02x99 - Go Fund Me Memorial Dispute and Passed Out Behind the Wheel

[bunniefuu]

You had a son and sadly, he drowned.

This year.

His friends started a GoFundMe page.

My daughter took everything.

The reason I'm here today
is not because of the GoFundMe.

That's exactly why she's here.

Shh!

It's always been about the money.

[narrator]
This is Judy Justice.

♪♪

[narrator] Carol Crane is suing
her daughter, Jessica Crane...

for personal items and money
from a GoFundMe fundraiser.

[bailiff]
Court come to order. All rise.

Have a seat please.

Hello, Judge.
Case 2119, Crane versus Crane.

-Thank you very much.
-You're welcome.

Well, Mrs. Crane, this is a very sad case.
This is your daughter.

Yes it is.

[Judy] And I don't know
how many children that you have

but I know that you had a son
who was in medical school

who was... how old, 25 years old?

-Thirty.
-[Judy] Thirty.

Sounds as if he was a popular young man

who's in an outing with friends

and sadly, he drowned.

Yes, he did. Saving two women.

[Judy] Just a second.
And that happened when?

That happened July 29th of this year.

[Judy]
This is what the case is about.

His friends in his memory

started a GoFundMe page.

Correct.

[Judy]
And there is approximately

$40,000 in that GoFundMe page.

-There was. Yes.
-[Judy] I said approximately.

Yes, it was.

[Judy] And your daughter is,
for want of a better word,

in charge of that Facebook page,

-GoFundMe proceeds.
-Correct.

And it is your claim
that is the next of kin

because he died without a will,

you are entitled to

some or all of that Facebook Page.

It doesn't even matter
about the GoFundMe funds.

I mean, that would be nice
in a perfect world.

But my daughter took everything.

From the day my son passed.

When they found his body at the river,

the coroner gave her the keys to his truck

and she went to his apartment
and emptied it.

So I didn't get my chance to be
Josh's mom for the last time.

I didn't get to empty his apartment.

I can't cure that, Madam.

-[Carol] No. No.
-I can't cure that.

And you can't put any sort of
a value on anything

that your daughter might have
taken from that apartment

-because you don't know what was there.
-Correct.

[Judy]
So I can't help you with that.

In a perfect world,
maybe she would've gone with you

-to the apartment, but you didn't.
-Correct.

[Judy] Based upon what I read,
you were not there during the search

for your son or the discovery
of his body, is that correct?

-No, I was at home.
-[Judy] OK.

And your daughter was there?

Yes she was.

And I assume that you were
close to your brother?

Absolutely close to my brother.

Just curious what prevented you?

You were notified
that your son was missing.

What prevented you from going there?

My daughter was at the house
the day Josh went missing

and we had my car torn apart.

Um, she left after they called her

and I...I definitely would've hitched
a ride but I didn't have a vehicle.

-Your Honor, I got...
-[Judy] Shh shh. Just a sec.

-Did you say she was at your house?
-[Carol] Yes, she was.

[Judy] Well then,
why didn't you go with her?

They didn't call till
after she had left apparently.

And rather than come back and get me...

[Judy] You mean
she left to go some place else?

She left to go home.

Yeah, we were working on my car.

She left to go home
and she got a call from Search and Rescue.

-I hadn't been answering my phone.
-[Judy] Just a sec...

Oh, well that's a different story.
You hadn't been answering your phone.

It wasn't as if nobody called you.

No...no, she didn't. She didn't call.

It wasn't as if nobody called you.

Did somebody call you?

Right, from Search and Rescue. Yes.

-[Judy] Somebody called you?
-Yes.

[Judy] OK.
Mrs. Crane, this is your problem

if your son passed away without a will,

and I'm sure that somebody else may
a professional has told you that,

the legal professional has told you that.

If your son passed away without a will

depending upon the laws
in your jurisdiction,

you as his parent

might be construed as next of kin

and any property that he owned
at the time of his death

-would transfer to you.
-Right. Correct. Yes.

He didn't own the GoFundMe page
at the time he died.

-No, he did not.
-[Judy] So you don't get it.

-OK.
-Any part of it.

