Roommate Disasters in Court

0:01 Plaintiff Brittany Cooper says she and the defendant are identical twin sisters.

0:05 [music] And when they were younger,

0:07 they were put into separate foster care homes.

0:09 Britney claims they were reunited when they [music] were 12.

0:12 And since then, the only thing they can't agree on is men.

0:16 Britney's suing her twin sister for [music] unpaid rent.

0:20 Defendant Ashley Cooper says Britney is the evil twin.

0:24 And although she admits that she [music] hasn't always

0:27 made the best decisions when it comes to men,

0:29 she feels as though Britney could have been more supportive.

0:32 Ashley's counter suing for emotional [music] distress.

0:36 Start with you.

0:37 Basically, um, we have that twin power.

0:39 We have a close close bond.

0:41 Uh, we've always been close.

0:42 We didn't have the perfect childhood.

0:44 We um, we're in foster care.

0:46 We lost our mother at five years.

0:49 And at the age of eight, we went into foster care and they separated us.

0:53 And at that time I was distraught.

0:55 I didn't know what I was going to do.

0:57 And um we was reunited maybe

1:00 at 12 or 13.

1:02 And I feel like I got my best friend back.

1:05 Good.

1:04 And where did you all stay when you were reunited?

1:07 With our maternal grandparents.

1:09 Okay.

1:09 Good.

1:09 Right.

1:09 And um Right.

1:11 Other than that, we have everything.

1:12 We have a good little thing going.

1:14 The only thing we don't agree on is men.

1:16 Like she just I want somebody who's going to love

1:18 and respect me and and and give me what I deserve.

1:21 And when it comes to her, she's okay with just having

1:24 somebody cheat on her and lie and just go through the emotions.

1:27 And I try to help her with that.

1:30 And that's kind of where we clash with men.

1:32 Like what?

1:32 Give me an example.

1:34 Um like for instance, she'll she won't pay her bills.

1:37 She'll rather pay a man's phone bill than pay her electric bill.

1:40 Okay.

1:40 She'd rather give a man some money than to take care of her own bill.

1:43 Right.

1:44 You have your own oblig.

1:46 So that kind of affects us.

1:47 you want to talk about any of this that that's Yeah.

1:51 I'm going to start by saying this.

1:52 There's a good twin, there's a bad twin, and there's an evil twin.

1:55 She's the evil twin.

1:57 [laughter] Okay.

1:58 You know, even though even though, you know,

2:01 I I probably have not chose the best people in my relationship, you know.

2:04 I always still treat her like she comes first, you know.

2:09 Um she's never been like the person to be supportive, you know.

2:12 Okay, I'm with somebody that you don't like.

2:13 Okay, still support me.

2:15 still be nice and respectful to them, you know,

2:17 she'll she'll come in, hey, you know, to him, you know,

2:21 it's visible when she's with somebody,

2:23 she can get in an argument with them that day and tell me about it.

2:26 I'm not going to treat him no different.

2:27 I'm going to still be nice to him.

2:29 But with her, she's not like that.

2:30 She's going to have an attitude, hold a grudge.

2:32 Not only does she judge your relationship, she reacts to that judgment.

2:36 And it'll make me and her clash.

2:37 If it affects me, I will.

2:38 Yes, I will.

2:39 How does it affect you

2:41 when you can't pay your bills and I'm luck picking up your slack?

2:43 There you go.

2:44 Have you in the past paid the bill of one

2:47 of your guy friends when you weren't able to pay your own bill?

2:54 I probably be left with no money, you know,

2:55 making sure I pay my bills and pay his stuff, pay that stuff.

2:58 Yeah, maybe that is true.

2:59 But just not having not to pay the bill period.

3:02 Pay his bill and be broke.

3:03 That's Yeah, that's what I'll be.

3:04 I'll just be broke.

3:05 It should be like, well, you should have

3:06 Why do we have to live like that?

3:08 Well, it's still my bills still got paid though.

3:11 Will get paid.

3:12 I may not have no money, but they still get paid.

3:14 How often are you broke because you give your money to men?

3:21 [laughter] That much?

3:23 Not that much.

3:24 Um, it's been times where you I mean,

3:26 it it happens a lot, but like I said, my bills are paid.

3:30 I rather have my bills paid than I than I have no money.

3:33 You're broke and he has money.

3:35 No, he won't have no money.

3:36 That's why I pay it for him.

3:37 That's game.

3:38 That man has money.

3:39 If he's always BROKE, I'M WITH HER.

3:41 HE'S BROKE.

3:42 [laughter] [applause]

3:45 You can't always be broke.

3:47 But man, I understand that you can help your man or you should

3:51 perhaps help your man if you got a real relationship from time to time.

3:55 But if he's always needing your financial help,

4:01 right?

4:00 I don't know.

4:01 I might be with her.

4:02 It's just, you know, if I was your twin,

4:06 I would get a little been out of shape with him as well.

4:09 I would think he's using my sister

4:12 and so I wouldn't like him.

4:13 I wouldn't like anybody that uses my sister.

4:16 If it's a man using my daughter, first thing I do is talk to him, right,

4:20 with my security sitting there.

4:23 [laughter] But if he and then I would fall out with him.

4:30 Mhm.

4:28 If he continues to use my daughter, if he changes, then I'll embrace him, right,

4:35 and even help him find a job.

4:37 But if it appears the way he's coming off to me,

4:40 he's using my daughter, then we have a problem.

4:43 And I would dislike him like your sister dislikes this guy who sounds like,

4:50 in my opinion, he's using you.

4:52 If you always have to get this man money,

4:56 anything else you want to tell me before we get to the rent?

5:00 You sum it up.

5:00 I'm

5:00 talking about you can pay your bills.

5:02 She's suing you for rent.

5:03 [laughter] Yeah.

5:05 THE REASON

5:06 YOU GIVING YOUR money away to a man and you don't can't even pay your rent.

5:09 That's the reason.

5:09 And what she failed to what she failed to mention is

5:12 she's it's not like that now.

