00:02:57,633
So, what I'm asking,
since it's your burden,

58
00:02:57,700 --> 00:02:59,500
-Right.
-[Adam] do you have a copy

59
00:02:59,567 --> 00:03:04,200
of any contract that shows what the terms
and conditions of that agreement was?

60
00:03:04,266 --> 00:03:07,433
That's correct, yes.
I have a promissory note.

61
00:03:07,500 --> 00:03:09,467
I think that you have it in the evidence.

62
00:03:09,533 --> 00:03:11,266
Okay, is that your Exhibit One?

63
00:03:11,333 --> 00:03:12,400
That's correct, yes.

64
00:03:12,467 --> 00:03:15,834
All right, so I do have that.
And have you seen that also, Mr. Delgado?

65
00:03:15,900 --> 00:03:16,900
-Yes.
-[Adam] Okay.

66
00:03:16,966 --> 00:03:19,633
According to the terms and conditions
of this promissory note,

67
00:03:19,700 --> 00:03:23,700
which was signed by the both of you
on June 1st, 2022,

68
00:03:23,767 --> 00:03:27,567
that this was a $3,500 loan
with zero percent interest,

69
00:03:27,633 --> 00:03:33,300
and the full balance was going to
become due on August 1st, 2022.

70
00:03:33,367 --> 00:03:34,966
-Is that correct?
-That's correct, yes.

71
00:03:35,033 --> 00:03:39,633
Is what you're saying that the agreement
that you had with the Plaintiff here,

72
00:03:39,700 --> 00:03:43,233
was something besides that
which you signed on this promissory note?

73
00:03:43,300 --> 00:03:47,966
Yes. It was actually for work to be done
for a couple houses,

74
00:03:48,033 --> 00:03:50,266
and there was no paying back
of the money.

75
00:03:50,333 --> 00:03:52,734
The August 1st thing,
I wasn't even offered work

76
00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:57,033
until after August 1st had passed.
He had no houses for us to do.

77
00:03:57,100 --> 00:04:00,400
So, if I understand your testimony then,
in your mind's eye,

78
00:04:00,467 --> 00:04:04,166
this was supposed to be you paying him
back with work that was to be done.

79
00:04:04,233 --> 00:04:05,100
Correct.

80
00:04:05,166 --> 00:04:07,133
[Adam] On the promissory note,
it clearly states

81
00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:09,834
that that repayment was gonna be done
by August 1st.

82
00:04:09,900 --> 00:04:13,233
Right. There was no repayment
that needed to be done at all

83
00:04:13,300 --> 00:04:16,332
He said he wanted that
just so there was a statement.

84
00:04:16,399 --> 00:04:20,466
He's a by-the-books guy.
There's never any money, cash in hand,

85
00:04:20,533 --> 00:04:25,332
until there's paperwork or something
saying that he's giving me that money.

86
00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:29,734
Even for the houses that we do do,
he doesn't give us any in advance.

87
00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:33,266
'Cause that's just how, you know...
He's good at what he does.

88
00:04:33,332 --> 00:04:38,066
Well, he may be good at what he does,
but the problem is, there is a document.

89
00:04:38,133 --> 00:04:42,133
You signed it. If you're attempting to
controvert the terms of that,

90
00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:44,400
it would violate what's called
the Statute of Frauds.

91
00:04:44,467 --> 00:04:46,600
And that's a problem.
You understand that.

92
00:04:46,667 --> 00:04:51,033
Yes. I actually tried to make...
Once he left, after the cow thing,

93
00:04:51,100 --> 00:04:54,300
which we'll get into later,
but I told him I could make payments.

94
00:04:54,367 --> 00:04:56,000
He didn't want nothing to do with that.

95
00:04:56,066 --> 00:04:58,166
He wanted all his money
right then and there.

96
00:04:58,233 --> 00:04:59,900
-[Adam] He's a businessman.
-So, yeah.

97
00:04:59,967 --> 00:05:04,166
I get it. Let's put aside, for a moment,
that issue of the promissory note.

98
00:05:04,233 --> 00:05:05,834
It is what it is, it's a contract.

99
00:05:05,900 --> 00:05:08,767
Let's now talk about
the second cause of action here.

100
00:05:08,834 --> 00:05:11,667
It's for $2,500. What's that for?

101
00:05:11,734 --> 00:05:14,400
For half of the cow.
Usually a cow is not my business,

102
00:05:14,467 --> 00:05:18,066
but he called me up and he asked me
if I wanted to buy half of the cow

103
00:05:18,133 --> 00:05:20,600
because he needed money
to buy food for his animals.

104
00:05:20,667 --> 00:05:24,567
Because he raised all the...
Not just cows, he raised chicken, pigs...