-OK.
-Your Honor, she already received funds

from the GoFundMe as well.

Just a second. The people that set up
the GoFundMe page

I assume were classmates
of your brother's?

Yes. They were his other
fourth-year medical students that

[clears throat] had reached out to me
and asked if they could...

[Judy]
Don't tell me what they asked you.

They set up a GoFundMe page.

Do you have the paperwork for
the GoFundMe page?

-Yeah.
-[Judy] I'd like to see it.

OK, so they raised $39,287.

-Correct.
-[Judy] OK.

Is there anything that is in writing

that makes you either
the beneficiary of...?

-The organizer of?
-[Judy] Would you do me a favor?

-Look it up.
-[Sarah] Underneath the photo.

[Jessica] It does say that I am
the beneficiary listed on there.

Thank you.

-You're Jessica?
-I am.

OK. "...is organizing this fundraiser
on behalf of Jessica Crane."

-[Jessica] Mm-hmm.
-That's her.

[Carol]
That has changed.

Initially it was for Joshua Crane

-and with the legal rami...
-Just show me.

-[Jessica] It's never been for...
-Show me. Just a second. Just a second.

-Mrs. Crane.
-Yes.

[Judy]
It wouldn't make any difference,

but I'm willing to look at something
that originally it was on behalf of...

-[Carol] Right.
-...somebody else.

The reason I'm here today
is not because of the GoFundMe

Your Honor, that's exactly why she's here.

-It's the money...
-[Judy] Shh.

It's always been about the money.

♪♪

All right, how are you going to pay
the note on a $14,000 truck?

I plan on returning to work.

This incident has taken my job,
believe it or not.

-Actually, I don't believe it.
-Your Honor, I work three jobs...

Just... shh. Just a second.

Actually, I don't believe it.

[narrator] And later today...

What kind of narcotics were found
inside the vehicle?

-It's alleged that it was a...
-[Judy] No it's not alleged.

Th-this is a police report.

I'm asking you, what kind of narcotics
were found in your car?

♪♪

♪♪

[narrator] Carol Crane claims
her daughter Jessica Crane

is wrongfully keeping her son's property

and money from his GoFundMe fundraiser.

-This is your complaint.
-[Carol] Yes.

"I'm suing the defendant,
Jessica Crane in the amount of $10,000.

for my portion of my deceased son's
GoFundMe account...

-His vehicle...
-[Judy] ...and personal items

including my son's guitars
and his vehicle."

-Correct.
-[Judy] OK.

Now you're not looking
for his GoFundMe account?

I never really was,
'cause I never knew the law on GoFundMe.

I tried to find out and speak to someone
about it and get legal advice

and I could never find anyone.

Well, it's very easy.

He didn't own this property
while he was alive

so you have no title to it.

If they said that they're
starting a GoFundMe page

in the name of your son to be

for the benefit of animal rescue,

you wouldn't have any control over that.

No, that meant for his funeral costs.

-Which I also paid for, Your Honor...
-[Judy] Just a second.

It says... just a second.
"On behalf of Jessica Crane."

-Right.
-[Judy] "On behalf of Jessica Crane,"

just for my own curiosity
I'd like to know.

Your son was buried at some point?

-He was cremated.
-[Judy] He was cremated.

And I have the receipts.
I paid for his obituary, his cremation.

[Judy]
OK. So what I'm asking you is

there were no serious funeral costs?

-No...
-I got everything donated on my...

-[Judy] Just a...
-That's not true as well.

Just a second.
I'm asking you, Mrs. Crane,

did you pay anything
for your son's funeral?

-No.
-OK. That's all.

So it's not as if you had any
outlay of money for this.

You know what I find sort of troublesome?

I find troublesome that his friends

cause that sometimes happens,
it's human nature,

you feel so badly about something,
you want to do something.

And probably the easiest thing to do
is to raise money.

And the easiest thing for probably these
people who are in their 20s and 30s

is to start a GoFundMe page.

I mean, it just would seem to me
if they wanted to do

a scholarship for him at the school,

if they wanted to do something else...

This is for those people out there
who are watching who are GoFundMe people.

I've seen some of
the more ridiculous ones.

