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00:00This relationship wasn't working out anymore.
00:02So you left?
00:04Yeah.
00:04You stayed in the apartment?
00:06Yes.
00:07Did you pay rent there?
00:08Up until she left.
00:09What?
00:09He didn't have no job.
00:11Don't speak.
00:12Really?
00:12Don't speak.
00:14This is Judy Justice.
00:33Tanisha Brown is suing her ex-boyfriend, Wesley Smoot, for breaching their lease agreement.
00:40Court come to order.
00:41All rise.
00:44Have a seat, please.
00:48Judge, case 4014, Brown v. Smoot.
00:51You're welcome.
00:53Okay.
00:53Ms. Brown, you and the defendant have a child together.
00:56You've never been married.
00:57You moved into an apartment together.
00:59It didn't work out.
01:00You left.
01:01He left.
01:02You got stuck with, according to you, the balance of the lease.
01:06They're coming after you for the balance of the lease and for damage to the apartment.
01:11You want him to pay.
01:11Mr. Smoot says you actually left the apartment first.
01:14He could not maintain it himself, and he left after three months.
01:18Together in this mix, there is a child support order that I'm going to consider that Mr. Smoot says he's
01:25obligated to pay.
01:26Do they take that out of your salary?
01:28Yeah, automatically.
01:29And in addition, he says, not only while you were living together, were you getting that money every month?
01:35That's true.
01:35I assume it was a monthly order coming out of your salary that more than covered his half of the
01:40expenses.
01:40And that really actually should have stopped unless the child was receiving public assistance.
01:45Was the child receiving assistance?
01:46Like Medicaid?
01:47Yes.
01:48Okay.
01:49So the only thing she receives...
01:50And he wasn't paying the child support.
01:51Your child is how old?
01:53Six years old.
01:54And when did you move in together?
01:56April 2023.
01:58And did you both sign a lease?
02:00Yeah, we both signed the lease.
02:01And what was the rent?
02:02The rent was $7.75 a month.
02:04Was it a one-year lease?
02:06It was just a one-year lease, yes.
02:07When did you move out?
02:08I moved out October 2023.
02:10Up until October of 2023, was the rent current?
02:14Yes.
02:14Okay.
02:15You stayed in the apartment?
02:17Yes.
02:17Now, when you left in October, you still had November, December, January, February, and March left on the lease.
02:28Five months.
02:29Did you pay any rent during that period of time?
02:33I paid rent for my new apartment that I moved in.
02:35No.
02:36To this apartment?
02:37No.
02:37Okay.
02:38Now, how long did you stay in the apartment, Mr. Spooten?
02:41Until they evicted me.
02:42I'm not sure exactly when.
02:44Okay.
02:44So she left in October, but you were living there.
02:47Yes.
02:48And when you were living there, did you pay rent there?
02:51Up until she left.
02:52No, no, no.
02:54I couldn't afford all of it.
02:56So they told me...
02:56So the answer is...
02:57No.
02:58The answer is you did not pay any rent.
03:00You lived there.
03:01And in the other room...
03:02No, shh.
03:02Don't speak.
03:03Sorry.
03:04You lived there November, December.
03:07When did you finally leave the apartment?
03:10About three months later in January.
03:11In January.
03:12So that's three months.
03:13And you lived there for three months and paid no rent.
03:16Correct.
03:17Okay.
03:18He didn't move out until March 3rd.
03:20So it could have been March.
03:21I don't know.
03:21Yeah, he didn't move out until March 3rd.
03:23I'm paying no attention to you.
03:25Okay.
03:26So, Mr. Smoot, 2325 is three months rent, okay?
03:32What was the child support order that you say you were paying that comes out of your check?
03:38It was 470 a month.
03:40And they take it out of my check automatically.
03:43Can I see?
03:48That's the, I think, the agreement.
03:53Shh.
03:56This is dated August 12th, 2024.
04:00When did they start taking money?
04:02Oh, just a second.
04:03Back in 2020.
04:04Tell me, shh.
04:04Just a second.
04:05Ms. Brown, between the time you moved in, in April of 2023, and the time you moved out,
04:12October 1st, 2023, did you receive child support from him at all?
04:18Yeah.
04:19And you were living in the city?
04:20And I was using to pay our bills.
04:21I mean, like, he lived with me for free.
04:23He didn't have a job.
04:24So I used it to pay our bills.
04:25He didn't have a job from April to July.
