He wanted to know if you wanted to buy his car.
I said, "Absolutely, that would be great."
She crashed the car.
What difference does that make?
The car is paid off.
Let's understand something, sir, does this face look stupid?
You think they kept me around here 26 years 'cause I'm stupid?
[announcer] This is Judy Justice.
[theme music playing]
[announcer] Jeffrey Coley is suing his former friend,
Melissa Zavala and her daughter, Faith Grey
for breach of contract on a car loan.
/[Kevin] Court come to order, all rise.
Have a seat, please.
- [Kevin] Hello, Judge. - How are you, Kevin?
Case number 1159 Coley versus Zavala Grey.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
[Judge Judy] You're Ms. Zavala?
Yes, Your Honor.
[Judge Judy] And this is your daughter?
Yes, she is.
I'm gonna start with you.
How do you know the plaintiff?
I had met him, um, I was having car trouble.
My friend rented me a Airbnb
because I, um, she didn't wanna take me home.
So, he had been renting the same Airbnb and that's how we got,
um, that's how we met each other.
In what month and year was that?
Approximately June or July of 2020.
[Judge Judy] 2020?
Yes, ma'am.
And at the time, you didn't have a car?
I had a vehicle but it wasn't, uh, it wasn't operating.
[Judge Judy] So you didn't have a car?
Having a car that's not operating is like not having a car.
And were you and Mr. Coley just friends
or did you have a more social relationship?
No, we were just strictly just friends.
Is that correct?
Yes, Your Honor.
[Judge Judy] And I assume that you told him about your car trouble?
Yes, Your Honor.
[Judge Judy] And what did Mr. Coley say to you?
- [Melissa] I believe... - Look at me.
[Melissa] Okay. I'm sorry.
I believe that he offered to rent a vehicle for me and...
So he said, "I'll rent a car for you."
Yes, Your Honor.
[Judge Judy] That was very nice of him.
How were you gonna arrange to pay him for that?
Oh, I had... I had the money to pay for the rental.
[Judge Judy] So why would he have to rent it for you?
He gets, um, like, discounts in, and...
with his AAA or, or he had some,
some kind of promotional thing that it was gonna be cheap.
What kind of promotional thing that you had
that was gonna be cheap, Mr. Coley?
No promotions at all.
It's--she didn't have credit
and she told me she was gonna go rent it,
she actually drove down
or got a ride to the rental car place
and she called me from the counter and said,
"Oh, need a credit card, they won't rent to me, come on down."
- Does that sound more familiar... - [Melissa] Yeah. No, that, uh,
- that was correct, Your Honor. - Does that sound more familiar?
- Yes, Your Honor. - [Judge Judy] That you went there
and they wouldn't rent you a car?
Yes, Your Honor.
It was my--it was-- I didn't have a credit card. Yeah.
Okay. And in what month was that?
Uh, yeah. Like July.
[Judge Judy] So shortly after you met him?
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
Immediately after I met him.
So now, you called him
from the rental car place,
you had just met him and said they won't rent me a car
because I have no credit card
and now you're at the rental car place, where's your daughter?
At the time, she was at school.
She was still going to high school.
She was nowhere involved.
Okay. So you were by yourself at the rental car place?
- Yes, Your Honor. - [Judge Judy] And then what happened?
Jeff came and he...
[Judge Judy] He came to the rental car place?
Yeah. And he, he, uh, we were gonna rent a Charger
but something had happened.
He didn't have enough money in his bank or something like that.
So he said I could use his vehicle.
Then we went back to his place, we chitchatted a little bit,
and I believe it was the next day that he called and told me
that he was gonna purchase another vehicle,
if I wanted to buy his car that he had now,
which is the Altima I'm currently buying.
So he was going to get another car
and he wanted to know if you wanted to buy his car?
Yeah, he was really excited, he was looking...
- [Judge Judy] Just a second. - Uh-hmm.
He wanted to know if you wanted to buy his car and what did you say?
I said, "Absolutely.
That would be--that would be great."
And he said, "Uh, you know, I know how..."
[Judge Judy] Just, just, just a second.
I'm--that's not exactly what you say in your answer but continue.
So, he said, "You wanna buy my car?" Great.
Well, if you wanna buy somebody's car then you usually negotiate a price.