You know, and there are
good-natured people out there

who see these things
and will donate $5.00 and $10.00.

"Oh my goodness. They need funeral costs."

Well, in this case, there were no issues.

And almost all this money,
$40,000 is left.

What are you gonna do with it?

So, there's a couple things
that I planned on doing with it.

It's why the money has been
sitting in account.

I just want the people
who donated this money

to know what you are going to do with it.

It's not for you to buy
anything for yourself...

-Your Honor.
-...that's... that would be ridiculous.

That's not what was in their minds.
So I want to know who I'm dealing with.

Your Honor, after all of
Josh's expenses were paid for

which I paid for using that money,
I am very close with the Dean at UC Davis,

um, who is a good friend
of my brother's as well.

And they have talked about setting up
a scholarship fund for my brother.

And I was going to donate
a portion of that money back

if UC Davis decides to set that up
on his behalf.

And then I also wanted to set up
scholarship funds for my sons,

who my brother was very close with.

So what you're telling me is,
you're gonna give a little to UC Davis

for a scholarship in his name
and you're going to use

some for your two sons
for their education.

Absolutely.

Well, that's really not
what it was intended to do.

I'm just telling you
it was not what it was intended to do.

I mean, at the end of the day,
that's how GoFundMe are set up.

People can set them up
for an intended purpose,

-Can be used for anything.
-[Judy] And then? And then?

Well, I... but I'm just telling
the people out there.

Before you spend money
on a GoFundMe page,

make sure it's going to go to a place
where you want it to go.

And for the intended purpose you want it

which is to somehow celebrate
the life of this young man

that was cut short so tragically.

And it would seem to me, Mrs. Crane,

you don't have to do anything

because they made you
the beneficiary of this money.

But it would seem to me
that a standup person

would take whatever is left of that

and create a scholarship
in his name at UC Davis

which is where he went to school.

I can't order you to do that
but I'm just telling you

and everybody else out there

make sure if you have
a good heart and a good spirit

you know where your money is going.

OK. So you're not entitled
to any of the money.

Now did you take your brother's guitars?

-I cleared out my brother's entire...
-[Judy] Shh. Just a second.

-Yes, Your Honor.
-Just answer... answer the question.

-And how many guitars did you take?
-Three.

-[Judy] Where are they?
-They're at my house.

Now. I don't have to do this.

-Would you like one of your son's guitars?
-Very... yes. Very much so.

[Judy] Would you like
one of your son's guitars?

Do you have any of your son's guitars?

-None.
-Your Honor,

my mom has a long history
of substance abuse.

She's boughten gifts for me in the past

and she's pawned them off and I would
like to keep them in my family.

So that's where they stay.

So that's why I have possession of them

because I don't want them
going to a pawn shop.

I was told I could visit
one of my son's guitars at her home.

-Who? Who do you...
-[Judy] Just a second.

-Do you play guitar?
-No, I just want it because it's my son's

and I've bought three
of his guitars for him.

None of these guitars
were purchased by her.

They're very expensive guitars
my brother purchased.

[Judy]
I can't order her to do anything.

I'm just asking her whether
she would give you one of the guitars

and she said no.

The next thing we have here is...

a vehicle.

Now tell me about the vehicle.

So Josh didn't have a lot.
He was a fourth-year medical student.

He has a truck, a Toyota,
a 2019 Toyota Tacoma

that he still owes about $14,000 on.

I have that here. $13,841.76 cents on.

Uh-huh.

[Jessica] And at the time,
his truck was at the boat launch

where they found him.

So when I met with the sheriffs,

they gave me possession of the keys.

They found his keys on his body
and they gave me his keys.

So we brought the truck up
to where we live in northern California.

Took the truck up there
and it's been kept in storage

until this is all sorted out.

I personally wanted to keep the truck.

I have the means to finance
the truck in my name.

I have the means to make a payment.

She does not have the means
to make a payment.

She doesn't have a job.
She doesn't have a driver's license.

She can't provide insurance for it.

I mean she has driving...

[Judy]
That's not particularly relevant.

There's $14,000 left on it.

Are you employed?

-Um, I was until...
-Just the same.

