She was throwing rocks at my car, screaming.
-[shouts on video] -Seriously?
-That's how you behave? -Mm-hmm.
I woulda come in this courtroom if I were you with a paper bag over my head.
Then your 18-year-old daughter gets involved.
They both come running out in front of the garage,
her daughter just immediately starts punching me in the face.
What was your endgame?
I'm not proud of what I did.
You shoulda just paid her instead of having everyone in the world
see just how crazy of a person you were.
[narrator] Now, on Tribunal Justice...
[narrator] Today's case was filed in Duluth, Minnesota.
Your Honor, this is case 3014, Bergren vs. Chepelnik.
Parties have been sworn in. You may be seated.
-[Levy] Thank you, Cassandra. -[Britt] You're welcome.
Ms. Bergren, according to your complaint, you and the defendant
-were former neighbors. -Correct.
[Levy] And you're suing her for damages that she caused your car.
And moving expenses that you claim were necessitated
by the defendant's conduct,
which made you and your family feel unsafe.
That's correct, Your Honor.
And Ms. Chepelnik, according to your answer,
you do not deny damaging the plaintiff's car,
but you claim that you don't owe her anything,
because the car was totaled, and in fact, in your answer,
you accuse the plaintiff of engaging in conduct
that was designed to make you feel unsafe.
Specifically a time when she and her adult daughter assaulted you
and caused you over $700 worth of hospital bills.
And basically, what your answer said is you guys are even.
Yes, Your Honor.
[Levy] Ms. Bergren, tell us,
when did you and the defendant become neighbors?
Um, I want to say that it was 2022,
sometime in the late summer, I want to say maybe around August.
Okay. Is that about right, Ms. Chepelnik?
-Yes. -[Levy] All right.
Why don't you tell us how it was
when you and the defendant first became neighbors.
We never, Your Honor, got along.
Um, from the start, um,
she was dating the property manager at the time.
And therefore, she thought that she had every right
to just be in control of everything.
How long had you been there in this apartment complex
prior to the defendant moving in?
Between a year and a year and a half.
[Levy] Let's take a look at 04. Do you see this?
Yes, Your Honor.
So, in this photograph, where is it that you lived?
I lived, um, my windows are up on the top there.
Okay. And what about the defendant? Where is her apartment?
Hers are directly below my living room sliding door.
-So, her two windows are right here? -[Stevie] Yeah.
-[Levy] Is that correct, Ms. Chepelnik? -[Maria] Yeah.
[Levy] Who were you living with in your apartment?
Um, mainly, I was there myself.
Now, Ms. Bergren, I'm gonna direct your attention to August 12th, 2024.
Do you recall an accident with your vehicle at that time?
-Yes, Your Honor. -[Levy] Tell me what happened.
Me and my son were driving home from Subway,
and we were going down a very dark road.
It's one of the darkest roads in Duluth, Minnesota,
and we hit a deer.
It did cause me to go into the ditch.
Passenger side tires came off of the rim.
The front bumper was hanging. I had to get a tow.
And towed it back to my house, because I couldn't drive it with no tires.
The car was still drivable after fixing the tires
and getting the bumper attached back on.
So, there was nothing wrong with the engine?
There was nothing wrong with it.
[Levy] What type of car was it?
It's an '01 Toyota Camry.
[Levy] Did you have that vehicle fixed?
[Stevie] I did not have the tires put on yet.
Because I was driving... I have a motorcycle that I drive, Your Honor.
I was using my motorcycle back and forth to work.
Okay. Now, to you, Ms. Chepelnik.
Can you describe the vehicle after the accident?
The vehicle was in rough shape.
-[Levy] Okay. -It looked like [bleep].
Okay.
[Maria] The thing wasn't gonna drive down a road.
I mean, it sat right outside my windows for weeks, basically.
Just sittin' there, right off the main drag.
Not even legal.
Doesn't even have plates on it, no tabs on it.
Needs to go to the junkyard.
Need to pay money to get that towed back to the junkyard,
out of the yard and off the property.
You were not happy that this vehicle was sitting there outside your...
I had a bad Monday,
and I was sick of seeing that pile of [bleep] sit there, so.
[Levy] We're not there yet, ma'am. We're gonna get there.
Can we take a look, please, at 01?
Ms. Bergen, did you take that photograph?
Yes, Your Honor, I did.
