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00:00You rent out rooms.
00:01I do.
00:02I told her that things were getting rough
00:04and everything was just getting too much.
00:06She went on a scissor rampage, cutting cords to my appliances.
00:09Listen to me.
00:10My lamp, my elliptical machine.
00:13Could you be quiet?
00:14I have a cow collection, and she smashed them.
00:19Stop jabbering.
00:21This is Judy Justice.
00:40Sarah Lasoyne is suing her former roommate, Rose De La Rosa,
00:46for rent and utilities, as well as property damage.
00:50Court come to order.
00:51All rise.
00:55Have a seat, please.
00:57Judge?
00:57Case 4100, Lasoyne v. De La Rosa.
01:01You're welcome.
01:01The case is relatively simple,
01:03and you are the primary leaseholder on a three-bedroom house.
01:08Correct.
01:08And you've had that for a while?
01:10Almost two years.
01:11And you rent out rooms?
01:13I do.
01:13How many?
01:14I have one room, and there are two to be rented out.
01:17And you have permission from the owner of the property,
01:20pursuant to your lease, to do that?
01:21Correct.
01:22You rented a room to defend it.
01:23It is your claim that you caused some damage.
01:25She said that you illegally evicted her and damaged some of her property.
01:28So I have a couple of questions.
01:30First, tell me where you live.
01:32Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
01:33When did the defendant rent a room from you?
01:36Best of my knowledge, it started in July of 2023.
01:39Do you know when you started to rent the room?
01:41August.
01:42August.
01:42August 1st?
01:43August 1st.
01:44And what was the rent?
01:46525.
01:46And she had security deposit?
01:48She did with the homeowner.
01:50Of how much?
01:51750.
01:51And that was held by the owner of the house?
01:54Yes.
01:55In addition to the 750 security deposit, did you also have a month's rent?
02:00No.
02:01No.
02:01So it was just a 750 security deposit?
02:04It was not a 750, it was a security deposit.
02:06Wait, show me.
02:07I only have it in words.
02:08I have it on words on a video from the landlord himself.
02:12But...
02:12Who was this?
02:13This is my witness, who also lives in the house.
02:15Okay.
02:15When did you decide that you no longer wanted Miss Della Rosa to be in the house?
02:21April of this year, she had lost her job.
02:23So between April and August, it was just a disarray in the house.
02:29It was uncomfortable.
02:30So when she first moved in on August 1st, things were fine.
02:33August, September, October, November, December, January, March.
02:36Here and there, yes.
02:37Things were okay.
02:38They were hilly, yep.
02:39They were okay here and there.
02:40Miss Della Rosa, what kind of work did you do?
02:43I worked as a t-shirt place.
02:45Are you still working there?
02:46No.
02:47Okay, so I don't care.
02:48And that was your primary source of income.
02:49Do you have any other source of income?
02:52SSI and SSDI.
02:53And how much do you get from SSI?
02:54Combined, it's $974.
02:57Okay.
02:58Having trouble in April.
02:59And what happened in April?
03:01Well, prior to April, we've had just a relationship.
03:03I don't care.
03:04You know, it's just rocky, but in April, she lost her job.
03:08And that had nothing to do with me except for like April, May, June, and July.
03:13There was like no money coming in, so...
03:15Did she still pay her rent?
03:16Uh, she did not pay her rent in May or June.
03:19Yes, I did.
03:19No, sorry, June or July.
03:21Yeah, I guess I did.
03:22Shh, shh.
03:23Did she usually pay her rent by check?
03:25Cash.
03:26Cash.
03:26Cash.
03:27Did you give her a receipt?
03:28No, but we never had a problem.
03:30I just gave it to the landlord.
03:31She would give me the cash, I would write a check to the landlord.
03:34So...
03:35All in full.
03:35In June, she did not pay rent?
03:37No.
03:37Go ahead.
03:38May, I told her that things were getting rough and like the fighting,
03:41everything was just getting too much.
03:43I want to evict you.
03:43I want you out and she said no, so I said okay.
03:46Um, I went down to the courthouse when I could.
