defendant is your son.
You claim he owes you for a car
loan of $1,000 and the balance
of some old furniture you sold
to him.
That's what your lawsuit is
about.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Your son says
that you're square on the
furniture.
And he crashed the car, so he
doesn't have it anymore.
And the money was a gift to you
anyway.
How old are you, Mr. Henley?
>> 32 years old, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: And how many
children do you have?
>> I have four.
>> Judge Judy: How old are they?
>> 15, 11, 8, and 7.
>> Judge Judy: Do they all live
with you?
>> No, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: How many live
with you?
>> One.
>> Judge Judy: Which one?
>> The baby boy.
The seven-year-old.
>> Judge Judy: Where's his
mother?
>> She, um -- She ain't -- not
in the picture.
>> Judge Judy: Well, who takes
care of him?
>> Oh, I do.
And when I'm at work, with the
babysitter.
>> Judge Judy: Who's the
babysitter?
>> Somebody in my apartment that
I have, I've known for a while.
>> Judge Judy: Name.
>> Her name is Lisa.
>> Judge Judy: You pay her?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Good.
What kind of work do you do?
>> I work -- right now, I work
at a K.D. -- place called
K.D. Woods.
>> Judge Judy: Now, where do
your other three children live?
>> The other one stays with his
mama in Virginia.
And the other two stay with my
mama.
>> Judge Judy: So two of them
live with your mother.
That's what I thought.
Which two live with your mother?
How old are the ones that live
with your mother?
>> My junior, which is
11 years old, and my daughter.
She's eight.
>> Judge Judy: And how long have
they lived with your mother?
>> Couple years now.
About, like, five years now.
>> Judge Judy: Were they given
to her voluntarily or through
the court?
>> Voluntarily.
>> Judge Judy: By you?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: And where is
their mother?
>> She...
>> Judge Judy: In the wind.
>> In the wind. Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Do you pay your
mother any support for taking
care of your children?
>> No, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Why not?
>> 'Cause I don't -- I help them
out.
Whenever my kid needs to, I do
stuff.
You know what I'm saying?
>> Judge Judy: I'm talking about
regular support, not what they
need.
So you don't pay for any
support.
How are the children supported,
Ms. Henley?
>> By me, and by me alone.
Even with things, the birthdays.
Every -- Every penny.
mother any support for taking
care of your children?
>> No, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Why not?
>> 'Cause I help them out.
Whenever my kid needs to, I do
stuff.
You know what I'm saying?
>> Judge Judy: I'm talking about
regular support, not what they
need.
So you don't pay for any
support.
How are the children supported,
Ms. Henley?
>> By me, and by me alone.
Every penny.
>> Judge Judy: Do you work?
>> I work. Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: For whom?
>> I work for the defense
agency.
>> Judge Judy: How long have you
worked for them?
>> I've worked for them -- I've
been doing the same thing for
34 years.
And I've been with this company
for 13, and then another company
before that, but all part of the
same defense.
>> Judge Judy: And other than
your son's two children, who
else lives in your home?
>> I have a nephew that lives
with me right now temporarily.
>> Judge Judy: Is that your
sister's son?
>> That's my niece's son.
Second-generation nephew.
>> Judge Judy: Does he work?
Go to school? What does he do?
>> He works, temporarily.
>> Judge Judy: Now, you were
moving from one state to
another, so you decided to sell
some furniture.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: And you sold the
living-room set and a bedroom
set.
Is that right?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: And your son said
he wanted to buy it.
Is that right?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: And how much was
it?
>> It was for $1,000.
>> Judge Judy: And how much did
you give your mother?
>> $500.
>> Judge Judy: Is that right?
>> No, ma'am. $300.
>> Judge Judy: He gave you $300.
>> Yes, ma'am.
I deducted $200.
Maybe he's thinking of that.
>> Judge Judy: You helped her
move.
>> Yeah, I helped her move.
Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: And is that the
$200 that you're talking about
that she said you could take off
another $200?
>> There was another time I
helped her move.
She took another $200.
But I gave her $500 --
Know what I'm saying? --
when I first gave it to her.
Then I helped her move.
And she told me I ain't have to
owe her no more once I helped
her move.
>> Judge Judy: And you helped
her move, did you help her move
from one state to another or
just from one house?
>> From one state to another.
>> Judge Judy: From where to
where?
>> From Georgia to Alabama.
>> Judge Judy: Did you rent
a U-Haul?
Is that how you moved?
>> Yes, ma'am.
We, um -- I helped her move out
of a big house and packed it all
up in a U-Haul and truck.
And we moved to Alabama.
>> Judge Judy: You and who else?
>> Me and my cousin.
He helped one day.
It was, like, two or three days.
>> Judge Judy: How many days did
it take you?
>> About two or three days.
>> Judge Judy: How many people
helped you move?
>> Uh, it took me about a month
to move.
Because in the midst of moving,
I had a brother staying with me
at the time, and he had cancer.
So it was give and take.
>> Judge Judy: How many days did
he help you move?
>> He helped me two weekends out
of that month.
>> Judge Judy: Two weekends.
So four days.
>> Yes, ma'am.
And throughout the thing, I had
a total of eight people in and
out helping.
>> Judge Judy: It's okay.
He helped move for a total of,
according to you, four days.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: And according to
you, therefore, you think that
$50 a day is appropriate
compensation for him.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Because what his
statement is -- you said to him,
after he helped you move, "You
don't have to pay me any more
money."
I believe you.
Okay?
Now let's get to the car.
So, you needed a car.
And I read your answer.
And your answer is that you
said, "I have three children
that I have to take care of, and
my mother understood that, so
she gave me a gift of $1,000."
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: You don't take
care of your four children.
You take care of one.
She takes care of two.
Somebody else takes care of the
other.
>> I help take care of them,
ma'am.
I do everything I can possibly.
>> Judge Judy: Well, "everything
you can" clearly is not enough.
>> I mean, I do what I can.
>> Judge Judy: Clearly is not
enough.