You have a business in renting jet skis?
- Yes, ma'am. - Did you have any accident?
- No. - And they're still working?
No. (laughs)
Your Honor, I have right here that he has re-rented out--listed online.
Oh, well that's a problem. (laughs)
- Um... - You're renting them to other people.
[announcer] This is Judy Justice.
[theme music playing]
[announcer] Jeremy Whisman is suing jet ski renter Amanda Hartley
for property damages and lost revenue.
[Kevin] Court come to order.
Have a seat, please.
- Hello, Judge. - How are you, Kevin?
Good. Case number 1142, Whisman versus Hartley.
- Thank you. - [Kevin] You're welcome.
[Judge Judy] Mr. Whisman, you have a business in renting jet skis?
Yes, ma'am.
[Judge Judy] How long have you had the business?
- April 2021. - What did you do before that?
[Jeremy] I was in the military and I work in missile defense also.
- Uh, that's my full-time job. - So this is sideline?
- It is. - [Judge Judy] Did you buy equipment?
- [Jeremy] Yes, ma'am. - [Judge Judy] What did you buy?
[Jeremy] I have three sets of jet skis.
When was the first time you purchased jet skis?
- September of 2020. - [Judge Judy] What kind?
- [Jeremy] Sea-Doo Watercraft. - [Judge Judy] Were they new or used?
[Jeremy] Used.
[Judge Judy] How much did you pay for them?
- Seven thousand? - [Judge Judy] What year were they?
They're--one's a 2006, one's a 2008.
Take a look.
- And you had three sets, you said? - Correct.
[Judge Judy] When did you buy the second set?
The second set, I bought in April of this year, 2021.
- Were they also used? - [Jeremy] Yes, ma'am. 2006 and 2008.
- [Judge Judy] Also Sea-Doos? - Uh, one's a Sea-Doo, one's a Yamaha.
How much did you pay for them?
Fourteen thousand five hundred.
What was the difference?
- [Jeremy] The market, the after-- - Fascinating.
- [Jeremy] Yeah. Yeah. - That's fascinating.
[Jeremy] Everything was going a lot higher than blue book value.
'Cause they couldn't get parts and stuff?
- Yes, ma'am. - [Judge Judy] I know.
Car manufacturers have the same problem.
So you paid double, for pretty much the same thing?
- Pretty close. - And when did you buy the third set?
- [Jeremy] July of this year. - And what did you buy?
[Jeremy] They're actually 1997's.
Uh, I had a friend who had 'em in storage and just wasn't using them,
and asked if I wanted to use them--
- And, and they're still working? - [Jeremy] --in my rental business.
- No. (laughs) - No?
[Jeremy] No. I got them--uh, they had been sitting
for a couple years and they weren't running,
- and they're still with the mechanic. - They're still not running?
- They haven't been used at all. - How much did you pay him for those?
- A thousand. - [Judge Judy] Oh, not bad.
- No. - [Judge Judy] Okay.
So the ones that you rented to Ms. Hartley
were the ones that you purchased in April of 2021?
Yes, ma'am.
And it is your claim that she returned them damaged?
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] And the defendant said,
"Well, they may have hit a rock or two, but nothing serious." (laughs)
- Is that your answer? - Uh, no.
[Judge Judy] Well, did I-- did I make that up?
- I don't know. Just a sec. - [Amanda] No, so there were some rocks--
- Just a sec. - [Amanda] --at the lake.
Hold on one second.
Uh, so for 2006 Sea-Doo, depending on the model,
it looks like they range between $7,000 and $11,000.
- For 2006? - [Sarah] Yes.
- So you got a bargain in 2020. - Yeah.
- When I bought 'em, the, the-- - [Judge Judy] Originally.
- --value was a lot lower though, too. - [Judge Judy] Yeah.
Amazing. Okay.
I thought that you indicated here that, yeah, they--
you may have anchored them someplace, they may have hit a rock or two,
- but they were-- - There were some rocks at the lake,
but not that I had ran into any rocks.
No, I didn't say you ran into a rock. I didn't say you ran into a rock.
I thought it said that you sort of anchored them
and then you went doing something,
and they may have hit up against a rock.
- Isn't that what you said? - I mean, maybe I misunderstood you,
but I didn't ride up against--on rocks.
No, I didn't say that you rode against a rock.
Did you indicate to the plaintiff that when you had the jet skis out,
you had anchored them.
- They did have anchors? - Yes.