03:50Like I worked three jobs this summer, so when I went...
03:53Did she have a lease?
03:53Did she have a lease?
03:54Um, kind of, sort of.
03:56What do you mean?
03:56The lease changed.
03:57No, listen to me.
03:58The lease changed.
03:59There's no kind of sort of lease.
04:01Did she have a lease?
04:02Yes, there's a lease involved, yes.
04:03Okay, may I see it please?
04:04Yes.
04:06The landlord gave us...
04:08Just like leeway.
04:14Okay, well, sort of, because she didn't sign this.
04:18I'm looking to see if she signed this.
04:20No, this wasn't a lease that she signed.
04:23This was a lease that you signed with the owner of property.
04:27Mm-hmm.
04:28And it was designated that for the purposes of the agreement,
04:32the lease with you, she was designated.
04:34Stop looking at your phone and pay attention.
04:36I'm looking for proof of the agreement.
04:38Stop, pay attention.
04:39This lease is between you and the landlord, and it merely says that the people who are allowed
04:46to occupy the house are yourself, somebody else, and the defendant.
04:52Mm-hmm.
04:52So she was allowed to live in the house, but she never signed this lease.
04:55Right.
04:56Other than this, is there any lease that was had with her between either you or the landlord?
05:03No.
05:04No.
05:04Okay, so you went down to have her evicted.
05:07Mm-hmm.
05:07Go ahead.
05:08So in May, I told her, and then I couldn't get there until June,
05:14because of the times that they close at 5 o'clock or 4 o'clock, and I couldn't get there.
05:17So I finally get there in June.
05:18Whatever agreement that you have was a verbal agreement.
05:21A lease is supposed to be in writing.
05:23So I did, I got her.
05:24I don't even...
05:25You have a lease with her?
05:26No, I gave her the paper from the court.
05:29Whatever agreement you had with her was a verbal one,
05:32and you are not the owner of the property.
05:34So I first wonder whether you can evict her from the property,
05:38since you're not the owner of the property.
05:40That's an interesting question.
05:42Mm-hmm.
05:42Go ahead.
05:42I was able to.
05:43I thought the same thing, which is why I held off.
05:45I don't care what you thought.
05:46Okay.
05:47Anyway, so I get her.
05:48I go to the magistrate.
05:48You went down to file papers.
05:50It became untenable in the house.
05:52I actually don't have a problem with that, as many of you know.
05:55If you're living in a place, and it's a small house,
05:58and it's not a big apartment building,
06:00and you're not getting along with your roommate, you have to move.
06:05Did anybody witness her smashing your cows?
06:09No.
06:09Did you smash it?
06:10The mice ate it.
06:13You know you're annoying me.
06:15I'm sorry.
06:16Your Honor, I've never seen it again.
06:17You know you're annoying me more.
06:29Sarah Lasoyne claims her former roommate, Rose De La Rosa,
06:34owes for rent and destroyed her property.
06:37Rose is countersuing for property damage, wrongful eviction, and harassment.
06:42Okay, one of you has to move.
06:44You have a lease.
06:45You can't move, so you have to move.
06:46When she told you she wanted you to move, did you start looking for a new place?
06:51Yes.
06:51And?
06:52I couldn't find a place because I have a Section 8, I got a Section 8 voucher,
06:56and couldn't find anyone to accept it.
06:59Plus, I had a dog, which hindered me from finding a place to live.
07:02So you have a pet and a voucher, and that wasn't easy to find a place.
07:05Did you find a place to live?
07:06Still haven't.
07:07Where are you living now?
07:08I'm sleeping on a couch in my grandkids' house.
07:11Since when?
07:12Ever since I left.
07:13Okay, but you would agree that things in the house became tense.
07:18Very.
07:19Okay, so it's not a good idea that you'd be there.
07:21Correct.
07:22Right, so you had to leave.
07:23And April, she gave you April, May, when did you finally leave?
07:28She gave me one.
07:29When did you finally leave?
07:32End of July.
07:34Okay, so she asked you to leave in May.
07:37Was it April or May?
