Did you cheat on me?
Now, on Tribunal Justice...
- It was an open relationship. - Correct.
Did you have a boyfriend on the side?
Yes, I did.
You accused her of being a sexaholic.
- That's correct. - Whatever!
She was transparent, you didn't like it.
If she's that screwed up, leave her.
You need some help.
Today's case was filed in Spokane, Washington.
Your Honor, this is Case #3074 on the calendar
in the matter of Earney vs. Perkins.
- Thank you, Byrd. You're welcome, Judge.
Parties have been sworn in. Be seated.
Ms. Earney and Mr. Perkins, the two of you
had an on again, off again relationship over the past five years.
At one point, the two of you even lived together.
During that time, Ms. Earney, you became quite ill,
and then you broke up. And then, you got back together again.
Uh, you reconnected and you planned a trip.
But you broke up again before that trip.
And Ms. Earney, you're in court today suing the Defendant
because you allege that you paid for your half of the trip.
But he's refused to reimburse you for those expenses.
You are suing the Defendant for $1,690.
And sir, you say that any money that she did pay you,
went toward another debt that she owed you.
And in fact, you have a countersuit against her.
You maintain that after she recovered from her brain condition,
she never reassumed her rent obligations, and she owes you money for that.
Uh, you're suing her also for invasion of privacy
for going through your phone. And you also have a claim against her
for emotional distress as a result of her alleged cheating.
Uh, well, the two of you have a really nice origin story.
You met about five years ago on a dating site.
And I thought that your first date sounded so delightful.
You went to the park. You swung on the swings.
- Yes. - And you moved in together
- about a year later. - Correct.
I think it was a little over a year after you moved in
that you were diagnosed with a brain injury.
Correct. Um, basically, it was my memory that went.
Um, first started having memory issues,
and then it began into hallucinations.
And slurred speech.
Kevin can even allude to it more, because he was there, and I wasn't.
In fact, sir, you know, Mr. Perkins, what the Plaintiff says in her complaint
is that you did your best to take care of her.
What were the circumstances like when she wasn't doin' so well
and you were stepping up?
Like the first week is when she started hallucinating.
She went down pretty fast.
She started getting slow movements, you know,
and then she was kind of just in and out of it, reality.
She would like start picking things up off the floor that weren't there,
or in the air, you know?
So, I took her to ER to find out what was going on.
I took her like three times during that time.
How long would you say she was sick
during the period of time you were living together?
She moved in in August. The first three months was really good.
You know, everything was going really good.
Late January, it just started going downhill from there.
But it took like August till she got better.
After August, that's when things started to kind of go downhill
between the two of you again personally.
And then, you moved out that following January.
- Correct. - And then, you reconnected.
In, I think it was in October of around last year,
you planned a trip that was going to take place this year.
- Yes. - You were gonna go on a Carnival Cruise.
- Where was the cruise? To the Western Caribbean.
You were going to the Western Caribbean,
and she did pay you for what she maintains was some portion of the cruise.
How much did you pay him, ma'am?
One thousand, six hundred ninety dollars.
One thousand, six hundred and ninety dollars.
And you don't deny receiving that money.
She wrote you a check. We have a copy of the check.
That was a combination of a lot of things.
What she says was the cruise, you say something else.
Correct, ma'am.
So, she writes you a check for the cruise.
But before the two of you are supposed to go on the cruise together,
something else happens. You take a trip to Vegas.
- Yes, I did. - You didn't like the fact
that she took a trip to Vegas.
It's weird, because she never goes on a vacation by herself.
I believe that Brenda Earney has a sex addiction.
Oh, no, no, no. I thought we were going in a different direction.
No, no, no.
Um, here's what I'm gonna do,
because I don't really want to go...
too deeply into your bedroom.
But you take pains in your complaint to say,
you know, when we reconnected, he was seeing somebody,
I was seeing somebody. It was an open relationship.
- Correct. - And you tell us in your answer
that you were very suspicious about that trip.
And that trip is why you ultimately canceled the Caribbean trip.
So, tell me why you canceled the trip to the Caribbean
you were planning with the Plaintiff.
The second time we got back together I said, you gotta be transparent with me,
100% transparent. She told me she was seeing this guy named Scott.
And she would see him on Fridays.
Well, I've never shared somebody with somebody else.
This is kinda weird and different for me, you know.
But she told you.
But I just think it was more to it than just that Scott guy.
But anyhow, I met this gal at the landfield
in Portland, Oregon.
'Cause I haul ash over there, right. I met her,
but there was no sexual relationship goin', just friendship.
So, you met somebody, you say it wasn't intimate.
She told you that she was seeing Scott on Fridays.
You suspect that there may have been other Scotts.
