defendant was doing some work
for you.
You knew him for a while.
And he had remodeled the
bathroom for you.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: And that was
a couple of years ago?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: When did he come
to you with this check that he
needed cashed?
>> In October of 2015.
>> Judge Judy: Prior to October
of 2015, when was the last time
you had seen him?
>> I really don't know.
Probably soon after he finished
with my bathroom.
>> Judge Judy: And when was
that?
>> Was it 2012? 2013?
>> Judge Judy: So, several years
before.
Several years before.
>> Couple of years before.
>> Judge Judy: And what did he
tell you about the reason why he
needed you to cash this check?
He hadn't seen you in a while.
>> Well, actually, I offered to
cash the check.
It looked like a legitimate
cashier's check.
>> Judge Judy: Well, he
came to you.
You hadn't seen him in three
years, so --
>> I hadn't seen...
Well, he came to me and asked --
>> Judge Judy: Did he call you?
>> He came to my house and asked
if he could stay in my pickup
because he didn't have a place
to stay.
His family kicked him out
of his house.
So I let him stay in my pickup,
and he had just finished a job
helping a man do a deck or
something like that.
And he was waiting for the
payment.
And when he got the check, he
showed it to me, and it was for
quite a bit of money.
And I offered to cash it because
I thought it looked like a
legitimate cashier's check.
I have a copy of it here.
>> Judge Judy: I'd like to take
a look at it.
>> Here's the check, and here's
where my credit union is.
That's that check.
And then the -- my credit union
sent it back to me, saying that
it was altered or fictitious.
>> Judge Judy: Now, when you
cashed it for him, $2,750, did
you give him the cash?
>> Yes, and he --
>> Judge Judy: Is that correct?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: That she gave
you the money?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: And what did you
do with the money?
>> I used it to move down to
Tennessee.
My daughters live in Tennessee,
and I wanted to be
closer to them.
>> Judge Judy: So, you spent it.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: You spent
the money.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: On yourself.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: And your needs.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Now the check
comes back, and it's
a bad check.
>> Correct.
>> Judge Judy: So, what possible
defense do you have?les ] I -- s
unintentional that the check
was bad --
>> Judge Judy: Who cares?
You spent the money.
>> That's what you usually do
with money when you do work and
you get money -- you spend it.
>> Judge Judy: No, but you spent
the money.
You didn't do work for her.
>> I had no idea the check was
bad till a month later.
>> Judge Judy: That doesn't
matter.
You spent the money.
>> Right.
>> Judge Judy: Listen, Mr. Vain.
You allegedly did work for
somebody and got a check...
>> Correct.
>> Judge Judy: ...for the work
that you did, so you got paid to
do this, and you took the money,
and you did what most people do.
They spend it on their needs.
Moving to Tennessee.
You took an apartment.
You did whatever you had to do.
You spent it on yourself.
>> Correct.
>> Judge Judy: She -- who you
didn't do work for -- ended up
paying for all your expenses
that you did, in fact, use.
Do you understand?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: You used them,
and she's out $2,750.
>> Correct.
>> Judge Judy: Do you
understand?
>> Yes, I do.
>> Judge Judy: So I don't have
to do the paper game with you --
she has it, you don't have it,
then it's out of her bank,
and you've spent it already.
So you did what you intended to
do when you allegedly worked for
this alleged company.
>> Correct.
>> Judge Judy: You took the
money, and you spent it.
>> Correct.
>> Judge Judy: She's out
the money.
So what possible excuse do you
have for not giving her back
the money?
>> I went back to her home after
things didn't work out in
Tennessee.
I stayed there for approximately
a month, maybe a little bit
over.
During that time, I did work for
her to pay --
>> Judge Judy: How much money
did you give her for rent when
you were staying there?
>> Ab... None.
>> Judge Judy: [ Scoffs ]
>> None. I actually did much
work for her during
that month --
>> Judge Judy: Show me
the contract.
Show me the contract.
>> We were friends at the time.
I didn't believe we
had to have...
>> Judge Judy: You were some
friends.
>> It was a verbal agreement.
>> Judge Judy: What?
>> I have the other check.
The whole amount that I'm suing
for is for more than
just one check.
>> Judge Judy: Why?
>> Because I still thought he
was going to be fine for the
check because on Facebook chats,
he said he's trying to get in
touch with the guy that wrote
the check.
Because I thought the guy wrote
him a bad check.
>> Yeah --
>> And at first, I thought --
>> Judge Judy: I don't care!
He spent the money.
>> And then I cashed another
check for him that I found was
completely fraudulent.
>> Judge Judy: Well, that's your
problem -- you know, stupid is
as stupid does.
If you cashed one check for him
that bounced --
>> And I have -- he's written
other bad checks.
I just found that out.
>> Judge Judy: Listen.
>> He has a criminal history.
I want you to listen to me
very carefully, madam.
If somebody gave me a bad check
and disappeared --
>> I didn't disappear.
[ Chuckles ]
>> Judge Judy: And disappeared.
And then comes back and doesn't
make good on the check to you,
and if you're foolish enough to
cash another check for him,
you're going to eat
the second check.
Do you understand?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Burn me once?
Shame on you.
Burn me twice?
Shame on me.
And don't get the courts
involved in foolishness and
foolish behavior.
$2,750.69. Judgment for the
plaintiff.
>> I...explain