to the funeral,
and you claim that you were
assaulted by a bunch of guys...
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: ...and that
somehow
the plaintiff was involved.
>> Yes.
She was standing outside
with her other two daughters,
and I was trying to talk to her
and trying to, you know, we...
>> Judge Judy: Not trying to,
I want you to tell me
what you said to her,
what she said to you.
>> I was talking to her,
and we...
>> Judge Judy: Oh.
>> I was discussing trying
to tell her, like,
"You know, we are family.
We shouldn't be arguing.
I didn't steal anything
from the household.
If we have any disagreement,
then we need to talk about it."
She just kept shooing me away,
and as soon as I turned around,
three men were approaching me,
so my brother-in-law,
he stepped in
to keep them from getting to me.
>> Judge Judy: So then
you were not assaulted.
>> No.
We all had to get into the
altercation because he was...
>> Judge Judy: My question is,
so you were not assaulted?
>> Yes.
I was hit in my face.
>> Judge Judy: By whom?
>> By one of the people
that she had come down there.
They were all in street clothes.
>> Judge Judy:
Do you have a police report?
>> No, ma'am.
We do not.
>> Judge Judy:
Do you have a medical record?
>> No, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy:
Did you see a doctor?
>> No.
>> Judge Judy: Were you injured?
>> Just...
>> Judge Judy: No.
Listen.
People have to take care
of their business.
You have bad judgment.
You had two pieces
of bad judgment.
The first piece of bad judgment
was taking state money
for taking care of your brother
while you were also,
put your hand down,
while you were also collecting
full pay from the Department
of Corrections
and, later, a pension from
the Department of Corrections.
Okay?
That's number one.
Number two, the thing that you
knew for certain
was that in the safe
that your brother kept was cash,
the most fungible form
of an asset, cash,
and you knew that your brother
had told you
that the cash in the safe,
he was saving,
and it was his will
that it go to the defendant
for whatever reason.
He wasn't leaving it to you.
He wasn't leaving it to your
two daughters who helped him.
He wasn't leaving it
to your husband who helped him.
He was leaving it
to the defendant.
Your obligation,
if you had wanted
to follow through
with your brother's wishes,
would have been to open the safe
in front of the defendant
and say to her,
"My brother told me,
when he was alive,
that the money in the safe
belongs to you,
so whatever cash is in
the safe is yours.
I need his life
insurance policy."
By the way, did you find a life
insurance policy?
>> Yes, Your Honor.
>> Judge Judy: Great,
and how much was it for?
>> Five thousand dollars.
>> Judge Judy:
And did that cover
his burial expenses?
>> No, Your Honor.
I paid 24.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
So his life insurance policy
didn't cover
his burial expenses.
>> No.
>> Judge Judy: You paid $2,400.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Did you pay that
to the funeral director in cash?
>> We did it over the phone,
Your Honor, at credit card.
>> Judge Judy: And was that
before
or after you opened the safe? tt
to the funeral director in cash?
>> We did it over the phone,
Your Honor, at credit card.
>> Judge Judy: And was that
before or after
you opened the safe?
>> That was before.
>> Judge Judy: How...
Just a second.
You went and got the safe 2 days
after your brother died.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: When did you make
the funeral arrangements?
>> A couple days after.
>> Judge Judy: So you had
already retrieved the safe.
>> Well, I was...
>> Judge Judy:
You had already retrieved.
According to you...
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: ...you already
had gotten the safe.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: You said you got
the safe 2 days
after your brother died.
>> Then that...
>> Judge Judy: And 2 days
after that,
you got it because you needed
the life insurance policy.
Put your hand down.
You got the life insurance
policy
because you had to make
funeral arrangements for him.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: And then you saw
the life insurance policy
was only $5,000.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: And you were
the beneficiary?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Fine,
and the funeral was $7,500.
You got where I'm going?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: We're done here.
Your case is dismissed.
>> Your Honor, we're...
I'm not done.
>> Judge Judy: Oh, I'm done.
[ Chuckles ]
Case is dismissed.
We're done.
>> Byrd: Parties are excused.
You may step out.
>> It's really hard
because they were my family.
I thought so, but...
>> He was very loving
and caring.
He took her in when she had
nowhere to go,
when she came out the closet.
>> As of how they feel
and what they were
doing, obviously, I was not.
>> Her family disowned her,
and today,
they're there with her.
>> So, you know, I'm just...
I just want this part of my life
to be done and over with
and to be able to celebrate
my dad's life now.
>> But where were they 5 1/2
years ago when she slept
on my brother's floor?
>> Money definitely
does change people.
I'm just glad it's over.
>> Annou