[Levy] And when was that photo taken?
[Stevie] That photograph was taken two days after I had went in the ditch.
So, there was nothing wrong with the front windshield, correct?
Correct. There was no marks, no cracks.
[Levy] There was nothing wrong with the back windshield.
-That's correct. -[Levy] Is that right, Ms. Chepelnik?
That's the way the vehicle looked after this incident on--
It looked worse than those pictures later on, but...
yeah, that's the vehicle.
Yeah. Why don't you tell us, Ms. Bergren, what happened on the 26th of August, 2024?
Okay, so, I was at work when I got a ping on my phone.
'Cause I had the Wyze Camera app on my phone.
And it pinged me saying that there was something going on.
And came across video of Ms. Chepelnik
damaging my vehicle even more.
[Levy] What, exactly, was she doing?
She was throwing rocks and bricks at my car.
Screaming, saying to get my piece of [bleep] off of her property.
Number one, it's not her property.
Number two, that was my assigned parking spot
by the landlord. That's the only place I had to park.
Is that correct, Ms. Chepelnik? Was that the assigned spot?
That is her assigned spot.
[Levy] Okay. You know what, let's go right to that video footage.
I want you to take a look at them.
[thuds]
[Levy] Was that you just throwing a rock at that car?
Yes, it was.
[Maria chuckles dryly]
[thuds]
[crashing]
Let's take a look at 03.
Ms. Bergren, do you recognize that?
Yes. My car without a back window.
That's right. Ms. Chepelnik, that's what you did, right?
Yes, Your Honor.
What are we looking at here, Ms. Bergren?
What was once a windshield of my car.
[Levy] And on top of the car?
[Stevie] A brick.
Ms. Chepelnik, you know how that brick got there?
Probably me, but I'm not sure how I left it--
Time out. Do you have any reason to believe
that that brick was put there by somebody else but you?
-It's me. I'll just... -[Levy] There you go.
Why don't you just tell us why it was
that you were in such a bad mood this day?
One of those days when it just overflows too much all at one time.
This particular day was bad. And I'm here to say I made a mistake.
I did do that. And all I can do is try to move forward from it
-and put this behind me. -Great. Judge Acker?
Were you drunk?
-Were you drinking? -No, Your Honor.
Seriously? That's how you behave perfectly sober?
My goodness. I don't want to be near you
when you wake up on the wrong side of the bed.
[narrator] Coming up on Tribunal Justice...
I think you would feel much better
if you didn't come off looking like some out of control idiot
who throws stuff, jumps out of windows,
and then says, "You know what, it's all even."
Like, are you in therapy?
[narrator] Steve-Marie Bergren says neighbor Maria Chepelnik
owes her $6,000 for vandalizing her car
and forcing her family to move to escape Maria's fits of rage.
Maria claims the car was already a wreck and the real violence happened
when Stevie-Marie's daughter sucker-punched her.
Really, the crux of this case for me, Ms. Bergren,
you know, you're suing for $2,000 worth of property damage.
Can we put Exhibit One back up on the screen, please?
I mean, I'm kind of like, this car is barely worth $500.
So, how on earth could I justify an award of $2,000 in damages?
Help me explain that.
So, Your Honor, just because the car doesn't look pretty...
-It doesn't. -[Stevie] It doesn't.
-Not by no means. -It's a hot mess.
The estimate came out to be that much because they had to pull the glass.
-[Acker] Mm-hmm. -[Stevie] They had to put new...
I mean, you could end up with a brand-spanking-new beautiful windshield
and a car that looks like it's certainly seen better days.
Let's put a pin in that, because the other portion of your claim
relates to you being afraid of her.
My question to you is whether or not you were truly afraid.
Because when you saw that video, why would you confront her
rather than simply calling the authorities directly? Why do that?
Um, I did call the police. I called them right when I found out...
If you're so afraid, stay in the house.
I'd be afraid of somebody like that, frankly.
Because I'm more afraid for my children.
Not really. Then your 18-year-old daughter gets involved,
and then there's some brawl between the two of you.
She came out, because I have an aneurism in my head,
and my daughter heard her screaming.
So, why were you there? Why did you put yourself in this space?
Even according to your own complaint, you say that like,
she jumps out the window. Do you not have doors in your apartment?
-What's this jumping through the window? -I do.
I have to go all the way to the other side of the building and open the garage...
