All Episodes Talk: All Rise

[califred]

Why is reclusive a bad trait in a roommate? And if she's paying the rent why does the non payer care if she's working or going to school?

[AngelaHunter]

And that defendant let it slip in the hallterview "that's how the game is played".

 

Yes, I caught that. Mr. Rodiguez (who I found to be so terrifying looking I can't imagine dealing with him!) feels if you can cheat someone, that's what you do, especially if it's an older woman he feels can't do a damned thing about it. I'm pretty sure the plaintiff would have noticed a seven-month stillborn calf lying in her paddock.

[Brattinella]

Why is reclusive a bad trait in a roommate? And if she's paying the rent why does the non payer care if she's working or going to school?

 

I think it was because the roommate wanted the apartment EMPTY sometimes, so as to have some "personal" time.

[designing1]

 

 

I do think Ms. Sessions instigated it, probably because she now has control of a sweet trusting lady along with access to her computer and all Ms. Reyes financial information.

Andrew was a dead ringer for Blanket Jackson, right down to his sad sack expression.

 

Having had to deal with far too many "well intentioned" caregivers over the years of caring for my own parents, Ms. Sessions set off every warning bell imaginable to me. I'd be willing to bet her pointing fingers at Andrew (Blanket Jackson, indeed!) was truly the pot calling the kettle black.

Edited December 17, 2015 by designing1

[BubblingKettle]

 

Andrew was a dead ringer for Blanket Jackson, right down to his sad sack expression.

YES!  When I watched the case, I couldn't figure out who he reminded me of --- it's Blanket!  How irksome that he continues to go by the name Blanket. But I guess that's a side effect of having MJ as your "father." If I was Blanket, I would've picked out a new name for myself once MJ was slightly cold. 

[Rick Kitchen]

Well, Blanket and Prince both have the same name, so it's become a nickname to differentiate them.

[LilWharveyGal]

I think we need to set up the tangerine haired "my property" lady and the HOA guy from a few days ago on a date - I'll spring for two passes to the Golden Corral and we can all sit around watching them chat about the indignation of people messing with "their property" while they feast on endless chicken wings and yeast rolls. 

 

Hmm, I had to read Dante's Inferno in college but I don't remember this particular level of hell.  ;)

[AuntiePam]

I had some sympathy for the redhead with the cracked driveway.  Mostly because of her hair -- that looked painful.  Her scalp was visible -- she needs to stop with the coloring.  Gray and proud -- that's the ticket!

 

Also had sympathy for her because I think she was right -- the roots from her neighbor's tree helped crack her driveway.  The problem is that by the time you know a tree is causing damage, it's too late -- the damage is done.  The photos the defendants had shouldn't have been considered.  So what if there are cracks in concrete around the neighborhood?  It doesn't mean their tree was innocent.

 

That chunk of concrete she held was thicker than a standard widewalk and probably thicker than a lot of other driveways.  It looked like four inches -- that's thick.   She also cited a Texas law that appeared to support her case.  JJ didn't care.  All she cared about was that the neighborhood concrete had cracks NOT caused by the tree; therefore, her damage wasn't caused by the tree.

 

People shouldn't plant trees where they can do damage.  And yes, the stump should have been ground down.  Roots can still grow after a tree is removed.

[speac]

I'm a newcomer to Texas so someone with a longer claim to knowledge can please correct me.  The pictures of the neighbors were totally relevant because it showed a problem common in the whole neighborhood with driveways all the about the same ages.  I didn't catch where they were from but I know in my area the ground does weird things because it's clay and it causes concrete to settle or heave depending on the conditions.  It's really bad with the drought we've been having because it's caused the clay to compact and with rain it expands.  Several people I know have had to have foundations settlement repairs because parts of their house have settled lower than others. Sidewalks do the same thing.

