[child cries]
[Judge DiMango] He's tracking down a fugitive from justice,
and you're taking your children around with him?
This gentleman has traumatized not only my children but myself.
You traumatized your kids.
It has nothing to do with me.
Never in a million years will she get it.
[Judge Acker] Your husband put you and your family in harm's way,
and you let him.
[announcer] Now on Tribunal Justice.
["Ride of the Valkyries" plays]
[announcer] Today's case was filed in Indianapolis, Indiana.
[Byrd] Your Honor, this is case number 2017
on the calendar in the matter of Medlin versus Patterson.
- Thank you, Byrd. - You're welcome, Judge.
Parties have been sworn in.
You may be seated.
- Ma'am, have a seat. - [Shawn] Thank you.
[Judge Acker] Mr. Medlin.
You owned a company called Your Mom's Bail Bonds.
[Luke] Yes, Your Honor.
[Judge Acker] And the work of that company
was to serve as a bail agent and a recovery agent.
The defendant's husband had been charged with various offenses.
- He did not appear in court. - Right.
[Judge Acker] And you were retained to recover him, you ultimately did.
Her husband's bail was $40,000, she was contractually obligated
to pay 10%, and you're suing her for that amount.
You are also seeking to recover from her travel costs
and also for trackers and the court costs
- that you spent filing this lawsuit. - Yes, Your Honor.
[Judge Acker] So the total amount of your claim against Ms. Patterson
is $4,700.
Ms. Patterson, you say that your contract was not with the plaintiff,
it was with another company.
And secondly, you say that your husband was remanded to custody
before anyone was charged anything, and so you don't owe him any money.
- Do I have that right? - That's correct.
[Judge Acker] Did you go to court the day that your husband
- failed to appear, or were you... - No, we were...
[Judge Acker] ... you did not show up at all?
... actually separated at that time.
[Judge Acker] So in any event, he failed to appear in December 2022.
Yes, Your Honor.
I am the recovery agent for the bail company
that she entered into contract with.
[Judge Acker] When the defendant's husband fled,
how many people did you have on your team seeking to recover him?
Uh, I had a total of five.
We didn't start the case until May,
is when I was officially ordered to, uh, try to apprehend.
And so we began looking through the file, trying to find the defendant
because, uh, contractually, she's supposed to be in contact
and notify the surety company of any changes of address.
- [Judge Acker] If she moved, if she... - [Luke] She moved or anything.
... goes somewhere, she leaves the jurisdiction.
[Luke] None of--yeah, none of that was done, so we had to spend
a couple months before we could find her, and then we began following her
to see if we could find her having interactions, uh, with her husband.
[Judge Acker] So it's about eight months after her husband
failed to appear and you see her with him.
[Luke] Uh, well, my agents followed her to a location,
and then that's when they had the first interaction.
They called me, notifying, "Hey, we have positive ID,"
and asked me if, uh, I wanted them to apprehend
because he was known to carry a weapon.
And so that's the--one of the videos that we presented,
uh, to the court is the first interaction where he did flee,
uh, a weapon was pulled on my agents while he was running.
Uh, he dropped it in the pursuit
because he didn't have, uh, proper control.
[Judge Acker] I'm gonna stop you right there
- because I would like... - [Luke] Yes.
[Judge Acker] ... the court to see the video now.
- [Luke] Yeah. - [Judge Acker] Let's take a look.
And I'm sorry, this body cam is on one of your agents?
Yes, it's on one of my agents. Yes, Your Honor.
[man] Put your hands behind your back.
- Uh-uh, man. - [man] Put your hands behind your back.
- [Keisha] What are y'all doin'? - [man] We got a warrant for your arrest.
- You know that. - No, I don't. No, no.
[man] Yeah, ya do. Then we'll settle it up.
- You know I did not, no. - [man] Keep your hands down.
- [Keisha] Wait, wait, wait. - Nah, bro.
- [man] Put your hands down. - Baby, I ain't do nothin'.
You ain't got to take me in, bro.
