FULL VIDEO AT THE END OF THE POST
Property Purchase and Initial Tenancy
Mr. Nate purchased a four-acre property in 2015.
The property included two houses.
The defendant and her daughters were already living in one of these houses.
They were tenants when Mr. Nate bought the property.
The tenancy was month-to-month.
There was no signed lease agreement between them.
The rent for the property was $850 per month.
The defendant and her daughters had lived there since 2014.
Uneventful Years
For several years, the tenancy was uneventful.
Rent was paid regularly by the defendant.
This period included 2015, 2016, and 2017.
The defendant lived with her three daughters: Nancy, Erica, and Katherine.
Her son, Justin, also lived there.
Boyfriend Moves In
The defendant started dating her boyfriend in March 2018.
Her boyfriend moved into the rental property in August 2018.
Mr. Nate claims that problems began after the boyfriend moved in.
The defendant later clarified that her boyfriend moved in in March 2018.
She then stated he left for good in August.
However, she also mentioned calling the police in October to remove him.
This implies he was still present in October.
Allegation of Public Nudity
The defendant alleged that Mr. Nate paraded around naked in the front yard.
She claimed this happened in June 2018.
She stated she told her children not to go outside.
She did not report this incident to the police.
She also did not notify Mr. Nate about it.
Judge Judy questioned why she did not report such an incident.
Mr. Nate denied parading around naked.
He stated he only walked around naked in the bathroom.
He pointed out that public nudity would lead to arrest in the middle of town.
October 2018 Incidents
In October 2018, the defendant called the police.
She wanted the police to remove her boyfriend from the property.
The police did remove him.
Around the same time, the defendant alleged sexual harassment by Mr. Nate.
She claimed he groped her butt.
She also stated he made an inappropriate comment.
She said he told her, "Your fiancé is not here anymore, so you're free to be."
This occurred while he was checking the air conditioning unit.
She told him not to touch her, and he stopped.
Daughter's Allegations
The defendant's daughter also made allegations against Mr. Nate.
She claimed he made sexual advances towards her.
She stated he grabbed her butt and lower back.
She also said he stood too close to her.
This allegedly happened around October 2018.
The daughter did not report this behavior to anyone.
Rent Dispute Begins
The defendant stopped paying rent regularly after October 2018.
She claimed an agreement with Mr. Nate.
She stated he agreed to a month's free rent.
This was in exchange for her fixing up the property.
Mr. Nate denied any such agreement.
He stated he only offered to supply materials.
He said she would do the repairs herself.
Judge Judy noted the defendant made arrangements about rent forgiveness after the alleged nudity incident.
The defendant confirmed this.
She also confirmed nothing was said about the alleged nudity at that time.
Property Damage Claims
Mr. Nate presented pictures of alleged damage to the property.
These included holes in the flooring.
He also showed a damaged air conditioning and heating unit.
He claimed the defendant caused this damage.
He also showed pictures of junk left behind.
The defendant claimed the holes were due to the air conditioning leaking.
She stated she provided Mr. Nate with a letter in 2015.
This letter detailed problems with the house when he first took over.
Judge Judy dismissed the 2015 letter.
She noted the tenancy was uneventful until 2018.
Mr. Nate presented a bill for $800 to fix the heater and air conditioning unit.
He attributed $300 and some change of this cost to the tenants.
He said he had to fix the entire unit.
Move-Out Date
The defendant stated she moved out at the end of November.
Mr. Nate disagreed.
He claimed she left in December.
He specified December 4th or 5th.
The defendant confirmed she lived there in November.
She moved to a different house.
Her new rent was also $850.
Her daughters were still with her.
Her son was not.
The boyfriend was no longer with her.
Security Deposit
Judge Judy asked about a security deposit.
Mr. Nate confirmed there was no security deposit.
There was no security deposit with him or the prior owner.
Judge Judy's Skepticism
Judge Judy expressed skepticism about the sexual harassment claims.
She noted the long period of uneventful tenancy.
She questioned why the allegations surfaced only after other disputes.
She highlighted the lack of prior complaints or police reports.
She found it unusual that the defendant would make arrangements with Mr. Nate after such serious allegations.
The defendant admitted she did not notify the police about the alleged nudity.
She also did not notify Mr. Nate.
She said she tried not to talk to him as much as possible.
Final Claims and Verdict
Mr. Nate sued for unpaid rent for November 2018.
This amounted to $850.
He also claimed $250 for cleaning junk left behind.
His total claim was $1,100.
The defendant's counterclaim was for sexual harassment.
Judge Judy considered all the testimony and evidence.
She found the defendant's conduct to be "stupid" if the allegations were true.
She also called Mr. Nate's alleged conduct "stupid."
The judgment was for the plaintiff, Mr. Nate.
The amount awarded was $1,100.
The defendant's counterclaim for sexual harassment was implicitly dismissed.
The defendant was ordered to pay for unpaid rent and cleaning costs.