[AngelaHunter]

The pictures of the neighbors were totally relevant because it showed a problem common in the whole neighborhood

 

I know around here no one would have a concrete driveway because they crack like hell, even worse here where it freezes and thaws. Chunks of it fly out on highways where it's been used. I don't think I've ever seen concrete that wasn't all covered in cracks and heaves. It would be pretty hard to say that the tree alone caused the problems.

 

Bitch who moved out and took only "what I could carry." Is she nuts? Between her and the boyfriend they couldn't spring to rent a little truck if she wanted her junk? Plaintiff doesn't work, drinks all the time (so much she can't remember anything!) yet def. lived there for a year? She must be a sucker for punishment. Or a big liar. Yeah, I think she's probably a liar.

[iwasish]

YES! When I watched the case, I couldn't figure out who he reminded me of --- it's Blanket! How irksome that he continues to go by the name Blanket. But I guess that's a side effect of having MJ as your "father." If I was Blanket, I would've picked out a new name for myself once MJ was slightly cold.

Duvet, perhaps? Quilt? Or my personal favorite "Coverlet"

How many times did today's plaintiff day " proper -tea"?

[AuntiePam]

I'm a newcomer to Texas so someone with a longer claim to knowledge can please correct me.  The pictures of the neighbors were totally relevant because it showed a problem common in the whole neighborhood with driveways all the about the same ages.  I didn't catch where they were from but I know in my area the ground does weird things because it's clay and it causes concrete to settle or heave depending on the conditions.  It's really bad with the drought we've been having because it's caused the clay to compact and with rain it expands.  Several people I know have had to have foundations settlement repairs because parts of their house have settled lower than others. Sidewalks do the same thing.

 

Except that the photos shown by the neighbors were of sidewalks, not driveways.  Sidewalks won't have the same thickness.

 

The other common culprit is weather -- freezing and melting will eventually crack concrete if it's not poured correctly.  Maybe in Texas that isn't a consideration, because ice is so rare -- I don't know.

 

The lady didn't seem to be the type to push a problem off on a neighbor, and the tree was really close to her driveway -- it looked like the tree was just a few feet away from it. 

[zillabreeze]

 

I'm a newcomer to Texas so someone with a longer claim to knowledge can please correct me.

No correction required, you are spot on.  I am from Texas and in the road construction business.  Every bit of your info is indeed how Texas soil works.  (Do you need a job?!?!)

 

 I, too, felt the pictures were relevant.  I can date a neighborhood just by looking at the streets & other assorted concrete flatwork.  The type of cracking the defendants showed was standard in a 30-40+ yr old subdivision.  Hell, the concrete cracking starts when all the trees are still builder supplied twigs in a newer development.  If you stare long enough, you can almost see the cracks open and close, rise and fall with each rainfall (or days into a drought).

 

My house was built in 1980.  I have cracked sidewalks, driveway & foundation issues.  I also have the two largest trees in the hood.  The concrete problems are not anywhere near the big trees.

 

If trees are deeply watered, rather than auto sprinkled little bits at a time, they will grow deeper and never cause the slightest damage to adjoining structures.  Plaintiff's claim that the neighbors septic issues were proof that it was the tree helped her naught.  Tree roots LOVE poop water and will gravitate in that direction if given half the chance,  Septic could have been in disrepair or aging anyway, compounding the problem.

 

Plaintiff did not even come close to proving cause & effect.  

Edited December 18, 2015 by zillabreeze

[speac]

zillabreeze, I've seen what you mean about seeing the cracks in the sidewalks change depending on the rain. I live in a subdivision that is about 20 years old and noticed that our concrete is different from the one they were showing in the pictures--we have a much smaller aggregate.  I didn't know of it was age of the division, builder preference or due to the area they live in.

 

I also did a bit of googling and must have found the exact page that the plaintiff got her information saying the defendant was responsible and she was only quoting (nearly word for word) the first paragraph. The rest of the article was much iffier on if the tree owner was responsible. The site pointed out that the solution was for any homeowner who had tree roots encroaching was to cut the roots up to but not beyond the property line but that you had to be careful because if the root removal killed the tree, you could be responsible. 

