You like to party together, you like to drink together.
They arrest you for DUI.
I did do two doughnuts.
You wanted to practice your drifting?
- You were drunk... - Uninsured...
- ... high... - ... unlicensed...
- ... and crashed the car. - ... lying to the police.
How can you explain that behavior?
This is shameful.
[announcer] Now on Tribunal Justice.
["Ride of the Valkyries" plays]
[announcer] Today's case was filed in Spokane Valley, Washington.
Your Honor, this is case number 2007
on the calendar in the matter of White versus Fife.
Parties have been sworn in.
[Judge Acker] Thank you, Byrd.
Mr. White and Ms. Fife, you're friends?
We were friends.
[Judge Acker] You like to hang out together,
you like to party together, you like to drink together.
And therein lay the problem
because Mr. White, according to your complaint,
you were out, the defendant was supposed to be the designated driver.
Unbeknownst to you, she was herself intoxicated,
started doing doughnuts in your car,
crashed the car, which is now inoperable.
And you're suing her for $3,700
for repairs to your 2004 Toyota Camry.
Ms. Fife, in your answer, you don't dispute much of his claim.
You dispute some of it.
You say, "I never had an agreement, so I owe him nothing."
Uh-hmm.
Tell me how the two of you met initially.
I met her through a friend of a friend.
[Judge Acker] Friend of a friend and then you just start hanging out?
Yes. I met her probably a year and two months ago
when I first moved up to Washington State,
which was in 2022.
Always just platonic, just friends.
- Yes. - Uh-hmm.
[Judge Acker] Okay. So now let's fast forward to August 2nd.
What happened that night,
and tell me how the defendant came to be driving your car.
I had actually flown in August 1st and I've been staying with her
- from August 1st... - Flown in from where?
[Michael] Florida. All of my family lives in Florida.
So I was there for the summer and then I was coming back up here for school.
So on August 2nd, uh, I had my car
and I had gotten it registered in, uh, Washington State
and got insurance on it that night.
And then, uh, we were going out with friends
and then Maddie was driving because she wanted--
she asked to drive.
- She wanted to drive. - [Judge Acker] Maddie, the defendant?
- [Michael] Yes. - [Judge Acker] Madison Fife?
- Madison. - [Judge Acker] Who was with you?
Who all was out on this...
- [Michael] It was... - ... crazy night on the town?
It was me, Madison, and then we had picked up her friend Lauren.
She's not really my friend but I know her.
Ms. Fife, you submitted as evidence a video...
- [Madison] Uh-hmm. - ... of the plaintiff.
He's intoxicated...
- Yeah. - [Judge Acker] ... in the video.
But I'm not really inclined to just embarrass him for being drunk...
- [Madison] Oh, yeah. - ... when the whole predicate
of this lawsuit was he had a designated driver, you...
- Uh-hmm. - [Judge Acker] ... who was in fact drunk.
So why did you submit a video of the plaintiff being intoxicated?
Yes, Your Honor.
I submitted the video because I had a feeling that he would say
that I was wanting to drive and that I was super-drunk when I wasn't.
So him being drunk isn't really material to your defense.
Okay. Yeah.
[Judge Acker] Were you drinking that night?
I did have three Trulys that night, yes.
[Judge Acker] What's a Truly?
Uh, it's like a seltzer and, like, an alcoholic beverage.
- It's an alcoholic drink. - Yes, ma'am.
[Judge Acker] And this is now your statement.
"We spent the afternoon at Liberty Lake, we hung out,
went swimming, and I shotgunned three or four Trulys.
I stopped drinking to sober up
because Michael was way too drunk to drive."
So these words from you suggest to me that you were prepared
to be the designated driver.
- Yes. - [Judge Acker] Now, how much time elapsed
between the time you stopped drinking
and the time that you got behind the wheel of the car?
I would say probably two or three hours.
Two or three hours.
- And you only had those three seltzers? - Yes.
[Judge Acker] But you're not a big woman.
- No. - [Judge Acker] How old are you?
- I'm 19. - Now, you're a young kid.
