- 2 days ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Michael and Perry Butler are suing their neighbors, Michael Welch, Jr. and Lisa Welch, for vet bills.
00:10Court come to order. All rise.
00:13Have a seat, please.
00:16Judge, case 4024, Butler v. Welch.
00:19You're welcome.
00:21Mr. Butler, Sr.
00:22Yes.
00:23This is your grandson.
00:24Yes.
00:24You live on a piece of property, a rural piece of property, and that property is owned by whom?
00:31By me.
00:31And you've owned that property for how long?
00:34About 20 years.
00:35And the defendants, are they tenants of yours?
00:39No.
00:40They live close by?
00:41They have an RV parked on part of my property.
00:46With your permission?
00:47With my son's permission.
00:48So your son lives on the property with the defendants?
00:51Well, he lives on the property.
00:53Well, who's going to explain this to me?
00:55You're going to explain it to me?
00:56Come on, stand up.
00:57Your last name is Butler.
00:59Yes.
00:59Your father owns property.
01:01Yes.
01:01And you live on your father's property.
01:04Yes.
01:04In a house or an RV?
01:06House.
01:06How do you know the defendants?
01:08Just old friends.
01:09Did you allow them to move their RV onto the property?
01:12Yes, I did.
01:13Michael, I did.
01:15Michael.
01:15My father, yes.
01:16That's you.
01:17The one sitting down.
01:18Okay, so you're friends.
01:20Yeah.
01:20And your father allows you to do that.
01:22Yes.
01:23Just my own information.
01:24Do you pay Mr. Butler any rent?
01:27Give it to Scott.
01:28How much?
01:28$400 a month.
01:30And your dad knows about that?
01:31Yes.
01:32Okay, very good.
01:33And this beautiful dog belongs to you?
01:35Yes, that's correct.
01:36Have a seat.
01:39Now, Mr. Butler Jr., you don't live with your dad or your granddad?
01:44No, I do not.
01:45According to what I read, and I believe this is right,
01:47there came a time when you were going away to celebrate a wedding of a friend.
01:51We were going to my niece's graduation.
01:55And what date was the graduation?
01:56June 1st.
01:57And so you couldn't take the dog with you, so you asked your grandfather and or your dad
02:03if you could leave the dog.
02:05And the dog's name is?
02:07Ruka.
02:07If you could leave Ruka with them for a couple of days.
02:10Correct.
02:10Many times one week.
02:11How many days?
02:12I believe it was about a week.
02:13Okay, on what date, do you remember, did you leave Ruka with your dad?
02:18I believe it would have been the 29th, and the incident was the morning of the 30th,
02:23if I remember correctly.
02:24Because we were leaving the day the incident happened.
02:26We were flying out, so we got a call that morning before we took off.
02:29Okay, so this is what I think happened.
02:32Your last name is?
02:33Welch.
02:34Mr. Welch, you lived with?
02:35Um, my mom and my father, yeah.
02:37Great.
02:38And you have chickens and some ducks.
02:41Actually, Scott's the one with the chickens and the ducks, and while he went to jail,
02:45I told him I would take care of the animals and not let any harm come to them.
02:50So...
02:50So they belong to Scott?
02:52Yes.
02:53Okay.
02:54You live with your parents?
02:57Yes, in a camper outside of the property, yes.
03:00In a camper?
03:01Yes, I live in a camper outside of the property.
03:03Do you pay any rent?
03:04No.
03:05Nice people.
03:05You want them off your property or you want them on your property?
03:08We've asked them to leave.
03:09Really?
03:10The owner of the property wants you off the property.
03:12What's your problem?
03:13My husband just went through hip replacement a couple weeks ago, so he's been down for six weeks.
03:20How did he get here?
03:21No, he just got his hip replaced.
03:23He just walked into court.
03:24Yeah, he did that two or three weeks ago, so he's...
03:27What difference does it make?
03:28They asked you to leave the property.
03:30How long have they been asking you to leave the property?
03:32Scott told us that we didn't have to leave.
03:34Perry's the one that said...
03:37Scott doesn't own the property.
03:40His father owns the property.
03:42Am I hearing that right?
03:43That's right.
03:43The owner of the property wants your camper off their property.
03:49What's your problem?
03:50Nothing.
03:50When are you going to leave?
03:52As soon as we can.
