1
00:00:00,367 --> 00:00:03,133
A classic car.
You wanted him to repaint it?

2
00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:05,266
-Yes.
-I went by the color code she sent me.

3
00:00:05,333 --> 00:00:07,567
But then you picked a color
all on your own, right?

4
00:00:07,633 --> 00:00:10,000
No actually, I called her
and told her I picked a color.

5
00:00:10,066 --> 00:00:11,367
That's not what she wanted.

6
00:00:11,433 --> 00:00:12,900
Yeah, I went similar.

7
00:00:12,967 --> 00:00:14,700
Yeah, well similar's not good.

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00:00:14,767 --> 00:00:17,400
[announcer] Today on Tribunal Justice.

9
00:00:17,467 --> 00:00:20,467
[theme music playing]

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00:00:39,166 --> 00:00:42,266
[announcer] This case was filed
in Los Angeles, California.

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00:00:42,333 --> 00:00:46,166
Your Honor, this is case number 1066
on the calendar

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00:00:46,233 --> 00:00:49,033
in the matter of Scudieri versus Solis.

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Both parties have been sworn in.
You may be seated.

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00:00:51,867 --> 00:00:53,233
-[Acker] Thank you, Byrd.
-[Byrd] Mm-hm.

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00:00:53,300 --> 00:00:58,767
Miss Scudieri, you brought your 1977
Pontiac Firebird

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00:00:58,834 --> 00:01:01,233
to the defendant,
you wanted him to repaint it.

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00:01:01,300 --> 00:01:06,600
Now that, of course, is a classic car
and the paint job was important.

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00:01:06,667 --> 00:01:11,400
And in your complaint, you allege that
not only did he paint it the wrong color

19
00:01:11,467 --> 00:01:15,166
without your authorization,
but he further damaged the car,

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and as a consequence of his horrible work,
you say he just destroyed it.

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00:01:19,633 --> 00:01:23,800
He's destroyed the car entirely
and you're suing him for $10,000.

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00:01:23,867 --> 00:01:28,100
Mr. Solis, you allege that she was fine
with the car.

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00:01:28,166 --> 00:01:31,300
-Yes, ma'am.
-When she picked it up, she was happy,

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00:01:31,367 --> 00:01:34,633
she was taking pictures,
texting her friends.

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00:01:34,700 --> 00:01:37,166
Fine with the car until six months later.

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00:01:37,233 --> 00:01:41,300
Your position is you did a great job
and you don't owe her any money.

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00:01:41,366 --> 00:01:44,333
Miss Scudieri,
when did he get his hands on the car?

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00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:46,866
-In November. He started working on it.
-[Acker] November.

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00:01:46,934 --> 00:01:48,900
-And just the paint job?
-Yes.

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00:01:48,967 --> 00:01:51,333
And you were specific about the paint,
weren't you?

31
00:01:51,433 --> 00:01:52,265
Very, very.

32
00:01:52,333 --> 00:01:55,400
She was very specific
about the paint, Mr. Solis.

33
00:01:55,467 --> 00:01:57,667
-Correct.
-There were some communications

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00:01:57,734 --> 00:02:02,967
between the two of you about precisely
what color red she wanted, were there not?

35
00:02:03,033 --> 00:02:04,467
That's true. That's very important.

36
00:02:04,533 --> 00:02:07,133
But then you picked the color
all on your own, right?

37
00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:11,333
No, actually what happened was the color
that she picked was extremely expensive

38
00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:14,767
for the amount of money that we had
to spend for the paint job.

39
00:02:14,834 --> 00:02:19,533
So, I told her that the best thing to do
is get something as close as possible

40
00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:22,367
-to the color that she picked.
-And when you picked the color,

41
00:02:22,433 --> 00:02:24,900
-that was as close as possible…
-[Solis] Mm-hm.

42
00:02:24,966 --> 00:02:28,000
…you did that
without getting her approval.

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00:02:28,066 --> 00:02:30,333
No, actually, I called her
and told her I picked the color.

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00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:34,600
So, I find that interesting
because there's a text message

45
00:02:34,667 --> 00:02:37,033
-from her to you…
-Correct.

46
00:02:37,100 --> 00:02:39,734
…where you tell her,
"I'm gonna paint tomorrow."

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00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:41,834
You tell her November 21,

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00:02:41,900 --> 00:02:45,367
" I found the color code. All is good.
Very pricey."

49
00:02:45,433 --> 00:02:47,466
And then you said, "I'll paint tomorrow."

50
00:02:47,533 --> 00:02:49,233
-Correct.
-And then she said,

51
00:02:49,300 --> 00:02:51,767
"Can I see a test panel first, please?

52
00:02:51,834 --> 00:02:54,500
I don't know what that color
looks like in person."

53
00:02:54,567 --> 00:02:55,934
-You remember that?
-Yes, ma'am.

54
00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:57,633
Your response is,

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00:02:57,700 --> 00:03:00,567
"Car is painted, looks good." Same day.

56
00:03:00,633 --> 00:03:05,066
So tell me when between 10:13,

57
00:03:05,166 --> 00:03:07,934
when she said,
"I'd like to see it in person,"

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00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:10,967
and 12:04, when you say it's already done.

59
00:03:11,033 --> 00:03:12,934
Tell me when she approved it.

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00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:15,233
-She didn't approve it.
-[Acker] She didn't approve it.

61
00:03:15,300 --> 00:03:18,300
-How long did you have the car?
-I don't recall exactly.

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00:03:18,367 --> 00:03:19,600
How long did he have your car?

63
00:03:19,667 --> 00:03:21,200
-A month, Your Honor.
-A month.

