Monster-in-Law

0:00 Plaintiff, Imogene Corbin, [music] says she was very close with her son,

0:03 but all of that came to an end once the defendant entered their lives.

0:07 Imogene believes the defendant uses [music] and sells drugs,

0:11 which is why the defendant lost her only child to the court.

0:15 Imogene [music] is suing her daughter-in-law for unpaid

0:17 rent and damages to her mobile home.

0:20 Defendant, Kelly Miller,

0:21 says she's [music] been with the plaintiff's son for 11 years.

0:24 And Imogene has always treated her badly.

0:27 Kelly says [music] her husband has had drug problems,

0:30 and they've even done drugs in the past with Imogene's daughter.

0:34 But Kelly's clean now,

0:35 [music] and counter-suing her mother-in-law for her unreturned property.

0:39 Start with you.

0:41 My son and I were always best friends.

0:44 Anytime I needed him, he was always there to help me furnace or car.

0:50 And then Kelly Miller come into the picture.

0:54 I uh and our family relationship went downhill.

0:58 She deals and sells drugs.

1:01 She uh Just give me a break.

1:03 You know that we're married.

1:05 We've been together for 11 years.

1:07 She's treated me like crap the whole time.

1:09 her son?

1:10 Yes, for 11 years.

1:12 And just to elaborate on the thing about drugs,

1:14 um I don't know how she thinks that I had

1:17 anything to do with her son getting on drugs, but

1:20 Oh, her son, your husband, is on drugs?

1:22 I wouldn't say he's on drugs now, but in the past,

1:25 his first marriage broke up because of it.

1:27 Um and his uh sister here, she's did drugs with us before.

1:31 And you weren't selling it to him?

1:34 No.

1:33 Okay.

1:34 Not even.

1:35 All right.

1:36 Does she look a little high now?

1:39 You didn't use [laughter] to No.

1:41 Stand up.

1:42 All right.

1:43 Have you ever got high with Imogene Strom?

1:45 I did do drugs with her probably once.

1:48 Once my eye.

1:50 Um we actually have a letter here stating

1:55 that she lost her son because of drugs.

1:58 And I'm getting ready to go out on that floor.

2:03 Okay.

2:03 And I've been in rehab for over a year,

2:06 and I'm getting my son back at the end of the month, so

2:08 Yeah, you don't appear to be high.

2:09 I can typically see some signs of drug addiction,

2:13 and you don't appear to have any of those signs,

2:16 so let's get to what else you want me to know about your son and the defendant.

2:24 I rented my mobile home to my son and my what you're suing for, unpaid rent.

2:29 My um my son and my two grandkids.

2:33 A year after I rented for a year, everything went really good.

2:37 Kelly moved in, and then it went downhill fast.

2:41 Let her finish.

2:41 I'll let you speak, ma'am.

2:43 Go ahead.

2:43 Here's I'm shaking.

2:44 I'm sorry.

2:45 see it, please.

2:45 Here's a picture of my home before Okay.

2:48 when and a picture after when they left.

2:52 Uh This is beautiful.

2:54 Ooh, this is trashed.

2:56 Can I say something, Your Honor?

2:58 Yep.

2:58 Okay.

2:59 Whenever we moved out because she evicted Rodney I didn't.

3:03 The trailer park did.

3:05 they have a danger sign.

3:08 [laughter] All right.

3:09 When you all moved out

3:10 No, what happened is that the mobile home park

3:13 um Rodney had built a deck on for Imogene.

3:16 And it had to be removed.

3:18 And that's why sign.

3:21 It had to be removed because it was supposed to be moved out of the park.

3:25 What damages did they cause, ma'am, you allege?

3:27 They did not pay rent.

3:29 So, the trailer park cannot evict the people.

3:32 They evict the trailer.

3:34 Correct.

3:34 Okay.

3:34 So, they brought in uh they hired for $1,200

3:39 a company to come in tear the skirts off,

3:42 tear the roof off the porch so they could put tires on and move it out.

3:47 I did have no idea this was going on.

3:50 Because they failed to pay for their space, they were evicted by the landowner.

3:57 Yeah, because see, they owe $5,700.

4:01 It's in her name.

4:02 in my name.

4:03 Okay.

4:04 So, I'm responsible,

4:05 and the trailer park says that I have to pay $200 a month for 29 months.

4:12 Oh.

4:12 I didn't live there.

4:13 They lived there.

4:14 What do you have to say, ma'am?

4:16 Where is your son in all this?

4:17 I'm just Ma'am, talk to me.

4:19 She can hear you.

4:20 She can hear you.

4:20 understand why she's not suing your son.

4:23 Her son is the one she made the agreement with to pay rent.

4:25 She hasn't talked to me at all.

4:27 And it's in her name.

4:28 Everything is in her name in that trailer.

4:30 ma'am, but the question is did you agree to pay the trailer park uh Yes.

4:37 in exchange Ma'am, when?

4:39 Uh last year.

4:41 And uh Rodney, my son, uh didn't pay child support,

4:46 so they yanked the the checkbook, all the money in the checkbook.

4:51 So, he didn't he called me and he said he needed to borrow for $500.

