in the matter of Harris vs.
Ricard, please step forward.
>> Announcer: Jamesha Harris
and her daughter,
24-year-old Jatavia,
are suing former friends Cornell
and Gwendolyn Ricard for damage
to Jamesha's home while
Gwendolyn and her kids lived
with them.
>> Judge Judy: Ms. Harris,
you and your daughter
live together?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Who else lives
with you?
>> My son Bryson.
>> Judge Judy: How old are you?
>> Six.
>> Judge Judy: These people
were friends of whose?
>> Of mine.
>> Judge Judy: And what caused
them to move into your
residence?
>> Gwen had called me
and told me that she was
in a situation with her husband
and she did not have anywhere
to go with her children,
so I asked my mother
if she could come and stay
with her for a little while.
>> Judge Judy: When was that?
>> July.
>> Judge Judy: Of last year?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: And how long
did they stay?
>> Until October 31st.
>> Judge Judy: And they had
their own room?
>> Yes, they stayed in my room.
>> Judge Judy: And where did you
go?
>> I stayed with my boyfriend.
>> Judge Judy: In another
residence?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: So you were
actually moved out so that they
could move in?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Are you back
at your mother's house now?
>> Yes, I am.
>> Judge Judy: Are you the
husband?
>> Mm-hmm.
>> Judge Judy: Not an "uh-huh."
"Yes" is the answer.
>> Yes, I am.
>> Judge Judy: When did you
come to the house?
>> Almost a month later.
>> Judge Judy: So sometime in
August.
>> Mm-hmm.
>> Judge Judy: How come?
>> Just to be closer
with my kids.
>> Judge Judy: Well, she left
you for a reason.
>> Yeah, but we reconciled,
so it was okay.
>> Judge Judy: Why didn't you
reconcile in your own house?
>> It's a long story, and we
just was with our mom -- well,
with my mom -- and that didn't
work out, either, so...
>> Judge Judy: So you went
to stay with whose mom?
>> Mine.
That didn't work out, so we went
to stay with Ms. Harris.
>> Judge Judy: Why didn't
it work out with your mother?
>> Too many people, for one,
in her house already.
>> He said that the mom was
asking for a lot of his money,
and, you know, he would give her
money, and apparently it wasn't
enough.
>> Judge Judy: Did they pay you
rent when they lived with you?
>> They gave me money
to pay on the light bill.
>> Judge Judy: How much a month?
>> He would give me either $200
or $100, and I put that towards
to the light bill.
>> Judge Judy: It is your claim
that they damaged property
while they were there.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: What property?
>> They damaged my bed.
>> Judge Judy: How?
>> Her daughters peed in the
bed, and it was said
that they also spilt NyQuil
or something like that
in the bed, and juice as well.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
Respond.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Did you --
>> The NyQuil --
>> Judge Judy: Did you have --
Just a second.
Do you have a child?
>> Yes, I do.
>> Judge Judy: Is that child a
little girl?
>> Yes, it's a little --
>> Judge Judy: How old?
>> 2-year-old girl.
>> Judge Judy: Did she urinate
in the bed?
>> Yes, she was being
potty-trained.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
So the answer is yes.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Do you have
the cost of a new mattress?
>> Yes, ma'am, I do.
>> Judge Judy: How much?
>> $3,799.
>> Judge Judy: That's an
expensive mattress.
What kind of mattress was in
there?
>> A Tempur-Pedic mattress.
>> Judge Judy: Oh, okay.
Can I see that, please?
>> And I can also give you
the receipt for the other
mattress, as well.
>> Judge Judy: I'd like to see
it.
>> Can I say something,
Your Honor?
>> Judge Judy: Sure.
>> Before we got to the state
where we had to initially stay
with Ms. Harris,
the mattress had already
occurred depreciation.
>> Judge Judy: Listen, let me
explain something to you.
It's her mattress.
>> Right.
>> Judge Judy: She doesn't have
to sleep on a mattress
that your daughter urinated on.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Do you understand
that?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: So you have to
buy her a new mattress.
>> The mattress is actually
completely soiled.
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
Does it look like you're losing?
So then what possible motivation
do you have, other than to annoy
me, to shout out?
>> Okay.
>> Judge Judy: Do you
understand?
>> I understand.
>> Judge Judy: All right. Great.
You paid $2,143 for the
mattress.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: That's what
it is -- $2,143.
What else did they ruin?
>> A 55-inch television.
>> Judge Judy: How did they ruin
it?
>> They threw a toy at it.
>> Judge Judy: Who threw a toy?
>> Her daughter, Destiny.
>> Destiny.
>> Judge Judy: And how
do you know it was her daughter?
>> Bryson told me.
He was there when it occurred.
>> Judge Judy: Bryson,
you want to come up here?
>> Sure.
>> Judge Judy: You know how
important it is to tell me the
truth?
>> Uh-huh.
>> Judge Judy: You have any idea
what can happen to you if you
don't tell me the truth?
Nothing good.
Got it?