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I don't associate myself
with people like her.

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And why is that?

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Because when she raises puppies,
half the litter ends up dying.

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Breeding dogs like this
is more of a puppy factory.

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So this is all about money?

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[Anne] I'm, I'm not saying that.

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You really don't care about the dog?

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[announcer] This is Judy Justice.

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[theme music playing]

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[announcer] Dog breeder
Ann Bonneville is accusing

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her cousin Sky McCauley
of breaking a breeding contract.

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[Kevin] Court come to order.

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All rise.

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- Good morning, Judge.
- Good morning.

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Be seated, please.

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Case number 1031,
Bonneville versus McCauley.

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Thank you.

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Ms. Bonneville, in 2018,

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your Olde English Bulldogge
had a litter of puppies.

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- Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] The defendant,

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who is your cousin,

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agreed to foster one of those puppies

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because you couldn't keep that dog
in your home.

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It is your claim
that he breached the contract

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with regard to that dog
and you're suing him

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for $10,000.

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Yeah.

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[Judge Judy] You really don't want
the puppy returned.

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The puppy has been with him since 2018.

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- Still lives with you?
- Yes, ma'am.

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[Judge Judy] Right.
So I want you to get that right out

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of your mind after three years.

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I assume that you like the dog?

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- She's my baby.
- [Judge Judy] And the dog likes him

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and you really don't care about the dog.

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When was the last time you saw the dog?

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- Um...
- A month and year.

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[Anne] It would be--uh, I...

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[Judge Judy] Shouldn't be so long ago.

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I'm sorry, it was--it was August 2019.

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[Judge Judy] Okay.

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If that's the case,
that's a couple years ago.

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And so when I say there's no way

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you're getting back this dog,
so this is all about money?

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Now when you gave Mr. McCauley this puppy,

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you drew up a contract with him?

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- [Anne] Yes.
- I'd like to see the contract.

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I have that right here.

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[Judge Judy] Just give it to me.

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Give it--well, give it to Kevin.

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Kevin, go, go give it to me.

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[Kevin] Thank you.

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Okay.

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Now, before we get into
all of the variables

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about this contract,
while we're doing this,

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Sarah, take a look at this.

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Was this the first time
in 2018 that you had

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a litter of puppies?

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Yes, that was my first litter ever.

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You were the owner of the female dog?

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Yes.

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[Judge Judy] The female dog
lived with you?

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Yes.

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[Judge Judy] So you had one dog
at the time?

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- Yes.
- Could not have two.

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[Anne] I, I...

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[Judge Judy] That's either a yes or a no.

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I was not able to have the second dog.

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Fine. Which is why you gave him
the dog to foster?

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- Don't.
- Oh, sorry.

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[Judge Judy] Since 2018, have you had
other litters with the same dog?

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Yes, Your Honor.

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[Judge Judy] How many? How many times...

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[Anne] Well,
there was four other litters.

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[Judge Judy] Four since 2018?

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Yes. They can breed twice a year.

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You breed them twice a year?

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- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

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I'll see the contract back.

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You breed this one female
two times a year?

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Yes, Your Honor.

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Sarah, look up and see
what's recommended for breeding.

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So this dog had three litters--
no, six litters in three years.

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Her last heat, I retired her.

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[Judge Judy] So you breed--
so you breed her every time

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she goes into season,
which is twice a year.

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[Anne] Yes, Your Honor.

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Well, that's not right.
I don't think, maybe I'm wrong.

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[Sarah] The American Kennel Club
states that the legal litter limit

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is six per lifetime for a bulldog,
Your Honor.

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And how many times a year?

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- I'll-I'll look it up.
- [Judge Judy] Look it up.

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I know, I've had many dogs
over my lifetime,

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and bought them from reputable breeders.

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I never knew a breeder that bred
their dog every time they went into heat

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because the dog's body
has to have time to nurture itself.

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I'm just telling you, I never knew
a breeder that I bought a dog from

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that bred the same female dog
twice a year.

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I just never did. Maybe I'm wrong.

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Sarah is going to continue
her due diligence.

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It just says, "Recommended for the safety

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of the female dog,
to three to four total a year."

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It's impossible.
They only go to--into heat twice a year.

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According to the American Kennel Club.

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Do you have dogs anyplace else,
Ms. Bonneville?

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I have one other female
and one other male.

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They are both Olde English Bulldogges.

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[Judge Judy] So that you breed
those two dogs together?

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[Anne] I don't breed them together.

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The male is in the same family.

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Let me read this contract.

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So this is a clear agreement,
Mr. McCauley.

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It says, "I, Sky McCauley, will be
fostering Anne Bonneville's dog Paris

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from this date forward, and will retain
all rights including breeding

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and the right to take the puppy back
at any time,

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and will take care of all vet visits.

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Breeding will be paid
by one pup per litter."

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That was from her mother,
not from the dog.

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You can't explain terms of an agreement

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- if I don't have a question about them.
- Okay.

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[Judge Judy] I don't have a question
about this.

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This says, "Breeding will be paid
by one pup per litter."

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And that suggests to me
that you were going to retain

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physical control of the dog
and the dog would be bred

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and each time the dog was bred,
you would get one puppy

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from that littler either to keep
or to sell.

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That's the plain language of this.

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(chuckles) I absolutely understand what
this says.

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Okay?

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So each of you claim that the arrangements

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in this contract were breached
by the other.

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So let me go through them.

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You got the dog in 2018.

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Yes, ma'am.

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[Judge Judy] Well, from 2018 now, to 2021,

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a dog like this goes to the vet
at least once a year.

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- Yes, ma'am.
- [Judge Judy] In 2018,

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did you take the dog Paris to the vet?

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Yes, ma'am. I did.

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[Judge Judy] And you have that vet bill?

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Yes, ma'am. Um, I do.

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- I'd like to see it.
- [Sky] We will just bring them all

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- to you.
- [Judge Judy] There's no--

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there's no question before you, sir.

