FULL VIDEO AT THE END OF THE POST
The Parties and Their Son
Miss Burke appeared in court as the plaintiff.
Mr. Kelsey was the defendant in the case.
They share an eight-year-old son named Jackson.
Mr. Kelsey also has two other children.
One child is 12 years old and lives with him.
His 19-year-old daughter is on her own.
Miss Burke and Mr. Kelsey never lived together.
They have an informal visitation arrangement for their son.
They are currently going through court to establish a regular visitation schedule.
The Visitation Agreement
The incident in question occurred on October 2nd of last year.
Miss Burke claimed Mr. Kelsey was supposed to have their son for two hours.
Mr. Kelsey confirmed this agreement.
He stated Miss Burke was supposed to drop off their son.
He would then take their son back home.
The parties live about 30 minutes apart.
Miss Burke called Mr. Kelsey around 4:30 PM.
She informed him they were on their way.
She arrived at his house around 5:00 PM.
Activities During Visitation
Mr. Kelsey spent time with his son.
They went out to shoot a BB gun.
This activity took place between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM.
Judge Judy asked if Mr. Kelsey gave his son dinner.
He confirmed that he did.
He could not specify the exact time dinner was served.
Disagreement Over Pickup Time
The initial agreement was for a two-hour visitation.
This would mean Miss Burke would pick up their son around 7:00 PM.
However, Miss Burke sent a text message to Mr. Kelsey.
She stated she would pick up their son at a quarter to nine, which is 8:45 PM.
Mr. Kelsey claimed this was not the agreement.
He insisted the agreement was for two hours.
He said he would be bringing their son back.
Judge Judy noted that Miss Burke's text clearly stated she would pick him up.
Mr. Kelsey acknowledged this but maintained it was not their agreement.
Mr. Kelsey's Early Return of Son
Judge Judy questioned why Mr. Kelsey had a problem with Miss Burke picking up their son later.
She pointed out it would save him a 30-minute drive each way.
Mr. Kelsey denied having a problem with it.
He stated he brought his son home because the two-hour agreement had passed.
He claimed he brought his son home about three hours later.
Judge Judy pressed him on why he brought his son home if Miss Burke offered to pick him up.
Mr. Kelsey responded that it was time for his son to go home.
He stated he thought he got his son home around nine o'clock.
Miss Burke corrected him.
She said he brought their son home at 7:30 PM.
The Confrontation at Miss Burke's Home
Mr. Kelsey arrived at Miss Burke's home around 7:30 PM.
Miss Burke described his arrival as speeding and slamming on his brakes.
Their son, Jackson, was asleep in Mr. Kelsey's car.
Miss Burke got out of her vehicle to retrieve Jackson.
She observed Mr. Kelsey leaning into her car.
She then grabbed Mr. Kelsey's keys from his ignition.
She threw his keys into the road.
In retaliation, Mr. Kelsey grabbed Miss Burke's keys from her vehicle.
He threw her keys into an empty lot.
Miss Burke sent her son to the porch.
She then went to search for her keys.
Alleged Vandalism
While searching for her keys, Miss Burke saw Mr. Kelsey.
She described him coming around the passenger side front fender of her car.
He took something out of his pocket.
He then made a motion like a knife across her front driver's side fender.
Miss Burke believed he was scratching her car.
She presented pictures of her car to the court.
She also provided a police report documenting the incident.
Criminal Charges and Their Status
Miss Burke confirmed she filed criminal charges.
She stated the police asked if she wanted to press charges.
She answered yes.
Mr. Kelsey claimed Miss Burke dropped the charges the next day.
Miss Burke denied dropping the charges.
Mr. Kelsey asked how he would have been charged if she did not drop them.
Judge Judy suggested the police might have had other priorities.
She implied the police might not have wanted to get involved in a fight between the ex-partners.
Mr. Kelsey's Inconsistent Alibi
Judge Judy questioned Mr. Kelsey about his reasons for returning his son early.
She asked if he had a date.
He denied having a date.
He initially claimed he had to help someone move that night.
Judge Judy pressed him on this detail.
She asked if he was helping someone move.
Mr. Kelsey then admitted he was not helping anyone move that night.
He confessed he had lied about that reason.
Judge Judy's Assessment
Judge Judy expressed her understanding of Mr. Kelsey's character.
She noted his inconsistent statements.
She found his explanation for returning his son early to be unsatisfactory.
She believed he was being difficult.
She also noted the escalation of the conflict with the exchange of keys.
The Verdict
Judge Judy ruled in favor of Miss Burke.
She ordered Mr. Kelsey to pay $549.
This amount was for the scratches on the car.
Judge Judy called Mr. Kelsey a "fool."
She dismissed the boys from the courtroom.
She expressed frustration with the ongoing drama between the parties.
Miss Burke stated her son did not need to witness such behavior.
She explained that this kind of behavior is why she avoids Mr. Kelsey.
Mr. Kelsey stated they just do not get along.
He believed they would never get along.