04:29He didn't have no job.
04:30Well, where were they taking the money from if he didn't have a job?
04:33They took it because he owed back child support.
04:34He owes over $7,000.
04:35Where did they take it from?
04:37He filed his taxes, and they gave me his back from his taxes.
04:43It was $900.
04:45All of it?
04:45Is what you're telling me the entire time you lived together, all you got from him was $900?
04:50Um, I think he might have started, um, I have it in my phone.
04:56Over the last year, I've gotten $2,000 from him, something like that.
05:01I got multiple bank accounts.
05:03For what?
05:03So I use different ways of paying her, but I've always, any time I've gotten paid,
05:08I've always paid her, like, the majority of it.
05:11Okay, I don't want to hear the majority of it.
05:12Well, she says $100.
05:13I got a $500 payment right here, so that's clearly over $100.
05:18Listen to me carefully.
05:19The two of you were on the hook to the landlord.
05:22You lived there at least three months.
05:25You got to pay rent for those three months.
05:27You didn't pay rent for those three months.
05:30She wasn't there.
05:31I have to do something that's fair, so you can't live in a place scot-free.
05:35Well, no, she was double dipping the entire time.
05:37I'm paying rent, I'm paying the $775, and I'm paying the $470.
05:41I want you to show me where...
05:42I only make $500 on my check.
05:43Show me where you were paying the $775 a month rent.
05:47That I want to see.
05:48If you can show that to me with case over.
05:51That's the only way it was there.
05:52That's the only way it was concurrent.
05:54Like, she wasn't paying it.
05:55She doesn't make sure.
05:56Shh!
05:57All I'm saying to you is you lived there for three months.
05:58You have to pay that three months' rent.
06:00The two of you are going to be jointly responsible for any other monies that are owed to the landlord
06:05because you both signed the lease.
06:06But you personally lived there for three months.
06:10No, he lived there from...
06:11I'm telling you, he lived there from November, December, January, February, and March.
06:17Like, he lived there all the way up until March 3rd.
06:19All I need is proof.
06:23This doesn't say he was there in March, madam.
06:26They said he...the sheriff said I have to leave.
06:28That's what he's talking about.
06:29Listen to me.
06:30You ask him where he's been.
06:32I haven't heard from you.
06:33That was on March 5th.
06:35Yeah.
06:36Don't speak.
06:37Listen.
06:37And later today...
06:39I'm almost finished with both of these people.
06:41Almost finished with both of these people.
06:43If somebody can clarify this to me, fine.
06:46Otherwise, I'm sending you on your way.
06:47I'm going back and I'm having a burger.
06:50Yeah.
07:00Tunisia Brown claims her ex-boyfriend, Wesley Smoot,
07:05owes for breaching their lease agreements.
07:07All I need is proof that he lived there for those five months instead of three.
07:11I can tell you where he was telling me that he was about to get moved out.
07:16He had to move out.
07:18Okay.
07:18Then I'd like to see that.
07:20If you have a text with a date on it, I'd like to see it.
07:22I don't deny we owe the money, but...
07:25What?
07:26We owe the money for the landlord.
07:28Like, that's...that's joint.
07:29We signed it together.
07:30We owed it together.
07:31Like...
07:32Don't help me.
07:32I don't need...
07:33Don't speak.
07:35Don't speak.
07:36I don't need your help, sir.
07:37I just told you.
07:38You lived there alone for three months.
07:40You said you have to pay the rent.
07:42Whatever other monies you owe the landlord between the two of you,
07:44she's got to pay rent someplace else.
07:46She was paying rent someplace else.
07:48You were living in this apartment alone.
07:50While you were living there alone, I find you've got to pay the rent.
07:53And if you broke the lease and there was another two months or three months,
07:57then you owe that to the landlord jointly.
07:59I'm not getting involved with that.
08:00Let the landlord sue you both and get a judgment and attach your salaries.
08:04Well, that's why I'm being sued now because they didn't come after me.
08:07They went after her.
08:07It says March 5th.
08:09It says the sheriff said I had to leave.
08:10Just a second.
08:11Let me...
08:11I'm just going to read it.
08:19This doesn't say he was there in March, madam.
08:21It said they said he...
08:22The sheriff said I have to leave.
08:23That's what he's talking about.
08:25Listen to me.
08:26You ask him where he's been.
08:28I haven't heard from you.
08:30That was on March 5th.
