live in the state of New Jersey?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: And you have
rental property that you own
in the state of Massachusetts?
>> Yes, Your Honor.
>> Judge Judy: And you had
tenants in that property,
and they weren't paying rent.
>> Yes, Your Honor.
>> Judge Judy: You wanted them
evicted.
According to these papers,
complaint and the answer,
you had known Mr. Harsch
for a long period of time,
and he is an attorney,
and you retained him
to evict the tenants
for nonpayment of rent.
So far, are we correct?
>> Yes, Your -- Except that I
hadn't seen David Harsch.
>> Judge Judy: May not have
seen him, but you know him...
>> I know. Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: ...for a very
long time, and you retained his
services to evict the tenants.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: How long have you
owned this rental property?
>> Bought this in 1987.
>> Judge Judy: So you've had
a lot of tenants there,
and you know that sometimes
it's difficult when
they stop paying rent, right?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
Mr. Harsch, your lawsuit is
for unpaid attorney's fees.
>> Yes, Your Honor.
>> Judge Judy: And you're gonna
tell me that you are
a duly admitted attorney
in the state of Massachusetts?
>> I am -- 32 years, Your Honor.
>> Judge Judy: What kind of law
do you practice?
>> I specialize in evictions.
>> Judge Judy: Have you ever
been disbarred?
>> Briefly, yes, Your Honor.
>> Judge Judy: When?
>> I think it was 2015 or '16.
>> Judge Judy: Give -- No, no.
I need the exact month and date
that you were disbarred.
>> Okay.
It was from February 2016
through August of 2016.
>> Judge Judy: And you were
reinstated in August of 2016?
>> Yes, Your Honor.
>> Judge Judy: When were you
retained by Mr. Pena?
>> February 21st of 2017.
>> Judge Judy: And how much
of a retainer did he pay you?
>> Well, first of all, he paid
me $150 for the Notice to Quit.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
And he paid that?
>> He paid that, yes, same day.
>> Judge Judy: Did he see you in
your office, or did he
communicate over the phone?
>> Through phone, e-mails --
And these were through e-mails
at this point.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
Did you ever, in fact, see him
in person in Massachusetts?
>> No, I did not.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
What was the total amount
of money that Mr. Pena paid you?
>> He paid me the $150,
and then when she didn't
move out after the two weeks,
he paid me another $430.
>> Judge Judy: The Notice
to Quit, which is a letter
that you sent to the tenant.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: And I'd like
to see a copy of that letter.
May I see that, please?
Okay.
So you sent this, and for $150,
that's what you charged him
for sending the Notice to Quit.
Now, $430, you were to begin
eviction proceedings.
>> That's correct, Your Honor.
>> Judge Judy: Tell me
what you did.
>> I prepared the complaint.
>> Judge Judy: May I see it,
please?
And did you go to court
on March the 30th...
>> I did.
>> Judge Judy: ...2017?
>> I did.
>> Judge Judy: So you made
a court appearance on the date
in the summons?
>> That's correct.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
You don't dispute the fact that
he made a court appearance
for you?
>> No, Your Honor.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
And then what happened,
Mr. Harsch?
>> Well, prior to the going
to court, the tenant
had filed an answer claiming
that there were rats
and clogged drains.
>> Judge Judy: May I see the
answer that the tenant filed?
Okay.
So, her answer says that
she fixed the clog in a bathroom
and that there were
rats and holes,
and she owes $3,700 in rent,
but she spent $700
for the clogs and the rats.
Okay, so $3,000,
she acknowledged owing.
Okay.
>> All right, so I went to
court, and we went through
mediation, and I came up
with what I considered
an ingenious situation here
where she was going to pay her
rent provided he contacted
the exterminator, and --
>> Judge Judy: Contacted
the exterminator for what?
>> To go over there and check
out the rat situation.
And the plumber, as well,
but the main thing was --
I have the agreement right here,
that he was --
>> Judge Judy: Just a minute.
So you went to mediation.
Did you have a retainer
agreement with him
for any other work
other than filing the summons,
going to court the first time?
Did you have any other agreement
with him with regard to fees?
>> The fee was $200 an hour.
>> Judge Judy: Let me see where
you had a retainer agreement
for $200 an hour.