>> Judge Judy: Mr. Plut, let me
try to outline what I understand
your complaint alleges.
You lived with your father in
his house...
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: ...for five
years.
Your father passed away last
year?
>> 2015.
>> Judge Judy: And your father
left the house to your sister.
>> She was the executor.
>> Judge Judy: Who was the
beneficiary of the house?
>> Oh, I was one of them.
The four children.
>> Judge Judy: And the house was
left to all four children?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: And your sister
was charged with marshaling the
assets as the executor of your
father's estate, and so one of
the things she had to do,
because you have siblings, is
she had to sell the house so
that you could divide the
proceeds of the house, correct?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: And when did your
sister tell you that she had, in
fact, either sold the house or
wanted you to vacate the house?
>> In December of 2015.
>> Judge Judy: Did you vacate
the house in December?
>> No.
>> Judge Judy: Did you vacate
the house in January?
>> In February.
>> Judge Judy: Did she have to
move to evict you in order to
get you to leave the house?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Yes, 'cause you
didn't want to leave, or you
wanted to leave in your own
timeframe.
>> Yeah.
I wanted to leave on my own
timeframe.
>> Judge Judy: Well, if you
would have had a different kind
of relationship, perhaps, but
her responsibility to all of the
beneficiaries of your father's
estate was to marshal the
assets, sell them, and
distribute them.
You understand that.
So you caused her to get a
lawyer.
Did she have a lawyer in the
eviction process?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: And the lawyer
was paid by the estate, so you
cost the estate money, your
brothers and sisters all money,
because you didn't want to
vacate the house.
Now, you hired the defendant,
who is an attorney, to assist
you with the eviction process.
Now, I'm not going to ask the
defendant to violate any
potential client-attorney
privilege, but let's say the,
sort of, instruction to him was
"Let's jerk this around for a
little bit."
That may not have been the way
you put it, but you didn't say
to him, "Listen, we'll go to
court and we'll have to deal
with it."
You said, "I want more time.
I want to move out on my own
timeframe."
In any event, I don't care what
happened in the eviction
proceeding.
I assume that you finally left
the house.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: And
Mr. Zohffel...
>> Zoffel.
>> Judge Judy: ...Zoffel...
>> Yeah.
>> Judge Judy: ...sent you a
bill and you disputed the bill
with him.
So far, am I correct?
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: You disputed the
bill with him because you said,
"Well, I only agreed to pay you
this," and then he appeared in
court but you decided to
represent yourself in the
eviction proceeding.
>> I did decide to represent
myself.
>> Judge Judy: And you and
Mr. Zohffel, Zaffel...
>> Zoffel.
>> Judge Judy: Zoffel.
>> Rhymes with "awful".
>> Judge Judy: Zoffel.
>> Or "waffle".
>> Judge Judy: Waffle.
Mr. Zoffel.
[ Light laughter ]
Although you disputed his bill,
you ultimately came to an
accommodation.
He lowered his fee by a few
hundred dollars, and you paid
him.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: And that was
when?
>> November of 2016.
>> Judge Judy: Now you're suing
him for the return of the money.
>> Yes.
>> Judge Judy: Where have you
been since November of 2016?
We're now in 2018.
>> I filed a claim in April of
2017.
>> Judge Judy: In April.
Where were you from December of
2015, or November of 2015, till
April?
>> Trying to decide what exactly
I was going to do.
>> Judge Judy: That's -- you
don't have that luxury, sir.
First of all, you don't have
that luxury.
Once you've resolved a case with
someone -- you have a disputed
fee.
You have a copy of the check,
sir?
You have a copy of your check?
>> No.
>> I don't.
I don't, Your Honor.
>> Judge Judy: You were coming
here today.
Why didn't you bring a copy of
your check?
>> It was two years ago.
I haven't retained it.
>> Judge Judy: That's why what
you're supposed to do is to, if
you think that, for some reason,
you have a dispute, you bring
it in a timely fashion.
I want to look at the check and
see if the check reads in full
satisfaction of, or whether it
was signed or endorsed, in full
satisfaction of all claims.
Then you don't have a case.
You don't have a case anyway.
>> The amount of the check was
not in dispute.
>> Judge Judy: Well, what's in
dispute?
>> The fact that I was being
charged for things that I had
not authorized.
>> Judge Judy: What you did was
pay him.
He's not suing you.
You're suing him.
For what?
>> For charging me things that I
had not authorized.
>> Judge Judy: You agreed to pay
them, sir, two years ago.
You settled on an amount.
You had a negotiated settlement.
What, did you just wake up one
morning and say, "I don't like
that.
I don't like the settlement that
I made with him"?
>> I never liked the settlement.
>> Judge Judy: I don't care
whether you liked it or not.