105
00:05:24,633 --> 00:05:27,332
So, Mr. Delgado, what I'm understanding,
and I read your answer.

106
00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:29,600
Instead of going to the supermarket,
like so many of us,

107
00:05:29,667 --> 00:05:32,200
and we buy the steaks and
what have you, and chopped meat.

108
00:05:32,266 --> 00:05:34,266
You'll go out and actually
purchase a whole cow.

109
00:05:34,332 --> 00:05:36,233
Yes. I raise it, actually, from a calf.

110
00:05:36,300 --> 00:05:37,633
-You do?
-[Andrew] Yes.

111
00:05:37,700 --> 00:05:39,667
-And what kind of cow?
-It's a Black Angus.

112
00:05:39,734 --> 00:05:42,867
Now, you hear him saying
that he paid you for that.

113
00:05:42,933 --> 00:05:45,567
And you're saying that
that wasn't exactly how it was.

114
00:05:45,633 --> 00:05:47,533
-He was gonna pay you once he got it.
-Right.

115
00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:50,100
But something happened and
the deal was never consummated.

116
00:05:50,166 --> 00:05:53,500
You say you never got the money, and
you, Mr. Vo, say you never got the meat.

117
00:05:53,567 --> 00:05:56,533
So, why don't you tell me in your words,
since it's your burden,

118
00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:57,800
what do you say happened?

119
00:05:57,867 --> 00:06:01,133
He called me up and asked, do I have money
to come and pay half the cow

120
00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:04,600
because he leaving town. So, I said look,
I'm not gonna buy the cow

121
00:06:04,667 --> 00:06:07,867
until I go and see it.
So, I asked him for the address.

122
00:06:07,934 --> 00:06:11,133
So, he text me the address,
so I went to his farm.

123
00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:13,900
He was standing there, and, um, so,
I looked at the cow.

124
00:06:13,967 --> 00:06:17,633
He was, you know, regular Black Angus,
weighed over a ton.

125
00:06:17,700 --> 00:06:22,967
Uh, before that, I came to his house.
I went to the bank and withdrew $2,500.

126
00:06:23,033 --> 00:06:26,533
So, I came to his home.
Because I didn't want to get the check,

127
00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:28,567
he doesn't have time to deposit the check.

128
00:06:28,633 --> 00:06:29,600
So, you gave him cash.

129
00:06:29,667 --> 00:06:32,066
So, I gave him cash and I asked him,
you know,

130
00:06:32,133 --> 00:06:36,000
you have to text it to me
that you received $2,500 for the cow.

131
00:06:36,066 --> 00:06:38,700
And he did text me,
in writing on my phone,

132
00:06:38,767 --> 00:06:40,133
that he received that money.

133
00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:41,734
-You heard what he said.
-I did.

134
00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:45,767
And are you suggesting that his testimony
is something other than accurate?

135
00:06:45,834 --> 00:06:46,700
Yes, so...

136
00:06:46,767 --> 00:06:48,633
Why don't you tell me what you say
really happened.

137
00:06:48,700 --> 00:06:51,033
He's never been to my farm.
He's never seen the cow,

138
00:06:51,100 --> 00:06:56,033
other than a picture that I've sent him.
He came to my house, asked for my scale,

139
00:06:56,100 --> 00:06:58,233
because he said
it's not 400 pounds of meat.

140
00:06:58,300 --> 00:07:01,300
I said, I know it's not 400 pounds
of meat. I then explained to him

141
00:07:01,367 --> 00:07:05,867
once it hangs for two weeks, it dries out,
the blood drains, it shrinks.

142
00:07:05,934 --> 00:07:09,100
So, it's your testimony
that he never paid you the money.

143
00:07:09,166 --> 00:07:10,033
Right.

144
00:07:10,100 --> 00:07:12,600
-I'm looking at Plaintiff's Exhibit #4,
-Mm-hmm.

145
00:07:12,667 --> 00:07:16,934
On June 21st, you texted to him,
that's your address.

146
00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:19,200
-That is my farm address.
-[Adam] Your farm.

147
00:07:19,266 --> 00:07:21,266
And I went and looked at
the cow at the farm.

148
00:07:21,332 --> 00:07:24,600
He never ever went to my farm.
My grandmother lives there and it's gated.

149
00:07:24,667 --> 00:07:27,467
So, he'd have to get permission
to come inside.

150
00:07:27,533 --> 00:07:30,166
You're saying here that you did not
get his $2,500.

151
00:07:30,233 --> 00:07:32,367
-Right.
-But I'm looking at a text right now

152
00:07:32,433 --> 00:07:37,567
and you texted him,
"Cow for $2,500 received today."

153
00:07:37,633 --> 00:07:40,367
[announcer]
Coming up on Tribunal Justice...