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- Just get me the vet bill.
- Here, all the vet bills.

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[Judge Judy]
No, I don't want all the vet bills.

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[Sky] Okay.

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I want the vet bills from 2018.

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This is Kevin's exercise.

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He may have to walk back and forth
two or three times.

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Okay.

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That bill for Paris was 134.38.

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Ms. Bonneville, did you pay that bill?

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That's either a yes or a no.

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That bill was not paid by me, no.

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[Judge Judy]
That bill was not paid by you?

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Okay. So if that bill was not paid--

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oh, that visit didn't take place in 2018.

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That visit took place
in September of 2019.

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We waited approximately a year
for her to take the dog

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- to a vet and she never did...
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

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That was 2019 and the plaintiff didn't pay

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and at that time in September of 2019,

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you hadn't bred the dog
nor had she asked for the dog back?

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No, we have not bred the dog or--no.

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[Judge Judy] Okay.
Do you acknowledge, Ms. Bonneville,

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that in September of 2019

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that the dog Paris had not been bred

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and you had not asked for the dog back?

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That's either a yes or a no.

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- Yes, Your Honor.
- Fine.

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So the dog hadn't been bred
and you had not asked for the dog back.

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Did Mr. McCauley present to you
or advise you what this bill

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of 134.38 was when he took
the dog to the vet?

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- He did not.
- [Judge Judy] Did you advise her?

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Yes, Your Honor, I did.

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[Judge Judy] Tell me when.

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I called her on the phone
and told her that we took her to the vet,

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what the bill was,
and she said that she would pay us

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with the next puppy that was supposed
to be coming up from Princess.

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[Judge Judy] She would pay you
with the next puppy?

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From Princess, not Paris.

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[Judge Judy] Okay.
Did she give you a puppy for the vet?

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[Sky] No sir-- no, ma'am.

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- [Judge Judy] She did not?
- No.

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[Judge Judy] Now, subsequent to this,

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did Princess have a litter of puppies?

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She did have puppies after that, yes.

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And did you in fact give him
a puppy from that litter?

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That was not our agreement and I did not.

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I did give him a puppy out
of a prior litter.

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He got $900 for that and I have a lot
of communication about that in here.

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[Judge Judy] Okay.
Did you get a puppy from a prior litter?

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[Sky] I got a puppy the day
I took Paris home.

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- [Judge Judy] So the...
- Because it was to pay

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for the first six months
of her being in my property.

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- [Judge Judy] Of her...
- Yup.

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[Judge Judy] Of care?

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- Yup.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

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Is that correct that he got the puppy
the day he took Paris home?

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00:08:29,934 --> 00:08:32,133
- No, Your Honor.
- [Judge Judy] Or within a week of that?

202
00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:36,000
No, it was April, following--
bringing Paris home.

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00:08:36,066 --> 00:08:37,700
[Judge Judy]
Well what date did he bring Paris home?

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November 4th of 2018.

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And when did he get a puppy?

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[Anne] April 6th or 7th.

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- [Judge Judy] Of what year?
- Um, 2019.

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[Judge Judy]
Well, that was before this vet visit.

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So that was owed to him?

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[Anne] In the contract, um, Your Honor,
it says I would give him

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00:08:52,700 --> 00:08:55,165
a puppy out of Paris' litters,
out of the dog that we're talking about.

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00:08:55,233 --> 00:08:58,500
[Judge Judy] Well, no, it didn't--no.
It actually didn't say that.

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00:08:58,567 --> 00:09:00,300
- [Anne] It didn't say that.
- It didn't say that.

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00:09:00,367 --> 00:09:01,800
- [Anne] But...
- [Judge Judy] It didn't say that

215
00:09:01,867 --> 00:09:03,367
I am interpreting it that way.

216
00:09:03,433 --> 00:09:07,767
But clearly, you interpreted it
some other way because

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00:09:07,834 --> 00:09:11,967
before this vet bill became owed,
you gave him a puppy.

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00:09:12,033 --> 00:09:16,033
Now you wouldn't have given him a puppy
for which he got $900

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00:09:16,100 --> 00:09:18,700
unless you had some sort of an agreement.

220
00:09:18,767 --> 00:09:20,667
We had a side agreement,
Your Honor, about...

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00:09:20,734 --> 00:09:22,367
[Judge Judy]
And what was the side agreement?

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00:09:22,433 --> 00:09:26,500
The side agreement
was I would give him a puppy to help

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00:09:26,567 --> 00:09:30,000
with things, uh, such as taking care
of the dog.

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00:09:30,066 --> 00:09:34,934
He had actually gotten a puppy
long before he--where--what we agreed on.

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00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:36,066
[Judge Judy] Just a second.

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00:09:36,133 --> 00:09:38,233
I understand that. I understand.

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00:09:38,300 --> 00:09:43,934
Can I see in writing that he agreed
to take this one puppy

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00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:47,433
and take care of the dog forever
and not make the dog his?

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I would just like to see that--
'cause right now,

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00:09:49,367 --> 00:09:52,000
you've breached the contract
by not paying a vet bill.

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00:09:52,066 --> 00:09:54,633
So what I wanna see is where you modified

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00:09:54,700 --> 00:09:58,600
the agreement in April of 2019,

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00:09:58,667 --> 00:10:02,734
that the one puppy that you gave him,
modified this agreement,

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00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:07,233
so that you are no longer responsible
for any bills for the dog.

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00:10:07,300 --> 00:10:08,867
Do you understand my question?

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00:10:08,934 --> 00:10:12,333
And if you want it repeated,
Whitney is going to repeat it for you.

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00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:13,967
- [Anne] I'm, I'm not...
- Do you want it repeated?

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00:10:14,033 --> 00:10:15,133
- Yes, please.
- [Judge Judy] Whitney, you wanna read

239
00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:17,567
that back to the plaintiff, please?

240
00:10:17,633 --> 00:10:19,133
Question, "So what I wanna see

241
00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:23,200
is where you modified the agreement
in April of 2019.

