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00:00You said he took money and some of your belongings
00:05when he moved out.
00:06Laundry baskets, cutting boards, lamps and tables,
00:09kitchen stuff, like washcloths and hand towels.
00:12Forget it.
00:13I don't do that.
00:14I didn't go to school for 10 years to do washcloths.
00:18Next!
00:19This is Judy Justice.
00:30Cassidy Walker is suing her former boyfriend, Leo Fulkerson,
00:45for stolen money and belongings.
00:48Court come to order.
00:49All rise.
00:52Have a seat, please.
00:55Judge, case 4028, Walker v. Ferguson.
00:58You're welcome.
00:59Ms. Walker, the defendant and you were involved
01:02in a relationship for a while.
01:04According to what I read, you met while both working
01:07in the same nursing facility.
01:10Subsequently, you moved in together.
01:12When was that? Month and year?
01:14December of 2022.
01:16And did you, Ms. Walker, move in with the defendant
01:19or did he move in with you or did you take a place together?
01:22He moved in with me.
01:24And did you have a lease on an apartment or did you own something?
01:27I had a lease on an apartment.
01:28And how long was that lease for?
01:30Until March of 2023, I think.
01:33Now, you didn't come alone.
01:35Because according to what I read, you have a younger brother.
01:39I assume that's you.
01:41And when you and the defendant moved in together in December 2022,
01:47your brother came with you?
01:49Not at that time. We had him on the weekends only.
01:51And where was he living prior?
01:53In a foster home in Nacusa.
01:54How long had he been in a foster home?
01:56I think just for that month.
01:57And then when I got guardianship of him in February of 23.
02:00And your parents are where?
02:02Um...
02:03Not in the picture?
02:04Yeah.
02:05Not in the picture. Okay.
02:06So your brother came to stay with you in February of 2023. Is that right?
02:12Yes, Your Honor.
02:13And when your brother came to live with you, it appears from your papers that you both petitioned the family court for guardianship of him since he's a minor.
02:21Yes.
02:22Does anyone have those guardianship papers with them? I'd like to see them.
02:31Who's Elisa Fulkerson?
02:32That's my legal name, Your Honor.
02:33That's your legal name?
02:34Yes.
02:35Okay.
02:36So that both of you have the legal papers that you both petitioned the family court for guardianship of him since he's a minor.
02:40Would that be correct?
02:41Yes.
02:42Does anyone have those guardianship papers with them?
02:44I'd like to see them.
02:45Who's Elisa Fulkerson?
02:46That's my legal name, Your Honor.
02:47That's your legal name?
02:48Yes.
02:49Okay.
02:50So that both of you were granted joint guardianship. Your name is Dakota.
02:55Yes.
02:56I'm Dakota.
02:57Okay. So now that we understand that you were living together, Dakota, you went to live with your sister and her mate.
03:03Yes.
03:04Great.
03:05And then, according to you, things started to take a turn in February of the next year.
03:15Yeah. Kind of the entire time we were together.
03:18If I'm correct in reading, it was February 2024. So you were together with Dakota, living together for a year until February of 2024, when according to you, you discovered that the defendant, according to you, had taken some money out of an account of yours.
03:37Yes.
03:38And you decided to leave. And you left, and you left Dakota with the defendant.
03:44No.
03:45You took Dakota with you. No. You decided to leave. That's what you say in your papers.
03:52Yes.
03:53Not you and your brother. You decided to leave. And where did you go?
03:59Stayed with a friend.
04:00What friend?
04:01A family friend for a little while, and then I went back because of Dakota.
04:05No. You stayed with a family friend. In what place? What city?
04:10Stevens Point.
04:11And did you have to travel to Stevens Point?
04:13Yes.
04:14How far away was it?
04:1530 minutes.
04:16But you didn't stay there.
04:17No.
04:18Okay. I'm reading you what this says. It says,
04:22In February 2024, I found out that he had stolen $2,445 from me after accessing my phone without permission.
04:30I broke up with him and went to stay with a friend until he could move out.
04:35I ended up leaving town for a while to visit my dad when I came back in July.
04:41So you were gone February, March, April, May, and June.
04:44When I went down by my dad, that was only for the month of July.
04:49So you were with a friend February, March, April, May, and June?
04:53No. I just stayed with a friend for a couple of nights, and then I went back to my house.
04:57Then you went back to live together?
04:58Mm-hmm.
04:59Okay. And when you went back to live together, did you share the same room? Did you live together as a couple?
05:06Yes.
05:07Yeah. And what happened with this alleged money that he owed you?
05:11He told me that he put it in his savings account for a trip that we were taking in April.
