- You ain't never met a judge like me.
- Your Honor, Your Honor!
- Shut the hell up, and let me get this thing together.
Hey, y'all. I'm Ms. Pat.
I know the inside of a courtroom.
I went to jail for selling cocaine.
Now here I am, sitting on this side of the bench.
- Put my faith in your hands.
- I ain't God. I don't love you.
These are real cases
with real money on the line.
What you do with the $5,000?
- I-I'll let you know.
- Well, I'm here. Let me know.
- Let's just wrap this up
'cause I'm getting very irritated.
- You keep running your mouth,
you ain't gonna get nothing.
Court is now in session.
Baby, don't do me, do Jesus,
'cause he got more patience with you, OK?
[gavel bangs]
- There are no statute of limitations
on how good she looks on the bench.
All rise for the undeniable Ms. Pat.
[intriguing music]
- Y'all can have a seat.
♪ ♪
How y'all doing today, jury?
- Let's go.
- Let's get started.
- This is the case of Jackson versus Wiggins.
- Plaintiff Annie Jackson is suing her friend T Red
for $3,000 that she gave him for a music video
to launch his rap career.
But the single never dropped,
and T Red dropped the rap game altogether.
Defendant Tristan Wiggins claims
that he's paid back some of the cash,
but if nothing hits the charts,
she shouldn't be hitting him up for more.
- DeRay, that your son?
[laughter]
- Yeah, I had him when I was six.
[laughter]
- OK, before we get started, I just want to let you know
that this is a jury of my peers.
Their opinion is like a Little Richard exercise tape.
They don't work.
Little Richard.
- Yes, Judge, yes.
- Remember he used to exercise?
- Little Richard?
- Richard Simmons.
[laughter]
- [as Little Richard] They don't never play my tape!
[laughter]
- I'm like, when in the hell did Little Richard
have an exercise tape? - It was a good one, Ms. Pat.
- Long story short, only my opinion count.
They just here
because they're doing community service.
- Two weeks left.
- OK, so, Annie, why are we here today?
- We are here today because I am suing
my former friend Tristan, better known as T Red,
for the remaining balance of $3,350--
- Objection, Your Honor. Wait, wait.
- What? Boy, be quiet.
What? - I'm sorry.
- DeRay, get your son.
- Your Honor, clearly he looks like Steph Curry.
[laughter]
- All right, we gonna start over.
- My bad. - Annie Jackson.
- I am suing T Red for the remaining balance
of $3,350 that I loaned him
for the production of a music video.
He promised to give me the money back around tax time.
But, Your Honor, I've only received $350 from him.
- What type of music do he do?
- He raps.
- Tristan, what's your side of the story, Mr. Rapper?
- She came to me wanting to be my manager,
offered to give me all this money
to pay for this song to blow up.
And the agreement was, once the song blow up,
I'll reimburse her some of the money.
The song never came out.
[laughter]
- So what happened to the video of this song?
- We went a different direction with the--
like, we never released it.
- Was you trying to be his manager, Annie?
- I would have loved to have been his manager.
- That was the whole conversation.
She wanted to get into management.
And I was gonna be her first trial run.
- First trial run? I've been a manager for years.
- Who do you manage, baby?
Who you manage? Come on, Barbie.
- I'm not managing anyone right now.
But I've been a manager.
I've managed artists before.
- You just was an investor.
- I was just investing. - OK.
- That was it. - Tristan, did you ever agree
to pay her that whole amount back?
- According to my email, December 9, 2022--
- Uh, no, I do that.
- I said I'ma give her--oh.
Hold on, make sure it the right one.
- What is wrong with you, Tristan?
- He started reading too. He like, R-E, dot, dot,
subject line...
- It says, "I never released a video
"and we never followed through with the promotion.
"I'm still going to give you some money on it,
but I don't see how I have to pay the whole thing back."
So this is from you, "Miss Annie J," right?
- Yes. - "Oh, my God, I'm not even
"hitting you about that funky-ass money right now.
"I need you. The city tripping about the cars.
"I have to move some by tomorrow.
May I please park two cars at your house until they sell?"
- I sell cars.
- You were gonna take him to the top,
but his driveway bigger than yours?
- I had eight cars in my driveway.
- Oh. Oh, my bad.
- I just want to know, was this ever a s--
did y'all ever--
- Never.
[laughter]
Everything was platonic.
- Did he ever say he was gonna pay you back?
- Yes, ma'am.
- These emails don't sound like y'all had an agreement.
- I have a contract.
We have a contractual agreement.
- Oh, wow. - What?
Well, give me the damn contract.
- She Suge Light.
[laughter]
Welcome to Death Row, homie.
