Judge Judy examined the pictures, noting the airbags were deployed.
Miss Hernandez's Admission
Miss Hernandez admitted to crashing the car.
She stated the crash happened three months before she stopped making payments.
This timeline placed the crash around March or April.
She also admitted she did not have insurance at the time of the crash.
Miss Hernandez claimed she was still making payments even after the crash.
She intended to fix the car.
Mr. Giaba reiterated that Miss Hernandez had not informed him about the crash.
He emphasized that the car was a total loss.
Contradictory Explanations
Miss Hernandez's initial claim was that the car was impounded due to parking tickets.
She attributed these tickets to her brother, Jose.
However, the evidence presented by Mr. Giaba showed the car was impounded in a crashed condition.
Miss Hernandez's admission confirmed the crash occurred before the impoundment.
She maintained that she was still going to fix the car.
She also claimed she was still making payments.
Judge Judy questioned how she planned to fix the car while unemployed for four months.
Miss Hernandez insisted she was still making payments.
She mentioned going to the impound yard to remove her personal belongings.
Mr. Giaba stated she removed her items but did not pay to release the car.
He believed she did not want to continue payments or fix the car.
The Cosigner's Responsibility
The car was in both Mr. Giaba's and Miss Hernandez's names.
Judge Judy asked Mr. Giaba if he could have taken the car out of impound.
He confirmed he could have.
Miss Hernandez stated she informed Mr. Giaba that she would not be able to.
Mr. Giaba had previously told Miss Hernandez to inform him if she could not make payments.
He said he told her to let him know if "something apples."
He expected her to pay.
Miss Hernandez acknowledged she crashed the car.
She argued that the crash had nothing to do with the car being taken away.
Judge Judy disagreed, stating it had to do with responsibility.
Miss Hernandez maintained she was always going to fix the car.
Judge Judy's Ruling
Judge Judy found Miss Hernandez responsible.
She awarded Mr. Giaba $5,000.
Mr. Giaba thanked Judge Judy.
He expressed his disappointment.
He stated he had helped this family for a long time.
He mentioned taking care of Miss Hernandez's brother.
Mr. Giaba felt his kindness was taken advantage of.
Miss Hernandez stated she was not going to pay for a car she no longer had.
She questioned why she would fix it if she could not do anything with it.
Mr. Giaba clarified that he did not know about the accident.
The finance company sent him pictures of the damaged car.
He initially thought she "just hit a curb."
He was relieved she did not hit someone and hurt them.
Miss Hernandez concluded by saying her brother is her brother.
She stated that family is family and small things should not get between them.