Around two or three a.m.,
you were on your way to the next club and got into an argument.
[narrator] Now, on Tribunal Justice…
It's your position that she hit the pole because she was drunk.
-Yes, Your Honor. -I don't particularly remember drinking.
He did grab my steering wheel while I was driving.
I didn't make that up.
You do not remember doing that?
No. I'm a lightweight. So, once I start drinkin',
-it's kinda up from there. -[Kerrigan] He was drunk.
He was going to pay me. We were gonna figure out how…
You did tell her you were gonna pay, right?
I don't even remember doin' that.
The million dollar question here is, you're suing him for damage to your car.
-Yes. -Why didn't you put it through insurance?
[theme music playing]
[narrator] Today's case was filed in Houston, Texas.
Your Honor, this is Case #3107 in the matter of Brockington vs. Rogers.
All parties have been sworn in.
-Thank you, Cassandra. -You're welcome. You may be seated.
[DiMango] Ms. Brockington and Mr. Rogers.
You became close friends after meeting online about four years ago.
On the date of this incident, on October 12th, '24,
you had gone out clubbing, the both of you.
You were driving when the defendant, you say, grabbed the steering wheel,
caused you to crash into a pole.
You're now bringing this lawsuit for $6,000
for the repairs to the vehicle, and for the rideshare services.
Mr. Rogers, what you say is that she really did crash the car
because she had been drunk and was drunk driving.
You say you let her live with you for four months
and that would be the equivalent of $8,000.
And so therefore, even if you did have some responsibility,
you don't owe her any money.
So, let's start with your relationship, Ms. Brockington.
What brought you to become close friends?
So, we met online, and he made me laugh.
And we just ended up being friends for years.
[DiMango] Did you live nearby one another?
We did not. I lived in Midland, Texas.
When I went to Houston, that's when we met.
That's when we actually, for the first time, got to see each other.
You moved there. How long were you supposed to stay there originally?
So, I was just gonna be there until I got approved for the apartment I wanted.
And sir, she moves in with you. And how are you feeling about that?
Well, when she moved in with me,
I mean, we'd known each other for about four years.
So, we were able to build a good enough bond with each other.
[DiMango] What did you have in common?
What do you do for a living, sir?
Um, I currently work for an insurance company.
And you were working at the time of the incident doing what, ma'am?
I danced, and I was a server.
[DiMango] Did you have a particular place that you danced and served?
So, when I moved, I worked at certain bars and clubs.
The bar that I worked at was pretty close to his apartment.
And when I wasn't working there, I would go dance at a club.
Okay. So now, on this evening in question, October 12th,
you decide to both go out together. Would that be correct?
-Mm-hmm. -Yes, ma'am.
[DiMango] Did you have a relationship at the time?
-A boyfriend? -[DiMango] Yeah.
So, I was talking to a guy.
We were on the way to go see him actually on the way to the second club.
Had you ever met the gentleman that she's talking about?
Personally, no, but I've seen him out when we've been out before.
Did you have any feelings in particular about her relationship with him?
I don't care who she dates.
Okay. So now, you are heading out to some clubs.
What time was it, sir?
That day, I got off work, um, I believe around nine o'clock
is when I started getting ready originally.
-Mm-hmm. -So, we were kind of pre-gaming,
and drinking while getting ready.
-[DiMango] You were drinking at home. -Yes.
-And what were you drinking? -[Peirre] Patron.
Okay. I'm asking that only because when I saw the video of the room,
there was salt in her room. So, I figured that you guys were drinking tequila.
Is he accurate about that? He's calling it pre-game before you went out.
I don't particularly remember drinking before we went out.
You don't remember, but you do remember.
So, I was getting ready.
She cooked dinner, and we started drinking.
I started getting ready. So yeah, I'm a lightweight,
so once I start drinking, it's kind of up from there.
[DiMango] Okay. After this pre-gaming,
you get into your vehicle. Is that correct?
Mm-hmm, after we cooked, yes.
We ate, and then we got in the car and…
-[DiMango] What time is it around then? -I want to say probably eleven-ish.
Okay, so, at 11 o'clock, where do you go first?
I believe we went to the club. I forget the name of it.
It was a gay club. I was outside.
So, you go to a club. You go into the club.
And you leave her outside in the car?
