You were once two besties.
Now, you're like two worsties.
- She had harassed you and your family? - Yes.
So this is to your mother.
"If she doesn't give me my money back, all hell will break loose for everyone.
I know where she lives,
where her daycare is."
You wanted people to be afraid of you.
Shame on you.
[announcer] Now, on Tribunal Justice.
["Ride of the Valkyries" plays]
[announcer] Today's case was filed in Springfield, Ohio.
[Cassandra] Your Honor, this is case number 2030, Garner versus Hansford.
All parties have been sworn in.
- Thank you, Cassandra. - You're welcome.
You may now be seated.
[Judge DiMango] All right, Ms. Garner and Ms. Hansford,
you were once two besties.
In fact, you took a cruise to The Bahamas,
and now you're like two worsties, basically reading this.
Ms. Garner, you bought the defendant's 2002 Honda from her
- for a $1,000. - [Brooke] Yes, ma'am.
She promised that she'd give you the title after you made payment in full.
But then she stole the car back from you?
This prevented you, you claim, from going to work,
causing you a loss of income,
and so you're here suing her for the $1,000 for the car
and $4,000 in lost wages.
You say she never paid you in full for the car,
which is why you didn't give her the title
and she didn't pay for the vacation.
But what she did do, according to you,
was that she did threaten you and threaten your family
and taunt you and defame you and harass you
and cause you emotional distress.
And so you have interposed a counterclaim $6,000
which you say is the court maximum.
Correct.
[Judge DiMango] So let's start with the car.
How did you come to buy the car?
So she had knew that I was in need of a car
and she said that she was getting a new car
and offered to sell me her old one.
Um, she had told me that there was a lot of miles on it.
It needed to be fixed up, but she would sell it to me for a grand.
So I was able to fix it up and just get an A to B car
until I was able to get a nicer car.
And that's a picture of the car in my front yard.
[Judge DiMango] Is that the car you sold to her for a $1,000?
- [Jocelynn] Yes, it is, Your Honor. - [Judge DiMango] Go on.
So we were also planning a trip at the same exact time.
So I told her I wanted to pay the car first
and then I will pay the trip because I had my bills as well.
- Timeout. - [Brooke] Okay.
When did you make this purchase?
In April, May? When was it?
No, this was-- um, I started paying in October
and then it looks like I finished paying November 15th.
Did you pay the full $1,000?
[Brooke] Yes, ma'am, a 100%.
So when I look at the text messages that you've submitted,
it doesn't amount to a $1,000 exactly.
It comes out to 900 and change.
[Brooke] Huh.
Well, there was I think maybe $80
that I had given her in cash, but I think that was about it.
Did she pay you almost close to a thousand?
- Right. - [Judge DiMango] I can't believe
that you would hold the title back for $35?
[Jocelynn] Of course not. Um, Your Honor...
So why didn't you give it to her?
Because it was a lot more than just the car.
So now you decide while the car situation is going on,
that you're going to take a cruise to what, The Bahamas?
- Yes. - [Judge DiMango] These are lovely photos,
ladies, of you on your trip.
Having a great time, right?
For somebody that never paid, yeah, I had a really good time.
[Judge DiMango] Now how much was this trip?
Because the trip was divided into parts.
The trip had airfare and then the cruise itself.
So why don't you tell me what were you supposed to be paying for Ohio to Florida?
- Yes, ma'am. - [Judge DiMango] What was that airfare?
So what she had originally told me was that the tickets were $500 each.
[Judge DiMango] But it ends up that somehow she gets them down to...
- $300 apiece. - [Judge DiMango] Why don't you tell us?
How did you get them down from 500 to 300?
I asked one of my friends if they would help support the trip
so that she can pay less because she freaked out about the full 500.
She said that was way out of her budget.
[Judge DiMango] She did. She repeatedly kept telling you...
- Right. - [Judge DiMango] ..."I can't pay it.
I can't pay it." So you booked this ticket for $500,
but you got some sucker to pay $200
- for her. - Yes, ma'am.
[Judge DiMango] Now, did you give her that 300?
- Yes, ma'am, I did. - Did she give you that 300?
- Yes. Yeah, she did. - [Judge DiMango] Yes?
