- 2 days ago
Tribunal Justice S03E32
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Did you cheat on me?
00:02Now on Tribunal Justice.
00:04It was an open relationship.
00:06Correct.
00:07Did you have a boyfriend on the side?
00:09Yes, I did.
00:10You accused her of being a sexaholic.
00:12That's correct.
00:13Whatever.
00:14She was transparent.
00:15You didn't like it.
00:16If she's that screwed up, leave her.
00:19You need some help.
00:44Today's case was filed in Spokane, Washington.
00:48Yeah, in this case, number 3074 on the count in the matter of Ernie versus Perkins.
00:53Thank you, Bert.
00:54You're welcome, Judge.
00:54Parties have been sworn in.
00:56Be seated.
00:57Ms. Ernie and Mr. Perkins.
00:59The two of you had an on-again, off-again relationship over the past five years.
01:04At one point, the two of you even lived together.
01:07During that time, Ms. Ernie, you became quite ill.
01:11And then you broke up.
01:12And then you got back together again.
01:14You reconnected and you planned a trip.
01:17But you broke up again before that trip.
01:20And Ms. Ernie, you're in court today suing the defendant because you allege that you paid for
01:26your half of the trip.
01:26But he's refused to reimburse you for those expenses.
01:30You are suing the defendant for $1,690.
01:34And sir, you say that any money that she did pay you went toward another debt that she owed you.
01:40And in fact, you have a countersuit against her.
01:42You maintain that after she recovered from her brain condition, she never re-assumed her rent
01:48obligations.
01:48And she owes you money for that.
01:50Uh, you're suing her also for invasion of privacy, for going through your phone.
01:54And you also have a claim against her for emotional distress as a result of her alleged
01:59cheating.
02:00Uh, well, the two of you have a really nice origin story.
02:05You met about five years ago on a dating site.
02:07And I thought that your first date sounded so delightful.
02:12You went to the park, you swung on the swings.
02:14Yes.
02:15And you moved in together about a year later.
02:18Correct.
02:18I think it was a little over a year after you moved in that you were diagnosed with a brain
02:24injury.
02:25Correct.
02:25Um, basically it was my memory that went, um, first started having memory issues and then
02:33it began into hallucinations and a slurred speech.
02:40Kevin can even allude to it more because he was there and I wasn't.
02:45Yeah, in fact, sir, you know, Mr. Perkins, what the plaintiff says in her complaint
02:50is that you did your best to take care of her.
02:53What were the circumstances like when she wasn't doing so well?
02:56Well, basically like the first week is when she started hallucinating.
02:59So it went, she went down pretty fast.
03:01She just started getting slow movements, you know, and then she was kind of just
03:05in and out of it reality.
03:08She would like start picking things up off the floor that weren't there or in the air, you know?
03:12So I took her to ER, find out what was going on.
03:15I took her like three times during that time.
03:17How long would you say she was sick during the period of time that you were living together?
03:21She moved in in August.
03:23The first three months was really good.
03:25You know, everything was going really good.
03:27Late January just started going downhill from there.
03:30But it took like August until she got better.
03:32After August, that's when things started to kind of go downhill between the two of you again
03:38personally.
03:39And then you moved out that following January.
03:42Correct.
03:42And then you reconnected.
03:44And I think it was in October of around last year, you planned a trip that was going to
03:50take place this year.
03:51Yes.
03:51You were going to go on a carnival cruise.
03:53Where was the cruise?
03:54To the Western Caribbean.
03:56You were going to the Western Caribbean.
03:57And she did pay you for what she maintains with some portion of the cruise.
04:03How much did you pay him, ma'am?
04:04One thousand six hundred ninety dollars.
04:06One thousand six hundred and ninety dollars.
04:09And you don't deny receiving that money.
04:11She wrote you a check.
04:12We have a copy of the check.
04:13That was a combination of a lot of things.
04:15Well, what she says was the cruise.
04:16You say it was for something else.
04:17Correct, ma'am.
04:18So she writes you a check for the cruise.
04:21But before the two of you are supposed to go on the cruise together, something else happens.
04:26You take a trip to Vegas.
04:27Yes, I did.
