01x23 - Wrought-Iron Rage

[bunniefuu]

[Julie] Your Honor,
this is a medical support dog.

[Judge Judy] So, he damaged the gate
which you have to have fixed?

Yes.

He made sixteen cuts,
eight in the front.

- Not true.
- Oh, my God.

You don't look like you need
an emotional support dog for anything.

[announcer]
This is Judy Justice.

[♪ theme music playing]

[announcer] Julie Mondin
is suing welder Martin Lucas

for gate damage and repair costs.

[Kevin]
All rise. Court come to order.

Be seated, please.

Hello, Judge.
Case 1044, Mondin vs. Lucas.

Thank you.

Ms. Mondin, I've read your papers,

and I don't see anything in your papers
involving the dog,

so can you tell me why the dog is here?

Your Honor, this is a medical support dog.

Um, sometimes when I don't eat enough
sodium or glucose,

then I faint or, you know,
have a medical emergency.

So, she's trained to detect blood sugar
and blood pressure.

Okay. This is the case which
doesn't appear to be too difficult.

You hired the defendant
to do some iron work at your home.

You wanted some decorative work done
on your iron gate.

From what I read in your papers,

the defendant had done work for you
previously,

which you were satisfied with
and paid him for.

- If I may, Your Honor.
- It's either a yes or a no.

Had he done work for you previously?

Only on the gate, so yes.

So the answer is he had done work for you
previously that you were satisfied with?

- [Julie] Yes.
- And you paid him?

- Yes.
- And then for this particular job,

you wanted to add some decorative stuff.

And first give me a timeframe,
month and year.

Beginning of October,
October 9th, 2020.

[Judge Judy] Did you call him
or did you text him about this job?

How did you reach out to him?

I found him on Craigslist
as a welder. I texted him...

[Judge Judy] Well, that was...

he had done work for you before,

so you must have had his number.

No. He did work for me
before the day we had this kerfuffle,

but he only did work on the gate.

The gate was a project.

Ms. Mondin...

when did he first go to your house?

What month and year,
to work on the gate?

September, 2020.

Okay. And he did work on the gate...

- [Julie] Yes.
- ...in September.

And what did he charge you in September?

Between $400 a day on one day,

$450 a day on another day.

So he came on two separate occasions

between September and October 9th?

On two separate occasions,
one $400 and the other one for 450?

And a third time also.

- And he came a third time?
- Yes.

And how much was that?

I would have to look, I think it was $420.

Okay. And he did work
on the gate and you paid him?

- Yes.
- And did you pay him by check or cash?

Check one time,
and then he requested cash only,

cash the rest of the times.

So, the last two times
he worked for you, he requested cash?

- Yes.
- Then on October 9th,

you reached out to him again
to do additional work.

And my question was,
did you reach out to him again

by phone or by text on October 9th?

Or did you tell him on a previous day,

"Come back, I want you to do more work?"

Previous day, we were texting.

Okay. Do you have a copy of the texts

where you made an agreement
to pay him $500 to do that work?

I have a receipt, Your Honor,
but I don't think I have that.

He would always give me
a receipt the day of.

Okay. But he had to have told you
what the cost was, that's a contract.

Right. I have three previous invoices,

and he would write the invoice
when he got there, not before.

Okay. Did he write
an invoice on October 9th?

He did not.

Okay. Did he tell you
on October 9th what the cost would be?

- Yes. And I...
- Wait just a second.

Okay.

And what did he tell you
the cost would be?

$450.

And on October 9th,

did he complete the job
that he was supposed to?

- Yes.
- And on October 9th,

you had a conversation with him
after the job was completed,

according to you and according to him,

that you didn't have money
that day to pay him?

- Yes.
- Okay.

And you told him that
after he had finished the day's work?

- No.
- When did you tell him that?

Before he finished.

I was just getting ready to pay him.

It was around to 4:30, 4:15.

Well, you were just getting
ready to pay him with what?

Cash.

Now, that's not what you said...

- Well...
- ...Ms. Mondin.

[Julie] I asked him if he had PayPal

because I didn't have enough cash on hand.

I never said I wasn't going to pay him.
I said I didn't have enough cash.

No, no, I...no.

You had previously paid him in cash.

Yes.

And on the 9th of October,

you said, "Do you have PayPal?

- I don't have cash." That's what...
- Right. Yes.

- Okay.
- Yes.

- And he said no, he doesn't have PayPal.
- Right.