- It say, "Annie Jackson, better known as..."
- Sweet Baby.
- "Sweet Baby, agrees to loan Tristan Wiggins,
better known as..." - T Red.
- "T Red, the sum of $3,000."
According to this, Sweet Baby, which is her,
you signed this saying that you would pay her $3,000 back.
- Right. After I thought about it, I was like, hold on.
[laughter]
And so I sent her the email to clarify
that she was paying for everything.
- This is the problem.
- So you guys used to be friends?
What is y'all relationship now, Annie?
- It sucks, Your Honor, because I would have
considered him one of my best friends.
- How long have y'all known each other?
- Probably 13 years.
- Well, I'ma go to my jury.
Help me out here.
- Brother, when you sign a contract
with somebody named Sweet Baby,
it probably ain't gonna turn out good.
[laughter]
- I'm kind of lost because I feel like
contractually you supposed to pay her, but why?
Why pay bills when they send them
if you change your mind?
[laughter]
- All right. Is there any final statements?
Annie, you got anything to say, sweetheart?
- Yes, I would love to get my money back
so that we could pick up our friendship,
but this $3,000 is standing in the way.
I want it. - That's right.
- And we can move forward.
- OK, Tristan. Tell me what you need to say.
- I just kind of want to get it all behind us,
but $3,000, I don't feel like I'm entitled to pay all that.
I never made any money.
And also she had her cars at my house for a very long time.
We never worked that out.
- Did you ever pay him for parking at his house?
- No, ma'am. It was never discussed.
- She colder than Vanessa Williams on "Soul Food."
- Seven months and you didn't give him one dime?
- No. audience: Ooh.
- So, Tristan, you can't go around here signing contracts
and get home and change your mind.
Now, had that been Suge Knight,
you probably would have been in a body bag.
I mean, somehow, someway, she worked hard for that money,
and she invested in you,
and she didn't get anything on her return.
Now, Annie, if you know anything about the industry,
$3,000 ain't no money to go to no studio
and shoot no video.
That stuff is expensive.
Then you turn around and parked your cars
at his house for seven months for free.
But you want him to pay you, but you don't want to pay him.
I've heard enough and I'ma settle this right now, OK?
[dramatic music]
I'm ruling in favor of...
♪ ♪
The plaintiff...
- Hello. - Annie,
in the amount of $1,000.
- Goodbye.
- Are you OK, Annie?
- Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you, Your Honor.
- Now, you parked your car at that man house
and you didn't give him anything.
- He didn't ask for anything.
- I don't care what he asked for.
You lucky I gave you anything,
the way you treated this man.
I'm just saying, Annie,
go out and get you another singer,
because this one here ain't ready to rap.
[laughter]
Now that settles it.
Now get out of here.
- You are dismissed.
- That's some bullshit.
- What are you wearing, Annie?
- Fuchsia.
[laughter]
- She bought her boyfriend the car with my money.
- You knew she had a boyfriend when you loaned her this money.
Grow up, Beau.
It's over. audience: Ooh.
- How y'all feeling?
- Good. - Great, Your Honor.
- Baby, you know I want you to let's go.
- This is the case of Harden versus Harden.
You may now enter.
- Plaintiff Beau Harden is suing
his wife Domenique for $5,000 he loaned her to buy a car.
He says the car was to drive around their kids,
but instead she used the money
to put her boyfriend in a new whip.
Defendant Domenique Harden says she intended
to buy a car with the $5,000,
but instead she says the money was a gift
and she should be able to do whatever she wants with it.
- OK, are you Beau Harden? - Yes, ma'am.
- And you're Domenique Harden? - Yes, ma'am.
- And how do y'all know each other?
- We're married. - OK.
I just wanted to make sure.
So tell me why we're here, Beau.
- I'm suing Domenique for $5,000
because she asked me to loan her that money to get a car
so her and our kids can get to where they need to go.
But she bought her boyfriend the car with my money.
- Wait a minute. Boyfriend?
- So I need my coins back, Ms. Pat.
- Are you all in the process of getting divorced?
Are you separated?
- We're separated and we're in the process,
definitely now, of getting a divorce.
- Domenique, I need to hear from you.
- My soon-to-be ex-husband gave me $5,000.
- Mm-hmm. - My intentions were
to buy a car, but the car I wanted to buy
was sold when I went back to get it.
So I decided to use the $5,000 on myself
and treat myself and go on cruises and trips
and buy me some more stuff that I wanted to get.
- Beau, do you have any proof of this agreement?
- [exhales] I'm glad you asked, Ms. Pat,
because I have the text messages.
- OK, well, Bailiff, let me see them text messages.
Let's get to the bottom of it.