[man] You know, the cops are on their way here too, so...
- What's goin' on, bro? - [man] I got a warrant by email.
[indistinct] bro.
[Keisha] Chris--baby! Baby!
[Judge Acker] Was the defendant's husband ultimately able to flee and evade you?
[Luke] Yes. As you can see in the video, he's a fast runner.
He was very quick, so he was able to get away.
[Judge Acker] Did you witness any of your agents
interacting with the defendant or her children?
Uh, I was not there at the time, I was over an hour away
and could not get there in time so I told them...
- Hold on. - ... I told them from...
[Judge Acker] I note, sir, that subsequent to that interaction,
you actually apologized to the defendant for the conduct of your agent.
Why were you apologizing to her, and what did that agent do?
[Luke] Uh, there was one agent that made a comment
that shouldn't have been said in this profess...
[Judge Acker] What was the comment?
Um, basically, you know, "If you get in the vehicle,
I'll shoot you," to Mr. Patterson.
[Judge Acker] In front of the defendant's
seven-year-old child and her ten-year-old child.
[Luke] Yes, Your Honor.
[Judge Acker] Now also in this letter, you advised the defendant
that she was going to be responsible,
- at that time... - [Luke] Uh-hmm.
[Judge Acker] ... for the full $40,000 bond for which she signed.
Had the township or municipality assessed that
against the surety that you represented?
[Luke] They were-- they were in the process of that.
And it's a tactic we use to put pressure
on individuals and debitors to assist in,
uh, getting people who run to turn themselves in.
[Judge Acker] Sure, because I think you probably knew.
I don't think it was a surprise.
And so they were exerting some pressure to try to make sure
that you didn't help them again.
- Is that right, sir? - Yes, Your Honor.
[Judge Acker] Is that where you were going with that?
- Yes, Your Honor. - Can I speak, Your Honor?
- [Judge Acker] You may. - Yes. So I wasn't--
we were not together at the time, um, as I explained.
And Luke would know that because he was following me for a while.
I became more of the suspect than my husband.
When I left Dollar General, I went straight to my mother's house
because I was in distraught, my kids were crying.
I was probably there for about 30 minutes, um, and then after that,
Luke and his team came over there.
My mother can vouch for that, um, she's here as well.
[Judge Acker] After that incident, there's another situation where you,
uh, are with your husband and your children at a motel.
- Yeah. So... - [Judge Acker] And the plaintiff
and his team track you down there.
We've got footage of that as well.
May we play the raw video, please?
[Luke] So at this time, Your Honor, uh, I'm inside with the local PD
and two other agents, and I had two agents outside.
And when he jumped out, uh, they hit him with rubber rounds.
Myself and one of the police officers were kicking on the door
to get it open when we heard the shot.
Uh, I proceed out and local PD follows.
Local PD was backing us up because of the possibility of him
being armed again.
[Judge Acker] Did you pull guns on her children?
[Keisha] You can see it through the window, Your Honor.
[Luke] Not on her children, Your Honor. We...
This is a dangerous job. I mean, uh...
- [Judge Acker] No doubt. - [Luke] ... we--I've had guns
- pulled on me multiple times, knives. - [Judge Acker] Fair. I...
- People who have been shot. - [Judge Acker] ... am not here
to examine you on the hazards of your hazardous profession.
But the defendant had some very specific concerns
about the way in which you engaged
with her seven-year-old and her ten-year-old.
- You've got a daughter as well... - I have a...
- [Judge Acker] ... or the two boys? - ... stepdaughter
and two children of my own.
[Judge Acker] How old is your stepdaughter?
[Keisha] She just turned 13.
And we were told, "Do not move, do not go anywhere."
There were agents inside of the hotel room.
Your Honor...
[Judge Acker] You take this job seriously.
Yes, Your Honor.
[Judge Acker] Because it's a serious job...
- [Luke] Yes, Your Honor. - ... with lots of occupational hazards.