[Judge Judy] You had anchored them and maybe gone for a swim,
gone for whatever, and they may have hit from a wave,
from a current, they may have hit against a rock?
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] Okay.
Now, that's not something that you think about,
like, you know, the baby burped on my jet ski.
That's so--oh, my goodness,
I anchored it too close to rocks.
And I heard it hitting up against a rock, so you heard it?
No. I had it anchored up at a boat dock
of which is really where they should be, right?
Have them on a boat dock. So there are rocks around the lake,
but not that I was allowing them to repeat and hit against rocks,
or that I was hearing up against any rocks.
We checked on them throughout the night, they weren't really moving very much,
they seemed very okay, wasn't very windy.
- Do you have photographs of them? I - [Jeremy] do.
I'd like to see.
Ms. Hartley, when you took the jet skis, what color were they?
So the jet skis were supposed to be red ones,
that was the ones that, um, we discussed for me picking up,
that's the ones that was listed online.
The red ones, sir, are the ones from 2020?
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] The ones that she used
were the ones that you purchased in 2021?
- Correct. - [Judge Judy] Okay.
Is there any reason that you switched them?
I believe they had, um, broke from the previous rental.
- [Judge Judy] The ones from 2020? - [Jeremy] Yeah. They were in the shop,
so I had that set left.
And when we did discuss it, uh,
I wasn't a hundred percent sure whether it was gonna be the red ones
or the ones I had just--
[Judge Judy] Doesn't matter a hundred percent sure or not.
- Not that s-- - [Amanda] Your Honor, if I may speak,
that's not what he had said to me on the day that we met.
- What did he tell you? - [Amanda] So that day,
I viewed the Sea-Doo and I viewed the Yamaha,
and then he says the red ones were out rented,
had not been brought back yet, um,
that the Sea-Doo and that the Yamaha is not what I would be taking out
because they had rocks sucked up in them, water sucked up in them,
he still had to go through and clean it out
from the people that dropped it off, left it damaged with him.
And then when I went and picked up and paid the rest of them out
to take jet skis out, these were the ones that he sent with me,
so since he changed his mind on that, and these were what was sent out with me,
I presumed that they were safe to drive, and that they were--had been repaired.
Let me ask this question. Did you take them both out?
- I did. - [Judge Judy] Okay. And you used them?
Yes.
You're not renting damaged jet skis. You're suing her for $10,000,
which would make these things totally inoperable.
But you're renting them to other people.
They're going to be repaired, fully.
Well, they're not gonna be repaired by her.
[announcer] And later today.
- [Judge Judy] Ms. Keeling... - Yes.
Where is his coin collection?
It's in the car.
- How did you get here to court today? - A rental.
I have to tell you that I'm not liking your attitude.
- Yes. - Do you understand that?
[announcer] Jet ski owner Jeremy Whisman claims Amanda Hartley
damaged both of his jet skis while renting them.
Let me ask you this question. Did you take them both out?
- I did. - [Judge Judy] Okay. And you used them?
- Yes. - And did you take the trailer?
- Yes. - Did anything happen with the trailer?
So, with the trailer, it was missing pins,
and so we had to purchase our own pins with the trailer.
And then the lights were not working,
so we had to purchase our own lights for that trailer.
So when we dropped off the trailer and the jet skis,
I had let him know that the lights were not working,
I had to then purchase my own.
Did you send him that by text or by phone?
- Uh, by message, by our Messenger. - [Judge Judy] May I see it?
- Yes. Let's see. Where is that? - [Judge Judy] Mr. Whisman,
the prior people who you said rented the jet ski,
you said that they damaged them, which is possible,
if not probable, when somebody uses jet skis, 'cause people--
I know people, I know my own grandchildren
ride around like lunatics when they have an opportunity.
Why don't you have insurance if this is a business of yours?
- I do have personal insurance. - [Judge Judy] Not personal insurance,
I'm talking about any kind of insurance for damage to your business,
- to your property. - [Jeremy] Well, business insurance was--
- [Judge Judy] For, for the jet skis. - Right.
You paid $14,000 for them. I'm just curious.
[Jeremy] So, I do have insurance on them, I have that right here.
Uh, the reason I don't wanna make a claim on them
is 'cause my insurance skyrockets or they would drop me
because I have so many pieces of equipment insured on them.
- Oh, well, that's a problem. (laughs) - [Amanda] Your Honor.
May I see the text messages?