"Hey, you.
"Look, I know this might throw you off a little bit,
"being that we're no longer together,
"but since we are still friends,
"I wanted to know if you could help me out
"with getting this car.
"It's a Benz that would look so fly,
and I promise to pay you back as soon as I get the money."
- I don't know where them text messages came from.
They gotta be fake, because I did not tell him
I was gonna pay no $5,000 back.
- How are you and the kids
getting around then, in a buggy?
- No, my new boyfriend got a car.
- When did your boyfriend buy the car?
Before or after he gave you the $5,000?
- He bought it after he gave me the $5,000.
- Aha!
- I didn't buy my man a car because he got his own job
to buy his own car.
- OK. - Mm. Mm.
- This text message say you was gonna buy a car,
but you ended up going on a cruise.
- Right. - Ms. Pat is good.
She got you to say that's your text message.
[laughter and applause]
Tell your boyfriend, bring that car back.
[laughter]
- When you changed the plan for the money,
you should have let him know.
- Why? When he gave it to me,
I can do whatever I want-- - Let's back this thing up.
It says, "Will you loan me the money?"
Ain't no "gave" in here. Ain't no G-A-V-E.
I got a GED now.
I read it twice--
one time incorrectly, the second time correctly.
[laughter]
All right, jury, what do you think?
- That five grand gone, bro.
He outside waiting, man, in the car.
She gotta go soon.
[laughter]
- This is your wife. - Correct.
- What do you have to say to her?
- Honestly, I would say, I wish we could work it out,
because when we said I do,
for better, for worse, and all them vows that we said,
we need to honor that.
That's how I feel right now.
- You want your family back?
- Of course.
- What do that mean to you?
- I mean, I still love him too, but I done moved on.
- Ooh.
- So 16 years of marriage
you just let go down the drain?
- I mean, it happens.
- But if you work at it,
you might can make it work.
Have y'all tried counseling?
- Yeah, we tried. It didn't work.
- I hope this work out for you,
because a lot of times
we think the grass is greener on the other side,
and it's not, baby.
Now, I'm not saying he's perfect,
because he's small-framed
and he look like a [indistinct].
But what I do know... [laughter]
Is your husband here loves you, OK?
- OK. - I hope you heal.
I hope you heal.
But you knew better.
You knew she had a boyfriend when you loaned her this money.
She knew that other dude didn't have $5,000 to give her.
He giving her other things, but it's not money.
And you knew he would give it to you,
and what you did was use him.
And what you did was allow her to use you.
Grow up, Beau. It's over.
Now, with that said,
I'm gonna settle this once and for all.
[dramatic music]
I'm ruling in favor of...
♪ ♪
The plaintiff, Beau,
in the amount of $5,000.
[applause]
Beau, I cannot give you your marriage back,
but I can get her to give you your money back.
That settles it.
- You are dismissed.
- When you have somebody taking you
through all those trials and tribulations,
you're like, you know, to hell with you.
I'd rather be by myself than to be crying
with you still in the house,
because, baby, when the marriage is bad,
you gotta pull out.
- Literally.
[laughter]
- I'm here today to sue my daughter, Kaylah.
- So you got $10,000 and didn't give your mother anything?
- Ma'am, I have bills.
- Sometimes you gotta let them hit bottom.
Let her fall.
She got a forehead.
[laughter]
- How y'all feeling?
- Amazing.
- Ready to help you out.
- Well, I need that help. Thank God.
I'm glad you here.
- This is the case of Webb versus Walton.
- Plaintiff Sylvia Webb is suing her daughter Kaylah
for $3,000.
Sylvia watches Kaylah's kids
and applied for the 3K tax credit
not knowing her daughter had already claimed it.
Now Sylvia is being audited
because of this misunderstanding,
and she wants her daughter to pay for it.
Defendant Kaylah Walton says that it is not her fault
and she is not fiscally responsible
for her mother being in her financial flop era.
- Sylvia, can you please tell us why we're here today?
- I'm here today to sue my daughter Kaylah for $3,000.
Kaylah chose to claim the kids on the taxes
that I take care of.
And we had an agreement.
She's breached it.
And I'm here to collect my money today.
- So did both of y'all end up claiming the kids?
- Yes, but I didn't get the money.
I got audited.
audience: Ooh. [laughter]
- For you to claim kids-- I know because I be know--
I know about that earned income credit,
those kids need to be with you
at least six months out of the year.
- At least six months, they're in my house,
they're eating my food.
They may go home and sleep with her,
but I'm there with them.
- Kaylah, tell me your side of the story.
You done came in this courtroom with this new wig on,
looking innocent. - Ah.
Well, thank you.