5:14 Now everything I I am married to this man

5:17 and we we have be a found a way to grow.

5:21 Now before yes he was doing what he was doing cheating.

5:23 I mean you know but we got it together.

5:26 Now he's on a track where I I understand.

5:28 So she holds his past against him.

5:30 You see what I'm saying?

5:31 That's what she felt.

5:32 She meant fast.

5:33 I didn't hear that part.

5:34 All right.

5:34 Go ahead.

5:35 Let me hear about the rent.

5:36 How does she owe you for it?

5:37 Um, we decided to get a place together, a three bedroomedroom.

5:40 Um, March 2014.

5:43 U, we got a year lease.

5:45 Um, she has children, so we decided to get it together.

5:48 And everything was going good until she How much was the rent?

5:51 She was

5:52 2,000 a month.

5:54 2,000.

5:54 It was fully furnished, stainless steel.

5:56 Everything was nice.

5:57 What was her share, though?

5:58 A,000 a month.

5:58 Okay, got it.

6:00 Okay.

6:01 And everything was great until she got involved with this gentleman.

6:04 And I just started seeing things where he had just come in and just anytime

6:09 you see somebody who does not live there for days at a time just lounging.

6:13 We got all that ma'am.

6:14 He's married to him now.

6:15 So if you win, he has to pay part

6:17 of this judgment too cuz it's joint assets now.

6:22 Um so we got the apartment.

6:23 I I'm sorry.

6:24 We got the home and I guess it became overwhelming cuz

6:27 we started arguing and fighting and I went out of town.

6:30 I stayed for a little over a week.

6:32 What do you mean by fighting?

6:33 Physical?

6:34 No, no, never altercations.

6:35 Verbal altercations.

6:36 Got it.

6:37 Um

6:38 and so I went out of town and I was gone for maybe

6:40 a little over a week and I came back and she was gone.

6:44 Everything was packed up.

6:46 No notice, no notice, no nothing.

6:47 No thank notice, no notification.

6:49 That was in November.

6:51 All right.

6:52 And um did you all discuss her continuing

6:56 to pay because you had a lease together?

6:59 When I spoke with her, she didn't answer

7:00 the phone cuz she knew what she had done.

7:02 It probably maybe like a week or two.

7:04 I'm used to talking to her 24/7.

7:05 So the fact that I already knew she felt like

7:07 she did something wrong cuz she didn't answer the phone.

7:09 So when I got on the phone with her maybe in two weeks, what?

7:12 I didn't do nothing.

7:13 You'll be okay.

7:14 You'll be okay.

7:14 So it was all kind of excuses.

7:16 So I was like, "Well, are you going to pay anything cuz be

7:17 mindful text time was coming up." So I said,

7:19 "Okay, well, can you throw me a little something?" Um, I mean, if I can.

7:23 Hadn't given you a dime.

7:24 No, haven't given me anything.

7:26 Ma'am, what do you say to this?

7:28 I told Britney almost every day towards the time when I was going to move out.

7:32 I used to say, you know, all the time, you know, it's going to come to an end.

7:34 I have to leave.

7:35 I want to start a family.

7:36 You know, the normal thing what normal people do.

7:38 I want to start a family.

7:40 And

7:40 let's start from the beginning.

7:41 And that is, did you all start sharing the rent March of 2014?

7:47 Yes.

7:47 And

7:48 was that the agreement?

7:50 Yes.

7:49 All right.

7:50 You had an agreement to stay there for a year and split the rent

7:54 and then you got religion about moving in with this man.

7:58 Taking I did.

7:59 All right.

8:00 When did you determine you wanted to move?

8:03 And

8:03 the beginning of November.

8:04 I think it was like the last time he came over and um Britney came in.

8:09 She must have got into it.

8:11 She must have was upset before she came

8:13 in the house cuz she came in just throwing stuff.

8:15 I mean, she said, "What's my rent?" No, no.

8:18 But before I moved out, you know, the last time the altercation,

8:21 I had told her, you know, I can't live like this.

8:23 You know, you got an attitude where he come in all the time.

8:27 You know, you don't know how to talk to nobody.

8:28 And I'm not the kind of person just like to sit there.

8:30 I got feelings just like you do.

8:32 Okay.

8:32 And you had you were paid up on your rent at that point.

8:36 Correct.

8:36 You were always paid up on your rent.

8:38 Correct.

8:38 So, I can bring whoever I want over as long

8:41 as it's not disrupting your quiet enjoyment of your home.

8:46 Yeah, but I think she got upset cuz you know,

8:48 one day start turning to like six days out the week,

8:50 you know.

8:51 I want to see

8:52 staying overnight, six days a week.

8:54 Yeah, I like Oh, yeah.

8:55 Well, that was unfair to her.

8:57 So, yeah, that did something that would upset someone.

9:00 And what happened?

9:00 You moved and you say you told her, what did she

9:03 say when you told her all these times you were moving?

9:05 What did she say?

9:06 Girl, whatever.

9:09 She didn't say that's fine.

9:10 No, she didn't say that.

9:11 She said that.

9:12 All right.

9:12 Well, yeah.

9:13 But she did say when I told her I want to start a family,

9:15 she was like, "You know, we'll still always be cool.

9:18 You know, you my twin sister.

9:19 We always going to have that bond." Yeah, I agree.

9:21 Won't you still be cool after that year?

9:23 Yeah.

9:24 When that lease [laughter] over with, we'll be good.

9:26 But what about this money?

9:28 Well, that's that's what I'm saying.

9:29 Like, if it was the other way around and

9:32 if if if if [laughter] she wants her money,

9:35 she knew that I was uh that I knew she had

9:38 she owe you 1,000.

9:39 You're stuttering around.

9:39 You know, you owe her.

9:40 Oh, Bernie is very abusive.

9:42 And I mean verbally, she will make you feel like,

9:44 "Oh my god, I just got to go on a hideout." A specific incident, incident.

9:48 Me and Britney got upset.

9:49 I don't know why she was upset at me about something.

