01x07 - Star Athlete's Tragic Accident

[bunniefuu]

Someone used your debit card?

We were dealing with each

other at the time and I thought

I had known him for a while,

so I could trust him.

Did you find her debit card?

She may think you're cute. Not me.

Sometimes when you're slick,

you stay slick.

-You know?

-Yeah.

[narrator] This is Judy Justice.

[theme music playing]

[narrator] Ashley Roberson

is suing her former boyfriend,

Ronne Readus,

for totaling her car and stealing money.

[Kevin] Court come to order.

Be seated, please.

Hello, Judge.

Case 104,1 Roberson versus Readus.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome.

Ms. Roberson, during what period of time

did you and the defendant

have a relationship?

I would say from about

June 2020 to August 2020.

[Judy] And in what month was it

that you needed a lift to the airport?

That would have been March 2021.

So I assume

that after the relationship was over,

you continued to be involved?

Yes, on and off.

[Judy] Sometimes friends, sometimes more?

[Ashley] Yes.

During one of those periods of time

when you were going to the airport,

what day in March was that?

March 19th.

[Judy] The defendant

was gonna take you to the airport,

drive you to the airport,

and then according to you, drive home.

But he had driven your car regularly.

And he took you to the airport

and he dropped you off.

And then you were in an accident?

Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] Serious one?

-Yes, ma'am.

-[Judy] On what date?

March 31st.

And you were hospitalized.

You were in a coma for a long time?

Yeah. About ten to eight day

eight to ten days.

[Judy]

Still getting physical therapy?

Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] So there are two parts

to your case.

One part of your case,

and you were out of town

between the 19th and the 31st.

I flew home May 12th, it would be.

So it would have been

from March 19th to May 12th.

But you were definitely out of town

between March 19th and March 31st?

Correct.

That's what I'm talking about.

On March 19th,

he had this terrible accident,

your car was totaled.

You only had liability

and not collision on the car,

so the car was lost.

The defendant was hospitalized

for a while, in rehab for a while.

You were aware of that,

you were made aware of that.

Now he's better, still has a way to go.

But better.

You want him to pay

for the value of the car

and you also say that during the period

between March 19th and March 31st,

someone used your debit card

in a place where you were not.

And it is your belief that the defendant

used the debit card that was in your car.

Interestingly, the defendant

does not deny he used the debit card.

But he says that he used it

for things that you authorized.

Uh-hmm.

-That's your defense. Am I correct?

-Yes.

Okey-dokey.

So let's start at the beginning.

The beginning is he had the car

with your permission?

Car or card? I'm sorry.

-Car.

-[Ashley] Okay.

He had the car with your permission.

He drove you to the airport.

He was gonna pick you up from the airport.

Incorrect.

[Judy] Had he ever taken you

to the airport before?

No.

[Judy] So tell me about

the arrangements you made for him

to take you to the airport,

understanding

that you were going to be away

from mid-March until May.

Go ahead. Let me hear.

So, I had no one to take me to the airport

and we were dealing

with each other at the time.

And I thought I had known him for a while

so I could trust him

to take me to the airport.

And he was to drop the car

back off at my mom's or my cousin's,

whichever worked best for him.

I was trying to work with him.

And so he was never he never did that,

and I texted him, and I called him,

and I said, you know,

"You need to bring the car home and

[Judy] I'd like to see

when between March 19th and March 31st

you texted him, that I would like to see.

So

[Judy]

Just a sec, don't say anything.

[Ashley] Okay.

Just show me.

It's this one right here.

[Judy] Thank you.

I don't know what date this is.

It says Friday at 2:47,

yesterday at 9:59 in the morning.

[Ashley] Unfortunately,

there are no dates on them

because these

were screenshots of messages

Screenshots of what messages?

Of whose messages?

Between Ronne and I.

[Judy] Well, let me see the phone.

-Oh, the messages are deleted.

-[Judy] Oh.

-So, that doesn't matter?

-[Judy] Forget it. Forget it.

-Okay.

-Okay. Forget the car.

Forget the car. The car's gone.

Okay.

[Judy]

He had permission to drive your car.

And unless you have

some sort of police report

indicating that the accident

was his fault, which I gather it was not.

A tire blew.

-Did a tire blow on the car?

-Yes, ma'am.

[Judy]

And you lost control of the car?

