03x92 - Wheels of Wrath Part 1

[bunniefuu]

-[Judy] You sold a car to the defendant?
-Yes, ma'am.

What she is doing is she
is manipulating the contract.

You signed the documents.
You knew now what you were buying.

The contract that I signed
was trash, was garbage.

-That's your problem.
-No, ma'am, it's not...

-I'm telling you it's your problem.
-Oh, my goodness.

[announcer]
This is Judy Justice.

[theme music]

[announcer] Illana Junious
is suing her former friend, Carla Walls,

for the cost of a car
and filing a false police report.

[Kevin]
Court come to order. All rise.

Have a seat, please.

Case 3148, Junious versus Walls.

-Thank you, Kevin.
-Welcome.

Ms. Junious,
you sold a car to the defendant?

Yes, ma'am.

[Judy]
And was it a car that you were flipping?

-It wasn't a car that was...
-Yes. I was selling...

I was selling a few cars,
so it was a car I was flipping.

[Judy]
You were doing it to earn extra money,

according to what you wrote
in your complaint.

So what do you do?
You buy cars from an auction?

No. I buy it... I look on Marketplace

or I take someone with me to go check out
the car. So I buy it off Marketplace,

or someone in the neighborhood
say they're selling their car,

I have it looked over or sometimes I'll go
get it if my mechanic don't go with me.

And then I get it fixed as much
as I can possible and then I sell it.

-Generally, how long do you keep them?
-First, it goes through the shop.

It's a shop that usually work
on my cars, but this time my friend,

'cause they had so many cars to fix
so they couldn't get to mine,

so I do have a friend
of over 20 years, he fixes my cars.

So it depends on what's wrong with it.

[Judy]
Okay. The car that you sold to Ms. Walls...

-Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] ...was a 2005...

-It was 2004, ma'am.
-It's 2003, ma'am.

You have the title?

Neither one of us
ever had the title, ma'am.

Neither one of you still has the title?

-[Illana] I got the title.
-You have it? May I see it, please?

Yes.

Let's find out what we're dealing with.


And you bought this car on what date?

-I'm not for sure...
-[Judy] Well, let's get close.

-Maybe August.
-[Judy] Of what year?

[Illana] '23.

[Judy] And you know the defendant
from volunteering your time

to feed the homeless,
is that what I gather from here?

I volunteer my time feeding the homeless.

She met me when I was telling people
that I was coming through,

because when I cook food, I let the people
know to let other homeless people know

to be at the spot so that
they could get a hot meal.

-She... she's never volunteered.
-[Judy] Where did you meet her?

At this... down by the homeless place.

-But she wasn't homeless?
-[Carla] No, ma'am.

But I asked her, I told her,
she was coming out of a building.

I said, "Ma'am, I'm finna bring food.

If you want a plate,
be right here in about 20 minutes

or 25 minutes and I'll be through,"
and I told her what car I was driving.

Okay. But then you met,
but then you became friends...

-[Carla] Yes, ma'am, we did.
-[Judy] ... is what I gather.

You became friends. And then in September,

you discussed purchasing
a car from her, correct?

-You discussed purchasing a car from her.
-Yes, we did. We did.

-And you set on a 2004 Saturn Vue?
-No, ma'am.

[Judy] Is what you ultimately
agreed to buy a 2004 Saturn Vue?

-I end up getting the Saturn Vue.
-[Judy] Right.

But the contract that I signed,
I was not supposed to buy the Saturn Vue.

I was supposed to buy the Chevy.
It was a Chevy Impala.

[Judy] Fine. But you ultimately
decided on the Saturn Vue?

-Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] Yes.

You're a big girl. You have a grown child.
I assume this is your son?

-[Carla] Yes, ma'am, he is.
-[Judy] Do you work?

-[Carla] I did.
-[Judy] Until when?

-[Carla] Until I was fired.
-[Judy] Okay. Recently?

I was fired recently.
I was a bus operator.

[Judy] Okay. Anyway,
you were buying this car from her,

and you set a price of $3,000?

-[Carla] No, ma'am. The price...
-How much?

It was supposed to be $2,800
if she got it fixed,

which, she told me it was
the front wheel alignment and the tire.