Okay. So the next thing is
how much was the cruise itself for you individually?
- For me individually? - [Judge DiMango] Yeah.
It was supposed to be 250 each.
[Judge DiMango] Accurate or not, Ms. Garner?
Yes, ma'am, about 250.
Show me where you paid that, 'cause I don't see that anywhere.
Um, I had paid the ticket through Cash App.
The 300 cash I gave her was for the cruise ticket.
So this right here that says, "Plus 60 for ticket.
Ticket paid.
180 for ticket." That's all for the airfare.
Then I gave her cash for the cruise ticket.
Okay. So the--whatever you used it for, it went to whatever it went into.
But the bottom line is you're saying you're still out money from her.
- Correct. - How much do you say she still owes you?
At least the 250 for the, um, ticket.
She said--you know, when she arrived,
when we were going off to the airport
when I was with my friend, she said, "I'm sorry.
I don't have the ticket paid yet for the cruise."
- [Judge DiMango] Did you say that? - She's lying
because if you look in our text, she even says that my ticket's paid for
and did some itemized on my Cash App aside from the cash that I've sent her.
I also have proof of her acknowledging every single payment I've made to her.
[Judge DiMango] With the little heart next to it?
[Brooke] Yes. As well as are sent-in receipts.
- Sorry. - [Judge DiMango] I'm like--
you're like hyper and she's like half dead.
I can't figure out how you both had a good time on the trip.
[indistinct]
[Judge DiMango] Okay. So you go on this trip.
You go in and having a good time. What happened?
Let me see if half dead will give it to me.
How did this happen?
Um, so before we went on the cruise,
the day of that we went, you know, up in the air,
I had found out on the plane that my, uh--sorry,
one of my friends had been stabbed to death 20 times
by my other friend, so...
[Judge DiMango] That's in the papers.
And I really think you know that that was upsetting to her.
What she's failing to mention is that I actually told her
that we didn't have to go on the trip if she was too upset in the bathroom
as our cruise was about to depart in.
[Judge DiMango] Well that's very kind of you.
But I think what you are missing in all of this
is what I sort of gleaned from the papers
is that she felt that you were not empathetic and sympathetic
with her loss and she was very traumatized by this death.
And you seem to be your happy-go-lucky self.
And I think that that kind of was troubling to her.
- And you take the car from her, right? - Correct.
You knew that was gonna tick her off.
You get up. You are ticked off.
And you claim now that you can't go to work.
- So you're out-of-pocket $4,000? - Yes.
[Judge DiMango] What do you do for a living?
Um, I'm a server.
Most of your money would be in tips, I would guess?
Yes, a 100% most of the time. Yes.
[Judge DiMango] And how did you calculate $4,000?
Um, I based it off my income.
I was outta work from about two to three months
between transitioning outta my house into my sister's.
How did you get to work before you had her car?
[Brooke] Um, I had to Uber everywhere.
[Judge DiMango] So why didn't you just Uber to work?
It'd still be better than $4,000.
That's--you are so right. But the reason...
- Oh, thank you. All right. - [Brooke] The reason why I couldn't
was because I had paid for the car
and I paid for the trip and I paid for all my bills.
- I had nothing left over to spare. - [Judge DiMango] Okay.
So you said, "Let me stay home from work and not get any money at all."
- [Brooke] I... - I got your point.
My next question to you is-- 'cause you have a counterclaim here
and you're suing her for defamation, slander, harassment--
you sent a lot of messages to her mother.
[Brooke] Yes.
[Judge DiMango] Why would you do that to her?
Now I can admit that that was 100% wrong.
Yes. Well, thank you because that's what she's suing you for.
Yes. I think what she's failed to mention
is that she's already pressed charges on me for that.
We went to court a couple months ago,
and that should have all been handled.
So I don't even know why I'm getting sued for like...
Well, is that a criminal case that you had against her?
I believe that the--um,
there was a warrant out for her arrest for the criminal
because it got so intense.
But did you show up at that proceeding?
No, we didn't go to court. That's why I'm confused.
Okay. Her case was dismissed. The underlying case.
- Yeah. She didn't... - [Judge DiMango] So you are here
suing civilly, not criminally anyway,
for threatening her child
and you told her mother things about her life that you never should have done.