154
00:07:40,433 --> 00:07:42,433
-You're sending us some cows?
-No.

155
00:07:42,500 --> 00:07:44,000
You're gonna send us some steak?

156
00:07:44,066 --> 00:07:46,100
No, it's the average price of it goes for.

157
00:07:46,166 --> 00:07:48,100
Oh, I'm sorry, I was
getting ahead of myself

158
00:07:48,166 --> 00:07:50,900
in thinking that you were trying to
bribe us with some good meat.

159
00:07:50,967 --> 00:07:52,266
-But that's all right.
-No.

160
00:07:59,133 --> 00:08:02,266
[announcer] Hiep Vo
is suing his former friend and plumber,

161
00:08:02,333 --> 00:08:07,166
Andrew Delgado, for an unpaid loan
and the cost of half a cow.

162
00:08:07,233 --> 00:08:12,166
Andrew says Hiep never paid for the cow
and wasted his time.

163
00:08:12,233 --> 00:08:16,200
So, I'm having a difficult time,
Mr. Delgado, understanding

164
00:08:16,266 --> 00:08:18,700
how the text message
that you sent to the Plaintiff

165
00:08:18,767 --> 00:08:22,066
means something other than
he gave you $2,500 for the cow.

166
00:08:22,133 --> 00:08:26,900
Right. So, he told me to send that to him
because he wanted to come get it.

167
00:08:26,967 --> 00:08:31,133
As you know, he never came and got it.
I mean, he didn't pick up the cow.

168
00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:34,000
He is not the type
to just hand you some cash...

169
00:08:34,066 --> 00:08:38,133
I got a bank statement too, that I went
the same day and withdraw $2,500.

170
00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:40,700
[Adam] You have that.
I'll take a look at that, please.

171
00:08:43,767 --> 00:08:47,333
So, I'm looking at a bank statement
on June 21st,

172
00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:52,100
the same day that you text him,
and I see here,

173
00:08:52,165 --> 00:08:56,867
a withdrawal in the amount of $2,500.
Is that just a coincidence?

174
00:08:56,934 --> 00:09:01,533
Um, no. I'm sure he had intentions
of buying the cow. But he didn't do it.

175
00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:05,734
And your testimony is notwithstanding now
what is this evidence

176
00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:11,033
of him withdrawing $2,500 cash
from the bank. So, on June 21st,

177
00:09:11,100 --> 00:09:14,834
the text, "Cow for $2,500 received today"
is something other than

178
00:09:14,900 --> 00:09:18,333
what everyone else would basically
look at that and saying, yeah...

179
00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:22,033
Right, but I can assure you
there's no cash at hand with this guy

180
00:09:22,100 --> 00:09:25,300
unless you're signing a piece of paper
for anything, ever.

181
00:09:25,367 --> 00:09:28,600
He even text me,
I sue people all the time.

182
00:09:28,667 --> 00:09:31,333
If what you just told me is
that he does this all the time,

183
00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:35,433
that he'll have people give him documents
and then he'll turn around and sue them,

184
00:09:35,500 --> 00:09:37,367
why in the world would you do that?

185
00:09:37,433 --> 00:09:41,000
Well, I didn't have any issues with him
until this day.

186
00:09:41,066 --> 00:09:45,500
The problem with your testimony though
is that according to the text messages,

187
00:09:45,567 --> 00:09:50,165
you sent back a text, "I didn't
do you dirty, so don't think that.

188
00:09:50,233 --> 00:09:55,633
I will do whatever I can
to get you your money... back."

189
00:09:55,700 --> 00:09:58,300
In reference to the $3,500.

190
00:09:58,367 --> 00:10:01,266
So, you're saying that the statement
that you made there

191
00:10:01,333 --> 00:10:05,500
comes immediately after
the text message involving,

192
00:10:05,567 --> 00:10:09,233
"I misspoke if I said you were gonna get
half of the 800,"

193
00:10:09,300 --> 00:10:13,133
which was the 800 pounds of the cow
was something other than a cow?

194
00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:14,066
No.

195
00:10:14,133 --> 00:10:15,734
'Cause you understand how that looks,
right?

196
00:10:15,800 --> 00:10:17,000
Yeah, I do understand.

197
00:10:17,066 --> 00:10:18,667
[Adam]
I get you. You know what...

198
00:10:18,734 --> 00:10:19,934
I understand how it looks.

199
00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:22,100
I think Judge Acker may have some
questions for you.

200
00:10:22,166 --> 00:10:25,700
Thank you, Judge.
I love the lifestyle, Mr. Delgado.

201
00:10:25,767 --> 00:10:29,934
I mean, it sounds very clean,
raising your animals. I love it.

202
00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:31,934
I hate your legal position.

203
00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:36,767
It is just bereft
of any common sense basis.

