03x90 - Car Theft Connection and Beyoncé Boys

[bunniefuu]

Your car was stolen
out of the parking garage.

Correct.

-Did you leave the garage door open?
-I have no idea.

It wasn't the first time, though.

She has been told several times
in the past.

Show me.

Well, they told you,
"You must close the garage door."

This is my first time
seeing those letters.

[laughs]

[narrator] This is Judy Justice.

[theme music playing]

[narrator] Robert Diaz is suing
his neighbor, Lindsey Wilcox,

for the cost of a car

due to her negligence.

[Kevin] Court come to order. All rise.

[Judy] Have a seat, please.

Judge, case number 3114,
Diaz versus Wilcox.

-Thank you.
-You're welcome.

[Judy] Mr. Diaz, you and Ms. Wilcox
live in the same apartment building.

Yes, Your Honor.

-You've been living there how long?
-A year, approximately.

-[Judy] And you?
-Just over three years.

[Judy]
How many stories are in the building?

-One level garage and then four levels.
-Four levels.

Okay. I see that you must've brought
a photograph of the garage.

[Robert] Yes.

[Judy] Okay. And each apartment
has its own garage door?

Is that right?

You share with another apartment.
So, with...

Okay. So there are two cars
that fit in each bay.

Yes.

And you get one parking space
per apartment?

For me, personally,
I have a tandem parking spot.

So, my parking garage door,
it can hold four cars total.

Because we have two tandem spots,

me and the neighbor
that I share the door with.

[Judy] Got it. Mr. Diaz.

-It is your claim that on December 21st...
-[Robert] Correct.

-...your car was stolen...
-Yes, Your Honor.

[Judy] ...out of the parking garage.

And it is your claim that it was stolen
as a result of Ms. Wilcox's negligence

in that she left her garage door open,

which allowed the thieves to come in

and steal your car.

-That's the theory of your case.
-Correct.

Okay. I want you to show me proof first
that she left her garage door open.

-There's video footage there.
-[Judy] I'd like to see it.

-That's you pulling out, is that right?
-[Lindsey] Yes.

[Judy] Okay.

Who's that purple car?

[Robert] Someone just randomly
seen a garage unit open...

[Judy] No, no. So you don't know?

-Nobody that lives there?
-[Robert] No.

-Ms. Wilcox.
-[Lindsey] Yes.

You left at 11:00 on the 20th.

At 4:30 in the morning,

these thieves come in.

Clearly a group of thieves.

And steal Mr. Diaz's car.

Could you tell me
why you left at 11:00 at night

and didn't close
the garage door after you?

Well, I was going to my friend's house.

The reason I didn't close the garage door,
I couldn't say.

I have lived there for over three years

and I've done the same thing every day
multiple times a day.

I press the button to open the garage,
I pull out,

I press the button to close
the garage door, and I drive away.

And an issue had never been brought up.

So, I didn't think
to do anything differently and...

What do you mean, you push a button
and the garage door closes?

-What does that mean?
-My garage door opener.

[Judy] But you didn't wait to see
whether or not it closed?

Not all the way.

[Judy] Had anybody
ever complained to you before

-about leaving your garage door open?
-No, ma'am.

Nobody had contacted you?

Not once.

Well, you're not responsible
for somebody else's criminal behavior,

but you would admit that that's negligent
in leaving your garage door open.

It was clear that these opportunists

took advantage of the fact
that the garage door was open

in order to steal his car.

Absolutely. I definitely would have never
left my garage door open on purpose.

And if an issue had ever been brought up
to me, it would've been solved months ago.

-Did they ever find your car?
-They still never found the vehicle yet.

[Judy] Okay.
When did you purchase the car, Mr. Diaz?

Uh, February 2020.

What kind of car was it?

-It's a little car.
-[Robert] It's a Kia Soul.

-What year?
-[Robert] 2018.

-[Judy] And how much did you pay for it?
-16,000.

-[Judy] Did you take out a loan?
-Uh...

-Just a second. Did you take out a loan?
-Yes.

[Judy] And I assume
that it had not been paid off in 2020?

No, one more year.

[Judy] And I also assume
that you didn't have insurance

that you were required to have
by the loan company?

I had insurance for it.

I purchased the vehicle
for my wife as a present.

[Judy]
Listen, don't give me a whole story.

Clearly, she shouldn't have
left her garage door open.

-Yes.
-[Judy] Right?