242
00:10:23,266 --> 00:10:27,133
The one puppy that you gave him
in 2019 modified this agreement

243
00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:30,133
so that you were no longer responsible
for any bills for the dog."

244
00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:34,533
[Anne] I'm not saying that I wasn't
going to give him any more puppies.

245
00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:36,867
No, we're not talking about puppies.
We're talking about money.

246
00:10:36,934 --> 00:10:37,834
- Or money, I...
- [Judge Judy] Money.

247
00:10:37,900 --> 00:10:39,300
- I-I actually handed him...
- [Judge Judy] It says

248
00:10:39,367 --> 00:10:42,867
that you would take care
of the vet visits.

249
00:10:46,467 --> 00:10:50,734
He had a discussion with you about paying
the vet bill, and you declined.

250
00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:52,734
[Anne] I had set up an appointment
at my vet.

251
00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:54,767
- [Judge Judy] I don't care about that.
- [Anne] And...

252
00:10:54,834 --> 00:10:58,700
You have to understand,
I don't care about your vet.

253
00:10:58,767 --> 00:11:02,867
This contract doesn't say
he has to take the dog to your vet.

254
00:11:02,934 --> 00:11:04,300
[announcer] And later today.

255
00:11:04,367 --> 00:11:05,967
So you were raised by your grandparents.

256
00:11:06,033 --> 00:11:08,633
You've always lived there,
you didn't move out until 2011?

257
00:11:08,700 --> 00:11:09,533
Yes.

258
00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:11,567
[Judge Judy] So their loss
was hardest on you?

259
00:11:11,633 --> 00:11:13,166
- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] I got it.

260
00:11:13,233 --> 00:11:16,200
Now I'm creating a family picture.

261
00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:24,200
[theme music playing]

262
00:11:27,333 --> 00:11:30,734
[announcer] Anne Bonneville claims
her cousin Sky McCauley

263
00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:33,165
owes her for the value of a puppy.

264
00:11:33,233 --> 00:11:36,233
Sky is countersuing
for breach of contract.

265
00:11:36,300 --> 00:11:40,667
[Judge Judy] It says that you would
take care of the vet visits.

266
00:11:40,734 --> 00:11:43,333
[Anne] So I gave him this puppy in...

267
00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:45,266
- [Judge Judy] In April.
- [Anne] ...in lieu of that. I...

268
00:11:45,333 --> 00:11:46,734
- [Judge Judy] Just...
- [Anne] I sold the puppy

269
00:11:46,800 --> 00:11:48,233
and gave him the cash.

270
00:11:48,300 --> 00:11:51,100
[Judge Judy] Now, as far
as I'm concerned, breeding dogs like this

271
00:11:51,165 --> 00:11:54,000
is more of a puppy factory than the care

272
00:11:54,066 --> 00:11:58,100
that you take in breeding dogs
and not using them for money.

273
00:11:58,165 --> 00:12:01,900
Since 2019, have you given

274
00:12:01,967 --> 00:12:04,734
Mr. McCauley any money for vet bills?

275
00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:06,600
He's gonna show me
the rest of the vet bills.

276
00:12:06,667 --> 00:12:07,633
[Anne] No. The only--the only...

277
00:12:07,700 --> 00:12:10,667
[Judge Judy] No, don't.
The answer is either yes or no.

278
00:12:10,734 --> 00:12:12,767
- No.
- [Judge Judy] Has he asked you

279
00:12:12,834 --> 00:12:13,667
for any money?

280
00:12:13,734 --> 00:12:15,500
[Anne] He's not talked to me
since October on how...

281
00:12:15,567 --> 00:12:16,400
[Judge Judy] Of what year?

282
00:12:16,467 --> 00:12:18,100
- [Anne] 2019.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

283
00:12:18,166 --> 00:12:21,233
Did you tell her that you took the dog
to the vet again?

284
00:12:21,300 --> 00:12:22,967
[Sky] Yes, ma'am.
That was the last time I talked to her.

285
00:12:23,033 --> 00:12:24,200
That was the last time you talked to her?

286
00:12:24,266 --> 00:12:27,133
[Sky] I have not talked to her
in almost three years.

287
00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:28,533
And why is that?

288
00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:31,166
I don't associate myself
with people like her.

289
00:12:31,233 --> 00:12:34,433
So I'm gonna take this contract
and disregard it

290
00:12:34,500 --> 00:12:38,800
because it sounds to me
as if you knew as a pet breeder

291
00:12:38,867 --> 00:12:42,567
that animals have
to be seen every year by a vet.

292
00:12:42,633 --> 00:12:45,467
He did say he told you
about the first visit to the vet.

293
00:12:45,533 --> 00:12:47,867
I had set up an appointment at my vet...

294
00:12:47,934 --> 00:12:49,233
[Judge Judy] I don't care about that.

295
00:12:49,300 --> 00:12:51,033
- [Anne] And...
- You have to understand,

296
00:12:51,100 --> 00:12:53,500
I don't care about your vet.

297
00:12:53,567 --> 00:12:57,567
This contract doesn't say
he has to take the dog to your vet.

298
00:12:57,633 --> 00:13:00,600
This contract says
you will pay the vet bills.

299
00:13:00,667 --> 00:13:02,100
Your claim is dismissed.

300
00:13:02,166 --> 00:13:03,433
Now we're getting to the counterclaim.

301
00:13:03,500 --> 00:13:05,934
Money losses resulting
from a broken contract.

302
00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:07,033
Well, you have the dog, right?

303
00:13:07,100 --> 00:13:08,967
- Yes, yes, ma'am.
- [Judge Judy] Very good. Okay.

304
00:13:09,033 --> 00:13:11,567
Action [indistinct]
resulting to defamation of character.

305
00:13:11,633 --> 00:13:13,934
Now we're gonna hear about that.
Defamation of character.