Yes, ma'am.

Okay, you have any information

to the contrary?

When you say that,

what do you mean exactly?

Exactly, he says that a tire blew

on the car which caused the accident.

[Ashley] Uh-hmm.

Do you have any information to the

that would not be his fault.

If the tire blew on the car

Yes.

[Judy] that would not be his fault.

What I can say and I don't know

if that would work for you

is that the reason the tire popped

is because he was driving

around on a donut on my car

that he never even told me occurred.

-Oh, just a second.

-[Ashley] Go ahead. Yeah.

[Judy] Just a second.

Did you have a flat tire?

Yes.

Oh.

On what date did you have a flat tire?

The day of the accident.

Earlier in the day,

I had changed a tire that day.

It's either March 30th or March 31st.

It was the date

that the car tire had popped.

I had changed it the same day.

Who changed the tire?

Me.

Who put on the donut?

I put on the donut.

Your father getting all this?

-You getting embarrassed?

-It's getting there.

-It's getting there?

-Yes, ma'am.

Yes, ma'am.

My grandmother would say

"Give him a good slap," get his attention.

He's getting too big for that.

[theme music playing]

[narrator] Ashley Roberson claims

her former boyfriend, Ronne Readus,

totaled her car and used her debit card

without permission.

[Judy] Keep going.

[Ashley] The reason the tire popped

is because he was driving

around on a donut on my car

that he never even told me occurred.

-Oh, just a second.

-[Ashley] Go ahead. Yeah.

Just a second.

Did you have a flat tire?

Yes.

Oh.

On what date did you have a flat tire?

The day of the accident.

Earlier in the day,

I had changed a tire that day.

It's either March 30th, or March 31st.

It was the date

that the car tire had popped.

I had changed it the same day.

Who changed the tire?

Me.

[Judy] Who put on the donut?

I put on the donut.

Who's this gentleman?

-Who's he?

-[Judy] Yeah.

Oh, this is my father.

You have to introduce your son

to the truth.

Say, "Truth, I'd like you to meet my son."

Because in his answer,

what he says is that she didn't tell him

that there was a donut tire.

I'm gonna read you

what he said in his answer.

"Ashley failed to tell me that her car

was in poor working condition

and that one of the tires

was a temporary donut tire."

Well, he put it on.

Yeah.

[laughs] Good.

On the night of the accident,

I was driving down the highway

and suddenly the spare tire blew,

and I spun out of control.

Well, according to him,

now because he doesn't have a good memory.

He changed the tire.

He doesn't remember exactly

when but clearly what he didn't do

was change the tire and the next thing,

go to a tire shop

and get another tire.

So he's driving around

with a little spare.

What?

If I could have got another tire,

I would have.

The time

the timeframe

within like the tire had popped,

it was already night time.

So I couldn't

You told me you didn't remember

whether it was the 30th or the 31st.

You just told me that a second ago.

Just because I didn't remember the date,

I don't remember

like I remember like what time like

No, it's not time and date that you

on the 31st, you almost got k*lled.

So you would remember whether or not

you changed the tire

on the 30th or the 31st.

You know, she may think you're cute,

not me.

[Ashley] Uh-uh.

[Judy] I have to tell you.

[Eric and audience laugh]

Not me.

Now, when you got in her car,

did you find her debit card?

Because you acknowledge that you used it.

I didn't find it.

She had called me and let me know

she left her debit card in her car.

Oh, perfect.

Oh, I'm gonna love this.

[Ashley] Uh-hmm.

She called you and said,

"I left my debit card in the car."

Was that when she first left

around the 19th?

[Ronne] Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] And what else

did she say when she said,

"I left my debit card in the car"?

She had asked me

to get the oil changed on her car.

[Judy] And did you do that?

Yeah.

Not "yeah"

would be an answer that you give me.

-[Ronne] Yes, ma'am.

-Yes?

-Perfect.

-Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] You got the oil change.

Do you remember,

was that the beginning of her trip

that she asked you to get the oil change?

Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] Okay.

She also said in this thing,

it doesn't have the date,

but let's say it's legitimate.

She says,

"You're gonna have to return the car."

She says,

"You can drop it off at Marcus's house

if that's easier for you."

And you write back.

You know what she's talking about?

It's not coming back all the way.

Please continue, please.

"You need to take my car home

and you can drop it off in El

-[Ashley] Cajon.