You're correct.
What price do you claim that you negotiated?
I believe it was around 55...
[Judge Judy] No, no, no, not around.
When you buy a car,
you negotiate a price, Ms. Zavala.
- How old are you? - Forty.
When you by a car, you negotiate a price,
even my 18-year-old grandchild knows that.
Okay.
"I like that car.
How much is it?"
"I want $4,000."
"I'll give you $3,000."
"How about $3,200?"
"How about 3,700?"
Do you understand?
- I do. - [Judge Judy] You negotiate a price.
You're a big girl, you have a grown-up daughter.
So, you wanna buy my car, this is what you're telling me now,
you said that would be great
and what do you do about the cost of the car?
He said he was gonna give me time
to get, uh, a deposit together and sell my--
the car that wasn't working.
Did you come up with a price?
Yeah, I thought it was, uh, 5,500.
What do you mean you thought it was 5,500?
That's what-- that's what he told me, it's 5,500.
- [Judge Judy] Five thousand... - I will be taking over payment.
Shhh, $5,500, you were taking over payment.
Taking over the rest of his payments.
[Judge Judy] Just a second.
So you knew his car
was either leased
or bought and there was a loan on it?
Yeah. I'm, uh,
I just know that he told me,
"You're gonna pay me payments of this amount of money every month."
And I said, "No problem."
He goes, "Get as much money as you can together for a deposit.
For a down payment on the car." And that's what I did.
I didn't ask if he was still financing the car,
I didn't ask any of those questions. He just gave me...
[Judge Judy] Okay.
...an amount of what he wanted every month.
Now if I believe that part of the story before you said,
if I'm not mistaken,
that it was $5,500, I was just...
I believe she used the words,
"Taking over his payments."
- [Melissa] Yeah, I did say that. - "I would be taking over his payments."
"I would be taking over his payments."
Well, when you take over somebody's payments,
it means that they owe money,
then you would say,
unless you're a real fool,
how much do you still owe on the car?
You mean you never had that conversation with him?
I don't remember.
[Judge Judy] Then let's go a little further.
So now in July, you have a car?
His car?
Yes.
Did you sell your car?
Yes, I did.
[Judge Judy] What kind of a car was it that you sold?
A '98 Honda Civic.
Who did you sell it to?
A friend of mine's dad.
And how much did you get for it?
I got 700 and I gave him 600.
When did you sell it?
I don't remember the date.
I have--I have it in my evidence here though.
- I have... - Take a look.
March 2nd.
So March 2nd was the first time you gave him any money on the car,
is that what you're telling me?
No, I'm sorry.
This--I read it wrong, it actually doesn't say the date here,
he--he's the one that, like, typed this up.
It doesn't tell me a date.
I, I believe it was like not even two weeks after I had, um, gotten the...
- [Judge Judy] That would be in July? - ...would be--yeah.
It was still in July, yeah.
Well, when did you sell your other car?
Like a week or two after.
So in July.
Making it up as she's going along.
Let's understand something, sir.
Does this face look stupid?
Do you think they kept me around here 25 years, 26 years 'cause I'm stupid?
The document that you gave me
says amount left to pay,
- $2,879. - I agree.
[theme music playing]
[announcer] Jeffrey Coley is accusing his former friend,
Melissa Zavala, of not completing the payments on a car loan.
Melissa says she's already paid more than the car is worth.
Okay. When did you get the $600?
A couple of weeks later.
- [Judge Judy] Okay. - And I'm showing 540.
I--it was pretty good at nickel and dime.
- Just--that's your fault. - [Jeffrey] Yes.
If--that's your fault. You're the seller.
Yes.
[Judge Judy] I don't know what your end game was
but that's your fault.
[Jeffrey] I was just being nice.
- That's your--being nice and... - [Jeffrey] Well...
Then if you're being nice
and you're burdening me then I get to be not nice.
That you don't keep good records.
Nickel here, five dollars here, ten dollars there,
and then you expect somebody with several degrees
to make chicken salad out of what you've created, Mr. Coley.
Do you understand?
If you sell somebody your car
and you're looking for a different end game,
and I don't know what the different end game was,
then if you sell somebody your car,
you keep the records, July 27th, $600.
