Based upon this letter, he
agreed to pay you the
overpayment that they said --
Stop shaking.
That he said that they had to
pay you.
He evidently appealed it or
asked them to look in to the
records, and when they did, they
said, "Whoops! Sorry!"
Somebody sent this in August,
and they shouldn't have.
You live in a private house, and
if you want to rent a room and
if somebody wants to pay you
$10,000 a month for the private
room in a single-family
dwelling that's not subject to
rent stabilization, you can
charge whatever you want.
That's what the later letter
indicates.
>> Can I say something?
>> Judge Judy: You can say
whatever you want.
I just explained it to you.
>> I know, but can I speak up on
something?
>> Judge Judy: You can tell me
whatever you want.
>> Well, I'm gonna let you know
why, later, that popped up,
because after we already settled
where he had to pay money, he
still didn't want to pay me
money, because he knows he's
wrong.
I have a letter from the health
department, stating how the
house was not safety at all.
There was 24 violations from
housing, period, where he
shouldn't even have been living
there, and that's the type of
living conditions --
>> Judge Judy: Move!
Move!
>> I did move! I did move!
I wasn't going to leave
anywhere, and I had no place to
go, and someone just throws my
stuff out.
And his daughter wasn't even
there for two years in the
picture.
>> Judge Judy: Ms. Kelly...
>> She popped up and lied.
There is another dwelling in the
back house.
>> Judge Judy: ...listen to me.
I'm just reading --
>> I understand what you're
reading, but what I'm telling
you is that is not facts.
That is not the truth.
>> Judge Judy: This is fact.
>> When they're lying to housing
and they're telling them, they
didn't come back to the house
and see that it was only a
single-family house.
>> Um, blueprints.
>> Judge Judy: Shh! Shh!
Shh! Shh!
Listen to me.
You're not getting any money.
Now, this is a free country.
You work. You make a living.
>> [ Speaks indistinctly ]
>> Judge Judy: [ Raps desk ]
Listen. Careful.
You work. You make a living.
If the living conditions that
Mr. Augustus chooses to live in
in his own private house are
unacceptable for anybody, you
shouldn't live there.
It's his house.
If he wants to live like a pig
in his house, he can live like a
pig in his house.
I don't know if his house is a
pigsty, but if he wants to live
there, it's a free America!
That's his choice!
You, on the other hand, don't
own that house, and you have a
choice to move elsewhere.
You're supposed to be paying
$600 a month rent, so what you
did, according to Mr. Augustus,
is you stopped paying rent
in May.
>> No.
>> Judge Judy: But you still --
Just a second.
Well, we'll get to that.
>> Okay.
>> Judge Judy: But you still
lived there in May, June, July,
August, and September, for five
months.
Despite the fact that it was so
terrible, you still lived there.
So, my next question to you is,
if the conditions were so
terrible and you lived there,
'cause it's clear from both of
your papers, May, June, July,
August, September, and you moved
out in October, did you pay rent
for those months?
>> No.
>> Judge Judy: Well, that comes
under my story if you go into a
restaurant and order a steak --
You're a waitress.
>> But --
>> Judge Judy: Pay attention.
You go into a restaurant and
order a steak from you.
You're the waitress.
And you serve the steak, and the
person that ordered the steak
finishes the steak, and then
you give them a bill, and they
say, "We're not paying for this
steak -- we didn't like it," and
they walk out, does your boss
take that out of your wages that
you let somebody eat for free?
>> I guess, but not in this
case.
I couldn't compare that to this
case.
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
If you eat the steak, you have
to pay for it.
So, you lived in the house May,
June, July, August, and
September.
You lived in this house that you
say was terrible.
You called the health depart--
>> Can I tell you why I stayed
that long?
Because in May, I received a
3-day notice where he told me he
was just gonna kick me out and I
had to just leave and pay that
money, and he threw my things
out.
He threw my things out then,
where I had to call the cops on
him.
He never served me an eviction
notice.
>> Judge Judy: You're not
answering my question.
>> But I'm saying why I stayed
that long -- because he was
trying to still get money from
me without an eviction notice,
without any of that stuff,
before I even had notice of all
that stuff.
>> Judge Judy: Ms. Kelly --
>> Before I had notice of
housing...
>> Judge Judy: Ms. Kelly.
Ms. Kelly. Ms. Kelly.
I'm not talking about him.
>> I'm talking about why I
stayed.
>> Judge Judy: No, you're not.
>> Yes, I am!
>> Judge Judy: No, you're not!
>> I stayed because I had legal
rights to still stay there, even
though he tried to just...
>> Judge Judy: [ Chuckles ]
Your case is dismissed.
The whole thing is dismissed,
because you don't pay attention.
I'm really trying to explain to
you --
>> I'm trying to explain.
>> Judge Judy: No!
You're not answering my
question! Judy: Now, if you live
in a disgusting place that --
>> And I had nowhere to go, so I
didn't -- I stayed.
>> Judge Judy: You mean this is
the only house in Los Angeles?
>> That's the only place where I
had to stay where I could pay
money.
>> Judge Judy: Your case is
dismissed.
Now, your rent was $600 a month,
and you lived there for
5 months.
That's $3,000 that you didn't
pay him.
That's $3,000.
You ate the steak!
>> And I overpaid him money.
>> Judge Judy: No, you didn't
overpay it -- not according to
the County of Los Angeles.
>> Okay.
>> Judge Judy: You owe him
$3,000.
Judgment on the counterclaim.
We're done.