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00:00It is your claim that he vandalized your car.
00:04Actually physically hitting my car.
00:08That's him spitting on the car.
00:09Had you been drinking?
00:10I had been drinking.
00:12Yeah, I was angry at her.
00:13I have to tell you, that's sort of juvenile.
00:15This is Judy Justice.
00:36Nakia Benton is suing her neighbor, Richard Stone, for harassment, personal threats,
00:43and vandalizing her vehicle.
00:45Court come to order.
00:46All rise.
00:51Have a seat, please.
00:54Judge, case 4059, Benton versus Stone.
00:58You're welcome.
01:00You and the defendant are neighbors.
01:02Yes.
01:02And do you rent or own your apartment?
01:06I rent.
01:07And how long have you been renting your apartment?
01:09Since November 15, 2023.
01:12So about a year.
01:14Mm-hmm.
01:14And Mr. Stone, do you rent or own your apartment?
01:17I own.
01:17For how long?
01:1910 years.
01:20OK.
01:20Now, your case is about an allegation of Mr. Stone vandalizing your car.
01:26Correct.
01:27And I understand that this emanates over a parking space.
01:32Because what I understand from reading this, Ms. Benton, is that you have an assigned parking space.
01:39Correct.
01:40One in the complex.
01:42Correct.
01:43As does Mr. Stone.
01:44Correct.
01:45And there are several spots that are not allocated to tenants, but are for guests and other people.
01:52And this problem between you and Mr. Stone originated from the fact that you park your SUV, at times, in
02:03a spot that's allocated for compact cars.
02:06And, therefore, it's difficult to maneuver around that car because it's in a compact spot.
02:14Mr. Stone reacted to that in what he acknowledges once an obnoxious way.
02:21He says he lost his temper.
02:23I don't know.
02:24Maybe he had a couple too many.
02:26And then it is your claim that he vandalized your car.
02:30I'm not exactly sure how.
02:32So far, does that sound pretty much like what the case is about?
02:35Yes, but it started with him actually physically hitting my car.
02:38Yes, I know.
02:39But when he physically hit your car, according to you, nothing happened at the end of that because he sort
02:46of came over a couple of days later or apologized for what he says was aggressive behavior.
02:51And you don't allege in that part of your complaint that there was any damage caused to your car when
02:57he hit your car.
02:58You didn't even report it.
03:00I actually did.
03:01Okay.
03:01Then you're going to tell me about that.
03:03Yes, ma'am.
03:03Can I see pictures of the parking spots that are marked?
03:07Do you have them?
03:08I have one.
03:09Okay.
03:11All right.
03:12Well, this is helpful.
03:14Three boats relevant.
03:18Is that a fair and accurate representation of the parking situation?
03:23Yes, but I have a clearer picture where you can see where my car is actually parked in that spot
03:28and then the rest remains.
03:29Well, could you go over to that, please, and show me where the compact car spot is, if you can
03:36see it.
03:37It's all the way on the end.
03:39Actually, my car is parked in it.
03:41It's on the edge.
03:42Right next to the sidewalk.
03:43What color is your car?
03:45It's white.
03:45It's right here.
03:46Okay.
03:46Come and step back.
03:47Now, is that your assigned spot?
03:50No.
03:50No.
03:50Now, is that spot assigned to anyone else?
03:54No.
03:55Does that spot have on it for compact cars only?
03:59It does.
04:00Yes.
04:00Okay.
04:01And what kind of car do you drive?
04:02It doesn't say only.
04:03I have a...
04:03For compact cars?
04:05Yeah.
04:05Okay.
04:05I have a 2019 GMC Terrain, which is a SUV, a small SUV.
04:10So it's not a compact car?
04:11No.
04:12Okay.
04:13So just for my own information, tell me why you park there.
04:16If you have an assigned spot and it's marked for compact cars, why do you park your non-compact car
04:22there?
04:22Because that has not been enforced, and that was not made clear to me either, even though it says that.