You had an agreement with the loan company
that you would have the car fully insured

until the loan was paid back.

If you had the car fully insured,
they would've paid the value of the car.

-Right?
-Yes.

Now, after you car was stolen,
did you contact the insurance company?

-I did, immediately.
-[Judy] You did, immediately.

And you were told
that your claim was not allowed because...

Do you have a letter
from the insurance company?

Excuse me?

[Judy] Do you have a letter
from the insurance company?

You contacted the insurance company.

-Did you get paid for the car?
-No, I did not get paid for the car.

-Why?
-[Robert] Because I had liability,

which was for accidental.
I didn't have for theft.

[Judy] Yeah, but you're supposed to,
pursuant to the terms of your loan.

-Right?
-[Robert] Correct.

I bought the vehicle for my wife.

-She had insurance...
-[Judy] I don't...

So if your wife had insurance...

[Robert] I thought she had
full coverage insurance on it.

[Judy]
So you were mistaken.

-Yes, and, uh...
-[Judy] Just a second.

-So you made a mistake?
-Yes.

-[Judy] Right?
-Yes.

She made a mistake.

You still owe on the car.

She's not gonna pay off your car.

If you had no loan on the car

with any responsibility
to maintain insurance on it,

which you did,
and which you purposefully didn't do

because it was more expensive
to maintain insurance, full coverage,

which everyone is required to maintain
when they have a loan on a car.

-Yes, Your Honor, you're right.
-[Judy] Well, that's true.

Right? You think she purposefully
left the door open there

so that someone could come in
and steal your car?

-[Robert] No.
-Of course not.

It wasn't the first time, though.

She has been told
several times in the past.

[Judy] By whom?

-By the unit. We have...
-[Judy] Just a second.

Show me.

[Judy] This is September 21st, 2021.

They told you, "Please be advised
you must close the garage door."

They were sent to you.
You had notice of the problem.

'Cause she's gonna call them.

Yeah, I believe that they attempted,

but I believe that they failed
to inform me.

Not necessary, Sarah.

[narrator] And later today...

He said he was going to the concert.

You mean he was going to the concert
but he didn't have a ticket?

-That's what he said on the 22nd.
-[Judy] Look at me.

-You're missing a step, Mr. Pike.
-Yeah.

-Don't look at your notes.
-Sorry.

[theme music playing]

[narrator] Robert Diaz claims
his neighbor, Lindsey Wilcox,

negligently left the garage door open,

resulting in his car being stolen.

They told you, "Please be advised
you must close the garage door."

Kevin, show that to her.
It's October 17th.

This is December.

Show those to her.

-You received these.
-[Lindsey] I did not.

-You did not?
-I did not receive those.

This is my first time
seeing those letters.

-Really?
-[Lindsey] Yes.

I don't know if they were supposed to
go to my email, or...

I don't know where those went.

Would you do something for me, Sarah?

Look up Plaza Homeowners.

You would agree, Ms. Wilcox,

that if the homeowners' association says
that they were sent to you...

I don't know how they were sent,
slipped under your door,

doesn't look as if it's an email...

that you had notice of the problem.

'Cause she's gonna call them.

Yeah, I believe that they attempted, but...

-That they what?
-[Lindsey] That they attempted,

but I believe that they failed
to inform me.

[Judy laughs]

Not necessary, Sarah.

Okay. So, I'm gonna take that as,
"I got these under my door,

or I got these in my mailbox.
They attempted, but they didn't..."

How would you know that?
That they attempted?

[Lindsey]
I spoke with my neighbor and she claimed

that she had written those out
and left them on my door.

-Um, after...
-[Judy] Your neighbor?

Not the homeowners' association?

[Lindsey] I don't know if she's a part
of the homeowners' association.

She said that she left those on my door

and I maintained with her
that I never received them.

I don't believe that.

-[Lindsey] That I never received them?
-Yeah.

I never received them, I'm sorry.

Well, it's left over here
on December 21st, 2023.

This was December 14th, 2023.

-Did you leave the garage door open?
-On the 21st?

-[Judy] On the 14th.
-I have no idea.

Do you have a remote button in your car?

I don't keep it in my car.
I carry it with me.

[Judy] Carry it with you where?

[Lindsey] I take it up to my apartment
with me and keep it by my front door.

And then when I go out the back stairs,

I open the garage door from there
so that I can get in.

-[Judy] With the button?
-Yes.

[Judy]
And then what do you do with the remote?