-[Ronne] El Cajon.

[Judy] El Cajon at Marcus's house

if that's easier for you.

Do you know who that is? Marcus?

Yes.

All righty.

And you wrote back, you know,

a very intelligent, well-crafted answer.

You write back, guess what?

What do you think you wrote back?

-I can't remember.

-"No gas."

That was your answer.

That's what he wrote back.

"No gas."

And she says,

"Find some and I'll send you $20."

Okay.

You know what you answered her?

I do not.

You want me to tell your father?

Please.

[Judy] His answer was, "Like 50."

Got it?

[Eric] Yeah, full tank.

[Judy] What?

For a full tank, I guess.

[Ronne] Yup.

She wasn't driving the car.

He was.

Yeah.

Twenty was enough to get it

to Marcus's house.

I'd like to see your credit card

or your debit card

for what was purchased between the

-They're in order. You're welcome.

-19th and the 31st.

They're in order for you.

[Judy] Well, let's see.

Something at Walmart

at El Cajon for $17,

then there was at another Walmart.

This was an ATM cash withdrawal for $202,

and that was also on the 20th.

So that was the day after she left.

Then you have a balance inquiry

and another balance inquiry on the 20th.

And then on the 22nd,

this had nothing to do with oil,

U Save Smoke Shop

[Eric chuckles]

in San Diego, California.

And that was $143 cash withdrawal.

Your father getting all of this?

Are you getting embarrassed?

It's getting there.

-[Judy] It's getting there?

-Yes, ma'am. Yes.

My grandmother would say,

"Give him a good slap

to get his attention."

He's getting too big for that.

[groans]

Then there was another cash withdrawal

on the 21st of March in La Mesa.

What were you doing in La Mesa

at a 7-Eleven?

-Duh.

-[audience laughs]

Then iWash Express,

well, at least you had the car washed,

unless this was to clean yourself.

-That was $16.

-[laughs]

Your father already knows

that he missed his mark

in introducing you to the truth

and introducing you to honesty,

because certainly

if she called and said,

"I left my debit card in the car,

change my oil, you know,

use the debit card."

Certainly taking friends to tacos

doesn't qualify

as change the oil in my car.

[theme music playing]

[narrator] Ashley Roberson is accusing

her former boyfriend Ronne Readus

of crashing her car

and stealing money from her bank account.

Then there was another cash withdrawal

on the 21st of March

in La Mesa.

What were you doing in La Mesa

at a 7-Eleven?

-Duh?

-[audience laughs]

Then iWash Express,

well at least you had the car washed

unless this was to clean yourself.

-That was $16.

-[laughs]

Then we have on the 24th in El Cajon,

an ATM cash withdrawal for $204.

I assume the $4 is a fee.

And then you went for tacos with friends

to Los Castillos Taco Shop.

You remember who you went with?

Because you didn't need a loan for $32.

You remember who you went with?

No, ma'am.

Can you guess?

I can't tell you.

[Judy] You can't tell me?

I can't guess.

[Judy] You can guess?

I couldn't guess. I don't know.

-I don't remember.

-[Judy] Oh, you couldn't guess.

And then you went to Burlington Stores.

What did you buy at Burlington Stores?

Oh, I bought some jeans

and then I had got her something

just sweet from me.

And then you went to Yum-Yum Donuts

in La Mesa for $1.99.

And then on the same day,

you must have bought donuts for friends

because on the same day,

you bought donuts for $13.99.

What, you bought a coffee,

and then you bought a dozen donuts,

what happened there?

Yeah, I think it was something like that.

Like a drink, not a coffee,

but a drink of some sort

and then a little box of donuts.

I didn't see anything here

about an oil change.

It's coming up.

It's coming up. Oh, there are more?

Um, so there is something in there

for an oil change.

But I wanna say that I did not

authorize him to get an oil change.

What I had said to him

-[Judy] It doesn't

-Okay. Okay. Sure.

I'm just letting you know.

Yeah, he took it upon himself

to get an oil change.

How much were all these?

You added them up to $900?

[Ashley] It was $940 and about 26 cents.

Okay, now let's get to the car.

Okay.

You have to understand,

sometimes things

that look good on the outside,

when you peel them back,

they really aren't any good.

-[Ashley] Yeah.

-Yeah. They aren't any good.

