Taking Things Further

0:00 Plaintiff Zenia Jackson says when the defendant came

0:02 onto her, she was cautious but eventually gave in.

0:06 Zenia claims she even allowed the defendant to move

0:09 in with her after she was kicked out of her home.

0:12 However, now Zenia feels her ex-lover is trying to take her for a ride

0:16 and Zenia's forced to sue for unpaid rent and property damage.

0:21 Defendant Lisa Williams says Zenia always had a crush on her.

0:25 And although she normally doesn't date masculine women,

0:28 when she realized she could use the plaintiff for a place to stay,

0:32 a car, and cash, she decided to give the relationship a try.

0:36 Lisa denies owing the plaintiff for rent or property damage.

0:40 All right, tell me what happened.

0:42 All right.

0:42 Well, I know the defendant, um, Lisa Williams for maybe eight or nine years.

0:46 Um, her sister is actually my best friend and I'm a very,

0:49 um, close friend of the family.

0:51 So, you know, started off it was friendship.

0:53 She was just like a little sister, you know,

0:55 and December of 2004, she decided that she wanted to take it further.

1:00 So, you know, she came on to me.

1:02 At first, I was like, you know, no, whatever.

1:04 Then, you know, she give me the she ran gang and she was like,

1:07 I already know how you are, so, you know, I'm not going to hurt you or nothing.

1:10 So, I said, okay.

1:12 Um, at like at the end of December, uh, she came to me and she told me,

1:16 is that how it went?

1:18 No.

1:18 That's what she said.

1:18 She said you chose her.

1:21 No, I ain't choose her.

1:22 How did it go?

1:23 She chose me actually.

1:25 Like she said, she's my sister, best friend, and she liked me the whole time.

1:29 Were you interested?

1:30 Uh, at the time, no, because I personally don't date women who look like

1:35 You hadn't dated women then?

1:37 Yeah, I have.

1:37 You had You had not before her?

1:40 No, I dated a woman before her, but it didn't she didn't look like a boy.

1:42 I don't date women personally that look like boys.

1:45 I date women who look like women.

1:47 Oh, okay.

1:48 That ain't correct.

1:48 Her last girl looked rougher than me.

1:50 And

1:50 you end up dating her.

1:51 I know.

1:52 I gave it a try.

1:53 Her last her last girl looked just

1:55 her last girl looked just like me and personally she's on the show.

1:59 She looked just like me, too.

2:00 She just stunting right now.

2:01 So, let's just keep it real.

2:03 All right.

2:03 Now, um but basically, you know, um January came and Oh, well,

2:07 the end of December came and she was telling me she got kicked out.

2:10 No, I didn't.

2:11 Go ahead.

2:11 All right.

2:11 Thank you.

2:12 She got she got kicked out.

2:13 She came to me, she got kicked out.

2:14 I have two-bedroom apartment.

2:16 She asked me cuz she stayed there with me and I was like,

2:19 "Okay." And and then she was like she was going to pay me half on my rent.

2:23 And she was going to provide the food with her assistance

2:25 that she gets and in in return I'll pay.

2:28 When was that?

2:29 She moved in.

2:29 She moved in January 1st because we had a party.

2:32 It was New Year's party uh 2005.

2:35 All right.

2:35 Tell me your side, ma'am.

2:37 At the time that I was dating her, I was

2:38 young and uh I saw her for what she had.

2:41 She had a crib, uh a car,

2:44 and she had money and she was willing to give it to me.

2:46 She offered me to move in her house with her because she was lonely.

2:50 I did not offer to pay any rent because

2:53 So you're saying you began dating her because of what she was getting

2:57 what she had.

2:57 Yeah.

2:58 You were pimping her out

3:00 basically.

2:59 Sir, can I ask my sister to speak on this part?

3:01 This is when I want my sister to come in because she knows I was not lonely.

3:06 She had Well, go ahead.

3:07 State your name.

3:08 Uh Dina Jackson.

3:11 Um you know, I just noticed the transition.

3:12 No, my sister, she was focused.

3:14 She she's going to school.

3:16 She wants to be a police officer.

3:17 But I saw from the beginning to the end how it transitioned,

3:20 how her apartment started going down,

3:22 how she was having parties there, and then she basically

3:26 But ma'am, did you agree to all these things she was asking you for?

3:31 Yeah.

3:31 Did you give her money as she said?

3:33 It's like this.

3:33 Yeah.

3:33 You know what?

3:34 Yes.

3:34 So, I did.

3:35 You know what?

3:35 We were together.

3:36 When I had extra money, I would take her and her kids out or, you know,

3:40 if if she needed something, I would make sure her kids got it.

3:42 You know,

3:42 but you heard what she just said.

3:43 She said essentially she was using you.

3:46 This is the first time I'm hearing it.

3:47 She never came out and said that to me, you know,

3:49 and it was like at the end of the relationship,

3:51 this is when the cheating started coming.

3:53 Let me um allow her to finish giving her side.

3:57 Um when she offered me to stay in her house

3:59 with her, she did not ask me for rent money.

4:02 How could I give you $250 for rent and all I was getting was $250 for aid?

4:07 That's crazy.

4:08 Excuse me.

4:08 I never was in her business like that.

4:10 She told me she was she going to work every day.

4:12 I wasn't trying to get in her money.

4:13 I wasn't trying to get money.

4:14 You have to.

4:15 If you're charging people rent, just like a landlord,

4:17 you go to the landlord and say,

4:19 "I want to move in." He gonna get in your money.

4:23 Yeah.

4:22 He gonna say, "How much do you make?" He's

4:24 going to check your credit and he will not allow

4:27 you to, he or she will not allow you

4:29 to move in until they know you can afford it.

4:33 They know where you're getting your money from.