306
00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:17,867
So first off, Your Honor,
she went on Facebook and,

307
00:13:17,934 --> 00:13:22,000
"Does anyone know if a guy named
Sky McCauley is here selling OEB bulldogs?

308
00:13:22,066 --> 00:13:24,367
The mom is a dog he stole from me."

309
00:13:24,433 --> 00:13:26,667
Which--then I had people contacting me.

310
00:13:26,734 --> 00:13:28,700
Her coworker sent us this. So this...

311
00:13:28,767 --> 00:13:30,200
Saying, "Hey, you might wanna look
at this?

312
00:13:30,266 --> 00:13:32,667
It might be interesting."
Her coworker seen it.

313
00:13:32,734 --> 00:13:34,967
- And then we got posted on...
- [Judge Judy] Don't--ssh, ssh.

314
00:13:35,033 --> 00:13:36,934
- [Sky] Nine different other websites.
- [Judge Judy] Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh.

315
00:13:39,467 --> 00:13:42,834
"Does anyone know if a guy named
Sky McCauley is in here selling puppies?"

316
00:13:42,900 --> 00:13:43,767
Would that be 2019?

317
00:13:43,834 --> 00:13:45,367
That was--that was this year.

318
00:13:45,433 --> 00:13:47,433
- [Judge Judy] This year?
- [Anne] I thought he was breeding

319
00:13:47,500 --> 00:13:51,367
my dog without communicating anything
with me.

320
00:13:51,433 --> 00:13:54,066
[Judge Judy] That's okay.
I don't think, Ms. Bonneville,

321
00:13:54,133 --> 00:13:57,367
that there's anything wrong with you
asking the question,

322
00:13:57,433 --> 00:13:59,367
"Does anyone know
if a guy named Sky McCauley

323
00:13:59,433 --> 00:14:01,633
is in here selling EOB puppies?

324
00:14:01,700 --> 00:14:03,967
The mom is a dog he stole from me."

325
00:14:04,033 --> 00:14:07,900
So you're calling him a thief,
which is calling him a criminal.

326
00:14:07,967 --> 00:14:11,300
That you can't say. That's defaming him.

327
00:14:11,367 --> 00:14:13,400
Okay. This is the way I'm gonna rule.

328
00:14:14,900 --> 00:14:17,700
Plaintiff breached the contract first
by not paying the vet bills.

329
00:14:17,767 --> 00:14:19,066
So she gets nothing.

330
00:14:19,133 --> 00:14:21,233
And you have Paris?

331
00:14:21,300 --> 00:14:23,367
- Yes, ma'am.
- [Judge Judy] And Paris had puppies?

332
00:14:23,433 --> 00:14:25,133
[Sky] Never. Paris has been spayed.

333
00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:27,600
[Judge Judy] The fact that he's had
the dog spayed suggests to me

334
00:14:27,667 --> 00:14:31,300
that he's not going to breed the dog
and the dog was going to be a family pet.

335
00:14:31,367 --> 00:14:35,500
Probably considering
your breeding program is a blessing.

336
00:14:35,567 --> 00:14:39,767
However, even though
she should not have used the word,

337
00:14:39,834 --> 00:14:42,633
"Stole my dog,"
which is exactly what happened.

338
00:14:42,700 --> 00:14:44,200
- You have other things you wanna show?
- [Sky] Yes, Your Honor.

339
00:14:44,266 --> 00:14:48,934
She went around town posting my copy
of my address as well as the contract

340
00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:52,633
on vets' doors, and telling them
not to see any of my animals.

341
00:14:52,700 --> 00:14:56,667
Okay. Well, we are going to give you
an order today.

342
00:14:56,734 --> 00:14:58,500
- Okay.
- [Judge Judy] That indicates

343
00:14:58,567 --> 00:15:00,333
that Paris is your dog.

344
00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:01,667
- Okay. Thank you.
- [Judge Judy] Okay.

345
00:15:01,734 --> 00:15:02,767
Your counterclaim's dismissed.

346
00:15:02,834 --> 00:15:04,400
Everybody's happy. Except me.

347
00:15:04,467 --> 00:15:05,367
- [Kevin] Court adjourned.
- Thank you.

348
00:15:09,934 --> 00:15:13,667
I believe that it was absolutely
unfair and unjust.

349
00:15:13,734 --> 00:15:15,533
She's an abusive neglectful breeder.

350
00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:19,400
Everything he said is a falsification
and he got away with it.

351
00:15:19,967 --> 00:15:21,333
[Judge Judy] You know
what that's an example of, Sarah?

352
00:15:22,533 --> 00:15:26,100
Even judges bring pieces
of themselves to a case.

353
00:15:26,166 --> 00:15:30,066
We don't come with a clean slate,
we come with certain feelings

354
00:15:30,133 --> 00:15:32,467
and emotions
about things that I'm sensitive to.

355
00:15:32,533 --> 00:15:34,333
- Uh-hmm.
- [Judge Judy] And I'm one of those people

356
00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:36,867
who are really sensitive
about puppy mills.

357
00:15:36,934 --> 00:15:37,900
Uh-hmm.

358
00:15:37,967 --> 00:15:40,834
[Judge Judy] And they both got
what they deserved and I hope

359
00:15:40,900 --> 00:15:44,200
that he got what he wanted
because clearly he wasn't going

360
00:15:44,266 --> 00:15:47,233
to use this dog
as a breeding tool for money.

361
00:15:47,300 --> 00:15:48,433
That's a very tough case.

362
00:15:48,500 --> 00:15:51,266
It makes me sad for all those animals
that are bred in cages.

363
00:15:51,333 --> 00:15:52,333
Very sad.

364
00:15:53,300 --> 00:15:56,934
Case 1017,
Williamson Jr. versus Williamson.

365
00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:58,333
All parties, please step forward.

366
00:15:58,400 --> 00:16:02,166
[announcer] Frank Williamson,
is suing his sister Sheryl Williamson

367
00:16:02,233 --> 00:16:05,166
for the cost of tools
and construction materials.