The answer is either yes or no.
Are you employed!?

-No.
-[Judy] All right.

How are you gonna pay the note
on a $14,000 truck?

I plan on returning to work.

This...this incident has taken my job,
believe it or not.

-Actually I don't believe it.
-[Jessica] Your Honor, I work three jobs.

[Judy] Just... shh.
Just a second.

-Actually. I don't believe it.
-OK.

[Judy]
So the answer is if you can't afford

to make the payments on this truck

and the only thing that's gonna happen
is it's going to be

repossessed by the bank.

Have you been making
payments on the truck?

-I have not made a payment.
-Who is the finance company?

Credit Union.

Where is the truck currently stored?

Give me the address.

I don't have an exact address.

[narrator]
And later today...

You don't understand something, sir.

Even though she was high on drugs

and passed out in her car

and you were not at fault.

It's not windfall day.

That's ridiculous. And I'm not stupid.

♪♪

[narrator] Carol Crane claims
her daughter Jessica Crane

is wrongfully keeping her son's property

and money from his GoFundMe fundraiser.

I wanna see the paperwork on the loan.

OK, Sarah, when we finish
with this case, call credit union.

Advise them who has the truck.

Let 'em go repossess the truck.

We're finished here.
Your case is dismissed.

[baliff]
This court is adjourned.

♪♪

I had an addiction problem
and she's just angry.

She's angry at me
and I've tried to make amends.

I've tried to get this better
and she won't have it.

My daughter got away
with taking absolutely everything

and she wasn't entitled to it.

I think that if there's any lesson
to be taken away,

aside from the fact that
you're not supposed to fight.

You know, when you lose somebody

so young and so vital.

The one innocent party
is the credit union

who loaned him the money to buy the truck.

She's been hiding the truck now
for five months

hasn't made a payment on it.

The right thing to do is for her
to turn that truck into the credit union.

'Cause I can't control that.

Except that I can advise the credit union
where she is and who she is,

that she has possession of the truck
and they should go and repossess it.

Anyway, it's all very sad.

Before you donate money
to a GoFundMe page

make sure you know where
the money is going.

I think that that's
the takeaway from this.

Case 2161, Shahin versus Larry.

All parties, please step forward.

[narrator]
Shimal Shahin is suing his neighbor,

Sabrina Larry for car damage

after Sabrina hit his vehicle and a house.

Mr. Shahin, tell me where you live.

I live in Moorhead, Minnesota.

[Judy]
And on September 8th of this year

you parked your relatively new car

that according to you
you got a week before?

No, Your Honor.

"I had just purchased
a Sequoia a week before."

No, actually it's not...
it's not the new car.

I mean it's an old, it's a used car,

but it's... I purchased it
maybe a year before that.

-Not exactly a week.
-[Judy] OK,

so it's not a new car
and you didn't purchase it a week before?

-No.
-But you parked it in front of your house.

Do you have a photograph of the car?

-I do.
-[Judy] I'd like to see it.

And to see your claim
that the defendant, Ms. Larry,

while under some sort of influence
of some sort of substance

was driving her car, had an accident,

hit your car and caused it to move...

twenty-five feet and it was damaged?

Yes.

And the damage to the car
was the rear bumper?

-[Shimal] Yep.
-[Judy] Not "yep." "Yes" is the answer.

-Yes, Your Honor.
-[Judy] Yes is the answer.

OK. Mrs. Larry, what time
did you have your accident?

At 9:00 or 10:00 AM

-[Judy] On the eighth?
-Yes.

Where were you coming from?

Uh, the grocery store.

-[Judy] Where were you going?
-Home.

What kind of drugs had you taken?

I was taking Benadryl,
prescription medication.

Um, that's...that's all I had.
That's what I took.

[Judy] Can I see the police report?
You remember hitting his car?

No.

You remember the police coming
to where your car stopped?

No. No. I don't remember
the police coming.

-Like...
-[Judy] What, did the police come?

-They did? Yes.
-[Judy] And you don't remember that?

[Sabrina]
I don't remember that.

[Judy]
Were you taken to a hospital?