I didn't leave her outside. We both parked.
We both walked up to the club.
I believe she left out the club.
[DiMango] Did you go in and have any drinks while you were in there?
I believe I had like two shots.
Okay. At this time, you're still outside. According to you,
you have not had anything to drink yet at this point?
Or you're not sure still if…
I didn't have anything to drink outside of the club for sure.
-[DiMango] For sure, you know that. -For sure.
[DiMango] So now, he comes out, you get in the car, correct?
He gets in the car. You say we're gonna go someplace else.
Is that correct? Where do you decide to go?
We went to a club called Dome.
[DiMango] Okay, so, you're gonna go to Dome.
You do have a boyfriend you said you were going to go see.
-Mm-hmm. -[DiMango] Where was your boyfriend?
-At Dome. -[DiMango] At Dome.
So now, you both get in the car. You're driving.
You then, take out your phone at some point and text your friend,
"We're gonna be coming there now"? Is that correct?
Mm-hmm. Outside of the club that he was at.
[DiMango] Is that the point that you try to pull her phone out of her hand?
I don't even remember doin' that.
See, that's where the night was getting a little blurry for me.
Once she wanted to leave, it was like, we just got to the first spot.
And again, I was already like drunk…
You said he tried to pull your phone out of your hand.
Mm-hmm. He was arguing with me.
What was he arguing with you about?
I don't really remember what we were talking about.
[DiMango] It's important you tell me because this is your burden of proof.
You're saying he pulled the wheel. You're saying he pulled your phone.
So, I want to know what it was you were arguing about.
Well, we were on the way to the club, so I'm gonna assume it was about the boy.
About the guy. He did have a problem with him just being around.
We were talking about going to see him,
so I'm gonna assume that's why we were arguing.
Does that refresh your recollection as to whether you were arguing or not?
I think my main issue was leaving the club as early as we did
'cause we just got there, to go to another spot.
And the main reason for leaving was to go see him.
I didn't want to go do that. I was enjoying myself.
Was she texting at that point that you realized you didn't want to go,
and she was gonna tell him we are coming now,
-and pulling the phone from him? -I don't remember the phone pulling.
It's interesting how neither of you recall the things
that would hold you responsible.
You don't recall if you were drinking. You don't recall pulling the wheel.
So, let me ask you, how did he try to pull the wheel from you?
He pulled it this way, right.
-[DiMango] He pulled it toward himself. -Mm-hmm.
[DiMango] Okay. Let's look at the car, 03.
-That's where you hit the pole. -My baby.
-[DiMango] That's where you hit the pole? -[Kerrigan] Mm-hmm.
[DiMango] And it's your position that she hit the pole because she was drunk.
I believe so.
It's at that point, sir, that you hit your head after she hit the pole.
We're gonna go to 12, which are your injuries that you have.
Was that the right side or the left side of your face?
-[Peirre] Left. -[DiMango] And now your relationship
completely deteriorates.
Not completely, no.
[DiMango] How does it stay intact?
-I told him I wasn't upset with him. -She lived with me.
I understood he was drunk.
He was going to pay me. We were gonna figure out, you know…
[DiMango] You did tell her you'd pay, right?
[dramatic music playing]
[narrator] Coming up on Tribunal Justice…
Why, if you were not drinking from home,
did you have salt and all in your bedroom?
[theme music playing]
[narrator] Kerrigan Brockington and her friend Peirre Rogers
were headed to a club when she says he got drunk,
grabbed her steering wheel and caused her to crash.
She's suing for $6,000. But Peirre claims
Kerrigan caused the accident because she was the one drinking and driving.
You did tell her you were gonna pay, right?
I told her I would figure out how I could repair it in the best way possible.
Well, you did say clearly, "I know what I did,
I'm accepting accountability and I'm going to pay."
That's not quite what you're saying here.
Well, like I said in my claim,
when I responded to her, I was still hung over.
You… No, no, no. The drinking just goes so far,
because this here has you saying,
"I take full accountability for what happened.
I was drunk and being stupid and made a stupid decision
which I take responsibility for."
Then you wanted to create a GoFundMe account.
-Would that be correct? -I did.
And how much did you get in the GoFundMe account?
-Absolutely nothing. -[DiMango] Nothing?
Because people don't care about drunk driving.