- Correct?
- Correct.

- Okay.
- Not true, but...

- Sure.
- Okay.

Well, you know, I actually understand

that you think that that
may be peculiar, Ms. Mondin.

I don't have PayPal.

I don't know what it is.

I don't understand that whole thing.

Money flies through the air,
through the airwaves,

I don't understand it.

I understand it when you go into a bank,
you fill out a withdrawal slip,

you give it to a teller,
the teller gives you money,

and you leave the bank.

That...

- I get it.
- That's what I understand.

I get it.

I also did other work
at her house as well, so...

Not before the gate.

- Just a second...
- [Martin] I haven't been to your house...

You made...just shh.

If you talk to each other,
you don't need me.

- Okay.
- Then I won't have a job.

Then they won't have a job.

[♪ theme music playing]

[announcer] Julie Mondin
claims welder Martin Lucas

vandalized her iron gate after fixing it.

You know,
I actually understand that you think that

that may be peculiar, Ms. Mondin.

I don't have PayPal.
I don't know what it is.

I don't understand that whole thing.

Money flies through the air,
through the airwaves,

I don't understand it.

I understand it when you go into a bank,
you fill out a withdrawal slip,

you give it to a teller,
the teller gives you money,

and you leave the bank. That...

- [Julie] I get it. I get it.
- That's what I understand.

You know, I don't understand
putting your phone up next to something

and people have been paid
or clicking an orange, the store,

and somehow the merchant gets paid
for that orange and you just leave.

One day I will figure it out,

or one of my children or grandchildren
will try to explain it to me

so I actually do understand it.

- But he doesn't have PayPal.
- [Julie] No.

- And he wanted to get paid.
- [Julie] Yes.

So there was a kerfuffle.

And during the kerfuffle,
Mr. Lucas acknowledges

that he took off the work
that he did that day

- and it is your...
- [Martin] Okay.

Shh. Just a second. And it is your...

it is your claim that in doing so,

he damaged the fence or the gate?

The gate.

The gate,
which you have to have fixed.

Mr. Lucas says that actually
what you said to him was,

"I don't have money today,"

and you had somewhat of a hissy fit

because you expected to be paid.

You couldn't find the keys to your truck,
according to you,

and you sat around her house for a while.

[Martin]
Waiting for the locksmith, yeah.

- For your truck?
- [Martin] Yep.

And according to you...

Because it mysteriously disappeared.

According to you,
Ms. Mondin left, came back,

and she handed you $200 in cash

- that she says she got from her sister.
- Friend.

- A friend.
- Neighbor.

And a $300 gift card.

- Right?
- Yes, ma'am.

And you accepted?

- I did.
- But you...just a second.

You accepted the $200 in cash

and the $300 gift card.

You accepted it.

And furthermore, Mr. Lucas,

you say in your answer that

you couldn't sell the $300 gift card
for $300.

You said you took a lot less for it
in order to get cash.

Let me see if I remember
exactly what you said.

"Even though that was not
what we agreed upon,

I reluctantly accepted.

I then had to sell the gift card
for half the amount it was worth

so I could get cash."

- That's what you wrote in your answer.
- Yep.

So, not only did you accept it as payment,

so that you're not owed any money anymore.

I mean, you could have said to her,
"I'm not taking the $300 gift card.

I'll take the $200 down payment,
but in cash,

but I'm not taking the $300 gift card,"
but you accepted it.

And not only did you accept it,
you disposed of it for money.

You've been fully paid.

Now, I would like to know, Mr. Lucas,

at what point did you...

according to you, 'cause you did in fact

take something off the gate.

- What did you take off the gate?
- Okay.

After you finished working, and after...

I have not been paid yet.

She didn't offer to pay me with PayPal.

- She told me that she had...
- Okay. But...

...was expecting her unemployment.
And it hadn't come in...

Just a second. Don't say anything.

And it hadn't come in,
and that she couldn't pay me today.

- Okay.
- Now...

Oh, I got it. I want to know at what point

and what exactly did you do to the gate?

So after she told me that,
she, you know, I'm like,

"Okay. I don't wanna deal with it.
I'm packing up my tools."

And probably about 15 minutes
after that conversation,

I went over and removed a...

I guess it's like an ornament
that was on the gate.

It was welded in four spots.

It took me five minutes to do

and probably fifteen minutes
to put it back on.

Just a second.

Tell me exactly what you did
without diminishing what you did.

So, you went over to the gate, she left.