Why would you do that?
Now you say that, but if you go onto her Instagram,
what I had spoken to her mother about
is right there public for everybody to know.
[Judge DiMango] But it doesn't mean that you have a right to call her mother,
and I'm sorry to say it's got to have to come out 'cause it's in your papers.
- That's all right. - What did you tell her mother?
[announcer] Coming up on Tribunal Justice.
There came a time on this last night of the cruise, ma'am,
when you come back to the room and what?
She's in bed with a guy who I don't know.
No, she's lying.
What photograph is this?
She's lying.
[Jocelynn] She doesn't know about that photograph.
[dramatic musical sting]
[theme music plays]
[announcer] Brooke Garner is suing former friend Jocelynn Hansford for $5,000.
Brooke claims Jocelynn stole her car causing her to miss work.
Jocelynn is countersuing for $6,000 in car and cruise ship payments,
along with harassment and defamation claims.
I'm sorry to say
it's gotta have to come out 'cause it's in your papers.
- [Jocelynn] That's all right. - What did you tell her mother?
That she was a stripper.
[Judge DiMango] That's not your place.
I've apologized for that, and I'm telling you right now, I am sorry.
I should have never done that to you.
[Judge DiMango] And what about all the threats
were about her child and all of that?
Well, like I said, we had went to court for that
after I had found out that I had a warrant.
I have not contacted her. I have not reached out.
None of this would've came about had she not basically robbed me.
You know? We were best friends and I even tell everybody to this day
- she was a good friend to me. - [Judge DiMango] Uh-hmm.
- I loved her more than anything. - [Judge DiMango] Uh-hmm.
We were fine. And she flipped a switch one day.
So I'm very, very sorry for the part that I played.
I know what I've done is wrong. I will never touch her.
I will never harm her daughter. I will never do anything like that.
I was just very upset because I'm...
[Judge DiMango] Are you confident in that, that she'd never hurt anybody
in your family or you or your child?
No, Your Honor.
- [Judge DiMango] Judge Levy. - [Judge Levy] Thanks.
Ms. Hansford, you sold the car for a $1,000.
Correct.
[Judge Levy] When you sold it, you kept the title.
Yes.
[Judge Levy] And you, ma'am, made payments.
- Yes. Yes, I am. - [Judge Levy] And we can all agree
that those payments of a $1,000
plus or minus 50 bucks was paid, correct?
Correct.
There came a time when you go on this cruise,
something obviously happened on the cruise.
Who wants to tell me about what happened on the cruise?
Go ahead.
So we were completely fine on the cruise.
We were having fun doing our thing.
Um, she kept trying to get me to hang out with guys
to pay for everything and I didn't wanna do that.
So we decided to split up and do her own thing.
Either way it doesn't matter.
She's a grown woman. She can do whatever she wants, you know.
And, um, basically the--our only thing was for her to be back at the room
by the time that we packed so we can leave together.
She never showed up back in the room.
This is the first time I'm seeing her since that cruise.
I packed her belongings for her.
So why is it that you stayed out all night last night of this cruise?
So, um, when I was on the cruise I barely got time to mourn.
So we were out at dinner and I just had big tears
and she was like, "Why don't you wait, um, until, you know, we're back at the room."
And I was like, "That's a really good idea.
I'm just gonna try to be happy."
And, um, when I went back to the room,
uh, my only rule on the cruise,
because she also is a grown woman, is I don't mind what you do.
Um, just as long as you don't bring someone back to our room.
You know, we can both do whatever...
[Judge Levy] Well hold on. This--just so I'm clear.
On this cruise, was there one bed? Was there two beds?
Were there bunk beds?
I believe there was one large bed.
[Judge Levy] One large bed. So you guys were sharing a bed?
- Correct. - [Judge Levy] Okay. Fine.
- Yes. - [Judge Levy] My sense is that
what cruise you went on and the cruise that I went on
with my kids on a Disney Cruise was a little different.
- Just a little bit. - [Judge Levy] So you have a rule.
You can't bring a guy back to the room because there's only one bed.
That makes sense, right?
- You remember that rule? - Nope. No.