And you're just ringing up rideshare bills, correct?
You're going rideshare with everything you're doing. Would that be correct?
I did do rideshare.
And you had the car repaired, but not completely.
-Would that be correct as well? -Right.
And all of a sudden, you started disagreeing about a lot of things.
Letting a friend in the house, you say you didn't want in the house.
A complete stranger, while I was in my robe cooking.
You never had an agreement to charge her. Would that be correct?
I did not.
In a very mature text you say, this is an inconvenience for both of us.
I shouldn't still be here, and you should have your own home.
Would that be correct, ma'am?
I did say that.
So, I want to go back to, why, if you were not drinking from home
did you have salt and all in your bedroom?
Salt in my bedroom?
We could show the picture.
Do we have a picture of what her bedroom looked like?
That's her room, and there's the salt.
[Kerrigan] So, the salt is from me cooking
with the air fryer in there.
[DiMango] You cook in that room in the air fryer?
I had to 'cause he was sleeping one night.
So, that was from the food. That salt's not from drinking.
That wasn't for that, no.
I definitely was not drunk when I was driving.
-[DiMango] Judge Levy? -[Levy] Okay.
You're suing him for $6,000 for damage to your car.
-Yes. -[Levy] The million dollar question here
though, is why didn't you put it through insurance?
Because I had just got into a wreck prior.
-[Levy] You got into a wreck in Midland. -Yes.
-That was with your Mercedes 250? -Mm-hmm.
[Levy] That was a car you had in Midland, Texas.
Mm-hmm.
[Levy] And when you came up to Houston, Texas,
you purchased a vehicle online, which was the 2018 Tesla
that you had shipped from Florida to Texas.
Houston.
So, what happened to the Mercedes 250?
Still in Midland. I've wrecked a lot of my cars.
-Not this one though. -From drinking and driving.
-[Levy] Hold on. -Wrong.
For the purposes of these next questions,
I'm not asking if you were arrested or convicted or incarcerated for DUI.
-Okay. -What I'm asking is,
do you have a habit of drinking while driving?
-No. -[Levy] Have you ever drank while driving?
-No. -[Levy] Have you ever
-drank alcohol while driving a vehicle? -No.
Now, with respect to never driving while actively drinking,
what's your drink of choice? Patron?
Mm, any type of tequila.
[Levy] Any type of tequila?
Now, one of the things that affects people most clearly
when they have been drinking too much is their what?
-Memory. Mm-hmm. -[Levy] Memory.
So, that's why when you say to us, and said to Judge DiMango a moment ago
when she asked you whether or not you were drinking,
-pre-gaming in the home… -Right.
your answer was, "I don't remember."
I don't remember.
We're gonna put that in the impaired category.
That is indicia of impairment.
Okay? Now, in your complaint you say it was around two to three a.m.
Quote, "I don't remember what we were arguing about."
Yes.
We're gonna put that in the impaired category.
I just have a bad memory.
-Hold on. Nope, wait. You're a server. -Yes.
You said you're a dancer and server.
-You take drink orders, right? -Yes.
Are you saying you write down every drink order
when you're in the club taking it?
If I can't remember.
You listen to the order and go and get it based on what they told you.
I don't believe you.
Now, insurance. I want you to show me proof
that you had insurance on the date of this crash.
I don't have any insurance on that car.
-I took it off. -[Levy] You never did.
I did. I had to have insurance to get the car.
No, you didn't.
Okay, well, I don't have it.
Why don't you show me proof of registration.
-When did you register the car? -[Kerrigan] Um…
-it's registered… -Nope.
I want you to show me proof of registration.
I understand that. I don't know how to find that.
Can you teach me how to find it on the app, or something?
[Levy] Well, you're suing him for $6,000
because you're claiming that he caused an accident
that insurance would've covered.
Had you been registered and insured, we would not be here.
We would be here, regardless, because I shouldn't have
to go through my insurance to pay for something I didn't break.
I was not gonna do that because the deductible was going to be crazy
considering I had just got into a wreck prior.
I couldn't keep paying for it.
I have nothing further. Judge Acker?
So, just remind me what time did you leave the house that night?
I want to say eleven.
Around 11 o'clock at night? And what were you drinking
at the house, during the pre-game?
Patron. It was the same bottle.
[Acker] What was she drinking?