368
00:16:05,233 --> 00:16:07,133
Mr. Williamson, this is your sister?

369
00:16:07,200 --> 00:16:08,133
Yes.

370
00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:10,367
[Judge Judy] Your father passed
away recently.

371
00:16:10,433 --> 00:16:12,300
- [Frank] Yes.
- What was the date of his passing?

372
00:16:12,367 --> 00:16:13,667
I don't know--I don't know exact date.

373
00:16:13,734 --> 00:16:14,767
[Judge Judy] Just a second.

374
00:16:14,834 --> 00:16:15,667
The answer is,

375
00:16:15,734 --> 00:16:16,700
- "I don't know the date..."
- I don't know.

376
00:16:16,767 --> 00:16:17,900
[Judge Judy] "...my father passed away."

377
00:16:17,967 --> 00:16:19,767
Do you know the date
of your father's passing?

378
00:16:19,834 --> 00:16:21,066
[Sheryl] May 22nd.

379
00:16:21,133 --> 00:16:22,800
- [Judge Judy] Of what year?
- 2021.

380
00:16:22,867 --> 00:16:25,300
[Judge Judy] This is what the case
is about. Mr. Williamson,

381
00:16:25,367 --> 00:16:30,400
it is your claim that there was a time
when you moved in to your father's house.

382
00:16:30,467 --> 00:16:31,500
Yes.

383
00:16:31,567 --> 00:16:32,934
[Judge Judy] And your mother
was still alive?

384
00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:35,333
Yes. My mom had a stroke.

385
00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:37,834
[Judge Judy] In what year did your mother
have a stroke?

386
00:16:37,900 --> 00:16:39,367
2005.

387
00:16:39,433 --> 00:16:42,633
When you moved into the house,
had she already been ill?

388
00:16:42,700 --> 00:16:44,767
- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Who was taking care of her?

389
00:16:44,834 --> 00:16:45,967
- I was.
- [Judge Judy] No,

390
00:16:46,033 --> 00:16:46,934
you weren't living there yet.

391
00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:50,667
I said, "When you moved into the house,
had she already had the stroke?"

392
00:16:50,734 --> 00:16:52,667
- You said yes.
- Yes.

393
00:16:52,734 --> 00:16:55,734
[Judge Judy] Who was caring for her
before you moved into the house?

394
00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:56,767
- My daughter.
- [Judge Judy] Who are you?

395
00:16:56,834 --> 00:16:59,800
I'm the granddaughter of-- I'm his
daughter.

396
00:16:59,867 --> 00:17:01,934
[Judge Judy] Okay. Stand up.

397
00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,666
Is what your raised hand suggest to me

398
00:17:04,733 --> 00:17:06,266
- that you were living with your...
- [Unica] I was living--

399
00:17:06,333 --> 00:17:09,800
I was living in the house until 2008
when my aunt moved in.

400
00:17:09,867 --> 00:17:10,733
[Judge Judy] Okay.

401
00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:14,467
So you were actually taking care
of your grandmother?

402
00:17:14,532 --> 00:17:15,400
Yes.

403
00:17:15,467 --> 00:17:17,099
- [Judge Judy] After she got sick?
- Yes.

404
00:17:17,165 --> 00:17:18,599
Was your grandfather okay?

405
00:17:18,666 --> 00:17:20,467
[Unica] He had a heart attack
and he was recovering

406
00:17:20,532 --> 00:17:21,633
and then she had a stroke.

407
00:17:21,700 --> 00:17:23,099
[Judge Judy] Sounds like
you had your hands full?

408
00:17:23,165 --> 00:17:24,000
I did.

409
00:17:24,066 --> 00:17:25,433
[Judge Judy] Did you have any other help?

410
00:17:25,500 --> 00:17:29,266
[Unica] No. My dad and my other aunts
that live in California at the time,

411
00:17:29,333 --> 00:17:32,633
they all came over occasionally
to help out and relieve me

412
00:17:32,700 --> 00:17:34,567
so I can have some type of life.

413
00:17:34,633 --> 00:17:37,200
[Judge Judy] Okay.
You lived there until what year?

414
00:17:37,266 --> 00:17:38,800
Until 2008.

415
00:17:38,867 --> 00:17:40,934
[Judge Judy] And continued to help
take care of your grandparents?

416
00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:41,967
Yes.

417
00:17:42,033 --> 00:17:44,266
What about this aunt,
did she come to visit?

418
00:17:44,333 --> 00:17:47,600
[Unica] She moved out here
from Atlanta in 2008, 2009.

419
00:17:47,667 --> 00:17:49,667
[Judge Judy] And is that
when she came to live at the house?

420
00:17:49,734 --> 00:17:51,800
Yes, and then that's when I moved out.

421
00:17:51,867 --> 00:17:53,200
[Judge Judy]
And your father was still there?

422
00:17:53,266 --> 00:17:54,467
- [Unica] Yes.
- [Judge Judy] In 2008?

423
00:17:54,533 --> 00:17:55,367
[Unica] Yes.

424
00:17:55,467 --> 00:17:56,333
[Judge Judy] Your father
was still there?

425
00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:57,433
What's your first name?

426
00:17:57,500 --> 00:17:58,867
- Sheryl.
- [Judge Judy] Sheryl.

427
00:17:58,934 --> 00:18:02,700
So Sheryl moved in, you moved out,
she sort of assumed whatever duties

428
00:18:02,767 --> 00:18:06,567
you were doing with
then just your father, correct?

429
00:18:06,633 --> 00:18:07,533
- Yes.
- [Sheryl] Your Honor,

430
00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:09,867
I moved there in 2011.

431
00:18:09,934 --> 00:18:11,767
Oh, well...

432
00:18:11,834 --> 00:18:13,967
Got the dates wrong. Would that be right?

433
00:18:14,033 --> 00:18:15,166
Yeah--yes.

434
00:18:15,233 --> 00:18:18,834
[Judge Judy] Okay, so you were
actually there then for quite some time.

