tell me why you stopped the work
on May 23rd?
>> After a series of incidents
and rude behavior at my home --
>> Judge Judy: Explain what the
rude behavior was.
>> All right.
First incident was they came to
work at my house --
>> Judge Judy: Who's the "they"?
>> Michael and his helper.
>> Judge Judy: Who was the
helper?
>> A guy Joe that we had hired
at the time.
He doesn't work with us no more.
>> Judge Judy: He doesn't work
with you anymore.
And how long had he worked with
you at the time that you started
Ms. Davis' job?
>> For maybe a month.
>> Judge Judy: So you were
dissatisfied with his service?
That's why he was terminated.
>> Yes, ma'am.
Well, he left himself.
I didn't fire him.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
Continue.
>> Okay.
They were wandering around in my
backyard, and I said, "Hey, what
are you guys doing out there?
The job is inside the house."
And he said, "Well, I'm out here
looking for a water spigot."
And I said, "Well, why didn't
you ask me?"
And that's all was said.
Then the next day, when his
father came, his father said,
"What the hell did you think we
were gonna do, steal something?
Don't you know we have more
money than she has?"
And I thought, "Wow."
I didn't know if that was a dry
sense of humor or it was just
rudeness, but the job had just
gotten started, I let it go.
Second incident was they spent a
day and a half putting a new
ceiling up in the bathroom and
then realized they forgot to put
the insulation in.
I brought it to his attention.
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
Who was there when that
happened?
>> Michael and his helper Joe,
as he's named him now.
>> Judge Judy: All right,
Michael, let's start with the
ceiling.
Did you put up a new ceiling?
>> Yes, we did.
>> Judge Judy: Did you have to
take it down to put in the
insulation?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Okay.
And on what date did that
happen?
>> Couldn't honestly tell you.
>> Judge Judy: Was that at the
beginning of the job?
>> Around the 14th.
>> Judge Judy: If I want you to
answer me, I'll ask you to
answer me.
>> Okay.
>> Judge Judy: Now, can you tell
me why you didn't put in the
insulation?
>> It just slipped our mind.
>> Judge Judy: Okay, so it was a
mistake.
>> It was a 10-minute mistake.
>> Judge Judy: Just a second.
It was a mistake.
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: What's next?
>> Second issue was part of this
rehab job was renovating a
closet in the same room to
accommodate a washer and dryer.
And they put in a new wall to
accommodate it and framed it out
new and put new piping.
The pipes don't fit in the wall.
They protrude out of the wall.
And they can't be fixed 'cause
they were concreted in the
floor.
>> Judge Judy: Who concreted
them in the floor?
>> Michael.
>> Judge Judy: Michael, she has
photographs of this, I'm sure,
to show me.
Do you know what she's talking
about?
>> Every pipe that we've had in
there was inside the wall.
I did not see any pipes sticking
out of the wall.
We didn't have any problem with
pipes sticking out of the wall.
>> Judge Judy: Did she ever
bring that to your attention?
>> No, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: I'd like to see a
photograph of it.
Do you remember framing out the
closet, Michael?
>> Yes, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: You have to reset
piping for the washer and dryer?
>> Yes, ma'am.
We had a plumber come in and do
our plumbing work.
>> Judge Judy: And did they have
to be cemented in?
Who did the cement work?
>> I did, ma'am.
>> Judge Judy: Plumbers just did
the piping.
>> Yes, ma'am.
Now, we did not have to frame
that whole wall.
That wall was an existing wall.
We just had to put a couple more
studs inside that wall.
>> Judge Judy: Well, this is
what she's talking about.
Would you show that to him?
>> I haven't seen it.
>> It's probably the clean-out.
>> Oh, the drain.
>> Drain?
>> Yeah.
I was there for the drain.
I was there when the plumber did
the work for the drain.
It was explained to her, because
of the way the plumbing was set
up, that that drain would
actually have to come out into
the room to be able to make a
connection.
And it would not interfere with
the washer and dryer being able
to go in, so we would put a
cabinet into that area when we
were finished to cover that pipe
up so it would not be exposed.
>> Judge Judy: So the pipe was
exposed?
>> Yes. Absolutely.
>> Judge Judy: Well, first, it
wasn't exposed.
Now the pipe was exposed.
>> Yes, this pipe was exposed.
I'm the one that framed that
wall and turned the board
sideways for the dryer to fit.
>> Judge Judy: What you're
saying is that you later told
her why it was protruding.
>> Before we even put the wall
together, yes.
>> Judge Judy: You had that
conversation?
>> No.