FULL VIDEO AT THE END OF THIS POST
YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT SHE TOLD JUDGE JUDY!
A Free Cruise Turns into a Friendship Fiasco
Imagine winning a free cruise.
Then imagine that cruise ending with your friend allegedly taking your van.
That is exactly the situation Ms. Baldwin, the plaintiff, finds herself in.
She is suing Ms. Russ, the defendant, after a shared cruise experience went terribly wrong.
The Cruise That Started It All
Ms. Baldwin tells Judge Judy she won a Carnival cruise.
It was a prize from a casino's elite players group.
The cruise was for two people.
She invited her friend, Ms. Russ, to join her.
The cruise itself and the meals were covered.
Ms. Russ was only responsible for her incidental expenses.
Ms. Baldwin lives in Missouri.
The ship departed from Florida.
They drove together to Florida.
The drive took them from Thursday night at 11 p.m.
until Saturday morning at 10 a.m.
They shared the driving.
They took Ms. Baldwin's van.
Ms. Baldwin confirms it was her van.
She states she has three cars in total.
The van belongs to her and her husband.
The Argument at Sea
Four days into the seven-day cruise, Ms. Baldwin and Ms. Russ had an argument.
They were sharing a room.
Ms. Baldwin's husband did not go because they have two toddlers.
She had invited Ms. Russ to celebrate their new tattoo shop.
The argument meant they did not speak for the last three days of the cruise.
When they did speak, it was an argument.
Ms. Baldwin describes the argument as "silly."
It was about a promotion for their tattoo shop.
Ms. Russ was not happy with the idea.
She walked off upset.
Every conversation after that turned into an argument.
The tattoo shop was later scuttled after the cruise.
The Disembarkation Drama
When the cruise ended, Ms. Baldwin disembarked.
She walked out of customs.
She set her belongings down.
She waited for Ms. Russ.
Ms. Baldwin explains that Ms. Russ had taken her car key a couple of days earlier.
She says the key was hanging on a lanyard on the wall.
Ms. Baldwin had gone to call her husband because they were fighting.
When she returned, the key was gone.
She approached Ms. Russ the next morning.
Ms. Russ told her she took the key.
She was afraid Ms. Baldwin would leave her there.
After going through customs, Ms. Russ came out.
She threw her belongings down.
She tossed the key at Ms. Baldwin.
Ms. Baldwin put the key around her neck.
She went to pick up her belongings to go to the shuttle.
She intended to pick up the vehicle.
Ms. Baldwin states Ms. Russ then yanked the lanyard off her neck.
Ms. Russ allegedly said, "hell no, you stupid.
You're not leaving me here."
Ms. Baldwin walked off.
She did not want to fight in front of customs.
She crossed to the shuttle.
Ms. Russ then got into a taxi and left.
Ms. Baldwin states Ms. Russ took her van.
This forced Ms. Baldwin to fly home.
She is suing for the costs incurred.
Ms. Russ's Version of Events
Ms. Russ begins by stating Ms. Baldwin made an allegation that the van did not belong to her.
She explains why she believes this.
They discussed how they would get to the cruise.
Ms. Russ's Mustang tires were not good enough for the drive to Florida.
Ms. Baldwin said they could take her van.
Ms. Russ claims Ms. Baldwin was hiding the van at her father's house.
This was to prevent repossession.
The people who owned the title could not find it.