[Judge Levy] No. You don't remember that at all?
She completely just made that up.
[Judge Levy] Oh, she just made that up?
Okay. Well, there came a time on this last night of the cruise, ma'am,
when you come back to the room and what?
And she's in bed with a guy who I don't know.
- [Judge Levy] Is that true? - No, she's lying.
What photograph is this?
She's lying.
[Jocelynn] She doesn't know about that photograph, Your Honor.
[Brooke] Um, that's her guy that she brought back to the room, actually.
- [Jocelynn] Who's naked in bed? - Funny you say that. Yeah.
- [Jocelynn] Who's naked in bed with you? - [Brooke] Yeah.
So this photograph right here is of you?
- [Brooke] Yes. Now I think that... - [Judge Levy] Hold on. Hold on.
'Cause you looked a little surprised when you saw that photograph
for the first time.
'Cause it seems to me that what happened was
you decided on the last night that you were gonna hook up,
which is well within your right.
And as a result of you bringing a guy back to the room,
your friend over here hadda walk around all night
because she wasn't gonna snuggle up with the two of you.
- Do I get that right? - Correct, Your Honor.
No. She was in the room hanging out with us.
She slept with us and everything.
[Judge Levy] Now my sense is we're just gonna be making this up
because originally the facial expression about watching,
about seeing that photograph...
- She didn't know. - [Judge Levy] ... spoke volumes.
Now I'm not done with you though,
'cause you do have a $6,000 counterclaim
charging and accusing her of failure to pay for a vehicle.
Correct.
[Judge Levy] We now know that that is not accurate, right?
She did pay for the vehicle,
give or take 50 bucks on a $1,000 bill.
Right.
[Judge Levy] Failure to pay equal portion of a cruise.
Then you have harassment, emotional distress,
defamation of character, libel, slander, invasion of privacy, mental anguish,
and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Now in order to establish intentional infliction of emotional distress,
mental anguish, what you need to prove is that
what she did was so completely outrageous, beyond the pale,
that no one should ever engage in the conduct that she did.
You're saying that that's the effect it had on you.
That's how terrible it was?
- Yes, Your Honor. - [Judge Levy] Yes? Good.
So then what'd you wait until November 29th, 2023 to file it for?
Because I was focused on mourning.
Yeah. Well...
[Jocelynn] And then when I got all of the evidence together
to, you know, defend myself for everything then I realized...
[Judge Levy] So then, why did you include in that counterclaim money
for failing to pay for a vehicle when she did pay for the vehicle?
You called the police also on her, didn't you?
Yes, I did.
[Judge Levy] And you didn't tell the police the whole truth
about that vehicle though, did you?
That it was $50 short?
- [Judge Levy] Yeah. - Yes.
Because what you did was you took that vehicle back
after she had paid 99% of it under the cover of darkness.
You took an extra set of keys, you went to the house,
you got in the car, you left.
And then you wonder why she calls your mother
and blows up your world.
If you didn't take that car back, is it more likely or less likely
that she would've blown up your world
if you didn't take the car back?
-Less Likely. -Less likely.
Thank you. Judge Acker.
[Judge Acker] I'm gonna help you out
because what the plaintiff, Ms. Garner, may not appreciate
is that not only did you give her this car
at a great discount, I mean, right?
You got a $1,000 car.
I remember you said in one of your text messages
that you got a great deal and perhaps you don't know this,
but when you enter into a contract
to buy a car from let's say a dealership or a bank,
they don't say, "You know what, you stopped making payments.
You made most of them, but you didn't make the last one, so just keep it."
They don't do that.
While I do find it incredibly,
gosh, what's the legal term for it? Shady?
To do what you did.
I am not as offended by it as I am by your messages.
- Okay. - [Judge Acker] And there's nothing
that happened in this case
that justifies what you said to and about her family.
So what I find interesting is that
when you attempted to justify these hateful messages,
you said, well, everybody knows that she's on Instagram
and you tried to sort of shame her for whatever that work is
'cause I don't think it's cute.
I don't think it's charming and I don't think it's funny.
And you don't have to admit it or deny it.
You know what? You're not the one who needed to borrow money
and get a car at a discount.
So you've got a job and you're able to handle yourself.