Were you a little tipsy?
I would say barely, not much.
Okay. Barely tipsy means too drunk to drive.
- Are you with me? - Yes. Yes.
So Ms. Fife, the video that you submitted...
- Uh-hmm. - [Judge Acker] ... of the plaintiff,
how long before the accident was this video taken?
Maybe, like, 30, 40 minutes before.
So I'm now inclined to play it because I think it'll set the stage
for what happened a few minutes later.
- [Madison] Okay. - All right. Let's play the video.
Michael, I've missed you so much, bro.
What happened?
[indistinct]
[Madison] Michael, get out of the [bleep] sunroof.
I swear to God.
Oh, [bleep].
[Judge Acker] Who is that next to him?
- Uh, our friend Lauren--uh... - That was Lauren. Yeah.
- ... my friend Lauren, yes. - [Judge Acker] That was the other friend.
So, you are super-flexible...
- Yes, Your Honor. - [Judge Acker] ... and maybe
you should be a yoga instructor.
And, Ms. Fife, you're in the parking lot,
you start doing doughnuts, correct?
I did do two doughnuts, yes.
[Judge Acker] You were doing two doughnuts.
"And we started talking about drifting and wanted to try it.
Drifting is when you attempt to drive the car on two wheels
like in Fast and Furious."
Somebody died from that movie, in real life.
- [Madison] Uh-hmm. - You remember that?
Yes.
[Judge Acker] So in any event, you start drifting, crashed the car.
A fire truck comes by just by happenstance, correct?
Yes, Your Honor.
He asked if we were okay and then said that they had,
like a call or something they had to go to.
And then approximately, like, five to ten minutes later,
um, three or four cop cars pull in.
Now, did anybody on the scene called the police or...
- No. - [Judge Acker] ... did the firefighters
summon the police?
Yes, they did say--they did say that.
[Judge Acker] And then the police show up.
- Yes. - Yes, Your Honor.
Now here is something that I think is really unconscionable.
Because when the police show up, they think he's the one driving.
- Uh-hmm. - [Judge Acker] And you actually,
in your answer, admit, you were like, "You know what?
We just let the police put him in handcuffs,
take him to jail under the assumption that he was driving
when I was the one driving.
- I just sat there and let that happen." - Uh-hmm.
[Judge Acker] That's what you did, isn't it?
- Uh-hmm. - How can you explain that behavior?
She is not your friend.
[dramatic musical sting]
[announcer] Coming up on Tribunal Justice.
Somebody with a license had to drive
or you would've been arrested for driving without a license.
Yeah, but that wasn't my thought process at all.
Did you have a thought process because drinking three Trulys,
two doughnuts, and an arrest don't sound like a thought process.
[dramatic musical sting]
[theme music plays]
[announcer] Michael White is suing former friend Madison Fife
for $3,730 in car damages.
He says Madison got drunk, did doughnuts, then wrecked his car.
But Madison claims they never agreed on anything.
No real friend lets somebody go to jail for something that they did.
- Uh-hmm. - [Judge Acker] Now, how long
were you in custody?
Um, it was about two and a half hours, maybe three.
[Judge Acker] So as a result of your lies to the police,
he's in custody for two and a half to three hours.
Then what happens, you go home?
Um, I went home and they brought Michael back to my house and then took me.
They took you, and this was how many hours after the crash?
About three hours after.
[Judge Acker] So three hours after the crash, you go to jail.
- Yes. - [Judge Acker] And then you kind of say,
"You know, I blew into the breathalyzer,
it was only .002
and then ultimately, I got charged with a DUI
but they dropped it to a minor in possession."
- Did you got a lawyer? - Yes. Uh-hmm.
[Judge Acker] Oh, good for you.
- Justice at work. - [Madison] Uh-hmm.
Your Honor, she also got, uh, for that night
a misleading information charge.
[Judge Acker] Oh, that's right.
You were also charged with lying to the police officers.
What happened to that charge?
Uh, it got dropped.
[Judge Acker] Oh, that got dropped too. Is that your lawyer?