64
00:03:21,266 --> 00:03:23,867
And there was some communication
between the two of you

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00:03:23,934 --> 00:03:28,000
where you say to him, look, you've had
the car for a lot longer

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00:03:28,066 --> 00:03:30,033
than you were supposed to.

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00:03:30,100 --> 00:03:33,000
I'm having to pay out of pocket
for this rental car,

68
00:03:33,066 --> 00:03:34,200
are you gonna help me out?

69
00:03:34,266 --> 00:03:36,500
Did you offer to help her out?

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00:03:36,567 --> 00:03:37,667
I actually gave her money.

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00:03:37,734 --> 00:03:39,533
-You did? How much did you give her?
-Yes.

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00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:42,200
I think I gave her, the first time
she was there, I gave her $100.

73
00:03:42,266 --> 00:03:43,033
Is that true?

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00:03:43,100 --> 00:03:46,100
-He gave me $100 cash. Yes.
-[Acker] Towards the rental?

75
00:03:46,166 --> 00:03:48,734
Now when he said he was gonna
give you money for the rental,

76
00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:50,934
he never represented a specific amount.

77
00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:52,934
-He said I'll help you out some.
-Correct.

78
00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:54,333
And when did he give you that help?

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00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:56,233
Um, one of the times I was in there.

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-Before the car was finished.
-You guys are in court,

81
00:03:58,433 --> 00:04:01,033
you're litigants,
I need better than one of the times.

82
00:04:01,100 --> 00:04:03,300
When did he give you the money
for the rental car?

83
00:04:03,367 --> 00:04:04,800
So towards the end of November.

84
00:04:04,867 --> 00:04:06,333
-Towards the end of November?
-Yeah.

85
00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:09,767
So then why in January,
when you reached out to him

86
00:04:09,834 --> 00:04:11,767
about your concerns with the car,

87
00:04:11,834 --> 00:04:14,233
were you still asking for money
for the rental?

88
00:04:14,300 --> 00:04:18,433
So he was supposed to have my car
for two weeks? He had it for a full month.

89
00:04:18,500 --> 00:04:21,533
I thought he would at least split--
At least split it with me.

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00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:24,233
You didn't say spilt,
you said can you help me.

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00:04:24,300 --> 00:04:26,400
-Correct.
-All right, when you picked the car up

92
00:04:26,467 --> 00:04:31,266
in November, did you tell him in November
that you were not happy with it?

93
00:04:31,332 --> 00:04:33,133
Honestly, I just wanted
to get out of there.

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00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:35,166
I grabbed the keys and I left.

95
00:04:35,233 --> 00:04:37,166
I'm not a confrontational person.

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00:04:37,233 --> 00:04:40,233
It was him and a staff
of what seemed like about 10 people.

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00:04:40,300 --> 00:04:43,000
-I didn't-- I just wanted to get out.
-[Acker] Okay.

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00:04:43,066 --> 00:04:47,033
What you're now suggesting is that
you were so afraid you had to get out.

99
00:04:47,100 --> 00:04:50,400
The record doesn't show that.
I'm asking you a direct question.

100
00:04:50,467 --> 00:04:53,400
Now is not the time to try
to make him seem like an ogre,

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00:04:53,467 --> 00:04:56,867
or the scariest man in the world.
There's nothing in the record about that.

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00:04:56,933 --> 00:05:01,967
What I'm trying to find out is whether
or not when you picked up the car,

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00:05:02,033 --> 00:05:04,567
you said, "I still have
some problems with the car."

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00:05:04,633 --> 00:05:06,200
Did you say that yes or no?

105
00:05:06,266 --> 00:05:08,667
No, I didn't say anything.
I asked for the keys and I left.

106
00:05:08,734 --> 00:05:10,734
Mr. Solis, I found it curious

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that you said that she didn't
raise any issues for six months,

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00:05:13,967 --> 00:05:15,200
but on its face that's not true.

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She picked the car up in November.

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00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:22,934
We know in January, on January 27,
she sent you a litany of complaints.

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00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:25,633
So it wasn't six months,
it was a couple of months.

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00:05:25,700 --> 00:05:27,233
So why did you say it was six months?

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00:05:27,300 --> 00:05:30,100
Well, the six months
were basically after the fact

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00:05:30,166 --> 00:05:32,800
that she decided
to change her mind about the color.

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00:05:32,867 --> 00:05:34,066
That's what I was referring to.

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00:05:34,133 --> 00:05:37,600
Well, when you say change her mind
about the color, how do you get there?

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00:05:37,667 --> 00:05:40,767
Because we already established
that you painted the car…

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00:05:40,834 --> 00:05:42,967
-Mm-hm.
-…and you picked the final color

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without confirming with her,

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so you didn't really give her a chance
to change her mind about anything.

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00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:50,066
-Do you know that term, "gaslight?"
-No.

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00:05:50,133 --> 00:05:52,700
It's when you just really make
something up about somebody

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00:05:52,767 --> 00:05:55,633
and then you act like they're crazy
for challenging you.

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00:05:55,700 --> 00:05:58,033
It was almost like
you were trying to gaslight her.

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00:05:58,100 --> 00:06:01,166
-No.
-Now, I have to say, Miss Scudieri,

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00:06:01,233 --> 00:06:04,800
you're still so far away
from proving your case

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00:06:04,867 --> 00:06:07,266
as far as I can see,
or meeting your burden,

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00:06:07,333 --> 00:06:12,033
because you're suing him for $10,000
and you're saying he's ruined the car.

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00:06:12,100 --> 00:06:17,000
I have no evidence of what condition
the car was in before you took it to him,

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00:06:17,066 --> 00:06:18,633
and here's what I do know.

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00:06:18,700 --> 00:06:22,500
I know that it was involved
in an insurance situation

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00:06:22,567 --> 00:06:25,266
-and there was a lawyer involved.
-No lawyer, Your Honor.