The same Patron I was drinking.
She was drinking Patron. Do you recall how many drinks she had?
[dramatic music playing]
[narrator] Coming up on Tribunal Justice…
Since you were so obviously intoxicated,
how do you know whether she was drinking or how much?
Maybe she had Perrier.
[all chuckle]
[theme music playing]
[narrator] Kerrigan Brockington is suing her friend Peirre Rogers
for $6,000 after she claims he drunkenly grabbed her steering wheel
while headed to a club, causing her to crash her Tesla.
Peirre admits drinking that night,
but says he can't remember what did and didn't happen.
What were you drinking at the house, during the pre-game?
Patron. It was the same bottle.
[Acker] What was she drinking?
The same Patron I was drinking.
She was drinking Patron. Do you recall how many drinks she had?
I know that I had more than her, so, no.
-[Acker] Does he often drink alone? -No.
As I recall your testimony, you said
you didn't have anything to drink at all before you left.
I just don't think that I was drinking.
[Acker] I'm just gonna be super candid.
There's no way you weren't drinking. I absolutely don't believe you.
-Okay. -[Acker] And I'll read what you said.
In the complaint it says, around two or three a.m.
you were on your way to the next club,
and got into an argument. So, between 11:00,
when you left the house, and let's just say two a.m.,
you were doing no drinking at all?
No, I was outside of the club.
I believe that you were hanging outside at some point.
I just have a hard time believing you weren't drinking.
Because your memory is so selective.
Just 'cause I don't remember word for word what I said. We were arguing.
I know we were out, we had to be drinking. But I'm not gonna stand here
-and say that I was drunk. -So you had to be drinking.
So, thank you for saying that.
At some point, we were… I was…
[Acker] You "had to be drinking." Can I tell you
four months ago, if I had like a glass of sauvignon blanc?
Maybe not, but I could certainly tell you, that if I were in a car,
with someone who was a really close friend.
I mean, I gotta think that you guys were like very, very dear friends.
You know, what you've described is a traumatic event.
And to not understand and not be able to recount
any of the details of that traumatic event,
when you've been able to remember other parts of the evening,
to me, I just suspect that you were intoxicated.
Now, Mr. Rogers, tell me everything that you recall
that took place during the accident.
So, I remember leaving. I had a shot.
Because people recognize me, like, "Oh, take a shot."
That was the last thing at the club, and it was like at 12:00.
But the argument, all I remember is it getting irate and getting loud.
Do you remember pulling the steering wheel,
as she alleges in her complaint?
-I do not. -[Acker] You do not remember doing that.
-No. -[Acker] So, you can't say whether or not
-you did it one way or another? -No.
Since you were so obviously intoxicated,
how do you know whether she was drinking or how much?
Maybe she had Perrier.
-So, the thing… -As a toast to you.
So, the thing is, I didn't recall the night because I was drunk.
So, when I had to go back when I found out I was being sued,
I was like, "Oh, look at this. It's a video of her drinking."
'Cause I was kind of vlogging that night, I guess.
Was that the same night?
-The same night. -Mm.
You guys…
The same night you grabbed my steering wheel.
Can we play the video, please?
So, we're listening to a rock and roll song. Oh!
The bottle… both hands off the wheel.
[Acker] Yeah…
-Yeah, so, Miss Brockington… -[Kerrigan] Hm?
[Acker] Is there something you'd like to say?
I think I was passing him the bottle in that one.
-No, I took my shot… -I don't see myself…
How stupid... you know what, honestly, I'm really trying to be kind.
Like, we're making a little light of it, like it's funny.
This is dangerous and you could've killed somebody!
And so, you came to court knowing you were drinking,
knowing you didn't have insurance,
and you think you're gonna get some money from him.
You should be embarrassed.
I have nothing else.
I'm gonna tell you what bothers me the most about you.
You come in here with the mindset of,
"I can't believe they're gonna ask me questions."
You're annoyed, making faces at every question somebody asks you.
I apologize.
I don't need your apologizing.
I understand. I know people are gonna see this.
I do apologize. I don't think it's funny to drink and drive.
And yes, now it makes sense that you have evidence.
I was drinking and driving and I'm sorry.
But also too, he did grab my steering wheel while I was driving.