03:53What does that mean?
03:54You start your motor home and you go.
03:56And you go to a motor home camp and you plug in someplace else.
04:02Our motor home is not starting.
04:03That is the problem.
04:04No, that's your problem.
04:06Yes, that is my problem.
04:07That's your problem.
04:08You can't squat on somebody else's property because you've got a problem.
04:12They want you to leave and they want you to leave for a reason.
04:15And this is part of the reason.
04:17Because he dropped off his dog a week before in mid-May, according to you, a dog came on
04:24the property that doesn't belong to you and took away chickens or ducks that also don't
04:30belong to you.
04:32So far, I have that right?
04:33Yes, you do.
04:34And they came back and forth and back and forth, these dogs, for a while.
04:38How long?
04:39A week, two?
04:40Just two days.
04:41Two days?
04:42Yeah.
04:42What two days?
04:44Pretty sure it was May 27th and May 26th.
04:5026th and 27th.
04:52Yes, the first day he took a duck.
04:54I don't care what he took.
04:55Okay.
04:56That's not relevant.
04:57They weren't your ducks.
04:58They belonged to them.
05:00They weren't your chickens.
05:01And it's not your house.
05:03It's not your property.
05:04So what you did on the 30th is, according to you, dogs came back on your property.
05:11A dog came back on your property on the 30th that you had seen taken to ducks and the chickens
05:18before.
05:19That's what you say.
05:20It was actually a misunderstanding because the neighbor had a dog exactly like his, and
05:26that was the dog that was doing it.
05:28And I made a terrible mistake, and it really went further than it should have.
05:33I shouted for the dog to stop, and it did not.
05:35Bottom line is, you shot a dog.
05:38You shot the dog multiple times.
05:44With a BB gun.
05:46The BB gun.
05:46Would you like me to do that to you multiple times and then try to say to you, you know,
05:50it's just a BB gun.
05:50Just stand there.
05:51Don't be a sissy.
05:53It's just a BB gun.
05:54It can only sting you.
05:56And later today.
05:57Your lawyer said, well, let's rattle the cage a little bit.
06:01Tell her she can't take the boy to Japan.
06:04That's what you say happened.
06:08Michael and Perry Butler claim their neighbors, Michael Welch Jr. and Lisa Welch, owe for
06:21vet bills.
06:22Michael Jr. says he shot their dog while protecting the other animals on the property.
06:28You shot a dog.
06:30With a BB gun.
06:30His dog.
06:32Injured the dog.
06:33This dog that wasn't doing anything.
06:36And there were over $4,000 in surgical bills.
06:41Because you made a mistake.
06:42Yes.
06:43So what are we doing here?
06:44Why didn't you take care of the medical bills?
06:46We don't feel like we should have...
06:48Just a second.
06:49I don't care about you.
06:50Yeah.
06:50I didn't take care of the medical bills because I didn't feel like I should have to be put
06:56the whole bill on me.
06:57Let me ask you this question.
06:58I wasn't holding the gun with you, right?
07:00No.
07:01Sarah Rose.
07:02She said you never saw her before.
07:03No, no.
07:03She wasn't holding the gun with you.
07:05No.
07:06Now, your mom didn't say to you, shoot the dog.
07:09Did your father tell you to shoot the dog?
07:10No.
07:11So you did that all by yourself?
07:13Just answer my question.
07:14That requires a yes or no.
07:16You shot the dog all by yourself.
07:18Well, yes.
07:19I shot the dog myself.
07:21Right.
07:22Yes.
07:22So now that you say you shot the dog yourself, you shot the wrong dog, right?
07:28Yes.
07:28You had no right to shoot any dog, but this dog certainly hadn't been on your property
07:32before because it had only been dropped off the night before.
07:35This was a visiting dog.
07:36Let's say instead of a visiting dog, he dropped off his twin boys, and they would come on the
07:43property and chase the ducks and chase the ducks and chase the ducks, and then they would
07:46go home, and then another kid that was pretty much the same size as those kids came on your
07:52property, and you thought that that kid was the one that was torturing your ducks, stealing
07:57your chickens, so you shot the wrong kid.
07:59No, I wouldn't do that.
08:00Why not?
08:01Because that's a child.
08:02Really?
08:03Yeah.