-I was.
-You have the discharge notes

-from the hospital?
-[Sabrina] I... do.

[Judy] I'd like to see it.

What kind of narcotics were
found inside the vehicle?

[Sabrina]
It's alleged that it it was a...

No, it's not alleged.
This is a police report. I'm asking you.

What kind of narcotics
were found in your car?

They said that they found
a round blue pill

that had an "M30" on it.
That's what it stated.

-Sarah, do me a favor.
-[Sarah] Sure.

Look up under ill*gal drugs, "M30."

So, M30's imitate Oxycodone
obtained from a pharmacy

but when sold on the streets
the pills routinely contain fentanyl.

[Judy] Look up this name.

Percocet. You smoke Percocet?

-Not that I know.
-[Judy] How do you smoke Percocet?

That's the only thing you remembered.

You didn't remember the accident?

"Patient remembers smoking Percocet pill

just prior to allegedly passing out
and crashing her vehicle."

That's what they say from your doctor.

Yeah, that's what they're...
That's what they're saying.

That's, well that's what they're saying.

"The history is provided by the patient.

The history is limited
by condition of the patient.

History is limited because
the patient does not remember

the actual automobile accident.

Remembers smoking Percocet pill

just prior to allegedly passing out
and crashing her vehicle."

You think the doctor made that up?

And they just so happened
to have found this blue pill

in your console in your car?

That's what they are saying.

OK. You actually know
you could have k*lled yourself.

-Yeah.
-[Judy] OK.

And you don't remember anything about it
cause that's what you told them.

You don't remember anything about anything
after you smoked the little blue pill?

Which is what they said.
So your car was moved.

-That's the damage to your car?
-Yeah.

Sir, can I see the estimate
for the damage please?

-[Shimal] I think...
-You gave it to me?

-[Shimal] Yeah.
-OK. Great.

Have you had the car fixed?

Just the back tail light
that I had to put it on.

I was trying to fix it,
but don't have any money to do it.

[Judy] Sarah, look up please.
Would you?

-I'm looking it up right now.
-Oh, great.

Thank you.

Oh, it's a 21-year-old car.

It's got 226,000 miles on it.

How much did you pay for it, sir?

I paid ten.

We're not gonna spend seven to fix it.

That's how much it costs.

You'll find somebody to do it less.

Well, now I am without a car.

You're not without a car, sir.

You put on the taillight
so that you could drive it.

This car is not not drivable.

That car was dragged.
That back axle, it shakes.

-I can't drive it on the highway.
-[Sarah] Between two and $5,000.

Between two and $5,000.

You paid too much for the car, sir.

You don't understand something, sir.

Even though she was high on drugs

and passed out in her car

and you were not at fault.

It's not windfall day.

If you can buy the car for $2,000,

buy a old 22-year-old car for $2,000.

She's not paying you $7,000
to fix a $2,000 car.

That's ridiculous.

And I'm not stupid.

Do we understand each other?
Now between...?

$2,500 and $5,000

based off of a 250,000-mile


So you have to find somebody
who's gonna fix your car for $3,000, sir.

That's a $1,000 more
than you could buy it for.

We're done here.
Judgment for the plaintiff.

[bailiff]
This court is adjourned.

♪♪

I would remember if I hit a car
and I didn't.

She ran into my car, run into a garage.

I...I know exactly what I took

and it definitely wasn't narcotics.

That area that I was living in,

it's a really bad area.

A lot of drugs are going on over there.

I'm very, very lucky.
I'm very blessed.

Like she said, I could be dead.

Just the audacity of some
Plaintiffs to come in here

with a almost 20...
no over 20, 22 year old car

with 275,000 miles on it.

And I looked it up and I even
priced it on the positive end.

The private party value,
not a trade-in and so forth.

$7,000. He was comfortable
asking the court

for a car that's not even worth $7,000

-for a back panel.
-Yeah, buy a new one.

He was lying when I said,
"How much did you pay for the car?"

$10,000. That's ridiculous.

And he just bought it, he said a year ago.

In the papers, he said
he bought it a week before.

So either it was a week or a year.

-Either way, not for $7,000.
-Not worth $7,000.

[narrator] Want justice?