But the point is, she goes to Vegas,
and you cancel the trip to the Caribbean.
Yes, I did.
And then, that brings us to her claim.
Because she wrote you a check on October 26th, 2024,
for $1,690.
She alleges that that was money she paid toward the cruise.
You allege that that was money that went toward
- rental expenses and the like. - No.
I thought that's what you said in your answer.
Concert tickets, um... and then, I got this, uh...
mess-free cat litter box. I said I'd go half on it.
Yeah, that's right. You were suing her also for the cat litter box.
Not... I wasn't suing her for that.
But that was just part of the money that she's talking about.
That's why I said, that isn't exactly the ticket expenses.
Um, I'll be quite candid. I'm inclined to see it as cruise money.
You planned the trip in October.
She wrote you the check in October.
She moved out in January.
I didn't see any record of your saying,
you know, look, I need you to pay me back for the rent.
I need you to pay me back for the money I spent
moving you out of my home.
I never saw any request for repayment of those items.
How are you gonna convince me otherwise?
Coming up on Tribunal Justice...
You guys need counseling.
Really.
You're suspicious of every move she makes.
If she goes to the grocery store and isn't back in an hour,
you start to think she's got a relationship goin' on with the cashier.
Brenda Earney says ex-boyfriend Kevin Perkins
owes her almost $1,700, her half of a cruise that Kevin canceled.
Kevin admits pulling the plug, blaming Brenda for cheating on him.
So, he's countersuing for $5,000, in rent, concert tickets,
a cat litter box, and invasion of privacy.
I didn't see any record of your saying,
you know, look, I need you to pay me back for the rent.
I need you to pay me back for the money I spent
moving you out of my home.
I never saw any request for repayment of those items.
How are you gonna convince me otherwise?
It was the 13th through the 16th she was down in Vegas;
of November. The 16th, I picked her up.
She comes over to the house, stays the night.
The next morning, she made me coffee, and I said, I'm gonna go and shower.
I go in and shower and come back out, and I leave the water running,
'cause I kinda dropped my phone. I baited her to see if she'd use my...
get in my phone. And she got in my phone.
We're now talking about your counterclaim.
- Did you go through his phone? - No, ma'am.
He has face recognition and a code on it.
And if he had a code on it,
and he thought I was goin' through his phone,
he should've changed his code.
I watched her for ten seconds.
But listen. You know, without more,
I just don't see a path to invasion of privacy.
What I see is somebody who is miffed, broken-hearted,
annoyed she's suing you after everything you went through together.
You did take care of her while she was sick.
And I don't think you expected her to pay you rent while she was ill.
There's not one text message. There's nothing.
There was a verbal agreement when she moved in with me.
There was three things that I said to her.
Three hundred dollars a month, help with the food,
and then, I also said we're not getting married.
So... she had Scott on Friday.
It sounds like marriage wasn't necessarily on her radar.
But I am not seeing the legal basis on which you could recover.
You know, my colleagues may differ.
You'll have more time to testify. I'm gonna pass the case to Judge DiMango.
You guys need counseling.
Really. It's not funny.
I read these papers and I'm here saying,
you're suspicious of every move she makes.
If she goes to the grocery store and isn't back in an hour,
you start to think she's got a relationship goin' on with the cashier.
I mean, seriously, you were an extremely jealous person.
- Am I right or wrong? - No, ma'am, you're not.
You're not jealous? Do you want me to read this stuff?
I give all the ladies a lot of freedom in my life.
- Uh-huh. - I do.
And I'm gonna go back to you.
Just out of curiosity, did you have a boyfriend on the side?
- Scott. On Friday night. Scott on the side?
So, he's not crazy, but he's jealous.
I mean, that's normal.
But you accused her of being a sexaholic.
That's correct.
You're saying that from August when she got better
until January, when she moved out,
that she was foolin' around.
That she was gettin' all dolled up. That was your words.
Correct.
Now, that's the only timeframe, however, that you're looking for this $300 a month.
I'm gonna ask you, 'cause I believe you had an agreement.
I don't think you were freeloading off of him. Were you giving him money?
I gave him some when I could before I got sick.
- Do you work for a living? - Yes, I do.
- What do you do? - I'm a medical assistant.
So, you are giving him a certain amount of money a month
- to cover expenses. - Sure.
And you took care of her for four months.
So, you really did have feelings for one another,
strong feelings. And then, once she got better
and started to go back out again, August to July,
that was when you want that money.
Now, she admits to giving you some money,
but I don't know the nature of that relationship.
So, when she writes that check for $1,168
on the date that you booked the trip, that is exactly half of the cruise. Half.
But if you prematurely canceled the trip,
there's an issue as to who's responsible for the airfare
and what role she played in this cancelation on a trip.