[Acker] You don't have a front door in your house?
-No. -[Acker] So, you confront her.
Your daughter comes over,
she jumps out the window and they start brawling.
So, my daughter heard her screaming, saying she was gonna kick my ass.
And I had surgery. I had a brain aneurism three years ago.
I had coils put in my brain.
I'm not gonna try to go fight with anybody,
because that literally could end my life.
And all my daughter did was push her away from us.
And then, I grabbed my daughter and said, "Get in the house."
Can you put up Exhibit Five, please?
Ms. Chepelnik, your defense in this case is essentially, we're even.
'Cause they busted me up pretty badly.
I'd like you to describe what happened after you jumped out the window.
Um, I went walkin' over towards in front of the garage.
Um, they both come runnin' out to in front of the garage.
Her daughter just immediately starts punching me in the face.
She grabbed my hair, was holding me down.
I was in the fetal position.
Our neighbor was outside with her three and her five year old.
And you did it in front of them.
[Acker] Now, let's talk about the injuries that you maintain
offset whatever damage you may have caused to her car.
Exhibit Five, you submitted to show your injuries.
I'm not seeing them.
Well, that's about two weeks old, because I got arrested
off of a warrant when the police were called for--
When the police came, they arrested you on a warrant--
Because of the warrant in Florida, which my attorney was working on.
-An unrelated matter. -Correct, unrelated matter.
And then, you were extradited to Florida?
Yeah, and it cost me $10,000.
You say that like we should care.
Wait-wait. You say it cost you $10,000
like that's anybody's problem or fault but yours.
It is my fault.
I think you would feel much better moving forward
if you didn't come off looking like some out of control idiot
who throws stuff, jumps out of windows,
and then says, "You know what, it's all even."
Like, are you in therapy?
Yes, I do work on myself.
I-I... You need to do a lot of work on yourself.
'Cause you know what, one day, somebody's gonna hurt you back very badly,
or you're gonna end up in a different type of courtroom,
where the consequences will be far more severe.
Judge DiMango?
[DiMango] I've come to trust my judgment.
And you're either drunk or mentally ill.
But you're not a regular sane, walking the street, normal person.
Especially in that video.
What were you hoping was gonna happen after you threw the bricks,
after you started screaming and cursing?
What was your endgame?
It was... no endgame. There was no good endgame.
True sign of a problem person. What were the charges in Florida?
-The charge in Florida? -[DiMango] Yeah. What'd you do?
-Violation of probation. -I'm sorry. What was it?
[Maria] Violation of probation.
What were you on probation for?
Probation for, um...
[DiMango] You would believe me...
Something completely unrelated to this case...
What? Because you are presenting someone
who has basically rehabilitated themselves,
working on themselves and all, and the bottom line is
you can't take care of anything about your life.
I would've come in this courtroom if I were you with a paper bag over my head.
But for you, you have a different burden. Your burden is
not to show she's a fool, but to show your damages.
So, with regard to your damages, show me some proof
that this is actually going to your windshields,
-the money you're asking for. -The reason, Your Honor,
that I have not replaced the windshield and rear window is
because of the money. I don't have $2,000 to pull out--
What did it cost you to do the other?
To repair the tires, to pull out the dents. What--
-It didn't cost me anything. -[DiMango] How did that happen?
Because my brother, he knows cars.
-He pulled the dents out for me. -Uh-huh.
He took zip-ties, granted it's not probably the safest way
to go about putting a bumper back on, but it wasn't totally broken.
Were you living in the apartment pursuant to a lease?
Yes.
What was term of your lease when you first got there?
When I first moved into my lease, it was a year lease.
-[DiMango] Mm-hmm. -Um, and then, after a year,
we went to month-to-month lease.
I wasn't planning on moving out of that place anytime soon.
I liked my location.
Why would she want to live where you are? You knew you were pushing her out.
[narrator] Coming up on Tribunal Justice...
I'm looking for violation of probation here.
And I don't see it anywhere.
I see stalking.
That's the charge. You were stalking someone, right?
[narrator] Stevie-Marie Bergren caught neighbor Maria Chepelnik
smashing her car windows and claims her family moved for their safety.
She's suing for $6,000 in damages and moving expenses.
But Maria claims they're even
after Stevie-Marie and her daughter brutally attacked her.
You knew you were pushing her out.
I wanted the car out of there, that's all.
What if she was having a bad day?
