This is case number 20
on the calendar in the matter
of Menz vs. Ben Israel.
>> Judge Judy: Thank you.
>> Byrd: You're welcome, Judge.
Parties have been sworn in.
You may be seated.
Ma'am, have a seat, please.
>> Judge Judy: Ms. Menz,
the defendant has a
house-cleaning-service company,
and according to your complaint,
you were an employee of his
for some time.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: You worked
at an hourly wage.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: At some point,
you asked him for a raise...
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: ...which
he reluctantly gave you.
>> Not true.
>> Judge Judy: According to both
of you
because I've read your answer,
one of the things that you said
to her was,
"Don't tell any of the employees
because I'm giving you a raise,
but I'm not necessarily raising
their hourly rate."
That be fair statement
of what I read in your answer?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Yes, yes, okay,
so that would be a yes.
"I'm giving you a raise.
Don't tell anybody else."
>> Yeah.
>> Now I guess I'm going to
start with you, Mr. Ben Israel.
>> Awesome.
>> Judge Judy: First of all,
you have a counterclaim because
she says you owe her wages,
that you fired her,
and when you fired her,
there was an outstanding bill
that you had
for her hourly wage.
What your service does,
if I'm not mistaken,
is you have clients,
and your clients
hire your company to provide
people to clean their homes.
>> Correct.
>> Judge Judy: Let's say you
charge your clients $25 an hour.
>> Right.
>> You pay your employees
$15 an hour.
You make $10 an hour.
>> Right.
>> Judge Judy: Your counterclaim
is twofold in her request
for her last paycheck.
One, you say she has some of
your cleaning equipment.
>> Correct.
>> Judge Judy:
Now I'm not an idiot,
and this is not show and tell.
I assume that's
his cleaning stuff.
>> That is.
>> Judge Judy: Officer Byrd,
would you...
Before you get to six across,
would you take this and send
it over to the defendant.
>> And it's also the uniform.
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
He's sending it.
>> Sorry.
>> Judge Judy: Thank you.
I thought that was funny, Byrd.
>> It was hilarious.
It was six down.
>> Judge Judy:
Now, now you have...
Mr. Ben Israel, that's what
she has that belongs to you.
The second part of your
complaint is that you...
Just a second.
The second part
of your complaint is that
you lost a customer,
and the customer that you lost
was a customer that Ms. Menz
had been working for,
and she canceled her service
with you after you
fired Ms. Menz,
so another part of your
counterclaim is for slander
and loss of business.
>> Yeah.
>> Judge Judy: Do you have
that person with you?
The answer is yes or no.
>> Do I have what person?
>> Judge Judy: The person
who fired you.
>> No, I do not.
>> Judge Judy: Well, so that
you have no cause of action
for slander.
Then there's...
>> I have an e-mail
associated with her, the client.
>> Judge Judy: Firing you?
>> Yeah.
The client I wanted to hire.
>> Judge Judy: I would like...
Just a second.
Even though it's hearsay,
I'm going to read it
and see whether I think
there's anything slanderous
like you have
a sexually transmitted disease,
or you are
a pedophile or something
or whether she's just saying,
"He's a dishonest businessman
who didn't pay me my last week's
salary check."
Okay.
>> That's from a client.
>> Judge Judy:
You mean the e-mail part
where she says that
the plaintiff said that you were
refusing to pay her overtime,
so she's no longer working
for Pure Clean?
Is that the e-mail that you...
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
I want to be clear.
>> Yeah.
>> Judge Judy: This is
what you say is slander?
>> Well, her conversation
with that client about
a statement that was not true
is essentially why
we got fired, so she told...
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
What does "essentially
not true" mean?
>> Okay.
It's not true.
>> Judge Judy: What's not true?
>> The statement of her
not getting paid overtime.
By the state of Minnesota,
she wasn't even
entitled to overtime.
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
That's not slander, so your
counterclaim is now dismissed.
>> But she...
>> Judge Judy:
Listen to my words.
This didn't say, "We're firing
your firm, Mr. Ben Israel,
because the person
who's operating the firm
is a pedophile. He's a thief.
He employs underage children,"
didn't say any of those things
that are illegal
or anything gross, right?
>> Right.
>> Judge Judy: She said she had
a salary dispute with you
because you were refusing
to pay her overtime,
and the question about whether
she was entitled to overtime
is a question of fact,
so she's allowed to say to the
people that she was working for,
"I got fired because I asked
for overtime, and he refused
to pay me overtime,
and therefore, he fired me."
She's allowed to say that,
so what I'm telling you is,
you have no case against her.
>> Okay.
>> Judge Judy: Period!
Now I'm moving forward,
Mr. Ben Israel.
>> Well, it wasn't...According
to the state of Minnesota...
>> Judge Judy: I don't
care whether it's...
>> I told her that she knew...
>> Judge Judy: ...according to
the gospel of St. Paul!
It doesn't matter!
It's not slander!
Do you get it?
>> No, I don't.
Could you please give me the...
>> Judge Judy: Well, then go
to law school.
I'm telling you,
it's not slander.