Ms. Campbell brought in her car
for you to fix
and put in a new transmission.
You quoted her a price,
which was?
>> Seven hundred dollars.
>> Judge Judy:
And she brought in the car when?
>> October '17.
>> Judge Judy:
And she picked up the car when?
>> November '17.
>> Judge Judy: And she got
a little bit down the road,
and what you were supposed to do
is put in
a different transmission,
not a new one,
a rebuilt transmission.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: It's 2002 car,
$700.
She paid you.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: She drove the car
down a block
or 5 minutes down the road,
couldn't move the car.
She took it to a new mechanic.
I assume
that this is the new mechanic.
>> This is an
expert witness that owns...
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
>> ...a transmission shop.
>> Judge Judy: Is this
the new mechanic?
>> This is the mechanic.
He did not install
the transmission,
but he owns a transmission shop
and is able to vouch
for all the work that was done.
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
>> He's an expert witness.
>> Judge Judy: Did you...
Ms. Campbell, you don't
determine
if he's an expert witness.
I tell you if he's
an expert witness.
Do you understand?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: That's what
the court does.
You don't bring
somebody and say,
"They're an expert witness."
Is this the person who either
fixed the car or owns
the shop that fixed the car?
>> No, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Well, why didn't
you bring that person?
>> Because he evaluated my car.
>> Judge Judy: No, just
what's the reason?
>> They did not want to come
out here today,
the owners of the transmission
shop that repaired the shop.
>> Judge Judy: In what
jurisdiction do you live?
>> Wayne County, North Carolina.
I tried numerous times to get in
touch with them without success.
>> Judge Judy:
Do you have a bill from them?
>> I do.
>> Judge Judy:
I'd like to see the bill.
So she picked up the car
on the 7th of November.
See when she brought the car
into a second place.
"ABS line, transmission,
steering mount,
power steering stop leak."
Anyway, they charged you $1,921?
>> And $0.50.
Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: So I have
the following questions
to ask you, sir.
The transmission
that you put in her car...
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy:
...did you have to do
any other work on the car,
cutting it, reshaping
any part of the underneath car,
to have that transmission fit?
>> No, ma'am.
No.
>> Judge Judy: So you didn't
cut anything on the bottom
or realign anything
on the underneath of the car?
The transmission
just fit right in?
>> Yes.
>> Your Honor,
I disagree with that.
>> Judge Judy: Just a sec.
Do you have photographs
of the underneath of the car?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: May I take a look
at them?
Now, sir, would you stand up?
Tell me your name.
>> Lloyd Holt, man.
>> Judge Judy: Mr. Holt,
what do you do for a living?
>> I own a transmission
business.
>> Judge Judy: Do you know him?
>> No, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: How long
have you owned that business?
>> I been partners
with my daddy,
and I own it myself
now about 22 years.
>> Judge Judy:
Can you take a look?
She gave me a whole bunch
of pictures,
but I don't know what they mean.
>> Yes, ma'am.
I'll...
>> Byrd: Put your arms down.
>> Judge Judy: What kind
of transmission did you
put in the car, Mr. Peterson?
>> An automatic transaxle.
>> Judge Judy: Do you know
that transmission, sir?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy:
Does that fit this car?
>> There's three years
that will work, 2001, '2 or '3,
and what I looked at
and checked out, her notes,
everything else,
he put the wrong
year-model transmission in it.
It would not work properly,
and also, if he had to do
any modifications,
which are them pictures there,
cut anything,
change anything, it was not
the right transmission.
It should've bolted in there,
no modifications
done whatsoever,
should've bolted
up and worked properly.
>> Judge Judy: I don't know
what this is.
Could you tell me?
>> That's the transmission
mount, which you can see
fresh-cut marks
from the top of it,
which should
never have been cut.
>> Judge Judy:
So it had to be cut?
>> To fit in there.
Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Is this where
it was cut?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> That was there.
That's the...I put
the second transmission in that.
The transmission had been
replaced
before she brought it to me.
>> Judge Judy: How long before?
>> I have no idea.
>> Judge Judy: How long before?
>> Ma'am, as far as I know,
it had never been replaced.
>> Judge Judy:
When did you buy the car?
>> February 2017, so a year.
I've owned it a year.
>> Judge Judy: How much did
you pay for the car?
>> Twenty-four hundred,
and it ran perfectly.
>> Judge Judy: Well,
it didn't run perfectly because,
9 months later, it needed...
>> Well...
>> Judge Judy:
...A new transmission.
>> ...true, but...
>> Judge Judy: And that doesn't
happen overnight.
>> Your Honor, but it worked
properly until October, so...
>> Judge Judy: But it's...
so...
>> ...from 8 months...
>> Judge Judy: So for...
>> ...it worked properly.
>> Judge Judy: ...eight months,
it worked fine?
>> Yes.
So what you're telling me is,
sometime before she bought it,
somebody else
had put in another transmission?
>> Obviously a
used one that had...
>> Judge Judy:
Wait just a second.
>> Okay.
>> Judge Judy: But he says
the transmission that you put
in the car was wrong,
and that's why it didn't run,
and that's why she had
to take it
to another shop the same day.
>> It was taken out of a 2002
Ford Taurus.
Hers is a Mercury Sable,
which is...
>> [Indistinct].
>> Judge Judy:
She gets her money back.
>> ...basically the same car.
>> Judge Judy:
Did you pay him $700?
>> I paid him a total of 900
in the end and...
>> Judge Judy: Why?
>> Initially, he quoted me
at 700,
and then he said
that he needed $200 down
just to start the job.
Then he said that the job
would be an additional $700.
>> Judge Judy:
So you paid him a total of $900?
>> Correct.
>> Judge Judy: Is that correct?
>> And I have a receipt here.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Nine hundred
dollars,
judgment for the plaintiff.
We're done.
Thank you.