You were looking for a place to live?
He rents rooms?
I got kicked out.
- Did you tell him to leave? - Yes.
He said, "Get out of my house and yelled at me."
- And I did not feel safe. - My roommates were ready to kill him.
- Did you call the police? - Yes, I did.
He looks like he was high as a kite on this video.
Um, boy...
[announcer] This is Judy Justice.
[theme music playing]
[announcer] Alex Ziegler is suing his former landlord,
Randy Simpson,
for motorcycle damages and a wrongful eviction.
[Kevin] Court come to order.
Have a seat, please.
Case number 1180, Ziegler versus Simpson.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
[Judge Judy] Mr. Ziegler this is what I put together from your complaint.
You were looking for a place to live.
- You had no place to live? - Yes.
[Judge Judy] Mr. Simpson has a house, and in that house, he rents rooms.
He has a lot of tenants.
It's a house that you own, is that correct?
- Yes. - And you've owned it for how long, sir?
- Thirty years. - [Judge Judy] Okay.
Now, he agreed to rent you a space, he didn't have a bedroom,
but rented you a space at least temporarily the beginning of July?
Yes, July 1st.
[Judge Judy] And you lived there for approximately four weeks?
I got kicked out on August 6th.
- [Judge Judy] So five weeks? - Yes.
[Judge Judy] You claim two things that he, A, illegally evicted you.
So you want a lot of money for that.
And your second cause of action is that you drive a motorcycle
and that Mr. Simpson allowed one of the other tenants,
someone whose name is Todd,
that would be you, to drive his truck.
And Todd knocked over your bike
- that was parked behind the truck. - Correct.
[Judge Judy] Causing some damage to the bike.
Now you lived in the house for five weeks.
And would you stand up?
Your first name is Todd. What's your last name?
Todd Moberly.
[Judge Judy] Mr. Moberly, you acknowledge that you knocked over the motorcycle?
Uh-hmm.
[Judge Judy] The defense to that, that Mr. Simpson is raising,
is that Mr. Ziegler had parked his motorcycle behind the truck,
but parked it on the sidewalk instead of parking it someplace else.
And I assume you have photographs of that?
Mr. Simpson, I assume you have photographs of that?
Yeah. We have pictures from the driveway from
[Judge Judy] Did you--I'm going to ask Mr. Ziegler.
What time of the day did this happen on August 6th?
This happened late at night,
probably around 8:30, 9:00.
Where had you been?
- Um, so... - [Judge Judy] No, that's a question.
That doesn't--that's not a so.
Where had you been prior to...
I went to the store for five minutes and came back.
[Judge Judy] Just a second. You took your motorcycle.
- Where had your motorcycle been parked? - So the driveway would...
[Judge Judy] Where had your motorcycle been parked before you left?
[Alex] Behind the--right behind the Tahoe.
- [Judge Judy] Then you moved it? - I never moved the motorcycle, no.
You said this incident happened at 8:30.
I want you to try to concentrate, Mr. Ziegler.
I said where were you before this incident happened at 8:30.
You said, "I went to the store for five minutes."
Before you went to the store, where was the motorcycle parked?
Behind the Tahoe on the driveway, in the driveway.
And then when you came back from the store,
you parked in the same place?
Um, I actually drove my car to the store, not my bike.
And I left my bike behind the Tahoe.
Where was your car parked?
On the side of the street since the driveway was completely full.
[Judge Judy] So your car was parked in the street,
- in a legal parking space? - Yes.
[Judge Judy] You left the bike where it was.
You took the car from a legal parking space
because the driveway was full.
You went to the store for five minutes,
8:30, then you came back.
Did you re-park your car?
No, I'd--I parked it still on the side of the street where I had it before,
- where I always parked it. - [Judge Judy] Okay.
And you went to the store to get what?
To get a Gatorade.
[Judge Judy] When you came home from getting the Gatorade,
you just went to the store to get one Gatorade?
- Yes, because I was... - [Judge Judy] Just--you were thirsty.