My point to you is that in reading these things,
I'm not trying to embarrass you.
So this is to your mother.
She doesn't even know who you are.
"I'm sorry, who's this?"
"I'm one of Jocelynn's old friends.
Are you aware that she's a stripper?
Jocelynn has been stripping for two years.
You might not care, you might.
Either way, I just know she's had this secret identity."
Now I'm gonna move on.
"If she doesn't give me my money back, all hell will break loose for everyone.
Your daughter has scammed me out of $1,000
and if I don't get it today, all I have to say is I'm sorry
because I know where she works,
where she lives,
where her daycare is.
And I will take every step I can
to get her charged or get my money back.
Tell her it shouldn't interfere with her stripping schedule.
And if it does, I apologize.
I know she works hard on that pole.
I'm beating the [bleep] out of your weird obsessed whore ass daughter.
We'll also be forwarding to the rest of her family.
This is the daughter you raised.
Shame on you." Shame on you.
What happened to the criminal charges that you filed against her?
Um, they were accepted immediately.
And I had, um, a protection order placed on my daughter and I.
- [Judge Acker] How old is your daughter? - She's five.
Is the criminal case against you still pending?
[announcer] Coming up on Tribunal Justice.
Where's the car right now?
Um, it is...
You don't know? It's taking you a little long.
- [Jocelynn] It's not with me. - Where is it?
It's not with me. It's in Kentucky.
- You sold the car? - [Jocelynn] Yes, I did.
What'd you get for it?
[dramatic musical sting]
[theme music plays]
[announcer] Brooke Garner is suing former friend,
Jocelynn Hansford, for $5,000.
Brooke claims Jocelynn stole her car, causing her to miss work.
Jocelynn is countersuing for $6,000 in car and cruise ship payments
along with harassment and defamation claims.
Is the criminal case against you still pending?
No.
[Judge Acker] When you're being accused of a crime,
the burden of proof is proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
The same actions that give rise to the criminal charge
can also form the basis of a civil suit.
It's just a lower burden of proof.
So she has to show by a preponderance of the evidence
that she suffered the litany of emotional distress-related claims
that you're countersuing for.
I mean, honestly, I'm just trying to think
if somebody sent this to my mother,
threatening, "I know where the daycare is."
And that is an implied threat that you made about the child.
Yeah. Which I was not threatening her child,
but I could see how that implied and it looks very wrong.
You were threatening her child
and you wanted people to be afraid of you.
You were upset about her bad behavior with respect to the car, and it was.
You took the car back not because you were afraid of not getting the $50.
You took the car back because you were mad at her
and there was a maliciousness in that act.
And there was a maliciousness in you sending messages to her mother
and that was an implied threat.
If you don't know what you were doing, don't think that I'm dumb, 'cause I do.
No. That's not--I'm--I feel like we're both fighting for our life here.
Well, that's it.
You were fighting for a car
and then threatening the lives of the people who are in hers.
I don't have anything further.
Where's the car right now?
- Um, it is... - [Judge DiMango] You don't know?
It's taking you a little long. Where is it?
It's not with me. It's in Kentucky.
- You sold the car? - [Jocelynn] Yes, I did.
What'd you get for it?
$3,000.
- [Judge DiMango] How much? - $3,000.
Well, it goes to show you, you got a good deal on it.
Yeah. I thought it was a great deal.
And it's true that you are a stripper, however, is that correct?
That is correct.
[Judge DiMango] And the reason I'm asking you that is twofold.
One, you have some charges here for defamation
and I'm assuming that that's what you were referring to,
the fact that she was telling people that you were a stripper,
but there is a defense to defamation and that is that it's true.
- That's true. Right. - [Judge DiMango] Also, I'm not quite sure
that other people who are using that as a means of a livelihood
would agree that it's defamatory.
It's just a different job.
But there are a litany of other things that you've asked for here
with regard to the text messages
that your family received from the plaintiff.
And I think at this point we're gonna retire to deliberate, ladies.
Court is now in recess. Both parties may exit.
[theme music plays]
Well, based on what we saw in the courtroom,
it's pretty clear that the two of them are sort of addicted
to the toxicity of their relationship with the back and the forth
and just saying awful things.