05:16And then when we went on that trip and we came back, he told me that I owed him $2,000
05:20because he was negative in his account, $2,000.
05:23Did you pay him?
05:25No.
05:26Of course. Ridiculous. So I'm not entertaining that part of it.
05:30You said he took money. He says it was for a purpose.
05:33You had an argument. You stayed with a friend. Then you came back and you lived with him.
05:37Right? And you went on the trip in April.
05:39What's this? Yes. That's a yes.
05:41Yes.
05:42All right. So let's forget about this money. It's nonsense.
05:45He took the end tables. Yes.
05:50Who bought the end tables? I did.
05:52You have proof of that.
05:54Do me a favor. Don't waste my time. You know what's in your packet.
05:58Cassidy Walker claims her former boyfriend, Leo Fulkerson, stole her money and belongings.
06:16Leo is countersuing, claiming Cassidy wrongfully kept government money meant for her brother.
06:21Now, you say you went to visit your father and came back. He ultimately moved out.
06:28Yes.
06:29And you claim took some of your belongings with him when he moved out. And, by the way, when he moved out, he moved out and Dakota chose to stay with him.
06:41Yes, Your Honor.
06:42Okay. Now, let's go through the items, because Mr. Fulkerson says any items that he took, he separated your stuff from his. Any items that he took, he actually purchased for the house. That's what he says. Okay. So let me hear what you think he took that belonged to you. I read it here, but let's have it for the record.
07:01Um, there's kitchen stuff, laundry baskets.
07:03What?
07:04Kitchen stuff.
07:05What's kitchen stuff?
07:06Like, washcloths and hand towels.
07:07Forget it. I don't do that. I didn't go to school for ten years to do washcloths. What's next?
07:12Um, laundry baskets, cutting boards, lamps, and tables, a $3 gift card.
07:16Hold on, hold on. Hold on. I don't want to hear about kitchen stuff. Lamps. Do you have photographs of the lamps and receipts for their purchase?
07:26Yes.
07:27I'd like to see photographs of the lamps and receipts that you paid for for their purchase. Lamps. You know what lamps she's talking about?
07:35I don't believe I have.
07:37What?
07:38I don't believe so, no.
07:40Did you take any lamps from the house?
07:42Yes.
07:43Do you recall what they looked like?
07:45Black, small lamp I thought was Dakota's. It was in his bedroom, on a nightstand in his room.
07:51Okay. So a lamp from Dakota's room?
07:54Mm-hmm.
07:55By the way, where did you go when you moved out?
07:57I moved to an apartment about 20 minutes away from where I'd previously lived so that I could be in Dakota School District.
08:03Okay. Do you have the receipt and do you have the pictures of the lamp?
08:06I don't have the receipt.
08:07All right. So let's forget the lamp. What's next?
08:09He had stole a $300 Walmart gift card.
08:13A what?
08:14$300 Walmart gift card.
08:15When did he take that and from where?
08:17When he moved out.
08:18When he moved out. And where was this Walmart gift card?
08:20Somewhere in the house.
08:21Oh. Next!
08:23Mixing bowls.
08:25Don't give me kitchen items. I'm not interested in kitchen items.
08:29A tool set, a cube organizer.
08:31Tube organizer. What is a tube?
08:33A cube organizer. It's just an eight square thing that you put storage containers in.
08:40Let's move on fast.
08:42The water fountain for my cats, their food, their...
08:46Just a second. You have a cat. Do you have a cat? You both have a cat.
08:51And Dakota has a cat.
08:52And Dakota has a cat.
08:53So who took care of your cat when you went to visit your father?
08:57Leo, I think.
08:58Next!
08:59The sheets for my bed, two different white boards, the shower curtain, a bunch of different tapestries.
09:09A lockbox that I had that I put my meds in. And then the skateboarding wall decor that I had.
09:16A skateboard?
09:18No. It's... There are picture frames that had wall decor in them.
09:21Let me do this for you. When he moved out, was there furniture left in the apartment?
09:27My bed and the couch.
09:28That's a yes. There was furniture.
09:30Yes.
09:31How many rooms was in this apartment?
09:34Three.
09:35Living room, dining room and kitchen bedroom? One bedroom?
09:38There's three bedrooms and then there's a kitchen.
09:41Oh, three bedrooms?
09:42Yep.
09:43Okay. One you shared.
09:46When he moved out, did he leave the bed?
09:48Yes.
09:49Were there dressers?
09:50Yes.
09:51Did he leave the dressers?
09:52One of them, yes.
09:53He left one. Let's go to the living room.
09:56Was there a couch?
09:57Yes.
09:58Did he leave the couch?
09:59Yes.
10:00Were there end tables?