435
00:18:18,900 --> 00:18:21,033
[Unica] I-I lived in the house
since I was five.

436
00:18:21,100 --> 00:18:22,467
Did your mother live in the house?

437
00:18:22,533 --> 00:18:23,967
For a brief moment.

438
00:18:24,033 --> 00:18:25,934
[Judge Judy] So you were really raised
by your grandparents?

439
00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:27,133
Yes.

440
00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:28,500
[Judge Judy] Now I got it.

441
00:18:28,567 --> 00:18:30,133
So you were raised by your grandparents,

442
00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:32,667
you've always lived there,
you didn't move out until 2011?

443
00:18:32,734 --> 00:18:33,700
Yeah.

444
00:18:33,767 --> 00:18:35,834
[Judge Judy] So their loss was hardest
on you?

445
00:18:35,900 --> 00:18:37,066
Yes.

446
00:18:37,133 --> 00:18:41,600
I got it.
Now I'm creating a family picture.

447
00:18:41,667 --> 00:18:45,200
Okay. Do you know anything
about the disagreements that started

448
00:18:45,266 --> 00:18:49,033
to exist between your father
and your Aunt Sheryl?

449
00:18:49,100 --> 00:18:50,633
- No.
- You don't know anything?

450
00:18:50,700 --> 00:18:55,767
[Unica] I only know from the time
when I moved back in in 2019,

451
00:18:55,834 --> 00:18:58,100
that's when everything started
to come to a head.

452
00:19:00,500 --> 00:19:02,934
I have a daughter
and I didn't want her to be traumatized

453
00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:04,266
by any of the family drama.

454
00:19:04,333 --> 00:19:05,433
Very smart.

455
00:19:05,500 --> 00:19:07,900
Your grandparents did a very good job.

456
00:19:07,967 --> 00:19:09,667
- Thank you.
- They did.

457
00:19:09,734 --> 00:19:11,600
Good for them, good for you.

458
00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:19,033
[theme music playing]

459
00:19:22,934 --> 00:19:26,367
[announcer] Frank Williamson
claims his sister Sheryl Williamson

460
00:19:26,433 --> 00:19:28,100
threw out his building materials.

461
00:19:28,166 --> 00:19:31,433
Sheryl is countersuing
for repayment of a loan.

462
00:19:31,500 --> 00:19:34,066
[Judge Judy] Tell me why
you've moved back in 2019.

463
00:19:34,133 --> 00:19:39,166
[Unica] My grandfather ran into a wall
and he was unable to drive

464
00:19:39,233 --> 00:19:41,533
and take himself places, so he asked me

465
00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:43,734
to come back to help him out,
to take him and his friends

466
00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:45,300
to the grocery store on the weekends.

467
00:19:45,367 --> 00:19:47,533
At that time,
your father was still living there?

468
00:19:47,600 --> 00:19:48,967
- No.
- [Judge Judy] What about Aunt Sheryl?

469
00:19:49,033 --> 00:19:49,867
[Unica] She was there.

470
00:19:49,934 --> 00:19:51,567
[Judge Judy] What did she do in the house?

471
00:19:51,633 --> 00:19:54,800
She occasionally cooked
and occasionally cleaned.

472
00:19:54,867 --> 00:19:56,266
[Judge Judy] Did you get along with her?

473
00:19:56,333 --> 00:19:58,900
Yes, I did.
I actually love all of my aunts.

474
00:19:58,967 --> 00:19:59,867
[Judge Judy] Good.

475
00:20:00,834 --> 00:20:01,867
Okay.

476
00:20:01,934 --> 00:20:04,834
Mr. Williamson, I want you to tell me
what happened

477
00:20:04,900 --> 00:20:07,467
when you decided to move back home.

478
00:20:07,533 --> 00:20:10,500
- My father, he told me...
- [Judge Judy] Don't tell me, just...

479
00:20:10,567 --> 00:20:11,400
Okay.

480
00:20:11,467 --> 00:20:14,700
Don't tell me what your father told you.

481
00:20:14,767 --> 00:20:16,400
- [Frank] Uh-hmm.
- Of course.

482
00:20:16,467 --> 00:20:18,367
- Are you cold?
- A little bit.

483
00:20:18,433 --> 00:20:21,000
I know it's freezing in here.
I like it like a meat locker.

484
00:20:21,066 --> 00:20:23,967
(chuckles) Some people get--some people
get cold.

485
00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:26,533
This is your claim.

486
00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:28,633
Your claim is that you had discussions
with your father,

487
00:20:28,700 --> 00:20:30,333
- which I'm not gonna get into.
- Uh-hmm.

488
00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:31,533
[Judge Judy] 'Cause I can't verify them.

489
00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:36,433
And he told you that he wanted you
to live in a guest house

490
00:20:36,500 --> 00:20:40,233
that he wanted you to build
behind the main house,

491
00:20:40,300 --> 00:20:42,734
so you bought a lot of tools and lumber.

492
00:20:42,800 --> 00:20:47,700
And after your father passed away,
your sister got rid of all of that.

493
00:20:47,767 --> 00:20:50,166
Did she dispose of the property

494
00:20:50,233 --> 00:20:54,433
before or after your father passed away?

495
00:20:54,500 --> 00:20:56,066
- Before.
- Before.

496
00:20:56,133 --> 00:20:57,133
[Judge Judy] Before?

497
00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:00,100
Ms. Williamson, you went back
and forth to visit your grandfather?

498
00:21:00,166 --> 00:21:04,133
[Unica] Well, yes, I live in a backhouse
until the issue started to--

499
00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:06,533
I have a daughter and I didn't want her
to be traumatized

500
00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:07,867
by any of the family drama.

501
00:21:07,934 --> 00:21:09,233
Very smart.

502
00:21:09,300 --> 00:21:11,533
Your grandparents did a very good job.

503
00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:12,667
(chuckles) Thank you.

504
00:21:12,734 --> 00:21:15,400
[Judge Judy] They did.
Good for them, good for you.