08:03So you think that shooting somebody else's property, attacking somebody else's property,
08:09and you shot the dog multiple times.
08:12With a BB gun.
08:14And the BB gun-
08:15Would you like me to do that to you multiple times and then try to say to you, you know,
08:19it's just a BB gun.
08:19Just stand there.
08:21Don't be a sissy.
08:22It's just a BB gun.
08:23It can only sting you unless you get it in the eye or unless you get it in a vital organ.
08:28I wasn't shooting at vital stuff.
08:30I was shooting at the body of the animal.
08:32I wasn't trying to shoot at its head or its eyeballs or anything like that.
08:35Then you say, I'm sorry.
08:37I made a terrible mistake.
08:38I will take care of the vet bills because I made a mistake.
08:42It's my mistake.
08:44Why are we here?
08:45I understand.
08:46You're right.
08:46Perfect.
08:47When are you moving off the property?
08:49As soon as I get back there.
08:50As soon as you get back there.
08:51How far away is it?
08:53I'd say about three hours away.
08:54It's in North Palm Springs.
08:56Fine.
08:56You have a car?
08:57My car is broken.
08:59That's why I'm still there.
09:00It's because my car is broken.
09:02How long has your car been broken?
09:04Probably about a little bit over nine months.
09:07Mm-hmm.
09:07Other than camping out on the property, what else do you do?
09:10Also, I'm not on the property, actually.
09:13I'm off of their property in BLM land.
09:16In where?
09:16I'm on Bureau of Land Management land.
09:20I'm not on Scott's...
09:21So you're on my land?
09:23Probably.
09:23I didn't give permission to be on my land.
09:26What are you doing on my land?
09:27I don't know.
09:28I guess I was just hanging out there.
09:32Can I see the vet bills, please?
09:34Yes.
09:36Scott.
09:36Yes.
09:40What were you doing in prison?
09:42I was in jail.
09:44For what?
09:45Receiving stolen property.
09:46What kind of property?
09:48I was buying and selling cars, and I had some I shouldn't have had.
09:51Okay.
09:51And how long did you spend incarcerated?
09:54Three months.
09:55Okay.
09:56Do you work?
09:57Yes.
09:58What kind of work do you do?
09:59I do boilers now.
10:00When did you first tell them that you would like them to leave the property?
10:03It was about six months ago.
10:05Michael Jr. is one I told to leave.
10:07Just him?
10:08Michael Sr. has been there for a while, and I've always got along with him.
10:11And then Lisa sort of came back onto the property, and so did Michael Jr., which I never wanted him there.
10:18But he just wouldn't leave.
10:20You know what you did to the animal that you thought was on your property that wasn't your own?
10:26Did you ever think that you're on property that's not your own?
10:29Oh, I knew I was.
10:30You know you are.
10:31I'm trying to draw an analogy there for you, sir.
10:34You're missing it.
10:35No, no, I didn't miss it.
10:36I understood what you're saying, but I totally understand now what is going on.
10:40Well, get off his property.
10:41No problem.
10:42What are these three $50 receipts for?
10:45Lisa agreed right after the shooting to pay the bill, and then she paid me two $50 amounts, which I gave her receipts for.
10:56Okay.
10:57Judgment for the plaintiff in the amount of $4,156.48.
11:01Thank you very much.
11:03This court is adjourned.
11:04Well, I appreciate the fact that she ruled in the way that she did.
11:09I feel like we've gotten justice for Ruka.
11:11When I called and told him that I'd shot the dog, he mentioned a few hours later that it was his son's dog.
11:19And also the fact that my grandpa can be reimbursed for, you know, the hardship of having to take care of this.
11:25Time to find another place.
11:28I was under the impression, maybe you were too from the papers, that the ducks and the chickens and the other animals that the defendant was claiming to be protecting belong to him.
11:37Only right now in court did we find out that they actually belong to the plaintiff.
11:41And so there is no defensive property claim that he could claim for his actions.
11:46But I think at the end of the day, he accepted responsibility.
11:49He knows he did the wrong thing.
11:51Why it had to come in front of us to get solved.
11:53Because he didn't pay the bill.
11:54All right. On to the next.
11:55On to the next.
11:57Case number 4007, Rodriguez versus Vidari.
12:00All parties, please come forward.