I take it with me in the car
and I keep it next to me in the car.

And as I pull out,
I press the button and I drive away.

[Judy]
So that was your routine on this date,

that you pulled out, pressed the button,
and then drove away?

So there would be a pause in your car
as you were pulling away?

Can we go back to the tape
of Ms. Wilcox pulling out of her space?

You didn't press any button.

As I'm pulling out, I usually reach down
and press the button.

You didn't. Both hands were on the
steering wheel. You wanna play that back?

Both hands on the steering wheel.
Hand over hand.

You didn't press anything.

Okay. Ms. Wilcox, there is no question
you're not gonna pay him for a car.

Because, A, you didn't steal it,

and B, you may have been negligent
leaving it open,

but that doesn't mean that
you're responsible for his car.

Most importantly, for me,

Mr. Diaz purposefully
didn't have his car insured

as he was supposed to
by virtue of his contract with the lender.

-That's on you.
-I assumed my wife had full coverage

for the vehicle
'cause it was a present for her.

She had the basic liability.
She didn't have full coverage.

[Judy] Why is that her problem?

It would never happen
if the garage had been closed

-when she left.
-[Judy] Who knows?

I know that from what I see,
she did not close the garage door.

And I'm gonna give her a little bit
for not doing what she was supposed to.

The responsibility
of maintaining insurance was yours.

You can't say,
"I thought my wife had the insurance."

You have a loan.
You have to have insurance on the car.

[Robert] We had the insurance
paid six months in advance

and I assumed it was full coverage,
Your Honor.

Then you made a what?

-A mistake.
-[Judy] So did she.

-Right?
-[Robert] Correct.

Okay. She's gonna give you enough money

so that you can pay insurance
on another car for a little bit.

She's gonna give you 500 bucks.
The rest of it is on you.

Close the garage door when you leave.

It allows people to come in
and do bad things.

You can't be held responsible
for what other bad people did.

By the way,
how much do you still owe on the car, sir?

-8,000.
-[Judy] That's a lot of money.

-Right?
-Yeah.

Insurance. That's why you have insurance.

-The bank coming after you?
-Yeah. Well, I have to pay it.

[Judy] I would say that you do.

Anyway, judgement for the plaintiff
in the amount of $500.

Be careful the next time.

-Absolutely.
-[Judy] Okay.

-We're done.
-[Kevin] This court is adjourned.

It's fortunate that I was not
held financially responsible

for the full amount of the car
because I did not steal the car.

It's funny how she's been told about it

and then she says
no one's ever told her about it.

You know, ever since I've been contacted
about the issue

I can guarantee that no one's had
any issues with my garage door.

Make sure you close the garage.
It's all it is.

It's not that hard to press a button.

I don't think that her negligence
in failing to close the door

precipitated the theft of the car.

But I think that she was wrong

and I don't think
she closed the garage door.

'Cause I was watching
her hand-on-hand motion.

She said it was by the console,

so I didn't see any time
when she could've pressed the button.

But Mr. Diaz knew
that he didn't have insurance on the car

because it was expensive.

-So he just had one kind of insurance...
-Liability.

...that didn't cover theft.

And he was supposed to.
He knew he was supposed to.

Well, that's why banks require you
to have full coverage

for situations like this.

Now, like he said,
he's stuck paying $8,000

for an asset that he no longer has.

But that's not the bank's problem.

Case 3129, Pike versus Smith.

All parties, please come forward.

[narrator] Mason Pike is suing
his former friend, Adreese Smith,

for a Beyoncé concert ticket
and travel costs.

Mr. Pike, Mr. Smith is a friend of yours.

-Is, was, I'm not sure.
-Was, yes, ma'am.

[Judy] And it is your claim
that he owes you for a concert ticket.

-The concert ticket was to see Beyoncé?
-Yes, ma'am.

-And some travel-related expenses.
-Yes.

[Judy] I'm not sure about his defense,
but it sort of sounds to me

as if he's saying, well,
he was gonna pay you

when his friend straightened up,
but his friend never straightened up.

-Got that right?
-Yes. Yes, Your Honor.

Okay. So, let's start out with
when and why the concert.

[Mason] When?
The concert was on September 27th.

That was in New Orleans,
that's the one we ended up going to.

Why would be because
I went to the concert in Atlanta

with one of my friends, Jamie.

And Drew was supposed to go as well,
but he wasn't able to.