133
00:06:25,332 --> 00:06:28,734
Now I'm going to have to remind you
of evidence in this case

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00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:32,500
because the defendant submitted
a text message from you

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00:06:32,567 --> 00:06:35,633
prior to November,
I think this was in September,

136
00:06:35,700 --> 00:06:40,233
and you said,
"September 24, 2019.

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00:06:40,300 --> 00:06:43,900
Can you please write me
a few sentences explaining

138
00:06:43,967 --> 00:06:47,332
why the car has to be repainted in full

139
00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:52,467
versus just painting the rest of the car
minus the two panels and blending.

140
00:06:52,533 --> 00:06:54,467
Attorney needs it."

141
00:06:54,933 --> 00:06:56,900
So I will ask you once again,

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00:06:56,967 --> 00:07:00,600
how on earth are you going to carry
your burden of proving

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00:07:00,667 --> 00:07:02,667
that this man ruined your car,

144
00:07:02,734 --> 00:07:05,900
when the car clearly had some issues
before you took it to him?

145
00:07:05,967 --> 00:07:07,033
Can I explain, please?

146
00:07:07,100 --> 00:07:08,934
-That's what I'm asking you to do.
-Okay.

147
00:07:10,066 --> 00:07:12,200
[announcer]
Coming up on Tribunal Justice…

148
00:07:12,266 --> 00:07:13,633
After she said to you,

149
00:07:13,700 --> 00:07:16,500
"Don't do it,
I wanna see the color first."

150
00:07:16,567 --> 00:07:18,800
And what's your next e-mail to her?

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00:07:18,867 --> 00:07:20,600
-I did it!
-Mm-hm.

152
00:07:20,667 --> 00:07:22,500
How do you justify that?

153
00:07:29,332 --> 00:07:33,533
[announcer] Jilian Scudieri
is suing body shop owner, Eddie Solis

154
00:07:33,600 --> 00:07:38,266
for painting her 1977 Pontiac Firebird
the wrong color.

155
00:07:38,332 --> 00:07:40,867
Eddie claims she was happy with the work

156
00:07:40,933 --> 00:07:43,133
and damaged the paint job herself.

157
00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:47,233
Now, how on earth are you going
to carry your burden of proving

158
00:07:47,300 --> 00:07:49,266
that this man ruined your car,

159
00:07:49,332 --> 00:07:52,500
when the car clearly had some issues
before you took it to him.

160
00:07:52,567 --> 00:07:55,266
Okay, so my card was sideswiped,

161
00:07:55,332 --> 00:07:58,166
the front two panels were damaged.

162
00:07:58,233 --> 00:08:03,166
They only wanted to repaint those
two panels and my car is from '77.

163
00:08:03,233 --> 00:08:05,300
The paint job is over 40 years old

164
00:08:05,367 --> 00:08:07,867
and everyone knows with a classic car
you can't just repaint the--

165
00:08:07,934 --> 00:08:09,934
[Acker] How do I know
it was just sideswiped?

166
00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:13,867
How do I know the car wasn't involved
in a more serious collision?

167
00:08:13,934 --> 00:08:15,367
And how can you prove that

168
00:08:15,433 --> 00:08:19,700
when you did not bring one picture
of the car before it was in his hands?

169
00:08:19,767 --> 00:08:21,300
I have the supplement from GEICO.

170
00:08:21,367 --> 00:08:23,400
Everything you say may be true.

171
00:08:23,467 --> 00:08:25,600
I think that it's clear
that he just went ahead

172
00:08:25,667 --> 00:08:27,767
and picked the paint color
without your authorization,

173
00:08:27,834 --> 00:08:30,367
but you were rushing him,
so you may have proven

174
00:08:30,433 --> 00:08:33,000
that he wasn't entirely perfect,

175
00:08:33,066 --> 00:08:36,232
but you've much to do
in order to carry your burden here.

176
00:08:36,299 --> 00:08:38,165
But you've got two more judges.
Judge DiMango.

177
00:08:38,232 --> 00:08:40,700
I wanna see a picture of the car
when you gave it to him.

178
00:08:40,767 --> 00:08:42,033
I really wanna see that picture,

179
00:08:42,100 --> 00:08:43,799
-I think that's very important.
-I have one in my phone.

180
00:08:43,866 --> 00:08:44,734
Well, I wanna see it.

181
00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:46,934
Mr. Solis, while she's looking for that,

182
00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:49,100
how much did you charge her
for this paint job?

183
00:08:49,165 --> 00:08:50,533
I think $1,800.

184
00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:54,867
-So you paid $1,800?
-I'm sorry, $7,400.

185
00:08:54,934 --> 00:08:56,100
No, that's not true.

186
00:08:56,165 --> 00:08:59,233
You did a paint job for $1,800?
That's unheard of.

187
00:08:59,800 --> 00:09:01,433
-I'm sorry.
-Well, cause my whole thing

188
00:09:01,500 --> 00:09:03,100
was you're gonna get what you paid for.

189
00:09:03,166 --> 00:09:05,000
If you paid him $1,800,

190
00:09:05,066 --> 00:09:07,100
he gave you an $1,800 paint job.

191
00:09:07,166 --> 00:09:10,800
You know, I mean, he didn't give you
a $10,000 paint job, so…

192
00:09:10,867 --> 00:09:13,033
Your Honor, I have a quote from him.

193
00:09:13,100 --> 00:09:14,934
For 6,000 and change.

194
00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:17,633
-Correct?
-I don't know where $1,800 came from.

195
00:09:17,700 --> 00:09:19,200
Well, I see these things in there,

196
00:09:19,266 --> 00:09:22,300
but you know, there's a big picture here
that we're trying to put together.