07:38I was told to leave in August.
07:40It wasn't April or May.
07:41You were told to leave in August?
07:43Yes.
07:43Is that when she served you with eviction papers?
07:46I served her on June 30th.
07:48I have the copy of it.
07:49May I see it?
07:50I have a copy of it right here.
07:51Yeah, that's probably the same thing I have as well.
07:54No, just a second, Kevin, from her.
07:57These are what I have from the court.
07:58June 30th was the day I handed her the papers with a witness.
08:03Would you show me anything here that gives the date that you're talking about?
08:07The only date that I'm seeing so far is July 23rd.
08:10Okay, so...
08:12Not a so.
08:13Okay, so the rules for the magic...
08:15Is there anything here that says any date other than, I'm just looking at it, July 23rd?
08:23She must have those then, because if I handed them to her, she has them now.
08:27The papers that I gave to her on June 30th.
08:29You can get the papers any time you want, ma'am.
08:32But they tell you you have to have a witness in order to serve them.
08:36So I had no witness until June 30th, where I called my landlord and said,
08:41you have to come here.
08:42That's what I'm trying to...
08:43I'm trying to explain to you.
08:44Okay.
08:44If it's not here, the only papers that you gave me indicate July 23rd.
08:50Kevin, now you can hand me what she has.
08:53There you go.
08:57There you go.
08:59Ms. De La Rosa.
09:00Yes.
09:01The notice of Tennessee ended, and this is dated what you gave me, June 30th.
09:07Okay.
09:07So you received this on June 30th.
09:09Okay, that makes sense.
09:10Okay.
09:11And you left on what date?
09:13Like the end of July?
09:14August 4th, at 1 o'clock in the morning.
09:16Okay.
09:16So you left almost within the 30 days.
09:19I asked for additional notes.
09:21Okay.
09:21Now, tell me what you're suing for.
09:23She left.
09:24She left.
09:24Okay.
09:24So I did not know that after she left, I would find destruction left behind.
09:29And for instance, like, these are her bedroom that I had to lay clean.
09:35And she went on a scissor rampage, which my witness is here for.
09:40My witness saw her cutting cords to my appliances, my vacuum.
09:44She poured water into my vacuum, and it shocked me.
09:47Your Honor, that's not true.
09:48Shh, shh, shh, shh.
09:49Okay.
09:50She destroyed an entire collection.
09:52Well, I have to see.
09:53I have it all here.
09:54Right here.
09:55We had a major problem with maggots in our kitchen, and I had to call for help on that one,
10:01too.
10:02Listen to me.
10:02Yeah, we had a lot of problems.
10:04Could you be quiet?
10:05Yes, ma'am.
10:05Yes, Your Honor.
10:06You keep moving around paper so far.
10:08The only thing that you've said to me that has any quality whatsoever
10:12is that she at some point, you have a witness, that at some point saw her vandalizing your cords
10:20to your electrical equipment.
10:22In all the nonsense that I heard, that's the only thing that has value.
10:26Now, what specific things do you allege that she damaged by cutting the cords?
10:31Okay.
10:31My lamp.
10:32Just a second.
10:33My lamp.
10:34My elliptical machine cord.
10:39May I see it?
10:40Mm-hmm.
10:40You have pictures of it?
10:41The charger for my power brush for my bathroom.
10:45Just a second.
10:45I'm asking you what she cut the cords from.
10:48Is that what it is?
10:48These are them.
10:49Okay.
10:49Yes, ma'am.
10:50That's it.
10:50May I see it, please?
10:58Well, I have no idea what this is.
11:03I see that this is cut.
11:06Where do I see?
11:06This is cut.
11:08I don't know what this is.
11:10What is this?
11:11I think that's just a larger photo of the black cord.
11:15Well, so I have a lamp and I have this.
11:17Okay.
11:18This, I can't see what this is.
11:19Okay.
11:20Stand up.
11:21Tell me your name, please.
11:22Mary Smith.
11:23Are you a tenant in the house?
11:24Yes.
11:25How long have you been a tenant?
