03x74 - Love and Larceny and MS Client Sued by Aide

[bunniefuu]

-So the car was stolen.
-Yes.

We were separated at the time.
He knew I was coming back

to drive across country.
'Cause we were arguing a lot.

Did you have any indication
that she was leaving you?

Yes.

So while she was away for that one week...

Yes.

-...her car was stolen.
-Yes.

[narrator] This is Judy Justice.

[theme music playing]

[narrator] Erin Dean is suing
her ex-husband, Dennis Dean,

for an unpaid car loan and negligence.

[Kevin] Court come to order.
All rise.

Have a seat, please.

Hello, Judge. Case 3122,
Dean versus Dean.

-Thank you.
-You're welcome.

Ms. Dean, it is your claim
that the defendant owes you

for a car that was stolen as a result
of his negligence.

That's correct, Your Honor.

[Judy] Okay. So let's start with...

You and Mr. Dean were married
for the first time

in what month and year?

July of 2013.

[Judy]
You and Mr. Dean were then divorced.

That is correct, Your Honor.

In what year?

December 12th, 2019.

You and Mr. Dean were remarried.

-This is correct.
-[Judy] What month and year?

October 1st, 2022.

And you separated again,

and that marriage was annulled
in what year?

August in 2023.

-[Judy] Now, you purchased a car.
-Correct.

[Judy] In what month and year?

October of 2019.

[Judy] While you were married.

[Erin] We were separated at the time.
We were not living together.

-[Judy] But you were married.
-Correct.

So this automobile was purchased
during the course of your first marriage.

That's correct.

Do you have a copy of your divorce decree?

[Erin] Yes, I do.

And does that divorce decree award you
the automobile?

Yes, Your Honor, it does.

I'd like to take a look at it.

So you were awarded in the divorce
the Jeep Cherokee.

Correct. That is correct.

And then you remarried October of 2022.

That's correct, Your Honor.

The Jeep Cherokee, which is
the subject of this case,

was stolen on what date?

From what Dennis told me,
he realized

the car was stolen on December 19th, 2022.

While you were still married.

Correct.

Now, you were remarried
in October of 2022.

-Yes.
-[Judy] And where did you live?

In Pasadena.

[Judy] What address?



-And you both lived there together?
-[Dennis] Yes.

[Judy] Had you lived there before
during your first marriage?

-No.
-Had you lived there

-while you were separated?
-Yes.

When you remarried
and you were living at 780,

was the plaintiff living with you?

Yes.

-[Judy] So she moved into your residence.
-Yes.

So far, is that correct, Ms. Dean?

That's correct, Your Honor.

[Judy] And you had no other residence.

[Erin] No.

So you moved into 780.

That's correct.

Mr. Dean, until what date
did Ms. Dean live at 780?

Month and year?

January of 2023.

[Erin] That is false, Your Honor.

Shh. Just a se...
I'm not asking you anything.

[Erin] Okay.

January of 2023.
What happened in January of 2023, sir?

She moved, uh, back east.

East to where?

North Carolina.
While we were still married.

Okay. The car was stolen in December.

Yes. December 14th.

[Judy] December 14th,
so several weeks before she left.

Yes.

Tell me the circumstances
surrounding the car being stolen.

-First, she was going back east.
-Yes.

And she asked you
to take her to the airport?

-[Dennis] Yes.
-Just a second.

-Did you drive her to the airport?
-Yes, I did.

[Judy] On what date?

It was a week prior
to the car being stolen,

which was December 7th... 6th or 7th.

-She asked me to take her to the airport.
-[Judy] And, Mr. Dean,

when you took her to the airport,
what car did you take her with?

In the Jeep Cherokee.

[Judy] Did you have another car?

Yes, I did.

Why did you take the Cherokee?

Because it was big enough
to put all her luggage in.

-[Judy] So she asked you to.
-Yes.

Okay. Now, when you left for the airport,

where had Ms. Dean spent the night before?