August 5th, a hundred and fifty dollars.
- Yes, Your Honor. - [Judge Judy] Sale price is this much.
- [Jeffrey] Yes. - Payments to be made...
That's...
- [Judge Judy] Do you understand? - ...exactly what I--what I did.
I--all this paper documents, yes.
[Judge Judy] Perfect.
You had this car and there was a loan on it?
Yes.
Who was the lender?
Westlake Financial.
And how much was left on the car
at the time that Ms. Zavala started to drive it.
Approximately $4,200 and change.
Let's be clear, how much was left on it, $4,200?
Forty-two seventy-nine.
[Judge Judy] Okay.
So first she gave you 600, right?
Correct.
[Judge Judy] And you have records of each of her payments?
Correct.
So you paid her for your few note.
Uh, no. That--the note has 22% interest.
It's a bank note, I pay interest.
So, she's taking over payments
until the bank note's paid which is roughly two years.
She knew it was two years,
it says so two years on the document she signed.
Oh, I'd like to see that.
- And... - [Judge Judy] Just a second.
I'd like to see the document she signed.
Yes, ma'am.
Okay. There you go.
Ms. Zavala, did you have insurance
- or did he pay the... - He provided insurance.
- [Judge Judy] He--so in addition... - It was full coverage.
Just a second.
So, the payments that you made to him
also included car insurance?
- Yes, Your Honor. - [Judge Judy] Okay.
All right. And this is dated 07/10/2020.
Loan principle approximately 4,127.
You're supposed to make a down payment of $3,000, as agreed
which you didn't make, monthly payments of 245.
Lessor forwards payments directly,
that's you, to Auto Lender Westlake
from July 20th,
approximately two years
or until the vehicle is paid off.
Okay. If lessor fails-- fall behind 45 days,
she will surrender the vehicle back
which you did fall behind.
You didn't pay the 245
in monthly payments all the time.
So, he came, took the car back,
he came, he took the car once when your daughter
was working which is your counterclaim 'cause it upset her.
That's your counterclaim, right?
- Yeah, he humiliated her at work. - [Judge Judy] Well, that that's--
that's dismissed.
Lessee is fully responsible for any damages, that's you,
there were little damages, you had a little car accident?
Yeah.
- Yeah, that would be a yes? - Yes.
Where was the damage?
It was on the side of the car,
uh, on the passenger side.
Did you have it fixed?
Yeah.
- [Judge Judy] You had it fixed? - Uh-hmm.
[Judge Judy] Okay. Not insurance?
- No. - [Judge Judy] You paid to have it fixed?
Yeah.
So, I wanna see what's left on the car.
I have the bank statement-- or the statement.
Well then show it to me.
Yes, Your Honor.
And here was the one for May.
So I have today...
Oh, not--I just want...
- [Jeffrey] No... - All I want--you have the car, right?
Yes, Your Honor.
[Judge Judy] Great.
All I wanna see is what's due on the car.
Actually, there's nothing much past due.
Your account is past due, amount due $603.
But amount left to pay is $2,800,
according to this.
It's forecasted with interest.
What is left on the car is $2,800,
that would be with interest?
If it went a whole year, yes.
[Judge Judy] If it went a whole year?
But if it was cast today or...
for example, it would be only the 22,000 or 2,100.
It would be what?
Whatever the balance says on the statement.
The balance that's left on the statement?
- Yes. Oh, it's... - [Judge Judy] You have...
It's a tiny box in the middle left,
far left,
under the payoff progress
it says, it's hard to see.
[Judge Judy] Amount left to pay,
$2,879.03.
Okay.
- That's what it says is left. - [Jeffrey] Okay.
- [Judge Judy] Right? - Correct.
[Judge Judy] Okay.
You signed this agreement?
May I look at it closer?
[Judge Judy] Absolutely.
Thank you.
Yeah, I did sign that.
[Judge Judy] Very good.
So what you agreed to do is pay the car out,
and if you want the car, in your name, who has the title?
I do.
[Judge Judy] I'd like to see it.
Oh, uh, the bank holds the title.
Yeah, but you have the title with-- as a--the bank with the lienholder?
Correct.
[Judge Judy] Correct.