04:28You didn't like the fact that she took a trip to Vegas.
04:30It's weird because she never goes on a vacation by herself.
04:34I believe that Brenda Ernie has a sex addiction.
04:38Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
04:39I thought we were going in a different direction.
04:41Okay.
04:42No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
04:46Here's what I'm going to do because I don't really want to go too deeply into your bedroom.
04:56But you take pains in your complaint to say,
04:59you know, when we reconnected, he was seeing somebody.
05:01I was seeing somebody.
05:02It was an open relationship.
05:04Correct.
05:04And you tell us in your answer that you were very suspicious about that trip.
05:09And that trip is why you ultimately canceled the Caribbean trip.
05:13So tell me why you canceled the trip to the Caribbean that you were planning with the planet.
05:18The second time we got back together, I said,
05:20you got to be transparent with me, 100% transparent.
05:23Well, she told me she was seeing this guy named Scott and she would see him on Fridays.
05:26Well, I've never shared somebody with somebody else.
05:29This is kind of weird and different for me, you know?
05:32But she told you.
05:33So, but I just think it was more to it than just that Scott guy.
05:37But anyhow, I met this gal at the landfill in Portman, Oregon,
05:41because I hauled ash over there, right?
05:44I met her, but there was no sexual relationships going, just friendship, you know?
05:48So you met somebody, you say it wasn't intimate.
05:51About the same time, she said she did.
05:52She told you that she was seeing Scott on Fridays.
05:56You suspect that there may have been other Scotts.
05:59But the point is, she goes to Vegas and you canceled the trip to the Caribbean.
06:05Yes, I did.
06:06And then that brings us to her claim, because she wrote you a check on October 26th, 2024,
06:14for $1,690. She alleges that that was money she paid toward the cruise.
06:20You allege that that was money that went toward rental expenses and the like?
06:25I thought that's what you said in your answer.
06:27Concert tickets.
06:29And then I got this mess-free cat litter box.
06:33I said I'd go half on it.
06:34Yeah, that's right.
06:35You were suing her also for the cat litter box.
06:37No, I wasn't suing her for that, but that was just part of the money that she's talking about.
06:42That's why I said that isn't exactly the ticket expenses.
06:46Um, I'll be quite candid. I'm inclined to see it as cruise money.
06:49You planned the trip in October. She wrote you the check in October.
06:54She'd moved out in January.
06:56I didn't see any record of your saying, you know, look, I need you to pay me back for the
07:01rent.
07:02I need you to pay me back for the money I spent moving you out of my home.
07:06I never saw any requests for repayment of those items.
07:09How are you going to convince me otherwise?
07:13Coming up on Tribunal Justice.
07:16You guys need counseling.
07:18Really. You're suspicious of every move she makes.
07:21If she goes to the grocery store and isn't back in an hour,
07:23you start to think she's got a relationship going on with the cashier.
07:32Brenda Ernie says ex-boyfriend Kevin Perkins owes her almost $1,700,
07:36her half of a cruise that Kevin canceled. Kevin admits pulling the plug,
07:41blaming Brenda for cheating on him. So he's countersuing for $5,000 in rent, concert tickets,
07:47a cat litter box and invasion of privacy. I didn't see any record of your saying, you know,
07:53look, I need you to pay me back for the rent. I need you to pay me back for the
07:57money I spent moving
07:58you out of my home. I never saw any requests for repayment of those items.
08:03How are you going to convince me otherwise?
08:05So it was the 13th through the 16th. She was down in Vegas of November. 16th,
08:09I pick her up. She comes over to the house, stays the night. The next morning,
08:13she made me coffee and I said, well, I'm going to go in and shower. I go in and shower
08:17and I come
08:17back out and I leave the water running because I kind of dropped my phone in her. I kind of
08:20baited
08:21her to see if she would use my phone and she got in my phone.
08:24We're now talking about your counterclaim. Did you go through his phone?
08:27No, ma'am. He has a face recognition and a coat on it. And if he had a coat on
08:32it and he thought
08:33I was going through his phone, he should have changed his code.
08:36Sir, just for-
08:37I watched it for 10 seconds.