197
00:09:22,367 --> 00:09:24,066
That's what it looked like before.

198
00:09:26,734 --> 00:09:27,967
Thank you, Cassandra.

199
00:09:28,033 --> 00:09:29,467
This way you can see.

200
00:09:31,467 --> 00:09:32,467
Mm-hmm.

201
00:09:35,033 --> 00:09:37,233
To me, this is like candy apple red.

202
00:09:37,300 --> 00:09:39,533
-That's, like, years ago in the '70s…
-[Scudieri] Yes.

203
00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:42,567
when guys had these, you know,
souped-up cars,

204
00:09:42,633 --> 00:09:44,600
they painted them candy apple red.

205
00:09:44,667 --> 00:09:47,533
It was a big thing.
It was kind of a little bit iridescent.

206
00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:49,433
-It really just looked like a candy apple.
-Sort of metallic.

207
00:09:49,500 --> 00:09:51,266
Had a little bit of metallic to it.

208
00:09:51,333 --> 00:09:56,767
Sir, I want to say that the color
I saw here in one of these photographs

209
00:09:57,233 --> 00:10:00,000
is nowhere near candy apple red,

210
00:10:00,066 --> 00:10:02,500
it's more like plum purple.

211
00:10:02,567 --> 00:10:07,100
So for you to think
that these two colors look the same

212
00:10:07,166 --> 00:10:10,266
when she sent you the message
that said, "Are you color blind?"

213
00:10:10,333 --> 00:10:12,166
I'm gonna ask you, are you?

214
00:10:12,233 --> 00:10:14,300
No, ma'am, that's the old color.

215
00:10:14,367 --> 00:10:17,133
-This is the old color.
-That's not the color she picked, though.

216
00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:18,867
How the car looked
before I brought it in…

217
00:10:18,934 --> 00:10:21,800
And did you want a color
closer to this or to that?

218
00:10:21,867 --> 00:10:24,967
I said I wanted a deep red,
kind of like a blood red,

219
00:10:25,033 --> 00:10:27,000
that popped with metallic.

220
00:10:27,066 --> 00:10:30,834
I did not say I wanted burgundy,
I did not say I wanted purple, I said red.

221
00:10:30,900 --> 00:10:33,934
Was it closer to that,
the one that you had before,

222
00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:36,233
or closer to the color that he did here?

223
00:10:36,300 --> 00:10:38,300
-Closer to the one I had originally.
-That's what I thought

224
00:10:38,367 --> 00:10:41,165
based on the papers that
that's what she was looking for.

225
00:10:41,233 --> 00:10:44,934
A red, not a deep purple,
not a brownish red,

226
00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:46,165
but something like that.

227
00:10:46,233 --> 00:10:49,333
Though you did push him to say,
come on, get this thing done.

228
00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:51,867
You went and did it after she said to you,

229
00:10:51,934 --> 00:10:54,934
"Don't do it,
I wanna see the color first."

230
00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:57,900
And what's your next email to her?
I did it!

231
00:10:57,967 --> 00:10:58,834
Mm-hm. Because I--

232
00:10:58,900 --> 00:11:00,500
[DiMango] How do you justify that?

233
00:11:00,567 --> 00:11:03,433
Because I used the email she sent me
of the color--

234
00:11:03,500 --> 00:11:06,667
But you didn't get the color she wanted,
you got a similar color.

235
00:11:06,734 --> 00:11:09,000
-Yeah, a similar. Correct.
-In your head similar.

236
00:11:09,066 --> 00:11:12,934
Not in her mind, similar.
That's not what she wanted.

237
00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:14,100
Yeah, I went similar.

238
00:11:14,166 --> 00:11:15,900
Yeah, well, "similar"
is not good.

239
00:11:15,967 --> 00:11:18,533
So, you get in a car accident.
Tell me about the accident.

240
00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:19,533
I got sideswiped.

241
00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:21,100
You got sideswiped. Hit and run?

242
00:11:21,166 --> 00:11:25,433
No, but the lady didn't have insurance,
so my insurance company had to cover it.

243
00:11:25,500 --> 00:11:29,600
-You had collision on a 1977 car?
-I had full coverage.

244
00:11:29,667 --> 00:11:32,600
Did you have it labeled a classic car?

245
00:11:32,667 --> 00:11:34,867
-Oh, yeah.
-Okay, because I had a classic car,

246
00:11:34,934 --> 00:11:36,266
I had a classic Porsche once,

247
00:11:36,333 --> 00:11:38,100
and there's a lot of rules
you have to go by,

248
00:11:38,165 --> 00:11:41,100
and one of them is you're not just
driving around to go to the supermarket

249
00:11:41,165 --> 00:11:42,433
and hang out with your friends.

250
00:11:42,500 --> 00:11:45,533
It's supposed to be for car shows
and there's very limited driving.

251
00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:48,767
And your insurance coverage
is very inexpensive because of that.

252
00:11:48,834 --> 00:11:51,934
How much money did GEICO give you?
I'd like to see that.

253
00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:54,400
And who did they mail the check to?
You or to him?

254
00:11:54,467 --> 00:11:55,333
Mr. Solis.

255
00:11:55,400 --> 00:11:58,533
Why would they mail the check
directly to him and not to you? Thanks.

256
00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:01,800
Because I think that's the way
that insurance companies work.

257
00:12:01,867 --> 00:12:04,533
They work with the auto body shop
and not me.

258
00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:06,867
-[DiMango] What did you say you got?
-Eighteen hundred.

259
00:12:06,934 --> 00:12:12,300
You know it almost looks to me
like the estimate was 1,524.