And sometimes,

when you're slick, you stay slick.

-You know?

-Yeah.

[Judy]

And sometimes when you're slick,

because of your own negligence,

you get into a bad accident

and you end up in a coma.

So if people are smart,

they would take that kind of experience

and say, "I'm gonna change

the whole trajectory of my life.

-I'm gonna make it all better."

-[Ashley] Right.

-And some people don't learn.

-[Ashley] Right.

Then they'd made

then they just replicate it.

So we'll see

what kind of trajectory you take.

Your father already knows

that he missed his mark in introducing you

to the truth

and introducing you to honesty

because certainly if she called and said,

"I left my debit card in the car,

change my oil, you know,

use the debit card,"

certainly taking friends to tacos

and taking cash withdrawals

doesn't qualify as change the oil

in my car.

That's correct.

[Judy] Right. Perfect.

Now, what kind of car did you have?

I had a 2006 Honda Civic.

When did you buy it?

I bought it in

am I allowed to look exactly on my phone?

-Oh, sure.

-[Ashley] Okay.

Did you save up money for it?

Yeah, I did.

[Judy] For how long?

Um, probably about eight months.

You're looking up

how much you paid for it.

I paid $4,300.

I was just looking to see what

when I had purchased the car

so I could give you an accurate answer.

[Judy] Okay.

I purchased it August 1st of 2020.

Do you still owe money on the car?

No, I do not. I bought it in cash.

Who did you buy it from?

Honestly, some guy

in North County Escondido

I think I wanna say.

What kind of work do you do?

I'm in school.

I'm in college.

So where did you get the money from?

At the time, I was working and as well as

I don't know if you're familiar

with unemployment for California.

That was money

that I received from there and I work

I worked up, not worked.

I worked up to save it. I didn't spend it.

I saved, saved, saved

as they were giving me money and

As the state of California

was giving you money,

you saved up and you bought the car?

Yes, I did.

I had no car.

I didn't know how else to get one.

Okay. Where were you living?

With my mom in San Diego.

[Judy]

So you lived with your mother?

Yes.

And they were sending you

these thousands of dollars

that you saved while you were living

with your mom and you bought this car?

Yeah.

Gosh, America, I love it.

Okay, 2006 Honda Civic.

Three thousand to forty-seven hundred

is the range.

[Judy] You're suing him for $3,100?

Correct.

You're entitled to $3,100.

He negligently used your car.

Even if he had permission to use your car,

which I think he did,

he negligently used it.

I don't know when he had a flat tire

and when he put on this donut on the tire,

but he's an idiot for driving around

more than five miles

to find a shop where

-Right.

-[Judy] you can do that.

Well, he paid substantially

for his stupidity

by spending eight or ten days in a coma

and now he walks with an assist.

And he's gonna need an awful lot

to get himself back into shape.

So maybe he learned something.

He also used your credit card,

your debit card

without your authorization.

I think he has to compensate you for both.

Judgment for the plaintiff

in the amount of $3,100.

Go have a discussion with your father.

He's gonna give you a lesson or two.

-[Ashley] Thank you.

-[Judy] Thank you.

[Kevin] Court is adjourned.

Okay. If she would have let me speak,

she would have understood

that everything was authorized.

I'm just super excited.

He was lying and saying

everything was authorized.

Like I told her that I was gonna purchase

something off of her card.

They tried to lie about some of the stuff

that went on in the court case today.

She wasn't in the town at the time,

but if you feel me,

the donuts was good.

He did admit to using my car.

It was a female versus a male

at the end of the day.

I just hope they both learn

responsibility and honesty.

I was actually pretty impressed

with that young woman.

I thought she was pretty smart

with the exception of her taste in men.

[both chuckle]

You know, what looked good on the outside

had a lot of growing up to do

on the inside,

but I think life and events

paid him back for doing the wrong thing.

Hopefully he turns it around

and can only go up from here.

[chuckles] Yeah, I think his father

was a little surprised.

Didn't you think his father

was a little surprised?

-Yeah.

-[Judy] At some of his answers?

I thought he was.

Anyway, as it progressed,

he didn't seem like a bad kid, just

-Had a lot of growing up to do.

-[Judy] Had a lot

Absolutely right.

Had a lot of growing up to do.

[theme music playing]

[narrator] Have you been cheated?