There was an accident.
You want her to be responsible
for the damage.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: The defendant has
a rather interesting defense.
First, she said it was
a minor fender bender,
but it was no big deal.
But Ms. Peterson says
that you rent out your car...
>> No.
>> Judge Judy: ...and that she
paid you $75 that night to use
the car.
Is that correct?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Had you ever
given him money before?
>> Just for rides.
That was the first time
I had rented out the car,
but he would pick me up
and drop me off.
>> Judge Judy: And you paid him
for that?
>> Mm-hmm.
>> Judge Judy: Okay,
starting when?
>> December.
>> Judge Judy: And is that
the first time you met him?
>> Yeah, I met him
through a mutual friend.
When I met him he told me
name was Gary, so...
>> Judge Judy: Tell me
how you met him.
>> He was giving my friend rides
for cheaper than a taxi was,
so then I started calling him
instead of calling the taxi.
>> Judge Judy: So this is
his business?
>> Well, yeah.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
The first time you used him,
December of 2015, I want you
to tell me about that call
that you made to him.
>> She was at my house.
And we needed -- we were going
to her house.
So we called him.
And that's how I met him was
through the first ride.
>> Judge Judy: And how much
did he charge you
for that first ride?
>> I think it was like 10 bucks.
It was right in town.
>> Judge Judy: And you paid him
in cash.
>> Mm-hmm.
>> Judge Judy: And when did you
use him again?
>> I'd only used him, like,
maybe four or five times
before I had borrowed the car.
>> Judge Judy: Now, tell me
about the night of January 8th.
Where did you want to go?
>> I was just borrowing the car
to, like, be a designated driver
for my friends.
>> Judge Judy: Well, you had
never done that before?
>> No.
He was saving up
to move down south,
so he suggested
that we do $100 a night.
But we agreed on $75.
>> Judge Judy: Tell me about
that conversation.
>> Actually, he had
brought it up to my friend.
And she told me.
So then I started talking to him
about it.
And he said,
you know, from 9:00 p.m.
until 9:00 a.m. for $100.
And we settled on $75.
He came, picked me up,
he got in the backseat.
>> Judge Judy: That was on
January 8th?
>> Mm-hmm.
I dropped him off
at his house, took the car.
On the way back to his house,
I got in a minor accident.
I then drove
the car back to his house --
>> Judge Judy: Tell me about
the accident.
>> We were at the stop light
and the car --
the light turned green.
The car ahead of me started
going.
And they slammed on their brakes
as I started going after them,
so I bumped behind them.
>> Judge Judy: Okay, so you were
responsible for the accident.
>> Yeah, she is.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Don't speak.
>> I don't feel like I --
I didn't do $5,000
worth of damage.
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
Well, you were clearly
responsible for the accident
if you hit somebody in the rear.
>> Right.
>> Judge Judy: You're not
supposed to get that close.
So you had the accident.
>> Mm-hmm.
>> Judge Judy: What kind of car
was it that you were
leasing for the night?
>> I don't know
what kind of car.
I'm not good at the kind...
>> Judge Judy: What kind of car?
>> A 2012 Hyundai Accent.
>> Judge Judy: When did you
buy it?
>> July 5, 2015.
>> Judge Judy: How much
did you pay for it?
>> Fourteen something for it.
I'm not really sure
on the price.
>> Judge Judy: Is the car
financed?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: They require you
to have full insurance on a car
until the car note is paid off.
>> It wasn't full coverage,
it was just liability.
>> Judge Judy: They require you
to have full coverage on a car
until it's paid off.
All insurance companies do.
You know that.
>> Yeah.
>> Judge Judy: But you didn't
have full coverage on the car.
>> No, just liability.
>> Judge Judy: So let
me just follow this.
You breached your contract
with the finance company.
>> Yeah.
>> Judge Judy: There is
no question that Ms. Peterson
is telling me the truth
that you were operating your own
little limousine business
on the side for cash
and that she paid you
$75 for the night
of the 8th of January
so that she could have the car
for the night.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: So there's
no question in my mind
that you know you were operating
a business
with your car, a business
that requires a license
in every jurisdiction.
It's not the worst crime
in the world,
but do you understand you did
the wrong thing two times?
>> Yes, I understand.
>> Judge Judy: You didn't have
full coverage
on a car that you were supposed
to have full coverage on --
>> But she's still responsible.
>> Judge Judy: Oh, you think so?
I'm gonna tell you
what the law is.
The law is that when somebody
comes to court,
they have to come to court
with clean hands.
That doesn't mean if
you stole a candy bar
in a store three years ago
and you came into a court
and you had merely let
somebody borrow your car
and they had an accident,
I would say, "Well, three years
ago you stole a candy bar,
so you don't have clean hands."
But you're asking the court
to help you in a situation
where you did two things wrong.
You didn't have insurance.
And you were conducting
a business with your car
without an appropriate license
and lending it...
Well, I know she used it
and her friend used it.
I don't know how many other
people you were in this business
of giving rides to
for 10 bucks, 15 bucks.
You were your own little
Uber driver, only you didn't
have to share it with Uber.
Whatever it was,
it was word of mouth.
So the accident was her fault.
But you're asking the court
to disregard the fact
that you didn't have appropriate
insurance
and you didn't have a license
to operate a business
and you were giving the car
over to people, some
of whom may have had licenses,
some of whom didn't have --
>> No, I just gave it to her.
>> Judge Judy: You mean this was
the first time you did that?
>> It was the only
time I did that.