260
00:12:12,367 --> 00:12:15,133
I mean, I was never given a receipt
by Mr. Solis, so…

261
00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:18,100
You never called them to say,
"I wanna verify

262
00:12:18,166 --> 00:12:20,033
how much money was sent to him"?

263
00:12:20,100 --> 00:12:22,834
No, Your Honor, because he told me
that's what they gave him.

264
00:12:22,900 --> 00:12:25,533
Let's assume that we find
that he made a mistake.

265
00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:27,667
I need to know how much he was paid.

266
00:12:27,734 --> 00:12:30,967
Right now, I don't have any way of knowing
what money he got.

267
00:12:31,033 --> 00:12:33,133
There's got to be a way
you have something.

268
00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:35,433
He's not going to prove it. You need to.

269
00:12:35,500 --> 00:12:38,333
-What's that?
-This. Maybe this. This is his quote.

270
00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:42,333
What he gave to me of how much
it's gonna cost for him to paint my car.

271
00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:43,967
[DiMango] Okay, let me see that.

272
00:12:46,300 --> 00:12:47,300
Thank you.

273
00:12:49,467 --> 00:12:52,233
You told her $6,231

274
00:12:52,300 --> 00:12:55,300
and then you're going to tell us
that you settled for 1,800?

275
00:12:55,367 --> 00:12:57,066
Yes, ma'am. She never paid me that.

276
00:12:57,133 --> 00:12:59,433
The insurance company only gave me the--

277
00:12:59,500 --> 00:13:02,433
And you never went after her for
the balance on this, that's your position?

278
00:13:02,500 --> 00:13:05,800
No, because that was the quote
I'd given her before we started repairs.

279
00:13:05,867 --> 00:13:09,533
I have a real problem with the evidence
here and what you say you have.

280
00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:12,600
You should have brought in something
to demonstrate what you were paid.

281
00:13:12,667 --> 00:13:16,000
To say, I wanted 6,500. I got 18.

282
00:13:16,066 --> 00:13:18,734
-And you didn't do that.
-No, I did not. I apologize.

283
00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:21,767
Don't apologize. You're the one
that's going to end up with the problem.

284
00:13:21,834 --> 00:13:23,600
-Judge Levy.
-[Levy] Miss Scudieri.

285
00:13:23,667 --> 00:13:25,100
You had this car that had been damaged

286
00:13:25,166 --> 00:13:27,934
from February of '19
until September of '19.

287
00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:29,500
-Correct.
-Defendant was the first person

288
00:13:29,567 --> 00:13:30,867
you went to to fix that car?

289
00:13:30,934 --> 00:13:32,266
-To have it repainted?
-Yes.

290
00:13:32,333 --> 00:13:34,533
And before you went
and took it to the defendant,

291
00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:37,033
you did your due diligence
and you checked him out online, right?

292
00:13:37,100 --> 00:13:39,066
He was referred by a mutual friend.

293
00:13:39,133 --> 00:13:40,800
Okay, well, that's even better.

294
00:13:40,867 --> 00:13:42,600
It was a friend that you respected.

295
00:13:42,667 --> 00:13:44,800
It was a friend who knew
how much you loved your car.

296
00:13:44,867 --> 00:13:47,533
Someone from the classic car community
had a beautiful Camaro.

297
00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,165
-You've gotta trust someone with a Camaro.
-What could be better than that.

298
00:13:50,233 --> 00:13:52,800
Getting it from a fellow classic car buff.

299
00:13:52,867 --> 00:13:55,266
That's why they provided you
with the defendant's information.

300
00:13:55,333 --> 00:13:57,967
And there was nothing that you've learned
since this incident,

301
00:13:58,033 --> 00:14:00,934
since the unfortunate circumstances
with the defendant,

302
00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:04,266
that led you to believe,
based upon looking online,

303
00:14:04,333 --> 00:14:06,166
that he's ever scammed anyone
out of money?

304
00:14:06,233 --> 00:14:08,700
He has a handful of bad Yelp reviews.

305
00:14:08,767 --> 00:14:10,600
A handful. How long you been in business?

306
00:14:10,667 --> 00:14:12,767
I'm going on 37 years.

307
00:14:12,834 --> 00:14:15,900
Thirty-seven years.
And how many cars do you paint a week?

308
00:14:15,967 --> 00:14:17,600
Maybe four or five.

309
00:14:17,667 --> 00:14:19,400
Four to five cars a week, 37 years.

310
00:14:19,467 --> 00:14:21,800
You got a handful of Yelps
that aren't good.

311
00:14:21,867 --> 00:14:22,934
-That's not bad.
-Right.

312
00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:26,033
And that's why your friend
gave you his information.

313
00:14:26,100 --> 00:14:28,333
So on September 12, 2019,

314
00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:31,266
you give him the information
to your claims adjuster.

315
00:14:31,333 --> 00:14:33,567
and he says, "I will be working
on the estimate tonight,

316
00:14:33,633 --> 00:14:35,000
will take some time."

317
00:14:35,066 --> 00:14:37,367
And you communicate via email, right?
Not text.

318
00:14:37,433 --> 00:14:39,266
Sometimes on the phone, but mainly email.

319
00:14:39,333 --> 00:14:43,200
And he didn't respond to you, by the way,
via his cell phone,

320
00:14:43,266 --> 00:14:45,266
he responded with a Yahoo account.

321
00:14:45,333 --> 00:14:48,200
-You have a Yahoo email address?
-I might be too young for that.

322
00:14:48,266 --> 00:14:49,266
Yeah, exactly.

323
00:14:49,333 --> 00:14:51,500
Yeah, the Smithsonian called,
they want his back.

324
00:14:51,567 --> 00:14:53,700
[all laughing]

325
00:14:53,767 --> 00:14:56,233
[announcer] Coming up on Tribunal Justice.