-At our residence.
-[Judy] At your residence.

-Together.
-Yes. Yes.

[Judy] And what was the reason
that she was going back east?

To visit her friend in Houston.

[Judy]
Before she went to visit her friend,

and you were living together
as a married couple...

-Yes.
-...had she given you...

or did you have any indication
that she was leaving you?

Yes.

[Judy] Tell me about that.

Um, we had prior disagreements as far as

where we wanted to live.

She wanted me to move back east.

She wanted to have another child,
which I didn't feel comfortable with.

-Did you have a child together?
-[Dennis] No.

[Judy] Who has children?

We both do.

From prior relationships.

-[Dennis and Erin] Yes.
-[Judy] Okay. So you had been arguing.

-Yes. It was...
-[Judy] Just...

-Oh, okay.
-You had been arguing.

The night before she left,
you were still sharing the same residence.

Yes.

So you took her to the airport
in her Jeep.

Yes.

At her request
because it fit all the luggage.

And then after you took her
to the airport,

what did you do with the Jeep?

I parked the Jeep in a gated parking
in my residence.

[Judy] How long was she away?

[Dennis] About a week.

When she was coming home,
who picked her up at the airport?

I was supposed to.

[Judy]
And did you pick her up at the airport?

No, I did not, because, uh,
she said that she wasn't coming back

because her car.
I told her about her car being stolen.

And then I told her that I...
once I found out that it was stolen...

I got a police report done.

[Judy]
So while she was away for that one week...

Yes.

-...her car was stolen.
-Yes.

And it was stolen from where?

Under the gated parking of my residence.

-It was in the gated parking?
-Yes.

[Judy] Okay. Do you have a police report?

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

Here it is. Police report.

[Judy] Okay. So the car was stolen.

That's correct, Your Honor.

Now I got the dates and I got everything.

And the car was stolen, and...?

The car was stolen due to his negligence.

No. You say negligence.
The car was stolen out of a gated area.

First of all, even if it was stolen
as a result of his negligence,

you don't get your money.

When he moved my vehicle,
he left the keys inside my car.

My car cannot start
without a push start.

That's how my car got stolen...
because the lady who did take my car,

she had access to easily get inside of it

and the keys were inside my vehicle
to where she was able to steal it.

[narrator] And later today...

On May 19th, she caught me outside.

So she was stalking me and found me.

And she called me a liar, a thief,
and a fraud, and a b*tch.

And I was embarrassed because she did it
in front of my employer.

[theme music playing]

[narrator] Erin Dean claims
her ex-husband, Dennis Dean,

is responsible for car payments

after the vehicle was stolen
due to his negligence.

Let me ask you this question.
I'm gonna maybe phrase it differently.

My husband is trying to be helpful
and there's a leak in the faucet

in our kitchen that has just been redone.

Mm-hmm.

And I say, "Well, I have to call somebody
to fix this little leak."

It's dripping, and I don't want it
to get any worse.

And my husband says,
"You don't have to call anybody.

I have my toolkit right here.
I'm gonna fix it."

He's a lawyer.
He doesn't know about plumbing.

But he goes under the sink and he
jiggles and jiggles and turns things

and there's a flood.

And it not only floods out the kitchen,
but it floods the apartment below.

And I say, "Get out.
I don't want to know you anymore.

You're always doing things like this."

You think my husband is responsible
if the house is in my name?

Get outta here.

Can I explain my situation
and what happened, Your Honor, please?

You can. So now you have
about two minutes to tell me

your theory of the case.

When he did take me to the place...

-[Judy] Not the place. To the airport.
-The airport.

I did tell him not to move my vehicle,
not to drive my vehicle.

He moved my vehicle because
he has an unregistered vehicle

that is in the previous divorce decree.

And he uses that vehicle.
He switches out his Infiniti plates

to drive that vehicle to and from work.

-[Dennis] But that...
-[Judy] Shh!

