>> Announcer: Mom thought she
was rid of her son.
>> He needed me to co-sign
because he didn't have enough
credit on his own to do it.
Heh...
It's nice having him gone.
>> Judge Judy: Uh-huh.
>> Announcer: It's just that his
new roommate...
>> It was said that I was
shorting rent.
>> Announcer: ...gave her new
troubles.
>> Judge Judy: Why in the world
would they say that you were
shorting rent unless you were
shorting rent?
>> The blame had to go
somewhere.
>> Announcer: "Judge Judy."
>> Judge Judy: How old are you,
Mr. Reynolds?
>> I'm 23.
>> Judge Judy: What do you do
for a living?
>> Union ironworker
for Local 86.
>> Judge Judy: How long have you
been doing that?
>> About nine months.
>> Judge Judy: You were a friend
of Ms. Pugh's son,
is that correct?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: And you had no
place to live, and you all
wanted to live together,
and nobody had enough credit
in order to sign a lease
on their own.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: When was that?
>> That'd be January.
>> Judge Judy: Of what year?
>> 2018.
>> Judge Judy: And how long
was the lease?
>> Would have been one year.
>> Judge Judy: When did you
move out?
>> It would have been April
is when I was evicted.
>> Judge Judy: Why?
>> It was said that I was
shorting rent, and that I wasn't
paying.
>> Judge Judy: Well,
just a second.
Were you shorting rent?
>> I was not.
>> Judge Judy: So you were
paying your rent.
>> I was.
>> Judge Judy: So, here we have
somebody who's been really nice
to you -- 'cause I read your
answer, that "they treated me
like a son."
Why in the world would they say
that you were shorting rent
unless you were shorting rent?
>> The blame had to go
somewhere.
>> Judge Judy: What did you get
arrested for?
>> I was arrested for driving
with my license suspended.
I was driving Daniel,
'cause he had been drinking.
>> Judge Judy: You were driving
with a suspended license.
>> I was unaware that it was
suspended at the time.
I didn't know until you told me.
>> Judge Judy: So,
you were driving with a
suspended license.
And your license was suspended
for what?
>> I wasn't clarified on why it
was suspended.
>> Judge Judy: That, I don't
believe, sir.
>> I had no prior knowledge
that it was suspended
when I got pulled over.
>> Judge Judy: You subsequently
found out why your license had
been suspended.
Why was your license suspended?
>> It was suspended to an old
traffic fine.
>> Judge Judy: What kind of
traffic fine?
>> Failure of having insurance.
>> Judge Judy: So you were
driving with no insurance.
>> At the time, I had insurance.
>> Judge Judy: At the time
of what?
>> When I was
pulled over with Daniel.
>> Judge Judy: So you were
driving without a license.
If I'm to believe this,
this is what I'm to believe --
you were driving without a
license, because your license
was suspended, and it had been
suspended because you were
driving without insurance.
>> Actually, in my defense,
I was doing Debra's son a
service, 'cause he had drank
seven to eight beers --
>> Judge Judy: I just want to
know who you are, sir, before I
hear the plaintiff's case.
Now I know who you are.
>> So you're judging me off --
>> Judge Judy: Now I know
exactly who you are.
So, Ms. Pugh, you made the
unqualified, most ridiculous
error in judgment that any human
being can make, and that is
to co-sign for a lease
for a bunch of kids...
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: ...who can't get
a lease on their own.
So, how far away from where you
live was this apartment where
your son wanted --
this is your son, I assume?
This is the Daniel?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: How far away
from where you live was this
apartment?
>> About four hours.
I live in Eastern Washington.
It was on the west side,
in Port Orchard.
>> Judge Judy: And what was your
son doing four hours away?
>> He was working for --
I think it was Basin Tree,
doing tree work.
>> Judge Judy: And he couldn't
get that work closer to you?
>> We actually moved from the
west side.
He went to high school with
Ethan.
And his thought was,
he'd move back over
where his friends were.
Maybe he was doing roofing at
that time, and then he went to
doing tree work.
He's had a series of jobs,
which is why he needed me
to co-sign, because he didn't
have enough credit on his own
to do it.
>> Judge Judy: Let him
live in a room.
>> [ Chuckles ]
It's nice having him gone.
>> Judge Judy: Uh-huh.
You'll probably be foolish
enough, and you'll get a couple
of dogs now that you're free.
That's what I did.
How many people were gonna live
in this apartment?
The defendant, your son, Daniel.
Who else?
>> A friend of mine, who is
Nathan [Bleep] -- he's 52 -- and
his mom, Verna [Bleep] who's 78.
>> Judge Judy: And you still had
to co-sign for them?
>> Yes, because my friends, Nate
and Verna, she lives on
Social Security, and she only
makes less than $800 a month,
and he works odd jobs, so
neither of them had the credit
or the resources to do it.
>> Judge Judy: Great.
I'm not dealing with anything
about the lease with you.
>> Okay.
>> Judge Judy: Because you have
all kinds of claims against him
for breaking the lease, 'cause
nobody was paying the rent.
A lot of this was your
foolishness.
Your two friends, your son.
So, I'm entertaining the other
monies that you advanced to him.
One was for bail.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: How much are you
out for his bail?
>> My husband used his
credit card for $1,245.
$100 of that was, he had not
shown up for court again, and
had to have his claim --
so he didn't have a warrant.
>> Judge Judy: Did you get any
of that back?
>> $1,000, when he showed up for
his court hearing.
>> Judge Judy: Did he ever pay
you back the $245?
>> No, ma'am. No, ma'am.
>> Just so it's known,