326
00:14:56,300 --> 00:14:58,367
Why did you wait 17 hours
to get back to him?

327
00:14:58,433 --> 00:15:01,567
How did you know he didn't start the car
that morning at 7 a.m.?

328
00:15:01,633 --> 00:15:03,133
It was prepped and primed to go, right?

329
00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:05,000
-Wasn't it? Yeah, it was.
-I couldn't, but maybe--

330
00:15:05,066 --> 00:15:06,667
Cause you wanted it rushed.

331
00:15:06,734 --> 00:15:08,600
You don't take
any responsibility for that?

332
00:15:16,500 --> 00:15:19,200
Okay, September 13 was the estimate

333
00:15:19,266 --> 00:15:23,867
and that estimate
was net total 6,231, right?

334
00:15:23,934 --> 00:15:25,233
Okay, that explains that.

335
00:15:25,300 --> 00:15:29,367
And you respond on September 13,
"Sounds good. Thank you. Eddie."

336
00:15:29,433 --> 00:15:33,633
Then on September 24, you write,
"Can you please write a few sentences

337
00:15:33,700 --> 00:15:37,066
explaining why the car
has to be repainted in full

338
00:15:37,133 --> 00:15:39,867
versus just painting the rest of the car,
minus the two panels."

339
00:15:39,934 --> 00:15:42,165
Why was it that you were sending him
that email?

340
00:15:42,233 --> 00:15:45,367
Just one or two panels can't be painted.
The whole thing needs to be painted

341
00:15:45,433 --> 00:15:47,165
because like I explained before,

342
00:15:47,233 --> 00:15:51,200
how do you match paint from a car
that's from 1977

343
00:15:51,266 --> 00:15:54,667
that's been weathered with the sun and--?
It's hard.

344
00:15:54,734 --> 00:15:58,567
Well, hold on one second. I'm-- [chuckles]
I'm going to ask the defendant,

345
00:15:58,633 --> 00:16:00,600
Mr. Solis, did anything prevent you

346
00:16:00,667 --> 00:16:03,266
from just painting the quarter panels
and calling it a day?

347
00:16:03,333 --> 00:16:04,700
-Uh, no.
-[Levy] No.

348
00:16:04,767 --> 00:16:06,266
But who wanted the whole car painted?

349
00:16:06,333 --> 00:16:07,433
-She did.
-Right.

350
00:16:07,500 --> 00:16:09,800
By the way, these emails
we didn't get from you

351
00:16:09,867 --> 00:16:11,667
although you had them, we got from him.

352
00:16:11,734 --> 00:16:13,000
-You understand that?
-Okay.

353
00:16:13,066 --> 00:16:14,700
And you had these emails, right?
Course you did.

354
00:16:14,767 --> 00:16:15,800
Of course, yeah.

355
00:16:15,867 --> 00:16:18,333
Hold on. "Car was poorly painted

356
00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:23,333
and car has multiple colors.
A very bad paint application on the car."

357
00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:25,800
What's that about?
That has nothing to do with an accident.

358
00:16:25,867 --> 00:16:28,433
That has to do with your car
having a crappy paint job.

359
00:16:28,500 --> 00:16:30,533
So a while back I had it painted.

360
00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:32,734
Someone actually did just paint the door.

361
00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:36,934
They tried to match it and they couldn't
and that's from my experience,

362
00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:40,367
it was really hard to match a new color
with old…

363
00:16:40,433 --> 00:16:43,266
I get it, you wanted the whole car
looking the same color.

364
00:16:43,333 --> 00:16:46,700
Listen, the person who sideswiped you
gave you that opportunity

365
00:16:46,767 --> 00:16:50,100
by you being able to request
that GEICO pick up the whole tab for it.

366
00:16:50,165 --> 00:16:51,400
But you needed his help

367
00:16:51,467 --> 00:16:54,600
and he provided you with an email
that would have allowed that to happen.

368
00:16:54,667 --> 00:16:57,467
When you said that your last paint job
was really crappy,

369
00:16:57,533 --> 00:17:00,066
how long ago was that crappy paint job
put on your car?

370
00:17:00,133 --> 00:17:01,500
Maybe, like, within a year.

371
00:17:01,567 --> 00:17:03,500
-Wow, so it was recent?
-Somewhat, yeah.

372
00:17:03,567 --> 00:17:06,467
And would it be fair to say that
the paint job didn't look professional?

373
00:17:06,532 --> 00:17:08,934
It looked great,
but the colors didn't match.

374
00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:10,467
So you had color problems again?

375
00:17:10,532 --> 00:17:14,633
You were upset that he put a color
on your car that you did not approve of

376
00:17:14,700 --> 00:17:16,767
and you specifically requested--

377
00:17:16,834 --> 00:17:19,567
Not only did you request,
you told him, don't do a thing

378
00:17:19,633 --> 00:17:21,165
without me first approving.

379
00:17:21,233 --> 00:17:22,400
And like you just said,

380
00:17:22,467 --> 00:17:26,599
you had already a bad experience
with another paint guy doing a poor job.

381
00:17:26,666 --> 00:17:30,233
So that's why you were explicit
with this defendant,

382
00:17:30,300 --> 00:17:33,600
don't do a thing
until I approve the color.

383
00:17:33,667 --> 00:17:36,000
-Correct?
-I didn't see any of that in your emails.

384
00:17:36,066 --> 00:17:40,867
So on November 20, 2019,
you sent him an email

385
00:17:40,934 --> 00:17:43,633
in which you just put
a couple of photographs of car colors.

386
00:17:43,700 --> 00:17:48,567
November 21, 2019, he says,
"Send me color code."

387
00:17:48,633 --> 00:17:49,900
You know, that's how he operates.