[Erin] I told him not to move my vehicle

because I know he likes to move that car

so that the police officer who rides back
and forth on the street doesn't see it.

[Dennis] That's not true.

And when he moved my vehicle,
he left the keys inside my car.

My car cannot start without a push start.

So he took out the garage opener,

and the reason why is because
they were doing maintenance work

at his apartment complex at the time,
but the gate was left open overnight.

That's how my car got stolen...
because the lady who did take my car,

she had access to easily get inside of it

and the keys were inside my vehicle
to where she was able to steal it.

Think about my husband
who I'm fighting with all the time

fixing the sink and causing a flood
in an apartment or a house that is mine.

I can't sue him.

But it sounds to me from what you tell me
that you knew

he had been playing around with license
plates while you were still together.

That's what you just told me.

-That's what he does.
-[Dennis] No, that's not true.

Shh! Listen to me, sir.

It may not be true,
but that's what she just told me.

It's in text messages,
so it is true.

[Judy] That's what you just told me.

That's correct, Your Honor.

Okay. You have no case against him.

It's unfortunate that your car was stolen.

And it was found, I understand?

-Yes, it was.
-[Judy] But it was found...

-[Erin] Totaled.
-...totaled.

Totaled, yeah.

Well, that's not his fault.
Case is dismissed. We're done.

-[Dennis] Thank you.
-[Kevin] This court is adjourned.

I told him not to drive it,
not to move my car.

'Cause I know that's what he did.
He did it anyways. My car got stolen.

I didn't leave the key in the car.

Actually, I had put it in my bag
and took it upstairs,

but, uh, she just went with that
'cause that's all she had.

I just hope that
I never have to see him again.

I just want peace
and just to be left alone

and get back to my regular life.

Can you imagine how the courts
would be flooded with lawsuits

if married people could sue each other
for negligence?

It would be more backed up
than it is right now.

Oh. It would put a complete stop
to the justice system.

Yeah. I don't even think that
in this case he was negligent.

I mean, there was debate as to whether
or not he left the keys in the car.

That can be viewed
as a little bit negligent.

But they were a married couple
who cohabited together

until a couple of days
before the car was stolen.

And the place where he lived evidently...
which was under construction...

-somebody left the gate open.
-Mm-hmm.

Well, that's the person
who she ought to sue

for leaving the gate open,
which allowed her car to be stolen.

Not her husband.

-Agreed.
-Ridiculous.

Case 3115, Brockett versus Carrillo.

All parties, please come forward.

[narrator] Caregiver Sian Brockett

is suing her former client,
Katherine Carrillo,

for unpaid wages, verbal as*ault,
and lying to her employer.

Ms. Brockett, it's your claim
that the defendant owes you money

because she refuses to sign
a timecard for you.

And your vocation is you're
a home health aide paid by the state.

How long have you had
a home health aide?

Since 2018.

I believe that you indicated
in your answer that you have M.S.

Yes, I do.

[Judy] How long have you had M.S.?

Since I was 42.
I was diagnosed with it.

[Judy] How old are you now?



A while.

A long time.

I walk to try to keep my strength
and muscles going in my legs.

-[Judy] Good for you.
-Yeah.

How long have you had
the home health aide?

The service was provided to me
by disability through Social Security.

And that was since 2018.

[Judy] And when did the plaintiff
take you on as a client?

From February 23rd to March 24th,
when I terminated her.

[Judy] And which timecards of hers...

'cause you have to sign
a timecard, correct?

I get an email that says a timesheet
has been submitted by Sian Brockett.

So the first two weeks I approved,

which I even did with hesitation

because she wasn't doing the work
that she was hired to do.

But you signed it.

It's electronic signature.

Okay. But you didn't fire her
after two weeks.

Because she kept promising
that she would make up the hours to me.

How many hours a day was
she supposed to spend with you?

[Katherine]
It was five hours a day, five days a week.

And she would come
and sit down on my sofa

and she would start texting
and receiving phone calls and talking.