04:28How could it be clear?
04:30Because anyone parks there.
04:32Like, if they live in the complex and they have a permit, there's any car that can park there.
04:37That's what I've seen.
04:38I don't care what you've seen.
04:39I'm just...
04:40It's a very, very simple thing.
04:42Okay.
04:42There's a sign there that says compact cars, and your car is not a compact car, just so that we're
04:50clear.
04:50You chose to ignore that and park your car there.
04:53Okay.
04:54Now, tell me, there was an incident with the defendant where he, according to you, hit your car, and that
05:00took place on what date?
05:02May 26th.
05:03Of this year?
05:04Yes.
05:05And you had been living there for months.
05:07Mm-hmm.
05:07You had been living there since November of 2023.
05:10Had you had difficulty with him before?
05:12I had never seen him.
05:13The answer is no.
05:15No.
05:15Okay.
05:16Tell me what happened on May 26th.
05:18So I was on the patio, smoking, and talking to my sister on the phone.
05:23And all of a sudden, I hear this belligerent guy.
05:26He was calling me names, and I could hear something being hit.
05:30I didn't know what it was yet, because I was behind the gate.
05:32So I'm trying to look over the gate, and I could not see, so I walked around.
05:37And when I come out, he's literally hitting on my car, hitting the sides, hitting the back, walking around my
05:44car, literally banging on the car.
05:45So I just asked him, like, why are you hitting my car?
05:48He was like, you're not supposed to be parked here.
05:51And he called me several names.
05:54So I said, okay, but could you stop hitting my car?
05:58And he said, every time I see this car, I'm going to hit it.
06:02And I said, why?
06:04Like, why?
06:06So at one point, I thought he was going to stop, and he walked away.
06:10He started walking towards his car.
06:11So I'm thinking it's over.
06:13I'm walking towards my home, and then he kind of walks towards me, kind of aggressively.
06:18So I stop, and then he goes back to hitting my car again.
06:22And I said, could you stop hitting my car?
06:25Like, what's wrong with you?
06:26And he just kept doing it.
06:27And just to keep the distance, I just sat there and watched him.
06:30And at that point, I started taking pictures of him and pictures of his car,
06:34because I had never seen this guy before that day.
06:39I come out to my car one day, and it looks like somebody cracked the egg on the back.
06:44I didn't know what it was.
06:45So I got out, and I really examined it.
06:48He's spitting on my car.
06:49And do you have a video of him?
06:52I do.
06:52That I'd like to see.
07:03I do.
07:06I do.
07:24I do.
07:27I do.
07:27I do.
07:27And he kind of like stopped outside my fence and said, hey, you know, I'm sorry about that.
07:32I was kind of...
07:33How much later was that?
07:34Probably about a week later.
07:36So one week later, you had a conversation with him?
07:39No, not a conversation.
07:40He just came...
07:41So it was a one-way conversation.
07:44Correct.
07:44He came to you and said...
07:46I'm sorry.
07:46I wouldn't necessarily say he came to me.
07:48Like, I felt like he knew I was outside.
07:50So he knew I was standing there.
07:52I don't care what you thought, what you felt.
07:54What did he say?
07:54But he didn't come to my door or talk to me.
07:57What did he...
07:57He just said it.
07:58Well, what did he...
07:59He said, I was kind of drunk.
08:03I wasn't really myself.
08:04I apologize.
08:05I shouldn't have acted like that.
08:07And I didn't respond back.
08:09I just...
08:09Okay.
08:12And between that day in May and...
08:16The next time you reference is in late August.
08:20So, some three months later...
08:24Correct.
08:24There was another incident.
08:25Correct.
08:26Now, between that incident on May 26th and the end of August,
08:32when the second incident occurred,
08:35did you take your car into a shop for an estimate for any repairs?
08:43That's either a yes or a no.
08:45No repairs.
08:46Just a second.
08:47Did you, sometime between May 26th and the end of August, file a police report?
08:55Yes.