And we got cheap tickets in Atlanta,

we were way up in the rafters,
$50 tickets.

I thought that would be good enough,
but after I saw the show

I was like, this is amazing,
gotta go on the floor seats, so...

-Then that's when he had mentioned that...
-[Judy] Mr. Smith.

How long have the two of you been friends?

[Mason] Maybe three or four years-ish?

Do you do business together?
What kind of work do you do?

I work in film myself
in a location department in Atlanta.

-[Judy] And what about you, sir?
-I do insurance.

[Judy] Okay. Go ahead.

[Mason] So, then he told me that he was
already going to the New Orleans concert,

that maybe we could go together.

So, I thought that would be a great idea,
you now. Let's do that.

-So far, is that correct? Okay.
-Yes.

And then on the,
let's see, on the 22nd,

so, just a few days prior,

-he told me that he still...
-Look at me. Don't read.

Sorry. He told me
that he didn't have his money still.

So, like...

[Judy] Well, I didn't hear
any conversation about money.

Mr. Pike, you skipped
over a whole big thing.

You testified earlier
that you were waiting for some money.

Yes.

You were waiting for some money
from what source?

A very close friend of mine. He...

Careful.

Careful. Let's go.

[theme music playing]

[narrator] Mason Pike claims
his former friend, Adreese Smith,

owes for a Beyoncé concert ticket
and travel costs.

He said he was going to the concert.

Do you mean he was going to the concert
but he didn't have a ticket?

-That's what he said on the 22nd.
-[Judy] Look at me.

You're missing a step, Mr. Pike.

-Don't look at your notes.
-Sorry.

You should know it
'cause it's the truth, right?

If you're telling the truth,
you don't have to have a good memory.

Yes.

[Judy] You don't need crib notes
when you're coming here.

-Right?
-Correct.

Okay. So, you wanted floor seats
to the Beyoncé concert,

which was going to take place
in New Orleans.

Yes.

[Judy] You mentioned it to your friend,
he said, "I'm going to that concert."

-[Mason] Correct.
-[Judy] And you said to him, what?

On the 22nd, I just reached out,

I was like, "Are you still going?
What's the situation on that?"

And he said that whatever funds
he was using for that had not come in yet.

That he was expecting them by now,
but he didn't have them.

So, that led me to believe
they should be some time soon.

-No, don't led you to believe.
-[Mason] Right. That was my mistake.

-So, did you have your ticket already?
-Not yet. Not yet.

[Judy] So on the 22nd,
just a few days before the concert,

-neither of you had tickets?
-Correct.

[Judy]
And you were looking to get floor seats?

Correct.

Can you do that for a Beyoncé concert?

You can,
but they're gonna be pretty pricey,

which is why the ticket is so pricey.

'Cause we waited till the last minute
to get it.

-[Judy] Why?
-Like, hours before.

Why did you wait till the last minute?
You were going with or without him.

We were both hoping that
maybe they would be cheaper on the day,

but it turned out to be the opposite.
So, just a bad call.

[Judy] Okay. So you both knew

that you were waiting until,
sort of, the last few days

-to see if the prices fluctuated?
-Yes, Your Honor.

[Judy] Okay. And when they hadn't,

you tell me about the conversation
that you had with him

on the 22nd of September.

So, Mason had hit me up and he asked me,
was I still going to the concert?

I said to him that the money that
I was expecting to come had not come yet,

and so I said, "I don't know when
it's gonna come, I don't have it now,"

so I said that I wasn't gonna go.

Because I didn't want to put myself
in that type of circumstances.

And he, at that moment, insisted that
he still wanted me to go to the concert,

he felt like that I shouldn't miss out.

And then his response was,
"I will take care of the tickets,

and then you can pay me back
when you can."

Okay. "I'll take care of the tickets,
and you can pay me back when you can."

Yes. And then my response to that was,
"Oh, that's sweet,"

as in like,
what a sweet gesture for you to say that.

After that comment of, "Oh, that's sweet,"

he had messaged me a few days

and then we just started talking
about the arrangements.

I never officially agreed to pay him back.

Don't editorialize
what you did or did not do.

So far, you said,
"I'll pay you back when I can."

-Right.
-[Judy] That's what you said, right?

-I said, "Oh, that's sweet," but yes.
-[Judy] No, I don't care.

That's superfluous to the lawsuit. Right?

Well, then yes, I said,
"I'll pay you back when I can."