And then one time she said, "Oh, Access
didn't pick up my mom. I gotta go.

I'll make this up to you later."
And she got up and left.

Okay. So that was...
Shh! Don't speak.

So that was one time.

-That was one time.
-[Judy] Okay.

[Katherine] And another time
she was texting a lot, I go,

"There's work that needs to be done
that you agreed to do,

and we need to get it done."

And she goes, "Oh, I'm having
a birthday party for my niece."

And she showed me a picture on her phone

of a cake with a Chanel...
the two C's on it.

And she goes,
"I'm paying for this for my niece.

I got a lot of planning to do
for her party, so I have to go."

And I said, "But what about the work
that needs to be done?"

She goes, "Well, I can always
come on the weekend and do it."

So she never did do the hours.

-[Judy] Okay. So that's two times...
-Yes.

...out of two weeks.
And that's Monday through Friday.

-Yes.
-[Judy] Well, that's the first two weeks.

What happened in the second two weeks?

[Katherine]
Well, I had to go to the pharmacy,

and I said I needed
to pick up my medication.

And then I went in the pharmacy
to get my medication.

She stayed in the car.

And I went and got back in the car
and she came and dropped me off.

She said she had to go to her next client.

And I said,
"It hasn't even been 45 minutes."

And she said,
"Yeah, well, I'll be back tomorrow."

And then she didn't
come back the next day.

And I was calling her and calling her,
and she didn't even answer her phone.

[Judy] Okay.

She told me, "I want my money!"

And I turned around and I said,
"Get away from me."

She goes, "You're gonna pay me.
You're gonna be sorry.

I'm gonna sue you."
And I kept walking.

I never stopped.
I never stalked her.

Okay.

I also reported the incident
to the office where she lives,

and she has more than one incident.

[theme music playing]

[narrator] Caregiver Sian Brockett

claims her former client,
Katherine Carrillo,

owes for unpaid wages.

Now, what time is she due at your house?

She was supposed to be there at 9:00.
From 9:00 to 2:00.

Is that correct?

That is correct.

Are you telling me
that you always got there at 9:00?

[Sian] Yes, I am.

[Judy] Every day that you were there?

Every day.

Until March 24th, when she asked me
to come at 9:30, which was a Friday.

Why did she say to come at 9:30?

Because her and her friends
were going to walk at Apollo Park

and that she wanted to exercise
and be with her friends.

So instead of coming at 9:00,
could I come at 9:30.

Do you remember that?

I remember that conversation
and that particular instance,

but I did not ask her to come at 9:30
because my friend would leave

to go for her walk at Apollo Park
with some other friends

at 6:00 in the morning.

So I was going to be back at 9:00.

And I even told her
I would be back at 9:00.

And I was back before 9:00,
and she never came at 9:00.

[Judy] What time did she come?

At 9:30 I was still waiting for her,
and then I got a call from her.

I guess it was about 9:45.

And she said that she came
and she had been there

and she waited over a half-hour for me
and then she left.

And I asked her, "Why did you leave

when you're supposed to be with me
five hours a day anyways?"

And I told her I was back,

and she told me that I wasn't back.
And I was.

Does she have access to your apartment?

No. She was waiting outside in her car.
According to her.

Okay.

And I have text messages
to prove it was not 9:00.

It was 9:30.
And she didn't get back until 10:00.

Okay. If she got back at 10:00,
how far do you live from her house?

I wasn't even at her house.

I was at another client's house
in the same Senior Living.

And she knew that,
so all she had to do was call me

and I would've been at her house.

On March 24th you say,
"Katherine texted me."

-Your first name is Katherine?
-Yes.

[Judy] "And said she was now at home.

I told her it was not my job
to wait around for her."

-Right.
-[Judy] Well, it is your job

if you wanna get paid for that day.

-I'm not asking to get paid for...
-[Judy] Just a second.

So you're not asking
to get paid for that day.

