>> Judge Judy: Who is
Melissa Rhoades?
>> I am.
>> Judge Judy: And you are
Jessica Davis?
>> I am.
>> Judge Judy: The two of you
rented a three-bedroom house --
Is that right?
>> That's correct.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: ...from the
defendant, and you
signed a lease.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: When did
you sign the lease?
>> I want to say around
March 20th.
>> Judge Judy: And you moved in
at the beginning of April?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: I'd like to see
a copy of the lease.
You have a copy of the lease?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: May I see it,
please?
You have the same tiny print?
Is there a reason that you'd
want to torture somebody...
>> Oh. I'm sorry.
>> Judge Judy: ...on a lease?
Okay. So you moved in, and
shortly after moving in,
other people came into the home.
How many other people
came into the home?
>> One woman -- which,
she's sitting right here --
and her child.
>> Judge Judy: So two people.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: And she
remained with you?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: And the original
terms of the lease provided
for rental of $1,250 a month?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: And he
raised the rent.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: In what month
did he raise the rent?
>> For July.
He had her sign
a lease mid-June.
>> Judge Judy: So did you pay
any additional rent
for her in April, May, and June?
>> No. She didn't correctively
stay there until --
>> Judge Judy: Yeah,
she stayed there
April, May, and June.
>> She wasn't living
with us, though.
She came and visited us.
>> Judge Judy: April, May, and
June, she was living with you.
Yeah.
>> Okay.
>> Judge Judy: And then,
when he complained,
he had her sign the lease.
Is that her signature?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Is that
your signature, madam?
>> That's her and her son.
She put her son's name.
>> Judge Judy: How old
is her son?
>> Probably is around 5.
>> Judge Judy: Is that
how old he is?
>> He's 6 now.
>> Judge Judy: So there were
two additional people.
And how much did you charge them
additionally?
>> I was charging her
only $312.50.
>> Judge Judy: How much?
Stand up, Miss Russ.
How much were you
being charged rent?
>> Well, when the rent went up
in July, I was --
>> Judge Judy: Move over.
>> Sorry.
I was charged
about a little over $300.
>> Judge Judy: Prior to that,
you were living there for free.
>> No. I wasn't staying there.
>> She was.
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
You're going to tell me --
If you weren't living there for
free, you're going to give me
the name and address of the
landlord to whom you were paying
rent for April, May, and June.
Do you understand what I'm
talking about?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: You understand?
I'm very good at that.
You want to give me the name
of the landlord
and the phone number
who you were paying rent
to in April, May, and June?
>> Well, there was no landlord
of where I was staying because
I was moving around a lot.
>> Judge Judy: Right.
There was no landlord
where you were staying.
Let's try to be truthful
with each other
so that I don't get frustrated.
Do you understand?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: All right?
So she moved in with you
with her son, two people,
at the same time you moved in.
He got annoyed, said,
"I want you to pay rent
because you're
in violation of your lease,"
and you understood that.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: All right.
Now you can sit.
Because whether or not
you have any sort of case,
that's totally up to you.
But if you think that I'm
stupid, I resent it.
You understand?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Because somebody
with a 5-year-old child doesn't
bounce from one place to another
if she has a place to live
in a three-bedroom house
for nothing.
She started to pay rent in July.
Did she pay rent in July?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: In
the month of July.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: She paid $312?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: How much did
you pay in the month of July?
>> $300.
>> No, it's $312.50.
>> Judge Judy: Fine.
What about in August?
Did she pay in August?
>> No, they don't pay April,
May, and June.
>> Judge Judy: They didn't pay
April, May, and June.
That I know.
>> Okay. So, after they move
out, they stop paying rent.
>> Judge Judy: No, no.
When did they move out?
>> On August 1st.
>> Judge Judy: You moved out
August 1st?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Which means
that you broke your lease.
Well, your lease was for a year.
It had more time to run.
>> We were month-to-month.
It clearly states it on the copy
that we made after we signed it.
>> Your Honor, I have the
papers here that can prove
that they're wrong.
>> We don't have the original.
We just have the copy.
>> He had the original.
We have a copy of it right after
we signed it, and we clearly
said month-to-month.
>> No.
>> Judge Judy: That's not
what it says in the original.
>> So then he changed it.
>> Then he had to change it,
because it was there
when we signed it.
>> He clearly asked us --
When we gave him the deposit,
the first half of it,
he clearly asked us, did we want
to be month-to-month or a year?
>> Your Honor --
>> And we said month-to-month.
>> Judge Judy: Shh!