You're justifying your behavior by saying it was a bad day for me.
Have you seen what the yard looks like?
[DiMango] You cannot defend that behavior by saying, "I can do that."
It's not right, what I did. I'm not proud of what I did.
Proud? I mean, that's like even stretching it.
If I could go back, I wouldn't have done what I did.
But you did it in this courtroom. The first words out of your mouth were,
"It's a piece of [bleep]." Really?
And so, that's how you've decided to change your behavior.
That's the better you?
No, I've been working on it for quite a while...
Well, work a little harder,
because you should be in heavy counseling.
Believe me. That behavior is absurd.
I want to ask you another question about the damages here.
There's no way I would stay in a place with this lunatic living next to me.
So, for your purposes, you want to move.
You have to pay your first month's rent. You really weren't ready to do that.
My real concern is with the money you're asking for,
which would be your security deposit, $3,300.
And the reason why I have a real problem with that is
because that's an anticipated loss.
If you took care of your premises and you moved,
they would give you back your $3,300.
So, if I were to say, "Okay, we'll give you $3,300,"
you'd be getting a windfall, should you choose to move.
Granted, yes, it is a deposit, and I am liable to get it back.
But I also had to borrow money from family to move out of that place.
I mean, I get that. But ultimately, they will be paid back.
That's the way it goes when you borrow money.
I don't have any other questions.
I do. Ms. Chepelnik, what do you do to support yourself?
I'm a real estate investor.
How long you been doin' that?
A couple years now.
What's your portfolio look like?
It's personal. I don't publicize my stuff.
Got it. You know, you did mention this assault
that you claim to have suffered
at the hands of the plaintiff and her daughter.
Viciously and violently assaulted by the two of them, right?
Yeah.
Now the police show up. What did you do when the police arrived?
I went and laid down curled up in a ball next to my bed,
waited to get picked up. That's what I did.
[Levy] You weren't hiding from the police, were you?
No, I wasn't. I have cameras all over my apartment, too.
Because you would have no reason to lie to the police,
because you were the victim here. You were physically assaulted, right?
Yeah, I was assaulted.
[Levy] Okay. You said the police came into your home?
[Maria] Yes.
[Levy] Did you let them in or did they let themselves in?
Uh, the door was open.
Do you know there's a warrant outstanding for your arrest in Florida...
-Yes. -[Levy] You did know.
Yes, my attorneys were working on it. Absolutely.
And you say that it cost you $10,000 for that. Are you sure about that?
Yeah, five and five.
-[Levy] Five and five. -Mm-hmm.
Fifty thousand and fifty thousand. A hundred thousand.
-That's $10,000. -That's two charges.
You said it was a violation of probation.
What other charge did you have?
Um...
I don't know what the other charge is.
Hand this over, please, Cassandra. Hand this over to the defendant.
Show her that document. It's the warrant.
And it's the bail receipt from the state of Florida.
Let's see if that helps refresh your recollection as to how much your bail was.
'Cause I'm looking for violation of probation here,
and I don't see it anywhere. I see stalking.
That's the charge. You were stalking someone. Right?
That's a charge, but it's not...
[Levy] Oh, you remember now.
There's too many things even to be going on with this.
[Levy] Listen, let's understand something, ma'am.
The reason you're here is
because besides your big real estate portfolio that you have,
you didn't have enough money to fix what you damaged.
That's why you're here.
And the other charge, before I go by the way,
it's a D.W.I. and a V.O.P.
That's what you had in your record, right?
Yes, Your Honor.
With respect to the injuries that you claim the plaintiff
and her daughter caused you on the 26th,
you provided us with a police report, didn't you, of this incident?
-Mm-hmm. -[Levy] You did. Great.
What the police said in that report that they went inside
and "Chepelnik saw me." That's the police officer.
"Chepelnik ran to the back of the house."
That officer and another officer "entered the bedroom
where Chepelnik had ran, and she was found hiding under a bed
and remained motionless in a ball on the floor.
She was placed in handcuffs and advised she was under arrest
for a warrant. Chepelnik was placed in a squad car
while the warrant was being confirmed."
Why don't you tell us what you did to yourself in the squad car?
Oh, I was upset in the squad car.
And I hit my head again on top of already being hit.
There we go. Chepelnik at one point
hit her head on my partition.
So, you're handcuffed, and you're banging your head.