No. I'm asking to get paid
for the other days that I worked

up until that day.

Okay. Well, the 24th.
But you left on the 24th.

Yes.

So what days are you asking
to get paid for?

March 16th to March 23rd.

Would you show me a calendar?
How many days was that during the week?

The 16th of 2023
would have been a Thursday.

Thursday. So 16th and 17th...


The 20th would have been Monday.

The 21st... Tuesday,




You're asking to get paid for six days.

-Yes.
-Which you were actually present.

I was actually present and working.

[Judy] Now, the first two weeks...

you've described to me
two events that happened

within the first two weeks.

In the second two weeks
that she worked for you...

and we're really talking about six days
only in the next two weeks,

because that's all the days
that she actually worked...

do you have specific days
that she wasn't there?

She's saying she was there.

And she never did any of the work
that she was hired to do.

Well, that's a different story.
Then, you should've fired her.

But if she was there, she was there.

When she was there, she was
talking on the phone and texting.

-[Judy] Well, that's okay. I mean...
-That's a lie.

Yeah, but she was at your house
talking on the phone.

-Yes.
-[Judy] Okay.

Now, show me how much
you were paid per hour.

At that time, we were paid


As of January 1st, we got a raise
to $18 an hour.


at the time you worked for her.

Yes, ma'am.

Alrighty. Sarah Rose,
you have your computer out?

[Sarah] Yeah.

We're gonna do 17.25 times 5.

-How much?
-86.25.

-Hmm?
-86.25.

Times 6?





Now, punitive damages
for malicious lies to employers.

Yes. She called IHSS,
the company that pays us,

and said that the reason why she refused
to sign my timesheet

was because I left the country.

[Judy]
Okay. I'd like to see proof of that.

I don't have that proof.

Well, then you don't get paid for that.

She also verbally attacked me
on May 19th.

Okay. So I'd like you to tell me
what happened on May 19th.

On May 19th, she caught me outside...
in... Gardens, too,

which is in the back
and not part of her section.

And up until this time,
I had never seen her back there.

So she was stalking me and found me,

and she called me a liar, a thief,
and a fraud, and a b*tch.

Okay.

[Sian]
And I could not do anything about it.

And I was embarrassed because
she did it in front of my employer.

Your Honor, that's a complete lie.

I walk my dog... and I have a map here
of the complex...

and I was walking, going...
I do the big circle.

Just tell me what you said to her.

I didn't say nothing to her.

She came out and she told me,
"I want my money!"

And I turned around and I said,
"Get away from me."

She goes, "You're gonna pay me.
You're gonna be sorry.

I'm gonna sue you.
You're gonna pay court costs.

I'm gonna make you pay for my attorney."

I said, "Don't talk to me
and get away from me."

And I kept walking.
I never stopped. I never stalked her.

I also reported the incident
to the office where she lives,

and she has more than one incident.

[Judy] I don't know that, either.

-That's not true.
-[Judy] Shh!

I know that she has to give you 517.50.

Because whether you were useless
working for her or not,

your body was there.
And if your body was there

for six days, five hours a day,
you're entitled to be paid.



-Thank you.
-[Kevin] This court is adjourned.

Um, because I didn't kiss her butt.

That seems completely crazy,

considering she never did anything,
you know?

I didn't do what she wanted.
I didn't jump,

I didn't wait outside in my car
in the freezing cold risking my health.

And the demands of the job
of an in-home support worker

is to help with tasks around the house,
and she never did any of them.

So I don't know what was crazy about that.

Never work for her again.

I think that the defendant was
really miraculous.

She's had M.S. for...


She walks her dog.

She walks around the big circle,
the little circle, and she really...

She just needs a few...
extra help with a few...

Probably a little extra help

with moving things, cleaning things
around the house.

-That's it. Lucky.
-Yeah.

Lucky that she lives in a country
that has a good government.

Yeah.

[narrator] Have you been cheated?

.

[theme music playing]