388
00:17:49,967 --> 00:17:51,967
You know that's how most painters operate.

389
00:17:52,033 --> 00:17:55,533
Don't send me a picture of a car.
Send me a color code.

390
00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:58,200
That way we don't have this, right?

391
00:17:58,266 --> 00:18:00,133
He's nodding his head. Yeah.

392
00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:05,133
And then, same day, 5:18 p.m.,
so this is five hours later.

393
00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:07,667
you sent to him,
"Tried calling you three times.

394
00:18:07,734 --> 00:18:09,734
Got to pick a color quick.

395
00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:12,867
Like I said,
I can't afford the rental anymore."

396
00:18:12,934 --> 00:18:15,633
Your honor, he told me
he would have my car for two weeks.

397
00:18:15,700 --> 00:18:17,133
-I don't care what he said.
-He had it a whole month.

398
00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:19,033
I don't care what he said.
That's what you said.

399
00:18:19,100 --> 00:18:20,767
You tried calling him three times.

400
00:18:20,834 --> 00:18:23,600
You paint the cars yourself
with the guys in your shop?

401
00:18:23,667 --> 00:18:25,800
-Yes, sir.
-What time do you start in the morning?

402
00:18:25,867 --> 00:18:27,100
-Seven o'clock.
-Seven o'clock.

403
00:18:27,166 --> 00:18:28,900
When you went there,
you saw the guys working

404
00:18:28,967 --> 00:18:30,700
starting early in the morning, right?

405
00:18:30,767 --> 00:18:32,133
Never seen him working, but, yes.

406
00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:34,066
-But his guys are working.
-Sure.

407
00:18:34,133 --> 00:18:35,433
No reason to believe he doesn't work,

408
00:18:35,500 --> 00:18:37,767
he doesn't seem like the guy
who sits behind a desk.

409
00:18:37,834 --> 00:18:39,100
He was every time I went in there.

410
00:18:39,166 --> 00:18:40,066
-Every time?
-Yeah.

411
00:18:40,133 --> 00:18:43,500
Okay. The one thing
that wasn't in your emails,

412
00:18:43,567 --> 00:18:45,133
-but it was in his.
-Mm-hmm.

413
00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:48,667
His evidence, was you wrote to him,

414
00:18:48,734 --> 00:18:53,700
"Royal crimson metallic tinted
clearcoat on the 2008 Mustang."

415
00:18:53,767 --> 00:18:55,100
-Mm-hmm.
-That's what you sent him,

416
00:18:55,166 --> 00:18:58,467
So that's now the color code
that you're working on with him.

417
00:18:58,533 --> 00:19:01,133
-And I'm waiting for a sample to see if…
-Hold on!

418
00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:02,767
I'm looking for where you say
in that email.

419
00:19:02,834 --> 00:19:05,533
Show me, you've got a copy of it,
show me in that email where it says,

420
00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:08,533
"Don't do a thing, until I see it."

421
00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:11,100
-Well, Your Honor, It was already--
-I just want you to show me

422
00:19:11,166 --> 00:19:14,300
in the email,
"Don't do a thing until I see it."

423
00:19:14,367 --> 00:19:15,600
I wanna see that email.

424
00:19:15,667 --> 00:19:16,867
I don't have that email because--

425
00:19:16,934 --> 00:19:19,500
-Yup, you don't have it, I get that.
-I gave you a good reason.

426
00:19:19,567 --> 00:19:23,033
I get that, you don't have it. This is
where things get a little dicey now.

427
00:19:23,100 --> 00:19:27,667
He says at 5:35 p.m.-- This is what
Judge Acker discussed with you.

428
00:19:27,734 --> 00:19:30,233
He says, "Will paint tomorrow."

429
00:19:30,300 --> 00:19:32,667
You sent him emails
from your phone, right?

430
00:19:32,734 --> 00:19:34,300
You don't have to sit
at a computer for that.

431
00:19:34,367 --> 00:19:38,567
So there's no reason for me to believe
that you didn't get that email from him

432
00:19:38,633 --> 00:19:41,934
"Will paint tomorrow,"
immediately when he sent it at 5:35 p.m.

433
00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:43,200
You Honor, I was at work.

434
00:19:43,266 --> 00:19:46,266
Hold on. Did you not get that email
at 5:35 p.m.?

435
00:19:46,333 --> 00:19:47,734
-No.
-You didn't?

436
00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:49,700
When I received it,
I responded right away.

437
00:19:49,767 --> 00:19:51,567
You didn't respond until 17 hours later.

438
00:19:51,633 --> 00:19:52,967
I work a double at a bar

439
00:19:53,033 --> 00:19:55,266
-every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
-Seventeen hours later.

440
00:19:55,333 --> 00:19:57,800
He says,
"I'm gonna start painting tomorrow,"

441
00:19:57,867 --> 00:20:01,467
and you, 17 hours later say,

442
00:20:01,533 --> 00:20:04,367
"Can I see a test panel first, please?"

443
00:20:04,433 --> 00:20:06,700
Where's the next email? Show me?

444
00:20:06,767 --> 00:20:09,467
In November, where it says
you didn't like the color of that paint.

445
00:20:09,533 --> 00:20:10,667
Is it not provided?

446
00:20:10,734 --> 00:20:14,300
Nope, not for a couple of months.
Not until January of 2020.

447
00:20:14,367 --> 00:20:17,767
That's because I went in there and spoke
to him in person when I picked up the car.

448
00:20:17,834 --> 00:20:21,433
And in no email with him
in January or February,

449
00:20:21,500 --> 00:20:23,300
did you ever say, ever,

450
00:20:23,367 --> 00:20:26,100
that I did not like the color of the car
when I picked it up.

