FULL VIDEO AT THE END OF THIS POST
THIS CASE HAS JUDGE JUDY SEEING RED!
A Studio Apartment, a Fire, and a Witness
Imagine a courtroom where the details just don't add up.
That's exactly where Judge Judy finds herself.
The plaintiff, Ms. Hankins, is in court.
She brings Matthew Lopez as her witness.
He is also her roommate.
Ms. Hankins says he witnessed the fire damage.
He also helped her move out.
The Defendant Explains the Rental Agreement
The defendant rented a studio apartment to Ms. Hankins.
It was on church property.
The defendant explains they had known Ms. Hankins for over six years.
The studio was a remodeled section of an extra building.
It was originally a garage and youth area.
They converted it into a studio apartment.
The defendant says Ms. Hankins needed a place to stay.
She was complaining about her living situation with her parents.
Ms. Hankins worked at Family Dollar.
She started as a cashier.
Later, she was promoted to assistant manager.
She moved into the studio in February 2015.
The rent was $500 a month.
The Unusual Rent Payment Plan
Judge Judy asks if Ms. Hankins could pay the rent.
The defendant says no.
Ms. Hankins could not make monthly payments.
The agreement was that she would pay with her tax refund.
In 2015, she gave $5,000.
This prepaid her rent for the first 10 months.
This money also allowed them to make the apartment livable.
She had no rent for 10 months.
The next year, in February 2016, she was to catch up.
She would pay as much in advance as possible with her tax refund.
The defendant states Ms. Hankins paid in cash.
She gave $5,000 in cash.
Judge Judy questions this.
She notes Ms. Hankins had no money for rent.
Yet, she allegedly took her tax check.
She then got cash from a bank.
She gave this cash to the church.
The Suspicious Timing of Renter's Insurance
Judge Judy then brings up a critical point.
This person, who had no cash, took out renter's insurance.
She had no money for rent.
But she paid for renter's insurance.
Then, there was a fire.
Fiery smoke damaged a lot of property.
Judge Judy asks when this fire occurred.
The defendant states it was reported to insurance on December 15, 2016.
Judge Judy connects the dates.
That was when the prepaid $5,000 rent ran out.
That payment covered rent until January.
Ms. Hankins would have needed to pay another $5,000.
She was not paying monthly rent.
She was giving $5,000 in cash every February.
This was from her tax refund.
The defendant confirms this.
Judge Judy Demands to See the Insurance Policy
Judge Judy wants to see the renter's insurance policy.
She asks for the month and year it was first taken out.
She notes Ms. Hankins lived there for a couple of years.
She would have had insurance for several years, right?
Judge Judy insists on seeing the policy's start date.
Ms. Hankins confirms she needs to get that information.
Judge Judy presses for the year the policy started.
Ms. Hankins states 2016.
Judge Judy points out she had no insurance in 2015.
She got it in 2016.
Ms. Hankins agrees.
Judge Judy asks if it was early or late 2016.
Ms. Hankins says it was probably October.
That's when she changed insurance companies.
Judge Judy notes this was in November.
It was right before the smoke damaged the property.
A "World-Class Scam"
Judge Judy asks about an arson report.
Ms. Hankins does not have one.
Judge Judy asks for a fire damage report.