When you came home, what did you see?
I saw my bike on the ground and Todd trying to pick it up.
- [Judge Judy] Is that what happened? - Yeah.
- Did you pick the bike up? - I tried to.
It was a little heavy. And so he came...
- Did you pick the bike up? - Yes.
[Judge Judy] What did you do with it?
Um, I moved it, um, away from the back
and I put it kinda in the garage,
in a little space in the garage.
How did you get it there?
[Alex] I picked the bike up myself and brought it into the garage.
- I didn't drive it or anything... - [Judge Judy] Just a second.
You picked it up and you walked it into the garage?
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] Just my own curiosity,
why would you park your bike
behind a Tahoe if there was space in the garage?
Because I went to the store real quick and I left my...
What does that have to do with the bike?
You took your car to the store.
You said your bike had been parked behind the Tahoe
- because the driveway was full. - Yeah.
[Judge Judy] But you just said that you picked up the bike
and you walked it into a space in the garage.
My question to you is, if there was a space in the garage,
why would you park it behind the Tahoe?
Because I was gonna go for another bike ride again later in the day.
Later on in the day? It was 8:30 at night.
When were you gonna go for another bike ride?
Um, well, because the, the cars were super close together
and there is not--it's, it's kinda hard to maneuver it around those spaces.
After you moved the bike, Mr. Ziegler, from behind the Tahoe,
into a space in the garage, did you call the police?
- Yes, I did. - Why?
[Alex] Um, to get evidence that it happened and everything,
and because that he told me that later on he first admitted that he...
[Judge Judy] Oh, no. Just a second. Just a second.
So you had a conversation with Todd?
He couldn't pick the bike up, he says it was too heavy.
You picked it up and you took it into the space.
- Did you have a conversation with him? - Yes.
Tell me about the conversation that you had
at 8:30 at night after you came home from getting a Gatorade.
So first he was telling me that, you know, he's responsible for it...
[Judge Judy] No, no, you said to him, "What happened?"
You know, so far, I'm not following your whole story.
- Yes. - You do understand that?
- [Alex] Yes. - Okay.
He looks like he was high as a kite on this video
and if you allowed him access to that car...
Uh-hmm.
You're responsible for this damage.
[announcer] And later today.
When your body slammed into her car,
- it created a dent in the car. - That is correct.
Causing damage to the car, that's why the plaintiff is here.
[announcer] Alex Ziegler claims his former landlord, Randy Simpson,
owes for motorcycle damages, and the cost of a wrongful eviction.
[Judge Judy] So, you say to him, "What happened?"
He said, "I didn't see your bike behind the Tahoe
'cause it was dark." Right? Is that what he said?
- Yes. - I assumed that that's what he said.
- Uh-hmm. - And you said to him--
I'm, I'm still not figuring out why the police were called.
Okay. 'Cause then later on, he said...
[Judge Judy] Later on when?
Um, about 20 minutes after this happened,
he said, "I will not pay for the bike." And...
[Judge Judy] Just a second.
So now you're inside the house,
you've had your Gatorade, your bike is in the garage.
- Uh-hmm. - Your car is parked on the street,
you have another conversation with him in the house.
Tell me what--you were in the living room, what--where were you?
[Alex] So I was actually outside looking at the bike,
looking at the damages, assessing how much the damages would be.
And, um, I told him how much it would be...
[Judge Judy] Well, what did you tell him it would be?
I said it would be roughly-- a rough estimate
- would be around a thousand dollars. - [Judge Judy] Okay.
So you said it'll cost about a thousand dollars to fix it.
- And what did he say? - [Alex] He said,
"Well, you shouldn't have parked the bike behind there,
- so I don't owe you anything." And... - [Judge Judy] Okay.
Yeah, that's it. And but previously, I let him know...
[Judge Judy] You shouldn't have-- you should--just a second.
Okay.
So you said "You shouldn't have parked the bike back there,
- I don't owe you anything." - Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] Well, that's a lawsuit. - Yes.
- And you called the police? - Uh-hmm.