-Just a second. Can I see the agreement?
-There is no agreement...

-[Judy] Okay.
-...about the Saturn Vue, ma'am.

-[Illana] I have...
-Shh.

That agreement is not
for the Saturn Vue, ma'am.

[Judy]
Shh.

Well, this is clearly your signature,
madam. I've compared it...

-It is.
-[Judy] Shh. Shh.

I've compared it. It is your signature.

It doesn't say... it's an auto agreement,
biweekly payments.

$3,000 is the full price.
$130 starts in the month of October.

"If you miss two payments, the car will be
repossessed. The car is sole as is."

-May I explain?
-[Judy] Yeah. You sure can.

The contract was for a
Chevy Impala that ran perfectly.

-That contract that you have...
-Was for a Chevy Impala?

-[Carla] ...was for a Chevy Impala.
-Okay.

-[Carla] Not the Saturn Vue.
-And? And?

And the Saturn Vue
that ended up in my name...

I was working for Illana.
I was pulling cars for her.

She asked me to give her the opportunity.

First, she said
she wanted to wait until October.

Then she said
she wanted to wait until November.

That's why there is no name on the car.
The reason how this contract came about,

when the Saturn Vue...
when I got the Saturn Vue,

she told me the only thing
that was wrong with the Saturn Vue...

Don't tell me what was wrong with it.

You have to understand, madam,
you buy a used car, it's sold as is.

And if you're gonna try to tell me
that you were tricked...

-[Carla] Yes.
-...stop wasting my time.

[tense music]

On the title, it say a hundred dollars
was sold for the Saturn Vue.

I don't care what kind of scam
the two of you are pulling

-on the tax department.
-I don't know, ma'am. I don't do scams.

I don't want you to think that I'm stupid.

[tense music]

[announcer] Illana Junious
claims her former friend, Carla Walls,

owes for a 2004 Saturn Vue
she purchased from Illana.

Carla is countersuing
for the cost of car parts,

-claiming it was a defective vehicle.
-You took possession of the Saturn Vue.

-I know you took possession of it...
-Yes, I did.

-[Judy] ...because he drove it to work.
-[Carla] I understand that.

[Judy] Just a second. So I want you
to not waste my time anymore telling me

-that there was a bait-and-switch.
-[Carla] I'm not wasting your time, ma'am.

What I'm telling you
is that when I had the Saturn Vue,

I took the Saturn Vue to Walmart
to get the alignment and the tire.

I found out that the car was a junk car.
She came to my house.

Within that evening, when we did this
contract, it was for the Chevy Impala

because the car
had needed a whole lot of work.

Let me explain
something to you, Ms. Walls.

-[Carla] This contact was for the...
-What I want to explain to you is this.

-This case is very... don't raise your hand.
-Okay.

[Judy] This case is very long
and it's got a lot of little tentacles.

-However...
-It does.

...if what you're saying to me is you
never felt as if you had bought this car

because you were tricked
into buying it, right?

-I was.
-[Judy] Is that... just a second.

-That it was never yours.
-No. That's not what I'm saying, Ms. Judy.

Well, then don't waste
my time with all this.

-[Carla] What I'm saying is...
-I don't...

[Carla] Only thing I'm saying is this
contract was not about the Saturn Vue.

-That's all I'm saying.
-[Judy] Okay.

-That's all I'm saying.
-[Judy] Fine. Let's put this away.

This is dated September 21st.

On September 21st,
did you take possession of the Saturn?

-That's my question. Very carefully...
-No, ma'am.

On what date
did you take possession of the Saturn?

-On the 23rd.
-[Judy] Two days later?

-Yes.
-[Judy] Just a second.

Two days later, okay? And when
you took possession of the Saturn,

the very next thing
that you did with it was to...

The same...

[Judy] ...was go to the
Department of Motor Vehicles?

Yes.

-Both of you...
-[Illana] Yes.

...went to the Department of Motor Vehicles,
'cause this title to the car...

-Thank you.
-...says that it's in your name.

-[Carla] Yes.
-This is in your name. So you...