9:50 We went home and uh when Britney says something, she wants it her way or no way.

9:55 And her opinion is what matters.

9:57 So whatever you say, it means nothing.

9:58 She jumped on me.

9:59 She jumped on me.

10:00 She broke my foot when

10:02 this was the beginning of that year.

10:04 She broke my foot.

10:05 My foot is still broken.

10:07 My I can show you.

10:08 My foot is still broken.

10:09 And she made jokes.

10:10 [laughter] I don't want to see Cuz she broke jokes about it.

10:14 She make jokes about it.

10:15 I don't see no ugly feet.

10:17 [laughter] It's broke.

10:18 YOU SAID IT'S STILL YOU CAN'T TELL.

10:20 IT'S PRETTY.

10:20 YOU CAN'T TELL.

10:21 You said I can show you my

10:23 What I'm saying is she make jokes about it to this day.

10:25 Like she said she didn't do it.

10:26 Ma'am, you got any evidence that she did it?

10:29 No.

10:29 Anything else?

10:32 No.

10:31 All right.

10:31 She is so adamant that she didn't do anything.

10:36 I don't know who to believe.

10:37 I'm not saying you're lying, but you have the burden of proving it.

10:41 and you haven't proved it.

10:42 All right.

10:43 So, I'm going to have to dismiss your claim

10:46 for 1,000 and I'm going to have to grant

10:49 her 4,000 because your only defense to the rent

10:52 is that you all will always be cool.

10:54 We will.

10:55 And you will.

10:56 All right.

10:56 After you pay that 4,000 judgment for the PL, have a good day.

11:00 [applause] No hard feelings whatsoever.

11:04 Just, you know, never go into business with your family.

11:06 Never live with your family member ever.

11:09 Well, you know, I love her.

11:11 I really don't care.

11:11 I just want to give Dol a hug.

11:13 That's what I really wanted to do.

11:14 So, you know, [laughter] plain Timothy Plunkett

11:19 [music] rented an apartment with the defendant.

11:22 And he claims the defendant got drunk five [music] nights a week.

11:25 Timothy claims the defendant would pass out

11:28 and then relieve himself on their furniture.

11:30 [music] And he's suing him today for rent, utilities, and a cleaning deposit.

11:35 Defendant Brad Ledom says while [music] living with Timothy,

11:39 Timothy abused prescription pills and marijuana.

11:42 And he thinks Timothy was [music] so stoned all

11:44 the time that he had no idea what was going on.

11:47 Brad says Timothy [music] is suing him for more than he owes.

11:51 Start with you.

11:53 Well, um Brad and I were former roommates.

11:56 Um he he was a drunk.

12:00 Um, we lived together in October.

12:05 Um, sorry, your honor.

12:07 Forgive me.

12:07 Um, let me

12:08 He was a drunk.

12:09 You a weed head.

12:10 You can't remember anything.

12:12 [laughter] I don't sound like a weed head.

12:15 I I do have I do mess up in the middle of his th marijuana card.

12:22 Yes.

12:23 I told you.

12:25 That is You don't have to smoke all day.

12:27 I don't smoke all day.

12:28 No.

12:28 Unless you're in pain all day, then you can Yeah.

12:31 Yeah.

12:31 But um Okay.

12:32 So, um

12:35 well um we moved in in October and um everything was okay.

12:41 Everything was cool for the first two months and then um he lost his job.

12:45 He would drink to the point where he would

12:47 pass out um black out um relieve himself anywhere.

12:52 Oh, really?

12:52 No.

12:53 Yeah.

12:53 Really?

12:53 Really?

12:54 How often?

12:55 Several times.

12:56 Um, I've have some documented as well.

13:00 Um,

13:00 give me a typical night or the typical week.

13:03 That's pretty inflammatory what you said.

13:05 So, I got to get a little more background

13:07 on when you've seen all this happen and how often

13:10 because you just gave me a picture in my mind

13:12 if it happens that every time you come home,

13:15 he's laid out on the floor out of it and wet and wet.

13:21 Not every day.

13:22 All right.

13:22 That's why I need to give me a better picture of the guy.

13:24 Not every day.

13:25 But, uh, every blue moon, what would happen?

13:27 Um, uh, he would, uh,

13:30 how often would you see him drunk?

13:32 Quite often.

13:33 About 5 days a week.

13:36 Oh, yeah.

13:36 Like, uh, he he would go out and, uh, drink at the bar after work.

13:40 I mean, we both worked in the service industry.

13:42 And, um, I was a bartender.

13:45 We would go out, you know, uh, have drinks.

13:48 And

13:49 he get drunk 5 days a week.

13:51 He drank a lot.

13:52 Yeah.

13:53 and I would have um liquor in the house and he would drink my liquor.

13:57 How did that hurt you guys living situation

13:59 other than him taking your liquor and appearing

14:04 peeing everywhere?

14:05 That that was kind of uh

14:06 you did that often.

14:08 Uh well, it was

14:09 Sir, let me hear from you cuz this guy I don't believe you did that.

14:12 You would have to be the first person

14:13 my adult life that's ever accused me of that.

14:16 Yeah, [clears throat]

14:17 I think that he was probably so stoned all the time that um

14:20 he really has no idea what was going on in the world around him.

14:24 What was it like living with him?

14:25 Well, he's a drug addict.

14:26 He's hooked on prescription pain medications and uh

14:29 psychoactive drugs and I mean things that I don't

14:32 even know what they are or why they

14:34 why somebody be [clears throat] taking drugs like that.

14:36 You said antiscychotic drugs.

14:38 Is that what you're probably when you say psychoactive?

14:41 All right.

14:41 Well, the marijuana I thought covered the pain.

14:44 My psychiatrist does give me um antiscychotics for major depression.

14:49 All right.

14:51 Yeah.

14:51 Um I do take those pain pills.

14:53 I I do not take those.

14:54 Okay.

14:54 I do not have those.

14:56 He denies that.

14:57 Medical marijuana card.

14:58 Okay.