12:02Selma Rodriguez is suing her former daughter-in-law, Natalie Vidari, for the cost of canceling a trip to Japan.
12:11Ms. Vidari, this is your former mother-in-law.
12:13Correct.
12:14Your former mother-in-law is suing you for the cost of a trip that she paid for for your 14-year-old son,
12:21a trip to Japan that was canceled by you in a time frame when she could not get any refunds on the trip for your son.
12:31That's what your case is about, correct?
12:33Yes, correct.
12:34So I'm going to recite what seems to me to be sort of an agreed set of facts based upon your complaint and your answer.
12:43But I have to start with you.
12:45How long had you been married to her son?
12:49We were married for 13 years.
12:51And you have two children together.
12:52Correct.
12:53One is 14.
12:54What's his name?
12:55Vittorio.
12:56Who is this?
12:57My son, Vittorio.
12:58Step outside.
12:59Step outside.
12:59Step outside.
12:59Step outside.
12:59Step outside.
13:00Step outside.
13:04I don't think he has to be here.
13:07Okay.
13:08Vittorio and?
13:10Mila.
13:11How old is she?
13:11She's eight.
13:12And those are your only two children?
13:14Yes.
13:14Do you work?
13:15Yes, I do.
13:16What kind of work do you do?
13:17I'm in customer service for the automotive industry.
13:19When were you divorced?
13:2017, 18.
13:21It was finally official.
13:23In what year were you divorced, sir?
13:242019.
13:25And during the period of time of your divorce, after it was finalized, your mother-in-law has maintained a relationship with both of your children.
13:34Yes.
13:35And she's even traveled with one or more of your children.
13:38Yes.
13:39Independently.
13:40Yes.
13:40Of you and her son.
13:44It's outrageous behavior, in my judgment, for you to think that you are a sole parent, that you can take these two children on a whim to another state when they have an ongoing relationship with a custodial parent.
13:58Selma Rodriguez claims her former daughter-in-law, Natalie Vadari, canceled a trip with her grandson to Japan, costing her thousands in non-refundable fees.
14:20So she's taken the 14-year-old away on vacation.
14:24Yeah.
14:24Tell me where she's taken him.
14:26She's taken him to Alaska.
14:28She's taken him to Tennessee.
14:31And I assume that the two children, since one of the children was here, that they live with you full-time.
14:36We split custody.
14:37So they're back and forth at my house and their father's house.
14:40Now, when was it for the first time that your mother-in-law expressed an interest in taking your son on a trip to Japan?
14:49Oh, I want to say...
14:51You don't remember our last car.
14:53January.
14:54Of what year?
14:552024.
14:56And there were several things that had to be done.
14:58Yes.
14:59One of the things that had to be done is that your son's passport had expired.
15:02Yes.
15:03And what did you have to do to update his passport?
15:06We had to go to the post office and renew his photo and his information.
15:10And you did that with him?
15:11Yes.
15:11And do you remember what month you did that?
15:13I believe in January.
15:14And that was all for the purpose of getting ready for this trip to Japan, which was supposed to take place when?
15:20The departure date was May 28th.
15:22Now, on what date did your lawyer tell you you shouldn't let your 14-year-old go to Tokyo?
15:28That was back in April.
15:30You have a boyfriend?
15:32Yes.
15:32How long have you had your boyfriend?
15:34We've been together for three years now.
15:35What does he do?
15:36He's a veteran.
15:38He's retired.
15:39He lives off a pension.
15:40Yes.
15:40So, let me understand this.
15:42Your children have a close relationship with their paternal grandmother.
15:46They split custody with their father and you.
15:49And according to your answer, what you wanted to do was take your children and move with your boyfriend, who is unemployed, to Montana.
15:57That's what you said.
15:58We're relocating.
15:59You wanted to move with your boyfriend to Montana.
16:03Not because he had a job there that he had to have or because he had to have long-term surgery and recuperation, but because you liked it better.
16:14Because of the cost of living.
16:15We can't afford to live here in California.
16:17So, we're looking to relocate.
16:18Why doesn't he get a job?
16:19You have a job.
16:20You've been divorced for a while.
16:22You've been able to sustain yourselves here.
16:25And if he's retired, let him get a job.
16:28So, what happened is your former husband said to you, I'm not giving you permission to take my children, who I share custody with, from California to Montana.
16:40Does that sound crazy to anyone?
