the house to see
how it was getting spruced up?
>> Absolutely.
>> Judge Judy: In what month?
>> When he started on it in May.
>> Judge Judy: What about --
what about
after he started on it?
>> Of course, yes.
>> Judge Judy: Of course.
What did it look like?
>> Just -- he just wasn't
finished, you know, half --
half painting jobs, you know.
He kept sayin',
"Well, I'm finishin' up today.
I'm finishin' up tomorrow.
And I'll have it all spotless."
So --
>> Judge Judy: Of course,
nobody was there.
How much did you
pay him altogether?
>> $2,300, Your Honor.
>> Judge Judy: And what
did you do for $2,300?
>> $500 of that
was the initial part
for the, um, materials, of it
and then payin' the employees
that I had workin' for me.
>> Judge Judy: Just a sec.
What
work did you do in the house?
>> Oh, well, I'm sorry.
Sorry, ma'am.
Um, I did the, um --
>> Judge Judy: Slowly, tell me
exactly what work you did --
>> Okay.
>> Judge Judy: In the house
for the $2,300.
>> Tore off wallpaper
in the kitchen and in the study.
>> Judge Judy: Tore off
the wallpaper, yep.
>> Primed walls, yes, ma'am.
Had to re-Sheetrock walls
to do patch-up jobs
on certain areas so that
I could primer and repaint.
The trim there --
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
Did you finish
any of those rooms?
>> Yes, ma'am.
The dining room --
>> Judge Judy: Painting.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Painting.
So those rooms are finished,
the dining room --
>> Yes, ma'am.
And I have pictures of those.
>> Judge Judy: I'd like to take
a look at them.
Dining room is finished --
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: And the library,
did you say?
>> The study, or bedroom.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
The kitchen,
what did you do in the kitchen?
>> Uh, tore off wallpaper
and painted the walls.
>> Judge Judy: And you painted
the walls.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy:
Finished the kitchen.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
And this is a bedroom?
>> That is the study,
yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Study,
and you painted this blue?
>> Uh, yes,
it's still gray, yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Well,
what is this?
>> That is tape,
tapin' off the trim.
>> Judge Judy: Did you ever take
the tape off?
>> Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
And the banister
and these walls?
>> Yes.
I painted those walls as well.
Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: These walls go
upstairs.
You painted them.
>> Yes, ma'am.
Painted the room upstairs
as well.
>> Judge Judy: So how many rooms
in total did you paint?
You painted all this blue.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Any question
about that?
>> The only thing that I did
not get to in the front part
was the top edge,
the very top edge, because
I could not safely get up there.
And by the time
I acquired a ladder,
they were already moved in.
And it was hard to move around.
>> Judge Judy: Is the paint
there?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Your Honor, on the --
the one he was saying that
he did not acquire a ladder,
he sent me a picture of it,
that went
three-quarters up the wall
and told me it was finished.
And when I got home
and discovered
it was not finished, um,
and I asked Clay why it was not,
and he said,
"When I got up on the ladder,
I got scared
because it was too high.
And I could not finish the job."
I have, uh, pictures --
>> Judge Judy: Okay. Fine. Fine.
So far, I'm seeing
a whole lot of painting there.
Did you buy the mulch,
by the way?
>> She purchased the mulch
through the materials.
Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: And what did you
do with it?
>> I mulched the front
flower beds.
Yes, ma'am.
I mowed the front yard
and backyard.
>> Which he was not asked to do.
>> Judge Judy: Oh, sure, he was.
>> No. He wasn't.
>> Judge Judy: I see the texts.
>> Well, I mean, he said --
>> Judge Judy: I -- Just a sec.
I see the texts.
>> Okay.
>> Judge Judy: Sure, he was.
I mean, I'm looking to see
whether
he did $2,300 worth of work.
Looks to me as
if he did $2,300 worth of work.
You may not like the $2,300
worth of work.
You may not like the way
he painted it.
How long, Ms. Dryer, was he
there?
>> Um, a couple of months.
>> Judge Judy: So every time
you went there
over that two-month period,
according to you, and your other
Realtors went into the house,
there were things
going on there.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: There were things
going on there.
>> Your Honor, I have pictures
of the foyer
where he did not finish.
>> Judge Judy: So show.
I'm looking. I'm looking.
>> Um, may we show you things
that he did
that we didn't ask him to do?
>> Like for example, the --
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
>> In our dining room --
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
I saw the texts back and forth.
>> Right.
>> Judge Judy: He discusses the
striping
with you in the texts.
>> Right. We did not ask him
to paint that.
>> Judge Judy: You then say,
"Don't touch it."
>> Okay.
>> Judge Judy: That's what
you do.
I read all the texts.
>> When he said he was gonna
remove
the wallpaper in the text,
I said,
"Clay, that's not wallpaper.
That's paint.
You don't need to remove
any wallpaper,
nothing like that."
>> Judge Judy: I read --
I read all the texts.
He did $2,300 worth of work.
>> But, Your Honor,
we have pictures of the --
what he said he did
and how it was done incorrectly.
We have pictures of paint.
>> Judge Judy: Then don't --
then don't hire him again.
You're not getting any money
back from him.
He did the work. He painted it.
You were absentee owners.
You had a Realtor there.
If the Realtor looked at the job
that he was doing and said
to you, "You know what,
he's doing a terrible job,"
and you told him to stop,
we'd have a different story.
But sounds to me
from your Realtor
that this young man was there
with other people and tried
to be most accommodating to you.
He mulched your front yard.
He mulch-- I know what I pay
to have somebody just --
And I bought the mulch.
Just mulch front and backyard.
>> He also had a friend of mine
helping him do that.
He, um --
>> Judge Judy: Your case
is dismissed.
You have no case. We're done.
Your counterclaim is ridiculous,
sir. And I'm dismissing it.
You do understand.
For more money,
that's not happening.