14:59 No, I got that.

15:00 We're all right.

15:00 I was just trying to check on these pain pills he's alleging you abuse.

15:04 Yeah.

15:04 Uh cuz that's pretty dangerous.

15:06 All right.

15:06 But living with him was all right or not, you know?

15:09 Yeah.

15:09 I mean, he's a decent uh person to live with, I should say.

15:12 Um, other than the, you know,

15:13 kind of like stumbling through the house like a zombie,

15:16 high on the pills and the marijuana.

15:19 All right.

15:20 Tell me how he owes you.

15:21 Um, he lost his job in December.

15:24 Um, I have text messages um uh between him and I about him doing unemployment.

15:32 And um I covered his rent um for December.

15:37 For December and January.

15:38 Okay.

15:38 And what was his share per month?

15:40 Uh 5.45.

15:41 45.

15:44 Okay.

15:43 It it was 1090 per month and um the utilities, the gas, the electric,

15:49 and the and the water um I covered as well um because he was unable to pay.

15:56 For what month did you cover in total?

15:59 Uh December through March.

16:01 Okay.

16:01 When did he move?

16:03 Uh he still lives there.

16:04 I moved.

16:06 Um, I told him after everything that happened,

16:10 um, between the point we moved in in January,

16:13 I said I was going to move out, I started looking for a place.

16:17 Um, I had a death in the family about a month after that and, uh,

16:22 I went down to California.

16:24 While I was down there for a week, he packed up all my things, um,

16:29 changed the locks to the place,

16:31 and I was unable to get into the place when I, um, got back.

16:36 So he evicted you essentially.

16:38 If he changed the locks on you, he evicted you.

16:41 Yeah.

16:40 Sorry.

16:41 Let me hear from you.

16:42 Okay.

16:42 Um uh January I did pay.

16:46 He's right about December the 545.

16:49 Um there uh January was paid and then February and March he did not live

16:54 on the property and uh I as from that part forward I was the property manager.

17:00 Were you build for February and March utilities?

17:03 Uh yes.

17:04 December through March.

17:05 I have uh all the evidence right here.

17:09 Okay.

17:08 So, he said he said he did you pay the bills from those months,

17:11 the utilities and gas.

17:13 When I lost my job, he told me not to worry.

17:15 I know when he moved.

17:16 You just told me your defense today was he moved.

17:18 That's why you don't know for the other.

17:20 You did pay.

17:22 You did pay.

17:23 I didn't live there anymore in February.

17:24 March.

17:24 When did you move?

17:25 I moved into a different the manager's unit.

17:28 When I say it that wasn't where that was when feebruary if he

17:32 was still paying utilities in February and March he was paying for go.

17:36 Did you uh did you change the locks on him sir?

17:38 Yes I did.

17:40 When?

17:40 Um when he was gone in California.

17:42 When was that?

17:42 I don't know when that was

17:44 beginning of February.

17:45 Right.

17:45 Changed the locks the beginning of February.

17:47 That's what you meant by he moved to the beginning of February.

17:50 I guess you would someone changed the locks on you.

17:53 All right.

17:54 And did you have a court order allowing you to do that?

17:58 No, I didn't, your honor.

17:59 Okay.

17:59 And you think that was legal?

18:01 In the state of Oregon, it is, your honor.

18:03 All right.

18:03 Show me that law.

18:04 I don't have that with I know you don't.

18:06 There there's no such law anywhere in the United States

18:10 that allows you to change your locks without notice or court order.

18:14 All right.

18:14 And therefore, I'm going to grant I see the rent,

18:17 I see the utilities, and I see the cleaning deposit.

18:20 I'm going to grant you your judgment.

18:21 You've shown me evidence of everything.

18:23 have a good day.

18:24 Thank you.

18:25 [applause]

18:29 Burden of proof of payment fell on me and I didn't have uh the proof here.

18:32 So, I'm glad I I won and showed that he was a liar.

18:38 So, he's blacklisted from the community I live in because he's

18:41 got such a bad drug problem and nobody wants him around.

18:45 Seriously?

18:45 I won't see him anymore.

18:46 Oh, really?

18:47 That that's true.

18:48 Yeah.

18:48 Right.

18:49 that probably at your uh property, but oh my god.

18:58 Pliff Eureka Tomkins [music] met the defendant at work

19:00 and after they took a trip to Miami together,

19:03 they decided to rent an apartment.

19:05 Eureka is suing because she claims the defendant

19:07 moved out before the lease [music] expired.

19:11 Defendant Jessica Harris says after she got a promotion

19:14 at work [music] that both she and Eureka were going for.

19:18 Everything went downhill and [music] she was worried

19:20 that Eureka and her friends were going to assault her.

19:23 All right, tell me what's going on.

19:25 Okay, just to give a brief background upon myself.

19:28 Um, I graduated from Thun Cookman University on May 8th,

19:31 2010 with a degree in criminal justice.

19:34 I'm currently working on my master's degree in business administration.

19:39 Yeah.

19:39 Um, I'm a part of a national African-Amean sorority.

19:43 Um, my grandmother always raised me to do unto

19:46 others as she want them to do unto you.

19:48 She also inform me that you reap what you

19:50 sow when you do negative things to other people.

19:52 Negative.

19:52 What sorority are you a part of?

19:54 I'd rather not say that on.

19:55 Oh, okay.

19:56 All right.

19:57 How did you meet the defendant?

19:58 Um, I met her through one of my sorority sister who was also was Okay.

20:02 You want to tell me about your association?

20:04 Um, yes.

20:05 Um, I met uh, Miss Harris when I first start working at the the bank.

20:11 Mhm.

20:10 And u, my sority sister was saying, "Well, you know,

20:12 since you and her both do not have a place of your own,

20:15 why don't y'all become roommates?" I thought that it would be a good idea.

20:20 So, we agreed to move in together.

20:22 And we agreed to split the rent of $769,

20:27 which that would be $3.85 a piece for both of us and also other bills.

20:33 Okay.