-I'm not disputing it... Okay.
-[Judy] Just pay attention.

You have to be there
for it to be in your name.

-You're there.
-I understand that, Ms. Judy.

[Judy]
And it says additional owners,

because there was still
money owed on the car,

-Thank you.
-[Judy] ...was the plaintiff.

-Do you see?
-The title was never in her name.

-[Judy] It doesn't...
-And...

-[Judy] Oh.
-What I'm trying to explain to you is,

when we went there, on the title,

it say a hundred dollars
was owed for the Saturn Vue.

I don't care what kind of scam the two of
you are pulling on the tax department.

-[Carla] I... no, ma'am. I don't do scams.
-I don't want you to think I'm stupid.

-No, ma'am.
-[Judy] You went there with her,

took possession of the Saturn,

went with her to Motor Vehicles,
signed the documents

which would indicate
you're the owner of the Saturn.

And that was done... the date issued
was the 28th of September.

My next question to you, Ms. Walls,
is on the 23rd when you got the Saturn,

-[Judy] you said this was... You just...
-[Carla] I didn't get the Saturn on...

I'm sorry. I'm confused. I made a mistake.
I apologize to the court.

Because the same day
I took the car to Walmart,

the same day we came back to...
she met me at my apartment,

we sat on the balcony,
and did this contract for the Chevy...

-I don't care about the Chevy anymore.
-[Carla] Okay. Okay.

-Alright.
-I don't care about the Chevy anymore.

-[Carla] Okay. Yes, ma'am. All right.
-Don't say that name.

-[Carla] Alright. Okay.
-[courtroom laughs]

-[Judy] You told me, Ms. Walls...
-I did tell you, ma'am.

...that this contract
was written on the 21st to...

-[Carla] I was mistaken.
-Shh.

-No. It was written on the 21st. This...
-No, it wasn't.

It wasn't. I promise you, it wasn't.

Well, show me a different document
that says something other than the 21st.

[Carla] My proof is that when...
the same day the car was bought,

was the same day we went
to the DMV to get the tag.

On the same day
that we went to get the tag,

that was the day of me taking ownership
of the Saturn Vue, which is on the 28th.

-She doctored this.
-[Judy] I've got the...

Just a second. I could read back
to you what you said before.

You said it was two days later

-that you switch... Just!
-I'm saying that I made a mistake.

It was two days later
that you switched from the Impala,

-which I said I'd never say again...
-[Carla] No, ma'am.

[Judy]
...to the Vue. You said three days later.

-No, ma'am. I was mistaken.
-[Judy] Then let's get back...

-May I clarify?
-[Judy] Just a sec... just a second.

Don't clear anything up for me.
I'm gonna get a timeline.

-Put your hand down.
-[chuckles]

[Judy] How did you get
to the Department of Motor Vehicles?

-We drove the Saturn Vue.
-[Judy] Okay.

-The two of you drove the...
-On the 28th.

-Yes, it was the 28th. Don't.
-[Carla] The purchase of the Saturn Vue.

Just a second. The two of you
drove the Saturn Vue

on the 28th to the Department
of Motor Vehicles.

-Now, the two... don't speak.
-And that was the...

[Judy]
The two of you didn't drive.

One of you drove and one of you
was the passenger. Who drove?

-I think she drove. She drove.
-No.

[Judy] Okay. Where was
the car parked on the 28th?

-On the 28th?
-[Judy] Just a second.

-Go ahead.
-I can see it's slippery.

Where was the car parked on the 28th?

Your Honor,
can I go back a little bit, please?

-[Judy] No. I asked you where...
-It was parked at... it was parked at...

-[Judy] No. Just a...
-Okay.

It was parked at her house on the 21st to
the 28th 'cause I parked it at her house.

So the 28th it was at her house.

-[Carla] No, ma'am.
-Did she...

Okay. Sorry. Sorry.

Okey-dokey. Stand up.
You're her son. You work fulltime?

-Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] Move over there.

Who do you work for?

At the time,
I was working for Caterpillar.

-[Judy] Where are they located?
-Lafayette, Indiana.

[Judy] And how far was that
from your mother's house?

[Joseph]
Ten minutes away.