08:56May I see it?
08:57Yes.
09:10This report that you gave me...
09:12Correct.
09:12...of the next day, if it's an incident report of somebody vandalizing your car,
09:17this says absolutely nothing about vandalizing your car.
09:24Correct.
09:25Okay.
09:26What damage, Ms. Benton, are you alleging to your car as a result of the incident in May,
09:35or as the result of an incident that happened subsequently in August?
09:39No, it's the incident that happened in May.
09:42Because the next day, when I came out and looked around my car,
09:47because you've got to remember, when he was acting belligerent,
09:50I was trying to kind of like...
09:52Now, listen to me.
09:53It's very simple.
09:54We can't dance around this, and I have other things to do today.
09:57Okay.
09:57If I saw somebody hitting my car...
09:59Correct.
10:00...I would go down, inspect the car, and I would report it.
10:05I would take photographs of it.
10:07But I would take it in to have it repaired, or at least get an estimate for having it repaired.
10:12I did.
10:13Okay.
10:13I asked you, between May 26th and the end of August, did you take the car...
10:19Before the second incident happened, the end of August, did you take the car to a body shop for an
10:27estimate?
10:27The answer is either yes or no.
10:29Yes.
10:29May I see it?
10:39Well, you took the car in in August.
10:41That's correct.
10:42So you didn't take the car in May, well, the end of May, June, July, or August until the 23rd.
10:48No.
10:48Okay.
10:50Okay.
10:50Now you want to tell me what happened in August.
10:52So I come out to my car one day, and it looks like, I don't know, like, kind of like
10:58somebody cracked the egg on the back.
11:00I didn't know what it was.
11:01So I went and washed my car.
11:03A couple days later, it's like I get in my car, and I can see in the rear view, it's
11:07in the same spot, it's the same thing, and I'm like, what is this?
11:11So I go wash it again.
11:12The third time, I got out, and I really examined it.
11:15He's spitting on my car.
11:19So at that point, I became livid.
11:22I contacted him.
11:23So at that point, you didn't see it, but you saw evidence of it.
11:27I saw evidence of it.
11:28You thought somebody...
11:30Correct.
11:31Somebody was spitting on...
11:32I couldn't say if it was him or not.
11:34Okay.
11:35Somebody was obviously spitting on your car, you thought.
11:38That's correct.
11:39Okay.
11:40Yeah.
11:40So what did you do?
11:41So at that point, I talked to my landlord about installing the camera, because now...
11:47Did you?
11:48I did.
11:49Okay.
11:50And do you have a video of him?
11:52I do.
11:53That I'd like to see.
11:54I do.
11:54They should have that somewhere.
11:57Okay.
12:00So this is him leaving, but then he comes back and he walks right up on the car and spits
12:08on it.
12:09This is the video from when we got into the altercated scene the first time.
12:14In May?
12:15Yes.
12:16That's in May.
12:16Okay.
12:18So this is the same day.
12:20This is when he comes back and he clearly goes back and he starts hitting the car,
12:24because I had already started walking in the house.
12:27This is May 26th.
12:29Correct.
12:30I'm going to watch it one more time.
12:32And please say stop at a place where you say he's hitting your car.
12:37He's standing at the...
12:38Shh.
12:39Just tell me.
12:40I see him moving.
12:43He had just come from hitting the car.
12:45I was on the side.
12:47Okay, so the answer is...
12:48You couldn't see it.
12:48The answer is you don't see him hitting your car.
12:51I physically did see him.
12:53You didn't.
12:53You don't see it in here.
12:55No, because this is the parking lot's camera.
12:56Not a because.
12:57Not a because.
12:59It's not mine.
12:59Not a because.
13:00Okay.
13:01You saw him hitting your car.
13:03Physically, yeah.
13:04I saw him.
13:04This camera doesn't see him hitting your car.
13:07Correct.
13:07Okay.
13:08Now let's go to August.
13:14You hear that?
13:15Shh.