- [Luke] Yes, Your Honor. - [Judge Acker] So I wanna see
- the TikTok video that you made of... - Okay.
[Judge Acker] ... the defendant's husband being shot.
- If I--if I can... - [Judge Acker] No. First, let's look...
- Okay. - [Judge Acker] ... at the TikTok video,
and then I will, uh, come back to you, sir.
I'll note for the record that you set this to some music,
but since there are copyright issues with the music, we can't play it here.
But you were kind of making a little music video.
[Keisha] Yeah. My child found this video because I...
He uses my phone, he plays on my phone, and I had a TikTok notification.
Luke popped up as a person you may know.
And he clicked it, he scrolled down the page, and he seen his father.
And he brought it to me, and he was crying.
[Judge Acker] Do you think that TikTok video was appropriate?
[Luke] We do that, Your Honor, just to deter people.
I'm also a pastor.
- I got into this business to help people. - [Judge Acker] Wait, wait.
If you think that represents due care and professionalism
as a recovery agent or bail agent,
- I'm not even thinking about the fact... - [Luke] Well, Your...
[Judge Acker] ... that you're telling us now you're a man of God.
[Luke] Well, Your Honor, the children were there both instances.
I mean, it's not like they found it on their own.
They actually witnessed it, and to the fact they're saying
that we had weapons pulled on her in the hotel room,
local PD were the ones that remained indoors
and none of us ever entered in to, uh, that room.
[Judge Acker] There's one more video that, uh,
the court would like to see before I pass the case.
[man] [indistinct]
[child crying]
[Luke] That's not my video, Your Honor.
- That's not even from my TikTok account. - [Judge Acker] No.
I'm not suggesting that.
But I just query whether or not your conduct in this case was appropriate.
- Well, Your Honor... - Judge DiMango?
- ... I think they... - [Judge DiMango] I have to say
that I wouldn't be as easy on you because all of this,
your children crying, your children in a hotel room,
you knew that these people were in pursuit of your husband,
- and you're hiding him as well. - I was not.
[Judge DiMango] And don't tell me you're not.
You know what? The whole baloney about,
"Oh, my husband and I broke up," you didn't break up.
You took off so that they couldn't track him
- through you. - That's not true.
[Judge DiMango] And that's why you separated.
No, I know you're gonna say no. But I don't believe you for a second.
When I hear a mother say, "Oh, my children, my children..."
What are you doing with a felon who's absconded from court,
knowing that people are in pursuit of him,
and you're taking your children around with him?
I took my children to my cousin's house in Terre Haute.
[Judge DiMango] No, you were in a hotel room.
- [Keisha] That's where I slept. - [Judge DiMango] Are you gonna tell me
he dragged you there at gunpoint with you and the kids?
- He wasn't... - [Keisha] No, he wasn't with me.
He did not ride with me or my children to Terre Haute.
[Judge DiMango] Of course he doesn't have to ride with you.
- I mean, you know what bothers me? - [Keisha] Yes.
You think if you tell the stupid lies that you continue to tell,
that people are gonna say, "Oh, now I get it.
I feel so badly for you." I feel badly for your kids.
You know why? Because your husband had a gun once before.
What if, while they were pursuing him in this,
that he left the gun in the room with your three kids?
What if they picked it up and they thought they were gonna
protect their father because they wanna protect their father?
[Keisha] Your Honor, with all due respect, those are just assumptions.
I mean, honestly, this gentleman has traumatized
not only my children but myself.
[Judge DiMango] You traumatized your kids.
I have not traumatized my children.
[announcer] Coming up on Tribunal Justice.
[Judge Levy] He warranted about a half dozen times,
and this is the guy you thought was a good idea
to post bail when he didn't show up again?
- What you don't understand, people... - Did you think that was a good idea?
- [Keisha] People... - Did you think that was a good idea?
[dramatic musical sting]
[theme music plays]
[announcer] Bounty hunter Luke Medlin
is suing Keisha Patterson for almost $5,000.
Luke says after Keisha's husband skipped bail,
Keisha is responsible for all recovery fees.