[Zahdii]

I'd heard that the teen formally called 'Blanket' Jackson has requested he be called Biji now.  It's supposed to be a German name that means 'sensitive', or something like that.

[Tosia]

Tangerine dream hair lady could not prove the tree was the only culprit.  Golden Corral! I have not been there since my dad passed at 93 last year--his favorite place. My siblings and I gather/eat  there once a  year in his honor.

 

My driveway has developed a big crack across it here in Colorado. My house is 30 years old and we really need to mudjack the front steps and concrete porch (in the spring) which have started to lean.  One tree is way away from either driveway or steps.  Movement of the earth/ground and plant growth are natural with seasonal/weather changes.  

 

Silly humans thinking we are dominant. Except JJ, of course!

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

 

Tangerine dream hair lady could not prove the tree was the only culprit.  Golden Corral! I have not been there since my dad passed at 93 last year--his favorite place. My siblings and I gather/eat  there once a  year in his honor.

I went to Golden Corral once right after it was built near my house. The place was mobbed with people just eating like cattle at their troughs and I swear there were church ladies stuffing their big purses and pantyhose with fried chicken and yeast rolls.  

 

Tree roots LOVE poop water

I learn something new every day. 

 

I was curious if Tangerine Lady's house was in an area which froze on a regular basis. Whenever I go anywhere north I end up seeing frost heaves in the roads. Of course the tree wouldn't help but maybe it was due to a poorly laid driveway and the freezing and unfreezing of the wet ground below. 

 

And isn't there some kind of chemical that can be sprinkled on roots that dissolves them or breaks them down before they are removed? She could have treated her driveway with that stuff before it starts popping up. 

[AngelaHunter]

How many times did today's plaintiff day " proper -tea"?

 

Wasn't that "propitty"? Must be a regional thing. We've heard it pronounced that way before.

 

I must mention how much I love it when Byrd gets pissed off at the audience when they don't obey him quickly enough and then turns around shaking his head in a way that makes me feel he's thinking, "Fucking idiots." I love that almost as much as when he snatches papers from litigants.

[Brattinella]

Wasn't that "propitty"? Must be a regional thing. We've heard it pronounced that way before.

 

I must mention how much I love it when Byrd gets pissed off at the audience when they don't obey him quickly enough and then turns around shaking his head in a way that makes me feel he's thinking, "Fucking idiots." I love that almost as much as when he snatches papers from litigants.

Gotta love Byrd!

[Oinky Boinky]

All that and a bag of porn...

I love how left behind free loaders junk becomes valuable antiques and collectors items.
The old shotguns become civil war whatevers, the something french doors are bifolds, the antique french grass blinds are bamboo shades from Walmart.

But, but the bag of porn is just a bag of porn.

[Talented Tenth]

Exactly. He needs to get a few more pairs....backups for the ones that he breaks when he takes cars for loopdie-loops.

 

Also, I kid you not --- Latarian is a student in the school district where I used to work! Oh yes, I used to be surrounded by Latarians. I think today must be my real Thanksgiving, since I'm constantly giving thanks for no longer being part of that living nightmare. Oh, and the cop in the video is being way too soft on him.

 

You're even luckier you weren't around any Adam Lanzas/Columbine shooters.

[TV Glotzer]

I'm prepared to catch hell for this opinion, but Byrd bugs the crap out of me.

The court officer's job is to execute the judge's decisions in maintaining order in the court, and deliver evidence back and forth between the litigants and the judge. In addition to Byrd's default demeanor of hostility, I cannot STAND when he snatches a paper out of litgant's hand, peruses it with a sneer, and then saunters over to JJ and tosses it to her. Why is he even looking at it?? It's the judge's role to examine the evidence, not his. [/rant]

[Quof]

Um, you do realize it's a tv show?  Three quarters of the things that happen in JJ's courtroom would never happen in a real courtroom.