204
00:10:36,834 --> 00:10:38,367
So, I want to try to...

205
00:10:38,433 --> 00:10:44,233
I'm used to getting screwed over.
So, I didn't take the necessary steps...

206
00:10:44,300 --> 00:10:46,934
Tell me how and why you think
you're getting screwed over.

207
00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:50,500
Because I wrote a few things down that you
said in response to Judge Levy

208
00:10:50,567 --> 00:10:54,900
and they were about Mr. Vo, you said,
"He does everything by the book.

209
00:10:54,967 --> 00:10:58,433
He won't pay us in advance.
That's just how he is.

210
00:10:58,500 --> 00:11:02,200
He's good at what he does." And...
Apparently not good enough,

211
00:11:02,266 --> 00:11:04,133
'cause even though
he does all those things,

212
00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:07,734
he still has to drag people to court
to get money back.

213
00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:09,834
And I'm gonna start
with that promissory note.

214
00:11:09,900 --> 00:11:14,333
How on earth can you come to court
and expect us to ignore

215
00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:18,934
the clear import of your words on a page?
I mean, was he holding a gun to your head?

216
00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:22,533
I told him, like, I don't have $3,500
to pay you.

217
00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:26,700
I can pay you in payments. He said,
nope, I want all my money right now.

218
00:11:26,767 --> 00:11:29,200
I told him, I'm still willing
to do the work.

219
00:11:29,266 --> 00:11:33,433
So, your argument is that,
instead of paying you back,

220
00:11:33,500 --> 00:11:36,200
the money I committed to pay you
on the promissory note,

221
00:11:36,266 --> 00:11:40,633
I'll give you my labor. That's different.
What you've actually said,

222
00:11:40,700 --> 00:11:43,633
is that there was never any intention
to pay him back

223
00:11:43,700 --> 00:11:48,500
and that this deal was always
about him prepaying you for labor.

224
00:11:48,567 --> 00:11:52,433
And what I'm saying to you, respectfully,
is that that just doesn't make any sense.

225
00:11:52,500 --> 00:11:54,934
Why would you sign a promissory note

226
00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:57,567
saying I am going to
pay you back the money

227
00:11:57,633 --> 00:12:00,633
if you were not thinking that you
had to pay him back the money?

228
00:12:00,700 --> 00:12:05,767
I can totally agree with the $3,500
that that needed to be paid back.

229
00:12:05,834 --> 00:12:08,400
Okay, I'm good with that.
Now, help me understand the cow.

230
00:12:08,467 --> 00:12:11,767
Because what you're saying is that
on the 21st,

231
00:12:11,834 --> 00:12:16,734
"Cow for $2,500 received today."
Maybe there's another interpretation

232
00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:21,433
which is that you got the cow in hand
on the 21st.

233
00:12:21,500 --> 00:12:23,867
-Is that what you intended to say?
-[Andrew] No.

234
00:12:23,934 --> 00:12:27,533
-Oh, my goodness. [laughs]
-[Andrew] I'm just being honest.

235
00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:30,000
-I... I appreciate it.
-I'm being honest.

236
00:12:30,066 --> 00:12:33,834
He told me to send him that exact text,
exact words.

237
00:12:33,900 --> 00:12:37,600
Either he is an unabashed craven liar

238
00:12:37,667 --> 00:12:43,066
who wanted to set you up for a lawsuit
so he could go to court, file a lawsuit,

239
00:12:43,133 --> 00:12:47,633
and get back $2,500
that he never paid from you,

240
00:12:47,700 --> 00:12:52,767
or maybe he just wanted you to acknowledge
the $2,500 that he gave you.

241
00:12:52,834 --> 00:12:54,200
So, it's one of the two.

242
00:12:54,266 --> 00:12:57,133
He is a liar. He just told you
he's come to my farm,

243
00:12:57,200 --> 00:12:58,633
and he's never been to my farm.

244
00:12:58,700 --> 00:13:02,500
He also said that he seen somewhere
you can buy cow for two dollars a pound.

245
00:13:02,567 --> 00:13:05,266
I said you can't buy cat meat
for two dollars a pound.

246
00:13:05,333 --> 00:13:08,433
I'm not a butcher.
As much as I may romanticize

247
00:13:08,500 --> 00:13:11,567
the whole clean farm living life,
that's not my life, okay.

248
00:13:11,633 --> 00:13:16,033
I don't know how much Angus beef costs,
I just know it tastes quite good.

249
00:13:16,100 --> 00:13:17,400
I sent it to you guys, uh...

250
00:13:17,467 --> 00:13:19,166
-You're sending us some cows?
-[Andrew] No.

251
00:13:19,233 --> 00:13:22,767
Just what the average price of it
goes for.