13:17That was some spitting on the car.
13:19I see your car.
13:21Oh my.
13:22Well, there's a black car in that compact spot now.
13:28That's his car.
13:29That's his car.
13:30That's his car.
13:30Correct.
13:31Okay.
13:31Mr. Stone.
13:33So let's get to you, sir.
13:37Yeah, I was angry at her.
13:38And I didn't spin on her car.
13:40I knew she's got a camera up.
13:41She's watching me.
13:42So I'd go by and I'm guilty of this, your honor, and I apologize.
13:45I would go by her car and go.
13:48Well, I have to tell you, Mr. Stone, that's sort of juvenile.
14:00Nicky Abenson has accused her neighbor, Richard Stone, of owing for car damages after he harassed
14:08her and vandalized her vehicle.
14:10Now, May 26th, you were behaving badly.
14:13Yes.
14:14Okay.
14:15Why were you behaving badly?
14:16Well, because she had been constantly been parking in there.
14:19Just a second.
14:20Had you been drinking?
14:21I had been drinking.
14:22Okay.
14:22So the reason you were acting badly, which hopefully is inconsistent with the way you usually behave,
14:27is because you had been drinking.
14:29Yes, ma'am.
14:30Okay.
14:32And subsequently, when you spit on her car.
14:35Yes.
14:35I'm assuming it happened more than one occasion.
14:37Didn't.
14:38It did.
14:39Why?
14:40Why did I spit on her car?
14:41Yeah, that was after the first incident for which you apologized for.
14:45Yeah, I was angry at her.
14:47And I didn't spit on her car.
14:49I knew she's got a camera up.
14:51She's watching me.
14:51So I'd go by, and I'm guilty of this, Your Honor, and I apologize.
14:55I would go by her car and go .
14:58I have to tell you, Mr. Stone, that's sort of juvenile.
15:01Yes, it is.
15:01Especially.
15:02Yes, it is.
15:03It's very juvenile.
15:04Especially since it looks to me here as if you park in that spot, which is not your assigned spot.
15:11The only difference is you do have a compact car.
15:14Yes.
15:14And there's a reason.
15:15I don't care what the reason is.
15:17Okay.
15:18You have a compact car.
15:19And so you park your car there.
15:21But that's not your assigned spot.
15:23Correct.
15:24Okay.
15:25You can sit down, sir.
15:27You have anything else you want to tell me, Ms. Benton?
15:29Yes, because he's saying he didn't spit.
15:32He was just making a noise.
15:34Whether he was making a noise or whether he did, it doesn't make any difference to me.
15:39By spitting on the car, he didn't cause any permanent damage.
15:43But by even making the gesture that he did, it's sort of disgusting and would lead you to believe that
15:49if something was on the windshield of your car, it was something that emanated from his body fluid.
15:55Yes.
15:56Whatever it is, it's sort of disgusting.
15:57It is disgusting.
15:58Yeah.
15:59I agree with you.
16:00I don't believe he caused damage to your car, because I think that's baloney, because I think that if you
16:06did, you would have filed this lawsuit in June, July, or August.
16:11I think that you finally got fed up with him, and you found some dings on your car, so you
16:16brought this lawsuit.
16:16That's not correct.
16:18Well.
16:18I did not.
16:19I was going to let it go because I lived there, and I didn't want it to continue.
16:24That's messing with my piece.
16:26But for him to continue to harass me and do the things that he did, yeah, that did prompt me
16:32to actually file a claim.
16:34Yeah.
16:34Okay.
16:35Mr. Stone, there are ways to deal with what you feel are neighbors breaking rules.
16:44There are ways.
16:45Yes.
16:45One of them isn't to either make believe that you are spitting on her car, to aggressively touch her car,
16:54aggressively.
16:56There are ways.
16:57You have a homeowners association.
16:58Your homeowners association, I'm sure, has a mechanism to deal with complaints.
17:04I understand all of that.
17:06Ms. Benton doesn't appear to me to be a nut.