Keisha claims she signed with a different bail bond service
and doesn't owe Luke anything.
He is in a position where he's tracking down
- a fugitive from justice who is... - [Keisha] He didn't track the fugitive.
- He tracked me, Your Honor. - [Judge DiMango] He could only...
- He followed me. - [Judge DiMango] He could only...
- He knew where... - [Judge DiMango] ... find him...
- ... he knew where to... - [Judge DiMango] ... by following you,
and you, in signing the documents, agreed to have trackers, to be followed.
You agreed. You took off,
you absconded so you could protect and hide him.
- And you had your children with you. - [Keisha] That is not true.
And this baloney-- I loved your first sentence in here,
when you wrote, "In 2021, my husband caught his first case."
I don't know if that's true or not.
"After he was arrested, I bailed him out.
They texted him every week.
It was like being on probation.
It was annoying." I mean, really?
The guy is being released on bail, $40,000 bail.
And you're annoyed that they wanna keep track of their money and him?
[Keisha] It wasn't Luke, and Luke was not a part of the company
at the time that I signed the contract.
That's the thing.
It seems like I'm being attacked.
- [Judge DiMango] You are. - The same way he's been attacked.
[Judge DiMango] You are being attacked by me right now
and I'll tell you why.
Because I don't believe 99% of what you say.
The bottom line is, why don't you owe him the money?
[Keisha] He caught him before the 365 days.
[Judge DiMango] Three hundred and sixty-five days?
- That's why you're not keeping 100%? - [Luke] If I...
They're keeping 80%.
[Luke] ... if I may interject, Your Honor.
So we were getting close to that 365 days
where she was gonna have to pay the full amount
- plus our recovery fees, uh... - [Judge DiMango] Correct.
- ... when we... - [Judge DiMango] On top of that.
Yes. Yes.
[Judge DiMango] Do you understand what he's telling you?
You paid $4,000 when the bond was set, right?
- Then the surety gets involved. - Uh-huh.
[Judge DiMango] They say they're going to cover this $40,000 bail...
- [Keisha] Uh-hmm. - ... but your husband has to appear
in court on the dates given.
He appears in court until he's supposed to be sentenced.
- Well, how much jail was he gonna do? - [Keisha] Ten years.
- [Judge DiMango] Ten years? - Yeah. That has...
- No wonder he didn't want to... - [Keisha] ... nothing to do with me...
- ... go to court for ten years? - [Keisha] ... Your Honor.
Respectfully, you keep trying to make it seem
like I have to make decisions for my husband.
- No, no. You... - He's grown,
and that's why I separated from him because we didn't see eye to eye...
- [Judge DiMango] You do... - ... on a lot of different things.
- What I was trying to... - [Judge DiMango] I'm gonna stop you
a second because you're just babbling the same nonsense to me
over and over again.
There's nothing in this that indicates to me
that you left your husband because he knew exactly where you were,
when he was looking for you.
You agreed to do things with him and the kids.
You are much as part of his fleeing as he was.
And I am appalled all the time when I see what people
do with their children and what they wanna do
and how they wanna turn around
and blame everybody else for their plight in life.
At the end of the day, I'm gonna be a mother to my child.
[Judge DiMango] I don't have anything else to say to you.
At the end of the day-- and you don't have to...
- [Judge DiMango] Judge Levy. - ... say anything to me.
And I think that it's very highly disrespectful that you sit here
and allow these type of things that you've seen on the video,
that you think that that's okay for a person to do all because...
I don't think I mentioned the video...
[Keisha] ... their father made a few mistakes.
[Judge DiMango] ... once. Judge Levy.
[Judge Levy] Ms. Patterson,
you share a ten-year-old child with your husband.
Yes.
So you've known him since at least 2013.
[Keisha] Yes.
[Judge Levy] Prior to having a child with him, did you know him?
Um, I knew of him.
[Judge Levy] And according to you, and your answer and your truth is that,
in 2021, your husband caught his first case.