You went over to the gate
because you were waiting for a locksmith

because you couldn't find the keys
to your truck.

You went back to the gate
and took off an ornament.

- Yeah. With the assumption of...
- No, no.

...and understanding that
I wasn't getting paid today.

- No, no, no. It doesn't matter.
- Yeah.

You took off an ornament.

- Yes, I did.
- Okay.

Do you have a photograph of what you did?

- I think she does.
- Well, I know she does.

I'm asking you if you do.

- I...no, I don't.
- Okay.

May I see the photographs
of what Ms. Mondin says that...

Okay. This is the top.

...the defendant did to the gate?

This is the top where he did it.

I also have on text messages...

Just a second.

Just a second.
Let me...can I look?

- Okay.
- Just for...I'm a very simple person.

I can only do one thing at a time.

[Julie] Cuts, cuts.

He made 16 cuts.

- Eight in the front...
- Just a second, Ms. Mondin.

You don't have a picture
of what was there, is that right?

You mean the finished gate
before he damaged it?

- Yes.
- I do not.

Okay.

- This is a picture of the gate.
- Yes.

- As it is today?
- Yes.

Okay.

- Did you have it fixed?
- Not yet.

Would you make circles around?

So I know that you have marks here.

- Right.
- Make circles around that picture

to see what she's talking about.

Was there a bar across?

There's a frame.

So, yes, there was a bar on the sides,
the top, and the bottom, and in between.

Is that what he took off?

- No.
- What did he take off?

In order to put those decorative
flower ornaments on

in under the frame so that they hang on
to the frame and they stay,

you have to...as far as I know,
take a piece of iron or metal

and weld that closed

so that the frame is attached
to those flowery decorative parts.

Is this the only gate that he worked on?

Yes.

And so far, you've spent over
a thousand dollars

on doing one thing
or another to this gate?

I paid him to build the gate.

Not repair a gate.

We built that gate from scratch.

I designed it, he helped.

I see.

I also did other work
at her house as well.

- So...
- Oh.

Yeah. Because this looks...

- Not before the gate.
- Just a second.

I haven't been to your house
since after gate.

Shh!

If you talk to each other,
you don't need me.

- Okay.
- Then I won't have a job.

Then they won't have a job.

So what you said to him
on December 3rd was inaccurate.

You said I have had it repaired today.

I anticipated that it would be done.

- Just a second.
- Yeah.

- That was inaccurate.
- That was inaccurate, Your Honor.

Okey-dokey.

[♪ theme music playing]

[announcer] Julie Mondin
has accused welder Martin Lucas

of damaging her iron gate.

Martin claims Julie broke their agreement
by not paying him with cash.

Over a thousand dollars on doing
one thing or another to this gate?

I paid him to build the gate.
Not repair a gate.

We built that gate from scratch.
I designed it, he helped.

I see.

I also did other work
at her house as well. So...

Oh. Yeah. Because this looks...

- Not before the gate.
- Just a second. You may just...

I haven't been to your house
since after gate.

Shh!

If you talk to each other,
you don't need me.

- Okay.
- Then I won't have a job.

Then they won't have a job.

Okay. The bottom line is
you can't go and do this.

You can't cut anything off at all.

- No.
- You can't do anything...

- No.
- Which clearly was done here.

You couldn't do what you've accepted
payment, you were paid.

And whether it was before or during,
if you had left in your truck,

if you could find your keys,
you would have left

if you didn't, you were frustrated.

She left, but then in fact
you accepted payment.

So that's a no-no on your part.

- Correct. I understand.
- Um, that's a no-no.

So do you have an estimate
to fix the gate?

May I ask you a question, your Honor.

- [Judge Judy] Yes.
- Is that for $200?

No, it's $780.

[Martin] Okay. 'Cause I have right here
a text message from her

saying, "Martin, please pay me back
the sum of $200

for the vandalism damage you did
to my garden gate."

[Judge Judy]
May I see it? May I see that?

[Martin] Originally, she asked for $250,
and then she came down to $200.

- Your Honor...
- Just a second.

Okay. You can take this back.

November and December,
what you asked him for...

[Julie grunts]

...what you asked him for...

was $250, half of the day's pay.

- Yes.
- And he said,

"I'll take care of it
a week from tomorrow."

And then you wrote him again and said,

"Please pay me back the sum
of $200 for the vandalism.

Since you promised to come and fix it

but then never showed up
or communicated back,

I have had it repaired today."