252
00:13:22,834 --> 00:13:24,834
Oh, I'm sorry, I was
getting ahead of myself

253
00:13:24,900 --> 00:13:27,667
in thinking that you were trying to
bribe us with some good meat.

254
00:13:27,734 --> 00:13:33,667
But that's all right. Mr. Vo, is there
some potential for confusion here?

255
00:13:33,734 --> 00:13:35,834
Did you set foot on the farm?

256
00:13:35,900 --> 00:13:38,500
Yes, I did. I even have on GPS
that I went there.

257
00:13:38,567 --> 00:13:40,500
He texted me the address. I saw the cows.

258
00:13:40,567 --> 00:13:43,133
Did you see his grandmother
behind the gated fence?

259
00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:44,500
'Cause he said she lives...

260
00:13:44,567 --> 00:13:47,967
No, I actually went around the farm.
He even introduced me to his neighbor

261
00:13:48,033 --> 00:13:51,700
who does RV repair too.
Because I just bought a RV.

262
00:13:51,767 --> 00:13:55,433
I wanted to do a remodel on it.
So, I went around the farm

263
00:13:55,500 --> 00:13:58,333
and I see a lot of animal lives there.
I didn't see his grandmother.

264
00:13:58,400 --> 00:13:59,667
And we had a beer.

265
00:13:59,734 --> 00:14:01,300
-And you had a beer?
-[Hiep] Yeah.

266
00:14:01,367 --> 00:14:03,166
-What kind of beer did you have?
-[Hiep] A Bud Light.

267
00:14:03,233 --> 00:14:05,700
[Tanya laughing]
That just settles it.

268
00:14:05,767 --> 00:14:08,400
Why would he tell...
I mean, it's...

269
00:14:08,467 --> 00:14:10,867
I don't drink Bud Light, so... I didn't

270
00:14:10,934 --> 00:14:14,467
There's the case, there's the case.
He doesn't drink Bud Light.

271
00:14:14,533 --> 00:14:17,834
He's an IPA guy.
You know, on a serious note,

272
00:14:17,900 --> 00:14:21,967
so far, what you've demonstrated
is that Mr. Vo is someone

273
00:14:22,033 --> 00:14:24,400
who does exactly what
he says he's going to do.

274
00:14:24,467 --> 00:14:27,500
I'm gonna end where I started.
You seem like a nice gentleman,

275
00:14:27,567 --> 00:14:31,500
but your legal position,
it leaves me wanting. Judge?

276
00:14:31,567 --> 00:14:34,000
-[Patricia] Actually you seem like a liar.
-Oh.

277
00:14:34,066 --> 00:14:35,900
First of all, do you have a picture
of the farm?

278
00:14:35,967 --> 00:14:37,467
I have pictures here.

279
00:14:37,533 --> 00:14:39,633
Have you seen these photographs, sir?

280
00:14:39,700 --> 00:14:41,200
-No, I went...
-[Patricia] Good.

281
00:14:41,266 --> 00:14:43,934
I don't want you to see them.
Thank you.

282
00:14:46,533 --> 00:14:49,367
Sir, when you went to the farm,
can you describe the property?

283
00:14:49,433 --> 00:14:52,333
Were there standing trees,
were there dead trees...

284
00:14:52,400 --> 00:14:53,533
-[Hiep] Yeah.
-What?

285
00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:56,233
When you enter the gate, big gate,
16-foot wide gate,

286
00:14:56,300 --> 00:15:01,333
and then there's a big tree in the front.
Then you walk around the fence

287
00:15:01,400 --> 00:15:05,367
there some small fence for the pigs
and small fence for the chicken.

288
00:15:05,433 --> 00:15:09,500
Were there any dead trees anywhere
or everything was pretty and nice?

289
00:15:09,567 --> 00:15:12,834
He has a lot of trailer on the farm.

290
00:15:12,900 --> 00:15:14,600
-A trailer. What color was it?
-Yes.

291
00:15:14,667 --> 00:15:17,133
Oh, I can't remember but you know,
old trailer.

292
00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:20,533
One of the trailer he bought to remodel.
His friend drop it there.

293
00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:22,934
And there we see a trailer on the farm.

294
00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:26,200
That's not my property.
That's the back, what he's talking about.

295
00:15:26,266 --> 00:15:29,633
So, you were there. That goes along
with my first statement to you.

296
00:15:29,700 --> 00:15:33,133
So now, you go there, but you
don't know anything about animals.

297
00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:35,367
-You're not a vet or anything, right?
-Right, but I...

298
00:15:35,433 --> 00:15:38,100
So how would you know if a cow is good?
I looked at the cow,

299
00:15:38,165 --> 00:15:41,834
it's standing up on all four feet.
I mean, how do you know a cow is good?