20:33 Um, I heard that.

20:34 Can we hear from her uh on a little background

20:36 before we get to the lease that you're suing about?

20:40 Um, yeah.

20:40 What she's saying is true.

20:41 We met through work through a coworker and um we got to know each other.

20:45 We went on a trip to Miami to kind of fill each

20:48 other out and the trip went pretty good and everything was fine.

20:52 Where did you go to college as well?

20:53 Um, I haven't finished.

20:54 Okay.

20:55 But I did go to University of Arizona.

20:57 Okay.

20:58 And everything started off good until I started hearing the horror stories.

21:03 She and her sorority sister would tell me about their hazing,

21:06 how they threw a girl through a glass table,

21:09 how they beat each other to their bloody,

21:10 and that helps them gain sisterhood when you go through pain together.

21:14 And I'm like, okay.

21:16 Is that why you didn't want me to know the name of the sorority?

21:18 [laughter]

21:20 It couldn't be Delore aka I

21:22 Oh, speaking of that, I know they would speak of those mentioned the name,

21:25 but I know it wasn't either of those.

21:27 And one of those sororities I thought about joining that school

21:30 to join one of those sororities and she made it very clear,

21:34 oh, if you was to join that, yeah, you fit in.

21:36 We jump girls like you.

21:38 So, I'm like, oh, okay.

21:41 I don't want to be a part of your sorority if

21:42 I had to get beat up for you to love me.

21:44 How did that cause a problem with this?

21:45 Well, what caused the problem?

21:46 The problem really came about when a position came up at work.

21:50 We both applied for it.

21:52 I got the position and the minute I got the position, things went downhill.

21:58 She started talking about me.

21:59 Her sorority sisters were rude.

22:02 And one day I was home in my room and I heard

22:05 overheard them talking and it sounded like they were talking about me.

22:09 And hearing these horror stories of if we're going to fight,

22:11 we going to jump you.

22:13 I took it like, okay, they might try to jump me today.

22:16 So, I called my friends over.

22:17 So, my friends came over, you know, to help defend me.

22:21 Nothing escalated.

22:22 Everything seemed cool.

22:23 I went away to training for the new position.

22:26 I was getting Let me stop you because I'm a little confused.

22:29 You said you overheard that.

22:31 I I overheard I I Yes.

22:34 talking about fighting somebody.

22:36 You didn't hear who?

22:38 I heard my name.

22:38 Okay.

22:38 I didn't hear you say you heard your name.

22:40 I heard my name.

22:41 What did they say about your name?

22:42 I just I probably heard wrong,

22:43 but when I heard fight in my name, I just jumped to a conclusion.

22:47 And you called your friend.

22:48 Yes.

22:48 Why didn't you call the police?

22:52 I just wasn't thinking.

22:53 But you have a professional job as a banker?

22:57 Yes.

22:57 And instead of calling the police,

22:58 you will risk your career over some gossip in the other room.

23:06 Mhm.

23:05 All right.

23:06 That doesn't sound like a very smart move.

23:08 It wasn't very smart at all.

23:10 Let me hear from you.

23:11 I wanted to go back to what she was saying.

23:13 Number one, my organization is a non-hazing organization.

23:17 We never told her anything about throwing somebody through some glass window.

23:22 Number one, if I would have did that, we

23:24 would have done that, I wouldn't be in your courtroom.

23:26 I would be on somebody's in somebody's jail house.

23:29 So, that is not true.

23:32 Okay.

23:31 We never told talked about her ever

23:33 talking about jumping her or anything like that.

23:35 One of my sores there is a cop.

23:37 So what she looked like trying to do

23:39 that some of them that was there are also lawyers.

23:42 So there was no conf there was no argument talking about her anything.

23:46 What she's referring to never happened.

23:48 She's never had an argument with you me or any of my sority sisters ever.

23:54 All right let's get to the lease.

23:56 Okay.

23:56 When like she said we went to Miami everything was fine.

23:59 She informed me that she had previous bad roommates that they screwed

24:03 her over and I let her know I would not do that.

24:05 So I'm a very quiet person.

24:07 I would stay in my room and mind my business and hopefully you'll do the same.

24:12 That's it.

24:13 Yes.

24:13 That's what you discussed.

24:14 That's that's that I just

24:16 You should have known then I could be her [laughter] roommate.

24:23 You could move in with each other.

24:25 You stay in your room and I stay in my room.

24:31 [laughter]

24:31 I mean, I was only like that because, you know, with being on campus,

24:34 you see a lot of your friends move out,

24:36 get apartments, and then they end up in situations like this.

24:40 So, I said, "If I ever have to have a roommate,

24:43 all we need to talk about is bills." So, none of this like this.

24:46 Don't be friends.

24:47 Go to your room.

24:48 I go to my room.

24:49 And the only time we talk is when we're talking about bills.

24:52 Good enough.

24:53 Let's move ahead.

24:54 You all did sign that lease, right?

24:56 What happened?

24:57 Yes.

24:57 Um, on the 14th of April, I lost my job.

25:01 And on the 25th, I was sitting in my kitchen

25:03 because I just came back from a job interview.

25:05 And she came to me and she said, "Hey,

25:07 I need for you to write an lease to the apartment company stating

25:11 that you're going to let me out of my half of the lease."

25:15 I'm looking at her like, "Whoa, you know, I just lost my job.

25:19 I don't have enough money to be able to pay $769

25:22 plus the rest of the bills or, you know, to break." We all agree on anything.

25:26 No, we never agreed on anything.

25:27 Did you argue?

25:28 We never argued.

25:29 When she said that, she walked away.

25:31 I went and talked to the apartment manager and asked her what was my options.

25:35 She let me know it would not be best for y'all to just walk out

25:38 of this lease because it would be an eviction

25:40 and it would go on your credit report.

25:42 So, how do we get to her owing you?

25:44 Yes.

25:44 Um because she walked out and to break the lease, it is $1,325.

25:50 That is

25:51 You're looking at something.

25:52 What?

25:52 You have something to give me?