08:38But listen, you know, without more, I just don't see a path to invasion of privacy. What I see
08:43is somebody who is miffed, brokenhearted, annoyed that she's suing you after everything that you went
08:49through together. You did take care of her while she was sick. And I don't think you expected her to
08:53pay
08:53you rent while she was ill. There's not one text message. There's nothing.
08:59There's a verbal agreement when she moved in with me. There was three things that I said to her.
09:03$300 a month, help with the food. And then I also said, we're not getting married.
09:08So she had Scott on Fridays. It sounds like marriage wasn't necessarily on her radar,
09:14but I am not seeing the legal bases on which you could recover. You know, my colleagues may differ.
09:20You'll have more time to testify. I'm going to pass the case now to Judge Domingo.
09:24You guys need counseling.
09:27Really? I mean, it's not funny. I read these papers and I'm here saying,
09:30you're suspicious of every move she makes. If she goes to the grocery store and isn't back in an hour,
09:35you start to think she's got a relationship going on with the cashier.
09:38I mean, seriously, you were an extremely jealous person. Am I right or wrong?
09:43No, ma'am, you're not.
09:44You're not jealous? Do you want me to read some of this stuff?
09:46I have a lot. I give all the ladies a lot of freedom in my life.
09:50Uh-huh. I do.
09:51And I'm going to go back to you. Just out of curiosity, did you have a boyfriend on the side?
09:57Scott on Friday night.
09:59So he's not crazy, but he's jealous. I mean, that's normal.
10:03But you accused her of being a sexaholic.
10:06That's correct.
10:06You're saying that from August, when she got better, until January, when she moved out,
10:12that she was fooling around, that she was getting all dolled up. That was your words.
10:19Correct.
10:19Now, that's the only time frame, however, that you're looking for this $300 a month.
10:25And I'm going to ask you, because I believe you had an agreement. I don't think you were
10:28freeloading off of him. Were you giving him money?
10:30I gave him some when I could, before I got sick.
10:33Do you work for a living?
10:34Yes, I do. What do you do?
10:36I'm a medical assistant.
10:37Okay. So you are giving him a certain amount of money a month to cover expenses.
10:41Sure.
10:42And you took care of her for the four months. So you really did have feelings for one another,
10:46strong feelings. And then once she got better and started to go back out again, August to July,
10:51that was when you want that money. Now, she admits to giving you some money,
10:55but I don't know the nature of that relationship. So when she writes that check for $1,168
11:01on the date that you booked the trip, that is exactly half of the cruise, half. But if you
11:07prematurely canceled the trip, there's an issue as to who's responsible for the airfare and what
11:12role she played in this cancellation on a trip. The excursion, she was giving you half the excursion.
11:18Half of it was $240. The best one thing she didn't pay for is the excursion.
11:23Did you pay for the excursion? Because you have in your papers $240.
11:26I was waiting.
11:26Did you have any proof that you paid the check for $1,600 and some odd dollars, correct?
11:30By the way, you got reimbursed by the cruise ship for the money, didn't you?
11:34I got reimbursed.
11:35You got reimbursed. So you have that money. So moving along, I want to go to your counterclaim.
11:40You think she's cheating all the time. You were trying to set her up with that phone.
11:46Why would you think that she was going through your phone when you were the one thinking that
11:50she was cheating? Why were you trying to set her up with that?
11:53Ma'am, I have nothing to hide. Seriously. She's just guilty because the fact that she wanted to see if
11:58I was cheating.
11:58No, she's not guilty. You said, I'm going to tell you, she said nothing about looking at your phone.
12:01When you're serving for what is an illegal cause of action at all? Invasion of privacy because
12:06somebody looks at your phone. But you're saying here that when Brenda returned from her trip in
12:11Vegas, November 24th, that Sunday morning, she got up and made us coffee. When I went to take a
12:17shower, I, you put in quotes, accidentally, which means you intentionally dropped my phone,
12:25that's you talking, in the hamper. I wanted to see if she would go through my phone or not.