08:31Yeah.
08:31Don't speak.
08:33Listen.
08:34Where have you been?
08:35You haven't called or anything.
08:37On the same date, he said I haven't had my phone.
08:40The sheriff came and I had to leave.
08:42He doesn't say when he had to leave.
08:43That's because he had to leave your apartment, right, Wesley?
08:46Shh.
08:46Don't ask him.
08:49You ask him then.
08:50Shh.
08:51Three months.
08:53Really?
08:542325.
08:55What?
08:55Tell...
08:57You have to pay for where you're living there.
08:59He was living there for March.
09:00Why won't you ask him?
09:022325.
09:02Judgment for the plaintiff.
09:03We're done here.
09:04This court is adjourned.
09:08I don't feel like, like, I should owe any of the money.
09:11Period.
09:12Because she was the one that they put on the lease.
09:15So it was technically, like, her lease.
09:17And she broke lease by leaving.
09:19His name has been on the lease the whole time.
09:21So, um, yeah.
09:22And he had roommates and everything living with him, so.
09:24I just want to be there for my baby girl.
09:26Hopefully, I can go see her as soon as I leave here.
09:29Yeah, I just want to be there for my daughter.
09:30And hopefully he can do the same, you know, and stop making up excuses.
09:35So that seemed like a pretty common sense solution.
09:38But technically, they're both responsible for the lease.
09:41And no one gets to live anywhere for free.
09:43Um, if you're living somewhere for free, you're probably the one in the wrong.
09:48If you're, if you're staying at a place where you know rent is owed and you're not making any contributions,
09:52that's going to come back around at some point, so.
09:55Right.
09:55And strict adherence to landlord and tenant would be that they're both responsible.
10:01And they would be responsible.
10:02But is it fair?
10:19Mm-hm.
10:20If he had moved out at the same time, because they clearly weren't getting along,
10:23then the landlord would be after both of them.
10:27But he did, in fact, stay and live vacant.
10:29You're right.
10:30You can't live any place for free.
10:32Unless you're Sarah.
10:34Okay, it's 4031.
10:36Boggs versus Johnson.
10:38All parties, please come forward.
10:39Trevor Boggs is suing his ex-girlfriend, Aldina Johnson, for an unpaid dental loan.
10:47Mr. Boggs, you and the defendant were dating for a period of time.
10:52Yes, ma'am.
10:52Give me the timeframe of when you were dating.
10:55October to July, 2023 to 2024.
10:58And during that time, it is your claim, the defendant, she told you she wanted braces?
11:04She expressed she's been wanting them for a long time.
11:06I let her know that I would be able to help her.
11:08Oh, no, just a second.
11:09How much money did you give her?
11:11The first amount of money was given in the amount of $500 in January.
11:15And that was specifically for the braces?
11:17Yes, to loan her for that.
11:19Well, did you say, I'll give you a loan for the $500?
11:21Or did you say, I'll help you get the braces?
11:24No, I said, I'll give you a loan, because she wasn't able to get them right in January.
11:27I thought there was just a down payment of $500, but there's more.
11:30So after that, I told her that I would have loaned her money to help her
11:34while she saved for her braces, and that ended in July.
11:37So in January, you gave her $500.
11:40Yes.
11:40And what happened in July?
11:42Oh, we broke up in July.
11:43No.
11:44Did you give her another lump sum of money?
11:46No, it was from January all the way till July, where I was loaning her money
11:50while she's saving up for whatever amount left she had for the braces.
11:53Well, tell me, how did that work out?
11:54You mean every month you gave her a certain amount of money for braces?
11:57I don't understand that.
11:59No, her personal needs that she couldn't afford while she was saving,
12:02I was loaning her money for that.
12:03So you mean she was saving up, and you said you would help her
12:06with some of her expenses while she was saving?
12:08Yes, but the agreement was that I would be repaid for it
12:11when she finally did get the braces, which she didn't get until August,
12:14second week of August.
12:15Let me hear.
12:17Well, well, Judge Judy.
12:19Could you keep your voice up to me?
12:21I don't want you to show me anything.
12:22I want you to tell me.
12:23Did he give you $500 in January?
12:26No, ma'am.
12:27No?
12:28No, ma'am.
12:28You have proof that you gave her $500 in January.
12:31Yes, Your Honor.
12:31May I see it, please?
12:32Yes, Your Honor.
12:33You want to take it off?
