>> Judge Judy: Mr. Copeland, the
defendant is your former wife.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: You have two
children, and, according to what
I read, you were divorced in
2006.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: How old are your
children now?
>> My oldest one, Robert, is 17,
and Xavier's 14.
>> Judge Judy: And when you
divorced, Robert lived with you?
>> No. He was living with his
grandmother.
I was incarcerated.
>> Judge Judy: When did Robert
come to live with you?
>> December 2011.
>> Judge Judy: And your other
son?
>> Xavier -- he moved in with me
May of last year.
>> Judge Judy: Prior to that,
was he living with his mother?
>> Yeah.
>> Judge Judy: And in your
divorce, was there any mention
of child support?
>> No.
>> Judge Judy: Were you
incarcerated at the time of the
divorce?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
So, you divorced him while he
was incarcerated?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
And what was the date of your
release?
>> July of 2007.
>> Judge Judy: Haven't been
back?
>> Nope.
>> Judge Judy: Good for you.
This is what the case is about.
I assume that neither one of you
has, over the course of the last
10 years, paid child support to
the other.
Is that correct?
>> No.
>> Judge Judy: Have you paid
child support to her? No.
>> No.
>> Judge Judy: And you have not
paid child support to him?
>> No.
>> Judge Judy: Each of you had
one child living with you, and
that sounded like a reasonable
thing to do.
Took care of your son's
expenses -- of Xavier's
expenses -- and you took care of
Robert's expenses.
Reasonable.
But last year, Xavier decided he
wanted to live with you, and
they're both in high school --
this is what the case is
about -- and have many
extracurricular activities, and
Xavier had some dental expenses.
>> Robert did.
>> Judge Judy: Robert had some
dental expenses.
And, according to you, your
former wife agreed to split
those expenses with you because
now you have both boys living
with you, and that's what you're
suing for -- half of those
expenses, which are a little
over $2,000.
I'm gonna start with you,
Mrs. Copeland.
How do you support yourself?
>> I just got laid off.
I was working at a Save Mart.
I was a clerical worker.
I was there for three years, but
they just closed that company
down, so I am unemployed right
now.
>> Judge Judy: As of what date?
>> August 18th.
>> Judge Judy: You receive
unemployment insurance benefits?
>> I have not received it yet,
so I'm waiting.
But I will be getting it, and
they said I will be getting like
$399 a week, but I have not
received it at all yet.
>> Judge Judy: Who do you live
with?
>> I live by myself.
>> Judge Judy: What's your rent?
>> My rent is $700 a month.
>> Judge Judy: How'd you manage
to pay your rent in September?
>> Well, I'm not gonna have my
apartment anymore,
so I'm gonna --
I gave a 60-day notice, 'cause
I'm not gonna be able to pay it.
>> Judge Judy: Well, where are
you moving?
>> That I don't know yet.
>> Judge Judy: You have an idea.
>> I think I'm probably gonna
share or, you know, rent a room
from somebody, 'cause I do not
have the money.
I'm gonna go back to school, so
EDD's gonna pay for me to go to
school, so...
>> Judge Judy: Have you tried to
find another job since August?
>> I'm gonna go to school.
The EDD is offering --
Since it was such a major
layoff, they're offering to pay
for us to go to school, so I
want to go to learn how to take
blood, to be a phlebotomist.
That's what I'm gonna go into.
>> Judge Judy: And how are you
gonna support yourself while you
do that?
>> I'll get unemployment while
I'm going to school, and the
class that I want to take to be
a phlebotomist is not very long.
It's like a 4-month class before
I can get my certificate, so
that's what I plan on doing.
>> Judge Judy: Did you discuss
that with your former husband?
>> We really don't talk much.
>> Judge Judy: Do you see both
Xavier and Robert?
>> Yeah. I'm supposed to get
them on the second and fourth
weekend of the month, although
usually when it's my time to see
Robert, since he's 17, he has a
job, he has a girlfriend.
He usually has things to do, and
so he doesn't come much.
>> Judge Judy: And Xavier?
>> Xavier comes. Yeah, he comes.
>> Judge Judy: When did you have
this conversation with
Mrs. Copeland about sharing
expenses?
What month?
>> May of last year, when Xavier
moved in with me.
>> Judge Judy: So, he was with
you September of 2015,
October of 2015...
>> All during the summer.
>> Judge Judy: ...November,
December, the entire 2015 and
part of 2016.
So, you have expenses.
Tell me when you first asked
Mrs. Copeland to pay any of
those expenses.
>> As soon as they started
arising.
>> Judge Judy: But let me see.
Do you have anything in writing?
>> Yeah. It's all labeled.
The page is the one behind it.
That's all the receipts.
>> Judge Judy: No, I'm not
looking for the receipts.
I'm asking you when,
Mr. Copeland, you first said to
her -- 'cause then she was
working, in 2015 -- when you
first said to her, "I need you
to pay some of these expenses."
>> June 3rd -- that's when she
made the first payment, so
that's basically when she --
>> Your Honor, if I may approach
the bench?
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
>> Okay.
>> See at the very bottom?
Those are when she made the
payments.
She was paying --
We had good communication.
She was paying regularly, coming
$20 here, $100 here, and it just
stopped.
Everything just stopped.
>> Judge Judy: When did it stop?
>> That last payment,
August 9th.
>> Judge Judy: August of this
year?
>> Yeah.
>> Judge Judy: When she lost her
job?
>> No. She was still working.
>> And she's currently working.
>> She's currently working right
now.
>> Judge Judy: Where?
>> Can I send more evidence
right here?
>> Judge Judy: Absolutely.
>> These are the screenshots
where she's working.
These are there. She's working.
Here are the screenshots.
Just go on up.
So, she's working.