[AuntiePam]

Byrd's an extension of JJ.  His attitude is the same -- disdain for most of the litigants. 

 

A judge who behaved like Judy does on TV wouldn't last long in a real courtroom. 

[Quof]

Oh, the things JJ does are not realistic, but I've appeared before lots of judges who share her attitude.

[AngelaHunter]

Quote

A judge who behaved like Judy does on TV wouldn't last long in a real courtroom.

 

She spoke and behaved that way long before she was on TV.

 

But, but the bag of porn is just a bag of porn.

 

Haha! Mr. Choquette hammered home once again the truth of the saying, "No good deed goes unpunished." Def. let the old porn lover squat in his house for over two months, paying nothing and gets sued as a "Thank you."  I just love these people who feel that someone else is responsible for the junk they leave behind.

Edited December 19, 2015 by AngelaHunter

[PopTart16]

Byrd's an extension of JJ.  His attitude is the same -- disdain for most of the litigants. 

 

A judge who behaved like Judy does on TV wouldn't last long in a real courtroom. 

Well, so much for her 20+ years as a judge in the family court system. We all have disdain for the litigants that show up in front of her, most could do with the slap on the back of the head and complimentary birth control. 

Edited December 19, 2015 by PopTart16

[TV Glotzer]

Um, you do realize it's a tv show?  Three quarters of the things that happen in JJ's courtroom would never happen in a real courtroom.

LOL. Yes, I realize it's a TV show. And I also understand that as an arbitrator, not a judge, JJ is "not legally restricted to mandatory courtroom/legal policies, procedures, and codes of conduct." But I still hate Byrd and his foul attitude anyway.

[AuntiePam]

Well, so much for her 20+ years as a judge in the family court system. We all have disdain for the litigants that show up in front of her, most could do with the slap on the back of the head and complimentary birth control. 

 

So this isn't an act?  She behaved this way in a real courtroom, with people represented by attorneys? 

[BubblingKettle]

Sometimes I get a kick out of how different The People's Court's Douglas is from Byrd. Douglas is always on alert and at-the-ready. If a litigant dares to take a half step away from the stand, Douglas is there in a flash. It's fascinating to watch Douglas when a litigant is supposed to be standing at the whiteboard to use the magnetic cars or in front of the stand to show tires or a dog....you'd think he was on active duty with the Secret Service, his eyes are on that whole courtroom. JMM jokes that her bailiff doesn't want anyone getting close to her, but I think it's actually true. 

[AngelaHunter]

So this isn't an act?

 

Not at all. You can find footage of her as a family court judge on YT. She was showcased on "60 Minutes" many years ago. Includes a clip of a lawyer mouthing the word "bitch" about her.  

 

As for Byrd's disdain: I haven't worked in a courtroom the way he has (where I can only imagine the vileness that crossed his and JJ's path each day) but just from watching this show I'm filled with disdain and disgust for so many litigants. They deserve it.

[Rick Kitchen]

Byrd's an extension of JJ.  His attitude is the same -- disdain for most of the litigants. 

 

A judge who behaved like Judy does on TV wouldn't last long in a real courtroom. 

 

Before she was on this TV show, she was on 60 Minutes, showing her behaving exactly the same way in the courtroom.  I think it was probably that appearance that got her the TV gig.

[DebbieW]

It doesn't bother me in the slightest the Byrd is less than pleasant to the plethora of dirt bag litigants we see.  

 

I just watched a case (sorry, I don't know from when because there were 10 episodes stacked up on my DVR) where the defendant wrecked the plaintiff's car and wouldn't pay to have it repaired (I know, that doesn't narrow it down much).  Anyway, the plaintiff claimed that the defendant had assured her that he had a license.  JJ had a cow over this because girlfriends don't ask boyfriends that question.  But then she ruled against the plaintiff because she should have known he didn't have a license.  