- Uh-hmm. - Oh, God bless the profession.
- Uh-hmm. - [Judge Acker] Honestly, I think the fact
that nobody could prosecute you
for making a false statement to police officers
that got somebody taken into custody,
I find shocking.
And now your position with respect to the car
is that you don't have to pay for the damages
because you never had an agreement
that after you drive someone else's car while you are drunk doing doughnuts,
crashed the car, get him arrested falsely
and you say, "Ooh, not gonna pay you for the car
'cause we didn't agree to anything."
Did your lawyer tell you to do that?
Nope.
[Judge Acker] This is shameful. Judge DiMango.
How old are you, sir?
[Michael] Eighteen, Your Honor.
You're even younger than she is.
I'm pretty sure the legal drinking age for all 50 states is still 21,
and this is the reason why.
But let me ask you,
why were you in the driver seat when the police came?
Um, Your Honor, I was, uh, trying to see what was wrong with the car.
I actually turned it off because it started, like, smoking up.
I was just trying to figure out if the car was gonna be drivable,
if I had to get it towed.
You thought you were going to diagnose a problem with the car
by getting in the driver seat?
Maybe you only did that 'cause you were so drunk.
I mean, you're not a mechanic.
No, I didn't get in the driver seat to, like, drive or anything like that.
I got in the driver seat to pop the hood and turn on...
You know, under the law, in New York at least,
you were driving for the purposes of a DWI or a DUI statute.
Uh, also, Your Honor, uh, when, uh, the cops, like, came
and asked me if I was driving
and I told them I wasn't driving and, like, told...
[Judge DiMango] Well, they probably didn't wanna believe you.
- Yeah. - Because the bottom line is,
the only person anywhere near the driver seat was you.
Let's see. I think we have a video of this.
Let's see what's going on.
[car alarm beeping]
[car engine chokes]
[Judge DiMango] What is that? Is that you doing what you...
[Michael] That's me trying to start the car and it's not starting.
[Judge DiMango] Is this the way you were when the police came, with one foot...
[Michael] No, I wasn't even sitting in the seat, Your Honor.
The pole lodged into this, and shattered this,
and caused all of this.
The window.
[Judge DiMango] How'd the window get broken?
You hit the front end.
Was somebody trying to get out or did you kick it during your aerobics?
No, it wasn't kicked by me.
Um, I'm not too sure,
but when I went back to get my car, the window was smashed
and I realized that...
[Judge DiMango] Was it left in that lot?
[Michael] It was left in that lot.
So you don't even know if somebody came by and kicked the window to go in
and try to sleep in the car that night.
We don't know a lot because you were drunk, you were drunk.
Technically, you were both driving
except when the police got there, you were not behind the wheel.
- Yes. - [Judge DiMango] And that's why, really,
absent the credible testimony of a sober person,
they probably could not have charged you with the DUI,
which is why your lawyer probably got you out of that charge
because there really wasn't any legitimate evidence
of you driving if you denied it.
Where's Lauren in all of this?
Lauren was in the back seat the entire time.
- She saw that Maddie was driving. - Where is she now?
- [Michael] Oh. - Where?
She's at college.
Thank God.
[laughter]
[Judge DiMango] Where's your driver's license?
Uh, it's, uh, gone now. I never got it.
[Judge DiMango] Did you ever have a driver's license?
- No. - That's why you got out of the car.
See? When I read this, I'm saying, "She doesn't have a license."
And you're two people here, two minors,
an 18-year-old, a 19-year-old, an unlicensed 19-year-old.
- You have a driver's license? - Yes, Your Honor.
[Judge DiMango] He had to get behind the wheel when the police came
because somebody with a license had to drive
or you would have been arrested for driving without a license.
- Uh-hmm. - [Judge DiMango] Right?
Yeah, but that wasn't my thought process at all.
[Judge DiMango] Did you have a thought process?
Because to me, drinking three Trulys, two doughnuts, and an arrest
don't sound like a thought process.
Sounds pretty stupid.
Yes, it was very stupid.