That's--that, Mr. Whisman, might be your problem.
Can I speak for a moment, please?
- [Judge Judy] Yes, in a second. - So--okay.
I'm reading this.
Do you have the next page of this?
This is on June 19th, at 12:41 PM.
"We haven't made it to the lake yet,
someone must have drove the trailer into the water
'cause there was water in the lights.
The brake lights don't work and there's no keys to the blue jet ski."
Then you write back, "The key was in the center console,
they worked when you guys took them and the keys were in both."
They picked them up at 10:00 at night, the lights worked.
- Right here is where it says that-- - [Judge Judy] Shush, shush. Don't, don't.
- --I bought the light--okay. - Don't read it. Just give it.
Thank you.
What does this mean? "No sucked up rocks"?
[Amanda] Because he had asked me, was there water and rocks sucked up in it,
because when I picked those ones up, he said that's what he had to clean out,
what was in those Sea-Doos and the Yamaha, prior from me picking them up,
which is why he said I was gonna have the red ones instead of those.
[Judge Judy] Got it. Would you show this to the plaintiff, please,
and tell him to explain that to me?
[Jeremy] This is her telling me that she didn't suck any rocks up.
The front part of that jet ski is what I am aware of the damage that I did.
Great. Let me know exactly how you damaged the front of the jet ski.
I was driving into the front of the shore
and then gracely bumped against the, um, the boat dock.
And when you bumped against the boat dock, what happened to the jet ski?
So that's when the front piece of that, that plastic piece, had broke.
[Judge Judy] Was there any damage to the Sea-Doo?
- No. - [Judge Judy] Okay.
- You drove the Sea-Doo? - Yes.
[Judge Judy] Could you stand up for me, please?
- Your last name is? - Hartley.
[Judge Judy] Mr. Hartley, you drove the Sea-Doo
- and your wife drove the Yamaha? - Yes.
Did you stay on those all weekend?
We probably switched back and forth, but...
[Judge Judy] Okay. Did you have any accident with the Sea-Doo?
- No, ma'am. - [Judge Judy] Hit anything?
- No. - Did you see any damage to the Sea-Doo?
- No. - [Judge Judy] And when you returned them,
the damage that you saw on the Yamaha
was this front panel damage that your wife had done?
- Yeah. - How much did you pay the plaintiff?
- Um, $480. - For the weekend?
- [Amanda] For the weekend, yes. - For the two?
The deposit was 300, and then when we picked them up,
we had paid him the 180, and he said that was fine.
[Judge Judy] And when you dropped them off,
- was he there? - [Amanda] Uh, yes.
So I assumed he was inside his home, we were messaging.
Um, as I was there, at his home, I'm texting him,
"Hey, I'm here, do you wanna come outside and overview these?"
He then declined to come outside and look at them.
[Judge Judy] May I see those texts?
[Amanda] Oh, I don't believe I have those, of him declining to come outside.
- Well, um... - [Judge Judy] Well, I wanna--I would--
I'd like to see your text to him, indicating that you're there.
I never got that text.
I don't think I have it within this, but--
- [Judge Judy] Well, that's important. - --we were texting the whole way
- that we are--we were there. - [Judge Judy] That's important.
Can I speak, ma'am?
My last message to her was at 10:45 that night,
saying that since there's no daylight and I had to work the next day,
to go ahead and just leave them in the front yard.
- Got it. So you just told her to leave - it? I told her to leave it at 10:45,
but I never received any response back, no--
- [Judge Judy] Okay. " - --I'm here."
- [Judge Judy] And she left it? - Yes.
And the next day, you looked and you saw damage?
- Yes, ma'am. - [Judge Judy] And the only thing
that she advised you of was damage to the blue Yamaha?
She did say there that there's scuffs and stuff on the bottom of the hulls also.
- [Judge Judy] Well, that may-- - And--but she wasn't sure
if that was still there, but they weren't scuffs--
- I also indicated that I didn t-- - --there were giant holes in them.
- --believe it was from me. - [Judge Judy] There were giant holes?
Yeah. Like what you saw on the pictures.
[Judge Judy] Okay. I would like to see the repair bill,
and I would like to see why, if you have these insured,
why you didn't use the insurance unless you have a deductible.
They're not fully repaired yet, so I don't have the repair bill.
Your Honor, I have right here that he is still--they must be fixed
because he has them rented out-- listed online.
- May I see it? - [Amanda] Yes.