 

So, in JJ's America everyone is responsible for their own actions, unless someone without a license wrecks your car in which case you are responsible for their actions.  JJ awarded the plaintiff nothing.  I get that some of these idiots need to be taught a lesson about being more discerning with relationships, but the asshole who actually wrecked the car and drove without a license gets away without any penalty.  This isn't how MY America works.

[Ouisch]

Not at all. You can find footage of her as a family court judge on YT. She was showcased on "60 Minutes" many years ago. Includes a clip of a lawyer mouthing the word "bitch" about her.  

 

As for Byrd's disdain: I haven't worked in a courtroom the way he has (where I can only imagine the vileness that crossed his and JJ's path each day) but just from watching this show I'm filled with disdain and disgust for so many litigants. They deserve it.

 

Scroll down to #9 on this list to hear Byrd talk about working with JJ back in New York, and her catching him in the act of impersonating her. (He thought at the time it would cost him his job, but as it turns out, it helped him stand out in her mind when she was casting her TV show.)

[AngelaHunter]

Thanks, Ouisch! Really enjoyed that and liked the story about Milton Berle too.

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

 

Not at all. You can find footage of her as a family court judge on YT. She was showcased on "60 Minutes" many years ago. Includes a clip of a lawyer mouthing the word "bitch" about her.

Actually unbelievably JJ was nastier back in the day on the 60 minutes piece. However in her defense I have seen her treat litigants with a lot of respect and even tenderness (I remember that shaky young man who had a substance abuse problem at one point). And I do enjoy the way she treats the kids. I do enjoy Bird though. He says so much without opening his mouth. I guess it's because if I had a steady diet of WTH like they do, day after day, it would be hard to not snatch a few pieces of paper, must less snatch a few litigants bald.  Some of these litigants are so endemic of the "everything has to be compensated" mentality many people have these days - you make a bad decision and lend your unlicensed cousin your car and he crashes it - then you're supposed to get the cost of the repairs for a twenty year old hoopty, the impound fees (even though you abandoned the POS car), all those tickets your dummy cousin racked up and of course my very favorite - PAIN AND SUFFERING. Believe me I've been on the other side and gone  through the court system in the past thinking they were supposed to feel sorry for me - guess what, they DON'T. They aren't my therapists, they aren't my friends, and at some point I had my own come-to-Jesus moment and realized the court is there to enforce the LAW, not be my deep pocketed daddy. 

 

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1214546/

I remember Douglas back in the day from All My Children (***RIP, sniff, sniff**)

[WhineandCheez]

I don't know if I'm getting different episodes or if no one is posting because oh holiday prep, but did anyone see the one where a guy's (non-pitbull) dog got out and the neighbors took it inside to call the owners and the dog killed their cat within 5 minutes?  Well she employed my personal favorite trick, the use of YIDDISH. Neighbor was spinning a yarn about why he didn't have to pay 1/2 of the $6,000 cat vet bill and she shouted out that he didn't need to go on with his Geschichte (meaning long story in Yiddish).  Remmebr the time when she called some testimony bubbe-meise (Grandmother-story in Yiddish)

[califred]

I had that rerun this week but missed the Yiddish.

The new episode Friday I must have only half watched.

[AngelaHunter]

all those tickets your dummy cousin racked up and of course my very favorite - PAIN AND SUFFERING.

 

I kind of wish that the more reprehensible creeps we see here could find out the true meaning of "pain and suffering", and no - it's not caused by a brick hurled through the windshield of your 22 year old car, not even if you love that car more than life.

[basiltherat]

That Geschichte episode is a rerun, where the defendant (owner of the cat-killing dog) looks like a snarky Bob Costas.

[SandyToes]

 

the court is there to enforce the LAW, not be my deep pocketed daddy.

