FULL VIDEO AT THE END OF THE POST
A Long-Standing Connection
Mr. Kreibel and Amy, a couple, brought a case against Bob Miller.
Mr. Miller was a long-time family friend.
Mr. Kreibel knew Mr. Miller since he was about seven years old.
Mr. Miller had been Mr. Kreibel's parents' boss in the 1980s.
Mr. Kreibel is 26 years old.
Amy is 21 years old.
They have been a couple for three years.
Homelessness and Past Support
Mr. Kreibel stated he was estranged from his parents.
He had lived at home until he was 20.
Amy also stated she was estranged from her parents since she was 18.
The couple has been homeless for a few months.
They described themselves as transient.
They mentioned living in New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Long Beach.
Mr. Miller had provided them with several jobs over the years.
He had also testified on their behalf in a criminal trial.
This testimony helped them get probation.
Previous Work for Mr. Miller
Amy had worked for Mr. Miller once before.
This was about a year ago, in November.
She did residential painting.
She painted houses for his clients.
Mr. Miller confirmed this job.
He said they repainted a vacant rental home.
He stated he was on every job with them.
The Current Dispute
Mr. Kreibel and Amy were suing Mr. Miller for unpaid wages.
They also claimed a hostile work environment.
Mr. Miller denied owing them money.
He claimed he had paid them in advances.
The painting job in question started on August 25th.
Mr. Kreibel's Claim
Mr. Kreibel claimed $668.75 in unpaid wages.
He calculated this based on 53.5 hours of work.
He stated his hourly rate was $12.50.
Amy's Claim
Amy claimed $535 in unpaid wages.
She calculated this based on 53 hours of work.
She stated her hourly rate was $10.
Mr. Miller's Wage Rates
Mr. Miller stated Mr. Kreibel's hourly rate was $12.
He confirmed Amy's hourly rate was $10.
This created a discrepancy in Mr. Kreibel's claimed hourly rate.
The Issue of Advances
Mr. Miller claimed he paid the plaintiffs in advances.
He said these advances were deducted from their weekly pay.
He stated he had records of these cash advances.
He also mentioned having time cards.
He noted the time cards were difficult to understand.
He said the last time card was not turned in.
Judge Judy Questions Advances
Judge Judy asked Mr. Miller about the total advances paid.
She asked for the total between August 25th and September 24th.
Mr. Miller could not provide a specific total.
He stated, "I don't know your honor. It was done in a weekly fashion."
He explained that when pay came, he deducted advances.
Then he gave them the balance.
He said this happened every week.
An Example of Advances
Mr. Miller provided an example.
He mentioned $460 in advances against $930 in pay.
He said he gave them the balance.
Judge Judy acknowledged that they likely needed advances.
She noted they "don't have two nickels to rub together."
Disputed Hours and Last Week's Pay
Mr. Kreibel claimed 50 hours of work in one week.
He said they were cramming in hours to finish a project.
He stated they had 10 days to complete it.
Mr. Miller disputed this.
He claimed they only worked two or three days between September 19th and 24th.
The plaintiffs quit on September 24th.
Mr. Miller stated he did not pay them anything on September 24th.
He said he gave Mr. Kreibel $30 on September 20th.
He also gave Mr. Kreibel $50 on September 21st.
He claimed they had no money coming for that week.