But starting with the plaintiff's case...
I think she would be entitled to the $1,000 back.
She doesn't have the car. She paid for it.
I don't see what she'd be entitled to $4,000 worth
of unclaimable income from her job
and without any, uh, proof that she actually even deserves that.
So we would put that $1,000 aside.
Going over to the defendant's counterclaim,
- I don't see defamation... - No.
... because the defamation would've been that she dances
- and that doesn't seem to be. - It's true.
So that cancels the defamation, the libel, the slander.
So that's out.
I know she has some mental anguish
and you could say maybe she's a thin skull plaintiff
because of the death of her friend.
But the bottom line here is what I really see more clearly is harassment.
And I think the harassment was directed towards her.
So just putting the harassment aside,
I don't think she's entitled to anything with regard to the vehicle.
I mean, it's ridiculous for her to think that we're gonna give her the money back
while she has the car and while she sold the car
for three times the amount that she actually got from her.
But this is my suggestion with regard to the harassment.
In criminal court, a misdemeanor harassment
has a maximum fine of a $1,000.
I just really love where I think this is going.
[laughs]
[Judge DiMango] So she has a maximum fine of a $1,000.
The plaintiff is out-of-pocket a $1,000.
It's a wash. We dismiss both.
That's how I see it.
- Perfect. - [Judge DiMango] I love being perfect.
- [laughter] - It's beautiful.
- Thank you. - Now you're perfect and beautiful.
- So symmetry as well to it. - Exactly. It's beautiful.
[Judge DiMango] We're unanimous.
- Great. - All right.
[theme music plays]
Court is now back in session.
All parties are reminded that you're still under oath.
[Judge DiMango] Thank you, Cassandra.
Well, this is, ladies a case of good news and bad news.
The good news is you have each met
your burden of proof on some of your issues.
So, Ms. Garner, you did prove to us
by your preponderance of the credible evidence
that you should get back your $1,000
because you did admittedly keep the car.
In fact, she did you a favor
'cause you got three times the amount on the car.
Your $4,000 for unreportable income.
We have no way of predicting that.
So you're not going to get the $4,000.
Then we all agree you would be potentially entitled to your $1,000.
Then we went to your counterclaim.
And on your counterclaim, clearly you are not gonna get the car
and the $1,000, so you know that part's going.
You really didn't prove by a preponderance of the evidence
how much money you really were entitled to for this trip.
It was pretty unclear the amount of money that exchanged hands
and didn't in these voluminous texts.
And with regard to your defamation,
first of all, it's a defense if the statement is true.
So you are a stripper.
And I think most strippers would be, uh, insulted
to think that everybody thinks that that's a defamatory job.
So for those reasons, you don't make out your defamation,
your libel, your slander.
But what you did demonstrate to us
was that there was harassment here.
Even if we were to take that harassment to the level of a criminal offense,
the most somebody would get from misdemeanor harassment would be a $1,000.
So we have been unanimous in deciding that you would be entitled
on your counterclaim to $1,000.
And so, ladies, the bad news-- neither of you gonna get anything.
And that just seems to be how life can be fair sometimes because it's a wash.
I don't know what the deal is here with the two of you,
but really do something more positive with your lives
than what you've been doing.
And please, don't involve people's parents in things.
Everything that goes around comes around.
- Keep that in mind. - Yes, ma'am.
Your cases, ladies, are not really dismissed,
but your money is not getting to both of you,
so that's the verdict of the court.
- Thank you. - [Cassandra] This case has concluded.
All parties are excused.
[theme music plays]
I'm just happy to have a door closed.
That's all I really wanted out of today.
And they closed the door I think the best way they could, honestly.
You think that with her continuously lying
that they wouldn't find her credible?
Oh, my gosh.
Considering she's a stripper, you think she'd have enough money
to buy her own things or at least sell them to somebody else,
not somebody who's a little less fortunate.
All I wanted was for someone to be there for me, truly.
And it seemed like she was in it for a lot of different reasons.
A little bit upset, but that's okay. It's life.
I'm not mad.
[announcer] Feel like suing someone?
Let the majority rule in your favor on Tribunal Justice.
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["Ride of the Valkyries" continues]