FULL VIDEO AT THE END OF THE POST
The Plaintiff's Claim
Ms. Fox brought a case against Mr. Valenzuela.
They share a daughter who is almost 17 years old.
Ms. Fox and Mr. Valenzuela separated when their daughter was three.
Ms. Fox is suing for half the cost of a Disneyland annual pass.
She also seeks reimbursement for car parts for their daughter's car.
Significant Child Support Arrears
Ms. Fox stated that Mr. Valenzuela is not current on his child support.
The child support order is for $410 per month.
She believes he is approximately $44,000 delinquent.
Judge Judy asked Mr. Valenzuela to explain this delinquency.
Mr. Valenzuela admitted he fell behind.
He stated he did some time in jail in 2007.
He was incarcerated for two to three months.
Judge Judy noted that two to three months does not amount to $44,000.
Mr. Valenzuela explained that the child support was based on a certain income.
He then became jobless for a while.
Later, he had a job where much of his check was taken.
He claimed he was only making $200 every two weeks at one point.
New Family and Financial Choices
Judge Judy questioned Mr. Valenzuela about having another child.
He has a one-year-old child with his current wife.
He also has children aged seven and eleven.
Judge Judy asked why he had another child if he could not afford the children he already had.
Mr. Valenzuela insisted all his children are taken care of.
Judge Judy disagreed, stating his daughter with Ms. Fox was not well taken care of.
She highlighted the $44,000 in unpaid child support.
Working Under the Table
Ms. Fox claimed that Mr. Valenzuela works "under the table."
She stated that they cannot garnish his wages.
Judge Judy asked Mr. Valenzuela about his current employment.
He said he works as a DJ on weekends.
He earns $300 to $400 per weekend.
He told the mediator he only works on weekends.
His wife works for the county of Kern.
Mr. Valenzuela stated he stays home during the week to care for their one-year-old.
Judge Judy questioned his choice to be a house parent while owing significant child support.
She asked when he last had a full-time Monday through Friday job.
He stated he was a welder for seven years in the oil fields.
He worked as a welder until 2016.
He claimed he was out of a job for a while before that.
The Daughter's Car
Ms. Fox stated she purchased a car for their daughter.
She asked Mr. Valenzuela if he could help with the cost.
She bought the car for $2,400.
Mr. Valenzuela gave her $300 towards the car.
Ms. Fox also claimed Mr. Valenzuela agreed to pay for new headlights.
Mr. Valenzuela confirmed he bought headlights.
He presented a receipt for the headlights he purchased.
He stated the headlights were not used on the car.
He claimed Ms. Fox got upset and decided to fix the car on her own.
The Disneyland Pass Dispute
Ms. Fox claimed Mr. Valenzuela agreed to pay for half of a Disneyland annual pass.
She said the pass cost $619.
She purchased one for their daughter to split with him.
Ms. Fox also bought a pass for herself.
This would allow her daughter to go with both parents.
Mr. Valenzuela denied agreeing to pay for half the pass.
He explained that he and his wife considered buying Disneyland passes for their whole family.
They decided they could not afford them.
He stated he was then approached about paying for half of the birthday gift.
He had originally considered buying Disneyland passes as a package for his family.
Daughter's Birthday Gift
Ms. Fox stated that Mr. Valenzuela gave their daughter "nothing" for her 16th birthday.
Mr. Valenzuela contradicted this claim.
He said he gave his daughter $200 in cash for her birthday.
Ms. Fox was unaware of this cash gift.
Judge Judy's Scrutiny
Judge Judy expressed her strong disapproval of Mr. Valenzuela's financial situation.
She highlighted the $44,000 in delinquent child support.
She questioned his priorities, especially regarding Disneyland passes for his new family.
She found it unacceptable that he was not working full-time to pay his child support.
Judge Judy noted that Mr. Valenzuela's wife works for the county.
She emphasized that he has four children and should be working.
She found his explanation of being a house parent during the week insufficient.
The Verdict on the Car and Disneyland Pass
Judge Judy ruled on the specific claims brought by Ms. Fox.
She stated that Mr. Valenzuela does not owe Ms. Fox any money for the car parts.
She also ruled that he does not owe her money for the Disneyland pass.
Judge Judy's Advice to the Plaintiff
Judge Judy advised Ms. Fox to get a lawyer.
She told Ms. Fox to use the information she obtained in court.
This information included Mr. Valenzuela's social security number and details about his car purchase.
Judge Judy suggested Ms. Fox use this information to make Mr. Valenzuela's life "miserable" regarding child support.
She reiterated that Ms. Fox was in the wrong court for the child support arrears.
Judge Judy congratulated both parties for being civil.
She expressed that she would be furious if she were Ms. Fox.
She concluded by telling Mr. Valenzuela he should be ashamed of himself.
The parties were then excused.