11:27Coming up close to a year.
11:29She was there first?
11:30Yes.
11:30Now, at the time she moved out,
11:32plaintiff says you observed her cutting cords to electrical equipment.
11:36Yes.
11:36Only one.
11:37One.
11:38Which one?
11:38The lamp.
11:39The lamp?
11:40It's my lamp.
11:41Tell me.
11:42Tell me what you saw.
11:43I walked out of my room getting ready to work.
11:46As I was leaving,
11:47I saw her cutting the cord to the lamp.
11:50I did assume it was her own personal belonging.
11:53She was vandalizing.
11:54I didn't know it was Sarah's,
11:55but she was just cutting.
11:56I'm just,
11:57you saw her cut this cord?
11:59Yes.
12:00And based upon her outburst,
12:02she acknowledges that she cut the cord,
12:04but she said it's her lamp.
12:06Whose lamp is it?
12:07It's mine.
12:08It's mine.
12:08Okay.
12:09Your Honor, Maria.
12:10I have two.
12:11I have two of them.
12:12I bought it a lamp at the yard sale.
12:13Two of them when I moved in.
12:15I just,
12:15that's not true.
12:16That's not true.
12:17They're my lamps.
12:18My friend gave them to me,
12:19like when he was moving out of the apartment.
12:21No, they're not.
12:21Okay, so I'm not interested.
12:22I'm not interested in that.
12:23Yes.
12:24Okay?
12:24No, they're not.
12:25Not interested in this,
12:26but your friend gave you a lamp.
12:27But why would you say that?
12:28What else?
12:30Stop jabbering.
12:32What?
12:33Anything else you have to tell me?
12:35No, thank you.
12:35By the way, on what date did you see this?
12:38No, don't look at her.
12:39Look at me.
12:39I don't know a date.
12:40Give me a month.
12:41August.
12:42Beginning, middle, or end?
12:44Beginning.
12:44Was she in the process of moving out?
12:46Yes.
12:46Did she leave the lamp?
12:48Yes.
12:48Did you see her cut the cord to anything else?
12:50No, ma'am.
12:51What's next?
12:52I have a cow collection that I've been collecting for 25 years,
12:55and she smashed them.
12:56Okay, just a second.
12:57Mm-hmm.
12:58And I have...
12:59Stop talking.
13:01So you have a cow collection that was smashed.
13:03When was it smashed?
13:05The day after she moved out is when I started seeing things.
13:09Your Honor, I found...
13:09Just to...
13:10I don't want to...
13:11Please, I don't want to hear you.
13:12Did anybody witness her smashing your cows?
13:16No.
13:17Okay.
13:17Did you smash?
13:18My fader.
13:21You know you're annoying me.
13:23I'm sorry.
13:23Your Honor, I've never seen it again.
13:25You know you're annoying me more.
13:29She had the valve stems pulled out of my tires.
13:31I saw the gentleman pull up to my car.
13:34You saw who pull up to?
13:35Her friend.
13:36Well, what are you suing her for?
13:37Because her friend did it.
13:38You know, we're not sitting having coffee here.
13:41This is a courtroom.
13:42I don't understand you people.
13:52Sarah LaSoyne has accused her former roommate, Rose De La Rosa, of owing rent and destroying her property.
14:01Rose is countersuing, claiming Sarah damaged her property.
14:05Okay, if you have no witnesses who observed her breaking something, and unless she confessed
14:11to breaking something, you have no evidence of her breaking it, what's next?
14:16And she left the lamp there, which would suggest to me that she didn't want you to use the lamp.
14:21Next.
14:22All right, leaving the bedroom for me to have to clean.
14:25Cleaned up.
14:26Okay, you cleaned up.
14:27Listen to me carefully.
14:28Listen to me carefully.
14:30I will see an invoice that you paid to clean up the bedroom.
14:34When you get me the...
14:35Kevin, when you get me the invoice, also show me a picture of what she's complaining about.
14:41There you go.
14:42They're both the same.
14:50What does this say you're showing to me?
14:51I had to rent the carpet machine for $118, and then buy the...