Can I see the police report that you filed?
[Alex] Yes, I have a video too of the whole thing going down as well,
if you want to see some clips.
- On my phone. - Tell me what they're of.
[Alex] Okay. They're of him admitting to hitting the bike.
[Judge Judy] He admitted he hit the bike?
[Alex] Yes, and it's him admitting
that I told him previously not to go anywhere
and I would be back in five minutes that the--my bike was behind the Tahoe.
- You have that on your phone? - Yes.
- That I'd like to see. - [Alex] Definitely.
[Judge Judy] And I'd like to see the police report here.
So it's these two, this one and this one.
That's the first one.
And then the police report, there.
"Took place in the driveway." That's what it says.
Remarks it took place in the driveway.
I'd like to see.
Got it.
Okay. So, the problem, Mr. Simpson,
- is it's your car, you got the insurance? - Yes.
He looks like he was high as a kite on this video.
Uh-hmm.
[Judge Judy] And if you allowed him access to that car,
you're responsible for this damage.
- Probably was. - [Judge Judy] You were?
Well, he probably was, and you are.
So you have an estimate to fix the bike?
- [Alex] Yes, I do. - I'd like to see it.
Have you had it fixed?
[Alex] Yes, it got done with the shop a couple days ago.
[Judge Judy] Well, this is the estimate. How much was it?
[Alex] That's the final. I have a text message that shows it.
Just tell me what the final invoice was.
It was the 1,134.
[Judge Judy] Now your case is for unlawful eviction?
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] After this incident,
the police were called,
and I want you to tell me your version
of what happened with Mr. Simpson.
So after the police were called, I went inside, you know, inside the house,
going towards my room where his room's right across the hall from mine.
And so he said "Alex, come step in my room." And so I did.
And he said, "In my 30 years of living here,
I've never had someone call the police."
And he said, "Get out of my house." And yelled at me.
And I did not feel safe and that's when I called my buddy
Jayden and let him know the incident
and asked if I could spend the night at his house.
[Judge Judy] After the incident, he's going towards his room,
you call him into your room?
This is the third time Mr. Ziegler's
called the police to my house.
[Judge Judy] In the five weeks he's living there?
[Randy] Yeah. Uh-hmm.
And my roommates were ready to kill him, so...
[Judge Judy] Okay. So he...
- I have some written testament. - [Judge Judy] No, no, no, no.
I don't read written testimony from people who aren't here.
[Randy] Yeah, I understand.
[Judge Judy] Okay. Did you tell him to leave?
Yes. Uh-hmm.
[Judge Judy] And you went to stay with a friend?
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] You moved in on the 1st.
You were paying a couple of hundred dollars but then you moved
into a room for four-hundred dollars a month?
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] Correct?
On what day in July did you start to pay $400 a month?
So, well, it was $200, the agreement, the verbal agreement
with Randy, but at the end, I actually asked for my money back
'cause I just paid him for the beginning month of August.
And he's--he, he was telling me, he--
well, he should be charging 400 instead of 200.
But our agreement was $200.
Did he give you any money back for August?
- He did not. - [Judge Judy] Did you pay August's rent?
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] How much did you pay?
Two-hundred dollars.
[Judge Judy] You moved from a loft area to a room?
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] That's why
he was increasing your rent to $400.
Where are you living now, Mr. Ziegler?
Um, I'm living in Lehigh, I have my own place and an apartment.
And how much was your rent there?
[Alex] Uh, it was 700.
[Judge Judy] So it was much more money?
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] Stayed by yourself?
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] Mr. Simpson,
you have a lot of people living in your house?
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] Clearly,
you are responsible for Mr. Ziegler's
damage to his motorcycle, because it's your car
and you allowed somebody who lives with you to drive that car,
who acknowledges that he forgot
that he was told,
"Don't move the truck, because my motorcycle is there."
He acknowledges it on tape,
he acknowledges it, Mr. Simpson, on tape.
And it's your car.
So you're responsible for the damage.