[Judy] Okay.
Where do you live, Mr. Smith?

[Adreese] In Atlanta.

-[Judy] Who do you live with?
-Myself.

-[Judy] You have an apartment?
-Yes, ma'am.

-How much rent do you pay?
-It's 1,765.

-It comes to about 18...
-[Judy] Just a second. 1,765.

-Where do you work?
-[Adreese] I work for State Farm.

[Judy]
How long have you worked for State Farm?

Since October of last year.

Not, not, no, not last year.
The year before last year.

-[Judy] October of 2022?
-Yes.

[Judy] And how much
was your gross salary last year?

On your taxes?

Last year it was 42 and change.

And you have to file taxes
again this year.

Approximately, how much
are you earning this year?

This year it was 44 and change.

-[Judy] You earned more this year.
-Yes.

Now, when you said to him,
"I don't have the money right now,

but I'll take it, that's great,
and I'll pay you back when I can"...

-Yes.
-...what was the "I can"?

Because I think you testified earlier
that you were waiting for some money.

-Yes.
-[Judy] You were waiting for some money

from what source?

A very close friend of mine. He...

Careful. Careful. Let's go.

So, he is a friend of mine, we're close,

but he also gives me money sometimes
and buys me things and gifts and whatnot.

So, his intention was to take me
to the Atlanta show for Beyoncé,

but he was waiting for a check from the VA
'cause he used to be in the Army.

And that check did not come at the time
for the Atlanta show,

so his intention was, he said, "Well,
if your friend gives you the tickets,

then I will send you the money
to pay him back

-once his VA funds come."
-[Judy] Oh.

But you had the money, sir.

As a matter of fact, you made more money
this year than last year.

-How old are you?
-I'm 26.

Twenty-six. You work full-time.
You work for a big corporation.

You've been working there
for several years.

No reason why somebody else
has to buy you a ticket, sir.

You made more money this year
than you did the year before that.

-These tickets were what? 1,000 bucks?
-Yes, ma'am, roughly.

Pay for your own ticket or just don't go.

[Adreese] Well, I wasn't going to go.
My bills-to-income ratio

is not ideal for me
to spend $1,300 on a concert.

Which is why I told Mason
that I wasn't gonna go.

'Cause I couldn't afford it.

Okay. Let me hear your version
of what he told you, please.

He agreed to go

and then on the day
when we bought the tickets, on the 27th,

-I have text messages...
-Twenty-seventh is when you bought...

[Mason] September 27th.
Just hours before the concert, really.

I have text messages where I told him,

I said, "You know,
I only see seats for $1,200,

is that okay?" And he said,
"Let's do that." I do have those messages.

-May I see that, please?
-[Mason] Yes, ma'am.

There.

[Judy]
Yes, he says to you, "You headed back?

We should probably
figure out tickets soon.

The cheapest floor seat I see is $1,200."
That's what he said to you.

And then you say, "Let's do that then.
I'm waiting for my Uber."

I had intentions. I mean, my intentions
were to pay him back, but...

[Judy] Great. That's why you're here.

So that you can make good
on your intentions, sir.

Judgement for the plaintiff
in the amount of $1,200.

We're finished. Thank you very much.

[Kevin] This court is adjourned.

If I'm telling you I don't have the money
before you even buy the ticket,

why would you still buy it?

He just said that he was waiting on funds.

And I never knew what those funds were
until today.

I mean, I guess I don't blame him,
but he very much wanted my attention.

I was getting very cold responses,

almost like I was bothering him
about the money.

And I was just like,
this doesn't feel right.

Maybe I should look into
getting a judgement

just in case he doesn't pay on it.

He's shown his true colors
and, honestly, it's fine.

No free rides. I'll probably think twice
on the next person I take, for sure.

I find it irresponsible on his part.

And I, you know, I just think
that Mason is a scummy person.

How much did you pay,

the most you ever paid
for a concert ticket?

I think it was recently.

About $1,000 for my sister and I
to go see Drake at Madison Square Garden.

-So that's for two tickets?
-Two.


...a bit tough to spend on one ticket.

That's a lot of money,
but I know a lot of people do that

and I understand that
Beyoncé puts on one fabulous concert.

I've not been lucky enough to see it,
but, hopefully, you know,

on the next one I'll catch her.

[laughs] Next go-around.

-Well, I'm sure they had a good time.
-I'm sure they did.

[narrator] Are you a victim of a scam?



[theme music playing]