The excursion. She was giving you half the excursion.
Half of it was $240.
That's one thing she didn't pay for is the excursion.
Did you pay for the excursion?
It was included in the check.
Do you have proof you paid? The check for $1,600 and some odd dollars.
Correct? By the way, you got reimbursed by the cruise ship for the money.
I got reimbursed.
You got reimbursed. So, you have that money.
So, moving along. I want to go to your counterclaim.
You think she's cheating all the time.
You were trying to set her up with that phone.
Why would you think that she was going through your phone,
when you were the one thinking she was cheating?
Why were you trying to set her up with that?
Ma'am, I have nothing to hide. Seriously.
She's just guilty because the fact that she wanted to see if I was cheating.
I'm gonna tell ya, she said nothing about looking at your phone.
You're suing for what isn't a legal cause of action at all.
Invasion of privacy because somebody looks at your phone.
But you're saying here that when Brenda returned
from her trip in Vegas, November 24,
that Sunday morning, she got up and made us coffee.
When I went to take a shower, you put in quotes "accidentally."
Which means, you intentionally "dropped my phone,"
that's you talking, "in the hamper.
I wanted to see if she would go through my phone or not.
I left the shower on in the bathroom to grab my phone,
and saw Brenda going through it.
She was caught red-handed.
I never had anything to hide."
You see, you're suspicious of her. You think she's hiding.
This is so typical, you'd be a therapist's delight.
You think she's cheating. You're checking everything she's doing.
You're monitoring her every move.
That's wrong to do in a relationship.
If she's that screwed up, leave her.
If we give you any money at all, take it to the first psychiatrist.
Because you need some help.
Coming up on Tribunal Justice...
You know, you're saying very little.
- And you have the case to prove here. - Mm-hmm.
I want to know, why did you go through his phone?
Brenda Earney is suing ex-boyfriend Kevin Perkins
for almost $1,700,
half the cost of a Caribbean cruise canceled out of jealousy.
But Kevin says Brenda ruined the relationship by cheating again,
and is countersuing for $5,000, for concert tickets,
a cat litter box, rent, and invasion of privacy.
You know, you're saying very little, and you have the case to prove here.
So, I want to know, why'd you go through his phone?
That one day, he threw it in front of me in the hamper.
- Mm-hmm. To hide it, in front of me.
So, I pick it up. Like, he's trying to hide something.
So, I pick up his phone, he comes out of the bathroom.
I'm holding his phone. And he said, caught ya.
And I'm, whatever. Why are you hiding...
What are you hiding in your phone that you have to hide it in the hamper?
Why didn't the two of you break up sooner and stay apart?
You shouldn't be with anybody if you're gonna be this jealous and concerned...
I knew it wouldn't work out.
Good I got you talking. You've been so quiet for so long.
Now, we can't stop you. Judge Levy.
Mr. Perkins, you said to Judge Acker
that the $1,690 check that you received from the Plaintiff
on October 26th, 2024,
was for a lot of things, but not the cruise expenses.
- Do you recall that testimony? - Yes, Your Honor.
So, what were the other things that you claim
that $1,690 was for?
Um, the concert ticket and um, the cat litter box.
I told her I'd go half on the cat litter box with her, so.
So, concert, cat litter box, and also a portion of this rent
that you claim that she owed you?
No, that wasn't part of that.
That wasn't part. Okay.
Now we know what you thought that check was for.
Now, I want you to tell me what all the expenses were
for the cruise to see if all the expenses for the cruise,
which included airfare, the ticket for the cruise, and the excursion.
'Cause you would agree that if those three things equal $1,690,
then your argument would just fall, correct?
Correct.
So, what was the cruise price?
Between the two of us, it was $2,324.
- Cruise price per person... - Hold on.
...eleven sixty-eight.
Okay. So, even according to your math,
- it was about $1,171. - Correct.
So, let's take $1,168. That's close enough, right?
The Alaskan flight, $562.42,
which equals $282 each. Correct?
- Yes. - Yes, Your Honor.
Okay. And then, finally, the two excursions were $240, right?
- Mm-hmm, correct. Correct.
So, $1,168 plus $282 for the flight,
plus the excursions for $240.
Can you take guess what those three numbers add up to?
Probably around $1,690?
Sixteen-ninety. So in fact, that check you received from the Plaintiff
was only for the trip and for nothing else. Correct?
Yes, Your Honor.
I have nothing further. Thank you.
Ms. Earney, when did you go back to work,
- or did you go back to work. - Yes.
- When did you go back? - Yes.
In January 30th of 2022.
Which is when you moved out of the Plaintiff's home.
- Yes. - So, you got a new job
- after you moved out. - Correct.
August, September, or thereabouts, were you still in treatment?
For your condition?