300
00:15:41,900 --> 00:15:44,734
[announcer]
Coming up on Tribunal Justice...

301
00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:47,533
Does the refrigerator stand as tall as you
or bigger...

302
00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:48,667
Um, no, lower.

303
00:15:48,734 --> 00:15:51,165
A little baby refrigerator?
-Yes! He tried to give me

304
00:15:51,233 --> 00:15:52,300
that little refrigerator!

305
00:15:52,367 --> 00:15:55,567
It will fit in that refrigerator and
it did fit in that refrigerator.

306
00:15:55,633 --> 00:15:58,400
-Oh, sir, sir...
-Oh, man. Okay.

307
00:15:58,467 --> 00:16:01,266
-I've done this for so long.
-You are so full of baloney.

308
00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:12,967
So, you look at a cow. You say to him,
how big is this cow?

309
00:16:13,033 --> 00:16:16,100
He says, oh, it's about 2000 pounds.
Right? It's a ton.

310
00:16:16,166 --> 00:16:19,667
No. I don't even know what it weighed.
I have no idea.

311
00:16:19,734 --> 00:16:22,133
You must have some idea
because you gave him an assurance

312
00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:23,834
that he'd get a certain amount of meat.

313
00:16:23,900 --> 00:16:27,000
I did not give him an assurance
that he'd get any kind of meat.

314
00:16:27,066 --> 00:16:30,500
[Patricia] Okay, so let me go back
to what we have here.

315
00:16:30,567 --> 00:16:32,667
You were charging him $2,500
for half a cow.

316
00:16:32,734 --> 00:16:34,533
-Correct.
-[Patricia] The range is more like

317
00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:38,467
$1,200 to $1,600, plus some kind of fee
for half the cow.

318
00:16:38,533 --> 00:16:41,867
So, you're a little high in your price.
You buy half a cow.

319
00:16:41,934 --> 00:16:45,934
They chop the thing right down the middle.
Not half butt and half head,

320
00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:49,800
right down the middle.
That weighs, let's just say 1,600.

321
00:16:49,867 --> 00:16:53,400
Eight hundred pounds each.
Now, you have hanging weight.

322
00:16:53,467 --> 00:16:57,767
And that includes removing
all the things you don't eat, basically.

323
00:16:57,834 --> 00:17:02,667
The bones, the hooves, the tail,
whatever... the bell. That goes.

324
00:17:04,032 --> 00:17:08,099
So, now that then gets cut down
by the butcher.

325
00:17:08,165 --> 00:17:13,367
So ultimately, you could have
a five, six hundred pound half a cow,

326
00:17:13,433 --> 00:17:17,099
but when you finally go to the butcher,
it's gonna be much less in weight.

327
00:17:17,165 --> 00:17:19,834
You said you looked in his refrigerator,
correct?

328
00:17:19,900 --> 00:17:21,867
-There was meat in there, correct?
-Right.

329
00:17:21,934 --> 00:17:25,300
But you didn't think it was enough
based on the cow that you saw.

330
00:17:25,367 --> 00:17:27,834
Did that cow have a name
since you had it from an infant?

331
00:17:27,900 --> 00:17:29,333
-It did.
-[Patricia] What was it?

332
00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:31,467
Um, that one was Muchacho.

333
00:17:31,533 --> 00:17:35,667
Why do I feel like you just made that up?
You looked down at that piece of paper.

334
00:17:35,734 --> 00:17:39,233
All right. So, Muchacho
ended up much smaller

335
00:17:39,300 --> 00:17:43,800
in the refrigerator than when you first
checked him out on the farm. Correct?

336
00:17:43,867 --> 00:17:46,700
Well, it ended up much smaller
than we agree on.

337
00:17:46,767 --> 00:17:50,633
He said that I'm gonna get, by the end
of the day, over 400 pound of meat.

338
00:17:50,700 --> 00:17:54,467
So, I calculated 400 pound of meat
for $2,500...

339
00:17:54,533 --> 00:17:59,133
If any of this is true, you paid
a lot of money for the half a cow.

340
00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:01,500
Whatever, prime steaks, whatever.

341
00:18:01,567 --> 00:18:03,033
[Hiep]
I just tried to help the guy.

342
00:18:03,100 --> 00:18:06,266
Because they say here,
when I did all this reading on cows,

343
00:18:06,333 --> 00:18:09,100
and now I'm gonna go to the farm
and buy a cow.

344
00:18:09,166 --> 00:18:13,934
It's 400, let's say 460 pounds hanging.
You take off 30%.

345
00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:17,767
It comes down to 322 pounds. Then,
by the time the butcher gets a hold of it,

346
00:18:17,834 --> 00:18:21,500
you end up way much less than you
kinda thought in the first place.

