FULL VIDEO AT THE END OF THE POST
The Plaintiff's Claim
Miss Riley, the plaintiff, sued her daughter, the defendant.
She claimed her daughter owed her $1945.
This amount represented a series of loans.
Miss Riley stated these loans were for rent, prepaid phones, utilities, and personal items.
The Daughter's Defense
The daughter, the defendant, argued these were gifts.
She explained her mother frequently bought gifts for her children.
Therefore, she initially perceived the money as gifts.
February 2018: First Loan
Miss Riley testified about the first loan in February 2018.
Her daughter needed help with rent.
Miss Riley also purchased laptops for her grandchildren.
She stated the total for rent and laptops was $450.
Judge Judy clarified the rent portion was $450.
Miss Riley explained she bought the laptops for school work.
She confirmed she is their grandmother.
April 2018: Prepaid Phones
Two months later, in April 2018, Miss Riley loaned her daughter more money.
Her daughter had not repaid the February loan.
Miss Riley loaned her $100 for three prepaid telephones.
This was to help them keep in contact.
September 2018: The Largest Loan
The last loan occurred in September 2018.
Miss Riley stated her daughter was again facing financial difficulties.
She helped with utilities, rent, and personal items.
This loan amounted to $1595.
By this point, Miss Riley had received no repayment for the previous loans.
Miss Riley's Financial Hardship
Miss Riley applied for disability in November 2018.
She was later declared disabled.
Her medical situation became more difficult in early 2019.
She has peripheral artery disease.
She also has bilateral carway synthesis.
Her lungs were affected by fires up north.
She applied for disability in November 2018.
Her application was initially rejected.
She hired an attorney and was in the appeals process.
She had not yet received disability payments.
Request for Repayment
In December 2018, Miss Riley spoke to her daughter.
She asked her daughter to start paying back the money.
Miss Riley explained she was disabled and had no income.
Her daughter responded that she didn't have the money.
However, her daughter said she would try to pay.
Miss Riley had another conversation with her daughter about repayment in April 2019.
The Son's Testimony
Mr. Antner, Miss Riley's son and the defendant's brother, testified.
He lives in Sacramento.
He works for a utility company.
He stepped in to help his mother financially in early 2019.
This was due to her worsening medical situation.
He had multiple conversations with his sister about paying their mother back.
These conversations started in late 2018.
This was around the time the larger loan took place.
He stated his sister had "all the intention to pay her back."
This contradicted the daughter's claim that she thought the money was a gift.
Judge Judy Questions the Nature of the Loans
Judge Judy questioned Miss Riley's expectation of repayment.
Miss Riley continued to give her daughter money.
She did so even after not being repaid for previous amounts.
Judge Judy suggested this was inconsistent with a traditional loan.
A loan implies a reasonable expectation of repayment.
Miss Riley stated, "That's what mothers do."
Judge Judy clarified that a loan requires an expectation of repayment.
The Defendant's Living Situation
The defendant has four children.
The fourth child will be 17 in July.
This child lives with her full-time.
The other three children live with their father.
The defendant has a shared custody agreement for these three children.
She sees them after school Monday through Friday.
She takes them home around 7 or 8 p.m.
They spend every other weekend with her.
Defendant Admits Rent Payments
The defendant admitted her mother paid for three months of rent.
She stated the rent was $450 per month.
This totals $1350.
This admission directly supported a portion of the plaintiff's claim.
Lack of Utility Bill Evidence
Miss Riley claimed she helped with utilities.
She stated she couldn't find the receipt for the utility bill.
She said it was in her daughter's name.
Judge Judy stated she could not help with this claim without evidence.
Judge Judy's Ruling
Judge Judy ruled in favor of the plaintiff.
The judgment was for the plaintiff in the amount of $1350.
This amount represented the three months of rent.
Judge Judy stated, "4.50 times 3 is 13.50."
She emphasized that the mother paid three months of rent.
She told the defendant, "You're old enough to have four children."
She added, "You're old enough to pay your own rent."
Dismissal of Other Claims
Judge Judy dismissed the claims for prepaid phones and laptops.
She also dismissed the claim for utilities.
She stated, "You want to buy cell phones for people, laptops for your grandchildren?"
She continued, "You can do that if you want to."
She concluded, "I'm not interested in that. That's your problem."
The judge focused solely on the admitted rent payments.
The Outcome
The plaintiff, Miss Riley, was awarded $1350.
This amount covered the three months of rent paid for her daughter.
The other claims were not considered loans with a reasonable expectation of repayment.
Miss Riley expressed hope that this would help repair her relationship with her daughter.
The daughter also stated she wanted to move forward.