505
00:21:15,467 --> 00:21:18,700
And Ms. Williamson,
when the property was disposed of,

506
00:21:18,767 --> 00:21:20,800
your grandfather and your father
was alive?

507
00:21:20,867 --> 00:21:22,400
- Right.
- [Judge Judy] He was occupying

508
00:21:22,467 --> 00:21:23,934
- his own home.
- [Frank] Correct.

509
00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:25,233
[Judge Judy] Okey-dokey.

510
00:21:25,300 --> 00:21:28,033
Now, let's talk about your counterclaim.

511
00:21:28,100 --> 00:21:29,767
You can have a seat now, Ms. Williamson.

512
00:21:29,834 --> 00:21:32,166
I'm not gonna get you further involved
in all this drama.

513
00:21:32,233 --> 00:21:33,200
Thank you so much.

514
00:21:33,266 --> 00:21:34,800
[Judge Judy] (chuckles) Oh, you're very
welcome.

515
00:21:38,967 --> 00:21:40,100
You have a counterclaim.

516
00:21:40,166 --> 00:21:43,633
- [Sheryl] Yes.
- Your counterclaim is for loans

517
00:21:43,700 --> 00:21:46,233
that your father allegedly made

518
00:21:46,300 --> 00:21:48,967
to your brother during his lifetime?

519
00:21:49,033 --> 00:21:49,934
Yes.

520
00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:52,166
And you are the executor of his estate?

521
00:21:52,233 --> 00:21:53,266
- [Sheryl] Yes.
- [Frank] No, I am.

522
00:21:53,333 --> 00:21:56,567
[Judge Judy] Shh, shh, shh.
You're the executor of his estate?

523
00:21:56,633 --> 00:21:58,834
- No, he's not.
- [Judge Judy] May I see

524
00:21:58,900 --> 00:22:01,133
the documents that you have?

525
00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:05,367
And I'd also like to see a copy
of your dad's will, please?

526
00:22:09,233 --> 00:22:10,200
Thank you.

527
00:22:19,633 --> 00:22:22,834
Okay. Well, this is an old trust, sir.

528
00:22:22,900 --> 00:22:24,767
[Sheryl]
This is from the Recorder's Office.

529
00:22:24,834 --> 00:22:26,400
[Judge Judy] May I see it, please?

530
00:22:29,533 --> 00:22:35,133
So this document gives the defendant
power of attorney.

531
00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:37,767
I just wanna know if she could sue
on behalf of the state

532
00:22:37,834 --> 00:22:41,000
for this alleged loan
that her father made for you.

533
00:22:41,066 --> 00:22:44,066
So after you were granted
the power of attorney,

534
00:22:44,133 --> 00:22:46,867
you went to court
and changed the living trust?

535
00:22:46,934 --> 00:22:48,467
- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] Got it.

536
00:22:48,533 --> 00:22:51,467
So let us assume for the moment

537
00:22:52,500 --> 00:22:54,600
that your father provided you

538
00:22:54,667 --> 00:22:57,166
with a power of attorney to sue
on his behalf,

539
00:22:57,233 --> 00:22:59,767
and that was in 2020?

540
00:22:59,834 --> 00:23:00,900
Yes.

541
00:23:00,967 --> 00:23:03,567
[Judge Judy] When did you discover
that you believe

542
00:23:03,633 --> 00:23:06,066
that your father made a loan
to your brother?

543
00:23:06,133 --> 00:23:11,667
My father got a $30,000 loan
and he gave him $15,000.

544
00:23:11,734 --> 00:23:16,600
But as I look in his checkbook,
he actually gave him $17,000.

545
00:23:16,667 --> 00:23:19,367
[Judge Judy] Just a second.
He took out a $30,000 loan.

546
00:23:19,433 --> 00:23:20,400
[Sheryl] Yes.

547
00:23:20,467 --> 00:23:24,300
And he gave half of it to his son?

548
00:23:24,367 --> 00:23:25,700
- Right.
- [Frank] Uh-hmm.

549
00:23:25,767 --> 00:23:27,500
- And he said...
- [Judge Judy] And so--just a second.

550
00:23:27,567 --> 00:23:29,767
- And he's allowed to do that?
- [Sheryl] Yes, but...

551
00:23:29,834 --> 00:23:31,967
[Judge Judy] When did you find that out?

552
00:23:32,033 --> 00:23:33,767
[Sheryl] 2019.

553
00:23:33,834 --> 00:23:36,300
[Judge Judy] And so you knew
about that in 2019,

554
00:23:36,367 --> 00:23:40,734
that your father had made a gift
to your brother...

555
00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:42,166
- No.
- [Judge Judy] No. Just a second.

556
00:23:42,233 --> 00:23:43,633
You say your father gave him...

557
00:23:43,700 --> 00:23:45,400
- [Sheryl] Well...
- ...$15,000,

558
00:23:45,467 --> 00:23:48,567
he took out a loan and he gave him half?
Did your father...

559
00:23:48,633 --> 00:23:50,200
That he was supposed to pay back.

560
00:23:50,266 --> 00:23:51,934
[Judge Judy]
I-I'd like to see proof of that.

561
00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:53,600
[Sheryl] He didn't having
to sign a promissory note.

562
00:23:53,667 --> 00:23:56,333
[Judge Judy] Just--
well, that's the problem.

563
00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:57,266
Ms. Williamson...

564
00:23:57,333 --> 00:23:59,567
[Sheryl] In his checking account,
it has...

565
00:23:59,633 --> 00:24:00,867
- [Judge Judy] So what?
- [Sheryl] Okay. Well...

566
00:24:00,934 --> 00:24:02,500
[Judge Judy] I give my children money
all the time.

567
00:24:02,567 --> 00:24:05,767
You know, it's so interesting
that your father who was clearly

568
00:24:05,834 --> 00:24:09,500
a lovely man and had a lovely wife,
had a good life,

569
00:24:09,567 --> 00:24:13,667
and accumulated some money,
and had a house, had two children,

570
00:24:13,734 --> 00:24:18,867
who after he's gone,
are really destroying that good footprint.