14:56And Kroger...
14:57There's a Kroger receipt for all the materials I had to buy for the machine, like the liquid.
15:01You rented this machine in March of 2024.
15:04Do you want to take a look at this?
15:05Yes, but I mean, I might have...
15:07I have rented that.
15:09Listen to me.
15:10I said, do you want to take a look at it?
15:12The answer is either yes, or...
15:14Okay, so I'm going to make a circle around this for you to take a look at.
15:18I have another picture.
15:20Your Honor.
15:21I don't want to hear from you yet.
15:23I know you have a counterclaim.
15:25I'm going to get to it.
15:27I did rent it in March, but I also rented another one as soon as she left.
15:31Clearly, I had her carpet claimed.
15:33I'm going to...
15:33Just a second.
15:35Do you know what my problem is with you?
15:37No.
15:37You handed that to me to show me that you rented it
15:41after she moved out, and you rented it in March.
15:45She moved out in August.
15:47Okay, so...
15:47Can I show you from my phone?
15:49No.
15:49Like, I have a picture of the machine with the carpet.
15:51No, no.
15:52Okay, I don't know why I got this one.
15:53I don't know where this one came from.
15:55What's next?
15:55What's next?
15:55So far, I'm unimpressed.
15:56Well, everything I have is something I can't prove that she did.
15:59Well, if you can't prove it, then you have...
15:59Do you understand?
16:00The rent is the most important part, is two months of rent and two months of utilities.
16:04Just a second.
16:05What was the rent when you, the last month?
16:07I didn't pay the last month's rent, so I had to keep my security deposit in place of.
16:12Okay.
16:12And I also have pictures of my bedroom and her bedroom.
16:15Could I ask you to not say anything other than answering my questions?
16:19Yes, ma'am.
16:20Perfect. So you had $750 security deposit, is what you said. And your rent was, at the time you left,
16:27five and a quarter. Okay, careful. Which two months do you allege she didn't...
16:32She did not pay June or July. And I did not expect her to stay till August 4th.
16:36June or July. Well, she didn't receive a security deposit back, so that covers a month's rent.
16:43But it wasn't $750.
16:45Well, I don't know that. And you don't have it.
16:47The landlord does that.
16:48This is your burden, madam.
16:50I understand.
16:50You have a burden of proof.
16:52But, like, I have it on video with words from the landlord. Like, that's what I'm saying,
16:56is, like, I have proof.
16:57You don't have it. If it's not here, it doesn't exist.
17:00Okay. It doesn't exist.
17:01Okay. Somebody renting her room now?
17:03Yes.
17:04Good. And when did that person come in? And that's the person's name?
17:07Either the end of August or beginning of September. His name is Jason.
17:10So, at most, she owes a certain amount of money to the landlord. Maybe. I don't know.
17:15She has no lease with you.
17:16I paid her rent. That's how the landlord...
17:18She has no lease with you.
17:20I know, but...
17:21Okay. Anything else so far? Unimpressive. Now, I'm coming to your counterclaim. Let's
17:25deal with the wrongful eviction. I don't think it was a wrongful eviction. I think that you
17:29didn't get along and you had to move out. That's it. Nobody wants to stay in a place where they're
17:33not happy. She's the primary leaseholder. It's the right thing for you to do is move. You stayed an
17:38extra couple of days. I'm not interested whether you stayed an extra couple of days. You're out.
17:43She had a tenant the very same month that you moved out. Money owed for the destruction of property.
17:47What property did she destroy? She had the valve stems pulled out of my tire.
17:51What?
17:52She had the valve stems pulled out of my tire.
17:53The valve stems pulled out of your tire. Of my car? On what date? July 4th. I saw the gentleman
18:00pull
18:00up to my car. You saw who pull up to your car? Her friend. Not my friend.
18:05Just a second. What are you suing her for? Because her friend did it.
18:10She put sugar in the gas tank of my motorcycle? What? Just a second. So you understand that you
18:15have no proof that she had anything to do with if your tires got flattened. I'm just, oh, it's your
18:20friend. Sitting next to my car. You know, we're not sitting having coffee here. This is a courtroom.