4:56 So, I went to him, and I said, "Kelly and Rodney, I'm going to loan you $500,

5:01 but you got to pay the payment on the trailer space." I said, "Kelly,

5:06 are you going to help him this time?" She had a job at the windshield place,

5:09 and she said, "Well, what do you think?" We sort of dropped it,

5:13 but it was like she moved in, she knew the rent

5:16 payment for the trailer place was only $335 for 2 years.

5:21 is your son?

5:21 She had him thrown in jail right before this court date.

5:24 He was going to come.

5:26 For what?

5:26 That's absolutely untrue.

5:27 Domestic abuse.

5:28 That is untrue, Your Honor.

5:30 For drugs.

5:30 And drugs.

5:31 That is untrue.

5:32 Check it and see.

5:33 There's nothing doesn't pay his child support.

5:37 He borrows money from you regularly.

5:41 And now he's in for woman beating and drugs.

5:46 As soon as he gets out, I'm going to charge him Well,

5:50 the only thing I'm charging Kelly for is what was done.

5:55 I had to hire a guy to put on the back steps because

5:58 OSHA won't let me re-rent my trailer unless they have two means of exit,

6:03 and that was tore off.

6:05 And the drywall and the trash and the removing of trash, the top on the

6:12 Let me also ask if any payment was ever made.

6:18 The first year, he made the really good.

6:23 the entire year.

6:25 Yes.

6:26 And they were living together.

6:28 No, the first year she didn't live there.

6:30 Untrue.

6:31 You're about to insist that you were living there.

6:34 And if you insist that you were living there when she says you weren't,

6:37 well, I'll give you the tap.

6:40 Now, one more time, the first year that she

6:44 didn't live there he paid every month, correct?

6:49 Yes, sir.

6:50 That was based on his agreement with you, correct?

6:55 Yes.

6:54 Why was a new agreement needed 2 years later?

7:00 I just went in and I heard

7:02 that the from the neighbors he was getting behind on the payment,

7:05 and I went and asked Kelly, "You're going to help him, aren't you?"

7:09 That's not her saying, "I'm now part of your original agreement."

7:13 And I will conclude as a joint tenant,

7:16 just someone who was sharing a tenancy of someone else's property,

7:20 they are liable for any damages that occur.

7:23 Counterclaim for 2,000 for unreturned property.

7:26 You say she took your property when?

7:28 Uh when we moved out, she kept the property, and when we asked her about it,

7:31 she said she put it out by the fence and that the rain

7:34 ruined it and that it got thrown into the trash.

7:37 And I just wanted to let her know.

7:39 She knows that we got married.

7:40 She refers to me as his girlfriend.

7:42 So, I just wanted to know I'm his wife.

7:44 I'm not his girlfriend.

7:46 So, I'd appreciate her quit referring to me as his girlfriend.

7:49 They got married like a week ago, 3 weeks ago.

7:51 We've been together 11 years, so whatever.

7:53 Okay.

7:54 And my brother's kids wasn't even invited.

7:57 Let me ask you about her property.

8:00 Did you tell her Did you remove her items and tell

8:03 her that the rain damaged it and that you threw some away?

8:08 The things the next-door neighbor said that she called the police,

8:12 and it's on that paper, the badge number and everything.

8:15 She called the police and told them that she had this stuff.

8:18 The police said to put them outside

8:20 of the next-door neighbor's house for 5 days.

8:23 So, she did that, and it rained and it snowed, and then they got all wet.

8:27 the neighbor put her things out?

8:29 Yeah, I didn't have them.

8:29 the neighbor go into their home?

8:31 Because they dropped them They got kicked out finally

8:34 after 2 years of trying to get them evicted.

8:39 Uh-huh.

8:38 When they finally left they put all their stuff over at the neighbor's house.

8:43 I didn't do it.

8:44 Okay.

8:44 And they never came and got it.

8:45 You have any she destroyed items or put them out?

8:47 I I have no proof.

8:49 All I have proof of is that

8:50 You have a burden to provide me with proof more likely than not.

8:57 Can I ask you a question?

8:58 Yep.

8:59 Jackie, did you not Would you honestly stand

9:01 up here and swear that you did not talk

9:03 to Rodney and tell that tell him that that stuff

9:05 got rained on and got thrown in the trash?

9:07 I did not.

9:08 too.

9:08 It did get rained on.

9:09 Well, you just said it got snowed on, but I didn't put them outside.

9:12 You guys never came and got it.

9:15 of my trailer.

9:15 That's how I had to get all of this cleaned up.

9:17 So, she can have her security deposit back.

9:21 That's what they left me with.

9:23 That's the inside of the house.

9:25 That's She tried for 2 years to kick them out.

9:30 We got eviction notice after eviction notice.

9:33 All right, ma'am, I'm going to grant you your damages to your property.

9:36 But unfortunately, I can't grant you the unpaid rent.

9:40 Uh she did not have a direct agreement with you.

9:42 I'm going to dismiss your claim for unreturned

9:44 property because you are unable to prove it.

9:47 You have the burden of proving that.

9:49 Have a good day.

9:50 Judgment for the plaintiff.

9:53 [applause] I hate her.

9:59 [applause] Looks like a war zone, huh?