[Judge DiMango] So let me ask you.
I was trying to figure out where your damages come in
because the value of your car is less than the damages probably.
So what should we do, buy you a new car?
Um, Your Honor, I go to school full-time,
I work full-time, and I also got put in the predicament
of I was getting ready to sell that car when I had just gotten back up here
so that's why I got it registered in Washington
so I could go in about a week or two to get in...
But you see, you want me to see a logic in somebody
who thinks he's gonna sell his car,
drives it up from Florida to the state of Washington,
gives it to a drunken friend to do doughnuts in, and says,
"Judge, please understand that I really wanted to sell this car."
When was your insurance in effect?
- [Michael] August 3rd. - [Judge DiMango] No.
Try August 4th, because this is the insurance documents
and it says, "In effect August 4th."
- When was this accident? - August 2nd.
[Judge DiMango] So you were driving without insurance.
Why would we want to reward anything
when you're a part and parcel of this fiasco?
I believe that if she didn't wanna drive
and didn't say that she was good to drive,
we could have taken an Uber.
- Didn't you see her? So what? - [Michael] I...
You think she's fine?
You think drinking anything at all and getting behind a wheel--
that does not mean a designated driver.
That means the less designated drunk.
And you're shaking your head. You know what I think?
You're one of these kids that walked out of here, you're gonna have a beer.
Because I don't really think either one of you
get the gravamen of what went on here.
Uninsured, unlicensed, both drunk, lying to the police, lying to your friend.
Judge Levy.
You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes.
- Right? - Yes, Your Honor.
You just provided us today with an estimate for $3,731.61.
Yes, Your Honor. I'd gotten someone to come out to the house
and give me a rough estimate of what it would be.
- Now, Ms. Fife, you got off. - Yeah.
[Judge Levy] But, you know, you were telling Judge Acker and Judge DiMango
that you admitted to these three Trulys?
- [Madison] Uh-hmm. - That's a lie. I know that's a lie.
You wanna tell us the truth before I tell you how I know it's a lie?
[dramatic musical sting]
[announcer] Coming up on Tribunal Justice.
They were charging you with driving under the influence of alcohol
and a controlled substance.
And by the way, you knew she was smoking, right?
[dramatic musical sting]
[theme music plays]
[announcer] Michael White is suing former friend Madison Fife
for $3,730 in car damages.
He says Madison got drunk, did doughnuts, then wrecked his car.
But Madison claims they never agreed on anything.
Ms. Fife, you admitted to these three Trulys?
- Uh-hmm. - [Judge Levy] That's a lie.
I know that's a lie.
You wanna tell us the truth before I tell you how I know it's a lie?
All I remember is drinking three to four Trulys.
[Judge Levy] So when you say it's all you remember
is drinking three or four Trulys is you're saying you coulda had more
but you just don't remember, right?
- I guess, yeah. - You're ready for this?
According to your math, the last drink was two to three hours before the crash.
Yes.
[Judge Levy] And then three hours after the crash,
-you blew a .02. -Yeah.
.02 is less than the DWI limit, the BAC, blood alcohol limit,
in all 50 states, right, which is .08.
- Right? Am I on the right track? - Yeah.
.08, you're a .02.
But they still arrested you for DUI,
which means they didn't have probable cause to charge you
with driving under the influence of alcohol.
They were charging you with driving under the influence of alcohol
and a controlled substance, combined.
- Right? - Uh, yes.
Yes.
So it wasn't that you weren't drunk.
It was that you were drunk and high and crashed a car.
And by the way, you knew she was smoking, right?
No, Your Honor.
[Judge Levy] You didn't know she was taking any drugs that night?
- Nope. - [Judge Levy] Really?
Because I didn't take any and...
- I'm not asking whether you took any. - [Michael] Yes, Your Honor.
I'm asking whether you knew whether she took any.
I did not know she did, Your Honor.
- [Judge Levy] Okay. Is that true? - It was not in my car.
[Judge Levy] Did he know that you were smoking?
- We smoked weed together. - [Judge Levy] Of course you did.