[Judy]
And you were living with your mother?

Yes, ma'am.

How many times did you drive
the Saturn to work? How many days?

-[Joseph] Two weeks.
-[Judy] From when to when?

-From... September...
-[Judy] Well, let me put it to you this...

-When did your job end?
-My job ended October 30th.

And what was the first day
you drove this car to work?

October 1st.

[Judy] You never
drove the car to work before that?

-[Joseph] No, ma'am, I have not.
-Uh-uh.

[Judy]
How were you getting to work before that?

Uber. Sometimes Lyft.

[Judy] Now, your mother
had this car at her house.

Why didn't you take this car before?

Because they were rationing
out their agreement upon the car.

I was told that the car
needed to be worked on.

That's why I couldn't use it
because it was undriveable. The...

[Judy] Okay. And you did
in fact drive it on October 1st?

-Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] So if it was undriveable

before October 1st,
someone made it drivable?

-Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] Okay. And at some point,

the car was taken to a mechanic?

-Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] That was before October 1st

'cause you drove the car October 1st.

-Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] Right?

-Mhm.
-[Judy] Okay.

And how long did the car
stay in the mechanic?

It couldn't have been no more than two
days because I drove it on October 3rd.

But when I got...when I drove it
to work on October 3rd...

-No. October 1st you drove it.
-[Joseph] Yes, ma'am.

It was the first day
that you said you drove the car.

-Yes, ma'am. That was the first day.
-[Judy] Okay.

I looked at what you swore to...

-What I sworn to?
-...at the department... no. Speak not.

This is what your son was driving.

He was driving the Saturn to work.
And how do I know that?

Because she repossessed it
from his place of business.

[tense music]

[tense music]

[announcer] Illana Junious has accused
her former friend, Carla Walls,

of refusing to pay for the 2004
Saturn Vue she purchased.

Carla claims the contract she had
with Illana was for a different vehicle.

So September 28th was the day the car
went in to get fixed, two days before?

I do not know.

[Judy]
Well, if you drove the car October 1st

and it was parked in front
of your mother's house

and you were told you
couldn't drive it until it was fixed...

Let's start with this, how long was it
parked in front of your mother's house

when you were told you couldn't drive it?

-I wanna say three days.
-[Judy] Okay. So on the 27th it was there?

-Yes, ma'am. It was there. I've seen it.
-[Judy] Okay.

And now your mother goes on the 28th
to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

And at the Department of Motor Vehicles,

you say you don't have a title because
this is your flip business, whatever.

They issue a new title with you
as the lienholder on the car?

-Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] Now, I want to see any proof

of how much money
she was paying for the car.

-Oh, that's the contract. And I have...
-[Judy] No. That's not the contract.

-[Illana] No, no, no.
-That's a contract for a different car.

She didn't... no,
it wasn't a contract for a...

[Judy]
Well, if this is your business, madam,

-and I assume you wrote this up?
-Yes, ma'am.

[Judy] Then the first thing you have to
write on here is what the product is.

-[Illana] Yes, ma'am.
-You have everything here

but what the product is.

I know. It was a rough draft because I
thought this was my... it was a rough draft.

-I worked so many hours.
-[Judy] Even if it's a rough draft.

-I know.
-You list, "I'm selling this car.

This is the amount of money.
This is the payment schedule."

-So let's take...
-[Illana] Okay.

I do have proof
and text messages she said.

-[Judy] That's what I wanna see.
-I do have proof and text messages.

[Judy] Just a second.
Don't show me a whole bunch of stuff

that doesn't relate
to the price of the car.

[Illana]
Okay. Um...

That's the contract... oh, that's not the
contract. I'm sorry. That's text message.

[Judy]
No. The car was $3,000.

How much money can you prove to me
that you gave to her as a down payment?

You were supposed to give her
a $300 down payment,

plus you were supposed
to pay her $150 every month.

So did you give her the $300?

-In cash.
-[Judy] I want you to prove that to me.

Show me where you took it from.
She says you did not give her $300.

It says, "And the contract says
I was supposed to give you $300

on the 2nd of October."

-That's you talking.
-For the... okay. I'm sorry.