4:35 And she knew exactly how much I

4:37 How long did you live there?

4:38 4 months.

4:39 Why did she end up leaving?

4:40 Because you know what?

4:41 um the girl that she um she cheated on with me,

4:43 they tried to they actually they jumped me in my house.

4:47 They unplugged the walls, I mean the phone out the walls.

4:50 It's a long story.

4:51 You know, it was a situation where we were in the bed one day

4:53 and she got a phone call like 3:00 in the morning and she's thinking I'm sleep.

4:58 I'm laying right here on your stomach.

4:59 I hear you.

4:59 And the girl asked her for a threesome.

5:01 She didn't even have enough respect to leave

5:03 out my out the room to handle the conversation.

5:06 She tell her she'll be over there tomorrow.

5:08 Told me she was going to do her hair like I'm stupid.

5:10 So she stayed four months.

5:11 She stayed four months.

5:12 All right.

5:13 And she never gave you any rent.

5:15 And every time like when the it come up, she was like, "Well, you know,

5:17 I'm trying to do this for the school." And she would like put it to the side.

5:20 But do what for?

5:21 She would say she have to do this.

5:23 She trying to put the money to the side for school or, you know,

5:25 she has something to do with her kids or her mother need.

5:28 And what would you say?

5:29 I'd be like, "All right." I'd say, "Okay."

5:31 So you wave the rent.

5:32 I waved the rent.

5:33 That's what it Okay.

5:34 That's what that means.

5:35 She said, "Well, I'm putting money somewhere else." You said,

5:37 "Okay." Now, what car damage?

5:39 How has she caused car damage?

5:41 April 1st, um 2005, I was at work.

5:44 She called me around 10:00 and she was like, "Uh, man,

5:47 I crashed your car into her house." But she was laughing.

5:50 So, I figured April Fool's joke cuz it was on April 1st.

5:53 I immediately hung up, you know.

5:54 I just I just hung up.

5:55 So, she called me back maybe 2 minutes later and she was like, "No, I'm serious.

5:58 I crashed your h your your car into a house."

6:01 Do you have the estimate?

6:02 Well, yes.

6:02 Let me hear from you about the car, ma'am.

6:04 Um, I did not crash her car into her house on Oh my god.

6:08 What happened?

6:09 Uh, she gave me her car uh while she went to work all the time.

6:13 I always had her car.

6:14 She always let me drive it.

6:16 Uh, she told me that she made a police report

6:18 that someone stole her car while she was at work.

6:20 I did not crash her car into no one's house.

6:23 Sir, I'm confused.

6:25 You say she gave you the car that you She told me her car was stolen.

6:30 I was at my house.

6:31 You said that day she gave me the car to use.

6:36 No, not that's what you just told me.

6:38 Not April 1st.

6:39 She gave What date?

6:40 We're not That's the only date we're talking about.

6:42 You said that day she gave me the car to use.

6:46 April 1st I was then you backtrack and said

6:48 she told me she called and reported it stolen.

6:51 April 1st I was at my sister house.

6:52 Now

6:53 that's not what you told me the first time.

6:54 Don't believe you.

6:55 What else do you have to as evidence?

6:57 Ma'am, I went over there and I knocked on the lady's door.

7:00 Um, that's all I have with the police report that she

7:02 let me that she gave me in the uh estimate.

7:05 This is what the victim of the property.

7:09 Yes.

7:09 Because she they they said she left.

7:12 They say she left my car there.

7:13 And the reason why I wanted the police there because I didn't want

7:15 You said she's making all this up.

7:18 You never even drove her car that day.

7:20 Not that day, sir.

7:21 Sir,

7:21 I was at my sister's house.

7:23 Right.

7:23 So, she's making this up on you.

7:25 Yeah.

7:25 She mad cuz I don't want to be with her.

7:26 So, she want to see me.

7:28 Come on.

7:28 And so what do you think happened to her car that night?

7:31 April 1st, I was at my sister house like she did.

7:34 Did you?

7:34 I'm asking you.

7:35 What do you think happened TO HER CAR?

7:37 SHE called me and told me someone stole her car and crashed it.

7:42 Okay.

7:42 Did you all ever discuss the police pursuing that person

7:46 or whether she's going to file a police report?

7:49 I told her to file a police report and say what?

7:53 Uh that her car was stolen so we can get the car back.

7:55 Okay.

7:55 Well, she didn't say that in here.

7:58 She didn't say that the car was stolen and neither did the uh police.

8:04 You kept saying, "I was at my sister.

8:06 I was at my sister." Giving us alibi that no one even asked you for an alibi.

8:11 You just kept saying, "I was at my sisters.

8:13 At my sisters, at my sisters, sounding guilty.

8:17 So, I don't believe you.

8:18 And I know you take it as a joke.

8:21 I'm not going to grant you your rent, ma'am.

8:23 You haven't been able to prove that.

8:25 However, I am going to grant you $1,580 for the car damage I believe she did.

8:32 Yes, ma'am.

8:33 Can I recommend that you make her complete her GED?

8:35 I still She got four kids.

8:36 I still want her to do something with her life regardless of what

8:39 you still care about her.

8:40 That's good.

8:40 That I mean, she's still she's still a friend of the family.

8:43 I And I'm like her.

8:44 I don't want to see your children like that.

8:45 I don't care much about you.

8:48 It's going in one end, sir.

8:50 You don't seem to care about yourself, but I care about your children.

8:53 I'm going to go a step further than you.

8:55 I order you to get a GED and a skill

8:58 trade or community college or university within two years.

9:04 GED and followup within two years.

9:06 Otherwise, you'll be held in contempt.

9:09 Have a good day.

9:09 That's the judgment.

9:10 Thank you.