10:01No.
10:02Well, there was, but he took them.
10:04He took the end tables?
10:05Yes.
10:06Who bought the end tables?
10:07I did.
10:08Yeah, proof of that.
10:11I don't see any invoices there for end tables.
10:16Okay, stop looking.
10:17If they're there, they're there.
10:18Do me a favor, don't waste my time.
10:20You know what's in your packet.
10:22So, the end tables, we have no proof of who purchased them.
10:26Now, let's go to Dakota's bedroom.
10:28Did Dakota have a bed?
10:29Yes.
10:30Did he take that bed?
10:31Yes.
10:32Because Dakota slept on it.
10:33Yes.
10:34Did Dakota have anything else in his room?
10:36Yes.
10:37What?
10:38He had a cube organizer, a bunch of gaming stuff, and all of his clothes.
10:42Did Dakota take those things?
10:44Yes.
10:45Now, there was a third bedroom. What was in the third bedroom?
10:47A bunk bed.
10:48Did he take that or leave that?
10:50It was left. I...
10:52Now, when the lease was ultimately up, you moved out, or did you stay?
10:58He moved out. I stayed.
10:59Okay. Are you still there?
11:01Yes.
11:02Do you have the couch?
11:04Yes.
11:05And you have the bunk beds?
11:07No.
11:08No. Did you get rid of the bunk beds?
11:10Yeah. There was no reason for me to have them.
11:12So you got rid of them? You sold them?
11:13Yeah.
11:14Okay. And what about the bed that he left in the room that you shared together?
11:19I still have that.
11:20You still have that. You use it. Okay.
11:22Now, I'm going to what I consider the more pressing part of this case, which is when you applied for guardianship of Dakota, since Dakota is underage, Dakota receives a certain amount of governmental assistance.
11:38Who does he receive governmental assistance from? Do you know? First thing, do you know? Like...
11:45You know what agency?
11:46I think it's just the county that he was living in at the time.
11:51Okay. And that's since he was released from foster care to your custody, to yours and the defendants.
11:58Yes.
11:59And do you know how much Dakota receives every month?
12:03Would you like a picture?
12:04No.
12:05Not yet.
12:06Yes, I do.
12:07What?
12:08I do.
12:09Of course you do. How much does he receive every month?
12:10375.
12:11And he's been receiving that since the two of you separated in July.
12:17Yes.
12:18Actually, he's been receiving that even before, but since July.
12:23Yes.
12:24July, August, September. And Dakota has stayed with the defendant.
12:29He's been going back and forth between our houses.
12:32That's not true.
12:33Is that right?
12:34Yes, Your Honor.
12:37Have you been keeping the $375 a month? That's Dakota's money.
12:43I've used it for things.
12:44That's either a yes or a no.
12:45I've put it in my bank account and spent it on things for Dakota or things we've needed for our house.
12:50For whose house?
12:51Mine and Dakota's.
12:52Dakota doesn't live with you. He lives with the defendant.
12:55Cassidy Walker has accused her former boyfriend, Leo Fulkerson, of stealing her belongings.
13:12Leo claims Cassidy is taking government money meant for her brother.
13:17Now, who does he stay with when he goes to school?
13:22Um, Leo.
13:23Okay, so five days a week, he stays with the defendant.
13:28Yes, Your Honor.
13:29Is that correct?
13:30Yes.
13:31Does he spend every weekend, overnight? What does he spend?
13:34He just decides when he wants to come to my house because Leo thought that giving a child decisions was a great idea.
13:41That's not a decision that I make. That's a decision that you have to go back to court and resolve.
13:46I don't know whether you're doing that or not, but you have to go back and resolve that.
13:51Because it is clear to me that, well, first of all, let's make it clear.
13:56Since July, have you been keeping the $375 a month that's Dakota's money?
14:05I've used it for things.
14:06That's either a yes or a no.
14:07No.
14:08Who has been keeping it?
14:11I've put it in my bank account and spent it on things for Dakota or things we've needed for our house,
14:16because that's what they're for.
14:17For whose house?
14:18Mine and Dakota's.
14:20Dakota doesn't live with you. He lives with a defendant.
14:25So this is what you have to do, because you have a counterclaim.
14:28Your counterclaim is for the money that she's been retaining for these three months,
14:32which clearly there's no question based upon what she says.
14:35She did $375 times 3 equals $1125.
14:41There was a few times that she had taken his checks before as well.
14:46I don't care.
14:47OK.
14:48Then you have dealt with that, but she lived with you in the house,
14:52and you shared a room together. You were a couple together.
14:56So I'm not interested in the before.