571
00:24:18,934 --> 00:24:21,967
I don't understand that over
some old tools and lumber

572
00:24:22,033 --> 00:24:26,233
and something that you cannot prove
was a loan to his child.

573
00:24:26,300 --> 00:24:28,667
Well, I only can go by what he told me...

574
00:24:28,734 --> 00:24:29,667
- [Judge Judy] Oh, you can't go...
- [Sheryl] And I, I feel...

575
00:24:29,734 --> 00:24:30,800
I can't go by what he told you.

576
00:24:30,867 --> 00:24:32,433
[Sheryl] Well, I told my father,
"You shouldn't--

577
00:24:32,500 --> 00:24:33,700
you shouldn't have done that."

578
00:24:33,767 --> 00:24:35,500
I don't care what he told you.

579
00:24:35,567 --> 00:24:39,633
This house that your father had,
just curious, was it sold?

580
00:24:39,700 --> 00:24:42,033
No. I'm living in the home right now.

581
00:24:42,100 --> 00:24:44,300
Okay. And do you intend to stay there?

582
00:24:44,367 --> 00:24:46,033
- Yes.
- [Judge Judy] And pursuant

583
00:24:46,100 --> 00:24:48,100
to the property settlement,

584
00:24:48,166 --> 00:24:51,033
what did your brother, if anything,

585
00:24:51,100 --> 00:24:53,633
receive from your father's estate?

586
00:24:53,700 --> 00:24:55,200
- He...
- [Judge Judy] Just either...

587
00:24:55,266 --> 00:24:57,000
- [Sheryl] Nothing.
- That's a number, that's a number.

588
00:24:57,066 --> 00:24:58,233
Zero.

589
00:24:58,300 --> 00:25:00,567
Well, sounds to me like you're living

590
00:25:00,633 --> 00:25:02,934
in the house that you didn't live at
for a whole time.

591
00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:04,100
Where is your niece living?

592
00:25:04,166 --> 00:25:06,567
[Sheryl] She doesn't live with me.
I don't know where she lives.

593
00:25:06,633 --> 00:25:09,033
[Judge Judy] Was she living there
with her daughter

594
00:25:09,100 --> 00:25:10,934
at the time your father passed?

595
00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:13,967
- That's either a yes or a no.
- No. No.

596
00:25:14,033 --> 00:25:18,100
[Unica] Well, I moved out this year
because I had to call the police

597
00:25:18,166 --> 00:25:19,867
'cause she kept changing the locks
on the doors

598
00:25:19,934 --> 00:25:21,433
when I come home from work.

599
00:25:21,500 --> 00:25:22,934
So every time I would go home,

600
00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:24,934
when I try to get in,
she'll change the locks.

601
00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:27,467
[Judge Judy] Got it. I got the story.

602
00:25:27,533 --> 00:25:28,867
That's not true, Your Honor.

603
00:25:28,934 --> 00:25:30,133
[Judge Judy]
I don't care whether it's true or not.

604
00:25:30,200 --> 00:25:31,967
You got the house,
she'd been living there since

605
00:25:32,033 --> 00:25:34,900
she was five years old,
and she's not living there anymore.

606
00:25:34,967 --> 00:25:37,266
She was in fact living there
until your father died.

607
00:25:37,333 --> 00:25:39,934
No, she was living with her grandmother.

608
00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:43,500
My father asked me,
"How do you think about Unica moving in?"

609
00:25:43,567 --> 00:25:45,400
And I want to be nice, I want to say no.

610
00:25:45,467 --> 00:25:47,033
[Judge Judy] Okay. He raised her.

611
00:25:47,100 --> 00:25:49,066
He raised her.
Ms. Williamson, your case is dismissed.

612
00:25:49,133 --> 00:25:50,533
- So is yours, Mr. Williamson.
- Okay.

613
00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:51,934
[Judge Judy] You got a house?

614
00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:53,100
Is it in your name now?

615
00:25:53,166 --> 00:25:54,567
- Yeah.
- [Judge Judy] Good for you.

616
00:25:54,633 --> 00:25:56,100
- We're done here.
- All right.

617
00:25:56,166 --> 00:25:58,166
[Kevin] Court adjourned.

618
00:25:58,233 --> 00:26:00,834
My grandparents
would not want this fighting going on.

619
00:26:00,900 --> 00:26:02,266
We don't get along at all.

620
00:26:02,333 --> 00:26:03,667
I don't get along with my niece.

621
00:26:03,734 --> 00:26:05,133
I don't get along with him.

622
00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:10,100
I feel that family being here in court
for this matter is ridiculous.

623
00:26:10,166 --> 00:26:13,300
[Sarah] I couldn't imagine fighting
with any one of my siblings

624
00:26:13,367 --> 00:26:16,100
after not one,
but both of our parents pass away.

625
00:26:16,166 --> 00:26:18,467
You know, there's a good lesson takeaway.

626
00:26:18,533 --> 00:26:20,467
Nobody likes to think about dying.

627
00:26:20,533 --> 00:26:23,834
But if adults are smart,
no matter how old they are,

628
00:26:23,900 --> 00:26:26,934
they should have a document that is clear

629
00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:28,900
and unequivocal, that's called a will.

630
00:26:28,967 --> 00:26:30,934
That tells their children,

631
00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:32,533
their grandchildren, their friends,

632
00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:35,400
exactly what they want done
with their property,

633
00:26:35,467 --> 00:26:40,533
so that we don't have siblings
in a courtroom like this.

634
00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:46,333
And I think that all
of that can be avoided if people act smart

635
00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:48,133
and create a good will.

636
00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:52,233
[announcer] Have you been cheated?

637
00:26:52,300 --> 00:26:54,800
Go to JudyJustice.tv.

638
00:26:59,567 --> 00:27:02,633
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