So that once a payment is made
to the bank, in the amount of 2,000 to Westlake,
2879.03
as of November,
the car is fully paid off.
So you have the title?
- No, the car is not paid off. - [Judge Judy] They have it? No.
I still have one year left with Westlake.
[Judge Judy] No, no, no, no.
- If the car is paid off today... - [Jeffrey] Okay. Sorry. My apologies.
...$2,800,
then the car is paid off, then her contract...
The balance...
...with you is fulfilled.
Partially, um, Ms. Grey
crashed the car and it was not fixed.
I--just a second.
I don't care.
[Jeffrey] Okay.
What difference does that make?
She pays $2,800 today, it's gonna be her car.
Oh, the car broke, um, it didn't break.
It needed maintenance,
a hundred-thousand-mile car.
She said, um, roughly around December
that she couldn't afford to do the maintenance,
I said, "I'll help you out 'cause your daughter was..."
[Judge Judy] Mr. Coley, let's understand something, sir,
does this face look stupid?
You think they kept me around here 25 years, 26 years 'cause I'm stupid?
The document that you gave me,
that you told me to look in the left-hand corner says,
"Amount left to pay."
[Jeffrey] That's correct. We've agreed...
$2,879.
- Yes, Your Honor. - [Judge Judy] So if the company
is paid...
[Jeffrey] The car is paid but there's two loans...
The car is paid for...
- ...on the car... - [Judge Judy] ...and then
her contract with you is fulfilled,
she says, according to this,
"Approximately two years or until the vehicle is paid off."
[Jeffrey] Correct.
At which time,
the vehicle title will be transferred to the lessee.
- Correct. - Perfect.
I just asked you what parts and labor not performed 570...
I'm, I'm trying to explain.
She refused to go, the second day,
so the parts I paid for went to waste.
[theme music playing]
[announcer] Jeffrey Coley is accusing his former friend,
Melissa Zavala of not completing the payments on a car loan.
Melissa says she's already paid more than the car is worth.
She says, according to this,
"Approximately two years
or until the vehicle is paid off."
Correct.
[Judge Judy] At which time the vehicle title
will be transferred to the lessee.
- Correct. - [Judge Judy] Perfect.
I'm entering a judgment for $2,879.
The check will be made payable directly
to Westlake Finance...
- But there's more damage, Your Honor. - [Judge Judy] ...with a direction--
and with a direction to the Department of Motor Vehicles,
that the Department of Motor Vehicles
is to issue a clean title in the name of Ms. Zavala.
But Your Honor, the damage is not fixed, she lied to you.
What difference does that make to you?
Because I...
oh, if this loan's paid off,
I understand they're keeping the car and--there's different ways.
- But see... - No, there's my way and...
(chuckles) No, no, I mean she could get the car back...
- [Judge Judy] She's not... - ...and I could sell it...
- [Judge Judy] No. - ...or she can keep it.
- [Judge Judy] She's not--she... - That's what I meant.
- What I mean is... - [Jeffrey] That's what...
...there's gonna be a check cut to Westlake Finance.
I understand.
For $2,879.03
as of November.
With a direction that the loan is fully paid,
prepaid, done,
and then I'm going to issue an order
to the Department of Motor Vehicles
to issue a new title in Ms. Zavala's name
and her contract with you
has been fulfilled according to her contract.
- Yes. - [Judge Judy] You wanna read it?
No, I understand Your Honor, uh, would I...
may I speak to the court, please?
About what?
Ms. Zavala called me in December and said,
"I would like to have you do some repairs
and pay the car registration, and get new tires,
and change the oil."
And I said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, you own the car,
it's not right for me to have to pay all your expenses."
So she hasn't paid registration since December, the police...
Show me that.
- Show me where that is. - [Jeffrey] The police were...
Show me where that is in your complaint, sir.
Show me where that...
Oh, they only gave us two lines to fill in the complaint.
No, no, no.
Show, show, show, show me,
show me where that is, there's not two lines.
Show me where that is in your complaint...
Okay. The original court papers was two lines, yes.
- Um... - [Judge Judy] Nowhere?
The original court papers may have been two lines
- but this is not two lines. - I believe it mentions
there's, uh, a loan... a repair loan in there I believe.
Oh. Just show me...
[Jeffrey] I don't have it in front of me.