18:25I don't understand you people. So somebody else flattened your tires. Suing her. Forget it now.
18:31Next. Sugar in my gas tank?
18:32Okay. Of my motorcycle? Okay. So it's your claim that she puts a substance in your gas tank?
18:39Neighbor saw her. On what date? That was, um, August, August 10th. You left in August?
18:46It was July 10th then. It was July 10th. No, it was August 10th that she came back.
18:50Just a second. Are you helping her? No. I'm hearing this ridiculous story for the first time. Just a second.
18:56You gave me the date. It sounds ridiculous. Raise your hands if you were involved in the robbery.
19:00She just proved that I was right. No, no. I just left it today.
19:02Could you just be clear? Yes.
19:03That's your problem. Who witnessed it? My neighbor.
19:07Where is the neighbor? He didn't want to give me a statement because he had to live next to her.
19:11Okay. Okay. So what are the destruction of property?
19:14My plants. Your plants. Yeah, I had like a couple hundred dollars worth of plants that I stuck at the
19:18neighbor's house because I couldn't put them all in my car when I moved. And?
19:22They saw her come out and tear them apart like this. Madam, I need the proof of that. Where's the
19:27neighbor?
19:27They have to live next to her. Okay. You have no case, both of you. I don't know where you
19:32think
19:32you were coming. Where you think you were coming to a tea party, but you're not coming to a tea
19:35party.
19:36You're coming to a court. You have to have proof. If the neighbor isn't here, you don't have proof.
19:40Well, harassment. She just wet my toilet paper. You know who's being? I have to tell you who's
19:45being harassed here. I have to tell you who's being harassed here. By both of you. Because you're
19:50both the two most irritating people that I've had all morning. Of course, this is my first case,
19:54so it can only go up from here. You both have no case against each other. Your Honor.
19:58For destruction of property, we're done. Goodbye. Your Honor.
20:01This court is adjourned. Oh, my God. You didn't pay rent for two months.
20:10I just wanted to sue her for unpaid rent. When I discovered after she left, after she
20:15moved out of the house, that's when I found all the destruction. It is what it is. She poured water
20:20into my vacuum with soap, so when I turned it on, it shocked me and then blew up. She bought
20:24a vacuum
20:25cleaner. It was used, but that's what happens when you buy used stuff. I told her I didn't want to
20:29live
20:29with her anymore, and then she suddenly, like, just spiraled. I'm happy I'm out of there, for sure.
20:36You know, when I was in college, I had a roommate, and I hated it. And finally, I said, you
20:42know,
20:42I don't care if they put me in a closet. I just want to be by myself. But economics today
20:48mandate,
20:49you know, that people do what they can to have proper housing. So sometimes you have to live with
20:54strangers. Yeah. I mean, that happened to me my freshman year, and I moved in with you instead,
20:58so that worked out. No, but I do think we do get a lot of comments about your favorite saying
21:05when it comes to roommates, if you don't like it, move. And I think in today's, like you said,
21:11economic landscape, that's really not an option for a lot of people. People get stuck
21:15in these sorts of situations. But I think the courts are not the right place to bring your roommate
21:21squabbles unless you have legitimate proof, legitimate witnesses, legitimate damages,
21:27more than she messed up my plants. And both of them knew that they didn't have proof. But I
21:33I still think it's so difficult for unrelated people who have idiosyncratic behavior. I mean,
21:39it's hard enough when you're married to live with somebody, right? Who you allegedly love.
21:44Who you allegedly love. And clearly, these two ladies, both are quirky. Yeah.
21:51A little quirky, whatever that quirk is. It's unfortunate that they spent six months
21:56miserable together. And maybe the plaintiff would ultimately be better off if she had a studio
22:03apartment rather than having to rent rooms to strangers and then having to learn to get along
22:08with a whole bunch of other people. She should consider it. Have you been cheated? Go to judyjustice.tv.
22:55Go to judyjustice.tv
22:56Go to judyjustice.tv
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