That's what you wrote.
[Keisha] So, this is his first case as far as, um, like, not juvenile.
Like more, you know, adult DOC.
- [Judge Levy] Okay. - Facing actual, like, DOC time.
[Judge Levy] Okay. Now when you signed off on this bond,
did you think he was gonna come back to court when you signed that?
Honestly, no. Uh, um...
- No? - Yes and no.
And I'll explain, 'cause he was going to court prior to that. Um...
[Judge Levy] And there was nothing in his background that indicated
that he would not follow instructions of the court, right?
- No. - [Judge Levy] Good.
- I'm gonna tell you my truth. - [Keisha] That's fine.
[Judge Levy] Valentine's Day 2013, your husband got arrested
- for carrying a gun without a license. - Uh-hmm.
[Judge Levy] He failed to appear. Warrant was issued.
He surrendered.
He failed to appear again, warrant issued, bail forfeited.
He was convicted of carrying a gun without a license on October 18th, 2013
and sentenced for some crazy reason to probation.
- You know about that. - [Keisha] We were kids.
[Judge Levy] I don't care. You knew about that.
- Right. Okay. - [Judge Levy] Great. May 2014,
while on probation for carrying a gun, he got arrested for a new robbery.
- You knew that, right? - Uh-hmm.
[Judge Levy] Yeah. And he failed to appear again,
and a warrant was issued, and he had to be apprehended.
And for some reason, he was restored to probation
and not put in the clink where he belonged.
[Keisha chuckles]
[Judge Levy] And a violation of probation was filed.
He failed to appear again.
A warrant was issued again.
You know all this, right?
- Yes, Your Honor. - [Judge Levy] Of course you do.
He was offered the opportunity to serve one year in jail, in home confinement.
He couldn't even do that.
A violation was filed and he got sentenced to county jail September 29th, 2016.
- You were aware of that, right? - [Keisha] Why are we talking about him?
[Judge Levy] You were up...
This is--this is what I'm not understanding.
[Judge Levy] Listen. He was arrested for his second gun case
- and dealing methamphetamine, right? - [Luke] Yes, Your Honor.
- [Judge Levy] You knew that, right? - [Keisha] I don't know anything.
[Judge Levy] That's why the judge issued $40,000 bond
because he caught his second gun case.
He'd already been to jail.
He warranted about a half a dozen times.
And this is the guy you thought was a good idea to post bail
and to put your name on this dotted line, that you were gonna be responsible
when he didn't show up again.
- You thought that was a good idea? - But you don't understand. People are--
[Judge Levy] Did you think that was a good idea?
People...
[Judge Levy] Did you think that was a good idea?
- You know what? Answer your own question. - [Judge Levy] Good.
- Answer your own question. - [Judge Levy] So now we have--
- I'm not going there. - [Judge Levy] So now we have him...
- I'm not going... - [Judge Levy] ... he was convicted
and for some reason, sentencing was adjourned
despite the fact that they had offered him ten years
thinking he was gonna come back.
What'd they think he was gonna do?
Run. To put you and your agents in harm's way.
He bail-jumped. You know who helped him?
You did. So you know what you were?
A conspirator.
And then finally, I wanna play back this video with your kid crying.
- You think that's funny? - [Judge Levy] I don't think it's funny.
- I think it's sick. - [Keisha] What type of judge are you?
[Judge Levy] So let's understand.
We have July 15th, 2023. You know that these guys
were out looking for him at the general store with guns.
You're there. And then you, for some strange reason,
think that the smart thing to do is to keep him,
- hide him in the hotel room... - [Keisha] I did not hide him.
... with your kids, knowing that there are bail...
- At Dollar General... - ... bondsmen with guns
looking for him, and you're surprised...
[Keisha] At Dollar General, they took my kids...
- ... that your kids are doing this? - ... was the first time
- I ever met Luke and his team. - [Judge Levy] You know something?
Let me tell you something.
[Keisha] I hope that [indistinct].