12:34Just don't give me a whole bunch of paper.
12:36Yeah.
12:36Just give me January, $500.
12:39There it is right now.
12:46Well, I see $500 that was sent.
12:50Did you receive the $500?
12:53I see it was sent.
12:54That's either a yes or a no.
12:56Yes, in January.
12:57Yes, I did.
12:58Okay.
12:58And what did you do with the $500?
13:01Actually, that $500 was towards a $1,400 loan
13:06that I gave Mr. Box in December.
13:09Well, I don't believe that because that's not what you say
13:11in your answer, Ms. Johnson.
13:13See, what you say in your answer was,
13:15couples do things for each other.
13:17And I gave him $1,400 for a car for his niece.
13:22You never said in your answer that that was a loan
13:25and that the $500 was a partial repayment for that loan.
13:29So you have to make up your mind what it is.
13:33After Trevor almost lost his leg in a motorcycle accident,
13:37I would arrive late to work and leave early
13:40so I could take care of him.
13:41That's nice.
13:42That's what people do if they're in a relationship.
13:45If they want to, otherwise they say, listen,
13:47when you get better, call me, right?
13:49What does that have to do with me?
14:00Trevor Boggs claims his ex-girlfriend, Aldina Johnson,
14:05refuses to pay for the cost of her braces.
14:08Aldina is countersuing Trevor for lost wages.
14:12Either you swore in your answer
14:15that you gave him that money for his niece's car
14:18or it was a loan.
14:20May I speak, Judge?
14:21Sure.
14:22Trevor gave me $500 towards the payment of the $1,400
14:26that I gave him in January.
14:28That's what that was for.
14:30Well, let me go back, Mr. Boggs.
14:33Yes, ma'am.
14:33To you.
14:34Did Ms. Johnson give you $1,400 towards your niece's car ever?
14:40No. No, Your Honor.
14:41OK.
14:41Show me.
14:43OK.
14:44I have the...
14:44No, no.
14:45Just show me.
14:49OK.
14:50This is the $1,400 that I sent Trevor cash out December 4th.
14:55OK.
14:56I...
14:56Let me see.
14:58But it didn't go through, so I had...
15:00OK.
15:00Well, December 4th, she sent you $1,400.
15:03No.
15:04Which failed.
15:05Exactly.
15:05So because it failed, I had to go to my bank
15:10and withdraw the money out of my account,
15:12and I gave Mr. Boggs, gave it to him in cash.
15:15Sarah Rose, I don't know what this is for.
15:18This doesn't tell you anything.
15:20He...
15:21Mm-hmm.
15:22...said thank you to her or she said thank you to him?
15:25That's saying payment from him to her,
15:28and she replied with a heart.
15:30Who's saying thank you?
15:32That's just his message in the memo line to her.
15:35Which says thank you.
15:36That does not say thank you.
15:37What is the...
15:37What are these...
15:38What does this mean?
15:39Four something.
15:41You could take a poll.
15:42Either high five or praying hands.
15:43Oh, I better stop...
15:43I better stop using that.
15:44I've been using it as a thank you.
15:46No.
15:46So...
15:46I've noticed.
15:47What?
15:48I've noticed.
15:50I have to...
15:54It's usually like a...
15:55No, not a thank you.
15:57Like a praying hands or high five.
16:00The only legitimate transactions that occurred through Cash App
16:02were the ones that I have printouts here for.
16:05No money was exchanged.
16:07I loaned her money for her braces.
16:09She got the braces.
16:10We broke up.
16:10She decided she didn't want to repay me.
16:12So I had to sue her.
16:13Okay.
16:13Did you get the braces?
16:15Yes, I did.
16:16Just a second.
16:17And how much were they?
16:19I believe they were $6,000.
16:21Did you pay the dentist?
16:22Yes, I did.
16:23I paid the dentist myself the $500 cash.
16:27Well, he gave you $500.
16:30He says that they were for the braces.
16:32No, ma'am.
16:32That's not the truth.
16:33Well, maybe, maybe not.
16:35By the way, just so that I can put it all together,
16:38tell me about your version of this $1,400,
16:42which he says never existed.
16:44Come on.
16:44Tell me about it.
16:45The $1,400 that Mr. Boggs asked me for
16:49was to help his niece with a down payment for a car.
16:52Well, tell me what he said to you.
16:53Okay.
16:54Tell me.
16:55What he said was he asked me could I help him.