And I believe you're also responsible
for his month's rent at this new place.
You're living in another place now that you like better?
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] Okay.
I'm giving the $700 that you paid in rent for the month because he should've given
you 30 days' notice, 4, 3,
8--1834, judgment for the plaintiff.
We're done. Thank you.
[Kevin] Court is adjourned.
I was in a Tahoe and the motorcycle sits lower
than the back window of the Tahoe.
It's crazy, it's nuts.
Uh, I didn't see him park it on the sidewalk.
I am glad I am out of there.
[Sarah] You know, the more cases we do like this,
the more I appreciate your wisdom to always live alone
if you can because problems arise all the time.
Yeah, sometimes it's lonely but a lot less drama.
Uh-hmm.
Case number 1171, Crockom versus Costalez.
Please step forward.
[announcer] Jazzulyn Crockom is suing her neighbor,
Dominic Costalez
for car damages after Dominic slipped and fell into her car.
I'm gonna start with you, Mr. Costalez,
because there are certain things that are not disputed in this case.
Your body slammed into the plaintiff's parked car.
That's correct.
- Okey-dokey. - Uh-hmm.
It's an interesting defense.
I mean, it's some sort of a defense.
It doesn't fly here as a defense...
but it's a defense.
[announcer] Jazzulyn Crockom claims her neighbor Dominic Costalez
owes for car damages.
Dominic says he fell and hit her car
but only because it was illegally parked.
She wasn't in the car at the time?
That's correct.
[Judge Judy] When your body slammed into her car,
it created a dent in the car.
- That is correct. - Causing damage to the car.
- That's why the plaintiff is here. - That's correct.
[Judge Judy] This happened on what date?
August 21st, 2020.
- [Judge Judy] 2020? - Correct.
Do you have a photograph of the damage to the car?
Yes, I do.
[Judge Judy] I'd like to take a look at it.
Oh, that's a bad dent.
What year car is this?
2013.
- [Judge Judy] What kind? - Dodge Challenger.
- Have you had it for long? - About four years.
- You still have it? - Yes.
[Judge Judy] You were in a complex where you live?
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] And according
to what I read, you were in the pool area?
- [Jazzulyn] Correct. - [Judge Judy] Anybody with you?
[Jazzulyn] My children and a few other tenants.
- What time of the day? - Around 4:30.
And what were you doing in the complex?
[Dominic] I'm groundskeeper, and manager of the complex.
What were you doing at 4:30?
[Dominic] Um, I opened my door, and I was about...
- [Judge Judy] You opened the door. - Yeah.
- Of your own apartment? - [Dominic] Yes, ma'am.
And then, uh, the puppy got out-- at the time,
it was a puppy, puppy got out and...
- [Judge Judy] Whose puppy? - My mom's.
- Does your mother live with you? - No, she does not.
[Judge Judy] So you were puppy-sitting?
- Puppy-sitting. - [Judge Judy] For how long?
- Just for two days. - Where was your mother?
[Dominic] She's in, um, Nevada, uh, Las Vegas.
[Judge Judy] How old is the puppy?
She was at the time, about four months, three months.
[Judge Judy] Well, there's a difference between two...
- About four months. - What kind of dog?
[Dominic] Siberian husky.
[Judge Judy] So a big puppy.
Yeah, medium-sized, yeah.
Puppy got out and you were chasing the puppy?
Yup.
All around the complex?
[Dominic] Kind of, yeah. It was pretty fast.
[Judge Judy] And it was at that time that you slammed into the plaintiff's car?
Um, yes.
[Judge Judy] And now I'm going to ask you to tell me,
why you think that you're not responsible for this damage?
I've read it, but I want you to tell me.
[Dominic] Okay. Well, where she was parked
at the time, is a fire lane,
where you're not supposed to park at.
And there's been photographs
of her being tagged not to park there.
And when I went to chase the puppy, I slipped on the gravel,
on the rocks next to the car,
and that's when my body went into the car
accidentally and damaged the-- I don't dispute that I did not do that,
I did that part,
but the part is the fact that where she was parked at,
if her car wasn't there in the first place,
it would have never happened.