347
00:18:21,567 --> 00:18:26,100
So, that's an issue.
However, your baloney about this loan

348
00:18:26,166 --> 00:18:31,033
that started off, as you said, he doesn't
give you $10, he never gives you anything.

349
00:18:31,100 --> 00:18:36,133
Why would he then give you $3,500
for nothing?

350
00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:38,633
He wouldn't do that.
You said he wouldn't do that.

351
00:18:38,700 --> 00:18:41,333
You said he's... I don't know
if you want to say he's rigid,

352
00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:45,900
he's cheap, or both of those,
he would never have given you $3,500

353
00:18:45,967 --> 00:18:49,700
on a mere promise that you were
going to do work in the future,

354
00:18:49,767 --> 00:18:52,900
when he wouldn't even give you
a check for $20

355
00:18:52,967 --> 00:18:55,367
if he was short for you already did.

356
00:18:55,433 --> 00:18:58,100
He even stated that that was for work.

357
00:18:58,166 --> 00:19:01,600
You're full of baloney.
Or full of cow meat. One or the other.

358
00:19:01,667 --> 00:19:07,300
But it doesn't look to me as though you're
being credible and candid with us, sir.

359
00:19:07,367 --> 00:19:09,600
But then again, on the other hand,

360
00:19:09,667 --> 00:19:12,400
I'm not sure that what you rejected
in that cow meat,

361
00:19:12,467 --> 00:19:14,734
you know, what was he supposed to
do with it?

362
00:19:14,800 --> 00:19:17,400
Well, when I first came to his home
and I ask, okay,

363
00:19:17,467 --> 00:19:20,900
am I gonna get over 400 pound meat,
like we agree, he said, yes,

364
00:19:20,967 --> 00:19:24,300
they are in the fridge. So, I open
the fridge and it doesn't look like...

365
00:19:24,367 --> 00:19:25,567
[Patricia]
Did you weight it?

366
00:19:25,633 --> 00:19:28,800
[Hiep] No, when I look at that and
I see it's not 400 pound meat.

367
00:19:28,867 --> 00:19:32,066
You've got a good eye. The cow's
a good cow, it's not enough meat...

368
00:19:32,133 --> 00:19:33,767
Well, you know, it's just common sense.

369
00:19:33,834 --> 00:19:36,700
Well, I don't know. How much
of the refrigerator did it fill?

370
00:19:36,767 --> 00:19:37,967
It's small refrigerator.

371
00:19:38,033 --> 00:19:40,734
Does the refrigerator
stand as tall as you, or bigger...

372
00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:41,800
Um, no, lower.

373
00:19:41,867 --> 00:19:43,900
-A little baby refrigerator?!
-Yes!

374
00:19:43,967 --> 00:19:45,934
He tried to give me
that little refrigerator.

375
00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:48,266
There you go, there you go.

376
00:19:48,333 --> 00:19:50,300
He was gonna borrow that refrigerator.

377
00:19:50,367 --> 00:19:53,367
It will fit in that refrigerator and
it did fit in that refrigerator.

378
00:19:53,433 --> 00:19:56,633
-Oh, sir, sir.
-Oh, man. Okay.

379
00:19:56,700 --> 00:19:59,467
-I've done this for so long.
-You're so full of baloney.

380
00:19:59,533 --> 00:20:01,500
Where is the beef now?
Where's all that beef?

381
00:20:01,567 --> 00:20:02,633
It's at home.

382
00:20:02,700 --> 00:20:04,400
So, you ate it, you didn't eat it...

383
00:20:04,467 --> 00:20:08,633
No, it takes a year to eat a whole cow.
With feeding a family of four.

384
00:20:08,700 --> 00:20:12,834
You have a year to eat it.
So, you can fatten up a little bit.

385
00:20:12,900 --> 00:20:14,433
[Andrew]
Okay.

386
00:20:14,500 --> 00:20:16,533
[Patricia]
I don't have any other questions.

387
00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:18,000
We're gonna retire to deliberate.

388
00:20:18,066 --> 00:20:20,667
Court stands in recess.
Parties are excused.

389
00:20:22,300 --> 00:20:23,967
It seems pretty straightforward to me.

390
00:20:24,033 --> 00:20:27,834
We had two issues. We have a $3,500 loan
with a promissory note.

391
00:20:27,900 --> 00:20:31,934
with terms and conditions that are written
and signed off on by both parties.

392
00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:32,867
I agree.

393
00:20:32,934 --> 00:20:36,333
Something about Statute of Frauds
kept popping in my head.

394
00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:37,934
Whatever. Does that sound about right?

395
00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:40,100
-It does to me.
-That sounds quite right.

396
00:20:40,166 --> 00:20:44,433
[Adam] The cow for $2,500,
it sounds straightforward as well.