25:53 Yes.

25:54 And that's the breaking of the lease.

25:56 You also are you suing for rent?

25:58 Yes, I'm suing for the month of May's rent because she moved out,

26:02 didn't pay anything for May and she still

26:05 had her stuff there like TV and everything.

26:07 So, she had her stuff there in May, ma'am.

26:10 Okay.

26:10 What happened was since we were having

26:12 conflicts at work and we wasn't getting along, when I found out she got fired,

26:17 she lost her job cuz she was stealing personal time.

26:21 She was acting like she was working and getting talk about this week.

26:24 And so I told Eureka, I said, "Hey,

26:26 look." I gave her a notice way before I was going to leave a month.

26:30 I let her know I went to the apartment, too.

26:31 I told them what happened.

26:32 I said, I went to the apartment first.

26:34 I said, "Hey, my roommate just lost her job

26:36 and I'm thinking she's going to stiff me." So,

26:38 first they gave me option, do you want to get a onebedroom or anything?

26:41 They said, "Well, what you're going to have to do

26:42 is talk to her and if she signs you off,

26:45 you can get off or you going to have to go your separate ways.

26:48 If you're not getting along,

26:49 you're just going to have both split

26:50 this in half cuz it's both of you guys responsibility.

26:53 That was no problem with me splitting the termination of the lease half.

26:56 You have that letter where it says, uh, if you want out,

26:59 you all split the cost of breaking the lease.

27:02 Oh, okay.

27:03 So, you don't have that evidence.

27:04 Go ahead.

27:05 So, I came to Eureka and I let her know.

27:07 I went, "Hey, I'm going to move out the end of the month.

27:10 I'll pay the rest of the bills and this for this month."

27:13 When did you tell her?

27:13 I I let her know in the beginning of April.

27:16 It was April 25th.

27:17 Okay.

27:18 So therefore, she would owe for May cuz that's not 30-day notice.

27:22 Yes, I do admit for May, my stuff was there and

27:26 No, no, no.

27:26 We're not talking about that.

27:27 We're talking about you leaving saying I'm leaving.

27:34 Yes.

27:33 So, you terminated the lease and there's an early uh lease termination fee

27:39 of $1,325.

27:43 You caused it.

27:44 You terminated.

27:45 She didn't terminate the lease, you terminated it.

27:49 So therefore, I'm going to have to hold you liable for what you did.

27:54 And we know now that you didn't give 30-day notice.

27:57 So I'm going to hold you liable for the $385.

28:02 So $1,325 plus $3.85 is what?

28:09 $1,710.

28:10 1,710.

28:10 And have you paid the fee?

28:12 Did you pay that fee?

28:12 The only thing that I had a chance to pay was All right.

28:15 Well, you're going to get the judgment.

28:16 If you don't pay them,

28:17 then they're going it's going to go on your credit as well as hers.

28:21 Have a good day.

28:22 Judgment for the PL.

28:23 [applause] When you are a li a liar and I feel

28:29 really bad for you that you would get there and tell

28:31 the judge that my sorority is this type of animal beces

28:35 that are basically criminals and we never told you anything like that.

28:39 We never threatened you or anything.

28:42 How dare you sit there and disrespect my sorority like that.

28:45 Erica, any story that I told him, you sat there and told me in our kitchen.

28:50 It was you that brought the lease.

28:52 Whatever.

28:52 Eureka, you are a liar and a child.

28:55 You go to the left, I'm going to go to the right.

28:57 I'm sucking your mama grow up and be a woman.

28:59 At least I got a mama.

29:00 Hey, that's fine.

29:03 Plaintiff Renee Ru says she's a humanitarian

29:06 [music] who has helped stray dogs and cats

29:09 and even befriended Jeffrey Dmer [music] before

29:11 she realized he was a serial killer.

29:13 Renee offered to rent a room to the defendant

29:16 who was dating her [music] friend because he was homeless,

29:19 but she's suing him today for rent and cleaning fees.

29:23 Defendant David Morrison says when he moved in with Renee,

29:26 it was like living in a cougar's [music] den.

29:29 David claims Renee confessed to him that she hadn't been

29:32 with a man in a while and she liked younger men,

29:35 [music] but David rejected her advances.

29:37 David's counter suing for an illegal eviction and stolen property.

29:41 [music] Tell her what happened.

29:43 I just want to say, Judge Matthysse,

29:44 I'm really a fan of your show and I work for a rice company,

29:47 so I brought you a little gift of rice.

29:50 Oh, thank you.

29:50 [laughter] All right.

29:56 So, I hope you enjoy it.

29:57 You going to taste it first?

29:59 [laughter] All right.

30:02 Very good.

30:04 Thank you.

30:05 You do um the folks who prepared this, do they like me as well?

30:11 Yes.

30:10 All right.

30:11 [laughter] Making sure.

30:15 Go ahead.

30:16 [laughter]

30:18 Just a little bit tell you a little bit about myself is I'm a humanitarian.

30:22 So I I have been had that instilled through the grace of my parents.

30:27 I've always helped out people.

30:29 I had the best of both worlds, country and city life.

30:32 So I've been known to take in stray dogs, stray cats, serial killers.

30:36 [laughter] Yeah.

30:37 Right.

30:38 That last part, you obviously having a little fun.

30:42 [laughter] All right.

30:44 The reason I say that is because down in Milwaukee um Jeffrey Dmer used to

30:50 I know you didn't.

30:51 [laughter] Yeah.

30:52 Jeffrey Dmer used to shoot pool and darts

30:55 and everything where we were at and I sold him

30:57 his alarm system and he was a great guy

30:59 until I I found out he was a people eater.

31:06 [laughter]

31:08 Well, if you think that

31:09 you are you you're too much of a humanitarian.

31:11 [laughter] I tell you, the Lord is shining upon me because I've been

31:15 even been known to help build a serial rapist.

31:18 [laughter] Um, yeah, I help.

31:20 So, I guess if I send you a couple of excons, [laughter] it's nothing.