16:57He said that he overpaid her out of his account.
17:00And I said, sure, I'll help you.
17:02Just a second.
17:02He said he overpaid her from his account?
17:05What does that mean?
17:06That means that he overpaid me and he spent too much money
17:09out of his account to where he needed help from me.
17:12For himself?
17:12Yes, for himself.
17:15But it was for his...
17:16I'm almost finished with both of these people.
17:18Almost finished with both of these people.
17:21So you didn't loan him $1,400 to give his niece for a car.
17:26Now, according to you, he gave money to his niece and he asked you for $1,400
17:31because he was short in his account.
17:33Yes, ma'am.
17:34Okay.
17:34And you gave that to him, according to you, even though you didn't have money for the dentist.
17:41May I speak?
17:42Sure.
17:43If somebody can clarify this to me, fine.
17:46Otherwise, I'm sending you on your way.
17:47I'm going in the back and I'm having a burger.
17:50Yes.
17:51The $1,400 that I gave Trevor was specifically for his niece.
17:55The $500 that he sent me was specifically for repayment of that $1,400.
18:01So according to you, he would still owe you the balance of the $1,400.
18:06Yes, ma'am.
18:07Well, I'm going to read you your sworn deposition, madam, and then I'm throwing you both out.
18:12Trevor and I were in a relationship and we gave each other money numerous times
18:18without expectation of repayment.
18:20Without expectation of repayment.
18:24For example, early in the relationship, I gave him $1,400 for a down payment on his niece's car
18:33and he never returned the amount, nor did I expect it.
18:37When people are in a loving, committed relationship, that's what they do for each other.
18:41That's what you wrote, that's what you signed.
18:43You understand that?
18:44Yes, ma'am.
18:45Okay.
18:46And then your countersuit is that after Trevor almost lost his leg in a motorcycle accident,
18:54I would arrive late to work and leave early so I could take care of him.
18:58That's nice.
18:58What does that have to do with me?
19:00That's what people do if they're in a relationship.
19:03If they want to, otherwise they say, listen, when you get better, call me, right?
19:07In your case, you said, I'm going to help you.
19:10You don't get paid for that.
19:11May I speak to that?
19:12No.
19:15However, when he was up and moving, he cold heartedly left me.
19:19I lost eight hours from work when he was released and 24 hours of overtime over the course
19:24of two weeks, totaling $940.
19:27So you want $2,000 for lost wages and emotional distress.
19:32That's what your counterclaim is.
19:33Yes, ma'am.
19:35Anything else?
19:36No, ma'am.
19:37Yes, ma'am.
19:38Grow up, folks.
19:38It's over.
19:39We're done.
19:41Case is dismissed, as is your counterclaim.
19:42We're done.
19:43This court is adjourned.
19:47Yeah, I think I should have probably just let her take care of that lifelong dream on
19:51her own.
19:51I learned a valuable lesson.
19:53It's okay.
19:54He just came out and told a lie.
19:57Other than that, it is what it is.
19:59I just wanted my money back.
20:02Stay single.
20:04Just another great example of how, when you're in a committed relationship, there's
20:09not a lot of nickel and diming.
20:10You know, you get the fast food for dinner here.
20:13I'll pick up the next dinner.
20:15You get the drinks.
20:16You get the coffee.
20:17But it just shows how important it is to memorialize.
20:20If there is a larger loan that you're not gifting to your significant other at the time,
20:25you should memorialize that.
20:27Have a written something, have a video something, have a photograph.
20:31Because then, if he had brought that, instead of us having to speculate what this means,
20:36he could have said, four braces down payment.
20:39You know, so that would have just made it easier.
20:41So always, I know it's hard in the moment because you never think you're going to break
20:44up.
20:45You never think it's going to go south.
20:46But it's just always better that if you're expecting any repayment, you should have those
20:50sorts of things to fall back on.
20:52Whoever you're loaning money to, whether it's a sibling or your best friend, you memorialize
21:01it some way.
21:02You know, it used to be Sarah.
21:03The memo line of the check.
21:04In the good old days.
21:06Right.
21:06You wrote it on the check memo.
21:09Just a good, another lesson for people in the new age for transferring money.
21:14Definitely just write what it's for.
21:15It makes things like this very easy if it does go south.
21:18It's very smart.
21:18Yeah.
21:20Have you been cheated?
21:21Go to JudyJustice.tv.
21:23Go.
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