- Of course you did. - We...
[Judge Levy] Stop.
You clearly weren't making good choices that day.
- Yes, Your Honor. - [Judge Levy] So let me ask you this.
What part about this incident on August 1st,
driving without insurance, getting drunk,
what role, if any, do you believe you had...
- [Michael] Um... - ... in your car getting damaged?
Definitely not putting my foot down and just taking my car.
[Judge Levy] So you do bear some responsibility, right?
Yes, Your Honor.
[Michael] If you had to guess,
what percentage of fault would you place
on yourself for making all the stupid choices you made?
I would say about 40%.
How about 50?
Yes, 50/50.
- I got nothing else. - Quickly. Very quickly.
I'm not inclined to trust her testimony.
Were you smoking weed with her?
Your Honor, I have smoked weed with her...
[Judge Acker] I'm talking at or near the time of the accident.
- No, Your Honor. - [Judge Acker] Okay.
- I don't have anything. - Then we are gonna retire to deliberate.
- Thank you both. - [Byrd] The court now stands in recess.
Parties are excused.
[dramatic musical sting]
I feel like what we saw out there was a smorgasbord of stupidity.
I mean, one stupid, bad decision leading to another stupid, bad decision.
But here was a young drunk kid
who at least had the presence of mind to try to let somebody else drive.
I think he was too intoxicated perhaps to know how drunk she was.
I think her behavior was not just stupid.
It was pretty unconscionable.
I love where you went with your examination, Adam,
because I was right there.
I would like to hold him liable for half of the estimate, $3,700,
and she bears responsibility for the other half.
Comparative negligence.
That's kind of what I was saying when I said, "You've both done this.
You're both involved in this. You're all in this whole thing together."
And I think sharing the responsibility 50/50 is perfectly fine.
And where I was going with that question in the end,
because really, how can we divide the stupidity up?
You know, it's not like we gave them a Stanford-Binet IQ test
and we said, "Well, you're more stupid than she is."
They're both equally culpable in this.
- I agree. - So we're unanimous?
- Yes. - Very good.
[dramatic musical sting]
[Byrd] Court is back in session.
Parties are reminded you're still under oath.
Young Ms. Fife, I was hard on you and I intended to be.
- I need you not to be so dumb... - Yes.
- ... and irresponsible and dishonest. - Yes, Your Honor.
I mean, there are so many layers of bad things here.
- [Madison] Uh-hmm. - I know you can do better.
I know you can.
And I meant it when I said,
"Please let this be the stupidest, most irresponsible thing that you do.
- It was just wrong." - Yes.
[Judge Acker] However, Mr. White, you were a little dumb too.
Yes, Your Honor.
[Judge Acker] You know, the smartest thing that you did,
even in your drunken haze, was to give the keys over to somebody.
- Yes, Your Honor. - Still, this was like just a snowball
of stupid decisions by both of you.
So we agree that both of you bear responsibility for this.
We looked at your estimate, Ms. Fife.
You are liable for a portion of that estimate
regardless of what you agreed to.
- [Madison] Okay. - You're gonna pay him for half
and you're gonna pay half.
Yes, Your Honor.
I don't have to tell both of you how much worse this could have been
if somebody had been on the road, you could have killed a person.
Yes.
So with that, the unanimous verdict of the court
is $1,865 in your favor.
- Yes, Your Honor. - [Judge Acker] You're gonna eat
- the other half of those damages. - Yes.
[Judge Acker] Good luck to you both and do better.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
Case has now concluded. Parties are excused.
You may step out.
[theme music plays]
It was our second night seeing each other since he had been gone most of the summer.
We were just trying to have a good time.
It was definitely--there was definitely good moments in the friendship.
He was very drunk and just kind of running around and acting crazy.
That night was definitely one of the worst nights of my life.
And it was just a whole [bleep] show.
I hope that she can better-- really better herself
and be a better person and take the help that she--
get the help that she needs and really find help.
Yeah. Celebrating gone wrong for sure.
[announcer] Have you been scammed?
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["Ride of the Valkyries" plays]