31:25 That's You'll take them in right away.

31:29 No, whatever the crime might be, [laughter] triple murder,

31:33 decapitation, cuz I got some guys I know,

31:38 unfortunately, [laughter] I grew up with that have committed both of those.

31:42 Go ahead.

31:43 Well, what happened with the serial rapist is

31:45 I didn't we met him and my girlfriend called

31:48 me up and said he got hurt in a car accident and needed a trip to Duth.

31:52 So, not knowing who he was or anything,

31:54 I gave him a ride to Duth and dropped him off at this insurance

31:59 company and he said he needed somewhere else to go after the insurance company.

32:02 He never came back, thankful to me.

32:04 So, I'm driving home and I didn't find out he was a serial rapist

32:08 until I got home to my police station and I told him what happened.

32:10 and he showed me a picture and the reason why he was hurt,

32:13 he was caught peeping Tom in a a woman's

32:16 window and the husband beat the heck out of him.

32:18 So, so my girlfriend who was looking on the internet for uh

32:23 a boyfriend in the younger version ran across the Dave

32:28 and um I met him just nonchalantly one

32:30 day dropping off some clothing by my girlfriend's house.

32:33 Then she called me up and said he was homeless and um I

32:38 did some searching and find out that he just had a hit and run.

32:41 He was just a drunk.

32:42 So that wasn't so bad.

32:43 So that wasn't bad.

32:44 No, not bad.

32:45 After [laughter] serial rapists and serial killers just to find

32:50 a homeless drunk [laughter] with they reckon that was all right.

32:53 All right, good enough.

32:54 Ah.

32:55 So anyway, so I did uh and he had a job,

32:59 so I knew he'd be working that he'd be able to pay 125 and I had a

33:03 All right.

33:03 Before we get to the agreement, well, you say that was the agreement.

33:07 125 per month.

33:08 Per week.

33:09 Per week.

33:09 All right.

33:10 And I had him sign an affidavit and everything.

33:13 Let's see it.

33:14 Sir, why don't you give me some background

33:15 or anything else you might want to tell me?

33:18 Well, first off, I was living in a motel.

33:19 I had maxed out on my credit card and I didn't expect

33:22 on checking out of a motel and checking into a cougar's den.

33:27 Cougar's den?

33:28 Yes.

33:30 Okay.

33:30 I had been there about 2 weeks and she hit

33:31 on me on her way back from karaoke and she loo looked

33:35 over at me and told me that she hadn't been

33:36 with a guy in a long time and she liked younger guys.

33:39 On the way back, I stopped her right there.

33:41 That's not true.

33:42 Really?

33:43 Yeah.

33:42 In your van on the way back.

33:44 That is not true.

33:45 She even hit on my buddy when he came over one night.

33:47 Oh my god.

33:48 I don't know what happened in that van.

33:49 That's all that that's all that I stopped right there.

33:52 I told her I was renting a room for her.

33:53 That was it.

33:54 Okay.

33:55 [laughter] That's not true.

33:56 This was after first renting it, she began hitting on you.

34:00 It was about 2 weeks.

34:01 All right.

34:02 I was only there for about four.

34:04 Okay.

34:04 What else do you want me to know before we get to the rent?

34:07 Was the agreement 125 a week?

34:09 125 per week.

34:10 Room and board.

34:11 Like I said, I I had to basically moved into her house out of desperation.

34:14 I couldn't afford the motel anymore.

34:16 Okay.

34:16 So, I was told it was supposed to be 300.

34:18 When I got to Rush, she said five.

34:20 I It was either five or the door.

34:21 So, I I signed the agreement.

34:23 All right.

34:23 What happened, ma'am?

34:25 Um, so I had him sign the agreement basically when he came in and I

34:28 had to go pick him up from the hotel because um he had no money.

34:32 He had nothing.

34:33 He had a grocery bag full of belongings and I even helped him get to work.

34:40 Did you hit on him?

34:41 No.

34:42 Okay.

34:43 Ew.

34:43 Go ahead.

34:45 Okay.

34:44 Go ahead.

34:45 So then the first week went by.

34:47 He ate me out of house and home.

34:49 Um that wasn't even a part.

34:51 I says, "I don't mind if you help yourself to make some sandwiches,

34:54 but I didn't expect him to eat um a whole month's worth of groceries that me,

34:58 my brother, and my goddaughter eat." And he ate all in the first week alone.

35:03 Okay.

35:03 These are some odd house rules, though.

35:06 Yes, they are.

35:07 I'll just read a couple of them that stand out.

35:11 Be nice to the pets.

35:12 Yeah.

35:12 I have to because her dog [laughter] I have [clears throat] two Pomeranians.

35:16 I have two Pomeranians.

35:18 They're little dogs.

35:19 I mean, why could he just ignore them?

35:21 Why does he have to be nice [laughter] to them?

35:25 Why does he have to be friends with your pets?

35:28 All right.

35:29 Upstairs is off limits.

35:31 That's where my bedroom is.

35:32 And this really gets me.

35:33 Please do not steal.

35:37 Yeah, that's a rule.

35:39 All right.

35:39 That's a law.

35:44 [laughter] You don't have to write that town as as a condition of living there.

35:47 Ma'am, go ahead.

35:51 Um, so what happened during the stay?

35:52 Then the the next following week on Friday when payday was due,

35:56 he was supposed to give me $250 because it

35:58 was the back um week that when he worked.

36:02 And then the next week, well then he only gave me $150 because he

36:06 said he had to have a cell phone working.

36:09 The second week, um, we got in a fight at the at the bank

36:13 because he wasn't going to give me any money at all.

36:15 But he I he finally did pay me.

36:17 And then that f the following Friday, he never came home at all.

36:21 Okay.

36:22 All weekend, he didn't come home.

36:23 Monday, he didn't come home Tuesday.

36:24 So I said, I'm packing up his stuff cuz obviously

36:26 I didn't see that as a rule [laughter] that Oh, yes, it did.

36:31 You have to come home every night by 4:30.