16:42And after it became contentious and you're currently in court, is that right?
16:46It's in the works.
16:47It's in court.
16:48Your lawyer said, well, let's rattle the cage a little bit.
16:52Tell her she can't take the boy to Japan.
16:55That's in your answer, right?
16:57Correct.
16:57Well, you're going to pay for the trip that he didn't go on, that she paid and couldn't get a refund on.
17:03That's outrageous behavior.
17:05First of all, madam, it's outrageous behavior, in my judgment, for you to think that you are a sole parent, that you can take these two children on a whim, nothing but a whim, to another state when they have an ongoing relationship with a custodial parent and think that that's okay.
17:23Where do you come off thinking that's okay?
17:25To be honest, Your Honor, like, it's not off a whim.
17:27We have pre-approval, you know, to...
17:29You have what?
17:30Pre-approval of a home loan, to move to my town, we have everything set, so it's not just on a whim.
17:36Just a second!
17:37Who told you to get everything set?
17:39That's absolutely ridiculous.
17:41So you made these plans, knowing that you have two children, 14 and 8, who have serious ties in California.
17:52Sometimes people, when they have visitation every other Tuesday, if the moon is full with a child, and parties remarry, and somebody is being sent by the army to Montana, well, a judge may say, listen, if we make arrangements for them to visit that one day every Thursday when there's a full moon, okay.
18:12But your children have a parent here, the same kind of parent as you are.
18:16How would you feel if he said, you know what, I'm going to take the kids?
18:19I think that I have better opportunities for the children in Tennessee.
18:23Before all this, we did have an agreement already on the schedule and everything with the kids.
18:27We just had to make it, you know, go to court and get it approved and everything.
18:31It's not just off of a whim.
18:32It is a whim, and it's not in the best interest of children.
18:35Your 14-year-old has grown up knowing both of his parents.
18:39And because you've got an unemployed boyfriend and want to make a change of life for yourself, you think that you can disrupt these children.
18:46Leave them with their father.
18:47I'm sure his mother will be more than happy to help take care of them if he's working.
18:51You working?
18:52I am.
18:52In any event, how much was the cost of the trip?
18:55$38.65.
18:56May I see, please?
19:02What's your last name?
19:06Vidari.
19:07Could you stand up next to your mother, please?
19:10Were you consenting to her moving your two children to Montana?
19:13No.
19:14When was the first time she told you she wanted to move the children to Montana?
19:18December of 2023.
19:20And what happened?
19:21We just never really talked about it until about April of this year.
19:26And I told her, like, what I would feel comfortable with was if she already had a home.
19:32Already had a job there because I wasn't comfortable with the situation she was putting herself in.
19:38That didn't happen.
19:39She was angry.
19:40Okay.
19:41Is it currently before the court, this application to relocate?
19:45I have no idea.
19:46You have it before court?
19:47We haven't gone there yet, Your Honor.
19:49You have a lawyer?
19:50Yes.
19:50Did your lawyer serve papers on him?
19:53Not yet.
19:53Okay.
19:54I'm going to suggest it's a monumental waste of time.
19:56Any judge worth their salt would deny your application to relocate.
20:00I would deny it.
20:01As a family court person for 25 years, I would deny it in a heartbeat.
20:05Judgment for the plaintiff in the amount of $38.65.
20:08You're responsible for the cost of the trip.
20:09You had no reason to cancel it.
20:11We're done here.
20:12Thank you very much.
20:12Thank you very much, Your Honor.
20:13This court is adjourned.
20:14Two days before the departure date, she sent me a text telling me,
20:23I hope you realize that he won't be able to go with you because I'm not authorizing him to go.
20:28Well, this was regarding the trip and they made it into the Montana thing,
20:32which has nothing to do with the case.
20:33So she has really worked on severing the relationship with the children and me.
20:37Well, we can just, you know, work this out and move forward.
20:39Your passion for the best interest of the child definitely got to shine through a little bit in there.
20:46But really, it's true.
20:47Once you have a child, your own personal whims, desires don't come first anymore.
20:53Since 50% of marriages end in divorce, and most marriages have at least one child,
21:00then you have to figure you're going to be tied to this person for at least 21 years.
21:06Because you may get tired of the mate, but you can't get tired of your kids.
21:10No.
Comments