Can I tell you?
>> Judge Judy: Sure.
You can tell me what happened.
>> Okay.
So, I had given him
an application.
I thought, March,
I've got a note from her
saying this is her fiancé,
and he would like to be
on the rental agreement.
So I gave them an application.
And they never
turned it back in.
>> Judge Judy: Doesn't matter.
You knew he was a tenant.
You accepted his rent.
>> Right. So she --
>> Judge Judy: You knew he was a
tenant.
You accepted his rent.
You have to give him notice.
You didn't.
>> She gave me 30-days notice
that she was moving out.
She did.
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
>> Okay.
>> Judge Judy: On what date?
>> November 4th.
I've got a 30-day notice.
>> Judge Judy: From her?
>> From her.
>> Judge Judy: Did you find out
about him?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: What did you do
to find out about him?
>> I've got a notice that
he would move out
on Monday of November.
He gave me notice
he was moving out, as well.
She had the --
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
Show me where he said,
"I'm moving out."
What?
>> Ma'am, she had already moved
the property, all my property,
from the residence prior to me
even saying nothing like that.
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
On what date did she remove
your property
from the residence?
>> She removed the property on,
you're saying
it was on the 11th?
Two days prior to all that.
When Dusty gave notice,
that's the day --
I was still in the house.
And I texted her and tell her
I wanted to be there and I
wanted to keep paying the rent.
I've been paying the rent, also.
>> Judge Judy: Well,
you had paid rent for November.
>> Yes.
And then she came two days later
and changed the locks
and removed all my property.
Every stick of property
in the house was gone.
She gave it
to one of her tenants.
She took my couch, my love seat
and everything I owned
and gave it to a tenant.
>> No.
>> Yes, she did.
Yes, you did.
>> I've got a picture here
of Dusty moving her things out.
>> Judge Judy: Dusty can move...
Listen to me.
Dusty can move her things out.
>> Okay.
>> Judge Judy: You had no right
to move his things out.
You have to go to housing court
if you want to evict him
and evict him.
He had been a tenant
for over a year.
You accepted rent for him
from the month of November.
In the month of November,
you changed the locks
and put his things.
I don't know
what you did with them.
But you had no right to do that.
>> I didn't touch his things.
Dusty moved all of his things,
all of his possessions.
She took hers and put all of his
in the shed, in the locked shed.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
So what you're saying is --
Listen, I don't know whether
she knows what today is.
Did you take all of his stuff
and put all of his stuff
in the shed?
>> The things were removed
from the house,
his things, and put in the shed.
>> Judge Judy: By whom?
>> By Peggy's husband
and a maintenance man.
>> Judge Judy: Were you at home
when that happened?
>> I was there when all of this
was happening.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
So you were there.
He was not.
>> Right.
>> Judge Judy: And did you tell
them to move his things
from the house
into the shed and secure them?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: You told them
that?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: And they did it?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Are either
one of those people here today?
>> Yes, the gentleman.
>> Judge Judy: You moved his
things?
>> I helped.
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
You moved his things?
Who do you work for?
>> I was with my mom at the day
helping them.
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
>> Helping my mom.
>> I'm her mom.
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
What?
>> I'm her mom.
>> You got to be kidding me.
Who were you working for?
>> Nobody.
I'm not working for anybody.
I was helping
my mom move her things out
and just helping them out.
>> Judge Judy: Who was with you?
>> It was me and Peggy
and Peggy's husband.
And there was --
>> Judge Judy: That would be
you.
>> Yes, me.
>> Judge Judy: Did you help move
his things...
>> Yes, I did.
>> Judge Judy: ...out of the
house into this shed?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Well, that's all
I want to know.
Judgment for the plaintiff
in the amount of $5,000.
Your counterclaim's dismissed.
You cannot illegally evict
someone who you know
has been a tenant for a year
because you chose sides
in a domestic dispute.
Now, you knew, and if
you have other rental property,
you know that
if you have a de facto tenant
who's there and has been there
for over a year,
and you've been accepting rent
for -- put your hand down!
>> Okay.
>> Judge Judy: And you've been
accepting rent from that person,
you have to say,
"You're not on the lease.
I'm giving you notice."
Then they may or may not leave.
But you can't summarily eject
somebody who you've accepted
rent from, at least for the
month of November.
>> I've got his signed agreement
that he agreed to vacate.
>> Judge Judy: Before or after
you moved his things?
Look at me.
>> After.
>> Judge Judy: Look, after.
Judgment for the plaintiff
in the amount of $5,000.
We're done.
>> Thank you, ma'am.
>> Byrd: Parties are excused.
You may step out.
>> She knows the law.
She knows she can't do that.
She did it, anyway.
>> I thought, as of October 1st,
when I was at the property,
he was not there.
>> What she said about me
moving out prior, no.
She took my property
and gave it to one
of her tenants.
>> Make sure they sign
the lease.
>> Time to move forward
by myself.