I was, um... In August of '22,
I completely opened myself up to identity theft.
To give you an idea of where my mental health was.
I took a phone call,
thought it was, um, our power company.
It was not, it was a scam artist.
My mental capacity was so bad,
I gave them all of my identity.
Gave 'em my social security number, my driver's license,
my password to my bank account. Everything.
How was your health the balance of the year, before you moved out?
Getting stronger every month.
- But you weren't working? - Not working.
Thank you. I don't have anything else.
You did write a letter to her, correct?
I did, ma'am.
And the purpose of this letter was what?
The letter that's dated December 14th, 2024,
when you say, "I tried to be friends with you again
and all you do is lie and cheat on me.
I wasn't ever going to get back with you, just be friends.
Our understanding was we would be transparent with one another.
I thought maybe you would change.
Boy, was I wrong. You are more messed up."
- You got this letter, didn't you? - Yes, I did.
- We're gonna... - Yeah, just, just...
Just one last thing, Mr. Perkins, with respect to that letter.
You also said, quote, "Since you never paid me the $1,500
for five months' rent, I'm keeping the cruise money."
- Correct? - Yes, Your Honor.
That was the first time that you had mentioned to her
since you got back together, anything about the $300 a month
- that was owed to you. Correct? - Yes, Your Honor.
We're gonna retire to deliberate. Thank you both.
Thank you.
Court now stands in recess.
This case will be recalled. Parties are excused.
I think I'd like to first start with the counterclaim.
She never disputes that she was paying him $300 a month
before she got sick. She even says that in her complaint.
I think that the question that I have is
whether or not he had a reasonable expectation
that she was gonna continue that from the time that she got sick
until the time that she moved out.
And I just don't see any evidence of that.
There's not a demand, there's not a request,
there's not a sweet note. Like, no mention
of any owed monies until they have a break up
that was clearly very painful for him. I think that the other items -
money for invasion of privacy for looking through the phone...
You didn't see the legal cause of action there?
...the emotional distress.
Again, you know, let's treat it like a summary judgment.
Assuming she did all of the things that he says that she did,
I still don't think that they give rise to a legally cognizable claim.
Hundred percent.
I would dismiss the counterclaim.
- Hundred percent. - Unanimous.
So, unanimous on dismissing the counterclaim.
And I think that she's met her burden on the case in chief.
She's actually taken into account, I believe, the penalty
that was incurred for the cancelation. He canceled the trip.
She paid him for the trip. I think she's entitled to be reimbursed.
She gets what she's asked for.
- I agree. - Me, too.
- Thank you. - This is so simple.
- So far, so good. - We're unanimous.
Court is back in session.
I remind parties you're still under oath.
Thank you, Byrd.
Mr. Perkins, I understand that you have a question you want to ask Ms. Earney.
- Yes, ma'am. - You may.
Did you cheat on me?
- Okay... - That's it.
They need therapy.
I was told I could ask her a question.
I was advised that you wanted to ask her a question.
- That was the question. - And that's the question.
You don't have to answer it. Because I'm gonna say this,
she told you about Scott on Fridays.
I'm not talking about that.
You knew about Scott on Fridays. You had Mary Mondays.
By the way, she was transparent, you didn't like it.
And that brings me to your countersuit, sir.
There is no doubt, the record is clear. The Plaintiff even acknowledged
that before she got sick, she was paying you $300 a month.
What you have failed to prove is
that there was any reasonable expectation of repayment
after she got sick and during the period of her recovery.
Because you cared about her, and you were looking after her,
and you wanted her to be well.
You know, again, as Judge Levy pointed out,
you didn't even ask for any money until after the breakup.
So, we're unanimous in dismissing your counterclaim.
This was painful for you. But you don't always get damages,
money damages, for relationships that cause you pain.
Ms. Earney, we're also unanimous in sustaining your complaint
for your request for $1,690.
The Defendant canceled the trip, and he had your money.
So, you're entitled to that money back.
Look, the two of you seem like very, very nice people.
And there are many more Scotts, and Marys,
and all sorts of folks in the world for you.
So, we really do wish you the best.
The unanimous verdict of this court is that the Plaintiff should prevail
in her complaint, and the countersuit is dismissed.
And good luck to both of you.
- Thank you. Thank you.
This case is now concluded.
Parties are excused. You may step out.
They're thinkin' that I was a controlling person, but I wasn't.
Um, the truth came out, and I got my cruise money back.
She just... She just wouldn't answer me.
Us not having a monogamous relationship wasn't gonna work.
She was cheating on me.
I wasn't cheating on him. It was an open relationship.
Part ways.
Oh, that ship has sailed.
Don't let a bad breakup break the bank.
Let the judges of Tribunal Justice propose a fair solution.
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