 

Exactly! It seems there have been several of these eps lately, where JJ will say, "What do you want me to do?" TV show or not, as a mediator, she still has to basically (ha!) follow the intent of the law, and just because something bad happened, it doesn't mean a law was broken, or a crime was committed, or you deserve to be "recompensated."  Some cases she encourages one party to share the expenses if they are at least partially to blame, but will also point out that legally, they may not be required to do that. But because she acts as mediator, she also has the latitude to make discretionary decisions. (Like awarding the whole $5000 when one side really ticks her off.)

 

This is one of those shows where I wish we'd get a "behind the scenes" look.  We know there is more to the stories than we often learn, and I wonder if there are times when Judy REALLY lets go on some of the yahoos that grace her stage. Y'all do a good job of scouring the internet for some of the more memorable litigants, but I'd also like to know how much JJ knows before she walks in. Gotta believe her staff does some vetting of these folks.  And doncha' know that a book of the defendants' filed answers to the complaints would be a bestseller! At least amongst us...  For the legal minds:  Are the original filed court documents public records?

[rcc]

Scroll down to #9 on this list to hear Byrd talk about working with JJ back in New York, and her catching him in the act of impersonating her. (He thought at the time it would cost him his job, but as it turns out, it helped him stand out in her mind when she was casting her TV show.)

Notice that JJ wanted her show to be called Hot Bench. Now, with her own production company producing the new court show, it is called Hot Bench. JJ decided that she would call it whatever she wanted to since she owned the production company.

[Quof]

 

For the legal minds:  Are the original filed court documents public records?

Yes, but I expect you would need to do a manual search as opposed to online for most Small Claims Court jurisdictions.

[BubblingKettle]

Whoa. The midday rerun had one of the most bold, argumentative litigants I've ever seen. Mr. Galanti, bartender, was fighting about his mother's will. He was rude to Judge Judy, and Judge Judy was belligerent towards him as well. I think JJ must have had background paperwork on this guy's hustling. It was shambles, though - Galanti and JJ were even fighting about the size of each others paychecks.

 

The case the followed that one was also a good one! It had two hair stylists ....hell, I didn't even know what they were mad about for the first half of the case. I just couldn't get past the fact that the defendant tried to present himself as some top-tier stylist, and he didn't even have fresh braids for the show. The plaintiff, Mr. Smith had clean lines and a smart outfit. Oh and the video of the hair show -- marvelous!! The hair show must have taken place in an old asbestosy church basement, because the place was tore up. The defendant was the emcee at the mic and in drag (looking great, much more put-together than his male appearance), and the winner (the plaintiff) had on a Dollar Store crown with a stuffingless tiger doll strewn over his shoulder. He got a 6 foot tall trophy and was supposed to get $3,000....but the $3K never appeared.

[WhineandCheez]

I think JJ must have had background paperwork on this guy's hustling.

 

Did she shout, "You're a HUS LA!"

 

The defendant was the emcee at the mic and in drag (looking great, much more put-together than his male appearance), and the winner (the plaintiff) had on a Dollar Store crown with a stuffingless tiger doll strewn over his shoulder

 

CAN NOT WAIT

[Milz]

the winner (the plaintiff) had on a Dollar Store crown with a stuffingless tiger doll strewn over his shoulder.

 

Must see TV!

[pagooey]

Well she employed my personal favorite trick, the use of YIDDISH.

 

 

I can't remember a single other thing about the case, but I remember delighting in the time JJ said "schtupp." And wasn't bleeped, though the censor typically has a pretty heavy hand on the button for even the mildest naughtiness.

[AngelaHunter]

the winner (the plaintiff) had on a Dollar Store crown with a stuffingless tiger doll strewn over his shoulder.

 

I am in a frenzy of anticipation!

[BubblingKettle]

Did she shout, "You're a HUS LA!"

 

CAN NOT WAIT

She told him, "I DON'T LIKE YOU." I can't remember if she said hustla.....she may have said swindler.

[Rick Kitchen]

Did she shout, "You're a HUS LA!"

 

CAN NOT WAIT

 

She called him a thief, and told him that she hoped that his Significant Other realized that he's a thief.