36:37 the man that had to work.

36:38 What time you get off work?

36:40 Around 10:30, 11.

36:41 Yeah.

36:41 I was going to be home at 4:30.

36:43 I never even had a host.

36:44 That's part of the rule.

36:46 It's It It's not.

36:46 But when he didn't pay me, I knew something was up that he just kidding.

36:51 No, it doesn't say that.

36:53 Yeah, I know.

36:54 I I have a uh also a statement from my brother

36:58 because um he did watch him sign that lease.

37:02 Your defense, but ma'am, do you think that was legal?

37:05 The fact to mess things up because I didn't

37:08 take no you took you drank my buddy's beer.

37:11 You took the change on the top

37:12 of the dresser which included two collector's coins.

37:14 There was no really that's the personal property swing about is the beer.

37:19 That and her dogs are needed on my shoes.

37:20 Yes sir.

37:21 [laughter] And her dog should have said hi to him.

37:25 Right.

37:25 That's right.

37:26 That's a good point.

37:27 You should have said you should have said hi.

37:29 [laughter] That's probably why the one rule is and treat him nice.

37:32 That's why she put that in the rule book.

37:35 Probably.

37:35 And that was a consequence of not obeying the rules.

37:39 [laughter] Dog came by said, "You know the rules." [laughter]

37:49 Tell me about the tendency.

37:51 When you were living with her, she says you ate her out of house and home.

37:54 I don't see how that's possible.

37:55 When I was there, I usually slept.

37:56 I ate one meal there.

37:58 Otherwise, I made sandwiches,

37:59 which the first day she was nice enough to go down the store

38:01 and buy lunch meat and everything the first day I got there.

38:04 Then within a half an hour after I got there,

38:05 she made me sign that lease with all those rules on him,

38:07 which I thought was weird right off the get-go.

38:09 Her brother's uh schizophrenic, takes his pills and drinks on it,

38:14 talks to himself, so I was leerary about that.

38:17 My brother does not talk to himself.

38:18 Yeah.

38:18 Yes, she has.

38:20 Go ahead.

38:21 I lived there for about three little over 3 weeks.

38:24 I paid her when I got paid.

38:25 I left on a Monday, though.

38:27 Why?

38:27 The ride I usually took to work,

38:30 I got laid off for a week and the next the other

38:33 ride I was going to was going to cost me $10 a day.

38:34 And I found out another buddy of mine lived right by where I worked.

38:37 So I stayed at his house for 5 days.

38:39 Came back I left Monday, came back Saturday.

38:41 You intend how long did you intend to stay gone?

38:44 Um just for that week.

38:46 Okay.

38:47 Okay.

38:46 I went back to the house on Saturday.

38:48 All my stuff's packed up.

38:49 So basically I just moved out.

38:52 And the personal property your account is suing for is what?

38:56 a pair of case with tennis shoes,

38:57 a pair of caterpillar boots that her dog urinated on, and the change

39:01 in the coins I had on top of my dresser.

39:04 And then I have um a statement from my cousin who was listening on the phone

39:08 the day he picked up his stuff telling me he got another job paying $20 an hour.

39:13 So, he's moving to Oaklair and he will

39:15 have $500 for me on Friday, which never came.

39:19 I also when he returned home as things were packed and what was the discussion?

39:23 Uh he told me basically that he was moving.

39:26 He got another job.

39:27 I said good for you.

39:28 That was after you had packed his things.

39:29 What had he told you prior to that?

39:31 He had told me nothing.

39:32 All right.

39:33 So this was clearly an illegal eviction.

39:36 A person goes and leaves for one week.

39:38 That's called vacation.

39:40 That's not called abandoning the lease.

39:43 If he had left for 30 days and had not notified you,

39:47 then perhaps you can conclude he abandoned the lease.

39:50 And if you were packing his clothes because of non-payment of rent,

39:55 that's an illegal eviction unless you had a court order.

39:58 You cannot evict anyone.

40:00 You cannot touch a person's property unless a judge signs a court order.

40:05 So there's no such thing as self-help

40:07 eviction [clears throat] where you can touch someone's

40:09 property and throw it out because they

40:11 don't want folks cutting and shooting each other.

40:14 So you illegally evicted him, ma'am.

40:16 I'm going to grant him treble damages.

40:18 $752* 3.

40:20 Excuse me.

40:21 What about the money he owes me?

40:23 How much?

40:25 2256.

40:28 2256.

40:27 And he owes you rent of how much?

40:31 Something store.

40:32 You don't know.

40:32 So, I'm going to go with her.

40:33 How much?

40:35 335.

40:34 She's very clear.

40:35 335.

40:37 The cleaning expenses were for what?

40:39 Um, I had to clean up the bedding.

40:40 I had to clean up.

40:41 Change sheets.

40:42 Change the sheets.

40:43 I had to vacuum in there.

40:45 So, that's normal wear and tear.

40:46 That isn't a cleaning expense that is beyond normal wear and tear.

40:50 When you rent to someone,

40:52 they're not liable for anything that is within normal wear and tear.

40:56 All right, $2,256 for you,

40:59 and I'll grant you your rent money, and that would be $335, 1921,

41:05 leaving him with 1921.

41:07 So, folks should understand when they're

41:09 committing illegal evictions that the judge

41:11 has the opportunity in most states to grant treble damages.

41:15 And that's three times the normal amount.

41:18 And that's what I'm granting him because this the man went

41:20 on vacation or went to stay with a buddy for one week,

41:23 come back and all his things are packed up.

41:25 Ma'am, that's wrong.

41:26 He had a place in that rice.

41:28 Have a good day.

41:30 Thank you.

41:30 [applause] Give my rice.

41:34 I'll take my chances.

41:35 Come on.

41:36 [laughter] This is before she knew I would rule against her.

41:42 There was no hitting on.

41:44 Yes, there was.

41:45 We were just on our way back from her singing karaoke and she

41:48 told me that she hadn't met with a man in a long time.

41:49 She [music] like younger guys.