451
00:20:26,166 --> 00:20:28,900
Just because it's not in writing
doesn't mean I didn't verbalize it.

452
00:20:28,967 --> 00:20:30,767
Well, it doesn't,
but you know what that does?

453
00:20:30,834 --> 00:20:33,066
-I was on the phone with him, I was--
-It makes it difficult for us

454
00:20:33,133 --> 00:20:36,033
to rule in your favor,
when you have the burden of proof.

455
00:20:36,100 --> 00:20:38,166
Why did you wait 17 hours
to get back to him?

456
00:20:38,233 --> 00:20:40,900
When you wanted him to send an email
to your insurance carrier,

457
00:20:40,967 --> 00:20:43,600
boom, you were on him, like white on rice.

458
00:20:43,667 --> 00:20:45,800
But 17 hours you waited.

459
00:20:45,867 --> 00:20:48,800
How did you know he didn't start the car
that morning at 7 a.m.?

460
00:20:48,867 --> 00:20:51,100
It was prepped and primed to go right,
wasn't it?

461
00:20:51,166 --> 00:20:53,667
-Maybe--
-Yeah, it was, cause you wanted it rushed.

462
00:20:53,734 --> 00:20:55,367
You don't take
any responsibility for that?

463
00:20:55,433 --> 00:20:57,066
I was working.

464
00:20:57,533 --> 00:20:58,667
I have nothing further.

465
00:20:58,734 --> 00:21:01,300
We're going to retire to deliberate.
Thank you both.

466
00:21:01,367 --> 00:21:04,233
Court is now in recess.
Parties are excused.

467
00:21:06,900 --> 00:21:08,934
So, here's where we are, friends.

468
00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:11,000
She is suing him for $10,000

469
00:21:11,066 --> 00:21:14,767
because she says that's what
it's going to cost to repaint the car.

470
00:21:14,834 --> 00:21:17,266
Alternatively, he destroyed the car.

471
00:21:17,333 --> 00:21:19,734
I don't feel we have competent evidence

472
00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:21,300
of the value of the car

473
00:21:21,367 --> 00:21:24,767
before he got his hands on it
because we know it was in an accident.

474
00:21:24,834 --> 00:21:26,834
I do think that she had an expectation

475
00:21:26,900 --> 00:21:29,967
that he would confirm color
before he moved forward.

476
00:21:30,033 --> 00:21:34,200
But I don't know what she paid him.

477
00:21:34,266 --> 00:21:37,500
She doesn't seem to be very clear
about what she paid him,

478
00:21:37,567 --> 00:21:41,467
so even if we were to find
there was some negligence on his part,

479
00:21:41,533 --> 00:21:45,500
I have no sense at all
of what the actual damage would be.

480
00:21:45,567 --> 00:21:46,900
I'm inclined to dismiss.

481
00:21:46,967 --> 00:21:48,400
Well, I agree with you 100 percent.

482
00:21:48,467 --> 00:21:50,367
What I'm really troubled with here

483
00:21:50,433 --> 00:21:53,133
is how come
neither one of these two people

484
00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:57,166
can tell us how he got paid and how much.

485
00:21:57,233 --> 00:22:00,533
There's something here that I can't
put my finger on that I don't like.

486
00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:02,500
There was something going on here
between the two

487
00:22:02,567 --> 00:22:05,633
where she was looking to get something,
perhaps, that she wasn't entitled to.

488
00:22:05,700 --> 00:22:08,033
So, at the end of the day,
I think we're all in the same place,

489
00:22:08,100 --> 00:22:10,734
which is my initial inclination
was to dismiss.

490
00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:12,633
I'm even more firm in that now.

491
00:22:12,700 --> 00:22:15,567
It sounds like you want to dismiss,
and you certainly want to dismiss.

492
00:22:16,033 --> 00:22:17,133
-Shall we?
-Yup.

493
00:22:19,667 --> 00:22:21,100
[Byrd]
Court is back in session.

494
00:22:21,166 --> 00:22:23,266
Parties are reminded,
you're still under oath.

495
00:22:23,333 --> 00:22:24,600
-[Acker] Thank you, Byrd.
-Mm-hm.

496
00:22:24,667 --> 00:22:27,934
We have deliberated
and we've reached a unanimous verdict.

497
00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,567
Where we are unanimous, Miss Scudieri,

498
00:22:30,633 --> 00:22:33,400
is that we have to dismiss your complaint

499
00:22:33,467 --> 00:22:36,467
'cause you just did not
make your case of damages.

500
00:22:36,533 --> 00:22:40,066
You came to court with no evidence
of what he was paid.

501
00:22:40,133 --> 00:22:41,834
You're guessing in this case

502
00:22:41,900 --> 00:22:45,233
because you could not prove
what the value of the car was

503
00:22:45,300 --> 00:22:47,934
before he got his hands on it

504
00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:52,567
because we knew that your car was involved
in some kind of accident.

505
00:22:52,633 --> 00:22:55,834
There's no way we could saddle him
with all of that damage.

506
00:22:55,900 --> 00:22:58,433
You just didn't prove it.
Your case is dismissed.

507
00:22:58,500 --> 00:23:01,100
This case is concluded.
Parties are excused.

508
00:23:01,166 --> 00:23:02,400
You may step out.

509
00:23:06,567 --> 00:23:08,767
Well, it's a waste of time.

510
00:23:08,834 --> 00:23:11,400
It's been three years
that I painted the car.

511
00:23:11,467 --> 00:23:12,767
Try not to be a nice guy.

512
00:23:13,567 --> 00:23:15,533
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513
00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:18,967
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514
00:23:19,033 --> 00:23:21,800
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515
00:23:21,867 --> 00:23:24,400
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