FULL VIDEO AT THE END OF THE POST
The Plaintiff's Claim
Ms. Rodriguez, the plaintiff, appeared before Judge Judy.
She was suing her ex-boyfriend, the defendant.
Ms. Rodriguez sought to recover $3,325.
This amount represented money she paid to release his car from impound.
She believed they were dating when she made the payment.
Plaintiff's Background
Ms. Rodriguez works as a caregiver.
She works five days a week.
Her work schedule includes Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
She has been working with her current clients for three years.
Ms. Rodriguez is paid bi-weekly.
She earns around $1,400 bi-weekly.
She lives with her parents.
Ms. Rodriguez helps her parents with rent.
She stated she is able to save some money.
Defendant's Background
The defendant is a technician.
He works for Firestone.
He has been employed there for about five years.
The defendant rents a room in Watsonville.
Conflicting Relationship Timelines
Judge Judy asked the defendant about his relationship with Ms. Rodriguez.
He stated they used to date.
He claimed they stopped dating in January of last year, meaning January 2018.
Ms. Rodriguez contradicted this.
She testified they were together until January of this year, January 2019.
She believed he was her boyfriend until January 2019.
The defendant's car was impounded in November or December of 2018.
This was after the defendant claimed they had stopped dating.
Ms. Rodriguez stated they were together in January 2019.
This was when he was supposed to be her boyfriend.
The Impounded Car Incident
The defendant's car was impounded in Santa Cruz.
This occurred in November 2018.
The reasons for the impound were car modifications and not having a driver's license.
The defendant was also arrested for resisting arrest.
Ms. Rodriguez picked him up from jail.
He was in jail for a couple of hours.
The car was kept in impound for 30 days.
The defendant explained that the police kept it for 30 days.
He understood this was to teach him a lesson about resisting arrest.
Defendant's Admission of Repeated Behavior
Judge Judy asked the defendant about resisting arrest.
He admitted he did it again a couple of months after the initial incident.
Judge Judy questioned this admission.
She asked if he thought this made him more or less valuable.
The defendant simply stated, "I'm just saying."
The Payment for the Car
The defendant explained how Ms. Rodriguez paid for the car's release.
He stated he was "out of options."
He claimed the bank would add the impound fees to his loan.
Ms. Rodriguez then offered to get the car out.
Judge Judy challenged his claim of being "out of options."
She pointed out that letting the bank repossess it was an option.
The defendant conceded it was an option.
Ms. Rodriguez paid $3,325 to get the car out of impound.
She used her credit card for this payment.
The New Girlfriend Appears
The defendant brought his new girlfriend to court.
Judge Judy noted the defendant had swapped "young for even younger."
The new girlfriend confirmed she was a student.
She also stated she was still in high school.
She is 18 years old.
She has been dating the defendant for about a year.
Her parents approve of the defendant.
Judge Judy Questions the Defendant's Credibility
Judge Judy highlighted the discrepancy in the relationship timeline.
She told the new girlfriend that Ms. Rodriguez thought she was dating the defendant until January of this year.
This was when the defendant was supposedly with his new girlfriend.
Judge Judy asked the new girlfriend if this information was "registering" with her.
The new girlfriend responded, "Yes."
Judge Judy also questioned the defendant's character.
She pointed out his arrests for resisting arrest.
She described resisting arrest as "pretty sort of violent behavior."
The defendant claimed Ms. Rodriguez was present for one arrest.
He stated he ran from the car during one incident.
Defendant's Financial Situation
The defendant admitted he has no credit card.
He also stated he has no credit.
This explained why Ms. Rodriguez had to use her credit card.
The Charges and Punishment
Judge Judy asked about the charges for resisting arrest.
The defendant stated he received community service hours.
He specified "80-something" hours.
He also pled guilty to the charges.
Judge Judy's Assessment of the Impound Fee
Judge Judy explained the reason for the 30-day impound.
She stated it was to teach the defendant a lesson.
She said there was no other reason to keep the car impounded for so long.
The police were creating difficulty for him because he created difficulty for them.
She called the impound a "little escapade" that cost thousands of dollars.
Judge Judy stated this was his punishment.
She emphasized that he cannot pay someone else to do his time.
She called the payment a "quid pro quo for whatever went on at the time."
The Plaintiff's Motivation
Ms. Rodriguez believed she was helping her boyfriend.
She felt he took advantage of her.
She stated he blocked her on everything after the incident.
He then told her he had a new girlfriend.
He also mentioned starting a family.
Ms. Rodriguez felt he was using her for his own benefit.
The Verdict
Judge Judy ruled in favor of the plaintiff.
She ordered the defendant to pay Ms. Rodriguez $3,325.
The case was concluded.