And from when I screenshot that yesterday, it said a week ago.
- Is this the Yamaha you used? - [Amanda] Yes.
[Judge Judy] Did you list these out for rent, sir,
- after the defendant used them? - I did, yes. I had them patched.
[Judge Judy] Just--the answer is-- the answer is you did.
So they must be available.
So they're patched, they're not fully fixed.
- And I haven't--I haven't-- - Oh. Oh.
- They're at the mechanic right now. - [Judge Judy] Mr. Whisman.
Mr. Whisman. Unless you can show me
an estimate to fix the front panel that she says was damaged,
- I'm dismissing your case. - The front--bill?
- This is just the front piece. - I'd like to see.
[Jeremy] I ordered it and replaced it myself.
[Judge Judy] I'd like to see it.
It was $114.59.
That's the only piece you're getting reimbursed for.
- Not the hulls? - So--
[Judge Judy] Oh, no. Not that you re-rented again.
I don't know how many people you rent these things to and say,
"Well, I patched them up" and charge the exact same thing as she did,
and then they use them, and with your patchwork,
maybe they come off again, maybe--
you say that they damaged them. Listen. Mr. Whisman,
if you're running a business and your business is renting jet skis,
and you have insurance, then use it.
But you're not renting damaged jet skis.
You're suing her for $10,000,
which would make these things totally inoperable.
- But you're renting them-- - I've rented them once.
[Judge Judy] --to other people.
[announcer] And later today.
Is anything today that I just said to you inaccurate?
Well, yes. As far as me going to his home.
[announcer] Jet ski owner Jeremy Whisman
is accusing his customer, Amanda Hartley,
of damaging his jet skis and not returning all his equipment.
Listen. Mr. Whisman, if you're running a business
and your business is renting jet skis and you have insurance, then use it.
But you're not renting damaged jet skis. You're suing her for $10,000,
which would make these things totally inoperable.
- But you're renting them to other people. - I've rented them once.
You're renting them to other people.
[Jeremy] They're going to be repaired. Fully. Right now, it's--
[Judge Judy] Well, they're not gonna be repaired by her.
[Jeremy] Right now, it's the cosmetics.
Hundred and fourteen fifty-nine, judgment for the plaintiff.
- We're finished. - Ma'am, what about all the--
- [Kevin] Court is adjourned. - --missing equipment?
[Judge Judy] That's it, we're done.
I'm not happy with it.
I'm just glad that the good person won in this.
I got, uh, a patch on them.
Well, I tried to make it right with him,
and then when he started to have these excessive charges
and have damages that were not mine, it was wrong.
They're gonna be fixed fully this winter.
So that's when it needed to come to this.
They, they work. They're just cosmetically not finished.
Probably through an actual business, not private renter.
Probably do it for another year and see what happens.
[Judge Judy] I actually thought that, while dressed in a suit and tie,
and sounding very good, when the defendant said,
"I sent him a note and I said we didn't suck up any rocks,
but I did damage the front and I'm sending you a picture of it."
I thought two things were disingenuous about the plaintiff.
A, he didn't use his insurance, and it's a business.
He said, "Well, my rates will go up." Well, otherwise then you have--
You're stuck with the damage.
You're stuck with the damage because usually, if you rent a car,
- either you pay for the insurance-- - Uh-hmm.
--when you rent a car, or you self-insure.
Uh-hmm.
[Judge Judy] And the second thing, and the most important thing was,
he said there were gaping holes in them and he took pictures of the holes.
But then he acknowledged that he had listed them for rent.
- [Sarah] Uh-hmm. - And then he said "I patched the holes."
Who knows if they're patches?
Because you're out in the middle of a lake,
and if the patch fails, then that's dangerous.
Anyway, I was not impressed with him.
If you're gonna be in the business, this was our second jet ski case,
I don't know why that's become such a popular business.
I think probably because of the pandemic, Sarah.
[Sarah] Yeah. I think people are just spending more time,
- uh, with their families, outside. - [Judge Judy] Outside.
- We've seen our family with jet skis. - Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] Some are normal. - Few incidents here and there.
- [Judge Judy] Yeah. Some are normal. - [Sarah] Uh-hmm.
And some power them up and stand up on them
because you can ride them standing up and sitting down.
By their very nature, they're designed
- to be driven aggressively. - Yeah.
[Judge Judy] Except if they're driven by a 70 and an 80-year-old,
then, you know, you're lucky to sort of make it around the lake.