That's December 3rd.

But that's not true,

- because that estimate, that proposal...
- [Julie] Right.

...that you just gave me was dated July...

- Correct.
- ...29th.

So you said,
"Since you promised to come and fix it,

but never showed up, I had it repaired."

- Well, that was in December.
- Right.

So what are you giving me
a proposal for, for $780 now?

Okay. The guy who was
going to repair it that day

showed up and couldn't do it.

And I sent the text...

All right. Well then show me
the texts subsequently.

- Okay. All right.
- Show me

subsequently to him
where you say I have...

- Yes. Okay. Here. Yeah.
- ...a new proposal? Yeah.

- "I have had it repaired today."
- [Martin] Yes.

- So what...
- [Julie] Right.

So what you've...just a second.

So what you said to him
on December 3rd was inaccurate.

You said, "I have had it repaired today."

- I anticipated that it would be done...
- Just a second.

- Yeah.
- That was inaccurate.

- [Julie] That was inaccurate, Your Honor.
- Okey-dokey.

Yeah. This says, "I'll be happy to come by
and remedy any issues." He never did?

He never did and he never...
he stood me up.

He said, "I'll be there
a week from Saturday."

I've called him.
I can prove I called him, uh, like...

- Yes, you did.
- [Julie] ...um, 10 days ago.

- He never answered...
- [Martin] Yes, you did.

And you left me irrational messages
and it's... I'll be honest with you...

- I did leave voicemails.
- [Judge Judy] Just a second.

It made me nervous to go to your house.

- Oh, my go...
- Shh.

Your actions today demonstrate
you can't control yourself,

- is what I'm telling you.
- Okay.

- That's what it...that's...
- All right.

So, if you have high blood pressure,
I would take a chill pill

'cause I have high blood pressure,
and, and I don't get excited, ever.

Mr. Lucas, you owe her $780.

That's what her proposal is

to fix the damage that you did
cutting through the iron gates.

You can't have a hissy fit
on somebody else's property

and then accept payment for it,

which you did, you got paid.

So you're gonna have
to give it back to her.

And she says that
she didn't have the gate fixed.

She's got a proposal
from what looks like a reputable company

that said that it's gonna cost
$780 to repair what you did.

You can't do that.
Do you understand?

Judgment for the plaintiff, $780.
We're done.

- Thank you, Your Honor.
- [Kevin] Court is adjourned.

Well, Judge Judy is harsh,
but she is fair.

Well, I just don't think that
the judge really understood

the dynamics of what happened that day.

Typical kind of shyster contractor guy,
preys on single women.

I showed up to go to work that day

and worked an entire
eight-and-a-half-hour day.

I never said I can't pay you today.

I said I can't give you cash.

And then when it came time
to get paid that day,

she said she didn't have any money.

I didn't say I didn't have money.

I said I didn't have cash.

I basically went over and I undid
a portion of the work that I did

thinking that I wasn't getting paid.

I thought that our transactions were fair
and no one was taken advantage of,

but when he, like,
flipped his lid and went ballistic...

$780, it was literally four welds.

And so I would go with a big company...

Honestly, um,
she's just a little irrational.

I didn't trust her to pay me.

I'm not good with, like, a single guy
who's tattooed everywhere

and brings his pit bull to work.

Way too high-strung.
Way too high-strung.

It was the right decision.

I hope I never see her again.

Are there any circumstances
where somebody providing a service

could forcibly remove their work,

like the defendant did here

if they're not paid
for what they were supposed to do?

Interesting question.

I don't think that
you are allowed to vandalize

a property for non-payment.

I think that that's what courts are for.

I mean, if you take it
to the illogical degree,

if you're a construction firm

that provided cranes for a skyscraper,

and the owner of the skyscraper
failed to pay a bill,

you can't go in there
and knock down the building

and say this building was made
in part because of my efforts.

I understand his frustration.

He was accustomed to being paid.

She had always paid him,
and here he is halfway finished.

He's worked an, you know,
an eight-hour day doing iron welding.

And she comes out and says,
"Oh, by the way, I don't have any money"

and then takes off.

So I understand his frustration.

But you can't vandalize
somebody's property.

You have to get a new truck, go home,

go to small claims court,
take out a summons,

but he accepted payment.

He could have rejected the payments.

I'm not accepting this payment.
But he did.

But during that period of hissy fit,

he did vandalize her property,
and he can't do that.

[announcer]
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[♪ theme music playing]