397
00:20:44,500 --> 00:20:48,533
Especially when you consider
what the story was about the $3,500,

398
00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:52,033
you call into question his voracity,
that's the Defendant's veracity.

399
00:20:52,100 --> 00:20:55,567
But you look at those text messages,
you know, they're just so valuable.

400
00:20:55,633 --> 00:20:58,834
It makes our jobs pretty easy.
You have the Plaintiff saying,

401
00:20:58,900 --> 00:21:00,900
"I am not interested in the beef."

402
00:21:00,967 --> 00:21:03,233
That's because he thought
he wasn't getting enough.

403
00:21:03,300 --> 00:21:07,166
"I just need my money back."
It seems pretty clear.

404
00:21:07,233 --> 00:21:11,367
It seems very clear. And in fact,
the Defendant helped, I think,

405
00:21:11,433 --> 00:21:15,734
make the Plaintiff's position
even more credible and believable.

406
00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:19,567
Of course someone's going to say,
now I want you to acknowledge in writing

407
00:21:19,633 --> 00:21:22,266
that I gave you the $2,500 for the cow.

408
00:21:22,333 --> 00:21:25,033
This is a very straightforward case,
in my view.

409
00:21:25,100 --> 00:21:28,433
Well, I didn't think anything that came
out of the Defendant's mouth was truthful.

410
00:21:28,500 --> 00:21:31,767
In fact, when the Plaintiff said
that there was an RV

411
00:21:31,834 --> 00:21:35,467
on the property behind him and there,
in that picture was the RV,

412
00:21:35,533 --> 00:21:39,667
I knew he was there. And once he was there
and the Defendant was swearing up and down

413
00:21:39,734 --> 00:21:43,000
that he'd never been there, then there was
nothing I really could believe after that.

414
00:21:43,066 --> 00:21:47,300
So, I think Mr. Vo is entitled to
the $3,500 as well as the $2,500.

415
00:21:47,367 --> 00:21:49,400
-Six thousand.
-Six grand. You got it.

416
00:21:52,166 --> 00:21:55,734
Court is back in session.
I remind parties you're still under oath.

417
00:21:55,800 --> 00:21:58,734
Thank you, Byrd. We had an opportunity
to deliberate in the back

418
00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:04,133
and it's a unanimous decision.
Mr. Delgado, you owe Mr. Vo $6,000.

419
00:22:04,200 --> 00:22:08,867
The $3,500 pursuant to the promissory note
and the $2,500

420
00:22:08,934 --> 00:22:12,700
that was clearly established as
having been paid by him to you

421
00:22:12,767 --> 00:22:14,333
in the form of those text messages.

422
00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:16,467
So, that is going to be
the verdict of the court.

423
00:22:16,533 --> 00:22:18,500
Six thousand dollars in your favor,
sir. Thank you.

424
00:22:18,567 --> 00:22:22,166
This case is concluded. Parties
are excused, you may step out.

425
00:22:24,033 --> 00:22:28,300
It is what it is. I mean, I can't
tell people the names of my animals

426
00:22:28,367 --> 00:22:31,166
all the time 'cause I don't name 'em,
my wife does, you know.

427
00:22:31,233 --> 00:22:34,467
He calls, I pick up my phone, he know me.

428
00:22:34,533 --> 00:22:38,233
The meat of a cow is all determined
on the rancher and how he feeds it.

429
00:22:38,300 --> 00:22:41,066
Well, he said he gonna pay me
the next day, but he never pay me.

430
00:22:41,133 --> 00:22:44,266
They can say it's expensive,
but it's what I name the price.

431
00:22:44,333 --> 00:22:45,467
He cheated me.

432
00:22:45,533 --> 00:22:50,100
I think, just in feed alone,
we probably spent close to $6,000.

433
00:22:50,166 --> 00:22:53,433
He told me I'm gonna get 400 pound
of meat, but by the end of day,

434
00:22:53,500 --> 00:22:57,367
he just try to give me 200 pound of meat
for the $2,500 I pay him.

435
00:22:57,433 --> 00:22:58,834
He didn't want nothing to do with it.

436
00:22:58,900 --> 00:23:01,266
He wanted all his money back and
he was mad about the cow.

437
00:23:01,333 --> 00:23:03,600
And I told him, look,
if you're not gonna pay me,

438
00:23:03,667 --> 00:23:05,834
you ignore my phone,
I'm gonna take you to court.

439
00:23:06,767 --> 00:23:08,333
[announcer] Need to take someone to court?

440
00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:11,600
Let Tribunal Justice decide your case.

441
00:23:11,667 --> 00:23:14,667
Find us on social media
at Tribunal Justice.

442
00:23:14,734 --> 00:23:17,734
[end theme music plays]