Show me please. I may not...
[Jeffrey] Yeah, there's a repair loan on there...
Just show me--just, just show me.
- [Jeffrey] Okay. - Just make a--just make a circle.
- I may have read it. - Well, that's what I was trying to...
[Judge Judy] I may have misread it, just show me where it is.
[Jeffrey] Oh, my auto loan and vehicle repair loan, yes.
It's at the very, very bottom.
Oh.
As a result of Melissa's late payments,
I incurred fees late on my credit report,
and one from yesterday,
there's two lates now
from an auto loan and a vehicle repair loan
that she asked me to repair for her
and it killed my credit score.
Let me give you the copy of the, uh,
just one more document to go with that.
Let's see, um, here's the repairs.
- Sorry. - [Judge Judy] Mr. Coley,
I want you to show me a paid bill
for repairs on the car.
Show me a paid bill
for the repairs on the car that first,
while it was in Ms. Zavala's possession.
A paid repair bill and then give me back the copy...
Yes, balance due, 0, this is paid, Your Honor.
[Judge Judy] Okay. Great. I'd like to take a look at it.
Okay.
This was in December...
Correct.
[Judge Judy] ...of 20-- total parts and labor not performed,
$573.
What is that?
What happened is Mrs. Zavala was not--was difficult to work with.
- So... - [Judge Judy] Just. Just.
I wanna know what that means.
- [Jeffrey] I, I... - Total parts and labor not performed...
It means it took two trips to the auto mechanic,
I made the first trip.
During that trip,
I went to Ms. Zavala's residence,
did her a favor and picked up the car
because she was watching a little child and couldn't get away.
I dropped my day, what I was doing...
- [Judge Judy] Just a second. - Took her...
I just asked you what parts and labor not performed 570...
- I'm, I'm trying to explain. The first... - Nothing was done to the car.
...day I went, they do half the work.
So Zavala meets, um,
the second day I, you know,
had to come back the second day so I said,
"Ms. Zavala, you owe the second day."
She refused to go the second day
so the parts I paid for went to waste.
So...
Listen, sir.
I don't know what your thing is, $2,879.03.
That is gonna be paid directly to Westlake
with an order from me that the car is to be put in her name.
Goodbye, we're done here.
- Thank you, Your Honor. - [Faith] Thank you.
[Kevin] Court is adjourned.
We love Judge Judy, obviously.
I'm very happy with the Judge's decision.
Yeah. Well the defendant was slow in paying,
she ruined my credit.
I didn't want it to end up like this.
I, I have nothing against him but I just felt, uh, after $7,000,
I felt like I was being taken advantage of at that point and I had to stop.
Well, it was $3,000 in damage.
Actually, I'm not even gonna lie, it was my fault.
I was going into the lane and, and I didn't see the car
so we just... went glided against each other.
It's not even close to fixed.
No, she did get into an accident.
She paid to have it fixed with her own money.
To have it fixed.
Well, I'm a fair guy, I say, "Look, you're three months behind,
I'm coming to get the car."
He towed the car.
I didn't even know he towed it, he just took it.
We all learn a lot when we do things like this but, you know,
a good deed and then multiple deeds,
um, you know, those don't get counted.
Too much drama.
It seemed to me that there was, uh, sort of different end game
that plaintiff was after
doing all those kind things,
taking a car that he had already
effectively sold to get repairs done,
- and doing favors, and... - [Judge Judy] Yeah.
...I'm not sure, there's something off.
[Judge Judy] That's probably true.
'Cause if it doesn't make sense, it's usually not true
but there's something else there, that just is so outrageous,
that is when you have an original loan and you,
you know, you take it out,
and you really don't appreciate the fact
that when you pay back that loan,
even if it's in a relatively short period of time,
you're paying back twice as much.
- [Sarah] Sometimes even more. - Just--yeah.
I think that you're probably better off
getting a cheaper car,
as long as it runs,
to get you around
rather than obligating yourself for a high credit loan.
I would rather own something
and build up my cash
so that I could buy something and not have to have
a 25% interest loan.
Even though I know that that's what makes the world go around,
it's what keeps people poor
rather than allowing you to move upwardly and forward.
Move up, yeah.
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[theme music playing]