12:31I left the shower on in the bathroom to grab my phone and saw Brenda going through it. She was
12:38caught red handed. I never had anything to hide. You see, you're suspicious of her. You think she's
12:47hiding. This is so typical. You'd be a therapist's delight. You think she's cheating. You're checking
12:52everything she's doing. You're monitoring her every move. That's wrong to do in a relationship. If she's
12:58that screwed up, leave her. If we give you any money at all, take it to the first psychiatrist
13:04because you need some help.
13:07Coming up on Tribunal Justice. You know, you're saying very little,
13:11and you have the case to prove here. So I want to know, why did you go through his phone?
13:20Brenda Ernie is suing ex-boyfriend Kevin Perkins for almost $1,700. Half the cost of a Caribbean cruise
13:27canceled out of jealousy. But Kevin says Brenda ruined the relationship by cheating again and is
13:33counter suing for $5,000 for concert tickets, a cat litter box, rent, and invasion of privacy.
13:39You know, you're saying very little, and you have the case to prove here. So I want to know,
13:43why did you go through his phone? That one day, he threw it in front of me in the hamper.
13:49Mm-hmm. Tied it in front of me. So I pick it up like he's trying to hide something. So
13:55I pick up
13:55his phone, he comes out of the bathroom. I'm holding his phone. He just caught you. And I, whatever.
14:0310 seconds of the watcher. Why are you hiding? What are you hiding in your phone that you have to
14:07hide it in the hamper? Why didn't the two of you break up sooner and stay apart? You shouldn't be
14:12with anybody if you're going to be this jealous and this concerned about what's going on. I knew it
14:19so long. Now I can't stop you. Judge Levy. Mr. Perkins, you said to Judge Acker that the $1,690
14:26check that you received from the plaintiff on October 26, 2024, was for a lot of things,
14:34but not the cruise expenses. Do you recall that testimony? Yes, Your Honor.
14:38So what were the other things that you claim that $1,690 was for?
14:44Um, the concert ticket and, um, the, uh, cat litter box. I told her I'd go half on a cat
14:51litter box.
14:52What for? Okay. So concert, cat litter box, and also a portion of this rent that you claim that she
14:58owed you? No, that wasn't part of that. That wasn't part. Okay. Now we know what you thought that check
15:04was for. Now I want you to tell me what all the expenses were for for the cruise to see
15:10if all the
15:10expenses for the cruise, which included airfare, the ticket for the cruise, and the excursion,
15:16because you would agree that if those three things equal $1,690, then your argument would just fall,
15:24correct? Correct. Great. So what was the cruise price? Between the two of us, it was $23.24.
15:31Cruise price per person? Hold on. $1,168. Okay. So even according to your math, it was about $1,171.
15:40Correct. So let's take $1,168. That's close enough, right? The Alaskan flight, $562.42,
15:47which equals $282 each, correct? Correct. Yes. Yes, Your Honor. Okay. And then finally,
15:54the two excursions were $240, right? Correct. Correct. So $1,168 plus $282 for the flight,
16:03plus the excursions for $240. Can you take a guess what those three numbers add up to?
16:09Probably around $1,690. $1,690. So in fact, that check that you received from the plaintiff was
16:15only for the trip and for nothing else, correct? Yes, Your Honor. I have nothing further. Thank you.
16:20Ms. Ernie, when did you go back to work? Or did you go back to work after your illness? When
16:25did you go
16:25back? In January 30th of 2022. Which is when you moved out of the plaintiff's home.
16:32Yes. So you got a new job after you moved out. Correct. August, September, or thereabouts,
16:38were you still in treatment? I was in August of 22. I completely gave,
16:47opened myself up to identity theft, to give you an idea of where my mental health was.
16:54I took a phone call, thought it was our power company. It was not. It was a scam artist. My
17:04mental
17:06capacity was so bad, I gave them all of my identity, gave them my social security number,
17:13my driver's license, my password to my bank account, everything. How was your health the
17:20balance of the year before you moved out? Getting stronger every month. But you weren't working?
17:24Not working. Thank you. I don't have anything else. You did write a letter to her, correct?
17:29I did, ma'am. And the purpose of this letter was what? The letter that stated December 14th, 2024,
17:37when you say I tried to be friends with you again, and all you do is lie and cheat on
17:41me. I wasn't ever
17:43going to get back with you, just be friends. Our understanding was we would be transparent with
17:49one another. I thought maybe you would change. Boy, was I wrong. You are more messed up.