I just wanted to get paid for him wrecking…
You want him to pay for something that you did,
or that perhaps he was trying to stop you…
I didn't do it. That's not what happened.
Stop talking. You blabber and blabber,
with nothing to say.
I don't have anything else to say to you.
We're gonna retire to deliberate.
Court is now in recess. Parties will be recalled.
[theme music playing]
I don't know whether he pulled the wheel.
Whether his pulling the wheel was the cause of the accident.
What I do know is, I am not gonna reward anyone
who gets behind the wheel drinking and driving.
And we have evidence she was drinking from three different sources.
One from the video, one from his statement,
and most importantly, by her admission that she had some drinks.
We've all said, it defies common sense to believe
that these two people going out clubbing didn't have at least one drink
at some point in time over four hours. It just defies common sense.
As she talks about, "Yeah, I have plenty of accidents,"
as though it's just commonplace and not a problem.
Maybe he pulled the wheel…
Maybe he just put his hands on the wheel 'cause her hands were off the wheel.
-That as well. -Holding a bottle of Patron
-and drinking it. We don't know. -Any way you twist and turn,
this woman was behind the wheel, she was driving.
And I don't want to reward her by any means
and give her any money at all,
no matter what his responsibility, if any, was.
Listen, let's call it what it is. It's a crash.
There's a difference.
One, you can't help. One is oops, something bad happened.
That's an accident. It was no one's fault. This was clearly someone's fault.
And she was not registered in Texas to drive that vehicle.
And she was not insured.
So, any effort by her to suggest otherwise is belied by the proof that we have.
So, she now is gonna have to take care of that damage herself.
Absolutely. I think that, candidly,
I don't care whether or not he grabbed the steering wheel.
That's what happens when two people drink too much
and then they get in some drunken brawl in a car.
And when one of them is a driver, game over.
I mean, she could've killed somebody.
And for her to be so gosh-darn cavalier about it…
-That's… -[Acker] We let her make her case
about her faulty memory.
But for her to first be confronted with that video…
And you remember her initial answer?
"Well, maybe I was just passing the drink to him."
I mean, how bloody dumb does she think we are?
I'm happily joined in this dismissal.
Okay, we're all gonna be happy to dismiss.
It's unanimous happy.
[dramatic music playing]
Court is back in session.
Parties are reminded you're still under oath.
-[DiMango] Thank you. -[Cassandra] You're welcome.
[DiMango] We have a unanimous verdict.
The bottom line is whether you pulled the wheel or you didn't,
the testimony is pretty clear
to establish that you had had some drinks.
And at different times of the evening,
or different times over which you'd been drinking,
your blood level alcohol changes on how it impacts on your driving ability.
We're looking here at a four hour time span.
Where it defied the common sense of the three of us
and probably everybody in the audience, that two young people going out clubbing,
meeting a boyfriend, hanging around outside clubs,
would not have had at least one or two drinks over four hours.
It defies common sense for you to say, very cavalier,
"I don't remember if I was drinking."
So, we have you making the admission that you finally do drink.
We find you credible, sir.
You did say that you recalled her having drinks,
though you couldn't recall how many.
And we have the video of you with the bottle in your hand.
Now, whether you pulled the wheel or not was irrelevant to us, really.
Because the bottom line is,
you cannot get behind the wheel drinking and driving.
And we have no evidence of you being insured.
And you want us to reward you for having to take rideshares everywhere
without a job, living in his home, not paying five cents?
There was no reason that any of us could even think of
an argument in your favor. So, the bottom line here is
we are unanimous in dismissing your complaint.
[gavel bangs]
This case has concluded. All parties are excused.
[triumphant music playing]
This was never supposed to happen. I didn't want to have to sue him.
I told her before coming here that it wasn't gonna work in her favor.
So, I'm not sure why she decided to go in there and do that anyway.
He said he was going to pay me. There was evidence in text messages
of him admitting to paying me.
I can't recall. I just remember an irate conversation,
and I was in a crash.
He admitted to doing it. Now he's saying
he didn't know if he did it. Whatever.
Definitely don't drink and drive. M'kay?
I didn't wreck it, but whatever.
I think she's a cool girl. So, best of luck to her.
[narrator] Did someone destroy your property?
Let Tribunal Justice decide your case.
Find us on social media @TribunalJustice.
[theme music playing]