[Judge Levy] Would've happened? He has what looks...
- [Keisha] That's fine. - ... to be a gun in his hand.
- [Keisha] That's fine. - The police fire...
- He did not [indistinct]. - ... in the room and your kids get hit.
- So where's the gun? - Your kids get hit.
Where's the gun? Where's the gun charge?
- Where's the gun charge? - [Judge Levy] Oh, my God.
You looked up his charges, where's the gun charge?
I--you know what?
[Judge DiMango] That's why I gave it to you.
- Yeah, you know what? - [Keisha] Honestly.
This is the problem. Never in a million years will she get it.
- Never. - [Judge DiMango] No.
Never. I'm done.
[Judge Acker] I wanna ask a couple of questions.
- Yes. - Ma'am, would you like to take the stand?
Sure.
[Judge Acker] Could you please state your name for the record?
Shawn Overton.
And what's your relationship to the defendant?
I'm her mother.
[Judge Acker] And what firsthand evidence or testimony do you have to offer
about the events that took place in this case?
Uh, the same date, um, at the general store,
Keisha and the kids later came over to my home.
Luke and his guys were out there in my driveway,
and they asked if they could speak with Keisha at that time,
and I went out with her.
And, um, Luke was nice.
He started out real nice and he said that, "We are here because we're trying to,
you know, get your husband and if you'd just tell him
to turn himself in, I would even vouch and speak
with the judge myself." At that time, we were listening to him.
Okay, we've been telling him, you know, uh, we're gonna...
"You need to turn yourself in," 'cause I've been--
stopped him from coming to my house as well
when I heard that he didn't go to court.
I cut him off.
But at the same time, he had two other guys with him.
And my fiance was sitting out on the back deck.
I made myself to the back deck, and there we find his guy holding a gun
at my fiance from the side of the house just pointing a gun.
Why?
He doesn't look like the-- uh, her husband at all.
Why?
[Luke] Your Honor, when we approached the house, you know,
again, this was just after the incident, and so we were--we have to be cautious.
So they didn't point the gun.
They just had their weapon drawn
until they properly identified
- who was on the back porch. - That's incorrect.
There was no holding anybody at gunpoint.
It was until we could verify
that it wasn't the individual we were looking for.
[Judge Acker] The plaintiff's testimony is that it was drawn,
because they weren't yet sure who was whom.
And when you're looking for a fugitive, you wanna take precautions.
I don't have anything else.
[Judge DiMango] We're gonna retire to deliberate.
- Ma'am, you can resume your seat. - Thank you. Thanks, ma'am.
[Byrd] Court now stands in recess.
This case will be recalled. Parties are excused.
[announcer] Coming up on Tribunal Justice.
Can't say I'm entirely comfortable
with a bounty hunter showing up and saying,
"I'm looking for somebody, so I'm gonna pull guns on everybody."
I think the TikTok video was tasteless and troubling.
[dramatic musical sting]
I can't say I'm entirely comfortable
with a bounty hunter showing up and saying,
"I'm looking for somebody, so I'm gonna pull guns on everybody."
I don't think it's appropriate.
I think the TikTok video was tasteless and troubling.
That said, I think part of the defendant's defense
is really just premised on the misunderstanding
of what he's empowered and entitled to do and what her contractual obligations were.
She entered into a contract with the surety.
He's the surety's representative.
- And so I think she kind... - She can't get that through her head.
Yeah, I think she really got caught up in that, which is just wrong.
But I am certainly not prepared to give him court costs,
because that $104, that's with respect to this case.
You know, the travel costs of $500, let's discuss.
The research, no receipt.
But again, you know, if you think about the fact
that the defendant's husband didn't appear in December,
so it's eight months later that they're looking for him,
you know that they've gotta look into the family,
they've gotta find who the relatives are.
Surveillance alone.
[Judge Acker] They have to do surveillance.
And, you know, look, she doesn't get it.
When you sign for bail,
you're making yourself responsible for someone.
And so her confusion over why we were going
into some of those issues I think is unwarranted.