17:56You got this letter, didn't you? Yes, I did.
17:59Yeah, just one last thing then, Mr. Perkins. With respect to that letter,
18:02you also said, quote, since you never paid me the $1,500 for five months' rent,
18:09I'm keeping the cruise money, correct? Yes.
18:12That was the first time that you had mentioned to her,
18:15since you got back together, anything about the $300 a month that was owed to you, correct?
18:21Yes, Your Honor. Thank you.
18:22All right. We're going to retire to deliberate. Thank you both.
18:26Court now stands in recess. This case will be recalled. Parties are excused.
18:36I think I'd like to first start with the counterclaim.
18:40She never disputes that she was paying him $300 a month before she got sick. She even says that in
18:47her complaint. I think that the question that I have is whether or not he had a reasonable expectation
18:52that she was going to continue that from the time that she got sick until the time that she moved
18:57out.
18:58And I just don't see any evidence of that. There's not a demand. There's not a request. There's not
19:03a sweet note. Like, no mention of any owed monies until they have a breakup. That was clearly very
19:09painful for him. I think that the other items, money for invasion of privacy, for looking through the
19:15phone, the emotional distress. Again, you know, let's treat it like a summary judgment. Assuming
19:21she did all of the things that he says that she did, I still don't think that they give rise
19:26to
19:26a legally cognizable claim. 100%. So I would just dismiss the counterclaim. 100%.
19:32So unanimous on dismissing the counterclaim. And I think that she's met her burden on the case in
19:38chief. She's actually taken into account, I believe, the penalty that was incurred for the cancellation.
19:44He canceled the trip. She paid him for the trip. I think she's entitled to be reimbursed.
19:48She gets what she's asked for. Yeah, I agree. Me too. Oh, thank you. This is so simple. So far,
19:53so good.
19:58Court is back in session. I remind parties you're still under oath. Thank you, Bird. Mr. Perkins,
20:04I understand that you have a question that you want to ask Ms. Ernie. Yes, ma'am. You may.
20:09Did you cheat on me? Okay. That's it. I was advised that you wanted to ask her a question. And
20:22that's the
20:23question. You don't have to answer it because I'm going to say this. She told you about Scott on
20:28Fridays. You knew about Scott on Fridays. You had Mary Mondays. And by the way, she was transparent.
20:35You didn't like it. And that brings me to your counter suit, sir. There is no doubt. The record
20:40is clear. The plaintiff even acknowledged that before she got sick, she was paying you $300 a month.
20:47What you have failed to prove is that there was any reasonable expectation of repayment
20:52after she got sick and during the period of her recovery, because you cared about her and you
20:57were looking after her and you wanted her to be well. You know, again, as Judge Levy pointed out,
21:01you didn't even ask for any money until after the breakup. So we're unanimous in dismissing your
21:05counterclaim. This was painful for you. But you know, you don't always get damages,
21:10money damages for relationships that cause you pain. Ms. Ernie, we're also unanimous in sustaining
21:15your complaint for your request for $1,690. The defendant canceled the trip and he had your
21:22money. So you're entitled to that money back. Look, the two of you seem like very, very nice
21:26people. And there are, you know, many more Scots and Marys and all sorts of folks in the world for
21:32you. So we really do wish you the best. The unanimous verdict of this court is that the plaintiff
21:37should prevail in her complaint and the counter suit is dismissed. And good luck to both of you.
21:42Thank you. This case is now concluded. If bodies are excused, you may step out.
21:51I'm thinking that I was controlling person, but I wasn't. And the truth came out and I got my cruise
21:57money back. She just wouldn't answer me. That's not having a monogamous relationship wasn't going to
22:05work. She was cheating on me. I wasn't cheating on him. It was an open relationship. Part ways. Oh,
22:12that ship has sailed. Don't let a bad breakup break the bank. Let the judges of tribunal justice propose
22:18a fair solution. Find us on social media.
22:49And it's lying.
22:51That's all.
22:51Yeah.
22:52Yeah.
Comments