when you moved out
of Ms. Mendoza's house,
the checks kept coming to her
in the same way,
and she would then turn them
over to you, endorse
one over that was in her name,
and you would get the checks.
Is that correct?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: What did you do
with the checks?
You put them in a bank?
>> No, I paid rent out
at a farmhouse
that I'm staying at
with my husband currently.
>> Judge Judy: Well,
what did you do
with the checks themselves?
>> The checks I deposited
into my account and --
>> Judge Judy: Which account?
>> My checking account.
>> Judge Judy: And you would
write a check for rent?
>> I would get a money order.
>> Judge Judy:
What about the utilities?
>> The utilities are included.
>> Judge Judy:
Do you have a car?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy:
Is the car paid off?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Do you have
insurance?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: How do you
pay your insurance?
>> I pay the insurance cash.
>> Judge Judy: So what do you
need a checking account for?
>> I don't know.
Normal
people have checking accounts.
>> Judge Judy: Well,
if you don't use
the checking account
to write checks,
then you can put your checks in
a savings account
and get interest
and withdraw money
and get money orders.
Yes, normal people have checking
accounts,
and it's called a checking
account
because they write checks
out of their checking account,
or they have
a card that's a debit card.
But it seems
from what I'm hearing from you,
you put the money in a checking
account, draw money out
and then get a money order
and which
you have to fill out a form for.
I just don't understand that.
Do you understand?
If something doesn't make sense,
it's usually not so...
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: .. especially
when there's a little scamming
going on anyway.
>> The checking account,
basically, I use my debit card
to pay my cellphone bill.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
So you have a debit card.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Got it.
So you pay your own bills.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy:
So what do you need a payee for?
What do you need Social Security
for if you pay your own bills?
>> They said that I need a payee
to pay my bills and stuff
through a checking account.
>> Judge Judy: All right.
Let's finish this up because
really I'm getting
a little bit of zhuzh here.
One of the checks that you
deposited
in your account came back,
and they withdrew the money
from your account again
because they said
she had been double paid
because she had made her husband
the payee on the account.
So that was one check,
the last check.
Is that right?
>> Mm-hmm.
>> Judge Judy:
That's not "uh-huh."
>> Oh, I'm sorry.
Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Yes.
>> Sorry.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
And in what month was that?
>> April 3rd.
>> Judge Judy:
April of this year.
>> Mm-hmm.
>> Judge Judy: Why did you
put the money in your account?
>> I didn't put the money
in my account.
>> Judge Judy: What happened?
>> I signed the check
over to Lisa.
>> Judge Judy:
Oh, you signed the check
over to her, and she went
to the bank and cashed it.
Is that right?
>> Right.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
So in April,
she gave you the check.
You went to her bank
and cashed it.
Is that correct?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: All right.
And you had either received
or were about to receive
a duplicate of that check
with your husband as the payee.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Right.
Here's some cookie.
Anyway, what was the amount
of the check?
>> Four hundred
and seventy dollars.
>> Judge Judy: Four seventy.
And what were the bank fees
attendant to that check?
>> Well, it overdrew me,
so it cost me $15,
and then
I had to borrow the money
from the bank to cover it.
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
>> I'm sorry.
>> Judge Judy: Four eighty-five,
now that's
what she owes you so far.
Some time later,
you say she came to you.
She says it was a wedding gift.
You told her, "Don't bother.
Keep it was a wedding gift."
That's ridiculous.
Okay.
Now tell me what happened
with this antique table
that you say that she got angry
at when you were having
a discussion about this money,
and she threw over
in your house.
>> She just knocked it over,
and it broke.
>> Judge Judy: Let me see it.
>> Oh, I'm sorry.
And then I also did some search
on the computer,
and this is what they say
it's worth.
I paid $140 for that table.
>> Judge Judy:
Oh, I know this table.
I know this table.
I have this table.
You can have it fixed.
>> It is fixed now.
>> Judge Judy: Of course.
Of course.
How much did you spend
to have it fixed?
>> I didn't have
to spend anything.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
Good.
>> My boyfriend fixed it.
>> Judge Judy: Then she owes
you $485.
We're finished.
Thank