14:58I know very clean it's at least since July that she's been keeping his money,
15:04and she shouldn't have been if he's living with you.
15:06They should have gone with you. That's $1125.
15:10But this is what you have to do, sir.
15:12You have to go back to court and get her name removed as a guardian.
15:18Do you understand?
15:19Yes.
15:20If Dakota decides that he wants to live with you, and most courts,
15:24unless there's some overriding reason, will defer to what Dakota wants,
15:29because you're 16 or 17?
15:3116.
15:3216.
15:33At 16, the courts are going to defer to what he wants,
15:36unless there's some overriding reason not to.
15:39So you have to get her name removed, and you have to get those checks issued just in your name
15:45as long as Dakota is living with you so that you're using those government funds
15:50to support what the government intended those funds to be used for,
15:55for that support, which is Dakota's.
15:57Do you understand?
15:58Yes.
15:59Other than that, you can't put the government's money for your brother in your savings account.
16:04So your claim, actually, Ms. Walker, it's pretty straightforward for me.
16:08Your claim is dismissed.
16:10And your claim is several fold.
16:12You want furniture.
16:13He left you with most of the furniture.
16:15He took washcloths and a lamp that was in your brother's room.
16:18Who cares? That's nonsense.
16:20And then you claim this money that he took out of your account.
16:23You were a couple.
16:24He said it was for a trip.
16:26You actually went on the trip.
16:28So we don't regulate the lives of people who are living together when they're no longer living together.
16:34You had money.
16:35You went on a trip.
16:36Some was yours.
16:37Some was his.
16:38I don't get involved with that.
16:39What I do get involved with is public funds that are not being used for their intended purpose.
16:44And the intended purpose of these public funds was to take care of your brother.
16:48And you weren't doing that.
16:50So on your counterclaim, I'm awarding you $1,125 and strongly urging you, sir,
16:56to go back to court with Dakota and ask the court to have her name removed as guardian if Dakota elects to live with you.
17:05And if the court finds that in his best interest. Does that sound reasonable to you?
17:09Yes.
17:10Perfect. Do you understand that?
17:11Yes, Your Honor.
17:12Very good. We're done. Thank you.
17:14This court is adjourned.
17:20He stole everything from my house but a bed and a couch.
17:24I don't know. She seemed to struggle with a lot of things in her own personal life, finances, things like that.
17:28And she thought she could make her money this way instead of having a job.
17:31I had to come back to here with no job because Leo refused to allow me to have a job when he found out that I was trying to leave him.
17:37Because he wanted me to suck with him.
17:39She's a grown adult. Go get a job whenever you want.
17:43Because he was abusive and controlling.
17:45And I don't want to be in a relationship with somebody who's abusing me and having my 15-year-old brother watch that.
17:49That's not fair to me or him.
17:50No, I mean, Dakota's here as my witness as well.
17:53I mean, obviously, her brother wouldn't come live with me if that was what was going on.
17:57That didn't occur in the home.
17:58I'm going to try to take Leo back to court and get him off of the paperwork
18:01because there's no reason for somebody who's not related to him to be on the paperwork and go from there.
18:05That'll be up to him.
18:06You know, he's old enough to make that decision if he wants a relationship with her or not.
18:10Ready for a better tomorrow.
18:12Yeah, it's just better separate.
18:15What I always find interesting, Sarah, whatever governmental agency it is,
18:20whether it be the federal government, state government, or local government,
18:23as a significant part of its budget,
18:26helping people who really are in no position to take care of themselves at least for a while,
18:32as in the case of this young man, Dakota, who's 16 years old,
18:36I understand from looking at the papers that parents are not in the picture.
18:40And as a, you know, as a giving community, we say we have to help take care of him.
18:46Sister is under no responsibility financial to take care of a sibling.
18:51But what I found over the last 40 years is so often those funds don't end up with the intended recipient,
19:00or used for the benefit of the intended recipient.
19:03And sometimes it takes very long to correct that.
19:06And it would be so wonderful if there was a fast mechanism where it went fast,
19:11because right now he'll go to family court, maybe, to have her name removed.
19:17She will contest that.
19:19Dakota will probably be 18 by then.
19:22Yeah.
19:23Ultimately...
19:24There should be a faster check to make sure that the funds are being used for the child they were intended to support.
19:29Absolutely.
19:30Absolutely.
19:31And, you know, the way government works, it's so slow that it's, it often works...
19:36It'll be moot by the time they get it figured out.
19:38Right.
19:39But at least he got a portion of it back today,
19:41of what was supposed to be given to him over the past three months.
19:43Past three months.
19:44So, a little silver lining.
19:45That's the best we can do.
19:46Are you having a family dispute?
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