I am innocent, Judge,
because the year that I claimed my own taxes,
I had my own job and I made my own money.
But we never had an agreement
for the year that I did claim my kids.
We did previously.
- Who was the kids living with?
- They may spend the night with her,
but to me, they live with me.
- I got a question.
Which house was the kids going to school from?
- They go to school from her house,
but my car leaves my house to pick them up
to take them to school.
[laughter]
[laughs]
- You was claiming the kids every year?
- Yes, for the last five years.
- And, Kaylah, why was you OK with this?
- I did have jobs here and there,
but it wasn't, like, a stable career.
- For the last five years... - Mm-hmm.
- She had been claiming these kids...
- Mm-hmm. - Taking care of you guys.
You said, "Mama, I'ma sit on my ass
and let you claim my kids"
whilst you were watching soap operas.
You get up one day and decide to change your mind and say,
you know what, it's time for a new wig.
I'ma go get my own job.
And you had no idea, Mama,
that she was gonna change it up?
- No. - How much did you get
in return for both of the kids that year?
- I want to know that too, Judge.
I ain't heard that yet.
- And you took an oath.
- $10,000.
- Damn! - [screams]
- $10,000! - You robbed your mama.
- And you still got that wig?
- You got ten grand and got this cheap wig on?
Ten grand?
[laughter]
- Because Sylvia watches her daughter Kaylah's kids,
she tried to claim a $3,000 tax credit,
not knowing Kaylah had already claimed it.
Now Sylvia is being audited and wants the 3K from Kaylah.
But Kaylah says no way.
So Ms. Pat is about to settle it.
- How much did you get in return
for both of the kids that year?
- $10,000.
- Damn! - [screams]
- $10,000! - You robbed your mama.
- Ten grand?
- Did you know she got $10,000? - No.
This is the first time that I'm hearing that.
- Can I get the tax man information
that did your taxes? 'Cause I'm trying to see
if I can get ten grand back.
Give me his number after we leave.
- Carmen, you don't want her tax man.
- And so you got $10,000
and didn't give your mother anything?
- Ma'am, I have bills.
- Your mama have bills also.
- Mm-hmm. She also had a nice job.
Unfortunately, this was my first time claiming taxes,
and I wanted to do my own thing.
- All right. I'm going to the jury.
- I think that she should give her mother the $3,000
for claiming the kids that year because she got audited.
She about to be in jail like Wesley Snipes.
She can't be in there with that body like that.
Uh-uh, they gonna tear you apart in jail,
your little cute self. You're cute!
- You know you wrong.
The wig know you wrong. We know you wrong.
And so I believe that this woman needs her three bands.
- First of all, I just want to say,
as a grandmother who help out with her grandkids,
I can understand.
Your mother's stepping in.
And she's probably buying clothes.
She feeding the kids.
She's tearing up her car for you guys.
She's going back and forth.
Every time your kids need something,
I guarantee you call her.
I understand those are your kids.
You had the right to file them on your taxes.
But you also had the right to tell your mother
that you was filing them so she wouldn't get audited.
But I gotta say, Ms. Webb, you're the problem too,
because you keep stepping in doing the same old thing.
But sometimes you got to let them hit bottom,
because if you don't,
she gonna take you to the bottom with her.
Let her fall.
She got a forehead.
[laughter]
I think I heard everything I need to hear,
and I'm going to settle it.
[dramatic music]
I'm ruling in favor of...
♪ ♪
The plaintiff. Kaylah is gonna give you $3,000
for those taxes that really wasn't yours.
[laughter]
Now that settles it.
Now go on, get out of here.
- Thank you.
- You are dismissed.
- The audit man outside. Be careful.
[laughter]
- Sometimes you find yourself running around this world
to see about everybody else,
but in the end, nobody sees about you.
I had vertigo two weeks ago.
Did any of my kids call me?
- No.
[laughter]
- We better go to commercial,
because I don't think my kids love me either.
[laughter]
- I had a girls' trip to Jamaica,
and she didn't pay me back.
- Why are you taking a broke-ass friend on vacation?
- She's been my girl 20 years--
- I don't care if she been your girl
since the first Eve made us have our cycle.
She ain't got no damn money.
[laughter]
- I'm suing my ex-wife.
I bought a product for her to sell.
- Oh, shit. - Oh, no.
- Where did you get this hair from?
- Wholesale. - From where?
- Some ho who was selling it.
[laughter]
- Damien came into my boutique.
She had busted the pants. - No, Your Honor,
I might have loosened the seam a little bit.
- You heard them pants say, "Girl, stop."
- And that's why I stopped.
- I know that's why you stopped,
'cause them pants were screaming.
[laughter]