17:09If it's a more convenient parking spot, she parks there.
17:13She should not.
17:16Right?
17:17Yes.
17:18Correct.
17:18You should not.
17:20But you certainly can't touch her car in any way.
17:23Okay.
17:24Ms. Benton, I have to make a judgment whether I actually believe that his vandalism caused damage to your car,
17:31and I actually believe that it did not, but that doesn't mean he's not responsible for lots of aggravation,
17:37and for not using a proper methodology for dealing with his complaint against a neighbor.
17:43And for that, there has to be some consequence, because it caused you distress,
17:49and I would strongly suggest that you follow the rules and not park your car in a place where you
17:58shouldn't,
17:58because this is not a tragic story.
18:01Would you agree with that, Ms. Benton?
18:04No.
18:04This is not a tragic story.
18:06No, it's not.
18:06Not a tragic story.
18:07It's irritating.
18:08It is very irritating.
18:10And it interferes with your quality of life.
18:12Correct.
18:12To have this kind of thing go on with a neighbor.
18:15Correct.
18:15I remember decades ago living in a building, and my husband has a short fuse,
18:23and you're not supposed to leave shoes or anything else outside in the hallway.
18:30And one of the neighbors on the floor, there were only three or four neighbors on the floor,
18:34this woman continuously left her stinky boots in the hallway, because she didn't want to bring them into her house.
18:42So you'd get out of the elevator, and you would see her smelly boots outside in the hallway.
18:50And I remember my husband wrote a note and slipped it in her door that said,
18:57please don't leave your boots outside in the hallway.
19:02She ignored them.
19:03So the next time the boots were out there, he took the boots and he threw them down the incinerator.
19:08Oh.
19:10Well.
19:11I'm not that bad.
19:12Came in and confessed.
19:14Came in and confessed.
19:15She left her boots out there.
19:16She's not going to do it again.
19:17I said, how come?
19:18He said, because I threw them down the incinerator.
19:22Now we're talking probably 40 years ago, so I assume that this lady was an older lady is no longer
19:29here,
19:29so she can't sue him for the boots.
19:32But she broke the rule, and it was irritating to her other neighbors.
19:38But her other neighbor didn't have the right to take her property and destroy it.
19:43Correct.
19:43That's not the answer.
19:44The answer is you go to the management office and you say, have a conversation with her,
19:48that the next time the building will take her shoes and she can come down and find it in the
19:52lost and found.
19:53Do you understand what I mean?
19:54Correct.
19:54If that's what's irritating him.
19:56Right.
19:57And he's acting irrationally about it, don't do it anymore.
20:01And then you've cut your exposure.
20:05Anyway, you can't touch her car.
20:07Make believe you're spitting on it.
20:08Touch it because you're annoyed, Mr. Stone.
20:10I don't believe that the damage to her car or the harassment is worth $10,000,
20:17but I certainly think that you have to have a message that you're not allowed to do that, sir.
20:21Judgment for the plaintiff for the amount of $1,000.
20:24We're finished.
20:25Thank you very much.
20:25This court is adjourned.
20:32I didn't do any damage, didn't hurt her, didn't do anything wrong.
20:36She was parked at the wrong spot.
20:38Yeah, he's lying.
20:41He's definitely lying.
20:42As long as she doesn't park at the spot she's not supposed to park,
20:44which the judge said, don't park there.
20:47Then I'm a happy camper.
20:48Nothing.
20:49I hope he just leaves me alone.
20:52It's a good deal.
20:52I'm going to have to prepare Poppy for the fact that I shared that story.
20:58You better hope that neighbor was older than the both of you.
21:00Oh, she was.
21:02She was.
21:03Otherwise, she'll know after this comes out what happened to her boots.
21:07Probably she'll know what happened to the missing boots.
21:11Are you having a family dispute?
21:13Go to judyjustice.tv.
21:15Go.
21:17Go.
21:19Go.
21:35Go.
21:39Go.
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