[Judy] And clearly it says,
"I was supposed to give you

-$300 on the 2nd of October."
-But keep reading, Miss Judy.

-[Judy] Yes.
-It was for the...

-[Judy] At the end of October.
-But what... for what car though?

Just a second.
And the contract... don't say it.

-"I was supposed..."
-Okay. Okay.

[Judy] Right now we're talking about
communications you had on September 28th

when you signed
the documents for the other car.

I don't wanna hear Impala anymore.
You knew now what you were buying.

-Yes, ma'am.
-[Judy] Okay.

-I knew it and she knew what I was buying.
-[Judy] Just a second.

I'm buying... I was buying the car
that you told me not to speak of.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
This is the car you were buying.

-No, ma'am.
-[Judy] Well, then...

-well, then I'm sorry I can't...
-Don't... what she...

what she's giving you, ma'am,

what she's giving is proof
of the transaction for the car

that I'm not supposed to speak of.

Yes, I was supposed to give her
$300 a month for the car

that I'm not supposed to speak of.
That was supposed to be the contract.

Ms. Walls,
I actually have had it with you.

-[Carla] I understand.
-I actually have had it with you,

because I've been to Motor Vehicles
many times in my 81 years,

and I won't confuse,
and neither would you,

the purchase of a four-wheel


which is what you signed that you were
buying on September 28th, with an Impala.

That's what you bought.
I don't wanna hear anything else about it.

What makes it difficult, Ms. Judy,

is because the Saturn was trash.
It was garbage.

-That's your problem.
-[Carla] No, ma'am, it's not because...

-Well, I'm telling you it's your problem.
-Oh, my goodness.

What she is doing is she
is manipulating the contract.

She is manipulating the evidence.

-Oh, no.
-[Carla] That's why she didn't put the...

if it was about the Saturn Vue, ma'am,
it would have been on the contract.

Don't you think it would
have been on the contract?

-She do this for a living.
-[Judy] Ms. Walls,

[splutters] Do I do this for a living?
This is what I do for a...

-[Carla] I'm... no, I'm saying...
-Shh. This is what I do for a living.

I look at what you swore to

-at the department...no. Speak not.
-[Carla] What I swore to?

What you swore to with
the Department of Motor Vehicles

that you were purchasing a Saturn,

that there was a lienholder
'cause you hadn't paid for it,

and they were waiting for the delivery
of the title, which now I have.

This is what is registered
in the state of Indiana.

This is what your son was driving.
He was not driving an Impala to work.

-Every day.
-[Judy] He was drive... don't speak.

He was driving the Saturn to work.
And how do I know that?

Because she repossessed it
from his place of business.

You didn't say, "I didn't...
hey, I didn't buy a Saturn.

I bought an Impala.
They don't even look alike.

Take this, whatever
this piece of junk is."

He drove the car
that I'm not supposed to speak of.

That's the car that he was taking to work.

The car that we're
not supposed to speak about,

that's the car that he was taking to work.

Just a second.
You just wrote in your answer.

I may be wrong,
but I'm looking at your answer

and I'm looking at your communications
with her on September 28th

and it says, "And the contract,

I was supposed to give you
$300 on the 2nd of October,

which I intend to hold up
my end of the contract.

The car is in my name.
You have no legal right to take it.

Your name is not even on the title.

If you mess with that car,
you're going to jail for grand theft auto.

I have not reached the contract
to put you on the contract,

to put you on the title that I sold."

And she says to you before that,
"I told you that it needed new tire,

a wheel alignment, and bearings.

Once again you gave me
no money down and no money at all

and you're driving around in my car."

-[Illana] Thank you.
-So who should be suing who?

I should be suing her because what the...
what you are reading is about the car.

He... that's the car he drove to work.

-Pull him back up here and ask him...
-He just said...

...did he ever drive the Impala to work?

-He said he took a Uber.
-[Judy] No, no, no. Shh. Shh.

Madam, let me tell you
what you wrote in your answer,

because what happened here
is you wanted her to do...

-The only thing I'm saying, Ms. Judy...
-Don't speak. I'm speaking.

[tense music]

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[theme song]