That's what I read as your defense.
So your defense was the car was parked in the wrong place.
- Uh-hmm. - [Judge Judy] And if it had not
- been parked there... - Uh-hmm.
...you would've slipped and fallen
but you would've fallen on the ground instead?
[Dominic] Yes. Yes.
[Judge Judy] And not damaged her car?
[Dominic] Absolutely right.
Okey-dokey. That's an interesting defense.
I mean, it's some sort of a defense,
it doesn't fly here as a defense, but it's a defense.
The proximate cause of her car becoming damaged
was your body falling into it, and the proximate cause
of your body falling into her car was because you negligently
let the puppy out of the apartment, that was the reason.
You know, if the puppy ran out into the street
and ran in front of a car,
and the car swerved and hit a child,
who was crossing in the middle of the street,
you would say, "That's not my fault."
Because the child was crossing in the middle of the street,
if the child wasn't crossing in the middle of the street,
he wouldn't have gotten hurt.
You're negligent and let the dog out,
it was what we call an accident.
Uh-hmm.
[Judge Judy] It wasn't an on-purpose, but it was your fault.
More than her fault, was your fault.
If you hadn't let the dog out and if her car was parked
in the fire lane, she could've gotten a ticket.
She could've gotten towed,
but she wouldn't have had a dent in her car.
Now can I see an estimate for the damage, please?
Did you try to discuss
with the defendant paying for the damage?
Yes, I did.
And what happened?
[Jazzulyn] He admitted to damaging the car and he said
he would pay for the damages.
- [Judge Judy] He did? - Yes.
Did you ever tell you would pay for the damages?
Well, first of all, she didn't approach me
with the estimate of her car.
Her boyfriend at the time or her husband at the time,
or still the time, came to my door an estimate of $500.
And from what I'm hearing now it's $2,500.
So I don't know how that jumped up to that, I don't...
[Judge Judy] I don't know either.
Was the original estimate that you had $500?
Yes.
It was originally $500 because that was just, like a quick look at it.
Whose quick look at it?
[Jazzulyn] The first estimate that we obtained.
Well, if you got a first estimate of $500,
why don't I have that?
Because that shop is not open anymore.
[Judge Judy] There's a big difference between $500
and what you're suing him for, which is $2,500.
Would you look up the value of a 2013-- what kind of car?
- Dodge Challenger. - [Judge Judy] Dodge Challenger.
You have a full view of the car?
[Jazzulyn] Um...
Rather than just this what you're showing me?
[Jazzulyn] No, I don't have that printed out.
So based upon a hundred thousand mile,
uh, estimate, it's ten thousand to thirteen thousand.
[Judge Judy] Did you have it fixed?
When we hesitate, we have a problem.
Do you understand?
Did you have it fixed?
- No. - [Judge Judy] Why?
[Jazzulyn] I didn't want my insurance company to pay for it
because I didn't want my premiums and monthly cost to go up.
Well, that's a problem.
- Do you have a deductible? - Yes.
[Judge Judy] How much is your deductible?
A thousand dollars.
That's what you have insurance for.
And the accident was not your fault, your premium shouldn't go up at all.
You better be able to get the car fixed for a thousand dollars
'cause that's all you're getting from the defendant.
Judgment for the plaintiff in the amount of a thousand dollars.
We're finished. Thank you very much.
[Kevin] Court is adjourned.
I'm satisfied I'll get something out of it.
I actually don't remember, it's like a football catch
or tackling somebody. It's pretty tough.
Time to get my car fixed.
My shoulder hit that and it got a big bruise on after that.
[Sarah] Another case where my father's saying
comes in perfectly, "Is it more your fault than my fault?
Because if so, you take responsibility and accountability."
Even in an accident, even in something that, like you said,
not on purpose, but accidents happen,
you have to be responsible for that.
That's why they call it an accident.
Not an on-purpose.
Uh-hmm.
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