And you were told to stop or what?
What did the police say they were gonna do to you?
Hobble you.
What's hobble mean?
Kind of like when you put a steer over and you tie their arms...
-A steer? -Yep, and their legs together
-and you put 'em on their stomach. -Mm-hmm.
So they don't move around.
-[Britt] Yeah, hog-tie basically. -[Levy] Hog-tie.
Yeah. That's what the told you they were gonna do to you
-Yeah. -if you stopped acting all crazy on them.
And then, they took you to the hospital
because of you banging your head against the partition.
And that's why you went to the hospital and it cost you $700.
You should've just paid her. And by the way,
if I were you, I'd have taken my kids and moved out of there, too,
and sued her for the moving expenses.
-I got nothing further. -That's what I'm trying to do.
Nothing from me, Judge.
Then we're going to retire to deliberate at this time. Thank you.
Court is now in recess. Parties will be recalled.
I think we can all agree it was an unprovoked attack
against the plaintiff's property.
The defendant, as she is so unable to control herself
on the 26th of August and is damaging the vehicle,
she's also cursing and screaming. But she's not directing her words
only at the plaintiff, but at her children, too.
I think the testimony is clear, as is the evidence,
that the defendant caused the damage to the windshield.
And sure, the cost to repair it is probably more than the car's worth.
But the car's worth more to the plaintiff, 'cause she needs it to go to work.
And she can't drive that car without those windshields.
The defendant, in my opinion, she owes that $2,007.
As far as the moving expenses, listen, I know there's some speculation involved
and there's issues with respect to security deposits
and whether she's gonna get that back.
But at the end of the day, she clearly doesn't have the disposable income,
and she shouldn't have to borrow it from her parents or her friends
to put down security deposits, first and last month's rent.
Not when the reason for her moving is because of that.
That conduct. And she's a violent person.
I think that the plaintiff did the only thing
that a responsible parent would've done at that time,
which was get the hell out of Dodge.
I think it's reasonable and I would give her everything she asked for.
Candidly, if she'd brought a claim for... let's just say the car's worth $500.
If she brought a $500 claim for property damage
and then asked for $5,500 in emotional distress,
I'd give it to her. You know, there are so many ways
in which these injuries add up to $6,000.
If she had a lawyer whispering in her ear, somebody would say,
"Don't call it moving expenses,
you're moving because you are emotionally distressed.
Call it emotional distress damages." I mean, the defendant's out of control.
So I have no problem giving her everything she's asked for.
This is how this all pans out for me.
The fact that this woman was throwing rocks,
there's no defense in criminal mischief, number one.
Number two, for that vehicle to be drivable, and it was drivable,
she needed to replace those windows. So I have no problem with all the damage.
I was just curious as to why she was doing certain things.
But clearly, I had no dispute as to the cost of those windows
and the cost to repair them.
And that's the only way that vehicle could go back to being driven.
So, I was looking at the damages
with regard to the $3,300 as punitive damages
-for her aggressive, agitated behavior. -Mm-hmm.
And she moved out immediately for fear of her safety.
It was provoked and prompted by the defendant's egregious behavior.
So, for all those reasons,
I'm willing to give the plaintiff everything she's asked for.
-Super. Unanimous. -Mm-hmm.
Court is back in session.
Parties are reminded that you're under oath still.
Thank you. Ms. Bergren, you came in here suing the defendant
and seeking $6,000 in damages.
Two thousand for the vehicle and $4,000 for moving expenses.
Correct.
The $2,000 is easy. The video proved it.
The moving expenses, a little more difficult,
but it doesn't make a difference. As Judge Acker indicated,
this conduct on the part of the defendant was so outrageous,
it could either be considered punitive damages
or emotional distress that she caused you.
So, whether or not it's emotional distress,
punitive, or actual compensatory damages
for having to borrow money from someone else
to put down a first month's, last month's and security.
The unanimous verdict of the court is
that you get every penny you are asking for, $6,000 in your favor.
Good luck. And to you too, ma'am.
-Thank you, Your Honor. -[gavel bangs]
This case has concluded. All parties are excused.
Man, she was already a problem before I even was in there.
The lies that she told I guess were kinda humorous.
No.
I think, honestly, that she was under the influence of something.
Everybody has bad days sometimes.
Always look out for cameras.
I already knew I was on camera.
[narrator] Did someone destroy your property?
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