- [Judge DiMango] I mean... - You know, it's whether or not
this was a good risk. He was not a good risk.
[Judge DiMango] I think that when you have two prior felony gun convictions,
facing a third with a drug component to it,
they had every reason to believe that he was a persistent felony...
- Correct. - ... offender...
- Correct. - ... looking at a life imprisonment,
which I think, you know,
certainly does enhance anybody's flight risk.
And the bottom line is, I think that he's entitled
to everything that you said minus the $104 or whatever for the court fees.
And she should really be more concerned with her children than herself.
Uh-hmm. She lacks the capacity, for whatever reason,
to look inward and say, "I knew better," you know?
They came to the general store all with guns drawn.
They pulled a gun on my Uncle Harry on the porch.
She, the defendant, knows that that's mentally
where the plaintiff and his team are.
And now they're about to go into a room where they don't wanna get ambushed by him
and they're already on a hair trigger.
You have law enforcement there with them.
How many cases have we heard about over the years
where young African-American men who are not armed
- but they have a comb, they have... - A phone.
... a phone, that a police officer in a--in a split second
misidentifies as a gun, "Pop-pop-pop!"
And then you have two dead kids.
Well, that's why when she was saying in there,
"I don't know why you were all picking on me.
I didn't commit a crime. I didn't do anything wrong."
She was harboring a fugitive. She was endangering the welfare...
- And aiding and abetting a bail jumping. - ... of her children.
She was engaged in a multitude of misdemeanors and felonies.
So, I mean, to that extent, rather than continue to argue with her,
- it was falling on deaf ears anyway. - You're right.
So you might as well--we just make the decision based on everything we know.
So $4,596.
- [Judge Levy] Done. - [Judge DiMango] Done.
Because we are not including his court costs here.
- Correct. - Thanks, everybody.
[dramatic musical sting]
[Byrd] Court is back in session.
Parties are reminded, you're still under oath.
- Thank you, Byrd. - Uh-hmm.
We've deliberated and we've reached a unanimous verdict.
Uh, first things first, Mr. Medlin, as I indicated to you before,
I don't think that this is the sort of encounter that you put on TikTok.
And, ma'am, there were a lot of troubling things that happened on your end too.
And I'm only gonna to point to what your mother did,
You know, what your mother did about with that husband of yours and said,
"You can't come here," because his presence jeopardizes people.
He put you and your family in harm's way and you let him.
So there were things that happened here that really are not his fault,
but they're also a bit beside the point,
because your defense is predicated on a few things.
First you say, "I didn't enter into this contract with him."
And we reject that because he was the duly appointed bail agent
for the party with whom you did enter into the contract.
- Uh-hmm. - [Judge Acker] And secondly,
this is a contract case.
It's not a criminal case.
He is suing you for the $4,000 under the contract.
He's entitled to that because that's what you said you would pay
if your husband fled.
And just one other point, you know, the reason why people were really digging
into what your husband did,
because it goes to your judgment in posting bail.
Sir, your videos actually were very good evidence of what you had to do
in order to recover the defendant's husband.
You didn't have receipts, but certainly,
I mean, for eight months trying to locate somebody,
do that sort of surveillance, we certainly find that the evidence
in this case supports just about all of your request for relief,
except for the $104.
We don't award court costs, but we do think that you're entitled
to the balance of your claim.
So the judgment in this case is in your favor for $4,596.
That's the judgment of the court.
[Byrd] This case is now concluded. Parties are excused.
You may step out.
[theme music plays]
I feel like if he was doing his job,
he would've found him a long time ago.
Definitely we know that she was aiding and abetting.
Um, I didn't help anybody do anything.
I really feel bad for her but, you know, her husband put her in that position.
Um, I mean, it's like cat and mouse, you know?
No one's above the law, so go to court and... [chuckles]
[announcer] Did someone break an agreement?
Let Tribunal Justice decide your case.
Find us on social media.
["Ride of the Valkyries" plays]