But I mean I didn't believe him.
- I could tell. - [Judge Judy] That's the bottom line.
Case number 1164, Angeles versus Keeling.
Please step forward.
[announcer] Jorge Angeles is suing his former friend,
Keiante Keeling, for the return of a car and a coin collection.
- Ms. Keeling. - Yes?
[Judge Judy] Where is his coin collection?
It's in the car, in my Volkswagen Jetta.
- Where is it? - It's parked in front of my apartment.
[Judge Judy] How did you get here to court today?
A rental.
I have to tell you that I'm not liking your attitude.
- Yeah. - Do you understand that?
- Yes, I do understand. - [Judge Judy] Good.
Case is a relatively simple one. You and the defendant were friends,
certain period of time, you were roommates.
According to you, just friends. There was a time when you needed a car,
friend was selling a car.
According to the plaintiff, it was a Jetta.
He agreed to advance the money for the car, he did.
You agreed to pay him for the car, you didn't.
He took the car, you went and--
to the house and took his coin collection.
That's how you have his coin collection.
According to you, you were holding the coin collection
as collateral to get the car back.
He's a truck driver. While he was out of town,
- you went and took the car back. - Yes.
So far, you acknowledge all of those things?
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] Right? Two things.
Is anything today that I just said to you inaccurate?
Well, yes. As far as me going to his home, I stay--
- I rented out a room in his house, so. - [Judge Judy] From when to when?
From December 2020 till I took the car in August,
August 2nd?
Where was he when you took the car?
Out of town.
[Judge Judy] The car is in both your names?
- [Keiante] Yes, it is. - [Judge Judy] It was in both your names
because you were supposed to pay him for the car,
and as soon as you paid him for the car,
he was gonna take his name off the title,
- that was your agreement? - Yes.
[Judge Judy] Who has the title for the car?
- [Keiante] Jorge. - [Judge Judy] Great.
Would you give me the title, please?
May I see it?
Don't leave, Kevin.
Where did she sign this car over to him?
You know where? Right there. Sign it.
- Right now. - [Kevin] Date and signature.
[Judge Judy] Date it.
- Give it to him, please. - [Kevin] There you go, sir.
- Thank you. - Okay.
You're getting an appearance fee for coming to court today?
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] How much?
- Two fifty. - [Judge Judy] We're gonna hold that.
He's going to pick up his car, which you didn't pay for.
- Do you understand? - I understand.
- [Judge Judy] Do you understand? - I understand.
If the car isn't there or if there's any damage to the car,
he's going to report it stolen, because now he has full title to the car.
- Do you understand? - I understand.
[Judge Judy] Great. Where is the coin collection?
[Keiante] It's in the car, in the Volkswagen.
- Where exactly in the car? - It's in the trunk.
[Judge Judy] Do you know where the car is now located?
Yeah.
Do you have a second set of keys for the car?
- I have one set of keys, yes. - [Judge Judy] Uh-hmm?
- Yes, I do. - You're not to go near the car again.
- Do you understand? - Yes, ma'am.
If you do, he's gonna call the police,
then we're gonna play them this tape.
- Do you understand? - I understand.
- Very good. You've got your car back. - Oh, yeah.
And you've got your coin collection back, it's in the trunk.
- Okay. - Any difficulty, you let me know.
- Okay. - [Judge Judy] Thank you very much.
- [Jorge] Thank you. - We're done here.
[Kevin] Court is adjourned.
I feel like he gave me the car as a gift.
Well, I was just trying to help her get a car to go to her job.
Because he wanted me to be his girlfriend.
I was just trying to be nice. No buy.
You know, you don't buy people, you just be nice.
No, I took the coins out of anger 'cause he took the car from me first.
I was the one that offered her the car.
That was just out of revenge, I just took his coins.
So she will not be Ubering all the time.
I'm not mad, you know. I'll just get my own car.
I know what to do now.
Sarah Rose, that was easy-peasy. (laughs) That was very easy.
You had a defendant who knew she was in the wrong,
looking maybe to get over.
She was nice-looking, had a nice smile, took advantage.
- Knew she took advantage. - [Judge Judy] Knew--right.
- Knew she took advantage. - Uh-hmm.
So didn't even fight me on signing over the title.
He's now made whole, which is our job.
That's absolutely right.
If you can walk out here and if the right thing happens,
then we've done our job.
- Good day. - Good day.
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