00:00Manuel Lara is suing his former tenant, Joanna Ramirez, for vandalism to his rental home
00:06and for property taken without permission.
00:09Order. All rise.
00:16Yeah, it's case number 617 on the calendar, the matter of Lara versus Ramirez.
00:20You're welcome, Judge. Parties have been sworn in. You may be seated. Folks, have a seat.
00:23Mr. Lara, the defendant was a tenant of yours. She lived in a home that you own. She lived
00:29some difficulty at one time paying rent. Her mother pitched in for a while, and then at
00:33some point you decided it was time to terminate her tenancy, and you gave her, according to
00:38you, notice. It is your claim that she moved out, that she vandalized the property, stole
00:43some things from the property when she moved out.
00:45Yes, correct, yeah.
00:47When did she move in? That was in 2013?
00:49It was, yeah, about 11 months before, somewhere in, I think, the beginning of December.
00:54And when did you give her her notice to move out?
00:56Actually, I probably served her about five notices because I was constantly having to
01:02go to pick up the rent. She was paying fine for the first three months, but after that,
01:06it was like I had to go and get half the rent at the first week of the month. Then
01:10I have
01:10to go back and get the other half, and then the utilities were in my name because her credit
01:15wasn't strong enough for the city to allow her the utilities. They asked me to please
01:19keep it in my name. I did not really want to do that, but they had already moved into
01:23the house before they found out about the deposit they needed in order to get the utilities in
01:27their name. So it was like a constant process three times a month.
01:31Okay, so when did you finally serve her a notice to move?
01:34The final...
01:34You never did.
01:35Shh, shh, shh.
01:37The final notice was me calling her and to ask, or texting her and saying, look,
01:42what's going on? Because her mother-in-law had told me that she was moving out.
01:46You can't tell me what her mother-in-law said to you.
01:48Um, I was informed by somebody.
01:50No, you can't say that either.
01:52Okay, sorry.
01:53I said mother-in-law.
01:54Okay.
01:54You called, just tell me the conversation that you had with her.
01:57She texted me that she was going to have to move out because she didn't have the money
02:01to pay the rest of that, or she had that month paid, but she wasn't going to be able
02:04to pay next month.
02:05Do you have that text?
02:06Yes.
02:07I'd like to see it.
02:08Unless you acknowledge that you sent him that text.
02:11Do you listen...
02:12No, I did send him a text that it was going to be...
02:14Fine, then I don't have to see it.
02:15You sent him a text saying you were going to have to move out because you don't have
02:18next month's rent.
02:19Yes.
02:20Do you remember when you sent him that?
02:21It was, um, December.
02:24Had you paid December's rent?
02:26So you were going to be moving out in January?
02:28Yes.
02:29When did you move out?
02:30I had my stuff out by Christmas.
02:33Where did you move to?
02:34LA.
02:34With whom?
02:35My mother-in-law.
02:35Who helped you move?
02:37I did it myself.
02:38No.
02:38And my brother-in-law.
02:39Who helped you move?
02:40What do you mean?
02:40You didn't do it yourself.
02:42He did.
02:42I did.
02:43And who else?
02:43My wife and my son.
02:45Stand up when you talk.
02:47You're her brother?
02:48Brother-in-law.
02:49So your brother-in-law, your sister, and a friend of yours?
02:52No, no, my older son.
02:54Did you rent a truck?
02:55No, I used my van and, well, they rented a U-Haul and in my van we moved the rest
03:01of
03:01the stuff.
03:01Where did you move it to?
03:03To her mother-in-law's house.
03:04So they're square on rent, is that correct?
03:06The rent is, yes, it was the utilities.
03:07Rent a square?
03:08Correct.
03:08So what was the final bill?
03:10About $4,200.
03:12No, I'm talking about the final bill that she owed for utilities.
03:15Oh, the utility bill.
03:15I'm sorry.
03:16The final utility bill was $140.
03:18Sorry.
03:19Did you pay that utility bill?
03:20Um, he told me about it after, once I moved out.
03:24Well, show it to her.
03:25I sent her a picture of it.
03:26I don't know if I have that exact one.
03:28Did he send you a picture of it?
03:29He has that on his phone.
03:30I should have.
03:31I'm sure he has it if he sent you the picture on his phone.
03:34I didn't receive a picture.
03:36I might not have it, Your Honor.
03:38I thought I had it in here.
03:40I might be able to look up my phone.
03:41I remember sending her...
03:43Mr. Lara.
03:44Yeah.
03:45Okay, we'll skip it.
03:46I'm sorry.
03:46Let's skip it.
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